"You've already seen it," she huffed, blushing at the earlier embarrassment.
"I need to see your marks properly or I won't be able to help you," he said, his patience amazing her. By now, she'd probably be screaming at herself rather than look as calm and collected as he did.
She sighed and turned her back to him, lifting her shirt.
"Beautiful," he muttered and she was very tempted to drop her top again. Hopefully, he was talking about the marks, not about her body. She really didn't want to have to deal with an admirer as well as an annoying daimon.
"They're glowing," he observed. "But one isn't."
"Wind," she nodded. "Somehow I couldn't connect to it."
"But you did manage to activate Air?"
Macey nodded, not wanting to expand on that. Air lived within her, so that had been one of the easiest elements. She was connected to Air, almost as closely as she was to her water magic.
"Air and Wind are very similar," the daimon said. "Maybe if you focus on Air again and then gently shift your focus, without letting go completely, it might work."
It was worth a try. She closed her eyes and thought of Air again. It was easier than it had been earlier. This time, she immediately felt the presence of its magic all around her. She was back hovering above her inner loch again, feeling the air's gentle embrace. She wasn't swaying, there was no wind, it was simply holding her in the air as if she was standing on solid ground. She trusted Air completely not to let her go.
She thought of Wind. That was far more unpredictable and violent. Wind could topple her and blow her down into the water. No, she didn't want that, she much preferred the gentleness of Air.
Well, there it was. She was afraid.
The realisation shocked her. How could she be afraid of one of her men's elements? She'd never been scared of Cam, and being scared of his magic was just weird. Wind was everywhere, it was refreshing when it got too hot, it helped boats sail, it transported seeds to new pastures. Wind was good, not just dangerous.
She tried to focus on all the positive things she knew about Wind. When she'd first met the guys, Cam had created mini tornados that had whirled around the palms of his hands. Even though they should have been threatening, she'd thought them incredibly cute. She smiled and focussed on that memory. Cam, his laugh, his enthusiasm for his magic.
Slowly, a breeze began to blow, gently kissing Macey's hair, but she didn't flinch away. She was still held by Air, and Wind was just another playmate, not a threat. They were going to be a fun pair to hang out with. Air, the steady one, Wind, the turbulent one.
She raised a hand and felt for the Wind. At first, nothing happened, just the same breeze tousling her hair, but then, something gripped her hand. She squeezed, her eyes not seeing anything but her magic feeling the new, strong power she was now holding. She was touching Wind, even though that was supposed to be impossible.
Suddenly, without any warning at all, she was thrown back into her body, looking at Luc in bewilderment.
"We need to go," he said urgently, grabbing his hand and pulling her out of the room.
She was far too shocked to resist, her mind still trapped halfway between her inner, peaceful loch and the harsh reality.
He led her out of Malan's house and into the fog where everyone was staring at a strange glistening cloud. It was about as big as a large van, bright blue, and pulsating in a steady beat, its colour increasing every time.
"What is that?" she gasped, her expression mimicking that of all the other onlookers: a mixture of wonder and fear.
"That's our path out of here," the daimon explained just as the other Wardens reached them. "You've opened the portal, now you have to step through it."
"It worked?" Cam asked in surprise. "I thought I felt something but wasn't sure what had happened."
"Yes, yes, she did amazingly, now shush, let her gather herself. She needs to be completely focussed to lead all of us through the portal."
Macey was having trouble following the conversation. Focusing? That seemed impossible. If only Luc hadn't brought her back from her out-of-body experience this suddenly. She'd be fine then, but now, she was confused. Everything was happening so quickly.
Hands grabbed her shoulders and squeezed until she looked up, right into the daimon's fiery eyes.
"You're the only one who can lead us through that portal, Macey," he said, his voice serious. "You need to concentrate on your destination as hard as you can."
"But we don't know our destination," she protested. "I have no idea where the Mahoun is."
"You remember his castle?" he asked and she nodded, wondering how he even knew about that.
"Think of that. Remember as many details as you can. It's not the exact place that's important, it's the essence of his home. Think of the Mahoun, think of his castle, think of all the evil you'll be able to prevent by defeating him. Can you do that?"
His expression had changed to something almost desperate. She wondered how many of his charges had failed in the past. How many he'd lost during impossible quests.
She grit her teeth and nodded.
"Okay, I'll do that. Will you all follow or how does this work?"
Luc smiled at her, his entire face lighting up.
"Good girl. Yes, we'll be right behind you. Once you've arrived, keep your focus until everyone is through, or the portal will collapse. Remember, you're the one controlling it."
"Why is she suddenly so special?" Izban muttered in the background, but Macey ignored him. There were more important things to think about.
She looked around at her allies. Kelpies, kabouters, her fellow Wardens, and in the distance, she knew that the na fir ghorma were waiting as well, ready to help if needed. It wasn't a massive army, but it was better than just the eight of them. Seven, if she didn't count Air, which nobody ever seemed to do.
"Are you ready?" she shouted, hoping everyone would hear her.
A resounding 'yes' echoed back to her. Good. They were still feeling the effect of her earlier speech. No need to make another.
"Follow me!"
She took a deep breath and stepped towards the pulsing blue cloud.
"Do I just walk into it?" she whispered to Luc.
"I believe so."
That made her turn around and stare at the daimon.
"You believe so? Does that mean you don't actually know?"
He shrugged. "It seems like the only option. We'll find out if it works soon enough."
She huffed, repressing a string of curses. This man was even more infuriating than Malan.
Ignoring him, she looked at the other Wardens and Rónàn. All six of them were assembled behind her, their eyes hardened, their bodies tense. They were ready for battle, just like she was.
"Let's do this," she said, and focussed on her memories of being held by the Mahoun. Usually, she tried to avoid even thinking of her imprisonment, but now, she let them all flow back into her, her mind filling with the memories of darkness and fear. The screams in the distance. The absence of her magic. The moment Amber attacked her. The strange visions the Mahoun had shown her.
She took another deep breath and stepped into the cloud.
Chapter 10
When she stepped into the cloud, time froze. As did her heart. She couldn't breathe, the pressure on her chest was too much. She tried to walk, but she was trapped, suspended in the air, the weird cloud pressing against her from all sides.
Despite the pain, she concentrated once again, focussing on the Mahoun and his dark castle. She closed her eyes so the swirling blue all around her wouldn't distract her. it was already hard to think with all the sound of sizzling electricity. This cloud wasn't like anything she'd ever seen. Not that it was a cloud, she was fairly certain about that.
Focus.
The Mahoun. His Voice. Amber. The men dragging her out into the courtyard. Flying away on the beithir. Realising it was all just a game the Mahoun was playing with their minds. Their actual escape.
&nbs
p; The pressure around her chest lessened the more she thought of who she wanted to find.
The dungeon. The cold. The dark. The fear. The loneliness. Thoughts of never again being with her men.
Suddenly, the cloud flared so bright she could see it through her closed eyelids, then it spit Macey out. She stumbled onto hard stone ground, just about managing to stay upright.
Remembering the daimon's words, she kept her mind fixed on her memories, hoping they'd be enough to get everyone else through.
Cam was the first to step through the cloud, followed by Amber and Izban. Little lightning bolts were swirling all around the mage's body, probably a side effect of the electricity within the portal.
When the other Wardens arrived, Macey's concentration began to waver. It was getting more and more difficult to remember the things she'd tried so hard to forget. The ache in her chest when her magic had been blocked. The fear for her men, not knowing where they were. The fear of dying. The disappointment and frustration when all her visions of freedom turned out to be false.
"You can do this," Amber said, suddenly in front of Macey, gently touching her shoulders. "Think of how long I was there. Think of what I must have felt."
Macey really didn't want to do that, but she knew she had to. Her own memories weren't enough.
She sighed and put herself in Amber's shoes. Weeks of being imprisoned. Missing Izban. Realising she was in love with him and being ripped away from him that very moment. All the hallucinations showing a kelpie attacking her. The hunger pains ripping through her stomach.
She shuddered as her imagination took on a life of its own. Amber had told her a few of the things that had happened to her, but not all. Some of the things she was now picturing in her mind had likely never happened, but they helped keep up the portal.
"Almost there, hold on!" Flint shouted, helping a kelpie who'd fallen to the ground after stepping from the cloud.
It took another few minutes before everyone was through. Luc was the final one to step through the portal.
"You can let go now," he said gently and with a sigh of relief, Macey pushed away all the dark thoughts and memories, taking in her surroundings for the first time.
They were in a bland, barren landscape filled with nothing but dirt and muddy ground. Right now, they were standing on a stone plateau that was looking over the wastes all around them. There was no castle in sight.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Amber asked hesitantly. "This doesn't look like someone lives here."
Luc clucked his tongue in disapproval. "Ask the incubus, he knows."
They all turned to Jared, whose eyes had taken on a dreamy sheen.
"Illusion," he said between clenched teeth as if it was hard to speak. "Give me a moment and I'll try and remove it."
Macey put a hand on his arm, sending him a burst of energy. She had no idea how she was doing it, but now that she'd activated all the marks on her back, she felt a strange affinity with his magic. Not just his, all of theirs. She doubted she'd ever be as good at Earth magic as Jared was, but she was convinced she could at least control it in a basic way.
She looked towards the direction Jared was staring at. The air above the arid ground was quivering slightly, as if there was great heat just below it. Slowly, very slowly, she began to see what he was seeing. There was a castle indeed, a large, massive structure built right in front of them. It maybe a mile away, no more, but yet it had been hidden from view until now. They could have probably walked up right to its gates without ever knowing it was there. Luckily, they had Jared with them, an incubus versed in all sorts of illusions.
"Is that where you were held?" Izban asked his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a protective gesture.
Amber nodded. "Yes. I never thought I'd come back here, at least not voluntarily. Let's hope he's not expecting us." She shuddered and Macey felt the same shiver running over her body. It all felt real now. They were going to have to fight the Mahoun and it wasn't sure if any of them would survive.
Was it worth it? She thought of the Kludde, plagued by their own magic; the Kabouters, threatened by earthquakes; the sidhe, twisted in some way or another. And of course the Staran, still not safe from being manipulated by the Mahoun or one of his siblings.
Yes, it was worth it. The world needed to be rid of his evil.
Some of the people around her were rubbing their eyes, only now realising that the illusion had been lifted.
"By the waves," one of the kelpies muttered, her mouth hanging open. "How did that get here?"
"It was here all along," Jared said with a shrug. "I just helped you see it."
"Are you ready to be a hero?" Luc whispered into Macey's ear, suddenly being a lot closer to her than she'd remembered.
"No," she whispered back.
"Good. Overconfidence wouldn't be good in this case. But trust me, you'll do well. Now lead these people into battle before the alarm is raised and the castle's defences are activated."
She nodded tensely, looking at the castle one last time before turning to her allies.
"It's time," she said loudly. "Kabouters, as discussed, Jared will lead you through the earth and you'll enter the castle that way. Kelpies, you're with me. Amber, you'll fly in together with Izban, who'll try and hide you both. If you manage to get inside, you open the gates for us. Luc..."
She faltered, unsure what the daimon's role was going to be. Amber had filled her in on the plan earlier, so even though she was now telling everyone what to do, it hadn't actually been her brainchild.
"I'll be with you," Luc said calmly. "I'm going to watch your back.
Macey nodded, strangely glad that the daimon was going to be around. As arrogant and unhelpful as he was, he still seemed powerful enough to be a good ally.
Jared led his group of Kabouters to one side and began to talk with their leaders, while Amber and Izban walked away to the other side, embracing. They were preparing not to see each other again, Macey realised. Maybe she should say goodbye to her men as well, but that felt like she was being defeatist. No, she was going to assume that everyone was going to live by the end of this. Nobody was going to die. She wouldn't allow it.
"We can do this," Rónàn said from behind her, echoing her thoughts.
She turned and smiled at him. "Yes, we can."
Before she could turn away again, he bent down and pressed his lips against hers, a kiss far too quick to be more than a promise of more.
"We're ready!" Jared called out.
"As are we," Izban said gravely, his arm still holding Amber close.
"Then let's do this!" Macey shouted. "Whoever kills the Mahoun is the champion!"
It was supposed to be a bit of a joke, something to lighten the mood, but the others started to pick up her chant.
"The champion! The champion!"
Oh no, she'd created a monster.
No one had ever warned her that war was so boring. In all the history books, it was so glorious and full of action. This...not so much. The first assault on the castle had led to precisely nothing. There was some kind of force field around the castle which had rebuffed the Kabouters underground and Amber and Izban above it.
"Please tell me one of you know what we're up against?" she begged the people surrounding her.
They shook their heads, all in various states of denial about the situation.
"Luc?" She turned to the daimon, hoping he'd have some kind of answer. He was supposed to be her guide, yet he wasn't doing much guiding right at that moment.
"I'm sorry, this isn't anything I've ever come across before," he admitted.
Macey kicked the ground, stubbing her toe. She scowled, unsure about what she was meant to be doing anymore. How was she supposed to defeat Mahoun and his siblings if she was flummoxed while trying to break into a castle.
The air buffeted against them as Amber landed, shifting back into her human form almost instantly. Izban rushed forward and threw a blanket around her, c
overing her nakedness.
Macey just about refrained from rolling her eyes. She knew Amber wasn't shy about her body. She was a shifter, it was born into her not to be. If Izban hadn't been so frustrating, the gesture might even have been cute but now she wasn't so sure. She'd seen the way he watched the others. He needed to be watched and she wasn't sure who she'd be able to set on him.
One of the kelpies, maybe? No. It couldn't be one of them. He'd be able to freeze their water magic too easily. Which also took out anyone who could control fire. Ice would melt under heat, true, but it would also put the flames out. One of the other Wardens then? Amber was out for the obvious reasons, but the others?
She glanced between them, trying to work out who to trust with this. She loved and trusted all her men but she was sure not all of them fully supported her mistrust of Izban. Her eyes settled on the daimon. He hadn't known Izban long enough yet. Mistrust would be in his nature.
"Luc, a word." She indicated to the side with her head, making it clear she expected him to obey without question.
The daimon gave her a lazy smile, as if knowing exactly what she was thinking. She ignored him. It wasn't worth explaining things to him at this point. Not with all the ears listening.
"What can I do for you?" he asked once they were far enough away from the others.
"What do you think about Izban?" She fell into step beside him as he headed towards the hill looking over the Keep. Even if this discussion was a bust, she'd be able to get a good view of where they were trying to attack. Macey didn't know enough about warfare to know whether it would actually help or not, but anything which gave them an advantage at the moment was a welcome change.
"The Ice Warden?"
"Yes."
"Cold."
"Very funny." She gave him a look that contradicted her words.
"I don't know him well enough to have an opinion," Luc answered.
"You must have some ideas," she counted.
"Of course. I'm your guide, I've been watching for longer than you think."
"So?"
She waited for him to answer as they continued to walk in silence. The hill was getting steeper and she could feel the burn in her legs but chose to ignore it.
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