Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

T he prison chamber felt suffocatingly small as we confronted the siren who had imprisoned Rosemary. Her power filled the space and nudged me. It was her power to compel trying to push at me. What really got me was her wicked smile. It sent a chill down my spine.

“You dare challenge me?” the siren's voice echoed and each word dripped with venomous sweetness. She lifted her hands gracefully, the air around her shimmering with an ethereal glow. “You mortals are fools to think you can stand against my power.”

“Mortals?” Aidon raised an eyebrow as he looked over from fighting her fellow sirens. “We've come for Rosemary. Release her now, or face the consequences.”

The siren's smile widened and her eyes gleamed with amusement. “Ah, but I have plans for dear Rosemary. Plans that do not involve her leaving this place.” With a toss of her long hair, she began to weave a haunting melody. The notes twisted and coiled around us like tendrils of smoke. That hadn’t happened last time. And it hadn’t happened with the others in the chamber. Those still alive joined their voices with the woman I assumed was the leader.

I shook my head to clear it and quipped, “I can’t believe I thought a powerful witch like Lyra was ever teamed up with you. It’s clear you’re nothing more than her victims.”

The leader’s scowl deepened and her voice increased in intensity after she ran her thumb over a ring she was wearing. The song filled the chamber. To my horror, the hypnotic rhythm disoriented me. My head grew heavy and my thoughts were muddled by the siren's enchanting voice. Stella stumbled, clutching her ears as if trying to block out the mesmerizing tune.

“Nana, snap out of it!” I shouted. My voice sounded distant and distorted. While I still had the ability to think freely, I focused on my magic. I pictured the magical earplugs and then made them impenetrable by their magic. Her song had gotten an upgrade since we’d last seen her. We were so close to saving Rosemary and getting the hell out of there and I refused to let her win now.

Nana grabbed my hand, squeezed it, and then inclined her head. Together, we cast the spell and included our friends. Layla and Murtagh shook themselves and launched back into attacking the sirens. My head cleared and I cast a magical bomb and threw it at the back of the sirens. Body parts flew into the air, making my stomach roil.

“You will regret defying me,” the siren hissed, her voice now tinged with anger. She raised her hands, conjuring tendrils of magic that snaked toward us with malicious intent.

Aidon's sword gleamed in the dim light as he swung it and laughed at her. “Focus on breaking the spell. I want to get out of here.”

The lead siren put a hand behind her back and I countered with a barrier that would deflect the attack I suspected was coming. Behind her, I saw Layla and Murtagh leap through the air and tackle sirens. Tseki unleashed a roar that shook the chamber. It was terrifying in his human form. I’d hate to hear him do that when he was a dragon. With each clash of magic and steel, the air crackled with tension and raw power. Nana, Stella and I tried to unravel the barrier while also fighting the lead siren. She remained focused on us. There were so many others that Aidon couldn’t break away and come help us.

“Watch her. I’m not sure what she did a second ago, but I sense something building,” I told Nana and Stella.

They nodded in agreement, and we continued to cast. I alternated my spells. One was aimed at the lead siren. The next was aimed at weakening her hold over the prison. She let out a growl and pulled out small, intricately carved onyx sphere from behind her back. My mind was torn between wondering where she’d pulled that from and taking in the glowing arcane symbols covering it. The sphere hummed with a faint, ominous energy. When she set it down, its surface rippled as if containing something alive.

“That’s not good,” I muttered as I threw a magical bomb right at her. It landed on the sand and made the sphere bounce three feet into the air.

The lead siren smirked at me as she pushed several symbols at once. The frequency changed when she did that. Stella cursed and said, “She activated the damn thing.” As she fell into the barrier. I reached for Nana as the ground rolled beneath our feet. Whatever that artifact was, it was powerful.

Aidon cursed long enough to make a sailor blush and his grip tightening on his sword. That made all of us stop and take notice. A sharp crack made me duck and pull Nana with me. Glancing over, my heart skipped a beat when the air began to shimmer and warp. To my horror, a horde of creatures unlike any I had seen before emerged from a newly created portal. Not that it was like any portal I’d ever seen.

They looked like demons with twisted horns and jagged claws. They slithered forth, and their red eyes burned with malice. Next came scaled beasts that had three legs. There were so many of them that Aidon, Layla, Murtagh, and Tseki backed up to join us. We abandoned the barrier for the moment and focused on the battle in front of us. Stella gasped and her hand covered her mouth in horror. “What are these things?”

Nana's voice rang out clear and steady as she barked, “Stay focused! We can't let them overwhelm us!”

Aidon raised his sword, his jaw set in determination. “Everyone, stick together! Take them down, one by one.”

I shivered when a series of low guttural growls and hissing reverberated through the chamber in response. The sounds promised death and destruction. This was not going to be a pleasant fight. I inched back and pulled Nana with me. She and I were the most vulnerable. My mind didn’t even get started with trying to come up with a spell that would take the enemy out but not hurt any of us because the artifact’s glow turned red. And something much worse stepped through.

“Lyra,” I hissed.

“You thought you could beat me?” Lyra tsked us. “You stepped right into my trap. And now I have you right where I want you.”

Fucking shit!

Layla bared her teeth while Tseki partially shifted. “We can handle this," he growled. His talons slashed through the air as he prepared to fight. This form was difficult for him, but his dragon was too big for the chamber. The Twisted Sisters visit for Nina’s birthday suddenly seemed fated. They’d spent a long time talking to him about how they could shift into smaller dragons. He’d been experimenting and discovered his lizard-man form. It just took a lot of his energy to hold for long.

Murtagh lowered his front legs and began growling at the creatures eyeing him. As if that was a signal, Layla howled and launched herself at a cluster of creatures. That kicked things off. Tseki unleashed a deafening roar that shook the chamber as he threw himself into the fray with flames streaming from his mouth.

I summoned my own magic, tendrils of energy coalescing around me as I threw a magical bomb into the middle of the sirens at the back. Aidon went for Lyra and nearly claimed her head. She moved faster than any witch should and managed to put herself in the middle of her minions.

The creatures advanced with swift, coordinated movements. Demons lunged with deadly precision. Their claws slashed through the air. Lyra cast spells that crackled with arcane energy, seeking to ensnare us in her grasp. My magic reacted instinctively and I started flinging shields that absorbed her power. The problem with that was I couldn’t stop and send anything to the creatures. At least we’d managed to thin the sirens out.

Stella and Nana's combined magic created a protective barrier that shimmered around us, deflecting the first wave of attacks. Layla and Murtagh struck back with swift and precise blows, their attacks finding vulnerable spots on the creatures' bodies. Tseki's flames engulfed several. Their screams echoed in the chamber as they were consumed by fire. His flames got close to Lyra and forced her closer to Aidon’s blade.

My mate fought like a god possessed. His sword was a blur of steel as he parried and struck at the creatures around us. With each swing, he cleaved through demonic flesh and inhuman forms. His skill as a warrior was evident in every movement. And within no time, body parts began to pile up behind him. It created an obstacle for the others trying to get to us.

Despite our efforts, the creatures pressed on. Their numbers seemed endless. They remained fixed on us with a hunger for bloodshed. The noise of my magic battling Lyra’s was deafening. It was clear why she’d lived this long performing forbidden magic. She was not going to be easy to beat. My defense faltered when the stench of sulfur filled the space. That had everyone looking around. Aidon had removed his Underworld charm and slammed it into the side of one of the demon-like creatures. One of the scaly things had snuck up behind him and sliced open his side.

“Aidon!” I shouted. He turned his gaze to me for a split second before he sliced the creature in two. I learned two things in that moment. One, his amulet hadn’t sent it back to the Underworld, so these weren’t demons. And two, he was fine and would be pissed if I let this distract me. “We need to take out that artifact!” I shouted above the din. My voice was barely audible over the chaos of battle.

Nana put her hand on my back and said, “I'll try to disrupt its power.” She’d stayed behind me and Stella and had thrown her offensive spells from there.

The rest of us fought fiercely, buying Nana the time she needed. I could feel Nana’s power building. It was like a roaring fire behind me. She unleashed a powerful wave of magic and directed it toward the artifact. The glyphs on its surface glowed fiercely for a moment, resisting her efforts. I couldn’t help because I was still combating Lyra’s spells. There was a pause in her next attack. Without thinking, I threw a magical arrow at her. It was slender and harder to detect. It was also harder to hit someone. I crowed when her eyes went wide, and blood started pouring from her shoulder. It was then that Nana finally managed to hit the artifact. The sphere shattered into a thousand metal pieces, all covered with sigils.

Lyra and her creatures faltered. She recovered quickly and resumed throwing shit at me, but their movements were slowed. Their attacks became less coordinated. Lyra chanted something, and her creatures perked up. They fought with renewed vigor. I lost track of what the others were doing. It was enough to stay in front of Nana and keep Lyra’s spells from hitting us.

I didn’t know how long I could keep this up. Yes, the creatures were thinning and the sirens had either fled or been killed. Except for the leader. She was still there. In fact, she threw something at me from the side. I turned when the rock hit me in the side of the head. That distraction cost me. One of Lyra’s spells hit my left breast. The babies managed to erect a protective barrier, but the force spun me around.

I heard Nana cry out and scrambled to right myself while continuing to stop Lyra’s spells. I heaved a sigh of relief when she was reacting to Stella. She’d formed a faint, shimmering light between her palms. My eyes widened as the glow intensified. I tried to keep an eye on what was happening while also battling Lyra. Not that I was able to throw anything at her. I was going to need to practice and come up with something better than a magical bomb to beat her. I almost faltered when I saw Stella’s hands move with a grace and power she had never had before. She was weaving intricate patterns in the air and tapping into something ancient and profound.

“Stella?” I whispered, awe creeping into my voice.

Aidon's keen eyes caught the subtleties of the magic at play and was the first to piece it together. “It's Stella,” he grunted as he decapitated one of the creatures. “We were wrong about the prophecy. It's her.”

Stella's eyes widened in shock, but she didn’t stop moving. The light from her hands cast a radiant aura that filled the chamber. “I don’t understand,” she said and yelped when a scaly beast lunged for her. Layla tackled it from the side. “How can it be me?” Stella asked as if she hadn’t just almost been eaten.

“Because you’re the best of us,” I told her as the power emanating from her filled me with hope. “You can do this, Stella. You’re stronger than you realize.”

Nana grunted and tossed a spell toward the siren leader who was trying to reach us. “Trust the magic, Stella. It has chosen you for a reason.”

Layla and Murtagh positioned themselves to guard Stella as she worked. Tseki had shifted back to human and was racing around the room, tackling creatures from all over. Stella took a deep breath and continued. She was more confident now. The glow around her intensified. The ancient magic of the oracle’s prophecy swirled through the air.

Stella unleashed a series of powerful spells. The intricate patterns she wove in the air shimmered with energy, and each one resonated with a force that shook the foundations of the cave. The closest creatures summoned by the artifact shrieked and writhed as Stella's magic washed over them, banishing them back to whatever nasty realm they had come from.

Lyra growled, shifted gears, and began throwing spells all around the chamber. It shattered Stella’s focus and rattled her. She continued what she was doing, but her power had more to combat. I saw some of Stella’s power hit Lyra. Of course, that enraged the corrupt witch. Her siren friend joined her in the battle. The chamber trembled as Stella's new power clashed with the siren and Lyra's dark magic. The walls pulsed and rippled and the air was alive with the battle between light and darkness.

Lyra stopped and smirked. “It’s been a pleasure, but I have an important appointment to keep.” With a salute, the Dark witch vanished into thin air.

“How the hell did she do that?” I blurted.

“We will figure this out later. We need to end this and free my mom,” Stella snarled. She was right. The battle was not over. However, we had taken a significant step toward victory in making Lyra retreat.