Blood and Roses

Chapter 10

Rosalia

"You can't hold out forever," Tami said the next time I was thrown back. "Her magic's too powerful."

"I know," I said through gritted teeth. For the first time, I wished I hadn't been such an effective assassin.

The Necromancer's rituals depended on knowledge. The reason she'd been able to rise so many of my victims to fight me was because she knew the Alliance and how it operated. In one breath, she could strip me of any advantage I would've had. And she could raise Veronica back from the dead, the last person I wanted to see living and breathing again. Veronica's rise would spell doom--who could fight Anarchy and the Devil's Kingdom on two fronts? The galaxy would be destroyed.

I held a pair of conjured swords. They weren't nearly as effective as my katanas, but they'd done well in keeping the Necromancer's advance under control. But the longer I conjured them, the more magic would be drained. That was the reason most weapons magic users carried weapons--when you didn't have to worry about keeping your sword in the material world, you could put all your energy into augmenting other things like your speed or your strength.

I lunged toward the Necromancer, swinging my swords. In one smooth gesture, she raised her hand and a glowing wall of black energy slammed into me. I was thrown back against the stairs, breathing heavily.

My magic had run out.

"Rose."

I looked up at Wren, "I'm sorry I failed."

"You didn't fail," he said, kissing my nose. "I'd do anything to protect you."

"I know," I said. "That's what makes you such a bad ass."

Wren laughed, drawing his rapier as he stepped over me. That was the last I saw him before I closed my eyes.

Stella

"Mom," I said, running down the stairs. Tami held out her arm.

"She's fine, just exhausted," she said. "Even your mother has her limits."

"What do you mean?" I said.

"Between holding together the Atmospheric Charm and the wards, she didn't have much energy to spare," Tami said. "But she still charged into battle against the Necromancer anyway."

I looked down at Mom's crumpled body. Who was crazy enough to charge into battle while keeping a whole kingdom from being destroyed?

I turned to Dad, who grumbled, "What a pain in the ass."

"If she makes it up here, you won't be able to stop her from destroying Venus," Tami said. "You know that, don't you?"

"You don't need to remind me," Dad said, bringing his rapier to his eye level. For a moment, I could see the reflection of a sun, but that had to be impossible.

He lunged toward the Necromancer. The next time I saw him, his sword was buried in the gut of the Necromancer, who was crumbling into dust. A wind swept away the remnants of that old witch who'd caused us so much trouble.

Dad turned around, sheathing his rapier, "That was easier than I anticipated."

Tami rolled her eyes, "Only you."

"Here we go," he said, bending over to gather Mom in his arms. "What a mess."

"It would've been a bigger mess if you hadn't gotten here when you did," Tami said. "The Ball?"