Endless Magic (Stella Mayweather Series Book 6) (22 page)

"How did you know?"

I shrugged, uncertain of how to explain my newest abilities. Moving away from the lieutenants that the wolves found, I stretched out my senses. There were many wounded and countless dead; but there were definitely more Brotherhood casualties than those of my allies. I could feel the relief amongst the allies, and the fear lifting, overtaken by something akin to jubilation, but intermingled with that was a smattering of confusion. There was pain, too. Far more than I wanted to experience, so I recoiled my magic, anchoring it inside me. "We need healers," I told Evan. "Some of our people and the prisoners are hurt." I didn't need to explain how badly, but some teetered on the edge of life, their injuries substantially serious.

Evan must have said something because a small number of witches took off, searching for the hurt warriors.

"What do we do with the surviving Brotherhood?" asked Matthias. He appeared at one side of Étoile. Micah, still on her other side, ignored him.

"Find them all," said Étoile. "Bring them to me."

"There are many," Matthias continued.

"We can't leave them here. The High Council will discuss their fate."

"These are not people we should be lenient with."

"I know, Matthias." Étoile's voice was cutting, final, but the look that passed between them was indecipherable. "Round up the survivors," she instructed, turning in a small circle so everyone could hear her. "I want all our people transported to The Amethyst for treatment. We'll deal with The Brotherhood here."

"We'll have to shimmer in numerous trips," said Seren. "There aren't enough of us with that ability compared to the numbers of injured."

My magic prickled. Whether it was due to the temptation of the challenge, or just my interest in doing a new job, I couldn't tell, but something assured me I could do it. Shimmering a large number of people wasn't a problem anymore.

"Start with the worst injured," Étoile decided as she stopped in front of Corinthia and her delegation. "Perhaps our comrades could help the stronger ones?"

She nodded. "We can assist."

There seemed little I could do after my offer to help round up the invalids was turned down, so instead, I watched and waited as the teams went out. Some called in their reports, while others brought in the injured. Gradually, a small group of allies appeared, and a much larger group of The Brotherhood. "There's so many of them," I whispered to Evan. "We can't possibly imprison them all."

"Their numbers are largely dead," he said, surveying the battleground. "I am surprised that many survived."

"But how did they all die? Shouldn't there be more blood?"

"You remember what Étoile said about you being a weapon?"

"Yes, but she didn't tell me what she meant... Oh—" I stopped, catching Evan's pointed look. I turned away, shocked, and observed the bodies. I never attempted to kill anyone, only to render my opponents unconscious. "Did I do this?"

He shook his head. "I think some of them were killed in the fighting. What do you remember?"

"I remember floating. And feeling infinitely powerful. I stopped all of Georgia's magic, all of her spells, and then Auberon came out of nowhere and punched me in the face."

Evan reached for my chin, turning my face gently, his eyes narrowing. "You're going to bruise. Death isn't good enough for him."

"He was babbling something about this being his objective all along."

Evan surveyed the small influx of people joining us in the clearing. Our people took one side; and The Brotherhood moved to the other. They were guarded by a clutch of vampires who circled them slowly. If I were they, I would have been terrified. "This?" he asked, frowning.

"No, me. This superwitch thing. He said he knew about the prophecy and... I think that's why they kidnapped me. To see if they could activate my powers, and turn me into a weapon for them."

"Your uncle is one sick man."

"It wasn't just that though. He said the same kinds of things Georgia said. That this was his legacy, and no one would ever forget him once our world was revealed. I don't know how they think word will get out, but I guess he expects The Brotherhood to spread the news."

"No one will believe this bunch. The rest of the world will think they're all crazy."

"You sure about that?"

"No, but if Auberon and Georgia planned to divulge what exists in this world, they must have some other way of doing it. Let's just hope that idea died with them."

"Georgia is still alive," I reminded him, "and we don't know how many people they told who aren't here. The Brotherhood have always had powerful backers. We've never discovered who they are."

"You could be right."

"I hope not," I sighed. "I didn't kill him, you know. Or, at least, I don't think I did."

"I know."

"I was floating!" I stopped, incredulous. How did I do that? I know I didn't intend to. I wondered if I could do it again? Floating seemed like a useful tool. I could reach all kinds of shelves, and changing lightbulbs would be super easy. And what about all the other less practical things?

"Levitating," corrected Evan. His attention, however, wasn't on me, but on the High Council, huddled together and talking quickly. It didn't seem like there were disagreements, but tension was in the air. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"I could listen in, but I'm not sure I want to. I think this is the last of ours," I said, pointing to the group now limping into the clearing. "I think I could probably shimmer them all to The Amethyst."

Evan laid a hand on my arm. "Be careful about revealing everything you can do," he said softly. "Just because we’re all allies doesn't mean we work together all the time."

I was stopped from asking what he meant when Étoile broke away from the group. She beckoned us and we met her in the middle. "Time to go," she said. "Get everyone together, take as many as you can and go to The Amethyst and wait there."

"Should I come right back?" I asked.

"No, we're taking everyone out in one go. Leave now."

"What about...?" I glanced toward The Brotherhood. There must have been twenty men and women sitting on the ground, their camouflaged faces barely concealing equal measures of anger and loathing.

"Not your concern. Leave now," she repeated, this time urgently.

"Okay. What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you." Étoile gave me a light push towards the survivors as she stepped past and I stumbled. Evan caught me, setting me straight when she strode ahead.

"I guess they're going to wipe their memories now," I said. "They'll resist, but it's best to limit their knowledge, right?"

Evan nodded, falling into step beside me.

"What did you mean by not telling everyone what I can do? I don't even
know
what I can do, except it feels like everything. Plus, didn't everyone see me anyway? Doing that floating and glowing thing?"

Evan stopped and grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop and face him, with only inches between us. "What exactly do you remember?" he asked, staring down at me.

"I remember the floating and the glowing and Auberon talking. I remember being so full of magic, I could do anything. But you know all that."

Evan sucked in a breath. "You became something else, Stella. It was like you were a whole other being. You, but not you. You were like a beacon, you lit up everything around us and the power flowing from you was immense. You must have been able to sense allegiances because The Brotherhood started falling where they stood, yet not a single one of us was affected. You've noticed the strange looks you've been getting? They all saw you wielding that unlimited power and it scared them."

"They know I'm the superwitch we've been looking for."

"There're rumours, but not everyone knew you were looking for this mythical being. Suddenly, you just turned into something else and single-handedly wiped out an entire army. There's more power in you alone than in any other being here; and there's some damn powerful supernatural beings here."

"What does that mean for me?"

"That's something we need to study."

"You'll help me?"

"Stella, sweetheart, I will always help you, but right now, we have to get out of here. Even if you could shimmer everyone away, it's best we pool our power with anyone else who can shimmer, and write it off as a mutual effort."

"But everyone knows I would never hurt them."

"They know you're powerful, and power means weapons. You don't want to be a target for every power-hungry witch-hater out there. Or people who want to befriend you in order to manipulate you. You're going to attract a lot of unwanted attention."

"What's new?" I laughed icily.

"It's not a joke, Stella."

"You don't seem scared."

"I know you."

"Then you know I can look after myself." I stopped, a few feet away from where the survivors were being helped to their feet. They were morphing slowly into a ring of dozens of interlocking hands. "This might have made me something; today might have changed things, but maybe, it also set me free."

"Free?"

"Free," I said, my fixed determination lacing my voice. I had a lot of time to discover exactly what happened to me, and now I was resolved to do just that. I didn't need anymore time to discover exactly how powerful I was. I wasn't simply being arrogant either. I could feel it. It was part of me now.

Evan renewed his grasp on my hand, always gentle, always reassuring. "I'll tell you one thing I know. Life is never dull with you in it."

I grabbed the hand next to me, smiling at Evan, before opening my internal shields and letting magic flow around the circle. I sensed the circle didn't have enough energy, certainly not enough from the few witches who could shimmer to transport all the beings, barring the demons who were disappearing one-by-one, all except Evan. I pushed my magic out, sending it through every being linked to the circle. It was just like I thought, I could do this all by myself, but Evan was right; I shouldn't show off.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

I looked around for Étoile and found her right behind us, but she had her back to us, watching The Brotherhood as the vampires advanced. I started to call to her, but we began to shimmer, cutting me off.

That was when the screaming started.

Chapter Twenty-Two

     I switched off the TV, placing the remote on the glass coffee table, as Evan padded, barefoot, into the room. He handed me one of the coffees he carried before settling on the sofa next to me. "What's the latest?" he asked.

     "Same as every other news show this week," I told him. I blew across the top of the coffee, doing little to cool it, only to ensure the fragrance of the shot of vanilla and coffee hit my nose. I licked my lips, blew again and sent a little magic to cool it to the perfect temperature before I sipped. Evan drank his boiling hot. "They are incredulous that we lived among them for so long. One member of the panel wants us all locked up. The other guy is pushing for immediate regulation and taxes."

    Evan chuckled. "Always taxes."

    "Can you believe it's been six weeks since that tape was leaked to every media outlet in the world?"

    "Six weeks and the world isn't erupting into complete havoc."

    "And they still haven't found out who sent it," I added as I set my coffee cup down. Evan lifted his arm so I could snuggle against him. "All that talk about live feeds set up to capture the battle and satellites... I tuned out. It got too hi-tech for me. Worst of all he cheated a righteous comeuppance by having that damned heart attack! Auberon and Georgia might get their legacy after all."

    "The great defenders of humanity? Makes me sick. It’ll take a ton of improved public relations to make the world not see us as dangerous."

    "I don't think there's any good publicity in the world for the vampires," I said, shivering at the thought of the part of the video that was deemed too graphic to broadcast. Instead of wiping The Brotherhood fighters' memories clean, the High Council voted swiftly and unanimously in favour of death. The vampires were all too eager to carry out the sentence. It was something that shocked me, but not many shared my opinion. After all, The Brotherhood were determined to kill us. They received the same fate they wanted to mete out to us. Yet they still hadn't been eradicated entirely. Someone had leaked that tape.

    "You'll be surprised. Look at vampires in popular culture. Murder, maiming, manipulation, and they're still immortalised in romantic folklore. Plus, they can buy good PR if they want it."

    "I can't. I don't have money for PR, certainly not the good kind, and I'm not sure I want it anyway. I don't want to attract any publicity. It was bad enough when just the supes were curious about me. I don't think I could take the whole world watching and judging."

    "I don't think you need to. The camera never got a good angle on you, and you just about killed the feed when you went superwitch."

    "I saw a news report that said I was an angel."

    "That should keep the religious nuts interested." Evan leaned in, kissing the top of my head. "You are an angel."

    "Apparently, I'm also the herald of the end of the world," I added, repeating what I heard on yesterday's news.

    "I know that's not true. Perhaps it's time to stop watching the news and get back to the real world.
Our world.
War is over. The Brotherhood were defeated. Georgia Thomas is dead..."

    "Do you really think it was suicide?" I interjected. I'd been pondering that question for the last month, ever since reports came in that Georgia hung herself while awaiting trial.

    Evan didn't hesitate to answer. "Not for a minute."

    "I don't know that anyone else believes it either, but no one said a word."

    "Her death solves more problems than it creates. Georgia didn't have a lot of friends left."

    "Who do you think did it?"

    "I have no idea, but if I ever find out, I'll send them a fruit basket."

    I held back a smile despite the grim subject. Evan was right. Georgia’s timely death halted what would have been a potentially damaging trial. What I couldn't work out was whether one of us killed her, or someone she was associated with. I figured whoever The Brotherhood's backers were, they must have been powerful people, and Georgia knew too much. They couldn't risk her say anything to save her hide. Besides, there was a long line of people who would gladly have ridded the world of Georgia. "I heard there won't be an investigation," I said.

    "That doesn't come as any surprise. The High Council seem to have no problem agreeing lately." Evan checked his watch. "We need to go. We'll be late."

    "Do we have to?" I heard myself say, surprising even me.

    "It's your party."

    "It's not a party, it's a gathering to say hi before we go travelling."

    "A gathering that we're thousands of miles from," Evan pointed out. "Are you packed?"

    I nodded at the large bag I moved downstairs just this morning before setting it beside the elegant, dark wood cabinets that spanned the wall. "I liked hiding out here. It was quiet. No interruptions," I said for the umpteenth time. Even though we knew the day was coming, it didn't stop the disappointment from hitting me anew. With Evan's invitation to join him at his home, it took less than a day to decide to leave The Amethyst, along with all the politics, behind us. I was drawn into that world for too long. It was time to make some decisions of my own; and I needed these few weeks to think about things. Not only that, but to see what happened with Evan and me when it was just the two of us. It turned out to be a brilliant decision. I avoided the stares and comments that started the moment of my awakening, and managed to explore my newfound power under the tutelage of someone who had nothing to gain from it. Not that we didn't have a few moments of surprise while exploring the limits of what I could do. Finally, I felt on a par with Evan.

   My magic wasn't the most important part of being away. Learning what Evan and I meant to each other was something long overdue. It was here, far from everyone else, that we found out. The love I felt for him surpassed and exceeded what I thought was possible.

    "Is it hiding if everyone knew where you were?"

    I tickled Evan's sides, laughing as he squirmed away. "You know what I mean."

    "Let's go," he said, wrapping his arms around me, and pinning mine to my sides. I struggled, unable to move him. I could have shimmered out of his arms, letting him squash the empty air, but some things were more fun to do the human way. I nodded, feeling his magic washing around me, no longer scary, but still heating me to my core. I pushed my magic out, snapping the luggage out of the room, and picturing it landing in my living room. Then I squeezed my eyes shut and held onto Evan.

    When I re-opened my eyes, we were on the sofa in my living room, still sitting in the same position, hugging tightly, but thousands of miles away in seconds.

   Kitty and Astra took care of my house as promised. The house was thoroughly cleaned, and the smell of lemon hung in the air. Someone put vases of flowers on the windowsills; and the front door stood open, allowing the notes of music to drift in on the same breeze as the scent of grilled meat.

    "Sounds like they started without us," said Evan, sliding off the sofa to stand before pulling me onto my feet. "Are you happy to be home?"

    I looked around, the warmth of home welcomed me the moment we appeared, but it was already fading. It was home, yes, but it was also a house. I liked knowing that it was my parents' house, their secret getaway from everything, but I didn't feel them here. I felt them more in my heart. As for the people outside, they weren't part of this house either. They weren't what made this house a home. They were in my heart too, and that's where my home was. Having searched for a place of familiarity, and roots, for so long, I never stopped to imagine that home was wherever I chose for it to be. It was not four walls and a roof. Now I knew what it meant to belong to something.

    "I'm happy to be at this house," I said, picking my words carefully, "but this is as much my home as anywhere else could be home."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, when I found this house, I thought this became my home. It was mine. I owned it. I put my things in it. But that doesn't mean it’s the only place I could call home. Home is wherever I choose, being with the people I choose. So long as I have that feeling, I could make my home anywhere. I don't need to search for something I already have."

    "So what are you saying? You don't want to spend some time traveling? You want to change our plans?"

    "I'm saying that I could make some changes. I can come back here anytime. I won't miss Annalise's baby growing up. I can see my friends. I can work remotely, or even shimmer into The Amethyst offices every day. We could vacation here. We could spend more time with you at your home..." My voice rose with the happy possibilities.

    "My house is a house, it's not a home," cut in Evan. "It's the place where I run my business; and I can do that anywhere."

    "If you don't want to go home, we could go anywhere else," I replied, looking up at him, a strange bubbling uncertainty mixed with excitement building in my chest. The possibilities were endless. We could go anywhere. We could build a life anywhere.

Evan tucked me against him, his arm circling my shoulders. "Isn't that the purpose of this going away party?" he asked. "Have you decided where you want to go?"

"Anywhere."

"Anywhere?" he asked, a trace of scepticism running through the word.

I nodded. "Anywhere." I meant it. The world was huge and I had seen very little of it. I saw too much of the bad side, and I wanted to see all that was beautiful and good. I wasn't walking away from anything; I was starting a new adventure with the man I loved and planned to spend my life with. For so long, I searched for home, growing desperate to find a place that deserved the honour of calling it home. I thought I'd found it in Wilding. It was a lovely house, and it would always be there, but I knew now that it wasn't the only place I could call home. Home was where I chose, and where I wanted to be; and I wanted, more than anything in the world, to be with Evan. I pressed myself against him, relishing the familiar flickering flames that arose from. Instead of fear at shimmering this daemon way, I savoured the heat, infusing it with my own power. "Anywhere with you."

"Do you think they'll mind if we don't show up at our own going away party?" he asked.

I listened to the happy voices outside, and the laughter. Someone was singing along to the stereo. It sounded like Daniel. I had no idea he could sing so well. Kitty joined him a moment later, then Astra too, the three of them belting out a popular song. "No."

The heat rose a degree. "And how about that other question?"

I looked up at him. His brows knitted together in expectation. I didn't need to ask which question. He asked it right before we packed, and I had to answer it one way or another. I couldn't make him wait... or me, any longer. "Yes," I whispered, as we dissolved into fire and air, ready to shimmer. "I'll marry you."