Keri Arthur - Circle Of Fire

But the illusion of heat was better than nothing. Maddie huddled a bare foot away from the fire, stamping half frozen feet in an effort to keep warm. Mud squished up between her toes and splattered up her legs.

It felt clammy, reminding her of Hank's touch. She licked her lips and thrust the image away. At least the mud protected some of her from the wind's sharpness.

Across the clearing, the entrance to the cave sat in darkness. There had been no movement in those shadows as yet, and Maddie hoped Teresa hadn't gone back to sleep.

"They're close. I can feel them." Eleanor's whisper held a hint of excitement. "They have the child."

A sick sensation rose to the back of her throat. She briefly closed her eyes and tried to swallow it away.

Surely Jon wouldn't risk Evan's life to save hers.

She had a sudden image of the harsh, almost savage look in his eyes when he'd left her to find Hank, and ran a shaking hand through her matted hair. In some ways, it was frightening to realize she just didn't know what he was capable of.

She stared at Eleanor. The pale orange and blue flames made the sorcerer's sharp features look almost skeletal. "Why do you need Evan? You have Teresa—isn't one child's death enough?"

Eleanor's gaze didn't waver from the luminous star she was drawing in the mud, but her contempt whipped around Maddie, as sharp as a slap.

"Once it was, but now my need is greater."

"Is that why you've taken so many children over the last year or so?"

Eleanor gave a quick nod, her attention still on the star. "Once upon a time I only had to sacrifice every six months. Now it is every month."

Maddie wondered why her need had become so desperate that she now had to kill two children a month. And where had Hank fit into all this? Eleanor stood up and brushed the mud from her hands. The star at her feet glowed fiercely for several seconds, then quickly faded. She smiled and turned her attention back to Maddie.

"Now, for the final trap."

Maddie took a step away from the flames—and Eleanor. The invisible band pinched hard against her throat, and it became difficult to breathe again. Sweat trickled down the side of her face. She didn't need Eleanor's fire to provide any heat—she had her own. And it was a fire that was steadily growing.

"Don't," she gasped, more as a reminder to herself than a plea to Eleanor. The squeezing eased, regardless, and Maddie licked cracked lips. She had to keep Eleanor talking. Had to hope Teresa had found the courage to leave the cell and escape. "I just want to ask a question."

Eleanor smiled. It seemed to sharpen her features and make her look more like a cat than ever. "We have some time up our sleeve. Ask away."

"Just tell me why you're doing all this? Why do you, an obviously beautiful and powerful young woman, need teenagers?"

Eleanor's dark gaze glittered with amusement. "Flattery earns you a few more minutes of freedom. As to the children, they are literally my life, my bloodline."

Maddie frowned, not sure whether the fuzzy ache in her head or the fire racing through her veins was responsible for her total lack of comprehension. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Then let me demonstrate."

Eleanor waved her hand. The smoke drifting across the clearing spun towards her, encasing her body from sight for several seconds. When it disappeared, Eleanor was gone, replaced by a withered, hunched-back figure.

"This is my true self." The crone's voice was high and shaky, but undoubtedly Eleanor's. Something in its tone still whispered of seduction and evil.

"This is how I will look by midnight if I do not take the virgin blood I need to sustain my life and looks."

The smoke performed its gentle dance, and the more youthful Eleanor reappeared. "As you might guess, I prefer my current form."

"Was Hank like you?"

"Hank lived through me. I was his life, his bloodline. Of course, even I couldn't protect the fool from a wound inflicted by silver. He really should have known better than to carry such a weapon."

Movement flickered in the darkness behind Eleanor. Maddie fought the sudden rush of excitement and terror. Teresa had found the courage to move out of the cell, but all Eleanor had to do was turn slightly, and she'd see the teenager as plain as day. "Surely a sorcerer can find a better way to sustain her looks than killing innocent children."

Teresa was easing around the edge of the cavern entrance, a ragged white shape framed in the cold fire's flickering light.

"There is nothing as powerful as blood magic, and only blood magic can sustain me now." Eleanor raised an eyebrow and studied Maddie critically. "How old do you think I am?"

The crone had looked at least a hundred years old, but something in Eleanor's tone suggested the number was higher. Much higher. "I really have no idea."

Teresa crept past the entrance of the cavern and disappeared into the trees. Maddie didn't relax.

Couldn't afford to when the woman standing opposite her could take the shape of a panther and easily catch the fleeing teenager.

"My dear, I am five hundred and twenty-two years old. Hold it well, don't I?"

Maddie blinked. Five hundred and twenty-two years old? No wonder the woman was mad—she'd watched the entire world change around her while she remained the same.

"What about Hank? How old was he?"

"He was younger by several hundred years. It took me a while to find a man who was both trainable and, shall we say, as bloodthirsty, as me."

The sound of a branch snapping whipped across the clearing, as sharp as a gunshot. Eleanor spun around and stared into the trees.

Maddie waited tensely, listening to the silence and hoping Teresa had the good sense not to move. After several long heartbeats, Eleanor turned back.

"As much as I have enjoyed our little chat, it's time to move. Our guests are approaching."

Something in Eleanor's dark gaze made Maddie retreat a step. Eleanor smiled and waved her left hand casually. Ice snapped across Maddie's skin and held her tight. She couldn't move, could only watch as Eleanor made another motion with her hand and encased her in a wide circle of fire.

"Now, for my masterpiece." The flames parted as Eleanor walked through them, like slaves bowing before their master. "But I'm afraid you won't be around to see it."

The witch waved a hand. Maddie's silent scream was lost as the darkness encased her mind.

"Don't move," Jon warned softly.

He knelt down and studied the trail ahead. Something didn't feel right.

He picked up the rock near his feet and lobbed it ten feet ahead. There was a slight tremor in the bushes to his left, and a swoosh of air as an arrow imbedded itself into the tree trunk to their right. He watched it quiver lightly in the mottled light of the forest. White ash, just like the one that had landed him in the well.

And, in an odd sort of way, sent him Maddie.

"Placed to injure, not kill," Mack commented softly.

Jon nodded and picked up another rock, lobbing it farther ahead. Another arrow thudded into a tree.

"Just in case the first one missed." A third rock had no effect.

He glanced back down the trail and frowned. A whisper of movement told him they were being followed. Mack's men, probably. It certainly didn't feel like Eleanor. Besides, the witch wouldn't make any noise.

He turned his attention back to the trail ahead. He couldn't feel any more traps. "Looks safe to move on."

He rose and led the way forward. No more arrows thudded out of trees to greet them—in fact, the trail seemed entirely too easy. He'd expected Eleanor to play with him a bit more, yet he was over half way up the mountain and so far had only a few poorly placed arrows to contend with.

Worry snaked through his gut. Something was wrong.