“We’re getting all too much practice at this.” Iris stared at the shimmering energy. “It’s so beautiful, and so deadly.”
Tanne said nothing, simply waited for Iris to ready herself. She cast a spell and a layer of ice began to form across the surface of the crackling vortex. As soon as it had frozen solid, Tanne began to sing, his voice resonating deeply through the air. He placed his hands on one side of the ice and Iris placed her hands on the other, joining him in song, weaving a contrabeat with her voice as they drove their magic through the portal, fracturing it from within its core.
We knew enough to stand clear as cracks began to race through the ice covering the opening. Iris and Tanne held their song steady. It undulated through the portal like an earthquake rippling through the ground. Nearby trees began to shake as a shrill hum filled the air. The cracks widened, light pouring between them. Iris dropped the beat, then found a single alto note and held it—her voice trilling with a rich wave of power. Tanne followed suit, and the vibrations of their voices blended together to force their way through the fractures. Another moment, and the vortex began to blink in and out of phase, rapidly rotating through a whirl of colors. Then, with one last groan, the frozen web of lightning shattered—splintering into a shower of hailstones, destroying the magic as it did so. Fragments of ice pelted everything in the area, including us, the rock-hard pellets striking like sharp pebbles.
Iris glanced at Tanne, a tight smile on her pretty face. Together, they had destroyed five new portals over the past two weeks, and each one was a strain. The magic required to rip apart a vortex that joined two worlds was immense, and it was taking a toll on both of them.
“You okay?” She held her hand out to Tanne, who allowed her to lead him over to another bench. They both looked bone-weary.
“Yeah, but this is getting old. I’ve got the clan looking out for more activity, by the way. We’ve taken out three groups of psy-demons lately. They are Earthside-based, but rare, so I figure something must be riling them up.” He paused. “Would you like to meet the Hunters Glen clan? I’d be happy to introduce you.” Demon hunters from the Black Forest, they were a group of Woodland Fae who had sent a select faction of their members to establish a new colony over here in the United States.
I glanced at Delilah and Camille, then nodded. “We should, at some point. We need as many allies as we can get. We’ll call you and set up a time. Meanwhile, we had better get back home and clean up before another call comes through. You want to come with us, Tanne?”
He shook his head. “I’m all right. I’ll go hunting with the guys—they can always use another hand.”
And so after a brief discussion, we split up again, the men heading back out on reconnaissance, and the four of us women back to the house. As I sped through the silent night, my jeans covered with goblin blood, I wondered just how long we could hold out under this schedule.
*
Chase was still there when we got home. He had fixed a plate of sandwiches and a potato salad with Hanna’s help. As we trailed in, he began serving up plates for Camille, Delilah, and Iris. They all looked tired, and so was I. The continual fighting from the past couple of weeks felt like it was seeping into my bones, like a chill that would not go away. As Chase carried the tray into the living room, complete with another bottle of blood for me, he seemed even more sober than when we had left.
“Nerissa went downstairs to sleep. She’s going to need it for tomorrow. A situation has cropped up and I’m afraid the ramifications aren’t going to be good. Maybe we’ll luck out and nothing will come of it, but I’m not hedging any bets on that outcome.”
“What’s going on?” Kitten settled onto the sofa with her plate.
Chase let out a long breath. “This afternoon, I got a call from a friend of mine. John’s an investigator with Scotland Yard, over in England. He told me that early morning, there was some unauthorized activity within Stonehenge. He was sent out to check on it. He said a great host of creatures was pouring out of the center of the ring. Now, he’s well aware of what the Fae are, and he said they looked like no Fae he’d ever encountered. Instead, they were large, burly men with massive weapons, along with a group of creatures that, when he described them, I can pretty much guarantee are bloatworgles.”
Delilah paled. “Tregarts. The men. You know they have to be Tregarts.”