Witch's Fury, page 20
“I did!” Evee cried.
“Try again.”
Gilly looked from Lucien to Gavril. “We’ve got to get the rifts that are closest to the opening of the warehouse closed. Give me the extra scabior so I can help.”
As Gavril started to object, Gilly reached around him and yanked the extra scabior he kept tucked in the back of his pants.
“Now, you either come with me and charge this damn thing, or I’ll go alone and figure it out by myself,” Gilly said. “Either way, we’ve got to get the rifts closest to the warehouse opening closed. There may be hundreds, even thousands, up there, but not all of them can reach this far. They’re held at the waist. Not all of them will be able to reach us. I know we can fight the ones closest to us so we can at least get out of here.”
A piece of tin overhead ripped open, and they saw a black talon from a Cartesian punch through the roof.
“Are we having fun yet?” a voice called from the back of the warehouse. “Tell me you’re having fun. That would make me so very happy.”
Gavril and Gilly froze, as did everybody else.
The sound came from the back of the building, low and muted but distinct. It was the voice of Trey Cottle.
Chapter 22
Gilly’s heart was torn in two. She didn’t want to leave Gavril and Lucien alone, fighting all of the Cartesians that obviously were preparing to drop from the sky. But her Evee needed her help with Viv, and she couldn’t just turn her back on them.
She suddenly thought of a plan. A spell.
Above the howling, growling and scratching sounds echoing through the building at a deafening rate, she yelled at Evee, “Use the elemental spell.”
“I can’t,” Evee said. “Not by myself. You know that. It takes all of us to do that.”
Gilly felt like an ass. She did know that.
With a growl of her own, she ran back to the float where Viv and Nikoli lay, seemingly lifeless. Evee was leaning over Viv, her hands on her wounds and covered in blood.
Viv’s eyes were closed, her breathing too shallow, her pulse barely there. Gilly had no other choice. Lucien and Gavril would have to do the best they could with what they had. Her sister had to be her priority right now.
Above the howling and growling, she moved Viv’s hands over to her wounds, and then laid hers on top of Viv’s, and Evee rested her hands on top of Gilly’s.
The Elders stood to one side, whispering to themselves what Gilly could only imagine was a healing spell of their own.
“All right, you start,” Gilly said to Evee.
Evee closed her eyes and issued her incantation:
Oh, king and minions of water be.
Ever mindful of my voice to thee.
Loose thy healing powers from depths below.
So that health through this woman shall flow.
Gilly quickly followed with her portion of the elemental spell:
Oh, warriors of fire.
Hear my plea.
I invoke thy healing powers unto me.
That they shall bring healing for all to see.
Since Viv was unable to complete the incantation, Gilly and Evee said it for her:
Giant earth thy orbit bound.
Release their power from underground.
From which fire, water and earth abound.
And instant healing shall now be found.
Ingus, Hosomus, Faroot—So let it be!
Gilly opened her eyes and saw that Viv’s eyes were still closed, and blood still trickled from her abdominal wounds.
“Again, Evee. We say it again, as loud as you can. Scream it if you have to!”
Evee nodded and yelled:
Oh, king and minions of water be.
Ever mindful of my voice to thee.
Loose thy healing powers from depths below.
So that health through this woman shall flow!
Gilly shouted d her part until her throat hurt.
Oh, warriors of fire.
Hear my plea.
I invoke they healing powers unto me.
That they shall bring healing for all to see!
Gilly nodded at Evee and both bellowed Viv’s part at the top of their lungs.
Giant earth thy orbit bound.
Release thy power from underground.
From which fire, water and earth abound.
And instant healing shall now be found.
INGUS, HOSOMUS, FAROOT—SO LET IT BE!
In that moment, Viv’s eyes fluttered open.
Gilly removed her hands, as did Evee, and both saw, right before their eyes, the wounds on Viv’s stomach close up as if they were being sutured from the inside out. No more blood. Relief tumbled over Gilly’s heart in huge waves. Exhaustion weighed down her shoulders.
Viv looked up at them, confusion on her face. “What are you two doing here? Where am I?”
“It’s a long story, sweetie,” Gilly said. “But for now, we’re going to need your help. How are you feeling?”
“Strong as an ox. Feels like I just woke up from a long nap,” Viv said. “What happened?”
“You were hurt pretty bad. We just finished an elemental healing spell on you,” Evee said.
Viv sat up as if nothing had ever happened to her. She got to her feet, wobbled for a second, and then caught her footing. “Where’s Nikoli?”
Gilly frowned. “He’s at the front of the float, and he’s not doing so well.”
“We’ve got to get to him now,” Viv said.
“For more reasons than you know,” Gilly agreed.
As the Elders continued to silently murmur their own spells, Gilly, Viv and Evee went over to Nikoli.
Viv’s face turned gray when she saw him, saw the blood pooled around his head.
“We’ve got this,” Gilly reminded her. “No worries. Just concentrate. Same elemental incantation for him that we did for you.”
“What?” Viv asked. “What’s all that noise? I can barely hear you. Are we on a Mardi Gras float? What the hell?”
“More long stories,” Gilly shouted. “Too long to go into now. We’ve got to help Nikoli. We’re going to do the elemental incantation for him, but you’re going to have to shout your part as loudly as you can so it’ll be heard over all this racket.”
Gilly, Viv and Evee placed their hands on Nikoli’s wounds, and Gilly started shouting her part. She was quickly followed by Evee, and Viv brought up the rear, saying hers so loudly, she went hoarse at the end.
“What is all that noise, though?” Viv asked. “What’s making all that noise?”
Gilly sighed. “Cartesians. Hundreds of them, if not more. And they’re trying to get to us.”
Viv’s face went a shade paler than pale. “Oh, no. No way they’re going to get us.”
No sooner had Viv finished her confirmation than Nikoli’s eyes flickered open, and they saw the wound on his head close almost instantaneously. He blinked, looking similar to Viv when she’d been healed, like he’d just woken from a long nap.
Nikoli pulled himself up, resting on his elbows. “Where are we?”
“We’re at the Mardi Gras warehouse,” Gilly said. “Both you and Viv were hurt badly and brought here. Used as bait by the leader of the Cartesians to bring us all out here. His intent is to collect us all in one place and kill us all at one time.”
“I’ll be goddamned if I’m going to let that happen,” Nikoli said, getting to his feet. “Where are Gavril and Lucien?”
“They are at the far end of the warehouse, at the last bay door. The one we opened to get in here,” Gilly said. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of rifts out there right now, but not a sign of a Cartesian. I think they’re hiding just behind those rifts, awaiting a command from their leader in order to attack.”
“Some of them have to be out, though,” Evee said. “Look at the one that ripped the hole in the roof.”
“Some may have sneaked out,” Gilly said. She turned to Nikoli. “Gavril and Lucien are trying to close the rifts closest to the building so we’ll have a way to get out.”
“Where’s my scabior?” Nikoli asked, and then padded the right side of his belt, found his sheath and pulled his scabior from it.
“I know you’re itching to go out there and kick ass with your cousins,” Gilly said. “But how are you feeling?”
“What do you mean? I’m fine. Like I had a long night’s sleep. Hell, I don’t even remember how I got here.” He turned to Viv. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Shaken and a bit out of sorts with all that’s going on, but okay. I don’t remember how I got here either.”
“It’s the leader of the Cartesians,” Gilly said. “We found out who he was. It’s Trey Cottle.”
“One of the sorcerers?” Viv said, surprise on her face.
“Yeah, if that’s what you want to call him,” Gilly said. “He’s just waiting to give the command to his Cartesians. His plan was to hurt you and Nikoli, hide you out here and have us scrambling all over hell and back to find you. This place is so secluded, I guess he figured it would be the perfect spot to get rid of us all.”
Viv’s brow furrowed.
“He used you and Nikoli as bait,” Gilly explained. “He knew we’d all come looking for you. Now that we’re all in one place, I think his plan is to take all of us out. The Triad, the Elders, even the Benders.”
“I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that happen,” Nikoli said. He got to his feet, blinked his mind back into clarity. “I’m going to help Gavril and Lucien.”
“There’s a fourth scabior,” Gilly said. “Ronan’s. If you can charge it, I know how to use it. I used it before. I can help.”
“You stay here,” Nikoli said. “All of you stay here.”
Gunner, standing near the Elders, his eyes closed, his mouth moving as if he were saying his own incantation for safety and protection.
Nikoli’s command to stay put went in one of Gilly’s ears and out of the other. She appreciated Gunner’s efforts because she certainly did not plan to stay put while the Benders fought off all of those Cartesians alone. One more person in the fight might not make that big a difference, considering the number of Cartesians they were dealing with, but it couldn’t hurt. For all the right and wrong reasons, Gilly wanted to watch Gavril’s back. If any Cartesian came within a hundred feet of him, that ugly bastard would meet its match.
Chapter 23
Although she had been told to stay put, Gilly had never been one to follow directions to the letter, much less be told what to do.
She jumped off the float and told Viv, Evee, Gunner and the Elders, “Stay here. I’ve got to help the Benders. There are four scabiors. Certainly one more helping to fight these Cartesians can’t hurt.”
“But you can help better here,” Arabella said. “We can do an illusion spell so that the Cartesians will see hundreds of Luciens, Nikolis and Gavrils. They won’t know which ones are the real Benders. We can do the same with this building, create lots of them so they won’t be able to tell which one we’re in.”
“But there are so many rifts in the sky,” Gilly said. “You have no idea. They can easily get one of the Benders accidently. There are so many of them, and they seem to be multiplying faster than we can count. If we triple the illusion spell and create thousands of Benders and warehouses, that may work...it may.”
“All we can do is try,” Taka said. “We’ve got to at least try that. We’ve got six witches here. We can multiply the illusion spell until infinity if we wanted to.”
“Yeah,” Vanessa said. “We’ll hold hands, meld our energies together and create as much chaos for them out there as they are creating for us in here.”
Gunner, who’d been standing off to one side, said, “May I join you? I don’t know the illusion spell, but I can certainly add my energy and intent to have that spell come to pass.”
“Yes, please join us,” Gilly said, and she held out her hand to him. Once she had hold of him, everyone linked hands with them. And the witches began to chant:
Double, thrice, by thousands shall ye see.
No longer one to be seen my thee.
Thine eyes shall fully confuse thy mind.
Making all evil intentions blind.
Blunder thee, blunder now.
We call upon Poseidon, Tiamat and Apsu.
To bring strength to our command.
So it is said.
So shall it be.
Gilly opened her eyes. They still held hands. Everyone else’s eyes were closed, intent on the incantation they’d just cast. The scratching and ripping at the roof came to an abrupt halt, and Gilly only heard an occasional scrape on the roof. She was about to take off from the float to the open bay door to see what was happening with Lucien, Gavril and Nikoli, when she heard a voice from the far end of the warehouse.
“Well, well, well, aren’t all of you resourceful.”
The sound of the voice made Gilly’s blood run cold and sent goose bumps running up her arms. The voice belonged to Trey Cottle. The same voice she’d heard earlier. Only this time, she saw him clearly. This wasn’t an illusion, a sorcerer’s version of ventriloquism. Trey Cottle was indeed here.
Gilly saw him walking slowly up the center aisle, heading toward them. He was in human form, dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt. Sweat had beaded up on his bald head and forehead. His glasses sat near the tip of his nose, as usual.
“You think you’re smart, don’t you?” he said. “All of you. You’re not as smart as you think you are. You might have healed Vivienne and that Bender, and you may have confused my Cartesians, but it won’t be for long. I just wanted to make sure I got one last look at all of you before your demise.”
“Kiss my ass, Cottle,” Gilly said.
Cottle screwed up his face as if the thought of kissing her ass nauseated him. “Be as brash as you wish, little girl. But it’s my turn now. Your ancestors ruined my life many generations ago, and I’ve carried that loathing all this time. Today I get my revenge for what they created when they made me. They had no idea that this sorcerer, this leader of the Cartesians, had the ability to take over the world, the universe. All it took was a mind like mine. One that is resourceful, powerful, industrious. Your little illusion spell may have confused some of my Cartesians, but when I issue my command, they’ll no longer be confused. They’ve been trained since their conception as to what to do to you when the time came. And today is that day. All of you are exactly where I want you. The Triad, the Elders. The Benders are only lagniappe. I will get my revenge, and I will gain more power than any human or any being from the netherworld will ever be able to control. I will master this world. Your Originals that I set free to wreak havoc over the city, I will take down one by one. Consume every one of their powers.”
“I don’t believe you,” Gilly shouted. “You’re just a big talker.”
Cottle paused in mid step. “Really? Then why don’t you go to the bay door and tell me what you see happening out there right now? Then, once you’ve seen it, let’s see if your belief system changes.”
“I’m not going anywhere near you, you ugly asshole,” Gilly said.
Cottle tsked. “Such language from a beautiful mouth. It really doesn’t matter. Because all of you will be nothing shortly. And I’ll take my time with each of you, savoring every morsel of your powers. What was taken from me, my life, normalcy, I will take it back, and in spades. There will be no more Triad, no more Elders. I’ll have run of this city, this state, this country. And it will continue until I have control of the very universe. You see, that’s been my plan all along. Someone takes something from me, I take everything back, plus more. There’ll be such regret, such mourning, such sorrow that the world itself will not know how to deal with it. And the beauty of it all is that I’ll never get caught. Just as it took as long as it did for you to find out that I led the Cartesians, I’ll never make that mistake again. I’ll have no need to, for my powers will allow me to do as I please, when I please, how I please and from whichever dimension I please. Save for the eleventh, of course, since nothing returns from there. But there is no one on this planet strong enough, powerful enough to send me there. That leaves me in complete control.”
“I bind you, you ugly son of a bitch,” Viv said. “I bind you from coming any closer to us.”
“You bind me?” Cottle laughed. An ugly snort of a laugh. “How droll. Do you think your petty little spells can affect someone of my stature?” He took a step toward them, and then another. “How’s that for binding? Do you actually think you can keep me from you? All I have to do is keep the Benders busy outside with the Cartesians—if the Benders survive, that is—and I’ll have you all to myself. And that is exactly what I wanted. I don’t have to depend on my minions to bring you to me. I have each of you all to myself, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. For you see, even though I’m a Cartesian, I’m still a sorcerer and can bind all of you little snits to the floor of that contraption that you’re standing in now.”
“You’re giving yourself far too much credit, Cottle,” Gilly said. “We may be witches, but we do have our powers.”
“Oh, I’ll agree with that,” Cottle said. “But they’re so miniscule in comparison to my powers, it’s laughable. I can take you down like a flea, and all the others will be able to do is watch as I suck every ounce of power from you until you’re left drained, like an empty plastic bag. Dead, drained, owned by me.”
Gilly leaned over to Evee and whispered, “We have to say the ‘Marsailla Mon.’”
Evee frowned. “I don’t know that spell.”
Gilly turned to Viv. “We have to say the ‘Marsailla Mon.’ The three of us.”
Worry marked Viv’s face. “The ‘Marsailla Mon’ is so far back in the Grimoire, I don’t know that I can remember how it goes.”
