Harley Merlin 8: Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos

by Forrest, Bella

  Katherine uprooted another sharp spire and hurled it at Gaia’s chest. Gaia tried to surge backward, but it struck her right where her heart might’ve been, though I didn’t know the anatomy of Children of Chaos. Or humanoid masses, for that matter. Her emerald energy sputtered for a moment before she regathered herself, dragging the cascading waterfall into her enormous palms and sending the thrashing torrent right at Katherine’s head.

  Katherine swerved out of the way, flattening a section of trees in her hurry to dodge it, but the torrent followed her like a homing missile, making her leap through the air and right over Gaia’s head. Gaia barely had the chance to lift her hands as the water thudded into her.

  “Textbook error, Gaia,” Katherine jeered, but Gaia wasn’t out of the running just yet. Using Katherine’s moment of gloating, Gaia raised her palms, bringing up a tangle of tree roots with the motion. They wrapped around Katherine like an egg, trapping her inside.

  “YES!” I screamed, just as the egg erupted in a burst of flames. Katherine emerged from it like a phoenix, hauling a mountain out of the forest and bringing it down on Gaia’s back. Her titan form crumpled for just a moment, but she got back to her feet, the edges of her emerald mass fizzing. Katherine was proving to be a relentless foe, unwilling to back down for even a moment, hammering Gaia with everything she had, matching her every move.

  “Had enough, Gaia?” Katherine cackled.

  “I will not allow you to usurp me.” Gaia took to her feet and sprinted away through the forest, flattening it as she went. Katherine followed her in hot pursuit, running full-pelt, the two of them throwing boulders and entire trees at one another.

  I had no idea how long this was going to go on for, or how it would end. I mean, how could someone kill a mass of energy? You had to see it to believe it, and even then I was having a hard time figuring out how it would come to a final conclusion. My money was firmly on Gaia. Katherine had the initial burst of energy, but Gaia would have the superior stamina.

  Please let me be right.

  The sky overhead darkened, storm clouds swelling as they rolled in. The titans were still throwing whatever they could find at one another, but it looked like things were about to step up a notch. A fork of lightning shot out of the stormy swell and exploded close to where gigantic Katherine stood. She staggered back, steadying herself, before she brought down her own fork of blinding lightning. It hit the canopy of the woodland, smoke rising up from the spot where it had hit.

  As gale-force winds howled through the trees, whipping up around me, I caught sight of a figure disappearing into the nearby forest. Davin? I wondered if he was making a quick exit, just in case he found out he hadn’t joined the winning side, after all. But that wasn’t Katherine’s style at all. Every cultist served a purpose for her, and Davin was no different. No, he was up to something. I just didn’t know what.

  What had once been a beautiful, verdant Garden of Eden had turned into something else entirely—a horrifying, nightmarish world, filled with storms and lightning and destruction at every turn.

  I lifted my head to try and see what the titans were doing, but it was hard to get a good view of them. Gaia froze. Something had happened. I didn’t know what, but it was enough to make her pause and glance down, as if there was something at her feet.

  “NO!” I roared, though I was too far away for them to hear me.

  Katherine seized her opportunity and brought a colossal lightning bolt down into Gaia’s skull. It shivered through her emerald body, the particles of her being lighting up with a pulsating white jolt. A moment later, Katherine leapt at Gaia, her titanic hands closing around Gaia’s throat as she knocked her to the ground. I felt the earth-shattering thud, Katherine wrestling to keep her grip. I could see them now, through the trees. Katherine had Gaia pinned, her hands squeezing tight, sending wave after wave of some unknown purple-tinged magic into Gaia’s body. Gaia tried to fight back, but Katherine held fast.

  “GAIA!” I screamed as loud as my lungs could manage. But it made no difference. Katherine was too focused to care about my screams. With one final blast of searing purple light, Gaia went limp, her emerald glow dimming until there was nothing left. I prayed with everything I had that this was just a trick, to make Katherine think she’d won, but the seconds passed and Gaia still didn’t move.

  It was over… It was over, and Katherine had won.

  Silence settled over the Garden of Hesperides. The winds died down, and the storm clouds rolled back to reveal the serene azure sky. Not even the remaining leaves on the trees dared to rustle. I could barely breathe. How was I supposed to process this? How was I supposed to accept that Katherine had defeated Gaia, leaving her spot open for Katherine to take? It didn’t seem possible. It couldn’t be possible.

  And yet, I knew it was done. This was Katherine’s plan, and she hadn’t made a single wrong step. She hadn’t come into this fight thinking she’d lose, and, for some reason, Katherine always seemed to get whatever she wanted, through the sheer force of manifestation. My stomach churned, while anger seared my heart. Katherine had played us all, even Gaia. Everyone had expected Katherine to choose Nyx, or one of the weaker Children of Chaos, and I guessed Gaia had, too. Perhaps, if she’d been better prepared for this, there might’ve been a different outcome, but what was the use in thinking of what might’ve been? It wouldn’t change what had happened, right here, right now.

  And, very soon, Katherine was going to come for me. She’d told me she intended to use my body to hold the spilling energy that hers couldn’t hold anymore. I didn’t know how she planned to do that, but I understood now that she had everything orchestrated in her mind. She had a way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t still be alive.

  Oh my God…

  All of my worst fears had come true. Katherine had completed the final ritual and the final Challenge, and Gaia’s place amongst the Children of Chaos now belonged to her. We hadn’t stopped her; we hadn’t even come close. We’d never stood a chance.

  I can’t give up. I can’t.

  With panic rising up my throat and my whole body trembling, my eyes shot toward the Grimoire, still resting in its satchel beside the stone circle. Leaving Jacob where he was, I jumped up, my arms still behind my back, and raced toward it, skidding to a halt. Wriggling to get the right angle, I shuffled the loop of my arms down my butt and legs and stepped backward out of the loop so that I had my arms in front of me instead of trapped behind me. It was a feat of gymnastics, but, fortunately, I was flexible. For a moment, I tried to drive my Chaos into the locks again. But it didn’t work this time either, not after whatever Katherine had done to make the Cuffs even harder to break. I wanted to scream the worst expletive I knew, but that would only bring Katherine’s attention to me quicker.

  Instead, I focused on the Grimoire. Even with the Atomic Cuffs clapped on my wrists, I could open the satchel and get the book out on the scorched ground. Desperate didn’t even cover what I was feeling. I was already way past last-chance saloon, but maybe there was a last-ditch outhouse I didn’t know about. Tugging the Grimoire closer, I fumbled inside the bag for the black lens and lifted it over the pages, frantic for a solution to this gargantuan mess. I supposed I’d hoped that, somehow, Chaos had accounted for this, too.

  Come on, Chaos, get the spell to just jump out at me. Screw the rules. I had no idea if it was listening, but I prayed it was.

  “Come on, come on, come on!” I muttered as I flicked through page after page, urging Chaos to show me the way. To be honest, my mind was so scrambled that nothing was making sense. Even through the lens, it might as well have been a jumble of squiggles and sigils, for all the good it was doing. And I knew I was almost out of time. “You wanted me for this, so freaking help me!”

  My head whipped around as the silence shattered, a figure storming through the trees to my left. Katherine had returned to her regular-sized form, and she was dragging Gaia by the hair, the train of Gaia’s beautiful gown trailing dead leaves and flowers as Ka
therine yanked her through the undergrowth without a hint of respect for the dead. It turned my stomach to see Katherine pulling her along, considering Gaia was an exact copy of Katherine. Macabre didn’t cut it. It was almost as though Katherine had murdered the mere mortal she’d been, so that she could be reborn as Eris. This was her killing her last scrap of humanity.

  Seeing Gaia, limp and unmoving, not fighting back, I knew for sure that it was over. She was definitely dead, and nothing could bring her back. She was already starting to disintegrate into tiny sparkles of bronze light, beginning at the train of her elegant gown. Before long, there’d be nothing left of her.

  Nature itself rumbled around us, the Elements reacting violently to what had just happened. The storm clouds rolled in again, as though they’d changed their mind, and torrential rain poured down, as if they were crying for what they’d lost. The winds whipped up again, screaming now, wailing out their mourning cries. And beneath me, the earth trembled. The only Element missing was Fire, though it made itself known a few seconds later, as lightning cracked again, turning the nearby forests into a smoldering inferno. Nature didn’t want Katherine here. The Garden of Hesperides didn’t want her here. This world, and all the otherworlds, didn’t want Katherine reigning over them, and they were making themselves heard.

  Katherine laughed triumphantly, turning her face up to the skies and letting the rain lash down. “I have completed the Challenge! I have defeated Gaia, and I claim her place! Chaos, I have done all you’ve asked. Now, give me my rightful position as your Child! You can no longer deny me!”

  I gripped the Grimoire to my chest and watched helplessly as bronze light erupted from within Katherine in a devastating pulse that swept outward like the aftermath of a nuclear blast. It leveled everything, as far as my eyes could see—a hundred miles, at the very least. It was all I could do to throw myself to the ground, the Grimoire trapped under my chest, and hold onto the stone circle for dear life. I closed my eyes, blinded by the bronze light that rushed out of her, fearing what I’d see when I opened them again.

  Seconds passed, and I felt a strange heat in front of me, as if I was standing too close to a furnace. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, like I was about to bear the brunt of an electrical storm. I opened my eyes to find Katherine standing right in front of me, incandescent and ethereal. The glow coming out of her was mesmerizing and godlike, but her eyes were jet black. Smoke spilled down her cheeks like evil tears.

  “Rise, the last of the Merlin dynasty.” Her voice had changed beyond recognition. It was like thunder and gravel combined, bombarding my eardrums until I thought they’d cave in. “Witness the dawn of a new era. The birth of the Goddess of Chaos and Discord. The birth of… Eris.”

  It was like my voice had been ripped out of my throat. I couldn’t find any words. All I could do was clutch the lens and the Grimoire close to my chest and pray for a freaking miracle, even though I knew, all too well, that it was too late for divine intervention, now that she was the divine one.

  Katherine smiled. “Address me as Goddess from now on, you worthless mortal. You will obey me. You will not look away from your Goddess.”

  I couldn’t have looked away, even if I’d wanted to. She was hypnotic. The only thing preventing me from tipping over into total defeat was the knowledge that she still needed me. It wasn’t exactly a lifeline, but it meant I had more time. To do what? That was the problem… I didn’t know anymore.

  “Come to me, my Children of Eris,” she cried, lifting her arms. The air thrummed as though it was about to disintegrate, as portal after portal tore holes in time and space all across the ancient ruins—or what was left of them, anyway. I noticed Davin walking back across the flattened landscape, a smug look on his smug face. I didn’t know what he’d done in those woods, but it had been enough to let Katherine win. “Join me, my Children. Join me, your Goddess of Chaos, and walk with me into the future. Walk into my brave new world and see yourselves rewarded!”

  I watched her so-called Children step through the portals to join her, my heart sinking ever further as a few familiar faces approached. Vice President Caldwell—well, President Caldwell now. Officer Mallenberg from Purgatory, who’d watched over Finch after Kenneth Willow’s attempt on his life. Is that how Katherine did it? Is that how she got Kenneth in? It was dawning on me, more and more, that Katherine literally had people everywhere.

  Next came Stella and Channing, whom I’d met while they were on loan from the LA Coven to help us out with the missing children, followed by Clara Fairmont from the SDC, whom I’d thought Wade was crushing on when I’d first arrived at the coven. The LaSalles—the ex-Angels who’d come to the SDC for their retirement. Even the French nurse who’d taken care of Odette during her time in the infirmary. I realized she must’ve been the one who’d let Naima in to kill Odette. And then, Preceptor Sloane Bellmore stepped through, her eyes catching mine for a split second before she turned away again. So that was where she’d gone. She hadn’t taken a sabbatical, or personal leave, or whatever the hell she’d called it. She’d joined Katherine instead.

  Spineless coward!

  Some of them were practically bristling with excitement, ready to take their place in Katherine’s warped hell. Not all of them seemed as thrilled, though. Some, like Bellmore, looked terrified. You should be, you idiots!

  I couldn’t even begin to wrap my head around all of this. I was literally sitting front row at the end of the world, and there was nothing I could do but watch Katherine and her minions roll the credits.

  Forty-Two

  Katherine

  You proud of me, Grandpa? His eyes would have burst out of his head to see what I’d done, if he were here now.

  Well, his eyes were already pretty much melting out of his head after that idiot Necromancer’s botched spell, but the sentiment remained.

  All of his dreams, and all of my dreams, had come true. And it felt magnificent. I was omnipotent; I had all-consuming power at my fingertips and a horde of followers just begging for my next command. How many people could say they’d become a bona fide goddess, through sheer grit and determination? Forget sainthood, being deified was where it was at.

  Look at them all—they’re all here to worship me.

  And I was drinking it in, every single second of my reward. I’d created this out of nothing, carving out an army for myself, and a position amongst the closest thing these magicals had to gods.

  I could’ve soared forever on this wave of idolization, but there was one tiny problem. Something was wrong with my body. It couldn’t contain all this power—I felt the wild energy pushing against my skin. The damn Chaos loophole that came with this position. Ultimate cosmic power, but no solid place to put it all. I wasn’t about to fade into the background, like the rest of these godlike punks. I’d worked too friggin’ hard to just drift into obsoletion, only remembered when someone wanted something, or when summoned by a mortal like Harley. Ugh. And my body wasn’t going to be able to hold out for much longer. I could feel it disintegrating already.

  “Worthless mortal.” I turned to Harley, addressing her with her new name. “It’s time for you to read. I’m in need of that bedtime story.”

  “You can float away for all I care. You asked for this, you deal with the consequences!” she shot back. Still defying me, even now? The girl had gall, I had to give her that. But I wasn’t about to let her embarrass me in front of my shiny new legion of followers. Any hint of weakness, and they’d turn tail and run. All mortals were cowards, even the ones who’d chosen the winning side.

  “Wrong answer.” I grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the ground, scraping her face across the stone circle. She cried out in pain, and the sound was music to my rapidly decaying ears.

  Throwing her back to the ground, I lifted my palms and sent a pummeling wave of Electro and Cellular energy into her, careful not to push them too much in case I accidentally blew her up. She screamed as it hit her, the electric shock stabbi
ng at every cell in her body, just the way I wanted. Torture was easy once you had the knack, and I’d had plenty of practice. With my newfound powers, this would be a walk in the park. I gave her ten seconds, max, until she started to read.

  “It… won’t… work,” she roared.

  “It will, Niece. Just give it time. I’m not done with you yet.” I sent another surge of Chaos into her, combining reverse Empathy and Electro, sending all those feelings of desperation and despair into her body, letting her know that she had no choice but to obey. Tears sprang into her eyes, her face crumpling, but she made no move to open the book.

  “NO!” She glared at me, clawing in breath after breath.

  “Let’s try that again, shall we?” I moved into Squelette territory—the magic of manipulating skeletons and bone—combining it with the Cellular energy. Adding pressure, I pushed her bones until they were almost at breaking point, while her cells swelled as far as they could go without exploding. I could sense each one straining. She had to be in agony by now—she had to break soon. I could see it on her face, and she was screaming so loud it was hard to hear myself think. Plus, she was causing a heck of a scene. All of my followers were staring at her and staring at me. They didn’t know why I needed her, and I wasn’t in the mood to answer any prying questions. But I couldn’t have Harley making me look incompetent, either.

  I released the combined abilities, giving her a moment to catch her breath. She opened her mouth, no doubt to throw some witty retort, but the words never came out. I hit her with another killer combo, her face contorting in a delicious mask of pure torture, a bestial howl rasping from the depths of her struggling lungs.

  I’ll show you, Harley Merlin. I’ll show you what I’m capable of, since you don’t seem to be learning.

  I just wished I didn’t have to keep her intact. Her head would’ve been enough to read out the Grimoire, but I needed the whole shebang, as funny as a genuine talking head would’ve been.