Releasing her hand Geoffrey jumped in front of Kelly, his enchanted armor and sword appearing instantly as he moved. As the demons reached him, he swung his sword in a great arc, throwing two of the creatures to the floor and decapitating a third. Kelly reached out for the pools of power and threw up a shielding spell around Geoffrey and herself, then she shot bolts of arcane power from her fingertips, making sure the two demons on the floor never got back up.
“We do make a good team,” the knight shouted over the din of the battle around them.
Kelly smiled, “In so many ways.”
They did. She’d never felt such amazing chemistry with any other guy.
All around them the Arcanists were battling for their lives. Shields of energy surrounded them. The Arcanists, led by JJ, formed into a protective circle to keep the mass of demons from coming at them from behind. The demon horde surrounded and closed in on the eight humans.
Bolts of raw arcane energy erupted from the Arcanists, striking the closest demons, but the creatures closed on the circle, vicious talons ready to slash, tails ready to sting, and huge ham-hands ready to bash. The tableau held for just a second before a shimmering dome appeared over Kelly, Geoffrey, and the others, blocking the advancing demons. Slowly the dome of force expanded, pushing back the demon hoard. Kelly could see them fighting the effect, their feet scraping on the floor as they pushed against the barrier.
But the dome of force held, pushing and trapping them against the walls of the chamber.
“Shimone,” Nathan’s tone rang with confidence. “You can still stop this.”
Was the dome Nathan’s doing? It had to be.
“Foolish godling,” Shimone laughed. “You haven’t the power to stand up to me. Unlike you, I am worshiped and adored by millions. There are even humans, here in your world, foolish enough to worship their own destroyer. Their worship makes me powerful. More powerful than you can ever imagine.”
The demonic goddess approached Nathan. Grabbing him by the neck, she lifted him off the floor. The man-god hung not fighting back.
“Tomorrow, this world becomes mine.” Shimone pulled her hand back to strike. “But you won’t be here to see it.”
The chamber suddenly pulsed with power. To her right, a bright white globe of light pulsed into being. To her left, a swirling ball of green energy appeared.
A deep, masculine voice filled the room. “No, Shimone, you shall not have him. Nathan, I grant you my full power. Use it as you see fit.”
“And mine also,” a feminine voice echoed. “Take all you need, my son.”
Nathan’s gaze locked on Shimone’s. “I am sorry,” he said, as twin beams erupted from his eyes. The goddess, suddenly bathed in energy, released her grip on him. The blinding flash of light was followed by a deafening roll of thunder.
Kelly blinked. When her sight cleared, she found herself on the floor, thrown down by the power of the blast. Her ears rang and she had to fight to catch her breath. In the center of the room and the only one still standing, was Nathan, shrunken now and looking as he had before the battle—the old man she’d always known and had never known at all. The demons were gone and the goddess Shimone lay on the floor at his feet, shrunken and in a crumpled heap.
“We could have been friends,” Nathan said. Kelly could hear the sadness in the old man’s voice.
Geoffrey pulled himself to his feet and offered Kelly his hand.
We could have been friends.
The phrase echoed through her mind as she accepted the hand of the man who had once been her enemy. Looking into Geoffrey’s eyes she knew then that she had found everything that Nathan Gray had just lost.
When I look into your eyes, I see wisdom.
When I hold your hand, I feel power.
When your lips touch mine, I know love.
Leave me never.
– Lament of the Earth Mother (An ancient stone inscription)
Chapter 10
Following the battle Kelly was swept up in a flurry of activity. Even with the demons expelled from their headquarters there was still quite a bit of cleanup to do. All the available Arcanists were called back and had to be checked as they came in to make sure they were human and not demons in illusion form. Kelly was put in charge of ‘demon checking’ and she breathed a sigh of relief when her friends, Salina Fry and Kim Wakefield arrived and checked out.
Jack and Anna Hughes came in right behind them. Anna was six months pregnant and Kelly wondered if the woman should have stayed home. The next few days would probably be pretty dangerous.
“You’re as bad as Jack,” Anna said, when Kelly questioned her. “I’m an Arcanist first and foremost. My daughter will be too. We belong here.”
Jack stood behind her shaking his head. Kelly admired Anna’s tenacity and she could see the love in Jacks face whenever he looked at her. The two were a unique couple and a strong piece of the Arcanist arsenal.
Seeing their love made Kelly think of Geoffrey. The fire and passion of the man filled her. She ached for his touch again. When this whole mess was over, Kelly resolved to do what she could to make Geoffrey a part of her life.
As Anna Hughes moved on, her husband stepped forward to be checked. Kelly began the incantation that would prove him human.
“I’ll keep an eye on Anna,” Jack said quietly and gave Kelly a wink.
He must have hoped his wife wouldn’t hear, but Anna responded passionately.
“Oh no you won’t, wolf-man.” Then Anna relaxed a bit and laughed. “Besides, you’ll be in the midst of any action. If anything, it will be me keeping an eye on that sexy ass of yours.”
Because of a unique conjunction of happenstance, Jack was able to turn into a Whargan demon. It made him a strong fighter and a great infiltrator of demon lairs. It also meant he didn’t pass Kelly’s demon-checking spell, but they’d all agreed he was to be let in. He’d proven himself loyal to the Arcanists over the past months.
Geoffrey had left to contact the Templars. In the back of her mind Kelly was still processing what it would mean to let a full contingent of Templars into the Arcanists’ most sacred shrine. Nathan Gray had assured her that, at last, the war between the two factions was over. Gaia and the High Lord had set aside their differences, at least for now, and their followers were to work together to end the demonic threat. Still, Kelly knew that the old hatreds would run deep in her Arcanist sisters and brothers. The Templars would probably be no different.
When Ryan Chamberlain arrived with all his available knights, her fears were confirmed. There was grumbling on both sides as the force was passed through and checked out. The tone changed slightly when Geoffrey stepped up and put his arm around Kelly. The Templars held Geoffrey in high esteem and JJ, now the highest ranking Arcanist, had elevated him to Brother in Arms status.
And, yeah, those arms. She really liked being in those arms.
Warmth infused Kelly’s core. His embrace felt so good, so right. She leaned into him and drank in his musky presence. What she wouldn’t give for a few hours, right now, alone in her bedroom with this man.
He broke the embrace and turned to address the Templars. “We work together now. There are to be no incidents.”
That seemed to be enough of a warning. Arcanists and Templars filled the great hall, united in a common cause for the first time since the Renaissance. Still, they stayed to their own sides of the hall and refused to comingle. Only Kelly and Geoffrey stood in the middle of the hall and made any effort to address both sides.
When all were finally assembled, Nathan spoke to the group
“Shimone is the great demon that the Templars fought at Tunguska. I could not face her there. I didn’t have the power to challenge her. As I battled her here, I was able to touch her mind and extract the secrets of the Demon Gate and its creation. I know how we can destroy it.”
A cheer filled a hall. It was something both sides had been trying to accomplish for over three thousand years, but Nathan motioned for silence.
“There’s a catch. The Demon Gate can only be destroyed from the other side. Shoth’s safety valve has always been that, even though it is indestructible on our side, the gate can be destroyed on his. That way it could never be turned against him.”
Murmurs rose throughout the room—everyone whispering the question that Kelly raised her voice to ask. “What’s your plan, Nathan?”
The room quieted expectantly, waiting for Nathan’s response.
“When the gate opens,” he said, “there will be a great army of demons on the other side ready to cross over. We will have to destroy this force as they attempt to enter our world. They will only be able to cross over a few at a time, so your forces should be able to contain them, push them back through, or destroy them. Once that task is done, the gate will remain open for a time. One of you must go through the gate, into the Ballor world, and destroy it from the other side.”
Geoffrey stiffened. “So, this is to be my redemption? My task in the coming battle?”
A shadow moved across Nathan’s visage.
“Yes, my old friend,” Nathan nodded. “I believe this has always been your destiny.”
Kelly’s head swam. “But how does he get back to us once he’s destroyed the gate on the other side?”
Nathan’s sad look spoke volumes. “He doesn’t. Once the gate is destroyed, there will be no way back.”
“But Nathan, surely you can do something, you’re a…”
The man-god shook his head. “I cannot reach between the dimensions. There are none over there that know of me or believe in me. I’m sorry, but there is no way back for whoever goes through, once the gate is destroyed.”
Anna Brown spoke up. “Couldn’t we summon him? I’ve summoned demons from over there.”
Yes, Anna had been summoning demons from Ballor for study. She could also send demons back to their own world. Couldn’t she bring Geoffrey back?
“How would you find him amid the myriad of life forms on Ballor?” Nathan asked. “You know you cannot choose what you summon. The chances of your spell finding Geoffrey are infinitesimal.”
“We could still try,” Anna said firmly.
Geoffrey had his head bowed, as if deep in thought. When he raised his chin there was resolve on his face. “Don’t bother, it wouldn’t matter anyway. As Nathan said, this is my destiny. I accept it. Tomorrow we end this.”
Nathan strode to Geoffrey and placed his hand on the knight’s shoulder. “I am taking Shimone’s body into the cosmic ether, for I fear she can still do us harm if her essence remains here. Hopefully she will stay dead until this whole business is done. Taking three days to rise from the dead is really more a guideline than an absolute rule among deities, and I just don’t trust her.”
He then lowered his voice, speaking so only Kelly and Geoffrey could hear him. “You should also know that once the gate is destroyed, your blessing ends. But you won’t die. You will simply begin to age from where you stopped. You will then be subject to sickness and death should either of them find you, but you will still have your full span of years to live, however long that proves to be.”
“Then this is goodbye my old friend, for I don’t expect to last long over there.” Geoffrey offered Nathan his hand.
Nathan took it, adding, “Don’t throw your life away over there. You may yet have much to accomplish.”
Raising his voice Nathan made one last address to the assembly. “I leave Geoffrey le Court in charge. All of you are to follow him as you would me in the next hours. Once he has left you, choose your leaders wisely. Work together, Templar and Arcanist. Put suspicion and hatred aside. Your war is over. You will need every skill…every person…in the days ahead. Even with the gate closed, the demons here will continue to rise in power unless you unite against them.”
He vanished, leaving the group stunned.
Ryan Chamberlain appeared to be the first to recover. He strode toward Geoffrey through the crowd of Templars.
“Congratulations, Commander le Court,” he said, holding out his hand. “You have our complete support.”
Geoffrey took the outstretched hand.
“And mine,” Kelly said quickly and was awarded a smile from Geoffrey.
“And all of us,” a husky female voice shouted commandingly from the back of the room. Joyce Jorgens pushed her way through the group of assembled Arcanists. She tottered up to Geoffrey and held out her hand.
“All of us!” JJ’s glare swept the ranks of the Arcanists, daring anyone to disagree with her.
With the loss of Selma Fairbanks and the bulk of the Arcanist High Council, a power vacuum had formed in the ranks of the Arcanists. JJ would be the perfect person to fill that gap and it didn’t look as though any of the other Arcanists were ready to challenge her authority.
Still, Kelly knew there would be opposition. The arcanists had been at odds with the Templars forever, and there was plenty of bad blood between them. She hoped her old mentor hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew.
Geoffrey took the woman’s hand, then turned to address the gathering. “I thank you all. I pray for your safe delivery from tomorrow’s battle. Go and prepare in whatever way you see fit. Tomorrow we fight the demons together.”
JJ offered up accommodations to the Templars. The complex featured sleeping rooms and small apartments for visiting Arcanists as well as a fully stocked dining hall.
As everyone filed out of the chamber, Kelly walked with Geoffrey to a room he’d acquired for the night. She needed to talk to him but wasn’t sure how to start. If everything went as planned, tomorrow she’d be losing him. She’d thought they’d have more time together.
Before she could think of what to say, he pulled her into his arms. “I shall miss you, Kelly Grant. It seems this is my destiny, but I am sorry. I would have enjoyed discovering this incredible new world with you.”
His kiss was so passionate it broke her heart.
Tears welled in her eyes.
He broke the kiss and his gaze captured hers. “I am sorry there won’t be time to tell you all the ways you make me smile and do all those little things together that would make love bloom, for I could love you Kelly Grant, in fact I believe I already do.”
She saw the love in his eyes and the pain in his aura.
“This is so unfair.” She looked away. Her heart ached. “I know you have to do this, but I don’t want to lose you. I’ve barely gotten to know you, yet I care so much about you. There must be another way. Someone else…”
Geoffrey shook his head.
“We all play our part in this cosmic drama. I must accept the responsibility for the things I brought upon myself and the world. Had I not killed those Atlantean sorcerers during the Crusades…well, I guess I wouldn’t have even met you.” He pulled her into his arms.
No, he was taking too much of the responsibility.
“This isn’t your fault. You didn’t start all this.” She snuggled into his embrace. Strong arms enfolded her—the heat and scent of the man filled her.
“No,” he agreed, “I didn’t, but I did do my part, and my actions were not always the most honorable. I may not have started this, but I do mean to end it. Tomorrow I will go and do what must be done.”
She held him close, wanting things to stay like this forever. After tomorrow he’d be gone—a world away. She’d never see him again.
“We have tonight.” he said holding her tightly. She laid her head on his shoulder.
He sighed. “Love me tonight. We’ll let tomorrow take care of itself.”
* * *
Geoffrey embraced the woman he loved, breathing in the scent of her. Feeling her vibrant body against his. So warm, so amazing. He did love her so.
If only there’d been another way.
When Nathan Gray rescued him from purgatory, he’d expected adventure, danger, intrigue. He certainly hadn’t expected to find love. But, even in the over two-hundred years he’d walked the world previously, he’d never encountered som
eone like Kelly. She was amazing and he’d come to need her as much as he needed air to breathe.
But no, he needed to do this.
He’d accepted his role in the events to come. Tomorrow he had to cross over to the Ballor world and find a way to destroy the Demon Gate, even if that meant being trapped there and leaving Kelly behind forever.
The world would be a safer place without the gate. Kelly could get back to her life.
He knew she’d be instrumental in clearing out the remaining demonic presence. This world could then become the paradise the High Lord and the Earth Mother had envisioned.
But that was tomorrow. Tonight, he would spend with her.
His lips crushed hers. As they kissed, he drank her in. This night would be all he would have of her—all he could take with him to the other side, however long he could survive in the demon dimension. Once the gate was destroyed and Kelly was forever beyond his grasp, life wouldn’t matter anyway.
* * *
Passionate, thrilling, and warm, their night was a roller-coaster ride of emotional and physical pleasure, intimate sharing, and so much more.
“I love you Kelly Grant,” he’d said, holding her close as he’d drifted off to sleep.
Kelly’s heart swelled with love, then broke at the thought of what tomorrow would bring.
Don’t leave me. Please, find another way.
But there wasn’t one. She knew it. Tomorrow…no, it was past midnight…today he would be gone, and she would never see him again.
She felt the strong beating of Geoffrey’s heart slow, and watched his chest rise and fall. It seemed like hours she watched him—maybe it was. Drinking him in. His scent, the feel of his skin against hers. Trying to lock all the memories in place.
This was it—all she would get of him. She wanted so much more, but she was glad he could get some sleep. She knew he’d need all his energy in the morning. As Kelly watched Geoffrey sleep, tears leaked down her cheeks. Her chest heaved and the chill of loss knotted her stomach. She turned from him then. Not wanting to disturb him, she buried her face in her pillow and cried herself to sleep.
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