Endless Magic (Stella Mayweather Series Book 6) (19 page)

Evan turned his head, glancing towards me. I couldn't quite see his expression, or the question I knew was etched on his face. I gave a little shake of my head: nothing. Dead end. If Evan were disappointed, I couldn't see it.

"More movement," called Anders. "Looks like binoculars."

"We haven't retaliated yet," said Evan, "they're trying to assess our numbers and our damage."

"I think I can..." said Jamie, moving to the left. "Ugh," she grunted, dropping to the ground, her hand rising to her arm. Astra rushed to her side, cradling her as she moaned.

"Sniper! Down!" yelled Anders as we all dropped flat to the floor before several bullets whizzed past.

"Seren, get the bubble up," shouted Evan.

"I'm trying!" Seren pressed her fingertips to the floor. The earth seemed to shake as magic swept under my feet, reaching the walls of the cabin and rising up, traveling to the roof, seeking its own magic to connect with in a secure bubble. "Done. I don't know how long it will hold. It depends on how they attack it after they discover what we did."

"Can your magic withstand it?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'm more worried about fatigue. The bubble will collapse if I don't continue to power it; and I can only power it if I'm alive."

"Stay down," ordered Evan, "and keep out of sight. What's the status on Jamie?"

"The bullet missed!" said Astra with a sigh of relief, "You're going to be okay, Jamie, but your sleeve is torn."

"And Abby?" Evan pressed.

"Seems to have missed everything major, so Vanessa and I are going to stop the bleeding and leave the bullet until later," said Astra, attending to her. Another witch unwrapped bandages from the first aid kit Étoile insisted we pack. "She's going to be okay."

"Aren't we going to fight back?" asked Jamie, adrenaline at cheating death fueling her voice. "We can't just sit here while they pick us off!"

"Not until we know their numbers. If we fight back now, we could be telling them everything they want to know. How many of us there are, and how much magic we have.
Who
we are. Our best defence right now is to let Seren do her job in protecting us while we await the allies," Evan told him.

"What if they don't come?" pressed Marcy.

"They'll come," Evan assured us.

"What if they can't...?" Marcy started again only for Evan to cut her off with a firm, "They'll come."

We waited silently for a little more than half an hour before the pops of gunfire resumed again, but this time, they were unable to penetrate the building, and the bullets simply dropped to the ground. I gave Seren a thumbs-up as a chorus of relieved sighs was heard all around the small room.

"Abby? Abby?" Vanessa shook her patient, sounding more worried with each call of her name.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know. She was talking a moment ago, then she just stopped. Her breathing is shallow."

"Did you stop the bleeding?"

"Yes. I applied a charm and it coagulated almost straight away."

"Did you check to see if she were hit elsewhere?" Seren asked and the witch gave her a startled look. "No, I just assumed it was her arm because that's what she said. I'll check..." she trailed off as she began to search Abby's body. "No," Vanessa said finally, sounding relieved, "No more wounds, but she won't wake up. She has a pulse, but it's a little slower. It's probably the blood loss."

"Keep watch on her."

"I could heal her," I volunteered.

"Try it," agreed Evan.

I scooted across the floor, less worried about snipers hitting me this time, but just as reluctant to be seen by the enemy’s eyes that surrounded us, watching and waiting. I didn't have much experience with charms, but I could feel the healing powers of this one as I ran my hands over Abby's arm. Underneath that lay something darker and more disturbing, a kind of black magic I never felt before. It coated her arm around the wound, oily and slithering. I peeled back the makeshift bandage and, covering my torchlight with my hands to dim the brightness, I pointed it at the wound. There was nothing but fresh blood and raw flesh. Yet I could feel it, and it seemed to be spreading.

"Something's inside her wound," I told them, "it feels like dark magic. Maybe the bullet was coated with something."

"Like a poison?" asked Vanessa. "I didn't feel anything."

"I think your charm masked it." Now I knew it for sure. I could feel it buffeting against the charm's power, contained and angry.

"Can you heal her?"

"I don't know. I've never worked with something like that before and if I get it wrong..." I didn't want to think about it. We already had one dead body in the room. I didn't dare add a second when she might have had a chance to survive if I didn't intervene. "I think the charm is stopping it from spreading."

"They covered all their bases. If their bullets don’t kill us, they made sure something else would," said Evan as the radio crackled, the sounds of shouting and snarling pitching over the line.

"We're struggling to make it to you," came Gage's voice as Evan grabbed the radio. "They're picking us off the closer we get to you. How are you holding up?"

"We have defences in play," Evan told him. "But we're holding up. The bullets are..."

"We have reinforcements coming... Go! Go! Go!" The radio went dead.

"I don't know if that's good or bad news," said Seren.

"It's both," I decided, wincing as a hail of bullets hit the defences. Seren didn't even flinch as her defence held.

"They're moving again," said Anders, pressing his eye to a bullet hole. "It looks like..."

"Fire," I said, as the first flame sprang up. It moved around the cabin, spreading quickly on the patches of gasoline, the scent of smoke rising quickly. "They're going to burn us out."

"Not going to happen," said Seren. "It's a dumb trick. They know we're shielded."

"You better hope that holds," said Evan.

Seren gave him a withering look. "What are you going to do? Never speak to me again when we're dead?"

"That is one hell of a fire," said Astra. "It blocks us in as much as it blocks them out."

"What if we pushed the fire back at them?" I said. "Fire is an elemental energy. We could use it for our benefit if we push it back at them."

"That's a terrific idea," said Anders, "only, what about that?" He pointed to the cabin door. A wisp of smoke curled underneath. "We need to force that fire back."

"We need to do it soon," agreed Seren. "It's not just bullets and fire pounding the shields. There's magic pushing against it too. Heavy magic. I can't stop the smoke, as it's natural. But we could die of smoke inhalation."

"I can do this," I told them, knowing there couldn't be any argument for breaking out now. Things were desperate. "I can push the fire back and cut them off on both sides."

"Can you make a passage for us to run through so we can break their circle?" asked Evan.

I nodded. "Yes." It would be an effort, and I would have to feel my way through, and hopefully not screw it up, or the fire would consume us, but I could do it. Wasn't that what Evan taught me with his surprise attacks? To feel my way through?

"Do it. The rest of us will create a distraction so they don't see what you're doing until we're ready to flee. Everyone, be prepared to run. Vanessa and Jamie, you take Abby and wait near the door. Seren, hold the defences. The rest of you, come with me. We're going to barrage the back of the cabin with magic to draw their army to that side."

"Reduce their defences at the front? Smart," agreed Seren.

"Does anyone else see that mist rolling in from the ridge?" asked Anders, pointing.

"I see it. Where did it come from?" Astra turned to us, curiosity written across her face as we moved to the front of the cabin to see where Anders pointed.

"Kitty," I said as a gale force gust of wind buffeted the flames in front of us. They sank for a second before rising again, higher than before. Next came thundering rain, soaking the ground, but doing little to douse the magicked flames. I felt her magic in the elements, and knew it wasn't entirely natural. "She's controlling the weather from up on the ridge west of here. Reinforcements are here!"

"Reinforcements," said Marcy, jabbing a finger to the ridge, "are
there
. We are
here
."

"And that's where we're heading when we break out of the circle," decided Evan. "Stella, give us one minute to throw everything we have at our attackers, then move those flames. We'll try and send The Brotherhood in the same direction, corralling them to the east behind the fire line."

"Okay." I grabbed my backpack, anchoring the straps over my shoulders. The flames were calling me, the smoke drifting over the backs of my hands. As the team rushed around, I sent my magic into the smoke, finding my way through Seren's protection bubble back to the flames. It felt natural to me, as natural as pulling magic from the earth, and I sank my magic inside it, binding it with the flames. They would bend to my will, I knew that without even trying.

Shouts sounded from outside, the refrain taken up by many voices, far too many to distinguish and count. I could just about see movement in the trees, and the bushes started shaking as they rushed past.

"Now, Stella," yelled Evan. At the sound of his voice, I gave a push into the flames, trying to separate them and create the path. The circle of gasoline anchored it. I needed to do something else and fast. Without thinking, I summoned earth magic, sliding through the dirt and disrupting the circle from under the ground, pushing upwards until it was broken. The fire instantly bent to my will, and I pushed it back, leaving a gap of a few feet wide. Movement caught my eye again, and I shoved the fire forwards on each side, channeling a path while pushing back any Brotherhood sentries left behind to keep watch.

"Ready," I yelled back as I directed the flames upwards, creating a tall wall that couldn't be breached. With luck, the Brotherhood wouldn't realise what I was doing until it was too late.

Evan grabbed me as he returned to the room, wrapping one arm around my waist and wrenching open the door. No shots were fired, but the hot smoke scorched my lungs. I ducked my mouth and nose into the collar of my jacket, my focus rigidly fastened on the flames. All I had to do was hold them for a few more minutes.

"Go," said Evan, pushing us out the door, sweeping me forwards as we surged through the red-hot conflagration.

Behind us, the cabin collapsed inwards, ash and splinters mixing with smoke and mist.

Chapter Nineteen

Running as fast and as silently as we could, only the crunches of twigs and leaves snapping under our feet made any noise. Veering away from the direction of the area where we first arrived, we headed towards the distant ridge, to the place where our allies awaited us. Cheers of triumph erupted behind us as the cabin went up in flames. They thought we were still inside, burning to death,
as all witches deserved
, in their eyes. As I closed the firewall behind us and left it to grow, I hoped they wouldn't discover our escape until we were safely removed from the premises.

The rolling mist covered our escape, but I had to squint to see, keeping one hand in front of me to avoid crashing into anything. Then the mist began to part, revealing a passageway. Kitty was guiding us toward them, blazing a path that was better than any map.

The crash and yelp behind me made me falter, skidding to a halt. Abby was on her knees, barely supported by Vanessa and Jamie, who threw Abby’s arms over their shoulders. "I can't run," gasped Jamie as she held her sides, her head bowed. "We're slowing you down."

"We're not leaving anyone behind," said Evan. He dropped my hand before jogging over to them and scooping Abby up into his arms. "Go."

"What about you?" asked Astra.

"I'm fine. I can carry her."

"No, I meant, you'll be unprotected. You can't fight if you're carrying her."

"He's protected," I said, meeting his eyes, and daring him to tell me to run. But he didn't. Instead, he nodded, graciously accepting my offer. "Let's go." I hurried back to Evan, matching his stride as he began to jog forwards, slower than everyone else with his burden, but not too far behind. We hadn't gone more than a quarter mile when a dark shape launched itself through the mist, landing on Seren and taking her down by the throat.

"Witch!" she yelled, grappling the werewolf's neck as he slathered over hers, his teeth sharpened stiletto points poised at her artery. "We're on the same team!"

He backed away, growling. Seren sat upright, dusting herself off as she scowled at him. He dropped into a crouch, his tail wagging like a dog, apologising. "No problem," she said as several other werewolves emerged through the mist. "Easy mistake to make, and yes, this fog is magically made."

"The other team," said Evan to me, surveying the group. "Where are the witches?"

The werewolves looked at each other. One dropped to the floor, then rolled onto his side and went very still.

"They're all dead," I said, sure my horrified face echoed those around me.

"We have one dead, and one injured," Evan told them. He suddenly turned as an alarm that sounded like a battle cry behind us caught everyone’s attention and we all looked nervously at it. They discovered our escape! "The reinforcements have arrived. We need to make it to that ridge. We have no idea how many of The Brotherhood are out here, but we know they have someone using magic. Don’t believe anything you see; it could be a trick. Be careful."

The werewolf playing dead rolled onto his feet, nodded, and took off at a fast pace down the misty path, his team following close behind him. Astra grabbed Seren's hand, pulling her onto her feet. "We have to move faster," she said as we lost sight of the last tail as it vanished around a curve created by the mist.

"And if that doesn't convince us to go faster, nothing will," said Evan, jutting his chin towards the of battle cries behind us. "They worked out we're not inside the cabin. They're gaining on us."

"We need to throw obstacles in their way," suggested Anders. We took off at a slow run, Evan still jostling the unconscious witch’s position for her comfort as well as his.

"I could push this mist at them, and concentrate it," I suggested. "They could walk in circles, but not know it."

"That will buy us more time to reach the ridge. Go ahead; do it."

Usually, whenever I practised magic, I became still, but there was no time to waste and all I could do was concentrate. Just like when I evaded Evan's blitz attack at The Amethyst, I re-summoned the ever present magic, distilling it as we ran to its purest essence, then pushing it forward into the mist, and binding it with Kitty's magic. She was stronger now, I could tell. When I first met her, she was limited to the creation of sunny days or rain. This mist was laced with more than just her magic too; and a chill ran through me. I found spells there that encouraged those who were lost inside it to give up, and just turn around and go away, easily forgetting the purpose of their search. It was her magic all right, but it was overlaid with spells from another. I wasn't sure, but I sensed David's signature. I would have hated to be lost in the fog. With that in mind, I gave the mist a firm push, spreading it behind us, covering our tracks and capturing anyone who dared to follow.

In the mist, something pushed back. The same oily magic that coated Abby's wound, and all its nastiness was spreading out and reaching for mine, trying to bind with my magic.
To me.
I recoiled my magic before pushing it out again, and making the fog thicker. Confused cries confirmed The Brotherhood's men were engulfed by it, and hopelessly stuck. Shots rang out, fired wildly, and I ran forward in a half crouch, lest a stray bullet collide with my body.

A voice whispered my name, faintly carried by the breeze. I strained, listening for it. "Stella, help me!"

I faltered, looking around for the source of it. Ahead of me, Evan ran, and ahead of him, I could see Seren, although she was just barely visible. I darted forwards as the mist concealed the path behind us. The walls seemed to be closing in, so I gave them a little push before they relaxed, widening slightly.

"You okay?" asked Evan. He was not even out of breath as I caught up.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Stella! Please! Please help me!" The voice came again.
Étoile.
Étoile was calling me. Étoile needed me. I skidded to a stop, searching. Was she caught in the mist too? Had I made it worse for her by trying to stop our enemies?

"Stella?" Evan stopped, turning, his face a mix of confusion.

"Étoile's calling me," I told him. "I need to find her."

"Telepathically?"

"No, I can hear her. Didn’t you hear that?" I asked as Étoile called again, her voice sweet and melodic. I started to step away, moving back towards the mist.

"No! It's a trick," said Evan, grabbing my arm. He hooked his hand firmly around my wrist as I tried to pull away. Didn't he realise I had to get to my friend? Didn't he realise how frightened she was? How much she needed me? I sensed her fear. "Listen to me, Stella. Do not listen to that voice. It's not Étoile. It's a trick."

"No, it isn't! I can hear her. She's afraid." She wanted me to find her. I had to find her. All I had to do was step closer towards the mist.

"Listen to me! They can't find you. They're trying to separate you from us."

"You're jealous. She's not calling you. I'm stronger than you, and she's calling for me." I spat the words at him spitefully as I struggled.

"She isn't calling for you." Evan tightened his grip and lurched forwards, pulling me with him. I wriggled against his grasp, trying to pull my arm free. "Call to Étoile, use your telepathy, ask her. Just try it."

"Fine, I will, but you're wrong." I opened my telepathy lines and called Étoile, knowing she would respond the moment the connection was created. "
Where are you?
" I asked.

"On the ridge. Are you following Kitty's path?"

"Yes, but... aren’t you hurt? You called me."

"No, but we're having problems hearing things up here. All our power is directed towards breaking through their defences."

"So... you're not lost?"

"No."

"But... What do you mean, hearing things?"

"Voices are calling to us, sounding like a siren's lament."

"I think I heard one,"
I admitted, crushed to have fallen for such a simple trick. And to think I accused Evan of being jealous! The spite that had been so unlike me had to be part of the siren call.

"Block it out, and warn the others to do the same. You're less than a mile from us, but they're close behind you."

"Team one is here, but they lost all their witches. We have an injured witch with us. We were both ambushed. We need help."

"We know. We came as soon as we got word. The minute you arrived, their defences closed around the terrain. We're shut out, but we'll break it soon. Make for the ridge where you see the tall pines. There's a path cut into the mountainside that will lead you up. Good luck, Stella."
The connection snapped shut. Evan still firmly held my arm, but he no longer had to pull me forward. I broke into an even pace as we swiftly gained on the rest of our team. It took all my willpower to ignore the plaintive voice calling me. Minutes later, we scrambled to a halt as the werewolves prowled and sniffed, their noses raised in the air.

"We've been cut off," said Seren. "Two wolves went ahead and saw Brotherhood men standing between us and the ridge."

"Étoile said we have to find the mountain path by the tall pines. I think it's the only way up."

"The wolves are checking right now to see how far The Brotherhood's men have spread out, but I expect they’ll say we can't get around." Seren's strained face told me what we didn't need to hear: we were trapped with no way out.

"Form a circle," commanded Evan, placing Abby on the ground. "Form a circle with me."

"Are we going to shimmer?" asked Anders, "Now seems like a damn good time."

"No, we're going to fight. In a circle, we can see on all sides and protect each other’s backs. Stella, are you still pushing back that mist?"

"Yes, but barely. There's so much magic in it. Étoile said they can't get to us because The Brotherhood put up secured defences as soon as we got here."

"How can Kitty send magic down here, if they can't set foot on this land?" asked Marcy.

"Perhaps because it's elemental. The elements can traverse everything," said Seren, not entirely convinced, herself.

"So earth energy can disrupt whatever magic is preventing them from stepping onto this terrain?" I asked. "Or maybe air magic that pushes it away?"

Seren waved her hands in confusion. "I guess so, but we don't have any witches who can manipulate air. At least, I don't think so. Let me ask Étoile."

"What are you planning?" Evan asked as I took up my position beside him.

"I'm going to combine my magic with earth, and disperse any spell or magic on it," I told him. "It's just like what I did back at the cabin; plus, it'll boost my energy reserves. This mist is hard work. But at least, the voice is gone."

"Do it."

For the second time that day, I called on earth energy, and its power ran through my body and down to my feet, then out to the ground below. I wished I could pull off my boots and thick socks, and scrunch my toes in the deep grass to really connect with the its magic, but I had to make do with the slim barrier of shoes and socks. The ground was alive and angry, pissed at being trampled and burned. I called to it, tempering it, soothing it as my magic passed through.
I don't want to hurt you
, I assured it, while seeking the magic that prevented Étoile and our allies from reaching us. The earth responded instantly to me, infusing my magic with more power.

Air cooled my cheeks and I blinked at the mist ahead of us. It was beginning to recede, just a few inches at a time, and broadening the clearing around us. I didn't know if Kitty were trying to give us more space to see an attack, or just ensuring whomever finally came crashing through would be fully visible.

With the earth energy guiding my magic, I channeled new threads of magic from the mist. I no longer sought to control it anymore, but instead, began searching for moisture molecules. There was water somewhere nearby and I reached for it, eventually finding a freshwater lake that was fueled by a spring. It funneled the water under the hills. I encouraged the air to pull the water up, and form clouds above us. I gave them a push towards the angry voices and unleashed a torrential rainstorm on them.
Being soaked to the bone should slow them down,
I thought with a wry smile. The cacophony of their annoyed wails happily confirmed my sabotage.

I couldn't find anything in the earth that could stop our rescue, so I moved my magic further upwards, stretching it as far as I could. It rose into the air, soaring, and there! I had it. The remnants of a spell. I unpicked the interwoven threads, coiled and knotty, delving deeper for the core and the heart of the spell. What did they do or say to ensure we supernatural beings were locked in, and our allies locked out?

"I have it!" I exclaimed. "I found the spell, but I need more energy to break it."

"The moment you break it, we shimmer," said Seren, turning to the person on her left to relay the message.

"Got it." I could feel the beating heart of the spell, and the nasty rhythm it pumped. "Oh, yuck," I groaned, feeling sick. Real beating hearts were what powered the spell! My earth magic managed to find them. The bodies were dead, but their hearts still beat thanks to the sick spell they were repurposed to serve.