Harley Merlin 6: Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris

by Forrest, Bella

  Naima scowled at him. “That is my business.”

  “Have you scanned them for bugs?”

  “What do you take me for? Yes, they are clean,” she returned. “No bugs, no devices, nothing.”

  Evidently, things were anything but rosy between Katherine’s lieutenant and the kid who wanted the position so desperately. I wanted to ask when she’d scanned us, exactly, but I held my tongue. It would look way too suspicious. I was just glad we hadn’t been stupid enough to wear earpieces into this place, though it seemed as though Astrid’s speech device and the used Ephemeras had flown under the radar, thanks to Krieger’s cloaking shields.

  Kenneth narrowed his eyes at Finch. “Hey, I know you.”

  “You do?” Finch’s tone was casual, while I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

  “Pieter Mazinov, right?” Oh, thank God for that.

  Finch nodded. “What’s it to you?”

  “I’ve seen you on wanted posters. Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

  Finch laughed. “Supposed to be, yeah. We had to take the heat off for a bit. Faking your death by polar bear attack is a pretty easy way to make the authorities forget about you. If you leave enough blood, they don’t even want to check it out. We got a bit woozy after that, though, didn’t we, Volla?”

  “Two pints from each person is two pints too much. Looked impressive, though,” I replied, finding my voice at last. Well, Volla’s voice.

  Kenneth seemed satisfied with Finch’s response, pushing his nose into the air like he’d smelled something rancid. I had to hand it to Finch: he was doing an incredible job of keeping his cool, considering he probably wanted to knock seven shades of crap out of Kenneth. He was already making a good impression, which would work in our favor. A few of the cultists had even laughed with Finch about the polar bear situation.

  However, I got a mixed vibe from the rest of the group that had gathered. Shinsuke, in particular. He had a shifty wariness about him that set me on edge, my Empath senses feeling concern and fear brimming through him. Bit off more than you could chew? I sort of felt sorry for him. He looked like a lost kid who’d gotten in with the wrong crowd and didn’t know how to get out again. Plus, if what Naima said was true, there was no way out. I wondered if he would be ready to renounce the cult, if given the opportunity.

  While Finch entertained the masses with a fantastical tale of polar bears and hiding out in a snow cave, I took a moment to really look at the people surrounding us. In all the chaos of arriving and being bombarded with grim news, they’d all become a bit of a blur. I spotted a young woman at the back of the crowd, her hands bandaged. Finch followed my gaze while giving a dramatic pause, halfway through a story about the Northern Lights and an over-amorous penguin. He cast me a knowing look and suddenly said, “The sky was electrifying.” A hidden signal to me, letting me know that this was Thessaly Crux—the one who’d tried to disable the Bestiary with that Gemini device.

  “Enough of the welcome brigade. It is time you began your first trial,” Naima announced, surveying the crowd with her amber eyes. It was strange how much she resembled Tobe, and yet the two of them were worlds apart.

  “Which is?” I replied, giving it my best Volla Mazinov blasé attitude.

  “An aspiring member must face the cult’s current members. It is Thessaly Crux and Shinsuke Nomura’s turn.” She flashed me a grin. “Although, since Tess is indisposed with an injury, the duty shall fall to Kenneth Willow instead.”

  Kenneth smirked. “Even without the injury, I’d beat her anytime. How you getting on there, mummy-hands?”

  Tess snickered. “Listen, you’ve got enough of an Oedipus complex without bringing me into it.”

  “You best be careful, or it’ll be more than your hands giving you trouble,” Kenneth replied, his eyes narrowing. I watched him shoot dark looks at those who dared to laugh, and I was struggling to stifle a laugh myself.

  “Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try it, suck-up.”

  “You want to go, Crux?” Kenneth snapped, though he made no move to attack her. It was all for show, as far as I could tell. He clearly hated Tess, but I sensed he was also afraid of her. To be honest, I’d have liked to see them duke it out, and my money was firmly on Tess—bandages or no bandages.

  “Ha, in your dreams.” She cast him a butter-wouldn’t-melt smile. Judging by the unsurprised reactions of the other folks who’d gathered on the bridge, this confrontation wasn’t a rare occurrence.

  “The trial, Naima?” I tried to get the focus back on us. The sooner we finished these stupid trials, the sooner we could finish the mission at hand: rescuing my mother’s spirit before All Hallows’ Eve.

  Naima nodded. “We shall depart to the battle arena, where you will face your opponent. Cult members, prepare yourselves for the ceremony.” She led the way, her black cloak swishing like a movie villain’s as we followed her along a network of suspended metal bridges. I looked back just in time to see Tess, even with her bandages, strike a sharp jolt of Electro energy into Kenneth as she passed him. It looked like it caused her pain, but that had to be worth it. Kenneth juddered violently, his body going into spasms, while his eyes rolled back into his head. I could see him fighting to say something, but the jolt made it impossible. By the time he stopped shaking, Tess had already stalked off in the opposite direction.

  After ten minutes of walking, we arrived at a clearing with a raised platform in the center. It was crafted from a single block of volcanic stone so smooth and shiny it almost looked like a disc of black glass. A band of tiered seats ran around the edge, where spectators could watch, but there was a significant, sheer drop between the arena lip and the seating. I guessed that was where the cult members would take up their positions whenever they came back from their “preparations.”

  As if reading my mind, they appeared from the trees, sweeping out of the shadows. This seemed to be the cult uniform—a long, silken robe of deep red, with golden patterns sewn into the fabric. They wore their hoods low, as any good cultist should, their heads dipped. They took their seats around the stone arena, using a different walkway than the one Naima had led us up.

  “Aspiring members, you may take your places,” Naima said, gesturing to Finch and me. We looked at each other. Since Shinsuke and Kenneth hadn’t come back, we figured we were supposed to stand at the end nearest Naima—anything to put distance between us and them when they appeared.

  In one swift display of athleticism, Naima leapt from the black disc and landed on a smaller, square platform opposite. It had two seats on it, but the other remained empty as she sat down. Katherine’s throne, perhaps? We’d yet to see the woman herself, but I guessed we’d only get the chance if we made it through these trials.

  “The trials have changed,” Finch whispered to me as we moved closer to one another.

  “Huh?”

  “The trials. They’ve changed. This never used to be part of it.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  Finch shrugged. “Depends on what nasties Kenneth is getting ready to use. Remember to dodge the puffs of colored smoke—they’re hexes, and he’s probably been working on some pretty gross ones.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember those,” I muttered. Flashbacks of Purgatory and Giverny Le Fay bombarded my brain, making me remember Wade’s blindness and the flurry of smoke bombs that had gone off all around me.

  “I don’t know how strong Shinsuke’s abilities are going to be, but he’s a Nomura, so—go figure. Just keep watching for Kenneth. He’s probably got the least skill but the most tricks up his sleeve. Literally.”

  I smiled. “Watch my back, I’ll watch yours.”

  “Deal.” He shot me a grin. Not for the first time, I wished I could sense him with my Empathy. I wanted to know what was going on in that head of his. Was this all an act, or had he really changed? It would make things so much easier if he had. Maybe I could relax into this newfound warmth toward him, if I only knew whether he was genuine
or not.

  Five minutes later, Shinsuke and Kenneth made their way up the walkway to the stone disc and came to a halt at the far end. They kept some distance between them, unlike Finch and me, who were pretty much glued to each other’s sides. Had they discussed tactics during their brief absence? I doubted it. Kenneth was acting as if Shinsuke wasn’t even there, showboating around the edge of the arena as if he were putting on a matinee. Shinsuke, on the other hand, looked focused and very Nomura-like.

  “I will begin my countdown,” Naima roared, silencing the crowd. “When I reach one, you may begin. And remember, new recruits are not allowed to kill cult members.”

  I stared at her. How was that a fair fight? So our enemies could skewer us if they wanted, but we couldn’t unleash our full powers in case we accidentally killed their guys? Biased, much?

  Shinsuke bowed to her, while Kenneth merely shrugged.

  “Ten,” she began.

  Shinsuke shed his robe where he stood, revealing a muscular physique that I hadn’t expected. The man works out! It brought thoughts of Wade and his own muscular arms. Shinsuke wore a black sleeveless shirt that seemed to be made of some type of rubber, revealing the Apple of Discord at the top of his right arm. On his back, he carried the same double Esprit as his father—two Samurai swords, the elegant, ivory handles sticking up above his broad shoulders.

  “Hey, wait a minute, they’re allowed weapons?” I hissed at Finch.

  He shrugged. “An Esprit’s an Esprit. His just happens to be two massive, killer katanas.”

  I missed my own Esprit, which I’d had to leave behind for obvious reasons. Facing Kenneth without one wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time. Still, I had good control over my abilities these days, Esprit or no Esprit. It just felt weird not to have it. It had become such a huge part of my identity as a magical.

  Kenneth’s Esprit was mounted on his bow tie, as usual, the red ruby glowing in the shade of the trees. I hated the sight of that thing. I thought of the kids he’d killed back at the abandoned port and let my hatred strengthen my Chaos. I’d been gagging for a chance to wipe the smirk off his face, and now I had one.

  This is going to be good.

  “Let’s hope you can use your Fire one more time,” I told Finch.

  He nodded and slipped his hand into his pocket. His grimace let me know the spikes of the Ephemera were doing their work. I only hoped the ability would last long enough to make an impact. If it didn’t, everyone was going to wonder why the famed Firestarter wasn’t using his most prized skill on the battlefield. Krieger, you better have made this work.

  “You deal with Kenneth, I’ll handle Shinsuke,” Finch said, as Naima reached “six” on her doomsday countdown.

  I gave him an uncertain side-eye. “Why do you get Shinsuke? Colored puffs of evil smoke, remember?”

  He laughed. “Because if I take on Kenneth, I will beat him, and I will kill him, and no one will be able to stop me,” he said.

  “Well, when you put it like that…”

  “ONE!” Naima roared.

  I thought you’d never get there.

  Eighteen

  Finch

  I sprinted toward the center of the arena and skidded to a halt. New energy brimmed in my veins. It was stronger than I’d expected this time. I guessed I had Harley to thank for that. Supercharged Fire power, coming right up. Just keep it going. I didn’t want it to sputter out mid-fight. That’d draw some attention, for sure.

  I lifted my hands and let the new ability surge down my arms. It was weird and unnatural. And it left a tingling that I kinda liked. A stream of violent Fire shot out of my palms and hurtled toward Shinsuke. His eyes widened, but he was a pro. He dodged out of the way and pulled out his katanas. Bastard. I had to blink as he ran at me. I didn’t know whether it was just my imagination, but it looked like the blades had gotten longer.

  Meanwhile, I let Harley get on with it. She didn’t need my help on this. She’d faced Katherine and survived before, and Kenneth would be nothing compared to that. I kept an eye out for errant puffs of smoke. I loathed those suckers, the lowest of the low. A real magical would never rely on dirty tricks.

  I picked up the pace and slid between Shinsuke’s legs. The glass was perfect for that. He looked back in surprise as I stood up and shot a fireball at his face. It singed his cheek on the way past. I needed to work on my accuracy. His blades shortened. Yep, definitely not imagining things. This had to be the Earth-slash-Magneton hybrid Krieger had yapped on about. It was insanely cool, but pants-crappingly scary.

  He slashed the blade at my face, but I ducked back. I heard the whisper of it as it sliced the air right in front of my nose. I’d been unlucky enough to get my dad’s schnozz, but I didn’t want it getting chopped off. A fireball surged from my palm in retaliation. Shinsuke swiped at the air with his blades, dispersing the crackling ball into ashes. Close one.

  “How do you prefer yourself? Medium or well-done?” I grinned at him as a jet of near-liquid Fire shot out of my hands. He flipped his swords backward and arched over, the razor-sharp tips digging into the glass as he propped himself up. The stream sailed right over his torso. This guy is good. Nomura by name, Nomura by nature. I’d have to get a little crazy to beat him. Fortunately, craziness was in my nature.

  I sprinted at him full-pelt as he stood back up, waiting until the last moment before I slid to my knees. I surged another jet of Fire at him. It hit him full in the stomach, knocking him back. He jumped up a second later, seemingly unharmed. The rubber top he was wearing had somehow absorbed the blast. That neat little addition was going to make my job a whole lot harder.

  I ran for the edge of the arena and jumped off. A gasp went up from the crowd. Always breaking the rules, Finch. I clung to the side and shimmied my way around the lip. Tucking my body right under the glass, I waited. Through the shiny stone, I saw a shadow approach. Shinsuke had taken the bait. I waited until he came to the very edge before swinging myself up and launching a volley of fireballs at him. He was quick. A few swift slashes of his blades, and the fireballs shifted trajectory. They powered toward the crowd, who dove out of the way.

  “Nice try,” he said. A sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. Things were getting a little hot in the kitchen.

  I backed away from the edge. With every step I took, I fired another blast at him. The swish of his swords was all I could hear. Curious, I glanced over my shoulder to see how Harley was doing. She seemed to be holding her own, dodging hex puffs left, right, and center. And Kenneth was already soaking wet from her Water power. Ah, the drowned rat look. Perfect.

  I jumped back in surprise as a katana blade narrowly missed my chest. It had grown longer again.

  “I need to learn how to do that,” I said, brushing off how close he’d come to snagging me. I could think of a thousand uses, not all of them safe for work. Still, it was going to be hard to take this guy down. I was desperate to mix it up and use my Telekinesis, but I couldn’t. Pieter Mazinov didn’t have Telekinesis—it was Fire or nothing. I just hoped it held out. Krieger had said it would last a fair while, but he’d also said it wasn’t an exact science.

  “Even if you could, you wouldn’t have the patience,” he replied.

  “Bit sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  He smiled. “I’ve trained to be.”

  I looked at him and knew I needed to get more creative. Thinking fast, I lunged at him and jumped into the air, using the flat top edge of his katanas to balance on as I sprang over his head. I somersaulted, landing with his back to me. Using the split second of surprise, I powered two palms’ worth of Fire into his shoulder blades. He staggered forward under the pressure, smoke rising from his rubber suit.

  A moment after, he was up again. Stay down, geez! I launched another jet at him, this time hitting him square in the chest. He staggered back once more, but he wouldn’t go down. Instead, he crossed his blades in front of his face, widening the metal to form a shield. The fire bounced back, heading
right for me. I dove to the floor, feeling the heat of the flames as they whizzed over me.

  Suddenly, he was on me. His knee pushed into my chest as he shortened his blades to tantos. With a smile of triumph, he rested the blade against my neck. If I was going to get out of this alive, I needed to come up with something fast. A thought hit me. Keep him talking.

  “Wouldn’t you call that cheating?”

  He frowned. “What?”

  “Using weapons. Hardly fair, right?” Discreetly, I put my hand in my pocket and felt around for my Esprit. I’d morphed it into a dagger identical to the one Pieter Mazinov used.

  “Sore loser?”

  “Who says I’ve lost?” I brought the knife up and slashed it across Shinsuke’s arm, just below that stupid apple. Nobody would question me using it. An Esprit was an Esprit, after all. Shinsuke stared at the wound. It was only a small nick, really, but the neurotoxin would soon get to work. I didn’t want to kill him, just slow him down a bit.

  “Hey…” His eyes turned foggy as he slumped forward. The neurotoxin had worked. Pushing him off me, I stood over him. He tried to crawl away, but by now his limbs would feel like lead, and his motor senses would go next. They’d all come back, but he’d have one hell of a hangover.

  Urging Fire into my hands, I pummeled it into his back until he stopped crawling. Only then did I stop. I wanted to make sure I hadn’t killed him. As I reached forward to check for a pulse, he lifted his hand in surrender.

  “Pieter Mazinov is the winner!” Naima bellowed.

  You bet your furry ass I am.

  Now that my part was over, I sat down beside Shinsuke’s limp body and watched the rest of Harley’s fight. I patted him on the rump. “Good fight, Nomura. You did good.”

  He groaned in reply.

  “Yeah, you’ll feel better in the morning.” I used his body as a backrest, folding my arms across my chest as I got settled in for Harley’s victory. I’d thought about helping her, but this wasn’t really a two-on-one sort of game. If Harley wanted her place in the cult, she’d have to win on her own. Honestly, I was still trying to wrap my head around being back here. It was home, but also not. It was kind of like a dream and a nightmare colliding.