Witchlock (41 page)

“You really think no one could kill her?”
 

“Only because pantheons won’t work together. They’ll barely support the Tribunals. They’ll never show each other their entire strengths or weaknesses, so while Veronika is stripping this world of every ounce of power, the deities will shut the gates to their own personal kingdoms and wait for someone else to deal with her.”
 

“If Veronika does come looking for you, we might still have a chance to save Ragan.”
 

“I can only hope.”
 

Evalle added, “That’s
if
Veronika doesn’t kill you first.”
 

“If she does and takes my power, you should pack up Feenix and leave with Storm. If anyone could hide all three of you, it would be Storm, because I meant what I said. Deities with enough sense will pull up stakes and prevent any opening Veronika could use to enter their pantheons.”
 

“I thought deities needed worshippers to fuel their power.”
 

“True, but non-deities have found ways into the secret worlds of pantheons before, and caused all kinds of problems.  I’m telling you they won’t risk it.  Gullveig was never really known as a deity, but she had power, and she found her way in, then she wreaked havoc among the
Æsir until someone finally figured out how to kill her. No pantheon will risk that Veronika could really be a descendant of Gullveig, because she could possibly enter their world in disguise and bring a god-killer power with her. The deities will pack up shop until they find a way to kill her.
”
 

Evalle tapped the doorframe. “That would solve our problem.”
 

“Oh, sure, if not for the fact that a hundred years is nothing to an
immortal, so they may not deal with her for centuries.”
 

Adrianna stopped the car and shoved it into park. She must have caught Evalle’s thoughts, because she said. “Macha and the other immortals haven’t made it this long by putting themselves in jeopardy for lesser beings. I’ll make a wild guess that Macha doesn’t have enough room for all the Beladors and their families on her island.”
 

“No.”
 

“Fair or not, there’s your answer. Let’s go break up a party.”  Adrianna got out and had no trouble traversing the rough terrain in black jeans, short boots with low heels for once, and a lightweight black jacket over a black sweater.  
 

Evalle pulled on the leather head covering she’d had made that hid all of her face, including eye holes shielded with the same dark lenses she had in her sunglasses, specially created for her unusual vision.
 

When she reached Adrianna, the witch gave Evalle a once-over and joked, “Is that your ninja outfit?”
 

“Hey, I’m not running around in an FBI jacket missing three yellow letters on the back.”
 

Adrianna muttered, “Should have made you ride your bike.”
 

Evalle heard voices and motioned for Adrianna to come her way. They stepped through the trees to the edge of a ridge overlooking a bowl-shaped clearing that was wider than a football field once it leveled out at the bottom. The sides stretching down from the ridge were gentle slopes covered in knee-deep grass, now turning brown for the winter.
 

This place would make a nice amphitheater.
 

Adrianna whispered, “I didn’t believe Hermia could pull together that many witches.”
 

“You don’t have to whisper. There must be close to three hundred down there and they’re all yammering.” Evalle swung to Adrianna. “You know about Hermia?”
 

“I’ve known about her for a long time, well before Rowan did.”
 

“Why wouldn’t you meet with Rowan when she asked? Why is it you don’t choose a side?”
 

Adrianna’s expression iced over. “You really want to know?”
 

“Yes.”
 

“White witches have been no better to me than Sterlings. My mother was the youngest of three ruling Sterling witches and the one slated to take over once the others stepped down. For that reason, her future husband had been chosen from the Medb coven.”
 

“Seriously?”  Evalle’s jaw dropped. “The Medb intermarry with other
covens?”
 

“Not as a practice, but this was a very special arrangement that would be advantageous to the Medb. The Sterlings intended to use my mother to gain a foothold in the Medb coven and insure Sterlings would continue as a dynasty. My mother, however, fell in love with the only son of the Spanish witch who ruled the Viaje de la Luz coven. You already know they’re white witches. The name translates into Journey of Light, and that should tell you how well her choice in men went over with the Sterlings.”
 

“Lead balloon?”
 

“Pretty much.”
 

Evalle cringed over the fallout
that
must have caused and kept an eye on the field, where a trickle of new arrivals continued to join the crowd via what must be the front entrance to the property through a break in the trees on the far side. Adrianna had bypassed that entrance and opted for the dirt road. Not exactly the kind of racetrack a Ferrari was built to traverse.
 

Adrianna kept scanning the group as she finished explaining. ”When the Sterlings realized my mother carried their future leaders, they put her inside the coven compound for her
protection
, as they called it.” Adrianna made quote marks with her fingers in the air, and her mouth twisted in a mean smile.
 

“Sounds like the kind of protective facility Sen would put me in if he could.”
 

“Almost that bad. When they realized she carried twins, they were even more determined to keep us out of the hands of a white coven. My father had the same battle on his end and walked away to get back to my mother, but he was found dead one mile from the Sterling compound. No one ever admitted what happened, but I’ve been around Sterlings long enough to know. They sent out witches who led him to his death. His mother wanted to start a war until she realized his two children would be at risk and backed off.”
 

“When you left the Sterlings, why didn’t you go to your father’s coven for help in saving Ragan?”
 

“Because his mother made the same deal with Veronika as the Sterlings.”
 

“You’ve got to be kidding. The white witches agreed to that?”
 

“Yep. They didn’t have to turn over another witch, but she agreed that even though we were half Viaje de la Luz, she wouldn’t lift a finger to stop Veronika from taking Ragan as long as Veronika left
her
coven alone. I don’t trust either side. No matter who runs a coven, they’ll only watch after their own and none would lift a finger to help me save Ragan.”
 

Evalle wanted to tell Adrianna that Rowan
would
help her, but mere words would not erase the betrayal the witch had experienced on both sides. Evalle knew that first hand.
 

Shouting erupted in the center of the field.
 

Evalle and Adrianna moved as close as they could to the edge of the tree line and still remain out of sight.
 

Rowan stepped from the woods on the far side of the ridge. Guess there must be a third access into this property, but with over two hundred acres surrounded by residential developments, that made sense.
 

Fifteen women followed Rowan down the hill.
 

Rowan had brought the leaders of the covens that had been discussing joining the council. Evalle asked, “Why don’t I see any male witches out here?”
 

Adrianna made a
humph
sound. “Those particular covens are all matriarchal. They have male witches as members, but the males are never put in positions of leadership. My father wouldn’t have been either, but you can be sure his mother
still
expected him to marry a witch born to leadership—someone who would strengthen her coven.”
 

“That’s too weird in today’s world,” Evalle murmured.
 

“Some of the very old covens hold true to the traditions of their ancestors. Rowan may not act like it, or speak about those old covens, but her bloodline goes back a long way. You’re getting ready to see the old clash with the new when they reach the bottom of that hill and Rowan tries to bring sanity to an insane situation.”
 

Evalle needed to get down there and back up Rowan.
 

She’d promised Storm she wouldn’t try to get killed.
 

She searched the tree line for Trey, but with his military background he’d know how to blend in. Where was Storm? He wouldn’t know where she hid, but neither had he texted to say he’d arrived. She debated on texting him but he’d been unhappy that she hadn’t ridden up here with him.
 

She was trying to give him space, especially since she knew he was checking out a new apartment, and
Where are you
? sounded ...needy.
 

She was not needy, dammit.
 

And now she was talking like Feenix.
 

But she did not want to place demands on Storm that would make him think twice about trying to make their relationship work.
 

Adrianna leaned forward. “I need to hear what’s being said. The minute I hear Hermia’s voice, I’ll know if she’s being controlled by Veronika. If not, then getting these witches out of here will be a whole lot simpler.”
 

“I can power up my ability to hear but it won’t help you.”
 

“We have to get down there.” Adrianna turned to Evalle. “If Veronika
is
pulling the strings on Hermia, you need to choose who you want to save and get them out of there.”
 

“Can you cloak us?”
 

Adrianna chewed on the edge of her lip. “I can shield us with a no-see spell, but I don’t have time or materials to create one that can protect you from the sun, and you can’t use your kinetic powers while you’re inside this cloaking.”
 

“Can I get
out
of the cloaking to use my powers if I have to?”
 

“Yes. I’ll make it so that if you step outside the protected area you’re free to do what you want, but you’d be exposed at that point, too.”
 

That sounded as safe as it was going to get. “Let’s do it.”  
 

Adrianna turned to Evalle and took three steps back, then raised both hands, chanting quickly.
 

Just like the time a witch doctor had cloaked Evalle, the world around her appeared as though she viewed it through a glass wall.
 

Adrianna said, “You’re good as long as you stay about this same distance from me. Get too far away and you’re exposed.”
 

That was actually better than the last cloaking, where Evalle had to pry her way out of the spell to use her powers. “Take off and I’ll be right behind you.”
 

To Adrianna’s credit, she covered ground quickly, running downhill, and they reached the fringe of the crowd in time for Evalle to hear Rowan shout, “You have been brought here as sacrificial lambs for Veronika. She will not care for you. She will not protect you. She will take all of your powers and use them to rule you and to destroy all that you care for. The best chance you have to live a life of freedom is by walking out of here now. Do not follow Hermia to her death.”
 

Hermia lifted her hands and called out a string of words.
 

Before Evalle could ask Adrianna if she understood them, Adrianna spun around and said, “That’s a KievRus spell. See how blurry the grass and trees beyond this area look now? Hermia’s chant has just flipped the switch on a spell that was already in place to enclose everyone here. She literally just shut the doors on Veronika’s trap.”
 

Chapter 40
 

Storm moved as quickly as possible through the dense forest, watching around him for any sign of nonhumans. The woods began to thin as he reached the ridge indicated on the map for the valley site of the gathering Rowan needed to disperse.
 

Now, where was Evalle?
 

He checked his phone, but still no reply to the text he’d sent two minutes ago.
 

She had to be here. Evalle was mule-headed stubborn when it came to protecting those she cared about.
 

Storm passed a bush and caught a whiff of ... a Belador. One he knew, and who’d been in this spot recently. He might not have recognized it if he hadn’t been working so closely with Tzader’s team for the past week. He moved with stealth, tracking the scent that lead him closer to the tree line where he could see the crowd responsible for all the shouting going on.
 

That was one heck of a witch bitchfest.
 

He didn’t see Evalle. Even with the throng of hooded robes down there, because of her height she’d stand out in her full protective gear, which was all black. He’d have to look into having full body protection custom made of something lightweight. Maybe Mylar just for walking around.
 

Stick that on the mental list of things she needs that will allow her more of a real life.
 

First he’d have to talk to her about Feenix and that underground apartment, which he could have discussed on the way here, but she’d been right about him losing too much time going back into the city to pick her up.
 

Besides, riding out on her Gixxer might have given her a chance to unwind and feel free.