Apocalyptic Mojo (12 page)

But her ghost stayed with him, riding him hard. With a start, he realized that Ardith was his only regret. He’d finally found her and, in mere hours, he would lose her. Forever.

His thoughts were like a knife in his chest, agonizing in their hopelessness. So he forced his mind back to his current reality.

The commotion on the street had been steadily growing over the last several hours. From the crowd’s intensity, he could almost hear the hours moving inexorably closer to the moment when he and his fellow prisoners would be marched outside to the gallows. He wished he could see outside—look into their faces to judge their intent—but he knew it wouldn’t matter. They were beyond reason at that point. Only the deaths of the unfortunates in the prison had a chance of appeasing the terrified masses. And not a single one of the four who would be executed had been involved in the slaughter that had engaged the public’s terror.

Only one woman was responsible for that.

“It does give me pleasure to see you this way.”

Draigh stopped pacing and turned, a snarl escaping before he could stop it. Only the mercury-laden cuffs on his wrists and ankles kept him from embracing his beast and flying at her. “What are you doing here, witch? Come to gloat over your handiwork?”

The guards standing on either side of the rogue frowned, throwing her a speculative look. Draigh had a brief moment of hope that they had captured her and would be marching her out to the gallows with him.

But Edwige laughed. “Nice try, sorcerer. You can’t pin your crimes on me. It was my invaluable information that led to your capture. Your kind killed my entire family…tore them to bits…and left me alone to deal with your treachery. I do this for them. For my sweet mama and papa…and for little George.” She sniffed and a single tear slid down her round cheek.

It was a masterful performance. Draigh looked beyond the witch to the men who thought they were protecting her. “You clasp the very devil to your breasts while you imprison those who could protect you from her. I pity you for your ignorance. When this all sours, remember my words. And quickly cleave to the council of witches and the authority. They will be the only ones who will be able to save the human race from complete obliteration.”

Edwige laughed her bright laugh and turned to the soldiers. “I suggest you muzzle this one. Others who are not as intelligent as yourselves might start to believe his blather.” She gave Draigh a coy smile and turned away. “I look forward to watching your gorgeous neck stretch, sorcerer. And even more, your beheading after. We can’t let you come back in the form of a raven now can we?”

Her laughter trailed behind her down the damp hallways and made Draigh shiver, a disturbing portent of what was to come.

“Is it true? What you say?”

Draigh’s head whipped around. The younger of the two soldiers stood in the shadows across the hall. Draigh could tell by the young soldier’s stiff comportment that he was uncomfortable with his momentary questioning of orders.

Draigh moved to the bars and clasped them, speaking as earnestly as he could. “You know it is. Or you would not have remained behind to ask. Edwige is pure evil. It is her army that slaughtered your people. My people were trying to find and punish her when I was captured. You must let us do our jobs. Or millions more humans will die.”

The young soldier moved out of the shadows, his brown eyes earnest and filled with doubt. “I don’t like her. I…feel…something when I’m around her that makes my skin crawl.”

Draigh’s eyes widened. The boy was a sensitive. He must have some small amount of magic of his own. “What is your name, soldier?”

“Richard.”

“Well, young Richard, your senses do not steer you wrong. Take care around Edwige. If you can, try to convince others that she is dangerous. And do not ever let her know of your doubts. She’ll kill you without a thought.”

Richard stared at Draigh for a moment and then nodded. “May God save your soul, sir.” With that dubious hope, young Richard took off after his compatriot and Edwige.

Watching him go, Draigh had a moment’s fear for the humans. They were wrong in trusting Edwige. He could fault them for that. But they were only ignorant because their government had kept them that way. It wasn’t their fault.

Unfortunately, they would pay the price with their lives none-the-less.

The crowd suddenly surged into renewed violence outside. Something hit the bars of his small window and hands clawed at them, filthy, hate-filled faces pressed against the tiny portal.

“Die, magic monster.” one screamed through the bars.

Another clawed at the rusted metal and shrieked, “Hang from your filthy neck, murderer.”

Spittle shot through the bars, landing in the dirt by Draigh’s feet.

It was much harder to keep his fear for them at the forefront from that moment on.

~
A
M
~

Ardith stood in the shadows, watching the handsome, young apprentice. Joris was still unaware of their presence in his rooms. Blackthorne had used his dislocational magics to tuck them into the back corner of the large room, high above Capital City, where Edwige’s apprentice was staying.

How handy for them that Edwige’s troupe was already in the Capital.

Also, how concerning.

Joris stood on a small balcony, his hands clasped behind him, and watched the riots far below. Every once in a while he’d lift a hand and skim his fingers down the glossy curtain of his hair. He was obviously a vain man, particularly seeming to favor his golden locks. She couldn’t see his face, but he seemed pleased by what he saw in those roiling streets. He nodded frequently, and the fingers tangled together behind him twitched with emotion.

The commotion from beyond his little balcony had grown just in the few minutes since she and Blackthorne had arrived. Ardith wasn’t sure why she hesitated in the shadows, something about the young apprentice intrigued her.

He was an elegant creature, filled with self-assurance. Almost cocky. Not like any apprentice she’d ever known. She guessed that came from Edwige’s obvious infatuation with him.

Ardith could feel Blackthorne’s impatience pulsing against her from behind. He was leaking magic in copious amounts, the strands of it pinching against her skin like tiny barbs.

She’d thrown him a glare but he hadn’t pulled the energy back. It was obvious Blackthorne felt threatened in those rooms. Ardith could admit to herself he had a right to feel that way. After what she’d encountered in the cave—in Edwige’s rooms—Ardith was very concerned about dealing with the rogue’s apprentice.

A door across the room opened and a young woman with perfect porcelain skin and bright-red hair bounced in. She was dressed much like Ardith, wearing a skintight leather bustier and micro-mini leather skirt. Creamy white lace flowed from beneath the skirt, down her slim thighs to her knees and climbed her arms from her wrists. A web of it encompassed the crown of her small head.

Unlike Ardith’s serious black leather, the clothing the young woman wore was stained a ridiculous hot pink, creating quite a color scheme with the fiery red hair.

Joris turned at the young woman’s approach and smiled. There was heat in the smile, and undisguised pleasure. “Dallie. You’ve come.”

The little imp crossed the room and threw herself into Joris’ arms as he turned. “Of course I came, you goose.” The woman trailed slim fingers through Joris’ golden hair. “You asked me to, didn’t you?”

Joris and the impish Dallie locked lips in a kiss of such heat even the immovable Blackthorne started to squirm after a couple of minutes. When Joris finally pulled away, he sighed. “Unfortunately, you’re late. I expect her back any minute. If she finds you here you’ll be in danger.” He touched the young woman’s vibrantly painted lips in another, much briefer, kiss. “You can’t stay.”

The girl pouted prettily, pursing her hot-pink lips. “How much longer do we have to put up with that bitch? I’m tired of sneaking around, Joris.”

The apprentice dragged her up against his body, wrapping one hand around the back of her neck, under the flame-colored bob of her hair, to pull her close. He slipped his tongue across her lips. “Soon. I promise, Dallie. Very soon. The humans are in full-out revolt now. As soon as the magic ones are executed we’ll make our move. The power that the witch planned for her own will be ours. Even now our forces surround the capital building, keeping to the shadows. When I give the word a million humans will be slaughtered and the capital will be taken. Edwige will be the next and final execution. I’ll make sure the finger of blame is pointed directly toward her.”

Ardith shared a look with Blackthorne. The big mage’s eyes widened, the whites of them glowing with barely suppressed power against his ebony skin.

It was quite an ambitious plan for a witch’s apprentice. Ardith couldn’t help wondering if he had anything to back it up. Joris stepped away from the girl, grinning. “You need to go, but before you do, watch this.” He grabbed her hand, pulling her out onto the balcony.

Turning toward the crowd, Joris raised his hands and started scrying on the air. Silver sparks danced away from his fingertips and formed a thin stream of magic that swirled on the air and then plunged downward, out of sight. Almost immediately the crowd started to shout and scream. Shots were fired. Something crashed. And the general mood of the crowd grew much more violent.

Blackthorne’s magic spiked, sparking around Ardith. She glared at him, touching his arm in warning.

Watching the mayhem he’d created, Joris laughed a bright, carefree laugh. “Humans are like livestock. So drearily stupid and so easily led. I can’t wait to have complete control over them.”

Dallie touched his waist with a small hand and turned. Bright-green eyes looked straight toward the shadows where Ardith and Blackthorne watched.

“Someone’s here. I smell their magic.”

Shit
. Ardith jerked her head toward the young couple. Blackthorne touched her arm and they moved, quickly and silently, emerging from Blackthorne’s dislocational magic just behind Joris.

Dallie screamed as they appeared and Joris turned, already flinging witch fire toward them as he completed his spin.

Ardith flung her hand up and caught his fire, using a magical slingshot to throw it back at him. Joris leapt over the fire and landed behind Ardith. She spun to keep him in her sights. “Blackthorne, the girl!”

Dallie backed away, her glance sliding toward the door.

Without a word, Blackthorne popped away.

Joris’ talented fingers skimmed a new curse upon the air and agony swept Ardith. Her legs buckled, feeling as if they were being bent in half. She gritted her teeth against a scream, her fingers sending acid water in the form of mist toward the apprentice, quickly followed by a lasso of magic to catch his hands as the acid boiled over his skin, causing him to writhe and shriek in pain.

Ardith pulled the lasso tight and yanked him with it, sending him sprawling.

Panting from pain and the effort to subdue the apprentice, Ardith stood, turning to Blackthorne. “Let’s get him out of here before…” Ardith jerked backward, her feet leaving the ground, and flew twenty feet, slamming against the frame around the door to the balcony.

The damn apprentice could use mind magics. He didn’t need his hands to create enchantments—a skill unheard of in a witch at his level.

Another few inches and she’d have gone out the door. She couldn’t move her arms or legs. They were immobile, as if she’d been wrapped in chains. Ardith felt herself slipping sideways, toward the door opening, and tried to bend her body around the frame to keep from moving. But her body kept sliding.

A heartbeat later she slipped loose and flew through the door, heading for open air and a horrible death far below. Ardith hit the railing, her legs jammed between the uprights and her lower body jerked to a stop.

The apprentice’s magic yanked on her upper body, dragging it toward the roiling crowd below. The muscles in her legs throbbed, her bones creaking, as the power threatened to rip her in two.

Pain like no other slashed through her body. “Blackthorne!”

“Stop, apprentice. Or I’ll kill the girl.” Blackthorne’s deep voice throbbed with all the power of his centuries as a mage. She could feel the vibrations of it against her skin. There was a whoosh and a crash and Joris cried out. Ardith smelled Blackthorne’s unique magic on the air.

Ardith couldn’t see what was happening behind her, but Joris’ magic dropped away and her body was released. With the sudden loss of resistance, she overcorrected and nearly fell to her death, catching herself just in time. Ardith shoved herself backward and stood wobbling on her feet for a moment before returning inside.

Joris lay unconscious on the floor beneath a sizeable chunk of the ceiling. The edges of the debris were black and smoked from Blackthorne’s power.

“We have to hurry. Edwige will return any moment.”

Blackthorne nodded. “We need to leave her a message.”

Ardith glanced at Joris, an evil smile sliding across her face. “It will be my pleasure.”

CHAPTER TEN

Edwige entered her chambers on a light step, with a smile on her face. “Joris. Where are you, darling. We need to get going. I don’t want to be late for the executions.”

“Unfortunately, Joris won’t be able to make your play date today, evil bitch.”

Edwige jumped, swung around, and sent a large ball of witch fire in Ardith’s direction.

Ardith merely smiled as the fire pinged harmlessly off her protective web. “Sorry. I’m afraid that won’t work this time.”

Edwige frowned, clasped her hands at her waist, and gave Ardith a very cold smile that didn’t come anywhere near her eyes. “You’re too late, sister. I’m afraid your very sexy boyfriend will hang from the neck, no doubt kicking and writhing in pain, in just about an hour.” Edwige tsk, tsked with casual indifference. Running a chubby finger over a nearby table, Edwige grimaced at the fingertip as if a bad case of dusting were all she had to concern herself with at that moment.

Fortunately, Ardith knew differently. “I don’t think that’s going to happen…do you?” Ardith lifted her hand, showing Edwige the long, silky strands of blood-covered hair she’d “borrowed” from Joris. “If you don’t call off the dogs,
your
sexy little boyfriend will die. You have about five minutes to make up your mind.”

Edwige’s eyes turned even colder with rage. “Or what? I don’t believe you’ll kill him.”

Ardith held up her other hand. A shimmering ball of silvery light danced upon her palm. Within the ball was a real-time view of Blackthorne, holding a truly terrifying knife against the pale, slender column of Joris’ throat. “She doesn’t believe us, Blackthorne.”

The big mage nodded, and sliced a shallow cut through the tender flesh beneath his knife. Joris screamed like a girl, writhing against Blackthorne’s unyielding grip.

Edwige gave a little gasp before she could steel herself. “Don’t.”

Ardith closed her fingers, extinguishing the mini movie in her hand. “Here’s what you’re going to do, Edwige. You’re going to go to the humans and tell them you were mistaken. You’re going to tell them that the four people they’d intended to execute were unfairly accused. You’re going to demand their release. And then you’re going to give them at least a hundred of your zombies to exterminate. That should appease the bloodlust of the crowd in the streets below.”

Edwige focused her cold gaze on Ardith, her emotions carefully cloaked. The woman was a master manipulator and Ardith had no doubt she was trying to find a way around her promises, even as she realized she had to give Ardith something or her precious boy toy would be extinguished.

Finally Edwige nodded. “You win, mage. I will go to the human government and tell them that three of the prisoners have been falsely accused—”

“Three? That wasn’t—”

“The people are especially excited about seeing the hunter die,” Edwige interrupted. “If he is pardoned there will be riots. The government will never go for that. I cannot save him.”

“Then watch your apprentice die.”

“And you will have the deaths of all four of the prisoners on your conscience, knowing you could have saved three of them but for your selfish interests.”

Ardith paused. She knew Edwige was right. If she didn’t bargain with Edwige, she would have lost Draigh anyway and she’d have to live with the fact that she could have saved the other prisoners. Her fingers clenched at her sides. Rage consumed her. The damnable creature was using her scruples against her.

The one thing Edwige didn’t seem to possess.

Ardith clamped down on her rage and forced herself to ask the question Edwige was waiting for. “What will it take for you to get them all released?”

Edwige’s smile was like a knife to Ardith’s heart. “I want the humans of this time. I want to take the government and force the population to bow to me.”

Ardith’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible.”

“That is my bargain.” Edwige’s bright-blue gaze locked on Ardith, filled with smug satisfaction. Ardith knew she was stuck.

“I can’t let you torture and kill millions of humans. What kind of monster would that make me?”

Edwige shrugged. “That is between you and your conscience. I don’t really care. Besides, I give you my word I will take control with minimal bloodletting and rule them fairly. I only wish to rule.”

Ardith didn’t believe her for a moment. “And what of the magical community in this time?”

“All are welcome to remain…”

Ardith was surprised at this concession.

“Except for the epoch mages. You are not welcome here.”

“That’s preposterous.”

“On that point I won’t be swayed. You may live in any other age, past or future, but not here, in this world. If you return I will begin killing humans until you leave.”

Ardith thought of the thousands of zombies waiting around the city to begin slaughtering the rioting human population and realized it was the best deal she was going to get.

“You have a deal.” The words burned her tongue like acid.

Edwige smiled. “Release my apprentice.”

“Not a chance. You will get the prisoners released first. Then I will give you your apprentice.”

Edwige opened her mouth to argue but Ardith cut her off.

“On that point, I won’t be swayed.”

Edwige nodded. “Very well. We’d better hurry.”