Demon Witch (The Ternion Order Book 2)

by Daniel R. Marvello

  As if her distress had summoned him, Blackstone appeared in front of Tanya and placed his right palm on her forehead. The image reminded Amanda of a tent evangelist conducting a healing. The young witch closed her eyes and swallowed hard. When he took his hand away, she opened her eyes and returned his encouraging smile with a thankful one. When Amanda checked to see if Kyle had witnessed the exchange, his raised eyebrow communicated his own intrigue.

  More than ever, Amanda wanted to know what kind of powers Blackstone possessed. The man deflected every question in a way that discouraged further inquiry. It wasn’t like he was being rude or mysterious, simply private. Noreen might know his secrets, but she ignored questions about Blackstone and whatever past they might have shared. Both of them had to know that their secrecy was breeding all sorts of wild rumors. In the absence of information, people make up stories. But neither Blackstone nor Noreen seemed to care.

  Blackstone returned to the front of the column. Seconds later, everyone started forward.

  The trail they followed was well trodden, but irritatingly overgrown. To deer and wolves, it was probably a leafy tunnel. For the intruding humans, making progress was an irritating exercise of walking stooped over and avoiding the slap of branches swept aside by the person ahead. Amanda guessed that the rustle and swish of their march through the woods announced their presence to every forest denizen within a hundred yards.

  After a short distance, the path angled away from the perimeter and took them to within a hundred feet of the Foundation. The team stopped just before the trail exited the forest and melded into the pathways around the building.

  Amanda made her way to the front of the line. As the Team Three leader, she would coordinate with Blackstone and Jonathan, leaders of teams One and Two, respectively. When Blackstone gave a thumbs-up signal, she and Jonathan duplicated it. Everyone was ready. Blackstone pointed at his watch and flashed the fingers of his right hand twice. They would all approach the building in ten minutes, which would give Jonathan’s team enough time to reach his target entry point on the opposite side.

  Jonathan eased back through the line collecting the rest of his team as he went. Jessie, Tanya, and one of the tactical hunters followed him into the forest toward the back of the building.

  Amanda moved back to where Kyle waited for her with Joel, another of the tactical hunters.

  Blackstone would lead the remaining team members, including Noreen and the last two tactical hunters.

  On Amanda’s signal, Joel took the lead, scouting a path through the forest that would take them closer to the Foundation’s east wing.

  The walk didn’t take long. Within about two minutes, Amanda was peeking through the trees at the two doorways she had to choose from. According to the blueprint, the door on the right entered a huge dining room near the kitchen and was closer to the building’s central atrium section. The door on the left also entered the dining room, but it was at the end of the wing right next to a stairway that went up to the second floor. Unless she saw good reason to do otherwise, her intent was to choose the stairway door so her team could sneak upstairs.

  When they’d gone over the plans with Blackstone earlier, Kyle observed that the Foundation’s architect designed the place with two exits for every area of the building. It seemed like a reasonable safety precaution, but it made the building more vulnerable from a security standpoint. The Order’s rescue team were hoping to exploit that vulnerability.

  The sun hadn’t made much progress above the horizon, so many of the Foundation’s interior lights were still on. Amanda watched for activity while keeping an eye on the time. Thanks to the remote and private location, none of the common-area windows had curtains or blinds.

  The earpiece Jonathan had assigned her crackled, and she cupped her hand over her ear to block out ambient sounds. The noise was followed by silence. Random static? Or a sign of trouble? She wasn’t familiar enough with the device to know how common it was to get interference.

  Her wristwatch showed that the allotted ten minutes had passed. Jonathan’s team should have reached the other side of the building. Right on schedule, she heard footsteps on the gravel garden path as Blackstone’s team headed for the front door.

  Blackstone’s objective was to appear at the front door and demand Cara’s release, luring Marcella and her henchman Cyrus into the entryway area of the atrium. Amanda’s team would flank the entryway by going through the east wing. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s rescue team would sneak into the basement through a stairwell located in the west wing.

  But they didn’t dare enter the building until they knew that Marcella had taken the bait. When Blackstone greeted her by name, that would be the signal for Amanda and Jonathan to enter the building.

  Amanda was about to signal her team to cross the open distance between the edge of the forest and the building when Fenris Kellen limped through the dining room and disappeared into the kitchen. Damn. If he happened to leave the kitchen at just the right time, he might see them approaching the building or encounter them as they went in.

  Amanda waited for a moment. Fenris might leave the kitchen immediately if he was only there to get a cup of coffee. If he was after something more, she’d probably have time to cross. After a long fifteen seconds, she decided to risk it.

  Amanda gave Joel the signal to move. She and Kyle followed him, stalking forward in a crouch and using the low garden shrubs as cover. Fenris was still in the kitchen when they reached the door. As long as they hugged the building, he wouldn’t be able to see them through the dining-room windows.

  Through her earpiece and as a delayed echo in her other ear, Amanda heard Blackstone knock on the front door. It was almost time to go in.

  She gently tried the handle of the door and discovered it was locked. She’d expected that. Gripping the door lever tightly, she fingered her pentagram earring with her free hand and softly started an incantation.

  She faltered before she’d managed more than a couple of phrases. The subtle sense of building energy that normally accompanied a spell casting was missing. Momentarily confused, Amanda wondered if Marcella had set up some kind of ward or trap that prevented the casting of magic. At the same time, her energy started to drain as if she had cast the spell. It was an eerie sensation, like having her car suddenly speed up even though she hadn’t pressed on the accelerator.

  When the feeling passed, she looked down at the pendant. One of the other witches must have cast a spell. Noreen said that the entire coven was connected and that any one of them could tap into the collective pool of power. Based on the way her own spell had been interrupted, Amanda guessed that the artifact allowed only one of them to cast at a time. Noreen should have warned them about that.

  Amanda started her incantation again. The second time, the power flowed effortlessly. Too effortlessly. The lock made a loud click from the telekinetic force she applied to the interior turn button. As Noreen had mentioned, drawing power through the Resonance Star was like working with her coven in a circle, so she’d have to adjust the oomph she put into her spells accordingly.

  Amanda paused and glanced questioningly at Kyle, who was keeping an eye on the kitchen door through the window. Had Fenris heard the click of the lock? Kyle gave her a thumbs-up.

  The seconds dragged on while Amanda waited. Finally, Blackstone’s voice spoke through the earpiece. “Hello Marcella.”

  Chapter 23

  Helpless

  “My poor Skyler,” Rutlinger said in a whisper as he knelt by the broken body of his friend and co-conspirator. He didn’t dare touch her because every inch of her body appeared to be bruised or broken. She shook from the pain of her injuries, and Rutlinger wasn’t sure her healing abilities were up to the task of returning her to health. She needed food and comfortable rest. More comfortable than the small sleeping pad that cushioned her from the cold, hard concrete floor.

  “What did you do to her?” a fearful voice queried from the opposite corner of the room.

&
nbsp; “This is Marcella’s work,” Rutlinger responded. He turned to the young witch who cowered away from his gaze. “What happened when they brought her down here?”

  “It was the lawyer,” she answered. “He stomped in here and yelled at me to move off the pad.” She gingerly touched a bruise on her cheek. “I wasn’t fast enough for him.”

  Rutlinger moved a lock of hair away from Skyler’s face. She opened one swollen eye and moaned but didn’t focus on him. For the first time, he wondered if lupusdaemon healing powers could be a curse rather than a blessing. A human would have died from the injuries within minutes if not instantly. With so much damage to repair at once, her recuperation would be slow and excruciating. Given the lack of proper medical care, it was unlikely her recovery would be complete. She’d probably seek a new body as soon as she was able.

  The thought gave him pause. Glancing over at the witch, he narrowed his eyes. Yes. Marcella would be that cruel. She had dumped Skyler in with the witch hoping it wasn’t too late for Vollmondritus. Had Skyler been subdued enough by the near-fatal beating to swear allegiance to Marcella in thanks for a second chance in a new body? Marcella’s twisted mind probably expected that. And she might be correct.

  He wasn’t sure what time it was, but it had to be near dawn. Being in the basement extended the window of opportunity, but soon the sun would erase any chance for Vollmondritus until the next full moon. Skyler was far too weak to take the young witch on her own.

  Rutlinger turned a speculative gaze toward the witch. She seemed to sense what he was thinking and squirmed, packing herself tighter into the corner. She shook her head in denial of the horror he contemplated.

  Under other circumstances, he wouldn’t have hesitated. However, the last thing he needed was to create another pawn for Marcella. If he could be sure Skyler would credit him with her rescue from agony, he would give her the witch in a heartbeat. But Skyler was the newest and weakest member of the Selkirk Pack, and he couldn’t be sure her loyalty to him would survive Marcella’s intimidation.

  He was still debating the situation when the door to the storage room opened. Turning slowly, he expected to see Marcella or Cyrus checking up on him. Instead, he found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle.

  Chapter 24

  Wards

  After Blackstone’s cue to move out, Amanda gave Kyle a quick glance to verify that Fenris was still occupied in the kitchen. He gave her a nod of confirmation, and she signaled Joel to lead on.

  As the door cracked open, the loud rumble of a full blender explained why Fenris hadn’t reacted to the lock click or the knock at the front door. She was impressed at how thoroughly the thick walls of the Foundation had muffled the loud noise and amused herself wondering what kind of smoothie a werewolf would make. Probably best not to speculate.

  Amanda followed Joel through the door. Keeping an eye toward the kitchen, she evaluated their options. They had originally planned to sneak through the living room and position themselves at the far end where the east wing connected to the entryway. But that would put Fenris behind them. The contingency plan was to go upstairs and come down into the atrium. If they didn’t get caught along the way, the route would drop them behind everyone in the entryway.

  The noise of the blender stopped. They had to get out of sight immediately, so Amanda motioned toward the stairs. Joel nodded his acknowledgment of her decision and led the way upward.

  Slowly and silently, Amanda followed Joel down the hallway in the east wing’s upper level. Copying Joel’s example, she moved on the balls of her feet and stayed close to the wall, alert for squeaky sub-flooring or anything else that might give them away. The blueprint had shown four rooms, two on each side of the hall, and all four doors were closed. It was impossible to tell whether the rooms were empty or occupied.

  Blackstone’s conversation with Marcella buzzed in her ear. It sounded like he was doing a good job of distracting the dark witch. As much as Amanda wanted to stop and listen in, she had to focus on her part of the mission.

  As she passed one of the closed doors, a strange sensation tickled at Amanda’s magical sensitivity. She came to a sudden stop. Closing her eyes, she placed the palm of her hand on the door. It seemed to vibrate with energy. A ward? Could this be Marcella’s room? Why ward it unless it contained something valuable? Could the exorcism papers and the wolf skull be inside?

  Amanda and Kyle had talked about the possibility of stumbling across the stolen exorcism ritual and the totem at the Foundation, but they hadn’t considered it likely. The better bet was that Marcella had destroyed both.

  Amanda would love to get her hands on the original exorcism papers. She could use them to verify the work she’d done with Kyle and Noreen. But what really made her itch to enter the room was the thought that the wolf skull might be inside. Would she ever get a better opportunity to steal it back?

  While she pondered, Blackstone’s conversation with Marcella caught her attention.

  “The Order wants the violence to end,” he said. “We understand your concerns regarding the exorcism ritual, and we’re willing to ban its use. If you release Cara LeCouteur and allow us to arrest Fenris Kellen on murder charges, we can put an end to the bloodshed.”

  Amanda’s mouth dropped open. Ban its use? When had that been decided? If the Order banned the exorcism, how could she help Reggie? She listened for Marcella’s response, but heard nothing. Was the dark witch considering the offer seriously? A small part of her hoped Marcella would accept. Having a dark witch out to kill her had not done much for her sleep lately. But that was selfish. Reggie needed her, and the key to helping him was probably inside the warded room.

  She glanced at Kyle, and he gave her a questioning look in return. He was probably wondering why she had stopped. She wanted to talk to him about what she was thinking, but they were supposed to keep quiet, and they didn’t have time for a discussion. Or an argument, more likely. She had to make a command decision. Would she try to save Reggie even if the Order banned the exorcism?

  Yes.

  Amanda reached for the doorknob and turned it.

  Kyle’s hand shot out to stop her. His hand gripped her wrist just as her fingers wrapped around the doorknob. He was too late.

  A powerful shock shot up Amanda’s arm, and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor with her back resting against Kyle’s chest. Kyle was sitting up, shaking his right hand as if to restore circulation.

  Joel had moved to cover them with a wild look in his eye, pointing his gun down the hall in first one direction and then the other. He settled down after a few moments when no one came to investigate the commotion.

  Amanda rolled off Kyle and stood up. She held out her hand to help him, more in apology than because he needed it. He took her hand, but mostly rose on his own. He gave her a well-deserved “What were you thinking?” look.

  That was stupid, Amanda thought with a sigh.

  She often wove an alert component into her wards. If Marcella did so as well, then she had just revealed her team’s presence in the east wing. She paused to listen, but all she heard through the earpiece was the unintelligible buzz of a conversation between Marcella and someone other than Blackstone. Perhaps luck had served where wisdom had failed.

  They didn’t have time for her to tear down Marcella’s ward, assuming she could manage to do so. Amanda ignored Kyle’s disapproving frown and waved Joel forward. She could explain what she was thinking—or not thinking—later. She hated to leave the room behind, but she didn’t know for sure the wolf skull was inside, only that there was something worth protecting.

  The left wall of the hallway fell away and a banister took its place as the walkway continued into the atrium. Joel stopped to listen at the corner where the wall ended. The entryway was just below his position.

  A confusion of arguing voices carried up to them from the entryway. It sounded like Fenris Kellen had joined the discussion, and it wasn’t going well. She doubted he was interested in th
e idea of being “turned over” to the Order.

  Muffled gunshots made Amanda freeze. When shouts from the entryway ended in two more loud gunshots, she ducked reflexively. It sounded like the both of the other teams might be in trouble.

  Amanda was about to signal the advance when a familiar voice from behind made her jump.

  “Well, look who’s here,” said Reggie.

  Chapter 25

  Human Shield

  Looking past the barrel of the gun aimed at him, Rutlinger recognized the rifleman standing in the basement-room doorway as Jonathan Pesce, one of the Order’s hunters. A tall blonde woman behind the man spied the misshapen form on the floor and cried, “Cara!” She pushed into the room, startling the hunter.

  “Jessie, no! Get back!” Jonathan shouted.

  The woman seemed to realize her error and stopped half-way between Jonathan and Rutlinger. But that was close enough.

  Rutlinger leaped to his feet and grabbed Jessie faster than anyone could react. She squeaked with pain as he twisted her arm around her back and turned her to face Jonathan, his forearm across her windpipe. The hunter would know that his werewolf strength would allow him to instantly crush her throat. Jonathan immediately lowered his weapon, but a second hunter just outside the door kept his rifle raised and aimed. A dark-haired young woman stood behind the second rifleman, literally wringing her hands, her eyes darting between Jessie and Skyler.

  “So, the Order finally decided to do something useful,” Rutlinger said.

  “Let her go,” Jonathan demanded.

  “Not until I clear up a little misunderstanding,” Rutlinger said. They were obviously there to liberate Marcella’s little witch prisoner, Cara. The horrifying spectacle of Skyler’s broken body commanded all of their attention, so none of them had yet noticed that Cara was sitting in the opposite corner.