Fatal Circle

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

By the time I returned from the astral plane to the circle on the shore and released the elemental quarters, the witches were flying in low from the lake. The red fairy was nowhere to be seen.

What remained of the elementals had gathered around the circle. Without the magic collars, they were no longer ominous. The unicorns’ eyes had softened and they pawed at the sand as if bored. The griffons lay down like a herd of cattle before the rain. The phoenixes preened themselves. The dragons had curled up like coiled snakes.

Thirty yards away, Kirk was crouched before Johnny and Mountain who were both sitting on the sand.

Sitting. Alive! Thank you, Goddess.

Two others I recognized as Beholders sat with them.

I eased away from the circle, using a soothing voice to say things like, “Good griffon, stay. Pretty unicorn, don’t step on the vampire.”

When I was clear of the animals, I ran toward Johnny, shouting his name.

With Kirk’s help, he stood. He wasn’t naked; Kirk must have retrieved Johnny’s clothes for him. When I reached him, I almost knocked him down, wrapping him in my arms that urgently. Holding on so tight, I squeezed him like I’d never let go.

He was gasping and flinching. I jerked back. “What’s wrong?”

Johnny let me go to clutch at his chest. It took a few heartbeats before he found his voice. “Phoenix cut me.”

“He needs stitches,” Kirk announced. His rifle was slung over his back.

Johnny’s shirt was black. Other than being damp, it didn’t show blood.

Vilna-Daluca’s voice came from behind me. “Is the gateway shut and sealed?”

I twisted around. “It is. The fire fairy?”

“Slain.” She didn’t say it proudly.

There were perhaps eighteen witches with her. Most had visible wounds on them. I had seen three incinerated. From Vilna’s expression, I didn’t need to ask what had happened to the others.

The distant wail of sirens was heard.

Vilna-Daluca mounted her broom. “What are we going to do with them?” She gestured toward the elementals.

“Excuse me,” Mountain said. He had managed to stand as well. Blood stained his ripped football jersey, but the flow from his bite had apparently stopped. Truthfully, he seemed steadier than Johnny. “I have an idea.”

“What?”

“Well, you have all that land . . . If you and the others can find a way to transport them, I’m sure the Beholders can build you a barn.”

I put my hand on his arm. “There aren’t many Beholders left.”

“We lost twelve, but the Boss has all of Heldridge’s people to deal with. This can be used as a test to evaluate them with. It’ll work, Seph. They can have it up in a day or two.”

We weren’t at the haven and he used my name. It made me smile. I remembered he’d grown up on a farm. “Someone will have to tend them. Do you think the Boss would let you? Would you want to?”

“If you ask him, yes.”

“I’d be glad to.” If he wakes up. Goddess, please, let him wake up tonight. Let him be what he’s been meant to be for so long.

Into the approaching wail of sirens, Vilna-Daluca spoke. “Jeanine, take a group and contain the elementals for now. We’ll deliver them to Persephone later.” Jeanine called out some names and immediately the group left to gather the animals. In moments, the elementals—some being assisted by the witches—were retreating out over Lake Erie. The griffons and phoenixes flew low, as she did, the dragons swam, and the unicorns did their walk-on-water trick.

“The rest of you,” Vilna-Daluca instructed, “clean the beach of guns, casings, anything with fingerprints. Call in some waves to remove the broken brooms, the dead elementals, and other debris.” All jumped to action.

Kirk and the Beholders helped Johnny to my car, then the Beholders got into their own vehicle and sped off. The police would be arriving momentarily.

The waeres who’d fled earlier had taken their wounded with them; of those that remained to fight with Johnny, two had lost their lives to the beam. The Beholders had lost a dozen to the incinerating deathbeam. Someone had removed the Beholder with the eyes like a mistreated dog—I didn’t see him anywhere. The dead fey weren’t a problem. They disintegrated into goo.

Vilna turned back to me. “Anything else, Persephone?”

“Thank you.”

“Blessed Be, Persephone.”

“Blessed Be, Vilna-Daluca.” She swooshed out over the lake to join Celeste.

Kirk came back across the sand. “Domn Lup sent me for the vampire.”

“He’s dead.”

“Duh. It’s cloudy, but the sun’s up,” Kirk said. “Johnny didn’t figure you’d leave the body.”

Putting every ounce of hope into the idea that Menessos would rise tonight, I said, “Please help me get him to my car. He should be safe from the sun in the trunk.”

Yeah. Because the risk of leaving the scene with a guy toting a rifle isn’t enough. It’ll be a better headline if there’s a dead body found in my trunk.