Page 44 of Tanglewood Legacy (The Three Sisters 3)
“I’m sorry, Pierre. It’s out of my hands,” Étienne called toward his back, but Pierre was already out the door.
He ran for his horse, mounted, and raced for Tanglewood Plantation.
* * *
“How didthey get through the wards?” Circe yelled to Rhys. They both watched in horror as the angry mob, wielding pitchforks and torches, walked straight toward the big house. Endora screamed from her place in Circe’s arms, seeming to pick up on the tension in the air. Circe tried in vain to settle her, bouncing and patting her back, but she was inconsolable.
“It has to be demon magic,” Isis said. “The night I rescued Pierre, Delphine clawed through my protective ward. She must be leading them.”
“They can’t find me here,” Circe said. “I’m supposed to be in prison.”
“Fuck.” Rhys drew his wand. “They’re almost here. We need to fight.”
“Without Medea?” Circe said. “We will never win against a mob of that size.”
“I have to agree with Circe,” Isis said. “The three of us aren’t strong enough, and there’s Endora to consider.”
“What do we do?” Rhys asked, peeking through the shutters barricading the windows. “They have us surrounded.”
Isis smelled smoke. The porch was on fire. They were burning the house! “Pack nothing but the essentials. Meet me in my room. I’ll take us somewhere safe.”
Minutes later, Isis stood in front of her mirror, wand raised as smoke billowed around them.
“Why is the mirror showing us Pierre?” Circe asked.
Isis concentrated on her fiancé, who was riding hard and fast along the river. Pierre would know what to do. He’d keep them safe.
“Don’t ask silly questions.” With a flick of her wrist, Isis called the shadows to carry them away.
* * *
“Whoa!”Pierre drew back on the reins as Isis, Circe, Endora, and Rhys popped into existence on the trail in front of him. He barely succeeded in turning the mount in time to keep him from running right over them. The horse stomped in irritation as Pierre dismounted and ran to Isis, pulling her into his arms.
“Oh goddess, Pierre! We were attacked.”
His gaze flicked to Rhys and then Circe, little Endora in her arms. “Étienne told me. Delphine and her sisters are behind this.”
“They’re burning down Tanglewood,” Rhys said.
Pierre cursed. He took Isis by the shoulders. “Are you strong enough to get us all back to my place?”
“I think so. It’s not far from here.” Shadows gathered, and in the next blink, he stood inside his courtyard. But the effort proved too much for his beloved. Isis collapsed in his arms.
“Allyette, bring water!” he yelled, lifting her. Thank God Circe, Rhys, and Endora had arrived in one piece. They rushed inside, and he gently rested her on the sofa.
Allyette came with a tray and almost dropped it when she saw Circe. “Mon Dieu! The witch is here!”
Pierre shook his head. “Non, this is her sister Medea. They’re twins.Les jumeaux!”
Although she seemed to understand, she abandoned the room as if the devil was nipping at her heels.
“Will she be a problem?” Rhys asked sternly.
“No. I’ll make sure of it.” Pierre raised a glass of water to Isis’s lips. “How do we stop the Devereaux sisters? Isis mentioned before that there might be a way to contain them on hallowed ground.”
Circe patted Endora’s back gently as the babe rested on her shoulder. “In theory. If their power comes from demon magic, they have a few weaknesses. Holy water can temporarily contain them. If the grounds around them were sanctified, we could do a spell to hold them there permanently. We thought about the cemetery, but we’d need to build a tomb big enough to hold the three of them. The spell requires a triangulation of symbols on the inside of the room.”
“Why inside?” Pierre asked.
