by Ashley Meira
Adam shrugged. “I’ve never been here before. At least there’s enough room for a fight.”
“Joy,” I said flatly. “Is she here?”
Diana nodded. “Her magic is here. At the other end.”
“The dark part we can’t see into?”
“Scared of a few shadows?” Damien asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Guess it doesn’t matter,” I said rather bitterly. “I won’t be fighting Seraphine.”
“Here’s hoping,” he said, all traces of humor gone. Was he… worried? Could Damien Pierce even be worried? “Not much cover past here.”
Damn it. He had a point. While I wasn’t sure we’d be able to take someone like Seraphine by surprise, it didn’t hurt to try. There were large rocks scattered around the field we could hide behind, but I couldn’t tell if there were any farther ahead.
“Anyone have binoculars?” I asked. “Would help scouting the far end of the vall— Oh.”
Adam had the decency to keep his mouth shut as he looked through the binoculars he’d fished out. I can’t believe I missed him putting those into his bag when we were packing this morning.
“Charybdis,” he said. “They’re surrounding something — a dome? It’s opaque.”
“Shit ton of magic.” Damien scowled. “Could be a barrier.”
“That thick?” Adam frowned. “The ground seems stable here. We should be able to break through it without risking a collapse.”
“Eventually,” Damien said. “Might be able to get her to drop it, too. If it even is a barrier.”
“Think she’s afraid of getting swept away in the ensuing storm?” Fiona asked. “I’d set up a barrier for that. Then again, I’m not a crusty old sea witch.”
“Give it time,” I said.
She shoved me. “Shut it, Sinclair.”
Diana cleared her throat. “The rocks will provide cover, but not enough for a truly stealthy approach.”
“Shift now?” I asked, feeling apprehension creeping up my spine.
I was all for a well-prepared strategy, but most of my life had been spent brute forcing things. Of course, I’d been magic-proof back then. Still, there was a certain peace in the idea of a dragon and phoenix rushing the field and killing everything in sight. The sooner everything down there was dead, the better, right? I knew I’d feel better.
“Yeah,” Damien said.
Adam placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’d rather see what we’re dealing with first.”
“Or we could just kill everything.”
“It doesn’t take long to shift,” Adam said. “We can do it when necessary. Brashness will get you killed.”
It seemed like Damien wanted to argue as much as I did, but all he did was purse his lips and push Adam’s hand off his shoulder.
“The charybdis are likely to smell us coming as well,” Diana said.
“Weren’t you able to control them before?” I asked. “Back when you were summoning Seraphine?”
“Thanks for that, by the way,” Damien grumbled.
“I cowed them,” she said. “The charybdis respond to strength, but whatever I display will not be likely to sway them from Seraphine. Apart from her power, their ancestors served as her vassals centuries ago.”
“The water folk do like their traditions,” I said.
“Except Symeon.” Fiona tightened her ponytail. “Stealth, then. Rock to rock?”
I nodded. “Shrink down and keep to the back in case we need to catch them off guard.”
With a shaky plan in place, we began our silent descent.
It didn’t seem possible, but everything seemed to get even quieter. My blood hummed in my ears, rushing around inside me with a mix of anticipation and fear.
I’d been afraid before. Hell, I spent most of my life living in fear. But this was a new type of fear. I felt mortal.
Whenever I went into a fight, I prepared myself for the possibility that I might get seriously hurt. But it was rare I thought I would die. Most of my opponents were magical, after all. Yes, if they hit me I’d end up in prison for being Fireborn, but I’d still be alive.
Even when fighting Gadot, who’d broken several bones in my face, I hadn’t been worried about dying. Failing, yes. The possibility of chaos being unleashed upon the world was a heavy weight to bear. But not death. I was so used to having that sense of invincibility that I rushed in headfirst, never thinking I could actually die.
But I wasn’t rushing into this headfirst. I’d had a month of isolated contemplation to realize my own mortality. And I still waited until now to get it through my thick skull.
My steps faltered as pure fear squeezed its gnarled claws around my heart. I didn’t want to die. Ironically, it had been easier playing hero when I’d been my world’s most hated kind.
But I still was, wasn’t I? I still had to be Fireborn — my father said so. Could he have been wrong? Fuck. Why couldn’t I worry about this later? Right, because otherwise I’d just worry about dying. How the hell did Fiona do this every day?
A hand clasped my shoulder and another clamped itself over my mouth before I could shout. “Sophia?”
I stared into Diana’s eyes, hoping she couldn’t see the fear in mine.
“You’re fighting the charybdis.”
Her hand was covering my mouth, so I nodded.
“Have you fought creatures like them before? Vampires, werewolves, and the such?”
I rolled my eyes. Of course I had. I was a mercenary.
“Did you use magic?”
Oh.
Oh.
“I’m a fucking idiot,” I mumbled against her hand.
She pulled away with a frown. “It must be hard. To go back to the way you were living before you started using magic again. I can’t imagine.”
Her words were awkward and came out in stuttered pauses, but I appreciated the sentiment behind them. “I hated that being Fireborn defined me. I struggled against that mold for so long, but when I started using magic again all that work vanished. I could control magic, bend it to my will — I felt unstoppable. Now, I’m back to the way I was before, and….” I sighed. “It’s like I can’t remember how to be that woman anymore: Sophia, the magic-less mercenary.”
I’d essentially shifted my entire identity over to “Fireborn” and “mage” once Adam started training me. I’d completely forgotten that pretty much everything other than my magic was developed during the time I spent hiding who I was. Well, technically, it’d been trained by Nicholas, but I’d honed it after escaping, relying on the muscle memory more than his words.
Something snapped against my arm and fell to the ground. A pebble?
“Damien,” Diana said.
The other three people of our group were already in the piece of cover ahead of us. Damien had an annoyed expression on his face and gestured in way that either meant “hurry the hell up” or “what are you two doing?”. I got the feeling both questions were rhetorical, so I held back my eye roll and hurried over to them.
I wouldn’t say my confidence had come back, but I felt more comfortable than before. My fingers squeezed the hilt of my sword, the bands of my rings pressing against the leather. Familiar. Just like old times. I must’ve sliced off over a hundred vampire’s heads with this baby. Kind of morbid when I thought about it, but hey, whatever kept me going.
We were half way to the other end of the valley and still hadn’t been discovered. From here, we could see what had been hidden from us farther back.
There were fewer charybdis than I expected. A dozen were standing guard, their bulky, scaled forms sleek and shiny in the light. Their mouths were as gruesome as ever, with a mouthful of gigantic misshapen fangs jutting out from their lower jaw.
Their primitive spears had been replaced by sleeker, and decidedly more brutal, looking models. A gift from Seraphine, if the design was any indication. They glistened like crystals in the light, almost more art than weapon. They’d have reach on their side. Hopefully, I’d be
flexible enough to compensate.
The opaque barrier that had confused us was actually a large crystal sphere nestled against the far wall of the valley, like a pearl nestled in an oyster. It was no less confusing than before, but at least now we knew what it was. Kind of.
“Magic,” Damien said in a soft whisper. “Jesus, it’s thick as fuck.”
“I can’t absorb that much without serious repercussions,” Diana said.
“Wait, wait, wait.” I leaned forward as much as I could without risking detection. “That crystal thing is magic?”
“It’s a barrier,” Adam said. “An incredibly dense barrier. It’ll be tough to crack, even when we’re shifted.”
“We’ll make sure the charybdis are giving us their full attention,” Fiona said. “How big do you think this thing is? Is Seraphine in there?”
“A couple feet wide based on the mountain wall,” Diana said. “The barrier is made of her magic, so if she’s not in there, she’s close.”
“At least it’s not disgusting like Nicholas’ magic,” Fiona said. “Would suck to fight while trying not to gag.”
“What is it like?” I asked, keeping the yearning from my voice.
“I don’t know,” she said, unable to hide the pity in hers. “Just not like death.”
“Like lilies.” Diana’s voice carried with it a hint of nostalgia.
“Tastes like fresh water,” Damien added. “Too fresh.”
“How is something too fresh?” Diana asked.
“Like when you’re so thirsty you can’t stop drinking. It tastes like the most delicious thing in the world, so you keep drinking without realizing you’re going to drown.”
“That was oddly poetic,” I said.
“And accurate,” Adam said. “The pleasant scent, her soothing magic, everything about Seraphine is designed to trap you, lull you into a state of bliss.”
Fiona gulped. “Which won’t work on us because we know it’s coming, right?”
“It’s a thought to keep at the forefront of your mind,” Diana said.
We exchanged looks. Uh oh.
“Can we shift now?” Damien asked. “Or is there more recon you want to perform?”
Adam spared him an annoyed glance, but before he could reply, a feminine voice stopped him.
“By all means, shift now. I’ve been here for so long — I could use a show.”
Heat raced through my body. Seraphine’s voice was clear as a chime yet husky at the same time. It was the perfect blend of pitch and tone. Images of our last meeting came unbidden; her full lips, her soulful eyes, the way her hair framed—
A cold hand against my neck jolted me back into the moment and I jerked away. Diana withdrew her hand from the collar of my turtleneck, her eyes never leaving the barrier. She’d touched Fiona, too, who was shaking the glazed look from her eyes.
Damien ran a hand down his face. His muscles were tense, his jaw locked. Looks like we weren’t the only ones struggling with her influence. “Should’ve shifted sooner.”
“Like we needed a dragon rushing around under her spell.” Adam appeared the least affected after Diana, but I didn’t miss the way he gnawed on his lips.
Jealousy beat out whatever spell Seraphine was trying to put on us. Manipulated or not, I didn’t enjoy the idea of Adam so focused on another woman. My body moved before I could think it through. Fortunately, Diana had enough presence of mind to pull me back.
A wistful sigh came from ahead. Pure white seared my eyes. I whipped my head away with a cry of pain, brushing the tears from my eyes with one hand as the other reached for my sword.
Silence followed, and when I finally mustered the courage to look, all I saw was Diana’s back as she conjured a barrier of her own to protect us. It surrounded us in a dome. Its walls were translucent, allowing me to see what Seraphine had done.
She’d… thinned her own barrier? Apart from the dots floating before my eyes, the only change was the thick crystalline barrier before us now appeared to be made of glass. Seraphine looked down at us from behind its walls, her face more beautiful than I remembered.
She twirled a strand of deep red hair around her pale finger, her other hand straightening her regal lavender robes. My knees buckled on their own accord, and I had to force myself to remember she was an evil sea witch, not a goddess to be worshiped.
“Oh?” Her eyes widened in shock as she put on a sad face. “Nothing at all? Not even a bow? In my day, people showed more respect to their rulers. Are you trying to hurt my feelings?”
I focused on her blinks — every three seconds, without fail. I watched the way her chest moved at odds with the way she spoke, too steady and rhythmic to be real breath. She moved perfectly, like a doll on a music box. Same motions, no variations.
No life.
Everything about Seraphine is designed to trap you, lull you into a state of bliss.
My Fire had forced me to see that before, and I’d nearly forgotten.
“I don’t give a damn about your feelings,” I forced out. More yelling, less thinking. Just because I knew she was evil didn’t mean I wasn’t enticed to step closer to her and bask in her presence. My legs were under my command for now, but I wasn’t sure how long that would be the case. “Call me crazy, but creatures that are trying to kill millions of people don’t really fall under my ‘polite’ list.”
Seraphine tilted her head, her full lips forming an ‘o’ once more. “I remember you lot. The trio who grabbed that man. Nicholas let you go.”
“He was too busy taking care of your pathetic ass,” Fiona spat. Her fingers were white against the hilt of her blade, trembling from the pressure of her grip. She’d had the same idea I had, it seemed. “How pathetic for a supposedly mighty witch. Can’t even take care of herself.”
“That’s what servants are for, dear. Else, what is the point?” Her ocean blue gaze raked down Fiona’s body. “The fairy with magic sweet like candy. Though nowhere as sweet as your fiery companion.” Seraphine frowned and turned to me. “Not so fiery anymore, I see. What happened to all that magic I sensed before? I can practically taste it on my tongue, spicy and spirited. Have you hidden it away? I could help you find it, deep, deep within.”
My interested rushed forward like a gushing volcano — then died instantly as Seraphine’s lip curled, revealing a glimpse of vicious, shark-like teeth. If she really could find my magic, I wouldn’t be alive to enjoy it when she did.
“But perhaps I should satisfy myself with more plain flavoring? Come closer, little servant, I caught your scent before you even made your way down here.”
Diana stepped forward, jaw locked and sword drawn.
“Does Daddy know his favorite mongrel has chewed through her leash?” Seraphine’s expression turned pitying — or as close to pitying as it could get. “You defected from him only to run to them? I could have provided you with much more… satisfaction.”
Diana didn’t utter a word, choosing instead to raise her weapon toward the sea witch and glare at the growling charybdis.
“Fuck this back and forth.” Damien growled. “We’ve got the Fireborn for questioning about Ryder. I don’t need to sit through this bitch’s crap.”
A rush of air knocked me off my feet and scattered the snow around us. White flooded my vision again, but the dragon’s roar told me what I needed to know. The vibrations shook the ground, making it hard to stand. I managed to rise to my feet and reach for Fiona. We stumbled back behind the large rock we’d been using as cover and waited for the field to clear.
Seraphine’s barrier had come back, fully opaque and hard as ever. From what I could see, at least. A huge ball of lightning obscured my vision seconds later as it slammed into the crystalline wall and sent the nearby charybdis flying.
Focus on the job.
The words played themselves like a mantra as I spurred myself into action. My sword sliced through one of the charybdis that had been blasted toward us, taking his arm clean off. His head followed with a
twist of my wrist, and I said a silent “thank you” to whoever invented magical blades.
Fiona followed suit, her orichalcum blade glinting the in the winter light. The dagger extended into a sword and cut through two charybdis before blocking the spear of a third.
I rushed forward, jamming my sword into his gut as Fiona twirled away in search of another enemy. She found one quickly, and we lost ourselves in the familiar rhythm of battle.
This I could do. I might not be able to sling fireballs, but I could take on a hoard of goons with relative ease. My muscles throbbed from being thrown into such a violent fray after being lax for so long, but my body kept going. Slicing, stabbing, dodging, flipping — it was just like before.
A spear flew toward me. I rolled to the side and flung my sword at the charybdis who’d thrown it. The blade shot through his skull and appeared back in my hand with a curl of my finger. A burst of pink flew over my head, knocking a charging charybdis off his feet. Fiona leapt forward, plunging her sword into his chest.
There was too much chaos for me to survey the field, but I hoped the others weren’t having trouble dealing with Seraphine. If Fiona and I could cut through these foot soldiers, we might be able to help. Though it wasn’t easy, we were culling their numbers. That knowledge was enough to keep me going.
The fight continued, overwhelming my senses with the sounds of battle and the smell of the ocean. Metal clashed against crystal as I traded blows with the charybdis, trying to keep my eyes peeled for a flash of red. I couldn’t help the others yet, but I’d be damned if I let my sister get hurt.
Soon, my vision was no longer flooded with giant fish men. The charybdis were growing fewer by the minute. It wouldn’t be long until….
My optimism was silenced by loud splashes of water. The pools around the valley began to churn, pushing foamy water out of their cradles. Giant shadows shot out of the pools, covered in scales and wielding crystalline spears. The charybdis lifted their heads up and roared, a raspy crescendo that was answered by dozens more of their brethren as they made their way out of their hiding spots.
It was a fucking horde, and I couldn’t see any end to them.