The Waning Moon Page 9

  “Anything?” Isaac asked.

  “No,” I said. “I didn’t really expect there to be anything here. I feel confident we’re looking for mounds, but it was worth a shot.”

  We hiked until we came upon a smooth body of water. I consulted my map and announced we were at Crystal Lake. It was eerie in the dark, and since I couldn’t see much, I turned to move on. The hairs on my arms prickled to attention and I halted.

  “What is it?” Raj asked, picking up my unease from my mind.

  “We’re not alone anymore.”

  “I don’t hear anyone else,” he said. It took a second before I realized he meant mentally. I turned to Florence for her telepathic confirmation.

  “Neither do I.”

  “I must be creeped out by the dark,” I said.

  “No,” Isaac said. “I feel it, too. Something malevolent is stirring.”

  “Drop!” Raj and Florence said at the same time. The four of us fell to the ground as a barrage of energy shot overhead. We turned off our flashlights almost simultaneously.

  “Witches,” I said. “Dammit.”

  “Where are they?” Raj asked. “I can’t see them or hear their thoughts.”

  “They’re blocked,” Florence confirmed.

  “I can smell them now,” Isaac said. “They’re at our two o’clock.”

  “They can probably hear us,” I said.

  “They obviously already know we’re here, and at this point, they know we know they’re here. Identifying their position won’t do any harm,” Isaac said.

  Florence crawled between Isaac and me, and Raj crept forward until we were crouched in a rough circle. Florence grabbed my left hand and Raj my right, and a circuit formed.

  “Now we can talk without being overheard,” Raj said. “Concentrate on projecting your thoughts, and we will all hear them.”

  “I didn’t know you could do something like that,” I thought. “I’m impressed.”

  “I can’t on my own. I can hear your thoughts and place mine in your mind, but I cannot create a link like this. I am only a small power boost for your witch’s formidable skills.”

  “Gifts of the mind are my area of strength,” Florence said. “But we can talk more about how great I am later and how much I hate it when bat boy calls me a witch. For right now, we must get rid of these magicians since they’re standing between us and the exit and don’t seem to be in the friendliest of moods.”

  “Okay, how do we do that?” Isaac asked.

  “Does anyone know how high the ceiling is right here? I could turn into a dragon. A couple bursts of flame and they’d probably run away.”

  “I’d rather get out of here without damaging the cave system too much. It’s a delicate ecosystem,” Florence said.

  “Nature lovers always ruin the good plans.”

  “Does anyone know how many there are?” Isaac asked.

  Florence reached out with her mind. “Dammit. There are thirteen—a full coven.”

  “Is our goal to escape without harming them?” Raj asked.

  “I don’t want to cart thirteen bodies out of here,” I said. “Sounds like a pain in the ass.”

  “Isn’t there a bottomless pit somewhere? We could cart them that far and drop them in. I bet they don’t check it for bodies frequently.”

  “I don’t remember exactly where, but it’s probably still quite an obnoxious hike from here. Maybe Raj could fly them over in pairs. Maybe he’ll make a new friend!”

  No one said anything, and I pictured the large colonies of bats we’d seen earlier in our self-guided tour.

  I could hear Raj grind his teeth. “I do not turn into a bat. I do not sparkle in the sunlight. I have a reflection, I don’t mind garlic, and I don’t sleep in a coffin.”

  I suppressed a giggle. He was fun to tease.

  “Children,” Florence chided us. “What are we going to do about these conjurers?”

  “Can you hold them with your mind?” I asked.

  She reached out and found their essence. “For a short period. But not if we’re all linked.”

  “You freeze them. I’ll shoot up a ball of flame to illuminate them, and Isaac and Raj rush them and take out as many as they can before Florence is unable to hold them any longer. I’ll follow with my sword and take care of anyone who tries to get away. We can take one with us to question.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Isaac said.

  “Florence? Raj?” I asked.

  “I concur,” Raj said. “I’ll break the link, and then project a countdown. We’ll go on three. Isaac, will you be going as you are, or would you like to change first?”

  “They’ll feel the energy of the change and attack,” Isaac said. “I’ll change as we charge.”

  “You can do that?” Raj sounded impressed.

  “You’ve no idea what I can do, vampire,” Isaac said.

  Raj chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.

  “Let’s do it,” Florence said.

  We dropped hands and broke the link. A few moments later, I heard Raj start the count, “Three, two, one…go!” The last word echoed through the cavern. I sent a fireball up as high as I could to illuminate the cavern and finally saw the witches. They appeared young, but looks are deceiving when it comes to the magically inclined. Florence’s hold was not complete. Three of them—likely the maiden, mother, and crone—were still moving.

  “We need to question one of them!” I called, pointing at the women leading the charge. I wasn’t sure if anyone heard, but seconds later the three women were unconscious in a heap. Raj and Isaac in his wolf form moved on the rest of the group. When they saw their leaders downed with such efficiency, the remaining mages stopped struggling. Isaac and Raj rendered them all unconscious, but from the looks of it—and from the sounds of their breathing and heartbeats, they were all still alive. Five minutes and no deaths. The coven hadn’t managed to land a single blow on us.

  “Not bad, team!” I said. “Shall we leave them here?”

  “All but these three,” Florence said, gesturing at the women closest to us. “Let’s grab one of them, kill the other two, dispose of their bodies, and get out of here.”

  I stared at her aghast. I’d joked about a bottomless pit, but hearing Florence order the deaths of the two witches in front of us with ease was chilling.

  “I heard their thoughts at the end. They were here to capture you, torture you, and use you as bait to do the same to more Fae. I might have an issue with the Fae as an overall group, but I do not hold with torture.”

  “I’ll dispose of the young one,” Raj announced. “She looks delicious.” He picked her up, fastened onto her jugular, and rose up into the air with her. A few minutes later he returned alone. “I’m full, and she was powerful,” he said. “Which would you like to keep? I’ll take the other to the pit I disposed of the first one in.”

  “Take the crone,” Florence said.

  Raj took off with her and was back even faster this time. He grabbed the remaining witch. “I’ll meet you back at the campsite.”

  Florence and I gathered our flashlights and began the long trek back to the entrance. Now that it was over, I was pissed. Stupid witches and vampires always attacking when I was trying to sightsee. I squashed down the part where I was also a little scared—mostly of Raj and Florence.

  The others let me stew for a bit, and then Florence interrupted my bad mood. “I’m sorry the evil magicians ruined your illegal tour of the cave,” she said.

  “Whatever, cold-blooded Florence. You need a nickname as badass as you are.” I willed myself to not think about how casually she’d ordered the death of three people.

  “Evil people,” she said. I must have been projecting. “The others are sheep and will hopefully recover their good sense without a corrupting influence. But the leaders? They were beyond redemption.”

  “Do you think that’s possible? Can people move beyond redemption?”

  Florence stopped abruptly, and I ran into her back. “He
is beyond redemption. Any hesitation you show because you don’t believe me will bring the end of your happiness. He cannot be saved.” She continued walking without further explanation.

  “Florence? Wanna unvague that up for me?”

  “You know I won’t.”

  “What good is traveling with my own personal prophet if I never understand her prophecies? And why can’t anything ever be straight forward? Who can’t be saved? When will I hesitate? And for what?”

  “You’ll find out. Eventually.”

  I rolled my eyes at her in the dark and followed her out of the cave.

  When we finally made it back to the car, Florence got in the driver’s seat. I opened the back door for Isaac, grabbed some clothes out of the emergency stash we kept in back and tossed them in after him. A couple minutes later, power rose from the backseat. I turned and watched as Isaac shimmered in and out of his wolf form until finally the man solidified and the wolf was gone.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as he pulled on a pair of loose shorts. He was breathing heavily.

  “Give me a minute.”

  I did as he asked and used that minute to not-so-subtly admire all the parts of him on display. The taut abs, powerful thighs, and amazingly muscular chest and arms.

  “For the love of the Goddess,” Florence said. “Shields up, girl.”

  I hastily erected the shields I’d taken down during the cave battle. “Better?”

  “For now. There’s a hotel close to the campground I’ll be availing myself of tonight.”

  “Will you be okay on your own?” Isaac asked.

  “I’m safer on my own. The only times I’ve been attacked have been with you.”

  Remorse stabbed through me. It was true. In addition to bringing about an apocalypse, I was putting my friends in danger.

  “You can stop that line of thought right now. I knew what I was getting into. You’re the only way to achieve my end goal, and I’m not letting you out of my sight—at least not for any length of time. We’ll go question the magician, and then I’ll take the car back to the hotel to give you some privacy and me a break.”

  We pulled into our campsite and saw Raj sitting on top of the picnic table. He’d bound the witch’s hands and propped her up next to the fire pit.

  “You could’ve at least started a fire,” I said.

  “I’m extremely flammable. I try not to start fires unless I have no other choice.”

  Isaac climbed out of the back seat, still wearing nothing but the loose, silky shorts. Raj and I both followed his movements as he stacked the kindling and logs expertly and then grabbed some matches.

  “I can do this part,” I said to keep my mind on the task at hand.

  Isaac smiled at me and said, “I know.” He struck a match, cupped in his palm until the flame brightened, and then held it gently to the loose moss and wood shavings in the protective circle of the logs. It caught quickly, and moments later a merry little fire was burning.

  I looked at Raj who he was still eying Isaac speculatively.

  “Mine,” I thought at him.

  He tore his eyes off my boyfriend and grinned at me. “I can share.”

  “Not my style.”

  “We’ll see.”

  I was not going there. “Can someone wake the witch? Let’s see what her deal is—besides torture.”

  Raj scored his wrist with his teeth, and a drop of blood appeared. I licked my lips and felt a flaring of heat. Raj looked at me knowingly, and I glanced away, glad the darkness hid my blush.

  Raj dripped his blood into the witch’s open mouth, and seconds later she stirred.

  “What is the meaning of this?” she asked. “You cannot hope to hold me. My sisters—”

  “—Are dead,” Florence said. “At least the two that could’ve helped you. You’re on your own. I won’t kill you if you answer our questions.”

  The witch looked around but said nothing.

  “You’re a little outnumbered, and a lot outclassed,” Florence said. “Either answer my questions willingly and earn my promise to not kill you, or I’ll make you answer, and we’ll see what fate has in store for you after.”

  I saw her swallow. “Ask,” she said.

  “Name?”

  “Crystal.”

  “Real name,” Florence said, a hint of impatience coloring her voice.

  “Andrea Jenkins.”

  “Okay, Andrea. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “She lies,” Isaac said.

  “Did I forget to tell you some of our companions know when a human lies? Your pulse increases, your breathing changes, the blood rushes about, and there’s a smell.”

  “What kind of person can smell a lie?” Andrea said.

  Isaac bared his teeth, still a little elongated from the change. “A werewolf,” he answered.

  She scoffed. “Werewolves aren’t real.”

  “You’re playing with elemental magic and trying to take out a Fae, and you don’t believe in werewolves?”

  “Everyone knows those who call themselves Fae are witches using magic for evil.”

  “Attempted kidnapping with intent to torture makes you a good guy?” I asked.

  “Taking out one person to save the world is worth it,” she said.

  “And the torture bits?”

  “To find your associates.”

  “She thinks she’s telling the truth,” Isaac said.

  “She was looking forward to the torture far more than anyone doing something for the good of all humanity would,” Raj added.

  Florence took back control of the interrogation. “If I understand correctly, you were going to kidnap my young friend over there,” she pointed at me, “and then torture her for information regarding other known associates to prevent the gates from opening and to save the world. Correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who told you we’d be in the cave?”

  After a brief pause, “No one. We could sense her.”

  “I don’t even need the wolf to tell me you’re lying this time. Someone must have told you what to watch for.”

  “Nope. We figured it out on our own.”

  “How’d you know about her existence in the first place?”

  “There’s an entire website devoted to her.”

  “Interesting,” Raj said. “What’s the URL?”

  “www.fairybitch.com,” Andrea said.

  “Seriously?” I asked. “That’s stupid.”

  “She’s lying again,” Isaac said.

  “Is this the part where we get to torture her?” I asked.

  “Must you always sound so enthusiastic about torturing?” Isaac asked.

  “It’s part of my charm?” I didn’t want to reveal that the thought of torture turned my stomach and I was in danger of barfing on our captive.

  “We won’t torture,” Florence said. “But we will get the truth. Raj?”

  Raj strode forward, opened his mouth, and I watched in horrified awe as his canines elongated and his eyes lit up with an unholy red glow. Andrea’s breathing quickened, and she whimpered. Raj grabbed her and whispered, “Be still.” He licked her neck before biting. She struggled but didn’t make a sound. After a couple of swallows, Raj released, and then licked her neck again.

  “Now,” he said, looking into her eyes. Her pupils were dilated, and she was shaking. “You will answer all of my friend’s questions.”

  Andrea nodded.

  “Name,” Florence said.

  “Andrea Jenkins.”

  “Age.”

  “Seventy-five.” Wow—talk about well-preserved.

  “Place in the coven.”

  “Mother.”

  “Who told you we’d be in the cave?”

  “I don’t know,” she repeated.

  “How’d you know where to find us?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Who is your contact?”

  “I don’t know.” Andrea was nearly sobbing now.
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br />   “Be careful,” Raj said. “Too many questions she can’t answer will cause her mind to fracture.”

  “How does your contact deliver instructions?”

  “Email.” Andrea seemed to relax now that she’d been able to answer a question.

  “When did you get your instructions?”

  “Two hours ago.”

  “How did you know they were legitimate?”

  “Martha confirmed it.”

  “Who’s Martha?”

  “Our maiden. She said this action would make us heroes. She has the most power of us all. She’s the one who brought us together. If you have more questions, you should ask her. She’ll be able to answer anything.”

  “Shut up,” Raj said. Andrea closed her mouth.

  “We’ll not get much more out of her. Too bad you killed Martha,” Florence said.

  “She was powerful,” Raj said. “I haven’t had my fill of witch blood in ages. Between that meal, and the sips I’ve taken of you and our Princess here, I might be spoiled for regular food.”

  Andrea’s eyes had widened more with every word Raj had uttered until I was half-convinced they were going to pop out of her head.

  Raj looked back at her. “If you have a question for me, you may ask,” he said.

  “What are you?” she whispered.

  “The stuff of which nightmares are made,” Raj answered. He glanced over at Florence, and she nodded. Raj smiled, and a shiver made its way up and down my spine. He turned back towards Andrea.

  “You promised,” she said. “You promised you wouldn’t kill me.”

  “I promised I wouldn’t kill you,” Florence said. “I made no such promises about the others.”

  “Now hush,” Raj said. And then he struck her neck. This time, he didn’t bother to coat the site with his analgesic saliva. He drank her mercilessly. Soon she lost consciousness and then, shortly after, I heard her heart falter and then stop. Raj released her, and she fell to the ground.

  “Can you dispose of her?” Florence asked.

  “Or are you too full to fly?” I asked, rather more snarkily than I meant. I was trying not to let the death get to me, but this was harder than killing in the heat of battle or self-defense.