Absolute Magic

by Stephany Wallace

  “The Dimora Sul Mare. This was the mansion where my family lived until the early 18th century, when they came to America. It has been vacant ever since. That bastard used it to hide with his so-called leaders and soldiers. That’s where Caesar is hiding Leigh." His hands fisted. "I don't know the layout of that place. We never traveled there. It’s the perfect trap."

  "It’s not much of a tactic but we will have to go in there blind. We better prepare for the worse," John said, motioning the guys to follow him with a nod. He reached the back wall and opened a closet talking out all kinds of artillery from it. It was obvious these guys had prepared for the day they'd need to do full combat.

  I guess that day was today.

  My gaze returned to the Court, and I let out a deep breath holding Cyn's hand. "I know what I'm asking you all to risk today, and I don't do it lightly, but still I have to ask. We began this journey together, and although I would want to see it end with you by our side, I understand if you have more valuable things to protect."

  My gaze went to Lia. She seemed so troubled. Art stood behind her, his arm around her waist. “I think we need to do this without you, a chuisle. I should take you home,” he said gently.

  “I agree with him,” I added. Lia nodded gripping the hand Art rested on her belly. Her eyes filled with regret.

  “I’m sorry, linda. I really wanted to help…”

  “No.” I shook my head and stepped closer to her. “There is no need to apologize. This mission just became ten times more dangerous, and I won’t have my nephew in the middle of it.”

  “You think it’s a boy?” Lia asked, hopeful.

  I shrugged. “We have enough with you as it is. Imagine a mini Lia.”

  She chuckled. “You are lucky I love you. Good luck.”

  I kissed her cheek a moment before Art took her through the portal, and my gaze went to Seima. Tears welled in her eyes.

  "I know my duty as a Warrior is to my High Priests, and I would give my life for you, yet I was given a gift so great the mere idea of losing it destroys me." The tears escaped her while she looked straight into my eyes. "I am sorry to fail you."

  I shook my head and hugged her tightly. "It is impossible for you to fail us, Seima. Your duty now is with your child. Don't worry about us. Cyn is strong; he's got this."

  She chuckled, and another tear escaped her. I could feel her distress at having to leave us, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her and the baby.

  "I will return." Cathair vowed, taking her to the village.

  A moment later a new portal opened, and Art walked back in followed by Ronan and Eghan in full Warrior gear. "Lia sent you her babysitters to help you." Art offered as Ronan and Eghan grinned.

  They were taking care of Hayes while Art and Lia joined us; Ronan had also taken the opportunity to assess his mental estate after being captured for so many centuries. He was doing the same with the rest of the people we rescued. My gaze fell on John, Ralph, Shark, and the others.

  “Guys, these are my friends Ronan and Eghan. They are a couple of our best Warriors, here to help in Lia and Seima’s place.” The guys nodded reciting their nicknames as though they were in the military still.

  “Hey,” Slate said with a half smirk eyeing Eghan’s body a little too intently. He was blatantly checking him out.

  “They are also married,” I added a bit uncomfortable.

  “Oh,” Slate said, the smile fading and Eghan laughed. Loudly.

  “Are we ready?” John asked, ignoring the others and it was back to business.

  “Did you see which room they have him in?” Kevan asked looking at Eisha.

  She and I exchanged a glance. “No, I was not able.”

  John let out a heavy sigh just as Cathair returned with five of our shield Warriors. They bowed their heads to Cyn and I but remained silent. "Then I'm afraid we have to go in through the main door, take out whoever we find, and begin searching each level until we locate him.”

  "If I may," Shark interrupted. "I suggest you allow me, the guys and your shield warriors to take on the Romans full on, while you—Kevan and the Court—help the High Priests search the mansion for Leigh. I think dividing into three groups is our best shot here. Even if we are taken down, you will still be able to get to Leigh and complete your mission."

  Cyn took a deep breath as he looked at the teams, and the unease rushed through us while he considered Shark's suggestion. His protective side didn't feel comfortable with splitting us, but he was also an intelligent Warrior Leader, and he would know what the best strategy was. There were seventeen freaking SEAL Team Six and Delta Force men here, plus our shield Warriors. I was sure they could handle their own, and they would be the largest group, which meant they would call more attention and we might be able to slip through and find Leigh.

  Cyn nodded, finally agreeing to the proposal.

  “Your Court remains with you, High Priests. So will Eghan and Ronan. As far as my group, getting the support from your shield warriors will give us the extra power we need. We easily outrank the Romans in skill and weapons. I assure you we’ll be fine. The Romans don’t have magic so it’ll be a day at the park for all of us.” Shark smiled at me. He could see we were worried.

  "We'll arrive together, and after we engage them, we'll create enough of a diversion for you to be on your way," John added.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Kevan pointed to the mansion in the monitor. He pulled up an old image of the foyer.

  I nodded, the light shooting from my Spear of Light as the men got into formation before us. The teams looked like a pyramid, where John was the head. Art and Cathair were in front of Cyn and I, Kevan and Eisha were at our side, Ronan and Eghan stood behind us, and our shield warriors followed. Everyone was ready with weapons in hand.

  The next moment we arrived at the Sicilian mansion.

  Kevan was right; this was a planned ambush. They anticipated we would find this place, and there were over thirty armed soldiers in the entrance waiting for us. Before they could even blink, I slammed my staff against the ground, and the light shot out like a wave, temporarily blinding them—another skill curtsey of Grandpa's lullaby. The guys moved forwards in unison, shooting the paralyzing bullets into the Romans. They fell like flies, just as the second wave of soldiers rushed out of the hallways around us. This place was like a maze. Cathair, Art, Eisha, Ronan, Kevan, and Eghan turned around fighting the soldiers coming at us from each side, just as our shield took care of the ones pouring in from the main door behind us.

  This wasn’t working according to plan. Their attack was organized. I could give them that.

  I looked all around us, trying to find a hall we could use, through the mayhem of bullets and arrows as Cyn immobilized more soldiers coming down the stairs. I didn’t have time for this. Grabbing Cyn’s hand, I used our combined energy and felt the magic rush through us. It connected with my Fairy Crown, the silver Fairy thread on our robes, and my Minastra GalIsacura Arthulis. When the end of my staff connected with the ground this time, the blast blew everyone back. They went crashing against the walls and ceiling, some even ending up on the stairs and bent over the railings. The guys took the opportunity to fan out around us shooting at the ones who appeared out of the blue but their numbers where dwindling.

  "To your right!" Slate shouted, and I whirled around finally seeing an opening. He threw a special grenade at the next group of Romans rushing towards us and turned. "We got this. Go!" The weapon exploded shooting off a liquid of some kind that sent the soldiers down screaming and writhing in pain. He and the guys moved forward, firing like an organized war machine, while our shield warriors broke through the door fighting their way out.

  Art and Cathair pushed us forward guiding us through the hall. Midway in, we saw a fork ahead. There was a set of stairs going down into the dungeons and another going up.

  "Upstairs!" A young woman shouted, and Eisha reacted guiding us up. Had that been Asrhia's voice?

>   I didn't have time to wonder as a group of soldiers intercepted us. I whirled around hitting the one to my right with my staff. A jolt of electricity rushed through him, and he fell unconscious while Cyn shot three paralyzing arrows into the ones behind us. Cathair and Art fought sword to sword with another up to our left. I shot a ray of light blowing another one down the stairs at the same time that Eisha jumped, wrapping her thighs around another one's neck. She swung herself forward slamming the man to the ground. We continued, running as we left the others on the floor. When we hit the third floor, we saw two hallways.

  “Go left!”

  This time I looked over my shoulder as Eisha took us left and saw Asrhia far behind us, only no one else had seen her. A guard appeared to her right, and she whirled around shooting a ball of energy from her bare hand into his chest. My eyes widened, but there wasn’t time to dissect it as Cyn pulled me forwards. We ran through the hallway, it turned into a bridge to the other side of the mansion. It was open to the surroundings, and the sky above us was dark while its lighting struck the earth on the island.

  The wind picked up speed, and I suddenly realized something. The lightning around us was purple just like Asrhia's ball of light. Grunts and screams came from underneath us. The guys and our warriors were fighting the Romans on the gardens below us, following our path to the other side of the house. I shot a couple with my staff helping them.

  We went into the other wing of the Sicilian mansion and found six guards rushing towards us. Art and Kevan moved forward together. Their blades swirled in the air, as they stood back to back and fought in unison—like I had seen Ronan and Eghan do before. I gazed at Eisha shocked, but there was no time to think. She jumped and kicked a new guard in the face. He fell with a thud.

  She nodded towards a door. “Whatever lays behind there is important. They will do anything to stop us from getting in.”

  The back of her axe connected harshly with another soldier's head. I looked around us, assessing the situation. Aside from the guards who were probably inside the room, the only other way they could get to us was through the stairs ahead—where they were pouring out at the moment—and from the pathway we just took, where Ronan and Eghan were already fighting them back.

  I looked at Cyn and held his hand pointing my Spear of Light towards the stairway.

  “Channel my essence, and we can give Eisha and the others a chance to go into the room and rescue Leigh.”

  Cyn looked into my eyes as the weight of my request fell on him. He had channeled Grandpa and Leigh's essence that day at the beach, to make all of his Druid family immortal. Essentially, he was using my light, stealing it in a way, and I knew it was killing him even to consider it, but it was our only choice. I knew it would weaken me—which I couldn't afford at the moment—so I prayed to the Goddess that our connection helped us remain strong.

  He finally nodded, and I breathed. We looked at the others as they immobilized their latest attackers. "Go into the room and clear it. Save Leigh while we hold them back. Go!" Art looked at us horrified as a new group of soldiers appeared on the other side of the walkway.

  “That’s an order, Brother. Go!”

  Art’s jaw worked as he took off towards the room with the others, Cyn and I stood in the middle of the rotunda. My Spear of Light pointed to the stairs while his left hand lifted, aiming to the bridge. I expected to feel the pull as Cyn channeled my essence. Instead, a rush of energy hit us both when we connected, and a magnified ray of light shot out of my staff blocking the access from the stairs. The light, in turn, shot out of Cyn's palm as though it was traveling through a crystal, blocking the entrance from the bridge.

  The energy flowed through us with ease, astounding us. Cyn's hand tightened around mine, our fingers intertwined and locked the energy. The soldiers ricochet against the light force while they tried to penetrate it, but we held it firmly. Screams, gunshots, and moans of agony escaped from the room ahead, and I wondered if we made a mistake sending the others in. Should we be inside protecting them, helping them get Leigh?

  I got my answer. Bright purple rays of energy shot out from within the dark door on the other end of the pathway, shocking the Romans who were trying to penetrate our shield. I didn't see a face, but I didn't need to. I knew who was helping us. What I didn't know was how Asrhia was even doing this. She was an Ovate, just like Eisha, how did she have these powers too?

  The last man fell to the ground unconscious on the bridge, and soon gunshots sounded at our right, immobilizing the men on the stairs. They fell backwards rolling down. Our light shield receded as John, Slate, Shark and the others jumped over the bodies, rushing up the stairs and joining us.

  “Who is capable of such thing?” Cyn asked gawking at the guards spread throughout the bridge. I pulled him forward.

  “I’ll tell you later. Let’s go.”

  We rushed through the door, and the scene inside made me scream. The guys ran passed me joining the fight as my horror-stricken eyes focused on Leigh. He lay naked, and unconscious on the floor over a pool of his own blood. His hands and feet were bound, and his body was set in awkward angles, a couple of bones protruding from his skin at different places. It looked as though his whole body was fractured. Tears lined my cheeks when I saw his slashed face. Kevan kneeled beside him, pouring his healing energy into him, his tears escaped like mine, surely feeling Leigh’s pain.

  “No!” I screamed and rushed towards them falling on my knees over the blood. My hands trembled as I pulled the cloak from my chest and laid it over Leigh’s hips, covering him. “No, please. You can’t die. I’m so sorry.” I cried as new thunder rolled from the sky outside, and a storm erupted. My gaze went over his sliced face and arms, a sob caught in my throat. "I should have come sooner. I should have done more." A Roman soldier fell stiff beside me, and a man's roar filled the air.

  "This isn't over!" He yelled when my eyes connected with his. I had no doubts about who he was. Caesar. Aurelio stood beside him slowly pulling him towards a back door that led to an extensive terrace, visible through the window. "You can have your miserable Druids; you can even have Leigh because it doesn't matter. I will kill you all! Today you win, but tomorrow I will have the upper hand." He looked like a madman.

  I stood and walked towards him. "Does this look like winning to you?!" I gestured at Leigh and his men lying lifeless on the floor. Apparently, there wasn’t another option in here. "Don't you care about the lives of your soldiers? Of your Roman family? Look at them as they bleed for you?!" I shouted with tears in my eyes. "You want a chance to kill us? Fine! I'll find you and bring an end to the reign of terror that you have cultivated all these years. You can bring all your men, every soldier who is willing to lay down his life for someone who doesn't give a damn, bring every weapon you have, I don't care. I vow to you it won't be enough."

  I pointed my staff to the door, and a ray shot out if it, breaking it open, the winds from the raging storm swept in.

  “Go now, run. Cyn and I were born with a purpose, and I assure you with my grandfather and the Goddess as my witnesses, we will fulfill it. Whatever it takes.”

  The sound of a helicopter reached us as it landed on what I thought had been a terrace. Caesar and Aurelius ran out, boarding it and disappeared as we watched.

  I whirled around and kneeled in front of Leigh again. I reached for him but pulled my hand back to wanting to hurt him. Kevan's face strained as he gave everything he had to help him. The slashes on Leigh's face and arms were gone, the visible injuries on his body had healed, and he had stopped bleeding. However, although his arms and legs were now straight and no bones were visible, his torso was still twisted.

  A scream of pain, rage, and anguish erupted from Kevan as his body bent over Leigh's. He was spent and couldn't heal him anymore. I covered my mouth to stop the sobs as Cyn removed the cuffs from Leigh's hands and feet. Everyone remained silent around us, taking in the sight. This couldn't be the end. This couldn't be the way Leigh would be forced to l
ive the rest of his life... paralyzed from the neck down. His eyes fluttered open and his weak gaze swept over us, as it reached Cyn he began to cry.

  "I'm sorry. I am so sorry." He sobbed, and my heart tore. Cyn held his hands with tears of his own.

  "No. No need to repent. You are family, Leigh. I'm the one who is remorseful. In my pain from losing my Father, I took yours away from you, and that was never my intention. I always saw you as my brother, and I truly hope you can forgive me." Leigh shook his head, but Cyn didn't let him speak. "It is all right. That is forgotten. You are safe now. You shall be well in no time."

  “I no longer feel my body,” Leigh whispered scared. The agony poured out of every word.

  I looked at Kevan. The light was dissipating from his hands as he struggled to continue healing him. Kevan's gaze locked with Cyn and I and in that instant, it was as though we could read his mind. Cyn held my hand and Kevan reached for me. His other palm cradled Leigh's neck at the base of his spine, and when he closed his eyes, Cyn and I poured all our energy into him.

  A ragged scream left Kevan's lips and his body shook with the assault of power rushing through him. He transmuted the energy into healing, pushing it into Leigh's spine. Soon, Leigh's screams joined Kevan's. The tears streamed down my face as I felt weaker and weaker each second, but Cyn and I didn't stop sending our energy into him.

  Leigh’s body trembled as the vertebras slid back into place, mending and fusing the bones together, unfortunately for Leigh, there wasn’t time for a pain-blocking spell. His horrifying screams continued as the agony rippled through him.

  Several minutes later Kevan let go of us, and the room spun violently on me. Eisha caught me, and I realized she'd been sitting behind me all this time. When my gaze focused on Leigh, he was unconscious again, yet his back was straight against the stone floor. Kevan tried to stand but fell sideways.