A spell as big as he was weaving was going to take a lot of time to complete, but we still had to hurry. I heard the murmurs and agreement from those around me, and I started to weave my own magic. “Connect to the ley line,” I told them all.
Through the line, I could utilize their magic as well as my own. Of course, Louis was probably connected to the line as well, so we had to be careful that we didn’t give him access to our powers. The last thing he needed was more of a boost.
“Guess we’re getting a front-row seat to an important lesson in dark magic,” someone muttered nearby. I didn’t deny it. This was the reason magic users had it hammered so hard into them: do not mess with demons or dark magic, because it didn’t end well for anyone.
I couldn’t focus on that. I had to concentrate on my spell. I had to stop Louis before he changed the fundamentals of our world.
The line thrummed strongly beneath my feet; Stratford had one of the strongest in America. I felt the presence of the hundreds of supes with me, all of our energies mingling together. Louis’s power was further away, and I had a sudden thought that maybe we could fight him in the actual ley lines. He would not be able to power this spell without it, so if I could eject him and block him for a short period, we might be able to detain him.
My center burned then as the light of my magic started to rise from my body. Louis was probably more powerful than he’d ever been, because dark magic seemed to have no limit, but there was a universal truth: light always beat the dark. That’s why almost all magic users were able to contain the darker side of their power, because light triumphed. It was only in rare circumstances, like Louis’s, when something diminished the light so much that it couldn’t burn bright enough, that the darkness won.
I just had to figure out how to reignite that illumination inside Louis.
Gathering as much energy as I could from those around me, I sent a powerful force along the line toward Louis, hoping to take him by surprise. We failed spectacularly at that, and instead of blasting him out, we ended up receiving a pulse back that was so strong it made my teeth ache.
I dug deeper and tried something different, whispering a simple spell to freeze his power, locking him into one section of ley line. That would stop him from having access to most of the energy here, and for a split second he’d be frozen in his physical form.
Then I could put the second part of my plan into action.
Taking more power from those around me, I repeated my spell, and this time it went exactly to plan. He’d clearly been expecting a different sort of attack, something more aggressive than my simple little spell. Reinforcing the box that was holding him immobile, I brought most of my focus out of the ley line and started to run.
Louis’s body was frozen, but already I could see his eyes moving as he broke free from my power. How in the hell was he strong enough to take on hundreds of magic users? It was impossible, and yet he continued to do the impossible. Over and over. His mouth opened, and I knew a spell was about to emerge, but I was on the dais now, moving into him. I shot the book away with magic before launching myself at him.
My power wrapped around us both as I bound his body to mine, keeping his magic immobilized in the only way I knew how. He was too strong for me to take down one-on-one, but in this moment of weakness I could bind his energy and tie it to mine so he wouldn’t be able to do any magic without my agreement. I wouldn’t be able to do any without his either, but that was a risk I was willing to take until I could turn him back to the light.
With a final click, the spell locked us into place, and I slowly released him, backing away. His eyes resembled amethysts, the purple almost crystalline as they glittered at me.
“You’re going to regret that,” he said, his low voice bringing goose bumps to my skin. “Especially because you’re too late.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
He smiled, which turned his face into a flawless work of art. “The spell was complete. You were too late, Elizabeth. Just like always.”
The room erupted then, shouts and crying filling the air.
“Take it back,” I said, my focus locked on Louis. “You can reverse it now before the damage is done. Before you condemn us all to a war with the humans. You know better than almost anyone here”—except for me—“that war means our people will die. You cannot let that happen.”
He shrugged. “I don’t think they will. And if they do, it will only be the weak, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We should step into this new era the strongest we can be. So … it’s a sacrifice that I believe is best for the majority.”
I blinked at him. “Do you even hear the words that are coming out of your mouth? How can you say something like that? How can you talk so casually about ending lives? Who the hell are you?”
He opened his mouth again, but an eerie whistle drew his attention. I turned as well, my blood going cold when I realized it was the whooshing of wings as dragons filled the area just outside the building. Through the open doors, I could see them. And it looked like there were dozens of them. Wild dragons. I felt their energy, and as the huge gold beast in the center pushed her massive head through the door, I knew this was Jessa’s dragon: Josephina.
Her energy vibrated through the hall, and I heard a low grunt then as Maximus dropped to his knees. “Everyone out of the way,” Braxton growled. “He’s going to shift. He can’t control the first shift.”
The wild dragons had brought Maximus’s dragon. The mating bond was complete.
Supes scattered as the Compasses hauled their brother outside. I heard more shouts, and then there was the distinct sound of bones breaking before a dragon roar filled the air. I caught only a glimpse of Maximus’s beast as it flew past, the scales a deep, rich brown color, like newly turned dirt.
Tilting my head back, I was surprised to find Louis casually leaning against a nearby pillar, amusement spiking across his face. “I don’t think the dragons are here for me,” I told him, spitting the words because I was so angry. “You should be a little more worried.”
He shrugged, those broad shoulders shifting under his robes. “They’re only making my job that much easier. Right now, the supernatural world is being broadcast into the human world. Our energy will draw them in now instead of repelling them, and it’s only a matter of time before they show up on our doorstep. Having the dragons here will make it that much easier for me to instill fear and respect in those ants.”
“You think the humans will submit to us?” I asked. “That if you expose the darker side, the prisons, the dragons and vampires, that humans will freak out and beg for protection…?”
Louis straightened; he towered over me, and I had to swallow hard. He was so much of everything. And it was very disconcerting.
“I would prefer that the humans feared us,” he admitted slowly. “It would make the transition easier.”
