CHAPTER 25 PART 2 | solstice

📎A/N. Hello my lovelies. I hope you all had a wonderful week and are gearing up for a relaxing weekend. The sun is finally out again where I live and after a couple of weeks of being absent, summer has returned! Yipee!

Thanks for all your feedback in the last chapter, and for your lovely well wishes. I was so very touched. With my fathers condition, all we can do at this point, is make him comfortable. Unfortunately, with degenerative diseases, there's no quick cure, or miracle pill to reset the clock.

In case we need a recap, Amos is standing over Maize with a dagger...

I hope you enjoy the chapter. If you do, don't forget to vote, and all comments appreciated.

PS.. This is another long chapter... so get comfortable.

Take care,

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Keira reacted on instinct, and a ball of energy flew from her hands. It's blue-white glow a stark contrast to the dull orange tinge from the fires dotted around the clearing. An instant later, Amos was propelled backward in a blaze of light as the orb shattered on impact.

"Naturals, we didn't think to ward our personal barrier against Naturals," cried out Dayna as she scrambled towards Maize.

An instant later, after confirming Amos wasn't moving, Kiera raced to her new friend. Maize remained on her knees, eyes wide, and her face pale. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words took form.

Dayna crawled around to inspect the damage. Her face grew pensive, and she hauled in a deep breath. "Oh! Mother Earth." She briefly closed her eyes and dropped her head as if willing herself to unsee.

Keira glanced around frantically. They would need to drop a portion of the wall to get her out safely. "She needs medical help."

A single tear trickled down Maize's cheek as she shook her head slowly from side to side. "It's too late for that."

Keira's heart clenched as the strain, evident on her face at the effort to speak, contorted Maize's face into a study of controlled pain. The wounded woman's gaze drifted off into the distance, somewhere over Keira's shoulder, and she turned to see what Maize was looking at with such sorrow.

Grant, who had been watching the unfolding drama, was held back by two others. His shouts were distorted through the thickness of the barriers. However, she could feel, rather than hear, the distress in his voice as he fought off the others.

She turned back just in time to notice Dayna attempting to remove the dagger embedded in her back. "No don't."

Dayna froze.

"It's probably the only thing keeping her alive. If you remove it, she could bleed out."

Dayna snapped her hand away as if burnt and scrambled around to Maize's front and reached for the injured woman's hand. "What can we do? We just can't leave her like this."

Maize gave Dayna a weak smile and coughed. They were horrified to notice a spray of blood had emerged with the exhaled air. "I won't be able to keep the spell complete for much longer."

Kiera froze. The magic running through her was the only thing keeping her alive. She glanced across to the large standing stone, the strands of webbing from the Legion were regaining strength, an indication their spell was unable to retain its full power without all three of them actively charging it.

Maize coughed again, and she fell towards Dayna for support. "You need to get Velvet here now, there must be a third to help you finish the job. She's the only one left with the capacity to take on this level of magic."

Dayna's face fell. "I... I don't think I can do it again."

"You must," said Maize as she clung to Dayna's arm. "You know more than I, what is at stake."

Maize tensed, and she let out a hiss through her teeth. The combination of the injury while still retaining the amount of energy that surged through her body was taking its toll.

She needs something to dull the pain.

A long-forgotten spell emerged from the depths of Keira's memory, and she reached over to take Maize's weight. "Dayna, get Velvet here now!"

She glared at her sister to move quickly as she began the words that would ease the agony that had begun to make Maize's body shake. Tears flowed from Dayna as she visibly brought herself under control. With the energy flowing through their body everything was enhanced, including strong emotions. Keira understood why Dayna wasn't confident she could use her newfound magic. With all the current flowing through them, it was difficult enough to concentrate on the spell to break Leviathans connection to the Legion, let alone add another layer and transport a living being from one place to another in the blink of an eye.

Keira held on to Maize to give her as much comfort as possible, with the little time she had left, and watched as Dayna wrinkled her face in concentration.

After a few seconds, Dayna opened her eyes and shook her head. "I can't do it."

Keira glared at her sister and wished she could shake her by the shoulders to get some sense into her. "Yes, you can, and you will. We've come too far to fail. Look around you. Too many have given their lives to make sure Leviathan does not step foot in our world again. We will not be the ones who fail them. Get Velvet here now—before it's too late."

Dayna rubbed her hands up and down her thighs as she glanced towards Maize, who was fading fast. She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Before Keira had a chance to take stock of the battle that had moved up a notch, Velvet materialized beside them.

From her tears and strained expression, she had seen everything. A familiar feeling of grief rose up within Keira and memories bombarded her mercilessly. She knew exactly what the young woman was feeling. A long time ago, against the same foe, in this exact place, she too had lost her mother. There was nothing she could say to console Velvet. There was nothing anyone could say to make the pain any less consuming. Unable to look over in the direction she knew Grant was physically restrained for his own safety, Keira blinked rapidly as Velvet rushed to her mother's side.

"Mom!" ripped from her throat in raw agony.

Maize pushed away from Keira and rightened herself as she placed her hands on either side of her daughter's face. "Honey, mourn for me later. Right now, you must take my place. This is your legacy."

A sob caught in Velvet's throat as she shook her head and whispered, "I don't know how."

A calmness visibly fell over Maize as she gazed lovingly at her daughter. "Yes, my love you do. You have such capacity for greatness, I can see that now. Just open yourself up to the possibilities and the three of you will triumph."

A jolt of pain stiffened Maize, causing her to slumped backward, and Keira caught her just in time before she fell. She held out her hand for Velvet's. The moment mother and daughter's fingers touched, Keira could feel the transfer of power begin.

As the pent-up energy entered her, Velvet was rocked backward by the sudden surge in power. Even in her weakened physical state, Maize held on tightly to her child's hand. With the increase in transfer, Velvet began to shake uncontrollably.

"I can't take this, it's too much," she cried out.

Dayna crawled across to Velvet. "Don't fight it," she said, "the more you resist, the more painful it is."

Dayna continued to talk Velvet through the transition. As she opened herself up, the tremors ceased, and the power flowed freely from one woman to the other. Keira could feel the life ebb from Maize as the seconds passed.

"Tell your father I will love him even in death."

"No," Velvet said between sobs. "You tell him. You can't leave us."

Maize held her daughter's hand with both of hers. "I am with Annie now, and we will always look over you both." She tensed as the final burst of energy left her body. "Promise me you'll strive to be happy."

A moment later, her body relaxed as the life left her damaged body, and her soul moved on. Keira gently lowered her to the ground and willed herself to ignore the rush of grief that could very well be their undoing.

Velvet, refused to let go of her mother's hand. "Mom, no. Mom!" she said, repeating the words over and over, as if force of will alone would bring her back.

All they could hear was the inconsolable sobbing from a broken heart and the low chant from a soulless one. Throughout the ordeal, the General hadn't once stopped in his mission. How had he known there was a flaw in their personal protective bubble? What had they said that triggered his suspicions. Was the blood from Maize's death on their hands?

Unable to process her sudden doubts, Keira held her tears back, wiped her eyes and placed a hand on Velvet's shoulder. "We need to finish this, or your mother died for nothing."

Velvet, still sobbing, stood and wrapped her arms around her middle. "I don't know what to do, what if I fail her?"

Keira took a deep breath and then let it slowly exhale. This is what the General was aiming for. If he couldn't get to them directly, he was making sure they were otherwise occupied with self-doubt and grief. They couldn't—wouldn't let this happen. No matter what it took, they needed to push beyond their pain and let it strengthen them, rather than consume. There was too much at stake to admit defeat now.

"Then don't. You come from a long line of CrossRoads witches. This is what you were born to do. You may be lacking in knowledge, but if you dig deep inside, and call on all those women who came before you, you'll know what to do. Let them guide you."

Velvet wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this." Her voice wobbled as she took one last look at her mother.

Keira and Dayna moved Maize's body away from the crystal circle and said their last goodbyes. As Keira made her way back, she knew this death would affect her even more than Marcus's. She had kept her distance for so many years. In a span of two weeks, she had opened herself up again and allowed people in. Maize had been a pure soul, loving, and easy to like. Keira had not only let a vampire inside of her defenses, but she had also opened her heart to make way for a friend, a friend she would mourn longer than she had known her.

I can't lose any more.

She took her place around the crystal circle, and instructed Dayna and Velvet to channel their anger and sorrow into their power. They needed to control it, rather than let their emotions cloud what they needed to do.

Without fanfare, the three began their ancient chant and drew the additional power they needed to regain the ground they had lost. Inch by inch, the power returned and became explosive energy. Not only could she feel the grief in the power shared between the three of them, but she could also feel it from the power siphoned from the other CrossRoads. This time there was something different. It was almost as if it was stronger somehow.

As they began their renewed assault on the standing stone that channeled the link to Leviathan, Keira risked a glance towards the outer edge of the woods. What remained of the CrossRoads coven, had emerged from their hiding place and stood in plain sight of the Legion. The fire and air witches, now having freed the prisoners, and captured what remained of The Order, had made their way to stand between the now exposed coven and the Legion. From the look of it, if any Legion broke away from the battle, they were prepared to defend the coven.

Panic set in. With their focus on the Legion, the vampires failed to notice the coven was now exposed and at risk. This next assault on Leviathan's power would make it obvious there were more than three witches involved. The moment the General realized who they were, their lives would be in danger.

Right now, they were safe. The majority of the Legion army were focused on breaching the wall. They had, upon orders from Zahir, abandoned their attack on the vampires and, instead, attacked the invisible barrier. The vampires were now pulling the enemy away, in an attempt to lessen the strain on the wall.

They still think we need to reduce numbers.

She needed them to protect the coven before they were set upon. They were wasting their time eliminating the Legion. It wouldn't make a difference to their power source, it was too late for that. But the question was how? With the distorted sounds, shouting across the distance wouldn't work. Not only that, it would let General Zahir know what they had discovered. It would also highlight how they had tapped into so much power before she was ready to release the bulk of the energy they were building. Something he hadn't worked out yet.

Cell. My Cell.

Keira reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, only to groan at the no service icon.

Figures.

An idea came to mind, and she quickly typed her message. "Dayna. I need you to get this to Ryker."

Her sister frowned. "What? It's a bit too late to be worrying about breaking your phone."

"No, I need to get him a message. Look," she said indicating behind Dayna.

Dayna swung her head around. It didn't take long for her to realize their predicament. "Dogs bollocks." She scrunched her face and glared at the phone Keira held out. "You know you just can't use me as a personal delivery service."

Keira narrowed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with her free hand. "Dayna."

Her sister raised her hands in surrender. "Fine."

An instant later the phone was gone. Keira anxiously watched Ryker. "Where did you put it?"

"Just watch," said Dayna cryptically.

Ryker, who was headed towards a Legion, stopped short and froze. Even from this distance, she could detect his shock. Keira frowned when he began to unbutton his jeans.

What the...?

Ryker's hand disappeared down the front of his pants. When he pulled it out again, he was holding her phone.

"Dayna," she said in a low growl.

Dayna shrugged. "What? How else was I going to get his attention?"

Keira ignored her sister and hoped that Ryker would get the message. The vampires, in their drive to reduce numbers had missed the fact that the coven was now in danger. When they broke off their attack and positioned themselves in a physical wall around the remaining witches, she knew he had understood her message.

She couldn't help but notice a large number of bodies scattered, broken and bloodied around the clearing. Resolute to end this once and for all, Keira tapped into her reserves and crouched down to place her palms on the ground. Both Dayna and Velvet followed suit. The effort to contain the sudden build-up of energy made it difficult to breathe, and her words came out in an uneven pant. "This is our last chance, make it count."

Keira steadied her gaze at the standing stone and began to chant, she was quickly joined by Dayna. Velvet, a quick study, added her voice to the singsong mantra as they begun their final assault.

Layer upon layer the magic flowed and targeted the standing stone. Before long, the web weakened. Strands pulled taught against the stone and shimmered in the moonlight. They faded and glowed brightly again before fading once more. At first, she was sure it was a trick of the light, but a few delicate strands snapped and dulled. Before they could reach the ground, the strands disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"It's working," whispered Dayna.

Velvet, eyes red-rimmed, asked, "How do you know?"

"We can see their links," said Keira. They already knew Velvet couldn't see what they could. Neither could her mother.

As their magic reached out and curled around the strands, Keira studied the web. While they were making inroads, it was taking too long. The web was fighting back. "It's not enough."

"I don't think we have much more to give," said Dayna.

"We have to try."

When the next strand broke, an incensed scream startled Keira. The General had failed to bring the Legion through to their current host, and his subordinate was now lost. The dead husk of a body lay broken and dead on the altar stone.

He stormed towards them. "You!" His fists were clenched and waived haphazardly in the air as he closed the distance. Unlike his army, General Zahir wasn't physically repelled once he reached their personal protective wall. Instead, he beat his fists against it. "You will pay for this."

She ignored him and continued to draw as much power from the earth as she was able.

"That's not possible." The suspicion in his voice alerted Keira to the fact that he had finally worked out they were not only using their own power.

Keira, too afraid to look in the coven's direction glanced over at her sister. The fear reflected in Dayna's expression must have been mimicked in hers as his voice boomed out loud and clear. "They have help. Get the others."

Even with the distortion of sound through the wall, the remaining Legion heard him loud and clear. They ceased their attack on the wall and turned to the small group of witches protected by a line of vampires.

Not on my watch.

Keira pushed her palms against the ground with as much force as possible. She fanned her power out and drew deep into the earth until she tapped directly into the source of the earth witches power. Her brows raised up at the realization at what she had just done.

It shouldn't have been possible. Not only was it unheard of, but it was also dangerous. Using every ounce of energy, she drew it up through the protective layers and allowed it to almost consume her. The instant it entered her body, she was wracked with blinding agony. Forcing herself not to cry out, she stood and steadied herself. This was their last stand. If she didn't succeed, not only would it end her, it would allow Leviathan to walk through the door that would suddenly unlock, and be the end of everything. In fact, if her suspicions were true, it would unlock every door around the globe, not just the one at Mystery Hill.

Keira planted her feet firmly on the ground to give her the stability she knew she'd need. "I'll try and buffer you both from the bulk of it, but I suggest you hold on tight."

It had become difficult to breath and the pain had raised a notch, if that was possible. She didn't think she could hold onto the storm much longer.

Dayna snapped her head towards Keira. "What do you think you're doing?"

Without answering, Keira raised her arms wide, closed her eyes and dropped her head.

"No," said Dayna, her voice now full of panic. "Whatever you're doing, stop."

Using every available ounce of energy, Keira summoned the entire supply already available, and opened a direct conduit into the earth. The resulting rush as she unlocked the valve almost knocked her off her feet. As expected, a measure of the current, surged through Dayna and Velvet.

The next few moments, while only lasting a fraction of a second, played out in slow motion for Keira. She had accessed something that was hidden from them for a reason. Their frail bodies could not cope with the speed and intensity that now surged through her and controlled every molecule. She was on fire and frozen at the same time.

Shards of lightning emerged from every part of her body. The cracks, as it made contact with the earth, was deafening. Her body vibrated as each particle, strained under the pure energy that surged through her.

"Velvet, try and channel as much as you can," said Dayna. Her voice seemed to come from a million miles away, not just a few short feet. "Don't let her take the entire burden."

After that, everything around her blurred. The vibrations became more forceful until she thought her teeth would fall out. As the pain and the power crescendoed, Keira knew it was time. She brought her hands in towards her body, flung them out again, and hurled out the energy with as much force as she was able. A magical tsunami erupted from the earth, and used her body as it's single channel to explode into the atmosphere. Her mind, unable to cope with the agony, detached itself, and watched as an observer as her body was used as the delivery mechanism for what was unleashed.

Like a shock wave after the detonation of an atomic bomb, a destructive force pulsed and swept out from the circle, knocking everyone in its wake off their feet. Legions, Vampires, Witches and Normals—no one was spared.

As expected, a measure of the magical 'bomb' used both Dayna and Velvet as a conduit to escape. She tried everything possible to minimize their exposure. However, from their contorted bodies as it flowed through them, she had not managed to buffer them enough. She could only hope it was enough to not damage them irrevocably.

The sound of breaking glass pierced Keira's hearing, and then everything fell silent. The barrier had crumbled under the brute force of the magic as it punched through its defenses.

Finally, the flow of energy stopped and Keira, unable to hold herself up any longer, crumpled to the ground. Her body ached, and she could feel life slipping from her back into the earth. There was nothing left of her to give. She had to have faith that they had cut off Leviathan's access. Dayna would know what to do now. She would prepare the next generation to continue the fight.

Not able to move any part of her body, all she wanted to do was close her eyes, and join her mother in an endless sleep. Keira's lids, too heavy to remain open, closed and she gave herself over to her fate. There were still many things she had not experience in this life. However, she had known, fate always had other plans for her.

At least they are all safe.

The incessant, high pitched noise, ringing in her ears poked at her, and her eyes fluttered open again.

Is dying supposed to be this loud?

Dazed, Keira raised her head and looked across to Dayna and Velvet. They were still standing, confused, but nonetheless alive and well. As her vision cleared, she realized blood trickled from their ears and nose. She pulled herself up and grimaced at the effort required to do something as simple as move.

So, perhaps not dying then?

Something wet on the side of her face caught her attention and Keira brought up her hand to touch her skin. It was hot to the touch, damp and sticky. She pulled her hand away to discover her fingers coated in blood.

When she looked up again, Dayna was beside her, her lips moving a mile a minute. Keira narrowed her eyes and stared at her sister's mouth. Apart from the high-pitched noise in her ears, she couldn't hear anything. Still trying to make sense of it all, Keira surveyed the area. Bodies were scattered across the area haphazardly. The blast radius had thrown everything in its path a considerable distance from where they had been.

As if in slow motion, some of the bodies stirred and rose up into a sitting position. Their confused expressions identical. Each one reflected the exact same question... What the hell just happened?

As the movement across the clearing increased with the momentum of a Mexican wave. A ray of hope washed through Keira. So far, no Legion had stirred. With agonizing slowness, the witches and vampires rose to their feet and stood still as they took stock. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Deacon nudge a downed Legion with his foot. He turned back to the others and said something she couldn't make out. From the sudden elation from the small crowd, whatever he said was good news. Deacon and a few others continued to check the bodies. From his somber expression, he wasn't ready to celebrate just yet.

The ringing began to subside, and the sounds gradually became less distorted so that she could make them out. "We did it," she whispered.

Dayna flung herself at Keira and pulled her into a hug. "You did it, you mean." She pushed Keira to arm's length, and tears ran down her face. With the smeared blood under her nose as well as the shallow crimson line down the sides of her face, Keira could only imagine how she looked. "I thought we had lost you."

Keira pushed her hair away from her face and tucked a strand behind her ear. Somehow in the madness, it had come away from the confines of her ponytail. "So did I."

Their attention was caught by a distraught voice that called out, "Maize." They turned just in time to see Grant stumble across the clearing and crumble to the ground where his wife's body lay.

Velvet's face had lost all color, and she stood as still as a statue. Kiera wondered how she could stand at all. To be transferred that much energy and take on what she did, would have put her body through more stress than anyone would deem safe. When Velvet's frame let go of the shock, Keira knew the grief and fatigue would almost consume her. The loss of her mother, so quickly after her sister, would take its toll on her already fragile soul.

When she looked back to her sister, Keira could see that she too was struggling to understand what had happened.

"Is it really over?" asked Dayna, her voice coming out in a whisper.

Keira was too scared to answer in case she was wrong. While the majority of the vampires were standing, it could be possible that the Legion weren't dead, merely unconscious. The vampires were still sifting through the downed bodies.

Ryker? Where's Ryker?

Keira suddenly realized she hadn't seen him in a while. Panic welled from the pit of her stomach. Her eyes darted across the areas and into the outlying wooded area. Only a few fires were left intact with the majority having been decimated in the blast. She winced as she stood. Perhaps using her limbs wasn't such a good idea. However, she needed to find Ryker. He had to be okay. There was no way she would accept he was anything other than alive and well.

A deep voice growled and said, "You. You are responsible for this."

Keira swung around in time to see General Zahir appear from the pit he had been propelled into in the blast. He pulled himself up from the hole in the ground and glared at her. If she thought he was angry before, it was nothing compared to the rage that erupted from every pore in his body. In a natural defense, she reached into herself and tried to erect a protective barrier between him and the rest of them. She came up empty, her reserves were depleted.

"I can't summon anything, not even a simple spell," said Dayna. Her voice sounded as distraught as Keira felt. "What are we going to do?"

Keira braced herself as Zahir picked up speed and descended on them. She pushed Dayna behind her. If she drew the brunt of his rage, it would give her sister a chance to get away.

Just as he was a few short feet away, Keira raised her arms to protect her from the bulk of his initial attack. From somewhere to her left, she heard a primal snarl. This was quickly followed by something flying through the air. Instead of the expected assault, the General was knocked off his feet. Two bodies rolled to the ground and landed in an awkward heap a short distance away.

When they separated, Keira was overjoyed to discover Ryker was the one to come to their aid in time. The two men were on their feet in the blink of an eye. Neither one willing to take their eyes off the other as they circled each other, looking for a weakness in their opponent. Gone was the easy going and brash Ryker she knew. In his place was the savage creature she knew him to be. Instead of scaring her, she was relieved. The determination in his expression made her secure in the knowledge that he would protect them all with his life if need be.

The General, a good head, and shoulders taller than Ryker saw his chance and hurled himself at the vampire. Zahir while having the bulk, and clearly the brawn, miscalculated Ryker's agility and floundered when he deftly evaded the Legions attack. As he rushed by, Ryker reached out and grabbed him by his hair and yanked. The sudden jolt to his head toppled Zahir in the opposite direction, and he was flown through the air as the vampire tossed him like a sack of potatoes.

"You show him who's boss McSexy," Dayna called out as she punched the air.

Contradicting his massive build, General Zahir arched his back and landed on his feet a short distance away.

Dayna snorted "Crap!" as they watched Zahir break into a run at Ryker.

They traded blows. Neither one willing to concede to the other. For both, there was too much at stake. When Zahir landed a punch to Ryker's midriff that winded him, Keira let out a small cry. He was doubled over and had yet to come up for air.

"Do not fear, he is fine."

Keira snapped her head up. Deacon had materialized beside the sisters.

He smiled down at her. "If I thought he couldn't handle this, I would intervene." Deacon nodded towards Ryker. "Watch."

Sure enough, the moment General Zahir came near, Ryker snapped up and led with a powerful right hook to the Legion's jaw. With a flurry of punches, he was pushed backward. Ryker's speed and severity too quick for the Legion whose power had depleted somewhat in the blast.

From beside her, Keira heard Dayna's sharp intake of breath. "Watch out," she screamed.

They had all been so focused on the fight they had failed to notice Amos had come too, and surreptitiously make his way to where The Order had been holding their prisoners. She turned, just in time to see a grenade launch from his hand as he threw it with all his might at them. When Trudeau and the others fled after they had been exposed, they had raided the department's weapons store. This included concussion, riot control, as well as the standard fragmented grenades.

A moment later, Ryker had swept her into his arms as they made a mad dash to the far side and into the woods. She was relieved to discover Deacon had managed to get her sister to safety and the remaining vampires herded the rest of those in the clearing in a similar manner. Just as her feet touched the ground so too did the grenade. Her shoulders relaxed when, instead of the expected explosion, an angry hiss burst from the weapon and the clearing began to fill with smoke. A second one followed quickly after and turned the area into a murky gray mass.

When the smoke cleared both Amos and General Zahir were gone. Ryker made a move to follow them but was stopped when Deacon blocked his path.

"Leave them," he said, "we have more pressing needs. She's not coming through, and they have nothing left in which to assist her."

One by one, they stepped out into the clearing and took stock of the battle toll. Bodies littered the war zone. How they would explain nearly one hundred dead, was more than Keira could cope with. As the last of the gas dissolved into the night air, Grant's form, protecting his dead wife from harm, was almost too much for her and she held on to the nearest tree unable to move.

A light touch rested on her shoulder, and she was pulled around and into strong arms. Ryker pulled her head to his chest and began to stroke her hair. "Hey, you can't get all weepy on me now. I have a bone to pick with you, and I can't get on my high horse when you're all puffy eyed."

Keira smiled, and half sobbed at the same time.

Ryker tightened his grip. "I told you no heroics Doc. Poor Trudeau there nearly lost an arm when you pulled that stunt."

Keira pushed him away so she could look at him. "You have Alan?"

Ryker nodded. "Technically, Mitos does. We were securing him behind that tree when his boss..." Ryker faltered, and his voice cracked. She knew the words he couldn't finish.

... killed Maize. When his boss took the life of my friend.

She raised her chin and took a deep breath to calm her anger. "Where is he?"

Not only had his superior taken Maize's life, as well as the other witches. Alan had killed Marcus. Something that would haunt her the rest of her days.

Ryker wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Somehow, he knew she didn't have the strength to walk far under her own steam. As they approached the small band of prisoners, Mito's booted Alan in the leg with gusto.

Trudeau cried out in pain.

Mito's grunted as he threw another kick in for good measure. "You're lucky I don't aim higher, you fucktard. If it weren't illegal, I'd shoot you in your cahoona's and feed them to the wolves. But I just can't force myself to feed the poor animals garbage."

Just as quickly as her anger rose, it subsided. Bright lights swirled in front of her eyes as the ringing returned. She didn't have the energy to demand the justice Marcus and the others deserved. Not yet, not while she could barely stand on her own. Keira wobbled on her legs as they threatened to give way.

Ryker felt her topple and swept her up before she hit the ground.

She rested her head on his shoulder and mumbled, "I'm so tired."

Ryker nuzzled into her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I know Doc, you take a breather. You've just saved the world, let us handle the rest."

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📎A/N. Wow! For a moment I thought Keira was a gonna... what did you think?

And poor Maize... I can't imagine what Velvet and Grant will be going through, loosing a child/sister and a wife/mother in a matter of weeks has got to be devastating.

At least they managed to stop Leviathan. I want to know who stuffed up and didn't double check Amos? That little slime had gotten away and allowed General Zahir to escape. This does not bode well.

And a show of hands who have had a complete 180 on Ryker? I know many of you didn't like him at first... how much has he now grown on you?

Don't forget to vote!

*hides behind a wall* The next chapter of Witch Doctor, is the final chapter in this story.... and will be posted next weekend. *grimaces as abuse is hurled*

Take care and see you next week. *runs out the door before the rotten tomato doesn't miss*

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