by Zoe Chant
The horned serpent slid free at last. It was much smaller than the one Wystan had fought with the squad before, barely six feet from nose to tail-tip. It thrashed, clumsy and awkward as a newborn fawn, until it managed to roll onto its belly. It drew itself up, forked tongue tasting the air. Its head turned.
“No!” Wystan threw himself against his prison as the demon started to wriggle toward Petrichor. “Moth! Tell them to leave him alone, it’s me they want! Give me to them!”
Moth’s horn jabbed into his hip, sharp enough to penetrate his protective gear and draw blood. A grey fog smothered his mind, cutting him off from his body. Paralyzed, he could only watch as the demon opened its mouth wide.
*I will,* Moth said, her magic gripping him like iron bands. *But they want him as well. They fear him. You were right, he could free Sunrise.*
Petrichor screamed as the demon’s fangs sank deep into his foreleg. The horned serpent seemed to pour itself into the wound, its sinuous body disappearing. Black streaks raced under the stallion’s skin. Petrichor’s cry choked off abruptly. He fell still, all at once.
When he looked up again, a blood-red mist hazed his grey eyes.
*But no longer,* Moth said. *Now they are both trapped.*
The possessed unicorn bared teeth that were already noticeably sharper. It jerked its head, the motion almost casual. The branch wrapped around its neck splintered and fell away.
Moth’s mental voice faded to a whisper. *They wanted Flash too. But I saved her. Her, at least, I could save.*
With hideous strength, the demon broke free of the trees. It stepped delicately free, every movement somehow wrong, muscles flexing in alien ways.
Moth stood firm as the cold red eyes turned to her. *Remember our bargain. Hunt as you please. But do not touch my herd.*
The demon wrinkled its muzzle again, showing its fangs. A hissing telepathic voice slithered through Wystan’s mind, raising goosebumps on his arms. *But the other prey? The griffin, the dragon, all the fighters of fire who wait at your border—those are ours?*
No. Horror gripped him, but he couldn’t so much as move his lips. Moth’s magic held him motionless, helpless.
*What do I care for humans and half-humans?* Moth replied, her own lip curling in distaste. *Take them. If you dare. I warn you, they have faced your kind before.*
The possessed unicorn hissed. *We know.* The crimson stare fell on Wystan. *But with this one’s strength, we will take them easily. Revenge shall be sweet. Hold him still.*
Behind the demon, the ground began to heave.
Chapter 34
The Nightmare leaped out of the way as the Jeep slewed past it in a spray of gravel. Candice spun the steering wheel madly, fighting to keep the vehicle on the road.
“Brace yourself, baby!” she yelled to Flash as she wrestled the vehicle back under control. She floored the accelerator, praying that the engine wouldn’t stall.
It didn’t. It exploded.
A bolt of black lanced through the hood, gutting the car. The steering wheel and pedals went dead. The Jeep shuddered to a halt, thick black smoke pouring past the windows.
Candice tore off her seat belt, hurling herself across Flash. The little unicorn squeaked and struggled, but Candice held her tight.
“Baby, baby, listen to me,” she said rapidly, over the pings of cooling metal and the hammering of her heart. “I know that’s your mom out there. I know you want to go to her. But you can’t, not now. I need you to take us to Wystan. Take us both to Wystan, baby.”
Flash stared out the side window, quivering. Outside, smoke swirled around a darker shape.
“Please, Flash,” Candice begged, as the Nightmare stalked toward them in jerky, start-stop steps. “He needs our help. I need your help.”
Flash stretched her muzzle out toward the looming Nightmare. She called out to her mother, soft and anguished, every muscle trembling with yearning.
Then she closed her eyes.
The unicorn’s horn flared.
“Candice!”
The ground hit her hands and knees. Her ears rang as though she’d been walloped by a golf club. Completely disorientated, Candice stared wildly around. Trees, unicorns, Wystan—
“Get away from him!” She flung herself at Moth, who had her horn pressed into Wystan’s side. Moth reared, kicking out, but Candice knew how to handle horses. She grabbed the unicorn’s upper lip, twisting hard. “Get away from my mate!”
Moth squealed, instinctively going limp like a cat held by the scruff of the neck. Candice dragged the unicorn around in a circle, shoving her away from Wystan. Moth staggered back, shaking her head, dazed.
“Candice!” Wystan shouted again. He was somehow caught, impossibly, in the grip of three saplings that twined around him like a cage. “Look out!”
His fear for her screamed down the mate bond. It physically yanked her back, her body moving without her own volition. A gold-and-silver horn cut through the space where her head had just been.
“Petrichor?” Candice hurled herself away as the stallion stabbed at her again. “What the-?”
“It’s not Petrichor!” Wystan’s pinned hands opened, fingers straining futilely for her. “Get Flash, get out of here, go!”
Terror twisted her gut as she recognized the evil red light burning in the stallion’s eyes. She threw herself into a diving roll as the possessed unicorn struck at her again, razor-sharp hooves whistling past her ear.
She snatched up Flash, hugging her tight. The baby unicorn was unconscious. She must have strained her power to the limit to teleport them both so far. Candice could only shield the baby with her own body as demon-Petrichor reared above them.
The possessed unicorn’s maddened red gaze fell on Flash. Demon-Petrichor suddenly twisted, as though someone had grabbed its ear and wrenched its head away. Candice scrabbled back as its hooves slammed into the ground, barely missing her. The demon hissed and bared its teeth, but didn’t attack. It seemed to be wrestling with itself, starting forward and then jerking back as though thinking better of it.
Petrichor’s still in there, she realized in a flash of inspiration. He’s stopping the demon from hurting his baby. Just like the Nightmare.
Tucking Flash awkwardly under one arm, she ran to Wystan. She scrabbled at the tree trunks wrapping him, breaking her nails on unyielding bark.
“Candice! No!” The mate bond pushed at her, trying to force her away. “Run!”
She set her feet stubbornly, twisting at a branch with all her strength. “I’m not leaving you!”
“You have to!” Wystan’s voice cracked and broke, raw with desperation. “There’s another one!”
Something hissed, right behind her. Freezing cold blew across the back of her neck.
She spun around. A horned, serpentine head rose above her, swaying like a cobra. She looked up into hellfire eyes and dripping fangs.
The demon struck.
Chapter 35
“No!”
His unicorn surged up from his soul…but not to shift.
It was nothing like his dream. Not gentle, healing light filling his body, gathering soft and warm in his palms.
This power seared through his blood with the force of a supernova. A shockwave of incandescent energy burst from his straining fingers. He struck the demon threatening Candice with a lifetime of pent-up, righteous fury.
The serpent wailed in fear and anger, writhing helplessly as it was blasted back. Moth and the possessed Petrichor went flying too, swept off their feet and hurled away by his power.
His overwhelming need to protect his mate pulsed through his body. A glowing, swirling dome of energy sprang up, completely shielding both Candice and himself.
Lit by sparkling, ever-shifting light, Candice stared at him, Flash still in her arms. “Are you doing that?”
Power burned in his spread fingers. “Apparently?”
Candice flinched as a dark shape struck at the shield from the far side. “How long can you keep it up?�
��
He clenched his jaw, concentrating on channeling his strength outward. “No idea!”
The horned serpent attacked his shield, silver sparks flaring from its gaping fangs. Wystan felt each bite echo through his body—just a stinging pinch of pain, but enough to warn him that he wouldn’t be able to hold the shield indefinitely.
Candice had gone back to tearing at his wooden prison. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t bend any of the interwoven branches far enough to let him get free.
“Damn it!” Candice whirled around, glaring through the glittering barrier. “Moth! Whatever you’ve done, let him go!”
The lead mare was only just regaining her hooves, stunned by the force of his power hitting her. She lifted her head, and her grey eyes widened as she took in the sight of his glowing shield.
*I knew it,* her voice whispered in his mind. Awe filled the word, and relief, and a deep, bitter triumph. *You were never a healer. Not with those eyes. You are the bloodline we lost—the ones who created our wards, the ones who kept us safe. You are a Guardian.*
“And you’re gonna be a throw rug if you don’t move these damn trees!” Candice yelled back. “Let him go right now!”
Moth hesitated. She took a limping, hobbling step toward them—and a scaled black shape struck her in the neck.
Wystan threw himself into his shield, straining to push it far enough to cover the lead mare—but it was too late. The demon disappeared into Moth’s body, her eyes glowing red as it took possession of her soul.
“Well, that’s just wonderful,” Candice muttered, as the possessed mare began attacking the shield as well. She dropped to her knees, gently shaking Flash’s limp form. “Come on, baby. You have to wake up. You’re our only hope now. You have to wake up and get us out of here. We need you.”
“Perhaps she’s not the only one who could help us.” Wystan reached out with his mind as he spoke. “I don’t much like the thought of drawing any of the other unicorns into the fight, but we’re running short on options. If I can reach them, perhaps they can…”
“What?” Candice said as he trailed off. “Wystan, what is it?”
“The barrier,” he whispered. “Not my one. The other one.”
He could feel it, like a crystal dome set over the top of the mountain. Moth had said that it had been created by unicorns like himself. Now, with his power running freely through him at last, he could sense what they’d done.
He closed his eyes, tracing the shape of those ancient wards. The energies wove together like intricate chain mail armor, looped and interlinked. He could feel how it worked, how every part fitted together in exquisite harmony.
And he knew how to undo it.
He took a deep breath. “Candice, help me. I can’t do this without you.”
She didn’t ask what was going on. She didn’t so much as hesitate. She simply nodded, mouth setting in a determined line. Leaving Flash lying on the ground, she stretched up to him. Her reaching fingers interlaced through his.
The mate bond roared as their bare skin met. He opened fully to her, showing her what he needed, no shields between them now. In return, she sent him all her fierce love and furious compassion; her boundless drive to save and help and protect. Her soul flooded through him, powerful as the sun. Her strength filled his hands.
Together, they reached out.
And brought down the barrier.
Chapter 36
Wystan let out a long, relieved sigh. He opened his eyes, smiling at her. “There. We did it. Everything will be fine now.”
Since he was still stuck in a tree while two demon-possessed unicorns poked furiously at his magic whatever-it-was, this seemed wildly optimistic to Candice. Nonetheless, she found herself grinning back at him. She couldn’t be worried. Not with his calm certainty shimmering down the mate bond, filling her heart with light.
“Cool.” She stretched up to kiss him, just about able to reach his mouth. “Uh. What did we just do?”
His lips curved under hers. “Let in help.”
An eagle’s scream split the air. A huge golden shape swooped down from the sky, striking at the possessed Petrichor with razor-sharp talons. The demon danced back, hissing in fear. The griffin landed in front of it with a thump, wings spread wide.
Edith and Blaise scrambled from Rory’s back as he squared off against the possessed unicorn. The two firefighters ran up to Wystan’s shield. Edith had a chainsaw over her shoulder, while Blaise clutched a hand axe.
“Wystan!” Edith called as Callum also swooped out of the sky to attack the other possessed unicorn. She struck the barrier with a fist, making sparks fly. “Let us in!”
From the way Wystan’s face twisted into a grimace, Candice guessed that he wasn’t entirely sure how to let them in. “I don’t think I can. Not without dropping the whole thing, anyway.”
“Do it,” Candice urged. Rory and Callum were holding the two demons at bay with bared talons and teeth. Joe had slid off Callum’s back and was circling the fight. Candice guessed he was trying to find a clear enough space to shift in the dense forest. “The others have it under control. We have to get you out.”
Wystan relaxed his splayed fingers, letting his hands fall again. The glowing shield faded, leaving spots dancing in Candice’s vision. She stepped aside to give Edith and Blaise access to her mate.
Edith’s eyes swept over Wystan, taking in his predicament. With one smooth, practiced motion, she unshipped her chainsaw, yanking on the cord. The blade roared to life.
“Stay very, very still,” she advised Wystan.
Candice watched anxiously as they attacked the trees. Catching her eye, Wystan gave her a reassuring smile. He looked remarkable composed for a man having a power tool wielded around his neck.
Something bumped into Candice’s ankles. She swallowed a scream, leaping back—but it was only Flash. The baby unicorn was stirring at last, hooves pawing weakly at the air.
“Oh, baby, my brave baby.” Candice dropped to her knees, cradling the little unicorn. “Don’t try to get up. Everything’s okay. You did good, you saved us all. Just stay still and rest.”
Flash snorted in denial, still trying to get her legs underneath her. With great effort, she lifted her head an inch from the ground. She made that heart-rending, lost-child call once more.
“I know, you’re worried for your daddy.” Candice cuddled Flash closer, trying to block the fight from the unicorn’s view. She bit her lip as the possessed Petrichor lunged at Rory, forcing the griffin to slash at his flank in defense. “It’s going to be okay. They won’t hurt him.”
“Rory!” Wystan shouted. He was only half free of the trees, but he thrust one arm forward, his fingers splaying in the griffin’s direction. “Look out!”
A shimmering shield flashed over the griffin just in time. A black bolt of energy hit the swirling silver barrier, shattering into harmless sparks.
“It’s the Nightmare!” Joe shouted. He ducked as another blast of dark power cracked past his head. “It’s found us!”
“I can only make one shield at a time. I think.” Wystan’s teeth were clenched, his shield disappearing and reappearing in a frantic dance of light as he tried to protect his friends. “Joe, don’t shift, you’ll be too big a target! Remember, they can possess you if they bite you!”
Candice squashed back against the tree trunk, giving Wystan a clear view so that he could see where to deploy his shield. Chips of wood showered down around her as Edith and Blaise continued to hack at Wystan’s prison.
The battle devolved into a mad scrum of fur and claws and horns. Fenrir joined the fray, appearing out of nowhere—literally—to face off against the Nightmare. He breathed out short blasts of flame, forcing the creature back.
Rory and Callum were also holding their own, but they were handicapped by their desire to not hurt the possessed unicorns. The demons took full advantage, hurling themselves at the shifters with suicidal ferocity. Candice noticed that they were particularly targe
ting Joe. All it would take was one lucky bite, and they would all have a really big problem.
A sparkle of light shimmered in the midst of the melee, catching her eye. Not Wystan’s shield, but a brighter, briefer flare.
Her heart turned to ice as she realized Flash was no longer at her side.
“Flash!” she screamed as the little unicorn’s white form appeared in the middle of the fight. “Wystan, protect her!”
Blaise nearly took Wystan’s hand off at the wrist as he twisted around. He was almost free now, but Flash was directly behind his prison. He couldn’t see where she was, couldn’t get a shield over her in time—
Flash stood between the Nightmare and the possessed Petrichor, tiny and frail. She looked up at the monsters that her parents had become. She called out to them.
The two demons stilled. They turned to Flash, muscles moving jerkily, as if they were puppets on strings. Flash called out again, with the imperious confidence of a beloved child. Crimson eyes narrowed and fang-filled mouths snarled, but the demon bent their heads as though forced to do so by some external force. Softly, gently, Flash touched noses first with her mother, then her father.
The two possessed unicorns collapsed, convulsing. Thick, oily smoke poured from their mouths and nostrils. Darkness drained away from the Nightmare’s twisted form, scales rippling into white fur. The red glow faded from their eyes.
Petrichor and Sunrise struggled back to their hooves. Flash danced around them in mad joy as her restored parents leaned on each other, gold-banded horns touching, blue eyes gazing into grey.
“She did it,” Wystan breathed, free from his prison at last. “She drove out the demons. We were wrong, it didn’t take a true mate. Just love.”
Candice clasped his hand, mutual understanding dawning in both their minds. “The demon was never trying to force Sunrise to hunt Flash. It was trying to stop Sunrise from going to Flash. All along, she was just trying to get to her baby.”