Sisters of the Mists Ch. 15

Seeing that the demon appeared to be swelling, Celes instinctively summoned up a globe of invulnerability from one of her magical rings. At the same time, Ashley hurled down a small vial, which caused a curtain of pure white smoke to rise up along the curve of Celes' globe.

The demon exploded.

The cage contained the conflagration for a fraction of a fraction of a second, and then the searing flames erupted to fill the vision of the women gathered in front of it. The shockwave slammed everyone back against the far side of Celes' magical sphere.

Ashley was the first to recover her vision after the flash, and what she saw stunned her. Evelyn's house was simply gone. Smoldering pieces of it were scattered as far as the eye could see. Even the wooden floor had been blasted away, the earth beneath hurled away to form a crater, save for the circle surrounding the recovering women.

Evelyn looked down and hugged her family book against her chest, tears rolling down her cheeks. The book had protected itself from the blast, thus not depriving her of the wisdom of all the witches that had come before her. "I can't believe we're still alive. I've never heard of anyone surviving a Jihark demon destroying itself."

"I can see why," Celes remarked as she brushed the hair out of her eyes and surveyed the damage. "What was that potion you threw?"

"A shielding potion," Ashley answered.

"It must have been a combination of your potion and my spell, because I don't know that either of them alone would have kept us alive." Celes stuck out her arm, and it passed through the now absent globe of invulnerability. "It almost didn't."

Andrea supported Marlena, who looked pained and dazed. "Are you okay?"

"Just... Just the shock of my spell shattering. I'll be alright."

"I think we should take Evelyn's advice now," Ashley suggested.

Celes nodded her head emphatically in agreement, and called upon her gift to take them home.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Ebonar slammed his fist down upon his desk, the force of the blow causing an inkwell and several bottles to tumble over. Somehow, Danica had once again hampered the effort to throw the continent of Nipairo into war. In his magical mirror, he could see the swarthy-skinned desert people preparing for battle — but for defense rather than invasion.

Even more frustrating, he had discovered that the woman was frequently beyond his ability to spy on her. One moment, he could see her with perfect clarity, and the next the mirror would simply go dark. He had no way of knowing that Danica's use of her gift to protect Rehkmire and Tari was responsible, shielding her from his sight whenever she was near them.

The image in said mirror suddenly flashed, showing the face of Ebonar's Master. "I share your anger."

"She must be eliminated — now — while she is separated from the rest of her pack of bitches. I will destroy her, and end her interference."

"No. I have crafted my little rose into a weapon too powerful to risk your direct intervention."

Ebonar bristled at that comment.

"Camilla will be our weapon, when she is ready." Zoraster chuckled, an evil smile spreading across his face. "Others — others do not present such a threat, and will attack Danica at the heart of her strength."

"Celes," Ebonar speculated, his fingers curling into a fist.

The Archmage rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Celes is as much a danger as Danica. No, we will drive the knife into her breast slowly, where she is most vulnerable."

Zoraster waved his hand, and his image vanished to show two others — Andrea and Marlena. "These two separate from the pack as well, and are much more vulnerable. Through them, we shall cut out Danica's heart, and make her vulnerable. I have already set the wheels in motion."

Ebonar waited for his Master to reveal the means of attacking the two women, and then his lip twitched in anger when he realized that no such explanation was forthcoming.

"Inform me when you have obtained the information from the yellow dogs of the East," Zoraster commanded, his voice fading as he dismissed the magic to communicate with his surrogate.

Watching the images fade, Ebonar took heart that he would at least have the pleasure of watching the fate of the two women unfold. Most likely, he would serve a role as well.

Wicked daydreams of having the young blonde witch at his mercy flitted through Ebonar's head, causing his manhood to swell as he loosed a chuckle of dark mirth.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. The next couple won't come out quite as fast, and I'm still writing the chapters beyond that, so don't get too spoiled ;) I just wanted to get this one out as a thank-you to everyone who has stuck with me through the long absence of the story.

Keep that feedback coming, because it seems to be working! *laugh* It really does pick me up, and helps me get in the mood to write. That's the fuel that keeps me going, and gets me going when I have the blahs. Even a little 'nice chapter' note in the comment section with nothing more is a smile generator. You don't have to strain to write something deep and thoughtful if the words don't immediately jump to mind. I know I have that problem sometimes when commenting.

More new stories on the near and distant horizon, too. I have a new Mindblind history story about 5/7 done, and the plotting for the sequel to Blackhawk Hall is underway.

Thank you to all the readers, old and new, who take a walk through my world with me.