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Scotland
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EMELIA DIDN’T WASTE any time when she teleported her allies back to the gnome’s house. She strode down the hallway in search of a suitable room to use as a cell to hold the leprechaun. The first door she chose was locked and she prepared herself to use a spell to open it.
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” Tomlin said timidly when he was suddenly standing on the door handle to block her.
“Why not?” she demanded.
“It’s not safe,” he replied simply. “Can I help you with something, mistress?” He wrung his hands, worried that she would press the issue.
“I need an empty room that’s devoid of spells to house a rogue leprechaun,” she said.
“Rudy has turned rogue?” he gasped in shock. “Did he kill someone?”
“So it would seem,” she replied grimly.
“Try the third room on the right,” the brownie suggested and appeared on the door handle of the room he’d chosen. “This one is empty and has no enchantments.”
Emelia could feel active spells all over the house and knew better than to mess with them. Gnomes had strong magic that continued even after their death. She crossed to the door to find it was unlocked. Pushing it open, she examined the interior, which was devoid of furniture. The walls were bland beige and the carpet was a soft maroon color. “It will do,” she decided. “I need paint and a few components to cast a blood spell,” she added.
“You will find everything you need in the conjuring room, mistress,” he told her in a deferential tone. The fairy warrior was filled with purpose and her expression was intent. She wasn’t the sort of person to be trifled with right now, that much was obvious.
Pru hurried down the hall after the pair, curious about seeing a blood spell being cast. She followed the brownie and the warrior into Gorm’s conjuring room. The desk and chair had reverted to their usual small size and none of them had the power to enlarge them magically. Muttering beneath her breath, Emelia opened cupboard doors and withdrew the ingredients she needed to prepare the spells.
Watching the fairy in action, Pru was envious of her power and skill as Emelia mixed paint and various components into the large cauldron Tomlin had found for her. She chanted in her native language and power swelled as she mixed the spell together. When she was done, she poured the contents of the cauldron into a huge bowl that appeared beside the cauldron. Paint brushes appeared next and Pru knew the fairy would need help. “I’ll carry the bowl,” she offered.
Emelia regarded the witch before nodding her agreement. “You may assist me as long as you don’t interfere.”
“I have no plans on interfering,” Pru said dryly as she carefully picked up the bowl. She followed the fairy and brownie back down the long hall to the empty room.
Emelia went to work painting intricate symbols on all four walls, mixing her blood in with them when each circle around the symbols was complete. They were different from the enchantments Jake used in Leroy’s cell. They were also more numerous.
Finishing the spells on the walls, Emelia’s wings appeared and lifted her upwards. A cross between butterfly and dragonfly wings, they were almost transparent and shimmered with different colors. She painted more enchantments on the ceiling, dropping down to dip her brushes into the bowl before flying upwards again. When she’d activated them with her blood, she returned to the ground and her wings disappeared. “Can you get rid of the carpet?” she asked the brownie. With a nod and a wave of his hand, he made the carpet vanish to reveal the bare concrete beneath.
Pru watched in fascination, backing towards the door when the fairy motioned her to. The bowl was almost empty by the time the warrior was finished painting her enchantments. The white paint stood out starkly on the beige walls and concrete floor, but were hard to see on the white ceiling. Power beat against her from the sheer number of spells that were linked together through the fairy’s blood.
Emelia painted more symbols on the inside of the door, then encircled them. She activated the enchantment with her blood, then they stepped outside. One final set of symbols went on the outside of the door. Instead of painting a circle around it, she used chalk. It had taken her several hours to complete the enchantments, but she was satisfied that it was done. “The cell will be able to contain Rudy,” she said wearily. She’d been stripped of a lot of energy, but she didn’t have time to rest. They needed to return to Texas and retrieve the leprechaun before the humans could do anything drastic to him.
Asha, Harley and Irindal were huddled in the living room. The dryad had changed out of her hospital gown into jeans and a sweater, but she still looked shaken. “Are you all right?” Pru asked when she stepped out of the hallway.
“I’m fine,” Asha replied woodenly. Her haunted expression said otherwise, but the witch didn’t press her.
“Can we go and rescue Rudy and Leroy now?” Harley asked. He was armed with an assault rifle and a Glock. They were backup weapons since his others had been taken from him. Rudy had retrieved some weapons from their farmhouse along with a few of their other possessions before fleeing from Texas. Asha had a backpack at her feet that was full of weapons and ammo as well.
“One moment,” Emelia said, then turned to Tomlin. “Did your master have any weapons?”
“Of course. He has an extensive collection. What type of weapon do you require, mistress?”
“A sword, if one is available.”
Tomlin held his hand out and a shiny silver sword appeared. He held it easily despite its size. “Would this be suitable, mistress?”
“That’s a Seelie warrior’s sword,” she said in amazement as she crossed the room to take it from him. Hers had been taken from her when she’d been captured by Syanil and his men. Shame, fury and hatred surged through her at the mere thought of the Unseelie fairy, but she clamped down on her emotions. The silver sword came with a matching scabbard and belt that she slipped around her waist. She drew the sword and hefted it to find it was perfectly weighted. “It is suitable,” she said with a nod of thanks, then sheathed it again. She wouldn’t be able to use her magic once they returned to the institute, but at least she wasn’t going in there unarmed again.
Pru had left her handbag behind the last time they’d made the trip to Texas. This time, she retrieved it from her room and hefted it over her shoulder. There were a number of potions inside that might prove to be useful during their second rescue mission.
“Are you ready?” Emelia asked and received nervous nods in return. Irindal’s nod was more reluctant than the others. The pixie had no desire to return to the institute, but she’d made a bargain and she couldn’t back out of it. “I’ll take us directly to the hallway where Rudy is imprisoned,” the fae warrior said. “Get ready to engage in a battle immediately.”
Asha drew her Glock and checked the magazine, then pulled her backpack over her shoulder. Harley was already prepared and stood up expectantly. He held his assault rifle ready to fire, but his finger wasn’t on the trigger. He was too well trained to make a rookie mistake like that.
“Let’s go,” Pru said, holding a couple of vials in her hands.
Emelia focused on the building where she’d been imprisoned for a short time, then teleported them into chaos.
