A long rumble echoed across the sky and Tamara held her breath.
“Here it comes,” Sebastian whispered.
The clouds blazed as lightning streaked straight down at the courtyard. Tamara and Sebastian flinched as the bolt blasted on to the ground and they frantically stared into the small mirror, trying to see what had happened to Malcolm.
“Ha! He dodged it!” Sebastian exclaimed in surprised glee. “He did know that an attack was coming.”
Malcolm had leaped back a dozen feet from where he was fighting the goblins and the lightning bolt had smashed into the goblins instead, sending bits of charred bodies and pieces of armor flying in all directions. The werewolf was now glaring up at the dark sky above him, apparently waiting for a second strike.
“He knows that the wizard isn't done yet,” Tamara said as she peered into the mirror. “The question is, how long can he keep dodging the attacks?”
Her brother shook his head and smiled grimly.
“No, the question is, how many more strikes does that wizard have in him? He already used up a lot of his energy in his attack on Aiden. That's obviously why he had to wait so long before he could strike at Malcolm. I'd be surprised if he could manage more than even one more.”
“One is all it will take if his aim is true and Malcolm can't avoid a second attack,” Tamara told him.
“I know. Come on, Malcolm,” Sebastian said as he watched the scene below in his mirror. “Stay focused, my friend.”
The goblins had stopped their attack. Apparently the fear of being burned to a crisp by their own wizard was holding them back. Malcolm stood alone and unmolested as he waited for the wizard to make his next strike.
“Here they come!”
Everyone had been watching Tamara and Sebastian and listening to their comments so intently that they'd almost forgotten about Chao and his ritual. Now they looked over as one and stared in surprise.
Chao was standing in front of an immense curtain of golden light. It was sheer and it rippled in an unseen wind. The warm, gilded color evoked memories of spring and a scent of wildflowers wafted across the roof from the ethereal portal.
The summoner looked up at the towering, glowing curtain for a moment and then turned and ran toward the others.
“Get down!” he shouted at them. “They are going to hit this roof like a tidal wave!”
The group looked at each other, mystified, and then did as they were told. At the same time, the dark roiling clouds above them became still and the air warmed slightly.
“I think that we got that wizard's attention,” Sebastian told his sister as they hunkered down together.
“How could we not?” she replied and nodded toward the glowing portal. “That thing is shining like a beacon. I wonder what he thinks is happening?”
“Who cares?” Sebastian growled. “If it means that the goblins are turned back from the castle, that's all that matters.”
Chao ran up to them and dropped to his knees. He stared wide-eyed at the portal, shaking with exhaustion.
Tamara leaned toward him.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “What's happening?”
“I think that the way is open,” he replied breathlessly. “Now it is up to Ellas to summon her people back to this plane. If she can.”
“Ellas?”
The mage looked back at the shining portal. She hadn't noticed the tiny figure of the sprite as she hovered directly in front of the golden curtain of light, but now she spotted Ellas and watched, fascinated, as the little creature began calling loudly in her high-pitched voice.
“Come home, my friends,” Ellas cried. “Come home. The way is clear. The path is open. And the world welcomes you once again. Come home!”
A great rush of sound, like the howl of a hurricane, blasted from the portal. Ellas remained floating in front of the ethereal gate, but now she was laughing triumphantly.
“Yes. Yes! Come to me. The world is ours once again. And we are called to battle. Come!”
“What does she mean, the world is theirs again?” Tamara asked Chao loudly, trying to be heard over the roar coming from the portal.
“I do not know,” he replied with a shrug. “I only know that Ellas has promised to help us. Beyond that, I know no more than you do.”
“Sounds ominous to me,” Sebastian told them.
At that moment, all conversation was cut off as an explosion of color burst through the portal.
Wings. Wings of every shape and color. Hundreds, thousands of little winged being poured through the gate in a wave of rainbow colors. And laughter rang out all around the crouching people on the roof. Joyous, triumphant laughter that seemed to go on and on forever. The fay had returned to the Earth once again.
“Now go!” Ellas cried out in a voice even louder than the laughter of her people. “Find our enemies. Destroy the goblins and their minions! Sweep this land clean of their corruption. Stand to battle, my friends and remind the Darkness of the power of the fay!”
A screech of pure hatred deafened the group hunched down below the swirling, glittering horde and everyone clapped their hands over their ears to try to block out that primal scream of rage.
And then the cloud of tiny beings shot off in all directions. Tamara watched, awestruck, as Ellas led a group of the fay straight up toward the circling bat high above them.
She waited in anticipation, but the enemy wizard must have been ready for a swift retreat. Before the fay could reach him, there was a ripple in the air around the bat and it and its passenger disappeared.
“He Gated away,” Tamara exclaimed angrily. “Bastard!”
“Well, he may have run away like a coward,” Dianis said as she stood up slowly. “But his people won't get off that easily. The fay are out for blood now and I do not think that any of the goblins will survive their hunt.”
Everyone stood up now, Sebastian helping Chao to his feet. The smaller man looked almost done in from his long ritual.
“Are they truly that powerful?” Sylvie asked the elf dubiously. “We're talking about armed and armored goblins, you know. Possibly many hundreds of them.”
Dianis shook her head and looked around at the others.
“You really have no idea what you have unleashed this day, have you?” she asked rhetorically. “There is a reason that the gods, both Good and Evil, banished Ellas and her people. Their combined power is almost limitless. Individually, they can be formidable. But together? They can be a threat to almost anyone or anything, if they choose to be. Let us hope that you remain in Ellas' good graces. Should you anger her... Well, I would advise caution in your dealings with her from now on.”
Chao was watching the elf, a look of horror on his face.
“What have I done?” he asked faintly.
“You have saved your people,” Dianis told him firmly. “That is what you have done. And remember that the fay belong to this world. With their return, the magical energy of the planet will increase, and the balance of good and evil will stabilize. Yes, there are dark fay, but there are just as many or more who look to the Light. So do not despair, my friend. Your deed today should be celebrated, not regretted.”
Chao sighed loudly and forced a smile.
“Yes, well, we shall see, I suppose.”
Chapter 26
Tamara turned to her brother.
“What's happening, Bastian? Can you see?”
He nodded as he raised his mirror and stared into it.
“Yes, my spell is still active,” he told her.
“Check on Malcolm first, please,” Tom spoke up for the first time.
Sebastian nodded again as he glanced at the guardsman.
“I was just about to. Give me a moment.”
He frowned at the image in the mirror and muttered under his breath.
“Ah, there we go,” Sebastian said with some relief. “It was out of focus.”
Tamara moved closer to him and looked down at the mirror. She smiled suddenly.
“He's alive!” she exclaimed. “My God, even after all of that, Malcolm is still alive.”
Tom cheered and several of the other laughed in relief.
“And the goblins?” Dianis asked.
“Checking,” Sebastian replied.
He made a gesture with his free hand and his eyes' widened.
“Oh my God,” he muttered. “It's a bloody massacre.”
Tamara took one look and turned away from the mirror.
“The goblins that were lined up, waiting to attack through the gates, have been torn to pieces,” she said to the others, her voice shaking. “It looks like they went through a blender. Ugh.”
“The fay are rarely delicate in battle,” Dianis told her. “Not when they attack in great numbers. Do not bother looking for survivors,” she added, speaking to Sebastian. “I do not think that you will find any.”
He nodded and swallowed noisily. Then he made another gesture and his expression changed from revulsion to intense sadness.
“What's wrong, Bastian?” his sister asked quickly.
“It's Malcolm,” he said with a catch in his voice.
“Malcolm? But you said...”
“He fine. He's transformed back to human form again.”
“Then what...”
“He's back with Aiden. It looks like the end is near.”
Tamara's breath caught in her throat. In the middle of all of the chaos, she'd completely forgotten about Aiden.
“Oh. Damn,” she muttered. “Should we go down? Offer our support?”
Sylvie wiped her eyes and her sister turned away, weeping.
“No. They deserve their privacy now,” Sylvie said. “Sebastian, please don't intrude on them anymore.”
He nodded and waved his hand across the mirror, then slipped it into a pocket of his robe.
“I don't know if there is an afterlife,” Tamara said sadly. “Even now, though we know that gods are real. But if there is a heaven, then I hope that Aiden is welcomed there with open arms. He deserves that much and more.”
The others murmured their agreement.
“Can we go indoors now, please?” Chao asked. “I'm sorry, but I think that I should lie down for a while. My legs are getting a little wobbly.”
Sebastian walked over and stood next to him.
“Absolutely,” he told Chao. “I'll walk beside you just in case you need some support.”
“You are too kind,” the smaller man said with some relief. “Thank you.”
“We'd all better get back to the main hall,” Tamara told the group. “We can let the parents down there know that their children are safe for now. That should bring them some relief.”
“Definitely,” Tom said with a smile.
He lifted the hatch leading down into the castle and stood aside.
“After you,” he said with a bow to Tamara.
She chuckled at his gallantry.
“I think that our guest should be the first one in,” she said with a nod toward Dianis.
“Let us not stand on ceremony,” the Elder said, sounding amused. “Chao needs to rest. He should be the first one to enter.”
“Are we going to debate etiquette now?” Sebastian asked with a grin. “Everyone just pile in already.”
Veronique had dried her eyes and, as the group lined up to leave the roof, she looked up one last time at the sky. With the retreat of the enemy wizard, the clouds had vanished and the sun was beginning its descent toward the western horizon. The long day was finally almost over.
A movement high above them caught her eye and she frowned, trying to identify what she was looking at.
Was it a bird? It wasn't another bat, of that she was sure. Whatever it was, it was falling toward the castle at an alarming rate. Wait, it looked like a...
“Dragon!” Veronique shouted fearfully.
“What?”
Everyone spun around to stare at her and the mage pointed upward.
“There! It's heading straight down toward the castle!”
“A dragon? Now?” Tamara exclaimed. “My God, we can't deal with one of them right now. We'll be destroyed.”
Chao stepped away from Sebastian and threw back his shoulders.
“We cannot deal with it, my friends,” he said, his voice still weak. “But our new allies can.”
“The fay?” Dianis asked dubiously as she watched the winged shape descend toward them. “I am sure that they have scattered to the four winds now that they are home and have dealt with the goblins. They will assume that their debt to you has been paid, Chao. Believe me, I know how they think. My people have known them far longer than yours has.”
“Ellas is my friend,” Chao said stubbornly. “For all of her jabs and insults, I believe that she is at least fond of me.”
Dianis could only shake her head silently.
“If you're going to do something, Chao, you'd best get on with it,” Sebastian told him as he stared up at the approaching dragon. “We have a minute, maybe two before that thing arrives.”
The summoner nodded as he drew his fan from his sash. He closed his eyes and began to chant quickly.
“I hope this works,” Tamara whispered to her brother. “Or we're all dead.”
Down below in the courtyard, Malcolm had returned to his human form and had hurried back to kneel beside Aiden. On the way, he ripped a spear tip from his shoulder without even flinching. Blood trickled from a handful of wounds, but they were already healing. He'd been singed by the lightning attack from the goblin wizard, but he ignored the sharp stabbing pain of his burns. Even though they were magical in nature, he was sure that they would heal in time. If only Aiden's weren't so severe, his would have as well.
He pushed his unkempt hair out of his face as he knelt down next to Aiden. The sight of that bald and burnt head was so jarring that Malcolm almost wept. But he knew that he had to remain strong, at least for now. There would be time for grief later. All the time in the world.
“Well, well, look at you,” he said softly.
Aiden smiled up at Malcolm as he ran his tongue over his dry, cracked lips.
“Me?” he croaked. “Look at yourself. You made it!”
“Hang on a sec,” Malcolm said. “Let me get you some water.”
Before Aiden could answer, the big man leaped away and ran over to the remains of the smithy. He knew that the blacksmith always kept a water skin in his shop. Working the forge was hot and exhausting and Daniel drank a lot of water during the day.
“Aha!” Malcolm exclaimed as he turned over a heavy table and found the water skin lying underneath it.
He shook it and heard the slosh of liquid inside. Then he trotted back across the courtyard and knelt down next to Aiden again.
“Here you go,” he said.
He carefully tipped the skin until a trickle of water poured into Aiden's mouth. The injured man swallowed several times and then turned his head away.
Malcolm set the skin aside and smiled at his partner.
“Better?”
Aiden cleared his throat and nodded.
“A lot better. Thanks.”
They stared at each other for a long moment and then Malcolm took Aiden's limp hand in his own and just held it.
“So what now?” Aiden asked. “I heard the roaring and the screaming. I assume that Chao's ritual actually worked?”
“Did it ever,” Malcolm said, wide-eyed with amazement. “All I saw was a stream of rainbow colors and what felt like a gust of wind that knocked me flat on my ass. When I got up again, it was already past and the goblins were dead.”
He frowned at the memory.
“And not just dead, but ripped into tiny pieces. My God, Aiden, I've never seen such ferocity. Even as werewolves, we don't do that kind of damage to our enemies. If the fay ever turn on us, we are all screwed. Chao may have saved our people, but he might also have set the stage for our destruction some day in the future.”
“Good to see that you still look on the brig
ht side of things,” Aiden said with the ghost of a smile on his lips.
“You know me,” Malcolm joked. “Mister Optimistic.”
“Definitely,” Aiden agreed with a laugh.
His laugh abruptly turned into a cough and then the man began hacking violently.
Malcolm gasped and leaned over, rolling Aiden on to his side to try to help his breathing.
After a few moments, the coughing stopped and Aiden was able to catch his breath. Malcolm carefully rolled him over again on to his back. He tore a strip of cloth from the cuff of his pants and gently wiped the blood from Aiden's mouth.
“You all right?” he asked anxiously.
“Yeah, I'm okay.”
Aiden saw the blood on the cloth just as Malcolm tossed it away and he closed his eyes wearily.
“Not long now,” he muttered. “I hate to sound like a wuss, but I'm glad that Katherine blocked my pain. It gives me a chance to talk to you before... Well, before.”
“Bless that woman,” Malcolm said fervently.
“She's a cleric, Mal,” Aiden said as he opened his eyes and smiled. “She's already blessed.”
“Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
Malcolm frowned at the question.
“Do?” he asked.
“Yes. Do. After I'm gone,” Aiden said bluntly. “You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the castle, and me, and you expected to die in the process. Well, that isn't going to happen now. So what are you going to do?”
Malcolm could only shake his head.
“Who the hell knows?” he finally replied. “Keep fighting the good fight, I suppose. But I'll tell you one thing. I'm staying single from now on.”
Aiden smiled at that firm statement, but remained silent.
“You've been a part of my life for so long now that, even after you're...gone, I'll always feel you near me,” Malcolm continued. “Just around the corner, out of sight but never out of mind. You're a part of me, kid, in ways that I never knew were possible. Do you know how rare that is? Most people never find someone who fits them so perfectly. Even in battle, I think that I'll always feel you behind me, watching my back.”
The Werewolves of Nottinghill Page 34