Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  Chapter Eight

  Alicia woke with a start and attempted to sit, only to be held in place by a pair of huge, unforgiving hands. Looking up, she saw the soft grey eyes of Devon, one of the Guardsman of Rayne’s Force. He grinned. “Just lay still. You freaked them all out, Ally. They called for Mom when you wouldn’t wake up. I had to play chauffer.” He chuckled. “I sure hope no one reports a flying white dragon.”

  Smiling up at the calmest Guardsman she’d ever met, Alicia shifted her attention to Devon’s mother, Siobhan, dragon kin’s most respected Healer. The Elder was examining a rather nasty scratch on the young witch’s arm and humming an extremely serene tune. Alicia immediately remembered it as a healing song from her youth. It warmed the young witch from the inside out, making her feel almost euphoric.

  The older woman smiled sweetly. “You gave everyone quite a scare, young lady.” Turning to the side, she called out, “Sarah Beth, Alicia is awake and seems to be no worse for wear.”

  Alicia wasn’t sure what was happening, but for the moment, she was relaxed and feeling no pain. Sarah Beth knelt across from Siobhan, grabbing her daughter’s hand and looking every bit the part of a very worried mother. “Goddess help us, Alicia May, you scared the crap outta me. What happened?”

  Shrugging against Devon’s hands, the young witch chuckled when he jumped while simultaneously removing his hands from her shoulders and apologizing. “No worries,” was her response, then to her mother she answered, “I have no clue. It was like something was pulling all the strength from my body. It didn’t hurt, it just felt…weird. Then it got hard to breathe and I guess I fainted. Which is happening way too much lately for my liking.”

  “I may have an answer for you,” Siobhan interjected. When both Alicia and Sarah Beth were looking at the Elder Healer, she began to explain. “It seems that your mating bond with Drago has grown quite strong. I understand it is not something you are happy about but there is not much I can do about that at this point.” Siobhan paused, giving Alicia a very motherly look.

  Not wanting the older woman to think ill of her, the younger witch quickly answered, “I’m coming to terms with all of it.”

  “Very well,” was the Elder Healer’s only response before continuing, but Alicia could see her answer had pleased the older woman. “When a dragon finds his mate and the bond begins to form, the couple start to share certain innate abilities. Usually this process is seamless and neither even realize it is happening until after the official mating ceremony. There are, of course, exceptions, and you and Drago are one of those rare cases. Because the man is in eminent danger of taking his final leave to the Heavens, his beast has taken over control of their survival. The dragon with whom Drago shares his soul has reached through the mating bond and borrowed, so to speak, some of your essence to keep the man alive.

  “Since the beast is so massive and because I believe Drago is in serious danger, the dragon pulled a little too much too quickly. Once he’d realized his mistake he shoved it back into you. That tug and push was more than your body and soul could handle, so it shut down until everything was once again balanced within you.”

  Alicia thought about what she’d just learned and then asked, “But why now? Drago has been in danger from the first moment he called to me. Shouldn’t his dragon have worked his Jedi mind tricks before now?”

  “I can answer that for you,” Kyra said, joining the growing group crowding around the young witch who still lay on the cold, dirt floor of the crater. “The sigils inscribed on the archway of the tunnel leading to the wall of rocks were infused with a failsafe. It was something the wizard working the spell put in to make sure no one ever rescued Drago, at least not while he was alive. But then that punk ass Draoi never counted on you.”

  The tiny witch pointed at Alicia with a big smile on her face. “You are his mate and therefore, the one person that can keep our boy alive until those big lugs,” Kyra pointed over her shoulder, “get the rocks moved and we find where they’ve got him all chained up. We banished the magic of the sigils, now they’re doing the heavy lifting.”

  It was then Alicia heard the sound of rocks bouncing off one another. Something she’d missed until Kyra mentioned it. Nodding, the younger witch asked, “So what do I need to do and can I please sit up? I swear there are ants crawling in my hair.”

  Her sisters, who had gathered around, chuckled as Devon helped her into a sitting position, stood, and headed over to help with the excavation. It was Siobhan who answered her question. “You simply need to continue to try to make contact with Drago. If you feel any strain at all let me know, but I am sure his dragon is only taking the smallest amount necessary to keep your mate alive. It should not be a strain on your system at all. Nature has a way of taking care of its own. This is just one more confirmation that you are indeed the woman the Universe made for our Assassin.”

  Alicia could feel everyone waiting for her to argue and part of her still wanted to, but that was just the part that wanted to argue about everything. In her heart of hearts, the young witch knew she and Drago were meant to be and just wanted him out of his prison and in her arms. Nodding in agreement but still not speaking the words, the young witch asked, “Is there something I can help with, something I can do? Waiting is gonna kill me.” She knew she was whining but couldn’t work up the strength to care.

  Kyra grinned. “You just lay there and rest. As soon as the big guys have taken enough of that wall down for us to get through, it’s gonna take all of us to locate Drago.” With that, the tiny witch returned to where the Dragon Guardsmen were making short work of the one thing standing between Alicia and her Assassin.

  For the next half hour, the McKennons, along with Melanie and Siobhan, sat around telling stories and generally trying to keep their minds off what they all knew was coming…more black magic. Alicia laughed and worked hard to pay attention but it was useless; her sole focus was on Drago. She continued talking to him, telling him everything that was going on and promising to kick his butt for all her worry.

  While she talked to him and tried to keep up her end of the conversation with everyone else, the young witch had been able to locate her bond with Drago and had even felt the extremely strong presence of what she now knew was her mate’s dragon. The sheer power she felt coming from the beast was nothing short of amazing. Alicia promised herself to ask Drago to call him forth as soon as her Guardsman was well enough to do so.

  I think I want to meet the dragon as much as the Guardsman. Well, maybe almost as much.

  A shout of triumph came from where there’d once been a black-magic-wielding-sigil-covered wall. “We’re through!” Rayne called. It was the first time Alicia had seen or heard him since waking up. “What’s next?” the Commander immediately asked.

  Kyra turned toward where the other witches were sitting, waiting for instructions. “I’m gonna go through with Alicia, Rayne, and Royce. We’ll see what’s up. Y’all get your candles and lights and be ready. I’ll be back to get you as soon as I know what we need to do.”

  Without waiting for an answer, the tiny witch threw her backpack over her shoulder, turned on her flashlight, and headed through the opening with her mate on her heels. Alicia jumped up, jogged over, and followed the large Guardsman. She could feel the Commander at her back and thanked the Goddess when he clicked on his flashlight so she could see.

  They’d traveled less than a hundred yards through the narrow, winding tunnel when Kyra stopped and exclaimed, “What the hell?”

  Royce shot in front of her, only to be smacked on the arm as she walked around him scolding, “How the hell am I supposed to see what it is if you’re in front of me?”

  “Kyra…” The biggest of the dragons growled at his mate, obviously wanting to shield her.

  “Whatever, Roy. I have to see it to know what to do with it.” Kyra sounded irritated and more than a little put out at her mate’s protective nature. It made Alicia smile.

  While the couple were arguing, she
and Rayne moved up next to them and were now staring at a huge silver box embedded in the rock of a cave no one had known was there. Taking a step closer, Alicia could see it was the shape of a coffin and covered in the same nasty bloody sigils they’d been dealing with all day.

  From one heartbeat to the next, recognition flooded the young witch’s body and mind. With no thought for her own safety, Alicia ran to within inches of the box. Turning, she screamed, “He’s in there! We have to get him out. Drago’s in there.”

  Rayne rushed to her side. “Are you sure?”

  “Well, if she’s not, I damn sure am,” Kyra answered before Alicia could form a coherent thought that didn’t involve ripping the lid off the awful silver coffin and pulling her mate to safety.

  Nodding, Alicia looked at Rayne. “We have to hurry. He’s fading fast. I don’t know how I know, I just do. Please,” she begged. “Please get him out of there.”

  It was once again Kyra who answered first. “We’ll get him out of there, sweetie, I promise. We just have to do it the right way. The black magic in those sigils has to be banished and I need to make sure there’s no more surprises that might end it for all of us.” Looking at Royce, she instructed, “Go get the rest of the girls, Roy, and have the Guardsmen come too. We’re gonna need all the magic, prayers, and luck we can get.”

  Without further discussion, Royce took off the way they’d just come while Kyra took a closer look at the box. Rayne stood back, pure fury etched upon his face. After several minutes of pacing, he growled. “Why? To what end did the former Draoi do this to my uncle? It is absolutely heinous. Do you know what silver does to a dragon?” He paused, simply staring at the silver coffin as if he wanted to crush it like a beer can.

  Alicia knew Rayne was talking more to himself than anyone else, so she listened while taking her time to move as close to the box as Kyra would allow and begin pushing as much of her magic as she could into their mating link while calling out to Drago. She could feel his dragon, but even that was weaker than before and still there was no response from the man. The young witch’s patience was growing thin just as her mother, sisters, and Melanie appeared with most of the Guardsmen bringing up the rear.

  Sarah Beth made her way to Alicia and Kyra. “What do we need to do?”

  The tiny witch was quick to answer. “It’s just as I feared. The Draoi has death magic worked into the sigils all around the seal holding the box closed. If we try to banish the magic like we did in the tunnel it’s liable to collapse in on him or something even more horrible.” Kyra shivered. “So I was thinking, we need to make a dousing serum, enough to cover the whole damn thing at one time. That should short circuit whatever the crazy ass wizard cooked up and give us the time we need to free Drago. Sound like a plan?”

  Everyone nodded their approval and she added, “Great! I need a couple of you girls to go get the gallon jugs of drinking water we brought. I think there are ten or so of them. While they’re doing that, the rest of you go collect as much rue, wild rosemary, juniper, leaves from the copal tree, wild celery root, and wild marigolds as you can find. We’re gonna need a bunch to banish all the shit those bad guys threw on this box.”

  Within seconds only Kyra, Royce, Rayne, Alicia, and Sarah Beth remained. The tiny witch and Alicia’s mother modified the Banishing Spell they had used before, while Royce and Rayne got as close as they could to the huge silver coffin holding her mate. Alicia watched as the Guardsmen looked for ways to remove the box from the rock. She knew they had to be talking to each other mind to mind, because every once in a while one would nod or shrug. It was frustrating to say the least. The young witch wanted, no needed, to know what they were saying.

  Alicia’s curiosity got the best of her and she blurted out, “What are you guys doing?”

  Turning in unison with looks of utter surprise on their faces, the Guardsmen answered in harmony, “We’re formulating plan B.” Looking at one another and chuckling then turning back toward Alicia, it was Rayne who continued. “If for some reason magic won’t get Drago out, we plan to rip the lid right off that damned box and drag him out.”

  If anyone else had said those words Alicia would’ve laughed at their absurdity, but with the two most formidable Guardsmen she’d ever met looking at her with complete confidence, the young witch had no doubt they would do everything within their power to free her Assassin. Unable to speak, she simply smiled and nodded, thankful her sisters started returning with the supplies Kyra had asked for. It wasn’t long until they had everything they needed and Sarah Beth began putting together the Dousing Serum.

  “Alicia, can you make a salt circle around the box? Go right up to the wall and throw some on top. Close it with your magic. Be sure not to touch the silver at all. Those markings are nasty little buggers.”

  “You got it,” the young witch answered, grabbing the bag of salt from Kyra’s backpack and walking to her mate’s prison.

  Once there, she got as close as the evil magic would allow and began laying out the circle. In her mind she continually talked to Drago, reassuring him that he would be free very soon. When the circle was as complete as she could get it, Alicia ran and grabbed four candles from the stack her sisters had left laying where they’d earlier been sitting. She knew the ritual she was about to perform was supposed to have colored candles but prayed the strength of her conviction to free her mate would make up for whatever else she lacked.

  Closing her eyes, Alicia tuned into the elements all around her. It only took a few seconds until she could visualize what directions were north, south, east, and west. Walking to the north, she twisted the candle into the soft soil and lit the wick. Standing, she prayed, Guardians of the North, Element of Earth, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle.

  Moving to the East, she did the same thing with the candle and then prayed, “Guardians of the East, Element of Air, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle.

  And so it went also to the south where she prayed, “Guardians of the South, Element of Fire, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle.

  And finally to the west where she prayed, “Guardians of the West, Element of Water, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle.

  Moving to the middle of the circle she threw back, closed her eyes, and prayed, “God and Goddess, Guardian Angels, and Spiritual Guides please be present with us during this ritual. Bless this circle and keep us protected. No unwanted entities are welcome here. Only pure, divine beings are invited into this space. The circle is cast. So mote it be. Blessed be. Blessed be.”

  She prayed for everyone’s safety in her own words one more time before lowering her head and opening her eyes. What she saw brought tears to her eyes. Standing around the circle she’d just conjured were her sisters, her mother, Melanie, and Kyra, all smiling, holding candles, and gallons of Dousing Serum, ready to free her mate from his imprisonment.

  Not missing a beat, the tiny witch began speaking the revised Banishment Spell. “Oh Goddess of our hearts and the Universe who gives us life, we come you to you again in need of your help. We seek to neutralize the dark magic holding our brethren and release him back into the loving arms of his family. We seek to send the evil enchantment and any left behind back to the hell it came from. Guide our actions, uplift our hearts, and fill our souls with the sense of purpose only you can provide. So mote it be. Blessed be. Blessed be.”

  The witches repeated the incantation verbatim three times before lifting their jugs of Dousing Serum and holding them above their heads. “Bless our actions. Bless our magic. Bless our souls. Lend us your power. Lend us your spirit. Goddess of all, Universe of our birth, God in the Heavens. So mote it be. Blessed be. Blessed be.” Kyra’s voice rang out loud and clear. “Douse the box!”

  Every witch emptied her Dousing Serum onto the silver box. Flashes of ligh
t and plumes of smoke filled the small chamber as the coffin shaped chest holding Drago MacLendon expanded and contracted as if it was breathing. The flames of the candles Alicia had placed at the four corners shot to the roof of the cave while the ones the dragons were holding were extinguished.

  The witches again started reciting the Banishment Spell, this time throwing salt at the box. The sigils sizzled and flashed once again before disappearing completely. A loud moaning filled the chamber. The earth below their feet shook. Rocks and debris fell from the ceiling as a sound like a clap of lightning immediately followed by a heavy roll of thunder roared through the cave.

  From one heartbeat to the next, the cave was filled with absolute silence. The flames of the candles at the four corners returned to normal and the ones in the dragons’ hands relit as if on command. The silver box holding Drago prisoner gave a gut wrenching moan and the lid flew open.

  Alicia gasped as the man who’d come to mean so much to her came into view. He was barely recognizable as a human being, let alone a Guardsman, but not even that mattered to the woman who was finally seeing her mate. Dropping her jug, the young witch raced to her Assassin. Grabbing the silver chains still holding him hostage, she pulled with all her might while screaming over her shoulder, “Help me! What the hell is wrong with you? Get your butts over here and help me get him free! He’s not breathing!”

  Chapter Nine

  Gut wrenching pain attacked his body from every direction. Searing agony unlike anything he’d ever experienced made Drago believe he’d been sent to the fires of Hell rather than the serenity of the Heavens as he’d always been promised. He opened his mouth to scream just as another wave of torture rolled over his brutally battered body.

  It felt as if the flesh was being flayed from every part of his body inch by precious inch. The Guardsman struggled against his bonds. The reality of his situation eluded his consciousness. All he could feel was utter anguish. It was obvious Fate and the Universe had decided him unworthy. He truly was in Hell, still chained within a silver box, meant to languish in the Pit to be tortured and tormented for all eternity.