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Jonah held Katie’s hand, but didn’t meet her eyes. He hadn’t been able to see life, or death. He hadn’t seen anything but dark.
Then Fred took his other hand, murmured close to his ear, “They brought you back into the world, too. Believe in them.”
__________
Hannah nearly slid out of Lana’s arms when they flashed to the altar. Though her vision grayed, she shook it clear.
Duncan might have cursed at seeing his other sister on the battlefield but he was too busy working with Fallon to heal Tonia’s most dangerous injuries.
“Stay back! I’ll draw her off,” he said to Fallon. “Help them with Tonia. Get her back to New Hope.”
“You can’t take it all on alone.”
“I’m not losing you or my sisters.” His gaze locked with hers, one last time. “Take care of them.”
When he ran, shouting Petra’s name, drawing the flame, she did curse.
“Men,” Tonia managed weakly. “What can you do? Hannah, you shouldn’t be here.”
“You needed me. There’s magickal tools in here, too,” she told Lana briskly as she took out a bottle and syringe. “Fully equipped.”
“No sedative.” Tonia waved it away. “I’ve still got work to do. Tail caught me, freaking dragon. I missed my shot. Laoch tried to catch me, but it was too fast. He’s burned. I don’t know how bad.”
Fallon rose. Fire streaked the sky. Lightning red as Tonia’s blood rained from it. And in the woods that heart beat with deep, dark joy.
“Get her out of here.”
“I’m not—”
“Clear of the woods,” Fallon continued. “Follow the path of light, and get her clear. We’re not losing you, Tonia. Hannah and my mother will make sure of it, but the three of you can’t be in here for this.”
“You need to hang on for another flash. It’s not going to be a picnic for either of you, but it’ll be fast.” Lana looked up at Fallon, her child, her love. She’d promised that child she would never lose faith in her again. She would keep that promise.
“I believe in you.”
Alone, with her mother’s words still on the air, Fallon turned to the altar. “So now you have what you’ve wanted. Me alone. No more distractions.”
She closed her eyes, let the dark crawl in.
She felt its spider legs walk along her skin, its sinuous fingers snake around her ankles. It brushed its lips over hers, breathed its cold breath over her eyes. And surrounding her, covering her, squeezing, gently, gently squeezing, it murmured in her ear.
They are not worthy of us. They are beneath us, these mortals, these weaklings, these pale magicks. Lie on my altar, child of the bright gods, and know the dark. Know the pleasure I offer only to you.
“There have been others before me.”
Only to prepare for you. Lie with me, chosen one, and drink my dark, so rich, so sweet. I will drink your light, so bold, so bright. With our merging, we will be The One.
“I am The One.”
The dark compressed, choking off her breath. Do you wish pain when I offer so much? I will only feed on it. Take the pleasure, feel the pain, give me your light or I will take it. Give me your light, and I will spare the mother.
She took an agonizing step toward the altar, laid a trembling hand on it, felt its iced surface, its alluring promise as the dark smothered her.
Through the curtain she heard Petra’s mad laugh, saw the red glow of the fire scorching the sky. In her mind she saw sickness, death, war, murder, the plague of black magicks. So much loss, so much brutality.
It has always been so, and so it will always be. Brother killing brother over a patch of grass or a whoring woman. Children starving while others grow fat on fists of candy. The world burning for greed and ambition. These are who would hunt you, burn you, destroy you for what you are to save themselves. For your power. Come to me, lie with me. They are but toys to be played with, broken, and cast aside. We are forever.
“Can you hear them?” She took another step, another as the excitement of what wrapped her so close hummed over her skin, beat like moth wings. “Can you?”
Their screams? Their lamentations?
She felt the blood on her hands. Tonia’s, Duncan’s, her own. “Their song of faith.” She pulled her sword, cleaved through the dark. “You won’t drink my light. You’ll burn in it.” And, clasping the hilt in her bloodied hand, drove the sword into the pentagram and through the stone slab.
It writhed. It snapped and clawed. Screaming, she forced power through the blade, into the stone, into the heart.
“I am Fallon Swift. Child of the Tuatha de Danann. Daughter of Max Fallon, of Lana Bingham, of Simon Swift. I am The One. I am your end.”
The slab cracked, spewed out blood and stink. The force of it threw her back, stole her breath as she slammed into the ground. The beat slowed; the pulse grew weak. Lungs laboring, she pushed to her feet. And her moment of triumph was stillborn as dark seeped from the shattered stone, rose thin, but rose, into the murky sky.
“No.” She heaved light at the remains of the altar, turned it to dust, spread fire over the dust. Then praying, flashed.
Wounded or not, Laoch flew, with Duncan on his back. Near the circle, Hannah and Lana continued to treat Tonia. She raced to them, shield lifted to guard.
“It’s wounded, it’s weak, but I didn’t finish it. How’s Tonia?”
“Wounded and weak.” Hannah’s breath came fast, but she held tight to Tonia’s hand. “I’ve done all I can here. Your mother’s trying more. We need to get her to surgery.”
“Not until we finish.” Tonia spoke through gritted teeth. “Help Duncan.”
“I will. I—” And she saw that dark crawl over the sky, saw it wrap around Petra, slide and slither into her. “Take this.” She shoved her shield at Hannah. “Use it.”
She spread her wings, shot up.
“It’s in her! What’s left of the source is in her now.”
“Hey, cuz!” Eyes black pools with what lived in her now, Petra swung toward Fallon. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Fallon dived under the whip of the dragon’s spiked tail, swooped beneath the armored belly. Before she could try to strike the eye, it spumed out fire.
“I am filled!” Petra flung out her hands, spewed out lightning from her fingertips. “Like fireworks! Like my favorite holiday. The Fourth of July, when my daddy killed yours.”
With a flick of her hand, she batted away a stream of fire from Duncan’s sword, followed it with a wind that nearly unseated him.
Petra’s hair flew—black-and-white—then coiled like snakes to lash at the air. “You can’t touch us with your puny powers now. I have the heart in me. All promised is mine.” Lifting her arms, she called the crows to circle and swipe with smoking wings. “How about some of this!”
She threw out fire that speared into arrows and rained on the shield Hannah fought to hold.
“You have to help them.” Tonia nudged Lana’s hands away. “You have to help them. She—it—they’re getting stronger.”
“Keep that shield up, Hannah.”
Lana ran out from under its protection, pushed power up. Flamed it out.
Me, she thought, frantic. Come for me. You won’t have my child, you won’t have Katie’s. Come for me!
Petra flung bolts, fire, wind in all directions, her face bright with glee as the dragon’s tail slashed. Whipped around as Lana’s power rocked the air.
“Look who’s here.” With great good cheer, she shot bolts of lightning at Lana’s feet. “Dance, dance, dance. You killed my mummy, bitch. Now you can watch me kill yours. Fire in the hole!” she shouted, and laughed as the dragon breathed it.
Fallon flashed down, called the whirlwind to send the flame over the already burning field.
“You can’t spoil my fun. And you can’t save both of them. Which one will it be? Eenie, meenie.”
She shot a flurry of bolts at Duncan.
“Miney, moe.” Another flu
rry at Lana.
“God, she’s an asshole.” Breathing through her teeth, Tonia fought to sit up. “You’ve got to help me, Hannah.”
“You need to lie still.”
“Hannah, that bitch has the heart of freaking darkness inside her and a dragon under her. You have to help me. Get an arrow out of my quiver.”
The sky’s on fire, Hannah thought as the ferocious heat washed over her. “Tonia. You don’t have the strength, physically or magickally, to draw the bow.”
“No, but I can aim.” By the gods, she could still aim. “You’re going to have to do the rest. Come on, Team Sister time. Nock it.”
Even breathing hurt but Tonia sucked air into her lungs, pushed it out. “She’s distracted, we’re nothing right now. You have to keep me steady, brace me up.”
“I can’t do that and hold the shield.”
“Put it down. It’s all or nothing now. Nock the arrow, hold me steady.” The world wanted to spin—she wouldn’t let it. “You draw the bow, but don’t release until I say. We’ve got one shot.”
Because if we miss, Tonia thought, a pissed-off dragon’s going to burn us to ash.
“One shot,” she echoed, and blinked her eyes clear.
Seeing the fallacy of trying to draw fire away from the women, Duncan sent Laoch into a dive. He leaped off to stand with them.
“Together,” he said. “Just let it rip.”
“Wait.” Fallon gripped his arm. She saw Tonia lift the bow, Hannah draw it. “Wait.” She stepped to the side. She could angle it for Tonia. Just a little. “Hey, cousin. How about a little one-on-one, just you and me?”
Fallon spread her wings again, floated up. And yes, Petra turned the dragon while she smiled, stroked its neck.
“We’ll get there. We’re saving you for last. You’ll watch the others burn before I send you into the dark. I’ll rule then. Me! As it was always meant. The dark will feast and feast and—”
