"Samantha," His voice toned down and was more gentle, almost lulling. "God Mother did not make this decision. You did. And—before you start yelling again, you will hear me out." He paused. I stayed quiet. "The choice to take Lethe's place was yours. God Mother offered it to you fairly, and you asked so many questions that night."
Then why can't I remember them?
"Because it's not time to remember yet. She knew you had always wanted a baby. A family, to replace the one you lost. The one the Leviathan and the Faerie took from you. But Dragons are born out of sorrow. Out of chaos. And misery. Some have suffered greater than others, but there is a Spirit in you that compelled the God Mother to choose you.
"When she made the offer, you had two choices. A rebirth, or death. Obviously, you chose rebirth. But with that promise of immortality, if the Fates wish it, came prices you both demanded of each other. You wanted a child. One born of you, and your husband."
I blinked. I had a husband? There had been someone…someone I'd remembered when I first came out of the cave. But…why couldn't I remember them now? Was it the Hot Guy?
"And God Mother elicited the promise that you would take her lessons and not repeat the mistakes Lethe made. A Dragon of Spirit is the highest gift she can give to anyone. Your power will topple all of your kin. But you cannot abuse it. Therefore, she wanted control over how it would all come about. Obviously…" he sighed. "Not all things went by her command."
Like what? Was I made wrong? Is that why I can't remember?
"I already explained that, Sam. You can't learn lessons if all you do is dwell on your past. Even now," he shook his head. "You keep looking back."
It's a metaphor.
"It's a truth. You've learned to fly. You've heeded Her lessons. But her plans were recently…derailed. She had to intervene, but there are forces out there whom she can't control. They are Sister to her, but not under her, and equal."
I'm trying real hard to understand.
"The part of you that will remember, will understand. But you can't go back into that world just yet. Remember I said you had a final fight to fight?"
Yeah?
"It's coming faster than She wanted. And a vital part of Her plans has made themselves…" he sighed and I saw it was a sigh of frustration. "Elusive."
So, my getting back to my child depends on some son of a bitch who what? Shows up? Fine. Point them out to me and I'll convince them to come here. In fact, I'll bring them here. I paused. That is, if I knew where here was.
"Here is a place where your powers can't influence anyone or anything. Here the world is protected from your power. You have to show God Mother you are trust worthy not to abuse the power."
And this missing person was supposed to be a part of that?
"Yes."
Then let me go out there and find them.
"You can't."
Why not? I was starting to raise my voice, and sound like a petulant child but damn this was frustrating.
"Even you must know that a Dragon can't simply waltz into the realm of the physical and not be noticed, Sam."
Oh.
Right.
So, how exactly am I supposed to not be a Dragon?
"A spell known as Dragon's Fury."
Okay so, give it to me.
"I can't. Neither can God Mother."
Oh for fuck's sake. Why not?
"Because it is not Her spell." He bowed his head, then looked at me through his brow. "It belongs to your husband."
I frowned. My husband has a spell that would make me not a Dragon. And then the light came to me and I lowered my head. He's the one you can't find.
"Precisely."
Does he know I'm a Dragon?
"No."
He thinks I'm dead.
"Yes."
And you've tried to find him to tell him.
"Yes. And he's proven to be as stubborn as his wife."
Wait a second—does he know about our child?
"No…that's a complicated answer—"
No it's not! Tell me why he doesn't know we have a child?
"He believes the child died with you."
Where is our child?
"I can't say—but please understand that God Mother is working on the events unfolding now—" He moved in close which he really shouldn't do. "Sam don't—"
But it was too late.
I didn't know much of anything about my past. What I did know was that a mother's instinct was not something to screw with. And if this bastard wasn't going to let me out to find my child, or at least find this husband who was AWOL, then I was going to break through whatever barrier held me to this world and if I didn't I would take everything in it with me—
Something like a knife stuck itself into my head, right between the eyes. There was the sound of something breaking, like glass and the sky fell in on the two of us. Bright sunlight shown down as I blinked and looked away from it. I smelled things…dirt, grass, onions, lavender, and…death. I looked around, turning in place, and found myself on a plain of some kind. There were rolling hills in all direction, with white stones. I spotted a cottage in the distance and started to it. I had no idea where I was. But I could feel the child now, my child. I could hear it…her…louder now.
And I could hear voices…
Low at first. Millions of them. Single thoughts. Multiple thoughts. Disjointed and talking…
Talking and talking and talking…
I stopped where I was and put my head under my wings. The sound…good Goddess the sound…
It drowned out everything as I screamed into the soft ground beneath me, buried under millions and millions of dreams.
THIRTEEN
Arden led the way up the staircase to the apartment above Bell, Book and Candle. This had always been Sam's place, and then it was Sam and Crwys's place. She hadn't stepped foot in it since Sam's death and wasn't sure what to expect. Ivan tried to get in front of her a few times, and she understood his macho man need to protect her, but the reality was, if anyone was in the apartment upstairs and slinging magic?
Arden was their best line of defense.
Ivan could only…
Uhh… She paused at the top, just before sticking their heads up into the apartment itself, and looked back down at him. "What exactly can you do again? Magically?"
He made a face like he'd been asked that question before and was getting a bit tired of it. His eyes glowed a soft green and she felt like he wasn't really looking at her. "I can tap into my own security system, which is also wired into the one in the apartment, and tell you I don't see any movement. Though," he narrowed his eyes as he saw something Arden didn't. "The infra-red is picking up heat. Someone's been in there, or passed by my cameras in the last five minutes."
"Got a number? As in how many?"
"No. Not yet. But I will."
She nodded as she leaned her head into her Water Elemental sitting on her shoulder. She gave a silent command for her to scout ahead and look around the place. With a nod the little Undine disappeared. Arden could feel her moving through pipes, spying into the kitchen from the slow drip from the sink. The Elemental moved into the apartment and, though Arden couldn't exactly see what she was seeing, she could get an impression. "You're right. They're there but she can't see them either. Can't get a number."
Arden pushed out her own feelers, searching for magic and she nearly squeaked out loud when they encountered a barrier of magic. Bright yellow magic.
Air Elementals. Crap. Air Elementals and Water Elementals could fight and fight and be equally matched. It was if someone knew, or suspected, she'd be here. "Come on," she whispered and placed a ward around the two of them. She had no idea what weaknesses a Cyber Witch had, and hoped they didn't find them.
Two of the lamps in the living room were on. First clue someone had been in the apartment. Second was the fact that all of the doors on the Veranda were open now and a cool breeze came in from the outside. She could see the roof of the building acr
oss the street from where she stood at the apartment entrance. That's probably where they came in and given the gaps between the four doors, she was sure they were hiding just behind them.
Ivan used the Link. Smart boy.
Seriously? Arden stared at the open doors. The shear curtains blew inward, sometimes obscuring her view of the outside veranda. They're actually wearing their official robes while breaking into a house? What the hell was Cosgrove doing? This was so damn illegal. And just morally wrong.
Not good. There wasn't a Cap anywhere in the area, so using magic wasn't a problem.
She didn't answer before she stepped out and her Water Elemental came to her side. "My name is Arden Vervain, High Witch to the Cleric House and Parliament here in New Orleans. I demand you three step out and present yourselves before you explain why you have illegally entered this home."
Arden wasn't sure she expected an answer, but she was going to try to get one. At least before she started hurting some Cleric ass.
One of them stepped out from the middle wall of the four doors. The two lamps inside cast shadows along their face. Arden didn't recognize him. He was tall and she could see the Air pendant around his neck. "High Witch Vervain."
"I didn't catch your name."
"Because I didn't give it. I'm under no obligation to speak to you."
"You're speaking to me now."
He hesitated. "I mean, I'm under no obligation to answer your questions."
"As I am your boss so you most certainly are!"
"I answer to Inquisitor Thorn, High Witch Vervain, and no one else."
Inquisitor Thorn?
"And we will leave, as soon as we have what we came for."
"And that is?"
The man took a step forward and held out his gloved hands. In one of them he held a gun and pointed it directly at Arden. "I know the one behind you can see Arcane. He will find it for us."
Ivan moved to stand beside Arden. "There's no Arcane here."
"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you. Thorn did say you, and your friend Mr. Kendrick, would do anything to thwart the Clerics' work." He smiled and Arden did not like it. At all. "I could shoot you, Mr. Westerfield. But that wouldn't give us the results we need. So, I'll shoot Miss Vervain in different places until you show us the Arcane."
Arden wasn't sure the boy meant to say that so loud in the Link, even though she agreed with him. Why in the hell did they want to find Arcane in Sam's apartment? She thought the whole argument about Arcane had been settled a year ago. And how in the hell did they know Ivan could see Arcane? No one, not even her own people, knew that!
"I'm waiting, Mr. Westerfield." And as if on cue, the other two Clerics stepped into the room, both in their black robes, both with Air pendants around their necks. They didn't have guns but Arden could see the slight indention of air around them. Their Elementals were summoned and positioning for a fight.
Had they somehow jammed the signal, or whatever it was called? Arden looked at the gun pointed at her. Surely they weren't serious. Right?
"Mr. Westerfield."
"There's no Arcane in this apartment!"
The gun fired. Arden moved before she felt it, the impact turning her left shoulder. She staggered and reached out for Ivan who caught her. The two of them went to the floor with her in his arms. Her left side was on fire as she tried to see what happened.
"You son of a bitch!" Ivan yelled at the man. "She's your Elder!"
"I have permission to use any means necessary in my search."
Arden tried to push herself up into a sitting position, but she couldn't use her arm. Her Water Elemental let out a wail like a Banshee, but only Arden could hear her. She's only seen her Undine mad once before, and the day hadn't gone well for the one that angered her.
"Sweet Goddess, Arden, you're bleeding."
She grabbed his arm and guided it to the wound. "Put pressure here."
"I'm looking up First Aid right now," Ivan said, his eyes glowing green.
"I'm afraid you don't have time for that, Mr. Westerfield. Show us the Arcane, now."
He turned his eery glowing eyes at the Cleric and said in a low voice, "If you don't get the fuck out of here I'm going to show you what a Cyber Witch can do."
"Really?" the Cleric said. "I'd like to see that."
"Perhaps that won't be necessary mate," Came a voice inside the room—only no one had actually spoken.
Arden blinked, pretty sure the pain was making her delirious. But she'd heard someone…with an accent. Sounded Irish. Maybe Scottish? Either way, it caught her attention and she looked at the other two to see which one had spoken. From the looks on their faces, they were just as surprised as she was at the sound of the voice.
"Who's there?" The Cleric said as he looked at the ceiling, and then around them.
"You think it's the Dragon?" one of the others hissed.
"You think it isn't?" came the voice again. "I'd like to chat some more, but you've injured a Lady, and I'm afraid that's just not done where I come from. So I think it's time for you to be going."
Something yanked the one standing to Arden and Ivan's left backward. It was like an invisible claw had reached in and plucked him out and then tossed him out the window. They could hear him screaming, then a sudden stop with a thwack.
The other two Clerics looked panicked—and who wouldn't? Something just possibly killed their friend.
Abruptly the Cleric on the far right did the same disappearing trick, followed by another thwack. She was pretty sure those sounds were made by bodies hitting the brick wall of the building across the street.
Now the main Cleric, the one who'd done the threatening and the shooting, aimed the gun at Ivan's head as the Cyber Witch moved himself in front of Arden. "You stop doing that right now! You've just killed two Clerics! You'll be Warlocked for that!"
"No….sorry, mate. But I don't think so." And then the last of the Clerics was flying, pulled out of the room through the open veranda. But there wasn't a thwack this time. Just the dying echo of his scream.
Ivan's shoulders didn't lower and he remained in front of Arden, whose shoulder was now burning like someone stuck a hot poker into it. He looked around as he spoke. "Very impressive. But I can see you, standing by the middle door there."
Huh? How? Arden moved a bit and looked around Ivan, but she didn't see anything. Just the roof of the building across the way.
"Aye. Figured it's got someth'n to do with the cameras." And just like that, a man appeared exactly where Ivan said he was. He was facing them, his arms crossed over his chest, and he leaned against the door frame with his shoulder. Lights came back on and illuminated his face and Arden's jaw dropped.
He was beautiful. Maybe ten years older than herself, with dark hair, streaked with gray at his temples, but she could tell it was long and pulled back into a ponytail. His face was tanned and rugged, and he smiled—no, smirked—at them. He wore an interesting outfit, consisting of
an oversized blazer with long tails, a dark shirt beneath, leather pants and boots.
"Wow," was the only thing that came out of her mouth before she hissed and slumped back on the floor.
The man's smirk disappeared as he maneuvered around the couch and approached, but Ivan held out his hand and an arc of electricity flicked from his fingertips. Arden blinked. Cyber Witches could do that? "Stay right there."
"Seriously man? Your Lady is hurt and I can help." He straightened. "I just saved you from three pretty tossed-off gents bent on making her a pincushion. I'm not here to hurt you, or her."
Ivan reached back and put his hand out. Arden took it. "It's okay Ivan."
The Cyber Witch moved back on his knees as the stranger removed his jacket, rolled it up and eased it under Arden's head. She hissed at the pain and he put a hand to her cheek. His fingers were rough and calloused. A worker's hands. And he was just as stunning up close as he'd been in the doorway. "M'Lady. I'm afraid my healing's not what it should be. My sister would be far better at this than I, so please forgive me."
Arden nodded, her gaze locked on his face. His eyes were golden, and then they were blue, or maybe green? It was hard to tell because as he moved the clothing away from the wound, storms moved in his gaze as he put his hand on her bloody shoulder. His gaze shifted up to meet hers and she felt a breeze, soft and fragrant, caress her cheek. His eyes moved as the irises swirled and she heard his voice in her mind, telling her everything would be okay—
"And what the hell are you doing here?"
Arden blinked at the sound of Tas's voice. The man remained kneeling over her, but he winked now and glanced down, indicating her shoulder. He helped her up so she could look down and—
Nothing. No blood. Not even a scratch or a hole or a bruise. Just…smooth skin. "Oh Sweet Goddess…" she heard herself say.
"Ivan you okay?" Tas was saying.
"I'm fine." Ivan stood. "In fact we both are, thanks to—"
The stranger lifted his head and filled in the blank, but he kept his eyes glued to Arden's. "Dáinn." He then offered Arden his hand and helped her stand up as well before he retrieved his jacket.
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