Page 35 of Starfall

Emery held still as Orla focused, and the corset thickened and dress shortened into a saloon-styled affair. It left her legs clothed in leather leggings that covered her legs to her boots.

Orla grinned. “I like it. Now mine.” She changed into a long tunic in silver with snowflakes all over it.

She was wearing boots and looked like she was looking for a fight.

“Orla, you are my second. I don’t want you getting that dress messy. Where is your mother?”

“Over at the buffet by the shrimp.”

“Think again.” Emery smiled and said, “Turn around.”

“Orla, what do you think you are doing?”

Orla whirled and faced her recently reappeared mother. “I am going to help a friend if she needs it.”

Her mother was standing with her eyes narrowed. “Good. She suffered at your father’s hands just like you did. Well, not the same, but she did go through a very specific torment because of him. You two are bonded, and because of that, go nuts and don’t let one of those manifestations stand. Warlocks are morons.”

Emery grinned and started to walk to the battlefield. Orla caught up to her and linked arms. Emery called out, “So are we doing this, or are you three the little bitches that I see when I look at you? I own an animal shelter. I know a bitch when I see one.”

Orla was laughing, and when they got to the polished round in the snow, they waited.

Hunter and Rowen walked up. Hunter was carrying the puppy.

Orla muttered, “I wonder if they heard you.”

The three warlocks in question were bristling with indignation as they stood at the other side of the snow arena. Partygoers were wandering over to watch whatever was about to occur. Olmin and Kelnen were both there with their arms crossed.

Their wives and Olmin’s familiar were standing nearby.

Emery watched as the three on the other side decided who went first. When they had their fight order sorted, Orla chuckled. “You aren’t going to leave one for me, are you?”

Emery laughed. “Hopefully not. The chance to beat the hell out of three warlocks as part of a Yule celebration? That comes along once in three lifetimes.”

Orla chuckled. “Here come the introductions.”

Olmin looked at the warlocks. “What do you declare in front of these witnesses?”

Penrose stated, “She is an ogre and useful for the magics that she can provide from her body. She is not allowed here. Her kind has been banned from this area for the last century and a half. It is our right to take her.”

Kelnen turned to her. “Emery, what do you declare in front of these witnesses.”

“I, Emery, ogre born, was conceived using the magic of a warlock-sanctioned event. He stole away and used the magic of the evening to assault and impregnate my mother, who did not survive the birth. I was raised by mortals and by those who recognized what I was and helped me to manage what roared out of me. The only contact I had with my paternal side was the night they died. But sure. I have ogre power. Now, let’s see what I can do.”

Orla called out, “If I can’t fight, I am controlling the soundtrack.”

Kelnen laughed. “Agreed. Emery, are you ready?”

Emery shifted and felt her swords ready themselves. “Yup.”

She walked onto the field and waited. The three warlocks stepped forward together, and Rowen yelled, “Hey!”

Emery didn’t look away as the three men began to generate their avatars. “It’s fine, Rowen. Now, we find out which one is the warlock and which two are the familiars.”

There was a gasp and anoooooohfrom the watchers.

It was easy to bait warlocks under forty. They were all dick and ego. Easy prey.

Penrose sent his spectre outward, charging at her. The music theme of a martial arts video game began to blast, and Emery reached over her shoulders to grab her swords as she calmly moved toward him. An instant before he got to her, she straightened, stopped moving, and lit the swords with ogre fire. She started twirling them, and when he was close enough for contact, she simply cut his spectre’s head off.

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