Electric Heat (24 page)

The body collapsed to the floor, but the thing just wouldn’t
stay dead. It clawed its way toward Raven, hauling his body behind him. Rylan
brought down the rock a second time, splitting the head open like a watermelon.

Black goo drained from the mess in an ever-widening circle.

And the smell was just atrocious, like a skunk and road kill
had mated in a rotten mess.

Rylan dropped the rock and dusted off his hands. His skin
had turned gray, and she cursed herself for not noticing sooner. “You have to
go rest before you collapse. You’re no good to me dead.”

He gave her a searching look before finally nodding. “Try to
stay out of trouble while I’m gone.”

“Of course.” As he disappeared down the tunnel, Raven picked
up a shard of stone and scraped up some of the goo.

“What’re you doing?” Curiosity lured Heloise closer.

“I want my doctor to do a work-up on this virus. I’d also
like permission to take a sample from one of the bitten as well.”

 It took close to three hours to check every caster in the
fortress. They submitted to the search with ill grace. Overall, ten people had
been bitten; the eight witches and two wizards were then secured behind locked
doors.

Raven frowned as she inspected her notes. People were in
various stages of infection, those who were further along had slight fevers.

“You sense it, too, don’t you?”

Raven went rigid, doing her best not to squeal in alarm. No
one likes to have an assassin sneak up on them. It took her a few seconds to
recall his question. “The wizards seem unaffected, but there’s something wrong
with the witches’ magic. It’s become mangled.”

As if answering him was an invitation, he moved to stand next
to her. “Wizards don’t hold magic, they can only use it. Once they relinquish
their magic, the infection has nothing to latch onto and it clears their
system.”

Raven suspected the same thing. “Then why go after them?”

“They probably got in the way or were using magic at the
wrong time.”

It chilled her to know he was so familiar with the virus, as
if he’d contemplated biological warfare for fun in his spare time. “And the
witches?”

“Their magic is no longer pure.”

Raven brushed the front of her shirt, but the black goo
stubbornly clung to her. “They’re turning into something else.”

Randolph raised a brow. “Agreed, but the better question
might be, turning into what? We can’t afford to have more people able to wield
wild magic.”

He was suggesting that they kill them.

Why wasn’t she surprised?

Raven turned her back on the prison hallway and forced
herself to meet Randolph’s look. “How do you know so much about this virus?”

He smiled as if he found her suspicions amusing. “If you
were going to attack the witches, the best way to do it would be to attack
their magic. They’re ingenious at protecting themselves. No one has ever been
able to find a way to undermine them.”

Until now
went unsaid.

 Chapter Twenty

DAY FIVE: LATE
AFTERNOON

R
andolph
was right about one thing…they couldn’t afford to have more wild magic loose in
the world. It didn’t matter if the infected could wield it or not. If what
Heloise said was true, wild magic was sentient up to a point. It would eventually
find a way to spread and infect others, searching for the perfect host.

Her creature had been able to shred and destroy the wild
magic in tiny doses, but not without some world-class indigestion.

“If you don’t do anything, they’ll die anyway and infect
others before they do.” Randolph had followed her around for the past hour while
she examined the survivors, always watching and studying her.

Everything inside her rebelled at the thought of
experimenting on people. “No.”

Randolph raised a brow. “Isn’t it a little presumptuous of
you? Doing nothing will condemn them. Don’t you think they deserve a choice?”

Raven resisted the urge to rip out his throat, anything to
shut him up. She knew what he was doing. He didn’t care about helping these
people, he wanted her to use her power so he could study it.

He leaned forward, hands on the table. He looked approachable
and friendly, but it was a carefully crafted pose. There was nothing normal
about the man. A stillness rested beneath the surface that was unnatural…like a
cobra ready to strike. “We need a weapon to use against the Prime. The only way
we’re going to find one is through them. I shouldn’t need to remind you that
when the wards fall, we’ll all be at the mercy of the Prime.”

He straightened and left without another word, the clever
bastard, leaving her to stew in her thoughts. And damn him, he was right.

If she did nothing, they were all dead.

After only an hour of observation, Raven dismissed the two
wizards. They hurried away, relieved to be free. She gathered the others in a
secured room. The oval table seated ten, the mismatched chairs leftovers from
an era long gone. The four walls were solid granite but man-made, an office many
would pay a fortune to have designed topside.  

They were far enough into the mountain that the noise and
jarring effects of the attack had faded. Only the occasional tremor could be
seen in the cups of water resting on the table.

It wouldn’t be too much longer before the Prime broke
through.

“Why are we here?” A middle-aged, plump woman who could be someone’s
knitting grandmother, spoke from her seat at the end of the table. That she
still showed her age meant she either came into her powers later in life or had
such miniscule magic that even small spells were beyond her. Since she was
their spokesperson, Raven was guessing the first option.

“You’ve all been bitten and infected.”

“Infected with what?” The girl at the foot of the table was
belligerent, absently tugging down her sleeve to cover the bandage on her arm.

“Wild magic or what you call ancient magic.”

They laughed, but soon their amusement melted into disquiet.

The grandmother spoke. “What do you mean?”

“You’re hungry, but no food helps. You’re showing signs of
magical withdrawal: shakes, nausea and headaches. None of you can use your
magic, and have been unable to since an hour after being bitten. That’s because
your magic is being altered.”

Their disbelief changed then to something far more
dangerous.

Terror.

Without their magic, they would age and die.

“Those without magic who were bitten starved out the infection.
In your case, your magic is feeding the ancient magic. As you weaken, it grows
stronger.”

“What do you want from us?” One of the men spoke this time,
an older guy who could have passed for a butler at even the poshest English
estate.

Raven released a breath, relieved that they were listening
to her, and leaned forward. “The wild magic doesn’t seem to care for me. I want
to find out why, and hopefully stop the process.”

A few of them didn’t move, suspicion darkening their
expressions.

“I’m trying to help. If nothing is done, you’ll eventually
be consumed by the wild magic, but not before you pass it on to someone else.”
That stopped all the objections. She rose and walked around the table. “When I pass
by you, I want you to call upon your magic.”

The butler was the first person in line. When she placed a
hand on his shoulder, the magic he’d gathered scurried away like she was a
predator. The rest of the table behaved similarly.

“It worked.” The youngest girl smiled, her whole posture
melting with relief. When the others remained silent, the huge grin dropped off
her face. “Right?”

Raven crossed her arms. “I’m afraid not. It’s acting like
prey and hiding.”

“Not prey.” The granny shook her head. “Survival.”

“Randolph, would you mind taking a turn and walk around the
room?” Raven waited for him to protest, but he gave her an amused smile,
pleased to be included.

Even without trying, she felt the wild magic rise, reaching
out in curiosity. The witches’ eyes glazed over with fever as the magic took
over.

The blend of old and new magic tasted darker.

Tainted.

As if sensing the threat, all emotions dropped from Randolph
until his eyes were pale green chips of ice. The trained assassin emerged. As
he passed, the people leaned away from him. Despite being curious, the wild
magic made no move against him.

At least not yet.

It chilled her to realize it was waiting, smart enough to
know it needed to be stronger before attacking this man. When Randolph came to a
stop at her side, he stood to attention like a dog that had his fur ruffled.

Raven walked the circuit of the room one more time.

When she came to a stop at her seat, the magic was gone
again.

“You’re dampening it, repressing it somehow.”

The young man sounded so enthusiastic Raven hated to
disappoint him. “I’m slowing the infection, but that’s not good enough. It
won’t hold.”

The granny nodded, her gray hair bobbing. “She’s right. Once
our magic is gone, the wild magic will take over, and we’ll become the enemy.”

“This is all bullshit.” A woman who resembled a soccer mom
shoved away from the table, her ponytail swinging. “Why are we even listening
to her?”

A second girl rose to her feet. “Ancient magic is a
blessing, trusted to only the strongest. We were chosen. We’re meant to rule.
She’s trying to trick you into giving up your power.”

The room erupted in confusion. Three witches sided with the
soccer mom.

“You’re a fool.” The pity on the granny’s face was more
powerful than any argument. “And you’ll die for it.”

Raven raised her hands. “I’m not going to force anyone to do
anything. You saw what wild magic could do. I think I can help you, but only if
you want it.”

The granny stood. “I want to live.”

Three others nodded, splitting the group in half. Raven hadn’t
expected so many to place their trust in her. It was both humbling and scared
the crap out of her. “The rest of you will go back to your cells, and—”

“No.” Soccer mom smiled, a sinister twist to her lips. “We
don’t take orders from you or anyone else anymore.”

The temperature dropped as wild magic thickened in the air, growing
like a black shadow as it lashed out.

Like a ghostly fist, it plowed through her chest, grabbed
her heart and squeezed. Raven gasped and fell against the granite-tiled wall.
Her power rose at the assault, her armor hardening, cutting off the stream of dark
magic.

She inhaled sharply at the rush of fresh air, and shoved
away from the wall. Rage roared through her as her creature woke with a
vengeance. She grabbed soccer mom by the throat and hefted her off her feet.
Pinned to the wall, the woman wheezed for air, clawing at Raven’s hand. Nails
snapped off when she encountered the armor.

“Stop.”

As if sensing her prey was about to be snatched away, her
grip tightened.

Bones creaked in protest.

The granny pushed her way forward. “You mustn’t kill her. If
you do, the ancient magic will be set free to seek a new host.”

A growl rumbled up her throat, and Raven reluctantly lowered
the woman to the floor. Soccer mom immediately dropped to her knees. Raven
grabbed the girl’s blonde ponytail and yanked her head back.

Fear widened the woman’s eyes, and the dark shadows of magic
swirling in them scuttled away to hide.

Raven couldn’t let her go free, not without taking some
precautions.

She called on her power, and was shocked when the wild magic
rose at her summons. She almost jerked back, able to feel it lick at her
fingers like an eager puppy. It gathered itself, ready to leap, and panic
clawed up her throat.

She searched for the source of the ancient power in the
woman’s body, and found it had completely infested every part of her. The
wizards could manipulate magic, but not store it. Witches pulled it through the
earth and stockpiled small amounts of it in their body.

Wild magic was like neither.

It was sentient.

It needed to feed to grow stronger.

The similarities to her own power were chilling.

She didn’t know what would happen if it tried to take her
over. She was a conduit, able to absorb energy from anything around her. She
could become the ultimate power source if she didn’t find a way to protect
herself.

Her beast rumbled in agreement and a flood of power engulfed
her. When she grabbed the seething blue strands of electricity, the creature
tightened its hold until it felt like her bones were being wrapped with barbed
wire.

That’s when she understood what the creature wanted.

“I bind you from doing harm.” Raven sent a surge of energy
into the woman, scraping every inch of her insides to gather the ancient magic.

The girl screamed in agony as the wild magic tried to flee. But
without another host, there was nowhere else for it to go. Raven looped cords of
energy around the magic and dragged it into the woman’s bones. The magic gouged
groove into the flesh to get away, but it was no use. Once it was encased in
bone, Raven heated the electricity until the magic was bound tight.

The girl screamed again, a combination of pain and denial,
before collapsing to the floor with a sob.

The world around her dipped as all her energy was stripped
away. When the trembling didn’t stop, she leaned weakly against the wall,
locking her knees to keep from sliding to the floor. When Raven opened her
eyes, it was to find everyone on the other side of the room, staring at her with
varying degrees of horror. She flinched at the accusations in their eyes, then raised
her chin and accepted the sting of their judgment.

“What did you do?” The granny couldn’t take her eyes off the
soccer mom huddled on the floor, not daring to go anywhere near the woman and
risk having the same thing happen to her.

“I bound her magic from doing harm.” She thought they’d be
relieved, but they acted as if she’d confessed that she enjoyed kicking puppies
and torturing kittens in her spare time. “I didn’t kill her.”

The butler shook his head, pity leaching color from his face.
“It would have been kinder if you had.”

“If I did nothing, she would’ve died within a week. This
way, she can’t cast, the wild magic will starve, and she can have a normal
life. Without magic, the bindings will fade. After a time, she might even get
her abilities back.” It was the best solution for all of them, the only way she
could save their lives. Why didn’t they understand?

“She’d never be more than a wizard.” Granny had a hand at
her throat, her eyes sad. “I think we need to go back to our cells and consider
our options.”

Disappointment slammed through Raven as they walked toward
the door. “You do understand the wild magic can’t be allowed to go free.”

Granny helped the soccer mom to her feet and sent her on
with the others. “You’re trying to help, dear, but we’ve spent our whole lives
working for the coven. Without magic, we’re just human and worthless to them.
We don’t just lose our magic, we lose our family, friends, our jobs and our
very homes.”