Chapter 38
So much had changed through the years. And watching over her descendants never made accepting that easier. Merova watched the thing with the moving, talking pictures.
The news, as it were. Even the French language had evolved in her time away from the world.
Though the more time she spent with Evangeline, the more English appealed, but that may have been the fact she had watched over Genevieve for a hundred years, unable to change her failing health without giving the wrong person the Dagger of Change.
At least Genevieve was growing healthy once again. Maybe she could do something to make up for the years of suffering as long as she really was done chasing the dagger.
Being in this world hurt.
All because she hadn’t wanted to continue after losing Halstien.
Something in the air changed. A familiar warmth washed over her. One she hadn’t felt since she watched Halstien die in front of her as he sent her crashing into his rift system.
Tears filled her eyes. A cruel trick of her memory perhaps.
The door opened, and she looked up, those blue eyes locked on her, and she was out of the chair, on the way to the only man who ever understood her burden and didn’t want to take advantage of the curse most believed was a blessing.
“Merova, why are you crying?” His tone was thick with concern.
“But I saw you die.” Her voice broke and tears fell. He’d been the only thing she wanted to live for and he was there, out of reach, for centuries.
He wrapped his big arms around her, lifted her off her feet, and planted a kiss on her that stole her breath. “No, nearly died, but I escaped. I couldn’t reach you. I’ve tried, oh, how I tried.”
“If I had known…I would have never given up for so long.”
“You are not to blame, beloved. We can still end Zariha’s life.”
“We must,” she whispered, leaning back to stare into those beautiful blue eyes. “You’re really alive?”
He laughed and kissed her once again. “I am indeed. I’d do more to prove it, but I believe we’ll be dealing with him soon.”
She nodded, closing her eyes. “He’s worse than he once was.” She felt foolish, worse than foolish. So much wasted time.
Savon spoke up, “We should wait on Ceridwen. She found him, though I have no idea what she’s doing to him now.”
“She’s likely dead,” Halstien pointed out as he moved farther into the room, letting Savon and Nate enter properly.
Blushing, Merova pulled Halstien down beside her on a couch. His arm naturally went around her and she closed her eyes, leaning into him. So long without this warmth. And until that moment she hadn’t realized how cold she’d become without him.
“Shh, no more tears, beloved,” he whispered.
Another woman walked into the room, appearing from nowhere, as if she’d walked through a rift, portal, or something else.
The woman looked at Savon. “He’s faded away for the moment. I left him bleeding.”
Nate cleared his throat. “We found Halstien.” He nodded to the man she’d missed so long she never believed he’d hold her again.
Ceridwen smiled, her head tipping to the side. “Very good. I think we need to trap Zariha between the realms, in a rift, to kill him. With two of you working together, we should have a chance.”
“Two of what?” Halstien asked slowly.
Tremaine lifted a hand. “I’m a Rift Bender.” He rolled his eyes. “Though it’s not something most know, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“I take it prejudices became too much and hybrids are no longer welcome.”
Tremaine’s head cocked. “Was there a time we were?”
He laughed softly. “Yes. For a period of time years after I was born, but still in the early days when caster clans met others.”
“How long were you two together?”
Halstien looked at Merova and smiled. “Forever, and it isn’t enough.”
Merova laughed softly. “Centuries, eons. I came to earth when humans were young and magic was better accepted even by those who didn’t have it.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Tremaine muttered.
“Perhaps one day you’ll witness it yourself.”
Tremaine scrubbed the back of his neck. “Hope so.” He looked at Robert. “I suppose a round of introductions is in order.” He went around the room to make sure Merova and Halstien had names to go with faces.
* * * *
Zariha landed at the bottom of the cliff with a thump. The farther he flowed through the earth, the slower he went. Blood seeped from him.
His shadows faded as more blood spilled.
He lay there, in pain, trying to reach out to anyone. He needed to feed.
Halstien was the last to leave him so wounded. So close to death.
“Hurry,” someone shouted. “The creature hurt him.”
Splashing and thunking, he pulled his head up. A young man and woman came running toward him. More witches, and not nearly as powerful as the mother and child. And yet, the moment the girl touched his hand, he latched onto her wrist and grabbed the ankle of the young man.
He pulled on their life force, their magic, everything, and their limited power came rushing in. His wounds healed. His shadows replenished.
They screamed, crying out. Another man came running, this one older, perhaps one of their fathers. He lifted a gun and Zariha let go of the two young witches, dispersed into shadows, and flowed along the ground to rise over the older man, draining every bit of failing strength from him.
Time to show Étrange Port why they should fear him.
* * * *
Evangeline pulled Bran into one of the bedrooms. “Merova gave up when she lost Halstien.”
Bran captured her face in his hands. “You know why I didn’t completely fall apart when I lost Margaret?”
Tears burned her eyes as she shook her head.
“Because I knew in my soul, sooner or later, we’d find our way to each other. Because I couldn’t leave Savon all alone, even if I didn’t see her all that often. Because I couldn’t leave Nate alone with his asshole father. Sooner or later, I knew it would all work out.”
“And if you lost me?”
“Don’t. I refuse to let that happen, Evangeline. You’re mine, and together we’ll fight to keep it that way.”
Nodding, she leaned fully into him and brought his head down for a kiss. She needed the connection, to feel his possessiveness.
He didn’t disappoint as he took over, pulling her tighter and banding one arm around her waist as he fisted her hair and pulled her head back to kiss down her throat. “Soon this will be all over and I will have time to prove you’re everything I want.”
“I believe you. I do.”
“Then stop. I have you. Nate has Savon. Even Merova has Halstien back. And well, the mages have their women.”
Evangeline giggled. “Yeah. I suppose we should get out there. Finish this.”
Bran took another kiss before letting her go. She slipped through the door as someone knocked on the front door.
Evangeline hurried across the room and opened the door. A young man stood there trembling.
“Homme d’ombre is back. Be careful.”
“What?” Evangeline whispered.
“He drained three people. One didn’t survive. Then there were the two last night. He won’t stop until we’re all dead.”
“Stay safe,” Evangeline answered.
“You too.” He hurried down the hall.
Evangeline turned back to the entire group. “So, how do we stop Zariha?”
“We pull him into a rift,” Robert answered.
“Actually, maybe we can take him back to his own world. Leave him there,” Tremaine offered. “Only, will he be able to leave?”
“How about a rift trapped between that world and this, and break it so he can’t escape?” Preston asked.
Tremaine turned to Halstien. “Isn’t that what you did to protect Merova?”
“Could work, but what world is he from?” Halstien asked. “And can whatever he is escape that?”
Ceridwen shook her head. “Not from a broken rift. And not from our world. We had to create a machine to escape our world. It was only once we moved on from there we gained the ability to move between the realms. But none of you can survive in that realm long.”
“Why?” Merova asked.
“The atmosphere is different than here, or even in Faery. The world is slowly coming back to life, but it was dead until recently.” A slow smile spread on Ceridwen’s face. “Trapping him there means he can’t come back unless he can rebuild the machine, but he will have no source of magic to keep him alive. He will die there.”
“And that’s what we want, is it not?” Merova demanded.
“Oh, we do,” Ceridwen answered. “You and I have similar reasons. He told me he’d claim you regardless. He once believed he could have me, but that didn’t work out, and I believe the only reason he didn’t keep coming is that he thought I hadn’t survived the cataclysm that ripped apart our world.”
Tremaine tipped his head. “That’s what happened?”
She laughed bitterly. The shadow mystics wanted to control everything, only our people never had leaders. Originally, we were all the same, living together, helping each other. Then some got greedy. Their light was tainted, dimming, then they became fully shadows. Our people became more divided with every mystic who fell to shadows. The rest of us banded together to keep each other safe. The dark ones started feeding off the light ones. They were destroying the world. Our deaths filled the sky with darkness, taking the light of a dozen suns. We were dying. Leaving was our only hope.”
Evangeline shook her head, trying to clear the spinning thoughts. She wasn’t sure what to think. However, Ceridwen was here, helping people.
“Okay, so now what?” Bran asked, then his eyes widened. “And do either of you need your weapons back.”
Merova shook her head. “No, please, keep them, but be careful. They are more powerful than I should have made them, but I was still young and foolish.”
Halstien took her hand. “I don’t need a weapon or any other gift from you. You’re all I have ever wanted.”
Her face lit up. “And that is why I have always loved you.”
“I shall always love you.”
Bran whispered against Evangeline’s ear, “And I’ll always love you.”
Savon spoke up, “I can find him, but who knows how to open a rift to another world?”
“I can, and I’ve opened one there before.” Tremaine looked up at the ceiling, then directed his attention at Halstien. “Can you work with me to build the rift to hold him? We can break it together and he’ll be stuck.”
“Enough out of sync with either world to leave without help,” Halstien answered.
“Exactly,” Tremaine replied.
“You can get back there?” Robert asked.
“I can. Once I’ve opened a way to another place, I can do it again.”
“We’ll work in groups,” Bran suggested. “Savon, Nate, Evangeline, and myself can track him down. Halstien can work with Tremaine.”
Tremaine stepped forward. “I’ll help Halstien. With my magic, we can reinforce the area of the rift to ensure Zariha can never escape.”
Preston looked at Bran. “I’ll come with you to help track him down. Robert should come too. He’ll be able to contact Tremaine their own way once the rift is ready, or we find Zariha. Whichever comes first.”
Ceridwen closed her eyes. When she opened them, she said, “I should stay here. If I go back, I don’t believe I can leave.”
“That’s fine,” Savon answered. “And we’ll try to kill him. But if we can’t—I don’t know.”
“We don’t die, not exactly. He would still wander free without his solid form, terrorizing people. It’s why banishing him there is the best option.”
“Then that’s what we do.”