Broken Dove (Fantasyland #4)(206)

Pol’s.

He jerked me two steps back but I twisted in his hold, coming loose. I ducked and shuffled away.

He reached a steel hand to me but didn’t get it close.

This was because Cora tackled him sideways.

Not prepared for her, they went to the ground and I saw Pol getting ready to aim a blow of his steel fist to her head so I went for it. Lunging, I wrapped both hands around it and yanked it back.

Circe and Finnie must have dealt with Baldur because they showed and Finnie aimed a kick of her boot to Pol’s crotch.

Always a good choice.

Pol groaned, stopped struggling (and admittedly winning) and he curled up on his side, both hands cupping between his legs.

Cora ran to the doors, put her hand to the handle and it was immediately dwarfed by the large dangling circle.

This didn’t faze her. She pushed.

I ran to her and pushed.

Finnie and Circe joined us and pushed.

“Use your magic!” Finnie shouted to Circe.

“That wasn’t my magic,” Circe replied.

“What was it?” Cora cried.

“Our magic,” Circe answered.

“Where… is…Valentine?” Finnie asked on a grunt, pushing.

The voice sounding was actually shaking with humor when it stated, “Most amusing,”

“Ugh!” I groaned then demanded, “We need to form another huddle, ladies!”

And when I did, suddenly we all fell forward when the doors swung open.

We righted ourselves and I stilled, staring at Franka Drakkar standing outside the doors.

She didn’t look at a single one of us as she strolled right in.

Strolled.

Right.

In.

We didn’t get the chance to make a break for it. The instant Franka passed the threshold, the doors slammed shut.

We all turned and watched as she slowly made her way across the expanse toward the witches.

“What the f**k?” I heard Finnie whisper.

“I’m not sure this is good,” I whispered back.

“You know her?” Cora asked.

“Stay quiet and together,” Circe cut in.

We again huddled.

“This is interesting,” Helda said, her eyes cast down to Franka who stopped at foot of the steps at the bottom of the dais. She tipped her head to the side. “You would have made a good ruler. But soon you will be nothing.”

“You should have asked without taking my Antoine,” Franka replied, and I had to hand it to her, she was good. Ice cold even in times like this. She sounded calm as could be.

“Antoine? Who’s Antoine?” Finnie asked.

“Shh!” Cora shushed.

“Prepare,” Circe warned.

Oh shit, I thought.

“This is your flaw. He was nothing. The lesson comes too late but I shall give it to you regardless. You shouldn’t waste energies caring about nothing,” Helda said to Franka.

I could tell that wasn’t the right thing to say with the way Franka’s body language changed.

“So be it,” Helda went on.

“Yes,” Franka replied. “So be it.”

And that was when it happened.

She moved, going into a crouch, twisting her torso around at the same time. Her arm extended and from her hand, a shimmering wave of emerald green shot out.

At that moment, from the ceiling a body fell.

Landing on his feet in a crouch at the foot of the dais was Tor, strangely wearing jeans, a chambray shirt, and brown boots.

He straightened out of the crouch pulling a gun (yes! A gun!) out of the back of his belt. He aimed it at Edith, who was coming out of her throne, and fired.

She fell back and down, hitting her throne which threw her forward. She rolled down the steps, trailing blood the entire way.

She barely came to a rest at the bottom before Tor turned his gun toward Helda.

But Derrik was on the move and he was moving swiftly. I sucked in a shocked breath when he took Helda’s head in both hands, slammed it into the arm of her throne and let her go.

She slumped in the seat.

That was when Lavinia rose up in a shower of icy sparks that, when they dropped to the ground, up sprang miniature creatures which immediately grew into not-miniature creatures with pointy Spock-like ears. They were also wearing little hats with feathers poking out.

And last, their bodies glowed ice blue.

Instantly, massive troll like creatures and the bird head men popped up by the dozens everywhere.

Fuck!

The creatures with hats didn’t spare them even a glance. In unison, they threw up their hands and a wall of ice encased Minerva.

Just as they sprang up, the trolls and bird men all made popping sounds and disappeared.

Whoa.

Minerva had not risen from her chair but seconds after the wall of ice surrounded her, she came out of it, floating high, her body arched back, and a blood-chilling shriek filled the air, making our group huddle closer when a bleed of liquid blue poured from her hovering body into the stone.

“On your knees!” Tor ordered, stalking our way, gun up and my eyes flew to the side to see Pol up.

“I’m thinking that’s not Tor,” I mumbled.

“It isn’t,” Cora whispered. “It’s Noc. Tor’s twin from our world.”

Apparently Cora’s guy’s twin was a good guy.