Seduced by Magic (45 page)

Just as she turned to grin at her sister, the cavern went dark.

Immediately Silver filled the cavern with her blue magical glow, which she easily made with her hand magic.

Everything started to rock, to buck, to shake—far worse than when Ceithlenn had caused a shower of rocks to fall.

This time a tremendous amount of rock and dirt rained down on their heads and a stalactite loosened and landed between Copper and Silver, its cone shattering at their feet. The cavern was coming down around them!

Before Copper had time to react, or to try to form her
own glow to help light up the room, she felt Tiernan's strong arms around her and he leaped into the air. The next thing she knew they were flying toward the tunnel and the now open passageway.

“What if the tunnel collapses all the way?” she cried out.

Tiernan's arms tightened around her. “We have no other options.”

D'Danann warriors swooped ahead of her and at their sides, and Drow darted through the cavern along with them.

In no time Tiernan landed with Copper in his arms. He folded his wings and bolted into the tunnel, running faster than she could have imagined in the darkness. She clung to him as he ran. If it wasn't for her ankle—and the fact that it was too dark to see—she would have insisted on being perfectly capable of running on her own. Her lips twisted into a smile. She
was
stubborn.

That smile vanished as she heard the roar of the cavern collapsing in on itself. Dirt flooded the tunnel and she choked and coughed as dust went up her nose and into her mouth. She couldn't see anything in front or behind her, but apparently Tiernan could. Goddess, had her sister made it into the tunnel with the rest of them? Had they all made it?

Copper's concern about Silver lessened when she saw her sister's blue magic illuminating the tunnel, allowing her to see a little through the dust. Not that there was a lot to see. Dust ahead, dust behind, and nothing but tunnel.

The ground rocked, but Tiernan didn't stumble. It seemed like no time and forever before they reached the place where Copper had fallen through the hole and broken her ankle. How were they going to get back up there?

Duh
, she thought the moment Tiernan unfolded his wings. He didn't have much room to spread them, but somehow he was able to propel them up and into the giant's tunnel.

He didn't stop once they were in the enormous passageway. He was able to fully unfurl his magnificent wings. He
shot down the tunnel like an arrow from a bow and she clung to him tightly, feeling safe and secure.

When they had made it up the Drow stairs, through the door, and out into the growing dark, Copper thought she'd never seen anything so beautiful as her meadow. She smiled at the thought while she wrapped her arms tighter around Tiernan's neck. It was only three days ago she had freed everyone in the meadow from captivity. She grinned when it occurred to her that she'd probably fallen in love with the arrogant ass the day the Pixies made designs out of Tiernan's hair and tied flowers at the ends.

“Okay, you can let me down now.” Copper looked up into his dirt-streaked, sweaty face. She wanted to push his long blond hair away from his eyes.

He just shook his head. “Not yet.”

Copper swatted his chest and Zeph buzzed at her ear. “We're out of danger, okay?”

Tiernan gave her such a sexy grin that it melted her on the spot. “But I do not
want
to let you go.”

Garran followed the D'Danann and two witches out of the Drow door. It was almost dark, so Garran was able to remain aboveground. His features were proud and fierce as always, but Copper could see grief in his eyes for his brother.

Riona fluttered up to them, a delighted shimmer to her amethyst eyes and countless sparkles of Faerie dust sprinkling from her wings and glittering in the evening. “You have done it,” she stated, and gave one of her beautiful smiles.

Copper smiled back and Riona drifted over to lay a soft, tiny kiss on each of Copper's cheeks. Zephyr even climbed onto the queen's arm, the honeybee looking huge in comparison to her hands. Riona hovered before Copper and Tiernan as she stroked the familiar. When she removed her hand, he buzzed his wings in appreciation before flying back to Copper's ear.

“Remember your friends here in Otherworld,” Riona said to Copper. “We will think fondly of you.”

Tears pricked the corners of Copper's eyes. Her voice shook a little, but she managed to get the words out. “I could never, ever, ever forget you.”

Riona smiled, swooped up to kiss each of Copper's cheeks again, and then kissed even Tiernan's. The Faerie queen gave a little wave, then left in a puff of lavender Faerie dust.

Tiernan and Copper looked at one another and smiled before he strode away from the Drow door, still carrying her.

The moment they rounded the rock outcropping, all the D'Danann and the two witches came up short. Before them stood the most beautiful, ethereal being that Copper had ever seen. She almost seemed to
glow
in the growing darkness. She was tall, no doubt pure Elvin from the look of her pointed ears peeking through her long white-blond hair that dropped all the way to her feet. She had such an air of wisdom about her, but she looked so young.

“The Great Guardian,” Tiernan said quietly but with reverence.

This time Tiernan did set Copper on her feet, still taking great care with her. But the moment she was steady, he bent on one knee and bowed his head before the Elvin woman who Tiernan had called the Great Guardian. All of the other D'Danann bowed, as well as Garran, the Drow king.

Copper and Silver shot looks at one another, Silver looking as bewildered as Copper felt.

“Rise.” The Elvin woman had a musical voice and it almost sounded as if she was amused.

The D'Danann and Garran obeyed. As Copper looked to each of the warriors, she saw reservation in their expressions, but utmost respect.

First the Great Guardian turned to Garran. “You have lost much.” Her voice was hard, definite.

“Aye.” Garran's eyes showed his pain, but his stance was
tall, proud. “My brother is dead, as well as several of our comrades.”

Her features remained impassive. “You and your brethren have set free what was never meant to be released.”

Garran lowered his gaze. “We erred in our judgment.”

“As you have aided the D'Danann and the witches,” the Great Guardian said, “and helped to reseal the door, your transgressions will be forgiven.” Her eyes glowed along with the rest of her, and Copper shivered as the Great Guardian continued. “Return in peace to your Sidhe, my Elvin brother.”

Garran bowed, then inclined his head to Copper, giving her one last, long look.

“Goodbye,” she said softly to Garran before he turned away and disappeared around the rock outcropping.

Copper heard the Drow door scrape as it closed. Copper shuddered one last time. She never wanted to hear
that
sound again.

“You will now cross over and return to where you belong.” The Great Guardian drew Copper's attention and held her hand out toward the rock wall that Copper had come through when she'd arrived back in the meadow. “You will go first, Copper Ashcroft and Tiernan.”

Copper started because the Great Guardian knew her name, but she grasped Tiernan's hand and gave a little bow of her head. It was instinctive, as if it were the right thing to do.

The Elvin woman swept her hand out in a motion that Copper took to mean, “Get going.”

Clutching Tiernan's hand tightly in hers, Copper took a leap of faith, stepped facefirst into the rock wall. It shimmered like a curtain of rain and she passed through it.

Like the time Cassia had taken her across the footbridge, Copper's skin was numb and her ears felt like cotton had been jammed into them. She couldn't hear a thing.

Two steps more and she could breathe again. She could
hear again. And she could see exactly where they were. On the footbridge in Golden Gate Park, sunshine filtering through tree leaves.

Still gripping hands, Tiernan and Copper glanced at one another, smiled, and stepped forward. Well, Copper hobbled, but she moved nonetheless.

Hawk and Silver appeared behind them. Even though she was obviously exhausted, her face streaked with dirt, and her clothing filthy, she ran up to Copper and hugged her tightly.

“We made it, honey.” Silver squeezed her tighter. “We made it.”

Copper relaxed in Tiernan's embrace as he and Hawk flew with Copper and Silver in their arms, under their cloaks of magic. None of the other D'Danann had followed them to this world, so the Great Guardian must have sent them elsewhere. Probably back to their Sidhe.

When they arrived at the store, there were exclamations of surprise and concern from all the witches, but Copper just wanted to collapse into bed with exhaustion. The shop was empty of customers and Mackenzie turned the sign at the front door over to
CLOSED
. The four battle-worn men and women were ushered into the shop's kitchen.

The news that they had returned spread quickly among the D'Danann stationed in the apartments, all the Coven of D'Anu witches, and even Jake from the PSF. The kitchen of the store and café was so crowded that soon Cassia was chasing most of them out.

Mackenzie, Rhiannon, and Sydney stayed to help Cassia, one witch per returnee. The other witches opened Enchantments again, keeping busy and holding back all their questions until Hawk, Tiernan, Silver, and Copper had been cared for.

Copper was in Tiernan's lap for the moment, his arms around her as she leaned her back against his chest. Every ache in her body made itself known, and she couldn't move on her own for the life of her.

“Put her in this chair so that Sydney can tend to your wounds, Tiernan,” Cassia ordered.

Copper tilted her head back and looked at Tiernan with concern. For the first time she noticed a small gash along his jawline. “You're hurt!”

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I'm fine, little fire.”

Nevertheless, Tiernan reluctantly let Copper go, and she allowed Cassia to help her up so that she could hobble to her own chair. Copper collapsed into it, and then Cassia brought up another chair for Copper to rest her swollen ankle on.

Next Cassia placed her hand over Silver's belly to determine if the baby was okay. When she smiled, and said, “The baby is fine,” everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Hawk got down on his knees to hug Silver. Copper reached over to her sister and squeezed her hand.

“I agree with Hawk,” Copper said. “You need to take it easy for a while.”

Silver placed her hand over her belly. “Our baby is a strong one.” She looked up at Hawk. “Like his father.”

Hawk's features showed his shock. “A boy. You are certain?”

Silver smiled. “He let himself be known. Now we have to think up a name for our little warrior.”

Hawk was forced into a chair where his wounds could be attended to, but his eyes never left Silver's.

At everyone's insistence, Silver told them all about her captivity, and how Darkwolf had used transference to bring her, Sara, and Junga to the cavern. “I was mostly out of it since I'd been drugged by Darkwolf. I passed in and out of consciousness, so I got the gist of what was happening from their conversations,” Silver said, and then groaned as Mackenzie cleansed a long cut on her arm.

Apparently Garran had been at the cavern, waiting. The Drow had finally discovered the place and the warlock had been informed. The Drow had been stationed around the
cavern behind great rocks and stalagmites, blending with the darkness and waiting for the door to open.

“Darkwolf gave me a little more of the sleeping drug when he saw that I was waking,” Silver said as she shoved her dirty hair out of her face. “I was out, and then the next thing I knew, I was bound in the middle of the circle and bleeding into the runes. I passed out of consciousness again, but woke up to find myself off to the side, and Copper tied down instead of me.”

Hawk growled his displeasure and leaned over to kiss Silver firmly on the lips. “I should never have let you attempt such a foolish thing as you did at the pier,
a thaisce
,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “Like you could stop me.”

He growled again.

Tiernan and Hawk took turns relating their trip to Otherworld. Hawk had gathered a group of D'Danann warriors while Tiernan took care of some business. At that Copper looked at him and couldn't help a smile at the way he studied her.

They explained everything from Queen Riona coming to them, to following Copper's trail, to fighting the demons and beasts that had escaped through the Underworld door before it had been shut.

Copper went last. “I had no choice but to go alone. No one crossed with me, and I had no idea that Tiernan and Hawk were in Otherworld. Riona told me that Balor had closed all entrances from our world to Otherworld.”

She told her story, even pulled out her mangled wand and tossed it on the table. Tiernan's look was thunderous when she came to the part where Sara had smashed her ankle even worse than it already was.

Copper winced. It hurt just to think about it.

The entire time the four shared their stories, Cassia, Mackenzie, Sydney, and Rhiannon took care of their wounds—their scrapes, cuts, and bruises—using witch magic, herbal creams, and healing oils. Copper was filthy,
exhausted, and so ready for sleep that she could barely keep her eyes open.

“You know we'll have to set the bones in your ankle,” Cassia said, her blue eyes meeting Copper's. “It's not going to be easy. Some are shattered.”

Copper flinched. “I can't do it awake. There's no freaking way I can take it.”

Rhiannon came up to Copper, who opened her mouth as Rhiannon tilted a brown bottle so that bitter drops landed on Copper's tongue. She swallowed the fluid more than willingly.