Guardians Of Magic: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Leira Chronicles Book 8)

by Martha Carr

  “Nana…” Leira arched her back as the energy continued to build within her.

  “Sorry it took me so long. I had shoved all the old gear to the back of a closet. Who knew I would need to play fucking warrior again in this lifetime.” She was shouting over the noise.

  Mara stood up tall and pulled an arrow out of the quiver, the head a glowing fireball. She pulled back her arm and took stock of the beast. “You…” she hissed. “The fucking beast that tormented the world in between. I should have known you were behind the dark mist. Payback’s gonna be a real problem for you. I’ll make sure of it. Four years of duck and cover.” Mara moved closer to Leira, still aiming the arrow.

  The beast let out an angry growl and stood up on his hind legs, ready to pounce.

  Yumfuck flexed his arms and let out a howl, determined to get in front of Leira and Mara. But Lucius had other plans.

  He turned and ran laterally to the side, toward Juliana in the doorway.

  “No, you stupid…” The color drained from Juliana’s face as she took a step back and weakly raised her wand, unsure what to do. Lois looked on in horror, wondering if she was about to see her sister in law torn to shreds.

  Lucius leapt through the air, easily covering the ground between them, landing neatly just feet from her. “Mine!” he roared, loud enough to be heard. He stood back up on his hind legs and beat his chest. “Vengeance is mine!”

  Juliana’s eyes grew wide and she turned and fled into the house. Agnes swallowed hard and hovered next to Sirius as Toby pressed himself against a wall. Nothing was turning out the way the clan said it would go. He wanted to run but he couldn’t convince his legs to move.

  The other Witches and Wizards took off at a run in every direction, deserting Agnes. Juliana reappeared at the doorway, a determined look on her face, her eyes dark with fear and anger as she ran toward Agnes and Sirius, barely edging by Lucius. She waved her wand as she ran, creating a portal low enough to the ground to lift Sirius and push him through as Lucius lumbered toward them.

  “Hurry!” yelled Agnes, tugging at Sirius’ arm. Leira wanted to follow them. She could see the estate from her vision through the portal, but Lucius blocked the way and was closing in on Juliana.

  Mara grabbed Leira by the arm and yelled to Louie. “This is our cue, come on,” even as the mist swirled around their ankles. Lois made her way around, joining them. “You too, Yumfuck.” Mara hastily opened a portal as Lucius lunged for Juliana.

  She had a leg into freedom as his claws gouged her back, catching on the fabric of her cape as he lifted her into the air and slammed her onto the ground. Agnes reached through the portal, pulling her hand back as the beast swiped at her. She watched in horror as Lucius tore at Juliana’s flesh and she cried out in pain, lifting her wand to defend herself only to watch her hand rip off at the wrist and fall to the ground, still gripping the wand.

  Leira held out her hand to Yumfuck as he shrank down and jumped into her palm while Lois and Mara went through the portal. “The portal’s not holding, Louie. There’s nothing you can do for her. Not now.”

  Louie was still standing in the same spot, his sword drawn, unsure what to do. Leira peppered him with pea-sized fireballs shaking him out of his stupor. “Now or never,” she growled through clenched teeth. He turned away as the beast finally ripped out Juliana’s throat ending her suffering just as Agnes’ portal closed, a look of horror frozen on her face.

  “Karma is a fucking bitch,” said Louie as he sheathed his sword and ran for the portal, leaping through. Leira followed closely behind him as Lucius turned and lumbered toward her, picking up speed.

  “Come on, come on, come on, close.” Leira stayed by the opening, Yumfuck on her shoulder, ready to defend the opening if necessary, as the portal shrunk down and finally closed, snapping and sparking. She could feel Lucius’ hot breath just as it shut. “Too close.” She stood perfectly still, not willing to move yet. It took a moment till she realized she was in the middle of the sanctuary in Texas. She fell to her knees, her arms shaking, the bracelet digging into the palm of her hand.

  ***

  Back at the vineyard, Toby slid down the wall still tucked into the shadows of the building as he watched Lucius roar, blood dripping from his claws. The shifters answered with howls that echoed from the fields.

  Toby shook as he peered around the edge of the building. He wanted to see if the end was coming. He held his wand feebly in his hand and watched the mist gather around Lucius, enveloping him in a swirl of darkness and wind till he vanished into it. The loud roar of trains immediately stopped and there was a silence. Even the birds were quiet.

  Toby could hear the pounding of his heart. The main house was quickly turning to ashes as the blue flame burned itself out, contained by the spell to the one building. He looked over at the scattered remains of his aunt and turned his head, throwing up the contents of his breakfast. He steadied himself, leaning against the large open doorway to the building, his entire body convulsing as he sank to his knees. “I’m outta here and I’m never coming back. Never…”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Leira stayed on her knees as Yumfuck sat down on her shoulder, patiently waiting, not saying a word. Mara came over and offered her granddaughter a hand, helping her up. Louie carefully balanced on one leg, the wound pulsing and the bandage he tied soaking through with blood. He gingerly untied it, wincing as the blood trickled down his leg. “Man, that smarts.” He felt lightheaded and shut his eyes, willing himself to stay upright. He reached behind to his pouch and pulled out a clean rag, letting the bloody one drop to the ground.

  Lois bent over, pushing her glasses up her nose, peering at the wound. “You need to get that looked at. I can take you to someone local who can stitch you up. Fewer questions about deep gashes made by five-inch claws. Here, give me that.” Lois wrapped the bandage tight around his leg, whispering a spell the entire time. Louie felt himself relax and even put his hand on her shoulder to balance himself. “Wow… what is that spell? That’s better than Oriceran weed. Still hurts but I suddenly don’t care anymore.” Louie gave a loopy smile.

  Leira rubbed her face with her hands. “Nana, what was that beast? He was twice the size of the other shifters. What did I hear you yell? He created the dark mist and was trapped in the world in between with you… That’s fucked up.”

  “It’s a guess but a pretty good one. He ruled the world in between. He was in there for as long as anyone could remember and was known for sucking the essence out of the darker beings that were trapped there.” Mara shuddered at the memory. “Awful business. Worse than death. A real life version of zombies but even those things aren’t tied to a dark being, doing his bidding.”

  Leira shut her eyes and made herself listen to the sounds around her. Birds singing, the rustling of the Texas wind through the leaves. Safe and sound. She opened her eyes and looked around, consciously noting the ground underneath her feet.

  “I’m gonna get going and take Louie with me before his wound gets much worse.” Lois was holding him up as he hopped on one foot. “I’ll let Hagan know we’re all okay. In the heat of things, I forgot to tell him much of anything. We’ll have to work on that one, I suppose. New system, bound to have a few bugs.”

  “Thank you for coming. I suppose I should be annoyed you put a tracker on me but…”

  “I’ve been doing this sort of thing for a long time. Your grandmother can tell you. We’ve crossed paths before.” Lois nodded to Mara. “Wondered what happened to you. Should have known you were related to this one. I see the resemblance now. She fights just like you do, running at things instead of away from them. Have to admire that.”

  Lois opened a portal to the inside of a clinic on the East side of Austin. A nurse looked up, unconcerned and turned around to yell to the back. “Looks like we have an injured Wizard. Betty, you’re up.” An orderly came and helped Louie through the opening as Lois followed him, giving a wave to Leira as the opening snapped shut, sparks fallin
g to the forest floor.

  Leira bent over for a moment, putting her hands on her knees as the troll stood up, balancing on her back, still waiting. She breathed in and out and stood back up. “That was a battle.”

  Mara let out a laugh and patted Leira gently on the back. “That was a good one, but you’ve already seen worse.”

  “Not with a possible ending like that one. Usually it’s just death.” She took a longer look at her grandmother. “Warrior, huh? Don’t remember you ever mentioning that one before. How long is your resume?”

  “Long enough. I may be a little older than you realize. Don’t ask. What’s a few hundred years between friends? I was a warrior a very long time ago and hung that up when I had your mother. It was supposed to be my past but then you came along and the world decided to pull itself apart…”

  “And here you are. I kind of dig it.”

  “We should get going. Might be a good idea for me to change before your mother turns up. Her wedding is right around the corner. How about we don’t scare her about what didn’t happen till after the honeymoon.”

  Leira walked toward a clearing. “Deal. I’m telling Correk, though. We promised something about no secrets.”

  “He’s a good one. I see the way he looks at you.”

  Leira felt her face grow warm and changed the subject. “You ever need to talk about those four years in the world in between, I’ll listen. Don’t think I ever got what a hell it was till today.”

  Mara took Leira’s hand and opened a portal to the apartment she shared with Eireka, peering through the opening. “No one home, coast is clear. Come on.” She stepped through, still holding on to Leira’s hand, letting go as the portal closed behind them. Perrom stepped out from the shadows of the forest, the scales along his skin flipping back to honey brown as he watched the last of the portal close. The Gardener emerged from the front of the trees where he had been standing, changing color from the grey of the bark to a deep brown. The vines in his hair coiled around, weaving in and out of his long hair. He could still smell the odor of the beast lingering in the air. “Lucius found them.” He shook his head. “He was headstrong when he was a mere Light Elf. The world is pulling itself apart and Lucius may be the tipping point.”

  “Then we stop him.”

  “If we can, son. And it better be before the humans find out. That should not be their introduction to magic.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Leira took in the smell of lilacs as she hugged Mara and felt herself relax even further.

  “I tell you what, Leira, if I ever get to a place where it’s giving me the willies at night, I’ll speak up. But, till then, no one else needs to bear those memories too.”

  “I don’t know. There’s been more than a few people who keep telling me this is the point of being here. Working together and sharing crap.”

  “Spoken like a real Berens woman.”

  Leira’s phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket. “Forgot I had this with me. Damn vineyards didn’t get any reception and I’m pretty sure one of the spells the Gardener put on the sanctuary was a ban on all technology. Holy crap, I have nine missed calls from Turner Underwood. Mind if we catch up more later?”

  “Go be a super hero.” Mara rubbed Yumfuck’s head as he trilled. “You did good today, my friend. I’m proud of you.”

  “I don’t have my car here. Fuck, he’s calling again.”

  “One more portal, on me. Go, I need to change and stuff this outfit somewhere before your mother turns up. She’s a pretty good detective too, you know.” Mara formed a ball of light, singing into it and pulling it apart.

  “Thanks for showing up, Nana.”

  “Always and forever, Leira.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Leira stepped onto the thick lawn of Turner’s estate by Lake Anna and looked around for him but no one was outside. I’m here, she texted. “Go play.” She held out her hand for the troll as he hopped off her shoulder into her hand and she put him on the ground. “You more than earned it.” He ran to the wide leaves of the nearby bushes, rolling in the dirt.

  The moon shone over the lake as Leira watched a kayaker slowly row, stretching back and forth.

  “There you are.” Turner appeared at the side of the house, waving his arm frantically, tapping his cane with his other hand hard against the ground. His mouth was pressed into a thin, agitated line. Leira took one last look at the lake and let out a sigh. “That didn’t last long.” She ran easily to Turner, grateful for the chance to stretch her legs even for the short distance.

  “What’s got you all worked up? Too much coffee after five?”

  Turner didn’t answer her as he turned his back to her and walked briskly across the patio and into the door.

  “No Zen words of wisdom? I could use a few right now. Where are we going in such a hurry? I did not even know you could move this fast.” Leira picked up the pace. “Geez, I don’t think I’ve eaten all day.” She patted her belly, feeling the familiar sting from the scar. “Now, I know I was in it deep. I forgot about food. May have to stop for a pizza. I wonder if Correk’s eaten…” She stopped short at the door to his study, the hunger instantly fading as her mind went momentarily blank and she instinctively pulled in a surge of magic through her feet, her eyes already aglow.

  Rhazdon was standing in the study by the window watching the troll play in the moonlight.

  “What is that demon bitch from hell doing here? You tried to kill my mother.” Leira formed a fireball and lifted it up to throw, rushing toward Rhazdon, who didn’t resist or put up her hands. “And you almost killed Correk.” The image of Correk lying on the ground flashed through her mind. Turner moved to stand in front of Rhazdon. “Get out of the way.” Leira said the words as evenly as she could.

  “No… I didn’t bring you to my house to kill her. I could have taken care of that myself quite neatly and kept it to myself. I teach you, remember? Put that thing away. Do it.” His voice turned icy.

  Leira looked at what remained of Rhazdon. She was an old woman, hunched over, the skin grey and sagging on her face. The tentacles were writhing on her head even though they were pulled back into a loose ponytail.

  Leira closed her hand around the fireball, not taking her eyes off Rhazdon. “You caused so much pain for so many people. Killed friends of mine. You deserve to die.”

  “I would not argue that point,” said Rhazdon. “Lucky for you, I don’t have a lot of time left either way. The spell to keep me youthful doesn’t work like it used to and I’m rapidly catching up to my real age, which means soon I will be dust.”

  “Not soon enough.”

  Turner tapped his cane angrily against the floor. “Not in my house! I’ve trained you better than this. You have to mix the heart with your head or you will never get close to your real potential.” His voice grew louder. “We are entering into tricky times and can’t afford to be foolish. You will listen, Leira Berens.”

  “You trust her? After everything she’s done…” Leira shook her head angrily. “No… not this time.”

  “I trust what she has to say, nothing more and you need to hear it.”

  Rhazdon sat down on the small couch. “My information is easily checked. I came to tell you how to defeat the shifters.”

  “You…made…that…beast.” Leira struggled to get out the words, choking them out.

  “I did all of that, it’s true. I cursed him to hell and didn’t think of Lucius again.” Rhazdon looked up at Leira, resigned. “I wanted to be someone, someone unique.” She sat up a little taller, staring into the distance. “After all, I was an Atlantean.” A deep sigh escaped her as she shook her head, the tentacles shifting. “I let it all go too far.” She looked up at Leira. “Dark magic poisons everything it touches eventually. I thought because I could still manipulate it, I was the exception, but my arrogance grew into cruelty and was the consequence of my hubris. I was a fool.”

  “We need her help. Remember these words, Leira.
Nature does not know right or wrong, only consequence. You want to judge her for what she’s done and there are scores who would agree with you. Very few who would see any other path. But if we lose the coming battles because of your need to exact some price, can you live with those consequences? I cannot. Let go of the need to change the past. Even my magic can’t accomplish that trick. Let the magic show you how to let go.”

  Leira looked at Turner, confused as he urged her to unclench her fists. He put his hand firmly on her shoulder, squeezing hard. “Revenge in the end will cost all of us more than we can afford to pay. I need you to find the better part of yourself and let it lead.”

  We aren’t in the justice business. That’s somebody else’s job. We put the pieces together and bring em in. Another Hagan rule. It would have to do. Leira closed her eyes so she couldn’t see Rhazdon. Let it start there. I’ll have to grow into this one.

  “It’s like a light switch. You either choose to move on or you don’t.” Turner’s voice floated into her mind overlaying the stream of magic floating through her.

  “Have you told her about Tess?” Rhazdon’s voice jarred her back into a different reality.

  “Not now…”

  Leira’s eyes popped open. “What about Tess?” The anger returned wrapping itself around the energy stream. “Do you mean the seer who’s so famous on Oriceran? Did they find a lost prophecy?” Leira made herself look at Rhazdon. Can’t learn anything if I don’t look at the suspect. Rhazdon quickly looked down at the twisted knuckles of her aging hands in her lap. Leira’s forehead wrinkled as she looked at Turner Underwood. “Ever hear the old saying that an omission is as good as a lie?”

  Turner rubbed his weary face with his hands and heaved out a sigh, leaning on his cane. “I have handled this badly. Another sign my days as the Fixer are numbered.” He looked Leira straight in the eye, holding her gaze. “Alright, no excuses, no back story other than your word that what I’m about to tell you goes no further. Your word, first. This is too important.”