Coven, p.14
Coven, page 14
“Baby, I’m sorry. Em is right. You are the farthest thing from stupid there is.” Dylan’s intense gray eyes were filled with regret when she finally spoke. “I know, without a doubt, that you would have never brought something like this up unless you had already explored every angle. I know that.
“My automatic reaction stemmed from the fact that I don’t want you anywhere near either Cassius Deimos or Michael O’Rourke. Because if they ever hurt you…” Dylan’s eyes chilled until they were two ice chips. “I will take Trom-Laighe apart myself, brick by brick, and fucking destroy Deimos and O’Rourke singlehandedly.”
Sheridan noticed the silver glow she’d seen in Dylan’s eyes before.
She calmed her own temper then took Dylan by the hands. “We have a lot to talk about and I promise you, I will listen to every single thing you have to say about what I’m thinking. I know what I’m proposing isn’t exactly the safest path, but…that’s on the surface, Dylan.” Sheridan glanced around at the rest of the coven. “When I explain everything, I think you’ll see this is way safer than it appears to be at first. And it will give us the perfect opportunity to stop Deimos and my father for good.”
Dylan pulled Sheridan back into her arms. “You’re my mate and I’ve waited for you for a very long time, beautiful. I will never stop being protective and doing everything I can to keep you out of harm’s way. You are more than capable of defending yourself, but I’m not going to be able to prevent my reaction sometimes, as much as I’ll try.”
“Why do your eyes glow silver when you’re angry? They did that when you asked me if Fagan had ever hurt me, the night I was leaving to go to Savannah. And again, just now.”
“They’ve never done that, at least not until I met you. I think it’s my reaction to you when I find out someone has hurt you or has threatened you. You should know I also feel a rise in my power level.” Sheridan’s eyes widened. “It’s like when Ryder touches someone and gives them a power boost…but this is as if the Goddess is giving me extra strength in case I have to defend you. Not that you need it,” she said wryly.
Sheridan kissed Dylan on the cheek. “Just because I may not need it doesn’t mean I won’t appreciate your help. Things are always easier when they’re shared, instead of trying to go it alone. And, that said…” she looked at the inner circle once more, “I want to explain to you all exactly what I meant by what I told you, and why I think this is a path we really should look at pursuing. I know I haven’t been here for very long, but it seems to me that Deimos and my father have been a threat to the Universe for long enough. If the God and the Goddess have brought us together to put an end to them, once and for all…then, it sounds like it’s high time we do that.”
Chapter 12
“What do you propose we do now, Michael, to extract your daughter from those menaces in the Coven of the New Moon? With Dylan Bellamy trying to convince her that she’s the Portal’s mate? Is your daughter so gullible that she would fall for someone like that so quickly and believe her tales?” Cassius Deimos growled his wrath.
The Dark Lord had become extremely angry by Michael O’Rourke’s news that Sheridan had already been intercepted by the Coven of the New Moon—most especially, by Dylan Bellamy. The huge chamber showed the effects of his temper: Medieval weapons had been flung everywhere, furniture had been overturned, and antiques had been smashed. Now, Deimos sat upon his throne, digging his claws into the already scarred armrests as his eyes glowed red with his displeasure.
Michael spoke from his position on his knees. “Sheridan appears to be open to meeting with me alone, my Lord—in a public place, of course—so that we may talk. I have no reason to believe she will not. If I was in her position, and never knew my father, my curiosity alone would want me to find out everything I could, should the opportunity arise. My plan is to feed her bits and pieces about my relationship with her mother—which Eileen is no longer here to dispute—while planting doubts in her head about New Moon at the same time. While Bellamy is trying to convince my daughter that she is Bellamy’s mate, I will be working to show Sheridan the witches of New Moon cannot be trusted.
“Sheridan is indeed extremely powerful, but she is a new witch and does not know how to use her abilities as of yet. I am sure the coven has lured her with promises to teach her. I am also about as certain as I can be that the Portal’s plan is to claim her, mate her, and then take Sheridan’s Fire power for herself.” Michael heard the sound of Deimos’s claws digging further into his throne. “I can already tell Sheridan is not the type of woman to agree to a mate bond unless she is absolutely certain it is the right thing to do. Nonetheless, I will be ensuring she is not at all certain and I have some potential allies in mind to recruit for this effort.”
“Bellamy is dangerous, Michael.” While a bit calmer, it was apparent that Deimos was still disturbed. “She has been a thorn in my side for years, both she and the rest of the witches in that infernal coven. If they get their hands on your daughter’s Fire flame, there will be no way to defeat them. You must not fail in your efforts to bring her to my side. As my Dark Sorceress, she will be quite formidable, but you need to ensure she cannot escape Trom-Laighe once she’s here. Believe me when I tell you I will have my Nightmares rip you to shreds if she does.”
“It will be done, my Lord,” Michael said smoothly, with no hint of fear. “While I will begin immediately to persuade her that joining the Coven of the New Moon is not in her best interests, I have also located other humans who will be most helpful in my efforts to bring her to Trom-Laighe.”
“And once she’s here? You know as well as I that a human cannot be contained as a supernatural can, especially in the Dark realms. Even the most untrained human witch can break through the containment binds used on them. In any realm.”
“However, a human cannot escape the Field, my Lord. Unlike magickal binds, which are easily escaped by a human, the Field instead surrounds them, but also nullifies their magick if they try to cross its boundaries. Only a powerful enough warlock or witch can restore their magick to them if that happens. Sheridan will need to understand immediately that any effort she makes to escape the Field will render her powerless.”
Deimos tapped his claws on the arm of his throne. “Hmm. So, you suggest we hold her in a room in the castle that has been surrounded by the Field so she is unable to escape, but she will still be free to use her magick to my benefit. With a little…persuasion…from my Nightmares if she proves to be reluctant, of course.” His mouth curled in a wicked smile.
“That is correct, my Lord. Although, I would caution you against using your Nightmares to coerce her at first. Human females are funny creatures and I suspect you will get much further with her if you do not. That is, of course, your choice,” he added hastily, seeing the bright red glow in the demon’s eyes. “I only seek to give you the benefit of my experience with them.” The red glow faded.
“Very well, Michael. You have exactly one week to bring her to Trom-Laighe, willing or not. In the meantime, I will have my servants prepare a room for her. There are several human slaves among them, and they will know what is required. Do not fail me in this because your life will be forfeit if you do.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Michael waited until Deimos rose from his throne and left the chamber. He followed suit then flicked his fingers to open a portal into the Earth realm. Had a supernatural such as Deimos attempted to do so, a portal would have failed to appear. They also would have been blocked from accessing the portal in the event they tried to accompany a human.
“All right, my daughter,” Michael murmured to himself as he went through the portal, his mind filled with plans. “It is time for you to fulfill your new destiny as my Fire witch. I have no intention of losing you to someone like Dylan Bellamy, nor do I plan to stay under Cassius Deimos’s thumb for any longer than I must. The Universe will be mine to control once you have incinerated the demon on my behalf and the Coven of the New Moon is no longer a threat.
“I hope you are not too attached to that coven or to your new lover, Sheridan. Because once I have you contained within Trom-Laighe, you will never see Dylan Bellamy or her coven mates again.”
ɚωɚωɚωɚ
“I am an Incantatrix. According to Selene, witches with the primary magick of an Incantatrix are quite rare. As part of my magick, I can counter or negate virtually anything that’s thrown at me from another magickal being or source, as long as their power level does not exceed mine.”
Now that the inner circle had settled down, everyone was listening closely to what Sheridan had to say, curious to know why the flame-haired witch thought it was safe for her to go down into Trom-Laighe.
“First, let me ask you all a question. In addition to magickal binds, what could my father or the demon use to restrain me and keep me there? Theoretically, that is.”
“There’s something called the Field that can be activated. Thankfully, there are very few black magick warlocks or witches who are strong enough to erect one,” Avalon said, pleating the end of her long ponytail between her fingers. “It’s a lot more dangerous for human witches than a magickal bind is because it will nullify our magick, should we attempt to cross its barriers or touch it in any way. When you’re Null, there’s no longer a way for you to escape a Dark realm, because you’re powerless. Just like an ordinary human…a Mundane, in other words.
“We haven’t talked to you about this yet, because there’s been so much other shit going on, but we’ve lost a couple of witches from the outer circle over the past several years. They simply disappeared one day and never came back. Rose Nilan and Erica Cromwell—no one has seen them since they vanished. They weren’t the type of women to just up and leave without saying goodbye either.
“None of us has ever known for sure, but the inner circle has always suspected they were riding the hedge, were caught by O’Rourke or one of Deimos’s Nightmares, thrown into a containment Field, then drained of their magick and turned into Nulls when they tried to cross the barrier and escape. It’s why we now discourage our outer circle witches from riding the hedge near Trom-Laighe unless an inner circle witch accompanies them.”
Sheridan, who was sitting next to Dylan again, looked disturbed. “Is there no way to investigate and get them out if that’s what happened?”
“Unfortunately, we are all as susceptible to the Field as any other witch, even as powerful as we are.” Dylan held tightly to Sheridan’s hand. “If one of us is ever caught, we run the risk of being drained of our magick if we try to cross the barrier. What?” Dylan looked at the smile that was curling Sheridan’s mouth.
“Remember when I said I could negate any magick thrown at me from any magickal being, as long as they weren’t stronger than me?” Sheridan’s grin broadened. “Michael O’Rourke is not stronger than me. I felt his power capabilities the other day, despite the fact that he tried to hide his essence from us. And Cassius Deimos would have to be—at minimum—a Level Six demon to be able to escape from Trom-Laighe. Only Level Eights and higher are stronger than me—the kings, the princes, the dukes. Selene had me assessed by a friend of hers who is an expert in demonology when I was younger.”
“So, what you’re saying,” Sam said slowly, leaning back and crossing her arms behind her head, “is that, from a magickal perspective, you would be safe in Trom-Laighe because there’s nothing they can do to you. You’re stronger than anything that exists in that realm.”
“Bingo.” Sheridan beamed. “Their Field wouldn’t work on me. Now, I could pretend it was working, because I’m reasonably certain the first thing they would do is contain me in one if I agreed to go to Trom-Laighe with Michael. I’m hoping they would be so confident in the ability of their Field to contain me, I wouldn’t have an extra guard or anything. That way, I could sneak out when no one was around and go exploring.”
Alex’s brows lowered in a frown and she looked sideways at Dylan before looking back at Sheridan. “Sheridan, do you know what a Nightmare is? Have you ever seen one?”
“I know they’re the creepy-crawlies of Trom-Laighe. Deimos’s army, from what I understand.” Sheridan shrugged.
Dylan was doing her best to stay calm, but she was so agitated, she stood up and started to pace back and forth. “Baby, the Nightmares are fanatically devoted to Deimos. They are absolutely vicious creatures—black magick warlocks and corrupt Unseelie Fae. They’ve caused mass destruction in numerous other realms and wreak havoc everywhere they go. They have little power here in the Earth Realm, but they are still unpleasant as hell.
“If you were to come up against one in Trom-Laighe, I have no doubt you could beat them magickally. But, physically? Sher, they could tear you apart with their fangs and claws alone.” She stopped and put her hands on her hips, looking down and trying to calm herself.
“Do you really think either my father or Deimos is going to let them?” Sheridan kept her tone matter-of-fact. “They are frothing at the mouth to get their hands on my Fire flame. The hell they’re going to let a bunch of black magick thugs do anything to get in the way of that. Oh, they’ll threaten me with the Nightmares, if it comes down to it, but they won’t actually let them hurt me.”
Sheridan stood up and wrapped her arms around Dylan’s waist, turning to face everyone else. “I want you all to think about this logically. There’s nothing they can do magickally to hurt me.” She scanned the inner circle’s faces solemnly. “There’s also nothing they can really do physically to hurt me either, even in the very unlikely event a Nightmare comes after me.
“They might be vicious, but I have enough magickal firepower that I can drop them where they stand. Do you understand now why I said this was relatively safe for me to do? I know you don’t like the thought, and you sure as fuck don’t want me down in Trom-Laighe by myself, but you have to admit: This is about as low risk as it gets when you’re a badass witch.”
Ryder groaned and threw her head back then brought her chin down to her chest before scrubbing her face with her hand. “I hate to say this, fam, but she’s right. Regardless, we need a fucking tight plan if we’re going to do it. Nothing left to chance, not in the slightest. We have a few days before Selene and her partner get here, so we can use that time to craft our strategy.”
“The very first thing I’m going to do is agree to meet with Michael when he calls, and you know he will in the next day or two,” Sheridan said. “He wants to get this ball rolling. I’m going to agree to meet him, but someone needs to suggest a very public place where we can do that, since I don’t know this area very well yet. When I do meet with him, I’m going to be suspicious of him—because he’ll expect that—but I’m also going to let just the tiniest hint of impatience peek out. I want Michael to believe I’m an untrained Fire witch with a lot of raw power but also a woman who’s volatile and short-tempered under the surface.”
Dylan pulled Sheridan to her, her eyes fiercely glowing silver. “I don’t like this, baby. I know it makes a ton of sense, and it appears this is exactly what we need to do, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’m going to suggest I come with you to your first meeting with O’Rourke.” She laid her fingers over Sheridan’s lips as she was about to speak. “I’ll stay far enough away that I can’t overhear anything, and I’m sure he will wrap you two in a bubble of silence, in any event. We’ll give him the impression I have you under guard because I’m not about to give up your Fire flame to anyone. You can then make it seem like you’re feeling a little bit smothered, even as you tell him how happy you are with New Moon. He’ll grab that and run with it.”
“Perfect.” Sheridan reached up and kissed Dylan.
“Sheridan.” Evie was glowering, along with Grace, Avalon, Lily, and Emmaline. The femmes had been suspiciously silent during the last exchange. “You have lost your mind, sister. You’re calmly sitting there, discussing infiltrating the darkest realm in the Universe by yourself, and these dumbasses are nodding like a bunch of fucking bobbleheads.” Sheridan couldn’t help the twitch of her lips as petite Evie gave it to the coven butches with both barrels.
Lily’s hazel eyes were dark as she also stood up then stuck her hands on her hips. “Sheridan, I admire you more than you know, but I’m not liking this either. At all. Everything you’ve said is logical, but the thought of you down in Trom-Laighe without anyone at your back? The Warrior in me is raging against that. Isn’t there any way we can think for five more goddamn minutes and figure out how someone else could possibly go with you?”
The group was silent for a long couple of minutes.
“I have it.” Avalon’s mouth stretched into a humorless smile. She leaned against Sam as her smile then grew positively gleeful. She looked at the copper-haired witch in front of her. “Sher, the Field will drain a witch to Null if she tries to cross its barriers? Right?” Sheridan nodded. “And, we also said it would take an immensely powerful witch or warlock to restore that witch’s power to her if that happened? Right?” Sheridan nodded again, clearly wondering where Avalon was going with this.
“Then, why the hell can’t one or maybe two of us sneak down there with you and, if we happen to get caught and anything like that happens, simply have you restore our power?” Sam burst out laughing at her wife’s words even as an electric current of understanding raced around the inner circle. “You’ve already said you’ll be the most powerful damn thing down there, Sis, eclipsing even your father. If the threat of the Field is removed—or at least any permanent effects from it, anyway—there’s no telling what we’ll be able to find out.” Grace and Avalon gave each other a high five.
