Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
“ Y ou have no idea what is going on,” taunted a scratchy voice. “You’re blinded by your obsession and too single-minded to see the truth.”
My eyes darted around the room we’d just entered for who had just spoken. Of course, they were invisible. It fit with the elaborate underground tunnel system Lyra had set up. I had no idea where we were in the world, but I was beginning to think it was close to the coast. At least that’s what the faint salty-briny smell of the sea made me think.
“Who said that?” I called out with a challenge. “Show yourself. Or are you a coward?”
The chamber we stood in was vast, its ceiling arching high above with stalactites that glistened like jagged teeth. The walls were lined with intricate carvings and ancient runes. They pulsed faintly with residual magic but I couldn’t get a good read on them. I was too distracted by the latest of Lyra’s minions to confront us.
Aidon stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadows. “There's something off about this,” he murmured, more to himself than to the rest of us. “I can sense a siren's presence, but her voice lacks the alluring quality. Be careful.”
A flicker of movement caught my eye, and a figure emerged from the darkness. She was tall and slender, her form shrouded in a veil of evil energy that seemed to writhe and twist around her. Her eyes gleamed with a malevolent light, and a smirk played on her lips as she stepped closer. “You’re far more observant than anticipated. No matter. My magical side is far more powerful than you can imagine,” she sneered, her voice carrying an edge that sent chills down my spine.
Her dark hair flowed like liquid night and framed a face that was both beautiful and terrifying. It was her eyes that got me. They were an unsettling shade of green and bore into us with an intensity that made my skin crawl. She wore a gown of deep crimson. The fabric of it shimmered as if we were looking at it beneath the water.
Nana snorted and pinned the woman with a look. “Actually, you're ignorant. You’ve picked the wrong side by following Lyra. And she didn’t prepare you for what you’re up against.”
“You really think you can stand against me?” she growled in a voice dripping with contempt. “You're fools.”
The siren-witch wasted no time. With a flick of her wrist, she launched a wave of cloying energy toward us. It was like the tide coming in and I barely had time to react. I raised a shield to deflect the attack. The force of the impact sent me staggering backward. I barely managed to remain on my feet.
“Phoebe, Nana,” Stella gasped as she pushed her magic at the siren-witch. I saw the question in her panicked gaze. She wasn’t sure what to do. Her power was completely different than facing a pure Tainted witch. There was an element of the ocean in hers.
Nana's eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation. “ We’ve got this. We’re more powerful together. Don’t lose sight of that.”
The siren-witch's malevolent eyes flickered with a hint of uncertainty. She was momentarily thrown off by our ability to withstand her initial assault. I could see her vicious tendrils wavering. It was almost as if my magic had introduced a note of discord into her symphony of shadows.
Aidon lunged forward. His sword shimmered with a protective enchantment. He swung it in a wide arc, slicing through the spell she threw at him. “Stay behind me,” he ordered. He couldn’t help his dominant instincts. They’d only gotten worse since I became pregnant.
Layla transformed into her wolf form, her senses heightened as she darted to the side, attempting to flank the siren-witch. Tseki partially shifted. His full dragon would have smashed us against the walls. I glanced at his arm and noticed his scales gleaming in the dim light. That was a handy trick to have. There had been many times I could have used the natural protection against attack.
The witch laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “You really think you can outmaneuver me?” She raised her hands, and the ground beneath us trembled. At the same time, she started singing. The sound was like waves crashing against cliffs. My ears hurt and annoyed me but didn’t make it any harder to focus on the Dark tendrils that erupted from the floor. I was all-too aware of them snaking toward us with terrifying speed.
I focused my energy, channeling it into a burst of pure light that disintegrated the tendrils as they approached. “We need to find a way to weaken her,” I shouted. My voice was barely audible over the din of battle.
Murtagh's sharp and calculating eyes narrowed, and he nodded. “We need to find out her vulnerability. Knowing that is the only way. She’s not one thing or another. ”
The siren-witch's voice took on a strange, almost musical quality then as she said, "I’m something so much better.” The raspy quality was nearly gone now. She said something else I didn’t quite catch and I had to shake my head to clear it.
There was no way she had the seductive song of a full siren because I wasn’t mindlessly following her. But it was enough to sow confusion. Tseki's scales flickered on his arms and Layla's wolf hesitated in taking a chunk out of the siren-witch's ass. Layla’s ears flicked as if trying to shake off a lingering echo. When Murtagh stumbled and his usually keen eyes clouded with uncertainty, my heart sank. She was affecting the shifters.
“Snap out of it!” Aidon shouted, swinging his sword to deflect another blast of evil energy. “She's trying to confuse you!”
Tseki shook his head. His eyes cleared, but then he refocused on the witch. “I... I’m trying to fight it.” He growled and started breathing heavily. Fire streamed from his nostrils as he took a step toward the siren-witch. Nana joined him and sent a stream of her dark red witch fire. With the torrent of flame heading toward her, the woman deftly sidestepped. But not before the flames singed the edges of her crimson gown.
That was enough to disrupt the siren-witch's spell and Layla regained her composure. She darted forward and leaped at the witch with her claws extended. Unfortunately, the witch conjured a barrier of malicious energy that sent Layla sprawling to the ground. Nana rushed to her side and had a potion in hand.
I saw a faint, pulsing light emanating from beneath the witch's robes. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there. “Aidon, aim for her chest! There's something there!” I was betting on it being an artifact. After seeing Lyra’s room of treasures, I was convinced that was how her minions were so powerful.
Aidon didn't hesitate. He lunged forward with his sword gleaming as he struck at the witch's chest. He moved too fast for me to follow. I hoped he hit something vital when a loud scream left her lips. The sound was both human and inhuman. The blade had to have made contact. The pulsing light flared brightly before it dimmed. The witch staggered backward, clutching her chest.
“You... you cannot defeat me,” she hissed and her voice faltered.
Stella seized the moment. Her magic flared as she cast a spell. Ropes of light wrapped around the witch, holding her in place. “Now, Phoebe!”
I gathered all my strength, channeling it into a single, powerful magical bomb. The siren-witch's eyes widened in fear as the spell came at her. With a final, agonized scream, it detonated. My magic blew her into a million pieces. As the fleshy bits splattered us and the walls, the remnants of her vile energy dissipated into the air.
The chamber fell silent. The oppressive weight of the Dark magic lifted and we stood there, catching our breath. “Next time maybe don’t use quite so much force,” Nana quipped as she flicked a piece of ick off her shirt.
My stomach roiled and bile burned the back of my throat. “I wasn’t about to let her ensnare them again,” I said as I gestured to our shifter family members.
The siren-witch had been powerful but there was something else, something more sinister lurking in the shadows. “We need to keep moving,” I said. “We have to find Rosemary. Not to mention we don’t want to be sitting ducks. Lyra won't stop until she's destroyed everything we hold dear.”
We exchanged glances. Aidon sheathed his sword as his gaze lingered on the spot where the siren-witch had exploded. “You're right,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “But there might be something here that will give us a clue. The room is filled with symbols for a reason.”
Stella grimaced as she brushed her arms clean. “I'm going to try a cleansing spell before we search the rest of this chamber. I can't go another second with this much evil covering me.”
I chuckled and agreed with my best friend. Nana joined us and we cast a spell removing the viscera from our bodies. With that done we fanned out to explore the chamber. The oppressive air began to lighten as the Dark magic that had permeated the space slowly dissipated. My fingers brushed against the rough stone walls and over the ancient runes, cool beneath my touch.
“We need to figure out what these things mean,” Layla pointed out. “Otherwise, looking does us no good.”
Aidon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You three keep watch while we decipher this shit. I don’t want to be caught with our dicks in our hands.”
Nana snorted and lifted one eyebrow. “Speak for yourself. I’d like to see a few of you with your dicks in your hands. But not you. You’re mated to my granddaughter and that would be awkward.”
“Nana!” I choked as I laughed. “Let’s focus on the symbols so we can get out of here.”
Nana gave me a look. “Don’t be such a killjoy, Phoebe. An old woman has to get her thrills somehow.”
My face was on fire as I considered what she’d said. “Fair enough. But you can’t ogle Tseki and Murtagh. They’re like brothers to me, which makes them like grandsons to you. And that gives me the skeeves.”
Nana shuddered and said, “Why did you have to say that? Now I feel dirty.” She turned to Tseki and Murtagh who wore expressions torn between amused and honored. “Sorry, boys. Forget I ever said anything. Now, let’s see what we have here.”
Stella snickered and leaned toward Nana. “We never got to throw Phoebe a bachelorette party. I vote for one as soon as the babies are born. There’s a new club in Portland where we can take her.”
“This conversation has gone off the rails,” I interjected as I checked Aidon’s reaction. He found this endlessly funny. It warmed something in me knowing he trusted me without question. That was new for me. With a shake of my head, I refocused. “These feel evil,” I observed as I ran a hand over the symbols closest to me. It was like ants crawling beneath my skin. Highly unpleasant.
Thankfully, Nana and Stella followed suit. We silently moved around the chamber deciphering the runes and symbols that adorned the stone walls. It was a delicate dance of perception and intuition. It wasn’t always obvious which symbol Lyra had bastardized with her Dark magic.
Stella's magic surged and brushed over the runes. I watched and wondered what she was doing. Nana and I paused to watch her. “I think I understand something,” she murmured without moving her gaze from the markings in front of her. “These symbols... I believe they form a sequence. If we find the right order my gut tells me we will find our way to my mom. Or something important.”
I gritted my teeth and channeled my magic to enhance our understanding of the cryptic markings. Each rune pulsed with evil power that rubbed against my energy. It felt like a saw cutting through a tree trunk. Every cell in my body rebelled against the discomfort.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through my arm. I gasped, looking down to see a distorted mark forming. What the hell had happened? My babies hadn’t reacted. Was it her evil seeping into me? The magic in this place was awful. We had to get the hell out of here.
“Phoebe!” Stella cried out as she grabbed my arm.
“I'm fine,” I gritted out through clenched teeth while ignoring the throbbing pain. I couldn't afford to falter now. We hadn’t found her mother.
Nana's voice was steady and urgent. “You need to put some salve on that. We will focus on the runes," she instructed me. Her tone brooked no arguments.
I nodded. Aidon was there reaching into my bag before I could lift the limb that felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. “Thanks,” I told him as I fought tears. I could feel the malevolence moving into my blood stream.
He pulled out a jar of cream my mom had made that was designed to enhance healing by removing any and all toxins. She had created it when I asked for something to treat injuries that didn’t require a healing potion. We could only carry so much. “This woman really doesn’t like you,” he observed as he gently applied cream over the mark.
“I think I’ve got it," Stella said in a voice tinged with excitement. “This sequence here points us toward something. We need to find these as we make our way through the tunnels.”
Nana’s eyes went wide and she nodded. “Yes. It’s over here too.”
“I think I saw something down the way,” Murtagh replied. “Give me a second.” Before anyone could stop him, he took off out of the chamber. He hadn’t gone far. He was peering at something on the stone wall.
“What is it?” I asked.
He pointed to the first symbol. “It’s that marking.”
“We need to find the others,” Nana pointed out as she continued down the tunnel .
My bladder made itself known a few feet later. I stopped looking back toward the chamber. “What is it?” Aidon asked. “Do you think we missed something?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I need to pee and there is no bathroom.”
Stella grimaced and sucked air between her teeth. “You could go back in that cavern. It won’t be worse than the body bits now rotting in there.”
“Ugh,” I blurted. “Nope. I can hold it. There will be another chamber I can use.”
Aidon scrutinized me closely. “Are you sure?” I didn’t miss the way he looked at my belly where our three unborn babies were cooking.
I ran a hand over the swell. “I’m positive. C’mon,” I jerked my chin at the others in front of us. “Get moving.”
They got moving but I caught their skeptical looks. With a sigh, I set my sights on our surroundings so I didn’t obsess over the need pressing on my bladder. A symbol caught my eye. It was small and etched high in the wall. Upon closer inspection, I noted it wasn’t the next in the pattern. It came before a juncture in the paths. An idea began to formulate. These symbols were going to appear at every juncture. If Stella was right, following the ones in her pattern would indeed take us somewhere. Would it be important? Or a trap? That was the vital question that nagged at me as we walked.
“Look,” Stella whispered, pointing to a rune carved into the stone. “This is the second one.”
Nana nodded, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. “It’s on the left wall. The last one I saw was on the right wall. I say we go left and follow it.”
Trusting her advice, we took the tunnel to the left. Our footsteps echoed softly in the narrow passageways. The air was cool and damp. It also carried a faint scent of the sea. The tunnels twisted and turned, forcing us to change course several times as we located the next runes in the pattern.
“Here,” Layla said, her voice barely more than a breath as she traced her fingers along another rune. This one glowed faintly. “This way.”
We turned down another tunnel. The symbols became more frequent and complex. Suddenly, the tunnel opened into a wider chamber. I didn’t feel the ward until after we walked through the opening. I went on alert and cast a shield when another of Lyra’s lackeys appeared in the shadows.
Aidon leaned closer to me. “This one feels more like a siren than a witch.”
Her beauty was transcendent. I opened my mouth to respond when she started singing. Her voice was a haunting melody that seeped into my soul. There was an irresistible pull to her. I wanted to know her more so I could please her. My feet moved toward her of their own accord. The world around me blurred and all I could hear was her song.
“Phoebe, no!” Nana's voice was a distant echo that barely penetrated the fog clouding my mind.
Stella's magic surged around me. It tickled something in me but the siren's allure was too strong. My heart pounded in my chest as fear and longing battled within. All I wanted was to make this woman happy. I would do anything for her. Wait, what? That was not my thought. I tried to figure out why I was alarmed when a beautiful melody eased my worry.
“She's enchanting her!” Layla growled. I saw her claws flash as she moved to attack. Her steps faltered and she stopped.
Aidon stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “The siren has you in her thrall, Phoebe. Fight this.”
I wanted to do what he asked. I loved him more than anything. Looking into his blue eyes, my head began to clear. What had happened? Why was he telling me to fight? What was I fighting? Confusion wracked my brain.
The siren-witch smiled and I regained more of my mind. Why had I wanted to be close to her? We should be fighting her so we could continue and find Stella’s mom. The siren-witch's eyes glinted with malevolent pleasure. “You think you can resist me?” she taunted. Her voice was a deadly caress. “My magic is far more powerful than you realize.” Now that she wasn’t singing, I came back to myself.
I was poised to toss a spell at her when she beat me to it. With a flick of her wrist, malevolent tendrils of magic shot towards us. Stella conjured a barrier to repel it. The siren's magic was potent and pushed against my defenses with an unsettling force. If she started singing again, I would be helpless. I looked to Aidon and then Nana. The latter was already chanting an incantation. I felt her familiar power wrap around me.
“Phoebe, fight her!” Nana urged while keeping her eyes locked on mine. “You have to resist!”
The siren's song was a sweet poison. I struggled against the pull. My mind was a battlefield of conflicting desires. Nana's words became a lifeline. I focused on Nana’s voice. I drew the strength she was sending my way.
Layla, Tseki, and Murtagh rallied. Their attacks were coordinated as they tried to distract the siren-witch. Tseki loomed protectively with his fiery breath searing the air despite not being in his dragon form. Murtagh bared his teeth at the siren-witch and crouched at the ready.
Aidon moved closer to the siren-witch. His presence was a steady anchor amidst the chaos, and I metaphorically clung to him. It was the best way to stay out of her thrall. “Don’t listen to her. Block your ears," Aidon said, his eyes never leaving the siren-witch's. “After that find her weakness.”
His words gave me the strength to break free from the enchantment. The siren-witch's song faltered, her eyes widening in surprise. “Now!” Nana shouted. Her voice was a rallying cry. Without hesitation, Stella and I launched our attack. Our combined magic pushed against the siren-witch's defenses.
The chamber echoed with the clash of spells, like a summer thunderstorm in Texas. The air crackled with light and deadly energy. As our magic surged, the siren-witch's form began to waver. I wanted to cheer when she waffled on her feet.
“Like we told your predecessor. You picked on the wrong people. And you're not as powerful as you think,” Aidon said, his voice calm and determined.
I clasped Aidon’s hand as Layla stood at my other side. My fingers dug into her fur. Murtagh and Tseki flanked Nana while Stella stood on Layla’s other side. I twined my power with Nana and Stella’s and then wove it with Aidon and the others. With us bound, I threw a magical bomb at the siren-witch. She let out a final, anguished cry before she was blasted into tiny pieces. Nana grumbled and cast a shield spell before we were showered with blood and guts.
“Thank the gods you were faster this time,” Murtagh told Nana with a smile.
“I would tell you to stop that, but it’s surprisingly effective,” Stella said as she moved through the chamber.
I held up a hand. “In my defense, I reacted before thinking this time. Once I was free of her thrall, I was so pissed at her nearly getting me that I blurted the first thing that came to mind.”
“I get it. We take this exit,” she said after examining the stone.
We followed the path of symbols etched into the walls. The Dark runes guided us through the labyrinthine tunnels. Each step took us further where the air grew colder and heavier with the scent of the sea. Nana was ahead with Tseki and they both scanned the walls for where we went next.
“Here,” Nana said, stopping suddenly. She pointed to a symbol that glowed faintly. “There's something on the other side of this wall,” she pointed out. She pressed her hand against the stone and whispered an incantation to reveal the path forward. The wall shimmered and then slowly slid aside to reveal a doorway. That was new.
We stepped through and I blinked in astonishment. The rough stone walls of the tunnel gave way to what felt like the interior of a house. The stark contrast between the two sides was jarring. The room we entered had plaster walls and was warmly lit by soft, ambient lighting.
The floors were covered in plush, intricately patterned rugs that muffled our footsteps. There were bookshelves lined with ancient tomes and trinkets. And comfortable-looking furniture was arranged invitingly in the space. It was warmer there too. It was almost cozy. And it had the faint smell of old books and something floral I couldn’t quite place.
I turned, looking back at the rough stone of the tunnel we had just exited. It was like stepping into another world. One that felt strangely familiar yet unsettlingly out of place in the context of the dark, oppressive tunnels. The energy wasn’t as differing. Lyra’s Dark magic was in the house as well. However, there was also something as powerful as it.
“What is this place?” Stella whispered. Her voice echoed softly in the serene room.
I was busy trying to pinpoint the odd mix of familiarity and alienness. It wasn't all Lyra's influence. Yet, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't determine what else it might be. All I knew was there was something eerie about it.
Before I could voice my thoughts, Stella's eyes widened, and she took off running through a door on the opposite side of the room. “Stella, wait!” I called after her.
My heart lurched as I watched her disappear through the doorway opposite us. She didn’t slow down or respond. I exchanged a worried glance with Nana and the others, then hurried after her. What the hell were we going to step into this time?