Kellan’s body shook as he fought gravity and momentum to keep them both from swinging back and forth like a pendulum. Quicker than the eye could follow, the scarred dragon swung out his right foot and braced it on one side of the corner Rian hadn’t known was there. The dragon leader quickly followed suit, lifting his right foot and shoving it in a hollowed out space on the other side of the corner. He could only imagine how they looked. Kind of like an upside-down double-sided ‘Y’.
Yeah, glad no one is taking pictures.
The hellhounds standing guard snarled and bared their teeth. Their red eyes burnt through the darkness with promises of pain and bloodshed. Rian’s dragon roared, furious at their threats. The Dragon Leader was shocked when they backed down and a few even whimpered. It was something he’d never experienced before but would be sure to share with the others when they were home.
“This is as close to you as I ever want to be, Ri,” Kellan joked through gritted teeth in a very out of character moment of teasing.
“Right back atcha,” Rian grunted, finding it hard to breathe with Kellan’s knee shoved into his stomach.
“Okay, get ready. This has to be quick. You hold yourself up. I’m gonna move my knee and use the heel of my boot to shove that stone through the lining of your pocket. Scream when I hit skin.”
Rian couldn’t help but chuckle. Anyone that didn’t know Kellan would’ve thought he was kidding, but the Dragon Leader knew for sure that his friend was dead serious. The stone cutting through the fabric was also going to cut through Rian’s skin and it wasn’t going to be pleasant…necessary, but definitely not pleasant.
“Just do it. By the time I get down from here my arms are going to have stretched so much that my knuckles are gonna drag the ground.”
“Now who needs to be bitch slapped,” Rory snickered.
Without so much as a nod, Kellan pulled his knee up, placed the heel of his boot against the pocket of Rian’s jeans, and scraped down the Dragon Leader’s leg. The tear of fabric immediately followed by the silver edge of the pendant scraping his skin had Rian yelling aloud.
“Stop!”
All motion stopped. Neither Guardsman breathed. The sting of silver raced through Rian’s system. His dragon fought to keep the poison at bay as the Dragon Leader called to the Grand Priestess.
“Calysta? You there?”
“I’m here, Rian. We all are. And we can see you. Kyra and Alicia made another Looking Glass. They also came up with a way to get you all out of that pit. All we were waiting for was to be able to see you and tell you what we were doing.”
“Works for me,” Rian told the Grand Priestess as his brethren grumbled in agreement.
“Okay, this is very powerful, very old white magic, so when the Power of Seven is invoked it will disrupt the flow of black magic for at least a minute down there. The Chancellor and all his minions will feel its effects. You and the Guardsmen are going to have to move quickly.”
“Not a problem. You work the magic. We’ll move like our scales are on fire,” Rian answered Calysta while watching Audrey staring at him like the savior he wanted to be.
Blocking out everyone else, he reassured her as best he could. “Just a few more minutes, mo ghra’, and then we are outta here, okay?”
His mate nodded but didn’t speak. Rian could feel how scared Audrey was to hope that his words were true. That she was actually, finally going to be free from the prison she’d been stuck in for so very long. Smiling at her and pushing love through their bond, he opened his mind speak to everyone else. Rian heard Calysta say, “We’re ready when you are.”
Holding Audrey’s eyes with his, he ordered, “Do it.”
Rian heard the witches begin to chant just as Royce shoved the images that Kyra was sending him into the Dragon Leader’s mind. Standing in a circle around the old White Ash tree that stood at the base of the mountain that contained not only the Cave of the Ancients, but also the Blue Thunder Clan’s Healing Caves, were the six McKennon sisters and their mother, Sarah Beth.
The tree had been there for all of Rian’s life and was in every old text or document he’d ever read. His ancestors had believed in the power of the White Ash. Said it was one of the five trees that stood guard over their original home and kept them safe from malevolent forces. The Dragon Leader also knew that Ash was important to the white witches. They believe it connects the realms of earth and sky and gives light to their magic.
He now understood what made the spell so powerful and pure. The McKennons were all witches by birth. The girls shared the same parents and each woman possessed the pure blood of the Goddess of All. They were working what Calysta had called the Power of Seven, which Kyra was explaining to him and Royce was some of the oldest magic she’d ever known.
Rian watched the sisters work the spell. He could feel the magic through the vision Kyra was relaying to them. Annalisa, the oldest sister, began. “Dear Universe who gives us life and breath, please give us your Blessing and lend us your power as we seek to save those trapped and held against their will.”
“Dear Goddess of all, to whom we owe our very existence, the existence of our world and the power of our hearts, please give us your Blessing and lend us your power as we seek to undo the black magic forced upon those for whom we care.” Isabella, the second oldest McKennon daughter, added her voice to the spell and then lit the large Goddess candle Kyra had used when sending the Guardsmen into the Underworld.
Alicia, Drago’s mate, was the next to speak. Rian watched as the Assassin’s face filled with love and pride at his mate’s prowess and power. “God of Heaven, without you we would still be the ashes and dust floating in nothingness. You are the Creator of Heaven and Earth and on this day, we ask your Blessing as we seek to bring our loved ones home. You know the time and place of everyone’s departure from this Earthly plane. Please help us right this injustice.”
The young witch lit a large purple candle at the base of the tree as her younger sister, Hannah, mate to Liam, spoke the next line of the invocation. “Guardian of the North and Element of the Earth, we seek your Blessing and the power of every living being you protect to free the chains that hold our kinsmen hostage.” She lit a green candle and said, “Thank you for the life you bring us every day. Without you, we would be lost.”
Brenna, the fifth sister, the shortest of the group with the reddest hair, who was also a skilled healer, began, “Guardian of the East and Element of the Air, we seek your Blessing and swiftness with which you bring your life-giving force to our world. Those of our hearts trapped in the Abyss need your help to lift them from the darkness. Thank you for all you are. Without you, life would be naught. Lighting a bright yellow candle, Rian had to smile as the flame flickered. He immediately knew it was the Air answering Brenna’s call.
The sixth sister, the one who kept them stocked in homemade oatmeal cookies, Fiona, lit a red candle and looked into the flame as she spoke her verse. “Guardian of the East and Element of Fire, we seek your Blessing to quench the flames that spring from the depths of hell and allow our protectors safe passage. They seek not to destroy your splendor, only to return to the earth where they belong. Thank you for your heat and passion for without each, we would surely fade away.”
Sarah Beth, the matriarch of the McKennon family and a force to be reckoned with all on her own, held a clear glass urn of blessed water. Slowly pouring the liquid at the base of the White Ash, she said, “Guardian of the West and Element of Water, we seek your Blessing and the speed and strength of the waves that roar in your mighty oceans and seas to save what is trying to be taken from us. Thank you for the nourishment you provide us daily. Without you, we would cease to exist.”
