by Linsey Hall
“Excellent.”
Footsteps thundered down the stairs at the main entry, and I peered around to see Hedy, making way too much noise for someone so small.
“We’ve got it!” I held up the flowers.
“Excellent!” She raced toward me, grabbed the flowers out of my hands, and kept running, right onto the lawn and in the direction of her workshop. “I’ll have it done in an hour. Two, tops!”
I turned to go after her, but Jude grabbed my arm. “She can show you how to make the potion later. Right now, there’s a briefing in the round room for anyone going on the mission to confront the demons and their beast. I assume you want to be part of that?”
“I do!”
Jude looked at Maximus. “You, as well?”
He nodded sharply.
“Come on, then. Your sisters are waiting, Rowan.”
We hurried up the stairs and down the hall, entering the round room to find the table pretty full. Ana and Bree sat there, along with their boyfriends, Cade and Lachlan. Caro, with her platinum blonde bob and thousand-watt smile sat next to the dark-haired twins, Ali and Haris.
Caro’s silver eyes darted to me. “We heard you got the necessary ingredient?”
“We did.”
She grinned widely. “Well done.”
Ali and Haris nodded, leaning back in their chairs.
“This will be a good fight, then,” Ali said.
Jude took a seat at the head of the table. Though it was round and there technically was no head, wherever Jude sat seemed to be imbued with extra importance.
I sat next to Bree, and Maximus sat next to me.
Ana leaned forward, her blonde hair swinging over her shoulder. “Our scouting mission revealed that the demons have a headquarters on a tiny, unnamed island between Greece and Turkey.”
“Unnamed?” Maximus frowned. “I thought every rock in that sea had a name.”
“They do. If they’re on a map,” Bree said. “This island was on no map. In fact, clouds hid it for the first two hours of our visit. It took a while to find it, and we only saw it once we were in the sky.”
“It’s located closer to Turkey than to Greece,” Ana said. “And it seems like it’s only a temporary headquarters. There’s not much on the island besides the demons and their beasts in a tiny, decrepit church.”
My head jerked up at the plural. “Beasts, as in more than one?”
“We think they have two,” Jude said.
“Crap.” I frowned. I’d been worried about that. “Did I get enough flowers for the potion?”
“Hedy seemed pleased,” Maximus said.
“Good point.” I looked at everyone. “So, what’s the plan, then?”
“According to Hedy, the birds need to drink the potion. Or at least, get some in their mouths. Their feathers repel other potions.”
Fantastic. That would be super easy.
“We were thinking that Ana and I could attack from the sky,” Bree said. “Draw the beasts out and deliver the potion. Cade, Lachlan, and Maximus could approach the island with the rest of the PITS. They’d go by boat. There, they would take out the demons and find their leader. Hopefully figure out their end goal.”
“What about me?” I asked. I wanted a chance to grill some demons about this dark magic. Even if I did manage to dampen it by stopping the beasts from feeding, I needed to figure out what it was and how to get rid of it entirely.
“Your aim is the best,” Jude said. “You can ride on Ana’s back and throw the potion at the monsters. Get it in their mouths and we succeed.”
“Seriously?” How the hell would I throw a potion into the beak of a giant bird beast? My mind raced with ideas.
“That’s the tricky part,” Jude said.
“No kidding.” Not that I wanted to wrestle one of those giant monsters to get the potion into their mouths. Throwing seemed better. “But what do I say, ‘open up’?”
A few people chuckled at my sing-song voice.
“We need a way to force them to open their mouths,” Maximus said. “To compel them.”
I chewed on my lip, thinking. “I do have a potion that makes you feel like you’re suffocating. It won’t kill them, but they might open their mouths to get more air.”
Cade grinned, his brown hair gleaming. “I like how you think.”
I smiled at him. I’d always liked Bree’s boyfriend. He was a shifter and a Celtic god of war, and he was head over heels for Bree. They were a great match.
“That means we have a plan,” Jude said. “Deploy the potions. Once the monsters are weakened, take them out. Don’t get too close before they are bound, however. You won’t stand a chance. The rest of the team will take out the demons and find their leader.”
Easy peasy.
Well, maybe not. But I was looking forward to the challenge.
Three hours later, after some food and a quick change of clothes, I found myself standing on the shore of western Turkey, staring at the sea. Night was beginning to fall, sending a golden pink glow across the rippling surface of the water. Fresh salt air blew my hair back from my face, and it felt more like the beginning of a vacation than the start of a battle.
The tension in the air drove that feeling away quickly, though.
Ali, Haris, and Maximus pushed the small boat toward the crashing surf. Cade, Lachlan, and Caro waited, ready to board.
I squinted across the ocean, toward a cluster of low-hanging clouds. If I squinted in just the right way, I thought I could make out the island they hid.
“Took us ages to find it,” Ana said. “Could only see it from the air, in fact.”
“Thank fates you did.” Ana had the powers of The Morrigan, a Celtic battle and fate goddess who could also turn into a giant crow. I’d ride her into battle, something we’d only practiced a handful of times before.
The little boat splashed into the water, and Maximus looked at me. Though we were separated by at least twenty yards, I could see something heavy in his eyes. Something like worry.
For me?
No way.
I nodded at him and turned away. Ana and Bree kissed Cade and Lachlan quickly, then told them to be careful. The crowd of six piled into the little rowboat. Maximus took the oars, and it shot off across the water. If it didn’t make any noise at all, the demons might not even notice their approach.
I turned to Ana and Bree. “Ready?”
“Born ready.” Ana grinned and propped her hands on her hips, looking like a caricature of a superhero. She’d always been a goofball. “I’m off.”
She turned and ran, sprinting into the distance. When she was about twenty yards away, she shifted into the form of a massive black crow. Her huge wings carried her into the air, and she wheeled around on an air current and returned to me and Bree, landing gracefully at my side.
“Good luck, and be safe,” Bree said. “Remember—three tries.”
I patted the potion bag strapped to my back. I could do this. I had to do this. Hedy had only been able to make three potions, so I could afford just one mistake.
Bree drew her sword as her wings unfurled from her back, silver and bright. She leapt into the sky.
I turned to Ana and climbed onto her back, gripping her feathers tight. She cawed and took off. Wind tore at my hair as we rose and swept down over the ocean.
The little rowboat was nearly halfway across. Not bad. They’d be there in another five minutes, if they were lucky.
Something splashed to their left. I squinted.
Please be a mermaid. Or a friendly fish.
The splash came again, revealing a long worm-like creature. Fangs glinted in the light of the setting sun.
Damn.
There were more splashes all around, closing in on the boat. Could they see that the monsters were coming?
“Ana, look down there!”
Ana’s big black head tilted to the side so she could see down, then she dived. She hurtled toward one of the sea monsters, then scooped the thing u
p in her beak and chomped it in half. The two pieces of the giant serpent fell.
I dug into my potions bag and withdrew a bomb that could freeze a creature that size. I sucked in a deep breath and threw. It exploded against the creature’s head, and it hissed and went down.
There were still a half dozen, and the people in the boat hadn’t noticed. They were too low to the waterline.
As if she’d read my mind, Ana dipped down. She carried me right over the top of the boat, so close that I could say, “Sea serpents coming!”
Ana flew high up into the sky, whirling around again to re-approach the boat and the serpents.
Bree had flown low over the sea to attack with a sword, and Ali and Haris jumped into the ocean. Two sea serpents darted for them, cutting through the water. My heart leapt into my throat even though I’d already seen the two djinns pull their possession trick.
As the serpents neared, Ali and Haris’s golden skin turned transparent, and they drifted into the sea monsters, becoming one with them. Suddenly, the sea monsters turned their attack toward their fellows, commanded by Ali and Haris. The djinns possessed them, commanding them to fight the other serpents.
The fight was over within minutes, bringing only the sound of splashing.
“Thank fates,” I muttered. “Let’s get the real fight started.”
We flew toward the island, and the boat beached on the rocky shore. The tall mountain rose up behind it, and up this close, I could see a building on the top. It looked like a very old church, the top decorated with a cross.
Ana flew over to Bree, whose silver wings kept her hovering in one place.
“Ready?” I asked.
They both nodded.
Ana began to screech, a loud crow’s call that made my hair stand on end. Movement in the church caught my eye, and demons spilled out. They raced toward a set of narrow stone stairs that led down to the beach where our colleagues waited to fight.
Two massive bird-like creatures burst out of the church. In the light of the setting sun, I could see them better than I ever had before. They did look a bit like owls, though the figure of a woman flickered over them occasionally. Then the image of a horrible fanged monster.
Their magical signature was so powerful, it almost bowled me over.
“Now or never.” I dug my hand into my pouch and grabbed my square potion bomb full of the poison that would make them feel like they couldn’t breathe.
“Over here!” Bree shouted, waving her sword. “You’re so ugly even a dog wouldn’t kiss you!”
Despite the fear that chilled my skin, the smallest laugh escaped me. I doubted the bird beasts understood English, but one of them charged Bree, who would hold it off until I could get to it. The other charged Ana, its powerful wings carrying it toward us.
Ana shot upward, and I leaned over her side. My heartbeat roared in my ears as I watched the beast chase us, gleaming black eyes glued to us. I raised the potion, ready to throw.
But the beast was fast, nearly to us.
I hurled the potion bomb through the air and nailed the creature right on the beak where it had two little nostrils. The glass exploded, and the potion burst out in a cloud of blue smoke. The monster sucked it in.
In the distance, Bree fought with the other creature, swiping out with her sword and going for the throat.
The potion took a moment to work, so I drew my sword from the ether and lunged out, aiming for the bird’s neck.
The creature dodged, barely avoiding my blade but swiping out with a claw. It dragged across my shin and Ana’s feathered side, and we both cried out in pain.
Then the beast’s beak opened as it gasped for air.
“The potion is working!” I dug into my bag and found one of the three round potion bombs that Hedy had made. “Go higher!”
Ana swooped upward. My shin burned with pain and droplets of blood fell, but I ignored it and focused on the bird below. It flapped its wings frantically as it tried to breathe. From experience, I knew that it could get a little air in—this wouldn’t kill it—but it was definitely weaker and struggling for air.
“Left!” I shouted.
Ana dodged left, trying to get into a position from which I could throw. I caught sight of the battle on the beach where Maximus fought with the PITs and Cade and Lachlan. There were at least two dozen demons, and magic flew left and right, the fighting fierce.
I turned my attention back to the bird. Its beak gaped open. This was it.
As carefully as I could, I aimed. The wind tore at my hair as Ana flew toward the struggling beast. I threw my potion bomb, watching as it soared through the air and exploded into the mouth of the bird.
The creature shrieked, suddenly able to breathe again. The first potion had worn off, and the creature was enraged. It hurtled toward us, so fast that we couldn’t escape. I prayed the potion had worked.
The monster shifted in midair so it could claw us with its talons. But when it was only two feet way, it stopped abruptly.
A shriek of rage unlike any I’d ever heard filled the night.
The beast was bound!
It flew away, shaking its feet and trying to figure out what was wrong. It was no longer a threat to us, though.
“To the other beast!” I shouted.
Ana didn’t need to be told twice. She whirled on the air and flew toward Bree and the other monster. Blood dripped down Bree’s cheek from a cut and her eyes were wild, but she was holding it off. Damn, the monster was strong, if it could get a swipe in on Bree.
“Fly over them!” I shouted to Ana.
The other beast was so distracted by Bree that it didn’t notice us flying overhead. I grabbed one of the strangling potion bombs from my bag and hurled it at the monster bird’s beak. It smashed into it, the plume of blue smoke rising high, and the creature sucked in the smoke.
Bree darted away, knowing enough to hold her breath.
It didn’t take long for the second monster to open its mouth. I hurled the potion bomb at the bird’s mouth, victory surging through me.
Right before it made contact, the monster closed its beak. The glass shattered against it.
Shit!
I only had one bomb left. The spare.
My mind raced. Did I risk it?
No.
“Fly right over the monster!” I shouted.
Ana squawked, clearly knowing what I wanted to do. If she were able to speak English in this form, she’d be saying “Hell no, it’s too dangerous!”
“I can do this!”
She squawked again, but finally relented, diving low. I spared the fighters on the beach one last glance and saw that the battle was still going strong.
Then we were over the beast, and I leapt onto its back, the wind tearing at my hair as I fell. The creature shrieked and thrashed. I clung for dear life, desperate not to lose my grip. Wind made my eyes water, but I managed to shimmy up the bird’s back and get closer to its beak.
One of the bird’s talons somehow managed to swipe my thigh, and pain bloomed. I clung tighter to the bird, ignoring the searing agony. It clawed again, delivering another blow.
Damn, this thing was fast.
With every second that passed, it felt like my heart thundered louder. The bird spun in the air, trying to shake me loose, but I clung tightly. When I saw my opening, I grabbed my mother’s dagger and stabbed the bird in the throat.
It shrieked in pain, and I dug the potion bomb out of my sack, then shoved it into the bird’s mouth until I felt it shatter. I yanked my arm free.
The bird thrashed, and I lost my grip, plummeting toward the sea. As I fell, the wind tearing at me, I felt something snap inside my chest. The darkness that filled me had broken, somehow.
It was still there, but not quite as strong. Like it had shattered and the pieces had fallen down deep inside me. Though the wind pounded me fiercely, I was at peace for the first time in days. Joy surged through me. If I was better because the potion had been deployed, that meant I h
adn’t caused this. The beasts had. When they fed, my dark magic exploded—not the other way around.
Oh, thank fates.
Then I crashed into the sea, the water closing around me. Bubbles flared as I kicked upward, desperate to reach the surface.
My head broke through, and I gasped, blinking water out of my eyes.
The first thing I saw was one of the giant birds. It fell into the water nearby, splashing hard.
Was it dead? Had my knife wound killed it?
The water where the bird had fallen splashed violently. Then purple light burst from the monster, and a woman appeared in its place. She rose up on a huge wave of water, standing tall and proud, the waves surging around her. Blood flowed from a cut at the side of her neck, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.
A long purple dress draped her form, flowing into the waves, and her black hair floated eerily around her head. Her purple eyes glowed brightly, reminding me of Eloa.
But the similarities ended there. Pure evil radiated from the woman, and her gaze fell on me.
Terror streaked through me, and I tried to kick away. But the water made it so hard to move fast. I thrashed and struggled, but she rolled toward me on a wave. A second woman appeared at her side, identical.
The monsters were actually women.
And if they were able to walk on water and ride on a wave, they had powerful freaking magic.
From the sky, Ana dive-bombed them, her beak aiming straight for the women. But the witches—I was just assuming they were witches, since their eyes were purple like Eloa’s—raised their hands and cast a force field that glowed white above them.
Ana slammed into it and shrieked in pain.
Holy crap.
Fear and panic surged inside me. I was far from shore. So close to them. And they were incredibly powerful.
All around me, water surged. It crashed over my head and splashed into my eyes. I coughed, choking on it.
There was so much damned water that it felt like it had become part of me. I couldn’t escape it.
Do you want to?
The voice whispered inside me.
And suddenly, I realized that the water felt like part of me. New magic seemed to be welling inside me, clean magic like I hadn’t felt in ages. It wasn’t dark, like the magic that had poisoned me.