“Brick,” Amber called, and the fire spirit lunged forth from the hearth, leaping into her once more. She turned on the wraith, each hand springing to life with a ball of flame. She hurled one, then the other at the wraith, and the apparition vanished from sight as the balls of flame exploded on the far wall, sizzling out in the cold. Morticae appeared again on the other side of the table as Lexxes rambled incoherently. The abomination cast its cold, dead glare in Amber’s direction. Its mouth opened in a silent scream, and Amber shrieked in pain, covering her ears and falling to her knees. Xlina couldn’t hear anything, but Brick jumped from Amber and bounded through the room as the wraith continued its silent scream.
“It’s hurting Brick,” Amber staggered, returning to her feet. “A horrible noise.”
“Come on, Ox,” Xlina tried again, putting her hand over his frozen fingers. “There is hope still alive in there. You’re hanging on to something. We need you.”
“Xlina,” Amber warned as the specter of Morticae moved through the tables, reaching out. Xlina turned just in time to see the ethereal hand land on her chest. A numbing cold shot through her body as the feelings of despair roiled within her. Helplessness washed over her. She lamented not being able to save her friends, not being able to save herself from the mark. Xlina felt all the pent-up sorrow flood into her. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks, freezing in the cold to form a thin layer of ice. She could feel the wraith in her head, and as her grief built, she considered Lexxes’ warning against returning to the Hearth. Had she only listened, perhaps Amber and Lexxes would have survived the day.
I think not, Valeria chimed in defiantly. You’re not going to let this nickel-store hack stop you now, are you, pet?
“No,” Xlina said, stifling her tears and focusing on Valeria’s voice.
I would think not, Valeria countered insistently. This thing needs you to feel that remorse and self-loathing, but you don’t, do you? Touch the gem, pet.
Xlina obeyed, following Valeria’s command to avoid listening to the despairing thoughts rolling through her head. Her fingers found the gem, and it pulsed with warmth, sending a relieving wave through her. She remembered standing in her room, feeling strong as she looked in the mirror. She could feel the sense of power when she assaulted Pete. She felt the allure of Valeria in her dream as the demon seduced her in her room. The warmth of the gem filled her with feelings of pleasure and contentment. It was Valeria, she realized, manipulating her through the choker, feeding her emotions through the device the entire time. Valeria had never truly left. She didn’t retreat to the choker; she simply used it as the focus, allowing her to influence Xlina’s emotions like a mouse in a maze being rewarded with pellets. Now, as the wraith and Valeria battled in her mind for dominance, she could see clearly. Valeria had never stopped talking to her, she had just been unable to distinguish Valeria’s voice from her own.
Rage welled deep in her core. Valeria warred with the wraith, feeding emotions into her in a swirling pit of memories and thoughts. Her head reeled as her synapses worked to sort through all the images. She felt the familiar release of energy as her hands clenched into fists and flared to life with the blue crackling of nightmare energy. Her rage acting as a buffer, she used it to gain a foothold in her own mind. Focusing on her anger, she let it push forth, consuming everything. The wraith and Valeria’s voices diminished, washed asunder by the flood of raw anger. Her cry was feral as she dropped to her knees and flung her head back, allowing the swelling rage to flow.
“It’s backing off,” Amber called, though her voice seemed distant in the swirling rage that enveloped her. Xlina’s cry ended, and her body flooded with warmth. She stood, firmly planting one foot after the other. The wraith fluttered back, skipping from view as if it were shifting between this world and the next.
“You’ll take no more,” Xlina said coldly. Advancing on the wraith, she let loose with a powerful swing, leaving a trail of crackling nightmare energy in her wake. The wraith merely flickered out of the way, appearing again a few feet back.
“Stay on it,” Amber called, making her way to Lexxes and wrapping her arms around the freezing woman. Brick, finally free from the wraith’s scream, bounded back into Amber.
“I’ll send you straight to hell,” Xlina professed, swinging again and again as she followed the Wraith through the dining area. But her swipes were meaningless; the wraith just flickered away each time she came close to it.
“Drop,” Amber called as she hurled another ball of flame at the wraith, and it snarled as it blipped out to avoid the blast. Xlina obediently rolled clear, allowing the fireball to burst on the wall by the stairs. She came up to her feet as Amber continued to lob bursts of flame at the wraith.
“Oxivius,” Xlina pleaded, returning to the frozen necromancer’s side. “Listen to me, you stubborn man. I can’t hit it, and Amber can’t keep it busy for long. You need to snap out of it.”
Oxivius just sat cold as a corpse, staring at the tome. It was as if all the world was silent around him, motionless in a single moment of time. Xlina struggled, not knowing what else to do. She looked over the frozen necromancer, his eyes vacant, and the dread of losing him entered her mind. The wraith flared to life, charging at Amber and placing its hand on her forehead. The spirit met Brick head on, and Amber’s eyes rolled back in her head as the wraith and Brick fought for control in her mind; the sizzling sound of fire meeting ice filled the room.
“Dammit, Oxivius,” Xlina spat, turning on the frozen necromancer. “You said we would do this together. You said you’d help free me from the mark. You can’t leave me now. Man up already.”
Amber’s hands burst into flame, and she pushed them forward into the wraith, causing the apparition to flicker and fade away. She breathed heavily, leaning on the table where Lexxes lay collapsed for support. She looked back at Xlina before scanning the room once more for the wraith.
“I’m not sure what to do, Xlina,” she called pensively. “I don’t know how many more times Brick can fend it off.”
“I know,” Xlina replied, her voice desperate. “I’m sorry, Amber.”
“Don’t be,” Amber replied. “If it all ends here, it was worth it.”
“It can’t end like this,” Xlina laughed, keeping an eye out for the stealthy wraith. “You still owe your dad that marriage and two kids.”
“Yeah,” she replied with a scoff. “At least if we die, you’ll take that demon to hell with you.”
“That’s a comforting thought,” Xlina barked, looking back to Oxivius still frozen in place. She leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders in a desperate hug, feeling his ice cold skin against her cheek.
“Really?” Amber asked over her shoulder.
“If it’s the last thing I do,” Xlina whispered in his ear. “I want you to know that you saved me. I was lost until I met you. You challenged me to accept who I am without remorse or regret. You opened my eyes to all I could be. I only wish I could have saved you in return.”
“Xlina!” Amber called in warning. “The wraith!”
But it didn’t matter. The cold, dead specter be damned, she was going to have this moment. With her arms wrapped around him, she braced for the onslaught of despair, knowing the specter was about to strike. She felt a hand on her back and tensed, ready for the end, but the hand was warm.
“You already have,” Oxivius whispered back, spinning her down to the left dipping her as if they were engaged in a dance and exposing his back to the wraith. It collided with him, and his eyes looked into hers, filled with sadness as she held onto him, suspended in the air by his arm around her back as if frozen in time. She stared into his blue eyes, so cold and alone. She remembered that first day in Holder’s Park, when he had called her the wolf. As the wraith dove into Oxivius’ back, she stared into his eyes, realizing that he had saved her one last time.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Requiem For The Death Eater
Oxivius’ strength failed, and his arm fe
ll limp, sending Xlina crashing hard on the floor. He stood hunched over as Morticae the wraith plunged its arms deep into the necromancer’s back. His face drew gaunt, his skin pale and blue as the wraith flooded his mind with despair, feeding off the negative emotion like a sponge.
Valeria had been right; the wraith was a formidable enemy, impervious to everything they had thrown at it. Xlina lay on the floor staring up at Oxivius. She had motivated him before. She had reached him in his icy slumber, if only for a moment of action. But that was without the wraith pumping in the negative emotions. With Morticae using the chilling touch of the wraith, was there any hope for her to pull him free a second time?
“Fight him, Oxivius,” she pleaded, shaking her head left and right in denial of the events unfolding before her eyes.
“Get off my friend,” Amber called violently as she unleashed a burst of flame that washed over the spot where the wraith had stood. Oxivius’ body lurched forward, and he landed next to Xlina on the floor with a thud.
“Amber!” Xlina called, stumbling to her feet. She scanned the room for Morticae once more, waiting for the apparition to reappear. “We need Lexxes and Oxivius. I don’t think we can beat this thing on our own.”
“I’m open to suggestions,” Amber panted, readying another ball of flame in her hands. “Brick’s getting tired. I can feel it.”
“And I don’t think Morticae is tiring at all,” Xlina replied, looking back to Oxivius on the floor.
“It’s feeding on us,” Amber remarked sternly. “Our every effort to resist it is just making it stronger. At this rate, we are going to be overwhelmed.”
“I know,” Xlina replied, at a loss for what to try next.
“At least we went out with a bang,” Amber said, eyeing the dining room for the wraith.
“Try rousing Lexxes,” Xlina answered. “If we give up, if we lose hope, we’ll have lost.”
“Yeah right,” Amber called back, making her way to the table where Lexxes lie hunched over. “Come on, lady; rise and shine.”
Xlina turned back to Oxivius on the floor and knelt next to him. She stroked his hair gently, and his skin felt cold to the touch. She fought back the despair welling inside of her, knowing that the wraith was lying in wait, sucking up their feelings of hopelessness like a sponge.
He is fading, Valeria chimed in her head. If you want to save him, give yourself over to me completely. Become my warlock. With our combined strength, you’ll crush the wraith.
“No,” Xlina answered the voice in her head aloud. “That’s not the way. If I give in now, I’ll succumb to my despair and make him stronger.”
You are not going to be able to beat him on your own, Valeria chimed again. Even Amber, with the flame spirit inside of her warding off the cold touch of the wraith, can’t last much longer.
“Then it looks like we die together,” Xlina replied solemnly. “Maybe your patron will show you mercy as we descend into hell.”
That’s not funny, Valeria replied sternly. I can compel you not to give up. I will survive. The jury’s out on your friends, however.
“Oxivius,” Xlina whispered urgently. “We aren’t done yet. Get up.”
He’s done, Valeria chimed in response. Even the powerful necromancer can’t stave off despair forever. He’s been chilled to the bone, Xlina, You were lucky to get what you could from him when you did.
“I can’t lose you,” Xlina cried, slamming a fist on the necromancer’s back. “It can’t end like this, Ox.”
“Xlina, I can’t wake her,” Amber called from beside Lexxes. “She is frozen stiff. I can’t get through. I don’t know what to say.”
“I know,” Xlina called back grimly. “It’s time to retreat. Throw her over your shoulder, and get out of here.”
“What about you?” Amber asked, bending down to lift Lexxes.
“I’m coming too.” Xlina stifled a sob as she grabbed one of Oxivius’ arms. She had seen a firefighter do this before, pull a body from the floor into a carry.
“Penny, Burglecut, Mortar...” Amber said hesitantly.
“We can’t,” Xlina said with a grunt as she pulled Oxivius up onto her shoulders. “With any luck, the wraith will chase us.”
“That’s not a great plan,” Amber called back.
“The courthouse isn’t far,” Xlina reasoned. “I doubt the wraith will attack on the streets, and if we bring the blasted thing bearing down on the Council of Magic, maybe someone there will possess the knowledge to kill it.”
“I guess it’s worth a shot,” Amber relented, lifting Lexxes from the table and turning to the door.
“At least if they can’t fight it,” Xlina added dryly. “They’ll join us in falling to it.”
“How fitting,” Amber replied. “We’ll all be wiped out.”
“Game, set, and match,” Xlina answered.
You’ll never make it carrying these two, Valeria chimed. It’s too far.
“Don’t suppose you’ll go back to being quiet, huh?” Xlina asked the voice in her head.
You asked for my help, Valeria answered. Without me in here, you’d be a frozen corpse.
“Sorry,” Xlina replied sourly. “I kinda have a lot going on right now. We’ll kiss and make up if we live.”
I’m holding you to that, Valeria cooed.
The door iced over in a thick sheet just as Amber approached. The wraith appeared before it and opened its mouth in another silent scream that sent Brick bounding from Amber in pain. Without the supernatural strength from the fire spirit, Amber collapsed under Lexxes’ weight, and the pair crumbled to the floor.
“Well, it was a good plan,” Xlina lamented, leaning to the side to allow Oxivius to fall from her shoulders onto a nearby table. He flopped down in a heap, still unmoving. Brick darted back to the hearth, diving in once more. Mortar remained frozen in place, but even if the earth elemental could move, would it be able to do anything against the powerful wraith? Xlina doubted it. The cold surrounded her, stabbing at her limbs and joints as the room chilled. Amber was down, and the wraith stood over her, its face locked in the wicked silent scream.
“It’s been a ride, Xlina,” Amber said, prying herself free from Lexxes’ frozen body and bringing herself up to her knees. “I wish we could have explored whatever it is we have more.”
“We’ll always be friends, Amber,” Xlina answered solemnly.
“Always,” Amber replied with a smile and a tear.
The wraith ended its howl as the flames in the hearth flickered, barely a candle-sized flame left at all. Xlina shuddered at what that could possibly mean for the noble fire spirit, Brick. Morticae was not finished, however, as he turned his cold, dead glare on Amber. The wraith hovered closer, taking its time to feed on the fear from the girl as she looked up in horror. Xlina vaulted forward, fists crackling with energy. She lunged at the specter, forcing it to fade away once more as she stood in a blazing vigil over Amber. The wraith wasted no time, appearing over Oxivius once more and causing Xlina to sprint back, swinging wildly to fend it off.
“I can’t keep this up,” she panted as the wraith appeared once more next to Amber, drawing a shriek from the girl as she stumbled away and circling back toward Oxivius and Xlina.
“Stay behind me,” Xlina called as Amber crouched on the floor next to Oxivius.
The wraith circled in, impatiently stalking them like a lion hunts its prey. The cold, ashen face was lifeless, the red orbs buried deep in its hollow eye sockets the only indication of the spirit’s malevolence. Xlina swung wildly at the wraith, but just as before, it faded and vanished before her every strike, reappearing closer with each swing. She flailed in desperation, her combinations meeting nothing but air, as if she were shadowboxing. The wraith closed the distance between them with every miss until it was there just inches before her. Both hands shot forth, grabbing her by the temples. She felt its icy cold touch as despair washed over her once more. She couldn’t save herself, couldn’t save her friends; she couldn’t even save
Valeria from the accursed wraith. She felt her body tumble to the floor as she lay facing Oxivius, her limbs numb.
Amber shrieked and backed away as the wraith stalked its next victim. Brick still smoldered in the hearth, not more than a match head’s worth of flame, while Xlina’s limbs were numb from the cold. Her breath shallow, her body refused to move as she lay looking Oxivius in the eyes. She thought it was a fitting end.
“Ox,” she whispered lightly, using every ounce of strength left. “Oxivius Soulforge, Eater of Death and my dear friend. May death bring you the peace you sought in life. May your soul travel to the realms beyond to find what you desire. I fear my soul is claimed; I won’t be able to follow you there in the ever after.”
Her eyes fluttered as the cold seeped into her bones. His eyes met hers, and she smiled, content in knowing that they would meet their end together. Amber scurried from the wraith as it backed her into a corner. With no place left to retreat, the wraith descended on her, plunging its cold hand into her chest. The light in her eyes dimmed as despair flooded her body. Xlina couldn’t watch; she looked back into Oxivius’ blue eyes, waiting for the end.
“If you’re not there, love,” Oxivius whispered adamantly, “then there is nothing for me in the ever after.”
He rose, pushing himself up with both hands. His skin still a pallid blue, he grunted his way to his feet, his sheer will alone driving him to keep moving. Xlina gasped at seeing the necromancer stand once more.
“Morticae the Damned,” Oxivius called, causing the wraith to turn in recognition of its name. The wraith snarled in contempt, withdrawing from Amber and circling the necromancer, but Oxivius was ready. He chanted something in Latin, and the black smoke of burning souls spilled from his fine black coat. The wraith circled closer, but as Oxivius completed his cantrip, a flash of bright light danced in the air before him, and the wraith shied back as if the light itself were painful.
“Oxivius,” Xlina whispered with a smile.
“A foolish spirit indeed,” Oxivius called, summoning more souls from his flesh. “I am a necromancer; death is my dominion. You should have stayed in your grave, Morticae, for now I stake claim on your soul for my own. Your master has allowed you to linger too long.”
The Infernal Games Page 36