The dark crystal flashed into life. Bright rainbow-like rays turned to white light and pushed out from its facets. The man was thrown back. Sabrina crumpled to her knees, gasping. He was stunned by the surprise, and the hesitation gave Sabrina the chance to scramble to her feet.
She fled toward the back room, hoping to make it out the back door. The man was faster. He charged her at full steam. Landing in the middle of her back, he went down with her to the floor. Using his weight to pin her, he pressed his face against the side of hers.
“Where is Midnight’s Jewel?” he panted. “Is that it around your neck?” He tried to pull at the heavy gold chain. The thick braided gold bit into Sabrina’s neck, but it did not come off. The man cursed and turned loose. The chain burned his hand. She could feel the heat but not the effect.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t know what a midnight jewel is!”
She was beginning to panic. If he was there to rob her, why did he not just take the cash in the register or break the glass case? Why ask for something she did not know about?
A large hand grabbed a fistful of her hair. The clip bit into her scalp. He yanked her head back hard and gave a frustrated growl. “I want Midnight’s Jewel. You’re going to give it to me. Take off the necklace.” His voice vibrated with intense anger.
“I can’t! It doesn’t come off! There’s no clasp!”
Fat tears were starting to roll down her cheeks. She could not think of a single defensive spell to help save her. Her magic was sketchy, at best. In serious distress, it was nonexistent. She could not overpower him. He was twice her size. All she could come up with was to do like any human woman would. She took in a deep, shuddering breath and let a scream rip from her throat.
His weight shifted off of her body suddenly. Freed from his clutches, she crawled toward the backdoor. The sounds of a scuffle drew her attention. Over her shoulder she could see Clay rolling on the floor under the attacker. The camo-wearing thief sat astride Clay’s body.
Clay was holding the man’s wrists back. In the double-fisted grip of the man was a serrated hunting knife. He was shaking with the effort to overcome Clay’s resistance. The blade’s tip shook unsteady over Clay’s exposed neck. They were at a stalemate for the moment.
Sabrina threw out one hand and shouted, “Stop!” She meant to freeze the man in place. Only the weapon reacted.
The knife flew out of anyone’s reach. Instead of going after it, the man pulled back and punched Clay hard enough to knock him out. As he went limp, the man leapt up and took long strides in Sabrina’s direction. Before she could do anything, he was on her once more. This time he had her pinned against the wall with his whole body. She could feel his stiff cock against her thigh. The struggle and chase was arousing him. There was no telling what else he planned to do to her once he obtained the mysterious jewel.
“I said give me Midnight’s Jewel! I’m not leaving without it!” He grabbed her around the throat again by one hand and lifted her up just enough that her feet could not touch the floor. She tried to pry his fingers open and beat at his arms with her fists. The world began to dim and spin. She needed air. His other hand tugged at the pendant. Now, it lay quiet and complacent but still firmly in place. “I’ll take your head if I have to, but you will give it to me!”
A heavy twang and whistling zing zipped through the air, ending in a meaty thwump. The man dropped her. Another zing and Sabrina could see an arrow point jutting out of his throat. His neck had been skewered. Bloody foam oozed from his mouth. He fell as the life left his eyes. The first arrow was buried in his back over his right lung. A bright red pool was spreading across the floor.
Sabrina forced herself to look up from the body on the floor. Her rescuer was none other than Eleanor. Bow still in her outstretched hand, she had notched another arrow and was ready to fire a third. Her gaze swept the room for more targets. Finding none, she lowered her weapon.
“I had a feeling I should return early,” she said. With a wave of her hand, she locked the door behind her and turned off the neon “Open” sign. Another wave of her free hand brought down all the shades at once. As she reached Clay, she stooped to check on him. “I think he will be fine when he wakes up.”
On cue Clay took a deep breath and let out a soft moan. He blinked several times and attempted to sit up. Eleanor placed a hand on his chest and shook her head. “Be still for a moment. You took a hard hit. You can get up when you are steadier.”
Eleanor brought herself up to her full height. The effect was imposing. She strode over to where Sabrina was rooted in place. She lifted Sabrina’s chin and eyed the bruises Sabrina could feel blossoming.
“There will be marks, I’m afraid. We’ll use a little mugwort and have you right as rain in a few days. Now, did he say what he wanted or why he was here?” True to form, Eleanor shifted from warrior to caregiver and back without missing a beat. Some mistook her calm resolve as coldness, but Sabrina knew it was her undying sense of duty. There was a task at hand, and Eleanor would see it through.
“Yes. He demanded a midnight jewel. I’ve never even heard of it. He seemed to think it was on my necklace. He tried to pull it off twice,” Sabrina explained. She touched the stone’s surface. It flared back to life. Dark rainbows danced against her skin once more.
“Did he say a midnight jewel? Or did he call it something else?” Eleanor’s questions seemed cryptic, as if she knew the answer but was waiting on Sabrina to supply it.
After a moment of thought, Sabrina remembered. “Not exactly. He called it Midnight’s Jewel.”
Eleanor bent over the body. She rolled his head to expose the right side of his neck. Just behind the ear below the base of the skull was a dark-orange tattoo. A straight line simulated a horizon. A semicircle sat on top of it with four equally spaced lines jutting out like rays.
“Damn,” Eleanor sighed. Her brow furrowed hard. She looked up at Sabrina. “We need to get out of here. The Army of Light has found us.”
Chapter 2
“Who are they?” Clay had managed to get to a kneeling position. His hands were braced on his knees and his head down. Sabrina thought he might be sick.
“They are the reason we have been hiding in these mountains for almost a century. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. No one is safe,” Eleanor stated, as if that cleared it all up. She kept watching the doors and windows.
“Aunt Eleanor, you do realize we have no idea what you’re talking about, don’t you?” Sabrina reminded her. She was shaking now that the attack was over. It took a great deal of focus not to collapse into a heap.
“It is important for you to know all the details, but for now, we need to get out of here. Clay, slip out the back and bring my car around,” Eleanor ordered. When he left, she stroked Sabrina’s face. The trembling fear eased at the elder witch’s touch. “I had hoped to spare you this until you had had time to make it all unnecessary, my pet. As it stands, I must place your safety above my good intentions. Trust me?”
“I’ve always trusted you, Aunt Eleanor,” Sabrina said with true sincerity. Never had the woman she knew as her only mother figure led her down the wrong path. Her faith in Eleanor was steadfast.
From the backdoor’s frosted window, the outline of a black car pulling up could be seen. Clay left the engine running and the driver’s side door open. He knocked before entering. A blast of noonday heat rushed in with him.
“I don’t mean to point out the obvious, but there is a dead guy on the floor. The heat is going to cause a smell the neighbors are going to notice. Maybe we should get out of here before anyone finds him,” Clay interjected.
“He is a creature of the sun. When night falls, he will turn to dust. The only thing anyone will find is a set of oddly placed clothes,” Eleanor explained.
Clay reached up and gave the roller shade a quick jerk. It flew up with a flapping noise. He took Sabrina’s hand and pulled her toward the exit. She shuffled after him. They waited
when they noticed not everyone was walking.
Eleanor had stopped moving. She lifted one hand up to the shop area and shut her eyes. The other hand remained tight around her bow. She began whispering under her breath. A breeze stirred and swirled in from the outside. It whipped around her knees for a few moments and proceeded to move to the front room. All the broken glass reassembled and returned to the shelves. The cracked display case sealed itself. Incense and crystals rolled back to their original positions. Once the cleanup was complete, the wind left the way it had come. Eleanor whispered her gratitude before lowering her hand and opening her eyes.
“Okay, children, get in the car. I’ll drive,” she ordered.
A sleek, black-sapphire metallic late-model BMW M5 sedan sat ready in the back alley. The windows were tinted in a heavy polarizing black, making it almost impossible to see inside the car. It was not a legal tint, but witches were never pulled over anyway.
Sabrina felt the wards around the car as she passed through them. Clay put her in the passenger side front before sliding into the back. Eleanor flopped down in the driver’s seat after she warded the shop.
“No one is getting in there until tomorrow night. By then, the evidence will be gone.” Eleanor smirked. She floored the gas and did not let up until they were home.
The long driveway emptied onto a mountain meadow. Along the back tree line sat a white modest one-and-a-half-story clapboard house. A few mature oak trees stood in what could be called the front yard. The drive ringed the trees and circled back to the meadow entrance.
Sabrina felt the tension in her stomach release. Home always made her feel safe. The white and yellow summer flowers filled the meadow in front of the house beyond the shade trees. The heat from the sun combined with their sweetness filled the car when she opened the door. There was no place she would rather have been.
“Get inside and stay there,” Eleanor demanded. “Clay and I will get the backpacks and load the car. We’re leaving today.”
“Where are we going? Why can’t we stay here?” Sabrina was perplexed. They were witches with a full coven at their backs. Until recent years, they had lived in the sleepy backwoods uninterrupted by the outside world. No one moved in and very few left.
“We have to make a connection in Asheville and then meet our next contact at nightfall. Please, don’t play twenty questions with me. Speed is of the essence right now.” Eleanor ushered her into the house.
She watched out the window as Eleanor added wards to the house. Clay ran back and forth between the detached garage and the car. Preloaded backpacks were tossed into the trunk. He lifted a small antique chest and added it to the pile of goods, closed the trunk, and took up position on the front porch as if guarding the door.
When Eleanor finished, she came in and brought Clay with her. Sabrina started to ask questions but was ignored. Instead, Eleanor went to the phone and placed a call.
“This is Eleanor Beckett. I need to speak to your mistress. Yes, I’ll hold.”
Sabrina wanted to ask questions again. “Who are you—?” She was cut off by Clay placing a finger to her lips. He then laid one against his own.
He turned to Eleanor and mouthed, “To the car?” She nodded in reply.
“Let’s go,” he whispered to Sabrina and opened the door for her.
“What is going on? How did you know what to put in the car? You’ve been in on this, haven’t you?” She was getting angrier by the minute. Everyone else seemed to know what was going on except her.
“Don’t get sore at me, Sabrina Rivers. All I was ever told was that the day may come when we needed to get you out in a hurry. I figured it out a long time ago. Whatever the reason you’re different is, it makes you somehow important to a greater cause. Your magic is a mixture of light and dark. That’s why it doesn’t work right. The spells are all wrong for you.”
“That is enough, Clay.” Eleanor came out, locking the door behind her. “I didn’t realize you understood so much. Congratulations. You will be making the trip with us. I can’t leave this much information behind. Get in the car, now.” Her voice was icy.
“Yes, ma’am. Sabrina?” His voice was resigned, and he gestured toward the car.
“Can I at least ask where we are going?” Sabrina did not like the mystery. Eleanor was usually more forthcoming with information.
She sat down in the back. Clay got in with her. The front held Eleanor and a multitude of guns and ammo. A compound bow was propped against the seat on top of a quiver of arrows. A gladius was sheathed and stuck between the console and Eleanor’s seat. Some situations required more stealth than a gun allowed.
The doors hardly had time to shut when Eleanor hit the gas. The car lurched forward. She sped down the winding drive. Reaching the main road, she went even faster. The tranquil mountain scenery was a blur. They made the fifty-minute trip in twenty.
Chapter 3
Outside of the Asheville city limits stood a dilapidated warehouse. The windows were covered in a thick layer of grime. The white paint was peeling off, exposing coats of blue, green, and gray applied long ago. Grasses and flowering weeds grew in the cracks of the crumbling parking lot. A rusted chain-link fence with equally rusty razor wire surrounded the entire building and parking area. Most of the security lights housed broken bulbs or were missing their lightbulbs altogether. A sign on the chained entry gate warned away trespassers from the condemned building.
Eleanor pulled up close to the gate. She pointed her index finger at the lock and made a downward sweeping motion. The lock opened. As it fell to the ground, the chain went with it. She motioned her hand as if brushing something aside. The gate creaked open enough for the car to pass.
Once through, Eleanor stared straight ahead, but Sabrina and Clay could not resist the temptation to look back. The gate closed on its own. The chain slithered back up the gate and coiled itself around the posts, catching the last link with the lock. A faint blue-white glow emanated from the chain and rippled out along the whole fence and up into a dome-shaped layer of air. It was only visible for a moment before disappearing.
When they turned back to face the warehouse, the entire exterior had changed. Instead of a building in danger of collapse, a well-maintained glass-walled office building stood in its place. A variety of creatures made their way in and out of the massive oak double doors. Sabrina and Clay sat with their mouths open in shock. Eleanor looked as if it were completely normal.
“Where are we?” Sabrina asked. The shock had worn off just enough to set her curiosity in motion. “What is this place? Who are all these people?”
“This is the regional office of Hilargi, Inc. Hilargi means moonlight in Basque. These are all creatures of the night and of moonlight, Diana’s charges and creations. It is a sanctuary for magical creatures and a generic face for nonhumanoids to earn a living. Besides, where do you think we get all the new IDs and corresponding papers when it is time to update ourselves? Glamour only goes so far, you know,” Eleanor explained. Her tone reminded Sabrina of the lessons Eleanor gave her as a child.
“Is this the hideout then?” Clay spoke up for the first time since leaving home. There was an air of uncertainty to his question. Sabrina felt a sudden sense of dread. An office building was surely not going to provide a comfortable bed.
“No. We are here to meet someone. Afterward, we are going to go…”
Eleanor did not get to finish her thought. A deafening boom rocked the car, setting off the alarm and leaving it in the center of a fire bubble. Red and orange flames engulfed the car, sweeping around the wards. Sabrina screamed. Clay covered her head with his arms and shoved her down to the floor. In a moment, it was over. Black smoke and falling debris were all that was left of the building. Eleanor cursed in several languages at once, mixing them into a single flow of profanity.
“Get us the hell out of here!” Clay shouted.
Eleanor whipped the car around and drove through the unopened gates. The magical wards were gone. It burs
t open like any other gate would have when a speeding car slammed into it.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Fire trucks and ambulance horns blared in an effort to clear traffic. Eleanor sped off in the opposite direction. Chances were slim they had gotten away without someone or something seeing them.
“What are we going to do now? Please tell me you have a plan B,” Clay asked Eleanor in a pleading tone. He was still looking back at the black column of smoke and stroking Sabrina’s hair. He pressed her tight into his shoulder and allowed her to cry.
“I had hoped to avoid plan B, but it appears we have no choice. If the Army of Light is going to target Diana’s earthbound holdings and her children, we will have to turn to the last people they would suspect,” she thought aloud. Sabrina could hear the confidence in her voice waver. It was unlike steadfast Eleanor to be at a loss for words or a plan of action. She was the most powerful witch Sabrina knew. If these people scared her, what chance did a magical misfit such as her have? Compared to Eleanor, she and Clay were children.
“What army are you talking about? Who would send an army after us?” Sabrina’s tears had slowed enough she could speak through the sniffles. Clay’s shirt was soaked, but he did not seem to notice.
“Apollo is the sun god, but Lucifer is the god of light. He created an army many millennia ago in an effort to overthrow Diana’s rule of the Moon and darkness. She tricked him into having sex with her. From their union came Aradia, who was sent by Diana to Earth to teach humans with natural magical talent the art of witchcraft. The ancient gods and goddesses were expelled from Earth long ago. As they draw energy from their worshippers, the more devotees one has the stronger one is. Diana sent her daughter to gather a new flock. Lucifer never forgave Diana for her deception and for keeping Aradia from him. He wants her throne. If he can rule both the light and the dark, he stands a better chance at returning the Earth. The Army of Light professes to do things in the name of Apollo, but they really belong to Lucifer,” she confessed.
Midnight's Jewel (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2