Legacy and Spellbound (Wicked 2)

  Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

  To the holder of our family legacy, Elise Jones, who is a true heroine--Nancy HolderTo my dad, Richard

  Reynolds, who has always been there for me and is my truest fan--Debbie Viguié ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

  Thanks first to Debbie, an awesome coauthor and fantastic friend. And thanks to her husband, Scott, who is

  the best of the best Big, big thanks to Lisa Clancy, Lisa Gribbin, and Micol Ostow. lb my agent, Howard

  Morhaim, and his assistant, Ryan Blitstein, my deepest gratitude. Thanks to Art and Lydia; J&M'e; Melanie

  and Steve; Del and Sue; AngelaBAH Rienstra and Pat mom; Allie Costa; my never-husband Bill wu; Liz

  Engstrom Cratty and Al Cratty; big bro Steve Perry; Kym; Karen Hackett, Lisa Bayorek, and Linda

  Wilcox.--N. H.Thanks to the two Lisas at Simon & Schuster for all your hard work and support. Thanks to

  Mimi Viguié for all her support and love. Thank you David and Eunice Naples for your friendship. Thanks to

  Ted Rallis for always listening. Thank you also to Brian Liotta for your enthusiasm and being part of my

  extended family. As always I could not have done any of this without the love and support of my husband,

  Scott--D.

  Part One Yule***When the Yule Log bums bright Witches come out to play at night But once the year has

  finally turned Witches will drown, and witches will burn

  ONE BLACK OBSIDIAN***Seek and destroy, hunt and findWe will kill all their kind They will beg and

  they will plead As we drink their blood with meadProtect us, Goddess, hear our cry Cahors call out to the sky

  Shelter us beneath thy armsAnd help us to escape all harmThe Cathers Coven: London, DecemberThe Coven

  was on the run.Holly Cathers, her cousin, Amanda, and their friends were witches of the light trying to hide in

  the dark, in a land controlled by the Supreme Coven, warlocks who worshiped the horned god. As they

  trudged through the growing darkness Holly consulted her directions, frequently, desperately hoping they

  were nearing their destination and safety.312If there is any such thing as safety, she thought bitterly. A year

  and a half ago she had been a happy, normal teenager. In a horrible twist of fate her parents had been killed in

  an accident, the victims of a curse that all who loved a Cathers witch would die by drowning. She had gone to

  live with her estranged aunt and her twin cousins. It was then that all hell broke loose.She had known for only

  a few short months of her true heritage as the latest in a long line of witches, a descendant of the ancient

  House of Cahors. Her family was involved in a centuries' old feud with another witchly house, the Deveraux.

  Now Michael Deveraux was hunting her and hers. Still, they had had to come here, to London, the seat of the

  Supreme Coven, to find Holly's missing cousin, Nicole.After that first terrible year, in which Michael had

  killed Amanda and Nicole's mother, Nicole had left, too freaked out by the magic and the death to stay in

  Seattle any longer. She had called once, months later, to warn them of danger and to tell them she was going

  to try to come home. She had never made it, kidnapped instead by the Supreme Coven.The Coven kept on

  going, too tired to move at much more than a crawl. Holly's nerves were frayed, worn down by months of

  endless fighting. The stress413was taking its toll on her, and she was beginning to act in ways that would have

  once been abhorrent to her.Now, as they raced to put themselves as far from danger as they could, the others

  moved at a distance from Holly, leaving her alone in the midst of the busy London afternoon. Just as

  passersby on the street instinctively avoided the cloaked witches, so the rest of the Coven instinctively

  avoided getting too close to her.They're afraid of me, Holly Cathers thought as she and the members of her

  coven hurried down Oxford Street. Afraid of my power, afraid I'll lose my temper again.They're right to be

  afraid.I'm not sure I can control myself anymore. Isabeau is stirring inside, and she's driving me to disobey,

  and to go to Jer. Because her husband, Jean, can manifest in him, and she wants him

  ...... wants both to love

  him and to kill him, so she can rest....Bide your time, kinswoman. Let me do what I said I would.Holly could

  almost hear Isabeau reply, Then help me do what I said I would: kill my only love, my only hate.I must roam

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  through time and space, earthbound, until he is truly dead...."No," she whispered, then clamped her

  mouth514shut and moved on. Isabeau, Holly's ancestress, had died betraying her husband, Jean Deveraux, six

  centuries before.And now she lives on in me, Holly thought bitterly. And Jean lives on through Jeraud

  Deveraux, The two won't let us rest.Isabeau and Jean had been married, pawns in a deadly game played by

  their families. It had been their destruction. Now Isabeau and Jean were both cursed to wander the world as

  spirits until they fulfilled the curse each had laid on the other ... Isabeau, who had sworn to her mother, the

  fierce Queen Catherine, that she would kill Jean, was doomed to walk the world, earthbound, until she could

  fulfill her vow and kill her husband.Jean had sworn vengeance on Isabeau herself, after she had betrayed his

  family to her mother. Thanks to her duplicity, every man, woman, and child of Deveraux blood had been put

  to the torch. Infants. Even their livestock had burned alive. Only Jean had escaped, and he had been horribly

  burned.Now Jeraud Deveraux had been burned, just as Jean had been. By the woman he loved ...In each

  succeeding generation, Jean and Isabeau had attempted to possess members of their own families, through

  whom they would free themselves from615love and hate, and sink into the earth for one last time ... hopefully

  to find peace in the arms of angels, or in each other....Each generation had failed them.In Holly's time, she

  was Isabeau's vessel, her unwilling host. Jeraud Deveraux, the son of her terrifying enemy, Michael, was the

  one Jean used. Passion and hatred boiled inside them both as Jean and Isabeau pursued each other through

  time and space, loving and hating, willing death, and forbidding it....Now Holly shook her head. Isabeau spoke

  to her more lately, calling to all that was cold and wild within her. It was getting harder to ignore her, harder

  to draw the line between them.She glanced about, wondering how much farther she and her fellow covenates

  had to go. It was bitterly cold in London; granite-colored snow cascaded from skies the color of gravestones,

  and the bitter wind could freeze bones. Double-decker buses and old-fashioned black taxicabs slammed

  around overcrowded traffic circles; pedestrians slogged along, caught in a crush of steamy breath and bad

  tempers.Overhead, seven falcons wheeled, minions of the Deveraux, searching for Holly and her coven. Holly

  had been the first to notice them, scrutinizing the birds perched on the lampposts outside Victoria

  Station,716their beady, glaring eyes ticking as each passenger rushed by.Back in Paris, the High Priestess of

  the Mother Coven had woven spells of invisibility around Holly's coven to protect them from the

  Deveraux--from the entire Supreme Coven, for that matter. Having no desire to test those waters, Holly and

  the others had darted back into the train station and quickly boarded an Underground train for Essex Square,

  but somehow the birds were able to sense the presence of witches, and were trailing them.Now their wings

  cast deadly silhouettes against the neon signs and streetlights that were winking on, although it was barely

  four in the afternoon. Winter days in London were short; the night reigned supreme.

  Camouflaged among the

  dark umbrellas, the birds swooped and searched, unnoticed by the mundane Londoners because the creatures

  were magical and only visible to those who walked in that world. So far, the creatures still could not locate

  their quarry.Now the Coven hurried along. With Holly and Amanda were the remnants of their coven:

  Tommy Nagai, Amanda's best friend; Silvana Beaufrere, a friend of Amanda's since childhood; and a very

  reluctant Kari Hardwicke. Kari had been a member of Jer's coven and Jer's lover before Holly had come

  along.817Holly sighed as she looked at her. Kari had never forgiven her for leaving Jer behind in the school

  gymnasium as it was consumed by the Black Fire conjured by his father and brother.

  For months they had

  thought Jer dead and the members of his coven had joined with Holly and her friends.

  Now, all Jer's coven

  were dead except for Kari, and she wanted out.Kari had accompanied them to London only because the High

  Priestess of the Mother Coven had informed her that she would likely be killed or taken hostage by the

  Supreme Coven if she left the relative safety of their numbers. She wanted nothing more than to go back t o

  Seattle and, like Nicole Anderson, forget that she had ever learned that magic and witchery were real forces

  in the world.The new member of their party--if not officially of their coven--was Sasha Deveraux, Eli and

  Jer's mother, and the estranged wife of Michael. The lovely red-haired, green-eyed woman had asked to come

  with them, her mission being to save her beloved son, Jer, and to turn him completely away from the worship

  of the Horned God and all the darkness that entailed ... or so Sasha hoped.And so Holly hoped too.But Holly

  had promised the Mother Coven--and Nicole's sister, Amanda--that they would save Nicole918first. Once she

  had been rescued from the Supreme Coven--and how are we going to manage that?--

  then Holly was free to go

  after Jer.I hope it's a promise I can keep.The Mother Coven had helped ward their passage to London; they

  had gone by train and then by ferry, Holly remembering all the while that the curse on her family was that

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  those who loved them would die by drowning. For that reason, she had refused to take the Chunnel, the

  underground tunnel that transported travelers underneath the English Channel. In the end she hadn't been

  sure that the ferry was any better. She spent the entire trip reliving the nightmare of the ferry attack in Seattle,

  when they had lost Eddie.When I lost Eddie, she reminded herself. She was still haunted by his face and by

  the sure knowledge that he had died because she had chosen to save her cousin, Amanda, instead of him. It

  was a secret she had kept to herself. Along with so many others lately. She sighed, frustrated. Being a leader

  meant making the tough choices, the sacrifices. Hey, whatever helps me sleep at night, she thought bitterly.

  The truth was, she was beginning to scare even herselfFor the hundredth time she thought of the great battle

  waged on and over the Bay against Michael's legions. She remembered the promise she had made1019her

  dead ancestress, the powerful Catherine. The promise that she would be worthy.She shivered, but it had

  nothing to do with the biting cold. She wasn't sure what she would have to do, how much more of her soul she

  would need to sacrifice to be worthy to carry Catherine's mantle. Her visions of Catherine, from her daughter,

  Isabeau's point of view, had been unbearably gruesome. She shook her head and glanced anxiously at the

  sky.Focus; keep your mind on the task.Holly glanced down at the slip of paper in her hand. It was the address

  of a Mother Covenate safe house, and the owner was putting herself at great risk by opening her doors to the

  Cathers coven. Again Holly noted the relative weakness of the Mother Coven as compared with the Supreme

  Coven--and as opposed to the violent and brilliant ghost army she herself had led into Elliott Bay to save

  Kialish and Silvana ... though only Silvana had survived.Cahors all, she thought, her heart beating fiercely.

  Wild and strong and fearless. They called me their queen ... and Catherine said I was the one who could keep

  the family name alive....But I need Jer to do that. His magic combined with mine will give us the power to

  defeat the Supreme Coven. I feel that. I know that....1120Oui, ma belle, a voice whispered inside her head.

  Alors, go to him. Go now. Vite. It was Isabeau.Torn, Holly gestured to the others, indicating the fish and chips

  shop across the street. It was a landmark for them. They were supposed to turn right, then go through the

  second narrow alleyway. Their contact would be watching in the window for them.Kari looked longingly at

  the shop--it had been hours since they had eaten--but Holly firmly shook her head.

  Creature comforts had to

  be denied until they were out of harm's way ... or at least off the streets.The Coven obediently turned right,

  hanging back from Holly. Her face burned; she was ashamed and defensive, still remembering how she had

  nearly hurled a fireball at them in the Moon Temple, the most sacred ground of the Mother Coven. As it was,

  she had insulted Hecate, one of the most revered aspects of the Goddess--and the name of Nicole's familiar,

  whom she had sacrificed for power.They're shocked at me for doing it... and yet, it's up to me to make sure

  they survive the attacks from Michael Deveraux. I sacrificed a little part of my soul for them, and all they can

  think of is how horrible it was of me to drown the cat.She put her hands in the pockets of her black

  wool1221coat and ducked her head, angrily pursing her lips. What's the saying? Heavy hangs the head that

  wears the crown....Then Amanda hurried up to her and tugged at her coat sleeve. Holly glanced at her; her

  cousin was jabbing her finger upward, and her face was ashen.The seven falcons had lined up on a

  second-story brick ledge on the opposite side of the street; they cocked their heads in the direction of the

  fugitive coven, their blue-black feathers shining in the street light. Catching the glow, their eyes gleamed; they

  clacked their beaks together softly, menacingly, and their claws jittered on the balcony as they edged along,

  matching the particular, quick rhythm of Holly's footsteps.Amanda stared at her as if to ask, What do we

  do?Holly's face prickled with fear; her heart thundered against her chest, and she clenched her gloved fists

  inside her pockets to keep from crying out.Can they hear us?Have they found us?She didn't know if she

  should avoid their gaze or study them to see what they might do next. It was then that she realized that the

  falcon in the middle--three stood on one side of it, and three on the other--was cast in an eerie green glow; it

  was also larger than the others. There was something about it that differentiated it from1322the others; it was

  the leader, and it was unearthly ... unnatural. Gould it be Fantasme, the spirit-familiar of House Deveraux,

  that had survived through the ages partly as symbol, partly as a real, living thing? It had been Fantasme that

  had saved Jer's brother, Eli, from the Black Fire so many months ago.The lead falcon screeched once, then

  swooped from the perch and began to fly across the street.Holly whirled around to warn the others not to

  make a sound. Just in time, Tommy clamped his hand over Kari's mouth, shaking his head vigorously. Kari's

  eyes bulged; Tommy kept his hand over her mouth, and Holly waved both hands to tell her, No! Stop!Then

  the whir of wings above her caught her attention. She looked up to see the falcons aiming themselves directly

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  at them. Their claws were extended, their beaks clacking.The falcons are attacking!She thought of Barbara

  Davis-Chin, who had been attacked by a falcon after Holly's parents' funeral, and who still lay near death in a

  hospital in San Francisco. Little had Holly realized then that the falcons were minions of Michael Deveraux

  and his evil son, Eli. She had had no idea that a world of magic existed, and that she was one of the primary

  players in it.Still mute, Holly signaled for everyone to run.1423She didn't look back at the group as she raced

  down the sidewalk, hoping the others kept up-- expecting them to--and wondering if she should break the

  edict of the Mother Coven not to use magic on the London streets unless they were in mortal danger."Once

  you spellcast, they'll know exactly where you are," the High Priestess had warned Holly.

  "The only chance

  you have against them while you rescue Nicole is to remain hidden."And passive. And unarmed, Holly

  thought now. We're in danger. Should I break the cloak of invisibility to fight?The lead falcon moved its head

  in lockstep birdlike fashion, twisting right, left, and then it swooped back up into the lowering sky. The others

  swooped back up in formation, forming a V behind it, and then skyrocketed toward the moon.Holly was so

  surprised that she stumbled over her own foot and fell to the ground. Her ankle throbbed as she dragged

  herself closer to the wall of the nearest building.Sasha ran up to her and pointed a finger as if to cast a spell.

  Holly wildly shook her head, and Sasha immediately stopped, bending over and extending a hand toward

 

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