To Hell and Back (Hellcat Series Book 4) (35 page)

There was silence as all of them digested this information.
Julius obviously hadn’t considered his magical abilities in that
light at all.

Mac moved, clearing his throat. “That still doesn’t explain
what he can do against this Demon Gate thing,” he rumbled. “Can he
blow it down like the big, bad wolf?”

“
No.” Athena shook her head. “That’s where the Fire-bending
comes in, actually. Magical fire is one of the most potent forces
against other magic. We don’t broadcast this sort of thing for
obvious reasons, but Magus-made fire can burn through spells,
wards, shields, just about anything magically
defensive.”

Gabi felt her mouth pop open; she was reeling from the
implications. Julius had shut off his emotions from her, but
whatever she was feeling, he must be experiencing it magnified a
thousandfold.

“
Well, then it’s a darn good thing he’s on our side, isn’t
it?” Mac said sagely. The muttered agreement from the group was
subdued.

“
And to answer one of your other questions,” Athena continued,
“no, we don’t have months to prepare for the attack. We have days,
and so few of those we may as well count hours.”

“
How many?” Julius asked, his voice slightly
hoarse.

“
Two,” Benedict said, “three at the most. The only reason it’s
taking that long is because they’re waiting for reinforcements.
They’ve put a call out to other Dark Magi. They’re touting this as
the Dark Uprising, the chance to finally overthrow the High Council
and bring in a new order of freedom from persecution. Half the
able-bodied Dark Magi in the world will be here in the next few
days.”

A frisson of cold washed through Gabi.

CHAPTER 21

“
You sure this is the best way to do this?” Gabi asked Athena
and Benedict as they sat around a large round table at a Magi-owned
hotel in the centre of the City. The place still made her a little
nervous; the last time they’d been here there had been an ambush
waiting for them outside, complete with guns and flying bullets.
Alexander had taken a bullet for her, and the thought still gave
her the willies.

There were over two dozen other people at the table. Several
of the Magi High Council, all of the SMV Council, representatives
from the Werewolf Alliance and the Shape-shifter community as well
as the SMV Hunters joined her, plus Kyle and Julius and a few of
their people. The atmosphere was heavy enough to smother a puppy.
“I’m not convinced separating our forces is a good idea. Can’t we
deal with the Demon Gate after we’ve dealt with the main
assault?”

Athena unconsciously rubbed the back of her neck; she looked
exhausted. “The Oracles don’t see one future, but all of them. A
single person making a single decision can change the future for us
all. The Oracles can only tell us the best paths to follow for a
favourable outcome. There are no guarantees, and there is no way
they can be sure another chain of events won’t unfold that they
never saw.” She gave a little shrug. “Our best option is to follow
their advice and hope for the best, but be prepared for the
worst.”

“
How can we prepare for the worst?” One of the Werewolf Alphas
spoke up.

“
I suggest you do as we have done,” Irene spoke up from her
seat among the other Magi High Council members, “and put plans in
place for an emergency evacuation of your women, children, and
loved ones. Safe harbour somewhere in another city or a nearby
town. We have called in the support of the Magi community from
around the world, but have left a core of strong Magi out of the
war preparations. There is no guarantee we will prevail in this;
there is every chance we will lose possession of the Source. The
rest of the world needs to be ready if that happens. If the Source
falls into the Dark Ones’ hands, this will only be the beginning of
the war. There must be some outside the City who understand the
risks and the implications of what has transpired. Those need to be
strong enough, committed enough and talented enough to lead a
rebellion, to keep fighting for what we have lost.”

The Shape-shifter representatives looked pale and shaken by
Irene’s words. Gabi felt for them. Shifters are by and large a
peaceful, non-aggressive race unaccustomed to violence and
conflict. She and Byron had already made plans to evacuate him,
Rose and the pets, her mother and stepfather, and his son and
daughter if the worst happened. Byron had at first been stubborn
about it, not wanting to leave his beloved City and the rest of
them to their fate, but reason prevailed when Gabi pointed out
exactly what Irene had just said. They needed the security of
knowing someone was there to take up the fight if they failed. Who
better than to coordinate a revolt than Byron?

Julius had spoken to the Princeps and warned them of what
might happen. The situation was being taken under advisement, but
it was obvious that despite both Benedict’s and Julius’s warnings
of the possible consequences, the majority of the Princeps felt
safe from the wrath of the Dark Magi, considering it an internal
Magi matter that had little to do with them. The best they could do
was to issue warnings to the other Masters who were on speaking
terms with Julius, hoping they would step up to help if the worst
actually happened.

She could see others at the table making mental notes; she
knew there would be a small exodus of friends and loved ones from
the City in the next several hours. There were no such plans for
Julius’s Clan. They’d taken a stand; they had no intentions of
becoming a wandering House once more. The City was theirs, and
they’d stand to the very last one in its defence. The thought had
Gabi deeply depressed. She wished she could convince more of those
she cared about to leave too—Trish, Derek, her friends Russell and
Shaun, so many others—but they were all insistent on staying to
help as much as they could. She comforted herself with the thought
that they wouldn’t be directly involved in the fight and would be
able to help with the evacuation of others.

She took a deep breath and slapped herself mentally; wallowing
in negative thoughts wasn’t accomplishing anything. She’d done as
much as she could for those she loved. Now it was time to
concentrate on winning the war. She focused her attention back on
the meeting.

“
What size force is going with Julius and Hellcat?” another of
the Alphas asked. “Do they need a Werewolf contingent?”

“
The Oracles recommend a small force, but a mix of Werewolves
and Vampires would be best,” Athena said. “Julius, do you need
extra Werewolves?”

“
No,” Julius said, his voice even. “Gabrielle and I have
already selected our team. It will number thirteen, as the Oracles
recommended. Fergus, Patrick, Kyle and Razor will be joined by
several of my personal guard and some of my Werewolf staff. I have
already requested their presence from their Alphas. I only ask for
two extra Magi, preferably with some offensive magic and no qualms
about using it.”

“
Razor?” the first Alpha spoke again. “Hellcat’s cat is one of
your team members?” His splutter seemed to indicate he was caught
midway between amusement and consternation.

Julius’s curt, “Yes,” wiped the amusement from his face, but
he, and several others, still looked bemused.

“
The Oracles agree that the cat should be there,” Athena put
in, settling the matter.

They moved onto discussions of the main defence, which would
be played out at the site of the Source. The Magi would have to
reveal the exact location of the Source to all of them soon, but
they were dragging their heels, waiting to divulge the information
only once they knew with absolute certainty that the Dark Magi were
on the way. Gabi thought that they might secretly be hoping the
Dark Ones would simply pack up and move on. She knew it was a vain
hope. Athena and Benedict led the meeting from there on. They,
along with the contingent of SMV Hunters, would be leading the
resistance, and were tasked with the unenviable job of taking on
the Dark Elders and possibly Gemini as well. The Oracles couldn’t
tell where Gemini would be during the main assault; it seemed they
were uncertain themselves.

The meeting dragged on, and Gabi wanted nothing more than to
be home spending some quality time with her pets and Julius. She
needed to drink in the serenity her pets exuded, to recharge and
try not to think about saying goodbye. Julius brushed her mind, a
gentle kiss of reassurance, despite his own anxiety.

Perhaps it was the tiredness, perhaps the droning of strategic
military planning, but her mind zoned out of the talk around the
table, and in the almost meditative state, her intuition suddenly
rang a gentle buzzing in the back of her mind. Not the usual clear
alarm of warning, more of a nudge to pay attention. And then a
memory of a man popped into her mind, a man who talked incessantly,
the one they’d saved from the cavern under the warehouse. What was
his name? Oh yes, Henry. She recalled that he was being housed at
SMV HQ while they tried to decide what to do with him. How strange
that he would come to mind. Was there something dangerous about him
that she hadn’t picked up on, was he special in some way? What was
her subconscious trying to tell her? A word whispered through her
mind just as a masculine voice speaking her name snapped her back
to the meeting.

It was nearly two
hours later that they finally broke for something to eat and drink.
Gabi was in caffeine withdrawal and grumpy to boot. She enjoyed
long-winded meetings like she enjoyed being hit in the face by a
demon with a cudgel. It was a sombre group that filed out of the
room, but the sight of food, tea, coffee and colas in the adjacent
hall seemed to bolster spirits. Gabi caught Athena’s arm as the
blonde woman walked past. Benedict was on her other side and
stopped as she did. Alexander was just behind them, along with
Julius and the rest of his staff, his eyes glued to Athena’s
back.

“
I need to ask you something,” Gabi told the Magus. “Walk with
me.” She looked around at the rest of them. “Sorry, boys, girl
talk,” she told them, steering Athena away down the corridor and
making shooing motions at them. “We’ll catch up with you in a few
minutes.”

The men all looked uncertain, but no one tried to follow.
Damn, they were well trained, she smirked to herself.

“
Shield us,” Gabi ordered the moment she’d ushered Athena into
a ladies’ bathroom and locked the door behind them.

Athena narrowed her eyes, searching Gabi’s face. Something in
her expression must have convinced her that Gabi was on to
something. Gabi was sure she hadn’t kept all the hope off her face,
hard as she tried. Gabi felt it as the shield popped into
place.

“
No one can intrude?” Gabi checked.

Athena raised an eyebrow.

“
Okay, okay. You remember the man we brought out of the caves
with us? He’s some kind of anti-Magus, isn’t he? He deadens magic
around him, right?”

“
What are you thinking, Gabrielle?” Athena asked, but Gabi
could see the wheels turning in her head already. “Nulls
deaden
all
magic,
not just Dark Magic, though.”

“
Yes, but while they may be almost entirely reliant on magic
for power, we aren’t,” Gabi pointed out. “The Magi aren’t alone in
this war.”

Athena’s mouth suddenly popped open, and her eyes grew wide.
“It will be complicated. I’ll need to check some facts, test his
strength, but any advantage…” She trailed off.

Gabi nodded silently; the less said and the fewer people
involved, the better. Athena returned her nod with intensity. Henry
was about to land himself a pivotal role in the defence of the
Source. As Athena broke the shield, Gabi wondered if they’d need to
duct tape the man’s mouth shut.

********************

It took Caspian a frustratingly long time to find a stray
Werewolf to take control of. He was camped out in a motel on the
very edge of the City, hoping to get a better feel for what was
happening before allowing the Clan to call him in. And, to his
immense satisfaction, there definitely was something happening in
the City. Something serious enough to keep Julius from sending
guards to find him. Something that dire could only count in
Caspian’s favour. Right now, as more often than not, conflict was
his friend. When something large and calamitous was drawing
people’s attention, they forgot to worry about what a single,
unassuming Vampire was possibly getting up to.

The news his tame Werewolf brought back to him was exactly
what he wanted to hear. His timing was perfect.

********************

“
Hey, Mom,” Gabi injected as much light and cheerful as she
could into her voice. Any lack shouldn’t be noticed, as her mother
didn’t really expect bubbly and happy from her daughter. She knew
better.

Julius had gone to the bathroom and turned on the shower,
giving her as much privacy as he could. The sun had already risen,
and they were just getting ready to turn in to get as much rest as
they could before gathering at the Estate just before
sunset.

She hadn’t wanted to make the call, didn’t want to alert her
mother to something being dreadfully wrong, but also needed to hear
her mother’s voice and find a way to say the thousand things she
hadn’t had the chance to yet. They chatted about mundane life for a
while: her mother’s dishwasher that kept breaking down despite it
being almost brand new, her stepfather’s big idea to buy a
motorbike and take her mother touring the country on it, the
earthquake that had shaken the City a few days ago. Her mother
waited until she was over her fit of ‘coughing’ before changing
tack completely.