Honora ran straight at the ghoul, but the creature stood her ground, pulling a short sword from the folds of her ragged cloak. She charged Honora, who flew above her head, sweeping the ax beneath her, slicing through the ghoul’s arm. The blade cut the flesh and bone, leaving the limb useless and dangling. Guttural screams erupted, but the ghoul kept fighting. It pulled a blade strapped to her thigh with her good arm and sent it flying. The knife zinged with the grace and speed of an arrow. Honora tried to dodge the blade, but the weapon shifted in the last second, as if reading her movements, and clipped her bicep before sinking into the bark of a tree. The skin on her arm burned. Honora seethed and grabbed the cut as blood seeped through her fingers.
Magical explosions filled the clearing. Honora regrouped behind a tree and tied her wound with a strip of cloth torn from the bottom of her shirt. She hauled herself up off the ground, adrenaline and pride causing a surge of renewed energy. She flew face down and plowed the ghoul over, sending her tumbling backwards. Honora jumped to the ground and held the ax high above her head, about to drive the blade into the ghoul and end the fight quickly, but Hexer Min was suddenly behind her. He kicked her in the back, sending a sharp pain through her body.
Honora pitched forward, tumbling head over heels down the stone steps, the ax falling to her side. Sweat beaded on her neck and brow. Her breathing came in heavy gasps. As she crawled to her knees, he threw a magical burst at her. The ghoul crouched and lurched to the far edge of the platform, but she didn’t get far before Honora pulled her wand from her sleeve and shot a stinger spell to her chest. The ghoul’s screams filled the sky.
Sensing the Hexer again, Honora spun around and activated her belt, throwing up a shield in time to take the brunt of a series of brutal attack spells. The magical blows exploded in a wash of hot air across her face. Honora sunk to the ground in exhaustion. Ren rose up behind Min and drove a knife into the Hexer’s shoulder, but the Hexer raged with a series of body blows, throwing Ren back twenty feet into a giant snowdrift.
Honora stumbled out of the line of fire. The Hexer’s face was solemn, a quiet madness behind his dark eyes. “I can’t let you ruin this for me. I’ve been waiting ten years to make this happen.”
The air was filled with glowing sparks. The Hexer held a golden orb in his hands and threw it at Honora, but her shield sprang to life. It wavered and bent, but it held fast. He gathered another mass of golden Otherworld energy. It sparkled and danced in his palm. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s more powerful than anything in Everland. Soon, everyone will have this kind of magic.”
“Magic shouldn’t be used to kill and destroy, but to defend,” Honora said, realizing that Min was losing it.
“How noble of you. How self-righteous. You sound like a member of the council. But not anymore.”
Honora grabbed the ax from the stone steps and launched it at the Hexer, sending a bolt of energy through the air. He blocked the weapon with a golden orb thrown right back at it. The crash of energies sent a shower of sparks up into the sky. Honora shielded her face from the stinging blast. The magic ax fell to the ground with a final thud. She rose unsteadily to her feet. The bloody ghoul stood side by side with the Hexer. Honora had nothing left to fight with.
21
With her head bowed, Honora stared at the ground, biting her bottom lip. A dull ache throbbed in her arm. She tried to breathe through the pain and cold that seeped through her. Ren and Rosalyn regrouped, nursing wounds. Rosalyn sported a bloody gash on her forehead. Ren’s coat was covered in sooty magical blast marks. A red welt was forming above one of his eyes. They gathered behind her, the three of them huddling together. The professors, the ghoul, and Hexer Min had overpowered them, herding them together like cattle. The devious group had been planning this for months, years even, and the use of Otherworld magic had given them a clear advantage.
Jonathan Rainer was pinned against the stone steps, having been guarded by Professor Marvin during the whole battle. Blood dripped from a wound on his head. There was no way Honora could help him. Hexer Min pushed past the professor and grabbed him. Without the warden to hold up the wall, Everland would be invaded, and there was nothing Honora could do about it. Min dragged the wizard over to the stone pedestal that controlled the arch.
“What’s this great strategy of yours when the wall goes down?” Honora asked, trying to buy some time.
“This is just the beginning of our plans.” The Hexer’s voice was filled with satisfaction.
“Shh! Enough talking,” Sky hissed. The ghoul slumped to the ground. Blood oozed from the ax blow that had destroyed the illusion. Her ashen skin was damp with sweat. “The creature’s unwell. It served its purpose. We have no need for it.” Sky nodded to her husband. Without hesitation, Martin cut the ghoul’s head clean off with an ax. He raised his wand and uttered a spell, which ignited the body into flames, reducing the remains to a small heap of ash.
Honora felt mildly satisfied for at least bringing the creature down, but the overwhelming sense of defeat was too much. Her mind raced. A dozen tactical scenarios crowded her head. She shifted through the combat spells Slader had taught her, but which one and whom to focus on? She bit the inside of her cheek. Then an oddly familiar sound caught her attention.
A whining, yet rumbling, motor Honora had heard before echoed in the distance. She briefly closed her eyes, fearing her emotions would betray her. She listened closely, still unable to believe what she was hearing, but the sound was all too memorable—a rattling, coughing, hunk-of-junk hover bike was making its way toward them. She tried not to burst into tears from relief.
Jenny Liu was on the way.
“Why use the archway? Why not just tear the whole wall down?” Honora asked, covering for the noise. Luckily, no one else seemed to notice.
“Destroying the wall would be foolish. I want to control it, and by controlling the wall, I control all of Everland.” The Hexer shoved Jonathan before the pedestal. Min wasn’t stupid, but unfortunately he was driven by greed and power. Loyalty was sorely lacking.
“Is the arch going to become a turnstile where you charge admission into the witching world?”
Min smirked. “Everland uses magical frequencies similar to the portal system. We’ll use the arch, and once we control the wall, we’ll be able to invade not just the North, but everywhere: Stargazer City, the council building, Willow Realm. No place will be safe.”
“It’s genius, really,” Marvin said.
Genius. Sounded more like chaos. “What happened to you? Why do you hate us so much that you’d risk destroying our world?”
The Hexer shook his head, a look of disdain on his face. “Once the Bishop’s descendant and his allies are through, there will be no stopping us. That’s why I wanted you to join us. You of all witches would thrive under his rule.”
Honora put her hand on her hip. Time for a reality check. “In case you haven’t realized this, the Bishop was a witch hunter, and I doubt his descendant is any different. So what makes you think that when he gets here, he won’t destroy us all, including the three of you?”
“He doesn’t want to destroy us, but to join the most powerful witches,” Sky said.
“Really? Here’s what I think, sweetie. The Black Bishop’s descendant isn’t coming. He’ll wait. He’ll be one of the last, because that’s what cowards do,” Honora said. “He has you all so conned. You’re nothing but pathetic minions to him. He wants you to do the hard work, bringing his army through, so that he can dispose of you. How much do you want to bet that the three of you are dead by nightfall?”
A thin sheen of sweat had formed over the Hexer’s pale face.
“She’s trying to divide us. Don’t listen to her,” Marvin said, but his eyes darted nervously from side to side, exposing his unease.
The sound of the bike had gotten closer and then gone silent. There was no way she’d pull her bike all the way up to the clearing. Jenny was on foot. Honora just hoped she was hurrying.
&
nbsp; “So confident, even in defeat. It’s really an admirable quality. You fought hard. But this was not your day,” Sky said.
Honora gazed at Jonathan. He stood motionless before the stone pedestal covered in magical runes, to which only he knew the combination to unlocking. The wizard gave Honora a sideways glance, but there was no way for the two of them to communicate. Hexer Min held a ball of energy in one hand and drove his wand into Jonathan’s back with the other. “Open the arch, or die.”
Jonathan sighed. “I won’t do it.”
“You can’t kill him,” Honora said. “He’s too important.”
“No, but I can hurt him and you.” Min threw the glowing ball of energy at Honora. She pulled up her shield in time to take the hit, but the blast threw her backwards into Ren and Rosalyn. Hexer Min uttered a spell, his wand pointed directly into Jonathan’s ribs, causing him to wail in pain.
Honora scrambled to her feet. Jonathan doubled over, but he straightened, his face pinched with pain, and held both of his hands outward. A shimmering ward of energy pulsed around him. Min went to grab him but was thrown back in a shower of sparks when he touched the barrier that Jonathan had formed around himself and the pedestal. The energy grew, the intensity vibrating in the air, radiating outward in a wave of warmth that made Honora’s face tingle.
No one moved, but stared in awe at Jonathan’s powerful persuasion.
Jonathan’s eyes went black. “The arch is sealed. No one enters and no one leaves. This is my post now. My destiny.” He was giving himself totally over to the protection of Everland. No one was going to overpower him.
“Bring out the collateral. You will do as we say, Wizard Rainer.” Sky motioned to the door of the station, and her husband scurried inside. A moment later, Marvin returned with another witch in tow. He pulled the hood back, revealing a living, breathing Jane Rainer.
Honora gasped. Jane was alive.
“Jon, it’s me. It’s really me.” Jane’s expression was conflicted—relief washed with warmth, yet anguish for her husband’s dire situation. She broke free and ran toward Jonathan, but Marvin stunned her in the back with a spell, painfully pitching Jane to the ground.
“You’re dead. The ghoul killed you.” Jonathan’s shoulders collapsed. His eyes welled with tears and disbelief. The magical ward surrounding him wavered, his emotions getting the better of him, but held—barely.
“You let him think Jane was dead,” Honora said, her heart sinking. She was happy for him, for he had his wife back, but she also realized it was the deciding move in a power play. It was cruel, yet effective. Hexer Min had devastated the wizard by taking his wife away, broken his spirit, and then brought her back.
“No one ever said Jane was dead. We just let you assume the ghoul had killed her. You didn’t think I’d come all this way and not have a plan to force one of the most persuasive wizards in the land to cooperate.” Min’s face twisted up in a devious sneer. “Open the arch, or I’ll kill your wife. Your real wife. Only you can save her now.”
Sky yanked Jane tightly to her and held her wand under her chin.
“No!” Honora yelled.
“Don’t do it, Jon.” Jane struggled under Sky’s grasp.
“I won’t lose you again. I can’t bear it, not again. I’m sorry, but I must.” He set his jaw and turned his attention to the stone pedestal. With his decision made, Jonathan pressed a complicated series of runes, activating the arch in a whoosh of power. A golden circle of light illuminated the clearing. The archway glistened. It was breathtaking. The doorway to the Otherworld wavered, rippling like a magical pond. Honora breathed deeply, preparing herself. Her mind raced, desperately grasping at ideas. If she could just get past the professors, maybe she could find a way to shut down the arch. The surface fractured, splitting open.
Four troops dressed in regal, well-cut blue coats and tall black leather boots passed through the gleaming archway and into Everland. They weren’t ghouls or humans or even goblins. It was worse than Honora imagined. They were elves in all their glory—trademark pointed ears and mysterious black eyes. Their hair was long white silk that trailed down their broad backs, their skin pale as snow, emanating coldness. The elves carried bows slung over their shoulders and quivers filled with silver arrows. Their coats were belted and held two curved knives. They formed a circle around the portal.
Honora’s heart raced. The Hexer was using elfin magic.
Rosalyn gasped, and Ren tensed beside her. “I hope you have a plan,” he whispered.
Honora stepped forward. “You have entered the witching world of Everland. We have no quarrel with the elfin realm. Return, and no damage is done.” Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was crawling up her throat.
The elves stared at her but made no sign of leaving. How was she supposed to fight them? Four elves, the Hexer, and two professors against the three of them. The air was eerily quiet. Honora’s only hope was to take down the device before more came through.
She heard rustling in the brush behind her. Within seconds, an explosion of magic hit right above the Hexer’s head, bringing down a huge mass of tree branches on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Ren and Rosalyn charged into action, casting attack spells and dodging blasts from the professors. Sky and Marvin had their hands full with the two ax-wielding witches. Jonathan raced for his wife, engulfing her in a barrier ward and pulling her up the stairs into the safety of the lodge.
Honora scrambled toward the now vacated arch, but one of the elves, anticipating her action, intercepted her in a fluid strike, lifting her off the ground like a doll. She instinctively kicked him in the face, and he released her. She pulled the knife from her boot and sliced his cheek in a quick maneuver, causing a spray of blood to dampen his coat. He turned his head to the side in a strangely inquisitive manner, and it was just the time Honora needed to pull her wand from her sleeve and blast a combat spell that threw him right back through the portal. One down.
Jenny Liu charged out of the trees, her wand clenched in her fist. She wore a snarl on her face the likes of which Honora had never seen. She was wildcat mad, and it fueled her. She had a black eye, and her turquoise-colored jumpsuit was torn. Standing by her side was a cloaked figure—a witch, holding a long blond wood staff.
The three remaining elves advanced on them. One pulled his bow from his back and selected an arrow. Honora took flight and made for the tree cover. Jenny and her companion followed on foot, and they regrouped behind a huge oak. Jenny fired off a few rounds of detonation spells at the ground near the elves’ feet, leaving a huge crater in the snowfall.
The elves scattered.
“Am I glad to see you,” Honora said with a relieved smile. “You had me worried.” She motioned to the hooded witch. “Who’s this? Some kind of kick-butt fighter, I hope? We’ve got three heavily armed elves, and they aren’t nice.”
“We need to close the portal,” the witch said.
“I tried, but I couldn’t get close. Did you bring anyone else to help us, Jenny? What about the council?” Honora asked.
“Sometimes you are so dense,” Jenny rolled her eyes. “Take a good look at our new friend, because she’s all the reinforcement we have right now.”
“What?” Honora asked. She hated when Jenny got cryptic.
The witch threw back her hood. Her wavy black hair, with a distinctive streak of white in the front, fell around her shoulders. Crow’s feet collected at the edge of her bright blue eyes. There was a small white scar on her chin. She looked older than Honora remembered. “Hello, dear.”
“Mom!” Emotions flooded her. Her mother had been alive and in Everland this whole time. She wasn’t sure if she was going to hug her or slap her. A family reunion was the last thing she’d expected. “What are you doing here? Where’ve you been?” She felt like she’d been pelted with stinger spells. “It’s been months since the travelers returned, and you decide to show up now?” Her whole body trembled from the cold and shock.
“I’m sor
ry. I couldn’t let you or your sisters know that I crossed back. A few of us have been tracking the others who are trying to infiltrate our world. We needed them to think we didn’t make it home.” Elspeth reached out to her, but Honora pulled away. Her mother’s brow creased.
“How could you keep this from us? We thought you were gone for good.” Anger and regret flooded her, and Honora swallowed hard. “We don’t have time for this. We’ve got to contain the arch.”
“Seems as though I’ve stumbled into a little family tension,” Jenny said. “Maybe we should focus on kicking some traitor butt.”
“Jenny’s right. We need to stop that Hexer and rescue Jonathan before the wall comes down.” Elspeth grabbed Honora’s arm, her eyes imploring. “You have no idea what’s waiting on the other side. No matter what the risk, we can’t let the wall fall.”
“We take them out. That was the plan all along.” Honora fought back tears as she clutched her knife. “Let’s finish this.”
“I really hated that ghoul,” Jenny said. “But I hate traitor Hexers even more. That turncoat is all mine.”
“We’ll go for the elves.” Honora spoke for herself and her mother.
“Looks like your friends have taken down the professors,” Elspeth observed. The distraction had given Ren and Rosalyn the upper hand. Ren had Marvin on the ground, a pair of glow cuffs binding his wrists. Sky was gagged, and Rosalyn was in the process of tying her to the back of one of the snowcrafts.
Honora lifted off the ground, silent as a light breeze, circled around, and located the elves. She rustled the branches, sending a shower of snow across the clearing, drawing everyone’s attention upward so her mother and Jenny could sneak closer.
Fly By Midnight (A Sister Witches Mystery) Page 22