Page 12 of Voyage of Magic and Malice (The Vampires of Charleston #3)

TWELVE

the battle of a lifetime

My feet hit solid ground seconds later. Vampires can’t drown, but swimming to the nearest landmass isn’t high on my list of things to do. Not far behind me lands a large black wolf with piercing green eyes. I don’t know when Nyssa shifted, but it was a smart decision. A few yards away, an even larger wolf lands with Phyllis clinging to his back. Brayden’s undeniable energetic shield is still surrounding us, hopefully keeping us hidden as long as possible.

Nyssa and I join Cam and Phyllis, and the four of us hide behind an oversized boulder. Phyllis rolls her neck slightly. “That was a little rougher than I expected.”

“Are you alright?” I ask.

“Yeah, just a little stiff. I’ve never ridden a wolf before.” She wiggles her eyebrows, lightening the situation. “Next time, I’ll have to try it in human form.”

I glance up, seeing the tail of the plane as it lifts into the clouds. I don’t know how long the shield will hold, but we need to be prepared for anything. Pulling the hand-drawn map out of my pocket, I point to the spot where Brayden felt Alex’s energy. “This is our target.”

“Are we just going to knock on the door?” Phyllis asks.

“Why don’t I feel anything?” Cam asks through my mind. “There’s no energy here. I don’t even feel you.”

“Brayden,” I answer aloud. “He’s covered us with an invisible shield.”

“That’s not going to last much longer.”

“I told you we needed a plan.” Phyllis scoffs.

“We haven’t had a plan yet. Why start now?” I smile, hoping to reassure the elderly witch.

“That’s not helping.” Nyssa shifts back into human form. Standing in front of everyone fully naked. Phyllis scoffs, slapping her thighs with the palms of her hands. “Well, there you go. Now we are even more threatening.”

“I don’t need clothes to threaten anyone. My powers are stronger when there are no barriers between me and the elements.” Nyssa turns toward the small castle. “She’s inside.”

“How?” I ask.

“I can pull down Brayden’s shield.” Without another word, Nyssa begins moving. The three of us follow, not sure what’s about to happen.

We stand at what looks like a door. A naked woman, a large wolf, a pissed-off vampire, and an elderly witch—the perfect characters for a children’s book. Imagining the cover with artwork of our current state brings a smile to my face.

Nyssa knocks her fists heavily on the wooden facade. In a heartbeat, the door disappears, as does the castle. Standing in the middle of baron rock is the goddess we’re here to see, Eudora.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” she says with a laugh. “I mean that honestly because it looks like you brought everything except a cat, or are they running a bit late?” She’s wearing what looks like a cape, covering skin-tight spandex. Long blonde hair hangs down her back, with loose curls hanging over her shoulder. Even though she doesn’t look any older than me, no doubt she’s been around a few millennia. “I must say, I’m impressed.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest. “I don’t know how you found me, but here we are.”

“Cat woman called; she wants her clothes back.” Phyllis’s words make me smile.

“We’re here for the children,” I answer. In an instant, Brayden’s shield disappears, filling me with the energy of the multi-dimensional island, Eudora, and something that brings tears to my eyes—Alex.

“The children aren’t here,” she answers.

“You’re lying,” Phyllis argues.

Eudora wrinkles her forehead. “You brought your grandma?” Anger rolls from Phyllis. Thankfully, she doesn’t do anything stupid. The Goddess of the Sea looks around our small group. “I know what he is.” She points at Cam. “And everyone knows what you are. The smell of Kragen’s blood in your veins is nauseating.” She turns her attention toward Nyssa. “You’re something new.” She stalks closer. “You smell familiar yet ancient at the same time.”

“Stop stalling, Eudora. I feel Alex. Hand him and the girls over, or we will be forced to kill you.”

Eudora’s laugh echoes off the rocks. “I don’t know what’s more entertaining. The fact that you brought a raggedy wolf and your grandma with you or that you actually believe you stand a chance against me.”

“I did what you wanted. Kragen is dead.”

“You were just a means to an end.” She scoffs. “The children are the true prize.”

“Alex?” I call through my mind.

“I’m afraid he can’t hear you, dear.”

“Alex? I’m here. Where are you?”

Eudora crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You’re either stubborn or stupid. I’m not sure which.”

“We’re not leaving without them,” Nyssa hisses.

“So be it.” Eudora warns. “I’m bored of this. It seems every conversation which involves Elsbeth is rather on the boring side.”

“It must be my quick wit,” I retort.

“I just realized you’re missing someone.” Eudora smiles. “Where’s the handsome captain?” She pretends to pout. “Oh, boo-hoo. Don’t tell me there’s been a rift between the two of you. Or even better, he’s joined Kragen.” I stare at the beautiful woman, refusing to answer.

“Give us the children,” Phyllis says, stepping to the side.

“Witch, you have no power here.” Eudora waves her hand, commanding a thin piece of seaweed from out of nowhere. It wraps around Phyllis’s thin body, trapping her hands at her sides and covering her mouth and eyes. “See how easy that was?”

I rip the bindings from Phyllis, freeing her from Eudora’s magic. “We need to get her away from the water,” the elderly witch whispers. “The water is her strength.”

“We won’t leave the children,” I retort.

“Then we take the water away from her.” Nyssa’s words echo through my mind. “Phyllis, I need your help. Can you cast a few spells to keep the water from returning?”

“I can try,” Phyllis answers. Her soft chanting begins moments later.

Nyssa raises her hands high above her head. Her body begins to transform, not into the wolf we’re accustomed to seeing, but into something I have no words for. Her body elongates, her skin shifting and taking on a sleek, glossy dark sheen. Her arms stretch to her sides, morphing into graceful massive fins. Long legs fuse, transforming into a powerful tale that slaps against the rock and shakes it underneath our feet.

Her face softens, and her features become otherworldly, and her once-green eyes become dark, like the depths of the ocean she came from.

“Holy shit,” Cam’s words echo through my mind.

“Agreed.”

Her power is overwhelming as she turns her gaze on the goddess. “That’s what I felt in you.” Eudora spews. “Druid.”

Nyssa opens her mouth, releasing a deep rumble as she leaps from the island into the water below.

“What the hell is she doing?” Phyllis stops chanting long enough to ask.

“I don’t know, but she’s managed to distract Eudora.” I turn toward the lycanthrope. “Cam?”

“On it.” He takes advantage of her distraction, leaping onto her back and physically knocking her to the ground. Sharp claws rake across her face, leaving deep marks in their wake. He retreats seconds later as she turns, ready to fight.

“Phyllis, keep going.” I encourage just as I join Cam, moving in front of her with lightning speed. “Burn,” I whisper, standing inches behind her back. On cue, a circle of flames engulfs her, pulling the water even further away.

“Bitch!” Eudora yells as a blast of water dissolves the flames. “I’m the Goddess of the Sea. Do you think a little fire is going to hurt me?”

Cam repeats his motion from earlier, this time knocking her legs from underneath her. Eudora falls, hitting the rocks beneath with a thud.

“Burn,” I whisper again, this time catching the bottom of her cape on fire.

The goddess stands, sweeping her arms toward the flames. Instead of the water that flowed earlier, nothing happens. She tries once more, receiving the same result. “What have you done?” Her face contorts, changing from the beautiful face of Eudora into a creature from the depths of the abyss.

Like Nyssa, her arms transform into massive fins. The soft curves of her human form are replaced by the sleek scaled bulk of a leviathan. She raises her head, roaring so deep it resonates through my body and to the water below. She’s no longer a goddess, walking among mortals. She has become the sea itself.

“Phyllis?” The elder witch continues chanting, her voice crescendoing, matching the noise around her. Magic flows from her frail body.

Eudora slides into the water just as a large monster breaches the surface—Nyssa. She’s transformed from the sleek whale-like creature she was earlier into something from a fable.

“Control the water,” Nyssa’s words echo through my mind. “We have to remove her from her element.”

I stand in awe as Nyssa rises from the water. The top of her body transforms into her familiar human form. She raises her head to the moon and howls. On demand, the moon responds, growing three times its size. Her arms begin to conduct, drawing the waves to her command.

Eudora swims into Nyssa’s bottom half, knocking her slightly to the side. Instead of fighting, Nyssa remains focused on the moon, calling it, forcing it to bend to her will.

For the first time in a long while, I feel completely helpless. Cam moves to my side, and we watch the spectacle in front of us unfold.

Nyssa’s eyes open and return to their bright green hue. “Lend your strength to Phyllis. Both of you. Draw the water away. Her power comes from the water. Take her away from the water, and she’s nothing but a weakened immortal.”

Cam shakes his head, transforming back into human form. Moving quickly to Phyllis, we flank either side of her. I close my eyes, allowing energy to flow through me.

“What are we doing?” Cam asks.

“Use your magic,” Nyssa whispers through my mind.

Cam lays a hand on Phyllis’s shoulder. I copy his movement from the other side. The moment the three of us make contact, my body jolts in response. Drawing on the power in my core, I focus on imagining the water pulling away from the island, leaving nothing except dry land in its wake.

I have no idea if I’m doing anything correctly. The picture in my mind feels right. “That’s it,” Nyssa whispers. “Keep going.”

Opening my eyes, I’m surprised to see what I envisioned taking place in front of me. The water that raged around the island is now calm and receding. Seeing the outcome gives me the strength to continue. In my mind’s eye, I imagine the water moving further away, leaving Eudora’s transformed figure lying on a bed of wet sand.

“Phyllis, hold the water back. Cam and Elsie, I need you—now!”

I don’t hesitate. Cam shifts into wolf form, and the two of us run toward the beached sea creature and Nyssa, back in human form. Leaping from the side of the island, we land on either side of the druid, staring down the leviathan.

Like a well-oiled machine, Cam and I move simultaneously on either side of the Eudora. The wolf is on top of her a heartbeat later, his teeth sinking into thick flesh. I copy his movement, tearing thick scales from her deformed body.

She roars, the sound echoing off the barren land surrounding her. A long tail whips through the air, striking me in the back and throwing me several yards away. Pushing off the sand, I realize the water has completely drained, forming a basin of hot sand below. Instead of the middle of the ocean, we’re in a desert. What the hell?

One glance at Nyssa tells me she’s the force behind the change. Still in human form, her arms are stretched high above her head, crafting the imagery of a dome. Turning back toward Eudora, I realize she’s done just that. The leviathan is surrounded by a dome of fire, the one element capable of keeping the water at bay.

“Kill her,” Nyssa’s words ring through my head. “She’s weakened by the loss of water. Kill her—now!”

I don’t hesitate. Running full speed, I pass through the dome without hesitation. Cam does the same, coming through slightly singed. Copying Nyssa’s moves, I lift my hands above my head, drawing on the power that flows through me. “Burn!” I yell at the creature.

As if controlled by my words, fire leaps from the dome to the monster in front of me. The roar of Eudora’s pain, mixed with confusion, vibrates every part of my body. I refuse to release her from my grip. Forming my hands into fists, I envision the fire flowing from hand to hand. The creature makes eye contact with me once more as I pull my hands apart, spreading the fire between them.

“Goodbye, Eudora,” I whisper before throwing enough fire at the goddess to burn her alive. Her body engulfs in an instant as she screams once more. Cam jumps on top of her head, ripping and tearing into the remains of her flesh. His body somehow managing to steer clear of direct flames. The leviathan screams become softer as the creature sways slightly from side to side, eventually collapsing in a wet thud on the desert floor.

“I can’t hold it much longer,” Phyllis’s weak voice says through my mind.

“Get out of there!” Nyssa yells.

I’m just about to follow directions when Eudora swipes her tail one last time, knocking Cam to the sand unconscious. “Cam!” I scream, moving to his side.

“I’m sorry,” Phyllis’s soft voice says.

Without thought, I pick up the lycanthrope’s shifted body, lifting him high above my head. I envision Kragen and his ability to defy gravity by flying. Closing my eyes, I pull on the energy inside and lift both of us from the ground seconds before the water that was swept away returns in a thunderous explosion.

Eudora, collapsed and burned beyond recognition, lies in the middle of the sand as water overtakes her remains. The flood of water returns to its home, covering everything that was visible moments earlier.

I set the lycanthrope on hard rock, and Nyssa rushes to his side. Other than her hair being slightly wet, she looks as beautiful as always.

“He’s alive,” she says, cradling him to her naked body. “He needs to shift to heal.” She closes her eyes, calling on an invisible source, and begins rocking his wolf body with hers. Within seconds, the wolf disappears, returning to the lycanthropic human.

“Phyllis?” I ask.

“Over there,” Nyssa nods with her head. Turning, I find the elderly witch collapsed. Her body is no larger than that of a child.

“Phyllis?” My words are soft as I turn her toward me. The skin on her face is sunken in, and dark circles underline her once vibrant eyes. Her heart is beating, but barely audible, even for me. Pulling her to my chest, I cradle the woman who quickly became my friend. “You did it. You helped keep the water away,” I whisper. “We couldn’t have done it without you. Eudora’s dead.”

Phyllis opens one eye and tries to smile. “Thank you for giving me something to live for. Save them…save the children, and get Thorne back.” Soft heartbeats stop.