As Wicked As They Come

by Emma Dean

  Some of the bridge was on the seafloor, broken into boulders, but most of it was still unharmed.

  “It’s well kept considering,” Corbin said, peering over Mika’s shoulder as she propelled them through the water.

  “Most witches’ homes are built with protection and preservation spells in the very foundations,” Mika admitted. “That it sunk at all makes me wonder.”

  They reached the other half of the bridge, and Audrey looked up at the surface. “We could try and make the circle bigger.”

  “To hold a circle as big as the castle would require too much power,” Malachi insisted. “Holding one of this size with three people is hard enough for an extended period of time.”

  “Okay, then we shove the water out of each room as we go,” Ethan said. “As long as we keep the air around us it’ll help keep the water out.”

  Malachi and Audrey nodded as everyone’s feet touched the stone of the other half of the bridge.

  Mika looked up at the castle that seemed like something out of a fairytale – as if she’d found Atlantis maybe, but this was just a castle and not a city. Still, the towers and spires and walls were a sight to see.

  A light flashed and she looked at Lucien in surprise.

  “The librarians are going to die when they see this,” the fox chuckled, taking more pictures with his phone. “Figured we should document everything since we might not have the chance to come down here again.”

  “Good idea,” Mika murmured, walking through the main gate, the portcullis rusted in its raised position. “If anyone sees anything we should take, let me know. I’ve got a circle waiting at the temple.”

  Corbin sighed behind her, but she didn’t turn to look at him.

  After Ethan kissed her goodnight at Oleander House, she’d gone to the temple and drew the circle. Of course, the raven had followed her, but he’d kept himself to the shadows.

  They walked through the main courtyard together, hints of its previous majesty in the statues and fountains that were nothing more than a few rocks. The grass or whatever it had been on the ground was sea grass now, and Mika picked up her pace.

  The two doors into the castle itself were made of wood and looked like they’d been forced open from the outside, nothing more than kindling. She blasted through the pile easily enough and waited as the other three witches cleared the entrance room that was smaller than she’d thought it would be.

  Then a second set of double doors just as large as the first were already open, more intact than the first but they still had that appearance of being rammed through.

  Audrey, Malachi, and Ethan pushed the water farther out, and Mika walked through the doors, shoving the wood out of the way. As they entered the second room, her breath caught.

  It was massive and took the other three witches a bit for the entire room to clear. Mika breathed deep and smelled the brine, the musty scent of wet dirt, and rocks.

  Looking up, she could see the chandelier that was now covered in coral and the metal was a green color from the salt. The green rust made the chandelier even more beautiful in Mika’s opinion.

  She sent the witchlights up to the candle holders along the walls and created a few more to decorate the chandelier.

  “It’s beautiful,” Ethan admitted, looking around, hands up to hold the bubble, sweat on his brow. “This must be the great hall.”

  Mika nodded, admiring what glass remained. The iron that had held the pieces of stained glass together had endured – rusted that green color though as well. She studied the female wielding a sword in one hand and what looked like fire in the other.

  Each window had a different warrior in it and Mika wondered who they were.

  “We came through the front door,” Audrey stated, peering through one of the side doors that wavered with a wall of water. “From what I’ve read about castles, that smaller room is where they had guests remove their weapons before entering.”

  Mika wished she could explore more, but they were here for something that could help them fight the Head Witch, and the Council of Paranormals if the Council decided to take Cassandra’s side.

  “Whatever weapon of power the Morrigan and Morgana may have had wouldn’t be here.”

  “The throne room?” Audrey asked, pushing the water forward into the hallway to create a new pocket.

  Malachi slowly eased backward until his shoulder was against Audrey’s. “I don’t think so. The armory would be too obvious as well. It would be in someone’s bedroom, or in a hidden place.”

  Corbin rolled his shoulders back as the water started to come towards them. “Summon the Witch Queen, Mika. We don’t have the time to wander around down here. If this castle is protected as you say, there might still be booby trap spells waiting to be sprung.”

  Glancing at Lucien, she considered. “You think she’ll come?”

  “She swore allegiance to you,” Ethan murmured, brushing past her to join Audrey and Malachi as they concentrated on keeping the water out and the oxygen in. “I think she’ll come.”

  Mika sliced her palm with her thumb, following after Malachi, Audrey, and Ethan – Corbin and Lucien at her back.

  Blood dripped on the floor and Mika swiped the wall, drawing Morgana’s rune into the stone. “Morgana, I need you,” she whispered.

  The water dripped onto the stone like rain, fish and sea plants were shoved out the open windows as they walked down the hall. She paused before one of the paintings and studied the face that was still somehow perfect hundreds of years later.

  The preservation spells used on art and precious objects never ceased to amaze Mika. She murmured a word, tracing the edge of the painting, shoving it into the circle she’d made the night before.

  “You should have seen it in its glory days,” Morgana murmured, appearing out of nothing. “I ruled here for most of my life. It’s strange to see it so.”

  Lucien cursed and unsheathed his sword so fast Mika would say he was on edge thanks to the leagues of water above them. Corbin grabbed Lucien’s arm before he could strike, which would have done nothing to the ghost, but potentially could have hurt Mika.

  “This is Morgana Le Fay,” Corbin told him.

  Lucien eyed the ghost and then sheathed his sword. “She glows.”

  “Morgana, this is Lucien, and my adopted sister Audrey. And Malachi.”

  The ghost witch eyed Lucien the longest. “Crafty little fox,” she murmured. “Lore keeper and creature of chaos. It seems you have a nearly complete court, little sister.”

  Then Morgana turned to Malachi and her vicious smile widened. “The Society’s butcher. You will always be welcome in my home and on my island thanks to the vengeance you sought. It may have been your own, but it was owed to many witches and we all thank you.”

  Malachi nodded once before turning back to the water, pushing it forward.

  Audrey watched Malachi work for a moment, clearly wondering at the name the queen’s ghost gave him. But when she looked to Morgana the concern in her eyes was gone and she grinned. “You’re the nicest member of Mika’s family I’ve met so far.”

  “That’s not saying a lot,” Lucien muttered.

  “What is it that you need of me?” Morgana asked, walking beside Mika.

  “A weapon to use against Cassandra. Something that will give me an edge.”

  “Releasing the Morrigan will make you stronger. Though I have not seen Aine since before the First Purge. But as for a weapon…follow me.”

  They followed her in silence through various halls and up spiraling staircases. Audrey, Malachi, and Ethan were able to hold the spell, but Mika could see them getting tired. Holding it didn’t take too much power, but the weight of the ocean was incredible and over time it would get worse.

  Placing her hand on the back of Audrey’s neck, Mika released some of her power into the other witch.

  “Thanks.” Audrey sighed with relief. “We should be okay for another hour or so, but I wouldn’t be opposed to getting out of here as q
uickly as possible.”

  “Agreed,” Ethan gritted out. “It’s getting heavier.”

  “I’m just glad we haven’t run into any trouble yet,” Lucien muttered.

  “Well, thanks for that,” Corbin snapped. “Way to jinx it.”

  “They bicker like family,” Morgana whispered into Mika’s ear. “I think you have chosen well.”

  Hearing that was oddly comforting. Mika smiled slightly as she watched Audrey, Malachi, and Ethan clear the path.

  With Corbin and Lucien at her back she felt surrounded, but it wasn’t suffocating. Mika had been worried it might be after everything.

  “So, what is it you’re taking us to?” Mika asked, trying to see into the rooms they passed, but the water distorted her vision and it was difficult to make out what was in each room.

  “I’m taking you to my chambers.” Morgana walked through the wall of water onto one of the highest floors and beckoned them to follow her.

  They walked down another hall covered in paintings but none of them spoke to Mika the way the first had. Water dripped down the stone walls as they shoved the sea aside, revealing crabs and plants and barnacles. Any piece of metal was now a sea green, but the stones held together quite well other than the areas that seemed to be damaged from the initial impact.

  But for whatever reason – chance or preservation magic – everything was almost perfectly intact.

  “Here,” Morgana said, waving her hand at a massive set of doors. “This leads to my apartments.”

  Mika shook out her hands and waited until the wood was exposed. It was clearly charmed since it wasn’t even very waterlogged. The silver woven through the wood felt enchanted and Mika couldn’t help but admire Morgana’s crest. It was the same one all over the university, just slightly different – as if time had worn down some of the elements for the university.

  “Blood magic won’t open it,” Morgana warned. “Nor any average unlocking spell. Only the blood of my blood can enter this place after my death.”

  “Convenient,” Corbin muttered. “What’s in there?”

  Mika let the blood cover her palm and then she gripped the handle.

  The silver slithered away as it tasted her blood and then a loud clank resonated as it unlocked.

  Morgana smiled and unsheathed the ghost sword at her back. “I’m taking you to Excalibur.”

  9

  “Excalibur?” Ethan repeated in disbelief. “King Arthur’s sword?”

  Morgana gave Ethan a disapproving look. “It is the Lady of the Lake’s sword, not my brother’s. I took it back when he chose to ignore my warnings. Without the sheath he was left unprotected and died in the battle I told him would occur if he did not heed my advice. After his death the sword was returned to the lake.”

  Mika studied the sitting room that had belonged to the last Witch Queen. It was exactly what she would imagine a medieval living room would look like. But the furniture was either rotting or oddly perfect. Woven tapestries pressed against the stone as the rest of the water was pushed out of the room.

  “Preservation spells on everything that mattered to me,” Morgana murmured, studying the room as if it haunted her. “Even some of the wood used on my furniture made by my lovers was enchanted.”

  The ghost witch walked through another door and they all followed. This one was unlocked, and Mika pushed it open when Malachi gave her the go ahead.

  Inside was a massive bedroom with the bed to match. A canopy hung over the biggest mattress she’d ever seen, and it was all perfect – as new as the day it had been made even if it was soaking wet.

  Sea plants had taken root here in this room and Mika trailed her fingers along some of the seagrass and coral on the walls as she studied the paintings and tapestries. Various items made from gold littered the floor, as if they’d fallen when the castle hit the seafloor.

  “Here,” Morgana said, pointing to the bed. “There’s a secret compartment under my mattress.”

  “Wait a minute,” Ethan said. “So, if Mika takes this Excalibur, does she become the Queen of England by default?”

  “If the sword was returned to the lake, then how is it here?” Corbin asked.

  Morgana snarled slightly in irritation at their questions. “I always forget the ignorance history has wrought. Excalibur is not the Sword in the Stone. That sword was broken in combat against King Pellinore. My brother was gifted Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake after he shattered the first one – an omen if you ask me, that foretold of his shattered empire.”

  Mika opened an armoire and inside was a set of drawers that reminded her a lot of the one her grandmother had. “Hell-forged iron.”

  “Yes, as my heir you may take anything you wish,” Morgana said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “As you all are no doubt still wondering, I returned the sheath to the Lady, but she gave me the sword instead and told me to keep it – that one day there would be need of it. Unfortunately, it was stored here during the attack, but I doubt it would have allowed us to survive what came next.”

  “The First Purge,” Mika murmured, opening one of the smaller drawers to find rows of priceless rings. “A very powerful person locked the Morrigan away and helped open a portal to hell – strong enough their portal became permanent.”

  “I doubt Lucifer is pleased with that,” Morgana said, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk. “A portal to his realm on an island he cannot step foot on?” Her laugh sent chills up and down Mika’s spine.

  “What is it with Lucifer and the Morrigan anyway?” Lucien asked, nodding at Corbin.

  The two of them heaved the wet mattress off the bed and Mika marveled at their show of strength.

  “They are both gods,” Morgana said, watching as the raven and the fox started ripping the bed frame apart. “Their domains tend to overlap quite frequently as she is a death goddess and he rules over the dead. His reapers manage much of the current death on this planet, but he is more like…a younger brother to the Morrigan. They enjoy fighting I think.”

  Mika opened another drawer and found row upon row of big fat rubies in the shape of eggs. She decided this armoire was too important to leave at the bottom of the ocean. Sketching a blood rune onto the metal she closed her eyes and willed it into the circle she’d built on the island.

  Just like that it disappeared.

  “Transporting hell-forged iron takes more power than most witches possess,” Morgana said, eyeing Mika from across the room. “What did you do with it?”

  “It’s in the basement of the temple,” Mika told her, ignoring the looks from the others. “You have an army of blood beasts in there. I might just need that.”

  Her wicked grin was a mirror of Mika’s own. “All I ask is that you ensure you have mastery of them before you unleash them. They’re vicious, hungry beasts that will sweep through the land like locusts unless controlled by a blood-witch.”

  Mika nodded. “Excalibur is in here?”

  A panel with a protection rune on it shimmered.

  “Yes.”

  “What exactly is so special about it?” Ethan asked.

  They all watched as Mika squeezed her still bleeding hand. She slapped her hand down on the wood and the panel folded away, revealing a very shiny and utterly massive sword.

  “It is unbreakable,” Morgana said lovingly, stroking the metal even though her ghost-hand passed right through it. “Forged by a fae smith. It can cut through anything, even hell-forged iron. It gives its bearer unnatural strength, and finally, it can absorb magic.”

  Mika reached for the blade, hesitating for a moment. “All magic?”

  “No, only magic that attacks the bearer, although it will absorb the magic of an item or person it strikes as well.” Morgana gestured for Mika to take it. “I assume Arthur thought it would protect him against me if I were ever to betray him. So many fear the power they cannot possess or understand.”

  “He wasn’t a witch then?” Malachi asked.

  “Arthur was my half-b
rother. Our father was human – as was his mother.”

  Mika gripped the hilt of the sword and waited a moment to see what would happen. When it didn’t drain her of her power, she lifted it up to the witchlights that danced along the ceiling. “It’s lighter than I anticipated.”

  “Suits you,” Corbin said, taking a step closer to her. “How does it feel?”

  Mika moved to the center of the room and swung it a few times. Then she switched to her left hand and went through a few moves. “It feels like it was made for me.”

  “Told you that you’d make a good hunter,” Lucien chuckled.

  “Guys,” Malachi stated calmly. “I’m just as fascinated by all of this as you, but I’d suggest we leave.”

  “What is it?” Corbin asked, eyes instantly bursting into his ruby glow.

  Morgana tilted her head as if she was listening for something. “The undine are coming – sea fae. Hurry!”

  “Shit,” Corbin muttered. “How do we get out of here?”

  Mika held Excalibur. She was frozen as Morgana’s words sunk in. “Undine?”

  “Mermaids,” Morgana hissed. “They’ve always lived in these waters, but since my death our alliance has turned to dust. They will kill any trespassers in their territory and underwater you cannot defeat them.”

  Ethan looked at Mika and she still didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t a leader. She had no idea how to get out of this castle.

  A screeching reached her, and Mika felt her blood run cold. Without thinking she threw her arm up at the ceiling and blasted pure power through the roof. The stones shattered, raining down around them.

  “The bubble will make us too slow,” Malachi said, pressing his lips together. “We need to make it to the surface – now.”

  “I can’t conjure something like that out of nothing,” Mika snapped. “We’re too far from the island.”

  “This was exactly what I was worried about,” Lucien gritted out. He unsheathed his sword and dropped into a fighting stance. “But they’ll have to come into this air-filled room to get to us.”