Tiernan could barely believe Copper had agreed to join with him. It gave him a feeling of completeness, of power, that he had never felt before. It made it difficult to concentrate on the tasks that must now be performed.
Copper cuddled against him as he carried her in the cavern and he caught her wonderful scent of apples, cinnamon, and woman over the smell of sweat and battle.
He could feel her bone-deep exhaustion. What she had been through...
A lesser being could not have accomplished what she had. She was truly a warrior in heart and spirit.
“Let me down,” she said, as they neared the circle of runes where dried blood now resided in a portion of the etchings.
Reluctantly he allowed her to slowly slip from his embrace. He made sure her weight was on her good ankle when her feet touched down. She still winced as she gripped one of his arms while standing beside her sister, who studied the runes.
The other D’Danann gathered around, silent as they watched the witches. The Drow stayed back in the darkness, all except Garran, who stood beside Copper and Tiernan.
“We have to destroy it.” Silver’s gaze met Copper’s. “This is the key to opening this door to Underworld.”
Zephyr landed on Copper’s ear and she felt his unease mix with her own as she nodded. “Between the two of us I bet we can do it.”
She looked to the door where red light still seeped from the cracks, bathing the cavern in its eerie glow. Less now, but still lending the cavern the look of blood dripping from its crystals.
The creatures stuck in the doorway had vanished, destroyed by the D’Danann during the battle.
“Not only do we need to take care of the runes, but we need to deal with the door,” Copper added. “It’s got to be sealed.”
“First let’s tackle the circle. Using our magic we can wipe these runes away so that they no longer exist.” Silver moved closer to the etchings and studied them. “I bet a little hand magic would do it. We can burn it away.”
Copper balanced on her good leg as she stood side by side with Silver. They remained outside the circle and looked at one another, then back to the runes. Both sisters raised their hands at the same time. As one they took a deep breath.
Blue light immediately flashed from Silver’s hands and Copper’s golden bubbles chased the blue blaze. Their magic acted like laser beams and burned the runes at once.
Everywhere their power touched, their magic melted the runes until nothing but black soot remained. The air filled with a strange burning smell, like metal filings or a shorted-out electrical wire.
With Copper hop-skipping, she and Silver slowly paced the circumference of the circle, their magic continuously burning into the runes. As they continued, a more rancid stench, like the foul smell of evil, filled the air.
A black substance like thick blood or tar rose and began to bubble at the center. It started out the size of a pinprick, then expanded as it began to spread to the borders of the inside circle. It crept closer to the runes as if to protect the etchings.
The sisters backed up some but continued to burn away the runes. Zephyr lent his magic to theirs. Copper’s and Silver’s blue and gold witchcraft worked in tandem to destroy the etchings.
The black blood rose higher and covered some of the runes, making it more difficult to destroy them. The tar-like substance splattered when their magic hit it.
Copper felt a yank and a shove at her power, as if something evil in the blood fought them—drawing out their gray magic and trying to drag them across the line and into the dark.
“More white magic,” Copper said through gritted teeth, keeping a tight rein on her gray magic. This time she knew it wouldn’t be wise to delve into the gray. “We’re almost done.”
Copper poured as much white energy as she had left into her witchcraft at the same time she felt more resistance. Her golden light took on a brighter shade.
“We’re almost to the end.” Silver backed up and Copper followed with a hop-skip.
The moment they burned away the last of the runes, Copper nearly collapsed with relief. The drain on her magic vanished.
A liquid-like figure rose in the middle of the blood, in a shape that was almost human. It gave an unholy scream that echoed throughout the cavern.
It dropped with a splash and vanished into the thick blood.
Copper shuddered. She swallowed and watched as all the tarry blood rolled to the center of the circle. Every bit of it moved to a spot the size of a quarter, then a pinprick, and then vanished. All that remained was the destroyed circle.
Silver and Copper looked at one another.
Copper pushed away damp hair from her sweaty forehead. “That was bizarre.” And terrifying.
“No kidding.” Silver sighed and massaged her temples. She looked just as sweaty and battle-worn as Copper felt.
“Now for the door.” Copper searched her mind. One thing she’d always been good at—until she’d been stuck in the meadow—was coming up with spells.
Of course, she’d always had her wand then. She sighed, but felt a burst of warmth in her chest. Tonight her spell to shut the door had worked with her hand magic.
“Any ideas?” Silver braced her palms on her hips and looked at Copper.
And then it came to her. A little adjustment to the spell she’d used to shut the door might just do it. She murmured it to Silver who nodded her agreement. They both chanted together.
“Goddess hear our words, our plea.
In this time out of time.
In this place out of place.
Goddess, we raise our hands to thee.
In this dark beyond darkness.
In this world beyond worlds.
We await your grace.
We await your power.
We stand at the threshold.
Goddess, please protect your children.
And forever seal this door of darkness.”
At the same time, they chanted, their magic flowed from their hands and Zephyr’s powers joined theirs. The brilliant blue and gold of their witchcraft battled the evil red glow seeping from the cracks around the door.
Nothing happened.
They shoved harder with their magic.
Copper and Silver raised their voices, chanting louder and louder and poured more and more of themselves into their magic.
The door shuddered. The power of its movement caused rocks to rain down from the ceiling of the cavern. Copper felt dirt scatter on her hair.
Again Silver and Copper chanted, this time shouting the words. The brilliance of their gold and blue magic intertwined, working as one.
The light flowing from the sisters’ hands grew. The power Copper felt was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She felt high, capable of taking on anything.
“On three, push with everything you have!” Copper shouted. From her side vision she saw her sister give a quick nod.
“One...two...three!”
Their combined magic exploded against the door. The power of the impact sent Silver and Copper flying backward. Copper slammed into one of the D’Danann, and she saw someone catch her sister as well.
The cavern lit up, the light so bright Copper could barely see. She shielded her eyes with her arm. Blue and gold glittered throughout the cavern, sparkles that floated through the air before they fell to the floor like falling stars.
When the brilliance faded a bit, Copper squinted at the door. The red glow was gone.
It was sealed.
Just as she turned to grin at her sister, the cavern went dark.
Immediately Silver filled the cavern with her blue magical glow, which she easily made with her hand magic.
Everything started to rock, to buck, to shake—far worse than when Ceithlenn had caused a shower of rocks to fall.
This time a tremendous amount of rock and dirt rained down on their heads and a stalactite loosened and landed between Copper and Silver, its cone shattering at their feet
The cavern was coming down around them.
Before Copper had time to react or to try to form her own glow to help light up the room, Tiernan’s strong arms surrounded her and he leaped into the air.
The next thing she knew they flew toward the tunnel and the now open passageway.
“What if the tunnel collapses all the way?” she cried out.
Tiernan’s arms tightened around her. “We have no other options.”
D’Danann warriors swooped ahead of her and at their sides, and Drow darted through the cavern along with them.
Tiernan landed with Copper in his arms. He folded his wings and bolted into the tunnel, running faster than she could have imagined in the darkness.
She clung to him as he ran. If it wasn’t for her ankle—and the fact that it was too dark to see—she would have insisted on running on her own.
The roar of the cavern collapsing in on itself followed them. Dirt flooded the tunnel and she choked and coughed as dust went up her nose and into her mouth.
She couldn’t see anything in front or behind her, but apparently Tiernan could. Goddess, had her sister made it into the tunnel with the rest of them? Had they all made it?
Copper’s concern about Silver lessened when she saw her sister’s blue magic illuminating the tunnel, allowing her to see a little through the dust. Not that there was a lot to see. Dust ahead, dust behind, and nothing but tunnel.
The ground rocked, but Tiernan didn’t stumble. It seemed like no time and forever before they reached the place where Copper had fallen through the hole and broken her ankle. How were they going to get back up there?
Duh, she thought the moment Tiernan unfolded his wings. He didn’t have much room to spread them, but somehow he was able to propel them up and into the giant’s tunnel.
He didn’t stop once they were in the enormous passageway. He fully unfurled his magnificent wings and shot down the tunnel like an arrow from a bow. She clung to him tightly, feeling strangely safe and secure.
They finally made it up the Drow stairs, through the door, and into the growing dark. Copper had never seen anything so beautiful as her meadow.
Copper wrapped her arms tighter around Tiernan’s neck. It was only three days ago she had freed everyone in the meadow from captivity.
She’d probably fallen in love with the arrogant ass the day the Pixies made designs out of Tiernan’s hair and tied flowers at the ends.
“Okay, you can let me down now.” Copper looked up into his dirt-streaked, sweaty face. She wanted to push his hair away from his eyes.
He just shook his head. “Not yet.”
Copper swatted his chest and Zeph buzzed at her ear. “We’re out of danger, okay?”
Tiernan gave her such a sexy grin that it melted her on the spot. “But I do not want to let you go.”
Garran followed the D’Danann and two witches out of the Drow door. It was at the cusp of darkness, so Garran had the ability to remain aboveground. His features were proud and fierce as always, but grief remained in his eyes for his brother.
Riona fluttered to them, a delighted shimmer to her amethyst eyes and countless sparkles of Faerie dust sprinkling from her wings and glittering in the evening.
“You have done it,” she stated, and gave one of her beautiful smiles.
Copper smiled back and Riona drifted to lay a soft, tiny kiss on each of Copper’s cheeks.
Zephyr even climbed onto the queen’s arm, the honeybee looking huge in comparison to her hands. Riona hovered before Copper and Tiernan as she stroked the familiar. When she removed her hand, he buzzed his wings in appreciation before flying back to Copper’s ear.
“Remember your friends here in Otherworld,” Riona said to Copper. “We will think fondly of you.”
Tears pricked the corners of Copper’s eyes. Her voice shook a little, but she managed to get the words out. “I could never, ever, ever forget you.”
Riona smiled, swooped to kiss each of Copper’s cheeks again, and then kissed even Tiernan’s. The Faerie queen gave a little wave then left in a puff of lavender dust.
Tiernan and Copper looked at one another and smiled before he strode away from the Drow door, still carrying her.
The moment they rounded the rock outcropping, all the D’Danann and the two witches came up short. Before them stood the most beautiful, ethereal being that Copper had ever seen.
The being glowed in the growing darkness. She was tall, no doubt pure Elvin from the look of her pointed ears peeking through her long white-blonde hair that dropped all the way to her feet. She had such an air of wisdom about her, but she looked so young.
“The Great Guardian,” Tiernan said quietly but with reverence.
This time Tiernan did set Copper on her good foot, still taking great care with her. When she was steady, he continued to hold her hand so she wouldn’t fall as he bent on one knee. He bowed before the Elvin woman who Tiernan had called the Great Guardian.
All of the other D’Danann bowed, as well as Garran, the Drow king.
Copper and Silver shot looks at one another, Silver looking as bewildered as Copper felt.
“Rise.” The Elvin woman spoke in a musical voice. It almost sounded as if she was amused.
The D’Danann and Garran obeyed. As Copper looked to each of the warriors, she saw reservation in their expressions, but utmost respect.
First the Great Guardian turned to Garran. “You have lost much.” Her voice was hard, definite.
“Aye.” Garran’s eyes showed his pain, but his stance was tall, proud. “My brother is dead, as well as several of our comrades.”
Her features remained impassive. “You and your brethren have set free what was never meant to be released.”
Garran lowered his gaze. “We erred in our judgment.”
“You aided the D’Danann and the witches,” the Great Guardian said, “and helped to reseal the door. For those reasons, your transgressions will be forgiven.”
Her eyes glowed along with the rest of her, and Copper shivered as the Great Guardian continued. “Return in peace to your Sidhe, my Elvin brother.”
Garran bowed, before inclining his head to Copper, giving her one last, long look.
“Goodbye,” she said softly to Garran before he turned and disappeared around the rock outcropping.
Copper heard the Drow door scrape as it closed. She shuddered one last time. She never wanted to hear that sound again.
“You will cross over and return to where you belong.” The Great Guardian drew Copper’s attention and gestured toward the rock wall Copper had come through when she’d arrived back in the meadow. “You will go first, Copper Ashcroft and Tiernan.”
Copper started because the Great Guardian knew her name, but Tiernan gripped her hand a little tighter. Copper gave a little bow. It was instinctive, as if the right thing to do.
The Elvin woman swept her hand in a motion that Copper took to mean, “Get going.”
Clutching Tiernan’s hand tightly in hers, Copper took a leap of faith, stepped face first into the rock wall. It shimmered like a curtain of rain and she passed through it.
Like the time Cassia had taken her across the footbridge, Copper’s skin grew numb and her ears felt like cotton had been jammed into them. She couldn’t hear a thing.
Two steps more and she could breathe again. She could hear again. And she could see exactly where they were. On the footbridge in Golden Gate Park, sunshine filtering through tree leaves.
Still gripping hands, Tiernan and Copper glanced at one another, smiled, and stepped forward. Well, Copper hobbled, but she moved nonetheless.
Hawk and Silver appeared behind them. Even though she was obviously exhausted, her face streaked with dirt, and her clothing filthy, she ran up to Copper and hugged her tightly.
“We made it, honey.” Silver squeezed her tighter. “We made it.”
Copper relaxed in Tiernan’s embrace as he and Hawk flew with Copper and Silver in their arms, under their cloaks of magic.
None of the other D’Danann had followed them to this world, so the Great Guardian must have sent them elsewhere. Probably back to their Sidhe.
When they arrived at the store, all the witches made exclamations of surprise and concern. Copper just wanted to collapse into bed with exhaustion.
The shop was empty of customers and Mackenzie turned the sign at the front door over to closed. The four battle-worn men and women were ushered into the shop’s kitchen.
The news that they had returned spread quickly among the D’Danann stationed in the apartments, all the Coven of D’Anu witches, and even Jake from the PSF.
The kitchen of the store and café grew so crowded that soon Cassia was chasing most of them out.
Mackenzie, Rhiannon, and Sydney stayed to help Cassia, one witch per returnee. The other witches kept busy and held back all their questions until Hawk, Tiernan, Silver, and Copper had been cared for.
Copper was in Tiernan’s lap for the moment, his arms around her as she leaned her back against his chest. Every ache in her body made itself known, and she couldn’t move on her own for the life of her.
“Put her in this chair so that Sydney can tend to your wounds, Tiernan,” Cassia ordered.
Copper tilted her head back and looked at Tiernan with concern. For the first time she noticed a small gash along his jawline. “You’re hurt.”
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I’m fine, little fire.”
Nevertheless, Tiernan reluctantly let Copper go, and she allowed Cassia to help her up so that she could hobble to her own chair. Copper collapsed into it, and then Cassia brought up another chair for Copper to rest her swollen ankle on.
Next Cassia placed her hand over Silver’s belly to determine if the baby was okay. When she smiled, and said, “The baby is fine,” everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Hawk knelt and hugged Silver. Copper reached over to her sister and squeezed her hand.
“I agree with Hawk,” Copper said. “You need to take it easy for a while.”
Silver placed her hand over her belly. “Our baby boy is a strong one.” She looked up at Hawk. “Like his father.”
Hawk’s features showed his shock. “A boy. You are certain?”
Silver smiled. “He let himself be known. Now we have to think up a name for our little warrior.”
Hawk was forced into a chair where his wounds could be attended to, but his eyes never left Silver’s.
At everyone’s insistence, Silver told them all about her captivity, and how Darkwolf had used transference to bring her, Sara, and Junga to the cavern.
“I was mostly out of it since Darkwolf drugged me. I passed in and out of consciousness, so I got the gist of what was happening from their conversations,” Silver said, and then groaned as Mackenzie cleansed a long cut on her arm.
Apparently Garran had been at the cavern, waiting. The Drow had finally discovered the place and the warlock had been informed. The Drow had been stationed around the cavern behind great rocks and stalagmites, blending with the darkness and waiting for the door to open.
“Darkwolf gave me a little more of the sleeping drug when he saw I was waking,” Silver said as she shoved her dirty hair out of her face. “I was out, and then the next thing I knew, I was bound in the middle of the circle and bleeding into the runes. I passed out of consciousness again but woke up to find myself off to the side, and Copper tied down instead of me.”
Tiernan and Hawk both growled their displeasure.
Hawk leaned over to kiss Silver firmly on the lips. “I should never have let you attempt such a foolish thing as you did at the pier, a thaisce,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Like you could stop me.”
He growled again.
Tiernan and Hawk took turns relating their trip to Otherworld. Hawk had gathered a group of D’Danann warriors while Tiernan took care of some business. At that Copper looked at him and couldn’t help but smile at the way he studied her.
They explained everything from Queen Riona coming to them, to following Copper’s trail, to fighting the demons and beasts that had escaped through the Underworld door before it had been shut.
Copper went last. “I had no choice but to go alone. No one crossed with me, and I had no idea that Tiernan and Hawk were in Otherworld. Riona told me that Balor had closed all entrances from our world to Otherworld.”
She told her story, even pulled out her mangled wand and tossed it on the table. Tiernan’s look was thunderous when she came to the part where Sara had smashed her ankle even worse than it already was.
Copper winced. It hurt just to think about.
The entire time the four shared their stories, Cassia, Mackenzie, Sydney, and Rhiannon took care of their wounds. Scrapes, cuts, and bruises were healed, at least partially, using witch magic, herbal creams, and healing oils.
Copper was filthy, exhausted, and so ready for sleep that she could barely keep her eyes open.
“You know we’ll have to set the bones in your ankle,” Cassia said, her blue eyes meeting Copper’s. “It’s not going to be easy. Some are shattered.”
Copper flinched. “I can’t do it awake. There’s no freaking way I can take it.”
Rhiannon came up to Copper, who opened her mouth as Rhiannon tilted a brown bottle so that bitter drops landed on Copper’s tongue. She swallowed the fluid more than willingly.
Her body relaxed and she felt Tiernan pick her up and settle her on his lap so that he could hold her as her bones were set.
She gave a sleepy smile as her eyelids fluttered closed. She felt as if she were floating on a breeze, flying in the darkness. Everything slipped away and she fell into the deepest of sleeps.