On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (40 page)

“Shit,” Mathias muttered.

“All right, sisters.” Nicole stood tall and her eyes flashed fire. “We can decimate this army. I don’t care how many creatures she sends. It’s up to us. Let’s do this for Alina.” She took position in the center, with Gin at her left and Brooke at her right, and pointed to segments of the new arrivals. “We divide these assholes in thirds. One group gets death by fire. One, death by suffocation, and the last, dehydration.”

“You got it, Nic,” Brooke said. Instantly, several of the enemy began the startled, staggering steps that Gin had come to associate with having all the liquid forcibly sucked from one’s body. She turned from their strangled cries to her own assigned group.

Mathias summoned two balls of demonfire in his hands. Wordlessly, she lifted them both with the power of her mind and split them into dozens of fiery threads. She kept them in place, hovering in the air, as she fired off one after the other into each enemy fighter.

Gin lost track of how many waves of portals opened and dropped new demons onto the field. Time stopped, distilling down to ending the threat and staving off the horrible pain of losing Alina. On the field, Watchers worked in tandem with the sisters, attacking every creature who wasn’t in the throes of a disgusting death.

You doing okay, Ginger?
Mathias asked.
As far as your power?

I’m functioning. I’m not tired. I think when we work together, our energy multiplies.

Finally, the portal activity stopped. “Is that it?” Brooke asked.

“We’re not done until we take out Elegia,” Nicole said.

Across the field, several groups were still engaged in fighting or commotion. Flashes of light erupted in the sky, seeming to come from one particular cluster. “Spells are still flying around? Even with Rosa here?”

“Guess Elegia kidnapped some of the best witches and mages,” Mathias said.

Elegia—at least Gin guessed that’s who it was—stood encircled by a dozen witches who all chanted spells at the same time, a jumble of words and wild eyes and outstretched palms.

But the Watchers’ own witch group had set up a shield of sorts, while at the same time, they lobbed spells from the upper floors of HQ.

“Let’s end this now.” Nicole’s voice was low with the need for vengeance. “Brooke, Gin. We’re on.”

Gin squared her shoulders, and followed her sisters. They reached the spell barrier that Arawn’s witches had created to shield six of their own spell casters, who were needed in the middle of the action.

Gin stood on tip-toe to get a better glimpse of the evil vampire. “She’s so short,” she whispered.

“I know,” Brooke whispered back. “But aren’t vampires all short here?”

As if to illustrate her point, Arawn walked up alongside them, followed by Sebastian. Judging from the look on his face, he’d witnessed the awful event that had taken his daughter.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian,” Brooke whispered, reaching for the vampire’s hand.

He clasped her hand and shook his head. “I-I don’t know what to say…she was my little one...” His blue eyes filled with tears and he paused, seeming to collect himself. “This is insanity. My sister cannot be allowed to live. Such mindless destruction…”

Arawn stood tall and proud. “Elegia!” he boomed. “You have one chance to surrender. We recognize your scientific achievements and will make your imprisonment slightly more comfortable if you work with us.”

The tiny blond figure in the center of the circle cackled. “Never! Don’t make me laugh. It might mess with my concentration.”

“Elegia, wait.” Sebastian pushed through to the front of the group. “Please. Your mother would never want to see you like this.”

“What do you care? After all these years you dare to bring up family as if it matters?” Her voice rose with each word. “Fuck off, Sebastian. You’re a worthless thief just like our father.”

Sebastian’s shoulders sagged and he turned to Arawn. “She’s past the point of listening to anyone.”

Arawn folded his massive arms across his chest. “It’s her funeral.” He stepped back and gestured for Nicole, Brooke and Gin to take his place. “Solsti? Have at her.”

Nicole and Brooke didn’t hesitate. They exchanged one glance and then turned angry eyes on the female who strove to dominate the world.

The air crackled and hummed with their combined power.

Elegia turned to them, surprise in her red eyes. “I don’t know how you survived the attack on your house. But if you think your little parlor tricks can stop me—”

Her body jerked as if a satanic puppeteer held her by strings. Water and other fluids gushed from her mouth, and at the same time, she clawed wildly at her throat. “You won’t—“

She closed her eyes briefly and an eerie calm descended upon her face. She spoke several words in Demonish and raised a scrawny finger toward Nicole.

Oh, hell no
. “Fire. Now,” Gin whispered.

Mathias produced a ball of demonfire. Gin lifted it with her mind, splitting it into several smaller balls and then stretching them into strands and interlocking them. Her creation looked like a giant gossamer flaming spider web.

With speed born of urgent fury, she moved it over Elegia’s body and dropped it.

An unholy scream tore from Elegia’s lungs as her skin sizzled. Brooke didn’t stop her power, so a watery, bloody, disgusting gel oozed out of the vampire’s every pore.

Gin gasped and leaned into Mathias, drawn to look out of morbid curiosity and also to make sure Elegia truly died.
How is she still writhing around?

Ask Nicole
, Mathias said.
She’s become pretty devious.

“Nicole? What are you doing?” Gin asked.

“I’m pulling most of the air out of her lungs,” Nicole smirked. “But I’m leaving her with just enough to stay conscious and totally aware of what’s going on She’s a biologist, after all. Well, here’s a close up lesson in how things can die.”

Gin gagged, but she wouldn’t begrudge her sisters their revenge. “Um, yeah. You guys can do your thing.” She turned and buried her face in Mathias’s chest. “This isn’t fair. I want Alina back.”

“Me too, Ginger.” He held her close and she drew strength from the love pouring through their bond.

“I’ve always had this sixth sense that she was out here, somewhere. And now…”

“What do you feel now? Any echo of her?” He stroked her hair.

“My heart feels like it was ripped out of my chest.” Despair and anger weighed heavily on her soul. She cast a sad glance back at the spot where Alina had disappeared, and a pang of longing shot through her.

The smack of palms coming together roused her attention. But no whoops or cheers accompanied them. Gin turned to see Nicole and Brooke in a weeping embrace, and what was left of Elegia’s body on the ground a few feet away.

Around them, the Watchers worked skillfully to capture or eliminate the remainder of Elegia’s forces. A few dying shrieks and clangs of metal were all that carried on the air as night dragged its feet toward the inevitable dawn.

In a sudden flash of crimson that covered the field, the undead warriors slithered up on soundless feet and surrounded the sisters and their mates. The tallest one bowed low to Gin. “We have completed our task. Is there anything else you wish of us, my lady?”

Gin pressed close to Mathias. Even though these things were on their side, their translucent bodies with those weird flickers of light freaked her out. “Can…can you get our sister back?”

The leader shook his head. “I am sorry, truly I am. None of us possess power great enough to overcome the earth.”

What had Alina said his name was? Some kind of weapon…Saber?

“Thank you for helping us, Zhaber.” Nicole straightened and wiped her eyes. “Your honor is restored. I hope you meet your family in eternal rest.”

Zhaber bowed to Nicole and to Brooke, then stood to his full height, which equaled Mathias. He closed his eyes and stretched his arms wide. “Let us depart, my brothers,” he murmured.

Gin’s eyes widened as the zipping pulses of light in his body slowed and faded. The red tint that covered his body changed to the pale skin tone of a human who hadn’t been in the sun for a while, and the translucence shifted to the opaqueness of a corporeal body.

Brooke sucked in a breath and looked around in wonder. “It’s happening to all of them!” She clutched Kai’s hand, but her expression held no fear.

Around the field, all the Makara warriors were changing, looking more human. One by one, their expressions lost their fierce countenance and took on one of peaceful anticipation.

Zhaber spoke a word Gin didn’t understand and a whispering sound filled the air. Just as quickly as their bodies had lost their red tinge, they now faded completely from view. In under a minute, they were gone.

The first glimmers of dawn streaked up from the eastern sky as Gin met Nicole’s eyes, then Brooke’s. A tear rolled down Gin’s cheek. “They did it. They’ll be happy now.”

But what about Alina? Gin’s heart felt like a chunk of it was missing, drawn into the very earth that had just released thousands of undead warriors.
Why did it have to keep her?

“Where’s Rosa?” Nicole’s voice brought Gin back to the present.

“I’m here,” Rosa’s familiar melodic voice sounded from Gin’s left. “But I’m too late.”

“Why? Can’t you do anything?” Brooke asked.

“I didn’t have time to see her. Things were chaotic with the attacks and kidnappings, and you’ve only just found her.” Rosa shook her head and knelt on the dirt. “Elegia’s witches were powerful. It took longer than I thought to defeat them.”

“Why would you need to see her?” Nicole asked.

“I need a lock of her hair.” Rosa traced a circle in the earth. “Just like I have each of yours.”

“Her hair?” Gin repeated, dumbfounded. Each of the girls had met with Rosa at some point in the last several months, and the witch had requested a lock of their hair. But she hadn’t said why, only something cryptic about weaving together four locks, two light and two dark.

“What would that do?” Brooke asked, voice cracking.

“The vision finally became clear earlier tonight when I spoke with Whysper. She was able to give me the details of how Alina survived. Weaving your hair will allow me to create a binding spell.” Rosa cast a glance to Caine, who’d been bandaged and was now being attended to by Ashina. “I would have been able to override the bond between the earth and her, and bind her to me, along with all of you.”

“Bind the girls to you?” Gunnar’s eyes flashed. “All due respect, witch, but—”

“Relax, warrior. I would not have kept them. I would have released the bond and set the sisters free, as it were.”

“Wait.” Gin’s knees wobbled. “You mean, if you could have done this…weaving thing, you could have brought Alina back out of the ground?”
It all came down to hair?
She shook her head, sickened and mad.
We could have asked Alina earlier!

None of us had any idea
,
Ginger
. Mathias rubbed her back.

No, none of them did. Not that Alina would be found, or how she came to be alive, or that the earth held a claim on her, or that she would fall in love with Caine.

“Yes, Virginia. The earth would be forced to relinquish her to me.”

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY
-T
HREE

S
TRONG
,
GENTLE
HANDS
PUSHED
HIS
hair away from his face and a pair of eyes so similar to Alina’s peered at him. Ashina. “Lie still, Caine.” Her voice was authoritative.

How could she think of anything but Alina right now? “Al...” the word wouldn’t form. His lungs felt like mush.

“Caine, don’t talk. You have two punctured lungs. Lie still so I can work on you or you’ll bleed out or suffocate or both. And I’m not letting you die.”

Die? He didn’t care. Not anymore. Not when he’d lost his family, then the one woman who could fill the void in his soul.

Caine listened to Ashina. Not that he had much choice. She held her hands above his chest and a warm feeling pulsed along his ribs. Not hot enough to hurt, but it felt like something was inside his chest, knitting him back together. “You don’t have to do this,” he rasped. “I’m sure there are others who need you.” And he didn’t want to live without Alina.

“You’re in as bad of shape as I’ve seen a Watcher in many years,” she muttered, and shifted to work on his arm.

“Alina…” he still couldn’t say the words out loud.
Disappeared.

“I saw,” she said sadly. She sniffed back a sob. “I think the other three are talking to Rosa about it. I would do anything to get her back and try to heal her myself.”

Footsteps, both heavy and light, thudded on the grass and suddenly Gin and Mathias were in his line of vision. Mathias put a hand on Ashina’s arm, his face grim, and they got up and walked away.

Gin crouched next to Caine. “I’m so sorry. She told me about the price…and I told Mathias to tell you. She didn’t want me to, but I knew you had to know.”

“I’m glad you did.” He looked up into green eyes that were a match of her sisters’. “What did Rosa say?”

Gin shook her head. “Of all the odd things, she needed a piece of Alina’s hair.” Her shoulders drooped. “Hair? I mean, she asked us all for a lock of ours, and we didn’t think much of it, but of course none of us knew it would come down to this—”

“Wait.” Caine pushed himself up to this elbows, wincing at his newly fused skin. “She needs Alina’s…hair?”

“Yes.” She shook her head. “She says if she had it she could weave it together, all of ours, and it would make a binding spell that would free her from the ground.” Her eyes dropped in defeat. “But we don’t have Alina’s hair. I mean, why would we?”

Holy gods. Stunned disbelief shocked Caine silent for exactly one second.

“I do.” Caine’s heart kick started into a frantic rhythm, pushing his blood through his veins in a wild frenzy. “I do. I have it!”