Legion

by Catrina Burgess

  “You knew?” I gasped.

  “None of what Gage said or did matters.” He raised my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers. “I’ve loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you in the magic shop. My heart will always be yours.”

  His words brought tears to my eyes.

  Mildred called out my name and waved me over.

  I pushed myself out of the chair. Before I walked away, I leaned over and gave Luke a kiss. When I started to pull away, he tugged me closer and kissed me again. And I felt all that love, that passion he felt for me. I felt all those same emotions for him. I had found the man of my dreams, and I would do everything in my power to stay by his side. I reluctantly left his embrace and went to Mildred.

  Mildred was crouched down, putting things into a large glass bottle resting on the floor. “Razor blades, tacks, sewing needles, and pins,” she said, pushing each item carefully through the bottle’s opening. She motioned for me to come closer. “Hold out your wrist.”

  I came to stand next to her and did as she’d asked, and she quickly sliced a razor blade across my skin. It wasn’t a deep cut, though; just a thin line of blood appeared. Mildred put out her finger and swiped across my skin. Then she smeared my blood on the flat part of the razor. She dropped it into the bottle and secured the top. Then she walked over and put the bottle on the edge of a large wooden table that had been brought up earlier and set in the corner. I followed her curiously.

  Mildred saw my expression and gestured at the bottle full of razor blades and pins. “It’s called a mage’s bottle,” she explained. “It will collect any dark magic still floating in the air.”

  “To keep it from bothering your potion?” I asked.

  She gave an amused laugh. “The opposite. We want to add it to the power of the potion.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. I didn’t like the sound of any of this. Mildred was making a potion that I would have to drink to ward off the demon poison. I scanned the table’s surface—there were a half dozen bottles filled with colorful liquids and stacks of flowers and herbs. I recognized two instantly: wolfsbane and belladonna. Next to the table was a small burning fire in a brazier, and over the fire hung a large black pot. A foul-smelling liquid boiled away in the pot. Mildred sang to herself as she added a bottle of blue liquid to the mixture and then threw in a handful of wolfsbane.

  She turned and gave me a smile. “I’m almost ready. All we need now is the demon horn.”

  Gage emerged from a door near the base of the north tower, his hands bound in front of him. Dean clinked along behind him, dressed in a gleaming suit of armor. This wasn’t just the breastplate he’d worn before. Somewhere in the castle Dean had found a full set of armor. There was the breastplate, but he’d also wrapped metal around both his arms and legs. He looked ridiculous. His black shirt showed through the gaps in the armor, and the leg pieces slumped over high-top tennis shoes. Every time he moved, the armor clanked heavily.

  “Yeah, I know it looks silly, but I’m tired of getting sliced up every time I go into ‘roid rage,’” Dean said. “I heal fast, but it still hurts.” Dean pulled on a rope he had looped over his shoulder, shimmying inelegantly and sounding like a garbage bag full of tin cans. Eventually he worked it off of his shoulder, revealing a huge sword. It was almost as tall as he was and had to weigh a ton. I doubted that I’d even be able to pick it up, but Dean flipped it around like it was a toothpick.

  Gage flopped into a chair, seeming casual and relaxed despite the chains wrapped around his wrists. He met my eyes and gave me a bawdy wink. My insides gave a little flutter in response. How long would Gage rule over my emotions? It made me sick inside every time I felt myself give into them.

  Sonja came onto the roof and rushed to Gage’s side. She fussed over him as he tried to reassure her that he was fine. She alternately cried and tried to kiss him, and I grimaced in disgust. I hated what he’d done to Sonja, and I hated even more the jealousy I couldn’t entirely quash. If Gage had had his way, that would be me.

  In the center of the roof, a large pentagram had been laid out with a broad line of salt. Mildred walked over to the pentagram and stood calmly in the odd setting, surrounded by candles that flickered in the light sea breeze. She moved the candles purposefully, placing one at each point and junction. When she placed the last one, they all flared brighter, and the salt began to glow with a pale white light.

  The heavy rock of the battlements stood out starkly behind her, sparkling with a golden hue in the candlelight. Broken fog covered the island, glowing with reflected starlight. It gave the entire scene the illusion of motion, like we floated on a castle in the clouds. The roof of the castle was a large flat and open space, surrounded by low towers on each corner.

  We talked for a few minutes with artificial brightness, all of us pretending not to watch Mildred finish her preparations. Pretending not to be terrified.

  Finally, Mildred seemed to be satisfied with the pentagram, and she made her way to where we waited. “It’s time. The witching hour has begun, and we need to try the spell while the power is at its peak.” Mildred looked at each of us without any trace of her occasional madness. “Does everyone know what they need to do?”

  Everyone nodded except Gage. He held up his bound wrists. “This isn’t going to work for me.”

  “Did you really think that we’d just let you loose if you helped?” Dean stepped closer, raising the huge sword threateningly.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’d do anything to help the queen, but I think it is a very bad idea for me to call a demon like this,” Gage said.

  I started to ask, “The queen?” but Luke was already talking.

  “Do you think any of us care if a demon has you for lunch?” Luke demanded.

  Gage shrugged, “If the demon decides that the one who summoned him isn’t strong enough to hold him, he’ll try to break out, and he might just succeed. A spell just like this one began the last demon war. Do you really want to risk another?” He held out his hands once more, and Dean looked around the group at each of us before moving forward and taking off the chains.

  I finally got the chance to speak. “What did you mean by ‘the queen’?”

  Gage gave me a wicked smile. “Didn’t you know, my love? That’s what they call you.”

  “Who?” I demanded.

  “The demons, of course. ‘The queen of the dead.’” Now that his hands were free, Gage rubbed his wrists. “Dramatic, isn’t it? But no more than your power deserves.”

  The demons. I had always been at the center of some horrible plan they had to come back into our world. Was Gage telling the truth? Had the evil beasts actually given me a nickname? A chill ran down my spine. I hoped my actions were my own and that I was moving in opposition to the demons’ plans, but I was consumed by the fear that I might be playing right into the Legion’s hands. For a long moment I felt paralyzed by fear.

  Dean made a stiff bow in his ridiculous clanking armor. “Your highness, shall we get on with saving your royal butt?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m glad to see that chivalry is not dead.”

  And then the comical moment was over, and Mildred turned back to Gage. “You know what we’re looking for? A nice, weak, lesser-order demon that we can control.”

  “There is no need to worry. If I called up some Archdemon to get you all killed, I would end up dead with you.” Gage took a step toward the pentagram. “You should know by now that I am a survivor. Besides, the only way to save my beloved Colina is to approach the creature and take a piece of its horn, and even I wouldn’t try that with anything but the weakest of demons.”

  “Mildred, are you sure we even need Gage? Can we really trust him with this?” I was standing too close to Gage. I had such a strong desire to fall into Gage’s arms. It took all my will to resist taking a step closer to him.

  “Yes, child. I do not speak the demon language, and in order to summon a demon you have to be able to use its true name.” She
answered my next question before I could ask it. “I know that’s not what you did. I still don’t understand how you were able to bring the demon forth.”

  Mildred looked from me to Gage and then gave me a knowing look as if she somehow sensed my internal struggle. “Even if Gage could teach me to say the creature’s name, I do not have the skills to control a demon. You might be able to do it, but you are so weak it would be suicide to try.”

  “We know its name. Legion,” I said.

  Mildred shook her head. “No, child, that’s just what they call themselves when a human asks. They are a legion, meaning there are many of them and that they are made up of many dark souls. A demon’s real name gives you power over it, and finding the real name is a lost art. Gage knows a bit of that art, he won’t say how, and he is the only one with the skills and knowledge to pull this off.

  Gage smiled at me smugly, giving me another one of his infuriating and beguiling winks. “Don’t worry, my love, we’ll have you right as rain in no time.”

  For a long moment, I looked down at the black pulsating lines on my wrist and considered just forgetting the whole thing, but then I looked at Luke, at the desperation and worry in his eyes. I had to keep fighting. This was my only chance to live.

  Jamie appeared. She came over to join us as if we were an assembling dinner party.

  Gage’s eyes swung to Jamie, and his whole demeanor changed. His eyes got wide, and he gave a low bow. “I am but your humble servant.”

  I realized he was addressing Jamie. Gage didn’t know we had turned Jamie human. Gage thought he was talking to the demon.

  Jamie just looked at Gage in confusion.

  Gage straightened up and then his eyes narrowed. He seemed to sniff the air. Then his expression turned furious, and he turned and shouted at Mildred, “What did you do?”

  Mildred gave a sheepish smile. “Wasn’t me.”

  Gage’s eyes swung my way. It gave me great pleasure to tell him, “She’s human now.”

  Gage seemed speechless. And then he seemed to gather himself. “This is an unexpected turn of events.” A calculated look came into his eyes. “It explains why you need my help to cross over a demon.” As he was talking, he was looking around. Sniffing the air like a dog trying to track the scent of its prey.

  “The demon is not here,” Mildred said in a quiet voice. “The girl is keeping it at bay.”

  “Under your tutelage no doubt. You’ve played the game well, old woman. You’re a much worthier opponent than I ever imagined,” Gage said.

  I saw a ghost of a smile flash across Mildred’s face before she turned away.

  Jamie never said a word. She watched Gage, her eyes wide. She didn’t look afraid; she looked cautious.

  Dean finally broke the silence, “Can we get on with the spell?” He moved his arms around. “This armor is not very comfortable—and Colina doesn’t have much time left.”

  As if in unison we all turned and walked to the edge of the pentagram, but Mildred didn’t immediately follow. Instead, she disappeared in the shadows near the south tower. When she reappeared, she was leading a goat.

  My mind flashed back to Macaven’s mansion. Macaven had sacrificed animals on a stone altar. Apparently we were about to do the same. “Where did she get a goat?”

  Luke gestured at Gage, “That crazy bastard had one on hold for some spell. It takes a sacrifice to raise a demon, and Mildred wouldn’t let me use Gage.”

  Mildred brought the goat to Gage, handing him the lead. She reached into her skirts, pulling out a long, wickedly curved knife. The blade radiated dark magic, filling the air with menace. Without a word, Mildred handed the knife to Gage. Its surface was gold, and red jewels glittered in the candlelight.

  It wasn’t the first time I had seen such a dagger—it had been just such a weapon that had taken my father’s life and been used to raise the first demon. Horrible sacrifices and dark spells were needed to give it power. Just seeing it brought back horrors that I had tried to bury. I pushed away the awful images sliding through my mind and forced myself to concentrate on Mildred. Mildred turned away, leaving Gage smiling down at the doomed goat.

  Mildred stopped in front of Jamie. She kneeled down in front of the frightened child. “Are you ready, my dear?”

  Jamie nodded gravely, holding out a shaking hand. Mildred cupped it gently, giving a small squeeze of reassurance before she pulled first a cup, then a small penknife from her voluminous skirts.

  I started forward, a protest on my lips, but it was already over before I could speak. The small knife flicked along the girl’s forearm, and a thin trickle of blood dripped into the cup. Jamie looked on with interest, but no real distress or pain. Mildred quickly put the knife down and pulled a dressing from the hidden depths of her skirt. With professional speed, she wrapped it tight, tucking the end in to leave a neat white bandage around the little girl’s arm.

  Mildred looked over at me. “Her blood will make the spell easier. She was created to house a demon, but the demon used your blood. Jamie has powers the demon could not have possibly predicted. She is a bridge to the other side, and someday they will regret ever having made her.

  “We must hurry now. Once the spell is done, we’ll have until the candles burn out to send the creature back.” Mildred walked to the center of the pentagram and kneeled on the ground. She dipped her finger into the cup of blood, using it to draw runic symbols in a circle on the ground. After a minute, she stood and walked back out of the pentagram. The bloody runes she had drawn began to burn with a low purple flame. She nodded at Gage.

  He moved forward with the goat and took his place in the middle of the pentagram. He began to shout in a harsh guttural language that throbbed in the air and caused a painful ringing in my ears. His voice rose in volume until each word felt like lightning striking the roof. The words of the spell pounded across us, echoing into the distance.

  Clouds rolled in from the horizon, blocking the light from the night sky until the pentagram was an island of candles in a black void. The mixed light from the candles, the pentagram, and Jamie’s burning blood turned the low hanging clouds violet as they settled around us like fog.

  Suddenly Gage’s flashing blade came down, and the goat bleated feebly as the knife sliced across its neck. Blood fanned across the burning runes, and the light of the symbols flared higher, making a column of purple fire that turned Gage into a study of light and shadow. Gage called out one final word so vile that I clasped my hands to my ears in pain. The demon’s name made a crack in the world, a crack that let in a horror that shouldn’t exist.

  The beast stood on the column of flame, a shadow darkening the core with a vaguely human shape. It wavered with the rolling flames, its shape changing from human-like to something else and back again. It looked poised to come through but never made the final step. The flames began to flicker and die, the demon’s form began to fade and lose its shape.

  Gage turned from the column, his expression grim. His eyes came to rest on Sonja, who stood on the side of the pentagram, her face a mask of worry. Gage smiled at her, took two steps toward her, and then calmly reached out and sliced the dagger across her throat.

  I screamed, shocked by the sudden cruelty even after all of the horrors I had seen. Dean rushed around the edge of the pentagram toward Sonja’s slumping form, but Gage had already pulled her into the center.

  Sonja’s hands clutched at her neck, trying to stop the blood that gushed past her fingers. Her mouth worked, but no words made it past the bloody froth that formed on her lips. Her eyes were locked on Gage, shock and betrayal making her beautiful face look childlike and innocent. I knew that face would visit me in my nightmares. She couldn’t even scream as Gage shoved her into the flames.

  We had done a binding spell to protect us from Gage, but none of us had thought to include Sonja in that spell. It had never crossed my mind that Gage would try to hurt Sonja. She had been his girlfriend, his right hand. And in a flash he had slit her throat from
ear to ear. He had sacrificed her to feed the spell, and he’d done it without any remorse, no hesitation.

  This sudden act of brutality, this cold-blooded murder, shouldn’t have surprised me, for I’d always known that Gage had no feelings, no heart. I truly believed he was a psychopath. But I had to admit there was a part of me, the part under the spell, that always thought Gage could be redeemed. Even as I felt hatred for him course through me, a part of me whispered that I too had taken a life. I had killed brutally and cold-heartedly. But, the other side argued, that was to survive. He had taken an innocent life to gain power.

  The column flared even brighter, the flames changing from purple to bright red. A roar filled the air, echoing in the bowl made by the castle walls, and the demon finally stepped out of the flames. Ashes drifted around it and smoke gushed from its mouth as it exhaled. It stepped into the trailing line of blood, and the line burst into low flames. The demon stopped in front of Gage, opening and closing its long claws threateningly. It was surprisingly small, only coming to Gage’s chin, and its body looked malformed and misshapen. Gage stood his ground, brandishing the wicked knife, and after a long, tense moment, the beast folded its oddly shaped legs under itself and sank into a crouch in front of him.

  It spoke to Gage in the same language that had summoned it, each word sounding like the foulest of curses. The creature’s voice was the now familiar chorus of souls in pain, but the choir was smaller and less overwhelming. Gage shouted back at it, waving the knife in front of it and stabbing the air suggestively.

  The demon was thin, almost skeletal, with huge black eyes and skin the color of dried blood. As it spoke, I caught glimpses of sharp, needle-like teeth. Its long fingers seemed to have an extra joint, and they ended in long sharp claws. It moved sinuously in rhythm with its words, looking like a cobra trying to charm the charmer as it moved back and forth in rhythmic patterns. But my eyes locked in on its most important feature right away—the small horns jutting from its narrow bald head.

  Finally, the demon spoke in words that I could understand. “Why have you disturbed us, supplicant? You have not earned the right to command the Legion.”