“Yes. And wonderful. Wonderful and hard. But he gave me the answer. The time’s almost here, Duncan.”
“When?”
“In nine days.”
“Nine days. That’s…” He did the quick calculation, and she saw the realization on his face. “Your birthday. Of course, it’s your freaking birthday. We’re idiots for not seeing it all along. The start and the finish.”
“I came from three. Max, my mother, Simon. I was given three. The owl, the wolf, the alicorn. Another three—the book, the sword, the shield. And given the answer with nine days. Three and three and three.”
“And three go to the dance of stones, to the broken shield and murdered woods. The blood of the three, against the three that remain. The source, the dragon, the witch. On a night of storms the light breathed life. On a night of storms, the light strikes the dark.”
He paused, shrugged. “You’re not the only one who can prophesize.”
“I know we’ve been preparing for this all our lives, but now it’s down to nine days, and there’s a lot to do. I need to get back, get started.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“The DUs here?”
“Suppressed. We’ve got some scouts out hunting stragglers, and there are some civilians who need some help. I can organize that and be back in New Hope in a couple hours.”
“That works. I’ll get Tonia.”
He grabbed her hand, yanked her in for a kiss. “In twelve days—keeping it in multiples of three—you and me are going on a date.”
“A date?”
“Like people used to. Dinner, music or something, and sex.”
“I like dinner, music or something, and sex.”
She held on another minute, to that hope, to that promise, then left him.
* * *
They turned the war room into what Simon dubbed Magick Central. While troops continued to suppress flare-ups, instructors continued to train, people harvested crops, stored wood and supplies for the winter to come, Fallon, Duncan, and Tonia worked on spells and weapons.
Life went on in New Hope. Work on the clinic expansion neared completion, Arlys broadcasted to anyone who could hear. Chuck continued to search for any rumors of those flare-ups.
The three, united in purpose, focused all they had to be sure life did go on.
Hours every day centered on combat training where they fought dozens of Mallick’s ghosts. If they defeated one, he sent three more, sent darker ones, more vicious ones.
Every night they nursed bruises, rattled bones, sprains, wrenched joints.
“They can’t go into this weakened and exhausted,” Lana argued.
Mallick watched as Fallon fought five at once, as Duncan pushed back the sweeping flame of a ghost dragon, as Tonia leaped off the back of an enemy to shoot for the eye. And when her arrow went wide as the slashing tail struck her, the force sent her tumbling to the ground.
“They can’t win unless they’re prepared for whatever comes. We can’t know what form it might take, how many forms. They have to be ready.”
“It’s too much.” Lana pushed out power, destroyed two ghosts. “It’s enough. Enough!” Slicing her hands down, she shattered all of Mallick’s ghosts.
“All you see are warriors,” she snapped. “I see my daughter bleeding, the children of my friend bleeding. Again. When does it end? When will we stop watching our children bleed?”
Fallon pushed up from her knees, but Duncan was already walking to Lana. He put his arms around her.
“It’s all right. We’re all right. Nothing the old man can come up with is going to take us down. Nothing in Scotland’s going to take us down. We need you to believe that.”
Tears in her eyes, she eased back, stroked her hand over his cheek. “Look at your face,” she said, and healed raw bruises.
“Scary handsome, right?”
She stroked his other cheek. “You always were.”
“My mom could use some company. She’s pretty upset about all this, too.”
“You just want to get rid of me.”
“She’s scared. She and Hannah are both scared. They could use you. Especially if you could get Arlys and Fred and Rachel. You’re her circle, Lana. She needs her circle.”
“All right.” She sighed, stepped back. “I’ll get Fred, we’ll go into town.” She looked at Fallon. “Stop holding back your power. Use it.” She flashed away.
“I am using it,” Fallon muttered, wincing as she rubbed her throbbing shoulder. “Judiciously. It’s called tactics. Anyway, thanks,” she said to Duncan.
“No problem, and straight truth.”
“He’s right.” Tonia walked off the stiffness in her knee, in her hip. “Mom’s wrecked over this. Trying not to show it—so’s Hannah—but they’re wrecked.”