Page 46 of Mardi Gras Murders & Midnight Masquerades
"About time you showed up," Kota called. Her voice was roughened by her partial transformation. A wisp of smoke escaped her lips when she spoke. "These zealots are getting creative with their attacks."
Dre stood at the center of our formation. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she maintained the main ward. Dani and Phi flanked her. Their combined power reinforced the magical barrier. Dea moved between them and was throwing spells at the assembled. Around us, several shifters from Lucas's pack patrolled theperimeter.
A tall man in an ornate silver mask stepped forward from the robed figures. "Return the sacred artifact," he demanded. His voice carried an unnatural power that made the air vibrate. "It belongs to the Society, not to witches who cannot comprehend its significance."
"That mask is a tool of manipulation and death," I shot back, moving to complete our six-pointed formation. "Your leader has been using it to drain power from Society members for centuries."
"Blasphemy!" he snarled.
"We found Delacroix's journals," I pressed. "He documents everything. How he created the Society as a 'magnificent misdirection’. And how the masks you revere actually drain your energy instead of enhancing it."
Murmurs spread through their ranks. There wasn’t as much uncertainty rippling through them like I had hoped. Still, there was some. "Don't listen to her witchcraft!" the leader shouted. "Our purpose is sacred!"
"Your purpose is to be batteries," Dre said coldly. With a wave of her hand, she deflected a bolt of energy that had nearly penetrated our eastern ward line. "Nothing more."
The leader snarled and flung a bolt of corrupted energy directly at me. Before I could raise a counter-spell, Lucas shoved me aside, taking the hit himself. My breath caught and I reached for him. Expecting him to drop, I was relieved when he merely grunted in pain as the magic struck his shoulder. The impact did send him staggering back against me.
"Lucas!" I caught him before he could fall. The acrid scent of burnt flesh made my stomach turn.
That was all it took to shatter the tense standoff. Kota roared and her dragon nature surged forward as she unleashed a gout of flame. Her efforts created a blazing wall between us and the Society members. The fire took on a lifeof its own as it danced with unnatural intelligence to prevent our attackers from coordinating.
"Phi, reinforce the western flank!" Dre shouted. Her outstretched hands glowed with power as she sent three attackers flying backward with her telekinesis.
I considered shifting into my dragon as Phi nodded. "Shit! Their energy signature is shifting,” Phi shouted. “They're trying to burrow underneath!"
Dani dropped to one knee, and pressed her palm against the earth. "Not on my watch," she muttered. Using her Fae elemental powers, she sent a pulse of counter-energy through the ground that made the entire property line shudder.
Dea's eyes had gone misty white. "The spirits say they're channeling energy from buried artifacts," she called out. "Dre, four o'clock!"
Dre pivoted instantly and caught a sneak attack from a Society member who had managed to get through our defenses. The robed figure was hurled back twenty feet, and crashed into two of his companions. Two of Lucas's pack members—I recognized Kai and Aaron by their distinctive fur—lunged. Their massive forms brought down a Society member who had been preparing a more powerful spell.
The Society members' unity had begun to fracture. Some continued the assault while others held back. "We need to end this," Dre said as her power crackled around her like lightning. "They're regrouping for something bigger."
"I've got an idea," I replied, reaching into my pocket for one of the potion vials I'd carried with me. "Keep them busy!"
My sisters nodded in unison and I uncorked the vial. I whispered an activation spell making the crystal glow with blue. It drew the attention of the Society members. "This is Delacroix's essence," I lied, holding the vialhigh. "It was harvested during one of his soul transfers. If you don't believe our words, perhaps you'll believe what you see."
I cast the crystal onto the ground between our wards and their line. It shattered on impact. A cloud of shimmering blue mist was released and it coalesced into ghostly images. Dre manipulated it to show scenes from Delacroix's workshop. She showed the mage crafting masks and infusing them with siphoning spells designed to drain his followers.
The illusion was crude—nothing more than a magical display based on fragments I'd seen in the journals—but it was convincing enough to give the Society members pause. Their attack faltered as they watched what appeared to be their revered leader betraying their trust.
"This is trickery," the leader insisted, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Is it?" one follower questioned, lowering her hands. "They know his name. Delacroix has never revealed his true identity to any but the inner circle." Dissension spread through their ranks, the magical assault weakening as more members lowered their hands or stepped back from the front line.
"Retreat!" the leader finally commanded. "We will seek guidance and return with a better plan."
As the Society members began to disperse, Kota's eyes narrowed, focusing on a younger woman at the edge of the group. "Not so fast," she growled, launching herself forward with dragon-enhanced speed. In the blink of an eye, she cleared our ward line and seized the retreating Society member by her ornate robes.
Dani was right behind her, anticipating Kota's move before I even registered what was happening. She slipped through the same gap in our defenses. Her handswere glowing with binding magic as she grabbed the woman's other arm.
"You're staying for a chat," Dani said, her voice deceptively sweet as she slapped a magical restraint against the woman's wrist. The binding sigil flared bright blue before settling into the woman's skin like a glowing tattoo.
"Let me go!" the woman hissed, struggling against their grip. Her mask slipped slightly, revealing a face much younger than I expected.
"Take one more back with you!" the Society leader shouted, sending a pulse of corrupted energy toward Kota and Dani.
Dre deflected it with a casual flick of her hand, her telekinesis redirecting the attack into the ground where it dissipated harmlessly. "I wouldn't try that again," she called out coldly.
