Out of Tune

by Amy Sumida

“The spell was killing you,” Torin finally spoke. “We didn't have the strength to save you, not weakened as we were by Slate's absence.”

  “So, Verin stepped in,” Gage said grimly.

  I held up a hand. “I remember all of that. What I meant was; what did Vivian do to me?” I looked at Verin. “To us? What the hell was that?”

  “I cast a love spell,” Vivian declared as she swept into the room, right on cue. I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that she'd been listening at the door, waiting for the perfect time to make her dramatic entrance. “With King Verin's connection to Water and the emotions already growing between you, it was easy enough for me to craft even while I continued to add my magic to the first spell.”

  “So, this isn't real?” I asked as I looked from her to Verin.

  “Not entirely,” Vivian confirmed.

  “It feels real,” Verin murmured.

  “Let's just say that I didn't have to push too hard.” Vivian grinned.

  “You shouldn't have—” I started.

  “This is why I was here,” Verin cut me off. “I knew it the instant you got on that table. I knew this was what my mother and Daha foresaw; that this was how I'd save you. And I stayed, Elaria. I could have left but I didn't. And when you...” He looked away and took a steadying breath before continuing, “When you began to fail, I felt... hopeless. I was scared. I've never felt that before; not like this. Then a vision filled my mind; a glimpse of what we could be to each other, and I knew I had mere moments to claim that future or let you go forever. I couldn't let go.”

  “And we're grateful for that,” Darc said softly as he laid a supportive hand on Verin's shoulder. “But if I'm correct, this isn't forever; the spell will wear off.”

  We all looked to Vivian for the answer.

  She nodded. “It's temporary; any spell that alters free will is difficult to maintain, and I had seconds to cast it. It will fade; I have no doubt of that.”

  Verin grunted.

  I let out a long breath.

  “But now that your Rooster Spell is contained, you won't have to worry about losing a lover,” Vivian pointed out brightly. “When this love fades, it will not affect you.”

  “You think losing her won't affect me?” Verin growled at Vivian.

  Vivian held up a graceful hand. “When the spell fades, it will free you, not trap you. You will simply return to the state you were in before. If you don't want to leave Elaria after the spell does, then don't.” She shrugged. “You should be looking forward to the return of your free will, King Verin, not dreading it.”

  Darcraxis cleared his throat.

  Verin looked at him sharply.

  “As much as we're grateful to you for saving our wife, this situation suits us. All of us, I believe,” Darc confessed. “We were not happy with the prospect of another man in our family, and you, I'm told, had no interest in being that man. Once the spell wears off, you will not have to. It's the best outcome for all involved.”

  “What are you saying?” Verin's voice went lower.

  “Darc,” I whispered and shook my head.

  “If we handle this correctly; no one has to be hurt,” Darc suggested.

  “Correctly?” Verin narrowed his eyes; they were still indigo.

  “If we prevent your false love from becoming true,” Darc explained. “Perhaps by separating you two.”

  “You want me to stay away from Elaria until the spell wears off? Just go home as if nothing happened?” Verin asked in a dangerously calm tone.

  “Not as if nothing happened,” Declan took over for Darc. “But getting closer to Elaria would only complicate matters, don't you agree?”

  Verin's hand clenched around mine again. For my part, a horrible panic was filling my gut. I knew it was the spell, but even knowing that, I couldn't make my hand let go of Verin's. And that scared me even more.

  “This is not the time,” I said firmly to my men. “Verin and I have just been hit with a love spell and your words are not comforting. Frankly, you're stressing me out.”

  My guys looked at each other and then at me, exchanging grimaces.

  “What would you have us do, little bird?” Torin asked.

  “Nothing for now,” I said. “Can't we just let this be? We need to focus on freeing Slate. Remember him? The guy with a God inside him?”

  “Yes, we remember Slate,” Darc huffed. “Very well, we'll save our brother and then discuss this. I'm sure he'll have something to add.”

  “You won't be cast out, Verin,” I said firmly. “At the moment, you're a part of this family; bound to us not only through Vivian's magic but through RS as well. She accepted you and brought you into the fold, as it were. My husbands seem to have forgotten that. You have a say now; your opinion matters as much as theirs. And if, after this magic fades, you decide that you want to leave our family, we'll find a way to free you. We owe you that much at least.”

  Verin sighed, his grip eased, and he made a soft sound of assent.

  Chapter Fifty

  I thanked the Witch Leaders profusely, told Osamu we were square, and then headed back to Kyanite with my guys, including our newest and most-likely temporary addition. My men insisted on me having a meal and resting a bit before we went after Slate. I guess they didn't want me to get a cramp after eating. During the meal and the rest—which consisted of me lying on a couch across Darc and Torin—Cerberus bombarded us with questions. When we came to the part about Verin stepping in to save me, Cer's face had gone blank.

  “He did what now?” Cerberus gaped from me to Verin.

  I cleared my throat. “He offered to join us, to give me his strength, but we weren't in love so Vivian cast a love spell. It allowed Verin to become a part of our family and that saved my life.”

  “So...” Cer drew out the word. “Now, you and the Dragon are a thing?”

  “A temporary thing,” Torin injected quickly. “The spell will wear off.”

  Verin grunted in a way that implied uncertainty.

  “Luke is going to blow an Angel gasket!” Cerberus exclaimed with none of the glee I would have expected to accompany that statement. “He's going to lose his divine shit! He's going to go Old Testament on all of your asses! He's going to Gamora and Sodomize you! He's going to release the Kraken! Well, maybe not that last bit but—”

  “Yes, thank you, Cerberus,” I said dryly. “We get the picture; Luke will be upset. He will also get over it.”

  “Lucifer wasn't there to save her,” Gage said with a shrug. “He'll be happy that someone was.”

  Cerberus snorted. “Happy is the only thing he won't be. Luke is going to be pissed that it wasn't him who saved her and even more pissed that you fuckers didn't give him the chance.”

  “Never mind Lucifer!” I snapped. “We need to get to Slate. Is everyone ready or what?”

  Darcraxis stood up and pulled a knife from his belt in answer. The knife.

  “Good. Who's got the bombs?” I demanded.

  “I do.” Torin hefted the satchel over his shoulder. “We're ready. Let's get our soldiers and go.”

  There was no more discussion after that. Even Cerberus shut up. We used the castle charm to contact William and ask him to ready the troops. By the time we made it out to the courtyard, a hundred Shining One knights were standing at attention, waiting for orders. Darc, Torin, and Declan took charge of their soldiers, giving the order to meet at the Oregon Zone. Our knights had sent scouts ahead so they'd be able to travel in groups, all at once. Once everyone had their travel stones—and travel buddies—in hand, a signal was given and all of us went through the Veil and to the gates of Slate's zone. Once again, we were spotted by cameras within minutes. This time it was Aaro's voice that came through the speaker.

  “Elaria, I hope you have a better plan this time,” he snarled.

  “I do. Just get him down here, Aaro. And, if possible, tell the Gargoyles to stand down.”

  “I'll try but they're... unsettled and that army at your back w
on't help.”

  The speaker cut out.

  “Unsettled; that's Gargoyle speak for pissin' their pants with fear,” Cerberus declared.

  “Oh, how I've missed you,” I said with a grin.

  He chuckled. “Yeah; me too, El. You think I should go Hellhound?”

  “Oh, absolutely.”

  Cerberus grinned broadly as he began to rapidly strip.

  “Wait until he's gotten here.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Why? You think it's going to surprise Gargo that we're here to kick his ass?” He shot back.

  “Yeah. Good point. Go ahead and get naked.”

  Cerberus did and he did it with a grin; mostly directed at the female knights who couldn't help checking him out. When his clothes were in a pile beside him, Cer shifted into his other form; that of an enormous—and I mean the size of a flatbed truck—three-headed canine. Cerberus was one of those rare breeds of shifter who could alter his size as well as his shape; to a certain point.

  Verin and Gage followed suit; tossing off their clothes before shifting into their beast forms. Verin elongated into his Dragon; a creature of deep blue scales, flaming orange whiskers, and crimson fins. He wouldn't be as deadly out of water but that only meant he was slightly slower; the difference between a tidal wave and a tsunami. Gage went Griffin, which means his body turned into that of a lion, all golden-furred and beautiful. But, at the base of his neck, a ruff of leonine mane melded with the pale feathers of an eagle head; a head proportionate to the lion body. Eagle wings of the same magnitude stretched from his back and flapped once before settling.

  “Oh, look; they've brought their pets,” Gargo declared as he strode out of the Zone's gates.

  I gaped at him. Slate's features had sharpened and broadened. It wasn't a good look for him but that may have been because it reminded me of Gargo's original body. In addition to his altered facial features, a pair of Gargoyle wings extended from Slate's shoulders even though he wasn't in Gargoyle form. The wings were similar to those Slate had in his Gargoyle shape but they looked more menacing, with an oily sheen to their membranes and talons that flexed at their tips. The physical changes both horrified me and gave me hope. They suggested that the transformation from Slate to Gargo was nearly complete. Terrifying but it also meant that Slate had a better chance of surviving a knife in his heart.

  Behind Gargo came a host of Gargoyles—more than I'd expected—with Aaro, Binx, and Jago on the front line. The ranks went back into the Zone as far as I could see. They looked grim, especially since they were all in Gargoyle form, but Aaro nodded at me crisply. They were with us. Our odds of winning just went up.

  “You think you'll be enough to take me down?” Gargo laughed. “You had a bigger army last time and you still needed a God to get me out of Poseidon. A God who is notably absent.”

  “We don't need him this time,” I shot back. I didn't waste time on more banter.

  A staticky spinning wound up into the groan of guitars; the intro to “The Devil Within” by Digital Daggers. I called up my magic and, for the first time in a very long time, I did so without fear that it might overwhelm me and kill us all. I was whole at last and could focus all of my intent and power on the music. What a fantastic feeling! If I hadn't already been singing, I would have whooped in joy.

  At first look—or listen, rather—the song was an odd choice for a battle. The lyrics spoke about invading a person, not a city; creeping into them and taking them over from the inside. Becoming the devil within. It was what Gargo had done to Slate, but I was banking on the theory that Slate's body had changed Gargo as much as Gargo had changed it. That there was some speck of twisted love inside him.

  Love that would let me in and turn the tables on the Gargoyle God.

  I mentally shot forward with the music, seeking a way into Gargo's soul; searching for any weakness. The music lifted, strings adding an eerie accompaniment until the drums slammed down, grounding them. With that dramatic beat thrumming through my blood, I forced my will into Gargo. Speared his thoughts with it and tried to claim his soul. He flinched and roared, but he didn't advance, only swept a hand out toward me.

  But that was all he needed to do.

  I hadn't been the only one on the attack; while I sang, our knights had rushed forward with their commanders. But with his one gesture, Gargo sent stone shooting out of the earth in a wide arc before him. It emerged beneath all of our feet, launching several knights into the air along with me. My flight was brief, stopped by the coils of a dragon tail. Verin lowered me to a solid piece of ground and roared back at Gargo before snaking forward to strike.

  But we were all restricted by our concern for Slate. We needed to restrain Gargo but we had to do it without hurting the body he inhabited. It would be hard enough for Slate to heal the heart wound without having to worry about others. So, even though Verin may have been a good match for Gargo, his blows only enraged the God more.

  Stone shifted, rocks flew, and Gargo took to the sky in my lover's altered body. Gage went after him, lion claws sheathed as his paws struck; battering instead of tearing. One of Gargo's wings hit Gage in the stomach and sent him tumbling through the air. Gage righted himself mid-tumble and streaked back. Meanwhile, Torin attempted to use his grounding Onyx magic to literally ground Gargo while Declan manifested bashing weapons to knock him out of the air. Banning had climbed onto Cer's back, and my bestie leapt for Gargo like a playful puppy, all three jaws snapping but without any attempt to bite. Because one bite could remove a limb.

  Below the flying God, our knights gathered their own magical attacks and the air roiled with power. Magic collided, flaring in jewel tones and cracking like thunder. A sparking web wove over Gargo, forcing him to land. It put Gargo on the defensive, denying him any chance of retaliation, but with everyone pulling their blows, even our overwhelming assault didn't defeat him. Gargo was quick and vicious. Darcraxis had the most success with his water magic, encapsulating Gargo twice. But each time Darc leapt forward to stab the other God, Gargo would twist away in a burst of water droplets.

  “What are all of you doing?” Gargo roared at the Gargoyles when he finally realized that he was fighting alone. “Attack them! Help me!”

  The Gargoyles turned on their heels, marched back into the Zone, and shut the gates. Gargo roared in fury and started to go after his mutinous army but our knights ran into the space between and cut him off from both retreat and revenge. They lifted their hands and condensed their magic into a ward. With nothing to anchor it, the ward would have to be constantly fueled, but these were Shining Ones, and I had every confidence in their stamina.

  While Gargo was snarling at our knights and slashing at their ward—sending up sparks and burning his talons—Banning leapt from one of Cer's heads and landed on Gargo's back. They rolled, glossy wings hiding most of their struggle, and when they came to a stop, Banning was on top. Bann had his hands dug into Gargo's shoulders, his knees on his back, and his fangs in Gargo's neck while Gargoyle wings flopped furiously, smacking Banning and the ground.

  Gargo roared again and bucked my husband off. Banning grunted as he hit the ground but stood up quickly and shook it off, the starlight streaks in his blond hair catching the light. He licked the blood from his lips and grinned. As Gargo climbed to his feet, Cerberus sprung. Hellhound heads snarled and snapped in warning while massive paws held Gargo down. Gargo punched each head in rapid succession, the last shot sending Cerberus flying. My eyes widened at that; Gargo wasn't even a third of the size of the Hellhound. Cerberus hit the ground with a whimper.

  But through it all, I kept singing. The words were sending me deep into Gargo's soul. Taking me beneath the skin he wore and leading me straight to the love Slate had forced his God to feel. When I found that love, I permeated it with my magic. I fed it my spell and used love in a way I never had before; as a manipulative tool. As a weapon. From inside, I could break Gargo like he had tried to break Slate. I would sing until his soul was under my control. I would�
��

  My song broke suddenly as I fell into a ravine. I had lost touch with the battle, watching it absently as I focused on the epic conclusion of my song. And Gargo had used my distraction to attack me despite my hold on his heart. The earth opened beneath me and I tumbled into a void. As I fumbled for music, struggling to find a song to save me, something grabbed my ankle. My body jerked and coiled in upon itself with the abrupt stop. Then I was pulled upward.

  I shoved my hair out of the way to get a look at my savior then stared in shock.

  I had expected to see Gage or Verin or possibly even Cerberus. But it was Gargo who held me. His face twisted with an internal war waged between two types of love; one twisted and one true. Slate had risen; making one last bid for dominance. Gargo's love had tried to kill me but Slate's saved me. I was his battle cry; threaten me and the Zone Lord goes savage. And savagery was exactly what he needed to fight Gargo. Slate's love for me gave him enough determination to surge past Gargo's control and pull me out of the abyss.