Authors: Cindy Charity
Leave this place—you’ve no business here human.
The words came out in a hiss, filling her mind. It stuck again, but this time Ali felt Finn with her, and together they managed to block the attack. Finn demanded that she return.
Ali, come back now. You cannot fight while in this form.
The shadow agreed.
Listen to him. You are too weak to fight the likes of us. Leave, the woman here is ours.
Oh like some hell! She felt Finn pull her back. But before she gave in, Ali marked the ground using energy from the others. It scorched the ground beneath her.
I’ll be back.
Just before Finn locked onto her, Ali heard the hissing promise.
Then, you will die.
Her head filled with war and anarchy, images of her death had her screaming. She saw the other woman trying to fight off the shadows, but they were too much for her. Soon they consumed her and the world went dark. She tried to fight it but she was too tried. She heard Finn’s curses and knew he was struggling to bring her back. Traveling back to her body felt like being on a roller-coaster. Just when the feeling was getting to be too much, Ali came to a sudden stop.
Open your eyes agrah, I have you.
It took a second for her to understand, but then she opened her eyes, and there he was.
Finn relaxed as soon as he saw those eyes open and focus on him.
“We have to go, Finn. The shadows—they’re gathering. She won’t be able to fight them all. I saw her; she knows they’re there, she talks to them.” She turned to look at Tristan. “She’s yours, Tristan.” His expression pained her. “They will kill those who try to get to her.”
The giant warrior crossed his arms and pierced her with a hard look. “Show me where she is, and I will go to her.”
Ali shook her head, which had Tristan glowering at her. “She won’t allow you to come.”
A brow went up. “She won’t allow? This is not the time to gain permissions, Ali. This is war.”
“Tala said it was too dangerous.” She left the part out about trust. “The best I could do was make it possible for her to find us.”
Before things got out of control, Finn interrupted. Gently, he took Ali by the shoulders. He felt Tristan’s displeasure and Drake’s frustration, but having them pressure Ali wasn’t going to get them the answers they wanted. “Ali, you have to tell us where.” He cut off her protests with a gentle kiss. “We cannot wait; she will understand why you shared her location with us.”
Dropping her shoulders, Ali nodded, feverishly hoping that he was right. The heaviness of betrayal weighted on her as she told them what she knew. “There’s a small town, a village, north east of here. I marked the ground so that we could find it. Tala is in a small cabin, it hugs the boundaries of the village.” She turned her eyes to Tristan, who was preparing to leave. The look in his eyes made her shiver. They were cold and flat. “She told me she had used too much energy; that it was too early for her to sleep. Whatever these shadows want, they won’t rest until they have it.”
Unconcerned, but wanting to reassure her, Tristan answered, “They won’t be successful.”
The conviction in his voice had her trembling. She was so cold, not even the fire was warming her. All she could think about was getting back there before the shadows struck. Ever present in her mind, Finn brushed a kiss on the top of her head. “You are too weak to travel, love. You must regain your strength.”
She
was
weak; her outer body voyage took a lot out of her. Not to mention those shadows. They were like energy suckers and they had not been too happy to see her there. In fact if Finn hadn’t pulled her back, she was sure they would have made good on their promise of death. “There has to be a time out card I can play right? I mean this is getting pretty crazy.” How she wished she could snap her fingers and have this all over.
In an awesome show of strength, Finn got to his feet while still holding her in his arms. “Yes it would be over ‘in a snap’, but if that had been the case, you wouldn’t have had the pleasure of my company.” His eyes twinkled with humor; and though she was still very tired, Ali found smiling at his playful mood, then she snuggled her head down onto his shoulder.
They entered the bedroom and Finn gently placed her in the center of the bed. She was still very pale, but he could feel her strength retuning, “Rest.” It didn’t take Ali long to succumb to exhaustion. Standing over her Finn made his vow to her. No one would come near her.
Someone was trying to wake her up. Ali groaned and swatted the insistent hand. Rolling over onto her side, she drifted back to sleep. Her rude intruder had interrupted her fabulous dream. Just as she tapped into the dream again, she felt a hand on her shoulder. This time, she put more force in her strike. She heard a deep chuckle before Finn’s voice filled her mind.
We have to go Ali. Tristan and Drake have already left to extract Tala.
Forcing her eyes open, Ali gave him a frown. “They left without us?”
Finn helped her to sit up. With her hair wildly rumpled and her eyes heavy with sleep, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with her and shut the world out.
Noticing the change in his eyes, Ali tugged the blankets up under her chin. “We have no time for that mister.” Her lips twitched at the crestfallen pout he gave her, “Cian and Constantine?”
“Aye, they are waiting for us.”
Fully awake now, Ali slid out of bed. Stretching, slapping at Finn’s seeking hands, she headed for the bathroom. “Give me five minutes.”
She met them in the foyer of the house just in time to hear Constantine’s report. “Lugus and Vega are in the vicinity. It would be best if Finn and his woman leave first.”
He spoke as if she wasn’t there, Ali sighed in exasperation. “What about you and Cian?” Seeing how startled Constantine was at her direct question was a sight Ali would file away in her memories. The guy really needed to loosen up, and he needed to start using her name instead of calling her ‘woman’.
“We will provide protection.” His gaze held hers effortlessly despite his initial shock. “Cian seems to be back in fighting form.”
It was her turn to be surprised. Constantine almost sounded—normal. Cian meanwhile must have been feeling coddled. “Gee, thanks dad.”
Ali had to bite her lip to keep her laughter at bay. She had to give Constantine credit though, his feathers remained unruffled. Although, she swore she detected a tiny quirk of his mouth—a smile maybe? There was no time to investigate. It was time to go.
They never got a chance to move, the building was rocked on its foundations. Cian yelled at them to leave. The ground shook again. Pieces of the ceiling crumbled down around them. Before she could fully register what was happening, Finn’s arms came around her and they were moving—fast.
Cian shot a look over to Constantine. “Shall we welcome our guests?”
They found Lugus and Vega in the driveway of the house. While the demon seemed to be lounging on the sidelines, Lugus was preparing to hit the building again. Neither heard the warriors approach. Constantine shoved Lugus with an airstream, sending him flying backwards.
Stunned, Lugus managed to make it to his feet. His bellow rang out into the still air. “I am here for the Fragment and to cleave my revenge!”
With legs spread and arms ready to block anything Lugus threw at him, Constantine responded. “Your thirst for revenge will bring your end, Lugus.”
Letting out a battle cry, Lugus lunged forward.
Watching the action, Vega crept back; she was not familiar with this warrior. It was time to cut her losses and escape while she could. Lugus would have to fend for himself. Preservation was her only thought. She had told Lugus it was too soon for another attack, had warned him against coming back here. The buffoon would now suffer the warrior’s wrath.
Her path was blocked by Cian. “Leaving your party so soon, Vega?”
Screeching, Vega called for her demons. They poured up from the ground.
Cian struggled to get a clear shot of the chaotic demon, but his attention was taken up by the hideous creatures she had set upon him. Cursing, he blasted one after another. But when one fell, there were two to take its place. He found himself being forced back.
Seeing how effective her pets were, Vega took a moment to gloat. It looked like she would be able to get herself
and
Lugus out of here after all. “Aww—I wish I could stay and watch, but we have some place we need to be.” Raising her arms, Vega shouted out a charm.
Ready for Lugus’ attack, Constantine was taken aback when the other man was suddenly gone. Only his echoing curses remained. He wasn’t given time to ponder how or where he had gone. The sounds of battle reached him then, and he rushed to give Cian aid with the creatures left behind. With a single burst of fire, Constantine rendered them to dust, and then called upon the wind to carry the blackened ashes away.
Dark with his frustration, Cian cursed, and rendered a nearby tree to a pile of tinder with a blast of energy. “They’ll hit Finn and Ali before they reach the second Fragment.”
Constantine nodded his agreement. “Go help your kin. I will go assist Drake and Tristan.”
*****
Finn ran along the forest path with Ali in his arms, as they moved, he pictured them fading. Before it had taken help from Cian to accomplish this; with the return of his magick, the task was simple. Or at least it would be, without the interference of an outside source. The foreign energy surrounded them, preventing him from disappearing. Coming to a stop, Finn set Ali on her feet. Pushing her behind him, Finn murmured a quick spell of protection. If he fell, at least he would be giving Ali the chance to flee. Knowing they only had a few moments, he turned to her. Framing her face, he lowered his mouth until it met hers. Lifting his head, he smiled at her. “You must go. You know where the second Fragment is. Tristan and Drake are no doubt already there.”
Her heart leapt. “Not this time, Finn. I’m not running.”
“Ali—”
Too late.
“Strange, I always seem to be interrupting some disgusting display of affection. Luck is such a prickly thing. One minute, you’re out of it, the next, it showers over you.” Vega sauntered towards them, her face lit with twisted delight. “While our little side trip was—fun, this is like taking candy from a babe. We were of course, on our way to a simple little cabin in the woods before all of this happened.” At Ali’s intake of breath, Vega’s smile grew. She spread her fingers out and wiggled them. “Surprise—you thought those little journeys of yours were solo, didn't you?” She then turned to Finn, “You were so concerned that she was safe, I was undetected.”
Finn swore.
“Aww—don’t be mad, Finn, all men fall for a beautiful face, right Lugus?”
Finn stepped back, pushing Ali further away.
Lugus came out from behind a tree. “It is time to settle the score.”
The light in Lugus’ eyes was flat and cold. Finn knew he was no longer the man he once knew. Reaching back, he gave Ali the briefest of touches, wishing it were more.
Ali, get ready
Her breath lodged in her throat. She heard what Finn said, but her body wouldn't accept it. A fire began to heat up within her. It pushed through body, swam in her veins. She tried to push it down, she wanted to listen to him, but her heart—her heart ordered her to protect him.
Finn felt the change in her and immediately tried to counter it.
Ali, no—you must not engage
His order went unheeded. Ali stepped out from behind him and was now standing as a warrior. His heart plummeted to his feet.
Vega clapped her hands, her eyes danced with mirth. “The mortal is going to battle? This should be fun.”
Mustering up the valour she didn’t feel, Ali shot back. “You know, I'm getting tired of your mocking.”
Finn’s eyes fluttered closed in vexation. She wasn’t going to back down. He tried once more to get her to heed him.
Ali, cease this now.
She bristled at his tone. She understood that it came from concern for her, but she was tired of being viewed as a nuisance by these crazy people. She stood her ground, not flinching when Vega’s eyes flashed at her.
“You dare speak to me? I can have you writhing on the ground with just a whisper. I could make your ears bleed, have you beg me to stop.”
From her peripheral vision, Ali saw Lugus gather himself for an assault. She had to time this right so that she and Finn could escape. Remembering what she had done against Mikel in the forest, she reached for that same source. Power rose up, as if it was rejoicing in her willingness to use it. Finn’s disapproval also came through, but she had to ignore it. “I dare, yes.”
If possible, Vega’s eyes grew darker. They began to glow. Uh oh, that cannot be a good sign. Ali set her feet, hoping like hell whatever it was she had, would be enough to fend off a demon.
Finn—I am nearly there.
Finn kept his face void of the relief he felt at hearing Cian’s voice.
Ali has provoked the demon—she is about to strike, Lugus as well.
Only Cian—well, Drake too, would find humor in such a situation.
Vega was beyond outraged. The mortal dared to speak to her, mock her? Flinging her arms out, she called to the wind, stirring it up until it enclosed them all—like being in the center of a tornado. “I will crush you. I will grind your bones under my heel, but not before I hear you beg for your worthless life.”
Cian saw the funnel, knew it was going to take a great amount of energy to breech it. Focusing, he headed straight for the wall of debris. Branches, dirt and stone ripped at him, but he kept pushing through.
Vega pulled her arm back, but before she could follow through, she was hit with a fireball of blinding white. It engulfed her, and held her prisoner in its heat. She screamed as the flames burned her. Dropping to her knees, she tried to counter the flames but the more she fought, the stronger they got. Her skin was seared; the stench of flesh, choking her.
Ali shook from the force of energy leaving her body. Her hair flew about her head and crackled with snaps of energy. Her hands were spread wide, palms facing out. Light—white hot light, flowed from them, hitting the demon with so much might; it had sent her to the ground. Lugus had also been affected. The blast had sent him hurling backwards. It was hard to stay focused when all she wanted to do was understand what was happening. Her vision became tunnelled, seeing nothing but her foe.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The screams coming from the demon echoed throughout the forest, her wind tunnel, dissipated. Finn watched, as Vega clawed at her skin. Cian’s order came through the confusion.
Finn, move—now.
As much as he would have loved to take Ali to safety, Finn knew what must be done.
I need you to take Ali back to my place.
His cousin showed little surprise at his decision. Slowly, Finn approached Ali, he was careful not to startle her. “Ali, you have done enough.”
She shook her head. If she stopped, Vega will attack; she couldn’t allow that to happen. But she was getting tired—so tired. Her vision cleared and she saw the demon writhing on the forest floor. She pulled back, her arms shaking from the strain they had been under. She wasn’t given a whole lot of time to reorient herself before Finn was urging her back.
Vega’s scream of rage echoed through the air before the she slipped beneath the ground. She was pushed back more, but Ali’s eyes remained on the scarred ground where the demon had stood. Then, Finn was shaking her gently to gain her attention.
“Cian will take you to back to the house, once this is done, we will join the others.”
That shook her out of her daze. “What? No, if I go, you go too.”
He only had seconds before Cian was here and before Lugus recovered. “Lugus must be dealt with. You spoke of our enemies multiplying. This is my chance to eliminate one. Trust me Ali, and go with Cian.”
His mind was set; she could see it in his eyes. Nothing she said would sway him. Sighing, Ali nodded, took several steps away from him and waited for Cian. “If you return with so much as a scratch, I will be very angry with you.”