Concentric Circles (15 page)

He grunted from the impact, but the persistent Thyrza kept coming back; leering with taunting arrogance. Even at close range, his curses continued to miss.

Finally, in frustration, she jabbed with C
IARAN
L
EXISS
.

The Thyrza began to shift in an odd way. Shimmering in and out of focus, he screamed and thrashed as though in excruciating pain. Without warning, he became pixilated, made a popping sound and vanished.

“Bloody hell, where’d he go?”

“
T
O A SOUL CHAMBER
,” C
IARAN
L
EXISS
answered.  “
W
ITHIN
S
TYGIAN
.”   

“Later,” Shayla huffed, not understanding. Breathing hard, she turned to the next. “Wand.” She broke the wand and tossed the pieces to the grass. A flash of her hand yielded nothing, so she went down and swung her long leg in a circle.

Thyrza number two landed hard on the ground with a groan. In a last ditch attempt, he used half of his wand and swore at her, “Adeleo!”

Shayla moved quickly to her right, watching the fizzle of flame exit the broken wand ineffectively. “Fire?”

Sheitan screeched when the weakened curse hit her. Baring fangs, Sheitan lunged at the offending Thyrza, tearing his throat open. Her head came up, fierce gaze locking with Shayla, she hissed before moving off to the side and slipping under a garden bench.

Shayla looked down at the mangled man and shuddered. Pulling her gaze away, she saw Meekal fighting with a woman and rushed to his assistance.

The Thyrza witch sneered at her. “So the wee Fae comes to save the day.”

Shayla arched her brow and paused to look at the woman’s hair. It was bleached pure white. One dark green streak hung limply down the right side of a face painted like a mime. A heavy braid swung on the other side. Shayla snorted. “Wee?”

Meekal snickered.

Black painted fingernails twitched around her fiendish wand. “Scath—”

“You must need glasses,” Shayla said, smirking.

Round wire rimmed glassed materialized, attached to her face. The pasty-faced woman screamed and dropped her wand in panic, obviously unable to see clearly.

“Wand.” Shayla caught the wand and snapped it in half.
What is it with bone wands?
she thought with a sense of disgust.

The witch roared with animalistic rage at the sound of her wand breaking. She rushed toward Shayla even though she could not see; deadly nails out in an attempt to scratch.

Meekal moved with graceful assurance. He and went down, using the ground to support his body, he swept his hand in an up—down motion and then in a forceful arc.

The witch fell with a thud. More incessant screeching.

Shayla murmured, “Lingo—bind her now. Did you really have to go down to the ground in that position? I thought you were hit by a spell or something.”

“Naw. But movement counts sometimes for certain spells. The earth grounded me magically,” Meekal said. Distracted by yet another Thyrza, he breathed out, “Where’d you learn that?”

Shayla glared at the noisy witch. “Learn what?”

Meekal grunted, twisting a binding around the last Thyrza. “The glasses. And lingo.”

The witch screamed, writhing in desperate anger, clutching the glasses still stuck on her face.

Shayla growled, pointed her
sgian dhu
and hissed, “Alalia. C
IARAN
L
EXISS
told me.”

The Death Knell stopped abruptly. Silence fell, weighing heavily upon Shayla as though it were a phantom of the night. Somewhere deep in her center, she began shaking. Stubbornly, she made her way to Gail through the scattered bodies; the coppery scent of blood choked her.

She knelt. “Gail,” she whispered softly, reaching for a motionless wrist on the ground. Gail’s pulse gave her the message of life within. A sob of relief erupted, and then mourning for Mrs. Graham roiled up.

Shayla found herself kneeling next to Mrs. Graham. She cried out, keening as though it was the most natural thing to do. Raising her hand, she stared at Mrs. Graham’s blood on her fingers. Moonbeams painted it black. Shayla turned her hand to the light coming from torches around them, there it was. Red, glistening more real than anything she had ever seen. Boiling up from her gut, she screamed her mourning again.

Why Mrs. Graham? She was an innocent. Someone who crossed her path by way of a spiritual journey. Why?

“Shayla,” Meekal whispered. “Come on, love.”

Gail, awake now, held her hands on Shayla’s elbows. “Shayla, it isn’t your fault.”

With reluctance, Shayla rose. “Why? Why did he kill her?”

“She was his mum.”

Shayla’s head spun. She stared at Gail, disbelief ripping her apart. “What!” she screeched.

“She was his mum. He was angry with her because although she was his mum, she didn’t support his some of his choices.” Gail’s voice trailed off as she looked down ashen faced at Amethyst. “She disapproved that he joined Malvenue,” she finished in a soft voice.

Shayla stepped back as she stared at Gail. “You know about Malvenue?”

Gail inclined her head gravely. “Yes, Shayla. Unfortunately, I know about Malvenue.” Gail met Meekal’s gaze. “I’ve always known.”

Shayla inhaled sharply, the action proved ineffective. The shadows of the night seemed to smother her, robbing the oxygen from her lungs.
No words!
She screamed inside her head. Nothing could describe the shock at such a revelation.

Gail gave her a sad smile, and then a nod. “I’m an undercover Adjutor. A policewoman—so to speak. It looks like the rest of my team is here now. Excuse me.”

Shayla turned, taking in the actions of everyone around them. Joseph Chilkwell was speaking with two men, one blond the other with black hair tied in a long ponytail.

There were other bodies, several Thyrza were bound, and men and women wearing uniforms mingled in.

A sob wracked her.

[9] Joseph of Arimathea’s Staff

“Shay, Shayla.”

Meekal’s voice came through her senses. She knew he was attempting to console her. She clutched him, seeking grounding from the roiling emotions within.

“Shhh.”

Sob after sob served as a long overdue release. Everything that happened over the last two days spiraled around her head, collided and crumbled down on her shoulders. “Why her?”

“Shayla,” he whispered, his voice laced with sadness.

“I get mad at my mom. I don’t kill her.” She buried her face in his shoulder.

“Hush. I know.” Meekal caressed her back.

“Excuse me, Kal.” 

“James.”

Shayla pulled away from Meekal and turned, wiping wet cheeks.

The man with the long black ponytail gave her a sad smile. “Hi. You must be Shayla. Here, you dropped this by Mrs. Graham.” He held out C
IARAN
L
EXISS
.

“Thank you,” she said, nodding and taking the
sgian dhu
. “Who are you?”

“James Alexander.” He gave her a dazzling smile and held out his hand. “This is my partner, Leith Branwen.”

Shayla shook his hand and quirked a brow at the blond man who approached and stopped next to James.

Tightening his arm around her shoulders, Meekal said, “Shayla, you remember me telling you about James and Leith.” He motioned toward the Chalice Well and gardens before continuing. “They’re the friends who helped with the wards in ninety-seven.”

“I remember.” Her voice came out low, sounding strange to her own ears. She tried to shake off a growing sense of gravity overcoming her.

“Hello,” Leith said. “James, Gail wants us to check the perimeter of the chapel grounds. The spell Zubird didn’t complete has pulled up some energy she suspects is Gnomonn.”

Lines of worry penetrated Meekal’s forehead. “That’s not good.”

James looked at the edge of the torch light. “I thought I felt them, but was too busy with Dolus at the time.” James motioned to Meekal. “We’ll see you back at the Manor. There’s no need for you to stay.” He smiled sadly at Shayla. “I understand you were fond of Mrs. Graham. We all were. I’m sure there will be a memorial for her. Brenna should be here by then unless something else comes up. We had a problem in Province. That’s why she isn’t here.”

Shayla nodded numbly.

“James,” Meekal said. “Are you sure, you don’t need me to stay? The last time we had Gnomonn here, it took all of us to banish them.”

“Gnomonn?” Shayla felt heaviness around her head and shoulders. It enveloped her, tightening and pressing down.

“Yes,” Meekal answered.

Shayla tried to frown. Her face would not work properly. She tucked her chin down against her chest to stretch her neck muscles. Tightness pulled. She tried to shake the consuming sensation off as it grew like a shroud, moving down her back and pulling her down.

James scanned her with his wand. He whispered under his breath in a strange language. “You’re being affected because of your grief. Meekal, take her back to the Manor.” He gave Meekal a poignant look.

“Sure thing.”

Hands entwined, they arrived in Meekal’s room on a night breeze.

Away from the influence of the Gnomonn, Shayla felt better. She pulled from Meekal and approached the window. Face pressed close to the glass, she tried to see below into the gardens. “What’s a Gnomonn?”

“They’re shadows of darkness. Not the kind you’re used to. Instead, they come out when summoned by an evil influence. In this case, Zubird. You heard him, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he was trying to call Malvenue’s soul to him, even though he knew Malvenue is in the bezoar stone. He failed. But he opened a portal for the Gnomonn.”

“Why would he do that?” Their reflections on the dark glass, showing battle weariness served only to enhance the previous horror. She blew across the surface, and then pushed a finger through the mist her breath made on the glass. “Try to call for Malvenue’s soul, I mean. And why didn’t the spell you used before work?”

“Because he was hoping Malvenue’s soul could at least tell him where the stone is. I couldn’t silence him because he had worked a protection spell into the collar around his neck.” Meekal fanned his hands across her shoulders, moving fingers in soothing spirals. “If Malvenue’s soul told Syther where the stone is then they could get to it faster.”

“Syther. Did we get him?” She leaned into his comforting aura.

“No.”

She groaned, feeling dread around her heart, and stumbled to the chair by the desk. “Kal, what happens now?”

His fisted hands plunged into his jean pockets. “We wait and see what James, Leith and the other Adjutors come up with in their investigations. Darius Godfrey was there too. He serves as a liaison with the local authorities.”

“Who’s Darius Godfrey?”

“James’ cousin, he’s a plainclothes policeman.” He began pacing from wall to wall.

“Oh.” Shayla realized the center of Meekal’s floor was empty, expressly for this purpose. She chewed her sore lip.

“Shay,” he said and paused, opposite her. “You’re going to be all right.”

“I’ll get it eventually,” she said, shaking her head, fidgeting with her fingernails. One of them, broken to the quick from the night’s combat, bled around its cuticle. Mrs. Graham’s dried blood painting her skin proved a more menacing memory. Her gaze journeyed back to the window, past the gardens below, toward St. Dunstan’s Chapel. She gasped and stood abruptly.

Clouds shrouded the low hung moon. Shayla watched them begin to change shape, coalescing into night horrors. Gnomonn. Summoned there by Zubird, their intent wallowed in evil. Instinct told her with deadly certainty. Her breathing quickened.

“It’s okay. See, they’re dissipating them.” Meekal smoothed her tense shoulders. They watched as the Gnomonn lost the battle of dominion over the church grounds. Wands and torches lit to brighten the chapel grounds, synthesized the guardian’s efforts.

Shayla could just make out figures battling the semi-blackness. “Look at me, I’m shaking,” she whispered, quivering from head to toe. “You must be so disappointed. Some Guardian, huh?”

“I’m not disappointed,” he replied, embracing her. “On the contrary, I’m very proud.”

The last of the Gnomonn disappeared with an angry howl of wind. The moon now hung brightly over the ravaged area where the battle had occurred, granting atonement through its borrowed light. The sight of newfound peace lifted her spirit pulling up a sigh of relief.

“Kal?”

“Humm?”

“During your fight with Zubird, I saw your magic.” She faced him and moved closer. Hands moving in the air around him, she motioned with flexing fingers. “It’s purple—so beautiful. Like little stars on fire in purple flames. I saw it consume Zubird’s black magic. What was that? I mean—I saw Seamus’ aura of fear when I went to Syther’s lair, but this was different. It’s like everything suddenly became clear to me about us, but even that opens more questions.”

“There is a legend,” Meekal said huskily. “When God created souls, each came from a single sphere of fire. I’m amazed and awed that you saw it in action.”

“I’ve never heard that legend. Even with all my reading.”

“Aye, well it’s because you’ve been sheltered from magic. That isn’t the main point.”

Shayla tickled his pulse point with moist lips. “Humm.”

He swallowed and leaned away. “Within each sphere of fire resided two souls in polarity—male and female. They are unique in divine design. No one else matches them.” He hesitated, allowing her loving gaze to study him. “Some stories refer to such souls as twin flames. Unlike soul mates, they truly have a single origin.”

“Twin flames?”

“Aye. To see my purple flames—well,” he said, looking at her with an expression of tenderness.

“It confirms what you said about us being bonded. I knew with certainty in that exact moment when I saw them. That’s why I said I knew everything, but still have questions. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. But now I understand a bit better and realize this isn’t just some sexual fling on my vacation.”