Duella Book 3: The Witch and the Vampire Series (14 page)

Chapter Twenty

Recalling what he learned from the old book in the library, Duella returned to the cemetery. The last time he had encountered Drucella and her army of Gideons, he had done so in the graveyard. Miriam was close at his side. He felt her uncertainty and a strong measure of courage. After
Drucella’s
vicious attack on her, she was determined to be a part of her destruction. He felt bolstered by her presence, and a bit apprehensive despite her show of courage. He would never forgive himself if anything horrible happened to her. Cautiously, he raised the fist holding the amulet over his head, gazing into the sky.

“
Drucella
!
Show yourself!” He waited for the pinpoint of light to appear in the blackness, as it had previously, revealing an opening to the
Gideons
’ underground sanctuary. If he were going to destroy the witch and her army, he would have to do
so on
her hallowed ground.

He issued the summons again, this time with a bit of rage attached. He had grown tired of being on the lookout for the evil creature and her gang of imps. He was ready for a showdown. “I hold the amulet in my hand. Come and get it!”

The earth beneath his feet vibrated, rippling and swaying in a rolling motion that nearly knocked him down. Miriam screamed and clutched his sleeve, trying to gain her footing. The clouds in the sky gathered in a black mass, merging and lowering to the earth. He clutched the amulet and waited, his keen gaze searching the darkness.

A violent tremor shook the earth. A loud clap of thunder rumbled overhead. Raindrops pelted the ground.
Duella
held his fist aloft and issued the summons for the third time in a loud voice.
“
Drucella
!
Show yourself!”

The earth splintered just in front of his feet, rolled upward, pushing the earth into a mound. He clutched the amulet and waited. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up in warning. He jerked his head to one side, expecting to see the witch or any number of her cohorts.

A light appeared unexpectedly, pale white and shining overhead through the night sky. It drew closer and hovered over the spot where the earth had splintered and formed a tall mound. The light changed from white to amber, then drew closer to
Duella
. He sensed the witch, and her army. And he sensed Miriam’s fright. His gut knotted all of a sudden.

She appeared all at once, a blurry vision that grew as tall as he. She hovered in the air, as though suspended on a string, staring at him. A fierce look spanned her face as she settled to the ground mere inches from his body.

He sensed the hate she harbored for him. It both mystified and amused him. She stretched out one hand toward him, her gaze locked with his. Her eyes were burning embers set deep in her skull. He held her gaze and displayed the amulet in his grasp for her to see.

Her eyes lit up, making her face glow with a strange amber shine. She licked her lips as though they were parched.

“You are eager to have the talisman.”

She glanced at him, her eyes leaving the gem only for an instant before she returned to stare hungrily at it. “Give it to me.” She reached out her arm, opening her hand. “Lay it in my palm.”

“Tell me why it is so important to you first.”

She hissed at him. “Give me the stone.”

He shook his head. His amusement grew. His courage rose. He cast a quick glance at Miriam. She had inched closer to his side, a smile on her face. He felt her urge for revenge against the witch.

“You are a foolish leech. You suck the life from the mortal. You lay with whores. You foolishly think you can command me.” She sneered. “You are no longer the master of the talisman—even though you hold it in your hand.”

“Reveal its value to you—and I will give it to you.”

Her body shook, the light she stood immersed in quivered, paled,
then
faded altogether. She stood before him, her body draped in a long dark gown, her face a mask of hate and revenge. She held her chin high, defiantly, as she held his gaze.

Duella
felt her reluctance to divulge the secret of the amulet. Her unwillingness only proved his suspicions about the gem and her need of it. He closed his fist, making her grimace. She took a step toward him and raised one hand, as though she were contemplating casting a spell that would send him soaring into oblivion.

Miriam leapt to his side, her teeth bared, her clawed nails extended.

Duella
raised a hand, halting Miriam’s defensive move to protect him. His heart surged with the show of concern and the need to aide him, however, Miriam’s abrupt display of protection toward him, only intensified the angry look on
Drucella’s
snarling face.

“Send the whore away!”
Drucella
spat, her arm rising higher in threat.

“Perhaps you don’t want the gem after all,
Drucella
.”
Duella
lowered the hand clutching the gem to his side.

“The gem is mine!” Her eyes blazed with fury. She stepped closer to
Duella
. “You do not know what you ask, vampire. You demand to know my secret—but it will do you no good. I am stronger than you.”

Duella
nodded his head. “Vampires have very limited powers. We cannot cast spells or vanish into thin air. We cannot stand the daylight. The sun is certain death. But you know all my secrets,
Drucella
.” He forced a smile, just to rile her temper further. He showed her the jewel lying in his palm. “I know that the power of the gem comes from the dark one.”

Drucella
hissed. “The dark one—he is not the only power to possess the stone.” She paused, looking intently at
Duella
.

Miriam moved at his side and he felt a strange surge of kinship with her. She touched his arm and leaned close to his ear.

“
Drucella’s
army is closing in fast, my love. Be on guard.” She turned, positioning herself at his back.

The approach of the
Gideons
made sense to him. Since the dark one had a rival for the possession of the stone.
Drucella
could only mean that the
Gideons
had once possessed it. That would explain their eagerness to have it.

“The
Gideons
used to possess the stone?” If his suspicion was correct,
Drucella
needed to get her hands on the talisman before the little creatures arrived and fought with her for it.

She held her head high. A look of intense pride shone on her face. “I am queen of the
Gideons
. They are my people.”

Duella
laughed. “They are your slaves.” He closed his fingers around the stone. “Perhaps they want the stone so they can destroy you and free themselves from your tyrannical rule. Perhaps I should hand the gem over to them.”

A flash of rage engulfed her features. She darted her eyes from side to side.

“They come,
Duella
.”

He heard Miriam’s quiet words and realized that
Drucella
was terrified of their coming.

She reached out her hand, urging him to place the stone within. “Give me what is rightfully mine, vampire, before I cast you into oblivion!”

The
Gideons
surrounded them, closing in quickly to crowd against their queen.

Drucella
pushed them back, kicking her feet at their short bodies. “Go away! You have no business here.”

“Give us the talisman, vampire. Give it to us so that we can destroy the witch.”

Miriam growled and lashed out, slashing three of the tiny beings as they tried to grasp
Duella’s
arm. They screamed and bounded through the air. Hitting the ground with audible thuds, they rose up and scurried away.

Others began to push and crowd, eager to have the amulet.
Drucella
drew closer, her clawing fingers reaching out for the necklace.

Duella’s
keen senses were alert to the ruckus, the pushing little beings and their queen inching forward in an attempt to snatch the gem from his fist. He heard the thrashing blows Miriam landed against the beings when they got too close. She was an admirable warrior.

He sensed
Drucella’s
temper flaring. The Gideon army was scuffling among themselves, each trying to get closer than the other in order to grab the gem. Miriam continued to throw crushing blows at the beings, sending them flying into the air and falling aimlessly to the ground.

Drucella
whirled round. The
Gideons
scattered, rushing back in fear as their queen raised one arm and cast a spell over them. Lightning flared, a clap of thunder sounded overhead. The
Gideons
screamed and cowered, covering their heads with their hands.

Duella
watched the demonstration of power. He was overcome with the urge to squeeze his fist around the amulet. He held the fate of the
Gideons
in his hand—and
Drucella’s
future. It was time to destroy them both.

Drucella
turned her threatening gaze on him. She strode toward him, a sneer on her face. “Your time is up, vampire. I will beg you no more.”

He felt the amulet crack within his grasp.

Drucella
halted her advance on him, her face paled. She raised one arm, ready to cast a spell of death against him.

He squeezed the gem tighter, feeling it splinter into tiny pieces. He raised his arm and threw the fragments into the sky. A shower of sparks rose upward, spraying overhead in a torrent of amber shards.

Drucella
screamed and fell to her knees.

The Gideon army clutched their heads and fell on their faces.

The shower of amber shards swirled over their heads, sparked brilliant in the black sky, then began to flame. They sprayed across the Gideon army. The beings screamed and withered, grew smaller as they kicked their legs and clutched their big heads. Their flesh began to disintegrate, burning beneath the shower of sparks.

The bodies disappeared, screaming in outrage as they withered and shrank.
Drucella
looked on in horror,
then
turned as though to flee. The sparks rose up from the remains of the
Gideons
and soared around
Drucella
. She screamed and covered her head. She yelled curses and tried in vain to cast a spell to stop the sparks. They descended around her, closed in, burned her clothes and seared her body. She screamed and ranted while she tried to fight off the consuming sparks. They penetrated her body, ate at her flesh,
tore
her limbs away. She collapsed on the ground, a withering heap that dwindled and dwindled until only a wisp of black smoke rose upward, disappearing in the sky.

The sparks rose again, swirled, gathered, hovered,
then
rose into the sky.

Duella
stared at the sparkling dots as they quickly disappeared in the darkness. When they were out of sight, he looked round at the barren ground. There were no remains of the Gideon army or
Drucella
. He stooped and examined the spot where she had disappeared, withered and consumed by the golden spray.

Miriam clutched at his arm.

 
He rose and hugged her close. “At last, we are rid of
Drucella
. She is destroyed.” He didn’t fully understand what he had just witnessed, except that both the Gideon beings and the witch prized the amulet. Either one of the entities could have destroyed the other—had they gained possession of the gem. Luckily, his anger rose at the appropriate time, giving him cause to squeeze the jewel and break it so its powers were released. He combed one hand through his hair. He’d miss the mysterious help the amulet had given him. He looked down at Miriam. “We’re free to start over. The evil spirit has been destroyed forever.”

She smiled at him. “We can sleep without being scared of attack.”

He held her close. “I love you.”

“Look!”

He jerked his head around, afraid that
Drucella
had somehow returned and was mounting another attack against them. The sky was glowing, yellow jets of light streamed down to strike the ground. A noise like no other sounded. He drew back, sighting an object hurtling through the glowing spray of light. An object hit his chest, taking his breath for a moment.

“
Duella
, what is it?”

He raised his hand and clutched the spot where the object hit him. His fingers touched the cold faceted surface of a gem, yellow and oval, suspended on a gold link chain. The chain was around his neck.

“The amulet!
The amulet is around your neck!”

He clutched the gem, puzzled.

“You possess the amulet,
Duella
.” Miriam hugged him, laughing. “You are the rightful owner now. You have destroyed the witch and the Gideon army—the evil spirits are gone forever. The amulet is yours. You have its powers at your disposal.”