Chương 22: Chapter 22: Witch vs Shifter
Melisande POV
Her hands itching to seize Daxius, Melisande stepped forward, her shoes crunching crystal, and beckoned her helpers, especially Mars.
Anneliese's and Lilia's weak friend Galen wasn't present. Traitor. He'd led Ravyn right to Daxius' door–at least Melisande had enchanted the place so that Ravyn couldn't get in and would stay away. Plus, Galen wouldn't help the Crestas again for a while. Inside Melisande's body, Absalom felt a thrill, reliving punishing Galen, and then claiming the young wizard needed healing because he'd been working too hard. Galen now lay under guard and under a powerful sleep spell in the Healing Ward.
How Daxius had escaped his fate, Hades/Melisande would never know. Absalom thought he'd been so careful, but Daxius had figured out who Melisande truly was ...
Thank the Dark Goddess he'd made sure to destroy any writings or journals in Daxius' old house where he'd been hiding out. He couldn't take the chance that Daxius might have recorded his suspicions.
"You aren't taking him," Ravyn said forcefully. "You may have people in the witch circle jumping to do your bidding, but you don't control the shifters. AND you can't order me around. I'm a Rolfe! I'm the Evenhide Pack Mother. And I could always outdo you performing any spell, anywhere, anyplace, anytime."
Lilia and Dirge cheered Ravyn and Anneliese grinned.
"Daxius will be subject to witch justice." Melisande's lip curled when she stared at Ravyn. "Your good friend Judge Chalice–"
"Would argue that witches and wizards are subject to the laws of whatever kingdoms they're traveling in," Patch interrupted, with a smug lift of his chin and an even more smug smile. "And that the shifters are VERY important allies."
Insolent pup. Absalom/Melisande vowed never to underestimate Patch Cresta again. Clearly, he might play the fool sometimes, but he was just as sharp as his brothers. "Just as we are to you. We guard the secret of your existence!"
"That's true," Jiro said with a sour face. "But I think it's in poor taste to mention that debt."
Anneliese stared at Melisande with contempt. "And my father will have words with you about this. So will my mother. They're probably on their way here."
Ravyn's eyes flashed. "Why are you doing this, Melisande?"
Hades/Melisande smiled, putting on an air of concern. "You've all done your duty capturing Daxius. Now, leave him to us." She motioned for Mars to get a move on already, but he hesitated, staring at Jude and Garnet warily.
His disguise must be working if Garnet couldn't see beneath his mask and sense the Dark Goddess behind him. He wondered if her brother would have done any better.
Insufferably proud as usual, Dane blocked Mars from seizing Daxius. "Try and take him and you'll have the Shifter Federation, the Shifter Parliament, AND us to deal with."
Jiro's eyes blazed. "You're dealing with the three most powerful Alphas–and two of us have Lunas that are extraordinary witches."
Jude agreed, his mouth open in a snarl, baring his sharp teeth. "Not to mention Daxius attacked me and Ravyn in Evenhide lands."
Ahhhh.
Hades/Melisande felt a surge of triumph, spotting Jude's and Ravyn's weakness. "And you feel the primal urge to make him pay for hurting your mate, do you?"
Lilia's mouth dropped open. "That's hardly your business, Melisande!"
Oh, so little Lilia resented her mother's new romance. Melisande had just been handed a weapon.
"She's just trying to distract all of us," Ravyn said with her head held high. "Don't listen to her."
Thessalia, the wood elf/shifter princess who'd messed up Hades's plans, narrowed her eyes at Melisande. "She reminds me of a certain High Elf representative of the wood elves who turned out to be an enemy."
Thessalia spoke of Drannor Glynthyra, who tried to cut off the wood elves by arranging for Thessalia to marry one of the Dark Goddess' followers. Drannor had failed. The Crestas had captured him the way they had Daxius, and then killed him when he tried to fix his mistake. Absalom was not going to suffer another defeat so soon!
The crackling energy in the air around the witches made the hair on her arms stand up. Her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't be trying to teleport out of here with the prisoner, would you? Mars! You know what to do. Do it."
Whimpering, Mars muscled forward ... but something blocked his progress. His hands flailed and he muttered spells to cut through the magic, to no avail. He was Cyran without the talent and charm. Hades had been trying to boost the young man's powers and confidence, but the witch leaders like Edna Chalice controlled him.
Even now, Mars was no match for these witches. One of them had placed a magical ward around Daxius. Which one? Foolish Garnet? Proud Lilia? It wasn't Ravyn. Why did the witches always think they had the right to dominate? Only Melisande had been willing to let him in, and he wouldn't have used her if they didn't share a blood tie.
"Mars! I'm waiting," she snapped.
"I ... I can't," he wailed.
* * * * *
Jude POV
With a firm grip on Daxius and Garnet helping to hold him up while protecting him with her magic, Jude dared Melisande to come closer. "You want him? Come and get him yourself."
He wouldn't mind shifting and teaching this so-called witch healer a lesson that would live in her memory for the rest of her long life, but he'd settle for taking Daxius off to Evenhide to face his fate.
The sickening odors of old stale candle wax and burnt offerings clinging to Melisande made him even more eager to leave this place. He hoped Ravyn and the others had enough energy to teleport them all out of here.
Melisande's bookish helper, Mars, looked like he just wanted to leave, caught up in this clash between shifters and witches. Smart wizard.
Ravyn's eyes narrowed. "Where's Galen?"
"He's unwell," Melisande responded smoothly.
Smelling like a lightning storm, Anneliese yelled, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"
Guilt twisted Ravyn's face. "If I hadn't pushed too hard to find the truth–"
"Tulaska would tell you not to be stupid," Patch shouted, glaring at Melisande. "You're not to blame–and if I know Galen, he wanted to do the right thing."
Jude felt the witches building up their energy. All except Garnet, who had crafted some sort of spell to keep Mars at bay. Whenever he got near Daxius, something shoved him backward.
Melisande gripped a plain wooden staff topped with a blue orb. Jude expected something showier from her. "Whoever has placed a magical ward around the fugitive, undo it right now."
"Or what?" Garnet looked in commend, the picture of a powerful Luna and shifter witch. "What will you do? Think carefully before you answer that question."
Jude bared his teeth. "We don't want to fight you. But we will. You can have Daxius after he answers for his crimes against the shifters. I'd advise you to be content with that."
Melisande laughed, a chilling sound. "So, it's a war you want, is it? You'll get one. ATTACK."
Mars raised his wand, whirled, and blasted Anneliese, who dodged the fiery missile just in time. Jude smelled burning hair and heard Anneliese's scream.
"Now would be a good time to teleport," Jude shouted to all the witches.
He met Ravyn's eyes and saw the sorrow and fury in their violet depths. His wolf cried out to protect her, because she might be Melisande's next target.
The cursed woman read his mind. Her expression was all concern. "Alpha Jude, let him go. Surely, you don't want your sweetheart or any of her family to die like Emer."
His wolf saw blood. Smelled blood. Thirsted for blood.
"HOW DARE YOU SAY HER NAME!"
His howl split the air.
* * * * *
Ravyn POV
She'd predicted that Melisande would cross the line sometime and not be able to come back from it–and that witches everywhere would bear the shame. She hated being right.
Summoning up every last bit of power, she felt Anneliese, Thessi, and Lilia adding their magic to hers. The teleportation spiral shot out, swirling, and Dane and the others pushed past Melisande's army.
They weren't HER army. They served the Wildefell Witch Circle and the witch community. They'd had no idea what she had dragged them into. The one named Mars looked as if he wanted to reexamine his life choices.
Melisande was lucky Jude had his hands full taking care of Daxius at the moment, otherwise she'd be worse off than Daxius and poor Galen. At least she wouldn't endanger Jude the way she had Galen, the poor, brave boy. She yelled at Melisande's helpers, "Not ONE of you wondered why Galen suddenly became ill?"
That enraged Mars and a young witch who was nearby. "We'll take care of him," Mars shouted, and teleported out with the witch.
The others stepped back, and the teleportation spiral surrounded Ravyn, Jude and the others ... then started to break apart.
Anneliese gasped. "She's trying to counter the spell!"
Lilia ordered, "Garnet, lend us your power! Jiro, Dane, Patch, and Dirge, help us."
Jude glanced at Ravyn, his eyes full of golden fire. She thought fleetingly it was a pity they weren't mated ... she could draw on his power, and his strength would boost her magic. "As part of our deal, you need to beat her," he said, a challenge in his voice.
Ravyn grinned. "With pleasure."
Garnet's energy joined theirs and strengthened the spiral, which spun faster and faster. Ravyn closed her eyes as the dizzying swirl of energy swept them up and transported them.
Jude. Was Jude alright?
She reached out blindly and her hand found his free one. She clung to his hand, warm and strong, and drew strength from it.
She kept holding onto his hand even when the spinning stopped and she heard astonished shouts from Azandra, Kyon, Cyran, Naomi, and Tulaska.
Opening her eyes, she saw the Great Hall in Cresta House, and their family running to help them. She clung to Jude as he supported Daxius, and she felt tremendous relief that they'd escaped. Melisande might make trouble for them back in Wildefell, but she was sure Edna Chalice would handle whatever the so-called Senior Healer could throw at her.
The important thing was, her family escaped safely–especially Jude.
And Daxius, because if anyone was going to make him sorry for everything he'd done, Ravyn would. With the full Cresta might behind her.
"Are you alright?" Lilia asked breathlessly.
Ravyn nodded, trying to catch her own breath.
Lilia murmured low in her ear, "What Melisande said about you and Jude–"
She could deny what was obvious. She could fall back on Melisande's history of scheming and conniving. But she respected her daughter too much for that.
"After we deal with your father, we'll talk about Jude," she said.
Her daughter's response took her by surprise. "I'll hold you to that, Mother."
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
AmandaMadden
AmandaMadden From Ravyn's point of view, Melisande is actign irrationally. Jude doesn't care--he just wants to protect his mate. Even if it means defending his rival...
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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