Another layer of the veil dissolved and he saw the wavering movements of shadowy figures. One, taller and broader than the rest moved closer to the veil. Even distorted there was no mistaking the elemental. Nightshade stepped sideways, closer to Jayse and Lucidea.
The elemental shoved someone from his path. Chance, Nightshade decided. The young man was brash enough to openly challenge Brandr Ur. After stepping past the challenger, Brandr Ur strode forward. His presence grew larger, filling the area surrounded by the thinning veil. He pressed against the magical membrane until the fabric stretched to outline hands, face, a triumphant smile. Burning, arid wind poured from the world between worlds.
Lucidea’s chant faltered. She gasped then whispered, “It’s not enough. He’s going to come through.”
“Keep going, darlin’,” Jayse shouted over the rising whine of wind. “Never give up.”
Nightshade closed his eyes. Their efforts weren’t enough. Their attempts slowed the elemental, but could not stop him. He took a deep breath. Never a believer in destiny, in one heartbeat he accepted his long life had led him to this family. To this point in time. Giving a soft snort, he opened his eyes and focused on the straining veil. He rested his hands on Jayse and Lucidea’s shoulder.
The words burst easily past his crumbling resistance. No flamboyant lilt, no affectations. His voice—strong, deep—rose with the others’. The ground trembled, shivered in response.
Tori glanced back at him, the questions in her dark eyes fading as the power surrounding them grew and stretched toward the world between worlds. She smiled, turned, and placed her hand over his.
“That’s it,” Lucidea shouted over the wind. She shifted, easing from under Nightshade’s hand then joined her hand to his and Tori’s.
“The spell... Again.” Jayse wrapped both hands over and below the knot of their joined fingers.
A rush of intense magic spiraled from Nightshade’s chest down his arm to their joined hands. When their combined voices rose with the chant, the ground shook. Wind swirled around them, gently spinning leaves high into the night sky. Water droplets dashed against Nightshade’s skin, pouring from a waterspout hovering at the edge of the dark loch.
Too long. The power... nearly too much to contain. Yet they had more to do. Nightshade clenched his jaw and ground out the word, “Again.”
Water, air, earth. Triple whirling ropes of power danced through the sky. Joined into a single tornado, the magic hovered, waiting.
The elemental pushed harder against the veil. Tiny cracks appeared in the gray mist.
Lucidea gave soft sound of dismay and the watery rope slipped from the others. “No,” she cried. Her visible struggle to gain control, to raise more power in a weakened state, burned into Nightshade’s soul. He could no longer guard his secrets if it meant more losses to those he loved.
Deep in the far reaches of his memories, from long before, when he believed he understood his place in his world, he found the key. A single word, taught to him by his father, a magic he’d never understood. Forgotten until this moment.
The three he’d joined with for this battle watched him with question filled eyes. He grinned. “Once more, okay honeys? Just once more.”
Squaring her shoulders, Lucidea nodded. Tori leaned forward on her toes. Worry filling his eyes, Jayse gazed at Lucidea. She tilted her chin at him. With a slight smile, he released a ragged sigh. The four drew breath together and began a final recitation of the ancient spell.
The tornado arched toward the veil and the elemental eased back, but did not retreat. Hot, powerful wind whistled through the tiny rips in the veil, battering them. As the last syllable of their spell dissipated in the wind, Nightshade drew himself to his full height and shouted, “Arunz!”
A rumbling tremor shook the brae, tossing them to the ground. Nightshade caught Lucidea, turning them while in flight so his body cushioned her landing. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, shifting as the ground stilled. Sharp rocks bit into his back. He held back a groan.
Jayse jerked to sitting and clasped Lucidea’s hand. “Okay? Both of you?”
She covered her abdomen with her free hand. “Yeah, I think so. You probably should worry more about Nightshade.” She wiggled and he loosened his hold. Lucidea slid next to Jayse then jabbed Nightshade’s shoulder. The pokes were as uncompromising as the stones at his back. “Who are you? What are you?”
Before he could summon an answer, Tori lifted herself on one elbow, then sat, testing her muscles. “Can’t you guess?” She grinned and swiped her hair back from her face. “He’s Alfar, of course. He’s Domovoii.”
Staring as if he’d never seen Nightshade before, Jayse leaned closer. In the moonlight his questions were not to be denied.
Nightshade closed his eyes and nodded once. No reason to hide the facts of his birth any longer. Where he’d thought to feel anger or dismay at the revelation, instead relief calmed the churning in his abused belly.
“Shade?” Jayse asked.
“Talk later, honey. Now help me up. Your wife knocked the breath from me.”
Jayse peered into the sky then scrambled to his feet and held out one hand. Nightshade grasped the offering and pulled himself to his feet. A fine dusting of earth covered him and he felt a long forgotten sense of welcome... of home.
As Tori helped Lucidea stand she glanced at him and asked, “What was that last word you said? What does Arunz—”
Whining wind stole her speech and pressed the four of them into a tight knot. With sudden silence, the wind died.
“Whoa,” Jayse muttered. “What was all that about?”
“I have an idea,” Tori answered, trying to smooth windblown locks over her head. “Look at the power we raised before.”
Whirling magic circled the veil, framing the pale gray spot in the sky. The ropes of earth and air had thickened and wrapped tightly around each other and the veil, the thinner, watery rope held slack between them.
Tori pointed. “When Nightshade and I said that word, the magic rising from our elements got stronger.”
All eyes turned toward him. Nightshade shrugged. “Makes sense.”
“But why not the water?” Lucidea asked. “While this pretty much proves Tori is Andras, she’s also half-Sindhu.”
“You say the word,” Tori prompted.
Though he and Tori gave rapid coaching, Lucidea was unable to vocalize the word of power. The syllables stuck in her throat, choking her each with each attempt.
“That’s enough,” Nightshade said when she drew breath to try again. “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to draw upon the magic, but you’ve been blocked. Maybe it’s your pregnancy.”
“Great.” Lucidea sniffed. “Helps with one thing, denies me another. Just great.”
Muted by distance, an angry roar jerked their attention to the sky. Final layers of the veil peeled back, clearing, clarifying, until they looked through a reasonably clear window into the world between worlds.
Twenty-eight
Brandr Ur howled. Rage and frustration rang through the thick air. Shivers of dread channeled down Breanna’s spine and mixed with a surge of adrenaline. Her muscles flexed, tightened then relaxed. With a nod, she and her team stepped forward, a loose semi-circle of five, to corral the elemental.
While the veil had cleared until she could see the brilliant full moon shining in the human world’s night sky, their combined magic had prevented the elemental from breaking through.
A small satisfaction, but satisfaction nonetheless.
The elemental had ranted and beat his fists against the clear barrier before turning and vocalizing his displeasure. Bree stared silently at the elemental while Brandr Ur seethed. She bit back a grin, steam actually rose from his skin, making him look like a demented cartoon character.
Chance snickered, drawing the elemental’s attention.
Fists clenched, arms stiff at his side, Brandr Ur stalked forward. “What have you done?”
Morg
han leapt in front of Chance to confront the elemental. “Prevented ye from leavin’ this place.”
Brandr Ur stopped and glared at each of them in turn. “You shall not stop me. None of you has the power.”
“Aye, no’ alone. But together we have.”
With another fierce howl, the elemental shoved Morghan away and stabbed a finger toward Chance. “You. I want you.”
“Fight me, then, Elemental.”
A cold fist clamped around Bree’s heart. “No.”
Both Chance and the elemental turned to her. Matching fierceness burned in their eyes until Chance blinked. For a moment he was her baby brother then cold determination return to firm his expression. “It’s okay, Bree. This is my destiny. The reason I came along.” He nodded toward Gowthaman. “He understands.”
Brandr Ur thumped a fist against his chest. “You will fight me.”
Slowly, Chance moved his focus back to the elemental. “I will. And I will defeat you. You won’t find your way into another world nor touch another unwilling mind. It stops here. The insanity stops with me.”
Morghan clutched the elemental’s shoulder and forced him to turn. “You will fight me.”
Brandr Ur laughed. “You? I defeated you once before. I will not waste the time to do so again. I will fight the boy, for he has uttered the challenge. If the young one wishes to die at my hands, then die he shall.”
Curling his fingers as if holding a large ball, Brandr Ur faced Chance and grinned. A moment later he stared down at the empty space between his palms and grunted. He switched one hand from top to bottom. The wicked grin spread across his face. But the glee disappeared under a mask of confusion. His hands dropped heavily to his sides.
Odd. Breanna kept her sword at the ready and tried to catch Morghan’s eye. The Sindhu frowned and shook his head.
“Gowtham?” she whispered.
“I do not—”
“Lost your powers, old man?” Chance sidled closer to the elemental and tapped him on the shoulder with his long sword. “Kinda sucks, doesn’t it?”
“What did you do, human? How—no, you cannot restrain me. Fight and I will take the life from you and regain what is mine.”
Chance danced to the elemental’s other side. “I’ll fight you... old man. But you won’t get anything but dead.”
“Ha. I am immortal.”
“Big deal.” Chance stepped back and shrugged.
“Chance,” Bree admonished. “Don’t antagonize—”
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” He walked backwards, tugging at the leather strip wrapping the hilt of his overly long sword.
Too many options presented themselves to Bree, the rapid rise of confusion hid any answers for which she searched. Her brother couldn’t fight an elemental. She couldn’t fight a being as powerful as Brandr Ur and hope to succeed. What was Chance doing? It didn’t matter if the elemental didn’t have any powers now—what if they came back during the battle? Maybe they could make it through and close the veil before the elemental found a way to follow them.
Before she could rush forward, Gowthaman gently wrapped his hand around her upper arm. “You must let your brother do this.”
She turned on him. “What?” No. I can’t. What if—”
“This mission is filled with instances of ‘what if’. We have faced every challenge.” He dropped his gaze a moment. “Each physical and personal challenge, each moment of doubt and concern. Despite odds greatly piled against us, we communicated with our world.”
Bree strained toward her brother, intent on being at his side when the elemental attacked. Maybe the two of them...
Gowthaman tangled their fingers together and continued. “A driving factor, an essential source to each success has been your brother. Chance has shown maturity, knowledge and reasoning beyond his years. You cannot protect him his entire life. He may not seem a man in years, but, beloved, his heart is strong. See him now not as a sister, but through the eyes of the leader of the Alastriona. What do you see?”
Damn Gowtham for making her look at Chance as anything but her baby brother. Try to rationalize it as she might, she found no fault with Gowtham’s astute observations.
Rising dust burned her eyes. Thankful for the excuse to blink back the stinging dampness, she squeezed Gowtham’s fingers and turned her blurry gaze to her lover. “You’re right. It’s just... I’ve watched out for him since he was born, helped him learn how to push away Feidhlim’s evil influence, taught him to fight.”
“These strengths you have allowed him to find within himself, as well as the love you bear for him, have led him to discover the man he has become. Let him be that man. He understands the risks, he knows the chance he takes. Of us all, he is the most able to defeat this foe.”
Frantic laughter bubbled from her. She caught the distraught sounds in her hand. “A chance for Chance.” She laughed again, then burst into tears. “How can I watch him endanger himself?”
Gowtham embraced her. “You shall watch him as Alastriona, as one who has trust in those she leads.”
A large hand shoved between them. Thick fingers wrapped in Gowtham’s shirt and jerked him away. “Give me your weapon.”
Hoping to create enough distance between them to effectively use her sword, Bree shoved the elemental’s unyielding shoulder. “Let him go.”
Gowtham’s shirt tight in his grasp, he rounded on her, fist raised. Harsh breaths expanded his chest and although anger burned in his eyes, no physical heat surrounded him. The lack of his fire concerned Bree; if he should somehow regain his powers the battle would be over.
Slowly lowering his fist, the elemental gave her an appraising look, chilling her to her bones. He kept his eyes on her, but released Gowthaman and opened his hand. “Give me the weapon.”
“Come on, Gowthaman,” Chance shouted. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home. We don’t have forever, you know.”
Morghan added just as loudly, “No, do no’.”
The weight of Gowthaman’s gaze on her forced her decision. She gave a short nod. He pressed his sword’s hilt into Brandr Ur’s hand.
The elemental drew his finger down Bree’s cheek. “Perhaps I shall not destroy you immediately.”
“Promises, promises,” she muttered, turning her face to the side and shuddering. When the elemental moved away, Gowtham cupped her cheek with his palm and she closed her eyes. The swirl of soulfire danced behind her lids dissolving the repugnancy of the elemental’s touch.
“Thank you,” she whispered. How wonderful it would be to bask in their soulfire, but the reality of the coming battle forced her eyes open. Coralie moved to her side, although Morghan remained a few paces distant. Bree studied the Sindhu’s ready stance and focused concentration. As a small group of fighters facing a powerful foe, they were as ready as they could be... for whatever happened.
Brandr Ur weighed the sword in his hand, then tested the balance and swing before stalking toward the flat, open area. And Chance. Bree caught her lower lip between her teeth and accepted—nothing would stop this battle. Both her brother and Brandr Ur sought to prove themselves.
Chance had completed removing the leather from his sword hilt and dropped the long strip behind him. One hand wrapped carefully around the blade just below the curved cross guard, and the other cupped over the pommel, Chance held the sword vertically before him. The tip of the five foot blade touched the gray earth. Eyes closed, he breathed in a slow deep breath.
The aspect of ancient meditation, meant to calm the fighter, worked to ease a portion of worry from Bree’s heart as well when she matched his easy exhalation. Maybe Chance did know what he was doing. She had to trust her brother, for that trust was the greatest support she could give him in this moment. Words and arguments would only distract him from his purpose. And distractions could mean failure... for all of them.
Brandr Ur paused, watching the young fighter. Let the child have his brief time of belief. A quick glance over his shoulder
showed the veil remained well open. He allowed himself a satisfied grin. Only moments were needed to put the young pup in his place. The others would fall just as quickly despite their belief in their paltry magic.
But the veil... what had prevented him from easily stepping into his new world? The pitiful magic had slowed his advance, though he had expected no less. But the veil... had been a solid force he could not break through.
A sobering thought burst over him. Had the veil somehow taken his magic? Focusing on a tall stone, Brandr Ur called for his fire... insisted the power come to him... cajoled his primal nature... demanded... begged... bargained... found nothing but dim emptiness.
This could not be. These pretenders were no match for his power. A shiver traveled just under his skin raising bumps. He stared at his arm then rubbed the strange bumps and shivered again. He was... this was... cold?
Anger doubled upon itself. That which was his, what made him a god, had been stolen from him. By these puny beings. Clutching the sword hilt in both hands, he drew breath to roar his rage, then pulled back the need and rolled his shoulders. Long ages had passed since he’d held a physical weapon but he remembered the use of such was not assisted by anger.
No matter he was forced to lower himself to this level. If he remained calm and determined, defeating these foes would take little effort. Determined, he would regain his due as a god.
Brandr Ur planted his feet firmly in the dry, gray dust and lifted the weapon, his stance eager... ready.
The challenger opened his eyes.
“This is just like watching a movie through a fog,” Jayse grumbled. “We see everything going on, but can’t do anything about it.”
Nightshade commiserated with his friend’s frustration. They’d opened the veil, somehow prevented the elemental from breaking through, and now held the passage to the world between worlds steady and reasonably clear to their vision. But this was a silent movie, though it was easy to imagine the thoughts of each person.
Blue Keltic Moon (Children of the Keltic Triad) Page 25