The Forbidden

by Cheyenne McCray

  The connection between them shimmered then crackled with an almost audible sound.

  Darkwolf’s eyes grew decidedly less merry. “Do you wish to see your parents remain alive?” His lips pulled back in that much less attractive snarl. “Do you wish to see Copper again?”

  Silver straightened, her heart hammering at the mention of her parents and her sister. “What did you do to Copper? Is she alive?”

  The corner of his mouth twitched, whether in mirth or anger, she couldn’t tell. “She’s someplace safe.”

  Was he telling the truth? Did he really know where Copper was?

  “You have feelings for this one, do you not?” Darkwolf turned to look almost casually at Hawk. “Unacceptable. It will only be you and me, Silver, my love.”

  Darkwolf raised his hand and clenched his fist tight.

  Hawk made a choking sound. Silver’s horrified gaze darted to him and saw his face turning purple, his eyes bulging. His grip on his sword loosened.

  Anger so intense, so fiery, burned through Silver. Nearly without thought she flung a powerful ball of spellfire at Darkwolf that should have singed his entire body.

  It flowed over him like water over stone.

  “That’s it, Silver,” came Darkwolf’s alluring voice in her mind. “Feed your witchcraft with your anger.”

  Hawk made a strangled sound and dropped to his knees.

  Spellfire wouldn’t work.

  She reached down and yanked one stiletto dagger from her boot so fast that she barely saw Darkwolf’s startled expression. She flung it at his thigh and he roared as the blade pierced his flesh. His eyes blazed with black fire.

  Despite the dagger still lodged in his thigh and blood pouring down his leg, he used his sorcery to tighten his grip on Hawk’s throat.

  Silver felt a sudden stirring in her pocket. As if something were trying to get out. She jammed her hand into her pocket as fast as she could.

  The feather shot to Silver’s hand as if the Faerie who had given it were guiding it straight to her grasp.

  Silver brought her hand from her pocket and opened it. The feather rested on her palm. It was a perfect feather, sleek and blue-black in the moonlight.

  “Are you going to tickle me to death?” Darkwolf gave a soft laugh as he clenched his fist tighter.

  Hawk’s face had turned a dark shade of red.

  Silver moved her lips in a quick chant.

  “Feather of Air, feather so light.

  Please release the sky this night.”

  The feather rose, as if caught in a strong breeze, gliding higher and higher.

  Everyone in the circle tipped their heads back to watch the quick spiraling movement of the feather, which zoomed to the sky as if pulled by an invisible thread. All stood transfixed, mesmerized, as if held tight in some magical binding.

  Even Darkwolf was caught in the Fae magic and his hold on Hawk lessened.

  Hawk wheezed, drawing in breath.

  The feather brushed the overhead shimmer. An explosion of sparks spattered the black sky.

  The meadow that had once been eerily devoid of normal sound filled with the sleepy, muffled chirps of birds, frenetic cricket song, and the distant blare of traffic.

  D’Danann shouts cut through the air. The night erupted with the whump of powerful wings. Dark forms appeared overhead.

  Silver saw moonlight glint on the muzzles of PSF officers’ guns peeking through the trees, surrounding them.

  Demons snarled. Witches screamed as the Fomorii in human form forced the D’Anu to their knees, guns to their heads.

  Hawk took a gasping breath and roared as he dove for Darkwolf. With his good hand, he grabbed the stiletto buried in the warlock’s thigh and yanked down on it.

  With a blast of black fire, Darkwolf slammed his power into Hawk’s chest, knocking him and the dagger back several feet.

  Darkwolf looked casually at Silver, as if nothing that had happened mattered. As if his flesh weren’t torn, as if blood weren’t pouring down his thigh.

  “Hold!” Hawk ordered his comrades and the PSF, raising his hand from where he had landed. The D’Danann circled the meadow with angry cries before they settled in the trees surrounding the clearing. Watching. Waiting.

  A bit of relief eased some of the fear within Silver. The D’Danann and the PSF were here. But they were in no way out of the mess. Not by a very long shot.

  Junga scowled as her gaze narrowed on Silver. “If you wish for the witches to live, then you will cooperate.”

  “She will,” Darkwolf said in a soft, mesmerizing tone.

  Silver shuddered and fought off the warlock’s hold. “Fuck you.”

  “Exactly my plan,” he said and smiled. “Here, now, for everyone to see.”

  Hawk pushed himself to his feet with a roar of fury and started to lunge at Darkwolf again. The warlock simply held up his hand and Hawk slammed into a shimmering purple shield.

  Hawk stumbled back, barely keeping to his feet.

  “Ask Mommy and Daddy what I will do with the rest of the witches without your cooperation.” Junga ignored Hawk and Darkwolf. She tossed a look over her shoulder at Victor and Moondust, then looked back to Silver and smiled wickedly. “They have already seen how much I enjoy a delicious meal of D’Anu.”

  Ice crept over Silver’s skin when her eyes met her parents’.

  She read the truth in their gazes.

  “You see,” Junga said with a little tilt of her head. “Many of your witches are not worth a fraction of what you and your parents are, especially with you so willing to embrace the gray and edging toward the dark.”

  The Fomorii leader tossed a look over her shoulder before turning back to Silver. “And Mother no doubt can tell you just how close she walks the line between black and white with you.”

  Silver fought to think clearly. The comment that Cassia had made earlier about her mother being part Elvin—one of the neutrally aligned races—could that be true? If it was, then it would explain how Silver could wield gray magic so easily.

  In her studies with the old witch Mrs. Illes, Silver had learned about various Elvin clans and their ability to wield gray magic with little consequence. Their very nature was gray.

  “The weaklings,” Junga was saying, breaking into Silver’s thoughts, “who have little power—we will simply eat them one at a time until you agree.”

  Silver shook so hard her ribs creaked again, but she welcomed the pain, held on to it tight to remind her what was at stake. Lives of witches she cared for. Had known for years.

  “You wouldn’t.” Silver looked around the circle of witches, then back to Junga. “You need them, too.”

  Junga smiled. “No longer. We have twelve warlocks here now, thanks to those D’Anu who turned to black witchcraft. You will be thirteen.”

  A witch screamed. Silver’s heart pounded as the tall brown-haired witch named Mary stumbled to her knees, then fell, her face shoved into earth and grass. An enormous white Fomorii planted claws on the witch’s shoulders and legs, and stared at Silver, thick hide shivering with obvious delight.

  “The queen is apparently hungry,” Junga said in a droll tone with a glance at the white demon.

  “No.” Silver shook her head, terror clawing its way up her throat. “Don’t!”

  The demon roared and sank its teeth into the witch’s neck.

  Mary screamed. Blood flowed. The Fomorii jerked its head up, a mouthful of flesh hanging from its jaws.

  Bile rose in Silver’s throat. “No. No. No!”

  The witch screamed again and thrashed. The queen flipped Mary over and ripped out her throat. The witch gurgled as blood poured from the wound. Her sightless eyes rolled back and stared at Silver.

  Mackenzie cried out as if in pain.

  Silver’s gut heaved. She threw up, spewing her dinner all over Junga.

  The Fomorii woman growled as vomit rolled down her blouse. She slapped Silver with such power she sent her sprawling onto the grass beside the pon
d. Silver hit the ground so hard one of her ribs popped. Pain screeched through her.

  Silver’s head spun as she held her hand to her chest and tried to stand. She couldn’t. She was in so much pain her legs and arms refused to work.

  Hawk gave a warrior’s cry and raised his sword to strike at Junga. At once he was surrounded by Fomorii, who blocked him from the demon.

  Love for Hawk helped Silver push through the pain.

  The song of the Undines threaded through Silver’s mind, banishing all other thoughts. She slipped her hand into her pocket and yanked out the water-smoothed hag stone. She quickly chanted,

  “Stone from Water, stop those who wish ill.

  Set all witches free, hold all evil still.”

  She flung the stone into the pond.

  Water exploded.

  Like a meteor smashing into the ocean and shooting tidal waves in all directions.

  More water than should have been in that small pond slammed into the Fomorii and warlocks. Knocked them backward and toward the trees.

  Magically it missed all of the witches and Hawk. As if protective air-filled bubbles surrounded each of them.

  It missed Darkwolf and Junga, too. A purple shimmer surrounded the pair.

  When the water subsided, the air filled with D’Danann shouts. Hawk and Mackenzie helped Silver to her feet. Fomorii scattered across the meadow struggled to get up.

  The D’Danann swooped and sliced the bonds of the witches with their talons as the Fomorii staggered and fought to regain themselves. When they finished unbinding the witches, the D’Danann began rounding up the stunned demons.

  “Surround the Fomorii and join hands!” Silver ordered the witches. She knew they were likely weak, maybe numb from being bound so long. But they had no choices now.

  Silver glanced to the sky. By the position of the moon it was almost the mid of night, the witching hour, the time when the veil between worlds would thin to nearly nothing.

  Silver’s gaze cut to the Fomorii queen.

  The queen pushed herself to her feet, all four paws showing she was ready to spring at Silver.

  But with a quick whirl of her massive body, she shrieked and slammed into Moondust instead.

  Silver screamed. “No!”

  The queen cast a glance at Silver, wicked eyes narrowed. She lowered her head, jaws wide and dripping with saliva.

  Everything else ceased to exist. Silver saw red. The largest spellfire ball she’d ever made hissed and sparked between her hands. So dark this time it was black.

  She reared back to fling it at the bitch, feeling nothing but cold, dank hatred.

  The hatred was all-encompassing. Power beyond power filled her.

  “Yes,” came Darkwolf’s sensuous voice in her mind, and she could see the brilliant red eye glowing around his neck in her mind. “Use your anger. Kill the bitch.”

  Silver felt the darkness swirl within her. Felt the call. The power. The ability to make right what was wrong. Yes, that’s what she would do.

  She raised her arm to fling the ball of death at the Fomorii.

  Moondust shouted, bracing her hands against the demon’s chest. “Don’t cross the line!”

  Silver aimed. Moondust’s cry barely registered in her ears. She would kill the Fomorii bitch and send her to oblivion.

  She could picture it. Could see herself eliminating the demon with one blow of the spellfire. She’d done it before. She could do it now.

  This time, though, the magic that coursed her body was black. So very black. She knew without question that if she used the power, she’d never be able to give it up.

  “Don’t cross the line,” flooded through Silver’s mind as she struggled with herself. “There’s no turning back once you surrender to the dark.”

  She gazed into her mother’s eyes.

  Tears began streaming down Silver’s face.

  No. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—turn to sorcery.

  The power of the ball faded in her hands to that of spell- fire that could merely send the Fomorii flying.

  Relief filled Moondust’s gaze and her body relaxed beneath the demon.

  Instead of the death Silver had almost delivered to the queen, she flung a brutal spellfire, just enough to knock the demon off her mother. Not a killing fire, no. But one filled with power.

  It slammed into the demon, flowed around the Fomorii, encasing it in purplish-blue fire.

  Instead of sending the queen flying it only caused the huge beast to shudder, to stumble back.

  Shouting out her fury, Silver readied another ball, greater this time. One that had to knock the queen across the meadow.

  The beast shook her great hide. She growled. At the same moment Silver flung the spellfire, the queen pounced again on Moondust and dug her iron-tipped claws into Moondust’s chest. The spellfire slammed into the queen. Her claws shredded flesh from Moondust’s chest as the Fomorii’s body was knocked across the clearing, plowing down other demons like bowling pins.

  But she had left a gaping hole in Moondust’s chest. A hole that was burning a deep black trench as if from contact with the iron.

  “No!” Silver screamed.

  Blood spurted. Victor cried out and Silver screamed again.

  Tears flooded Silver’s eyes as she flung another ball of spellfire at the queen. The fireball knocked her from her feet again and slammed her great body into a massive tree trunk.

  Hawk charged toward the demon, sword drawn in his weaker hand. Before the queen had time to rise, Hawk drove his sword into her neck.

  She roared and jerked away from the blade. Hawk gritted his teeth, putting all his power into his next swing.

  He was flung back with the force of the impact against her tough hide.

  Hawk scrambled to his feet, but before he or the queen could move, a huge blue Fomorii rammed into the queen, driving her to the ground.

  The pair rolled and fought. Fangs gnashed. Claws ripped flesh. Growls roared through the night.

  Hawk clenched his sword at the same time he glanced around the meadow to see everyone else guarded and still as stone.

  Only Darkwolf looked unconcerned, as if certain all was not lost.

  Junga fought the queen with everything she had. The bitch! She’d had it with all the queen had done to her. She’d show the rest of the Fomorii who should rule.

  Kanji sank her large teeth into Junga’s shoulder and she screeched her rage and pain. She flipped the queen off her, felt flesh tear.

  Junga threw the queen onto her back and planted her paws on Kanji’s chest. Without pause, Junga jammed her powerful claws into Kanji’s rib cage, through the thick hide, through flesh, bone, sinew, and wrapped her claws around the queen’s heart.

  Kanji clawed at Junga’s face, but with a feeling of triumph, Junga yanked the queen’s heart out and held it high for all to see.

  The queen stared in horror at her still-beating heart, and her body began to thrash as Junga lowered the heart to her mouth and chewed it between her powerful jaws.

  Stunned silence reigned in the clearing as the queen’s body crumbled into black dirt.

  “I am queen!” Junga roared in the language of her people.

  Before anyone could react, she bolted into the woods. Gunfire followed in her wake. She felt bullets riddle her hide, but they fell out as her body quickly healed. Triumph filled her at the taste of the queen’s heart in her mouth. The bitch was dead! Junga was queen!

  She heard pounding footsteps in the brush behind her. The heat of something loud and powerful grazed her head. She leaped into the air and bounded through the trees, her great strength allowing her to outdistance her pursuers.

  And then she was free.

  37

  Silver and Victor hurried to Moondust. Victor gathered her in his arms and Silver held her trembling hands.

  Tears rolled down Victor’s face as he struggled to heal his wife. Silver held back choking sobs as she gripped her mother’s hands.

  The wound was
too serious. Nothing could be done for her, no matter what magic they attempted. The iron was eating her heart.

  Around them Silver heard the sounds of battle. She didn’t care about anything but her mother.

  Moondust’s words rose in a bubbling gasp as she spoke. “Victor, Silver’s right. Gray magic was needed—is needed— to save our people.”

  “No.” Silver shook her head. “He was right. I should never have used it.”

  Moondust gave a weak smile. “Victor, you will explain.”

  He nodded and spoke through his tears. “Yes, my love.”

  Silver crumpled against her father as he rocked Moondust tight to his chest. “Please don’t die,” Silver cried. “I love you. Please don’t die.”

  “I love you, too, my sweet one.” Moondust reached out a cold hand and squeezed Silver’s arm. “Find Copper,” she whispered. “Find the other part of my heart.”

  Silver nodded, her vision blurred with tears. “I promise, Mother.”

  Moondust’s gaze turned to Victor. “You have always been the witch of my dreams,” she said in halting words.

  A droplet of his tears trickled onto her forehead as he bent to press his lips to her temple. “Travel well, my heart. I will meet you in Summerland.”

  Moondust gave a weak nod and her expression was serene as she smiled. “In Summerland, my love.”

  Her eyelids drifted closed. In moments Silver sensed her mother’s spirit leaving, slipping away to wait for her family on another plane.

  And then she was gone, like the D’Danann, her body sparkled, but more of a crystal white.

  Moondust’s body disappeared.

  Silver stared in complete shock for a moment. Her mother’s body had vanished.

  It was all true. Her mother was part Elvin.

  With a sob Silver embraced her father. For what seemed moments on end, Silver and Victor clung to each other, unable to let go.

  Before Silver had the chance to truly grieve for her mother, a strong hand gripped her shoulder and she was yanked to her feet.

  The motion sent her spinning around to face Darkwolf.

  The warlock’s grip was hot and the fire of lust raged in his eyes. She’d never been this close to him, just inches away, and the power he exuded was almost more than she could fight. His scent was of sandalwood, and from the stone on the chain around his neck she caught the smell of aged rock and earth. More than anything, she sensed its evil—powerful and dark.