Page 12

CHAPTER 12

FIONA

T he last thing I saw before Aislinn vanished was her face. That stubborn, beautiful face with its mix of horror and fear. She was gone in a swirl of purple magic like some demented David Copperfield show. The image kept replaying in my head. Each loop cranked my rage up another notch until I could practically feel my magic crackling in my teeth.

So much for our relaxing wine weekend. We were supposed to be three sheets to the wind by now and cackling over some stupid show we were watching on the telly. Instead, we had apocalyptic cultists with their budget-bin evil leader who had kidnapped Aislinn. And I had this corrupted wound trying to eat its way through my side.

Speaking of which. Bloody hell, it hurt. Each heartbeat sent tendrils of vile magic creeping further through my veins like ice-cold fingers of death. This was like something was trying to hollow out your insides with a rusty spoon. It made me question everything we’d done the entire trip. How had they gotten us here in the first place? It had been my idea to go wine tasting. Hadn’t it ?

I even questioned the backup plans we’d made when everything went sideways. There would be no sampling the Winter's Embrace this evening. Something I could desperately use. It might help dull the pain. At this point, we'd need to raid the whole damn winery just to numb the edges. Maybe two wineries. And a distillery for good measure.

My mind raced as the café's neon sign buzzed and flickered overhead like a dying firefly. Through the windows, the mundies who'd been cowering in the back were wandering around aimlessly as Gadross worked his magic with his disc. They'd gone from frightened rabbits to catatonic zombies. I gave myself a mental shake. We couldn’t just stand here. We had to find Aislinn.

"Call Thanos," I told Violet as I clamped my hand harder against the wound. The world decided to do a merry jig around me at that moment. It felt like someone had replaced my blood with liquid nitrogen and forgot to tell my body about it. "Now, before this corruption decides to get properly creative with my internal organs. We are going to need help to find Ais."

Violet grabbed my arm as I swayed. She probably saved me from an embarrassing face-plant into the filthy snow. Her free hand fumbled for her phone. She was so upset she left little trails of phoenix fire hanging in the air like fireflies. Her fingers were trembling as she tried to dial. Nothing says ‘we're totally in control of this situation’ like shaky hands.

"Already on it," she muttered and finally hit his contact. Sher put the call on speaker phone. "Knowing how the mate bond works, the guys are probably-"

"Already together?" Thanos's voice came through clearly despite the magical interference crackling in the air. "We're at Pymm's Pondside with Grams. Argies felt something was wrong through the mate bond about ten minutes ago. He nearly tore down half the garden. Bas just got him calmed down. You have good timing. What happened?"

"I can’t believe he only got half the garden." I managed a weak laugh that turned into a grimace as the corruption surged. "He must be losing his touch. Last time Aislinn’s life was on the line, he nearly took down the birthing mountain."

"Not helping, Fi," Violet muttered.

I pressed harder against the wound as Violet held her phone out. "What's happening, love?" Thanos's voice was tight with concern. He must have felt Violet's distress through their mate bond. "I felt your fear and rage."

"They took Aislinn." Violet's voice cracked. "We were at the café and... they just took her. There was this purple light and-" She broke off, her free hand clenching into a fist as phoenix fire flickered across her knuckles.

"What do you mean they took her?" Argies's voice rumbled in the background, dangerous and low. "Where is she? The bond's still there, but it feels blocked."

“We don't know yet," Violet said, her voice shaking with barely controlled rage. "Some sort of magical barrier is interfering. Gadross used his relics to track the residual energy they left behind but got nowhere. It nearly knocked him out in the process They're still in town somewhere.”

“Something about the area offers protection. Not to mention, they need a proper ritual site for whatever they're planning, and they’ve been building it here for years," I added.

"Fiona." Bas cut in. His deep voice carried clearly through the speaker. "What did you do to yourself? I can feel your magic destabilizing from here."

"Remember how I said this was just a normal wine-tasting trip?" I asked. I hoped I sounded more stable than I felt. "Funny story about that... turns out Hambledon has an evil cult problem. It comes complete with corrupted wine cellars. And a mage who really needs to work on his hospitality skills."

The sound of something breaking echoed through the phone. It was followed by what could only be dragon fire. Looked like Argies was taking the news about as well as expected. Violet winced and continued with the explanation. “We destroyed the corrupted wine barrels they had infused and thought it weakened them, but they wanted us to go to the cellars...” She trailed off when she noticed how silent things had gone on the other end.

There was a long pause on their side. When Bas spoke again, his voice had gone dangerously quiet. "Corrupted Fae barrels? Using preservation magic to store something else? That sounds exactly like the work of the College of High Magic."

"The what now?" I asked, leaning against Violet as another wave of dizziness hit.

"It was a school where a group of dark practitioners took over a number of years ago," Bas explained. I felt the tension that was clear in his voice. Through the phone, I could hear doors slamming and footsteps on gravel. "They were experimenting with ways to store and transfer magical essence. They had a particular obsession with using Fae artifacts." The sound of car engines starting filled the background. "If they're involved... this is worse than we thought."

"Speaking of worse," I said as the wound pulsed painfully, "don't suppose any of that ancient knowledge includes a cure for corruption magic? Because I have to say, their hospitality leaves something to be desired. Not a single glass of wine offered before they started with the evil spells."

Wind whistled through the phone connection. They must be on the motorway already. A distant roar echoed through both the speaker and the night sky. "Was that-?" I started.

"Argies," Thanos confirmed. "He's on his way to you. We're right behind him."

"That was fast," I muttered as I eyed the growing crowd of townspeople. They were pointing at the sky and. Oh bloody hell. That would be Argies, making the most dramatic entrance possible. Apparently, he had no patience for subtlety. I couldn’t blame him. I was almost as worried as he was.

A massive shadow passed overhead. It blocked out the winter stars. Argies descended in full dragon form. His scales gleamed like a peacock sapphire in the moonlight. His wing span was wider than a house. They easily scattered snow in all directions as he landed with enough force to shake the entire street. The transformation from dragon to human was seamless. One moment there was a massive beast of legend. The next a very angry, very naked man radiating enough power to make the air shimmer.

The display sent waves of raw energy rippling through the town. I felt the corrupted wards shiver in response. Purple light pulsed through the network we'd discovered earlier. Several mundies stood frozen. They had their phones out and were recording. Perfect. Just what we needed. Viral videos of a dragon landing in Hambledon. That would do wonders for keeping the supernatural world secret.

"Show-off," Violet muttered, but her lips twitched. "You need to get dressed. I'll start damage control. Maybe a mass hallucination spell? Blame it on bad pub cheese?"

"No need," a familiar voice cut in. Gadross was irritatingly unruffled despite the chaos. His copper disc was already spinning between his fingers. "I've got this one. Though, next time, perhaps we could avoid the dramatic aerial entrance? My budget for memory modifications isn't infinite."

"Bill the Shadowmere pack," I suggested. "I’m pretty sure causing magical incidents falls under their jurisdiction, considering they started this mess."

Argies ignored our banter completely. He dressed from clothes in a bag he must have dropped before landing. Once clothed, he strode toward us with barely contained fury. His eyes still held a hint of dragon fire. The heat rolled off him in waves that melted the snow at his feet. "Kalli's safe with Grams. She's added extra wards to the house. Nothing's getting through those barriers. Not even First Ones."

"Good to know," I said, then stumbled as another wave of corruption pulsed through my wound. The shadow magic was getting creative now and trying to sync with the larger network we'd discovered. Strong hands caught me before I could face-plant into the pavement. They brought with them the familiar scent of autumn leaves and ancient forests.

"You're getting worse," Bas observed. How was he there with us already? His Fae magic probed the wound gently, recoiling from the shadow taint. "This is not good. The corruption is trying to integrate with your nicotisa power."

"Story of my life," I agreed. I leaned into him despite my best attempts to look tough. The contact helped stabilize my magic and push back against the magical poison. "Though I have to say, corruption really brings out my eyes. Makes them sort of glow. It’s very fetching if you're into the whole possessed by evil magic aesthetic."

"You’re always gorgeous," Bas murmured. His fingers traced runes around the wound. Some were protective and others designed to obliterate anything in their path. My mate was more of a bulldozer on steroids and so was his magic. His magic recognized me and would never hurt me. He was doing what he could to cleanse me. My love for him deepened as each symbol flared with Fae light. His efforts, at least temporarily, contained the spread of corruption. " Shadow magic wasn't meant to mix with life magic. It could tear you apart from the inside."

"Always looking on the bright side, aren't you?" I gripped his hand tighter, drawing strength from our connection. Through our mate bond, I could feel his worry warring with rage at seeing me hurt.

Thanos pulled Violet into a fierce embrace. Over her head, he looked at the gathering crowd of slack-jawed mundies. Then his eyes scanned across the melted snow from Argies's arrival, and the visible corruption spreading from my wound.

"I see we're maintaining our usual level of discretion," he said dryly as his arms tightened protectively around Violet. "I suppose subtle went out the window around the time a dragon decided to land on the high street."

"We always aim to impress," I quipped and then checked on Gadross. He worked his artificing magic on the crowd. The copper disc spun faster and patterns of light wove through the air like spider silk. Glazed expressions spread through the onlookers as their memories were gently altered. Within minutes, they were wandering away and probably wondering why they'd stopped to stare at an empty street.

"The corruption is spreading," Bas murmured. His fingers traced the edges of my wound. Each touch sent warmth through my veins and temporarily pushed back the shadow magic's chill. At least it was something. "We need to find Aislinn before they can complete whatever ritual they're planning. And before this gets worse."

"I’m going to try again. Maybe with the guys here we will get somewhere," Violet said. She drew a tracking circle in the snow. She threw a ball of phoenix fire at them, making them glow. Golden light pushed back against the purple corruption that seemed to be seeping into everything now. "Bloody hell. I still can't get a clear fix on her location. It's like trying to track someone through fog made of static."

"Let’s try combining our powers," Thanos said as he stepped into place beside her. Divine light sparked around his hands. It was dark grey because he was from the Underworld, but it was pure and good and made the corrupted snow hiss where it touched.

I grimaced and shook my head. “Do you think it will blow anything up? I am willing to do anything to get Aislinn back, but we’ve never done anything like that.”

Bas’s hand covered my wound entirely as he tugged me into his side. “Thanks to the connection you forged with Aislinn and Violet, it won’t go sideways.”

Thanos nodded in agreement. "Each of us adds our strength to the tracking. The different types of magic should let us see through whatever's blocking us."

We stood in a circle around Violet’s spell and clasped hands. I immediately pushed my power out of me, and the others followed suit. It was like watching a magical symphony come together. Thanos's divine energy wove through Violet's phoenix fire to create patterns of light that made my magical senses sing. Bas’s ancient Fae magic joined with mine. Autumn leaves and starlight danced through the air. Violet and Thanos’s power threaded through Bas and mine. Hope surged to fill me. This might work. I added my nicotisa power next. I’d held it back not wanting to overload the magic. Argies's dragon essence completed the circle. It was raw, furious, and desperate, but melded with ours without issue.

The tracking spell exploded outward like a blast wave. It illuminated magical energies throughout the region. What we saw made my stomach turn. Purple corruption threaded through the land like infected veins. It was centered on the wine cellars but spread far beyond. The cult had created a network of power collectors. They’d used the natural properties of the cellars to store and enhance their twisted magic.

"Looking a bit Evil Overlord chic, isn't it?" I commented. I was masking my horror with humor. "I have to say, purple's an interesting choice for corruption. You'd think they'd go with classic black."

"This is wrong," Bas said. His aristocratic features were tight with disgust. His grip on my waist tightened. I felt recognition through our mate bond. Some of the magical signatures must be familiar. "They've corrupted ancient Fae workings. Those cellars were meant to preserve and enhance natural magic, not... this. These were sacred places once."

"The corruption extends well past their traditional territory," Gadross observed as he consulted another of his artifacts. This one looked like a compass made of copper and starlight. Its needle was spinning wildly as it tried to track the spread of shadow magic. "They've been expanding for years, right under our noses. I should have caught this." His guilt soured the atmosphere.

"It’s not your fault," I told him. "They've been clever about it. Using existing magical structures to hide their corruption. They’re parasites in the system."

"Not just expanding," I continued, studying the patterns. The corruption in my wound let me sense things the others might miss. "Look,” I pointed at a tangle of lines. “There are collection points all through the southern forest. And these signature traces are from different types of magic users. The cult's been hunting supernaturals. Gathering power from various sources."

Argies growled. The sound was more dragon than human. Heat rolled off him in waves. It made the air shimmer. "They have my mate."

"And we'll get her back," Violet assured him. Phoenix fire still danced around her hands. "But we need to be smart about this. The corruption is stronger than anything we've dealt with before. We go in half-cocked, and we could make things worse. They’ve been stalking us, so we have to assume they know more than we want them to."

"I found something," Thanos called from where he'd been examining an area. Divine light sparked between his fingers as he traced patterns in the air. "These energy signatures are repeating. They're being recycled through the network. But some of them are decades old."

We moved to join him, and Bas’s Fae magic probed the patterns. "He's right. These traces match disappearances going back at least fifty years. They’ve been collecting power all this time and storing it in the corrupted cellars."

"They made an evil wine cellar," I mused. "Aging stolen magic instead of grapes. Their vintage selection leaves something to be desired."

"They’ve been building up to this," Fiona added. "But what-"

Her words cut off as shadows detached themselves from nearby buildings. They flowed like liquid darkness before solidifying into forms that made my magical senses scream in warning. Pack members who were twisted and corrupted by shadow magic into horrible hybrids of wolves and darkness.

"Company," I announced. I gathered my power despite the way it made my wound burn. The corruption tried to reach for the shadow magic in our attackers. It created feedback that made my head spin. "And they're definitely not here for the wine tasting. Their timing is impressive. Very dramatic."

"Less commentary, more fighting," Bas suggested, moving to cover my weak side. His Fae magic gathered around us like a storm about to break.

The first creature lunged. It moved faster than anything that size should be able to. Its form flickered between wolf and shadow. Thanos met it with a blast of magic that lit up the street like daylight. The thing screamed a sound that belonged in nightmares. Thanos’s power was burning away its corrupted flesh. Score one for the demigod.

Two more attacked from opposite directions. Their movements were synchronized in a way that spoke of shared consciousness. Bas's Fae magic caught one and wrapped it in a wind tunnel that tightened until shadow essence burst from it like smoke. The other met a face full of dragon fire as Argies let loose some of his pent-up fury. The smell of burning fur and rotten flesh filled the air. My stomach roiled heavily.

There was no time to worry about throwing up. I had to duck under the dirtiest claws I’d ever seen. I retaliated with a magical bomb. The life magic should have been anathema to these shadow-twisted beings. The corruption in my wound tried to bridge the gap. The resulting feedback nearly brought me to my knees.

"Anyone else getting really tired of these guys?" I managed through gritted teeth. "I mean, points for persistence, but they're really ruining what was supposed to be a nice weekend away."

"It’s rather rude," Violet called back. She was magnificent in battle. Her witchcraft and phoenix fire burned everything it touched. The assholes recoiled from her. It gave us a brief advantage. Brilliant flames danced around her like a living aura. I added my magic to hers, and each burst of our power made the corrupted creatures shriek.

A particularly nasty specimen tried to flank us. Its movements were jerky. It was a puppet with tangled strings. Bas moved like liquid grace beside me. His Fae magic manifested as deadly shards of ice that pinned the creature in place. His power had gained razor edges and sliced through flesh and bone with surgical precision.

“One of them is different,” he observed. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the battlefield. "The one at the back. Its corruption isn't complete. The shadow magic hasn't fully taken hold yet."

He was right. While the others were lost to the mage’s magic, one shifter still maintained a somewhat normal form. It hung back and directed the others like a commander. The tactical positioning made it stand out among its more feral companions. At least until Argies noticed it.

He moved faster than I could track. One moment he was beside me, and the next, he had the pack member pinned against a wall. Heat rolled off him in waves, and flames flickered at the back of his throat when he snarled. "Where is my mate?" The words carried undertones of his dragon. It made me want to run and hide.

"You're too late," the shifter gasped. Dark blood leaked from where Argies's grip tightened. Shadows writhed beneath its skin, trying to break free. "She's already being prepared. The vessels-"

Grey lightning cut off his words as Thanos deflected an attack that would have taken Argies's head off. Argies had been so consumed with his rage he hadn’t seen the other werewolf who was coming at him from the side. The bolt of Thanos’s power turned the guy to ash. "Perhaps this conversation would be better continued somewhere less exposed? Before the entire pack decides to join us?"

He had a point. More shadows were gathering at the edges of the street. My wound was screaming from being close to so much of the vile power. The corruption was feeding off the ambient shadow magic and trying to spread faster. We needed to regroup and question our new friend properly.

"Fall back to the B&B," I suggested, then grunted as feedback from the corruption made my knees buckle. The shadow magic was really getting creative now. I loved how it was finding new and exciting ways to make everything hurt. Bas caught me. I breathed a sigh of relief as his magic wrapped around mine protectively like a warm blanket against the chill. "Pretty sure I still have that bottle of Winter's Embrace in my trunk. Magical healing always goes better with Fae wine."

"Only you would think of wine at a time like this," Violet said, but she was already moving to cover our retreat. Her phoenix fire created a barrier between us and the encroaching shadows. The golden flames pushed back the darkness.

"I'm a problem solver," I shot back as I leaned heavily on Bas. "And right now, I'm solving the problem of how to interrogate a corrupted shifter while dealing with magical wounds and missing friends. Wine seems perfectly reasonable. Plus, it's Fae wine. That practically makes it medicinal."

Gadross appeared beside us. His copper artifact was clutched in his hand. "I've cleared the area of mundies and set up confusion wards. No one will remember anything unusual. Perhaps next time, we could avoid massive magical battles in the middle of town on the heels of a dramatic dragon entrance? The paperwork on this is going to be a bitch."

"You're no fun," I told him, then had to lean harder on Bas as another wave of pain hit. It felt like ice spreading through my veins. I could feel invisible fingers trying to get a hold of me. "Although, somewhere with chairs sounds pretty good right now. And walls. Walls would be nice. Very supportive, walls."

We fell back in careful formation. Our time working together made the movement almost choreographed. Thanos and Violet guarded our rear while Bas helped me walk. Argies dragged our captive along. His grip never loosened even when the shifter tried to dissolve into shadows. The remaining shadow-wolves paced the edges of our group but didn't attack. They seemed to be waiting for something. Or someone.

The B&B's wards welcomed us like a warm blanket. They pushed back some of the painful chill flowing through me. Bless Violet for insisting we lay them upon arrival in town. We had gone all out when setting them up. There were layers of protection spells woven with phoenix fire. I'd never been so grateful for her paranoid habit of warding every place we stayed.

"Right then," I said as Bas helped me onto the room's chair. The wound throbbed in time with the captive shifter's struggles. "Let's have a chat with our new friend about vessels and corruption and where exactly they're keeping Aislinn. Unless he'd prefer to deal with an increasingly angry dragon?"

The shifter snarled, shadows writhing beneath his skin like living tattoos. "You don't understand what's coming. The First Ones-"

"Save it," I cut him off. I channeled as much command into my voice as I could while feeling like death warmed over. Thankfully I had twenty years of experience using them with difficult patients and even more challenging doctors while working at the hospital. "I've had enough cryptic warnings for one day. Start talking sense, or I'll let the angry dragon decide how to get answers. And trust me, his diplomatic skills are somewhat limited when his mate is involved."

Argies growled in agreement. His eyes glowed with barely contained dragon fire. The shifter looked between us and took in the gathering power in the room. With the evil magic kept away, ours became even more obvious. Thanos’s demigod essence was a light in the room. Add Bas's fierce Fae magic. Violet’s witch-phoenix mojo, and one very pissed off dragon shifter and it was enough to make even me piss my pants. The odds weren't exactly in the guy’s favor.

"Fine," he spat. "But you're already too late. The vessel is being prepared. Marcus will obtain the last two-"

A strong pulse of corrupted magic sparked as it hit the wards. The malevolence slithered past and cut through the air. The nasty feel made me double over and call out as the wound flared with agony. The shifter's eyes went wide and then completely black. Shadow essence poured from his mouth like smoke next. He convulsed once and went still.

"Well," I said into the shocked silence. "That's not ominous at all. Though I have to say, points for dramatic timing."

"They killed him," Violet whispered. "The corruption consumed him from the inside out. How did it get past our wards?

“Fucking hell. How was that spell triggered remotely?" I added through gritted teeth.

"They're watching," Bas concluded grimly. His magic curled protectively around me as another wave of corruption pulsed through my wound. "Our tracking must have gotten close to their location."

"Good," Argies said. His voice was rough with his dragon. The temperature in the room rose several degrees. "I want them to know we're coming."

I looked around at our gathered group. We had Fae, demigod, phoenix, dragon, and witch magic. Plus, whatever Gadross was packing in those artifacts of his. The corruption might be spreading, but we'd faced worse odds before. "They'd better be ready for one hell of a fight," I said. "Though maybe after we deal with this wound. Being eaten from the inside by shadow magic is really putting a damper on my battle enthusiasm."

"First," Bas said firmly, his fingers already tracing healing runes around my wound, "we deal with that. Then we find Aislinn." His eyes met mine, full of concern and determination. "And then I suggest we have a very long discussion about your definition of a normal wine-tasting trip."