“Okay then.” Tears swam into his eyes, and his jaw trembled, but he nodded, sharp and firm. “Okay.” He walked back to Fred, to the arms she put around him.
“You ain’t gonna lock me up, lying bitch.” Rove spat at her. “Everybody knows you burn the righteous alive with your hellfire.”
“You’ll be disappointed when you find yourself in prison for the rest of your life. We don’t execute prisoners. We don’t enslave them, torment them.”
“Lying spawn of hell. I should’ve cut the throat of your whore of a mother when I had the chance.”
Fallon clutched the hilt of her sword. “I wish you and your twisted soul a long life in the dark you’ve chosen. No, leave him,” she said when Will moved forward to take him away. “Let him hear what the one he follows has to say.”
She walked forward to White. “Wake.”
Still dull from the spell, White’s eyes blinked open. As they cleared, as he struggled to get to his feet, found himself bound, a violence came into them.
Hate, deep and crazed, with fear riding with it.
“Things didn’t go as you planned,” she told him. “New Hope stands. You don’t.”
“More will rise in my place. Legions to strike you down.”
“I don’t think so, but they can try. There are people here tonight we freed from you and your followers. Children you branded and took as slaves, people you raped, magickals you mutilated and tortured.”
She glanced around, saw Garrett, remembered the dream, years before, when she’d watched Duncan, Tonia, others from New Hope rescue him. She gestured him forward.
“What was done to you?”
“His Purity Warriors captured me, they locked me up with other magickals. They branded me. They tortured me, beat me, burned me, raped me. They were taking me to be hanged—they held ritual hangings at midnight on every Sunday, like … worship. The people of New Hope rescued me and the others. I was twelve.”
“Spawn of Satan,” White spat at him. “The Almighty will strike you down, you and all like you.” He managed to push up to his knees.
“They aren’t children! They aren’t human. Demons! Demons spreading their infestation over the earth.”
“Yet he lives here, as do others, causing no harm, while the Dark Uncanny you’re in league with burn and kill. The Raiders who ride with you burn and kill. With Dark Uncannys in your number you attacked the peace of New Hope, trying to end me before I was born. You killed my birth father on this very ground.”
The fanatical light burned like torches in his eyes. “It should have been you.”
“It wasn’t.”
“It will be.” He threw his head back. “Strike me down with your sword, demon whore. I give my life for the god of Abraham. Shed my blood on your demonic altar, rend my flesh for your hell beasts to feast on. I will walk in the kingdom while you burn in the fire.”
“That’s a lot of drama,” Fallon said with a hint of amusement that had White’s eyes glinting. “We don’t execute prisoners, have any demonic altars. We sure don’t feast on human flesh. You’re going to have to settle for prison.”
She felt it, in a snap of an instant, the quick pulse of dark power. And in that instant, threw out her hands to meet it.
Black met white with a force that set the ground to quaking. The bonds fell away, White’s face and form fell away.
Allegra sneered as she rose.
“You fool. Eric killed White years ago. We took turns wearing his face, leading his idiots against you. And you never saw.”
“I see now.” All the beauty gone with no power to spare to disguise the scars that ruined the face, the thin wisps of gray that exposed most of the raw, ridged scalp.
“Too late.” And on tattered wings, Allegra flew up, slicing bolts of fire. “I’ll be back with an army, finish you.”
“It’s not,” Fallon murmured, as she and others extinguished the weak flames before they hit the ground. “And you won’t.”
Wings spread, as silver as her sword. Fallon rose up on them, drew Allegra’s fire.
“Only dark magicks, blood sacrifice bring the wings to the witch.”
“You’re wrong,” Fallon said. “Again.” She blocked the bolts, held her own fire. Allegra was weak, she thought, obviously unable to draw the strength to flash. And not a little mad. “Pull back your power. Surrender and live.”
“The dark protects me, with the blood of the legions shed in its name.