by Janni Nell
Elowyn looked confused. “Wherefore hast thou summoned me?”
“We need your help.”
“How canst I help thee? I have lived in the afterlife too long. I do not remember this world.”
Mac said, “Demelza has become a malhag.”
Elowyn gasped. “My poor sister. When did this happen?”
“After your death. She begged your husband to marry her. When he refused she made a vow to take vengeance on your family. It has taken centuries, but now she is strong enough wipe out all your descendents.”
Misty tears rolled down Elowyn’s cheeks. “Poor Demelza. She loved my husband so. I understand her desire to marry him after my death. The desires of the heart canst not be gainsaid. Yet he did not inform me of her proposal when he joined me in the afterlife. No doubt he desired to spare me grief.”
I wasn’t sure I’d have been so understanding if I’d been Elowyn.
Mac said, “Will you help us stop Demelza?”
“Dost thou not know our history? I faced Demelza once, in this very place, and died attempting to defeat her. That was long ago, and my powers have ebbed. There is no need of them in the afterlife. In this realm, I am all mist and insubstance.”
“We have a potion,” said Mac, “which will make you as solid as Demelza.”
“Will it make my magic flow again? Demelza was always the better witch and she is stronger now than she ever was.”
Ignoring Mac’s instruction to keep silent, I said, “You’re such a wuss. Demelza is going to wipe out all your descendents. Don’t you care?”
“Achieving vengeance will allow Demelza to rest in peace. Canst I deny her that?”
“Well, yeah.” Springing forward into the triangle, I yelleds stop Dem20;You’d better help us, because I’m not going to stand by and let my nephew die!”
Elowyn’s misty body thinned.
“Get back!” Mac screamed at me. “We’ll lose her.”
Oh shit. I rushed back to my point of the triangle. As I stood there, hoping I hadn’t destroyed the chance to save Lily’s baby, Elowyn moved toward me.
“Thy sister is in danger?”
“Because your sister has kidnapped her. When Lily has her baby, Demelza will kill him.”
“I grieve for you and for the child of your sister.”
“Well, thanks very much, but it’d be more useful if you’d drink the potion. I mean, I went to a lot of trouble to get those ingredients.”
She touched my cheek. Her misty fingers were soft like cotton wool. “If thou truly loveth thy sister, thou must save her. For I cannot.”
“We’ll see about that.” I grabbed her arm and, of course, my fingers closed on nothing. I used my voice like a fist. “You were a great fucking witch. What’s wrong with you? You’ve got a chance to defeat Demelza—”
“Hush.” Her voice surrounded me like a warm blanket. I stopped fighting. I wanted to rest, accept Lily’s fate. What the—?
Shaking off the metaphorical blanket, I shoved my face close to Elowyn’s. Focusing on her wasn’t easy, since I could still see Mac’s candle through her misty skin. “You’ve got to help us.”
She gave me a sad smile and began to fade. I grabbed at her but the tendrils of mist broke apart in my hands, drifting into the night air.
Mac said, “Blow out your candles. It’s over.”
Wanda hurried over and hugged me. She was close to tears. “I’m so sorry. We did all we could.”
Mac moved around the triangle kicking at the silvery dust like she was scattering the cold ashes of a campfire.
“What do we do now?” I demanded, but Mac just shook her head. “Great, just fucking great.” I stomped to the nearest tree and kicked it hard, but I didn’t feel any better and now my foot hurt as well. But I knew what I had to do. “If Elowyn won’t fight Demelza, looks I’ll have to do it myself.”
Wanda and Mac looked at me like I was crazy.
“Lily always was more trouble than she was worth,” I grumbled.
Chapter Twenty
I sped off toward The Hollows, leaving Wanda and Mac to find their own way home. Okay, it wasn’t very nice of me but desperate times called for desperate measures. I spent most of the journey overtaking slower cars and hoping Lily hadn’t given birth. I made good time until I left the freeway and took a less traveled road that headed west to The Hollows.
I wasdidn& idiot. I knew my chance of defeating Demelza was—well, Dad would have said I had Buckley’s chance, which was little better than no chance at all. Frankly, I could do with some celestial help.
“Casper,” I whispered, “now would be a really good time to appear.”
I waited. I hoped. I crossed my fingers. But the passenger seat remained empty. I imagined him at the Angel Awards. Rows of seats in an auditorium roofed by a starry sky. The moon served as a spotlight on the face of the host who was about to announced the nominees for the Sir Galahad Award for Honorable Treatment of Women. Maybe pictures of the nominees would be flashed on the dark sky—all trying to look angelic, as if they didn’t want to kill the other nominees. Who would win? Who would rush down the aisle to claim the ultimate prize? And more important, was this the end of my relationship with Casper?
I turned onto the dirt track—now a mud track—that led to The Hollows. Snarls of fear clenched my stomach. I’ve been apprehensive before, even anxious or a little afraid, but never gut-churningly, paralyzingly terrified. At first I thought I was afraid of failing. It had happened once before in the case of The White Lady of Willingthorpe, which had ruined my one hundred percent success rate. But this was different. I’d never felt anything like this and in my heart I knew what it meant.
The thing I was terrified of, the awful thing I could barely acknowledge, was the fear of losing Lily. Bloody hell! I actually cared about her.
Okay, you probably guessed that already. I admit I’d been in denial, but loving Lily was not an easy thing to come to terms with. It was—
Holy shit! I hit the brakes as a small animal scooted in front of my car. I missed it, but my heartbeat tripled and refused to slow down as I drove beneath the tunnel of bare branches and parked near Lily’s car. It had been here ever since she’d been kidnapped and looked kind of forlorn all by itself. Probably I should have moved it but I simply hadn’t had time.
Shoving my keys in the pocket of my windbreaker, I zipped everything up, flicked on my flashlight and strode toward the grim dark mass of The Hollows. Probably this was how Casper had felt striding into battle against the Romans. Outnumbered, outclassed and out of luck. All I had was my courage and, like Casper, a determination to fight bravely.
My flashlight gave a good bright light, but even so the going was tough and more than once I slipped on loose stones as I struggled to keep my balance. As I climbed I kept a look out for Demelza. Since Lily was already in labor, my first priority was getting her to a hospital. I knew Demelza wouldn’t give her up without a fight, so I’d have to defeat the malhag first. Not an encouraging thought. I had to borrow a whole lot of Wanda’s optimism to convince myself the situation wasn’t hopeless. I would save Lily and her baby. I would defeat the malhag. I think I can…I think I can. Like The Little Engine That Could. Right then I felt more like the little engine that decided it was all too hard, slid back down the hill and into the nearest pub to drown his sorrows in piña coladas.
Beyond the beam of my flashlight, The Hollows were shrouded in dark shadows that writhed and twisted like living things. More than once I drew back my fist, preparing to punch someone, only to realize I was clenching my fists at solid rock. When I first sensed someone shadowing my footsteps, I assumed my imagination was working overtime. But when I heard that someone stumble, I had to admit it wasn’t imagination.
“Casper?” I asked hopefully. I’d have given a great deal to hear the comfort of his deep voice, but when there was no answer I knew things were about to get very bad very quickly.
Planting my feet firmly, I clenched my right fist.
My left was still holding the flashlight. I planned to whirl around, aiming the light for the malhag’s eyes, which I guessed would be low since she’d be stooped over her cane. Then I’d punch her jaw. It was a good plan but even the best plans go wrong.
I whirled around, but the beam of my flashlight didn’t reach her eyes. When I aimed a punch, she said, “Stop.”
I didn’t but she was too quick for me, grabbing my wrist before my fist could connect with her stomach. Her stomach? I’d been aiming for Demelza’s jaw. I raised my flashlight until it was shining full in her face. Demelza was her younger self, strong and beautiful and very, very solid. But I didn’t hesitate. I had to save Lily. Shaking my wrist free of her grasp, I drew back my fist.
“Please desist,” she said. “I am Elowyn.”
I blinked. Was this a trick? The last I’d seen of Elowyn, she’d rejoined her afterlife party. Eyeing her suspiciously, I asked, “Why did you change your mind?”
“There is no time for explanations,” she said, turning away from me and beginning to climb again.
“Give me the short version,” I said, falling into step beside her.
“My daughter, Martha,” said Elowyn, “did persuade me that I must defeat Demelza. When I returned, I discovered Mac and Wanda at the edge of the wood. I drank their potion. Mayhap I am now strong enough to defeat my sister.”
I shone my light on her hand, checking for the finger bone I’d stolen. Not that I’d stolen it from this new body. So far as I knew all her other bones were still in the crypt. This was one of those times when you don’t question the paranormal, you just go with the flow. The finger was intact—that’s all I needed to know. If I were judging purely on appearance, Elowyn’s strong, young body should easily defeat Demelza’s withered crone, but the sisters would fight with magic not their fists and my money, unfortunately, was on Demelza.
Elowyn said, “I wilt show thee where thine sister is hidden. Taketh her and leave this place. I wilt face Demelza alone. Do not argue. This is the way it must be.” She held a finger to her lips. “No more talking. Extinguish your light.”
Was she aiming for secrecy? Fat chance. If Demelza was the greatest witch of all time, she knew we were coming.
We continued to creep upward. I let Elowyn led the way. Her night vision was way better than mine. Soon she whispered, “Thine sister is in yonder cave.” When I asked how she knew, she whispered, “I am the second greatest witch who ever lived. Now go to thy sister. God be with thee.”
As I scanned the mouth of the cave, I thought, It can’t be this easy. Not after all the time I’d spent searching for Lily the last time I’d been here. But then I heard a soft moan and knew it was Lily. I risked turning on my flashlight long enough to locate her lying on a pile of filthy rags at the back of the cave. After rushing to her side, I flicked off the light.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m here.”
“Allegra?” Her voice was thin with pain. “Is it really you?”
“Yeah.” I said, holding her hand through a contraction. When it was over she sobbed, “You came. You found me.”
“There’s no time to waste,” I said. “Get up. Let’s get out of here.”
“But I’m in labor.”
“You have to get to a hospital. My car’s at the bottom of The Hollows. It’s downhill all the way. You can make it.”
“Okay,” she said, without much confidence.
I gripped her hand, helped her struggle to her feet. With my arm around her waist, I supported her as she shuffled along beside me. Her huge belly made her clumsy and it took forever to reach the mouth of the cave. I longed to tell her to hurry up but I knew we’d have to take it easy if she was to get down without slipping and falling.
As we exited the cave, all my attention was focused on keeping Lily upright. A part of my mind was aware that I couldn’t hear any sounds of battle between the Penrose sisters, but I ignored my misgivings.
“Come on, Lily. We don’t have much time.” I was so wrong. We’d just run out of time.
A shriveled shape emerged from the shadows, barring our way. A wave of foul breath blew in my face.
Trying not to inhale or refer her to a good dental hygienist, I said, with a bravado I was far from feeling, “Get out of my way. Or I’ll hurt you.”
She made a raspy sound that might have been a chuckle. “Be thou strong enough?”
Well, no, but I wasn’t going to back down. And, by the way, where was Elowyn? Had she changed her mind about facing Demelza and gone back to the afterlife?
Lily moaned in pain.
Demelza’s eyes gleamed. “The baby will come soon.”
I held Lily until the contraction passed, and then I withdrew my arm from around her waist and stepped up to Demelza. As I put my body between the malhag and my sister, I yelled, “Run, Lily!”
She tried. She tried so hard. But she slipped, falling to the ground, gasping as another contraction hit. Demelza loomed over her. Once again I threw my body between them, shielding Lily.
Demelza’s clawed hand latched onto my shoulder. Her nails sliced through my windbreaker and stabbed my flesh.
“Release her.”
It was Elowyn’s voice. Wonder what kept her.
Demelza let me go. In the pale moonlight I saw her turn to face Elowyn. “We have been separated too long, sister dear.”
Demelza crooked her little finger, which was even more bent than Elowyn’s. A bolt of light flashed, hitting Elowyn’s belly and knocking her backwards. She hit the ground hard but her body, strengthened by Mac’s potion, recovered immediately. She leaped to her feet, raised her little finger and shot a bolt of light at Demelza, hitting her shoulder. Demelza retaliated by aiming a jagged red light-bolt at Elowyn. It knocked her flat but once again Elowyn got to her feet. She wobbled a little, as though she was punch-drunk. At this rate she wasn’t going to last long.
“Lily,” I said. “We have to get out of here now.”
“It’s too late,” she said clutching her belly.
“Try to walk. Please. You can have the baby in the car.” Just so long as she was out of Demelza’s reach.
“I can’t.” She panted through a contraction. Another came almost immediately. Even I knew what that meant. Tightening my grip on her waist, I helped her back inside the cave and flicked on my flashlight. She sagged onto the bundle of rags.
Outside there was an almighty clap of thunder. An amazing lightshow of brilliant, fireworks colors sprayed across the dark sky. I stared in awe until Lily shrieked, “I want to push!”
“So push,” I said, glancing from her to the battle outside the cave and wondering who was winning.
“Should I?” asked Lily anxiously. “Am I fully dilated?”
“Fully what?”
She punched me. “I don’t want to start pushing too soon. If only there was someone who could do an examination.”
“Don’t look at me,” I said. Something outside the cave caught my eye. Elowyn. Blood was running down her face and she limped badly. She needed help.
Lily tugged at my sleeve, “Allegra, please, I need you.”
Should I help Elowyn or Lily? Bloody hell, what a choice!
Lily gripped my hand. It was hard to believe she had the strength to make me grit my teeth in pain. As her contraction peaked, we groaned together.
Outside the witches hurled magic at one another in a sparkling frenzy that put New Year’s Eve to shame. A rainbow of razor-sharp colors shot across the sky. The ground trembled. A rock near the cave mouth shattered. Then the rainbow dimmed and the light became thick and gray-green the way it is before a storm. Demelza stood triumphant. Elowyn was gone.
Demelza hobbled into the cave. At first glance she was a pathetic figure, stooped and crippled by centuries of hungering for vengeance. But her eyes burned with violent, violet rage. Her lips drew back, revealing unnaturally sharp white teeth. She looked down at Lily’s sweating face. “Soon,” she wheezed. “Soon.”
She reache
d down to stroke Lily’s belly. Lily shrank away from her touch. I slapped the withered hand away. Getting to my feet, I towered over Demelza like a great and powerful giant. If only. My height wouldn’t make a darn bit of difference. The question was not whether I could defeat Demelza but how long I could hold her off before she defeated me. She bent the tip of her little finger and a bolt of emerald green c shot toward me. I dodged but not quick enough. It hit me in the shoulder. Lily screamed.
I was spun around, and my whole body shuddered as sparkling bobble sprites bounced around my head. The bobble sprites disappeared but the pain in my shoulder remained furnace hot. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see it glowing. Demelza looked smug, as though she’d beaten me already. I pretended to be hurt bad, doubled over, waited a beat and then launched forward, crash-tackling her. She reeled backward, falling on her ass. A rusty scream spewed from her throat, hurting my ears. Pushing through the horrible sound, I rushed at her again. I’d barely touched her paper-thin skin when I was flung aside. My back smashed into the cave wall and I bounced off, tumbling outside into the falling rain. Pain shot through my chest. Bad pain, as if I’d broken ribs. I stumbled to my feet, gasping with each indrawn breath.
She came after me, relentless as a cyborg on a mission. I lashed out again and my punch connected with her cheek. Her violet eyes blazed. She breathed fetid air in my face. An invisible fist collided with my stomach. I lost my footing and skidded several yards down a narrow passage between two rocks. I kept sliding until the rock beneath me ended and I was falling over the edge of The Hollows.
I didn’t plummet all the way to the bottom. A ledge broke my fall—and probably more ribs, if the pain was any indication. I struggled into a sitting position. Gritting my teeth against the agony in my chest, I began to climb. Slowly, oh so slowly, I inched upward. Somewhere above me, Lily wailed.
I got my fingertips to the ledge near the mouth of the cave and hauled myself up until my elbows and then my upper body rested on the ledge. From there I could see into the cave. My flashlight, still lying on the floor, illuminated Demelza bending over Lily. She yanked up my sister’s maternity dress, stretching out her bony fingers as though she intended to rip the baby from Lily’s body. My own pain disappeared in a rush of adrenaline. I scrambled onto the ledge and rushed toward the cave.