by Linsey Hall
“Just be careful,” Veronica said. “It’s rough in there.”
I climbed off of Camelia, who honked at me and trotted toward Doug. Cade and Ana climbed off their camels, who went toward the archaeologists like horses who knew they were heading home.
“Good luck.” Doug tipped his head, then threw the transportation charm on the ground. Silver smoke burst up, and they disappeared.
I turned to my friends, suddenly feeling really alone in the desert. The sight of Ana reminded me that we’d crossed a dangerous desert many times before. This was nothing new.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Always.” Ana turned toward the shimmering wall.
“As fast as you can,” Cade said. “Don’t stop for anything.”
I sucked in a deep breath, then started forward, sprinting with all my might.
As soon as I entered, grief filled my mind. The kind that’s as heavy as an anvil and makes you feel like you can’t move. Like you never want to move again.
I stumbled, almost going to my knees.
Thoughts of Ana dying flooded my mind. Of Cade. Memories of searching for Rowan through the streets of Death Valley—of finally realizing that she was gone. My mother’s death while protecting us from the Rebel Gods.
A sob rose in my throat, but I bit it back.
The images swam in my mind, pulling at my worst fears and memories. Darkness edged in at the corners of my vision.
It took everything I had to claw my way to my feet and keep going, but I forced my muscles to work. I turned my mind toward thoughts of failure—what would happen if I didn’t succeed?
The Rebel Gods would catch Ana.
They’d catch me.
We’d never find Rowan.
Failure wasn’t an option.
But my legs wouldn’t move. The grief and exhaustion had flowed through my body, stiffening my muscles.
No.
I sucked in a ragged breath and called on my wings, forcing them to flare out of my back. Pain bit through my muscles, clearing my mind.
I welcomed it, focusing on the physical pain rather than the mental, and took to the air. It felt like flying through jello, but I kept going. Slowly. Sweating. Aching.
Below, I saw Ana. She was struggling to rise from her knees. I swooped low, awkward in this weird half realm of misery and grief. Her gaze caught on me, filled with tears.
“I thought you were dead!” she cried.
“I’m not.” I reached for her hand, tears stinging my own eyes as all the grief I’d ever felt hit me like a ton of bricks.
Her hand gripped mine, clearing my mind briefly, and I pushed my wings to move, cutting through the thick, enchanted air. I pulled Ana’s hand, dragging her behind me. She ran, her touch giving me strength. We pulled each other out of the terrible mist and collapsed on the ground on the other side.
I flopped onto my back, crushing my wings, and gasped, trying to catch my breath. The grief had faded, leaving hollowness in its place.
But at least I could move.
I struggled to sit up, and caught sight of Cade collapsed halfway out of the mist.
He hadn’t had someone to drag him along.
I scrambled to my feet and limped toward him, tears burning my eyes. When I reached him, I grabbed his hands and pulled. He jerked at my touch, seeming to wake, and surged out of the mist, going to his feet in a lithe motion.
He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me along. We stumbled to a halt about fifteen feet away, panting.
Ana joined us. “That was the worst.”
I nodded, still unable to speak, and turned toward the city. The tumbling stone ruins were massive, shrouded in shadow as the sun sank behind the horizon.
“I’ll do some recon from the air,” I said. “Find out which way to go.”
“Good plan,” Cade said quietly. “See if you can use your illusion power to conceal yourself. We don’t know what’s in that city or what’s looking out.”
“You have illusion power now?” Ana asked. “That’s awesome.”
“From Loki, I think. But I need more practice.”
“Get to it, then.” Ana grinned and pointed at the sky.
I unfurled my wings, then called on the trickster’s magic, envisioning myself disappearing. It took a moment to locate the gift within my chest. Instead of finding the usual broken magic that was hard to grasp, my different powers felt almost organized inside me. Like I could call on one and it would appear.
A cold shiver raced down my limbs.
Ana gasped. “It worked!”
“Good.” I’d need to hurry, though. I could already feel the strain of using the unfamiliar magic. Illusion was particularly draining.
I crouched low, then took off into the air, letting my wings carry me upward. Pain surged, but it was easy to ignore with the wind whipping my hair back from my face and the joy of flying shooting through me.
This was totally crazy.
I felt weightless and powerful and…almost invincible.
This was the most incredible magic I’d ever experienced.
Soon, I was high enough to see the whole city, which butted up to the sea. The scent of the ocean washed over me. A broken exterior wall surrounded the city, which gleamed white under the moonlight, tumbled stones from broken buildings dotting the landscape.
Some buildings still had half walls remaining, but others were entirely gone, just leaving a footprint of a stone floor. Those had probably been built of wood, and were long gone. Grass and scrub grew around the stone floor tiles.
A large structure on the far end of the city caught my eye. It was near a harbor, and definitely the largest building there.
Had to be the Temple of Melqart.
Danger radiated on the air, dark spells that commanded us to go back.
Well, too bad. There was no way that was going to happen.
10
I flew back to the ground, landing pretty gracefully, if I did say so myself.
Quickly, I dropped the illusion, not wanting to waste my magic. “I think the temple is directly on the other side of town. At least, that’s the largest building.”
“Then let’s go,” Cade said.
As we approached the city, magic continued to spark from it, threatening and dark. I rubbed my arms.
The exterior town wall was broken and decayed, the earthen bricks more susceptible to damage than the stone of the buildings inside.
“Pictures, guys.” I pulled the camera from my pack, and my friends followed suit.
I snapped as many as I could, going for detail.
We passed through the wall, and set off up the street, which was made of large flagstones and bordered on either side by the ruins of old stone buildings. It was hard to shoot photos and stay alert, but I did my best.
Dim blue lights zipped around the fallen stones, and tension pricked the air.
“You feel that?” Ana whispered.
“Yep.” I unfurled my wings and called my sword from the ether. I kept shooting photos without looking at the camera, keeping my gaze glued to our surroundings.
Cade called on his own weapons, as did Ana.
“Stay alert for flying debris,” Cade said.
We walked by the light of the moon, our footsteps silent. Wind rustled by, carrying the scent of the sea.
“Feels like we’re being watched,” Ana whispered.
“But there’s nothing living here that I can sense.” Not that I was some kind of super-sleuth who could smell fresh rabbit poo or hear the chitter of squirrels. I hadn’t seen anything from the air, and this place just felt dead.
Which meant the ruins themselves were watching us.
How did one fight a building?
“Stow your cameras,” Cade said. “It’s too dangerous.”
I shoved mine in my pack and called my shield from the ether, keeping my gaze alert on our surroundings as my skin prickled.
When the first stone block levitated and shot toward us, I dived, raising my shield.
The huge boulder glanced off the metal, the strength of the blow sending vibrations up my arm.
Yeah, one couldn’t fight a building.
Hiding and running were the only options. “We have to run for it!”
“Agreed.” Cade stashed his sword and shield in the ether. “Fly, Bree.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“We can fend for ourselves.”
To the left, Ana threw up her shield just as a large rock flew at her. It bounced off her force field.
“Point taken.” I took off into the air, my wings carrying me high.
The rocks began to fly in earnest, dislodging themselves from the ground and hurtling through space. It reminded me of the Rebel God woman’s magic, but I couldn’t feel her power here.
Below, Ana deflected the rocks with her force field, while Cade caught them and hurled them away, darting down the path like he was in some macho video game.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a large gray rock flying toward me.
Crap!
I dived, narrowly avoiding the rock, then darted left to dodge another.
We made our way down the street toward the center of town, Ana blocking, Cade catching, and me dodging.
Pain flared when a jagged piece of rock scraped against my leg. I flew and pivoted, vowing to practice my flying more. By the time the boulders stopped soaring, sweat dotted my brow.
I landed next to Cade and Ana, who leaned against one of the broken walls, catching their breaths.
Ahead of us, the Temple of Melqart rose tall. The top right corner of the austere structure was gone, but the rest looked intact. Several long, shallow steps led up to the square door, and the whole thing was unadorned.
“We made it,” Ana said.
I approached the temple, the sense of strong magic increasing. It snapped against my skin and stank of sulfur.
“Almost,” I murmured. “Something is coming.”
Just as I said it, the ground began to shake. I stiffened briefly, then hurried forward.
“We need to get through that door.” I felt it as strongly as I felt the ground beneath my feet.
Cade and Ana raced forward to join me.
A figure appeared on the steps, massive and cloaked in black. Magic rolled out from him, strong and deadly. It was a punch to the gut and felt cold beneath my fingertips. He was still a hundred yards away, but I could feel his magic as if he were standing right next to me.
He raised his arms, his black cloak whipping in the wind, and roared, “I am Orcus, and you shall not pass!”
His voice vibrated through me, and I shuddered.
“A god of death,” Cade said. “Roman.”
“So they hired him to protect the entrance to their stronghold,” I said.
“Worse.” Cade frowned. “He joined voluntarily, I would assume. For the cause.”
“Damn,” Ana said. “It’s so much harder to fight people who believe in what they’re fighting for.”
“Well, they’re fighting on the wrong side,” I said. “That gives us the advantage. And there’s only one of him. Three of us.”
Orcus waved his arms, and the earth rumbled again. I wobbled on my feet.
He could create earthquakes?
All around us, the ground burst open. Giant monsters leapt up from the ground, nine feet tall if they were an inch. Shaped roughly like Minotaurs, they also had elephant tusks extending from their mouths. Demons. Inscriptions decorated their tusks, though I couldn’t read them.
Ancient monster tattoos?
There were six of them, and they charged as one.
My heart thundered against my ribs as I leapt into the air, letting my wings carry me aloft. It was both a powerful feeling and an awkward one.
I hadn’t fought from the sky before, but I was going to need to learn. Fast.
Cade’s magic flared to life, stronger than ever before. Because we were fighting another god?
Black smoke rolled out from his feet as he charged toward the nearest demon, and the earth shook with the footfalls of a thousand stallions. It was different than Orcus’s power. Visions of battle and blood flashed in front of my face.
Cade meant business.
He hurled his shield at the nearest monster, drawing his sword at the same time. The shield neatly removed the beast’s head, but Cade ignored it, going for another Minotaur instead. He leapt into the air to reach the tall creature’s neck, catching his shield as he flew.
The beast swiped out with claws, but Cade was too fast, raising his shield to block as he plunged his sword into the demon’s heart. The beast roared in rage.
On the other side of the street, Ana hurled her dagger. It sank into the black eye of the nearest beast.
I left her to it—she could handle herself—and swooped low to attack a monster who was glaring up at me, his spear raised to hurl.
He heaved the weapon. I deflected it with my shield, then dived, the wind whipping through my hair. As I neared him, I swung my sword and sliced through his neck, dodging just in time to avoid the spray of blood.
My wings ached, but it worked. I soared into the sky, searching for more prey.
Cade was killing his third, and Ana her second.
There were none left for me. I needed to learn to be quicker with my wings.
Orcus stood on the steps of the temple, rage rolling out from him, vibrating on the air.
Oh, we had him right where we wanted him. With his backup dead, and with Cade at our side, we could defeat a god.
Orcus roared. Lightning cut across the sky, followed by a boom of thunder that shook the feathers on my wings.
Ana lost her balance, stumbling.
The earth must’ve been shaking.
Which meant—
Two dozen Minotaur monsters leapt from the earth, their elephant tusks gleaming in the moonlight. They were huge—an army of super soldier monsters.
Shit.
There were plenty left for me. We couldn’t fight this many. Not without some kind of advantage.
Advantage.
The word rang in my head.
I called on my magic, letting it surge through me. It filled me with power, strong and fierce. Joy sang through me.
Yes.
My new wings were amazing, anchoring my magic inside me. I’d do whatever I had to do to earn my wings and keep this power.
I called upon Loki’s gift, envisioning myself, Cade, and Ana as invisible. Cold shivered over my skin.
Below, Ana shuddered.
Then disappeared.
Cade followed.
Gone.
“You guys are invisible!” I shouted.
They didn’t respond, no doubt trying to conceal their position.
If we’d all drunk the same invisibility potion, we’d be bound by that magic and able to see each other. My illusion didn’t seem to work that way, however. It was so real that even I couldn’t see through it.
A monster roared, then toppled over, a dagger protruding from his eye. The demons began to fall, heads flying off and bloody wounds appearing on their chests.
It happened so fast that I had to assume Cade was using his super speed with deadly results, and Ana was hurling her trusty daggers. I was about to dive and fight, but they were so quick—and I didn’t want to get in the way—that I stayed hovering in the air.
Within a minute, the demons were all dead, their bodies disappearing back to the underworld.
Orcus stood on the steps, rage vibrating from him. The air around him shimmered, and he began to grow. His muscles bulged and rippled as they tore at his cloak. He grew, doubling in size until he dwarfed the large entryway to the temple.
Oh, crap.
11
Orcus roared, and my heart beat against my ribs as fear shivered over my skin.
When he swept his hand through the air, and pain blasted through me, I doubled over, my wings losing their grip on the air. Visions of torture flashed through my mind—of me being torn
apart by Orcus and consumed. Of Ana being devoured. Cade.
Was that what he’d do to us?
Yes.
I tumbled toward the ground, tears burning my eyes as agony tore through me. I could barely make out Ana, curled up on the ground, and Cade, who had gone to one knee. If I could see them, the pain had made me lose my control over my invisibility illusion.
Oh, this was bad.
I was only ten feet from crashing into the ground by the time my wings caught the air again. I managed to fly upward, wobbling and weak.
I needed to shock Orcus into dropping this torture spell. He couldn’t manage it forever or he’d have started with it. It must be costing him.
I envisioned flame ripping through the street, bright and orange. It popped to life, roaring toward him. I avoided Cade and Ana, just in case. I knew it wasn’t real flame, but no need to risk it. I still didn’t understand the extent of these powers.
Orcus dropped his arms and stepped backward.
Illusion was a much rarer gift than fire. He had no reason to think it wasn’t real.
To have any shot at defeating him, we had to attack as one.
As if he’d read my mind, Cade looked skyward and raised a fist, giving the signal for a unilateral attack.
Hey, maybe this fight training stuff with the Protectorate was as handy as Jude always said it was.
As the flames boxed Orcus against the wall of the temple, I flew down toward him, my sword ready. Ana and Cade raced for the wall of flame.
As they neared it, I allowed it to part in one small section. They raced through. Cade leapt high, his sword aiming for Orcus’s heart. The evil god swiped out with a large fist, but Cade dodged.
At the same time, I flew for his neck, narrowly avoiding his fist and plunging my blade in deep. Blood spurted.
Ana went for his legs, cutting them out from under him.
Orcus roared, his magic swelling on the air. The pain shot through me again, visions of me being dismembered tearing through my mind. Bile rose in my throat as I faltered, my blade pulling out of his neck. From down below, Ana screamed.
Orcus swayed, then fell, the wounds to his legs, chest, and neck enough to take him down. He fell with a crash, then disappeared in a blast of golden light.