Under an Onyx Sky (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 4) (25 page)

More bombs exploded, shaking the walls and causing dust to billow. Cimmerians filled the Great Hall in a panic, unsure of what to do.

“Hunters!” someone screamed, and they all turned for the door, but Ava stayed planted in her spot. She wasn’t going to let them escape or fight anyone outside. They were hers to kill.

As they ran toward her, she shot water at their heads, severing them in clean, precise lines.

“Traitor!”

Shouts and cries echoed through the hallways as they turned their heads in Ava’s direction. A man advanced on her, but she blasted water at his throat. There was too much commotion for her to create a tidal wave. Enemy after enemy came toward her. There were so many of them. She just had to stay alive long enough to kill Havok.

Ava flooded the castle floor. Melissa formed rocks and chucked them at the Cimmerians. Thomas hurled fireballs at them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw spirits rushing toward some of the Cimmerians. As the spirits took over their bodies, the Enchanters cried out, falling to their knees. Then the Enchanters fought against the other Cimmerians. Once they died, the spirit would leave the body and force their way into another one.

Orbs of electricity flashed nearby. Energy blasts exploded. Tornadoes circled around, sounding like trains. Daggers in the form of ice shot at several people, straight into their hearts. Fire latched onto anything it could, like it was a magnet. Boulders smashed into the walls, crumbling them.

Someone grabbed Ava from behind, and she elbowed her attacker hard in the stomach. Her body began to freeze, but she had to take control. Gritting her teeth, she broke through and blasted shards of icy water. The tall man went down instantly.

Stabs of burning pain took over her entire body. She fell to her knees, and then her attacker grabbed her ponytail from behind, lifting her head back. Donovan.

“I knew you would turn against us,” he said.

Her whole body burned. She could feel her flesh burning away, but when she looked, it was still intact. Another Cimmerian rushed toward her.

Donovan jerked her neck back, and she swung her leg behind her, knocking him on his backside. The burning pain immediately vanished and she shot water at the oncoming Cimmerian, killing her instantly. Donovan seized her foot and flipped her onto her backside. It knocked the breath out of her for a second, and then he straddled her. The burning pain returned as he held her arms down.

He punched her across the face, and she struggled to free her arms. She imagined him drowning, but he kept striking her, making her lose her concentration. Warm liquid trickled down her nose and the side of her face.

“You won’t win this battle. You’re gonna die. Just like all your little friends.”

She finally got an arm free and drove her fist into his jaw. He shook it off, and the burning sensation became more intense. She cried out.

“Feels good doesn’t it?” He hit her once more, and then the burning stopped. She imagined him drowning, and he fell to her side. He coughed up water, and heaved for air. Then, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xavier. Ava jumped to her feet, unsure of what to do amid the chaos around them. She didn’t want to fight him, but then she realized he had used his power on Donovan causing him to pause. It allowed her to kill Donovan.

Xavier nodded once, and then advanced on a Cimmerian, killing them. Ava had gotten through to him. Xavier Holstone had joined her side.

Shots fired, and Ava ducked. Hunters armed with serum guns and Natalia, Moira, Joss, and Aaron charged the castle. Ava assumed Gustav led the Russians outside. There were so many people fighting, it was hard to tell who was on which side. Lights flickered. Tables and chairs burned. The drapes blazed in the flames as well, and then dropped into the standing water from Ava’s flood. Holes and soot damaged the stone walls. Glass shattered.

Ava charged toward a woman who came at her. Ava quickly sidestepped her, grabbed her head, and twisted sharply. She fell to her knees. The water trickled down her arms and formed a water knife. She slashed through the next few enemies, taking them down with ease.

A man tackled her bringing her to the ground. She felt a sharp object slash her back and then stab her. Ava cried out and struggled with the man. He seemed to weigh three times what she did. He removed the object, and he lifted her head back by her ponytail. He pressed the cold, wet object to her throat.

“I will go down in history for killing an Elemental,” he spoke into her ear.

She tried imagining him under water or calling for water, but nothing happened. She slammed her head into his chin, knocking him off his balance for a second. When she turned, she saw that it was Benjamin, the power negator.

Crystal from one of the chandeliers above them dropped. She dodged the sharp edge as it embedded itself into the wooden floor. Ava knew any second it was going to fall.

Benjamin grabbed her waist and slammed her down onto the floor. The chandelier came loose, falling right above them. Ava flung herself to the side. The chandelier crashed, crushing Benjamin. Bits of crystal and blood splattered all around her. She took a breath and let the water heal her.

The castle walls shook. Ava had to find her way to Havok’s chamber. She was sure he was hiding by now. She hadn’t seen Gabriel, and she hoped with everything she had that he was still alive.

Ava jumped to her feet, just in time to see a wave of energy projected toward Moira’s back.

“No! Moira!” Thomas shouted.

Moira twisted her head.

Thomas darted in the energy’s path, and Moira screamed. Ava held her breath. Everything moved in slow motion.

She froze for a second as she watched the white glow of the energy envelope him. His eyes bulged and then he collapsed to the ground. His face, frozen with fear and sadness, met the wooden floor. Ava’s heart stopped as his blue eyes stared at Moira. She watched and waited for him to move. He would shake it off, and rise to his feet with that stupid, cocky smile. He would comfort Moira, and then continue fighting.

But he never budged.

Ava’s throat tightened, and she clenched her fists.

Lance absorbed the energy power and blasted the attacker. The woman fell to her knees, her eyes rolling in the back of her head. Then, she died.

Through all the chaos, Moira screamed and rushed to Thomas’s still body, cradling his head. He still hadn’t moved. He would wake up in a few minutes. He had to. Ava wanted to run to him, but she had to move forward. Natalia pried Moira from him, as Ava looked away and saw the east wall buckling.

Ava’s breath hitched as Xavier seized her hand. He pulled her just as the wall collapsed where she had been. Concrete blocks crashed to the floor, crushing several people and killing them instantly. Waves of dust obscured her vision as they teetered outside the castle. Lance, Melissa, and Gillian followed them.

“I can still get you to Havok’s chamber,” Xavier shouted. “I’ll get you past the bodyguards. After that, you’re on your own.”

Ava nodded. “Thank you.”

Screams, bombs, and powers filled the night air. They plowed through the large army of Cimmerians they encountered along the way to Havok. It seemed like an endless fight. Ava lost count of how many she killed, but no matter how many they slayed, more Cimmerians came to fight. She’d known the army was enormous, but she’d underestimated just how big.

Melissa launched rocks at them. Gillian kicked and punched them so hard their bones broke and their skin bled. Lance blasted energetic balls at them.

Another group of Cimmerians charged toward them, Eve leading them. She lunged for Ava, but Ava blasted her with water, delivering a crushing blow. Eve fell limp, her eyes staring at Ava. She felt a little sorry, but it didn’t last long.

Ava turned away, and helped finish the rest of the group.

Xavier led them through a side door and down a hallway to a stairwell. Climbing the stairs, they encountered a few Cimmerians, but Xavier used his ability to throw them over the railing.

Ava prepared herself for a trap. Xavier could easily turn against her, but he wouldn’t kill her. Maybe she was being paranoid. Sharing Havok’s soul did that to her.

They raced upstairs, but stopped as several more Cimmerians charged. Water streamed down Ava’s arms, and she shot it at them. A few went down as the stream of water cut through their throats, decapitating them.

They reached the double doors past Havok’s chamber. Of course, he would be on the lookout, hiding, given the large amount of soldiers who guarded the doors.

Sorcha crossed her arms. “Xavier. Betrayed us I see.”

“We can do this hard way or the easy way,” Melissa said.

One of them smirked. “Good luck getting through us.”

She shrugged and hurled several rocks and boulders, but they crumbled before they reached the soldiers. A shield protected them. Ava should’ve known they would have a protection shield. She looked at Katarina, but she seemed to be in a trance.

One of the men raised his hands and blasted a hollow, black sphere at them. Ava jumped to the left with Melissa and Xavier. Lance and Gillian landed across from them. The orb blasted through the floor, creating a black hole. Wind billowed around them so fast it was hard to see. The hole in the ground dipped down, pulling everything nearby inside it. Ava, Melissa, and Xavier crawled away from the hole.

No one knew how to get through the shield, but the man kept chucking orbs down the stairs at them. Black holes formed next to each other, merging into one. The castle shuddered and Xavier, Ava, and Melissa held onto to the stair railing as the ground split open.

Gillian was creating an earthquake. It reached the top of the stairs, splitting them in half. The shield began to crack, and soon the floor beneath the guards opened. A couple of them fell to their deaths.

Xavier lunged for Sorcha and they grappled with each other. Melissa lobbed boulders at the other guards. Ava shot water at Sorcha, narrowly missing her each time. She glanced at Gillian, who focused on Sorcha, but nothing happened.

“I can’t get past the shield,” Gillian shouted.

“Katarina! See if you can wake her from the trance,” Ava yelled as she shot water at the guards. Each one she hit, fell into the dark hole.

Gillian reached for Katarina, and Katarina gripped Gillian’s shoulder. Her hand glowed with radiation, and Gillian screamed. She gritted her teeth, but stayed with Katarina. Katarina shook her head, and freed Gillian, her brown eyes widening.

Xavier punched Sorcha. Ava blasted Sorcha, but missed again. She would have to tackle her. She climbed the stairs with her arms and feet, but the vortex pulled her. She looked up as Sorcha lifted Xavier, smirking. His body fell limp, and Ava knew Sorcha had placed her sleep spell on him.

“Sweet dreams,” she said, and released him.

Ava gasped, and watched in horror as he fell past her into the black hole. Her heart skipped a beat. She stopped breathing. Everything seemed to stop for a second. Xavier Holstone died helping them. He wasn’t supposed to die.

She stared into the hole, unable to move. She couldn’t save him.

Then Ava felt strong arms around her. A second later she was at the top of the stairs, inches from a small opening in the door. She saw Gabriel attack Sorcha from behind, snapping her neck, and then Sorcha dropped into the endless ebony hole.

Gabriel turned to Ava, his crystal blue eyes urgent. “Go!”

Ava dove for the small opening in the shield. She knew the rest of the Elementals could take the guards. This was her opportunity. She slid right through and looked around at the top of the empty rampart. The wind blew through her hair, and while it was somewhat quiet, she heard the sounds of war down below.

She took a moment to catch her breath, but she had no time to mourn. The top of the rampart shook from Melissa’s boulders and the war. She searched all around her, looking for Havok.

Seconds later, Lance slid through the hole.

“You can’t fight him,” a voice said from behind Ava and Lance. She knew who it was.

They turned, and faced Peter. His brown eyes glazed over just like Katarina’s had been. Who put a spell on them? Havok? Had he found out? And how had he gotten past Peter’s protection?

“Peter, wake up,” Ava said.

“You won’t win.”

Ava didn’t want to hurt Peter, but she couldn’t think of another way to wake him. She imagined him underwater until he coughed up water.

“What are you doing?” Lance asked.

She didn’t answer, but watched Peter drop to his knees. His veins throbbed through his skin, and his face and neck went from red to blue. She released the image.

Peter looked up, gasping for air. “Ava? Lance?”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Leave, Peter. Go help the others. You too, Lance.”

Lance shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’ll stay—.”

“Peter, go. You can save them. You can’t save me.”

He got to his feet, and his eyes filled with conflict.

“It’s fine. Go.” She pushed him toward the opening, and he left.

“So you found me,” Havok said, and Ava turned to face him. He stood on the other side of the rampart. “But do you honestly think you can defeat me?” He raised his hands right at the same time as Lance. They both shot energy blasts at each other. Ava raised her hand, letting the water form. Then she felt a punch and darkness enveloped her for a second. Someone pulled on her foot. She struggled with whoever grabbed her foot through the opening, but then blasted them with water, forcing the wall to close the opening.

An explosion went off sending debris onto the rampart hitting Lance and Havok. They both fell backward but Lance didn’t move.

She rushed toward him and frantically felt for a heartbeat. There wasn’t one. She willed her water over him to heal him, but nothing happened. She shut her eyes tight and squeezed Lance’s hand. Why did he stay? Why didn’t she force him to leave as well? She waited impatiently, and checked his pulse again.

His heart beat once, then twice. Ava willed more water over him, hoping it would strengthen him enough to endure what she had to do to kill Havok.

Havok coughed and got to his knees.

Ava reluctantly released Lance’s hand, and stood up.

It was time to finish Havok.