Moonshine & Mayhem

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Then let’s go,” Zoey said as she gripped Agnes’s hand. Vilma looked thrilled to hold on to Slade. Meanwhile, Samuel seemed like an excited little boy when he got to hold on to Polly’s hand. Zoey’s usually put together friend turned bright red when she held Samuel’s hand. And with a blink the battle began.

  8

  Zoey and Slade appeared in the middle of the twelve women who had been taken. The women blinked in surprise as their minds tried to compute the fact that people were poofing into their holding cell out of thin air. Slade dropped Zoey’s hand and snapped his fingers, drawing all the attention to him. He whispered some words, held out his hands, and the woman blinked. They stared blindly ahead.

  “What did you do to them?” Zoey whispered.

  “Just put their brains at rest. Let’s get moving.” Slade grabbed two women and in a blink he was gone.

  Within minutes all the women were safely asleep in the jail in downtown Moonshine, and Zoey was back in the empty holding cell.

  “I don’t know where they took the last girl,” Polly whispered. “There’s two men outside—one at the front of the building and one at the back. I didn’t see where he’s stationed, but he came running around the side when the man out front called out for us to stop.”

  “Take us outside. Right to the point where you saw them but they didn’t see you yet. Slade, you stay with Zoey. I’ll take care of these whippersnappers,” Agnes ordered as she grabbed Polly’s hand. Samuel grabbed her other hand as Agnes sent Zoey a wink. “You got this.”

  Zoey turned to Slade and Vilma. “You two stand on each side of the door. Let me draw him in. Vilma, take the woman to safety and do your dream thing. Slade and I will take care of the hunter.”

  “I’ll watch her back,” Slade reassured Vilma. Slade paused and dropped his voice so low that Zoey had to lean forward to hear him. “Here he comes.”

  Zoey’s heart sped up. Her fingers tingled. “Calm yourself, sweetness. We’re all here with you.”

  Slade kissed her quickly on the lips as he and Vilma stationed themselves on each side of the door. Zoey backed up to the far side of the room and didn’t need to fake the fear she felt. She let it show on her face but pushed the magic down as far as she could—many layers. She thought of the layers just like she’d been taught. It was as if she were hiding her magic under a blanket, and all she had to do was pull the blanket back and her powers would be waiting.

  She heard crying as the hunter and his prisoner neared the door. The lock was thrown and the door swung open. Miss Moonshine was flung into the room. Her makeup was smeared. Her mascara made her eyes look like she was part raccoon. Her sequined dress was muddy, and her sash was skewed wildly and covered in dirt. Her crown teetered on her head then dropped to the stone floor. The sound of the crown hitting the cold, damp floor echoed and broke just like Miss Moonshine’s heart. Miss Moonshine fell to her knees and clutched the broken crown to her. Her head was bowed as Zoey heard the soft gut-wrenching sobs.

  Zoey gasped and the hunter focused on her. It was then he noticed no one else was there. “Where are they?” he growled as he strode angrily toward Zoey.

  She didn’t fake the fear as she pressed herself back against the stone wall. “Two guys came in a couple minutes ago and took them.”

  Vilma quietly stepped behind the hunter. Zoey tried not to look directly behind him as Vilma reached out toward Miss Moonshine. The second Vilma’s hand touched the beauty queen, they were gone. Zoey let out a long breath of relief. That was, until blue light filled the sky outside the small square window above her head and reflected off the hunter’s surprised face.

  Zoey imagined not just pulling back the blanket covering her powers, but ripping it from her mind. White light flew from her fingers and before the hunter could begin to fight back, he was washed down the drain into nothingness.

  Zoey’s body was bouncing. She felt as if she were at a club, drunk and ready to dance on top of the bar. It wasn’t exhausting like the last fight. Probably because it wasn’t much of a fight.

  “Well done, sweetness.”

  Slade stepped forward and grinned down at her. “How do you feel?”

  “Like partying,” Zoey said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She couldn’t calm down. Instead she was ready to go again. “I should go help them outside.”

  Zoey didn’t wait for Slade as she rushed out the door, down the dilapidated hallway, and out the front door. “Oh,” she said with disappointment as Polly stood holding two boxes Zoey recognized as Agnes’s cookie containers.

  “Are you okay?” Samuel asked as Zoey bounded around the area.

  “She has an energy high,” Slade responded with amusement.

  “She’s a newbie. She should be so tired she’s about to fall over. What’s going on?” Samuel asked suspiciously.

  “It’s better for you to just find out later,” Agnes said as she patted his muscled arm. “Oh my goddess,” she sighed as she left her hand on his arm. “Take me home.”

  Samuel’s dark brown eyes widened. “What?”

  “We should head back now,” Agnes said smoothly.

  * * *

  Zoey was still pumped up as everyone met back at the warehouse. Agnes and Vilma had talked to Luke, who was taken by surprise when his cells were suddenly full. He didn’t ask too many questions when he found Vilma and Agnes walking from the cells to his desk. Luke stopped the two women, who told him the women had been on a retreat, drank a little too much, and got lost in the woods. And weren’t they lucky Luke found them? With a little wiggle of her fingers, Vilma used her magic to reinforce the story.

  “Luke and the women are with the rest of the townsfolk and heading out now. We saw five buses driving into town when we walked out of the sheriff’s office,” Vilma told the group. “Luke also said those driving to Kentucky on their own have already left. The entire town will be evacuated within the hour.”

  “Then we’ll begin in two hours,” Grand Mistress Lauren said with finality. “Agnes, Vilma, can you make plenty of your restorative drinks for us?”

  “Yes, Grand Mistress,” Agnes said as they disappeared back to their house.

  “Grand Mistress,” Zoey said softly as others began talking to each other, “have you heard anything about my father?”

  “Young mistress, I know this must be worrisome. But we never found your father before because we never looked for him. I knew your family well. While he may be off the grid, he will have left clues for you to find, because deep in a father’s heart, he will wish for you to find him. Focus on Alexander. We will find your father.”

  “But I thought you needed him to help with the battle?”

  “Help, yes. Win, no. You are ready, Mistress Zoey. Never have I had a student learn as quickly as you. You do the Claritase proud and tonight all your sisters will be by your side.”

  Grand Mistress Lauren was called away by Grand Master Linus, and Zoey was left with her body full of energy and her mind full of her father. Would she recognize him? Would he be proud of her or angry that she’d turned into what he’d tried to protect her from?

  “Sweetness,” Slade said as if scolding her, “I see you thinking. Now’s not the time to guess, worry, or feel guilty. Let’s focus on the battle. How do you want to draw out Alexander?”

  “You know him well. What do you think?”

  “I think he’s the kind who will send out his soldiers before he enters the battle.”

  Zoey appreciated the energy strumming through her as her mind leaped from idea to idea in split seconds. “If Alexander discovers I’m the one he’s looking for, he’ll tire me out by sending hunter after hunter to battle me, right?”

  Slade nodded. “He’ll send everyone at you to deplete your powers and then swoop in and easily defeat you.”

  “I don’t like it, but I have an idea.”

  “What is it?”

  Zoey took a deep breath. Was this really the best idea? “We hide.”

  Slade obviously did
n’t like that idea. “Hide?”

  “Well, come in last. We will fight whoever gets through the front line, but the key is to not draw attention to ourselves. You and I need to stay separate. If he sees us together, he might put the prophecy together and realize I’m The One. I can even pretend to be my old human self. Then strike when I get close enough to take him one-on-one.”

  Samuel joined them as she was talking and nodded his agreement. “Alexander has it out for you, Slade. He believes you betrayed him. You could be the distraction that allows Zoey to attack.”

  Wait, that wasn’t what Zoey wanted. She wanted Slade safe, not in the crosshairs.

  “We need to make sure everyone else is too occupied to fight,” Slade said to Samuel. “How many soldiers do we think Alexander has?”

  “At last report, over four hundred.”

  Slade turned to Grand Mistress Lauren and called out to her. “Grand Mistress, how many Claritase do you have?”

  “Two hundred and seven,” she answered.

  Zoey bit her lower lip. That wasn’t even close to Alexander’s numbers. “And your group?” she asked Slade and Samuel.

  “Even less than that. We have one hundred nineteen.”

  Zoey’s breath shuddered. “So, they have over four hundred and we have three hundred twenty-six. I’d feel better if we had larger numbers.”

  “We may be smaller in number, but we are exceptionally well trained,” Slade told her, and he reached for her hand. Zoey was sure he could feel her worry because now her plan was very hard to put into action. How could she sit back and conserve her powers when they were outnumbered?

  9

  Slade stood by Zoey as everyone drank the energy drinks Agnes and Vilma made. Agnes stashed a moonshine barrel full of her special drink in the bakery. He didn’t dare touch Zoey for fear she’d figure out his plan. She’d had her plan, but he had his. They were outnumbered and possibly out-powered. His group was highly trained, but many of the Claritase probably hadn’t used their full powers in decades, possibly centuries.

  Grand Mistress Lauren and Grand Master Linus stood nearby, giving encouragement as the time to battle grew near. Today the war would end, one way or another. No matter who won, many lives would be lost.

  “Our goal is to take out as many hunters as possible to clear a path for Mistress Zoey to battle Alexander,” Grand Mistress Lauren called out. “I’ve assigned a small group who will be holding the containers to collect the fallen’s powers.” Slade looked around and saw five women holding everything from buckets with lids to sandwich bags stuffed in their pockets. His hopes fell, and Zoey looked at him nervously. He tried to smile reassuringly at her, but he was pretty sure it came out as a grimace.

  His eyes locked with Zoey’s, and he felt her energy reaching for his. They stood there for who knows how long as the speeches were made and orders were given. He felt their breathing sync and reached for Zoey’s hand. Their breath, heart, and mind were of one.

  “Together we will defeat Alexander’s evil, and once again be safe to love, heal, and live!” Slade turned and clapped as Lauren bowed her head to the group of soldiers. She blinked her teal eyes rapidly to prevent tears from falling. The grand mistress would be hanging back since she lost her power to battle when she became stuck in animal form.

  The group cheered and Slade knew it was time. There was only one sure way to draw out Alexander and it was up to him to do so. Slade turned and spun Zoey to face him. “I love you. Now and forever.” He kissed her hard and fast. Before she could stop him, he disappeared from her embrace.

  * * *

  Zoey looked around. Slade was gone. He’d just poofed right from her arms. Nobody else seemed to have noticed as they prepared themselves for the battle. Zoey stood in the middle of it all and suddenly felt very alone. Slade left her and her father hadn’t yet been found. She was alone. The result of the war depended all on her defeating Alexander.

  “Go into your powers,” Agnes said softly from beside her.

  “What?”

  “Don’t think about the many possible outcomes. Don’t think about the battle. Don’t think. Just feel. See your powers, feel your powers, and embrace your powers. Clear your mind as you wade into the magic as though it was lapping at your feet as you step into it. When you’re at your knees, you’ll feel yourself strengthening as you draw from your powers. And finally when you are completely immersed in them, you will feel your strength.”

  Zoey visualized as Agnes spoke and felt her body begin to hum as she let her powers wash over her. She was lost until she felt the pang in her heart and knew in that exact moment the battle had begun. “We need to go. Now!”

  “Alexander!” Slade yelled from the middle of a completely empty Main Street. He held out his arms and turned in a slow circle. He saw a sentry disappear and knew he would be telling Alexander Slade had appeared.

  He saw soldiers start to appear—some he recognized, some he didn’t. A lot of them had grown up while Slade had been gone. Then again, Alexander had also gone into Europe, Africa, and Asia to find as many Tenebris halflings as he could. He’d turned them and used them as his soldiers. And when he saw Ian, Alexander’s favorite child, he knew the battle was upon them.

  “The prodigal son has returned,” Ian sneered. He was built like Slade except for his pale skin and bright red hair. His mother had been Scottish, but after he was born, Alexander had taken him from his mother, and he’d grown up at Alexander’s knee.

  “I missed your ugly face,” Slade smirked.

  Ian flushed red. “It’s ugly because of you,” he spat.

  “True,” Slade said, letting his smirk turn into a mocking grin. Ian and Slade had been training partners. One day Slade had overheard Ian bragging about being the best soldier Alexander had. Slade showed him otherwise with two hits. One of the hits broke Ian’s nose. The other caused the scar that ran across his eyebrow where it had split open under the force of Slade’s hit.

  “Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you.”

  Slade shrugged. “I’ve been around.”

  Ian tried to look relaxed, but as more and more soldiers popped up to stand behind him, Slade saw Ian’s weakness exposed. He grew cocky. He always liked the power and the attention he got by being a favorite of Alexander. Ian swaggered forward with a mocking grin.

  “Looks like you’re ready to beg for forgiveness and come back now that you know we are poised to end the Claritase. Something you were never able to do. But I was,” Ian bragged.

  Slade shrugged. “I think I’ll just talk to Alexander.”

  “Then wait no more, child.”

  Slade felt his jaw tightened at Alexander’s voice. The Grand Master of Tenebris hunters stepped from behind the wall of soldiers.

  Slade felt the tingle in his body. Zoey was near. He felt her anger at him for leaving. He felt her fear, knowing he was in danger. And he knew she was on her way, which meant the Claritase were also on their way. It was time to start the battle.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Slade said easily to the man who had raised him.

  Alexander stepped forward, but kept behind a protective wall of soldiers. “I am very displeased with you, Slade.”

  “Well, I’m displeased with you.”

  He could see Alexander’s face tighten in rage. “You dare be displeased with me? You’re the one who failed at your mission. You’re the one who left a powerful family for me to clean up. You’re the one who then disappeared without a word. And now you suddenly appear here.” Alexander gestured with his arm to the town. “Why?”

  Slade kept his body relaxed. We’re here. He heard Zoey say in his head.

  His grin widened as Alexander’s frown elongated.

  “I’m here to end this.”

  “You’re ready to apologize and beg my forgiveness?” Alexander asked with arrogance as he played it up to his soldiers.

  “No,” Slade said lightly. “I’m here to end your reign of terror.”

  Al
exander’s eyebrow rose as he looked around. “You and what army?”

  “This one.” Slade stood his ground as the joint forces of the Claritase and True Tenebris charged from all directions.

  10

  Men and women charged from alleyways, from behind buildings, and from where they’d hidden inside the shops that lined Main Street. Zoey searched the crowd until her eyes landed on Slade as a giant redhead leveled his hands and shot red light straight at Slade and then ducked behind a line of warriors. Was that Alexander?

  “Slade!” Zoey tried to rush toward him, but a man who looked like an elderly grandfather with thick glasses, white hair, and a plaid pants stepped out in front of her and shot green light at her. It hit her, causing her to stumble back. With their smaller number of experienced fighters, Zoey wasn’t supposed to show her powers, but right now all her sisters were fighting for their lives.

  “Run!”

  Zoey looked for the voice she heard a second before a black cat leapt onto the man’s head. Grand Mistress Lauren gave a war cry as she dug her claws into his scalp. Zoey didn’t wait, she ran. When she looked back she saw the grand mistress strutting back to her post outside the fighting with her tail flicking.

  * * *

  Slade didn’t have time to look for Zoey as Ian hid and sent Slade’s old sparring partner, Demetrius, forward to attack. Demetrius had always been one of Alexander’s favorites and that was probably why Ian had sent him. He didn’t like the competition. Demetrius’s Earth power stung for the second it took for Slade to see Alexander and Ian retreating into the center of a tight circle of guards as he barked out orders from his safe haven.

  There was a time when Slade would have prolonged Demetrius’s death. He would have toyed with him. He’d hurt him a little, then let him think he had a chance to win before defeating him easily. But now he didn’t have time. His goal was quantity, not quality of kills. The more he took down now, the better Zoey’s chances of defeating Alexander. So, instead of toying with Demetrius, Slade let go of his power as dark purple energy flew from his hands.