Part 40 (2/2)

Gilda reinforced the s.h.i.+eld over them and bashed again at the ceiling, frantic to punch her way through so they could get out.

They'd been deeper than she thought. There was too much earth overhead. Weight bore down on her s.h.i.+eld, growing by the second. Rocks covered them, roaring as they tumbled down. She didn't have enough strength to spare to fuel her eyesight, so blackness closed in on her.

The rumble stopped and the weight on top of them no longer increased, but Gilda was weakening. ”I'm not going to be able to hold this for long,” she rasped out.

”Try to push us free.”

Gilda sucked in more power, but it did no good. She couldn't lift so much weight.

She'd trapped them. Killed them.

”No,” said Angus. ”We were dead inside this cave. You had to try something.”

”I wasn't dead,” said Maura. There was no venom in her tone, only acceptance. ”At least I'm not going to die alone. I'd always wondered about that.”

She wasn't going to die at all. Gilda refused to be the cause of her baby girl's death.

Angus slid inside her mind, his strong, solid presence giving her strength. He knew what she was going to do. ”You must,” he whispered. ”She deserves a chance to do the right thing, to redeem herself.”

She felt his breath on her cheek. His lips brushed hers in a soft kiss.

”We love you, Maura,” said Gilda. ”You're a good girl. You're going to grow into a good woman.”

”Right,” said Maura, scoffing, but her voice cut off and she sucked in a startled breath.

Gilda found the vow her baby had given her so many years ago tucked in her memories. She pulled it up, playing it in her mind as she had so often. She could see the tears of grief staining her dress, the way her daughters' chubby arms clung to her, trying desperately to give comfort. She heard herself demand their promise never to grow up, cursing herself again at her selfishness.

No more. She was through with selfishness.

”My death will release you from your vow,” said Gilda as she channeled power into that memory, highlighting it.

She hadn't been sure whether this would work, but she felt something s.h.i.+fta”changea”inside her. She wasn't exactly sure what would happen now, but she knew she wouldn't be around to see it.

She felt a trickle of blood leaking from her nose. Her eyes burned as if they'd been set on fire.

She'd used a lot of power. Angus was gathering more into his body through the stones, but it wasn't fast enough to replenish what she'd taken.

There was just enough left to teleport one of them out. Maura.

I love you, she whispered to Angus's mind.

And I love you, she heard him reply, so deeply a part of her she knew they'd never again be separated. He kissed her cheek, letting her feel how proud he was of her, how honored and blessed he felt to have been her husband. How lucky he felt that she'd been his wife.

Gilda found his hand and squeezed it. She drew on her husband's power for the very last time, opened a rift in s.p.a.ce, and shoved Maura through, out of harm's way.

The s.h.i.+eld holding the weight of the rocks no longer had enough magic to fuel it. It failed and tons of stone came cras.h.i.+ng down on top of them.

The last thing she felt was her husband's love and the vow her babies had given her shatter into oblivion.

Nika felt a sense of futility coming from Madoc, along with a pounding rage and desperation to reach her side. That was what got her back onto her feet. If he didn't see she was okay, he was going to get himself killed.

She loved him too much to let him die before they had a chance to build a life together.

She let that love flow into him, rea.s.suring him she was okay.

It was only partly a lie. Her head was throbbing and her vision was still a bit wonky, but at least she was still alive.

Tynan, on the other hand, didn't look nearly as good.

Zillah stopped shaking him and tossed him aside. Tynan didn't move.

Nika had thought to go to him and see if she could revive him when she saw Zillah lean down over Tori.

Nika blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. She channeled some power to her eyes, hoping it would help, and everything came into instant focus.

Tori was slumped on her side, but breathing. Zillah bent down and lifted something small in his hands.

A baby. Tori had given birth.

The cord was still attached. The baby boy looked normal, but he wasn't crying. He wasn't moving. His chest didn't vibrate with his pulse or rise with his breath.

A cry of rage and anguish roared out of Zillah and he jerked Tori upright, shaking her. Tori's eyes fluttered open and she tried to shrink back away from him.

”You,” he snarled. ”This was your fault. You wanted him to die. You killed him.” Zillah lifted his hand to strike Tori.

Fear gripped Nika hard, and she did the only thing she could think to do. She shed her body and shoved her consciousness inside his, taking control of Zillah's striking fist.

The writhing, fetid evil of his mind choked Nika, sucking all that was good and pure from her. She fought it, trying to remember who she was and what she stood for, but being here, surrounded by evil, she found it so easy to forget there was good in the world.

She wanted to rip things apart, to pound them into piles of blood and bone. She wanted to scream in rage and lash out at anything that dared to move while in her presence.

Nika couldn't fight this much evil, so she stopped trying. She gave in to the need to kill and forced Zillah's body to obey. She turned him toward his troops and gave him the order to kill.

A cold, sharp pain gripped her mind, fighting for control. Zillah wasn't going to let her win so easily.

She felt him struggle just to move his eyes; then a moment later, Madoc was in his sights.

If she was going to make him kill, Madoc was going to be the target.

Nika tried to regain control. She tried to refocus him back on his demons, but he was too strong.

She called out a warning to Madoc, but Zillah caught it before it could get free and crushed the thought with a small, token effort.

It was then that Nika realized her mistake. This was what Zillah had wanted all along. He had none of her blood inside him, giving her control.

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