INVISIBLE PRISON (INVISIBLE RECRUITS) (10 page)

CHAPTER 20

Like the wail of a death-bringing banshee, a scream echoed through the night; high pitched and desperate it swam beneath my skin as I squeezed my hands over my ears. Wasn’t stopping a damned thing. Jaylene and Mandy’s positions, mirroring mine, told me more than any words.

We were in a world of hurt and Brenda hadn’t done more than raise one hand and her voice.

I had to do something. Anything. Soon blood would pour from our broken eardrums.

Twisting around to glance skyward I spoke to the powers above and around us, thrusting my bandaged hand upwards to carry my words.

“Air, earth, water, all three, I summon thee.”

Clawing my good hand along the gravel beneath me I struggled to get the next words past the pain.

“Elements of earth, smite my enemy.”

I glanced into the darkness
.

“Elements of air, surround us and protect us.”

Squeezing tears from my eyes, I snarled the last words.

“Elements of water, rise between us. Darkness banish. Lightness flare forth. Thee I call. Thee I seek.”

This time it was
my
hand that was in motion, scattering the gravel before me, ringing the three of us in a rush of fire.

I think I was as shocked as everyone else that something had happened as I had no candles, full moon, elder blossoms and rue, or even protection incense to help me pull off a protection spell.

The banshee wail was cut off, leaving the three of us gasping for air.

But Dyslexia was already being propelled forward, directly into the flames.

I stop the blaze and the protection circle would break, exposing us to Brenda’s next move. Leave it be and Dyslexia would burn to death. She was earth attuned, which meant the frailty of wood when faced with fire.

“Halt,” I screamed but Dyslexia couldn’t or wouldn’t hear us.

“Spirits be,”

I shouted, stumbling to my feet.

“Fire abate. Wind replace.”

It wasn’t a good trade off but a desperate one. The blaze sputtered and died as a gust of wind swirled about us, pelting all of us with gravel, stinging skin, making it hard to see beyond our raised arms protecting our faces.

But even with the roar of wind I could hear Brenda casting.

“Enough,” my scream met hers as I straightened, bracing my legs wide.

“Dark to night. Light to light. Power be. Deceive to thee. Witch to spirit, call forth spirits.”

As if the earth heaved, two things happened at once. Brenda pulled back. Doppelgangers, being death omen bringers were second cousins to spirits, both called from the land beyond, and like a lot of family ties, very dysfunctional if brought together.

Take that Doppelganger witch-wannabe! Then I caught sight of Mandy writhing on the ground, this time in a fetal position.

I glanced at Jaylene, who shook her head but had enough sense to say, “She’s a spirit-walker.”

For love of shamans, I had to align with the one type of being who made Doppelgangers look like goodwill ambassadors to spirit-kind.

Spirit-walkers had no souls so could cross that thin line between the human world and the spirit world, but did so at their peril. It was one thing to be able to communicate with spirits from the human side, a whole other thing to cross into their playing field. Shamans could do so in small increments of time, but spirit-walkers were like an aphrodisiac to spirits. All the spirits had to do was catch a spirit-walker unaware and they could hijack their human shells. One second long dead, the next, back among the land of the living.

No choice but to remove the one wall between us and Brenda.

We were screwed.

“Alex!” It was Vaughn shouting.

I turned. She was alone. Disappointment and relief washed over me. Disappointed that Kelly had bailed because her absence meant we were now four, the four Jaylene saw in her visions. Relief because Kelly would live to see another day.

But I didn’t have time to think much as I called to Vaughn. “Did you bring it? The herbs?”

Jaylene was rushing forward to tackle Brenda, the biggest threat, buying me a few seconds as Mandy staggered to her feet. As long as Jaylene was rolling Brenda on the ground, keeping her scrapping, I could turn my attention to Vaughn. I just hoped Jaylene was the street fighter I thought she was.

“I’ve got some of what you want.” Vaughn ran up to stand beside me, her hands full of packages, but not nearly as much as I’d told her to find.

“Bishopwort?” I asked, an herb I could use to banish an evil spirit. And wasn’t that what a Doppelganger was?

Vaughn shook her head. “No. But I have salt.”

Talk about bringing a water pistol to a gunfight.

Come on, Jaylene. I need a few seconds more.

Dyslexia, no longer stopped by fire was almost on top of us as Mandy did a linebacker’s rush, toppling the two of them to the ground. Unfortunately proximity to the dirt gave Dyslexia more power as an earth fae.

Of course. Salt?

“Give me that.” I grabbed at Vaughn’s bundles. “Take the salt and as many large rocks as you can find and stack them over there.” I pointed to the wall of the nearest building, about twenty feet away while keeping an eye on the dust and rocks kicked up by Jaylene and Brenda. Amazon was holding her own, keeping Brenda from screaming, or worse, spell casting.

Now if I could get my act together. I shot a glance at Vaughn, who hadn’t moved an inch.

“Go. Now. Salt and stones,” I shouted, pushing her away.

She turned and started scrambling, shaking her head. I didn’t have time to explain.

I pawed through the small baggies of herbs she brought, sniffing each one . . . hoping. Yes, here it was, cedar.

I let the other bags drop as I started the chant. Dyslexia was already rising to her feet, her attention focused one hundred percent on me, a death stare. Mandy was clutching her stomach where Dyslexia had slugged her, like getting hit with a thick branch.

Brenda and Jaylene were grunting like pigs in a pen. Go Amazon!

I had to turn my back to Dyslexia and Brenda to face the east to begin the chant.

“By the power of the rising sun, seek all evil to be done.”

A quick pivot to the south, moving toward where Vaughn was stockpiling rocks as if a dwarf hoarding gold. I knew I could count on her.

“By the power of the noonday blast, I seeketh control as mine.”

It was working. Dyslexia had paused, tension riding her. Exactly what I wanted. Brenda had Jaylene in a headlock. Time was running out
.

My instinct was to bag the magic and join the free for all, hoping I could take Brenda down human to human. But I couldn’t. Only option was to put everything I had behind my magic use and leave the physical stuff to the rest of the team. While I was using magic I had to rely on the team to protect themselves, and protect me. I couldn’t defend myself.

I also couldn’t break Brenda’s control, not without destroying the power transmitter, but I could fracture the earth fae’s attention. Divide and conquer.

Earth faes were suckers for two things—salt and stones. The call of those elements made a cat’s response to cat nip seem mild. My plan was simple; if I could get Dyslexia away from Brenda the earth fae might walk away from this battle in one piece, and without any of us having to harm her.

“Sprinkle the salt,” I called to Vaughn as I turned to the west, scrambling to remember the rest of the psychic shield spell, crumbling cedar in my good hand.

“By the power of night.”

No, that wasn’t it.

“By the power of darkening night, my shield is strong, my power right.”

I had walked myself almost to Vaughn and the wall. Vaughn stepped back, looking between me and Dyslexia advancing on me, each step reluctantly moving closer to me and away from Brenda’s power field.

Just as I reached the pile of rocks I shouted the last words.

“By hidden moon in blackened sky, we are not alone. Help is nigh. Great Spirits, surround us. Keep us safe by night and day. Begone, foul spirit, unbidden here. I cast you back. We do not fear, for we have won. You have no further power over thee!”

As if lightening cracked through the sky a sudden brightness broke the dark, illuminating Vaughn’s wary expression, Dyslexia’s confused one.

“Go thee forth.”

I pointed to the rock pile as I faced Dyslexia.

“Earth to earth, salt to salt. Seek thy own. Remain as more.”

Damn if Dyslexia didn’t do as I commanded, shuffling past me until she reached the stone pile and slid to her knees, her head bowed
.

One down.

Even before I turned back to see what Brenda was up to I heard Jaylene shout.

Then Brenda’s banshee-scream erupted. Again.

CHAPTER 21

“What the hell is that?” Vaughn shouted next to me, her hands plugging her ears.

“Trouble,” I managed to pant as I staggered toward Brenda. No way was I going to make three feet much less the twenty feet separating me from the wailing Doppelganger. But I had to try. If I didn’t all of us, including Dyslexia now since she was no longer under Brenda’s thrall, would have first our eardrums shattered, then our brains liquefied.

They didn’t call Doppelgangers death omens for nothing.

But walking toward Brenda was like walking against a wall of sand, each step slower and more sluggish than the last.

Only chance for me was that Jaylene was still taking the brunt of Brenda’s attention. Farm girl seemed delighted to be toying with her closest victim. I only hoped I could reach Brenda before she killed Jaylene.

Mandy wasn’t doing much better, still fetal curved again on the ground. But as long as Brenda kept her focused on them, she wasn’t watching my approach.

How was I going to reach her transmitter?

How was I going to survive?

Beneath my breath I mumbled the first power spell I’d ever learned. It couldn’t hurt and all I could focus on as long as the Doppelganger’s wail echoed through my very skin.

“Justice deities, change my luck. Make me bold. Bring me what I seek to hold.”

Okay, it wasn’t exactly the way the chant went, but I was desperate. Sagging to my knees I started crawling forward, pain from my bandaged hand helping me focus.

“Power seek as power bring. Dark be gone. Light be strong.”

Gravel scraped my knees, blood stinging my good palm as I pulled myself forward.

“Power be. Like to like. Light to dark. Give me the key that will open the gate.”

I fell, face forward, blackness rushing against me.

“All must be balanced. So must we. I seek thine help, Mother Be.”

The wail continued, but a fresh breeze stirred across my skin. I rolled to my side, looking for Brenda.

She stood there, Jaylene a still ball at her feet, nearby a motionless darker lump, Mandy, nearby in the same shape. But it was Brenda who had my attention.

Her mouth open in an “O”, she looked dazed.

Then I noticed Kelly, materialized right behind Brenda.

Where had she come from? What was she doing?

I rallied to my knees. Brenda would eat Kelly for breakfast, especially if farm girl knew Kelly was blind.

“Don’t,” I gave a hoarse shout, both women looked in my direction.

Which gave Kelly the chance she needed. With a cry worthy of a soccer stadium in the last seconds she threw herself against Brenda, grabbing at her hair and face.

Brenda spun in a twirl of rage, then both of them went down. Not finished but stunned. The scream was silenced.

Now.

I staggered upright, closing the few feet left between us and hurled myself on Brenda.

Dog pile.

Brenda scraped and struggled but I was a witch on a mission. Farm girl had killed Serena. And Rolf. And two others. Not directly but her actions had led to their deaths.

No way was she going to get away.

With moves my brothers had drilled in to me on how to fight hard and dirty, I made sure I drew blood. Even as my good hand sought anything that could be a power transmitter.

When my fingers wrapped around a leather pouch sewn into Brenda’s sleeve, I knew I’d won.

Ripping it off with a scream of my own, one that would make a Banshee quail, I held the bag high over my head. We’d broken the magic casting.

“We did it,” I shouted, panting heavily and looking around me. Vaughn was the only one left standing, wobbly on her feet but giving me a thumbs up from where she guarded the still kneeling Dyslexia. Mandy and Jaylene were out, not dead, but hopefully just unconscious. Kelly was on the other side of Brenda, her eyes closed, her hands clutching the earth as if to orient herself.

And there I was, straddling Brenda, my bandaged hand thrust into the night sky, the other hand on her throat to avoid any more screaming. Her black magic powers might be gone, but she was still a Doppelganger.

I’d used my magic against my best intentions. And I knew there’d be payback; there always was. But I had saved the lives of my fellow recruits, so I was willing to pay the price.

That’s how Stone found us as he ripped around the far corner and skidded to a stop, his first telling glance seeking out Vaughn. He looked like he’d been in his own battle, hair mussed, clothes torn. Maybe Brenda had done something to him before coming after us. If I were her, that’s what I’d have done.

Still, I demanded, “Where the hell have you been? We could have died here.”

He straightened
. “Trapped by Brenda’s magic. Until you broke her I was sealed in an invisible wall of magic. Besides,” he gave us all a mercenary smile. “Thought it’d be a good training exercise.”

“Exercise my ass,” I snarled. “Get over here and help Mandy and Jaylene.”

“Was that an order, witch?” he asked, not moving.

“Want me to turn you into a toad?” I rolled off Brenda, aware of every muscle in my body protesting.

Kelly, still sightless but not as damaged as the rest of us, turned her head in my direction. “You could do that? Make him a toad?”

“Or a newt.” I mumbled.

By this time Vaughn had drawn near. “Oh, I’d pay good money to see that.”

“Try it Noziak and you’re dead,” Stone snapped, barking out orders to the other recruits who’d appeared as if summoned. Mandy and Jaylene were roused, both alive and probably wishing otherwise. Someone pulled Kelly to her feet and started guiding her back toward the dorm. A couple of security guards with handheld devices, no doubt activating the ankle monitors on Brenda and Dyslexia, gathered those two together and hustled them off.

I didn’t want to know where they were going or what was to happen to them. Try to kill me once, shame on you, try to kill me twice and threaten my friends, you die.

It was Vaughn who hauled my ass upright and caught me until I got my legs. Stone was on the other side of me as we staggered toward Ling Mai’s office. No doubt had to do an after-action report and see if we were all still recruits; after all we’d brought down two of our fellow team members tonight.

We were mostly silent until I wondered aloud, “So if Jaylene’s vision was true, she should have seen five of us against Brenda, not four.”

It was Vaughn who laughed. “Kelly was invisible. Jaylene couldn’t have seen her.”

“Of course.” Why hadn’t I thought of that?

“You guys made a hell of a mess. It's obvious you all need to work on your technique,” Stone said as we stepped over the threshold into the main building. “We’ll have to start training harder tomorrow.”

I went to take his head off, verbally not magically, but there wasn’t enough magic left in me to cast a candle lighting spell. Vaughn squeezed my arm to silence me.

Instead she faced Stone, “Bring it on, Stone. We can handle it.”

And I knew she was right. At least five of us could work as a team. A rough team, but it was a start.

It was enough for now.

THE END