by Linsey Hall
“A goblin,” Cade murmured.
“Goblin?” I asked.
“They hoard treasure.”
“Indeed, we do,” the goblin said. “And I’m sure you’ve something on your person that I could add to my collection after I’ve killed you.”
“Hell no, we’re not joining your collection,” I said.
“Why not?” He pointed to the jewels that sat next to him. “That once belonged to a queen of Spain. Oh, how she screamed when I killed her. Wouldn’t you like to join her?”
“No. And yuck.” The gleam of excitement in his eyes really grossed me out.
“And then that over there…” He pointed to a collection of gleaming golden chairs. “They belonged to the Fae king of Anchromea. He was not very pleased when I cut off his—”
“Stop!” I held out my hands. “We don’t need to know any more. You’re a miserable bastard who has killed a whole lot of people to create this creepy collection. We get it.”
“Creepy?” Anger flushed his face, turning it an even deeper red. “I’ll show you creepy.”
Magic swirled around him, dark and fierce. It swept him up in a tornado, no doubt turning him into something awful. Before he could finish the transformation, I darted toward the pedestal in the center of the open space.
I just had to grab the vase before he changed.
I was nearly there when the black tornado that surrounded him exploded in a blast. Something slammed into me, smacking me aside and throwing me up into the air. I flew high, and somehow—miraculously—Maximus caught me.
My heart thundered as I looked up at him, catching sight of an enormous tentacle smashing back down to the ground.
Oh, hell no.
Tentacles?
I squinted through the dark smoke that was dissipating and spotted a huge creature. He looked like a green land octopus, with at least ten legs and an enormous head sporting beady black eyes.
“The Goblin King,” Cade muttered. “Just our luck.”
“What’s the Goblin King?” I asked as my gaze darted around the space, looking for a place to hide.
“Only the most dangerous goblin in existence. He lives for treasure, and the number of people he’s killed is more than we can guess.”
Maximus drew a sword from the ether, looking like a total bad ass. “Then let’s take care of the bastard.”
14
At his words, a tentacle snapped toward us. It was as wide around as a car, and glinted a brilliant green. We all dived out of the way as it smashed down into the pile of gold behind us, sending the coins flying.
I slid into a crevice between two golden benches, covering my head. The coins pinged off of me, hurting like hell wherever they hit. Maximus slammed into the hiding space with me, trying to shield my body with his own as he kept his sword away from me.
Once the coins stopped flying, I jumped to my feet. I could turn into a dragon to fight this guy, but I was still nervous about my fire. It’d gone out of control last time. Better to try something safer to start. I drew a potion bomb from my bag. It was a hardcore stunner, but I had a feeling I’d need more than one.
The Goblin King rose high above us, at least twenty feet in the air, his tentacles stretched throughout the cavern, writhing over piles of gold as they searched us out.
At my side, Cade hurled his round shield at one of the tentacles. The shield flew straight, severing the tentacle in one smooth movement. Green blood sprayed, and the Goblin King shrieked.
While he was distracted by that, I chucked the potion bomb at his head. It smashed into his face, and he swayed, his eyes crossing. A moment later, he shook his head, his expression clearing, and managed to stay upright.
His enraged roar shook the chamber itself, causing piles of gold to shift all around.
I scrambled away from the pile that began to rain down, threatening to crush me, and skidded on the coins.
To my left, Maximus lunged for one of the tentacles that was about to slam down on my head. He stabbed it with his sword, then yanked the blade to the side, dragging the tentacle with it.
The tentacle must have been able to exert a thousand pounds of muscular force, but Maximus managed to pull it tight.
An idea flared, and I pulled my electric sword from the ether. The weapon crackled with energy as I sliced it toward the tentacle. It took a few bloody hacks to get all the way through the thing, but I managed.
The Goblin King roared again, and something heavy hit me in the back.
Another tentacle.
It lifted me up and flung me against the stone wall. I hit the side so hard that my body exploded with pain as I dropped to the ground.
Aching, I sat against the wall, blinking bleary eyes at the fight going down in front of me.
Lachlan had turned into an enormous black lion and was attacking the Goblin King’s throat, leaving massive wounds in the surface of his flesh. Green blood poured down over the gold, but the Goblin King kept fighting.
Bree and Ana had adopted their flying forms. Ana was destroying one tentacle with her claws, while Bree was using her strength to tie two tentacles together. Maximus raced toward me, concern creasing his brow.
Despite the fact that the Goblin King was shaped like a giant octopus, he could still speak. “I’ll kill you! I’ll tear your guts out through your mouth and wear your heads as hats. You’ll never know pain like the pain I’ll deliver.”
Honestly, given the aches that rolled through my body, I believed him. This guy was capable of a hell of a lot.
Maximus reached me and helped pull me to my feet. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Let’s just finish this guy.” Everything ached as I staggered toward the center of the cavern where the battle was going down.
The Goblin King still had four tentacles in operation, and he used one to smack away Lachlan, who was still tearing at his enormous throat with his claws and fangs. The black lion flew head over tail and slammed into the stone wall, just as I had done.
Rage boiled in my chest at the sight of my friend crumpled on the ground. The dragon within me burst to the surface. I hadn’t called on it—not consciously—but suddenly, I was twenty feet tall and in possession of some serious claws and fangs. Any concern I’d had about the small space and my fire dwindled.
I could do this.
I had to do this.
I roared, a sound that shook the cavern itself. No smoke burst from my mouth, thank fates.
I took off into the air, my powerful wings carrying me high. As if they got the message, my friends cleared out, darting toward the edges of the cavern. I swooped low over the Goblin King, blasting him with a jet of fire that melted the gold beneath his body.
He shrieked, his tentacles waving.
That’s probably what your other victims felt, you jerk.
I gave him one last enormous blast, wanting to end his misery and get this over with. The fire was so hot and so fierce that it turned his head to ashes in a second.
Wow, dragon fire was amazing.
The tentacles flopped to the ground, lifeless, and I whirled on the air, surveying the piles of gold to find my friends. One by one, they strode toward the middle of the cavern. Ana, now in her human form, was crouched by Lachlan. He’d also shifted back, and he was staggering to his feet. Everyone else looked fine, thank fates.
Satisfied that my friends were safe, I searched for the vessel. My gaze landed on it almost immediately, as if it called to my soul. It was half buried in a pile of coins, nearly impossible to see. If it hadn’t called to me, I might have missed it entirely.
I swooped down and landed next to it, my tail smashing into a pile of coins and sending them sliding.
Whoops.
I’d have to be more careful with that thing.
I shifted back to human form and snagged the vessel quickly, turning to look at my friends. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Lachlan created a portal, and we were home within minutes. All I wanted was a show
er and a nap, but as soon as I appeared on the castle lawn, I spotted the Centaurs and the Cyclopes.
“Looks like I can kiss that nap goodbye,” I muttered.
“No kidding,” Ana said.
The Amazons were there as well, clustered near the castle wall. Over a hundred of them, each dressed in their black battle clothes. I smiled, glad to see them but dreading the reason they were at the castle.
It was pure chaos there, with people running around, clearly prepping for battle. Most carried weapons or wore some kind of armor. A lot of it was modern tactical wear, though a few people were wearing more ancient stuff. To each their own.
“Something has changed,” Maximus said.
Bree frowned. “The Titans must have made progress with the crystal. It looks like we’re about to go to war.”
My heart thundered, and I clutched the vessel tightly. Damn it, I wasn’t ready yet. I had no idea how to get their souls into the vessel.
I searched the courtyard for Jude and spotted her striding toward us. She’d nearly reached us when I blurted out, “Is it time?”
She nodded sharply. “Our recon at the Titans’ fortress suggests that their spell is nearly complete. The golden crystal has been hooked up to the power source and is spinning faster than ever. Soon, they’ll have converted the entire world to their dark magic—including us. There’s no more time to wait.”
“But I’m not ready. I don’t know how to put their souls into the vessel.” I held it up.
“You’re going to have to figure it out on the spot, because we are literally out of time. Once we’ve converted to their side, there will be no one left to fight them. But if we can stop them now, we’ll turn back the damage they’ve done. Now that you’re here, we can go.”
Something loud clanged in my head as my mind raced, searching for a way to get their souls into this vessel. I had no idea, unfortunately. Just…nothing.
Jude met the gazes of everyone in our group. “We’ve found a weakness in their fortress wall, and our army is ready. I was hoping that you could take your buggy and get close enough to the wall to deploy the bombs that Hedy made. Once we have an entrance into their fortress, the entire army will approach.”
Bree nodded, and I heard her speak through the buzzing in my head. “Of course, the buggy can be ready to go in minutes.”
“Good. The Cyclopes and Centaurs have agreed to provide cover for your approach.”
Heck yeah, that would definitely help.
“You all look like hell,” Jude said. “Go get a power-up potion from Hedy. It should give you some energy.”
More magical speed. But we didn’t have a choice. I was so exhausted that I was dragging like a new mother with a colicky infant. I nodded at Jude, hoping that Hedy’s potion would clear up my mind and give me a genius idea about how to get the Titans into the vessel.
As if she could read the concern in my eyes, Jude reached for my hand and squeezed. “You can do this, Rowan. I have faith in you. And even if you need some extra time to figure out how to get their souls into the vessel, perhaps we can contain them long enough to give you that time. We’ve got a pretty impressive force here.”
I looked around, taking in even more people than before. Allies were still arriving, and she was right. This was an incredible army. I spotted the FireSouls by the castle doors. Nix, Del, and Cass stood with their guys, Ares, Roarke, and Aiden. Mordaca and Aerdeca stood with them, each kitted out entirely in black and white respectively. Gone were the Elvira dress and white pantsuit, however, and in their places were tactical outfits in their signature colors.
They waved but didn’t smile. Nix, Cass, and Dell waved with big grins on their faces, and I knew they were excited to get into a fight. They loved a good fight.
“And there’s some good news,” Jude said. “You know the troops outside the castle walls?”
“How could I forget?” They were literally here for me.
“We found a way to trap them here, so we won’t have to fight them at the Titans’ fortress. And once the Titans are dead, their magical sway over the humans will disappear. That leaves just the demons to deal with. Easy peasy.”
I smiled at her, genuinely happy. It meant less death and injury for all, and I could definitely get behind that.
“Be ready,” Jude said. “We leave in ten.”
With that, she turned and walked away. My shoulders slumped.
Maximus laid a heavy, comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Rowan. You’ve got this.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, you’ve got it,” Ana added. “No question.”
“I have faith in you.” Bree gave me a quick hug, then stepped back. “I’m off to prep the buggy. Snag me a power-up potion from Hedy.”
I saluted her. “Will do.”
She ran off to the buggy, and the rest of us headed into the castle. On the way in, I spotted Connor and Claire, my other friends from Magic’s Bend. They waved, their expressions serious. Connor had a bag strapped over his shoulder that looked just like mine. No doubt it was filled with potions. Claire wore her fighting leathers with her hair pulled back, and she gripped her sword loosely in her hand.
There were so many people flowing out of the castle that we climbed the stairs into the main entryway like salmon going upstream. Once inside, Maximus stopped me.
“Really, Rowan. You can do this. You’ll find a way.” His expression was serious, as if he were trying to force some of his faith into me.
I smiled up at him, wishing I believed him.
“He’s not wrong, you know.” The voice came from behind me, vibrating with power.
My heart thundered as I turned, spotting Arach, the dragon spirit who guarded the castle. She appeared in her human form, which looked a bit like a transparent blue ghost. Her features were beautiful but reptilian. Hundreds of years ago, she’d given her magic and her life to create the Protectorate, and now she guarded it. I was rarely granted an audience with her. No one was.
Her power was so immense that it made me lightheaded to stand near her.
“Arach.” The words came out as a squeak.
“Rowan Blackwood. You have done well.”
“Thanks.” Warmth glowed in my chest at her words, but not for long. “Except I have no idea how I’m supposed to get the Titans’ souls into the vessel.”
She reached out and laid her hand on my arm. I couldn’t feel the warmth or solidity of her form since she didn’t have one, but her magic flowed through me, bolstering me. “You will find a way. When the time comes, the answer will come to you as well. It is inside of you. Have faith, Rowan. You can make the final choice. Only you.”
I nodded, wishing that she had more explicit instructions but willing to take what I could get. “Thank you, Arach.”
With that, she disappeared.
I was still scared silly, but I felt a bit better.
Maximus squeezed my hand. “Let’s go find Hedy.”
Once Maximus and I had collected power-up potions and the bombs from Hedy, we returned to the front lawn. The troops were all gathered in groups, ready to be transported to the field of battle. Lachlan walked amongst them, along with Emily, the transport mage. Between the two of them, they’d create enough portals so we could get our army there.
Then all we had left to do was defeat the Titans.
As Jude would say, easy peasy.
Not.
I shook away the negative thoughts and strode toward Bree and the buggy. Our fighting machine looked as good as ever. We’d built the hulking car ourselves when we’d been teenagers, using spare parts and things we’d scavenged from car graveyards.
The result was something that looked like a Humvee with no top. The sides were covered in huge spikes that were coated in Ravener poison, and platforms were built over the hood and extending off the back.
Bree was already standing on the front fighting platform that was built right over the hood. Caro stood next to her, platinum hair gleaming. Ana s
at behind the wheel, a bright smile on her face. No matter how dangerous the goal, Ana loved driving the buggy. Cade stood on the back fighting platform, his expression set.
I strode up to them, raising the power-up potions in the air. “I’ve got the stuff.”
They grinned. The power-up potions were basically magical energy drinks, but super strong. We weren’t supposed to take them often or they’d overload our system.
Maximus and I climbed into the buggy, and I handed out the potions. I slugged mine back, then joined Bree and Caro on the front platform, while Maximus took up position on the back platform with the rest of the guys.
Bree handed me a harness and grinned. “Safety first.”
I strapped the harness around my waist and clipped it off to the front safety bar that wrapped around the platform at waist-high level. When we’d been teenagers on our first trip in the buggy, we’d learned the hard way that we needed safety harnesses.
All around, the groups of fighters whispered and readied themselves for battle. Portals gleamed in front of them, ready to be used to reach the site of battle. Between the Protectorate, the Order of the Magica, the Amazons, our friends from Magic’s Bend, and the Greek mythical creatures, we had an army of at least two hundred.
Not bad.
Jude strode up to our buggy. Her electric whip was coiled at her side and her face was battle ready, set in serious lines. “Ready?”
“Ready,” we all said in unison.
“You’ll go first. Caro will lead you to the weak spot in the castle wall. Deploy the bombs, and once our entryway is established, join the fight.”
“On it.”
She smiled at us. “Good luck and be safe.”
Lachlan strode up to us and stopped right in front of the buggy to make a large portal. Once it gleamed, ready for Ana to drive through, he climbed onto the back platform to join Cade.
“Go!” Jude shouted.
Our army began to flow through the portals, heading toward war. Ana hit the gas, and the buggy rumbled forward. I gripped the safety bar in front of me, my heart thundering.