Brewing Storm, page 18
Fred laughed. “She’s kidding. Right, honey?”
“Am I?”
THE SILVERY LIGHT OF the moon and stars dotted the velvety skyscape as we stood on the beach beneath the prison portal. I couldn’t see it, but according to the map, we were in the right location. All we could do was wait and hope, hang out in the open till the gargoyles came after us. I didn’t much like being live bait, but we had no choice.
Logan had retrieved the tiny, silver, square tracker and Cindy had promised not to claw his eyes out. So now we knew the gargoyles couldn’t track us. The night Cindy was shot was the night the tracker went in. It was a brilliant plan. We never suspected a tracker when she was shot. We had spent hours trying to figure out who shot Cindy, and now we knew, it was the gargoyles. The wound was shallow, and we never found a bullet in the wound. Maybe that should’ve alerted us to something. They led us to believe that she had been shot. But in reality, the gargoyles shot her with a tracker and a sedative.
The lone wolf was quiet, not saying much. I wondered what was going on. When I looked at him, he looked away.
“Hey, what’s on your mind?” I asked Logan, who seemed to be deep in thought while he held my hand, his hair whipping to and fro.
“Your wedding date.”
I sighed. “Let’s not go through this again. We’ve already determined it’s not a date.”
“You’re both technically single, a man asked you, and you’re getting dressed to the nines. If it’s not a date, what is it?”
“Call it a meet-and-greet.”
“I’d rather call it you standing him up.”
“I just want to let my hair down, to have one normal outing without any supernatural drama. We’re standing on a beach in the middle of the night, hoping to be attacked by gargoyles, so we can hurl one through some magic portal like she’s freaking Mario going in a warp zone. I need to take the edge off that craziness, and it will also be good to get to know my new teacher. It’s just a chance to have fun and to get to know someone I’ll be working with, and that’s all,” I assured him.
“It’s the getting-to-know-him part that bothers me,” Logan mumbled.
“I’ll tell ya what’s normal,” Fred interrupted, “a Petal witch finally getting his powers!”
“Don’t you mean a warlock? Surely you know the difference between boys and girls by now,” Logan teased, quickly shifting his mood to one less somber.
“You’re just jealous because I can borrow things,” Fred spat, “like your fiancée!”
Cindy laughed.
“Fred, you should try it again, just to test it out,” I encouraged.
“Okay,” he said, then approached me. He gripped my shoulders and closed his eyes, then let go after a minute and looked at me again.
“What did you pick?” I asked.
He smiled at me as he bounced a white lightning volt from one hand to another.
I pointed at Logan and smirked. “See? Nothing about my life is normal. Cool as the freak show is, I need a break from it, even if it’s only for two hours.”
“I can give you a break,” he said.
“Logan, you can’t do normal.”
“Try your electricity power now,” Fred said to me, still staring at the currents in his hands. “I want to make sure you can still use it.”
I closed my eyes, concentrated, and finally, I felt a spark. “It’s back!”
“That proves I’m not a thief!” Fred said. “It’s weird, but I felt the necromancy power leave as soon as I grabbed this one. I’ll try this again later, so we can figure out how long it lasts.” He then darted his eyes over at his buddy. “And no more comments about me not lasting, or I’ll zap your ass with this,” he said.
“Me thinks thou dost protest too much,” Logan said with a grin that he then threw in my direction. “Contrary to popular opinion, I can totally do normal,” he argued. “Just give me a chance to prove it, Soph.”
I lowered my voice and reminded him, “You know we need to distance ourselves that way.”
“You let me hold your hand for the last half-hour. That doesn’t seem too distant to me.”
“Call it relief after a stressful day at work.”
He laughed. “Fine. I won’t push the issue,” he said. “We’ll remain friends and co-workers for as long as you want.”
“Thanks for being so understanding.”
“I don’t mean to pry,” Cindy said, “but are you two staying apart because I have to marry Logan? It shouldn’t. It won’t keep me and Fred apart.”
“It’s different for you guys. You were already an established couple. Logan and I have never even been on a date.”
“I just heard him offer one.”
I blinked at her three times, shocked that she was eavesdropping and even more shocked that she could be so bold. “I, uh... It’s just really hard to date in the middle of all this—”
Before I could even finish my excuse, wide jaws opened, and the wolf I wanted but couldn’t have was pulled skyward, caught in the menacing claws of a very angry gargoyle.
“Logan!” I shouted.
Chapter 27
I threw my hands back and flung all the power I could at the creature’s head, lightning bolts followed by spheres of fire. It violently bucked in the air, even more so when Fred joined in with his own shower of lightning bolts. The powerful creature screamed like a banshee but didn’t let go, not till Logan pulled a knife from his pants and stabbed it in the underbelly.
“Logan!” I cried again, then ran over to the place where he crashed onto the sand, as fast as my legs would carry me. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, just pissed that we got caught off guard. Let’s put this plan in motion, everybody.”
I glanced up at dozens of gargoyles circling overhead. They started dive-bombing, and I tensed up from head to toe. It seemed my magic was back for a while, but even an Ankh witch was no match against such a huge army. I wished it was raining, because then I could channel the natural lightning like I did when I was out in the clearing with Beth, but nothing about the weather indicated a bad forecast.
Closing my eyes, I connected with the witch working for the other side. She was strong, that was for sure, but I was able to keep her from turning off our powers or taking our strength. I tried to take hers, but I wasn’t quite sure how to do it.
A gargoyle whirled down toward me and was met by a humongous blast of lightning. When more came at us, Fred and I joined forces, delivering a storm of electricity that threw a dozen spiraling in different directions.
When a gargoyle landed far too close for comfort, in a flurry of flapping and flying sand, that was my cue to leave. Logan and I hurried behind a tangle of towering ferns and cloaked ourselves. He pointed the crystal at the sky, ready to open the portal at the appointed time.
Cindy had to fly Fred to the portal. Then, as soon as they got close enough, we would cloak them so the gargoyles would assume they entered. Little did our enemies know they were going on a one-way trip to a prison portal world.
One of the gargoyles suddenly turned into a woman, and several guards followed suit behind her. She had a cold, heartless look on her face, and she shook her fists at Cindy. She wore a long black dress and her hair was done up in an elaborate bun shimmering with diamond accents. I couldn’t help notice how beautiful and striking she was. But she looked like a woman who always got her way no matter what the cost.
“The queen,” Logan informed me. “She looks exactly like the pictures I’ve seen of her.”
“Cindy needs to get the hell out of there!” I said.
“She knows what she’s doing. Give her time.”
“We brought you into our kingdom,” the queen said, “and you ran away, leaving my son without a bride.”
“What can I say? I didn’t want you for a mother-n-law!”
Vex stormed toward them. “Do not show your queen disrespect! Also, why are you alive? I stabbed you with a poison blade. You made your choice. You should be dead.”
“She’s dating a warlock,” Fred said. “And I brought her back from the dead!”
“A powerful warlock?” the queen said.
Vex frowned. “He’s tainted, Mother. Remember, he has vampire in him. He won’t work for the experiment. Only the Ankh witch will work. And it seems as if they can care less about her. They’re leaving without her.”
“Leaving her behind? Then we need to find her. She’s my only chance at giving my daughter a normal life.”
Fred traced over and knocked a guard down, then quickly stole his sword and pointed it at Vex and the queen. “We’re leaving,” he lied, “and there’s nothing you can do to stop us.”
The queen laughed. “You will not penetrate the force-field, silly bloodsucker. We reinforced it with a special magic that not even Sophie can penetrate.”
“Get to the portal now!” Fred whispered in Cindy’s ear just the way we planned.
We knew they had immortal hearing and would pick up on it.
“No vampire will prevent us from getting our revenge,” Vex snapped.
“Maybe not, but a warlock can!” With that, Fred threw up a wall of lightning.
Cindy, right on cue, turned, urged Fred onto her back, and took off.
“Okay, Logan,” I said. “Get that portal open.”
“Be ready to cloak them,” he replied, holding the crystal high into the air, aiming it at the portal.
“I’m ready!”
As expected, the gargoyles gave chase. Light glared from a circular opening in the cosmos, so we knew our plan was working brilliantly. Cindy and Fred, our bait, flew toward the light like moths to the flame. The gargoyle army was behind them, ready to follow them through the portal if need be.
“Keep going,” I whispered, wringing my hands.
“They’re so close,” Logan said. “They’re totally falling for it.”
“Just a little bit closer.”
Pain exploded as a volt of energy hit me and Logan. When I glanced up, the gargoyle’s witch smiled at me. “I’ll be back for you, but for now, I need something from you.”
When I tried to move, I couldn’t. She had somehow paralyzed us. She grabbed the crystal from Logan and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“Son of a bitch!” Logan shouted.
As soon as she left, we could move.
“She took the crystal,” Logan said. “And when she comes back, I’ll be ready for her.”
“She’s too powerful,” I said.
Logan’s head tilted back. “Oh, shit! Look what she’s doing!”
Suddenly, the portal began to close, as if their witch was trying to keep them from escaping.
“Oh no! They’re closing the portal!” I shouted.
“Getting rid of them is our only hope,” Logan said. “Plan B, Sophie! Do whatever you can to keep that portal open!”
“But how? She took the crystal from us!”
“Magic. You tamed lightning. Surely you can tap into that power. She might have the crystal, but we have you!”
I nodded, closed my eyes, and raised my hands, determined to channel the portal energy the way I harnessed the lightning before. Bit by bit, to everyone’s surprise, I was able to reopen the portal.
“The Ankh witch is strong!” the queen shouted. “She’ll be the perfect host body for my daughter.”
“You did it!” Logan said. “It’s opening.”
“Shut it!” the queen roared loudly over the waves crashing on the shore. “We can’t let them escape!”
The witch held the crystal up and pointed it at the portal. “Yes, Highness. Meanwhile, send troops to stop Sophia.”
“And what can they do against an Ankh witch? Give me the crystal. You go find her. And stop her.”
“We gotta go,” I told Logan.
He grabbed my hand and we found a new hiding place and I cloaked us again. I knew we didn’t have long before she found us.
Fred threw another wall of lightning at the gargoyles behind him, causing a distraction so they could sneak away in the chaos.
“Cindy and Fred are clear,” Logan said. “Now, can you give those bad guys a helping hand into the portal? I figure they deserve life sentences in majorly maximum security...without parole!”
“I can try to send an energy wave,” I said. I did my best to focus and concentrate, but it was too much for me. I’d used too much magic lately in the last twenty-four hours and felt spent. I fought the battle on the island. Threw fireballs at our attackers. Used magic against the warlock. I was cloaking us. I had cloaked Fred and Cindy. I held back that witch’s ability to steal our magic and strength, and it was all a little bit too much. My head pounded as all I could do was grit my teeth and paralyze them midair. “I can’t move them, not an inch. I’m sorry.”
“Over here,” Logan yelled to Cindy and Fred. “We had to move. The wicked witch is looking for us as we speak.”
“They didn’t see us leave,” Cindy said. “But our plan got sidetracked. I didn’t think they’d have the power to try and close down the portal.”
Logan blew out a breath. “I know. The witch stole the crystal from us.”
Cindy sighed. “This isn’t going exactly as planned.”
“Nope,” Fred said. “Not when the wicked witch took control of the portal. And now I lost Sophie’s electricity power, or I’d help push them into the portal. I guess it doesn’t hold a very long charge.”
“We could shove a USB cord up your ass,” Logan said.
“Or wrap one around your throat, Snoop Dog.”
“Stop it, you two. The portal’s closing!” Cindy said.
“I-I can’t hold it,” I said, as it felt like someone was crushing my skull. “It’s just too powerful.”
Cindy let out a breath. “If the portal closes, we’re not going to get it back open. Since we don’t have the crystal anymore.”
“I’m trying,” I said, groaning.
“I’ll try a slightly different power,” Fred said. “She has different types of electricity.” He then touched me without permission, but I didn’t care. I felt him tapping into my powers for just a moment before he threw his hands in the air.
“The witch!” Cindy yelled.
Just as she went to throw her powers at us, Fred acted fast. A giant tidal wave of energy, even more powerful than last time, blasted her back onto the beach, sand flying everywhere. The queen ran over to her and helped her up.
“You have to shut Sophia down!” the queen ordered.
Waving his hands once again, Fred then blasted everyone on the beach high up into the air with the gargoyles circling in the air. He swept them toward the portal like a giant tidal wave. I watched them toss and turn in the energy as they were sucked into the portal. When the last gargoyle disappeared, I let go and felt myself fall to the ground.
I glanced up but only saw the night sky twinkling with stars. The portal had closed and was nowhere in sight.
“You did it,” Cindy said. “Are you okay?”
“I will be,” I whispered. “That just took everything out of me. I need coffee and tomato juice.”
“Whatever for?” she asked.
“Magic hangover.”
Chuckling, Logan helped me keep my balance while I swayed on my feet. “Did we get rid of the wicked queen?”
“We sure did! Locked up in Wonderland forever,” Fred said, “and we didn’t even need a Mad Hatter’s help.”
“We couldn’t keep the portal open,” Logan said. “So the force field around the island is still activated.”
“Shit!” Fred said. “Our plan didn’t work as we expected.”
“At least we got rid of the gargoyles. That’s a big plus.”
“If only the portal would’ve stayed open one more minute, we could’ve flown the hell off this rock. We were so damn close.”
“I say we go back to that building and look for a way to open the shield some other way or look for a way to communicate with the Council to send help our way.”
Fred nodded. “Yeah, that portal is way too powerful. I can’t get it back open. I don’t think me or Sophie together could do it.”
“I’m so sorry for all of this,” Cindy said while we walked back to the building, so we could research some way to shut down the force-field or go through it.
Fred wrapped an arm around her. “Honey, don’t be like that.”
“Yeah, it isn’t your fault,” I said.
Fred held his hand up and frowned. “That’s it. I’m all drained.”
“But you sure had fun with that power while you had it,” Logan said.
“I want to work with Dylan,” Fred said as he stomped on a huge plant in his path. “I want to know how this all works. Can you imagine the greatest teacher on the planet teaching me how to control my powers?”
“We don’t need some overgrown tiger living in our castle,” Logan huffed.
“Jealous of a teacher?” Fred asked.
“Only ones that want to date Sophie.”
“I know Dylan, and I’ve fought with him in the Fey war. He’s an amazing guy.”
Logan blew out a long breath. “I know, Mr. Wonderful. That’s what everyone keeps saying.”
Suddenly, a man jumped in our path, brandishing a gun.
“Vex!” Cindy shouted.
“Did you think you could get rid of me that easily, my love?”
“You must stop this. We’re through.”
“We are not through till I say we’re through, Princess.”
“As much as it sickens me to say this, we may need to work together on something, Vex,” she said, surprisingly calmly. “Put that weapon down and listen to me.”
“Why would I ever want to work with you and these friends of yours?”
“Because we’re all trapped here,” Cindy said. “You want to leave, too, don’t you?”
He laughed and pulled a long, yellow crystal out of his leather bag. It was different than the crystal to the portal, much shinier, almost glowing. “I’m afraid you are sorely mistaken, darling. I’ve already got my ticket. Now, it’s time to say goodbye.”
