It yanked and twisted, finally ripping the staff out of my hands. I scrambled back, suppressing a whimper. The wolf dropped the staff and took a step forward. I sucked in a breath. Magic welled up from deep inside me, ready to create the spell.
A red ball of fur knocked the wolf off me, sending them tumbling into a nearby bush. I scrambled up, grabbed my staff, and put my back to a tree. The red wolf pinned the wolf with the yellow eyes and, with a harsh snap of its jaws, broke its spine.
It trotted over and snuffled my leg.
“Thank you, Liam.”
He nodded and took a defensive posture on my right. Through some trees, I could see Elron fighting a group of wolves. He was holding his own, but they were starting to circle him.
“Liam, go help Elron.”
Liam looked up at me and whined.
Elron sidestepped around a lunge that ended with snapping teeth and sliced open the wolf’s side. Now there were two at his back. “I’ll be fine. Help him.”
Liam turned his nose to the sky and howled for three long seconds while Elron fended off attacks. Elron slipped, landing heavily with two wolves behind him. Liam took off, and I hoped that howl was summoning other members of the pack to help.
From inside the containment spells, Hayato was smiling coldly. “Surely you didn’t think I came here without a plan?”
Four gremlins charged me. I stepped forward so I’d have room to maneuver and lashed out with the staff. The first gremlin went down and two more tripped over him. Repeating the move that had worked earlier, I started a heavy swing, caught a gremlin with the end of the staff, and sent him into the trees.
“You know what they say about plans,” I called back as I whacked another gremlin into the woods.
“Oh, Michelle, believe me, if any plan will falter in the first engagement, it will be yours.”
“We”—I paused as I hit the last two gremlins, both of them rolling into the bushes—“will see about that.”
His smile stilled. A voice filled the air around me, low and seductive. For a moment I couldn’t hear the rest of the battle, just that voice. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Come, talk to me. We can reach a truce.”
I shook my head, trying to make it go away. I didn’t want to hear that. I told myself he was lying. I told myself I knew demons couldn’t be trusted. They didn’t help people, only hurt them. Tiffany’s bruised and discolored face flashed through my mind.
Opening my eyes, I gave Hayato a feral grin. “No. I’m going to kill you or die trying.”
“Then I hope you enjoy death.” This time his smile sent chills down my skin.
A shrunken form loped out of the woods. Even from where I was, I caught a whiff of the putrid odor of decay. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a skeleton with flesh hanging off its bones and entrails draping over the waistband of its pants. A ghoul—just what I needed on top of everything else. With the way my luck had been going, this would be one that was extra hard to kill. If I weren’t so worried about conserving magic because I didn’t want to waste the demon’s bane, I’d spell the ghoul so it could be dealt with later.
As fast as it was moving, I needed to pick a strategy, and quickly. Fight it off with the staff and tire myself physically or use magic and waste demon’s-bane-infused power. As I was about to dismiss my staff, Julius dropped out of the sky, landing between the ghoul and me.
“I will dispose of this abomination. You need to start the spells.” Julius’s haunches bunched and he sprang at the ghoul. The two of them tumbled into the trees. I hoped Julius remembered that we needed him here for the spells.
Behind me I heard a voice cutting through the battle sounds. “Hold the line and keep pressing forward,” Ethel bellowed. She was surprisingly loud for someone her age.
Paxton, a blur as he zipped through the air, cleared a path in front of Ethel. Baden, currently a giant tiger, used his paws with a quick efficiency that spoke to practice. I was pathetically grateful Baden was on our side.
Elron jogged over, blood streaking his clothing. Liam trotted behind him, ears swiveling, tongue out as he panted.
“Have you been injured?” Elron looked me over, his eyes lingering on the patches of dirt.
“I’m fine. You?” I glanced at Liam. “And you?”
Liam shook out his fur.
“Neither of us sustained any injury of note.” Elron’s gaze drifted over to Hayato. “Why were there two of him?”
“You know, as talkative as he’s been, he hasn’t volunteered that bit of information. I’d guess it has to do with his detaching-head ability.” Which was a trick I’d have to research after this was finished.
“Forward,” I heard Ethel order.
A wolf slunk out of the bushes to my right. Liam was on it before it had a chance to attack. Another knot of gremlins charged me. Elron finished them off in a few swipes of his sword. I never even had to use my staff.
Elron returned to my side. “Are you ready?”
“I think so.” I took a deep breath. There were risks, both big and small, including burning myself out or dying, but this was still worth it. Not only had Amber asked me to kill all the demons, but I wanted to. It would be the closest I could come to justice for Tiffany. Plus it would mean I could live the rest of life without worrying about the next demon.
“You can do this.” He cupped my cheek. “Do not get so lost in the work you forget about me or the rest of us. We are here for you. We will do our best to ease the burden.”
I nodded. “I’m determined, not suicidal. I have every intention of finishing this and setting that wedding date.”
His lips found mine, and for an instant it was just the two of us. Then he pulled back, eyes tender and concerned. “I will hold you to that.” Elron tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and went back to the battle, cutting his way through a group of gremlins.
A line of werewolves formed around me. Ethel stood there, shoulders square, glaring at me. “Never run away from your troop. No matter the emergency, stay with your allies and work together. All this preparation would have been for nothing without you.”
“Sorry.” I blushed. “I’m not used to having a small army on my side.”
“Clearly.” Ethel whistled sharply. “Time to get in place.”
Dad handed me the pack with the prewritten spells and the demon’s-bane-infused water. “You’ve got this.”
I stabbed the staff into the ground and grabbed one of the bottles of water. Uncapping it, I took a swig. It didn’t taste bad, but I could tell it was more than water. When I’d managed to get through half the bottle, I set it on the ground. All the witches around me were making faces as they drained theirs, so I wasn’t the only one who didn’t enjoy the beverage.
The fighting had died down for a moment. There were bodies of gremlins and wolves everywhere. Julius was back, rubbing his claws on the grass to clean the blood off, so I figured we were safe from the ghoul. I risked a glance at Hayato. The cold smile was still there. This assault had only been part of his plan, I was sure of it.
Mom, Dad, and Ethel took their places behind me. It was time. I pulled the heavy necklace out from under my shirt. The two medallions were together on the chain, the full moon portion I usually wore sitting inside Elron’s crescent moon to make a circle. I rubbed my finger on the edge of the metal, and it took on a faint glow.
I picked up the folder of spells, hooked my elbow around the staff so I had something to lean on, opened the cover, and looked at the long lines of runes. First Mom, then Dad, and finally Ethel rested their hands on my shoulders and neck. Power started flowing into me. It started as a trickle but soon became a roaring river. It swirled around inside me, jostling and looking for a way out.
With my wand in my right hand, I started reading and activating runes, building a spell. “Here before me is a demon in human skin. Medallions of Varro, identify this demon and those like him. Single them out and allow this spell to follow so the earth may be forever rid of this bli
ght.”
The medallions stopped glowing, but through the shirt I could feel the heat they produced. Moments passed with the medallions getting warmer the entire time. They went from using their own magic to pulling from me. I felt the energy draw stabilize, and a bell-like tone filled the air for a second and then was gone.
“I have more clans contributing.” Ethel’s voice was tense. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I took a steadying breath. Power thundered into me. It was swirling around, fiery and insistent that it needed somewhere to go. It demanded release.
“Find the medallions. Find the spell they hold. Follow the path they have laid out for you. See the individuals they have identified. Focus on them. Create a spell around them, one that allows nothing in and will hold under the heaviest of blows.” Magic flowed out of me, taking my breath away. There were not a few demons left but dozens or more.
One of the witches pressed a water bottle against my lips, and I gulped. Not only was this as difficult as running a race, but I needed to keep an ample supply of demon’s bane in my system.
“Are you ready?” I asked my parents and Ethel.
They answered by increasing the magic they fed to me. It roared through me, ready to be used.
“Amplify the demon’s bane. Ensure the tainted spirit has been paralyzed.” My eyes found the next part of the spell, but I hesitated. I had no problem killing demons, but the hosts were innocent. I hated to kill them simply because a demon had chosen them to be a host.
The medallions yanked energy from me. The arm I’d looped around the staff was all that kept me on my feet. The words on the page twisted and morphed. The medallions smoothed over the spells, improving rough spots and giving me a way to kill the demons without killing the host. Smiling grimly, I continued. “Cleave the tainted spirit from the flesh. Take every part that the medallions’ spell has identified and pull it to the side. Create a containment spell around it, one that allows nothing in or out, one that will withstand the heaviest of blows and the fiercest of magics.”
Now the power was rushing out of me almost as fast as it was coming in, but the most difficult part of the spell was yet to come and I didn’t have the power to fuel it. “More! Give me all the magic.”
This time it wasn’t fiery or hot, it was simply a wave of pain. I shouldn’t be holding this much magic, never mind trying to focus and direct it. Tears leaked from my eyes. I could do this. I had to do this.
Opening my eyes, I saw nothing but brilliant white light. I was a beacon of magic, and my eyes couldn’t adjust. With no other way, I would have to do the spell from memory and hope I got it right.
“Summon flames—” I screamed as something stabbed into my leg. I could feel it moving, cutting through muscle and scraping against bone. The magic rolled inside me, needing to be channeled into the spell. Someone yanked the blade out of my leg, leaving me breathless and crumpling to the ground.
My eyes were open, searching for who had done this to me, but all I could see was white, as if I’d looked into the sun and burned my eyes. My hands groped along my leg, terrified of what I would find, but there was nothing there. My leg was whole, without any cuts or blood.
I could hear voices, but they were far away and the magic filling every part of my mind didn’t want to understand the words. “We’re under attack.”
“Keep her upright—don’t let them attack her again.”
“Where’s it coming from?”
Then, soft and much closer, “Focus, Michelle. You can do this.”
A knife plunged into my other leg. I wasn’t even sure if I screamed, but I could feel strong arms around me. The magic thrashed and lunged forward, trying to complete the spell I’d started. Some of it got away from me and I felt a fire erupt.
“Put the flames out!”
“Hold on to the magic.” The soft voice was back. I knew that voice. It was important to me. “Finish this and we can set a wedding date.”
The magic pulled back for a moment. Elron, my love. I was doing this for him, for us. I had to do this for all of us.
“Summon flames hotter than—” I felt a blade hit me in the abdomen, break my skin, and slice through my gut. This was it. I was going to fail. I was going to die.
It stopped, having gone almost to my spine. Then, in one horrible motion, it twisted. The blade sliced through me and the pain overwhelmed everything. I couldn’t even feel the magic that had obscured all my senses of the world. I couldn’t hear the people around me. All I could feel was pain and heat.
“Put those flames out before we cook!” The voice wasn’t soft or kind now, and I really wished I knew if it was talking to me.
“Calm, elf. She won’t hurt you.” There was a pause. “I can keep them from spreading, but as long as she’s under attack, there’s too much magic and she can’t control it.”
“Found the sorceress.” There was a pause.
“Can you neutralize her, Greg?”
“My pleasure.” His voice was filled with equal parts eagerness and determination. “Got her.”
The pain faded. There wasn’t a gaping wound in my abdomen. My internal organs weren’t shredded. It still hurt, as if my body didn’t believe the trauma had been fake.
“Control it, Michelle.” The voice was back.
I knew what it wanted, but I had no idea how. Within my body, I could feel the maelstrom of magic inside me, swirling and tearing at the very fabric of my being. My mind struggled to corral the magic. I had never been designed to hold on to this much power. Rather than me controlling it, I was urging it in a particular shape, trying to bend it by nipping at the edges.
It calmed enough for me to feel the spells. Fires hot enough to melt steel raged around me. I quelled them with a thought.
“Good. Now finish the spell.”
I wanted to tell the voice I couldn’t focus, that there was too much magic and more was pouring it, but the words wouldn’t come.
Lances of pain drilled into my temples. I had to control it or it would control me. I had to finish the spells. My hand convulsed on the staff, and a cool wave crashed into the power inside me.
For a moment there was clarity. I got my feet under me and was supporting myself. The spell lines were clear, and I knew what came next. My confidence was rising. I could do this. I could hold up my end of the bargain. The magic pulsed as though it was agreeing with me. I also remembered why I had been in such a hurry to finish these spells. There were dangers to holding on to this much magic, or touching it at all. The pain could be the magic burning away the parts of me that used and manipulated energy.
I took a deep breath, focused my thoughts, and was ready to begin the rest of the spell when I felt dark threads creeping into the magic. They felt wrong, like death where life should be. I followed them, through the magic, back to where my hand was clutching the staff. They flowed down into the earth, entering the roots of trees.
“Elron, he’s poisoned the forest, like what we found before, but worse.”
Dark thoughts crept into my brain. You’re doing this wrong, they whispered. Free the spirits, give them the ability to reproduce. Give them new life.
“It’s going to corrupt the spell. You have to stop it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” My breaths were ragged as I fought against the insidious thoughts. “Go. Heal the forest.”
I felt his lips press against my temple. Then he was gone.
One finger at a time, I pried my hand off the staff. The dark threads clung to me, stretching like taffy. With a hot slash of magic, I burned them to a crisp. Turning my attention inside, I forced the magic into molten-hot lava. Hayato’s taint burned away.
Taking a deep breath, I refocused. “In the containment spells, where the spirits lie paralyzed, create a fire that will burn in air and spirit. Make it hot enough to consume anything within the confines of the spell. Burn until the spirit is gone. Burn.”
“Target the spirit near me last. Only when all
others have been burned may this one ignite.” Magic gushed out of me. I could feel fires erupting. One was very close. I assumed that was the other half of Hayato. Another felt like it was in a nearby county. Then I felt them spring to life across the country and eventually across the world.
With the rapid movement through me, the magic didn’t have as much time to injure me. Somewhat less energy was flowing into me, which matched the reduced pace of the magic I was expending. Finally I felt Hayato catch on fire. It was time for the last part of the spell.
The earth rolled under me. A wave of magic hit me. I folded over, only the three hands along my shoulders preventing me from falling to the ground. I had to maintain contact with them. If that connection was broken, it could hurt them and I wouldn’t have the power to finish the spell.
The magic was fiery again, rolling and waving. I wouldn’t be able to hold it long. I had to finish the spell. I had to. “When the fires have used their fuel, allow the medallions to again check for the spirits. Should they discover a spirit, repeat the spells.” I gasped for breath. Only a little more. “If they find nothing, release the human, release the shield around what you have burned, and let air scatter the ashes to the four winds.”
I kept forcing magic down my arm and through my wand. The spell tugged at the power, trying to do as I asked but needing more. I shoved energy at the spell, willing it to work, not only here but everywhere.
The light around me was so bright it rendered my eyelids useless. The magic fought me, trying to break free. I held on to it, determined to see this through. The inside of my mind was raw, but I kept shoving power at the spells. The demons had to die, and the best way was for me to remove a blight from the earth.
I repeated that to myself over and over as the pain grew and the spell kept dragging at me. Just a little longer.
The earth pushed at me, but I blocked it, afraid it would still have tainted magic. The thunderous roar of power slowed. Mom dropped the link. I could feel the fires going out, first the ones far away, then the ones closer and closer to me.
A Witch’s Demons (Witch's Path Series: Book 6) Page 19