Harley Merlin 8: Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos

by Forrest, Bella

  “So you’ve got the spell to break into this without setting off alarms?” I asked. We’d discussed what we were going to do before we got here, but it seemed a bit more unnerving now that we were standing in front of this ancient artifact.

  “I have a spell prepared, yes.”

  I grinned at him nervously. “Just checking. If all else fails, we can break the damn thing and get out of here as fast as possible.”

  He chuckled. “Sounds good to me.” He was about to step up to the box when I reached out and pulled him back. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

  I shook my head. “Something’s coming to me. A different spell. I think… I think it’s from the memory dump I got in New York.”

  “To break the box?”

  “Yeah… Do you mind if I give it a try?”

  He shrugged. “Go ahead. You’ve got all sorts of spells hopping about in that brain of yours. I’m sure you’ve got something better than what I had planned.”

  Taking a breath, I stepped up to the box and put my palms flat against the glass. My mouth opened, and the words came flooding out, my Esprit glowing: “Quod omnis turbare. Turn eam pariter in manibus. Ut nihil veniat.” It seemed to be along the lines of, “Shatter what is whole. Turn it to dust in my hands. Let it fall to nothing,” but my Latin wasn’t exactly great.

  Wade stepped back as the box did just that, erupting into a fine, glittery dust that settled around our feet like snow, leaving the sword exposed. His jaw dropped, his eyes shining.

  “Wow…”

  I grinned. “I’ve got to admit, that was pretty cool.”

  He reached over my shoulder, his body close to mine, and took the sword down, leaning it up against the plinth. His ten rings lit up with Fire, and he pressed them carefully to the gold fittings that held the gems in place. He melted the fittings away, loosening the emeralds until they dropped to the floor like pebbles. Snatching them up, he turned them over in his hands.

  “Can you feel any power in them?” he asked, holding them out to me.

  I touched a few of them, but nothing came back. They were clearly duds. However, when I touched the biggest two, which had been right in the center of the pommel, I felt that subtle pulse of Chaos shivering back into my hand. “These two.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I guess we’ll find out when we try to do the spell,” I replied, smiling.

  “Right then, we’d best put these babies to the test.” He put the dud emeralds back and replaced the sword on its holder, though there wasn’t much we could do about the box. Someone would find this in due time and wonder what had happened, but we couldn’t worry about that right now.

  “After you, Mr. Linguist.” I nudged him in the arm.

  “I haven’t spoken Arabic in years.”

  “You can do it; I know you can.” I looked up into his eyes, pleased to have more time with him before tonight. Every moment was precious now, and I had to savor every single one. I wished we could’ve been back in my bedroom, picking up where we’d left off.

  “Keep close when we reach the lake house,” he said. “If anything happens to you—”

  I cut him off softly. “It won’t. I’ve got you, remember?”

  He smiled. “I love you.”

  “I love you more.” I clung to his arm as he pocketed one emerald and put the other in the center of his palm. “You’ve got this. Plus, you’re in your homeland. That should give you a boost.”

  “I’m not sure it works that way, but let’s hope the luck of the Irish is with us.” He laughed and turned his attention back to the emerald. Clearing his throat and closing his eyes tightly, he recited the spell in Arabic. I guessed the one we’d pocketed wouldn’t be affected—Zalaam had explained the emerald had to be in your hands to be used. And, as long as I had hold of Wade in some way, it’d portal me, too.

  The world around us spun, my body disintegrating before my very eyes. Wade turned into a wisp of grayish smoke. I braced for the pain, but it didn’t come. This wasn’t like the Strainer. This was something more refined, and infinitely more ancient.

  Leaving Dublin behind, we zipped out of the coven, moving at supersonic speed through landscapes that took my breath away, even though my lungs were currently smoke and I had no idea where my eyes were. But, somehow, I could see everything. We soared like rockets over oceans and countries, passing verdant countryside and arid desert, snow-capped mountains and golden vistas, moving so fast I understood why we couldn’t be in our physical forms. This would have torn the skin off our bones.

  A few minutes later, we landed outside the lake house in Montana. The sky was gloomy, with clouds rolling in across the nearby mountains and the metallic tang of rain in the air. The sun would set soon, with it being just after five o’clock here, casting an eerie light across the landscape below. Wind rustled through the trees and skimmed across the rushing water of the nearby lake. I spotted the cabin just up ahead, barely a hundred yards away, as my physical body reconstructed around me.

  “That was weird,” Wade murmured.

  The used-up emerald had vanished completely. I guessed that Irish King’s sword wasn’t getting it back. Oops.

  I nodded. “Very weird.”

  “I can cross that off the bucket list. Been a wisp of smoke? Sure have.”

  I chuckled, despite my growing nerves. “Makes you wonder what else the djinn can do, doesn’t it?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Don’t do anything heroic, okay?” I said suddenly, grasping his hand. “We’re here to get the location out of Naima, that’s all. There might be a fight, but don’t get yourself killed. Please… please don’t get yourself killed.”

  The enormity of what we were about to do had just hit me, punching me right in the heart. The last time there’d been a fight, Isadora hadn’t made it out alive. I should’ve done this on my own. It was too late to send him back now, with only the one emerald, but I couldn’t stop the thoughts coming into my head. Naima wasn’t Katherine, but she wouldn’t go down easy.

  Wade glanced at me strangely. “I’m not going anywhere, Harley. I won’t let that happen.”

  “Just promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t be a hero. You might be mine, but that doesn’t mean you have to do anything crazy to prove it. I already know.” Finch’s words were hovering in my head. Heroes didn’t get to live. I needed to know Wade would be okay. He was the true reason I was going on my solo mission. If anything happened to him before then, I might as well have stayed a wisp of smoke for all the good I’d be.

  “I promise, if you promise.” He brushed his thumb across my cheek.

  “I promise.” For now, at least.

  “Come on then, let’s get this beastie before she goes running back to Katherine.” He gave my hand a squeeze, but he didn’t let go. I was glad of that.

  Together, we snuck toward the cabin and crept around the outside of the building, keeping to the shadows of the surrounding forest. There were only a handful of windows we could peep through, and most of them just showed the empty rooms of the cabin. The sight of Naima’s long cloak, thrown across one of the chairs in the kitchen, gave me hope that she hadn’t disappeared quite yet.

  Continuing our silent investigation, Wade put up his palms and checked the cabin with heat-reading magic, trying to sense out anybody inside. I, on the other hand, used my Chaos to check for the immediate threat of any hidden hexes. After what Zalaam had said, we couldn’t take any chances. I found a couple and began to unpick them, the way Finch had taught me. I was careful not to trigger anything as I dismantled the hexes, letting them fall away on one or two of the windows. After all, we’d need a way in—a way that Naima wouldn’t sense.

  Reaching the very back of the cabin, where a veranda jutted out into the woods, I dismantled the hexes that surrounded it and crept up onto the platform with Wade at my side. There, we edged toward the two larger windows that faced out and peeked into the room beyond. It was a rudimentary lounge with a fire
burning in the hearth. Naima stood at the far side, while a girl sat on a furry bear rug in the middle, her arms bound behind her back with Atomic Cuffs. She couldn’t have been older than ten, with ebony skin and a tight bun on either side of her head. Tears streamed down her face, and she was shaking violently. It’s okay, we’re here.

  My optimism dwindled as I saw the pentagram of the Strainer drawn on the floor around her. With a sudden jolt, I realized what was going on—Naima was reciting the spell that would take this girl to Eris Island.

  “We have to move, now!” I hissed, just as the edges of the pentagram lit up, the ingredients in the five bowls exploding.

  “What?”

  “NOW!” I roared, jumping up and knocking down the back door of the cabin with a powerful blast of Air.

  I sprinted in, but the little girl had already begun to twist through the middle of the pentagram, getting sucked down into the unknown. If I kicked one of the pots or tried to stop the pentagram, I had no idea what state the girl would come back in, or if she’d even come back at all. With a sickening snap, she disappeared altogether, her cries echoing out. A shiver crept down my spine. Where she was going, we couldn’t save her.

  Naima, however, was still here, flashing me a killer look that only spelled danger.

  Twenty-Five

  Katherine

  I licked my lips in anticipation of the new arrival.

  Naima had sent word a short while ago that I could expect delivery of a South-African girl by the name of Lesedi Kumalo. A suitably exotic little bird to add to my menagerie.

  According to my loyal lieutenant, she had the rare ability to Morph, as well as being a full Elemental. And capturing her was all thanks to my shiny new magical detector.

  As it turned out, Bakir Khan really did have the IQ he liked to harp on about. He’d gotten the thing working in no time, and now I was reaping the rewards.

  I couldn’t resist welcoming the rare magical myself, even if it meant taking some time out of my packed Imogene schedule. My office door at the SDC was locked. If anyone needed me, they could just keep banging until I came back. This was much too important. After this kid, I only needed one more, and I knew precisely who that was going to be.

  “Lesedi, welcome to Eris Island.” I grinned at the girl, aware that I sounded like a ringmaster welcoming customers into the circus tent. But this was a momentous occasion, and that called for a little enthusiasm.

  She screamed.

  Of course she’s a screamer—they all are. That part was getting a bit tired, to be honest. Why couldn’t they just come to me with open arms and understanding? They would be revered throughout history for being the ones who’d given me my status as a Child of Chaos. What greater honor could they hope for? I was giving them fame, and all they did was wail. Ungrateful cretins.

  “Is that any way to greet your host?” I asked, giving her one last chance.

  She screamed louder, snot trickling out of her nose and tears running down her face. Repulsive. This was why I never could’ve made a good mother. All that snot and crap and piss and tears and screaming. Nope, that wasn’t my cup of tea at all. Plus, I was fairly fond of my beauty sleep, and children did nothing but ruin that. Did I have bags under my eyes? Not a chance. Did I have premature wrinkles? No, thank you. And that was all because I’d had the common sense to ship Finch off to Mrs. Anker as early as possible so she could deal with all of that. The Shapeshifting took care of any pesky lines, but most of this was me in my raw and delightful form.

  “Lesedi, I suggest you shut your trap before it gets you in trouble.” Very last warning, kiddo. If she didn’t hush up soon, I was going to start counting.

  “I want to go home!” she wailed.

  “You are home,” I replied.

  “Take me home! Please! My parents will pay, just let me go home!”

  Ugh.

  “Infelicem animam pauperis praevalebunt. reddat ei quietam. et erunt vocem eius. suscipiesque universa de manibus eius.” I swiped my hand across her throat, severing her vocal cords. I’d given her ample opportunity to calm the hell down. What did she expect?

  Her mouth opened as if another scream was about to come out, but there was nothing but blissful silence. Music to my ears. She gaped like a fish out of water, flapping her lips, her eyes wide in confusion.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you’d behaved, you could’ve kept your voice. This is what happens to disobedient little girls.”

  She looked like she was trying to scream hysterically, but I couldn’t hear a thing. I should’ve done this with all of them. Every time I walked into that laboratory, it was nothing but shouts and cries and wailing children. It was really killing my last ritual buzz.

  “Eris, what would you like us to do with her?” Coral Falkland stepped forward. Ah, my spiny minx.

  “What do you think?”

  “Throw her in with the others?”

  I chuckled. “Bingo.”

  “Right away, Eris.” Coral beckoned for two of my minions to help her, the three of them dragging her out of what I liked to call the Viewpoint. From here, I could see the beauty of my island, all handcrafted by my own fair digits.

  Everything was coming up Katherine, and I couldn’t have been happier with the way things were proceeding.

  I did wonder why Naima hadn’t come back with Lesedi, but I didn’t have the time, or the inclination, to go chasing after everyone. Like a good puss, she’d come back when she was hungry. Besides, she was a big girl; she could take care of herself. I mean, she’d probably stayed to try and scout out another magical for me, trying to preempt my next request after her past failures, but she didn’t have to do that. I already had the perfect one in mind. Then again, I could always use extras, in case one of them actually decided to die from fear. I’d heard it could happen, though I’d never seen it. And I’d definitely tried it out on a couple of prisoners, to no avail. Maybe, with this divine face, I just wasn’t frightening enough.

  And, if Naima wasn’t here to see the grand show, then that was her tough luck. Latecomers wouldn’t be admitted. I wasn’t about to be diverted from my mission for anyone. Not now, not when I was so close to completing it.

  Twenty-Six

  Harley

  My training with Leviathan had been geared toward this fight. At least, this time, I had Wade to help.

  Naima lunged first, moving at blinding speed. Her claws flashed, but I ducked. Wade lifted his palms and slammed a ball of Fire into her face. She twisted out of the way at the last second, the fireball scorching the cabin wall. A few sparks began to catch. I drew a tornado of water from the faucet of the kitchen sink and doused the flames before they could start an inferno.

  “Careful with that,” I warned.

  He nodded. “Thanks for putting it out.”

  “No problem.” I skidded under another one of Naima’s pounces, pounding my palms into the floorboards and sending up a net of vines. She slashed through them with her claws, cutting them to ribbons.

  “You won’t defeat me, if that is your plan,” Naima purred.

  “We’ll see about that,” I shot back, fortifying my words with a blast of Air that sent the kitty flying at the wall. She somersaulted backward before she hit it, landing with surprising softness on the floor.

  Man, she’s quick. Leviathan had been pretty freaking fast, but this was another level. Tobe had been right—she was more agile than Leviathan, who’d been held back by his bulk and all that armor plating. Naima had none of that, and it showed.

  Her claws clicked on the ground as she sprinted toward us on all fours, her fangs bared. She lunged through the air, aiming straight for Wade. He tried to send out a fireball, but she was way too quick. She hit him full force, knocking him to the ground, the two of them wrestling as she tried to expose his throat for a bite. I shot a beam of spiraling Telekinesis at her, flinging her off him before she could get to his jugular. Even then, she was quick enough to graze a cut along his throat with her right
fang, drawing first blood.

  He’d barely gotten up when she was back on him, snapping her jaws like a devil. Desperate to get her away from him, I powered another charge of Telekinesis at her. I gripped a lasso around her waist and tossed her toward the fireplace. The flames caught the edge of her fur, singeing it slightly. She rolled along the floor for a second or two, putting any potential fire out, before sprinting right back. This beastie had energy in spades, and I hoped we could keep up. There was no trickery here, like with Leviathan, just pure, unadulterated strength and speed.

  “You will tire before I do.” She grinned as she arced through the air, twisting right over my head and landing behind me. I whirled around, and she jabbed her paw into my stomach, making me double over as the air rushed out of my lungs.

  Naima jumped on me with her full weight. She was heavier than she looked, crushing me as she extended a savage claw. I felt it, cold and sharp, against my neck. I pressed my hands against any part of her I could reach. Forcing Fire through my veins, I let a wave of it spread out across her, the scent of burning fur filling the air as she howled, reeling back. Patting herself down with her paws, she quickly extinguished the sparks that crackled across her chest.

  “You were saying?” I jumped up and stood beside Wade, the two of us facing off against her, side by side, like the good old days.

  Together, we lifted our hands and sent out a blockade of raging Fire. It was a risky move in a wooden cabin, but we needed to be bold. The only trouble was, I couldn’t see Naima through the wall of flames. I tried to peer through the rippling screen of bright orange and searing white heat, but it was proving impossible.