The Brutal Time Special Edition

by Christina Bauer

  Remy raises the Staff of Avalon once again. “Today, we shall free Colossus!” She pounds the instrument against the tiled floor. The golden gems flare with yellow light once more.

  Slam!

  All the tables whip away to careen into the walls. The floor tiles crumble into dust, revealing a pair of seals set beneath them, one red and one white. They’re small—perhaps the size of my palm—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t powerful.

  Myla whispers in my ear. “I saw those seals before. They’re from the cover of a book called the Opus Magica.” She nods towards the two discs. “They keep Colossus locked up.”

  “How do they work?”

  “There were two prisons, so I’m guessing that’s why there are two seals. And it’s all lousy with failsafes. You can’t just open the door to Colossus. The prison-crypt is built in a way that stalls his release.”

  All of a sudden, I’m really wishing Merlin and Nimue hadn’t departed so quickly. Is there anyone else here who may be able to give us more information?

  My gaze locks onto Ximena, the archdemon dragon. She leans by the exit archway, an unreadable look on her face. Ximena has always been her own person. Would she aid us in stopping Coloussus?

  Remy points at Arthur. “Come forward!” she cries.

  If there’s one benefit to this moment, it’s that Arthur seems to have sobered up. “Yes, lady?”

  “You must call me the Great Crimson Scourge.”

  Myla and I exchange a dry look. Remy clearly wanted to be a Great Lady. Now she’s given herself a title with Great in it.

  “My apologies.” Arthur leans over in a sloppy bow. “What do you wish, oh Great Crimson Scourge?”

  Remy gestures to the floor. “Your so-called father designed this.”

  “Yes,” replies Arthur. “The prison-crypt below us is the Pendragon’s work.”

  “How does one start opening the seals?” As Remy asks this question, her face is the definition of gloating. She knows how to work the seals. Remy’s just setting Arthur up.

  “Oh.” Arthur looks around the room. “Must we do that now? I thought there was to be celebration.”

  I can almost see the rusty wheels of the king’s mind begin churning. Clearly, he hasn’t thought beyond the fact that there’d be a great party in his honor. The idea that Colossus is getting loose right now appears to be a shock.

  “To open the prison-crypt, you need a blood sacrifice,” continues Arthur. “After that, there’s the chance to battle within the prison-crypt itself. That can slow Colossus from escaping.” His face brightens. “Is that what you wish to do? Slow the crypt from opening so we may have our celebration?”

  “Perhaps,” says Remy. “But who shall fight? You?”

  “Not me,” answers Arthur quickly. “My knights will do battle. That’s what they’re trained for.”

  Myla laces her fingers with mine. We don’t need to say a word. Both of us know what will happen next. Remy’s been setting some kind of trap for King Arthur. Now she’ll spring it.

  “Agreed,” says Remy. “In that case, you’ll be the blood sacrifice.” Flipping her staff ninety degrees, Remy hoists the instrument onto her shoulder like a spear.

  For a moment, the gems atop the staff glow gold with power. Then the instrument flies out of Remy’s hand to skewer Arthur right through the chest. He slumps over, dead.

  “Ow,” whispers Myla. “That was cold.”

  The king’s blood oozes across the floor to cover the seals. For a moment, the discs flare with light and power.

  Then they vanishes, only to be replaced by a three-foot wide hole in the floor. I eye the new pit warily.

  Should I jump in? It may be the only way to slow Colossus from escaping.

  The seven archdemons also transform. Where their bodies were once solid, they now turn shiny and gelatinous. Red light flares around them as they become liquid. The crimson fluid seeps across the floor to cascade into the new pit. No doubt, they’re heading to the prison-crypt of Colossus.

  On reflex, I look to Ximena again. She wasn’t one of the ones who seeped into the floor. And with the other archdemons gone, Ximena now does what she’d been planning all along.

  The Queen of the Dragons walks away.

  No help to be found there.

  If Remy cares that Ximena took off, then the so-called Great Crimson Scourge doesn’t seem concerned. Instead, Remy raises her arm and opens her palm. The staff breaks free from King Arthur’s chest and flies back across the room. A second later, the instrument lands right onto Remy’s hand.

  All the room now looks over to the knights, who seem to have been spending the last few minutes trying to escape. Not an effective plan. They all twist in place while pulling at their armored boots. Yet the knights cannot move their feet. More magic.

  “Sorry, boys,” says Remy. “Your king already promised you to fight the archdemons.” She slams the staff against the ground once more. Golden light flares around the knights. Like the archdemons, the warriors turn gelatinous before oozing across the floor to drip down into the pit.

  Remy shoots a quick glance at me and Myla. Pure evil lights the Crimson Scourge’s eyes. No question what that look means. Once Remy is through with the knights, it will be our turn.

  We don’t have much time.

  I give Myla’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll try to slow it as much as I can.” There’s no question what it is in this scenario. Colossus’s escape.

  “I’ll get help,” says Myla.

  After giving my wife one last kiss, I race toward the pit.

  Three yards.

  Two yards.

  One.

  I jump into the darkness. Icy cold bites into my skin as I tumble down. Above me, the round opening grows smaller and smaller. Beyond the hole, I can make out a tiny section of the chamber above. The last thing I see is Myla’s beloved face before all becomes dark.

  36

  Myla

  My guy can sure haul ass when he needs to. One second, Lincoln stands at my side, our hands entwined. A few heartbeats later, my husband leaps into a nasty pit. A pang of worry moves through me.

  Be safe, Lincoln.

  I’m not the only one getting the feels here, either.

  Remy rushes to the pit’s edge. “How dare he leave?” She rounds on me. “You both were supposed to watch Colossus crown me as the Great Crimson Queen.”

  Wait, WHAT?

  I take a little mental time out to review this new bit of news. Then I round on Remy.

  “Let me get this straight,” I say. “My husband just tossed his sweet self into a hole in the floor … which leads directly to some prison-crypt and almost certain death. Meanwhile, every person I’ve ever known—or cared about—has been erased from history. And all so you could become a Great Lady. But that won’t be enough. You have even bigger plans. Once Colossus is free, you think he’ll make you his Queen?”

  “Obviously,” says Remy. “It’s all in the prophecy.”

  At this point, it’s important to note three nice things about this other-wise crappy situation. One, Remy is chatting me up, which is always a dumb move for any villain. Two, all the guards and knights are long gone, so it’s just her and me in this room. And three, I have a kick-ass plan to escape and find help.

  My tail arcs over my shoulder. I pretend to inspect the scales on the arrowhead end. “And who gave you that prophecy, exactly?”

  “I found it in the archives. Whoever frees Colossus can be his bride. It’s a vision from the Heretic.”

  As prophets go, the Heretic is a loser. Not that I’ll share this insight with Remy. Clearly, she’s had the archivist job for all of two months and knows everything.

  “The Heretic, wow.” As I keep fiddling with my tail, I saunter a little closer.

  Pro tip: When closing in on someone, it’s always good to be doing something with your hands. Makes them less likely to notice your feet. This is something Remy would know if she’d taken any battle training.
<
br />   But she hasn’t.

  So this next bit will awesome.

  I make my move.

  “Got get her, Fluff!”

  My favorite snow imp now materializes in the air between me and Remy. Fluff essentially transforms into a fur rocket as he zooms right for Remy’s face. His little limbs extend forward, highlighting the tiny talons on his hands and feet.

  Remy stands completely still, her features slack with shock. Fluff slams right into her face, making Remy scream in terror. It’s a beautiful thing.

  Now, I’d love to watch Fluff scratch up Remy, but there isn’t time. This is my chance to escape and I’m taking it. I race from the mead hall and hustle over to the stables. As I speed along, I hear Remy’s whiny screams echo through the air.

  Damn, I sure hope she doesn’t hurt Captain Fluffbottom.

  In no time, I’m riding a nice spotted mare in a little direction I like to call, away from Camelot. Or more specifically, it’s toward my last camp with Nimue and Merlin. I need their help and that’s the best place to look.

  After all, Lincoln can’t slow down Colossus forever.

  I gallop across a dirt road and onto an open field. In fact, I’m starting to feel pretty good about my bad self when a shadow crosses overhead.

  It’s not a cloud.

  A moment later, a big-ass red dragon plunks itself down before me. My horse rears on its hind legs and generally freaks out, but I’m able to calm the animal. For a moment, my mind is a blank of shock.

  Who is this, anyway?

  Then it hits me. That’s right. Seven seals. Seven archdemons. Ximena is number eight and she covers two sins, namely lust and wrath. She isn’t part of any prison-crypt plan.

  Only now she’s blocking my path while looking super pissed off.

  Uh oh.

  37

  Lincoln

  Not sure how long I tumble. To my mind, the descent takes hours. No doubt, there’s an enchantment around this prison-crypt and it alters my perception of time. I could be falling for years or moments.

  At last, I hit solid ground. My body curls into a crouch with my hands braced on the floor. Round orbs of red light flare to life around me. They materialize at the seam between the wall and the floor. After hovering for a moment, they rise into the long and dark tunnel above.

  Standing up, I survey my surroundings. I’ve reached a long and rectangular chamber made from what appears to be polished black stone. At one short end of the rectangle, the wall holds a large white seal. The disc stretches about ten feet high. Numerals 1 to 7 are written in a swirling line that ends at the seal’s center.

  No doubt about it. This is the same seal that was set into the floor of the mead hall, only now it’s ten feet tall. This must represent the seven archdemons.

  On the chamber’s opposite side, the wall holds the red seal, which has also swollen to become ten feet fall. The disc is adorned with a line carving of Colossus’s goat head. Between the two seals there stretches a golden pathway. Oh, and the knights of the round table are also here, cowering in a far corner. I try not to look at them too closely, though. So depressing.

  How can these be the same knights I obsessed about in my youth? I spent hours reenacting their battles, starting at the age when I could barely toddle about. Now their so-called achievements were actually done by the Pendragon, Merlin and Nimue.

  As I said, it’s quite the disappointment. And a lesson in the value of bards.

  The white seal spins, ending with the numeral one up top. Every muscle in my body goes on alert.

  The game is about to begin.

  A liquid sheen rolls over the white seal. One moment, the disc seems made of stone. The next? It’s as if a pool of still water were set into the wall, existing in its own whacked-out gravity. A fist pushes through the water’s vertical surface. There’s no missing how the gauntlet is covered in rust. Only one archdemon wears such armor.

  Null, the Archdemon of sloth.

  Sure enough, Null steps through the water-like seal and onto the golden floor. He looks just as he did when we travelled with Ximena: eight feet of rusted metal armor. Null sets his fist on his chest. “I am Null, the Archdemon of Sloth. I shall go to the seal of Colossus, add my power, and help set my master free.”

  I step onto the center of the thin golden path that connects one seal to the other. “No.” Out of the corner of my eye, I glance to the knights.

  Still cowering. Unbelievable.

  Null marches toward me. Or rather, he is no doubt moving toward the far wall and the seal of Colossus. Strangely enough, Null doesn’t even pull out his rusty sword from its scabbard. His metal boots clomp noisily on the floor as he gets closer.

  I pull my baculum from their holster at the base of my spine. Holding the pair of silver bars in my fists, I order them to ignite into a longsword made of white flame.

  Null pauses before me. Although he’s rusted out and slow moving, there’s no denying he’s still an archdemon. And he stands eight feet tall, let’s not forget that part. Raising his arm, Null moves to punch me in the ribs. I swoop my blade down, ready to block the strike.

  That’s when Null does something I’ve never had happen in a battle before.

  The Archdemon of Sloth tumbles forward, careful to ensure my blade slices right through his chest. I step back, yanking my weapon free.

  What was that?

  I return to battle stance. The archdemon must be playing games. Null is only pretending to die so I’ll lower my guard.

  Null lands on the floor with a thud. His body takes on the same gelatinous sheen that I saw before in the mead hall. Only this time, Null doesn’t change into liquid. Within seconds, his body transforms into a swirling mist. I suck in a shocked breath.

  Oh, no.

  I should never have fought sloth at all. Killing him only saved the archdemon the hassle of walking across the golden pathway.

  Before me, the red haze that once was Null now flies across the room to merge with the opposite seal.

  Colossus.

  The red disc spins. When the motion ends, there is no longer the line image of a goat’s head on the seal’s surface. Instead, a moving mural blinks out at me.

  “Hello, Lincoln,” says the King of the Archdemons. His voice is a deep rasp. His next five words send a tremor through my soul.

  “Soon, I’ll come for you.”

  I can only hope Myla arrives first.

  38

  Myla

  A massive creature looms before me.

  Dragon-Ximena.

  Mother of all Furor.

  Badass of badasses.

  Small horns encircle her head, reminding me of a crown. Heavy plates arch up from her back and tail. Her massive talons dig into the ground before me.

  I wince. She probably plans chomp my face off. Or try, anyway.

  “Let me by,” I say simply. It’s not the best opening line ever, but I’m winging it here.

  “And why would I allow that?” growls Dragon-Ximena.

  My tail takes this moment to pop over my shoulder and wave at Ximena. Her heavy dragon brows quirk with interest.

  “Down, boy.” I guide the arrowhead-end behind me and refocus on Ximena. “I’m part Furor, as you know.” I hitch my thumb behind me. “You’ve got a fan.”

  In reply, Ximena says zip.

  “So, back to why you’ll let me go,” I say. “ You’ve been trapped in a supernatural prison with the other archdemons for a long time. I’ve met Lester, by the way.” I make my eek face. “That couldn’t have been fun.”

  Ximena huffs out a breath. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of my theory. But I know Lester. I hated spending two minutes with him, let alone centuries.

  “And what got you locked up with Lester and the others?” I ask. “Colossus. If Mister Misty gets out of prison, he’ll cause big trouble. Sooner or later, that means you and the other archdemons will spend too much quality time together in a dungeon.”

  Or at least, that’s
my story and I’m sticking to it.

  Ximena purses her lips, which is an odd look considering the length of her dragon’s jaw. “We buried all the archangels. They can not hurt us now.”

  Here’s the thing. Ximena’s words say she’s unconcerned. Yet that worried lilt in her voice says otherwise. I go in for the close.

  “Last time I checked, there’s more up in Heaven than just archangels.” I point to the sky for emphasis. “All of them would love to capture you and your buddies.”

  “The other archdemons are not my friends.”

  It’s on the tip of my tongue to say: Ha. Knew that would get you. Yet I’m able to hold back. My guy needs help.

  “No offense,” I continue. “But it doesn’t seem like Heaven got that memo. And they totally warned you that if you pulled any crap again, the punishment would be worse next time.”

  Ximena narrows her dragon eyes, which also entails her vertical pupils thinning as well. Not gonna lie. It’s terrifying. “What do you propose?”

  “Let me pass your dragon-ness.” I pat my horse’s neck to emphasize the transportation part. “Once I find Merlin and Nimue, the three of us will go back and destroy Colossus.”

  “That is a terrible plan,” snarls Ximena.

  “Look, Miss Judgy Von Judgerton. There are mages nearby and a horse under my butt. Either you get out of my way or…”

  Ximena sniffs again. “Or what?”

  “I’ll think of something. I always do. Just consider yourself warned.” I flick the reins on my horse.

  That’s when it happens.

  Ximena opens her massive dragon’s jaw and lets out the mother of all roars. I’m talking eardrum splitting, heart pounding, dragon-gonna-chomp-you terror.

  My horse falls over. Dead.

  Thank goodness my reflexes are still good or I’d be trapped under a dead horse. Even so, I shouldn’t have to be avoiding falling land mammals. I round on Ximena. “You totally killed my stolen horse.”