Invoked Read online

  Earl had looked up and Pris was right in front of him. Her light perfume surrounded him. Her lush mouth was in a pout. ‘Surely you know of what I speak?’ Pris said.

  Earl nodded. Her hand reached out and took his limp one. ‘Come forward, Earl Pressonville.’

  She drew him along with her, past where Charlie whimpered from pain and fear. ‘Tell me, Earl,’ she said, drawing her fingers through his hair, twisting the curling ends between her forefinger and thumb. ‘What did Charlie do?’

  He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Her touch was driving him wild. His erection hurt so much as it pressed against his zip. His thoughts swirled. Images of her kissing him, touching him made concentrating hard. ‘He spoke of forbidden things. He spoke of being with you when he swore he would not.’ Earl blinked. ‘He betrayed you.’

  Her face was composed and she nodded. Her dark eyes moved from Earl to Charlie. ‘Yes, my beautiful Charlie betrayed me. Betrayed my love.’

  Earl’s gaze was fixed to her face, seeing the light flush high in her cheeks, the dark lashes casting a shadow when she lowered them. ‘And what must his penalty be?’

  Earl blinked then, tried to pull away, but he was held firm in her grip, not by a physical grip, but a mental one. Words came out of his mouth. ‘He must die.’

  Earl tried to fight against what he’d said, to put in a counter argument, to deny it, but he could not. They were not his words. He was in thrall. He didn’t know whether that was his own weakness or her power. He couldn’t tell.

  Her followers fell to their knees, stripped off their clothes. Earl sat beside her fully dressed, unable to move. Pris picked up her sacred blade and stood. She shrugged off her robe and stood in her beauty, her breasts full with dark nipples, her hips flaring to a round bottom with creamy, unblemished skin, her shapely legs stepping close to Charlie who began to cry, a soft weeping. Words came out of his mouth but they made no sense.

  Pris chanted now, her voice filling the room. The others swayed back and forth in time, drawn into her magic. Earl sat there immobilised as the knife struck. Blood spurted from Charlie’s jugular, covering Pris’s breasts with crimson. Drawing a finger along her skin, she licked the blood. ‘Drink in, all of you.’

  It was then Earl perceived the energy that flowed along with the blood. It was drawn in by the others, drawn in by Pris. ‘Earl,’ she called in a dark, deep voice. ‘Come here to me.’

  Suddenly free, he stood up and stumbled over to her. She used the bloodied blade to cut away his clothes. His erection was still there and it spilled into her bloodied hands. The energy from Charlie was less now as he died, but it sunk into Earl as her hands covered him in blood. His skin tingled and the power surging into him was mind-shatteringly invigorating. It was one small part that leaked into him. Pris drew the rest in. Earl was in awe at how she could do that. This was blood magic!

  ***

  Nea distanced herself from her home, then stopped the engine and let down the anchor. The opposite shore was not too far away and here she couldn’t sense the emanations coming from her home or from Earl’s pain. She was out of hailing distance too. Out of the way of temptation of listening in or getting an update on proceedings.

  Normally the soft bounce of the boat would have soothed her and the light playing on the water given her delight. Not today. She leant against the rail, her heart tearing itself into pieces. What was she going to do? How would she deal with the outcome? What if they killed Earl accidentally or annulled and banished him? What would she do? Gregor had been her life. Could she abandon him and go away with Earl, never to communicate again?

  Looking down, she realised she was gripping the rail so hard that her skin had gone white. Carefully, she let go, peeling stiff fingers off. Tears were hastily wiped away. The boat shuddered and she caught a glimpse of something on the bow. What was that?

  ***

  Three warlocks died. Their bodies found. How did they die? The question was from Gregor and came like a hammer in his mind.

  The men who came to Pris’s changed over time. Maxim stopped coming, after rutting with Pris for a month. Charles was killed in front of us. Wei lasted two months before he stopped coming.

  You were not involved in their deaths? Gregor continued to question.

  Pain stabbed into him. Earl writhed. No. Except for Charles, I didn’t know they were dead. They just stopped coming.

  What about Pris? That question was softer.

  She grew more powerful. We were together once only. It was a blur of sex and pain. She didn’t parade me like she had the others, but her desires grew more strange.

  You participated in more murders? The impenetrable wall could only be Gregor.

  Only my own, Earl replied

  The memory then came hurtling out of the dark recesses of his mind. He’d been tied, the ropes cutting into him as he’d fought her ministrations. Then the knife had slit across his chest at the moment of release. He’d been too far in the moment to even register it. Then she’d licked at his blood and he’d known that she’d done it. Ended him.

  ***

  Foreboding swept up Nea’s spine and made her hands tingle. She was no longer alone on the boat. She took a step and then stilled. Drew Penderton strode into her line of sight. How did he get here? Oh no, he’s back to finish me off.

  As if he read her thought, he held out his hand and then clenched his fingers. She was seized and then drawn forward. Her power split around her, seeking traction against the ship rails and finding none.

  ‘So you’re alone. How nice for me,’ Drew said as she neared. Her resistance had slowed the pull but not stopped it. ‘I’ve not forgotten what you owe me.’

  A calmness enveloped her. With a sudden decision, she stopped resisting his pull and put power in her forward movement.

  Surprised, his eyes widened, just as her head struck him. Unprepared, he reeled backwards. ‘Fuck. That hurt, bitch!’

  Prepared, Nea rolled towards the cabin and then climbed to her feet. Drew might be powerful, but he wanted something from her. Her power, certainly, but something more. Submission maybe. A witness to his supreme talent?

  The battlemage exercises came in handy. She was no match for him, but she could resist and she could attack if she was smart about it. Now wasn’t the time to get herself killed. She had Earl, didn’t she? What if she lived and Earl was banished? What if she died and he lived on without her? It can’t end like that.

  Drew struck out at her. She flew backwards and landed badly, flipping over the rail and ended up on dangling over the side of the boat. She swung her legs up and climbed back on board. If only she hadn’t anchored. The drift would have brought her close to shore. She could have swum for it. Swim for it? With a dark mage trying to kill you? Hardly!

  ‘Come on, Nea. Give it up. Come willingly and I could be merciful.’

  ‘You, merciful? You want to kill me and take my essence. How is that merciful?’

  His dark eyes watched her closely. ‘I could make it pleasurable for you. I could let your boyfriend live.’

  Her eyes widened but she kept quiet. ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not going to go meekly to slaughter. I’m a Royston and we’re a stubborn breed. I’m fighting you with the last drop of my life force. There won’t be much left for you to take.’

  His mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. ‘Now you’re teasing me. You know I like it when people squirm.’

  She lifted her eyebrow and then whacked him one with a body blow, one that she had been building slowly while he was distracted. Declan Mallory’s book was awfully good.

  Drew hadn’t expected a show of power. He doubled over and landed on his butt. The red in his face let her know she’d winded him. It wasn’t a killing blow. She didn’t think she could end him, but she wasn’t going easily.

  ‘Bitch. You’re gonna pay for that.’

  Darkness descended, suffocating darkness. The metal of the deck pressed against her cheek. The air was like liquid and she couldn’t breath
e. She had to find a way to fight this attack. Her body would shut down soon. Breathe. Breathe. She had no breath.

  ***

  Earl’s pain levels rose as the examiners delved deeper, testing the truth of Earl’s memories. His heart fluttered. He was conscious that his hair was wet with sweat. The sounds of breathing reached his ears, and the shape of the furniture and the walls took form around him. And then the minds and the banked power of the witch and the two warlocks examining him withdrew. They stepped back, their heads lowered.

  He sat up and looked at them, not quite believing the examination was over. Now it was time for the judgement.

  ‘He didn’t kill anyone,’ Hilda said.

  ‘He’s guilty of not reporting a crime,’ Gregor added with anger lacing his words.

  ‘It isn’t clear to me that he’s guilty,’ Humphrey said. ‘There was a spell; she held him bound.’

  ‘He’s guilty of nothing more than being young and gullible.’ This was Hilda. ‘He has suffered,’ Hilda added, her voice clogged with emotion. Was that pity for him in her tone, in her tear-stained face?

  ‘He has suffered,’ the other two agreed.

  Earl’s ears pricked up. Gregor had spoken along with Humphrey.

  ‘He has atoned for the mistakes he made,’ Hilda said, her voice rising, filled with conviction.

  ‘Agreed,’ said Humphrey readily.

  Gregor’s eyebrows lowered and he shook his head. The other two turned to face him. ‘Gregor, what is your judgement?’

  ‘There was much in the telling. I remember those young warlocks, now lost to us. He remembers being held in thrall, in Pris’s power. Could his version of events be true?’

  Humphrey spoke. ‘I tested the veracity of his memory and I could sense no lie, no interference.’

  ‘Yes,’ Hilda said. ‘There was no hedging. It’s an honest recall. He revealed all, more than he needed to. He revealed the bad along with the good in himself.’

  Gregor rubbed his chin and shook his head. ‘He was a fool.’

  Earl lifted his eyes, his headache lessening somewhat now that the psychic pressure had been removed. He had been drained in the telling, his own talent consumed. Wryly, he thought that he was vulnerable now. If these folk wanted to nullify his power or end him, then he was prepped and ready. Nothing he did could stop them. He’d be lost to Nea forever. Dismay threated to overwhelm him. The wetness of tears trailed down to drip from his chin. Thoughts of Nea rose in his mind.

  As if they suddenly noticed his presence they all turned to him. Humphrey’s expression was sombre. ‘Gregor, you have yet to voice your judgement. How to do you find Earl Pressonville? Do you find he is free of the taint of blood magic?’

  ‘Not entirely free,’ Gregor said slowly, his bright blue eyes fixed on Earl.

  Hilda drew in a breath. ‘Do you find him guilty of murder?’ she asked.

  ‘No, I do not find him guilty of murder. Stupidity yes, but I tasted the dark witch’s power on him. He was powerless in her thrall and afraid too. The reasons for that are complex and his punishment was extreme.’ Gregor sat back in his chair, his brows drawn down over his eyes as they studied Earl. If he’d thought the examination was over, he was wrong. The probing had been completed but Gregor was still weighing up the evidence. Earl could sense it, the mulling over the past, the assessment of the events Gregor had witnessed in Earl’s mind and his own conflicted feelings. Yet even as the old warlock hesitated, Earl’s conscience was clear, and he sensed that Gregor would judge well.

  ‘So you have come to a decision?’ Humphrey ventured.

  ‘Yes.’ Gregor let out a long breath.

  ***

  Nea found a reserve of talent and poked a small hole in the magical cloak holding her down. Air rushed in and she breathed, gratefully, shallowly. As there was no reaction, she knew then that Drew hadn’t noticed. She took a few more moments to garner her strength. To drain her, Drew would need to lift the cloak.

  The pressure lifted. Drew came closer with wary footsteps. He wasn’t assuming she was dead or unconscious yet. Nea held herself still, played dead.

  Drew touched her and flipped her over. Her power hit him between the eyes. His head crashed against the bulkhead and he crumbled. Nea got to her feet and ran for the cabin. She needed to get the motor running. Needed to get back into hailing range. The anchor winched itself up as she took the chair.

  As she turned the key to start the engine, a shadow fell on her. Turning, she saw that Drew stood in the doorway, one arm above his head grasping the upper part of the doorframe, blood leaking from behind his ear.

  ‘You’re cleverer than I expected. I like that. Not the vacant moonface I first thought.’ He gestured with his hand again and her face was held tight, fingers of power digging in, lifting her out of the chair and stretching her so that only the tips of her toes brushed the deck. He moved closer, bringing her face to his. ‘I’m growing tired of this game. Just let me kill you.’

  Nea brought up her knee and caught him in the groin, hard. They banged heads as he doubled over. Nea, released, was thrown against the cabin’s built-in seating. Dazed, she shook her head and then used her talent to let out the throttle. Then she threw a potent force against Drew. He lifted out through the doorway, arms flailing. As her power waned he caught the rail with his hand and halted his trip overboard. The boat lurched as it hit a swell and then turned in circles, the engine revving and no one at the wheel.

  ***

  Earl let go of the tension in his body, the clenching of his jaw he didn’t know he’d been doing. The throb in his head came back with a vengeance.

  ‘Stand up, Earl Pressonville, and hear the judgement of your examiners.’ Hilda’s voice was clear and it sent tingles over his skin. It was like a song, evocative and demanding.

  The three of them stepped back and he rose to his feet. The pain of the examination was distant now, fading fast, and he had to steady himself with a hand on the back of the chair. The pain was not physical or deliberately inflicted. The act of having others examine one’s mind meant their talent intruded into your own. The pressure was what caused the hurt and left one weakened. His talent had been bled off so that theirs could delve inside his mind, remove his resistance and open him up, like cleaving a book in two.

  As he stood there waiting to hear what they had to say, Earl was cleansed after revealing all of his misdeeds. He’d been young and stupid, and examining them now he realised that Humphrey was right. Pris has spelled him, subtly but effectively. He’d been lost the moment he’d stepped through her door and allowed himself to be exposed to her darkness. He was not totally innocent, as he had lacked the will to break free. He’d allowed his most base desires to take over. He blinked.

  ‘Earl Pressonville, we find you not guilty of crimes against the folk. You may live among us, provided we have your oath that you will abstain from blood magic and from consorting with dark folk,’ Gregor said.

  ‘Thank you,’ he whispered, not quite believing Gregor’s words. ‘Thank you,’ he said in a louder voice. ‘I will never use blood magic or knowingly consort with dark ones.’

  All he could think was that he was free to be with Nea, to have a life with her. A smile lit his face at the same time that tears stung his eyes. He sent out his mind to touch Nea’s to let her know but she wasn’t there. Wasn’t waiting.

  He frowned. Where was she? He was about to widen his search and almost missed the next words from Gregor.

  ‘I request that you move to another coven,’ Gregor said, his voice hard.

  ‘Another coven?’ Earl swallowed, not quite understanding but feeling the dread anyway, as if the gravity of those words impacted before their meaning did.

  ‘Sydney will take you in if I vouch for you.’

  ‘But why?’ Earl frowned and then looked between them.

  ‘You are not welcome here.’

  ‘But … Nea?’

  ‘You are not welcome to her either.’

  ‘Gregor
,’ Hilda said, concern in her voice. ‘You cannot do that. It’s Nea’s decision. He’s not guilty.’

  Gregor turned on her. ‘She is my kin and I won’t have her giving her life to him.’

  ‘But she loves him, Gregor. You of all people should understand that. You who gave up so much for love.’

  Gregor lowered his shoulders, unclenched his fists. ‘I can’t bear it.’

  Hilda reached up and touched his cheek affectionately. ‘If you want Nea in your life, you must. She will follow him, of that I’m sure. Would you send her away from you? From us?’

  He shook his head. ‘She won’t choose him over me.’

  ‘Oh Gregor. You would do that her? Would you really? She loves you more than life.’

  Gregor turned to face her, his lips drawn into a straight line. ‘You should stop there, Hilda.’

  ‘Or what? You’ll make me choose too?’

  He scoffed. ‘You’re being ridiculous. I’m not making you choose.’

  ‘Yes, you are. You’re making me choose between you and what is right.’

  Gregor inhaled loudly, his head jerking back.

  Hilda went on. ‘I love you Gregor Royston, but I’ll not stand by and watch you ruin Nea’s future and the future of this man here. You’re a stubborn old coot and I know you’ve got a powerful memory, but you have a strong sense of right too.’

  Gregor turned away from her, his fists clenching.

  ‘Look at this young man,’ she said getting in his way. ‘Look at him without prejudice,’ she said pointing. Gregor did as she asked and Earl stood there, passive as the old man’s powerful gaze bored into him. ‘He’s got talent and he’s got love in him. Remember how you were and what you did for love when you were his age? You turned your back on everything you knew to be with Bess. Let him have that. Let Nea have that. Let them see where their love will take them.’

  Gregor lifted his eyes to the ceiling. ‘It’s so hard to let go of the past. I remember his arrogance … his disregard for authority. The coven was young then; he nearly drove a wedge, nearly destroyed it all.’

  ‘No he didn’t. You thought he did, but you saw through his memories that it wasn’t the case. It was Pris. The dark witch you had a truce with. She was the destabilising influence, the one who really threatened your power.’