Witchlock (29 page)

Now he had to make sure Storm didn’t grab her and run for the hills.
 

Chapter 27
 

Veronika watched two warlocks from her perch on top of a two-story building, where she was hidden by early morning dark and cloud cover from turbulent weather brewing.
 

Few vehicles moved in the hours beyond two in the morning here, but Atlanta would soon become a noisy place as human businesses started a new week.
 

Loud music blared from a lone car creeping by.
 

She missed the KievRus castle, where music never sounded like animals screaming in terror. Too many buildings and too much noise here for her, but she would change all of that once she held control.
 

The warlocks below were arguing. Why?
 

Veronika had located dark witches with deep purple auras walking everywhere in this city, which confirmed that the Medb really had been allowed to infiltrate the human world. Thanks to Ragan’s power pulsing through Veronika, she’d had no trouble identifying the Medb auras, even if she hadn’t been close enough to smell the Noirre majik around them.
 

These two warlocks had been the first to show any potential for what she needed.  
 

The larger one had cornered a troll an hour ago, and while she gave him points for capturing the nasty beast, he hadn’t shown any inclination toward killing it, even though she’d heard him mention using a troll to power a spell.
 

What was the warlock doing?
 

He did have the dark aura color, but he did not emit the repugnant smell of a Medb. She wanted a warlock capable of doing her bidding, and he seemed to fit her requirements for a minion. Having a powerful being to hunt Adrianna would allow Veronika to remain hidden as long as possible.
 

And once he found Adrianna, he would find the woman Ragan’s twin had brought with her into the ancestral realm. The one who had shifted into something the Guardians called a gryphon. Why would a Sterling team up with a gryphon instead of a Medb, who might have been more helpful?
 

Veronika certainly appreciated Adrianna’s poor planning, but it did make her wonder about the dark witch’s intelligence.
 

The Medb were a deplorable coven, but a powerful one.
 

Once Veronika took control of both white and dark witchcraft, she’d weed out the weak and control the powerful leaders. Then she would teach them how to properly run a world.
 

KievRus had always watched over the people, but they’d wasted their talent on mere humans.
 

Veronika would follow in her ancestors’ footsteps, taking control of the powerful of all races who governed, and they would keep the sheep in line.    
 

Witchlock had changed the course of history more than once ... and would again.
 

She dropped silently to the narrow street that stretched between two buildings. Her robe floated gently around her until her booted feet touched the ground and she could walk.
 

The warlock who appeared in control raged at his companion.
 

She’d listened from above them, but down here it was even easier to hear the taller one say, “We
are
grabbing two more trolls tonight, and a warlock, then I can try a change in the spell.”
 

“Bad idea, Donndubhán. Word is that VIPER’s cracking down hard, looking for the troll killers. We get caught we got more problems than VIPER. We’ll have to face Maeve and Cathbad, or have you forgotten what you told me they’d do to us?”
 

“I haven’t forgotten a damn thing, Imar. We’re in too deep at this point. You need to stop acting like a pussy and do whatever I tell you, especially after I saved both of our asses by handing that warlock’s body over to Cathbad. That was brilliant on my part. You do as I say or you’re gone, and I don’t mean walking away kind of gone.”
 

Imar mumbled something under his breath.
 

Donndubhán confirmed they were definitely Medb. He must be hiding his scent. Oh, yes, these two would be perfect.
 

Veronika wanted to test her powers now that she had Ragan close at hand. Her family would not be happy to find out she was testing her skills, but neither did they have her vision. Her family had spent years teaching her about world politics and how KievRus was the balance between dark witchcraft and light. She loved her family in spite of their limited points of view.
 

Every step Veronika made toward managing and wielding the power she’d gained thus far would shorten the learning curve for controlling Witchlock.
 

“
Take your time learning how to handle Witchlock
,” one aunt constantly cautioned.
 

“
Do not try to direct the power too soon or Witchlock may turn on you
,” her grandfather had warned.
 

“
Concede your will to Witchlock
,” another had said.
 

Veronika’s lips twisted with distaste. She would not concede anything to anyone, certainly not her own will to a power that would be
hers
to wield.
 

Pushing away distracting thoughts, Veronika eased toward the warlocks. They were just the resource she’d been searching for in this city.
 

Ghouls had been approaching her, offering deals for a handshake.
 

What was that about?
 

She’d given them a wide berth. Ghouls couldn’t be trusted. They weren’t worth the use of her power to control since they were so limited in abilities.
 

Continuing toward the pair of Medbs, she noticed movement to her left.
 

A human scavenger, based on his rough clothes and the way he tried to sneak up on the warlocks.
 

He thought he could mug a warlock?
 

Oh, right. Humans didn’t know about the Medb or VIPER’s corral of mercenaries. Veronika would enlighten humans when the time came, but since this human had no idea whom he thought to attack, he’d slow her down and create an unnecessary delay.
 

Veronika had kept her sphere hidden by tucking her hands into the opposite sleeves of her robe. She brought it out now.
 

 She called up a small sample of power and felt it roll through her arm as she pointed, sending an arc of light shooting to the would-be mugger.
 

The man froze with a look of disbelief on his face.
 

At the whooshing noise and bright light splitting the early morning darkness, the warlocks whirled to see what went on behind them.
 

Veronika’s beam of light struck the human, igniting him. He glowed red for a moment, then like an ember, blown upon to bring up the heat, he burst into a six-foot-tall tower of fire. The flames sucked into themselves and winked out of sight, leaving a chunk of black coal the size of her fist on the ground.
 

Hmm. That was expedient, and all the better that no one had seen it.
 

“Who are
you
?” the warlock called Donndubhán demanded.
 

Well ... no one except the warlocks had seen her little display. Which was exactly as she’d intended.
 

Donndubhán strode forward with Imar waddling quickly at his side.
 

She moved her hand so the sphere pointed at Imar and drew on the power again, but this time she directed the energy differently. White tendrils from the sphere covered her hand and shot a twisted bolt of white at Imar.
 

Donndubhán was quick.
 

He pointed at her, his power crossing her blast with one of his own, but hers knocked his aside as dust tossed by a strong wind. Her bolt streamed past him on its way to Imar.
 

When her twisted stream struck the shorter warlock, Imar lifted off the ground and his eyes rolled back in his head. He spoke in garbled murmurs for the next moment, then his feet touched the ground and he stared at Veronika.
 

She bent her finger, calling him to her.
 

He walked forward as Donndubhán watched, dumbfounded.
 

Taking control of Imar had gone better than she’d hoped, but he had not been much more challenge than the human. Disappointing.
 

When Imar reached her, he knelt on one knee and bowed his head. “I am yours, mistress.”
 

“Yes, you are, and I have plans for you. Stand to the side and wait.”
 

When he did as she ordered, she turned to Donndubhán, who threw up his hands. “Hold it. We can work out a deal.”
 

She tsked. “I thought you were a Medb warrior, but warriors do not beg.”
 

“I am a warrior and not just any kind. I’m
Scáth
Force
,
one of the most elite of the Medb coven. I do not beg, but if you attack me, you will waste the opportunity to gain a strong resource.” He walked forward with an arrogant stride. Brown fuzzy hair had been cut short, probably for convenience, since she couldn’t imagine how one would tame it otherwise. She’d seen bigger warriors than his decently muscled six feet, but she’d never known one to negotiate instead of retaliate.
 

He’d piqued her curiosity, but she should clear up his confusion as to where he stood on the power scale. “Attack? That sounds as though you think there would be question about the outcome if you were struck by my majik.”
 

She admitted only to herself that she had no idea if she could control an elite Medb warrior—yet—especially one who showed no emotional vulnerability.
 

“Why put us both to the test when we could work together?”
 

“Are you so disloyal that you would leap away from the Medb without any thought?”
 

“Don’t judge my actions until you know everything. I’ve spent my life locked away in TÅμr Medb, serving Queen Flaevynn in the past. As bad as that was, Queen Maeve has returned with Cathbad the Druid. I’m tired of being a slave. I’m an elite warrior, but I’m reduced to little more than errand boy most of the time. I want to use the skills I’ve honed to
perfection, and I’ve been looking for someone powerful enough to utilize what I have to offer.”
 

Interesting. “What have you been doing with trolls?”
 

He hesitated before speaking, but must have realized that she knew too much already. “Cathbad bestowed upon the the entire
Scáth
Force the ability to shield the Medb scent. We used that ability to take the life force of trolls, then use it to create demons that could never be traced to the Medb. Our warlocks have been disposing of demons and have thus won enough favor to gain access to VIPER.”
 

“You’re part of the coalition?”
 

“Yes, we are and we’re here to stay.”
 

“VIPER has changed significantly,” she mused. “Do they
require
witches to join the coalition?”
 

“No. Not yet, anyhow. Queen Maeve and Cathbad have made a strategic move, which opened the door to resources they can use to destroy the Beladors.”
 

“And
you
no longer wish to destroy your enemy, the Beladors?”
 

Donndubhán smiled with the confidence of a charmer. “I have but one goal. I want to be free to do as I wish. Given a position of authority and respect, I will serve a powerful witch whom the Medb cannot overpower. Are you Sterling?”
 

She laughed.
 

“What’s funny?”
 

“I control the Sterling witches.”
 

His dark eyes gleamed. “Are you as powerful as the Medb?”
 

“My people were
more
powerful than the Medb seven centuries ago.”
 

“Who are you?”
 

It took him long enough to ask.
“I am Veronika of the KievRus coven. I am chosen to wield Witchlock once again.”  This one would be simple enough to control even without her full powers.
 

“Witchlock? We had to study that. Everyone believes it’s a myth.”
 

“That’s because my family
wished
for you to believe such. Until now. Witchlock has only been controlled by a KievRus witch born with the mark of our first leaders, Heide and Volkov.” She extended the hand that held the sphere and pulled her sleeve back further to expose an ouroboros on her forearm. The emblem of a Celtic snake that swallowed its own tail was no tattoo created by a human hand. Veronika had been born with a circle birthmark the size of a quarter, with an eye and slash marks. It changed as she grew, forming into the final design when she reached the age of nineteen, two years ago.
 

Upon that birthday, she swore to bring her people to power again and set out to make the trade with the Sterling coven for Ragan. Her family had set a trade in motion when Veronika was born, but when Veronika was told of the most powerful Sterling to be born in seven generations, she knew that Ragan would be the first step in claiming Witchlock.
 

Donndubhán lifted his gaze to hers. “How do I know what you say is true?”
 

“Look into my eyes and you shall see the future.” Then she lowered her shields to allow him to peer into her glowing eyes, where he’d see witches across the world falling to their knees in front of her, because she whispered a quiet spell that compelled him to believe what she projected.