Dark Storm (Dark #23)(29)
Author: Christine Feehan

"Go now," she urged. "Run."

"Riley, it’s too late," Gary called after her. He reached down and caught up her pack and raced after her. "You can’t be on the mountain when it goes."

Riley didn’t slow down or acknowledge his concern. If she couldn’t ease the pressure in the volcano or redirect the blast, not even the archaeologist and his students would be safe. The explosion would be similar to a nuclear bomb going off, devastating everything for miles. She could hear Gary’s boots pounding up the trail after her, and then those of a second man and a third. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t stop them. Each one had to make their choice at this point, and hers was to try to save everyone and make a last effort to keep whatever evil thing dwelled in the volcano trapped.

With every step she took she judged the shivering, trembling ground. How close? How much time? She had to make it as far as she could, yet still give herself time to connect with the volcano and perform the ritual. She would try to seal the evil within the mountain even as she calmed and directed the building volcanic eruption away from the travelers. She could only pray there were no other people on the other side of the mountain, because if she couldn’t stop the blast, she’d try for a smaller eruption as far from them as possible.

The ground shook hard, the sound like a thunderclap, throwing her off balance. Gary’s hand caught her arm to steady her and they ran together, Jubal right behind them. She wished they hadn’t followed her, but a part of her was glad they had. She was fairly certain she wasn’t going to make it off the mountain alive and their presence helped to give her determination and courage. She wasn’t just fighting for herself. The next tremor, much stronger than the one before, lasted a long minute, warning her she had run out of time. She stopped abruptly and flung her mother’s pack on the ground. "It has to be here. We’re not where we need to be, but if we’re lucky, I can do this."

"We can help," Gary said. "We’ve participated in a couple of rituals. Tell us what you need us to do."

Riley wasn’t going to ask how they knew what to do when she barely knew herself. There just wasn’t time, but if by some chance she managed to pull off a miracle, both men were going to answer a lot of questions. She yanked open her mother’s pack and removed a small handheld broom made of bunched willow tied tightly together. Hastily she began to sweep out a circle large enough to hold herself and the three men. She moved counterclockwise, brushing the debris free while she whispered her prayer to the four elements, calling them to her as she worked.

Riley had seen her mother perform the ritual of holding the volcano many times, but now that it was her turn, there was so much she didn’t know. She had to undo the strands of the evil power permeating the entire volcano and weave powerful strands of her own strong enough to keep the evil contained, holding it within its own constraints, and not allowing it to go free.

"Use the salt," she instructed Gary. "Follow the circle. Jubal, there’s sage …"

"Got it," Jubal said. He lit the sage and walked the circle three times, cleansing the area as he chanted softly under his breath.

"What the hell are you people doing?" Ben demanded. The ground shook continually, the tremors growing longer in duration and much stronger. "We have to get out of here."

"Try to catch up with Miguel and the others," Gary said without looking up. He continued to form the circle with the salt.

"No, whatever you’re doing, I’ll help," Ben said. "But this is insane."

"Can’t you feel the evil?" Riley hissed. She could feel him now, real and powerful, coming at her in waves-his malicious triumph in the murder of her mother. He thought himself safe with her mother dead, and so far, he had no inkling she was on his trail.

"Keep working, Riley," Jubal said. "We’ll explain as much as we can to Ben."

Riley was grateful. She had to shut out everything, even the terrible urgency of the moment. She had to find a complete calm and focus if she had any chance at all against so great an evil. She gestured to the men as she stood, inviting them inside the circle of protection just constructed. Even if she was defeated, hopefully she could make this small space safe enough to shield the others.

She walked the circle, envisioning the brightest light she could imagine, holding the black-handled, double-edged athame high. As the circle gained depth, Riley drew the quarters, setting the towers. She called to the elements. Air to the East. Fire to the South. Water to the West. Lastly, she whispered to the North, calling on Earth. Mother Earth. She forced her mind to concentrate on protections and block out the men moving around her.

Kneeling in the middle of the circle, she plunged her hands deep into the earth, focusing wholly on binding the evil. She struck fast and hard, using every ounce of strength she possessed.

"I bind thee darkness from doing harm.

To myself and those whom you would charm

I bind thee darkness to be free

As I lock thee away for none to see."

Reaction was instantaneous. Shock. Fear. Rage. Insects poured through the ground and raced at the circle, surrounding them, clicking and chirping aggressively. Bats flew at them from every side, but none penetrated that sacred circle. A heavy, oppressive malevolence pressed in on them. Lightning forked across the sky, a long howling bolt, sizzling and crackling through the night to slam to earth just feet from the circle. Next came a series of fireballs pounding down like a meteor strike as evil fought back.

Ben started to run, but Gary and Jubal both caught at him, holding him motionless.

"Don’t leave the circle. This is the only safe place right now," Gary warned.

"And don’t draw attention to yourself," Jubal added in a whisper. "It’s fighting for its life. Either she can hold it inside the volcano or it will be loose on the world, and you saw just a little of what it can do from a distance. You don’t want that creature interested in you."

Riley ignored them, barely aware of their presence. Without warning something moved against her throat, inside her body. Fangs ripped at her. Burning acid choked her. Claws wrapped in pure hatred raked at her. This was the creature who had murdered her mother, and it was fully aware of her now, and centering its attention on her.

She refused to allow loathing into her mind. This was her duty, her job. There could be no malice-she couldn’t give him a way to enter her mind. Illusion was his game, but she was stronger.

Riley refused to give in to the need to touch her throat, to feel if the blood pouring out was real or not. She whispered another soft chant to chain the evil entity inside.