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A shiver moves over him, and his face begins to distort like melting candlewax. I watch in horror as it rearranges itself and then reforms into another face entirely. A face that appears twenty years older, with weathered skin, dark hair, a chiseled jaw, and piercing golden eyes.
“Aleric,” Xander says, shock written across his features.
He releases his hand from around the man’s throat. The cloaked man drops to the ground, sucking in a breath and rubbing his neck.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice shaking. My stomach tightens. Whatever this means, it can’t be good.
Xander ignores me, keeping his eyes fixed on the man before him. “I don’t understand. Why are you here? Why have you done this?”
“You said it yourself,” the cloaked man, Aleric, says. He looks at Xander, eyes bright. “The Order of Nobilis Draco brings justice to those who need it. And I have sought that justice since your father was murdered before my eyes. I have planned, all these centuries, to ensure the Raven Society is ended, once and for all.”
I stare at Xander, my heart pounding. The killer is one of Xander’s fellow knights. Someone trying to avenge his father. Just as Xander has been for all these years.
“Murdering innocents is not the way of the Order,” Xander says, his voice low but resonant. “And calling on demonic forces?”
“Sometimes commitment calls for great sacrifice,” Aleric says. “As for innocents… no witch is an innocent.”
“My aunt never hurt anyone,” I growl, glaring at this so-called honorable knight. “And neither did Ven. You are seeking retribution from the wrong people. That’s not justice. It’s murder.”
“Rowan is right,” Xander says. “It pains me to say this, but you’ve lost your way, old friend.”
“Rowan?” Aleric echoes. “You’re on a first name basis with a witch?” He stares at Xander, golden eyes against golden eyes. “You’ve spent too long here among the witches, when you should have been seeking revenge, as I have. And now you’ve let a pretty piece of ass tempt you into breaking your vows. Where is your honor now, Xander? Don’t you want your father to find peace at last?”
Xander flinches as if physically struck. My heart pounds wildly in my chest. Even with my new-found witch power, I don’t think I can defeat two dragon shifters at the same time. And Xander has made it clear that his vow takes priority above all else.
He casts his eyes over to me, then back to Aleric. “My father would not want this. To see his best friend, someone I viewed as an uncle, resort to demonic rituals and the murder of women for their ancestry. These witches have honor, and I will not let you harm them. This ends now.”
Aleric bows his head a moment, then looks up at Xander. “You are right. This does end now.”
And then he twists, his movements a blur of speed, throwing two black daggers at me and Ven. I react without thinking, throwing every bit of flame I’ve had wrapped around me up into a shield. It flares across the whole cavern, melting the metal as it flies toward us. My hands raised, I keep the flames focused on Aleric, surrounding him in fire.
He looks at me and laughs. “I am a dragon. Fire cannot burn me.”
“This is no mere fire,” I say, my words booming across the cavern. “It is a witch’s wrath.”
I pour every ounce of my magic into it, and behind me, Ven places her hand on my shoulder and adds her power to mine. To my left I see the glowing outline of Sybil appear, and her magic pours forth as well. More shimmering figures appear. The other three women Aleric killed, and more witches, witches from ages past, hunted and harmed unjustly. Together we form a solar flare of power, and Aleric is forced to his knees.
“Xander!” Aleric screams. “Won’t you protect one of your own?”
Xander raises both of his hands, and balls of flame form in his palms. “You are no longer one of us. You chose another path. A path of darkness.”
And he adds his fire to the collective power of the witches. Aleric screams as he burns. It’s a terrible sound, but I don’t flinch away from it. He begins to dissipate, and after several moments, he bursts into ash and is gone.
Ven makes a whimpering sound behind me, and I turn and aim a small bit of fire to the ropes holding her wrists. “You’re safe now,” I say softly.
Xander approaches and lifts her as the ropes fall away, holding her up so her feet don’t touch the ground. She has red burn marks spreading halfway up her calves, but they’re fairly superficial, not too deep. We had gotten here just in time. It’s not as bad as it could have been. Not nearly as bad.
“You need to get to a hospital,” I tell Ven.
She nods and bites her lip. “Thank you.” She looks back and forth from me to Xander. “Thank you both.”
“Of course,” I say, tears forming in my eyes. “I was so worried.” I lean my head against hers and hug her the best I can while Xander holds her.
“Can you transport us?” Xander asks me.
I nod. “I think so.”
He casts a look around the cavern, his eyes lingering on the pile of ash on the floor. “Then let’s get out of this place.”
