Chapter 153: Green Magic
So not good. I dodged at the last second when I realized whatever saved me wasn't about to do it a second time. I stumbled over Quaid's unconscious body and fell, landing hard on my butt next to him as Demetrius pounced on me.
You know how people say your whole life flashes in front of your eyes when you're about to die? Not for me. All I saw was a flicker of shadow as Sunny materialized, lashing out with her vampire magic and her fist just before the knife found my chest.
I'd totally take it. I made it to my feet as Demetrius again crashed into his desk, this time sliding over the top and impacting the wall behind it with a sickening thud. He rallied quickly, amazingly considering the blow he took, and lifted his hand, the crystal pointed at Sunny. I cried out, tried to warn her, but it was too late.
For the second time, but this time to my advantage, nothing happened.
The look on Demetrius's face would have been hilarious if we weren't in that circumstance. It was like someone deflated his favorite balloon. His blue eyes turned to me, flooded with insanity.
"What did you do to me?" He gestured with the crystal again. And again. Even my demon seemed interested now, leaning against the inside of the glass, watching him with evil intensity. I could hear her nails scraping over the bubble.
What had I done? Nothing, except defend myself. He staggered toward me, but I no longer felt threatened by him. His face filled with grief to match his madness and he howled.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"
I ignored him, leaving him for Sunny, turned to my demon.
"You're free." Well, not yet. But I knew now with his power some how shut off she could be if she wanted to be.
She nodded, made a fist. Grinned like it was funny. Hit the bubble with all her power.
I hated to repeat myself, but... nothing happened.
Her teeth flashed as she snarled at the barrier.
"Syd." I turned to Sunny. The vampire had Demetrius pinned while the Chosen leader wept over his hands. Sunny retrieved the crystal and tossed it to me. I felt a thrill of something travel up my arm and saw a thread of the same green magic crawl from it to me.
Green magic was Sidhe power. Was Demetrius of the old folk? No, not possible. That magic was keyed to me. I realized then it was always this way from the moment I recognized the comfortable feeling of it in the damaged wards holding my grandmother in to the way it was so easy to use it to defeat the Moromonds.
It made no sense, about as much as my link with Pain and the dreams of Shaylee, but I'd take anything I could get at that point. Time to figure it out after we escaped. I turned to my demon. Held up the crystal with no clue what I was doing. Felt the green magic travel down my arm and into the stone.
Tapped the glass with it gently, once.
It shattered into sparkling motes of magic, spinning outward in slow motion, dissipating one at a time until the final shard winked out and she was free.
I choked on tears and hugged myself. She was free!
Quaid groaned, tried to get to his feet. I pulled him up, supporting him. He shook his head while he leaned on me. "We have to get out of here," he said. "The others must know something is wrong by now."
I was pretty sure Demetrius gave orders we were his to deal with, but I didn't put it past them to come running anyway. "Sunny?"
She cocked her head to one side, shimmering blonde hair almost white in the light from the yard, listening. Then she nodded, grim. "I hear footsteps."
I was all for getting out of there. I held my arms open to my demon.
"Time to come home."
She held her distance. "We need to go."
I wanted her back now. But maybe she was right. Who knew what reconnecting would do to us? Best to try it in a safe location where we weren't under threat from a pack of crazy witch killers.
Speak of the devils themselves, someone chose that moment to pound on the door.
"Master Strong?" I knew that voice. I'd heard it several times, met him once. Annick, Demetrius's second in command. The Chosen leader perked immediately.
"Avenge me!" He lunged from Sunny toward the exit, frothing at the mouth in his rage and madness. "Avenge me!"
Oh crap.
Quaid's magic reached out, sealed the door. I felt a thrum under my feet and knew he'd done his best to shield the whole room, but who knew how long it would last against sorcery?
Before I could think about it, the protective source of power in my mind lifted my hand. Another thread of green magic, this tied to blue, layered over Quaid's spell and bound the seal tighter.
"Where were you when I needed you before," I muttered at it.
It ignored me. Naturally.
I heard glass shatter, turned to see Sunny standing next to a broken window. "This way."
I wasn't leaving without my demon. I watched her crouch over the trembling and gibbering form of Demetrius.
"I have a gift for you," she hissed at him. "As a thank you for your fine hospitality." She caressed his cheek with one fingertip. He flinched from her like she'd struck him. A warm red glow started in the spot she'd touched, spreading outward slowly before picking up speed, taking over his face, his neck and down under the collar of his shirt. I watched in horror as his eyes changed from pale blue to glowing amber, his pale skin flushing red. As his finger nails transformed into hard, sharp claws, two tiny black horns popped out of his hairline.
"You made him a demon?" How could she? Would he have demon power now?
But she just smirked down at him. "Not hardly," she said. "I only made him look like one of us. Permanently. Now let's see how your faithful followers treat you."
Giant tears spilled down his trembling cheeks as he huddled there, sobbing. Sunny helped Quaid out the window, then my demon. I was the last to go, glancing over my shoulder at the crushed and altered form of the former leader of the Chosen of the Light.
And while I refused to feel sorry for him, for everything he'd done and the countless witches I knew he'd killed or converted, as we raced across the compound to the safety of the forest, I couldn't help but wince at the sound of splintering wood as his people reached him, his sudden screams, cut off just as quickly as I could only imagine the Chosen did to him what they did best.
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