Page 78 of Pure Magic
William and Esme hold on to Henry in a chain of love and family. A family unwilling to let any member go is stronger than any demon magic.
They all pull, and we inch away from the center, toward Windsor coven, who are battling a new group of demons.
Adam clasps Kaden’s arm and drags him away from Ariana. At the edge of the inner circle, with little cover, Kaden lies unconscious in the mud and blood of the battlefield.
Weak and pale, Adam stares at me. “You’re mad. You know that?” He wipes mud from his smiling face.
“It took me too many years to find the man meant for me. I’ll not have that creature take you away without a fight.”
A serpent as black as the mucky ground slithers past my feet. It rears back, eyes on Adam.
I stab the staff down as hard as I can. When I feel it’s skull crack, I’m filled with nauseating satisfaction. The thing’s scream is loud and high pitched, nothing like any snake of this world.
Minerva rushes over, kneels beside Adam, and cups his cheeks.
“My brother.” He tries to pull away, but she holds tight.
“I’ll do what I can for him, Adam, but Sara Beth will need you to help her. We all need you.”
Adam allows the healing. His skin blooms pink and healthy. “Thank you.”
She helps him to his feet and moves to see to Kaden.
Esme rushes to her side and lends her healing gifts as well.
Adam says, “Thank you for trusting me.”
My heart clenches. I should have never doubted him. I let my sorrow and broken heart speak when my head and soul knew the truth. An apology will have to wait.
Demons drop from the gate by the hundreds. Small, large, winged, two and four legged, they rain into our world.
A man-size demon with slimy dark-green skin and glowing red eyes lifts a sword and rushes toward us.
Adam pulls fire from the center, forms a blade, and lets it soar into the demon’s chest. “I’m feeling much better. It’s good to be on this side of the battle line, dear one.”
In the midst of the worst hell I’ve ever seen, joy blooms in my chest. “It’s good to have you beside me.”
Two more similar demons rush toward us. I thrust energy from the shield staff toward them, lift them off their feet, and throw them backward into the fire.
Water witches form a line, draw water from the clouds and create a wave that sends the demons back up into the hell gate.
As the water witches duck out of the way, earth witches shoot arrows at anything that escapes the wave.
The ground shakes with the thundering footsteps of a demon taller than the largest of the monoliths. It swings its arms and sends two witches flying. A deep growl rumbles from it.
Avoiding its stomping feet slamming the ground with the power of giant anvils, three Derbyshire fire witches, along with Laura, Lydia, and Isaac, rush in to beat it back with shooting flames.
Heart in my throat, I’m about to jump in when they set the beast aflame then use air magic to blow it back through the gate.
Ariana lifts her hands, mutters a third incantation, and a third gate opens.
Blue light pours from the newest gate, and Goddess’s magic flows down.
Ariana curses and shoots her magic into the opening. The magic crashes up, and Ariana’s body stretches long and thin in a grotesque distortion. Her pale skin darkens to an inky, unnatural black, and her eyes glisten with red light. Soft strands of hair morph into cords that swirl like dozens of snakes.
The creature that stands shooting dark magic into Goddess’s realm has nothing left of the woman that was. This is pure evil. Despite the horribly haggish Ariana’s assault into the gate, nothing happens in return.
Blue light continues to pour through the opening.
