Hellfire (11 page)

The chains had fallen away
entirely. He left them in a small pile on the floor. Alton’s father was the
only one still standing, obviously too shocked to move. “Sit down, Father.”
Alton stepped forward and pulled the chancellor’s chair out for him.

Artigos sat.

Alton retrieved Ginny’s hand,
squeezed her fingers tightly, and then he turned and gazed out over the huge
crowd that had gathered in the great hall. All wore white, so that only hair
color and faces set them apart. He saw friends he’d not seen in years. He saw
his mother standing off to one side, her hands clasped nervously in front of
her, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she thought of his father disowning
him. Had she been warned that would happen? Did she approve?

Did it really matter, in the
overall scheme of things? Alton gazed down at the sword in his hand and looked
to his left, at Ginny’s broad smile. Taron stood beside him at his right, and
Alton knew he could ask for no stronger allies. He held HellFire aloft once
more. A brilliant beam of light flashed from the blade, encompassing Alton,
Ginny, and Taron.

A unified gasp filled the
great hall.

You’re on,
my friend.
Alton’s fingers tightened around the jeweled hilt.

HellFire spoke. Once more,
gasps of surprise filled the room. Light blossomed and pulsed, until the entire
sword glowed like a beacon as HellFire’s words, somehow magnified, filled the
huge cavern. “Lemuria is at a crossroads,” he said in a strong, true voice.
“Ignore the danger facing you now, and deny your descendants a future.
Demonkind will rule into eternity unless you put aside your cowardly ways and
take up the sword again. Discuss if you must, for that is the way of Lemuria,
but you cannot ignore the threat that grows more powerful by the day.”

The glow dimmed. Silence
followed the sword’s brief yet powerful warning. Alton took the scabbard from
Ginny, fastened it across his shoulders, and carefully slipped HellFire into
the sheath. Then he turned to face the Council of Nine. The men had scrambled
out of hiding and now sat in their respective seats as if nothing had sent them
scampering.

Again, Alton squeezed Ginny’s
hand and tugged her forward. “Gentlemen, this is Virginia Jones of Earth. Ginny
carries royal blood of Lemuria in her veins. You will treat her with respect.”
He grabbed Taron’s hand next and placed it against his own heart.

“Because of Taron, we were
warned in advance of the demon threat. Because of his powerful love of our
world, he has stayed to argue the need for Lemuria to enter the fight. He, too,
deserves your respect, as well as your thanks. Because of him, we may yet have
a chance to prevail.”

He released Taron’s hand and
once again faced his father. “You have disowned me as your son, but you will
always be my father. I am sorry to have been such a disappointment to you,
Father, but you were the one who taught me the importance of putting love of
country ahead of all else. My love for Lemuria is worth more to me than my
father’s love. I regret it is a choice you have forced me to make.”

Chancellor Artigos stared into
his son’s eyes with an expression of frigid disdain. Seeing his own future in
that cold image, Alton realized there would never be a true meeting of minds
with this man. Where Alton was open to all that was possible, his father saw
walls. Where Alton’s dreams were limited only by his idealistic imagination,
Artigos would be forever trapped by boundaries and rules and the need to
conform.

Alton could no more exist
within his father’s dark and hopeless world than Artigos could understand
Alton’s passion, his intensity, his powerful expectation of a future world free
of the taint of demonkind.

They had reached an impasse.
Alton finally acknowledged the painful truth—if he wanted to survive with his
spirit intact, it was time to move beyond his father’s narrow view, time to
abandon his desire for the man’s approval.

It wasn’t going to happen.
Alton accepted that now.

A rumble of voices caught his
attention. Alton turned toward the sound and saw the crowd parting, but even
from his vantage point on the stage, he couldn’t see who or what they parted
for. Holding tightly to Ginny’s hand, he turned his back on Artigos, and
watched and waited as the crowd slowly surged and separated, like a wave flowing
across the cavernous room.

Finally a tiny woman, stooped
with age and wrinkled beyond belief, came into view. Taron’s soft curse had
Alton looking away from the small figure approaching them to see what Taron
knew.

“It’s the Crone,” he said,
slowly shaking his head. “It has to be. I’ve heard of her, but she’s not shown
herself for thousands of years.”

A chill spread over Alton’s
spine and raised the fine hairs on the back of his neck. He knew of the Crone,
of the story of how Lemuria’s only warrior woman chose to live in exile until
her successor appeared. He grasped Ginny’s hand tighter as the Crone reached
the nine steps and slowly climbed them, one by one.

She was tiny for a Lemurian,
barely five and a half feet tall. Her back was bent with age and her white hair
hung in long tangles almost to her knees. Instead of the plain white robes most
Lemurians wore, hers was a shimmer of amethyst that glowed with a dark light.
Alton realized there wasn’t a sound in the huge room. All attention was focused
on the old woman and her painstaking climb up the steps.

Taron was the one who stepped
forward and offered his arm.

She looked up at him and
smiled. As wrinkled and aged as she appeared, her smile was that of a young
woman, filled with the joy of life. Alton realized he was smiling back at her
as she clutched Taron’s arm and ascended the last few steps.

When she walked across the
stage area of the dais, it was Ginny she saw, Ginny who was the focus of the
Crone’s attention.

She paused in front of Ginny
and tilted her chin to look up at her. Her smile grew even wider and her eyes
twinkled. Golden eyes, just like Ginny’s. “Finally, you have come,” she said.
“I have waited a long time for you, my dear. Give me your hand, child of my
lineage.”

“Yes,
ma’am.”
Without any hesitation, Ginny held out her hand. The Crone took
it between both of hers and brought it to her face. Ginny didn’t take her eyes
off the old woman, and Alton couldn’t take his eyes off either of them.

“You are indeed a child of
Lemuria. I felt your power the moment you entered our land.” The Crone raised
her head and studied Alton for a moment. “She is of my line, of my blood, and
the power of the ages runs through her veins.
Royal power.
There is an ancient prophecy…” Her golden eyes twinkled and she laughed. “More
ancient even than I, and believe me, I am very, very old.” Then, still
chuckling, still clasping Ginny’s hand, she looked at her and began to recite—

The Crone paused and smiled,
nodding as if at some private joke. Then she added, almost as an afterthought,

The Crone raised her hands.
She placed her palms on either side of Ginny’s face and pulled her close. Then
she kissed her full on the lips. Ginny trembled. Alton lunged forward as
Ginny’s eyes rolled back in her head and she began to sway.

Alton grabbed her as she
slowly crumpled to the ground. The Crone, smiling once again, tipped her head
to both Ginny and Alton, and backed away.

Stunned, Alton grabbed Ginny
up in his arms and held her close against his chest. Her eyes were closed, her
body limp. The Crone stood still for a moment at the edge of the stage, gazing
at the two of them, still smiling as if she held a wonderful secret. Then she
collapsed and fell slowly to the ground, folding in upon herself.

There was a collective gasp.
All who could see the raised dais watched in horror as the old woman crumpled
to the stage and her frail body and violet robe turned to dust.

Ginny struggled to
consciousness in Alton’s grasp. A breeze sprang up out of nowhere, lifted the
dust particles, and dispersed them into the air. Nothing remained but a few
ragged pieces of the Crone’s violet gown.

Ginny shook her head and
blinked. Then she looked from Alton to Taron. “What the hell just happened?”

“I’m not certain,” Taron said,
slowly shaking his head, “but I think the Crone just gave you immortality.”

“Holy shit.
Put me down. Please!” Alton lowered her legs to the ground, but she swayed as
if they were made of rubber until he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist
and supported her.

He glanced over his shoulder
and cursed.
“Nine hells.
It appears HellFire has
something for you, too.” He slipped his scabbard off his back and pulled
HellFire free. Directly behind his sword, a crystal blade glowed—but instead of
the brilliant blue of HellFire, it
shimmered
purple,
like a black light. “I imagine this one is yours.” He held the scabbard out for
Ginny.

She looked at him wide-eyed,
without saying a word. Then she reached for the sword, wrapped her fingers
around the silver and jeweled hilt, and pulled it free. She held it aloft,
turning it slowly this way and that. “I don’t understand. I’m not a warrior. I
don’t even like violent movies. I’ve never been in a battle.
Why
me?”

The sword vibrated in her hand
and the glow deepened, shimmering with an eerie pulse of life. A vibrant yet
familiar woman’s voice rang from the depths of the blade. “I am DarkFire. You
are the warrior woman of prophecy. You will have need of me in the days to
come, as I have needed you.”

Then the sword went dark.

Ginny raised her head and
gazed at Alton. “It’s the Crone’s voice. A younger version, but I swear it
sounds just like her.” She shuddered, stared at the sword for a long time, and
then shook her head hard enough to send her ponytail bouncing. She looked
directly into Alton’s eyes. “You said things could be a little dicey if we came
back here, Alton. Just what is the Lemurian definition of ‘dicey’?”

He stared at the dark blade.
He’d never seen anything like it. Of course, he’d never seen anyone like Ginny,
either. He leaned close and kissed her. “You have the spirit of the Crone
within your sword. She’s ancient and her knowledge of demonkind could prove to
be invaluable. You are a warrior, Ginny. You fought the demon bear with nothing
but a broken scrap of wood and your courage. You have Lemurian blood in your veins.”

He paused and ran his fingers
along her cheek. “Ginny, listen closely.”
Do you hear me?
You have me in your mind, just as I have you. Somehow you’ve received all of
the gifts of your heritage. You truly are Lemurian.

Eddy sheathed DemonSlayer and
leaned against the thick trunk of the redwood tree, sucking one deep breath
after the next into her tortured lungs. Dax sat on the ground beside her with
his head between his knees, breathing just as hard.

Even Bumper looked exhausted,
standing with her feet spread wide and her head hanging low. Her curly blond
coat was matted with twigs and other bits and pieces of the forest floor.

The air reeked of sulfur. A
couple of dazed squirrels sat on the ground beside Bumper, oblivious to the
small group of demon hunters.

Only moments ago, they’d
sported rows of razor-sharp teeth and clawed talons. Now they were just typical
gray squirrels suffering a demon-possession hangover.

Eddy finally caught her breath
enough to nudge Dax with her toe. “Do you think we got all of them?”

“For now.”
He rolled his head back against the tree and smiled up at her. The sight of his
sexy grin was enough to make her heart stutter in her chest. “This is a small
vortex with just the one portal from Abyss and the one linking us to Shasta.
The one to Abyss is sealed tight. You did well.”

Eddy ran her fingers over the
jeweled hilt of her sword. This was the first portal she’d ever sealed on her
own, and she’d decided immediately it was a chore she’d never grow tired of. In
fact, sealing the gateway to Abyss had given her an amazing sense of
elation—and power. Wielding DemonSlayer made her feel like a warrior, but
sealing the demons’ gateway had been something else altogether—something only a
crystal sword could do. Now, instead of backing Dax up with a crowbar or a
baseball bat, she was truly armed for battling demons.

What a
rush.

Bumper barked and Willow’s
voice blossomed in Eddy’s mind.
There are no more demons
nearby, but I’m worried about Alton and Ginny. We haven’t heard from them since
Alton left for Sedona.

Eddy nodded. “I know, but
we’ve been out of cell range since he left. I figure he can’t possibly get into
too much trouble in just one day. Still, we need to head back.” She glanced at
the two spaced-out-looking squirrels and laughed.

“At least no animals were
injured in the making of this battle,” she said, mimicking the disclaimer for a
television commercial. “I’m glad we figured out how to force the demons out
without hurting their hosts.”

Dax nodded. He flicked his
fingers toward the two dazed squirrels.
“Get, you two.
And don’t play with demons.” The squirrels ran up the closest tree, sat on a
thick branch, and chattered indignantly at Dax as he slowly rose to his feet.
“We need to contact Alton and see how he’s doing. When you last talked to
Ginny, it sounded as if the demons were possessing animals in Sedona, too.”

Aching in every muscle and
bone, Eddy shoved away from the tree. “We need to check on Dad and make certain
all is okay in Evergreen first.”

“And sleep,” Dax said. “We’ve
been awake for over twenty-four hours. We all need time to recharge.” He rubbed
Bumper’s curly head. She butted his hand when he stopped, blatantly asking for
more. Willow didn’t say a word.

Too tired to agree with Dax,
Eddy merely nodded. They gathered up their packs and hiked quietly through the
woods to the vortex. This one had long been a popular tourist attraction, but
it was closed for the day. Luckily they’d arrived early, before the spot had opened,
because the portal was in full view of the main attraction. Now, though, with
the day growing late, it was easy to slip through the portal in the hillside
that led to their gateway.

Once through, they’d still
have to hike down the mountain to the road where Eddy’d parked her dad’s Jeep.
Dax was right. They were exhausted. Even immortals needed a few hours’ sleep a
night. Holding on to Dax’s hand, with Bumper following close behind, Eddy
stepped through the gateway to Mount Shasta.

Alton took Ginny’s hand and
walked down the steps from the dais to the stone floor of the great hall. Taron
walked beside them. They didn’t look back at the eight senators or Chancellor
Artigos.

Neither did the soldiers try
to stop the man who had been brought before the Council of Nine in chains. What
had just occurred was unprecedented. HellFire’s speech, Alton’s warning, and
the Crone’s prophecy and death—and rebirth in the heart of a crystal
sword—would be discussed, dissected, and argued for many years to come.

If they had
that many years.
Alton paused halfway across the room and turned to his
friend. “I would give almost anything to have you come with me, Taron, but I
believe your place is here. We have to convince them.
You
have to convince them. What happened today helped, but knowing the way they
argue a point to death…” He shrugged helplessly. “It isn’t going to be enough.”

Taron nodded. “I agree. What
are your plans? Will I see you again before you leave?”

Alton slapped Taron’s
shoulder.
“Definitely.
We both need food and rest.” He
tightened his arm around Ginny’s shoulders. “And I should speak with my mother.
Come to my rooms for the evening meal. We’ll talk tonight, but Ginny and I must
be away by daybreak.”

“I’ll be there.” Taron glanced
toward the dais. “I think I should meet with the senators and your father now,
while they’re too deeply in shock to argue.”

Alton laughed.
“As if that ever happens.
Later, my
friend.
Thank you for rescuing Ginny.”

She reached for Taron and laid
her fingers on his forearm.
“And for being Alton’s friend.
That can’t be easy.” She laughed and winked at Alton. “In fact, I’ve already
discovered just how difficult it can be.”

“Alton, have I told you how
much I like this woman of yours? Thank you, Ginny. I agree. He’s a pain in the
butt.” Laughing, Taron slipped their packs off his shoulder and handed them
over,
then
he turned away and walked back toward the
dais where the nine council members were already in heated discussion.

“Come with me.” Alton adjusted
his pack on his shoulder, grabbed Ginny’s hand, and dragged her across the
crowded floor of the plaza. Lemurians watched them pass, but no one tried to
stop them or engage them in conversation. For all the questions people must
have had, no one was willing to break protocol and ask.

Protocol.
Alton glanced at Ginny and felt his heart
twist deep in his chest. What was protocol when you’d suddenly discovered
someone like Ginny? All of his obligations had changed from the first moment he
saw her—yet his sense of duty had never been stronger or more clearly defined.
What he did now, he did as much for her as for Lemuria.

Interesting thought, that.
Ginny
was
Lemuria, in so many ways.
The future of his world—a piece of its past.

Smiling with the surge of
knowledge, he raised his head and caught the answering smile of a tall, fair,
and breathtakingly beautiful woman waiting for him under a carved stone arch.
Alton knew the resemblance between him and his mother was strong. He’d never
been happier than he was at this moment, to know he favored her and not his
father.

He stopped in front of her and
tugged Ginny close. “Mother, I would like to present Ginny to you.” Still
holding on to Ginny, he took his mother’s hand in his, connecting the women who
mattered most in his life through his grasp.
“Ginny, my
mother, Gaia.
I find it terribly apropos that she’s named after Mother
Earth, since it appears that is where my destiny lies.”

Gaia leaned close and kissed
Alton’s cheek. Then she took Ginny’s hand in hers. “It’s good to meet you,
Ginny.” She sent a twinkling glance at Alton with eyes as green as his. “I have
a feeling, my son, that your destiny lies more with this young woman than with
the world that carries my name.”

Alton couldn’t have wiped the
grin off his face for anything, nor did he want to. Ginny flashed a quick yet
questioning look at him. He winked at her, and Ginny seemed to relax a little.

Smiling, she turned back to
his mother. “It’s good to meet you, ma’am, though that destiny thing remains to
be seen. Alton and I hardly know each other. We’ve been sort of busy since we
met.”

“Fighting demons is rather
time-consuming.” Alton wrapped a possessive arm around Ginny. She might not
have figured it out yet, but he wanted his mother to know his feelings, even
though he wasn’t all that sure of them himself. So much had happened in so
little time.

“Will you be staying, my son?”
From the look of sadness on her face, it was obvious his mother already knew
his answer. She’d tried for years to make peace between him and his father.
After today’s events, even she must know it would never happen.

He shook his head. “No,
Mother. Ginny and I will be meeting with Taron tonight and leaving early in the
morning. The threat to Lemuria is more dangerous and immediate than we
realized. I need to be where the battles will be fought. I need your help as
well. If there is any way you can convince Father…”

Gaia slowly shook her head.
“Oh, Alton.
There’s no changing that man’s mind.” She
touched her fingers to his cheek. “When he was young, he was as open and idealistic
as you are now, but he lost his idealism and his soul somewhere along the way.
It was as if he changed overnight, but suddenly he was no longer the man I’d
fallen in love with. Don’t ever let that happen to you, my son. Keep your mind
open to the promises that exist in all our worlds.” She sighed. Her brilliant
green eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “Most important, beloved son, keep your
heart open to love.”

Her fingers fell away from his
face. “Your father forgot what love was long ago. He remembers only duty, and
even that sense has become stale and perverted over time.”

She leaned close and kissed
Ginny’s cheek. “Bless you both. Be safe. Come back to me soon and tell me how
it goes in the worlds outside.” Then she stood up on tiptoe and kissed Alton’s
cheek as well. “I love you, my son, and I am very, very proud of you. In spite
of your father’s cruel pronouncement, never, ever doubt my love for you. You
are always my son. Only a very brave man would have the courage to make the
choices you have made.”

Before Alton could say
anything at all, Gaia turned away. Her back was straight, her head high as she
walked through the archway to the living quarters she shared with her mate.

Alton tried to imagine all the
thousands of years his parents had been together. How lonely his mother must
be. Yet even after all this time, she still remembered hope and love, still
clung to promises made.

His father clung to nothing
more than his sense of self-righteousness. What a miserable legacy for a man to
leave. Shaking his head over all of life his mother had to live
without,
Alton drew Ginny into his arms and hugged her
close.

Shock didn’t even come close
to describing her state of mind. Not only was she clutching a crystal sword in
her hand and hearing Alton’s voice in her head, but the fact was, Ginny felt
different.

Was this how immortality felt?
She couldn’t explain it. Wasn’t even certain she wanted to, but her steps felt
lighter, her body stronger, and the hand holding the sword…
Wow.
Just wow.

She glanced for the millionth
time at the way her fingers curled around the silver and jeweled hilt as if
she’d carried a sword all her life, and wondered how it could possibly feel so
right in her grasp.
The grip, perfect.
Balance, perfect.

Alton stepped through a
swirling wall of light and Ginny followed without hesitation.
Energy portals?
No big deal. She’d been through them before.

But she’d never been to
Alton’s home. She stopped dead in her tracks, aware of the sudden intimacy, the
sense they were entirely alone.
At least until she glanced at
DarkFire in her hand and then at HellFire strapped to Alton’s back.

The giggles hit her without
warning. Within seconds she was doubled over, laughing so hard she couldn’t
catch her breath.

“Ginny? Are you okay?” Alton
planted his big palms on her shoulders and his gaze was so serious she laughed
even harder.

“I’m…I’m…” Tears streamed from
her eyes and her legs felt like rubber. She did what any normal woman would do
under similar circumstances—she sat on the floor, right in the middle of the
room.

DarkFire shimmered in shades
of lavender across her lap. Alton squatted down in front of her, concern in his
eyes, in his body language, in every careful move he made.

He probably thought she was
nuts. Well, wasn’t she? Ginny forced herself to take slow, even breaths. She
scrubbed at her streaming eyes, sniffed, and bit back another wave of giggles
before they escaped.

“Ginny?”

She flattened one hand over
her eyes, waved him off with the other.
“Just a minute.”

Another
breath.
Then another.
Then one big, deep one
that she held inside and slowly released. Alton handed her a glass of water and
she smiled gratefully. She sipped slowly and finally got herself under control.

“Okay,” she said. “I think I’m
okay.
Just a minor melt-down.
No big deal,
considering.”

Alton plopped down beside her,
leaned close, and kissed her cheek. “Actually, I think you’re handling
everything quite well. It’s not every day that a human finds out she’s
descended from Lemurian royalty, is granted immortality, and gets her own
crystal sword.”

He laughed and stroked her
damp hair back from her forehead. “Actually, the fact that two crystal swords
have now been presented to women and a third to an ex-demon is totally unheard
of.” He ran his fingers along DarkFire’s amethyst blade.
“As
is the color of your sword.
I wonder what the color
signifies?
I also need to make certain our scholars know of the blades that went to Dax
and Eddy. I imagine they’re already deep in discussion over yours. Maybe they
understand the significance of the swords going to women.”