“I’m afraid it won’t be accidental.”
“You should trust me more,” I said with a broad smile that was creepy more than radiant.
“Of course. Ready?” he asked me, holding the door handle.
“Yes.”
No! my conscience cried out.
He opened the door.
CHAPTER 20
Something hit us head-on, hurling us backward before the wall stopped our fall. Jayden quickly got up. In front of us, Craid approached with two huge magic balls in both hands. His magic balls shone in an ominous purple. His red eyes gleamed. He advanced toward us with determined steps. “Get in my way and I’ll kill you,” he snarled.
“You take the words right out of my mouth,” Jayden replied before running toward him.
Jayden threw a right hook, but Craid avoided it. He head-butted Jayden who stepped back. Then he created a portal identical to the one from which his hellhounds came out. He grabbed both bastard swords before closing the portal. The blades shone electric blue, similar to the color of his eyes. A deadly power emanated from him and the blades.
I threw blasts of pure energy. But Craid crossed his hands in front of him and used a force field to protect himself. I redoubled my efforts.
However, Craid wasn’t the only one who dethroned the queen of mages for no reason. No magic attack seemed to affect him. He was on the defensive while I wanted him to attack. I needed an opening to hurt him.
Since magic attacks weren’t working yet, we had to change the method. I reduced my energy blasts to allow Jayden to attack. He aimed for Craid’s head in a move that would have slit his throat if Craid hadn’t avoided it by stepping back. With his other hand, in brisk motion, Jayden slashed Craid’s stomach with the second blade.
When I saw the blood from the wound, a weight went off my shoulder. The bastard could bleed.
Jayden’s motivation seemed to grow like mine, for his attacks only became sharper, deadlier. Craid threw magic balls at Jayden, but each of them disappeared just as they encountered the blades of the swords.
I had a ball of energy powerful enough to power a small town. I waited for an opening while Jayden weakened him. He stooped to slice Craid’s thigh with a sword with his right hand while stabbing Craid’s stomach with his other blade. He got up and slashed his opponent’s face. He kicked him, and Craid stumbled but regained his balance.
Craid bent down to hold his bruised stomach while Jayden stabbed his back with the two blades. The mage tried hard to avoid the blows, but Jayden’s movements were as sharp as they were effective and the blades absorbed each of his magical attacks.
Electrical wires detached from the blades and encircled both of Craid’s legs. They continued making their way around his body, immobilizing him. Craid’s cries of pain echoed in the reception room, once animated by the laughter of the guests, the dancing and varied music and the cries of joy of the children. For a few seconds, I thought I was there one last time.
This precious moment of peace took place again. The children’s giggles replaced Craid’s cries. I saw Alice’s smile, I saw this young mage who always looked at me from afar, who had never dared to take the step. I relived his gaze sweeping over my body highlighted by the skimpy clothes I’d become accustomed to wearing and the stilettos that sublimated the whole.
I saw this shapeshifter who was arguing with her husband. He was a cat shapeshifter while she was a crocodile shapeshifter with a temper. Her crocodile fangs were coming out during the exchange.
I glanced at the musicians, humans married to supernaturals who had formed their band and performed every evening at the Armistice. Their music was pure, their message was pure; this moment was pure. One moment among many.
Then I looked at Craid’s blood on the ground and listened to his cries of pain. That was it, I had my opening. I unleashed on him the powerful beam of energy.
I had never reached such a top level of power. The magic that passed through my body and radiated between my palms was of high intensity. It was at its highest level. My entire body trembled, barely containing that power.
It begged me to release it, leaving me forcefully as my exhaustion grew. It was too much; I was using more power than my body could hold. My tremors tripled in intensity because of the effort, but I didn’t stop. I maintained the beams of energy and Craid’s cries of suffering motivated me. He took the electric shot head-on. We were almost there.
But Craid was still standing. He was screaming, and I wasn’t complaining, but he was still standing. His force fields still protected him.
Jayden pushed one of his blades into the force field and it broke.
Something changed in his scream, much more than a cry of pain, and it turned into a roar of rage. Like those of soldiers before going to war… A purple mist enveloped his body. It became thicker and, with none of us seeing it coming, the mist confronted my magic beam and made it disappear.
The difference between the power I was carrying and the lack of power threw me to the ground. Craid turned to Jayden, closer to him, and struck him with a magic ball right in his stomach. Jayden fell to the ground.
I got up and conjured spheres of energy in both my palms, sending them toward Craid who used his second ball of magic to counter the attack. My spheres disappeared as if they’d passed through a black hole.
I changed tactics by creating a powerful force field that sent him flying as far as possible. His purple ball disappeared from his palm. Jayden still hadn’t joined the fight, and I didn’t feel his power at all, it worried me.
But Craid recovered from the attack, rising up a millisecond after hitting the ground. He opened both arms, and his magic filled the air in the same way as the night he’d created the massacre. It was a bad sign, a terrible sign.
I spotted Jayden, still lying on the ground, holding his abdomen. Black wires were moving on his arms. He was tense and immobile.
“Listen to me,” said Craid, “for this is your last chance. I’m here to achieve something really important, something close to my heart.”
He took a deep breath; his eyes became redder and the air… What air? There was only his magic, an invisible and thick essence that marked its domination of the fight and the cruelty of its master.
“Your friend is doomed. I can save him, but I want something in return. Liliane’s heart.”
I ran to Jayden and knelt beside him, more panicked than if it were the end of the world. I moved him to lie on his back. He kept his eyes closed, the suffering etched on his face, which was covered with moving black wires.
“Jayden? Do you hear me?”
My voice was calm, but I wasn’t. I saw red, black, nothing at all. I was distraught because I’d touched him and tried to heal him with my power, but that power was weaker than ever since I’d saved Liam.
The door behind us burst open.
“And that’s how it’s done.” The Reaper beamed, showing Liam’s inert body in the other room.
“I admire your attempt. It takes some balls to come and compete with me. But know that it’s not your fault; you’re just not strong enough. I’m motivated. And everything’s going according to my plan. Alice will suffer as I’ve suffered all these years. Without her powers, her suffering will only be more unbearable. The Order members are already punished. My revenge is in place. Now all I have to do is take back what they took from me. Be aware that this is nothing personal. I admire what you do to save those you love and what you believe in. This happens when you’ve been lulled into illusions.”
My gaze remained fixed on Liam. Not a breath lifted his chest.
The Reaper grinned. “I took pleasure in killing this one.”
Through the wide-open door, I saw the bodies of Jayden’s hellhounds bathing in their blood. A few soldiers also lay on the ground, but my heart clenched from seeing the blood emanating from Jayden’s dogs.
“Listen to me. My power is draining him of all his energy, all his power
. It will suck up all that is good in him until he’s nothing but dust in a few hours.”
“Stop it!” I yelled.
“Help me find the heart.”
“You have an army from the Hells, find your heart all by yourself.”
“The incompetent here has still not recovered Liliane’s heart, and she will pay the price. But you know the guardian; you can convince him, fool him into giving you the heart.”
“Maurice won’t be fooled like this.”
“Be creative. He’s just a man. Besides, between you and me, for the next time, try to hire more than a man to keep your most precious treasures. Honestly, it’s hard to see how you’re understaffed. Don’t tell me the crisis is affecting you too?”
“He was powerful enough to prevent anyone from entering the Order’s library before he lost some of his power to save his brother. And he’s hiding that information.”
Craid shrugged. “Then, next time, hire an insensitive man or, through spite, sincere.”
I tried to give Jayden my vital energy, but the wires didn’t disappear.
Craid sighed. “You’re so naïve. Bring me the heart and I’ll give you a quick death at least. The longer you wait the more painful a death he’ll experience. Right now, he must feel that my power gnaws at each of his organs before attacking his bones; and this for long, interminable minutes. He’s paralyzed, he can only suffer.”
His voice was devoid of emotion; his gaze was a mixture of disgust and false pity. At that moment, I crumbled. A cry of rage and pain eluded me. Attacking Craid wouldn’t relieve Jayden. I didn’t know what could save him. And abandoning him was out of the question.
“I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you,” I repeated, my eyes stinging with tears.
The pain in my heart was so intense I felt I could rip it out. I couldn’t feel anything other than this agonizing pain, which was nothing compared to what Jayden was feeling now.
Suddenly, a white figure passed through the wall and landed on the ground between Craid and me. The figure came with one knee on the ground, head down and a white dress floating in the air. She got up with her arms crossed in front of her. Then she opened them, letting out of her stomach a blinding white light that struck Craid head-on.
Surprised by the sudden arrival of this woman with blonde hair, a slender body and pale skin, Craid couldn’t counter the attack. The woman turned to us. A divine beauty appeared out of nowhere. She sent that same white light to Jayden.
The light engulfed the mage while blinding me. Seconds later, I could finally open my eyes. The black wires were gone from his body.
His eyes opened, and he got up. He opened his famous portal and took out the stake that Maurice had given us. While Craid was still on the ground, he stabbed him. The inscriptions lit up and red smoke bled from the stake. Then it entered his body.
“It took you a long time,” The Reaper said.
“Right. Did you stop to eat ice cream on the way?” Jayden asked.
“You know I like to make an entrance, Reaper,” the young woman said.
She had an undeniable charm and a mesmerizing beaming smile. And that confidence. This vicious and intelligent look was unmistakable. This woman was as beautiful as she was fearsome.
“What an actress!” Liam complimented me as he got up.
“Thank you,” I replied with a proud smile.
I hadn’t played everything. Seeing Jayden suffer was painful. And the sight of the Hells dogs and Liam bathing in their blood was horrible, even though I knew everything was fake. That was Jayden’s plan, and it was working for now.
“See, you can be useful whenever you want,” Liam said to The Reaper.
“See, I liked it when you were dead. Why don’t we make it a reality this time?”
“Is that all you got? Even the little mermaid can be more threatening than you.”
The Reaper took two strides and stopped right in front of him. A devilish smile spread across her lips. “Go ahead, say it again,” she growled as a dangerous threat resonated in each of her words.
“Don’t worry. You’re much sexier than her,” Liam drawled with a childish smile on his face.
“I’ve been told that The Reaper’s illusions could lead a man to commit suicide. I wasn’t lied to. Your illusions are incredible. You need to teach me how to do it on this scale. For now, I can only maintain an illusion on my body,” I said.
“I told you I was awesome,” she said with a wink.
The Reaper had blood on her face, on her hands and knees. Liam also had blood on his arms and his teeth. I analyzed their injuries and Jayden’s dogs’ wounds. It wasn’t their blood for the most part.
We all turned to Craid. But the red smoke stopped. The inscriptions blazed until the stake exploded into a thousand pieces before our eyes. Craid struggled to get up.
“These objects are made to hold back a simple supernatural. My powers come from somewhere else, idiots. You’re making a huge mistake, you know.” He shook his head. “You’re protecting murderers!” he exploded.
“Look who’s saying that. It’s the pot calling the kettle black. It’s the sloth calling the turtle slow. It’s the demon calling the succubus evil. It’s—”
“I think we understand,” The Reaper interrupted.
“You’ve never been told that to defeat a monster you must become one. Your leaders will pay for what they’ve done.”
As he spoke, a portal opened behind him. The bloody red background gave us a glimpse of what was behind it.
“They think they’re invincible, the most powerful of their kind. Someone like me had to act. I had to restore order. Our world will be safer after that because it will no longer be murderers who will be in power. I’ll get back what they’ve taken from me and I’ll save our country from the evil, selfish and power-hungry people that you’ve been forced to place as leaders.”
He took a step back and, before I could even blink, Liam shifted and pounced on him.
Craid rushed into the portal, but something stopped Liam at the entrance as he used his four legs to stop. He retreated, lowered into an attacking position. A horse hoof came out of the portal. Followed by a horse’s leg… Of course, eh? But I had a hard time understanding why there was a horse halfway between our world and the Hells.
When he fully came out of the portal, I understood. It was only half a horse.
In fact, it was a centaur. And as if it wasn’t horrible enough, a winged-body creature with a woman’s face was sitting on that creature. They both smiled, the harpy drooled and cackled. She looked young, unlike the centaur. The wrinkles marked his angular, bearded face.
Jayden blinked in surprise. “Oh, that is…”
My surprise was already gone. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to hysteria? I wanted to laugh. A crazy and uncontrollable urge. I pinched my lips hard so I wouldn’t let anything out.
The portal closed behind them. The centaur wielded an ax. How didn’t I guess? Of course he’d have an ax.
The harpy cackled. “Welcome to hell.”
At those words, I burst out laughing. Why did she say that? It made little sense. She was the one who came from the Hells.
And I laughed so hard. A hysterical and broken laugh. Small snorts accented my peals of vocal laughter. Tears soaked my cheeks.
Everyone had stopped and looked at me with surprise on their face. I writhed with laughter. The centaur and harpy stared at me, dubious.
I saw Jayden creep behind them. He grabbed the harpy by the neck and tried to hit her against the wall, but she reacted faster than expected and struggled using her wings to strike Jayden several times in the face.
I lost my smile. Pure energy wrapped around my hands, which I sent to the harpy until an attack reached her and she turned to me. The fight had begun around us. The Centaur and The Reaper engaged in an ax-to-scythe fight while his hoofs repelled Liam and Jayden’s hellhounds with powerful blows. Their injuries were much
more serious than I’d thought because their movements were much slower than they should have been.
The harpy flew in my direction, her sharp talons extended. Her wings were red and black, and yellow stained the tip of each feather. They opened up with all their greatness. Her talons were like blades pointed at me. I stooped down to avoid her.
Worst idea of my life.
She inserted her claws into my shoulder and lifted me from the ground. I struggled, but my movements only caused her claws to be inserted all the more into my body with a pain that quickly became unbearable.
Blood dripped all over my body as the harpy passed through the window and took me to the sky. Jayden tried to catch me, but the centaur kicked him, knocking him out.
The wind whipped my face as we flew higher into the sky. Using my powers was out of the question. If I attacked the harpy and she dropped me, I was dead. My body would make a perfect pancake on the floor. Casting a spell in free fall was almost impossible for any average mage like me. It was already too late. No matter what, I had no way out.
We were high, really high in the sky. And she kept going until I saw no more Armistice but only clouds. Clouds suspended in the sky, forming what looked like a cozy bed. Beyond everything, all the fighting and all the wars. The stars glowed in the sky. The cold froze my blood. This view was splendid and serene. That was the last thing I saw.
She opened her claws and let go of me. I plunged into space, waiting only for the ground to end my life.
CHAPTER 21
I saw my life unfold before my eyes. Not quite the life I’d lived but the life I wanted. I saw this seaside house I dreamed of. I heard the laughter of Alice and Liam. I saw Jayden’s smile appear several times. All in a flash. But I kept the most beautiful image. Jayden’s smile. Precious and rare. The ground appeared before my eyes, and the fear of dying was the last thing I felt.
Before I stopped a few inches from the ground… floating… in the air. Then I was brought to the ground.
What had just happened? I raised my head, stunned, and saw Jayden at the window. He jumped and landed next to me a few seconds later, alive. He had landed with grace when such a leap would have killed any human.
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