Wicked Magic (23 page)
Authors: Cheyenne McCray
“I'll pull a glamour.” Rhiannon glanced up at Keir. “It's been a while since I've used one but it should work to get me past the police. I'll get Jake to let you in.”
Keir opened his mouth then frowned when Rhiannon ran her hand in front of her face. Glamours didn't always work with nonhumans like the D'Danann and the Fomorii, but humans were easy to get past.
“I can see you,” he said.
“Yeah, but they can't.” Rhiannon walked up to a man and tapped his shoulder. The man glanced behind him and
appeared confused, as if he couldn't see anyone. “Adios,” she said to Keir when the man turned back to view the spectacle before them.
appeared confused, as if he couldn't see anyone. “Adios,” she said to Keir when the man turned back to view the spectacle before them.
It took some maneuvering and some puzzled expressions from people being pushed aside by an invisible witch, but she managed to get to the tape. She crawled under it, between two police officers, and hurried into the theater. In the lobby she saw theater employees being interviewed. They looked pretty shaken up.
Countless emergency personnel were in the lobby wearing HAZMAT suits, and she recognized two PSF officers who did not have their protective masks on. She stepped aside where she couldn't be seen when she ditched her glamour, and then she walked up to the PSF cops. They found protective gear for her, along with a mask, and let her into the theater.
Immediately, the smell of burnt sugar slammed into her along with the putrid odor of death. Her stomach clenched. When she made it through the doorway, into the theater, she was almost certain she was going to be sick.
Corpses filled the red velvet seats in the old-fashioned, one-screen theater. The bodies were withered, most shriveled beyond recognition.
She looked away and searched the enormous room for Jake and the D'Danann who were bound to be here. The lights were on and she was able to see everything clearly.
The D'Danann and PSF officers were scattered throughout the theater, wearing protective gear and masks, no doubt searching for clues.
Even with their protective gear on, Rhiannon recognized a few members of their “team.” By the screen, Jake was talking with Tiernan, Hawk, Sheridan, and a couple of officers. Rhiannon made her way down the aisle until she reached them.
“There's no way to keep a lid on this kind of mass murder,” Jake was saying, anger and frustration in his voice. “Shit. All I can think of is to have a statement made to the press that it was a terrorist attack.”
“This is going to cause some serious problems,” Rhiannon said, thinking of Janis's prediction about panic and riots.
“Of course that's the understatement of the last twenty centuries.”
“Of course that's the understatement of the last twenty centuries.”
Jake acknowledged her with a nod. “Things are going to go to hell in a hurry.”
“News of the Chieftains?” Tiernan asked Rhiannon.
Rhiannon scowled. “They said no.”
“Godsdamnit!” Tiernan clenched his hands. “This war will be over before the sun rises if the goddess uses her powers against us.”
“Ceithlenn will be very strong now.” Sheridan gestured to the theater full of bodies.
Rhiannon rubbed her forehead above the mask as pain spiked her headâas alwaysâfrom the mention of Ceithlenn's name. Her head ached and she felt exhausted to her bones. Keir's promise that they would find a way to defeat Ceithlenn rolled through her thoughts, but right now she had a hard time believing in his words. “Jake, Keir is outside and more of the D'Anu are on their way. Can you send someone to give them gear and let them in?”
Jake gave the order to one of his officers who hurried out of the theater. He turned back to them. “With or without more help from the D'Danann, we've got to kick this bitch's ass.”
“You've got that right,” Rhiannon said.
The D'Danann and Jake talked about what they'd found. Pretty much nothing but four sets of bones with meat and blood still on them, and a whole auditorium full of mummies.
Rhiannon took a deep breath but that was a mistake. She just sucked up more of the smell of death and burnt sugar. She coughed, almost choking on the stench.
Keir came up beside them and rubbed Rhiannon's back until she stopped coughing.
They brought him up to speed on their conversation and Keir pushed back his coat and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “We need to strike her first and strike her hard.”
“Now to find the bitch so we can do just that.” Rhiannon
shoved her hair out of her face and looked around. “The bad vibes in here might be enough to give me a good vision.”
shoved her hair out of her face and looked around. “The bad vibes in here might be enough to give me a good vision.”
“Are you certain that is wise?” Keir's voice was both gruff and concerned.
Rhiannon nodded. “When they get here, I'll combine my strength with that of my Coven sisters'. We'll find something. I just know we will.”
Jake and his officers continued searching for clues as Rhiannon waited for her Coven. It wasn't long before they arrived. Silver, Alyssa, Hannah, Sydney, Mackenzie, and Copper joined Rhiannon. Cassia always stayed behind to tend to matters there. Hawk didn't even want Silver in the room because of her pregnancy, but she was wearing protective gear like the others and there wasn't much he could do since she was already there.
The D'Danann gathered around, and so did the PSF.
Rhiannon motioned for them to step away.
After everyone gave them some space, the seven witches joined hands. Rhiannon gripped Sydney's hand on one side and Alyssa's on the other. With the scene being so fresh and reeking of Ceithlenn, Rhiannon had a gut feeling she was going to be able to get some kind of vision.
As she lowered her eyelids Rhiannon told her Coven sisters to close their eyes.
For a long time, all Rhiannon saw was blackness, and her head ached bad enough that she wanted to drop to her knees. The burnt-sugar-and-death smell was so strong she had a hard time blocking it out. When she finally did, the blackness behind her closed eyelids began to lighten until she was no longer in darkness but wrapped in fog.
She found herself on a sidewalk in front of a tall brick building of penthouse suites. She recognized it towering above its shorter neighbors between the Embarcadero and the bay.
This time it wasn't Ceithlenn she saw in her vision. She recognized Junga in her human formâElizabeth. Anger flared through Rhiannon and the scars on her cheek burned. She had to struggle to pull herself back into the vision.
She mentally followed Junga as she walked up the concrete steps in front of the building and through the door that was opened for her by a security guard.
Junga went through the marble and brass lobby and into one of two elevators. Rhiannon entered with her and stood beside the Fomorii Queen, who slipped in a key card then pushed a button for the fourteenth floor.
Rhiannon's heart began racing. Could this be it? Could this be the time she would find out where Ceithlenn's lair was?
Rhiannon could smell human perspiration and perfume. No fish smell because Junga inhabited a human body. The person Junga had taken over had been a wealthy woman named Elizabeth, and the host body was graceful, elegant, stunning looking. But Rhiannon would never forget the demon inside that human body. Horrid, twisted features and a blue hide. Long claws tipped with iron.
When the bell dinged and they reached the fourteenth floor, Junga stepped into a semicircular foyer, then used her key card to enter a penthouse.
It was sumptuous. Rhiannon had never been in a place that exuded so much wealth.
But then she realized she'd been here beforeâwhen she'd watched Ceithlenn, the time the evil goddess had broken her mind. Just the thought made Rhiannon feel like she would go up in flames.
At the same time, excitement burned through her belly. She knew where their lair was! She didn't see any sign of Ceithlenn, but this was the place. She smelled burnt sugar and the odor of rotting fish so she knew the Fomorii came here as well.
The scene fast-forwarded through her head with Ceithlenn-Sara coming into the room, turning into her horrid goddess form and leaving, then returning. For some reason, the goddess didn't sense Rhiannon's presence this time, thank Anu.
And then Ceithlenn turned Junga and Darkwolf into those hideous creatures Copper had dreamt about and Silver had scried in her cauldron.
Rhiannon's stomach churned.
The vision faded.
Gray fog wrapped her again, until she slipped back into her own body. Her eyelids snapped open and she saw her friends with their eyes still closed. Rhiannon's breathing came harsh and fast.
“I'm back.” Rhiannon let go of Sydney's and Alyssa's hands and pressed her fingertips to her throbbing forehead. “You can all open your eyes.”
Everyone complied and looked at Rhiannon, who dropped her hands to her sides and tried to keep her features calm. “Did you see the vision?” she asked her Coven sisters.
All of the witches shook their heads. Alyssa said, “Not a thing.”
Rhiannon sucked in a deep breath. “You want the good news first, or the bad?”
In the common room, Silver shoved her daggers into special sheaths in her boots while Rhiannon shrugged into one of the Kevlar vests Jake had given each witch for the attack on Ceithlenn's lair.
Spirit stood at her feet and meowed, as if telling her to be safe ⦠or warning her.
Keir, of course, had argued against the witches being involved in the mission, and Rhiannon had threatened to spellfire his ass. The threat hadn't worked, but neither had she given in.
Keir wasn't the only one who was being overprotective. Hawk was flipping out that Silver was going, despite her pregnancy, Tiernan was furious when Copper insisted on being included, ankle cast and all. Even if she did get around pretty well, considering.
Jake and his officers tugged on their own protective gear, along with kneepads and tactical gloves. The gloves were thin, with nonslip material to pull a trigger and hold weapons. Gloves were useless to the witches since they needed their hands to perform any kind of magic.
Galia fluttered out of nowhere, pink dust scattering all over the common room floor and the smell of lilacs following in her wake. “May I go with you?” she asked Rhiannon with a pleading expression.
Rhiannon almost laughed. She had no idea where the Faerie got the clothing, but she looked like a pint-size, pink-winged version of the D'Danann when they were in their leather warrior gear. Galia wore a tiny set of skintight leather pants and a leather tunic. She even had a sword strapped to her side.
Might be useful if she wants to poke out a demon's eyeball.
Doing her best to keep a straight face, Rhiannon said, “Why not? As far as I'm concerned you proved yourself in battle the day the Fomorii broke through our wardings and attacked us.” She smiled. “Those pink lightning bolts of yours come in pretty handy.”
Galia clapped her hands together and bounced up and down in the air in front of Rhiannon. “Thank you! Keir was so awfully grouchy when I asked him if I might go. But then he's grouchy about you going, too.”
“No kidding.” Rhiannon shook her head. “He's really got to get over it. All of these guys are too possessive when it comes to their women.” She clamped her mouth shut. Good goddess, she wasn't Keir's woman, that was for sure.
“Let's hope the goddess is
really
weak after using her powers to create those monsters,” Rhiannon said. “Right now I'd be happy to just eliminate
her.
”
really
weak after using her powers to create those monsters,” Rhiannon said. “Right now I'd be happy to just eliminate
her.
”
Sydney finished strapping on her body armor that she'd put on over another shirt, then pulled her hair out of the neckline. “If only it can be that easy.”
Jake stuffed a handgun at his back. “The PSF has specialists working around the clock to develop firepower that just might give us a fighting chance.” Another handgun and a dagger were sheathed in his weapons belt. “We have a couple of things that might help us for now.”
“What's that?” Rhiannon asked.
“These are fucking expensive, so we've got a limited amount and every shot has to count.” Jake handed Rhiannon a bullet with a red point. “They're designed with a special microchip to listen for and detect a demon's heartâa human heart, too, for that matter. After hitting its target, the
microchip sends a powerful electric current straight to the beating heart, zapping it so hard it explodes.”
microchip sends a powerful electric current straight to the beating heart, zapping it so hard it explodes.”
Rhiannon looked at the bullet closely, feeling the cool metal of the dangerous ammo between her fingertips.
Jake showed her something that looked like a big gun. “We've developed these high-powered tasers that'll help us fight the demons off long enough to put one of those bullets in its body.”
“What'll the PSF use for guns?” Rhiannon asked. “I wasn't here when you fought them at Samhain.”
Jake grabbed a rifle off one of the tables and started loading some of the special bullets into its chamber. “Automatic rifles for one. They're compact and lightweight. Instant response, good for speedy deployment, mobility, and heavy firepower as close as twenty feet.” He set the rifle down and drew out the handgun he had slipped behind his back. “I use a .357 semiautomatic as a backup weapon and for closequarter combat.”
He withdrew a canister from his weapons belt. “This is like pepper spray, but it's far more potentâa special formula that we hope will help fight the Fomorii. The idea is for the spray to work as an irritant to the demons' mucous membranes, buying us more time when needed.”
In past battles, the PSF had been at a disadvantage because the standard-issue weapons did nothing to the Fomorii. The demons' bodies immediately healed if a bullet pierced their thick skin and flesh. The only way for the demons to be destroyed was by cutting off or blowing up their heads, or completely destroying their hearts. A simple bullet wouldn't do it because the heart would heal. It took blasting the beast's heart out of its body, cutting, or ripping it out of their chests.
The witches relied on their magic and chose not to kill, but did their best to incapacitate the Fomorii and let the D'Danann and PSF take the demons out. Like white witches, the gray witches didn't want to kill any living thing. Unlike white witches, gray witches believed that if evil could be stopped it was their responsibility to do what they couldâwithout crossing the line themselves.
Galia settled on Rhiannon's shoulder. Sydney braided her hair to keep it out of her face while Silver used a Celtic knot clasp then put her thick hair up under her black cap. The rest of the witches were ready and waiting.
The D'Danann had already left and were stationed on top of and around the building where the penthouse suite was located. They were handling surveillance until the team of PSF officers and witches arrived.
Rhiannon clasped the Celtic knot necklace she was wearing for additional protection. “Ready,” she said as she released the necklace and jerked on her black cap.
It seemed as if everyone took a collective deep breath then headed for the door. Spirit meowed again and followed them as far as the apartment entrance.
The witches, along with the PSF officers, climbed into the unmarked trucks that looked like a cross between a SWAT vehicle and a Hum-V. Jake shouted commands and his team looked prepared for action. He glanced at Galia, who was still perched on Rhiannon's shoulder, and Rhiannon shrugged. Jake shook his head and smiled.
When they finally arrived at the penthouses, everyone poured out of the PSF vehicles. Jake flashed his badge at the bewildered security guard, got the key card to access the penthouse from the stairs, and another card to get to it by the elevator. Jake ordered some of his officers up the stairs, while stationing others at the bottom floor entrance. The D'Danann would take care of the rooftop and the stairs leading to the rooftop.
Galia chose to fly and disappeared from sight.
Jake spoke into his wireless earpiece that connected him to his officers and the D'Danann captains and informed the D'Danann of their positions.
Rhiannon's heartbeat picked up as she stepped into the elevator with her Coven sisters and PSF officers. More PSF officers took the other elevator. Rhiannon glanced at each witch who looked nervous, stoic, orâin Hannah's caseâexpressionless. Alyssa, who tended to be more on the sensitive side, appeared to be scared spitless, yet she was there.
She never gave up. Never gave in. And Rhiannon admired the hell out of her for that.
She never gave up. Never gave in. And Rhiannon admired the hell out of her for that.
When they reached the fourteenth floor and the elevator dinged, Rhiannon held her breath. What if Ceithlenn heard it and was prepared for them?
They filed out of the elevator to an empty foyer. It was exactly as Rhiannon remembered it from her vision of Junga. Now there was just a door standing between them and Ceithlennâ
And the two monsters the goddess had created.
The other elevator arrived. The officers poured out and got into position.
Jake and another officer stood ready at the door.
“Now!” Jake said into his transmitter.
At the same time, two of his officers used what they called a “slammer,” a small battering ram. With one strike it ripped the door right off its hinges.
The door smacked up against the wall, and the officers aimed their rifles into the room.
No Ceithlenn. No Junga or Darkwolf. No monsters.
Only a group of men and women, near the windows at the far side of the enormous room. They looked like they might have been mingling at a party.
There were maybe twelve, fifteen at the most.
All had startled looksâ
Then their expressions changed one by one, and they shifted into their hideous Fomorii forms.
With roars and shrieks the demons charged the officers and witches who were pouring into the room.
The officers immediately fired their rifles and handguns at the demons.
The room lit up with an explosion of spellfire balls and magic ropes.
Galia appeared and started throwing one pink lightning bolt after another at the demons.
Windows imploded behind the Fomorii and D'Danann warriors swooped in, tearing down the blinds at the same
time. Glass sailed everywhere and wind whooshed into the penthouse.
time. Glass sailed everywhere and wind whooshed into the penthouse.
The D'Danann drew their swords and went after the Fomorii from their backsides.
Jake fired his .357 and a demon's heart exploded out of its chest. The demon crumbled to the floor into a pile of dark silt on the white carpet.
Silver hit one Fomorii square in the chest with a spellfire ball, and the D'Danann named Sheridan lopped its head off. The demon crumbled.
A PSF officer screamed as a demon raked its claws down the officer's face and chest. As one, Sydney and Hannah flung magic ropes at the beast and bound it so that it fell to the floor. Keir beheaded it with one swing of his sword.
Alyssa threw a spellfire ball at a charging demon and screamed as the Fomorii swiped at her. One of the PSF officers shot it in the heart, disintegrating the demon on the spot.
Rhiannon and Jake looked at each other. She cocked her head toward one of the hallways and he nodded. With Silver, Sydney, and two PSF officers following, they skirted the edge of the battle, shooting and flinging spellfire balls as needed to keep the demons off their backs.
By the time they reached the far end of the living room, where halls split off into two opposite directions, the battle in the living room was over. Nothing was left but piles of silt and the lingering stench of rotten fish. Mixed with that was the burnt sugar smell Rhiannon recognized from the theater, along with a hint of jasmine. She remembered the jasmine as Sara's scent.
Rhiannon, Jake, Keir, and several others took the left hallway, while another group went to the right.
Glass crunched under their boots from the broken window. The hallway had twelve-foot-high ceilings and was at least six feet in width. Jake gave the all-clear, and they moved into it to check each room.
Before they reached the first closed door, Ceithlenn materialized in the hallway in front of them.
Flame-haired, bat-winged, a wild look in her crimson eyes.
With a terrible shriek, she let loose bolts of black fire that slammed into Rhiannon's and Jake's chests.
Rhiannon flew back into the arms of several PSF officers.
Dear Anu, the pain! It felt as if flesh had been seared from her breastbone.
Gunshots echoed in Rhiannon's ears and the clang of magic against swords rang out as D'Danann blocked Ceithlenn's spells. The bullets never touched Ceithlenn. They just bounced off her shield like pennies.
Then Ceithlenn smiled and held out her arms.
Instinct grabbed hold of Rhiannon and she threw up a protective shield.
A powerful force of magic caused the shield to reverberate and waver.
“She's trying to suck up our souls!” Rhiannon shouted to everyone around her. “I've got a shield blocking this entire hallway.”
Okay, now Rhiannon was way pissed. First the mindshattering thing, then she'd nearly had her heart burned out of her chest, and now the bitch was trying to take her soul.
Heat expanded from the burn and through her body as Rhiannon shoved away from the officers.
Ceithlenn looked as angry as Rhiannon that she was being stopped from taking their souls.
Rhiannon's fury was so great her vision blurred and incredible power rose up within her.
The Shadows charged from her body.
Straight through Rhiannon's magic that protected them all from Ceithlenn.
Stunned, Rhiannon almost dropped the shield.
It felt as if her body was an electrical storm as the Shadows whirled out like tornados.
The goddess screamed as the Shadows slammed into her and forced her back. The Shadowsâindistinct shapesâcrawled all over Ceithlenn, driving her to her knees.
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