by T S Paul
Gazing back over his shoulder Emesh smiled. "Time to prove yourself, young Blackmore."
Chapter 20
Sargu and his five remaining men laughed at how easily they went through the Garden gates. The old people didn't even try to stop them. It was going to be so easy to cut through here rather than taking a long way around. He would recommend they kill the woman for not suggesting it sooner.
Darkness settled like a heavy blanket upon the Garden. The motorcycles stuttered and shut off just as the last ray of sunlight crept across the sky and disappeared behind the hilltop the group was just trying to cross.
Sargu climbed off his bike checking the controls and battery connections. He looked towards the rear of the group, and his fellows were doing the same. One enterprising assassin climbed back on and gave the kick start several hard jumps. The bike wheezed for a moment as it tried to turn over and then died. The headlamp flickered and went dark. Only the sounds of the night and their own breathing could be heard.
"Sargu! What the hell is going on?" Only one of the men was brave enough to confront the Beta leader.
"Magick. This place reeks of it. We know the direction we must go. Forward. Hassan is in need of us." Sargu waved his men forward. Bringing up the rear, Sargu's eyes were in constant motion looking for danger.
The path abruptly ended stranding the men in the middle of a small marsh. "Turn around. We will try another direction."
Turning, the men found the trail they were on had disappeared. Even their footprints were missing. Small animals scurrying in the leaves made each man twitch. A bullfrog croaked a loud cry in the dark. A faint light could be seen leaking through the tree tops as the moon started to rise.
"What do we do?" Sargu didn't have an answer.
Suddenly the marshland was silent. Nothing moved or made the slightest sound. The light from the moon seemed to fade as the air grew thicker, heavier with the scent of rotting leaves, moldy earth and dying things. All five men found themselves moving closer and closer to their leader.
Sargu, as a result, felt the ground beneath his feet begin to move. "Quicksand!"
All six men ran through the ever-deepening marsh in six different directions.
Climbing the first tree he came to, Sargu yelled at his men to return. Their silence only terrified him more that he had been. How can five people just disappear?
~~~~~~~~
Boom! The car exploded, throwing shrapnel in all directions. Bits of melting plastic, metal, and glass bounced off my shield as I crept ever closer to the men attacking me. My shields can stop most common attacks, but repeated shots will get through as will some forms of Magick. This group was really starting to piss me off. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, touches the Witch! Now they attack me in my hometown as well as out in the world. It was going to stop if I had to hunt the Strega down to the last evil Witch!
Picking my way around the fire and burning debris I could see a human arm sticking out from beneath the car. He must have been in the way when it flipped during my explosive bomb toss. A gunshot rang out, and a round bounced off my shield. Idiot! Here I was walking around out the open like a fool. Channeling a spell through my original bracelet, I cast in the direction the shot came from. Another shot and yet another round hit my shield this one bounced off my head.
Jerking to my left, I could see a black-cloaked man and what appeared to be a woman squatting on the ground. Bringing my right arm around I tossed one of my trademark fireballs in their direction only to see it splatter on a shield. Here was their Adept at last.
I was about to throw another spell when I was interrupted by a voice in my head. "Wait. Trap." Certainty was talking to me again. Scanning the area, I saw the slingshot spell with my magickal sight. "Thank you, Certainty," I murmured.
Slingshot spells were nasty. It took a lot of juice to build them, but it could be worth it. What happened was just what it said. The spell would trap and return whatever was projected at a particular target. Sort of like catching a ball in a cup. Grandmother had said the way to defeat them was to kill the one who set it. Thinking he might not expect it, I pulled my weapon and fired several rounds at him.
~~~~~~~~
Camilla felt the explosion through the spell holding her in place. She was starting to wish death would come sooner rather than later. In her greatest moment of need, her God had abandoned her, despite faith and all of her prayers. She could see the fireball that would claim her life coming straight at her and for the first time in her life said a prayer that she really meant.
Oh Set, Ruler of the Red Lands
He who slew Apep
Welcome me into your warm Embrace
This servant asks transportation to your Son Anubis
So that she may be accepted into the Underworld and salvation
As the fireball approached time seemed to slow.
"Only now as you are about to die, do you truly understand your depth of belief in me?" Camilla looked up to see Setesh standing before her.
"My Lord, are you here to save me?" Camilla found the words strange upon her tongue.
"I help those who help themselves. But my servants seem to be lying down on the job." He gestured toward the dead assassins. "You have a grand destiny before you, Camilla, if you would only embrace it. Here is but a small taste of what is to come." He reached out, laying his hand upon her head.
Visions! Images of war and destruction flashed through her head. She could see her enemies fall before her as she laid waste to entire cities. War was coming, and she would ride through it like a... Setesh removed his hand from her head.
"Yes, that can be you. Sacrifices must be made. But for you, I will take pity." Camilla shivered as the God laid a symbolic Set Animal necklace around her head. "This will protect you from the spell. Take the knowledge I have imparted to you and survive. There is still much to do."
Camilla watched him fade from her sight, and the fireball reappear. Her conversation seemed like hours long, but only microseconds took place in the real world. Hassan waved his hand, and the fireball splattered on his shield.
~~~~~~~~
The sun seemed to sink from the sky faster than usual as the sound of explosions echoed through the valley. Gigantic bolts of blue lightning arced across the landscape homing in upon a distant spot.
Cat and the team flinched as another explosion filled the sky with smoke and fire. "We need to get up there!"
"Preaching to the choir Cat, I'm trying, but the blasted people won't move!" Chuck jerked the wheel again as a civilian car pulled away suddenly.
The battle, for that is what it sounded like, was lighting up the sky for the whole valley to see. Everything was centered upon the Blackmore Estate. The town was reacting in ways unseen in the rest of the country. Heavily armed shop owners were dropping shutters over windows and barring doors. Tourists and mundane townsfolk rubbernecked at the antics of the few. The Briarwood militia was preparing to act if necessary.
Whatever Agatha was fighting, it seemed it was just as powerful as she was. Green lightning and fire rained down upon the Estate in response to the blue.
Chuck laid on the bus's horn to clear a path for us. The howl of the horn added to the cacophony of sound disturbing the once quiet town.
Startled tourists gave way, and Chuck smashed the gas pedal down. "Remind me to put flashers and a siren on this thing when we get home."
"You know Fergus would love that. Can you see him hitting the button to the siren?" Cat laughed.
"Maybe, once he gets over the loss of his home. Telling Agatha is going to suck. She loved that old RV." Chuck tapped the horn again as he pulled the bus into a wide turn to make the road to the Estate. "Hold on back there!"
The bus was almost too long to make the turn. Either that or the intersection was not broad enough. The front wheels of Anastasia's bus rolled over the curb tossing everyone inside around as the front end swung in an arc. Marcella's driveway wasn't designed for buses, so it was a little tight.
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br /> "Are we all fighting when we get there?" Chuck winced as a low hanging branch was knocked free by the tall bus and bounced off the roof. "Don't worry, Ana. I'll check out the roof for damage."
The Vampire's voice could be heard by both Weres. "You better or your fuzzy ass will be out of a job!"
Both Cat and Chuck started laughing. "We love you too, Ana."
As they reached the pinnacle of the road, they could see Agatha. Her hands were glowing with icy blue fire. She stood, bracing herself against the onslaught of green lightning. The very ground shook as each bolt struck.
They came around the edge of the hill, seeing the bulk of the house for the first time. Agatha took her enemies moment of distraction to strike, hitting him with fireball after fireball. She didn't give him time to recover as she followed up with bolts of lightning.
Chuck slammed on the brakes as he shielded his eyes from the sharp flashes of light. He gave another blast on the horn. "All ashore that's going ashore!"
Grabbing one of the two assault rifles they kept on hand, Chuck jumped out of the bus at a run, followed closely by Cat.
~~~~~~
Blood trickled down my face, and my arms ached like I had been swimming for miles. All I could see was a large white dot smack dab in the middle of my vision. Too many lightning flashes. I made a mental note that if I survived this to get some shooters glasses and wear them. There were a couple of loud shots a short while ago from the house. All I could think of was that Marvin, Fergus, and Minerva were dead. Minerva was armed to the teeth, but she was still an old lady.
There was a crashing noise and a braying bus horn that drew the attention of my enemy. In his moment of surprise, I struck with all my might, throwing everything I had left at him. More flashes, this time my own, caused me to blink and squint to see. As I watched, my opponent fell to the ground grabbing for the second figure beside him. That one concerned me because he or she never moved the entire battle.
I was not sure what he was doing, but at this point didn't really care. Focusing my power, I tossed my last fireball at the pair of them. Just as it was about to hit a shield popped up blocking the flaming sphere. The black-clad magician stood and yelled at me. "Dead! You have signed your death warrant by attacking me. My masters will be proud." As I watched, he pointed at the figure on the ground and muttered an incoherent phrase.
I can only describe the result as a strange cloud of white mixed with dark light. If light could look greasy, that was what it was. It expanded and grew. As it touched the man, he convulsed and fell to the ground.
"Death Cloud. You need to destroy it" Both voices echoed in my brain. What is a death cloud? All I could see was a black mass.
"How do I do that?" I screamed the question into my head.
Visions are the only way I can describe what the two bracelets projected into my head. I saw a way to do it, but the cost could be too much if I got it wrong. Regardless of results, I had seconds in which to act. Crossing my arms like one of my favorite comic book characters, I focused my power through both bracelets. In my mind, I reached out to all of my surroundings. Every living thing has energy. Grass, trees, birds, squirrels, insects, even my team were included. Borrowing their energy, I started to send it through to the bracelets. A golden glow surrounded me focused upon the bracelets.
"Cats." The voice in my head made me look up to see my friends and Pack members closing in. I smiled, they were in their animal forms.
The large cats charged toward the dark wizard even as I released my spell. Golden light engulfed the cloud blotting it from existence. This was the magick of life, not of death. Golden light sank into the earth spreading out and becoming one with the Earth once more.
If there had not been enough energy, the cloud could have consumed my spell, and things would have gone the other way. The danger is that magick and power are seductive. Once a Witch or Wizard had a taste of that much power giving it back was hard.
Cautiously, I walked forward watching for sharp edges and broken glass. It would take weeks to find all of it. The two figures lay on the ground beside each other. The man was dressed as the other assassins had been. However, unlike the others, this man wore a gold inlay necklace with the image of Set on it.
Both Chuck and Cat sniffed the bodies. Cat's massive form towered over that of Chuck's warrior shape. She pawed at the woman, rolling her over.
I heard myself gasp. The woman on the ground was Camilla. She had been the energy source for the spell cast at me. Her face and exposed skin was shriveled and aged. "Is she still alive?"
Chuck nudged her body and laid his head on her chest for a moment. Shaking his head, he looked up at me. "I understand. Why don't you two go change? I've got this."
Looking down at the boogie monster of my entire childhood, I couldn't help but be sad. This was Grandmother's child, the sister of my own mother. Why had it come to this? I reached down and closed her eyes. A glint of metal caught my eye. Carefully moving her collar aside, I could see the symbol of Set around her neck.
Closing my eyes, I prayed to the Gods. All the gods. To sent her soul on its way and to be kind to a woman who took the wrong path in life. Hoping that the next turn of the wheel was kinder to her.
"Agatha!" Hearing my name, I spun around. Minerva was peeking out the front door with a gun in her hand.
"Minerva, is everyone OK?" I still had visions of them dying.
"Yup."
I shook my head. "I heard shooting."
"Nothing to worry about. A couple of those missionary guys ran into Zeus. They tried to break into the house to get away, and I shot them. Not a big hairy deal." Still brandishing her MAC-10, she stepped out onto the porch.
"Please put the gun away Min. How did you get something like that, anyway?" I stepped closer to the house so I could hear her answer.
"This?" She held up the mini-machine gun. "I do a job now and then for Uncle Sam. Don't worry about it. I have a permit."
"For that?"
"Yes. You would be surprised the sort of things you can get a permit for these days. That your team?" She pointed at the big bus.
"Yes. They got here just in time." I watched as Cat and Chuck stepped out of Ana's RV. Leaning to one side, I tried to see where my rig was at.
"I thought you said you had two rigs?" She was peering at the bus as was I.
"Maybe they left it in town."
"Well, here is your chance to ask them." Minerva waved at Cat and Chuck as they stepped onto the porch. "I'll be inside if you need me. I have some cookware to put away."
"I still want to see your license for that cookware, Minerva."
She turned and looked at me with a dark look on her face. "No, Agatha. No, you don't." Minerva stepped back into the house. I'm sure that when I finally get inside all the hardware will have disappeared again.
"Who was that?" Chuck whispered to me.
"That is Minerva. She's Grandmother's cook and housekeeper. Pretty scary, isn't she?" I looked at Cat, and she was smiling.
"Yeah, she is. Love the Mac-10 though. Where's Fergus?" Chuck looked around.
"He was playing video games with Marvin the last I saw him. Why?"
Cat took that moment to give me a big hug. "We've missed you, Agatha!"
I pulled back from them. "What is up with you two? Come on. Give."
"Fine. Your RV is gone. The Strega blew it up. I did try to save it, but I almost got burnt to a crisp. Do you forgive us?" That is Cat right there. Quick and to the point.
I stare at the both of them in shock. Jack's RV was gone. So were all my supplies, clothes, and other gear. I shook my head. It was a personal loss, but I have duplicates of most of it in the lab. Blowing out a breath, I sighed. "Win some, lose some I guess. We need to call the state police and have them come get Camilla and the rest of the bodies."
I looked over toward where I left the two bodies, and there was only one there. Camilla's body was gone.
"Where did she go?" We looked for her body for sev
eral hours. The video feed from outside showed her lying in the grass one moment and gone the next. Somehow, she was magickally transported. Only a few magicians in the world could do that, which indicated an unresolved, and major, problem.
Cleaning up the town and estate took longer than I figured it would. Grandmother returned after she heard about the battle in her front yard. She was sad about Camilla but was very concerned about the Set connection.
"Agatha, any involvement of the Gods is a big deal. Set hasn't been seen officially for over a century. It is most worrying that a priest of his shows up and tries to kill you. Camilla having a connection to him explains much of her early adulthood. Set is a God of Chaos. He thrives on strife and war. If he involves himself directly, things are worse than I thought. Have you seen any other Gods or Godlike beings?"