Midnight's Jewel (Siren Publishing Classic) (16 page)

A tall, gilded mirror stood in the center of the clearing. The frame was heavy and ornately carved. The gold faces and flowers were accented with silver. There was a slight, yellow mist swirling on the mirror’s surface. The base was surrounded by the same type of yellow crystals arranged in a circle as those on Brandon’s deck. Between the feet of the mirror base, a much larger crystal sat. Sabrina noticed a thin energy stream from the largest crystal to the bottom of the gold-covered frame. After gazing at the mirror a moment longer, she realized it must belong to Lucifer. The style matched his throne. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, but knowing it was being used as a scrying mirror somehow diminished its beauty, in Sabrina’s opinion.

Once the two men finished dragging Hadrian within the circle’s boundary, a thin white-gold ribbon of energy began to spread from one of the small crystals to the others. The flow made a full protective circle. The light wavered as it flowed along the perimeter, giving the occupants a faint yellow glow. Sabrina thought the effect made them all look sickly.

From behind the mirror, a woman stepped forward wearing a hooded ankle-length cape. Under the thin material, it was obvious the woman was rail thin. The hood came down far enough to totally obscure her face. She moved around to the front of the mirror, raised her hand, and touched the surface. It rippled like water under her fingers. She let out a small giggle and then bowed. “My lord, we are ready,” she said like a high-pitched kitten’s mewing.

Brandon tensed beside her. The wind had shifted. He inhaled deeply and let his breath out slow. His jaw clenched and worked steadily in a now familiar way that told Sabrina he was doing his best to restrain his behavior. He must have recognized her.

“Scarlett,” he hissed in a tone that was both accusatory and disgusted.

Farrell leaned in close to Brandon. “How the hell is that possible? Her throat was torn out. She hasn’t been able to talk for nearly ten years,” he whispered. Farrell gave Sabrina a questioning look.

“Don’t look at me! I was only able to help Carrie because I knew what she sounded like before the accident,” Sabrina defended in hushed tones.

“Well, somebody sure as hell helped her out,” Brandon added.

“Shhh! There’s movement.” Sabrina pointed to where Eleanor stood.

Eleanor made herself noticeable by taking large steps and making more noise than she normally would have. Sabrina knew Eleanor had the ability to move with great stealth through the woods. It worked. The occupants of the circle shifted their gaze in her direction.

A smooth, masculine voice floated out of the mirror. “Why, Eleanor! It is good to see you again after all these years. It’s been what? Three hundred years, give or take a decade or two?”

Instead of talking, Eleanor nodded. There was no expression on her face. Only the slightest tension at the corner of her eyes gave away her stress. She opened her hand and motioned for someone to join her, someone hidden in the dark shadows of the tree line.

Sabrina clapped her hands over her mouth to hold back any noise she might make. She watched herself walk out of the forest and into the clearing. Her doppelganger was a perfect replica. She had seen Camilla spelled to look like her, but there were still subtle differences. This time, there were none. The dark rainbows danced within the jewel around her twin’s neck. It flared to life the closer the twin came to the circle.

“Where is the wolf bitch?” the mirrored voice asked. “I know you used her as a decoy under glamour. How do I know this isn’t another one of your fakes?”

Eleanor gave another signal for someone to join her. Camilla stalked forward in her wolf form. Blood dripped from her muzzle. She must have gone back for the downed man after Brandon began tracking Hadrian. She sat at Eleanor’s side and growled at the circle’s occupants. Eleanor reached down and patted Camilla on the head, never taking her eyes off her targets. The werewolf settled down but remained focused on Hadrian.

The voice chuckled. “High-strung, isn’t she? I see you haven’t lost your charm over the beasts. Now, before we begin. I seem to be missing an employee. Have you by chance seen her? A witch, I believe.”

Still remaining silent, Eleanor reached into a large leather bag hanging behind her hip and out of Sabrina’s sight. From it, she pulled a mass of matted, blood-soaked, hair. She threw it on the ground. It rolled and stopped against the protective energy line. Carrie’s face stared up into nothingness.

Sharp bile hit Sabrina’s tongue, but she was able to stop herself from being sick. She had always known what Eleanor was capable of. Seeing it in person, however, was much different. Brandon reached and placed a hand on her shoulder. The effect was steadying. Sabrina took a deep, slow breath, closed her eyes, and let it out as quietly as she could.

“Well, that’s one less promise to be kept,” the smooth voice said. “You know what I want, Eleanor. Give me Midnight’s Jewel, and you can have Emperor Hadrian back. I had another gift for you, but I see your bloody wolf has interfered with my fun.”

“You get the necklace. The vampires get their king. What do I get, Lucifer?” Eleanor sounded almost bored. Sabrina knew that was not the case. By now, she would be twitching to take someone’s head.

“What do you want? I could offer you a place at my court, but your mother would hardly stand for that. I would offer you your weight in gold, but money doesn’t seem appeal to you.” Lucifer sounded amused. In her mind, the man’s handsome face sitting in his throne room surfaced. How could someone so beautiful be so evil?

“My freedom. I have been in Mother’s service my entire life. I have spent the last three hundred years playing mother to a child not of my flesh. Release Hadrian in exchange for the necklace. Take Sabrina in exchange for my freedom. Whatever happens between you and Mother are your own concerns. Just leave me here on Earth in peace to live out the rest of my existence,” Eleanor offered. A wrenching twist filled the pit of Sabrina’s stomach. She had always known Eleanor had raised her out of a sense of duty, but she had never thought of herself as a burden to her aunt. Tears welled up, blurring her vision.

“Done.”

Eleanor grabbed the struggling doppelganger’s arm and threw her into the circle’s protective energy. The double froze. An ominous laugh filled the clearing. Scarlett moved to the edge in front of the trapped woman. She took hold of a fistful of the long blue-black curls and yanked her into the circle’s interior, sneering at her.

The fake Sabrina lashed out, hitting Scarlett in the head. Scarlett fell to the ground, screeching. “I hope he cuts out your tongue and uses you like a filthy scullery maid. Let’s see how you like it!” The two henchmen wrestled the imposter to the ground. Scarlett rose to her feet and kicked the unknown woman in the gut.

“Enough, Scarlett! Unbind the emperor’s eyes. Let him see his daughter one last time,” Lucifer’s voice said with cold cruelty. Scarlett reached over and ripped the blindfold and gag loose.

Hadrian blinked a few times and found the other Sabrina on the ground beside him. He looked at her for another moment. “Sabrina? No. By the Gods! Not Sabrina. Mother Lilith! No!”

The imposter kicked out, catching Hadrian in the mouth. He was knocked unconscious. She pushed off his body to spin the two men on top of her, allowing her feet to get close to one of the glowing crystals. She gave the nearest one a hard kick, pushing it out of alignment with the others. The circle’s energy field flickered and then evaporated. A heavy wave of light from her hands shoved the two men off of her and into Scarlett. The three of them tumbled into the mirror’s frame, nearly pushing it out of range of the large crystal below it.

“You fucking idiots! Do I have to do everything myself?” The smooth, eloquent voice had become a raving scream. An arm layered in gold and silver silks came out of the mirror. Stretching his hand out toward the imposter, he drew her toward him. She fought the pull but could not resist it. The necklace throbbed with energy in a way Sabrina had never seen. It tried to form a bubble around the woman. Each time it nearly succeeded, Lucifer poured more power into his hand. The small stone was no match for the god of eternal light. The necklace was overtaken. It lifted the woman by the neck and tugged her helplessly along until it reached his hand.

Scarlett and the two men regained their bearings and got to their feet. Scarlett looked around until she found Hadrian. From beneath her hooded cloak, she pulled a sword. She shoved the two men out of her way. The sword rose above her head. She took aim at Hadrian’s neck and started to bring to weapon down on its target.

Camilla leapt forward, knocking Scarlett to the ground. “Get off me, you bitch!” Scarlett tried to push Camilla. The wolf went for her throat. Scarlett’s eyes were wide with fear. Sabrina had a sense of déjà vu. This must have been what Scarlett had seen when her accident happened the first time. Teeth tore into her flesh. Bright-red blood washed down her body, coating both her and the wolf’s fur. Unlike last time, no one was going to save her.

The two men tried to beat Camilla with their hands and feet. Camilla did not let up her assault. An arrow pounded into each of their chests. They staggered back, looking down at the damage. Sabrina saw Eleanor notch another two arrows simultaneously. She sent them into the men’s chests next to her previous round. The men dropped to their knees and then to the ground. Eleanor had sent four arrows in two volleys.

Sabrina attention shifted to the woman doing her best to resist being drawn into the mirror. She lifted her right hand to break the chain and free the necklace to be pulled in without the woman. Brandon pulled her off-balance, causing her to fall backward.

“You can’t let him know that’s not you,” Brandon rasped. He and Farrell helped her back up in time to see Eleanor take the woman’s waist and pull against Lucifer’s outstretched arm. The arm was joined by the rest of Lucifer’s body.

A flourish of silks and satins spilled out onto the ground in front of the mirror. One hand covered his eyes as he screamed in pain. The other held firm to the pendant around the faux Sabrina’s neck.

Eleanor fell flat on her back and did not get up. Sabrina knew something was very wrong. It was not like Eleanor to stay down. It was all Brandon and Farrell could do to hold her down. They pressed her face first onto the ground with her hands pinned underneath her. A hand covered her mouth to prevent her from crying out.

“Stay down, damn it!” Brandon whispered loudly.

When Sabrina gave in and looked back up, her twin had Lucifer by the shirt collar. He was holding the loose necklace in one hand. The gold chain swung from between his fingers. The imposter drew his face close to hers and asked, “Do I really look so much like her, Father?”

Lucifer’s eyes grew large in surprise. “Aradia? Not Sabrina?” He gasped as Aradia pressed an open palm against his heart and began chanting in the same language Eleanor had when she wrapped Clay’s body. A white light flared between her palm and Lucifer’s chest. He screamed in pain. Sabrina surmised his being dragged onto the Earthly plane had weakened his powers. Aradia was draining what was left of them. He twisted and turned sporadically in an effort to escape her clutches. It did him no good. She had him trapped.

The shining golds and silvers of his clothes began to lose their shimmer. His feet stopped moving first as they became stone. He was being transformed into a stone statue, like those that lined his throne room. Sabrina suddenly realized those statues were really other gods and goddesses Lucifer had finished draining of their waning powers. The pedestals holding the sun and the moon must have represented the two last immortals he had yet to trap.

He looked down at his transforming body. Terror contorted his face. As his powers rapidly drained away, his body became solid stone at an increasing rate. Aradia did not stop consuming his energy until he was completely encased and the screaming had ceased. Clasped in his fingers was the swinging gold chain, the pendant still in his hand.

She stepped back, looked in Sabrina’s direction, and smiled. She knelt down beside Hadrian and waved away his silver bindings. They dropped off as Brandon’s had in the parking area. With a simple wave of her hand, he was lifted up to a sitting position. On her knees, they were similar in height. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair.

“Aradia! I thought I would never see you again!” Hadrian cried. He kissed her cheeks and then her lips. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. After a moment, she broke free.

“I have but a little time to say all I must,” Aradia told him. She held onto him with one arm and extended the other out to Sabrina. Sabrina tore free of Brandon and Farrell and ran to her mother.

For the first time in her life, Sabrina was in her mother’s and father’s arms. They hugged both her and each other. Sabrina wept. Aradia cooed softly to her, soothing the tears.

“I cannot remain much longer. The witching hours are almost spent, and daylight approaches. Hadrian, I have loved you all this time and will love you for as long as you exist. But I release you from your needless guilt. I chose my fate to spare our daughter. In my desperation to have a child, I willed Sabrina into existence from our union. My punishment will last for another thousand years. During that time, I will long for you. Between now and then, know that I love you and leave Sabrina in your care,” she said in a voice that was becoming wispy. She kissed his lips and then his forehead.

Aradia turned her attentions to Sabrina. “I have never left you. I watched from the treetops as you grew, I have stared at the stars with you, and I will be with you always. There are those who would still seek to use your powers for their own devices. I give you to your father and your heart’s desire. You truly are the most beautiful jewel I ever had.” She let Hadrian go and hugged Sabrina tight. Sabrina could feel her become less substantial. Her mother was dissolving into a swirling mass of hazy air. The mass lifted into the treetops. The leaves rustled.