“Remarkable,” Odin announced. He was dressed, incongruously, in casual dark trousers and a blue silk shirt, and he surveyed the walls with interest. Other people joined us on the ramparts, but I was so dismayed by the scene below, I didn't turn to determine who it was. Epi pushed his way to come and stand beside me, but everyone else remained a blur. Behind us, voices shouted, people screamed, and everyone would be running around frantically, preparing for evacuation through the portals should it become necessary. I hoped the witches and wizards had done a good job on enchanting the walls, because I couldn't imagine how we could fight against what stood before us. In the few minutes we'd watched, hundreds, maybe thousands of demons, younglings and Fae had poured onto the plain, and it was a formidable sight. The sound of their feet pounding across the dirt, echoed through the granite underneath us.
I dragged my gaze back to Odin. Beside him, Hyperion stood with his hands resting lightly on his hips, his leather sandals bound tightly to his calves. Three other vampires joined them as I watched, and I recognized Bellona from her photo, her long dark hair plaited and falling well past her hips.
“They are all here, love,” Lucas whispered. “The remains of the Drâghici Consiliului. Odin, Hyperion, Bellona, Bendis and Enlil.”
“You have powers we never dreamed of, Angel.” Odin's lip curled in a sneer as he voiced the name I'd been known by in the Realm, and I subdued a shiver.
“My name is Charlotte. Charlotte Duncan.” I could hear the tremulous shiver in my voice when I spoke, mentally shook myself. Hidden beneath the ramparts, Conal took hold of my hand and squeezed, trying to provide me with some reassurance.
Odin's gaze travelled along the wall. “You have surprised us,” he said, “and that is something which doesn't often happen to a vampire of my years. How did you repair the walls, and without our knowledge?”
I ignored the question, wishing with all my heart that I could pinch myself, wake up and discover this was a nightmare. “What do you want?”
“You know what we want. What we've always wanted. And what we intend to achieve, whether you fight against it or not.” His gaze travelled across the group surrounding us, his eyes narrowing. “What a ragtag bunch you have aligned yourself with, Angel.”
“I told you, my name's not Angel.”
He leered. “But that is what Archangelo called you, is it not? Your husband?”
I felt sick to the pit of my stomach, and wavered on the spot. Epi took my other hand and squeezed it, an uncharacteristic gesture, and I glanced down at him.
“Do not show them fear. Be strong, child,” he whispered.
I shook off the nausea, struggling with how to approach this situation. What was their intention? Where was Archangelo? Bran? “He isn't my husband,” I said, with a determined tilt of my chin. “And you know that.” Next to him, Bellona smirked, and she exchanged a knowing look with Bendis, the two women rolling their eyes almost simultaneously.
“Well if not his wife, certainly his whore.”
Odin's words slammed into my chest and I physically slumped. Conal growled, low in his chest and his power, already building, began to radiate off my skin. Energy built all around me; vampire, shifter, and werewolf, and I swallowed deeply.
“We are giving you one opportunity to surrender,” Odin announced, waving vaguely at the amassing troops behind him. “I would suggest you take it.” While he spoke, his watery, dark eyes ran over the group around me and I realized what he was doing when some of them began to shuffle uncomfortably.
“Stop your games, Odin,” I demanded. “Don't look into his eyes,” I muttered to Conal, keeping my voice low. “He's trying to influence you.” Conal quickly passed my hushed words on, although I knew Odin had heard, judging by the leer on his face.
“I can assume, then, that you will not surrender?” he asked. “How tiresome. You really are creating issues for our plans, I will give you that. But whether you surrender or not, is neither here or there. Ultimately, Angel, we will win. And when we do, I have some plans for you, and the spawn of your dead lover, and your father's progeny.”
I couldn't stop myself from exchanging a worried glance with Conal. They not only knew about Patrick, but Kazuki, and Misaki's pregnancy. Archangelo had evidently passed on this information, but where was he? While Odin filled me with dread, they surely knew Archangelo would have the biggest effect on my fragile emotions – so why wasn't he here?
“I grow tired of this,” Bellona announced, flicking the long braid over her shoulder before she turned to survey the vast array of fighting power behind her. “Let us begin.”
Odin's pock-marked face twisted into a sardonic grin. “Such a shame you went to all this trouble, Angel.” He held up a hand, and hundreds of Fae troops marched towards the walls. Some of them carried long wooden ladders, the steps attached to the side rails with bindings of leather. The men leaned the ladders against Zaen's walls, and the effect was virtually immediate. When the wood touched the wall, the Fae beneath them were hit with a burst of energy, which for reasons I couldn't comprehend had been absorbed and travelled to the bottom, affecting the men below. We watched as Fae were blasted away, their bodies spiraling through the air and landing on battalions of warriors behind them, creating chaos as men fell, weapons were dropped, and muttered curses resonated across the plain.
When I turned my attention to Odin again, his eyes had narrowed, and his expression morphed from casual nonchalance to bitter fury. “What trickery is this?”
“No trickery. The Fae can't enter the city.”
“Nonsense.” As if determined to prove me wrong, he ordered another cluster of warriors to breach the wall, with the same results. Then another. He glared at me, muscle ticking in his jaw while he considered his next move. Obviously, this had been unexpected – exactly what we'd hoped for – and even though we'd know the walls would keep them out, my confidence grew ever so slightly.
“Very well,” Odin said. The normally cool and collected vampire gripped his hands into fists, and there was an uncharacteristic air of caution from his fellow Drâghici. Even Bellona and Bendis, who had been so smug, didn't seem quite so sure of themselves. “But there are other ways to skin a cat.”
He turned to the other male member of the Drâghici – an attractive vampire who from appearances seemed little more than thirty. He too, seemed underdressed for a battle, wearing modern jeans and a white cotton t-shirt, a black leather jacket over the top.
“Enlil,” Epi muttered, watching as Odin and the young vampire conversed in a language I couldn't understand, “named for the Sumerian Lord of Wind, God of Air and Storms.”
“That can't be good…” Conal said, even as the spirits yelled warnings in my ear.
“Charlotte, get everyone off the ramparts! Now!” Lucas ordered, a single recognizable voice in a cacophony of sound which had me stumbling, struggling to cope under the pressure of their combined warnings.
“Get off the ramparts!” I shrieked, as I turned and pushed Conal, sending him stumbling into Ben and Ripley. “Get off the ramparts!”
Thunder rumbled, and lightning crackled and sizzled overhead, sharp spikes of electrical current slamming into the ground nearby. Rain started to fall – not the heavy rain we sometimes experienced, but flooding, build-an-ark type precipitation. Within seconds I was soaked through, and as we rushed down the steps, I could hear the wind building up, a swirling, whistling maelstrom. Bodies pushed against one another in the rush to get to the ground, and tumultuous wailing and shrieking echoed through the city. As the storm grew in intensity, I suspected we would be blown off our feet. Above us, a rumble built and exploded in an ear-splitting crescendo, sending people to their knees, covering their heads with their hands.
“What the hell?” Nick growled, as he and Conal sheltered me as best they could when we hit the cobblestones and ran towards the nearest cottages. I risked a glance behind us and in a intense flash of lightning, I saw the source of the wailing wind, staring in unadulterate
d horror.
Travelling towards Zaen's walls, was a tornado.
≈†◊◊†◊◊†◊◊†≈
“Get inside! Get inside a building!” Conal shouted the words, but his voice was diminished by the eerie, spine-chilling whistle of the wind. Highlighted by vivid flashes of lightning, the scene was eerily reminiscent of a disaster movie.
We hurried across the cobblestones. An inch or two of swiftly flowing water was already running down the street, and I briefly wondered where it could go. Would Zaen fill like a huge pool, drowning everyone inside? I'd been thrilled that the walls were keeping the Fae out, but in our wildest imaginings, we'd never considered an eventuality like this. If the Drâghici intended to create a war of attrition, using this ability of Enlil's, we were in trouble. Another streak of lightning sizzled across the sky, the bolt hitting the wall far above us. Conal and Nick shouted warnings, forcing me to the ground and covering my body with theirs. I heard an explosion and shards of granite fell from above, hitting the cobblestones with a rumble.
Conal lifted me to my feet, shouting orders to fall back to the center courtyard. I wasn't sure the move would do us any good; although the tornado was being held back by the gates, the constant, unending rain was creating havoc. The drops of water were unbelievably heavy, spattering against my shoulders like buckshot, creating tiny stabs of pain wherever they hit. A hasty glimpse back confirmed part of the ramparts was damaged; although the wall held steady, the lightning was affecting the walls as the Fae could no longer do.
“You need the witches,” Mom said urgently, “they can work further—”
“Epi!” I shouted against the wind to be heard. “The witches!” If Mom thought they could counteract this, it was urgent they began immediately, before the walls tumbled for a second time.
“Agreed, Child,” he shouted back. “Get them down here to the—” Another enormous crash of thunder shook the ground under our feet, and the lightning which followed revealed a second tornado, bearing down on the southern side of the wall. Epi reworded his orders. “Have them spread out around the city – warn them of what is happening, and tell them they must create further enchantments to shield the walls.”
The first tornado began to impact the wall, and small chunks of granite, already weakened by the lightning strikes, got caught up in the cyclonic conditions and spun upward into the vortex. Epi turned back, raising his hands, leaving us to spread the word.
“Charlotte, get back to the courtyard!” Conal ordered. “Nick, Ben – go with her. The rest of you – come with me, we need to find the witches and warlocks and get them set up around the perimeter!”
I shook my head determinedly. Even though I was shaking like a leaf, I suspected there was more I could do here, and I couldn't keep running away forever. “I can do this!” With a brief instant of thought, I had corporeal spirits on the ground and racing to snatch up the wizards and witches from wherever they were hiding, and bring them to where we needed them most.
Conal offered me a faint smile, watching as the spirits set off, visible to everyone. “You're getting good at this,” he yelled, “but I still want you safe.”
I shook my head again, resolute about doing something constructive. Another peal of thunder reverberated over the city, and the glass in the windows shook under the onslaught. “Archangelo and Bran aren't here!” I yelled, pushing my sodden hair away from my eyes. “There has to be a reason!”
“She's right!” Nick bellowed, struggling to be heard over the din. “I didn't see either of them!”
Conal considered for a moment, instinctively wrapping me in his arms and turning his back to the wall when another lightning bolt hit the granite. Rubble fell, showering us with razor sharp pieces of rock. “Charlotte, it's not safe out here!”
I motioned to the others, who were running in several directions, some falling back to the center of the city, others running towards the walls, ready to fight if we said the word. Their courage was outstanding, their determination to protect our people filling me with a sense of respect for their bravery. “We need to stop this storm!”
“Charlotte!” Rowena reached my side and wrapped me in a hug. She too, was soaked through, her blouse clinging to her skin and her elegant pumps overflowing as water ran down the street in a torrent.
“Where's Patrick?” I shrieked into the wind. “Kazuki and Misaki?”
“They're waiting at a portal!” she shouted back. “Gwynn and William have Katie and Patrick, ready to escape as soon as a retreat is called!”
“What can we do?” Matt and Clint appeared from behind Conal, both carrying weapons and Matt wrapped me in an awkward, one-armed hug.
“I have no idea.” The answer slipped from my lips before I had the chance to consider it, but it was the truth. How could we fight against this? I had no idea how to respond to this type of weather anomaly, a storm created by…
“We need to stop Enlil!” I shouted. Matt stared at me blankly. “The vampire who's creating these storms!”
Matt glanced up at the ramparts, then back down at me. “He's out there?”
I nodded. “Yeah, outside the gates!”
Another slash of lightning hit the rampart, a little to the east of where we stood and I watched as people scattered, screaming in fear when another vast block of granite crashed onto the cobblestones. One werewolf didn't escape in time and got hit by debris, yelping, and struggling helplessly when his rear leg got trapped under a lump of stone. People raced towards him, forgoing their own wellbeing to offer aid.
Matt sounded doubtful when he responded. “I'm not sure what we can do, baby.”
“Whatever we're going to do, it needs to happen fast,” Nick yelled. He pointed to the ground, where water flowed over our ankles. “Otherwise, we're going to float over the fucking ramparts!”
“Charlotte, everyone is in position,” Mom announced. “The enchantments are being boosted.”
I checked on Epi, who was standing facing the wall, arms spread wide as he muttered an incantation beneath his breath. While the water soaked our ankles, the diminutive warlock had water slapping against his calves, and it was apparent that Zaen would behave like a giant swimming pool. We couldn't open the gates to release the water, because the Fae, the demons and the vampires were waiting out there for that exact reason. And things swiftly got worse.
“Charlotte, the rain is washing away the portal markings!” Lucas' voice was sharp, strain evident in his tone. “We either start moving people now, or you're going to get stuck here!”
I passed the news on to Conal and Nick, still frantically searching for a solution. If we didn't stop the rain, we'd be in real danger of drowning before much longer. I'd never seen anything like it, even television footage of monsoonal storms had nothing on this. My thoughts turned to Patrick, and a vision of his little body floating face down in the water sent a tendril of panic snaking through my chest.
Conal shouted more orders, yelling at the top of his lungs, sending people to create new portal markings. “Mark them on the walls, not the ground! Use the sides of the mess, the hospital! And have people ready to evacuate!” he roared over the noise of the tornadoes. Epi was working valiantly, keeping the wind's fury from bearing down on the wall again, but the ferocity of the wind was still crumbling the broken edges of the granite, keeping up a perpetual hailstorm of granite shards on those standing below.
Matt was conferring with Clint, the two men remonstrating with one another, miming out some sort of action which involved a weapon. I had no idea what until Matt turned back to me, his expression grim. “We need to get up to the top of the wall!” he yelled.
I gaped at him. “That's crazy!” I pointed at the top of the wall, already showing significant damage from the onslaught. As if to prove my point, another zigzag streak of lightning lit up the street as though daylight had broken on the horizon. “Nobody can get up there!”
“It's the only way to stop this Enlil guy,” Clint argued. If we can get up there w
ith a rifle—”
“No! Absolutely not!” I shouted back. But even before I'd finished shouting a refusal, Matt argued his point.
“It's the only way, Charlotte! We've got to bring this vampire down, stop this freaky weather thing he's got going on!” Matt indicated the surrounding area, the rising water. “There's nowhere for this to go! People are going to drown if we don't stop this in the next hour or so! And even if we don't stop that—” His voice was momentarily drowned out by a crash of thunder, the sound so immense that windows behind us shattered, glass flying in every direction. The thunder was followed by a crack of lightning, which hit the wall and created an enormous fissure, perhaps three feet deep in the wall. “Even if we don't stop that, the damn walls are going to fail! The witches can't keep up with the lightning strikes and the effects of the tornadoes!”
He was right. But the choice of who could go up there, with a weapon, and take on that kind of a shot – one which required accuracy, precision, and skill – was tremendously limited. Even if someone could reach the top of the wall and take the shot, the chances of not getting blown off the ramparts by the twisters, or hit and killed by a lightning strike seemed minimal at best, and non-existent if I went with my gut instincts.
“I've got to do this, baby,” Matt's voice was ragged. “I'm the only one who can take that shot.”
“No, Matt! If anyone's doing this, it's me!” Clint argued, and I realized they'd been remonstrating over who was going to risk his life to save everyone else. “I don't have a wife, or kids. Hell, I don't have anyone who cares whether I live or die!”
“You don't have any experience!” Matt protested. “I'm the best choice and you know it.”
“Both of you – cut it out!” I shrieked. Having them fighting under a canopy of chaos and disaster wasn't helping. Before I could say more, William appeared with Lyell Tremaine still in corporeal form beside him.
Knowledge Protects Page 36