Chapter 12
“Master, look out!” Revna screamed.
Before the spear-like arrow could pierce me between the eyes, Akira swiftly pulled out her wand and aimed it at the hurtling weapon. The black-eyed witch screamed an ancient incantation, and the arrow burst into hundreds of sharp, golden bits as I ducked out of the way. The ebony-haired witch cackled with relief and satisfaction, and the destroyed weapon rained down on us like specs of gold leaves.
“Unholy hell,” I breathed as I stared adoringly into Akira’s black eyes. “Thanks, Akira. That was too fucking close for my liking.”
“Of course, master,” the raven-haired witch replied. “I’ll always have your back. Now, let’s kill these fuckers, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s obliterate them!” Penelope snarled loud enough for the elder warriors to hear, and she turned to face them with an unwavering stare. “You’ll be nothing but dust by the time we’re done with you!”
“We’ll see about that.” One of the blond scouts grinned as they neared us with their holy beasts. “We have fire and the holy elder lord by our side. You’ve been condemned since birth, and when we’re finished with you, your souls will be forever trapped in a land worse than purgatory.”
I felt deep hatred and determination rise up in me as I stared at the two men on top of their grand serpens. Fury coursed through my veins as I clenched my fists by my sides, and the women gripped their wands so tightly, their knuckles turned white. Tension filled the air while the two soldiers began to swerve their ivory-scaled beasts in long circles around the top of the mountain peak, and as they drew closer, we quickly positioned ourselves around the edges of the rounded cliff and braced ourselves to take on Samara’s greatest soldiers.
Remember Cole, the woman from my dreams whispered. You don’t need your wand to destroy them with the ancient spells. Just keep focus and don’t waver. Not for one moment, or they will surely destroy you.
“I know,” I said as I dug my nails into my skin and willed evil dominance to course through my hot-blooded veins. “Satan is with us. I can feel his undeniable presence.”
“What did you say, boy?” one of the scouts demanded. “Speak a little louder, or did your bitches take your tongue?”
“I said let’s stop dicking around and get this over with,” I spat. “I can’t wait to see Samara’s face when she finds out that her little bitches are dead.”
The scowls on the two men’s faces spread, and as I stared at their hovering beasts, it felt like everything was occurring in slow motion. They soared around us like they were flying through molasses, so I raised my hand in the air and prepared to fight with ancient magic, but the golden-haired warriors were quicker than I anticipated. They swerved around us in one perfect circle while chanting a quick incantation, and suddenly, their serpens spewed giant clouds of fire in all directions. The flames came toward us like a rapid, fiery river breaking through a dam, but before the unholy bastards could scorch us alive, Vanessa pointed her wand at the duo.
“Obstructionum!” the professor screamed.
A sudden bright red wave spurted from the tip of Vanessa’s weapon and instantly blocked the fire from burning us all. Her spell acted like a red, transparent wall, and it was somehow different from her usual watery domain. I’d never seen her do anything like this before, but whatever magic she was using, I knew it was taking a great toll on the professor. Thick beads of sweat dripped from her forehead as she fought to keep the wave up, but the white serpen beasts were relentless. They continued to spout fire from their wide mouths like they possessed a never-ending belly of flames, and their eyes glowed a holy blue as they tried to burn through Vanessa's barrier. The professor was growing paler by the second, and I knew I had to do something to help her.
Quickly.
So, I veered around the struggling professor, pulled out my wand, and gritted my teeth before I aimed it at the two serpens.
“Dissulto!” I roared.
Twin blasts of bright light escaped from my wand and flung both beasts backward, and they screeched in unison when the incantations hit them both in the middle of their broad, white chests. Seething venom burned in their eyes before they both opened their jaws and prepared to cast another burning cloud of flames in our direction, but before either creature could wreak havoc upon us, Circe lifted her wand.
“Sem clausas duo!” she yelled.
Two bright lights hit the serpens right in their mouths, and suddenly, a series of thick, black stitches were sewn across their thin lips. Their glowing eyes widened with panic, and fire quickly began to build up inside their broad bodies. The elders glowered at us when their serpens’ throats started to glow a hellish shade of orange, and both beasts were making loud retching noises.
“Look out!” Faye warned in a high-pitched tone. “Their bellies are filled with fire! They’re going to explode!”
Vanessa shouted another incantation, which caused the red wall to lift even higher, and the professor screamed with fury as she used all her strength to defend us.
I could feel the holy heat prickling my skin as the serpens burned from the inside out, and before anyone could utter another attack, the two beasts burst into a mass of blood, bones, and flame. Heavy clouds of thick, black smoke wafted through the air, but the elder soldiers didn’t even seem fazed as the serpens succumbed to their deaths and fell down into the empty abyss below. Instead, massive golden wings spread from the elders’ backs before they soared high above us and soared to the very top of the mountain peak. The powerful duo passed through the thick clouds, and then they completely disappeared from view.
“What the hell are they planning?” I muttered to myself.
I couldn’t see them at all, not even a glimmer of their golden armor or wings. Their disappearance concerned me because I knew deep down that even though we couldn’t see them, they could see us. We were at a disadvantage, and I quickly had to come up with a plan to alter the situation.
I can fly up and see if I can spot them, Cole, Alexander suggested in my head.
“No,” I replied in a firm tone. “It’s far too risky. You stay here where I can see you.”
“I can’t see them,” Marina hissed as she narrowed her purple eyes and looked up toward the cloud-covered peak. “They could attack at any moment.”
“Should we utter the ancient incantation?” Beatrix asked as she stared at me with arched eyebrows.
“Not yet,” I said as I craned my neck and stared into the clouds. “I don’t want to waste any power until they are in our view. They’ll have to show themselves eventually.”
How do you know, Cole? Alexander asked.
“Because I’m going to force them to show themselves,” I muttered. “I just need a moment.”
No one said a word as the women kept their wands aimed at the ready and pointed high above us, and we held our breaths as we waited for something to happen or for another weapon to come bursting through the clouds. I knew the elder warriors were being cowards and using the clouds for protection, and because we were stuck in a holy domain, the elements were on their side.
A heavy silence filled the air as they waited for the right moment to attack, and then, just as I predicted, I heard a swishing sound slip through the air like a whip. It was another golden arrow, but it was going too fast for any of us to stop it. In a heartbeat, I heard an ear-splitting scream, and when I spun around, Faye stood there pale-faced as the giant arrow stuck out right in between her perfect breasts. Blood pooled around her the puncture wound and soaked her dress, but for some reason, she didn’t try to pry the weapon out of her skin. Instead, she stood there, and she swayed back and forth as thin, grayish-green veins started to spread across her creamy freckled skin. I’d never seen anything like it before, and it sent a chilling sensation deep in the pit of my stomach.
“What the hell is happening to her?” I demanded as her lips slowly turned purple. “She can barely move.”
“It’s a poison!” Morgana screeched as Faye began to sway backward, and the quick-minded brunette ran toward the redhead and caught her before she could collapse over the cliff. Morgana then placed Faye’s head in her lap and brushed the long red strands of slick hair out of her face. “Obviously, the arrow won’t kill Faye, but it will slow her down, even with the help of the potion. This is the most powerful kind of holy magic imaginable, and I bet they’re going to try and stun all of us.”
“Well, two can play at this fucking game,” I growled as my mouth went dry. “We just need to catch them in sight, and when we do, it’s over for them.”
“You’re right, master,” Penelope said as she stood by my side. “We can’t give up now. And soon, they’ll be as good as dead.”
“Is that so?” a deep voice echoed like thunder from above us. “You weak children of Satan have no idea who you’re dealing with. We’ve been forged by the elder lord himself! Crafted from the purest stone and brought to life by his own breath--”
“Just fucking save it,” I called out. “We don’t need to hear any more of your holy, rambling bullshit. Why don’t you show yourselves instead of hiding like a pair of cowards? Or did your precious lord forget to give you balls?”
“He speaks about our lord in the most blasphemous of terms,” the other voice added in an appalled tone. “Perhaps we should teach him a lesson? Something more permanent this time.”
“Agreed, brother,” the first voice responded.
Another swoosh swept through the air, and in the blink of an eye, another arrow was heading my way. I didn’t have time to raise my wand or jump out of the way, but Penelope quickly shoved me aside while the arrowhead stuck right in her shoulder.
“Fuuuuuuuuck!” the orange-haired witch screamed as deep blood spurted from her wound and dripped down her body.
Penelope crouched down, held onto the arrow, and squeezed her eyes shut before she swiftly yanked the whole thing out. Her perfect skin quickly started to turn a sickly color, just like Faye, and I rushed to catch the orange-haired Wicca before she could fall off the cliff. When I looked down into her eyes, they were bloodshot, and her pupils were the size of saucers. She coughed up blood and scrunched up her face, but there was still a resilient spark in her eyes.
“M-Master,” she stuttered before she placed a bloody palm on my cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I-I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will,” I whispered before I planted a small kiss on her forehead and placed her down on the stone. “I refuse to let any one of you die.”
“Cole, these fuckers will keep trying to wipe us out,” Vanessa spat with spiteful eyes, but she still looked pale and shaken from exerting herself earlier. “One by one, they will pierce us with arrows until there are none of us left to fight. What the fuck are we going to do?”
“Let me think,” I growled. “There has to be something we can do to bring them out into the open.”
I stared up at the cluster of thick colorful clouds, and suddenly, an idea sprung to mind. If I could move other natural elements and bend them to my will, then I surely could do the same with these hazy heavenly shields. I knew it would take an immense amount of power, but with Penelope’s potion, it could work.
“I need you all to be on the lookout,” I ordered my coven. “If you need to take an arrow for Vanessa, so be it. Remember, you’ll live, but she won’t. I know the poison looks painful, but you’re tough, and you can handle it.”
“Yes, master,” Vesta purred. “We won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” I replied before I rolled up my sleeves and took a long deep breath. “Now, everyone brace yourselves and hold on to something.”
“What are you going to do, master?” Circe asked with wide, serpentine eyes.
“You’ll see.” I grinned before I raised my hands high in the air and closed my eyes. I pictured the thick white clouds above us and imagined them turning into thin tendrils of gray smoke. Then I longed to see the elders appear from their hiding spot as I destroyed the mask of clouds they hid behind. When I was ready, I shouted the ancient spell that would change weather and other elements. “Interficiam carne mea, mutata tempestate!”
Suddenly, the rose-pink sky turned a deep, hellish red, and the clouds shifted from wisps of white into giant puffs of smoke and flame. The entire core of the mountain rumbled, and the warm wind became hot like we were in the deepest pits of the unholy inferno. When the thick white clouds evaporated and obeyed my will, I saw the two elder men, and their brows were furrowed in concentration and confusion. Their gold breastplates glimmered against the red sky, and their faces were set in blank stares as they tightened their hold on their bows. They didn’t seem impressed by my magic, but still, I could tell their confidence was waning.
“We can see you now, fuckers!” Akira screamed with all her might and vengeance as she raised her hands high into the air. “Now prepare to fucking die… da fortitudinem!”
Swiftly, the red sky turned even darker, and a howling wind began to break stones off the mountain. I could feel great, unholy energy surrounding us like a powerful wave, and it beat against us and knocked the two elders back into the air. Their sturdy bodies violently jerked backward, and they growled like wolves as the first part of the incantation blasted through their bodies and coursed through their sacred minds.
“Ostende mihi via--” Vanessa began, but then one of the soldiers whipped out a star-shaped blade and tossed it in her direction before she could utter the second part of the incantation.
Marina dove in front of the vulnerable professor, and the silver weapon lodged right in the middle of the former siren’s throat. Her lavender eyes went wide with pain as her blood sprayed through the air, and deep blue veins began to spread from her wound before she nearly fell off the cliff. Vanessa quickly caught her by her wrists and pulled her forward, and the professor’s eyes were filled with vengeance and a thirst for blood.
“You bastards!” the professor snarled as she held onto the choking Wicca. She then lifted her head and flashed the scouts a deep scowl. “You’ll pay for this!”
Vanessa’s words rang true. They would certainly suffer for what they've done.
When I stared at my injured women, a deep, searing rage coursed through my bones, and the sky must have felt my wrath because bursts of yellow lightning split through the air and caused the mountain to shake. The women gasped and held on to the stones as my anger became one with the air and earth, but I held onto my power. I could feel tremors beneath my boots, and it surged up my feet, past my legs, and into my heart.
“You’re going to die a most painful, haunting death,” I growled loud enough for them to hear. “Mark my words, Satan will own your souls forever.”
“Our master’s right!” Vesta cried out before she raised her silver eyes toward the red heavens. “Ostende mihi viam!”
Another vehement tremor vibrated from the ground and up the mountain like an unforgivable earthquake. Then the sky turned a deeper shade of crimson, and thunder began to roar like a pack of starving lions. The second part of Vesta’s spell caused the elders to twist and writhe in pain, and the men crouched mid-air as their golden wings slowly started to disintegrate. Gold specks fell from their appendages like a shower of golden leaves, and their glowing skin was becoming dimmer by the second. They were losing their power, and I could see their grips on their weapons slowly slackening.
Just one more part of the incantation, and they would soon be dead.
“You fuckers messed with the wrong Wiccas,” Akira cried out.
One of the scouts growled in frustration before he shot his head up to look right at me. His bright eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, and his skin was turning a pallid yellow. The once brilliant soldier now struggled to remain upright, but he quickly reached into his waistband to pull out a small dagger.
I could tell by the wild look in his eyes that he planned to fly right at me and pierce my heart, but I had no intention of letting that happen. Still, I wanted him to think I had no idea what was in store for me, so I remained completely still and waited for his attack. Meanwhile, his counterpart who was also visibly suffering had one last spear-like arrow notched in his giant bow. He prepared to shoot Vanessa right in her skull with trembling hands, but I knew his aim was no longer steady and true.
Both of them were finally weakened, and now was the time to kill them with the final part of the incantation.
So, with all the power of Satan in my heart, I willed the deep entities of hell to come to my aid and protect their own. I silently prayed for them to destroy our enemies and ensure they suffered a most painful death, but when I opened my mouth to speak, the knife-wielding elder came rushing at me with his broken wings and crumbled on top of me. He was a heavy man, made mostly of marble-like muscle, and even though his power was draining, he had enough strength to lift his arm and bring the knife down toward my chest.
But I was faster.
I reached down into my waistband in the blink of an eye, and with Samara’s blade in my hand, I stuck the elder right in between the bones of his ribcage. The holy soldier cried out in pain as I dug deeper, and when I pulled the holy knife out, he clumsily flew backward and stared at me with furrowed eyebrows.
“You b-bastard,” he grunted as blood spilled from his pale lips.
I quickly got to my feet before he could charge at me again, and with the power of the unholy lord by my side, I uttered the final part of the incantation to finish these bastards once and for all.
“Ut interficias eos, qui in virtute dei seniorem magicae!” I shouted with all my willpower, and my voice came out like an echo before the entire mountain began to fall apart.
As everything crumbled, the elders’ eyes went wide with disbelief. Soon, they began to glow from the inside out, and when they opened their mouths to scream, sunlight spurted from their lips and burned them from the inside out. The light punctured multiple holes in their bodies, and their screams rang through the air before they disintegrated into a thousand shimmering particles.
“Now what do we do?” Vanessa screamed as they struggled to hold onto the crumbling stones. “In case you’ve forgotten, Cole, if the entire mountain comes down, I’ll die, and so will you!”
“I’ve got it under control,” I hissed before I closed my eyes and took a deep, steady breath. “Ego in vtero producite!”
The mountain continued to violently tremble, and the only sound we could hear was the crumbling of the stones as they began to fall into the abyss. This entire realm was disappearing, and we only had a few seconds to escape.
Then a deep chorus of growls suddenly echoed against the chaos, and when I turned my head, I saw our dragons hovering next to the cliff, ready to obey our will.
“Help Marina, Faye, and Penelope onto their dragons,” I commanded. “Get Penelope’s panda on there, too!”
“Yes, master,” the women responded.
Akira hoisted a drowsy Marina onto the back of her dragon and then sat behind her to make sure she wouldn’t fall off. Vanessa did the same with Faye, and Circe protected Penelope and her panda. When each woman and familiar were safely on the backs of their bonded creatures, I hopped on my dragon’s hide, and we flew off as the entire mountain came crashing down and disappeared into the nothingness below us.
As the compass beat against my chest, I knew Samara was fuming with rage somewhere. Not only had we escaped from her disintegrating beach, but we also managed to kill her beloved scouts. The thought of her rage and disappointment made me smile, and soon, we would meet in person.
Then I would make her mine.