Witchlock (25 page)

What about not being able to return if she wasn’t back in her original form?
 

Chapter 22
 

What was that loud noise?
 

Evalle covered her ears then blinked her eyes open. Wait.
 

She had hands and they were on her ears.
 

“Can you hear me?”  Storm leaned over her. The source of the booming noise. “You are never going anywhere without me again.”
 

She’d argue and tell him he couldn’t tell her what to do, but she never wanted to do that without him again either. She croaked, “Adrianna?”
 

“She’s catching her breath, but she’s fine.”
 

He pulled his knee-length jacket off. “Put this on until I can get you to the truck.
 

She sat up and grabbed her head where something tried to beat its way out with a sledgehammer. Storm pulled her to her feet and had her arms in the jacket without much help from her.
 

“What the hell happened?” he snapped, tugging the leather together and buttoning her up.
 

Warmth and the scent of Storm. She might sleep in this tonight.
 

“Evalle?” He ducked his head to look at her, eye level. His fury evaporated. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
 

Her thigh felt as if she’d been branded with a long, hot poker and she’d like to curl into his arms and let him baby her, but she had too much pride for her spine to go wet-noodle limp right now.
 

She said, “I’m fine. I was shifting back to this form when you pulled me out of the realm.”
 

“Shifting from what?”
 

She whispered, “Gryphon. I don’t have permission to shift here but no one specifically said I couldn’t shift in some unknown realm with a bunch of ancestors in beast form trying to rip us to pieces.”  When she took in the sick look on Storm’s face, she stepped up and hugged him. “We made it back alive. I’m just drained. When you use majik or powers there, the realm takes an equal amount for fuel, so we’re both at rock bottom right now. I see why Adrianna wanted you here for when we came back.”
 

He crushed her against his hard chest and she welcomed the feel of his strength. He kissed her face and hair then said, “You’ve been gone for hours.”
 

“Really? What time is it?”
 

“After one in the morning.” He hugged her again. “You’re safe and I want you to stay that way. Promise me you won’t go back no matter what.”
 

That was an easy agreement. “I promise, and besides, we can’t go back.”
 

“I should be so lucky,” he muttered.
 

Adrianna wobbled her way over to them. “She means it, Storm. I failed to destroy the sphere holding Ragan. There is no going back. ”
 

Evalle’s heart broke at the devastation in her friend’s voice. “I’m sorry Adrianna. It was killing you. I couldn’t leave you there to be trapped with her.”
 

Adrianna shook her head. “The realm took too much of my power—a lot more than equal measure, maybe because Ragan and I share the same origin. I couldn’t strengthen the bond quickly enough. Veronika’s hold on Ragan is too strong.”  She met Evalle’s eyes. “At least we tried.”  She raked a hand through hair that was messier than Evalle had ever seen it. “Ragan is still trapped and the ancestors have called in Veronika. They’ll tell her I was there.”
 

Storm said, “Can she find you here?”
 

Adrianna gave up a weary sigh. “My whereabouts are not a secret.”  
 

Storm said, “We’ll have your back if she shows up. At least you’re both safe and in one piece.” He paused and sniffed the air. “I smell burned skin.”
 

Adrianna said, “I thought the last beast that came after us clawed at Evalle. Did it catch your leg?”  
 

Evalle sent Adrianna a death look for pissing off Storm again when she finally had him calmed down. The witch lifted her shoulders in answer.
 

Storm asked, “Where are you hurt?”
 

“My thigh. It’s not bad.” Burned like a bitch, but she wasn’t going to whine.
 

“Sit down so I can see.”
 

Once she was on the ground again, he moved aside a flap of leather to expose her thigh.
 

Evalle leaned forward to see what hurt so much and damn if it didn’t look like she’d been burned instead of cut. “Why isn’t it cut and bleeding? I’m not complaining about the lack of blood, but ... “
 

Adrianna scratched her forehead. “That is strange. I don’t know everything about the realm, but it’s surprising that it clawed you. It was close enough to bite off your leg.”
 

Lovely thought.
 

Storm said, “It has a sharp cinnamon smell.”
 

Adrianna murmured, “Not good.”
 

“Why?”
 

“That’s the KievRus scent.”
 

“What does that mean?” Evalle asked.
 

Adrianna hesitated, then shook her head as she stared at the burn. “I don’t know.”
 

“We should get out of here.” Storm stood up and looked around. He told Evalle, “If you’ll sit tight, I’ll help if Adrianna will allow me to pick up any of her things.”  He raised his eyebrows in Adrianna’s direction, obviously asking permission along with the offer.
 

Evalle had no problem being a slug on the side. She’d tried to help Adrianna once in the past and the borderline OCD witch did not like anyone touching her toys. Storm already knew that, apparently.
 

“I’ve got this, Storm,” Adrianna said in a no-nonsense voice worthy of a grade school teacher.
 

He nodded, and Adrianna said a quick chant, using the knife to close the circle she’d created earlier. Storm moved Evalle out of the circle and kept watch as Adrianna moved around the space, collecting her things.
 

When she had everything packed to suit her, she gladly handed Storm the backpack, and he adjusted the straps then slid his arms through. Once Adrianna had him loaded down like her own personal pack mule, she walked out ahead of everyone.
 

The Sterling witch might look like she’d been dragged through a briar patch, but she could pull together dignity faster than the queen of England.
 

Storm helped Evalle stand, and on the way to the truck, he lifted her over anything that might cut her bare feet.
 

Once she got inside, Evalle had just sunk into the passenger seat and leaned back when she got a telepathic call from Tzader.
Evalle, we have a situation. I’ve been ordered to a Tribunal meeting. I need you to meet me there.
 

That would require teleporting by Sen. Ugh.
 

Evalle sent back a quick,
I can meet Sen in Woodruff Park in fifteen minutes. I just need to change clothes.
 

More like she needed to put clothes on, but that was information Tzader didn’t need.
 

Tzader replied,
That’s fine. I told them it’d take a half hour.
 

She asked, What’s up?
 

The Beladors are being accused of killing the Medb without provocation and the Medb have demanded a judgement.
 

That’s crazy.
 

I know. I wouldn’t bring you in but the Tribunals are not happy about the tug-of-war over the gryphons and the Medb want to present an offer
that involves the gryphons. Since you’re the gryphon leader, they want you present. Bring Storm with you.
 

She rolled her eyes at being called their leader as if that meant she held some position of significance, then she realized the last thing Tzader had said and replied,
Okay, but why Storm?
 

The Medb are delivering a body and VIPER has requested Storm to identify a scent and give testimony about the murder.
 

You don’t think a Belador murdered a Medb, do you?
 

No, but I have to be prepared to deal with it if one of ours lost control and killed a Medb.
 

 Tzader’s presence withdrew from her mind.
 

She glanced at Storm, who might have to send a Belador to his death, because some rules could not be broken.
 

The Belador code of honor topped that list.
 

Chapter 23
 

Veronika materialized inside Jafnan Mir to find her ancestors in chaos.
 

She swept through the forest, nodding at those of her family who had taken the shape of trees and plants in the muted colors of lives long gone. They bowed in respect as she passed. They cleared a path ahead of her, allowing her robe to float over smooth ground.
 

Flowers burst into bloom in brilliant colors along the way. Those would be the KievRus children who had been lost too soon.
 

When Veronika reached the center of the realm, where she’d formed the sphere, all the beasts surrounding the rotating ball ceased growling and roaring. They turned to face her, then settled on the ground, docile as guard hounds.
 

She opened her arms out to each side and her robe sleeves hung halfway to the ground. The smaller version of the sphere spun on the palm of her right hand. She could feel the palm sphere yearning to reach out toward Ragan’s giant ball of power.
 

Ragan still spun in the center, but something had disturbed the peace.
 

Something had upset her ancestors, or they would not have called Veronika in.
 

She tilted her head back. The hood fell away and her blue-black hair fell gently down her back. Closing her eyes, she opened her soul to her parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and on, including, aunts, uncles and cousins from many generations back.
 

Their anxiety became hers.
 

She clenched against the anger and frustration, then opened her mind, asking,
What has happened, Guardians?
 

Reports barreled into her mind one right after another, accompanied by images.
 

Ragan’s twin had tried to rescue Ragan from her destiny.
 

Veronika’s eyelids fluttered with the speed of images flying past her mind’s eye.
 

Adrianna had brought a friend. Someone unknown to Veronika could pose a threat to her plans, but wait ... her great, great, great uncle had marked the second woman.
 

Veronika sent her appreciation for his wise decision.
 

She knew where Adrianna had gone when she walked away from the Sterlings.
 

But the Guardian’s mark would lead Veronika to the second woman, who would hand over Adrianna for betraying Veronika’s agreement with
the Sterlings. Veronika would not bother with the Sterling leaders. They were nothing to her or her plan. Now that Adrianna had breached the contract, the Sterlings wouldn’t lift a finger to prevent Veronika’s going after Adrianna and combining her power with Ragan’s.
 

In all honesty, the Sterlings wouldn’t have interfered anyhow, but although Veronika had toyed with the idea of using Ragan to capture Adrianna, she’d not been willing to risk a battle that would have divided her attention and energy.
 

Not now when she was so close.
 

With Adrianna’s power joined to Ragan’s, Veronika’s Witchlock powers would be greater than that of any KievRus coven leader in the past.
 

Veronika sent out soothing comfort to her family and thanked them for their love and support in guarding the host of the Witchlock power.
 

She sent them assurance that she would deal with this threat.
 

They rose to their feet, one at a time, and came to her with heads lowered in a show of confidence. Jafnan Mir had been formed with anticipation that one leader would rebuild the KievRus coven and make it so strong it would never fall again.
 

All of this had been created for the day a leader would rule over all others.  
 

Veronika lifted the sphere, raising her hand high and pointing it toward Ragan. “Hear me now, Ragan of the Sterlings. You were traded in a fair deal. I have kept my word, and now you must fulfill your part.”
 

She pointed her index finger at Ragan, and a bolt of energy shot from the sphere in Veronika’s hand to strike the center of Ragan’s sphere. Power sparked inside around Ragan, and huge fissures fingered across the outside, spreading and emitting loud cracking sounds as the sphere hissed and came apart.
 

Ragan’s screaming sounded far away, slipping through the cracks until a huge chunk of sphere fell away and her screams shook the forest.
 

Veronika focused her power on the small sphere she held, as it spun faster and faster until it was only a white blur.  
 

The bolt of energy still connecting the two spheres roared with the flood of moving power.  
 

White-hot streaks spewed through new breaks in the giant sphere and more chunks of the translucent white globe burst apart, falling from the sides.
 

The arc of energy exploded and a cloud of white-gold sparks shot through the air.
 

Power poured out of the giant sphere, gushing into a roaring wave that
rolled toward Veronika.
 

Halfway to her, the power twisted and twisted, narrowing into a tiny, spinning tip the size of a fat needle by the time it reached the globe in Veronika’s hand. The tip shot inside and energy funneled into the sphere. The globe sucked it in at a rapid pace.