Renegade (The Cross-Worlds Coven Series Book 5)

by Phil Stern

  Finally, as if from a great distance, Caylee felt a wisp of magic stirring at her waist. Bolting up in the hard wooden chair, breathing hard, she fully concentrated on the tiny tendril of energy. It wasn’t much, almost an echo, really, but if she could just...

  Without warning, the closed cabin door burst open. Standing in entranceway, silver eyes pulsing, the haughty female demon contemplated the defrocked sorceress with great satisfaction. “My dear, how good of you to come.”

  “Fuck you!” Caylee snarled, again rocking the chair forward and back. “Let me go!”

  “All in good time,” the demon breathed. Striding forward, she leaned down to gently brush a stray blonde hair from Caylee’s face. “You and I are going to do great things together.”

  Staring into her malignant gaze, the young enchantress felt an unbelievable wave of fear roil through her entire being.

  *****

  Sweeping along the dock for a third time, George erupted into yet another stream of vile oaths. Finally slamming down his hat, the demon roughly shoved two men aside to sullenly peer out at the vibrant harbor.

  Somehow, the Haven witch had slipped away. One moment she was in his sights, just a bit farther ahead on the dock. Then he lost her in the crowd for just a few seconds, and wham! She was gone. The magical slut must have...

  “Hey, mate,” protested one of the dislodged spectators, a mug of beer held at a slightly menacing angle. “That wasn’t very nice, now was it? I think an apology...”

  With a roar, George slammed a fist right into his ugly face. Before the man’s friend even thought to react, the demon had bodily pitched him over the railing right into the blooming drink. Snarling and muttering, the demon-hooligan violently thrust his way back through the still-festive crowd.

  The Regatta itself held no interest for him whatsoever. They could have their flipping boats for all he cared, George thought. Bunch of rich pervs just playing about, is all that is anyway. One of these days he’d show them all a thing or two.

  Snatching a beer from a stand at the back of the crowd, George managed to slop half the contents all over himself. Within his pocket, the soaked gargoyle hissed and tittered. Draining the other half in a single gulp, the demon rudely flung both the empty mug and a coin at the beer lass.

  Wiping his face with a dirty sleeve, he then leaned back against a post, arms folded. Well, he’d get her yet, George decided. Can’t have gone far, she couldn’t, even with all that slutty magic spewing about.

  And when she showed up again, dancing all about the docks like she owned the bloody place, he’d be good and ready.

  *****

  Frowning, Rhapsony watched sailors scurrying about Wendily’s yacht. Yet even as the anchor chain was shortened for departure, the sails remained lowered.

  “The wind’s still blowing in,” Lord Sathron observed. “Without an engine, she can’t leave the harbor.”

  “So she can’t get away.” Hopping down from the prow of her powered launch, the red-haired demon smiled. “So much the better.”

  “Meaning what?” Sathron brushed some water droplets from his expensive jacket. “Do you mean to forcibly board her yacht? Make Wendily walk the plank, perhaps?”

  “Oh, nothing so dramatic as that,” Rhapsony purred. “But I do mean to find out what’s in that safe, one way or the other.”

  The craft hit a slight swell, the off-balance lord taking the opportunity to grab her arm. “My dear, please tell me you don’t intend anything rash.”

  “Rash? Me?” Fluttering her eyelids in mock surprise, the lady demon then pointedly dislodged his hand. “We’re just paying a social call. Wendily can’t possibly object to that, can she?”

  By this point, they were only a few minutes away from the larger yacht. Rolling his eyes, Sathron idly tapped his cane on the wooden deck. “This should be rather interesting.”

  *****

  Desperately rocking back and forth, Caylee tried to escape from the demon. But the chair merely banged into the safe behind her, coming down on all four legs again with a hopeless thud.

  “Now, now,” Wendily purred. Putting a soothing hand on Caylee’s knee, the demon then raised the bound girl’s chin with the other. “Just relax. It will all be over soon.”

  “You bitch!” There was another flutter of magical energy from Caylee’s earth stone, then nothing. Staring into the demon’s pulsing silver eyes, she’d never felt so afraid in her life. “Get away from me!”

  “Get away?” Wendily smiled as she delicately removed, and then neatly folded, her long red gloves. “Now why would I do that?” Even as she spoke the demon politely slid past and around her captive, taking a position to Caylee’s rear, between the chair and safe.

  Completely helpless, both physically and magically, the sorceress could do nothing as the fiend almost tenderly took Caylee’s face between her two palms from behind. “Actually, you and I are going to be together for a long, long time,” she whispered.

  A sickening gush of rancid heat oozed out all over the back of Caylee’s head and shoulders, lightly burning the exposed skin on her neck. The alien presence soon burrowed down into the top of her spine, robbing the powerless sorceress of feeling in her arms and legs. Within moments, she was virtually paralyzed.

  It was then that Caylee felt the demon begin penetrating her mind.

  CHAPTER SIX

  HALF-AN-HOUR AFTER leaving the park in the suburbs, Jenla and Tiffany entered the latter’s Philadelphia apartment. Luckily, Blake wasn’t expected home for several hours. First feeding her hungry house cat, Earth’s lead sorceress then joined her guest in the living area.

  “Is that Merlin?” Jenla nodded back at the kitchen area as they both sat down on two different sofas.

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Wow. You often talk of him.” Leaning back, the battle-scarred operative allowed herself a timid smile. “I always wanted to meet Merlin, actually.”

  Sighing, Tiffany rubbed her brow. “Okay, fifteen years from now, I’m alive and Merlin’s dead.” While not sensing any outward deception, all of this future-referencing was beginning to feel a bit manipulative. “Is that about the size of it?”

  “Well, yeah.” Finally beginning to relax, Jenla idly studied the living area. “At least when I just left. But as we already discussed...”

  “Yes, yes. I’ve watched plenty of scifi movies. The time line could be altered, all bets are off now. I get it.”

  “Which is the idea, of course. We want to change the future.” Finally pulling off a glove, Jenla gently traced a healing wound on her own neck. The injury looked fairly recent, perhaps in the last few weeks. “Because right now it really sucks.”

  “And this horrible future all starts with Caylee.” Theatrically holding out her arms, Tiffany shrugged. “Which I still find hard to believe.”

  “My word isn’t good enough?” Jenla softly asked, even as Merlin now came wandering into the living area. “I find that disappointing.”

  “Nobody’s doubting anybody’s word. Look, what I need right now is a simple field report on these demons and their attack on the Coven.” Pausing, Tiffany made sure she had Jenla’s attention. “Just the pertinent facts. And the less emotion, the better.”

  *****

  Back in the Lysandy village, Sarina entered the barn set aside for her use. Carefully closing the wooden door, the sorceress pulled out several sheets of special paper and pen from her magical travel bag. Then, sitting on a bale of hay before a small, upturned barrel, she began writing.

  This was the same place Caylee had stayed before impulsively leaping into Lord Balen’s underworld, and Sarina was surprised her younger Coven-mate hadn’t left any messages behind. Surely, even someone as inexperienced as Caylee would have left a hidden missive for anyone coming after her? But having already carefully searched the simple structure twice, Sarina had found nothing to shed any light on the situation.

  Once more, it occurred to her that Caylee might never have left Lysandy. Ayla,
the local “priestess” who seemed to run things around here, was the one who claimed she’d left the dimension. It was a convenient story, especially if her innocent, younger Coven-mate had actually fallen victim to some kind of foul play instead.

  Still, Sarina had already confirmed Ayla’s account with several locals, none of whom seemed sophisticated enough to successfully deceive her. And while she couldn’t actually talk to animals, the behavior of Caylee’s unicorn, battle hawks, and the friendly local tigers would also seem to support the story. No, everything pointed to the young sorceress having left Lysandy, naively assuming she’d return before any Coven-mates would even think to come looking for her.

  With a small whoosh of air, Pend teleported directly into the barn. By now the enchantress was getting used to this potent magical ability, though it still caught her attention. Pausing only long enough to give Sarina a disapproving glare, the tiger princess promptly curled up in the hay nearby. Language barrier or not, the message was abundantly clear. This new human needed to do something useful about Caylee, and the sooner the better.

  Thoughtfully watching the young tiger drift into a fitful sleep, Sarina reached a sudden decision. Putting pen to magical paper, she quickly composed a detailed account of her experiences in Lysandy so far, along with her intention to follow Caylee into the inter-dimensional rift.

  *****

  “Fine, just the facts.” Leaning down, Jenla wiggled her fingers at the cat. “Caylee was sent to a world called Lysandy. Some mild cross-dem contamination was suspected, and she was supposed to do a quick recon and come back.”

  Lysandy? The name vaguely rang a bell, but Tiffany’s wasn’t familiar with it. “And then?”

  “Well, Caylee didn’t come back.” Yanking off her other glove, the younger woman irritably leapt up and paced into the center of the room. “A sorceress named Sarina was sent after her. After she didn’t return either, an expedition in force was sent after both of them.”

  Though not particularly close, Tiffany knew Sarina was a capable, tough operative. “What did they find?”

  “A note Sarina left in some barn.” Jenla leaned down to scratch Merlin behind the ears. “Without authorization, Caylee had entered a dimensional rift connecting Lysandy to another world. Sarina followed her. The place they both went to, we now know, is called Donlon.”

  “And that’s where they found these demons, I take it? In Donlon?”

  “That’s where Caylee joined forces with them, yes.”

  “And Sarina?” Tiffany held out her hand, Merlin obediently running over and jumping up on the couch next to his mistress. “What happened to her?”

  “We don’t know. Dead, presumably.” Jenla again sat down on the other side of Merlin, tentatively petting him. “Actually, we believe Sarina may have been Caylee’s first victim.”

  Several moments went by, Tiffany letting Merlin’s loud purr wash over them both. “So from a factual standpoint, what we know is that Caylee and Sarina disappeared into Donlon. Who might, or might not, have victimized whom after that is unknown. Correct?”

  Jenla rolled her eyes. “Correct. But we’ve always assumed...”

  “Did anyone try to follow them?”

  “They tried, but by then the rift was fully closed off between Lysandy and Donlon.” Jenla moodily stared into Merlin’s furry face. “Five years later, the demons attacked in force. Led by Caylee, they coordinated assaults in a dozen worlds.”

  Tiffany let that sink in a moment, trying to imagine what it could possibly be like. “Including Earth?”

  “Earth, Vail, Burlain. Even Haven.” Shuddering, Jenla suddenly shoved Merlin to the floor. “You want facts, Tiffany? Twenty girls died before we even knew what hit us!”

  “Relax.” Watching her aggrieved cat stalk off, Tiffany then coolly studied the hardened young woman sitting a few feet away on the same couch. “The good news is, none of this has happened yet.”

  “No, it hasn’t.” Jenla veritably shook with pain and rage. “But it will. Unless we stop it!”

  “Which brings up an interesting point.” Standing and striding over to the window, the veteran sorceress carefully scanned the street below her apartment, both visually and magically. As far as she could tell, no one seemed to be surveilling the place. “Why ‘we’? Why seek out my help at all?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Isn’t this just an added nuisance? Convincing me to help you? Why not just do whatever needs to be done yourself?”

  “I’m following my instructions.” A long pause ensued, Jenla suddenly seeming a bit less sure of herself. “That’s all I can say.”

  “Instructions to specifically enlist my help.” Now turning back to her, Tiffany raised an eyebrow. “And these instructions came from the Coven Council, correct?”

  “Well, not the whole Council, no.”

  “Really?” Advancing into the center of the room, Tiffany looked down at her. “Some renegade faction, then?”

  “If you like.” Jenla finally allowed herself a small smile. “Though we’re all patriots, that I can assure you.”

  “Well, patriot or not, someone doesn’t fully trust your judgement. That’s why they sent you to find me.” Sedately sitting down again, Tiffany brushed back her long dark hair. “Or haven’t you figured that out yet?”

  Down below, the sounds of cars faintly emanated up from the street. In the hallway outside, an older couple argued as they passed the door. The two witches said nothing, remaining as they were. Indeed, Jenla stared blankly at the far wall, almost as if she’d fallen into some kind of trance.

  Finally letting out a tired sigh, Jenla glanced over at her fellow sorceress. “Look, I need to know if you’ll help. Because if not...”

  “Oh, I’m in.” Leaning over, Tiffany put a warning hand on her leg. “But let’s get one thing straight right now. I’m in charge. Which I’m sure is part of your instructions anyway, right?”

  Jenla nodded in acknowledgment. “Once explaining the situation, I’m to take my lead from you.”

  “Excellent.” Leaning back once more, Tiffany watched her still-sulking cat wander by again. “I’d also think that someone has figured out how we can get into Donlon now. Otherwise, there would be no point in you even coming back here.”

  “Correct again.” Magically grabbing Merlin and lifting him up between them, Jenla promptly cuddled the cat against her chest. “The only problem is that in order to get into present-day Donlon, we first have to travel into Earth’s past.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  LIKE A SERPENT, the demon’s consciousness began slithering inside Caylee’s head. Coiling around her mind, it probed and tested, seeking the point of lowest resistance.

  Screaming in fear, the bound, partially-paralyzed sorceress tried to lean away. But Wendily merely shifted her weight forward in the small area, pressing fully up against the back of Caylee’s head and neck.

  “Don’t fight it,” she breathed. Hands still grasping the terrified girl’s cheeks, the demon’s lips almost brushed against Caylee’s ear. “Just let it happen. You’ll see how good it is.”

  “No!” Trying not to hyperventilate, she felt unconsciousness looming. “Stop it!”

  “Oh, that’s what they all say.” Laughing, the heat from Wendily’s blazing eyes began burning Caylee’s hair. “But I have you now.”

  The enchantress desperately tried to fight the mental intrusion, but had no weapons at her disposal. “Fuck you,” she helplessly muttered. “Get away!”

  “Now why would I do that?” Her own essence now extending between both bodies, the demon lightly brushed against her victim’s ocular nerve.

  Caylee’s eyesight immediately began flickering in and out, the room swirling all around. Sensing the demon warily circling her very consciousness, she again tried to rock herself free. For once that last mental bastion was breached, there would be...

  But instead of a direct assault, the fiend idly probed another area of her mind. Randomly activating a
band of nerves, Caylee’s jaw inadvertently snapped shut. Mangling her own tongue, blood instantly flowed out to mix with the tears running down the teenager’s face. Soon a huge stain formed on her black action suit, a few drops even hitting the floor.

  “What a mess!” Wendily chided, a hand lightly resting on the back of Caylee’s head. “But come now, this has gone far enough. Just let go and let me in.”

  “Never!” she gasped, trying to blink her vision clear. “Stop it!”

  “Or I could just kill you now.” Slipping her other hand around Caylee’s neck, Wendily almost lovingly squeezed the front of her throat. “Though that would be such a waste of good talent, would it not?”

  With Wendily inadvertently twisting and contorting various nerve pathways, a delayed bolt of pain was suddenly released from Caylee’s bleeding tongue. Thrashing about like some rampaging bull, it scored only a glancing blow against Caylee’s consciousness. Instead, taking Wendily completely by surprise, the intense pain fully ricocheted right into the invading demon.

  The equivalent of a mental punch to the nose, the beautiful monster jerked back in surprise. Inadvertently breaking physical contact, the demon’s marauding consciousness fled from Caylee’s body. Momentarily disoriented, Wendily paused to gather herself.

  Dimly, as if from some great distance, the sorceress again felt a tiny magical twinge from her earth stone. Reanimating ever-so-slowly, it was perhaps at five percent of it’s normal strength. Maybe less. Still, like a kitten walking on your foot, the talisman was gently trying to get Caylee’s attention.

  It was now or never. Even as the demon lunged forward to renew her mental assault, the enchantress fully accessed her limited magical power. Then, utilizing every shred of compromised mobility, Caylee slammed the back of her head right into Wendily’s advancing face.

  It was enough. With a tiny burst of earth fire, the young patrician was thrown back into the safe. In a bizarre repeat of Caylee’s earlier experience, Wendily pivoted up and over the immovable hunk of iron, scattering the magical rocks while tumbling backwards into the far corner.