John Ringo - Princess of Wands

“Janea!” she yelled, keying the mike. “Janea!”

“The Light and Holiness of Freya fills me!” Janea boomed, her arms and legs spread wide. She could feel her channel filling with power but she blanched when the power of the necromancer hit her.

“Your goddess is weak,” the man rasped in a voice like wasps. His coat was drawn back to reveal a vest covered in moonstones that glowed red with power. “Remolus calls to you, come to him and your soul will be spared!”

“Death in battle is my highest calling,” Janea said, reaching behind her to draw her piece. “And even necromancers die from a bullet.”

But when she pulled the trigger, the hammer fell with a click. She knew it was loaded, she jacked it back in frustration anyway and fired again. Another click.

“Do you think that my lord cannot overcome earthly weapons?” the necromancer said with a laugh. He made a gesture and the weapon was ripped from her hands. “For that, however, I will take your soul.”

The man reached out one hand and the stones blazed as Janea felt a terrible drawing on her. She could feel the channel filling the void but it was as if all the power was plunging into a black hole.

“Remolus is the Soul Devourer!” the man rasped. “Your power simply feeds the blackness, priestess of a weak goddess! Every bit of power you draw, simply weakens your goddess to no avail!”

Janea could feel herself getting weaker, but she also heard the members of the Black Rose piling out of the doors with screams and gasps as they saw the backlash from the magical battle in the hallway. She fell to her knees and shook her head, crawling towards the necromancer, trying to do battle to the last.

“If I die to spare one soul, then I die well,” she said, panting as the blackness filled her. “My soul will rest forever in the Shin-”

Barbara burst onto the third floor and stopped, panting, then dropped to her knees.

There were two male bodies sprawled in the hallway. She didn’t even have to walk up to them to know they were dead. There was the same feel in the air as when she’d found Timson. Janea was on her face further down the corridor. Barb ran to her and rolled her over, hoping against hope that she was alive.

She felt at her throat and there was a faint pulse, but Janea was barely alive. Barb opened up her channel and reached to the woman, trying to feel what was going on with her.

There had always been a feeling of great… wonder to Janea. A brightness that was difficult to shadow. Now there was virtually nothing, as if her soul had been almost entirely stripped. Almost, however, was different than completely. And Barbara could feel a trickle of power coming from somewhere. She suddenly realized that Janea’s goddess was keeping her alive. By feeding her soul energies.

“Lord,” Barb said, holding her hands over the still body on the floor. “I know that this is not a woman who would be considered of the highest by most of your worshippers. But Your Son said ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.’ And she is a fellow warrior of Light. Please, Lord, give me the power to help her. I’m not sure what I’m doing here, so You may have to guide my hand as well. Blessed be Your name, amen.”

She placed her hands on Janea’s stomach and reached for her channel, willing power into the woman’s body.

She could feel the power flow through her, not as much as when she had faced Almadu, but power nonetheless. Janea gasped and arched as if she’d been hit by a jolt of electricity and her eyes flew open as she fell back, limp.

“I saw the Shining Lands,” the woman whispered, staring at the ceiling.

“Janea, who did this?” Barbara asked.

“They were so… beautiful,” Janea replied and then her eyes closed.

Her pulse was strong but the dancer was out of it. Even a few slaps couldn’t wake her. Unconscious, maybe a coma, maybe sleep. But alive, by all that was blessed.

Barbara looked at Janea and shook her head. After a moment she dragged her through the nearest open door. There were various… accoutrements set up in the room and a large St. Andrew’s cross by one wall. She finally realized why Janea had been reticent about explaining its purpose when she saw the shackles attached to it. But it gave her an idea.

The door closed with a thump as she left. Let him get in through that. On the other hand, it was going to be a job for anyone to get in .

“What’s going on?” Sadie asked as Baron came around the building.

“A b-bunch of n-naked people j-just ran into the l-lobby screaming about s-somebody fighting on th-the third floor,” Baron said.

“I wonder what that was all about?” Leo said, looking through the door. “Somebody might need help…”

“Ah, there you are,” the man said, coming around the corner behind Baron. “I was hoping someone would be out here.”

“There was someone fighting on the third floor,” Leo said, nodding at him. “Are you okay, sir? You look a bit…”

“With the power of the priestess, I only need ten more,” the man said, opening up his long coat and revealing a vest of moonstones. “You will be three. Sorry about this,” he added to Baron who was looking at him open mouthed. “You were always helpful. If a tad boring.”

“What are you doing out here?” Barb snapped as she came out the side door. Larry, Eric and Angie were standing outside in the snow.

“Angie’s smoking,” Larry snapped right back. “And the rest of us are avoiding being in a restaurant that’s been taken over by slope-brow, red-neck science-fiction fans.”

“People are dead on the third floor of this building,” Barbara growled, drawing her weapon and dropping the magazine. “Did anyone come out here?” She dropped the round out of the chamber and then dropped another one in.

“No,” Eric said, looking at the gun wide-eyed. “You’re not supposed to have one of those…”

“Shut. Up.” Barb ground out. She pointed the weapon off to the side and dropped the hammer. But it just clicked. She took the other round and dropped it in, and that one fired. “Damn!”

“What was that in aid of?” Larry asked.

“Get into the restaurant,” Barbara snapped. “Now! Or so help me God I will put a bullet in your head. If I see you wandering around, you will be terminated without prejudice. Do I make myself clear?”

“You’re joking,” Angie said, starting to laugh and then stopping at the look on Barb’s face.

“There is a killer running around,” Barb said. “I don’t know who it is. It may be you. You are present, here, when a killing has just occurred up there ,” she added, pointing up. “Make up your own mind.”

“You can’t just go killing people…” Larry said.

“Stop me,” Barbara said, pointing the weapon at his head. “One. Two…”

“We’re going,” Eric said, grabbing Larry’s arm. “Come on .”

Barb was marching them down the corridor when she felt the wave of evil sweep over her.

“Okay, it’s probably not you,” she said, pushing them. “In which case, you’re targets . Now run !”

She passed them, despite their lumbering run, and turned towards the north side of the hotel. As before, the power appeared, spiked, and then disappeared, just as she reached the back of the hotel and burst out into the open.

Sadie, Leo and Baron were sprawled by the back door, with Duncan bent over them.

“Freeze!” she shouted, pointing the weapon at his head. She suddenly realized she’d never seen him with his jacket off. If it was lined with silk, it would mask anything he had under it.