by Keri Arthur
A heartbeat later, there was a sharp blast of power.
A power filled with malevolence rather than darkness. Not that the source really mattered. What did was the target.
Mryddin’s Cave was under attack.
Chapter Twelve
“Fuck,” Mo said. “They’re trying to collapse the cave. You two, go. I’ll try and keep the thing intact.”
She hunkered down and pressed her hand against the ground; power thrummed under our feet, a deep pulse that spoke of anger.
I drew my daggers and followed Luc down the beach. He’d drawn Hecate, but she was silent for the moment. Which logically meant that—given Darkside couldn’t survive sunlight and halflings had no magic—the people behind this attack were witches. It was a fact backed up by that malevolent pulse of power.
And yet …
There was something else involved. There had to be. Nex wouldn’t be reacting so eagerly if we were merely dealing with halflings.
The cave sat above the shoreline on a rocky promontory jutting out toward the sea. The cave’s sides were vertical with a jagged top that made it look like a rough crown. Dust and bits of rock tumbled down the hillside from above the cave, and cracks were appearing in the rocks above the crown. I suspected it was only Mo’s countering magic that was keeping the place intact. We had to get in there and stop the bastards before the whole place collapsed.
But it was damn hard to move with any speed with the beach shifting so drastically underfoot.
We reached the embankment and began to climb. There didn’t appear to be anyone guarding the entrance into the cavern above, but that didn’t mean they weren’t inside, especially given the sunlight wasn’t strong enough to penetrate any more than a few feet. I raced on, clambering over rocks damp with sea spray, scraping my hands on their sharp edges. As we drew close to the plateau, something finally moved in the shadows haunting the cavern’s entrance. Nex’s pulsing sharpened; she was definitely hungry for action. I definitely wasn’t.
I jumped over the last rock and landed in a half crouch on the plateau. The shadows were moving with increasing agitation, and an unpleasant stench now rode the stiffening breeze.
“Luc,” I said softly.
“I see them.”
“I don’t think whatever is in there is human.”
“They aren’t.” He strode on, Hecate still gripped casually in one hand.
“Then what are they?”
I rose and padded after him. The stench got stronger the nearer we got, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste. It smelled off, like meat left too long in the sun.
“Some form of demonic animal.”
My grip tightened on the daggers. Lightning flickered down their sides, bright in the grayness of the day. “But demons can’t move around in daylight.”
“So the theory goes.”
I glanced at him sharply, though he remained several steps ahead of me and wouldn’t have seen it. “There’s been no evidence to suggest otherwise.”
“No, but if they’re kidnapping women to produce crossbreeds, what makes you think they’re not doing the same with animals?”
“I never really thought about it.” And certainly didn’t want to now.
The shadows ahead no longer stirred. I didn’t think that was a good thing.
Luc glanced around at me. “Ready?”
Fuck no. But I nevertheless raised my daggers. Lightning shot from the tips of the blades and angrily snaked back and forth. “You want me to clean out the shadows?”
“Worth a shot, though I daresay there’ll be other problems deeper inside.”
He was altogether too calm about this whole matter, but then, I guess this was his job.
I crossed the blades and directed several bolts of energy into the cavern’s mouth, sweeping them back and forth in an effort to get anything that might be hiding in a crevice beyond our line of sight. The thick stench of burned skin and hair stained the air, and my stomach turned uneasily. I’d certainly gotten something … and I wasn’t looking forward to discovering what.
The cracks above the cave’s crown were growing larger and the rain of dirt and stone heavier. Mo’s efforts weren’t stopping the witch, and I had to wonder why.
Luc moved on, keeping to the right while I went left. We paused again in the cave’s mouth, just beyond the reach of the increasingly heavy curtain of debris. The stench of burned hair was now so thick I could taste it. I swallowed heavily and tried breathing through my nose. It didn’t help much.
“Hecate, burn,” Luc said softly.
A deep and bloody light radiated from the sword’s blade and quickly burned away the shadows. Ash stained the air, but beyond the immediate circle of death were the burned remnants of the demons the lightning hadn’t quite reached. They were grossly misshapen dogs with razor-sharp talons and leathery tails spiked with barbs. Beyond them, much deeper in the cave, were a number of humanoid shapes; Hecate’s light wasn’t strong enough to reveal anything more than that, unfortunately.
But between them and us stood at least two dozen demons.
“So much for Darkside not being able to move around in daylight,” I muttered.
“There has to be a gate nearby. It’s the only reasonable explanation.” He glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. “Shall I do the honors?”
“Luc, you can’t—”
“I can. You need to find and stop the witch before she brings the whole damn cavern down on top of us.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. There were only the two of us, and the earth witch had to be our priority.
“Fine,” I muttered. “But if you get dead, I’m going to be seriously pissed.”
He laughed, then raised Hecate and, with a roar that echoed through the shadowed stillness, charged at the waiting horde. The demons immediately came to life, their screams echoing through the chamber, a fierce and hungry sound. Luc plowed into the middle of them, using Hecate like a scythe, sending limbs, torsos, and heads flying.
I sucked in a breath and darted to the right, leaping over a line of rocks into what appeared to be a small water channel. It hugged the wall and swept away from Luc and the horde, allowing me to get past them without being seen—
A bloody scream quickly shattered that illusion. Deadly claws slashed through the shadows, forcing me to jump sideways in order to avoid being carved in half. My shoulder smashed into the cavern wall, and pain slithered down my arm. I ignored it and, as the demon’s bitter stench filled my nostrils, did a one-two slash with the daggers. Vita’s sharp edge sliced through the talons reaching for me even as Nex’s lightning crawled up the demon’s arm, incinerating his flesh in the process. His scream of fury became one of pain but was quickly cut off as his face disintegrated. I leapt over what remained of his body and ran on, using Vita’s pulsing light as a guide.
With a loud crack, a huge chunk of rock fell from the ceiling. It hit the floor close to the channel and splintered into hundreds of needle-like shards that sliced through the air with deadly intent. I swore and threw myself down into the trickle of water, using the rocks lining the channel as protection. Splinters snagged my hair, but for the most part I escaped major damage. But the flickering, pulsating light coming from the daggers highlighted the growing number of dangerous cracks. If I didn’t stop the witch soon, we’d all be in deep trouble.
I pushed up and ran on.
There were nine figures ahead; three were kneeling, their hands pressed against the cavern’s stony floor. The pulsing energy that surrounded all three told me they were earth witches. No wonder Mo was making little headway; she might be a mage, but not even she could counter the combined magic of three full earth witches.
The other six stood in a circle facing them. It would be easy to believe they had no interest or knowledge of what else might be happening in the cavern, but I suspected that was highly unlikely.
I ran on through the rain of dirt, skirting fissures, leaping over rocks, trying not to think about how
close to collapse the cavern had to be. Trying not to worry about the man who still battled the screaming, hungry horde behind me.
I was still some distance from the witches when the six figures turned as one and linked hands. Then, again as one, they began to spell, the words too soft for me to hear. The resulting hum of energy sent unease prickling down my spine even though it didn’t appear to hold an immediate threat.
Was it some form of protection?
I suspected it was, but there was only one way to find out. I called the lightning from the daggers and split it into three, sending two at the circle and the third at the kneeling witches.
The figures didn’t move. Didn’t react in any way. Their pale faces were expressionless, and if it wasn’t for the soft rise and fall of their chests, it would have been easy to believe they were simply robots—even if no currently existing technology could make such perfect human replicas.
Just as my lightning was about to hit, light speared the darkness and formed a dome around the silent figures. It was a deep, sickly brown-green in color and pulsated with an energy that appeared to be a warped combination of earth magic and darkness.
My lightning hit it and, with a sharp crack, exploded.
I swore, gripped my daggers tightly, and ran straight at the bastards. The only way to break any circle of power was to move or remove one of the elements. I had no idea if it would work here, simply because I had no idea what magic was being employed. But if it didn’t work—if the dome protecting the earth witches didn’t fall—we were in deep trouble.
My footsteps echoed loudly, despite the roar of the battle behind me, and the deep, quivering groan of the earth. It was close—so close—to succumbing to the pressure being applied by the witches; the fall of debris was now so bad the daggers’ light provided little in the way of guidance. I was running on instinct and hoping like hell that instinct and my footing didn’t betray me.
My heart pounded so fiercely, it felt ready to tear out of my chest, and each breath was a sharp rattle of fear.
I could do this.
I had to do this.
There was no other option. Not if we wanted to survive; it was very evident survival was not in the minds of the nine.
With another resounding crack, the cavern’s ceiling began to crash down in very large chunks. It was now or never …
I sucked in a deep breath, then launched myself at the nearest guardian. She didn’t move. She didn’t even look at me. Didn’t react when I hit her feet first in the gut. The force knocked her backward, ripping her hands from the grip of the two motionless figures on either side. The sickly green dome immediately began to pulsate.
But it didn’t fall.
I hit the ground, rolled onto my knees, then slashed Nex across the calf of the guardian to my right. The sharp blade cut through tendons, muscle, and bone with ease, and her lightning cindered the lower portion of his leg. He collapsed, but he didn’t lose his grip on the woman beside him, and the dome remained intact.
I swore, scrambled over the top of the collapsed man, and severed his hand, thereby breaking another link in the chain.
The dome began to retract; as a hole in the still-pulsating wall of energy formed, I flung in three bolts of lightning.
Between one heartbeat and the next, the three kneeling witches were cindered, and the dark caress of their energy stopped feeding the collapse.
But the cavern still shook, and I had to wonder if perhaps I’d been too— The thought cut off as a scream rent the air. Or rather, six screams that sounded like one.
Before I could react, they hit me, tearing at clothes and skin with nails as sharp as knives. I instinctively raised my arms to protect my face and then called on the lightning again. It burst from my body rather than the blades, a wicked wave of death that cindered everything in the near vicinity. As their ashes rained around me, pain erupted through body and brain even as blood filled my eyes. I sucked in air, trying to calm the painful pounding of my heart, trying to gather the strength to at least move.
The danger wasn’t over yet. Not only did the cavern remain in a perilous state, but Luc was still out there, still fighting.
I wiped the blood away from my eyelashes and pushed to my feet, coughing as the sooty remains of the guardians stirred around me. I couldn’t immediately see Luc or the demons—the debris and dust remained too thick. But after a few minutes, I caught the flare of bloody red.
Hecate.
Luc was still standing.
The relief that swept me was so fierce, my knees just about buckled under its force. I sucked in another breath, then staggered forward. I’d barely managed two when Hecate’s glow softened and Luc’s big body appeared out of the dusty gloom. There was a bloody cut across his cheek and another down his left arm, but otherwise he appeared unhurt and whole.
His grin was fierce and bright. “Now that was a whole lot of fun.”
He smelled of sweat and blood and strength, and I wanted nothing more than to step into his arms and inhale it deep. “You’re insane, Blackbird.”
“That’s been said before.” He caught my chin and gently swiped at the trickle of blood running down my cheek. “How bad is the headache?”
“I can see.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I sighed. “It’s ten times worse than any migraine I’ve ever had, but I’ll survive.”
“You shouldn’t even be upright,” came Mo’s comment. She appeared out of the dusty shadows, her expression concerned as it swept me. “Sit down before you fall down. Luc, can you go find how these bastards got in here? I’ll fix our girl and then check whether this racket has managed to wake Mryddin.”
“The cavern won’t fall in on us?”
“I’ve shored things up as best I can in the circumstances, but keep alert. There may be some fissures that defy my efforts and resort to collapse.”
“Keeping aware is a motto all of us should be living by at the moment,” he said, voice a little grim. “Recent attacks have certainly proved that.”
He stepped around me, then strode deeper into the cavern, the sound of his steps quickly receding.
Mo squatted in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders.
As her magic rose around me, I said, “Don’t—you need to conserve your strength.”
“Containing the earth didn’t take that much out of me, and the fact is, you’re useless to us all in your current state.”
“It’s still more important to contact Mryddin—”
“Yes, and I’ll need all my concentration to do it. It’ll leave me an easy target, which means I need you fit enough to defend me if necessary.”
“Which is a totally convincing argument to anyone who doesn’t actually know you.”
She grinned. “Your inability to take the things I say at face value is yet another reason why you’re my favorite grandchild.”
I smiled, but stopped protesting. Her healing energy washed through me, a warm wave that stopped the stinging in my eyes and erased the worst of the pain in my head. The niggling ache that remained was at least survivable, and there were painkillers in my backpack I could take once we got back to the car.
With a slight sigh, Mo released me and then sat cross-legged in the guardians’ ashy remnants. “This could well take hours. Keep alert.”
I nodded. “How do you actually connect?”
“Astrally. Kind of. Hence the reason he’s always been hard to wake—it’s very easy to ignore an astral projection.”
“You can’t use magic to poke him?”
She shook her head. “He has all sorts of wards set around the cavern’s inner chambers. Truth is, even if Darkside had succeeded in collapsing this part of the cavern, Mryddin would probably have been safe.”
“Then why were they even trying?”
“Wouldn’t you, if you were Max? Mryddin’s exploits are well enough written about, and I have no doubt Max has done his research. He’d be aware of my connection with him
.” Bitterness edged her voice. “And he’s certainly heard me say often enough that it’s always better to erase a problem before it actually becomes one.”
I placed a hand on her knee. She cupped it and gently squeezed. “I’ll be fine. I’m just … annoyed I didn’t see what was in front of my eyes before it was all too late.”
“I had no idea what he was up to, and I’m his goddamn twin. You can’t blame yourself for something you can’t possibly have changed.”
She raised an eyebrow, amusement evident in the bright glint of her eyes. “Sage advice coming from the woman who has done nothing but blame herself.”
“Well, I am your granddaughter—what do you expect?”
She smiled and drew the car keys from her pocket. “If this goes on for too long, you might have to send Luc for sustenance. Just remember the tide is coming in—if you do want something to eat and drink, you’d better go get it sooner rather than later.”
I nodded. She placed her hands palm up on her knees and closed her eyes. In very little time, she’d slipped into an astral trance.
I crossed my legs, then placed the daggers in front of me; they’d at least give advance warning of any approaching demons. As for human foe—well, hopefully I’d spot their shadows against the skyline as they entered the cavern. Depending, of course, on how long the still-swirling dust took to clear.
Time ticked by slowly. It was tempting to pull out my phone and check what was happening in the world—or at least on social media—but inattention was the surest way to tempt an attack.
Eventually, awareness tingled down my spine. I glanced around as Luc appeared out of the gloom. “Did you find anything?”
“A dark gate at the rear of the cavern. Freshly created, too.”
He sat down beside me and lightly pressed his shoulder against mine. Warmth flowed between us, and it felt oddly energizing. As if he was somehow sharing his strength—or that I was siphoning it. I frowned and shifted fractionally, breaking the connection. The flow of strength immediately stopped. I glanced down at Vita; golden light was fading in the heart of her blade. Obviously, there was more to her healing abilities than Mo had previously mentioned.