Shadow Magic (35 page)
Authors: Cheyenne McCray
“YOUR MAJESTY!”
At the sound of the urgent male voice, Hannah jerked her head up from where she'd had her face pressed to Garran's warm chest. Heat flushed over her in a rush. She still straddled his lap, with only her socks on and his cock inside her.
Garran snarled as he held her in a tight embrace. “Did the guards not inform you that I do not wish to be disturbed, Carden?”
Heat still filling her body, Hannah refused to look at the other warrior as he spoke. “My apologies, Your Majesty. But the Fomorii and Ceithlenn are attacking the San Francisco Otherworld.”
Both Hannah and Garran went rigid. “Take the men and transport immediately to the battle,” he ordered. “I will use the transference stone.”
“I must beg you one last timeâ”
“Go!” Garran's expression grew fiercer.
“Now.”
“Now.”
Carden's tone was anything but agreeable, but still he said, “Yes, my king.”
Hannah eased down Garran's body, his cock slipping from her core as he stood. Her heart pounded so hard her chest ached. What in Anu's name was she going to do? She had to help her Coven sisters do battle, but she also needed to keep Garran from using the power the Great Guardian had given him.
Hannah scrambled to gather her jeans and T-shirt and tugged them on without worrying about her panties and bra. Garran fastened his leather pants and strode toward the black door while she finished buttoning her jeans.
“Wait here,” he commanded as he made the door open, “where you will remain safe.”
“Oh, no you don't.” Hannah bolted after him, not taking the time to grab her shoes. “You're not leaving me!”
Before the door closed behind him, she slid across the granite floor on her sock-covered feet, lunged inside the small room, and flung her arms around his waist just as he started the transference.
The suffocating blackness overcame her and she felt as if she had her arms around nothing. As if Garran were no longer there.
In the next moment ice-cold rain drenched her, while powerful winds whipped her wet hair across her cheeks. Screams and roars shrieked through her head as Garran steadied her and set her away from him.
“Fool witch,” he growled.
Hannah jerked her attention from Garran. It took her only a fraction of a second to see they'd arrived on the fringes of the battle, near Aquarium of the Bay.
And only a moment to recognize that the D'Danann, witches, and PSF were horribly outnumbered.
She held back a cry and looked back to Garranâ
He was gone.
He's left to kill himself!
She started to push herself through the screaming crowd, looking everywhere for Garran. It was impossible to see through the people shoving by her and almost knocking her down.
Red and blue strobes flashed and reflected over the scene. Fire trucks. Ambulances. Police cars.
When she burst out onto the street, she widened her eyes.
Dear Anu!
High Priestess Janis Arrowsmith and the rest of her white magic D'Anu Coven were there, too! They didn't
use gray magic and were virtually defenseless. They had spellshields and could perform a few charms that were not gray magic, but nothing that could help them here.
Dear Anu!
High Priestess Janis Arrowsmith and the rest of her white magic D'Anu Coven were there, too! They didn't
use gray magic and were virtually defenseless. They had spellshields and could perform a few charms that were not gray magic, but nothing that could help them here.
The high priestess was able to use her magical seeds that she tossed onto the ground. Immediately vines sprouted and bound some of the demons. But it wasn't nearly enough.
It looked like the rest of the white witches were doing their best to use white magic to heal, but they were open to attack and vulnerable.
Fear and anger made Hannah's whole body hurt like she'd been ripped apart. Fear and anger for all of her friends, the other people who fought the Fomorii, and the countless people being ripped to shreds by the Fomorii.
And for Garran.
Where is he?
She caught sight of some of her sister witches. Sparks flew from their magic as gunshots rang through the rainy night. Swords clanged against the demons' iron-coated claws. Cries of people being murdered and growls of Fomorii melded with the other sounds into one huge roar.
The
whump-whump-whump
sound of helicopter blades added to the noise as a police copter flew over the mayhem. It streamed its high-powered light over the massive scene and a man using a loudspeaker continually said, “This is the police. Drop your weapons.” The order was nearly lost in the crazed mayhem on the piers.
whump-whump-whump
sound of helicopter blades added to the noise as a police copter flew over the mayhem. It streamed its high-powered light over the massive scene and a man using a loudspeaker continually said, “This is the police. Drop your weapons.” The order was nearly lost in the crazed mayhem on the piers.
Shouts of a different kindâlike warrior battle criesâcame from her right and Hannah snapped her attention toward it.
The Drow.
A legion of them had arrived!
The Drow.
A legion of them had arrived!
But where is Garran?
She shoved her way through the crowd, searching for him. She had to get to him before he killed himself!
She shoved her way through the crowd, searching for him. She had to get to him before he killed himself!
Arrow after arrow silently whisked through the rain, piercing many of the demons' thick hides. Like Garran had told her, if the arrow struck one of the Fomorii in the chest, exactly where its heart was, the head of the arrow exploded and the demon crumbled to silt.
Still more demons climbed out of the bay and joined the battle. Some attacked the Drow from behind, slashing the warriors with their iron-coated claws, which were deadly to Fae and Elves.
As Hannah dodged Fomorii and used her spell five, she glanced up.
Ceithlenn. Dear Anu, the evil goddess hovered above the fray, shielded by her magic as she drew in human souls. White and gray forms slipped through the rain straight to her chest.
Three D'Danann surrounded her in the air, but they couldn't pierce her shield with their swords.
Rhiannon stood below Ceithlenn, her Shadows rushing from her bodyâbut this time they couldn't penetrate the goddess's shield as they had before. Instead the Shadows crawled over the bubble of Ceithlenn's protection, shadowy man-shapes trying to get past the shield.
Adrenaline pumped through Hannah and magic crackled at her fingertips.
Ceithlenn gave a wicked smile and her mouth moved, and in her gut, Hannah knew the goddess was chanting a powerful spell.
Air sizzled and snapped near the Drow warriors, and her attention was diverted toward the sight and sounds as something wavered in the rain.
The great red Fire Dragon Elemental appeared. Solid. Real. Not the size it had been at the top of Coit Tower or on the beach. No, this time it was massive. It grew until it towered above everyone on the battlefield. The Dragon reared back, roared, and blasted a stream of iridescent magic fire at the Dark Elves.
No, no, no!
Even though she knew the Fire Dragon had gone to Ceithlenn's side, Hannah couldn't accept that one of her Dragons, her totems, could destroy these people or beings.
Many of the Drow managed to save themselves by wrapping their bodies in swirling cloaks of dark magic. For others it was too late and they gave their final death cries before their bodies faded into obsidian sparkles.
Ceithlenn laughed behind her shield, the sound traveling through the night, above the wail of sirens and the roar of the battle.
Hannah's entire body felt stretched, her skin tight. She couldn't find Garran and she had to do something against the Dragon!
The answer came to her and all she could do was pray to the Ancestors and the goddess Anu that it would work.
Frantically, she looked around for something to stand on. One of the pier's thick, wide sliced wooden pilings stood close to a sidewalk. Rocks pierced her socks and dug into her wet feet as she ran the short distance and climbed onto it to get a better view of the melee and the Fire Dragon.
Her heart pounded as she focused on drawing the other three great Dragon Elementals to the battle. She closed her eyes for a moment and pictured the Dragons she was calling while she said a chant over and over and over in her mind. With the same mental chant she called to the Ancestors and Anu, asking with urgency for their assistance.
Her eyelids jerked open.
Power rushed through her veins and tremendous magic burst within her like an explosion of fireworks. Her moon and crescent band burned her arm.
The magic was stronger than she'd ever felt before. The Ancestors and Anu were answering her plea!
She held out her arms to embrace those she prayed would respond to her call. Whether or not the Water Dragon would switch to her side, or the Air Dragon would help her, she wasn't certain. But with the aid of the Ancestors and Anu, a confidence rolled through her beyond what she'd ever felt.
Hannah tipped her face up to the rain and chanted a plea to the Dragon Elementals as she gathered strength.
When she finished the chant, Hannah held her breath, terrified that all three Dragons might not side against Ceithlenn. Yet she knew they would answer her call. Scrying mirror or no scrying mirror, the dragons were
hers
.
hers
.
Wind and rain and time seemed to slow. Even the Fire Dragon's next burst of flames hung on the wind.
Shimmers like morning light refracting from a diamond appeared to the north of the Fire Dragon, a great shape coming forth. A second gigantic glimmering form rose from the bay. And a third shimmered above the battle. Enormous shapes that glistened as they appeared more clearly.
The Fire Dragon was still caught in the slow-motion spell, its fiery breath hanging in the air.
Hannah swallowed as the yellow Air Dragon flapped its expansive wings, causing great gusts of wind to join the strength of the storm. The gigantic green Earth Dragon materialized near the Fire Dragon and roared so loudly the ground trembled like a small earthquake and Hannah almost fell off her perch.
The blue Water Dragon rose from the bay. Fear yet confidence built within her as she watched it. That Elemental was the other Dragon that had stated it would join the Fire Dragon to fight on Ceithlenn's side.
Let the Ancestors and Anu sway its decision!
So much fear pumped through Hannah's body that she trembled with it. Would the Water Dragon now fight for Ceithlenn or against her? Would it see what was the right thing to do?
While everyone on the battlefield, including the Fire Dragon, continued to move in slow motion, the Air Dragon screeched. It flapped its wings so that tremendous gusts of air pushed the Fire Dragon's flames away from the Drow.
The Air Dragon was helping her!
Blue scales glittering, the Water Dragon rose from the bay and Hannah held her breath.
The Elemental paused and swept its gaze over the scene. It turned its head and spewed a torrent of water from its great mouth at the barely moving Fire Dragon, dousing the flames.
Relief weakened Hannah's knees, but she stood straighter. The Water Dragon had switched its allegiance!
The green Earth Dragon slammed its massive body into the Fire Dragon, knocking the Elemental backward and into a tall building on the other side of the battle.
Bricks, wood, glass, and metal exploded with the strength of the Dragons plowing into the building. The Fire Dragon roared as it snapped out of the spell, no longer held in slow motion, unlike those on the battlefield. The Fire Dragon tried to push itself up and out of the rubble, but the other three Dragon Elementals converged on it at once. Their great bodies shielded the Fire Dragon from Hannah's eyes.
Three of the Dragons vanished.
Only the Earth Dragon remained. It spread its expansive wings, its huge green eyes met Hannah's, and she knew it was waiting for her command.
Her body sagged in relief, but only for a moment.
Ceithlenn still hovered above the battle, growing more and more powerful.
In a snap, the battle no longer moved in slow motion. Everything continued as before. Blood splattered and bricks from the smashed building crumbled onto the crowd. Screams and sirens. The rotten-fish stench of the Fomorii.
Hannah looked up at Ceithlenn, who flapped her wings and screeched in fury as she looked to where the Fire Dragon had been attacking the Drow.
Take that, bitch!
Hannah didn't have a second to feel any satisfaction.
Ceithlenn turned her hateful gaze on Hannah. The goddess wrapped her wings around her body, spun like a top, and dropped her glittering red shield.
The force of her spin combined with the magic shooting from her body slammed into the three flying D'Danann guarding her.
Hannah's heart climbed into her throat as the warriors were blasted away from Ceithlenn. The force threw the D'Danann so far back, the goddess was free from immediate assault.
One of the warriors had been hit so badly by her magic that he dropped into the middle of the battle.
Eavan.
Dear Anu, it was Eavan!
Dear Anu, it was Eavan!
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