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The two Lynch sister were not so absorbed in their own problems that they failed to notice what was going on around them.
Chaos.
The storm was raging with a ferocity far surpassing that of when they had entered the library. Now harsh winds buffeted the streets and without Sinead's natural protection the twins were forced to hide their faces under their jackets. Far above the storm clouds rolled about, illuminated by the constantly flashing light.
"Do you think this is to do with The Morrigan!" Keavy yelled so her voice could best be heard.
"Maybe. But I think this might be bigger. Look!"
Keavy cast her eyes to the portion of the sky where Edele was pointing. In the occasional flashes of lightning they could see figures flying in the sky, too distant and dark to make out but sinister just the same.
"What are those?" Keavy asked, knowing her sister could only shake her head in reply.
"We have to find the others or we're in trouble."
"You're sure you want to do this?"
"I'm sure Keavs. It's the best way. You get back to the flat, gather some spell components. I think we might need them."
"Okay. Be careful."
The sisters hugged tight then Edele leapt into the air, cautiously pushing her way forward through the sky, surrounded by a ball of fire. Normally her methods of propulsion would be more subtle but in the storm conditions she had to be more definitive. And with the bizarre things that were flying about in the storm she guessed that she would be safe from curious eyes.
Soon the sight of her sister was lost in the storm and Edele jetted towards the park where Lindsay had been and Sinead had searched. Keavy had suggested that they go together but Edele suspected this way was better. Besides, despite each girl having a fairly equal stake of power, she was the leader and her sister was the one that stayed in the background. If there was danger to be faced, she was going to take it on before her sister had to. There was no mistaking the forest. Not only was it a vast expanse of green but it was also an eye of calm in a furious storm. No wild winds blew within the wood and for Edele that could only mean one thing: The Morrigan had already taken control of Sinead's wind powers.
Upon reaching the trees she lowered herself to the ground, hovering a foot above the earth as she moved, still glowing with an aura of fire. As far as powers went, hers had the most potential to be impressive but they never used them in such a manner. To reveal their true witch abilities would be to jeopardize their careers, their livelihoods an even their lives. There were plenty of religious nuts out there that would try to hunt them down. It was better to keep a low profile, only using magic when training or when they had to. Right now she had to.
"Come on out Morgana!" Edele yelled out into the empty forest. "I know you're here."
"The witch knows my name? How interesting."
"I know what you want. I know what you've done. And I'm not going to let you get away with it."
"My, aren't we hot headed. Perhaps you need to be extinguished."
Edele felt a cold gale strike from her side, spinning her about until she pushed back, holding against it with the force of her fire shield. There was no sign of her assailant but she remembered reading the Morgana often used magical invisibility.
Edele held against the wind, considering what to do. In theory she could burn the entire forest to the ground but that was hardly in keeping with the principals of nature. Edele closed her eyes to concentrate, still holding her shield. When she opened them again her vision had changed. Rather than the greens of the forest she saw blacks and blues, cold colors of the forest. But at one point she saw a human shape, red and orange. A body giving off the heat signature she had been looking for. She shot a stream of fire at the figure, watching it tumble aside to narrowly avoid it. The gust of wind stopped and Edele blinked twice, her regular vision returning to her. The figure she had singed was standing, wrapping her purple cloak around her thin dark body. She was exactly as she appeared in the illustrations, The Faery Queen herself.
"You are resourceful creatures." Morgana grinned, brushing some dust from her cloak, "You use your powers in ways I could never dream."
"We're artists." Edele shrugged, not letting her eyes from Morgana.
"And you are warriors. You fight with honor. It would be a shame to kill you."
"You need us alive to use out Power." Edele countered with recently acquired knowledge.
"Only until I have them all. But I promise I'll keep you alive. You seem such passionate youths."
"Thanks. Only you're not going to get all our powers."
"I already have half of them. Do you think you can stop me?"
"I can try." Edele clenched a fist surrounded with fire.
"Well then. Try."
Edele saw the woman move an instantly threw a fireball towards her. the aim was set off course as the earth beneath her reared up and bumped her. Edele rocketed up away from the earth which she knew the Morrigan controlled. No longer directly focused by the witch the fire dissipated harmlessly in the air. Now a gust of stinging dust blew up at her but Edele was able to heat the air around her, causing it to deflect above her. She responded with a heat wave of her own, scorching the ground below and forcing Morgana to move or be incinerated. Even as she moved the fire charred the tail of her purple cloak.
Angrily the Faery Queen caused an eruption of rocks but most of them failed to reach Edele's increasing height. Those that did were incinerated by the wall of fire she kept around her. She sent another wave of fire down, this one deflected by an earth wall. Morgana hid behind it as the searing wave bore down, curling the leaves on the trees. The fire witch was indeed a powerful magic user, skilled in her talent and with the will to use it. But Morgana was a queen of magic, ancient as the hills. These powers were nothing compared to hers. She hefted another stone at Edele who melted it as it flew towards her.
But from above a bolt of purple lightning struck, cutting straight through her fire shield and stinging her body. Edele gritted her teeth and dove towards her target, channeling the pain and anger into a stream of fire that threatened to melt through the rock barrier altogether. All that stopped her was a whirlwind that threw her off balance, causing her to crash into a thick bush. For a second Morgana thought she had gained the advantage but the fiery young woman wasn't stopped yet. She rose from the bushes and glared at Morgana, her eyes flickering like fire. Beneath Morgana a flare erupted, charring some of the purple cloak. Instantly the Faery Queen fell to her knees, as if feeling the pain of her costumes damage.
Edele stood close to her, fireballs waiting in each fist, eyes glowing with fire.
Morgana seemed to sob and pulled her cloak tightly about her body. When Edele took a step forward the fallen woman raised a hand, trying to ward her off. The witch took another step. She felt as if her own fire had engulfed her eyes. Her hands reverted to normal,, at once pressing against her stinging eyelids, trying to stop the pain which burned at them. Her vision was gone, reverted to hazy blurs.
"The Stolen Sun." Morrigan's voice came through the haze. "A simple spell which you all seem to fall for readily."
Edele yelled in rage and threw a fire bolt at random.
"Now, now, we can't have that."
Edele felt herself being lifted off the ground and spun, a whirlwind surrounding her and drawing her in. She tried to push against it but without vision she couldn't find a frame of reference. It was disorientating and soon she was helpless, simply trying to stay conscious as she spun faster and faster, still blind. She felt herself rolling head over heel, the blood rushing to her skull as she spun, unable to use her powers to any avail. Then she felt lightning hit her, crackling among the winds. Another jolt came, then another until she was being repeatedly struck by purple bolts causing her already twisting body to shudder even more. Soon the spinning, blindness and repeated shocks had driven her to a dimly aware state of consciousness, one which she remained in until she felt herself crash to the ground. The rose to her feet slowly, blinking her eyes as blurred images came into focus.
"Sinead!" Edele exclaimed at the sight of her friend.
The blonde was topless, gagged and buried to the waist in the earth, her hands beneath the surface. She looked at Edele with fear in her eyes, as if she knew what was to come next. Beside her was Lindsay, unconscious but similarly entombed.
"You can't do this to them!" Edele yelled out to the sky.
"I already have." came the ethereal reply. "And I'll do it again."
Suddenly Edele felt the ground beneath her give way and she sunk down slowly. She tried to push herself up but the result was only to get her hands stuck to. Soon she was in exactly the same imprisoned state as the others.
"Where are you?" Edele demanded.
"Where you can't see me. I've seen what those hot eyes can do."
"Well I'm going to.. Hey!" Edele felt a cloth curling about her head, blindfolding her tightly so that her vision was reduced to blackness.
"There." came a voice in front of her. "Now you're nice and safe."
"Let me go!" Edele struggled to move but it was no good.
"Now now child of the flame, we wouldn't want you to wake our sleeping beauty here."
Sinead watched in helpless silence as Morgana electrocuted Lindsay again, the unaware girl shaking slightly.
"What are you doing to them?" Edele growled.
"Nothing." the woman replied. "It's what I'm going to do to you that matters."
"What are you goaaaahhhh!"
Edele screamed as she felt magical energy buffet her body, crackling over her skin and through her flesh. She felt her clothes being burned from her skin until the air contacted directly with her flesh. The surge of power stopped and she slumped, unable to fall. A chill gust of wind blew over her torso, her nipples stiffening suddenly. Edele could not see what Sinead did but the instant they struck she squirmed and yelled but it was too late. Already two dark wet mouths had begun to suck at her breasts, drawing her magical energy away.
"No!" Edele yelled and did her best to move but the suckers were firmly attached to her nipples, adopting a regular pulse as they drew her power away.
Sinead watched, silent and helpless as her friend succumbed to the same draining process that she herself had, twitching with each pulse of the snakes yet unable to break away. Edele trembled at each suck, feeling a dull sensation spread through her. As the mouths milked away her yells became whimpers, her will and consciousness fading with each pulse.
She knew she had lost but she had to hope her defeat would not be in vain. Her mind began to wander, unable to stay awake any longer.
"keavy.." she whispered and slumped back, blacked out.
The mouths milked the last of her magical power from her then pulled away. Morgana stood, leaving the insensible witch where she was. Sinead's eyes went wide with fear and wonder as the cloaked woman conjured a flame in the palm of her hand. The Morrigan possessed the power of the flame.
*******
Keavy's eyes shot open as she felt herself stumble and almost fall from her chair. She knew without a doubt that Edele had fallen. And that meant that she alone had to stop Morgana. She peered outside, looking up at the raging storm and gritting her teeth. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she launched herself into the air, heading as fast as she could in the direction of the forest.
Of all their powers, Keavy's was the least inclined to flying. In fact it had taken her a good deal of experimentation to gain the ability. Sinead had it easy and Edele caught on quick. Lindsay's flight took a little more thinking but Keavy's was hard work. She had to surround herself with a dense mass of water vapor and then levitate it with her included. Though her power was sufficient to carry her, and to do so with weight and for distance, it was still no easy task. And now, in the midst of a raging storm, with random gusts blowing in every direction, she was forced to fly low and concentrate carefully, hoping that she wouldn't be spotted. Her vapor caused a natural refraction which served as a partial invisibility so even if she was spotted she certainly wouldn't be recognized.
By the time she reached the forest the storm seemed to have increased in fury even more, if that was at all possible. It was almost a relief to drop into the forest but Keavy knew that as peaceful as it seemed, the forest held a very dangerous enemy, possessing not only her own unique magic but that of her three friends. She was somewhat reluctant to touch the ground but decided she would have to alert The Morrigan of her presence sooner or later.
"I'm here!" Keavy sang out to the forest, waiting for a reply to come.
"So the final one has come to give up her power."
"Actually I've come to save my friends."
"To do that you would have to defeat me."
"I think I can manage that."
"How can you defeat what you cannot see."
"I think I can manage that too."
Keavy waved her hand and concentrated. The water droplets in the air began to move, altering into a thin mist. It soon filled the grove about the witch. In it she saw droplets of moisture clinging to a figure. Once Morgana realized she had been discovered she waved off the illusion, revealing her human form, cloaked in her dark purple robe.
"You are cunning young one."
"I'm prepared. Now see how you like it."
Keavy closed her eyes and vanished from view. For a second Morgana was stunned but then she laughed.
"Do you think you can hide from me? Each of your friends used their powers to locate me. I can do the same."
Morgana closed her eyes and felt for the vibrations on the earth. There were none. The witch had levitated herself. Scanning the sky Morgana closed her eyes, then blinked again, now looking for heat patterns in the forest. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The Faery Queen cursed, realizing that somehow the witch was able to hide from such a trick.
Rather than look fourth she simply sent up waves of dust clouds, watching to see if any figure showed. None did.
"How are you hiding!" Morgana yelled up into the sky.
"I'm not."
The Morrigan turned only to be struck in the face by a hail of icy stones. While freezing water wasn't easy it made an effective attack, ripping the faery’s cloak. Morgana struggled back trying to deflect the ice until the barrage had finished. She rose to look at the witch, raising a finger to her own pale cheek. Blood. An ice shard had caused her to bleed.
"You!" Morgana snarled and blasted a huge wall of fire towards Keavy. Most of the energy was converted into steam as it passed through the dense air and when at last it had cleared Keavy was well clear.
"Is that all you can do with our powers?" Keavy taunted the ancient woman.
In reply Morgana struck at her with a gale of wind which sent Keavy spinning through the air and crashing into a tree. A cushion of dense water vapor helped a little but the blow still knocked her to her knees. She had to be quick to avoid a sink hole which opened up below her, flying again into the air. She flew through the trees, weaving between them to avoid the rocks and balls of fire which flew her way. She came to the stone circle, the sight of her friends distracting her enough to let a stray gust of wind blow her down, crashing into the ground.
Keavy did her best to ignore her friends, even though every instinct told her to go to them. To help them. The sight of Sinead gagged, her sister blindfolded and Lindsay unconscious made nausea roll in her stomach. She swallowed it down
She would have to deal with Morgana first. The Faery Queen landed in the circle, squaring of with Keavy as she rose to the feet. Keavy met her eye to eye, not breaking the gaze.
"So you're the great Faery Queen we read about? It seems to me all you have is what you've stolen. Don't you have power of your own?"
Morgana stared at the witch with burning rage. "I have power greater than you can imagine."
"I bet you couldn't hurt me if you tried."
With this taunt The Morrigan raised her hands and threw jagged bolts of purple lightning at Keavy. The young woman's body clenched, her teeth gritting together as she tried to press through the pain. But the pain was something she had expected and planned for. Once the agonizing sparks had run through her they fired down into the large puddle she had created at her feet, then straight up again this time into Morgana.
The Faery Queen, totally unprepared for any pain, screamed in agony and tumbled to her knees. The lightning stopped.
Keavy doubled over and took several deep breaths before rising again. The Morrigan remained where she had fallen, hugging her body. Cautiously she walked towards Morgana, not seeming to notice loud moans from the gagged Sinead.
Morgana turned up weakly, raising her hand. A brilliant light flared from her hands, shooting out towards the witch.
And reflecting right back at her.
Morgana screamed, raising her hands to her eyes, gripping at hem, cursing and spitting as she rolled into a ball. Keavy dropped her vapor mirror and turned to her friends. She could wash them free but that would take time. In a seconds glance she looked at them, considering their limitations. Then she realized that Morgana has not taken their powers at all, at least not yet. All she had done was feed off the trapped girls. Sinead was gagged because she could breathe her power, Edele was blinded because she could light fires with her eyes but all Lindsay required was contact with the earth, and to be awake.
Keavy dumped a shower of icy water on her younger friend. With a splutter Lindsay woke up, shaking her head as she regained consciousness. The earth released the three witches. Sinead ripped off her gag and Edele her blindfold, both helping the slightly dazed Lindsay to her feet.
"What's going on?" Lindsay asked, flicking her wet hair.
"Long story." Sinead shrugged. "But how did you know about the blinding. That caught me dead."
"It's a twin thing." Edele smiled at her sister as she casually placed her hand over Lindsay, drying her hair. "When I came to rescue you, Keavy stayed at home but we used a spell the allowed her to see everything that was going on. I had to stay silent so not to give it away. She knew what was coming."
"And what supplies we needed." Keavy tossed the girls white tee-shirts which they welcomed. "But we still have her to deal with."
The four turned to The Morrigan who was still whimpering over her blindness.
"Why don't we just bind her back to the earth." Lindsay suggested, ready to bury her.
"We'd have to do it pretty deep." Keavy remembered from the texts. "We're not even sure why she's here. Or what this storm is. Or.."
"One problem at a time Keavs." Edele put her hand on her sisters shoulder. "I think I know how to bury her deep."
The others looked at her for an answer.
"Linds?" Edele turned to the youngest witch and hugged her, kissing her lips tightly.
As they hugged their kindred spirits joined, powers merging with their minds. The earth rumbled.
"I think that means step back." Keavy noted and she pushed all four of them out of the circle, Lindsay and Edele still holding each other.
In the center of the stood circle the earth opened wide, hot magma glowing from within.
"Down you go." Sinead motioned and blew the Faery Queen howling into the hole. As soon as she struck the magma it engulfed her, though it could never destroy her. The liquid rock surged back down, earth sealing back over it until nothing was visible but forest floor.
Edele and Lindsay broke away from each other. "I guess that should be deep enough." Edele shrugged.
"I guess so. Hey Edele?" Lindsay raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
"Next time you kiss me, warn me first."
"Can do. So Do you think it stopped the storm?"
"Only one way to find out." Sinead shrugged and began to levitate. The others followed her up until they passed the canopy.
"Oh my god." Lindsay whispered as her eyes, like the others went wide.
The storm raged with an unimaginable fury. Only within the safety of Keavy and Sinead's sphere did they not risk being blown away by the winds or drenched by the rains. Lighting of all colors flashed in the sky, thunder booming like an endless cacophony. Torrents of rain spilled down to earth, threatening to flood the streets. But these signs were nothing compared to what else could be seen. The flying figures were still there, now in so many numbers and forms, some humanoid, some animal, some totally indescribable.
Yet even this horrific assortment of creatures was nothing compared to the sight they saw hovering over the city.
A wyrm, a creature older than time. It loomed over the city, hundreds of meters long, curling and entwined yet still flying perpetually. In its gaping jaws was the tip of its tail, jammed tight yet looking as if to be freed any second.
"Ouroboros." Edele drew the name from a mythology she remembered.
"The Earth Serpent?" Lindsay asked, not breaking her eyes from the sight.
"I didn't think that was real." Sinead commented.
"Maybe it's not." Keavy said flatly. "But I don't think he cares."
THE END??
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