It would soon be dark, and she really didn’t feel like trekking through the forest in the pitch black with no backup and no weapons. Well, no weapons bar her magic.
She heard a noise from up ahead, high pitched and irritating; someone was laughing.
‘Thanks for the tip-off, Judy,’ she smiled, climbing a large, marshy slope, ducking down behind a log when she reached the top.
Somehow – even she wasn’t quite sure how – she managed to shuffle across to a large tree without drawing any attention to herself. Peeking out from behind it, she spied Judith, towering above her on a large, rocky mound. She could see Jess by Judith’s side, lying flat on the ground, unconscious. Her face was stark white and all she had on was a sleeveless T-shirt and a pair of pyjama bottoms – not exactly the best apparel for November.
Poor kid must be freezing, Dru thought, but then wondered if demons ever felt the cold. Dru herself could hardly remember what it was like. She may not have been a demon, but she certainly had the body temperature of one.
She was just about to try and discreetly make her way over to Jess when a hand clamped over her mouth. Her first instinct was to scream, to lash out and strike her attacker, but their grip was strong, holding her firmly in place.
‘Shh, it’s me,’ Fergus breathed, loosening his grasp.
‘Uncle Fergus . . .’
‘Dru, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’
‘What does it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to rescue the kid.’
‘By yourself?’ Fergus whispered harshly. ‘Where’s everyone else?’
‘Aiden went with Marcus to check his house for Judith.’
‘And Charley, Quinn, where are they?’
‘Judith put Charley under a sleeping spell. I moved her somewhere safe, don’t worry.’
‘And your sister?’
‘She ran back to get the frostbite . . . Charley dropped it and–’
‘Where did you get frostbite?’ Fergus asked.
‘Marcus had it, he gave it to Charley.’
Fergus, keeping low to the ground, glanced around the tree at Judith. ‘Frostbite isn’t going to do much, if anything, to be honest,’ he said. ‘Even if we manage to hit her with it, she’ll only be frozen for seconds.’
‘Well we could–’
‘Druanna, I can’t believe how stupid you were,’ he cut her off. ‘Why on earth would you even contemplate coming up here alone?’
‘Because there was no one else. What am I meant to tell Charley when she wakes up? Sorry, Charley, everyone else was busy so I just let Jess die. I didn’t have a choice.’
‘Of course you did. You do realise it’s not just your life you’re currently endangering, but Quinn’s as well? If anything happens to you–’
‘Don’t you think I know this? I’m well aware of what could happen. But it won’t.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
Dru looked at him, her eyes clouding over. ‘Because it’s Quinn. I would never let anything happen to her.’
‘By God, Druanna, I hope you’re right.’
They were both silent for a moment, and then Dru said, ‘Where’s Aunt Tabby? Is she here?’
‘She’s on her way. We’ll wait for her here and then
. . .’
There was a clap of thunder above them and the sky lit up, bolts of lightning soaring through the air.
‘Uncle Fergus, we don’t have time. She’s ready. If we wait–’
‘Dru, we have no chance against her. Not with just two of us. Our best bet is to wait and–’
‘If it was Aiden, would you wait? Quinn or me?’ Fergus just looked at her, his mouth hanging open. ‘We do this now. It’s our only chance of saving her.’
Fergus sighed, his heart battling his head. He knew that without assistance, they had very little chance of winning. He also knew Dru was right; if they waited any longer, Jess was going to die.
‘What did you have in mind?’ he asked reluctantly.
Dru smiled. ‘You go that way, sneak round the trees and get to Jess. I’ll distract Judith.’
Fergus was already shaking his head. ‘No way in hell.’
‘But, Unc–’
‘No, Dru, I can’t let you do that. You get Jess and I’ll keep Judith busy.’
She let her head fall to one side. ‘You know as well as I do that that’s a terrible idea. I’m stronger than you, Uncle Fergus, I can hold her off for longer.’
‘You’re stronger when you’re with Quinn. By yourself, you’re just as exposed as I am.’
Dru was secretly offended at what he’d said; even without Quinn, she was stronger than Fergus. She’d managed to knock Marcus unconscious, after all.
‘I can hone into Quinn, draw out her powers. I won’t be as strong as I would be if she was here, but it should be enough.’
‘Dru . . .’
‘Uncle Fergus, we have to try.’
Fergus looked at his niece. Dru had always been gutsy but right now, she looked about ten years old. All he wanted to do was protect her.
Eventually he nodded, putting his hand on Dru’s cheek. ‘You think you’re in trouble, you yell, all right?’
‘All right,’ she agreed.
‘Don’t do anything rash, just try and draw her attention away from Jess, talk her down if you can. I’ll try and be quick, but I don’t know how easy this is going to be.’
‘Okay, okay.’ Fergus kissed her forehead gently.
‘You be careful,’ he said, and she was sure he was about to cry.
‘I will be. Come on, you don’t really think some moonstruck demon’s going to be the end of me, do you?’ Dru gave him a doubtful look. ‘Let her try.’
He kissed her head again, smiling as he looked at her.
‘Don’t say goodbye,’ she whispered, a tear running down her cheek.
Fergus nodded, wiping the tear away with his thumb. ‘See you soon.’
Then he was gone, darting between the trees, on his way to Jess. Dru stood up and stepped out from behind the tree. ‘It’s show time.’ She smiled, her eyes darkening as she looked up at Judith. ‘Hey, Judy, darling, long time no see.’
Judith stopped what she was doing and focused on Dru, a smile appearing on her face. ‘Well, well, would you look who it is? The feisty little redhead with a desire to die. Still not managed to top yourself yet?’
Dru laughed. She could feel her blood getting hotter. ‘Nope, still here I’m afraid. Which is a–’ Dru was interrupted by a bright light flying towards her, just missing her as she leapt out the way.
‘I don’t have time for games, Druanna. I have something important to take care of.’
‘So I see. The thing is, Judith, I can’t let that happen.’ Dru pulled back her hand and then launched it forward, a spur tearing through the air towards Judith.
Judith laughed as it stopped just inches from her chest, the same way it had done when Charley had thrown one at Marcus.
‘A spur, Dru? You really thought that was going to work?’
Dru’s legs gave way, pain exploding inside them, and before she knew it, she was on the ground, blood oozing from inside her mouth.
‘Oh, dear, Druanna, you do look pathetic, don’t you? Maybe I should just kill you, put you out of your misery. Let you leave your sad, little life behind.’
Dru dug her fingers into the ground, trying as best as she could to drag herself to safety. Judith, about to hit Dru with another deadly blast, was momentarily distracted. She could have sworn she heard a noise behind her: a twig breaking, leaves rustling. Judith was sure that they weren’t alone.
Fascinated with the foolish being who was trying to outsmart her, Judith let her guard down, briefly forgetting about the hex which was keeping Dru subdued.
Gasping for breath, Dru rose to her feet and flung everythin
g she had towards Judith. Judith flew backwards, the eruption of Dru’s powers paralysing her, although only for a second.
‘Why, Dru, dear, I think you singed my hair,’ she said, her face serious. Slowly though, her hard expression diminished, and she began to laugh hysterically. ‘Insolent girl!’ she bawled, catapulting Dru through the air. She landed, back-first against a tree, grimacing as pain shot up her spine. Judith struck her again, and this time Dru didn’t get back up. Her airwaves felt as though they were closing, her throat tight. Her eyes rolled back into her head, the lids struggling to stay open.
Can’t . . . give up . . . Quinn . . .
Judith smirked, her hands ready in front of her to finish Dru off. ‘I would say it’s been nice catching up,’ she sneered, ‘but we both know that’s not true. This though, this I’ll enjoy.’
Dru took one last look at Judith before seeing a bright flash heading her way.
Judith let out a long, loud cackle as the beam of light hit Dru, slowly draining her energy. Dru could no longer feel her hands, the numbness spreading up her arms to her shoulders and neck. She couldn’t move, she could barely even think as Judith consumed her essence, rendering her powerless.
‘Dru!’ Fergus cried from halfway up the mound as he watched his niece begin to let go. Before he could help her, he was hit by a blast of Judith’s power, landing painfully on the ground.
‘Goodbye, little red,’ Judith smirked, as she prepared to wipe Dru out. ‘Sleep tigh–’
Suddenly, the light retracted, no longer touching Dru but held back by an invisible barrier that reflected the light back at Judith.
‘What the . . .?’ Judith stuttered as a sharp pain struck her, an icy-cold sensation worming its way through her body. She shrieked in agony as she began to spasm, a long strip of blue light boring into her chest.
Dru stared ahead in amazement, the discomfort she’d felt quickly subsiding now that Judith was otherwise engaged. She turned her head, anxious to see where the stream of blue was coming from, and her jaw dropped in astonishment.
Quinn was standing a few feet away, her long hair blowing in the wind as magic poured from her fingers. Her eyes shone brightly as she let the power flow.
‘Quinn . . .’
‘Hey, Dru. Sorry I’m late.’
‘Your timing couldn’t be better.’
‘You okay?’
‘I’ll live.’
Quinn smiled. ‘So, how about it?’ she said excitedly. ‘Think we can take on a demon?’
Dru smirked. ‘Let’s find out, shall we?’
Dru got up, her arm extended in front of her. Just like Quinn, a bright light began to spill from her fingers, only hers was orange, the luminescent mist tearing towards Judith like a bullet from a gun.
Judith convulsed, her limbs twitching, teeth gritted as she tried to fight against the girls’ power. They were stronger than she had envisaged.
‘Al . . . all right, Dru . . . Druanna,’ she stuttered, electric shocks exploding inside her ears. ‘You . . . you came to me f . . . for a separation sp . . . spell, well here you . . . go. Ha . . . have it.’
Judith closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and all of a sudden the lights were gone, the girls collapsing to the ground.
Judith shook herself, a burning sensation searing within her, and smiled as she looked upon the helpless bodies below.
‘Aren’t you going to say thank you, Druanna? You got what you’ve always wanted. You’re free to live or die as you wish.’ Judith grinned. ‘Well, that’s not entirely true, seeing as I’m going to kill you both in a moment, but it felt like a nice thing to say.’
Dru lifted her head, her eyes frantically searching for Quinn. She wasn’t far from her, although too far to reach. ‘Quinn!’ she yelled, trying to see if her sister was all right.
Dru spotted Fergus lying on the ground beneath Judith and Jess. He wasn’t moving, his eyes closed, and she couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead. ‘Uncle Fergus!’ she screamed.
‘Dru . . .’ Quinn mumbled as she too lifted her head, her hair entwined with twigs and leaves.
‘Quinn, grab my hand,’ Dru said, reaching out as far as she could. Quinn shuffled forward, grasping Dru’s hand in her own. Their faces both fell.
‘It’s gone, Dru. I can’t feel you anymore. I don’t feel anything.’
Dru hung her head to hide the tears that spilled on to the ground. Eventually, she looked up. ‘We aren’t linked anymore. We’re no more powerful than your average magician. And we certainly don’t stand a chance against her,’ she spat, glancing at Judith, her expression sour. ‘What are you waiting for?’ she yelled, gripping Quinn’s hand in hers.
Judith laughed. ‘I was just enjoying this tender, heartfelt moment. At least you get to die together.’ With that, Judith shot a bolt of lightning towards the girls, a bolt fierce enough to kill a thousand magicians, never mind just two.
Dru looked at Quinn, her heart breaking. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered, before calling out, ‘Retroago,’ sending Quinn sliding along the ground until she was out of the lightning’s path.
‘No!’ Quinn cried as the bolt struck Dru, the life leaving her face as it pierced her chest, before disappearing into thin air.
‘Dru!’ Quinn scrambled to her sister’s side, desperately hoping to revive her. Her heart sank, a pain worse than she’d ever felt before coursing through it. Dru was cold.
‘No, no, no . . . Dru, wake up.’ Quinn’s tears began to flow like rain falling from the sky as she wept over her sister’s body. ‘Don’t leave me.’
‘How touching,’ Judith laughed, contemplating whether to kill Quinn as well, or to leave her alive to suffer the grief of losing her sister. ‘Your turn,’ she said, quickly making her decision. She was having too much fun to stop now.
‘Quinn, get back!’ Aiden yelled, as he and Marcus came rushing through the trees. At the same time, Tabitha came running out from behind Judith, her jaw dropping when she saw her son.
‘Aiden, get out of here!’ she cried.
‘Can’t do that, Mum. Got a girl to save and a demon to kill.’
Judith sniggered as Aiden took his turn at trying to defeat her, a wave of light coming from him the same way it had done with his cousins. The yellow beam hurled through the air, fading away as soon as it reached Judith.
Marcus cupped his hands, a ball of fire forming inside them. He hurled it at Judith, scowling as she blew it to smithereens above them, tiny embers floating back down to the ground.
‘Fire, Marcus, really? That’s the oldest trick in the book.’
Marcus shrugged. ‘Worked with Dad.’
‘What do you mean?’ Judith glared at him.
‘Turns out he was on your side all along. You could have made this a lot easier on yourself if you’d been brave enough to tell him your plan.’
‘Where is he?’ she demanded. ‘Your father, Marcus. What have you done?’
Marcus took a step forward whilst Tabby and Aiden ran to Quinn, trying desperately to get her to safety. She wouldn’t leave Dru’s side though, so Aiden stood in front of her, acting as a shield.
Marcus grinned up at his mother. He’d always known she was selfish, bitter about what had happened to Bud. But he’d never been aware of just how evil she really was, or of the wickedness living inside her. She was rotten to the core and he could see that now.
‘Dad’s gone,’ he declared. ‘Went up in flames with the house. A fitting death, don’t you think?’
Judith’s face was cold, her mouth forming a firm line. She didn’t say anything for a moment, tilting her chin towards her chest.
‘Well, it should suit you down to the ground then, shouldn’t it, Marcus? It’s up to you. Do you want to die like the redhead did, a pitiful, meaningless death, or would you rather burn like you’re supposed to?’
‘You’re doi
ng all this to get your child back, yet you’d kill the other one to make it happen? You would sacrifice everything just to be with Bud again?’
‘Yes, I would. I’ve never loved anyone the way I loved Boudicca. Not you, not your father. You turned against me, Marcus. For that, I can never forgive you.’
‘I’m not asking for forgiveness,’ he snarled, momentarily stunning her with his magic. She laughed at his effort.
‘You’re a poor excuse for a demon, son.’
Quinn’s head shot up, for a split second thinking about something other than Dru. ‘The dust,’ she murmured. ‘Marcus, the dust!’
‘Quinn, don’t!’
It was too late. Quinn pulled the frostbite from her pocket, brandishing it in the air for all to see.
Judith laughed and clicked her fingers, the bottle smashing in Quinn’s hand. The powder floated down, landing on Quinn and freezing her solid.
‘Foolish girl,’ Judith said cruelly. Marcus gasped, and Judith’s eyes travelled back to him. ‘You’re wasting your time, all of you. I will get what I want because I can, it’s as simple as that. I will kill whoever gets in my way and leave you lot to clean up the mess. No matter how hard you try, Marcus, you can’t defeat me.’
‘No, but I can,’ said a disembodied voice.
Suddenly a vibrant purple light shot through the trees, a whitish glow surrounding the beam as it weaved its way towards them, followed by its creator: Charley.
‘Let my sister go,’ she commanded, her magic holding Judith in place.
‘She isn’t your sister,’ Judith growled, sinking to her knees.
‘She’s every bit my sister. Give her back.’
Charley could feel the power coursing through her, but somehow it didn’t feel like it was enough; apart from appearing to be in mild pain, Judith didn’t seem all that fazed. She was still able to talk, smile, throw her head back and roar with laughter. She was able to look at each of them in turn, smirk at them, sneer at them. She was able to get back to her feet, shake her head at the lot of them and create an enormous explosion, sending Tabitha through the air, Charley into a tree, and Aiden and Marcus into the chasm she’d just created.
Charley Chambers Page 31