Page 53 of A Touch of Brimstone

Even feet away from Helena, I could feel the results of the oxygen-removing spell. She clawed at her throat. I moved back toward the wall, keeping my distance from the magic. I needed to distract the witch, break his concentration. Grabbing one of the few items still intact, a heavy Dungeons and Dragons light, shaped like a die, I hurled it at the witch, hitting him on the side of his arm.

The oxygen-siphoning sphere shuddered a few feet away from Helena, but not far enough to prevent its effect. The heavy mug I lobbed at him next hit a diaphanous field, rebounded, and pitched into my hip, sending me stumbling back. Recovering with a groan, I looked for something that could pierce the field and found Rei on the other side of the room providing protection for the oxygen-siphoning witch. She shook her head, a silent request for me to stay put. She wouldn’t kill me—that was some comfort—but the throb in my hip was proof she would hurt me.

The shimmering field that covered the witch flickered and dropped, and the mug I hurled smashed into the side of the witch’s face. He stumbled to the side, and the sphere shuddered then vanished. Running out of objects heavy enough to throw, I searched for more items and found the source of the breach in Rei’s field.

Dominic.

He had pulled Rei against his chest and held a claw at her jugular. I turned back to find Helena standing over the manacle-subdued, oxygen-siphoning witch. There was a naked man where moments ago a bear was fighting Anand. The man wasn’t moving, not even a faint rise and fall of his chest.

Rei’s eyes were calculating, glancing at the claw at her throat then cutting to the two remaining allies in the room, who were doing their own assessment.

Amid all the violence and pandemonium, it was hard not to think of Cameron. The damage was extensive, with areas empty of books, partially burned books strewn throughout the store, the registers on the floor, and several bookshelves smashed.

Her store was in shambles. She’d lose income. How would the destruction be explained? The cameras? Was this being seen on her phone real-time? How would they handle her knowledge of them?

Dominic’s expression was stoic as his eyes met mine. I wasn’t sure if it was his presence or tempered anger that had increased the room temperature by several degrees.

One of the shifters watched Dominic as he took in the damage.

“Is this what you all want?” Dominic asked, directing his attention to all the Awakeners in the room.

“No, but it seems to be what you want,” the lone shifter growled. I knew the tell now; he was about to shift.

“You do it and I’ll kill Rei,” Dominic told him. “Then my sister will kill you and this little stunt will be for naught.”

More evaluation took place. I felt sure they were speculating whether this cause was worth their life. They’d lost two already with nothing to show for it.

“Helena.” Dominic nodded at her and she moved aside, allowing the magically neutered witch to stand.

Dominic released Rei, I assumed as a sign of good faith or to show that she was not a threat to him. He hadn’t restricted her magic.

“Has there been any contact between Roman, Celeste, or Vadim?” He directed the question to everyone in the room.

Their jaws clenched in a mutual demonstration of allegiance. Dominic inched in Rei’s direction.

With ire, she squared her shoulders and met his gaze. “You won’t get any information from me. Are you afraid you’ll feel the sting of Roman’s claws, or is it Celeste’s magic that you fear? You have no immunity to it, do you? I hope it’s Roman’s claws that get you both.” She snapped her head in Helena’s direction.

The tight air of contention filled the room. She’d struck a nerve—pointed out their weakness.

The front door of the store blasted open, and strong magic flooded in with the group of seven people who entered with practiced efficiency and military precision. Magic reminiscent of when I was in the room with the Conventicle burst in. Powerful. Heavy. And undeniably hostile.

Friend or foe?

I could see the lack of recognition on Dominic’s face before the woman at the front of the group fired three gunshots at him. He darted to the left, barely missed being hit by bullets that blew the plaster from the wall. Dominic returned fire. A menacing red glow of magic pummeled into the woman’s chest. She crumpled to the ground. Dominic was moving faster than the other people could target him.

Rei realized too late that despite their attack on Dominic, this new group weren’t allies. She was ensorcelled in a bubble, blue and white intermingled, giving way to smokey black. Her oxygen was being choked off as the magic-wielding newcomer efficiently pulled it from her. Rei collapsed, her face distorted by her struggle. Her lips were losing their rosy color and her face blanched. Small lines formed across her eyes from broken capillaries. Dead.

The vampire was locked in a frozen state. I could only assume this was necromancer magic. Power over the dead. The vamp wore his helplessness with a tight-lipped scowl. I didn’t avert my eyes fast enough to miss his demise by beheading. This wasn’t an idealistic group of people like the Awakeners; they were trained assassins. Magically powerful and brutally efficient.

The assassins’ precision seemed to unleash something in Helena. The vampire body hadn’t become dust on the floor before Helena had its assailant’s head twisted at an odd angle that no one could survive. Anand was a whirlwind of movement, lithe and deadly. I still hadn’t been able to determine if he was immune to magic, or so swift that no one could use it against him.

I chanced a glance in Dominic’s direction. A thrown ball of magic breezed over my shoulder, barely missing me as I dove to the floor. My head hit a toppled bookcase. I was a little dazed, but I fared better than the wall with the hole punched through it. That could have been me.

Scrambling to my feet, I grabbed a piece of the metal wizard collector’s item and threw it at the magic wielder, hitting him in the head as he prepared for another strike against me. Shock and anger took over his face.

Running out of items heavy enough to be of use, I searched around while moving in a zigzag to prevent being in his line of sight. I whipped around at the sound of footsteps behind me. I threw a charred hardback, but the shifter dodged it. Her menacing approach was measured and taunting. I kept my eyes fixed on hers, looking for the spark that seemed to light their eyes before they changed. If the others were so efficient with their magic, would this shifter be just as skilled at changing without the identifying precursor?

Anand lunged at her, knocking her to the ground and holding her down in her partial shift to tiger.

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