by Linsey Hall
“I prefer acid myself.” Haris grinned.
Jude scowled. “I know you take this seriously, but Bree and Ana are new here. They don’t know how strange you are.”
Caro, Ali, and Haris sobered, then turned to me.
“We really do take this seriously,” Caro said.
I grinned. “I know. And I kind of prefer the levity. Makes things feel less terrifying”
“Right. Let’s go,” Cade said.
I started toward the main doors.
We walked quickly through the enchanted forest toward the portal to Edinburgh, Mayhem following alongside. Maybe I was being overly optimistic, but the damage from the dark curse seemed to be even more improved since this morning.
One by one, we crossed through the portal into the bustling evening street in Edinburgh. As usual, no one noticed us, since there was a concealment spell on the portal exit. I’d had to ask Caro the other day why we seemed to be able to appear in front of people and they didn’t blink.
There was a chilly bite to the morning air as we headed back into Little Grassmarket Close, the alley where we were scheduled to meet Cass, Nix, and Del.
Ten figures waited for us near the glowing orange portal. Four guards from the Protectorate, who were in charge of not letting anyone through to Kart-hadasht, along with Cass, Nix, Del, and three tall, muscular men.
I hadn’t seen them in years, but I immediately recognized them as the significant others of my friends. Aidan, Cass’s guy, was the Origin, the descendent of the first shifter. Roarke, Del’s guy, was the Warden of the Underworld, a dark-haired demon hybrid who was in charge of keeping order in the Underworld. Ares, Nix’s guy, was a half vampire, half mage who was one of the rulers of the Vampire realm.
I was glad they’d come to help. They’d make good backup.
Nix stepped forward and waved. “I’m Nix Knight.”
Everyone made introductions, then Cade stepped forward. “The plans are simple. We’ll go to Kart-hadasht, where we’ll then cross through the portal to the stronghold, which is a mirror of the ancient city on earth, but completely intact. Caro, Ali, and Haris will go to the accountant’s office to get whatever records they can about the Rebel Gods’ operations on Earth. Jude, you’ll lead Aidan, Roarke, and Ares toward the second location deeper in the city where we hope we’ll find more records. Once you’ve all completed your tasks, contact us on your comms charms, and then get out of there.” He handed around the comms charms he’d gotten last night. “The rest of us—myself, Bree, Ana, Nix, Cass, and Del—will head for the eternal flame in the Temple of Melqart to steal the power that fuels the stronghold in the ether. Once that’s done, we’ll run for it and get out before the stronghold is destroyed.”
“You’ll have to exit the way we came in,” Jude said. “The harbor at the stronghold should be the last place to be destroyed, as it is linked to the real world. If you’re fast, you should make it.”
We all nodded, and tied the comms charms around our necks.
“Be ready when we go through the portal,” I said. “There could be guards there. We caused a…um, bit of a fuss when we performed recon.”
Everyone drew their weapons, an assortment of swords, daggers, and bows. I chose my daggers, since I’d be fighting from the air.
A tornado of gray light formed around Roarke, the Warden of the Underworld, and he shifted into his demon form. His skin turned a dark gray while wings of the same color sprouted from his back. His eyes turned black and his features sharper. Next to him, Ares adopted his vampire form, a bigger, harsher-featured version of himself. Del, the half-Phantom, shimmered and turned a transparent blue. Nothing could hurt her in that form.
I let my wings unfurl. “Everyone ready?”
They all nodded.
I led the way through the orange portal, Mayhem at my side. The ether sucked me in, spitting me out in the harbor at Kart-hadasht. I shot straight into the air to clear the way at the portal, then wheeled around and looked down, searching for any threats.
There were a dozen demons below, all waiting for us, I had to assume. Each was a hulking demon with pale white skin and huge red horns. I debated shielding us with invisibility, but we could beat them without it. I had to save my power for the big fights.
I hurled my dagger at the closest one. The blade sank into his eye. Blood spurted. The demon next to him shot a blast of blue light at me. I dodged, narrowly avoiding the electric shock.
Cade leapt from the portal next, going straight for a demon on the right. Then Jude, Ana, and the rest. One by one, they broke off and went on the attack.
I aimed for the last demon, but Mayhem got there first, landing a massive blow of fire to his chest. He whirled around, alight, and I threw my dagger at him. It plunged into his neck, and he collapsed backward.
The demons were all down, their bodies disappearing back to their underworlds.
I landed amongst the group. “I don’t think any of them had comms charms. Hopefully they didn’t set off any alert.”
“Fingers crossed,” Del said, her face glowing a pale blue. “I prefer stealth.”
“We’ll likely face more demon guards,” I said. “But if we’re lucky, the Rebel Gods won’t show.”
“How are we getting to the stronghold in the ether?” Nix asked.
“We’ve got a ride.” I turned to Cade. “Will you go up and trigger the hippokampoi?”
As Cade ran up the stairs to the temple, Cass looked at me. “A real hippokampoi?”
“If we’re lucky.”
At that moment, Cade stepped out of the appropriate door from the temple, re-triggering the magic that called our ride. It glowed gold, then the light shot through the stones on the floor and down into the water.
I watched the harbor, my shoulders tense.
Little waves appeared, then a shimmering green horse’s head broke the surface. Wings unfurled, and the creature neighed.
“Whoa,” Caro said.
The hippokampoi eyed us all, clearly doing some mental math. Cade approached and pulled a ham out of the big bag on his shoulder. The hippokampoi neighed again, then whistled.
Four more hippokampoi appeared, swimming for the dock.
“Oh, thank fates,” I murmured. “That’ll make things easier.”
Cade and Mayhem set up an assembly line, with Mayhem using her fire breath to heat the hams and Cade tossing them to the hippokampoi.
Once they’d all swallowed them whole, they sidled up to the quay.
“All right, everyone,” I said. “Get on. They’ll take us through the portal. I’m going to use my gift over illusion to conceal us as we arrive in the other realm. I can’t keep it up for long, but hopefully it’ll give us enough time to take out any guards stationed at the entrance harbor. Once we’ve taken them out, it’s go time.”
There was a chorus of nods and agreements, then everyone climbed onto the hippokampoi in groups of two and three.
“This is pretty badass,” Del said, her black hair gleaming in the light of the moon.
I had to agree. Riding mythical beasts was high on my list of faves.
Once we were all seated, the animals took off through the water, heading in a line toward the portal.
They swam through, and magic prickled against my skin. The air went bright and golden briefly, and I called upon my gift of illusion, imagining all of us as invisible.
As soon as we arrived in the harbor filled with ancient boats, I leapt off the hippokampoi, my wings unfurling and carrying me high into the air.
I spotted a guard lounging on one of the boats, and drew my dagger from the ether. I hurled it, hitting him in the throat. He gurgled, blood spurting, then keeled over. All around, other guards fell, weapons protruding from their bodies.
The attack was silent, and since I couldn’t see any of my friends, it was also very strange. Like a weird plague of mysterious flying weapons.
Soon, all the demon guards were on the ground, their bodies disappearing back to their
underworlds. It wouldn’t be so easy if we ran into any Rebel Gods, but I was going to take what I could get.
I landed on the stone quay and dropped the illusion. My friends appeared, scattered all over the quay, retrieving their weapons.
Without speaking, everyone gathered into their assigned teams and headed toward the city. Caro saluted just before she peeled off toward the accountant’s office, Ali and Haris in tow.
Jude led Aidan, Roarke, and Ares toward the part of town where we thought the other records would be held. Cade had given her a full rundown of everything we remembered from this place, so hopefully she’d be quick in finding it.
I joined Ana, Cade, Nix, Cass, and Del, then led them around the row of warehouses toward the main part of the city.
I led them in a single file line down the street, following the call of the eternal flame. Its magic was strong, the signature distinct. It was a mirror image of the flame in Kart-hadasht in the real world, and the magic felt exactly the same, drawing me forward. It was like the smell of bacon in the morning—easy to follow.
As agreed upon, we stuck to narrower streets and alleys—the places that were less likely to be inhabited or contain guards. With the city intact, it gave us many places to hide.
“That’s a strong magic,” Nix murmured from behind me. “And a strange one.”
She wasn’t wrong. It shivered across my skin, at once familiar and repellent.
The shadows deepened as we entered a narrower alley bordered on both sides by wooden houses. The city streets were quiet this time of night, and it was a bit strange to walk through something so historic.
When the first fireball exploded on the ground in front of me, I jumped.
“From above!” Cade said.
I looked up just as another sailed down, straight for me. I lunged left, but it hit my calf. Pain burned.
From behind me, Ana’s magic flared. Her glowing shield appeared overhead. A fireball slammed into it, sending white stress veins through the shield. I couldn’t see where the attacker was hiding exactly, but the fireballs seemed to be coming from only one source.
“I’ve got this.” I sprinted out from under Ana’s shield, then called my wings to action. I leapt into the sky, flying toward the roof two stories above.
A demon crouched there, so focused on my friends below that he didn’t see me. I drew my dagger from the ether and hurled it. As if he had super senses, he looked up just in time to dodge.
My dagger barely missed him.
He hissed, and threw a fireball at me. I lunged left, the flame barely glancing off my wings. The smell of burnt feathers turned my stomach, but I didn’t hesitate, just drew another dagger and threw.
This one sank into his eye.
Blood spurted and he fell backward, crashing onto the roof.
Ew.
As often as I pulled that move, I should’ve been used to the result. But that one had been particularly squishy.
I left the dagger in his head and flew back to my friends. It’d be gross when I called it back to the ether, but I didn’t have time to be persnickety.
I landed with my friends. Ana let her shield drop.
“Nice work,” Cass said.
“Thanks.” I turned and started down the alley again.
The buildings turned from wood to stone, indicating that we were probably entering a wealthier part of town. Maybe the business district, though I had no idea. Doug and Veronica would have loved this place.
Tension tugged at my muscles as we went. There would be more attacks—there was no way around it. I just wanted them to start already, and save me this suspense.
Eventually, we spilled out into a square. As soon as I stepped over the threshold and out into the alley, magic popped against my skin.
“Oh damn,” I murmured.
Next to me, Nix raised her bow and arrow. “Yep. That’s gonna be a problem.”
Cade joined me, smelling the air just slightly. “Demon beast.”
I sniffed, getting a hit of sulfur. I winced.
A roar sounded, deep and bellowing.
Yep. Our cover was shot.
14
A huge monster crashed into the square, breaking down a wooden building to the right. The creature was shaped like a boar but covered in yellow scales. Serrated back tusks extended out from its face, ready to slice.
Next to me, Cade’s magic surged. “I’ll distract him. You kill.”
He shifted into his wolf form, and charged. On my other side, magic swirled around Cass. She, too, turned into a giant wolf, and I recalled that she was a Mirror Mage, someone who was able to mimic another person’s magic.
She joined Cade, charging across the courtyard and leaping for the monster’s neck. Cade got a bite into the belly of the beast, but it wasn’t enough. The creature thrashed, shaking Cass off its neck. Beady black eyes landed on us.
I shot into the sky, drawing my dagger from the ether. I’d have to throw hard and be sure to hit an eye. I flew overtop of the creature and aimed.
Before I could throw, Del ran out into the middle of the courtyard, her Phantom form glowing blue. Her magic surged, and she hurled a massive icicle at the monster.
It plunged through the beast’s neck like a harpoon, increasing the damage that Cass had already done. Cade’s wolf leapt onto the beast, throwing it to its side. One of Nix’s arrows flew through the air, piercing the monster through the eye. She stood on the other side of the courtyard, brown hair blowing in the wind.
I stashed my dagger back in the ether. With friends like these, who needed to fight?
I rejoined my companions on the ground as Cade and Cass shifted back into their human forms.
“Let’s get a move on. Reinforcements will probably be coming.” In fact, it felt like the magic here had increased, as if maybe more Rebel Gods were showing up already.
That would be bad.
I hurried from the square, heading for an alley. We crossed several streets before coming to an amphitheater on our right. We stood at the top, and the seats stretched down to a stage that butted up to the waveless sea. An eerie silence filled the emptiness.
We were halfway past the amphitheater when Del stopped, shushing us.
We halted dead in our tracks.
“Someone is coming,” Del said.
I perked my ears, but heard nothing.
“Super hearing,” Cass said.
I nodded. “I’ll scout it out. Stay here.”
Everyone stood silently as I shot into the air, calling upon my illusion to conceal myself. I stopped about two hundred feet up, surveying the terrain. The city was built on a grid, and at first, I couldn’t see the attackers.
Then something moved in the shadows.
A contingent of about thirty demon soldiers was coming our way.
Crap.
Too many.
I searched the city, hoping a solution would hit me. A large fountain spewed water in the center of town, directly in line with the amphitheater and the sea. If the demons kept going the way they were, and turned onto that street….
I flew low and whispered to my friends, “Clear out! Away from this street!”
They hurried out of the way, pressing their backs against the buildings. I shot into the air, spotting the demons as the last one turned onto the desired street.
Jackpot.
I called on my gift over water, reaching for the liquid in the fountain. My power surged immediately, my wings making my gift so much more reliable.
I envisioned thousands of gallons of water shooting up from the ground below, and it did as I commanded. I directed the huge wash of water down the street. It roared and crashed against the building walls, catching up with the soldiers and bowling them over. They shouted and flailed, but the water was too deep and too fast.
More. More!
The water surged, washing them down the street toward the amphitheater. I sent them crashing down the steps, where I commanded a massive wave from the ocean to pi
ck them up off the stage and suck them into the sea.
Power rushed through me, making me feel invincible. I loved having my magic anchored inside me. The control was amazing.
I grinned as the last of the water drained away, and flew back to my friends. I landed quietly.
“Wow, you’ve really come into your own,” Nix said.
“Thanks.” It meant a lot, coming from her. The things I’d seen Nix do would blow any supernatural’s mind. “Let’s go.”
“The eternal flame is close,” Cade said.
“Good, because I hear more company,” Del said.
We spilled out into a courtyard a moment later, right in front of a massive temple that looked just like the one back in Kart-hadasht.
“The eternal flame is in there.” I pointed.
A dozen demons ran out of the temple, weapons raised. Guards.
The ones on the edges threw fireballs. I dived left, narrowly avoiding one. My leg was still burning from where I’d gotten hit earlier, and I was clumsy.
Cade hurled his shield at one of the fire demons, taking its head. Next to me, Nix drew her bow, beginning to fire. Ana threw one of her daggers, and Del raced toward the demons fearlessly, confident in her Phantom form’s ability to protect her. Cass shot a lightning bolt and hit a demon square in the chest.
I drew my sword and shield and ran for the nearest demon, stowing my wings away.
The demon was at least eight feet tall, his sword a huge sweep of iron. He swung it as I neared, and I slid low, under the slice of the blade.
I swiped out with my sword, taking out one of his legs with a deep gash.
He roared as I hopped to my feet on the other side of him and thrust my blade into his back. He yanked away, spinning and bringing his blade toward me.
I jumped back, unable to avoid him entirely. His blade sliced against my stomach, sending a shot of pain through me. I gasped, but it wasn’t deep.
I ducked low, narrowly avoiding his second stroke, and plunged my blade into his heart.
His eyes widened with shock.
I kicked him in the stomach, dislodging him from my blade.
Pain twisted his features. As he fell, he hissed, “They’re coming.”