Unleashing Magick: an Urban Fantasy Novel (The Witch Blood Chronicles Book 4) Page 14

  To the west side, the djinn were doing the same, or trying to, but the lucid humans were shying away. Reedy screams drifted up the stands toward us as the mortals resisted the djinn’s instructions with fear. The asura were having the same issue. Their huge size was menacing, unlike the yaksha who could pass more easily for human, especially to the frightened humans who weren’t really focusing on anything but their own terror right now.

  I turned to Vritra. “He did it. Malachi won.”

  Vritra grabbed my hand. “It’s not over yet. Look at all those people. Hundreds of civilians he couldn’t compel. He doesn’t have our city. Not yet.”

  My heart lurched. These were the people he didn’t want. The people he would exterminate. My body flooded with adrenaline. “Oh, fuck. We need to get them out of here. We need to get them to safety.”

  A figure detached itself from the throng just as Garnet and Elora appeared on the stands below us.

  Varuna waved his arms to get my attention from the green. “We need to get them to Brahma Corp,” he shouted up to us. “The building is warded. We need to get there now.”

  The high witch glanced up at me, her face a mask of horror.

  I began to climb down toward the green. “They’re not listening to the djinn or the asura. I need to get down there. Elora can you and Garnet arrange transport? We need wheels, lots of wheels.”

  Elora nodded and nudged Garnet. They ran back the way they’d come and vanished through the exit to the barriers. Vritra and I hit the green and ran toward the mass just as the final hypnotized human climbed up into the stand.

  “Follow us, come with us!” I waved my arms, mimicking Varuna, as I tried to get the nearest group’s attention.

  Faces wet with tears and twisted in confusion turned to face me.

  I smiled in what I hoped was a reassuring way. “You need to come with us. It’s not safe here.”

  “What’s happening? What was that voice?” a young man asked.

  “Something bad. And he’s not done with us. You need to come with us now. We can keep you safe.”

  They were listening now, slowly pulling themselves from their semi-stupor and moving toward us. Brahma Corp was large enough to hold all these humans, but the first step was getting them out of the stadium. Like a befuddled herd they moved toward the exit—djinn at their backs and remaining IEPEU officers penning them in. How many humans were left? Three hundred? Four hundred? What about the ones who hadn’t been enticed out of their homes for the party? And what the fuck were the ones who Malachi had successfully recruited doing? They were taking seats as if waiting for a show.

  A chill climbed up my spine.

  They were waiting for a show. “Hurry up. Quick!” I resisted the urge to grab and drag the loiterers. It would only incite panic and we needed calm. But they weren’t moving fast enough.

  The speakers crackled to life once more. “Welcome to Nirvana,” Malachi said. “Sit back and enjoy the show. This is the final stage of the purge.”

  I locked gazes with Vritra above the head of the stunned humans. And then the green was filled with static.

  “The djinn are coming!” Paimon yelled. “Move.”

  But it was too late. The djinn army materialized around us, pinning us in. The humans screamed and tried to scatter.

  “Hold fast!” Paimon instructed. “Surround the humans.”

  “Do it!” Vritra cried.

  Marco and Rohan shouted orders to their packs too.

  The supernaturals created a shield around the heaving human mass. Malachi’s djinn advanced, their faces impassive, even though their eyes glinted with conflict.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Alara said. “This is wrong and you know it. This world, these people do not deserve this. This is not who we are.”

  “Stand down and join us in protecting the innocent,” Paimon said.

  “You’re a traitor to your people,” a large, green tinged djinn said. “We follow the word of the council.”

  “No, you follow the word of a cosmic god.”

  Doubt flitted across the green djinn’s face, but he clenched his jaw and drew his sword. “We have a job to do, and a mission to complete.”

  Several djinn exchanged conflicted glances. Alara and Paimon were reaching them, they just needed a push.

  I stepped forward. “Look at these people? Defenseless, fragile mortals whose families have been forcefully taken from them by Malachi and his mind control. He wants to strip this world of free will, and what’s stopping him from doing the same to yours once he’s done with us?”

  Several djinn lowered their weapons. “Lance maybe we should listen. This doesn’t feel right.”

  Lance, the green djinn, didn’t even look at the speaker. “When has war ever felt right, you fool? When has a soldier gone readily into battle? We do what we must for the survival of our own people. We have our own war to wage soon, our own families to protect, and Malachi will give us what we need to be victorious.”

  The younger djinn shook his head. “I can’t do this.” He broke rank and strode over to join us. Emboldened by his move, several other djinn followed.

  Lance shook his head. “Then you are the enemy, and you too shall die.”

  Commotion from the exit had his head whipping round. My pulse pounded in fearful anticipation and then my stomach dropped as Malachi’s yaksha army came snarling into the stadium. Hunter turned to us, his expression smoothing into something dead and unfeeling.

  And then the killing began.

  19

  Snarls ripped the air, backed up by a symphony of shrieks and screams as the humans jostled and shoved like spooked animals—their instinct to flee stronger than their common sense.

  The djinn battalion was huge and, when it was coupled with Malachi’s yaksha force, they outnumbered us five to one. We were so screwed.

  As I spun and jabbed, kicked and roared, a pit of hopelessness opened up inside me. My dragon snapped. No, she said. Must have hope. Her unspoken words came with a fresh wave of heat. It suffused my limbs as I gave myself to her, to the majestic form that may just help us win this fight.

  “Watch out for their weapons!” Alara warned. She backed up as I rose above them, my vision red to match my rage.

  It was all right to let out the aggression now, to let out the anger. It was all right to vent. The blue flame bubbled up inside me, surged up my throat and blasted out of my open maw. No one was getting close enough to use their poison on me or my mate. Vritra was in uber alpha dragon form to my left. Together we kept the bulk of attackers at bay. But for how long?

  As long as it takes.

  As long as need be.

  As long as there is breath in our lungs and fire in our limbs.

  The asura’s assurances were a song of conquest, a melody of perseverance inside my mind. They were buoyant beacons around me. There, to the left, was Laila swinging those damn blades of hers, behind me was Mani with his battle axe and war cry and Kiran and Gita were double teaming to my right. They were bright points of life within my consciousness—a part of me and yet independent.

  We were together. We were a fist. And just like that, our power expanded exponentially. Ten times as strong, ten times as fast, my fire burned ten times hotter. Come close and turn to cinder. Was that the sound of my dragon laughing? Vritra’s mind brushed against mine, determined and focused. Yes. We could do this.

  We need to move toward the exit. Vritra’s voice was clear as a bell in my head. Move together. It was an order to us all.

  And a chorus of yes rose up inside my head.

  We began our shift, slow and steady, smash and swipe and blast with fire. The others picked up the idea soon enough. Our yaksha, rebel djinn and IEPEU forces moved with us.

  Malachi’s troops were too busy trying not to get burned to a crisp. When they moved, I moved, circling the shield that we’d made. My huge body wrapped itself around my people and my allies. Once we got close enough to the exit we could erect a funnel fo
r the humans to pour out, and, hopefully, Garnet and Elora would have shown up with our getaway wheels. Brahma Corp wasn’t far—barely a mile from the stadium—we could do this.

  And then a silver net fell from the sky, and Vritra’s roar slammed into my heart.

  The sting hit me, the burn of the poison from the metal mesh that now encased him, pressing into his armor and cutting straight through. But the asura were on it in a flash, slashing at the metal to free their king. It was too late. The fucking lethal toxin was already in his system.

  Leave me, save the humans. Vritra ordered the asura. Carmella, the humans must come first.

  This was my moment to be a hero, to put the greater good over that of my mate. It was the classic choice, save one beloved life, or the lives of many. It was obvious what choice a real hero would make. But I was Carmella Hunter, and I wasn’t playing by the rules. Why make a choice when I could do both—save my mate and save the humans.

  Summoning every iota of fire inside me, I began to expel flame. Not in a fixed direction but around the shield, trapping the humans and my allies within a ring of fire.

  Vritra was free but his armor was torn and bleeding that glowing green shit again.

  Now, we expel the poison. Now. I pressed the order into the asura minds and we channeled our power into our king.

  We’d acted fast and the poison seeped out of his veins emerging as silver threads that leaked into the ground. His wounds knitted themselves, and he threw his head back and roared. Even as my heart soared, a dark shadow passed over my joy because we’d just exhausted our energies. We weren’t down and out by any means, but the asura’s fatigue was a palpable force pressing like a vise against my mind. Malachi’s army stood on the other side of the wall of flame I’d erected, and if I opened my jaws and tried to spew more there’d be nothing, because even dragon fire had its limits. But then a light bulb went off in my head. Dropping my dragon form, I slipped back into my human body.

  Where were Paimon and Alara? Not caring that I was naked, I ran around the mass. Kiran grabbed hold of me, and shoved his shirt into my arms. I slipped it on.

  “Carmella!” Melody joined me. “Good thinking, but we’re trapped now. We need to get to the exit.”

  “I know and I have an idea. I just need to find Paimon or Alara.”

  Mira was by my side. “I saw him a moment ago. He was just—”

  Paimon materialized in front of me. “The fire won’t hold them off for long. They will materialize on this side of the wall soon.”

  I know. But if we can cut a path through the flame for the humans—”

  His brows flicked up. “I can hold the flames at bay. But not for long.”

  “Anyone else out there that can do that?” I jerked my thumb toward the wall of fire.

  Paimon’s lips curved in a smug smile. “There is no one that can do what I do.”

  On any other occasion, I’d have called him out on his arrogance, but not today.

  Vritra joined me, his chest bare, but his legs were encased in loose joggers. Now which asura had given up their pants for their king? He pulled me against him and planted a hard kiss on the top of my head.

  “The standoff won’t last,” he said to Paimon.

  “Then we had better work fast,” Paimon said. He strode toward the section of flame that faced the exit and sent out a blast of air so icy that it cut through the fire creating a tunnel. “Now!”

  Melody ushered several IEPEU agents through and then the humans started to filter out. Yes! It was working. We were going to do this.

  Something wet slapped against my cheek. I reached up to wipe away the moisture but it was followed by another cold, wet, splash on my hand. No! No, no, no!

  Vritra stared at me, his eyes wide with horror.

  With an ominous rumbled the heavens tore open, and it began to rain.

  20

  The fire hissed and spat. It was only a matter of minutes before we were exposed to attack again. Across the flames, the djinn stood steadfast, patient and waiting, and Malachi’s yaksha bounced on the balls of their feet eager to lunge at us.

  Movement at the periphery of my vision caught my attention and then Elora’s panicked voice cut through the elements.

  “No, Garnet. You promised.” Elora grabbed her ex-lover’s arm.

  Garnet shook her off. “I’m sorry but she has the right to know. She has the right to choose.”

  Why was my stomach churning? Garnet strode toward me, his jaw set, eyes like resolute chips of ice.

  “What is it? If it can help us out of this mess, then I’m all ears,”

  “Remember I mentioned a plan B?”

  “Yes, back at the mansion. If you failed to summon Malachi, you had a plan B.”

  “And you promised to help with it.”

  “Yes. I did.”

  “It’s time for you to know what it is.”

  “Garnet, please. No.” Elora made another grab at his arm.

  He ignored her, his attention fixed resolutely on me. “You are the plan B, Carmella.”

  “Me?”

  The flames hissed and sizzled. We were running out of time.

  “Just spit it out,” Vritra said. “They’re getting ready to attack.”

  Garnet licked his lips. “You’re Malachi’s perfect host, so we summon him again, but this time you’re the trap.”

  My mouth went dry, was he saying what I thought he was saying?

  He pulled a marker from his pocket. “I mark you with the symbols and you call him to you. Let down your shields and call him to you. Offer him your body as a vessel in exchange for the lives of your loved ones. Once he’s inside, we can bind him.”

  Once he was inside? “Are you crazy? Have you any idea how strong he is? Once he’s inside, that’s it, I’m toast.”

  “It’s the only way to save the city. We need to cut the head of the snake. Once, he’s gone the army will fall back.” Garnet’s eyes twitched and it clicked. In this plan B, I was expendable.

  “Fuck you,” Vritra said low and lethal. He’d obviously deciphered Garnet’s meaning as well.

  “It’s too dangerous, Carmella,” Elora said. “I’ve already lost Velomina, I can’t lose you too.” Her tone was shrill with panic.

  “Everyone will lose their loved ones if we don’t do this,” Garnet said. His icy expression chilled me to the bone.

  Once again, it was that fucking choice, except this time it was my life to save my loved ones. I wanted to punch Garnet for coming up with this solution, for putting me in this fucked up position. The thought of Malachi in my head, of his claws digging into my mind, made my stomach ache and my bowels twinge with fear. But Garnet was right. It was the only way to stop this.

  “Fine, just do it.”

  “What?” Vritra grabbed my shoulder. “No.”

  I looked into his beautiful fiery eyes. “Would you say no if you were me?”

  He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, and then closed his eyes, his expression pained. A deep shuddering breath ripped through his body. And then I was crushed against him, his hand cupped the back of my hair, and his nose buried in my neck, he inhaled me as if committing my scent to memory, and then slowly, reluctantly, he released me.

  I stepped back, wiping away the rain that masked my tears. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The mass hid me from view as Garnet scribbled symbols onto my torso, his face set in concentration. Elora gripped my hand tight and Mira watched intently, her gaze fixed on Garnet. When he stepped back, she grabbed his collar and hauled him toward her.

  “If she dies, you die.”

  “What?” He shook his head. “I’m not doing this to be malicious.”

  Mira’s lips curled in a sneer. “Oh, but I will. I’ll rip you to shreds and I’ll do it slow. So you make sure you work fast because from right this moment, your life is bound to hers.”

  Damn her, she was making me cry even harder.

  Mira released Garnet and then turned
to me. “Do not die.”

  “You can do this,” Vritra said. “I’m with you.” He glanced up, scanning the faces of the asura. “We all are.”

  I nodded, and smiled with confidence because that was what he needed to see. But, the reality was that we were tapped out. Saving him from the mercuron a second time had drained us.

  “Okay, how do I summon Malachi?”

  “Let down your mental shields and call to him,” Garnet said. “You have a connection. He will hear you.”

  Exhaling and shaking out my hands I stepped away from the mass.

  Closing my eyes, I imagined shields protecting my mind, shimmering metallic walls vibrating with power. One by one, I dropped them and stared into the darkness beyond. He was out there somewhere. Waiting to pounce. Did he sense I was vulnerable?

  Going against every impulse, I called out him with my mind. “Malachi, I’m here. Take me and spare my loved ones. Please. Can you hear me?” There was nothing. Not a shift or a stir. Not a breath. “You win, okay. Just spare my loved ones. My mate and my asura, my friends, let them go. Do whatever the fuck you want with the damned humans. I don’t care.”

  In that moment, that split second of bitterness, the words were heartfelt and true because I was tired. I was bone weary and exhausted. I’d had enough.

  “You would give yourself to me willingly?”

  My pulse jumped. He was here. “Yes.”