The Opal Witch

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Guardian

Travis

Travis pressed himself against the side of the house as the stranger and Lux squared off. The tension in the air made his heart pound, the thudding in his chest a welcome reminder that the organ wasn't truly broken- his eyes locked on Kitty's motionless form- it just felt broken.

He watched as the sorcerer worked his way across the yard to check on the girls. Any other time, Travis would've enjoyed getting an eye full of Declan's delicious backside, but the stakes were a little too high at the moment- even for him. He sagged with relief when Sara Elizabeth stirred as Declan shook her. Damned if the bitch hadn't grown on him.

A string of nonsense words belted from the wicked witch's mouth- he still wasn't quite clear on her identity- and from the forest a murder of crows burst into the air and darted towards Lux. She threw her arms over her face just before they swarmed her. His shout joined Declan's, but it was only a moment and then black birds became blue butterflies that fluttered away from Lux.

Blood dripped from hundreds of scratches on her pale form, but her expression was one of rage, not pain. With thumb and pointer finger pinched together, she raised one hand to the sky and pulled it back down with a sharp jerk. Thunder rumbled and a bolt of lightning followed, its white hot heat arcing directly at Lux's foe.

Travis looked away and snapped his eyelids closed just before the bolt struck, but the glare bit through the thin veil over his eyes. And whatever the other woman did to deflect the hit, sent a wave of heat over his body, so hot it was hard to breathe. When he opened his eyes, both witches were panting, their bodies twisted into mirror images of each other- one an argent star, the other a pulsing shadow. This fight was only beginning.

Feeling confident no one was paying him any heed, he inched his way to the end of the house. Bella and Gideon started at his approach, but when recognition dawned in their eyes, Bella cried out and drew him into a hug.

"Why aren't you helping?" he demanded, pushing her away. The older version of Lux blanched, her hands going over her trembling lips as tears fell down her face.

"We tried. There's a shield around them now."

Travis looked over his shoulder, squinting as if he could make out the shield, but to his unmagical eye, there was nothing. "Angel man here can't bypass that?" He'd been given no reason to dislike Gideon- at least no reason other than the fact the man had been MIA Lux's entire life.

Gideon sighed. Who knew how old the man was. As an angel, it was possible for him to be thousands of years old, and as he watched his daughter fight, he looked every single one of those years.

"Daphne is drawing on demon magic to create the shield," Gideon answered.

Travis snorted. If the man thought his explanation was sufficient, he was wrong. "Dude, it's your job to fight against demons, right? I'm not sure why this is stopping you."

A hard gleam appeared in the angel's eyes. Respect mingled with irritation, perhaps. "I'd say the demon is pretty high up based on the power signature. It would take every ounce of power I have just to break through the shield. My power is better directed elsewhere, right now. Unless you'd prefer I let Kitty die."

"Wh-what?" Travis dropped to Kitty's side, his hands roving over her body to confirm what his eyes were seeing. A steady rise and fall of her chest. A harsh sob burst from his throat. He'd been holding it back since the moment he'd witnessed her collapse.

"Is she going to make it?"

"I don't know. The magic I used on her was supposed to act as a sedative, but it triggered something in Kitty. There's a lot of darkness in that girl."

Travis hissed. "Watch your mouth."

Bella put comforting hands on his shaking shoulders. "I don't think he means it like that. It's not her own darkness- just a spell. The only reason she's still fighting is because she still has so much goodness inside of her."

"Travis!" Hanish limped around the corner, his tall frame stooped with pain. Seeing him so fragile intensified the ache in Travis's chest. The Sylph had not recovered as quickly as Travis.

"Hanish, go back to bed. There's nothing you can do here," Travis commanded while drawing Kitty onto his lap. He needed to feel her breathing against him. "Please, I can't lose another person."

"No, I can help."

"How? No one can get through the shield," Bella insisted, a thread of distrust weaved through her words. She narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin in a way that reminded Travis of Lux so much it hurt.

"I can use my magic to funnel a hole through it. At least get the others out."

"If an angel can't break through, how can yours?"

Hanish opened his mouth to speak, but another person cut him off. "Because what you call demons are nothing more than fae who have been trapped underground."

"Alina, I told you to stay hidden," Hanish growled.

A tall, curvy woman clad head to toe in black walked into the light. Something about her was familiar- both her physical countenance and the magic that hummed under her skin. A magic, Travis was shocked to find, he could feel.

"I know you," he said.

She studied him, rosebud lips turned up in a small smile. "Damned if you don't look just like Percy."

"Percy?"

"Another time to tell that story, perhaps," she said.

"Wait- you were in Jackson."

"That's right."

"You're a Guardian," Gideon said, his tone accusing.

"Guilty. But I think we're all missing the point right now. It's not about who or what I am- it's about stopping this fight." Alina pulled a necklace over her head. A small, gem encrusted trinket dangled from the end. It looked like a goblet.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gideon asked.

"It's the Holy Grail."

"Like King Arthur shit?"

"Yes, Travis," Alina laughed, "just like King Arthur shit."