Kyne leaned against the tray of his ute, his arms crossed over his chest.
In all his years living in Solace, a tornado infested with angry shadow spirits was pretty much the craziest thing he’d ever seen—and considering he was an elemental who could shape rock with his hands, that was saying something.
The entire town was coated in a thick layer of rust-coloured dirt but cleaning up was the least of their problems. They still had the Nightshade to contend with.
Eloise wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder.
“I can’t believe you punched out Rosheen,” Kyne said. “I wish I was there to see it.”
She laughed. “Yeah, well, my hand hurts, so I’m not keen to repeat it. I’m just glad Hardy was able to stop Vera before she cracked open the seal.”
“Who knows if it would have opened,” Kyne mused. “Without the key, it’s just a big rock.”
“Allegedly.” She looked down at Solace. “Where’s Blue and Wally?”
“Out looking for Finn. Did Drew take care of the altar?”
“Yeah.” Eloise handed him a shard of broken quartz. “He smashed it good. Dragged all the bits outside. Vera told him it was too late, but any little bit helps, I guess.”
Holding the jagged slice of crystal, Kyne shuddered as he felt the slimy residue of Rosheen’s magic inside it. Whatever she’d done had changed the energy into something twisted. It must have been how she’d summoned the Nightshade. With the spell shattered, maybe it would help Vera regain control.
“I’ve got to go in there and question our houseguest,” he said, pocketing the quartz. “You wanna come?”
“Yeah, nah. I’m going to help Drew watch over Vera,” Eloise said. “I’ve had enough of Rosheen and her shenanigans. If I hang around, I might smack her again.”
“Hey,” he murmured. “What’s wrong?”
“When she grabbed me, she had a vision…” Her gaze lowered. “It was the black mountain.”
“That mountain again?”
Eloise shrugged. “Whatever. It’s just a lump of rock.”
Kyne didn’t think so, but they didn’t have time to ponder the meaning.
“You’ll be okay in there on your own?” she added.
“Yep. It’s all good. The talismans have been replaced.”
“Good. I’ll come and check on you later.”
Once Eloise had gone, Kyne went inside. Drew’s dugout was pretty much done, except for another coat of paint and some furniture, but after this…someone would have to come in here and do a serious cleansing on the place.
Rosheen was in the back bedroom. She’d been tied to a chair, but the rope was just for show. Hardy had rearranged Coen’s talismans around the door and on the ridge above so the witch was well and truly contained. But this time, a bunch of sticks, feathers, and leaves were hanging from the roof directly above her head. There’d be no arcane misadventure in this room today.
Rosheen’s gaze moved to the emu feather dangling above her, and Kyne was sure he saw a flicker of fear pass through her eyes. She was afraid of Coen, that much was clear when she ran from him earlier.
“Where’s Finn?” he demanded. “We know you’ve done something to him.”
She sneered and jutted out her chin in open defiance.
“You’re not helping yourself here, Rosheen,” Kyne went on. “We have all the power here.”
“You really think a bunch of feathers and twigs can keep either of us trapped?” the witch scoffed. “It’s only a matter of time before our magic overwhelms those pathetic talismans. It’s already happened once.”
“You’re wrong, Rosheen.”
“And you’re naïve.”
Kyne shook his head. “We’re family and we trust one another implicitly. All of us. I’ve known Vera a long time, and she’s confided a great deal in me and the other Exiles about her magic and family, so I know without your influence over her that Vera will have enough strength to fight back against the Nightshade.”
Rosheen snorted. “You think you have all the answers, but you’ll be sorry. The Vera you know is gone.”
Kyne rolled his eyes. “You’re stuck so far up your own arsehole that you haven’t been listening, Rosheen.” He reached into his pocket and took out the shattered quartz crystal. The moment her gaze touched the cloudy white stone, her expression fell. “Your hold over Vera is broken. Coen’s talismans will hold you because you only have a fraction of the magic Vera holds in her little finger. Now is the time to start talking.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Of course, you don’t,” he murmured. “Tell me… Can you say that trust is something you’ve ever had with your coven?” She stared at him, her lips pursed. “I don’t think so. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here trying to prove yourself. You’re a pawn.”
She grinned up at him, her eyes narrowing.
“You came here for Vera and the Nightshade. Why?”
She said nothing. Her smile twisted into an almost manic looking grin.
“Power,” he answered for her. “It’s always power with people like you. You think having it will solve all your problems. That’s why your coven took her in after her family died. What kind of problems do blood moon witches have?”
“The Gealach Fola are weak,” Rosheen hissed.
Interesting, he thought. That got a bite. “And who’s stronger? Who could stand up to the Crescents and the fae and live to rule another day?” Her eyes widened slightly. “Give me some credit, Rosheen. I’m not just some stupid miner scratching around in the dirt. I did tell you us Exiles are family.”
“When the Nightshade breaks free, we will kill you first,” she hissed, struggling against the hold of Coen’s talismans.
“Sounds like a party.”
“The Ascendants will rise and squash your pathetic town and open the seal. You will all d—”
“Who are the Ascendants?” he interrupted, already over her ranting and raving.
Rosheen gritted her teeth. “A coalition of witches who are unsatisfied with how things are run…and who they align themselves with. The old ways are folly. There will be a new order.”
Kyne sighed. She was a member of a terrorist organisation who hated the fae and wanted to dominate the witches. Where had he heard that before? Wars had been fought over that kind of oppression, so who was he to think that the supernatural were immune from their own racial power struggles?
“So, which is it?” he asked. “Cult or terrorism?”
Her scowl deepened. “You can never understand.”
“Racism and oppression are all the same no matter what name you put on it or what parallel world it occurs in. I know Finn is innocent. He may be a smartarse with an attitude problem, but he’s been living here in peace, never lifting a finger to harm anyone…especially not Vera.” He leaned closer. “I’ll ask you once more time. Where is Finn?”
“Why would you suffer a creature like him? He’s a parasite, feeding on the very magic you’re trying to keep locked away. They don’t belong in our world.”
Kyne didn’t react, he simply said, “He is a member of our family.”
He was sure they’d done something horrible to him, but he hoped it wasn’t too late. They needed him alive so they could tap into the magic bleeding from the seal. Rosheen hated him, but he was useful. That was the one thing that’d saved his life so far.
“If you could see what they’ve done,” she began, her face reddening.
“Whatever,” Kyne said. He stood and walked towards the door.
“That’s it?” Rosheen asked. “That’s all you’ve got?”
He lingered in the door and glanced back at her. “We’re not monsters,” he murmured, “which is more than I can say for you.”
She shrieked as he walked down the hall, calling him foul names, the sound echoing off the rock and giving him a headache. By the time he got outside, he’d learned three new Irish slang words and the Gaelic word for bastard.
“She’s a spirited one,” Hardy said as Kyne stood next to him.
Outside, the sun had lowered from its summer apex, but the day was far from over.
“She’s not talking,” he murmured. “At least not about Finn.”
Hardy narrowed his eyes. “I can’t compel her, either.”
“We’re just going to have to keep searching and wait for Vera to…” he trailed off, his brow creasing.
The vampire put a chilly hand on Kyne’s shoulder. “She’ll win. It’s Vera we’re talking about here. If anyone can beat the Nightshade, it’s her.”
“I know.”
“What else did she say?”
Kyne told him about Rosheen’s affiliation with the Ascendants and the real reason she’d come to Solace—power, dominance, revenge…it was all the same. The only difference in the witch’s eyes was that the seal was a happy accident—a bonus prize to deliver to her extremist masters.
“I’ve known a lot of men who claim to be messiahs,” Hardy said thoughtfully. “They spew out their hot air manifestos, but they’re all the same in the end. They’re inflicted with the curse of power and anger, humanity’s worst and most dominant qualities.” He glanced back at the dugout. “Power over the minds of their followers… It’s true what they say about truth being in the eye of the beholder. Rosheen is a pawn in a game she likely doesn’t understand, but if she does…”
“That’s a problem for tomorrow,” Kyne told him. “For now, we do what we can to help Vera and Finn.”
“Speaking of, now that things are settled and we’re not going to be murdered by crazed witch spirits, I’m going to head out and resume searching for Finn. He’s got to be somewhere close.” The vampire squinted at the horizon and took off his hat. “You should talk to the fae. They like you more than you realise.”
Kyne grunted. “A resigned acknowledgement that I speak for Solace, nothing more.”
“You sell yourself short, mate.” Hardy clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m off. Take care of my hat for me. Can’t wear it on the run, it just blows off. I’ve lost so many in the outback I’ve lost count…and I can’t be bothered replacing any more.”
Hardy was gone before Kyne could reply.
Shaking his head, he tossed the vampire’s hat into the tray of his ute, then set off north along the trail in search of the fae camp.
He had to trust that Vera had the power to fight her demons, but he knew that if anyone could stand up to darkness and win, it was Vera Walsh.
Vera gasped for air, her eyes snapping open.
“Hey, it’s okay,” a familiar voice murmured. “You’re safe.”
“Drew?” She sat up, swatting away the shifter’s hands.
“Vera?” Eloise asked, coming into view beside him. “Is that you?”
“I, uh…” She ran her hands over her body and shivered. She crackled with the afterglow of some serious magic, and her hair felt like it was full of grit. What in the world had she been up to?
She’d won the struggle for control—not that she remembered it—but the Nightshade still surged inside her, just below the surface.
“Where’s Clarke?” she blurted. “It put him down a hole somewhere. I… Oh God.”
“We found him,” Eloise reassured her. “He’s fine. Hardy compelled him, and he’s gone back to Lightning Ridge.”
Vera squeezed her eyes shut. Compelled? He would’ve forgotten all about Solace, the seal…her. Not just what she’d done under the Nightshade’s influence, but their date…his feelings. Problem was, she’d never forget.
Vera blinked, shoving her feelings aside. “Finn?”
Eloise and Drew glanced at one another.
She took a deep breath. “He’s still missing, isn’t he?”
“Do you remember what happened?” the elemental asked.
Vera scowled, wracking her misty thoughts for some kind of clarity, but found none. “No. I…” The Nightshade was hiding it from her.
“I smashed your altar,” Drew said. “I know you said it was too late, but… It’s all gone now. I got it out of the house.”
Vera wasn’t really listening. The altar was ruined anyway, so it was a good thing it was gone. Tossing the pile of junk would’ve been the first thing she did when she was strong enough. She’d have to build another one, or maybe she could do without.
“Rosheen,” she murmured. “Where is she?”
“We’ve got her in my dugout,” Drew replied. “Coen gave us a bunch of talismans to keep her magic bound. She’s not getting out.”
Vera threaded her fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp. Anything to soothe her headache.
There was a chance Rosheen wasn’t acting of her own volition. Vera had heard a lot of stories about the Ascendants, some of which chilled her to the bone. Some of it was likely overblown, but there had to be some truth rooted in the now-urban legends. Stories of brainwashing, parasitic control, dark rituals, and spirit attachments. As a blood-born member of the Gealach Fola—a coven who used blood in their rituals—Rosheen was susceptible to the Ascendants chosen form of doctrine. That meant she could be saved.
“I have to face her,” Vera said, lifting her head. “I can enter the astral plain and confront her on equal footing. There’s nowhere to hide there. Rosheen will be exposed, I can get the truth, find where Finn is, and sever the Nightshade from my Brinewold legacy.”
Eloise frowned and glanced at Drew. “Is that wise?” she asked. “I mean, we destroyed your altar, but Rosheen was the one who triggered the Nightshade to take over…”
“Without the altar clouding my mind, I can hold back the Nightshade,” Vera explained. “It’s still there, but I can do this. I have to.”
“You said sever,” Drew said.
She nodded. “I’m going to get rid of it once and for all.”
“You can do that?”
“Theoretically.”
Vera mulled over her options. There were other members of the Nightshade coven out there—though they’d been long stripped of their magic by the Crescents—but only one who could channel the actual Nightshade legacy at any one time. If she severed herself from it, the spirit would return to the void and never bother them again.
There was only one problem with her plan. No one had ever tried, and even if they had, they’d probably hadn’t lived to tell anyone about it—or the spirit had simply jumped to the next eligible coven member.
“Theoretically is not good enough,” Drew exclaimed. “We haven’t come this far to lose you.”
“Too bad. I have to go now before…” She glanced at Eloise. “Do you understand?”
The elemental nodded, her expression grave. “One last battle, right?”
She laid back down and stared at the ceiling. “One last battle.”
“You’re going right here?” Drew cried. “Vera—”
Eloise grasped his arm and pulled him back. “Trust her,” Vera heard her say as her eyes fluttered closed. “She knows what she’s—”
The world faded round her, her mind separating from her physical body and floating beyond. She fell through nothingness, a place where no light touched, then soared amongst the dust of the universe—stars, comets, and the dark places in between.
Finally, her feet settled on the ground as her astral form took shape.
“Rosheen?” Vera called, her voice echoing amongst the stars.
The Nightshade was the thing she wanted the most. She’d come.
“Rosheen? I know you can hear me.”
Silence.
Vera looked around, sensing someone else lingering. “Coen? Let her through, would you?”
The landscape changed, the light tinting the astral plain red as a blood moon rose, the crimson orb shimmering through a mirage of stardust.
Rosheen prowled out of the shadows, grinning as they met. Here, beyond the laws of the physical world, they were equal, or so the witch believed.
“A bold choice,” Rosheen purred, channelling the manifestation of her magical legacy. “Meeting on the astral plain, beyond the control of the elements. Yes, bold indeed.”
“It’s past time we settle things between us,” Vera said.
Rosheen prowled closer, the blood moon growing larger. “Legends say the Nightshade shows the vessel visions of their past as it wrestles for control.” Her smile widened. “What did you see, Vera?”
Vera gritted her teeth, forcing the memory of the craglorn tearing apart her family as far away as she could.
“Oh, dear.” Rosheen feigned shocked surprise. “You saw your them die again, didn’t you?”
“It wasn’t about their death. Why were they casting?” she demanded. “Why were they using magic the day they died?”
“They were trying to hide you,” Rosheen replied with a smirk. “At any cost. But it seems the price was too high even for the mighty Brinewold.”
“Hide me? From whom?”
“From the Ascendants, of course.”
Vera’s expression faded. It seemed everything had come full circle…and it was up to her to end the cycle once and for all.
But what about Rosheen? If she went back with the Nightshade, they’d push her aside without reward—she was a means to an end. But if she went back empty-handed, they’d kill her.
“They’re controlling you, Rosheen,” Vera said. “Can’t you see? They’ve cursed everything that’s good about you and twisted your hatred of your coven for their gain. They’re using you. They don’t care, Rosh.”
“I do this for the greater good, Vera. My life is a small price to pay for returning with the Nightshade.”
“Rosheen, no. The Nightshade can never be tamed. It does what it wants. It has no master. If the Ascendants unleash it on the world, there will be more hell to pay than their single-minded struggle for power. I can’t let that happen, Rosh. I will do whatever it takes to stop it from rising.”
“You would sacrifice your life?” the witch scoffed. “What a waste.”
“And you would sacrifice yours?” She threw her hands into the air. “For what? Revenge is a fool’s game. So is fuelling the flames of a pointless war that ended centuries ago. You won’t die a hero or a martyr. You’ll die for nothing.”
“And what would you die for? You ran away from your own people!”
“The Ascendants have twisted you, Rosh. They have twisted you into something dark and awful, but I’m going to save you. The Brinewold will bring you home.”
“The Brinewold is nothing while the Nightshade lives.”
Vera readied herself. “That’s why I’m going to start with this.” She plunged her hand into her astral form and grasped the purplish-black shadow writhing inside her…and tore it from her body.
She stumbled, pain searing through her mind and into her physical body back in Solace.
“No!” Rosheen shouted, lunging for the swirling shadow as it dissipated. “It’s not possible! You can’t—”
“I just did,” Vera interrupted, her mind sharpening. As she breathed in, she felt her lungs fill with the magic of the Brinewold—clean, clear, crisp, cleansing water. Her legacy rose like a tsunami, filling the dark spaces inside her, healing the deep scars the spirit had left in its frenzy to claim her soul.
Just like that, the Nightshade was gone. The Brinewold had healed her.
“No,” Rosheen cried. “No!”
Vera reached towards her sister, guiding the waves towards her. “It’s time to come home. Be free of the darkness. Let the water wash it all away.”
The witch stared at her, dazed.
“I know your true self can hear me,” she said. “Come home, Rosh. Let me show you the way.”
Finally, she reached out for Vera’s hand and took it. Their fingers entwined and magic flowed all around them, bringing them together. Above, the blood moon shattered, splintering into a million shards of shimmering crystal.
“Vera?” Rosheen blinked as if she was stepping out of the darkness and into the light for the first time in her entire life. “Vera, is that you?”
“You’re free now,” she murmured. “The Ascendants’ hold over you is gone.”
The witch tried to speak, but no words came from her lips. Reconciliation with her own heart would take time.
“The fae,” Rosheen rasped. “He’s in the water tank. He’s…”
“Thank you.”
“Tell him, I’m sorry. I…”
“It’s time to go home,” Vera murmured, placing her hand on her sister’s cheek. “Go home to Ireland. The Crescents need to know about the Ascendants’ plan. They need to know the Nightshade is finally gone. Warn them. They’ll keep you safe.”
Rosheen threw her arms around Vera. She held her tightly and sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I have to make you forget me, Rosh,” she said. “You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” She sniffed as she drew back and wiped at her tears. “Even without the Nightshade, you’re one of the most powerful witches Ireland has ever seen. Maybe even as powerful as the Crescents. They’d just try to corrupt you like they did to me.”
“I’d come home, but—”
“You have a war of your own brewing.” The astral plain shimmered around them. “Whatever the seal is holding down there, it’s powerful. It needs to be protected.”
They stood together for a moment, neither knowing what to say. Vera didn’t know if there were any words to describe how she felt. She’d have to say goodbye to Rosheen forever, but maybe there was hope they’d see each other again one day. Perhaps.
The astral plain shimmered again, as if it was giving them a reminder.
“It’s time,” she murmured.
“I wish we had more than a minute or two.”
“Maybe one day…”
“Go on then,” Rosheen told her. “I’ve got a long drive ahead of me and you’ve got a fae to rescue.”
“Goodbye, Rosheen,” she whispered.
“Slán…go fóill, Vera.” Goodbye…for now.
Vera placed her hands on her sister’s face and let her turquoise magic do the work.