Fire Storm (11 page)

“How did they find you so quickly?”

Sophie’s eyes were dark with concern. “I don’t know. They have to be using very powerful sorcery. That should be our next task—to find out the source of their magic and stop it.”

“Our next task?” Ari repeated carefully. “Does that mean you’re still willing to help me? Even after this?” She held her breath, watching Sophie’s face.

“This is our everyday life. Death and tears. Taking you home with us would not be an unselfish act. Our goals have merged in a common enemy. Anything you can do that would weaken the O-Seven is to our advantage. In fact, you may be the best chance the Witches’ League has had in years to defeat them.” When Ari frowned, Sophie added, “We’ll do everything we can to rescue Andreas.”

Suddenly Ari wasn’t so sure. She had a funny knot in her gut. Sophie might be willing. But the Witches’ League? They’d been fighting and killing vampires for centuries. Could they be counted on to help Andreas or would they turn on him? “Can you honestly speak for the League? I don’t want to bring Andreas to the attention of even more enemies.”

“Don’t worry. They’ll help. You needn’t have called in your favor, if you had simply explained who and what Andreas was.”

Ari cocked her head in confusion. “What are you talking about? You mean because he was transformed against his will?”

“Is it possible you don’t know?” The priestess shook her head. “I felt it the moment we found his trace.”

“Know what? What did you feel? Has something awful happened to him?” Ari stared at her, fear and worry churning her stomach.

“No. No, nothing like that. It’s about his past, his heritage. Talk with Andreas. Or you might look through the library at the De Luca estates. If I’m right, the answer should be there.”

“I don’t know why you’re being so cryptic. Just tell me.”

“Oh, no. I’m not going to interfere. This is between the two of you.”

Ari crossed her arms, prepared to continue the argument. “Will it save Andreas? Does it have anything to do with the O-Seven?”

“I doubt it.”

“Why didn’t you just say so?” She dropped her arms. She didn’t care what Sophie knew or thought she knew. Not right now. Andreas’s past was unimportant, only his present and future concerned her. She threw up an impatient hand. “We’re wasting time, and someone may come looking for these vamps. I think we should get out of here.”

The witches glanced nervously at the dark shadows among the foliage.

“I agree. We still have sufficient members to raise the power to teleport home. Will you join us in Germany?”

Ari nodded. “I’ll explain the situation to my friends and fly into Frankfurt tomorrow.”

The air sparkled. Someone screamed as four more vampires teleported into view. Ari and Sophistrina raced toward them. The air shimmered again, producing additional vampires. When the clearing vibrated a third time, Sophie screamed, “Run!”

The vampires caught two of the witches from behind and slashed their throats before anyone had time to react. The remaining coven members scattered, and Ari raced forward to cover their retreat. Her witch fire had not yet had time to rejuvenate, but a high kick knocked one of the vamps across the clearing, and she jumped onto the back of another, plunged her silver dagger between his shoulder blades and angled into his heart. He collapsed, dumping Ari on the ground. She rolled free, and Sophie grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. The witches had filled the clearing with a smoky potion, and the vampires were gasping and coughing.

“Come on. Run while we can,” Sophie urged.

Ari sprinted after the priestess and tossed handfuls of the barrier crystals over her shoulder to gain added time. Then she and the witches ran like hell with nearly a dozen vampires in pursuit.

* * *

It was a cat and mouse hunt through the dark, but with the help of several confusion potions, a stink spell to erase their scent, and a stealth spell to mask the sound of their feet, the small band of witches managed to elude the vampires. Since three of the witches were injured, the group finally stopped in the cover of a large grove of olive trees to catch their collective breaths and assess the situation. Four members of the coven had died in the two attacks, plus three were injured. Although Sophistrina maintained a stoic face and brisk manner, there were unshed tears in her eyes. The coven’s loss was devastating.

Ari wished she had a way to ease their pain, but even expressions of grief would have to wait. “I think it’s safe to circle back to the house now. I have to warn our people. I’m not exactly popular with the O-Seven. If the vamps realize who I am, they could go there hoping to find me.” Ari pulled Sophie off to one side. “You should take your wounded and teleport home. I promise we’ll bury your sisters with honor, and I’ll find my way to you.”

The priestess grimaced. “I wish we could, but with the recent losses and injuries, we can’t teleport. We won’t be able to raise the necessary power.”

“Damn.” Ari gave her a sharp look. “If the spell is that draining, what kind of source are the vampires using to be able to reach us with consecutive transports?”

Sophie shook her head, her face pinched with dread. “I really don’t know.” Her eyes flicked toward their companions, and she lowered her voice to a near whisper. “I’m really worried. We’re sadly outgunned, and I don’t think we can survive another attack. And I have no idea how we’ll get home.”

“We’ll figure it out. The first thing is to get to safety. Let’s keep moving.”

* * *

Forty minutes later Ari and the witches crept into Andreas’s country house. Once Ari determined everything was all right inside, she stationed guards up close to the house and on the perimeter of the estate. Then she told Lilith and the tigers everything that had happened. When she finished, the tigers set stationary torches in a circle around the house, runners took off to notify the surrounding villages, and Beppe took the coven members to the kitchen for food and medical treatment.

“We need to keep the witches hidden until we can get them out of here,” Ari said.

Samuel turned to look at her. “If you’re worried that someone will betray them, don’t be. I think I’ve discovered the source of the suspected leak and the vandalism. A werebear moved into one of the villages several months ago. He asked questions about the De Luca estates at first, then seemed to lose interest. He started working at the local market and was there when staff from here bought supplies for Andreas’s visit. That’s how they knew Andreas was coming, and now the bear’s gone. Packed up and disappeared the night of the attack. He left in such a hurry that he didn’t take much. We found items that had been stolen during the vandalism.”

“Well, that answers one part of the story.” Ari sighed. Another werebear. The O-Seven had certainly planned ahead. “At least we don’t have to worry about a traitor in our own ranks. Thanks for tracking that down.” She sent him off to arrange for tickets to Germany and went to pack. Lilith followed her.

Ari could feel Lilith glowering at her back. Once they reached her room, she ignored the exasperated sighs and pacing until Lilith finally slammed the door. “OK, let me guess. You’re mad I’m going to Germany without you.”

“You can’t trust the witches.” Lilith scowled as Ari returned to tucking clothes inside a carry-on bag. “I get why you have to go. But even if the witches are friendly and don’t betray you, you still need someone to cover your back. The O-Seven will be expecting you. They lured Andreas to Italy. Now you to Germany? Maybe they really want to get their clutches on you.”

Ari paused with a T-shirt in her hand. “Why would the vampires want me? Kill me, maybe, but they could have done that at home. You’re rationalizing and it won’t work. I’m going to Germany to practice witchcraft, and the other witches won’t allow a werelion into their inner circles. You’d be bored waiting around all the time. Samuel is staying here to coordinate the continuing search and protect Andreas’s people. I want you to go home and explain what’s happened to everyone, including Steffan and Ryan. Andreas left you in charge of his house, and that’s where he’d expect you to be.”

A knock on her door sounded before Lilith came up with another argument, and Samuel poked his head in.

“Got a minute?” When Ari waved him in, he opened the door wider and the fox leader entered with him. “Ramon and I have been hashing this over. You’re going to need someone inside the O-Seven’s compound. What if you can’t sense Andreas’s exact location or he can’t help you? An insider could feed you information, be there when you make your move.”

“It’s too dangerous. Spies would be spotted immediately.”

“Not if they were foxes,” Ramon said. “We’re admitted everywhere. They know we’re spies—and expect it. But if we’re out in the open, no one ever suspects we’re spying on
them
.” He shrugged. “It’s an odd phenomenon. Besides, we aren’t after deep, dark secrets, just general information on De Luca’s condition, the layout and routine. Wouldn’t that be helpful?”

Ari hesitated. “How would you pass anything you learned to me?”

Ramon gave her a sly smile. “We work in teams—one inside, one out. As long as we could reach you, you’d have it.”

He’d avoided a direct answer, but Ari thought about Ramon’s silent conversation with the fox on the trail. Telepathy. Having adopted surveillance as their clan’s occupation, they must have honed it to a high level.

“It’s risky,” Lilith said. “If they’re discovered, your foxes will be no match for the vampires or their werebears.”

“But we’re the only ones with a chance to get inside. Do you think the vampires would admit a tiger or lion?” The fox leader frowned. “It’s a matter of honor for us. If everyone agrees, I will send two foxes inside, posing as a couple, with their team mates outside. That gives us two chances, and hopefully makes it seem less likely they’re on a job. They’ll be instructed to do nothing suspicious.” He grinned and shrugged. “We’re really very good at deceit.”

“He has a point,” Samuel said. “No one else could do it.”

“OK. Then we’ll exchange cell numbers, so they can let me know when they’ve found Andreas. If I lose contact, I’ll reach one of you two,” she pointed at Ramon and Samuel, “to make other arrangements. And let’s keep this among the four of us and your two fox teams. The fewer people who know, the less risk of discovery.”

“Good.” Ramon rubbed his hands in satisfaction. “I’ll dispatch the teams immediately. With any luck, they’ll be in place by the end of the week.”

When the door closed behind the two men, Lilith let out a disgusted snort. “Everybody gets into the action except me. I still think I should go with you.”

Ari looked up and caught her friend’s gaze. “I’m depending on you to take care of things in Riverdale. I don’t have time to have this same argument with everyone. Oh, you’ll need to talk with Claris, too. Tell her not to worry and to concentrate on her wedding. I promise to be careful, Lilith. You just have to trust that I won’t do anything stupid.”

Lilith’s worried expression cracked into a grin. “I’m worried that you and I may have a different definition of stupid.” She sobered again. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

Chapter Six

Lilith’s warnings were still ringing in her ears when Ari and the witches landed at the Frankfurt airport the following afternoon. As a consequence, she was a little edgy, scanning the large airport often for potential threats. They reached the airport entrance without incident, and quickly located the two waiting rental vans.

Ari tried to relax her tense shoulders once they were on the way, craning her head to see every castle or medieval ruin nestled in the green countryside. Despite the scenery, she remained uncomfortably aware that she was entering hostile territory. Her magic grew uneasy. The hair on her arms rose and she rubbed at the sensation. Each mile not only brought her closer to the shelter of the witches’ home, but also to the territory dominated by the seven most powerful vampires on earth. To distract herself, Ari asked Sophie to tell her about the Witches’ League.

“Not much to tell. It was formed as a defense against vampire attacks at the time of the 1329 War. That war resulted in open fighting for more than ten years—fighting that never really stopped, just dwindled into smaller attacks. I’m a little sketchy on the early details, but it all started over territory.”

“I heard something about a little boy and his pig.”

“I’ve heard that version too.” Sophie grinned. “Something trivial may have been the final spark, but the real reason was the vampires had expanded their feeding grounds and our witch ancestors objected. The vampires set out to destroy the witches, and were highly successful. It was an unfair fight, except for the witches who had unique abilities. And since fire witches were the most dangerous, they were the first targets.” Sophie took her eyes off the road long enough to glance at Ari. “They’ll go after you immediately if they discover you’re a fire witch.”

“That’s why Prince Daron and Andreas have insisted I keep it a secret. Maybe I can give them a nasty surprise. So what’s the Witches’ League do now?”

“They’re a unifying force for the covens, raising support for the warrior witches and warlocks, improving communications, arranging joint defenses. They also settle disputes between covens and regulate the availability of the fire witches. Since so few of your kind survived the vampires’ purge, the league ensures that each threatened coven has access to a fire thrower. Usually that means several covens share one, so we’ve perfected other skills to protect ourselves. That’s how many of us got into the dark magics, more power.” Sophistrina swerved to avoid a motorcycle, and Ari grabbed her seat. “As a fire witch, you’ll be welcomed whole-heartedly.”

“I’m not here to join the league.” Ari hastened to remind her. “My only goal is to rescue Andreas.”

“Well, yes, I know that. But it would be nice if you’d burn a few of the bloodsuckers along the way.”

Sophie sounded so wistful that Ari smiled. “I won’t hesitate if it becomes necessary, but I adhere to the Witches’ Oath, and it restricts my use of witch fire. I won’t use it unless attacked, and I don’t want to reveal my hand too soon if I can avoid it.”