"Your life. I am willing to accept Phoedra in trade for an agreement not to kill you."
"As I understand it, you require the power of Witchlock to be a threat to one such as myself."
"Not necessarily true, but I do plan to get Witchlock back as well."
His half-hearted smile taunted her. "How do you plan to take it from the Sterling witch who wields it?"
Veronika laughed heartily. "From what I have learned, she has tapped only a small percentage of Witchlock's power. In fact, I have managed to connect with her. Now she's in hiding, but she can't escape me. Once I have the girl you promised me, I will have the weapon I need to destroy Adrianna. When that happens, you will wish you had become my ally."
"I must admit, you've piqued my interest. Perhaps you should consider the two of us working together to develop the girl. Just look at what I did on my own with Ossian."
Veronika stroked Ossian's head as though he were a pet. "He is special. I will give you that, but he is wholly mine now." She waited to see if the druid would show his anger or if he could be managed.
Cathbad walked forward with his hands in his pockets. When he was within twenty-five yards, he sighed loudly. "Ossian is a great loss to me." He allowed another few silent seconds then said, "I agree to make this trade and become allies. I only hope you can back your words or I'll be givin' up a treasure for an empty hand."
"I will rule this land, and once we become allies, you will be at my side. Send me the girl."
He cocked his head with a sly look in his eyes. "Meet me in the middle and I will hand her to you, witch."
Ossian said to Veronika, "He will trust me even though I am your servant."
Veronika considered his words and said to Cathbad, "Bring the girl to the middle and I will send Ossian to retrieve her."
Cathbad gave Ossian a long consideration, then nodded. He removed his cape and swirled it once. When he lowered the cloth, Phoedra stood next to him, staring straight ahead.
Veronika took in the girl's closed eyes and pale complexion. "Is she alive?"
"Very. I have her in a calm state. She's a young girl, very high-strung. I did not want her to work herself up to the point of being sick. You might have accused me of bringin' you damaged goods."
Veronika had to admit that she would have done the same.
Ossian started toward Cathbad, and when he was halfway there, Daegan stepped out from the balcony of a building to the side where a mock king and queen would view the jousting.
Daegan demanded, "I am the dragon king of Treoir. The child is of the Beladors whom I rule. You were a fool to think I would allow you to keep her. Give the girl to me and I will allow you to live, Cathbad."
Ossian turned to Veronika. "That is the dragon king I told you about."
Calling Ossian back to her, Veronika said, "If you are so powerful, dragon, why do you not teleport her away?"
Sending a sly look to both parties, Cathbad warned, "I have Phoedra tethered by my majik. It will kill her if anyone tries to take her by force."
Veronika shouted at Daegan, "You can not have the child. She is mine and Cathbad is my ally." Looking at the druid, she said, "Is that not so?"
Cathbad called back, "It is so if you can kill the dragon and show us all who holds the power."
"I will kill you both," Daegan declared.
"Leave, dragon king, or I will destroy you." Veronika raised her hands and called up her ancestors, who formed a mighty circle of protection around her.
As Daegan turned to Veronika, he burst from his clothes, shifting into a massive dragon with red scales and wings. He was the image of nightmares with silver reptilian eyes and jaws wide enough to bite a person in half. He opened his wings and spewed fire up into the air.
She informed her ancestors, "We must not allow this dragon to win." To Daegan, she shouted, "You will be the first to die as a statement of my power and an example of how I will slay all who challenge me."
"Challenge accepted," the dragon answered in a deep voice. Taking to the air, Daegan swooped away.
"Is he leaving?" Ossian sounded nervous.
"Hardly," Veronika replied. "He's going high to gain speed. There he comes." She shouted to her ancestors, "Protect our family!"
Cathbad backed up, taking Phoedra with him. She floated above the ground.
Fire burst from the dragon, blazing down across the thirty-foot-wide circle of translucent ancestors Veronika stood within.
Ossian dove to the ground, wrapping his arms around his head.
When the dragon had passed overhead, her servant stood and spoke with wonder in his voice. "We live."
"Of course we do," Veronika told him, annoyed at his lack of faith.
The dragon ran another attack pass, but when he finished blowing a streak of flames and turned, flapping to gain air, Veronika raised her hands and shouted a very old Russian spell.
Power streaked up her arms and shot from her fingertips, twisting into a thick rope of energy that lassoed around the dragon's head.
He beat his wings, turning and fighting to fly away.
She held firm, yelling, "Give up. You're beaten."
A new burst of fire scorched over her circle. When it ceased, she still stood with her ancestors and Ossian.
She laughed and told the spirits of her family, "Lend me your power to take down this dragon."
Energy swelled around her, then funneled into her body. She leaned forward a little then arched back, yanking with all her might on the rope of energy.
The dragon's neck snapped forward, dragging his body down in such a way that it forced his wings to fold. He hit the ground hard with a loud boom, shaking the earth beneath her feet.
Dark smoke boiled from the dragon's snout, then subsided into a thin trail drifting away. His eyes remained shut. His huge chest gave one last exhale, becoming still.
Cathbad called out. "I must admit I did not think you could do it, Veronika. I know we will make great allies."
Veronika reveled in her glorious win.
She'd had no idea any dragons still existed, though she'd heard talk of this one while she had been locked away in VIPER.
Nonhumans and humans would sing of her great victory, but they would also bow down to her as soon as she gained Witchlock. That Sterling bitch who stole it could not run far enough.
Turning slowly, she gave a series of half-bows. "Thank you, family. I know you are tired. Rest and I will speak to you soon."
The ancestors faded away.
Ossian had not moved since the dragon came crashing down. His eyes bulged in shock. "You will rule this world, my queen."
"Yes, I will." Smiling, she gave her servant another indulgent pat. "Come, Ossian. You should look at the dragon up close to truly appreciate the battle you've witnessed." She strolled to where Daegan's huge head lay on its side, as tall as she was.
Putting the toe of her shoe on his nose, Veronika tapped. "Bad dragon."
Cathbad had moved up to the other side of the massive flying lizard. "That's quite a kill, Veronika. You ever faced off with a dragon before?"
"Actually, no, I didn't think any still existed. Until this one, I had believed the stories were all myths."
"No, they were true," Cathbad assured her. "I recall when this one's father ruled the land where he grew up. There were quite a few dragons at one time."
"Hmm. Well, he's dead now. If we face another one, you'll know I can handle it. I hope you bring at least half that much power to the table."
Giving her a charming smile, he said, "I might just surprise you." His smile fell away. He jerked his head back and forth, looking all around. "Is this a trick?"
Beladors emerged from the darkness.
Chapter 32
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Quinn strode from the tree line as Belador warriors spread out wide around the area where Veronika posed next to the dragon. He glanced at Reese who followed close beside him. He'd asked Evalle and Storm to wait among the trees with more Beladors until he needed them.
Sparing a glance for the dragon heaped on the ground, Quinn had a moment of hesitation. Daegan had said not to worry, because he could handle Veronika, but not a muscle moved in that giant dragon body.
No one knew what Veronika was capable of when she accessed her ancestral realm.
Daegan had said to stick with the plan no matter what. They all had a duty.
Quinn's voice boomed, "Give me Phoedra or prepare to take your last breath." He'd changed into a pair of cargo pants and a T-shirt, now prepared to fight as he wielded a Belador sword.
Time to put it to good use.
Veronika said to Cathbad, "Bring the girl and come with me, druid."
Cathbad had Phoedra by the arm, but stayed where he had positioned himself with Phoedra, off to the side.
Quinn's heart tried to fight its way out of his chest when he took in Phoedra. His daughter. He wanted to snatch her away, but believed what Cathbad had said about her being majikally bound to him. She had better not be harmed.
When Cathbad failed to join her, Veronika's eyes lit with excitement as if she saw an opportunity anyhow. She asked Quinn, "Where is Adrianna? I might consider trading the girl for that witch."
Quinn snarled, "I will not make any deal with you. Phoedra is mine." He shoved his gaze at Cathbad. "Hand her over now or face the consequences."
Veronika's gaze went to Cathbad. "Now it is time for you to show me your value, druid."
"I would be happy to do so if I believed you could back your word, but I fear you've overstated your value, Veronika."
She had an expression of total confusion as if she couldn't comprehend his meaning.
Cathbad lifted his hands, uttering a string of words as he backed away from Phoedra.
Quinn kept an eye on Veronika when he told Reese, "Go get Phoedra."
Reese rushed toward his daughter.
Veronika whipped her hand faster than the eye could follow. She struck a blast of energy like a lightning bolt that scorched the ground between Reese and Phoedra.
Reese jumped back at the last second.
Phoedra started shaking her head as if coming out of a foggy state. She took a look around and froze in place.
Twenty Beladors had fanned out in an arc behind Veronika, each holding up a kinetic shield, but Quinn had told them not to link. Veronika could knock them down like a string of bowling pins with one strike if they linked their powers.
Quinn had seen enough.
He lifted his hands and hit Veronika with a megaload of his power, knocking the bitch off her feet. She landed backward and literally flew upright, floating above the ground.
"Touch that girl and you die now," Quinn warned Veronika and anyone else, like Cathbad, who had pulled back only to the edge of the field. Stepping toward Veronika, he told Phoedra, "Go with Reese."
Phoedra stared at him, then looked up at Veronika floating in the air, then turned her gaze on the dragon.
Evalle came out of the tree line. "Reese?"
"I've got her." Reese lunged forward again.
When Veronika turned to strike at Reese and Phoedra again, Quinn stepped in between and threw up a kinetic wall that sent Veronika's power bouncing back at her.
The energy slapped Veronika and burst across her body. She screamed, but Quinn doubted that one hit would seriously harm her.
His plan had been to minimize her targets until they had a clear advantage. He had plenty of Belador power here, but no one knew for sure what Veronika was capable of, which made her too dangerous to attack with all they had.
Ossian had been standing still, watching the byplay. "My queen?"
"Kill him, you fool," Veronika ordered, clearly talking about Quinn.
Ossian had a moment of looking kicked in the nuts, then nodded as if to himself. He rushed forward, stopping a stone's throw from Quinn, who still held a kinetic field in place. Evalle and Devon jumped in, adding their kinetic fields to Quinn's.
Reese had taken Phoedra to the trees where Storm had agreed to protect Quinn's daughter with a team of three Beladors until Quinn could get to her.
Ossian opened his arms and created an arch of power flying from hand to hand. The energy thundered and rumbled.
He controlled an electrical storm.
Quinn had no idea what Ossian could do with that, but before he could say anything, Ossian's face and body wobbled and blurred, then warped into ... Lionel Macaffey?
Lionel was a Belador who had gone missing six weeks ago after finishing guard duty at VIPER.
Evalle said, "Do you see what I see, Quinn?"
"Yes, I think we know what happened to Lionel." Quinn warned, "Evalle and Devon, that energy may break through."
Evalle said, "Don't even think that we're leaving you to fight alone."
"Nope," Devon agreed. "Whoa. His face just changed again. He looks like the one she called Ossian a minute ago."
Quinn said, "If we can't stop him, we can't stop Veronika."
Reese stepped up between all of them and ordered, "When I say go, give me an opening in your kinetic wall."
Quinn wanted to toss her over with Phoedra, but he took one look at Reese and realized she would not be shoved aside. She had told him point blank that she made her own decisions. He had to respect her choices, just as she had to respect his.
He told Evalle and Devon, "You two keep your shields. I'll drop mine."
Evalle didn't like that one bit. "Are you serious, Quinn? That guy might kill you before she does whatever the hell she does. This isn't a demon fight."
Reese shouted at her, "I've got this!"
"You better," Evalle snarled right back.
Quinn might die from an overload of static energy between those two.
"Ready, Quinn?" Reese asked, sounding calm as she gripped the medallion in one hand, rolling the fingers of her free hand into a fist, then opening them. She did that twice.
"Just say when."
Stretching her power arm back, Reese kept her gaze on Ossian and said, "Now."
Quinn lowered his shield.
Ossian must have known immediately. He shoved his hands at Quinn. Explosive power shot away from him in a rolling storm of lightning popping in all directions.
Reese whipped her loaded hand forward at the same moment.
Her power spiraled out in a deadly lash of demon energy that clashed with Ossian's. She walked forward, pushing everything she had into the force she drove.
Quinn said, "Stop!"
"Can't."
She kept pouring power at Ossian, until he dropped to his knees under the pressure. They stood ten feet apart in a fierce version of power arm wrestling.
Veronika moved in the air as if to attack Reese.
Quinn lashed out with kinetic power, popping her sideways.
Reese made one more shove and the energy engulfed Ossian. He burst into flames and screamed. His face whipped back and forth through different changes until his body shriveled to the ground in a stinking mass of charred skin, muscle and bone.
When Quinn looked beyond the burned corpse, Veronika dropped to the ground with her hands on her hips. "You killed my polymorph. I was willing to accept the girl or Adrianna. Now I will take them both and you will all die."
Lifting her hands, Veronika said, "Come to me, family. I call to all of my ancestors. I beg of you to kill everyone except Phoedra!"
Hell, she'd called up a family reunion.
Howling from thousands of souls rocked the air, but the sound seemed muffled. Quinn glanced up to see spirits crawling all over an invisible dome like translucent roaches trying to get in.
Cathbad had agreed to hand over Phoedra and to build a ward over this site. He'd kept his part of the bargain made in the Tribunal, setting the ward as he'd backed away.
It had to have taken hours to create a ward capable of preventing Veronika's ancestors from entering this space.
Quinn would have felt bad for anyone else who looked as pained as Veronika did when her supernatural cavalry fail
ed to show up.
She screeched so loudly his eardrums threatened to burst.
"You can not stop me!" Veronika wove her hands around and around each other, powering up to make another strike.
Daegan's voice boomed, "Give it up, Veronika."
Thank the gods Daegan had survived. Quinn would find out more later, but he was damned happy their dragon king lived.
She spun around in a blur and looked up at Daegan, whose dragon form now towered above her. "No!" she screeched. "You're dead!"
Adrianna walked out from behind Daegan with the Witchlock power spinning in a huge ball of white above her open palm. "No, you're dead."
The huge, red dragon chastised Veronika in a deep baritone, "Did you really think that puny whip of energy harmed me? Never threaten what is mine."
Looking like the deranged witch she was, Veronika started screaming and sending an arc of energy shooting at Adrianna.
The Sterling witch whispered to her ball of white power and sent her own energy streaming to meet Veronika's. When the two hit, Veronika's energy burst like a fireworks display.
"I will take that from you," Veronika threatened.
"Not now. I found out how to block you from connecting to me, thanks to my friends in Treoir. You're done, Veronika."
Raising her hands, Veronika tossed what looked like a mother lode at Adrianna.
Quinn noted that Daegan didn't interfere.
When Quinn and Daegan had finished at the Tribunal, then met with Daegan's advisors, Adrianna had told everyone not to try to help if she engaged Veronika.
Adrianna walked straight into the power cloud Veronika created. She lifted her ball of Witchlock and shouted an order.
Veronika's power rumbled then boomed in an explosion of white and floated down as snow.
Quinn walked forward, telling Veronika, "You have been found guilty of committing an atrocious sin against Beladors and threatening our entire world. You will face sentencing by VIPER."
Looking beaten, Veronika was slow to acknowledge his words. When she turned her gaze to him, her eyes twinkled with an unholy light as she declared, "I will not die alone." She whipped her arm in an arc toward where Phoedra stood in the tree line.
Quinn dove into Veronika's mind. It was like jumping into a volcano ready to explode.
Screams and shouts filled the air around him but he was blind to anything except stopping that witch from killing his child. He fought her with strike after strike of his mental energy. Her natural defense surged hard, battling back.
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