Spells & Ashes

by Kim Richardson

  I pushed Colin farther behind me. “Stay back,” I yelled and ran to meet the shadow demon head-on.

  The black mist swarmed me. Enormous pressure clasped me. I couldn’t breathe.

  “Conlidam!” I cried, my head pounding with the effort.

  The black mist shattered and recoiled, like a cloud of black snow. It hovered for a second and then reformed, solidifying into a wormlike creature with a suction-cup-like mouth. Yikes.

  I didn’t hesitate.

  “Feurantis!” I thundered, unleashing my will as I thrust my hands at the shadow demon. The fireball exploded into the demon, lighting it up like a giant wiener. I gagged at the smell of burning, rotting flesh.

  I whirled thinking of the kid and felt a surge of relief as I spotted Logan planted in front of Colin, using his body as a shield. Damn, I was starting to really like that angel-born.

  A flash of beige skin appeared in my line of sight, and then a naked witch came at me.

  Great. Why did I have to fight the crazy, naked guy?

  Alex snarled, all his parts flinging, penis and all, as he lunged. Just freaking great.

  The witch halted, but his lips moved in a spell. The bastard thought he was going to hex me?

  Oh no you don’t, dick.

  “Sphaeras,” I cried, and a sphere-shaped shield of golden energy rose up from the ground and arched to a close just over my head.

  Through the shimmering, golden energy, I saw Alex standing with his legs and arms splayed, tendrils of darkness dripping from his hands. That’s new. Alex didn’t have that kind of magic. He couldn’t even get his own cauldron to boil let alone conjure something that strong.

  My breath caught. I knew what that was. I’d seen it only once before. The darkness that coiled around his hands was a direct result of when a witch traded his or her soul in return for the ultimate power—demonic magic.

  And Alex had traded his soul for a taste of it.

  “You stupid son of a bitch,” I swore.

  And then Alex hurled a ball of black, demonic energy at me.

  It hit my sphere and then spread over it, like oil, until it covered it completely, leaving me in total and utter darkness. The air tightened around me and pressed against my chest. I couldn’t breathe. Gasping, I gagged at the choking smell of rot and sulfur.

  And then my protection sphere exploded.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” Alex laughed. “A bubble of protection?”

  Anger shocked through me. “Screw you, you naked bastard.” Yes, that was all I could come up with at that moment.

  Drawing himself up, Alex whispered Latin, his hands taking on a sinister mien. He gestured with a flick of his wrist.

  The witch was fast. I lurched to the side, but searing pain flared up my back. The pain struck deep. Doubling over, I crashed onto the hard ground, convulsing. The demonic curse hit, and I curled into a ball as it spread through my bloodstream, burning. My head felt like it was splitting in two, and my vision blurred as the pain swelled. The scent of burnt flesh filled my nose. My flesh. I was burning from the inside.

  And then the pain stopped.

  My muscles quit seizing, and I sucked in a ragged breath of air. I took another breath and then another. My muscles relaxed, leaving only my pounding head and the taste of something metallic in my mouth.

  I threw my gaze around the building. We’d moved to the left side of the room, away from the battle. Either the demons weren’t interested in me, or they were giving Alex some space. Maybe the witch could control them now with his demonic magic.

  I could barely see anything through the multitude of demon bodies, but I caught a glimpse of Kyllian as he sliced the head off an imp. A ghoul came up behind him, but the angel spun around and hit it with a succession of quick stabs. Buckets of black blood sprayed him in the face but he never slowed—a fearless soldier sent from the heavens.

  I strained my eyes, but I couldn’t see Colin or Logan through the masses of twisting demon bodies, claws, and teeth.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good plan after all.

  “I’ve been wanting to do this for a very long time,” said Alex, and I looked up to see him breathing heavily, a smug grin on his face as tendrils of darkness spilled from his outstretched hands. “I’ve been fantasizing about this very moment. Planning how I was going to do it. How I was going to take the life of the great Samantha Beaumont.” He laughed. “Lovely Samantha. I’m going to take my sweet time killing you.”

  Prick. But I wasn’t done yet.

  A new rush of adrenaline poured into me. Pulse fast, I spit the blood from my mouth, rolled over onto my knees, tapped into the magic in my rings, and shouted, “Feurantis!”

  Twin fireballs hurled at the witch.

  Alex’s eyes went patronizing. And with a flick of his wrist, he deflected them like he just swatted some flies. They hit the far wall with a thundering boom.

  My eyes widened. Crap. This was bad.

  His grin expanded at what he saw on my face, possibly shock and a little envy.

  “You can’t beat me, Sam,” said Alex, his hands on his hips, speaking to me as though we were old friends having one of our usual conversations. “You have no idea of the power I wield now. Limitless.”

  “Spineless is more like it.” I struggled to my feet, my head still swimming with pain from his curse. “You traded your soul for a piece of demonic magic? You do realize it’s going to kill you in the end. Demonic magic always claims its payment. And that payment is always your life, dumbass.”

  He laughed. “Stupid witch. You don’t know anything.”

  The bastard was cocky. He thought what? He was immortal or something? He wasn’t. He was just a witch with a temporary power boost. Nothing more.

  And I was going to blast his ass to the Netherworld.

  Seething, I tapped into my will, letting my anger fuel me. Power flowed in, familiar but painful in my sudden rush.

  “Hasta Feuro!” I cried, and a yellow-orange, spear-like fire hurled toward Alex. I’d only just learned the spell a week ago, but it was effective, nonetheless. I would even say it was pretty. The fire spear shot straight and true.

  Lips moving, Alex flicked his wrists, and my flaming spear burst into a shower of orange particles.

  Oh. Shit.

  Instincts kicked in. If he wanted a battle, he was going to get one.

  Alex’s lips moved in a dark chant, but I had already tapped into my well of power.

  “Vento!” I howled, releasing my will, and a gust of powerful wind burst from my outstretched hand.

  It hit.

  Alex flew back with the force of the blow and then hovered in the air like a poor imitation of Superman. Correction. A naked, poor imitation of Superman. My life was getting stranger every day. Alex could fly?

  “Now that’s not fair,” I told him as he hovered like gravity didn’t affect him. “Do you know how hard it is to do a levitation spell?”

  The witch clapped his hands together once, sending forth a gust of darkness from him, rippling like a wave of death.

  “Sphae—”

  Darkness slammed into me. The same pain hit. Only more intense. And everything went dark.

  I didn’t know how long I was out, but when I woke from the excruciating pain around my neck, I couldn’t breathe. I blinked into a set of dark eyes. Alex. He was way too close and way too naked. My body rubbed against his as he held me up by the neck and off the floor.

  Damn. I was going to have nightmares for the rest of my life.

  Panic filled me. I hit and pulled at his hand around my neck, trying to pry his fingers apart, but it was like trying to bend steel with my hands. His grip on me was iron tight.

  Alex’s face swayed as a dizzy spell hit me. Crap. I was going to pass out again. I knew it would be the death of me. I needed to do something, and I needed to do it fast.

  Alex pulled me closer until his nose was almost touching my face. “Stupid, stupid witch,” he sneered, his breath like carrion on a
hot summer day. “I told you, you were no match for me.” Beads of sweat shone on his forehead and nose.

  “Screw. You,” I wheezed, my voice hoarse and low, barely a whisper. My head pounded with the effort.

  He moved his face next to mine and licked the side of my cheek, all the way up to my forehead. I gagged, shivering at the repulsiveness of feeling his tongue against my skin despite the hot pressure around my neck and face.

  “I’ve always wanted to know what you tasted like.” Alex smiled, showing his brown-stained teeth. “Not much. Like a dead witch.”

  I gathered all the spit I could muster and spat in his face.

  Alex’s face twisted in anger. He narrowed his eyes and said, “You’ll pay for that.”

  The witch pulled his free hand back, and I braced myself as he backhanded me. Stars exploded on the backs of my eyelids.

  Alex squeezed harder, and black spots marred my vision.

  “En tot qu’azar alatz,” chanted the witch. Through my obscured vision, I saw tendrils of inky darkness drifting out of his left palm, coiling around his hand, and moving up his arm. This time his demonic curse would kill me.

  I closed my eyes and drew my will, calling out to the rings. And nothing happened.

  The panic was too deep. It clouded my focus. Without air, there wasn’t much I could do. But maybe...

  I slipped my hand inside my bag—

  Alex yanked my bag with brute force. The strap snapped as he tossed it on the ground.

  “Your bag of tricks won’t save you now,” said Alex, an ugly scowl on his face. “Nothing will.”

  It was impossible not to panic in this kind of situation. The lack of air started to wear me down, and I couldn’t think clearly. I didn’t know whether Colin, Logan, and Kyllian were still alive. The sounds of battle sort of all just muffled out as though I had cotton balls stuck in my ears.

  I was a powerful witch, but I was no match for such demonic power.

  And yet there was still a fight left in me.

  With all my remaining strength, I grabbed his face with my hands, jabbed my thumbs into his eyes, and pressed as hard as I could. The witch wailed as he thrashed me around like a ragdoll, but I never let go. I pressed harder and harder until I felt a release around my neck.

  I fell to the ground on my knees, coughing. I took a huge gasp of air, my lungs burning like I’d swallowed acid. I could still hear Alex screaming. I’d gotten him good. And I didn’t even have to use magic.

  I took gasps of air between the dry heaves that left my lungs screaming in pain. My body hurt everywhere. I looked up to find Alex coming at me, bloody tears marring his face. Yup, I’d gotten him really good.

  “Bitch,” he hissed, darkness coiling around his palms. “You fu—” Blood spattered from his mouth, and he staggered, a mere two feet from where I was.

  What the hell?

  The silver tip of a blade perforated his trachea, and then it withdrew, leaving a spout of dark blood in its place like someone had turned on a sprinkler inside his throat.

  Alex’s eyes went wide, and a startled look appeared on his face as he turned halfway. “What?” He coughed out another mouthful of blood.

  Logan stepped from around him, the tip of his soul blade stained with blood.

  Alex’s face creased with rage, blood gushing out of his neck and mouth. “You. You.” He raised his hands, his bloody lips conjuring a hex. His fingers were a blur as they moved in a demonic curse.

  Logan moved, spinning in a blur of motion and stabbed the witch in the heart.

  Alex let out a high-pitched gasp of pain. He fell to his knees, sheets of blood covering his chest all the way down to his thighs. He wrapped his hands around the hilt of the soul blade. His eyes were round, his face creased in confusion and white with pain or shock or both.

  The witch opened his mouth and made a choking gasp to say, “But, I’m immortal.”

  He fell over to the side and never moved again.

  A hand waved in front of my eyes, and I reached out and grasped it, finding Logan warm and rough and liking it. He pulled me to my feet. Our eyes locked for a heartbeat and I looked away.

  “Thanks,” I said, my voice coarse and rubbing my neck.

  “He’s about to kill the woman,” panted Logan, speaking fast. Black blood spattered his face. “Come on. We need to stop him. Can you still do magic?”

  “Yes,” I answered, knowing it to be true. The ground glistened, slippery with the blood and entrails of demons. My gaze shot past him over the piles of dead bodies and ash to my messenger bag on the ground. Poe was still inside. Poe.

  “Wait. I need to get Poe.”

  My own pain forgotten, I made a dash for it—

  “Stop, or he dies,” boomed a voice.

  Panic filled me, but I already knew what to expect.

  I looked over Logan’s shoulder and a cry escaped me.

  Vargal stood in a clearing of demons.

  And dangling from his grip, held by the throat, was Colin.

  25

  A doglike snarl escaped me. The bastard demon had the kid by the throat, just like his minion witch Alex had done to me a minute ago.

  I didn’t like it.

  Kyllian stepped into my line of sight, barely recognizable with his face covered in black blood, making his blue eyes stand out. The big angel stood next to a mountain of dead bodies and clumps of ash—his doing, no doubt. A look of pure hatred marred his face as he looked upon the Greater demon.

  I shared his hatred, but I hated the bastard more. We had a score to settle. Julia’s life and her soul. He was not going to get Colin’s. Not while I still drew breath.

  I stepped forward, only to feel the iron grip of Logan’s hand on my arm.

  “Wait,” he said. “You’ll never reach him in time.”

  I knew he was right. Vargal could snap Colin’s neck in half a second, before any of my spells could reach him.

  Only then did I realize how quiet the inside of the building had become. Whatever demons remained were clustered around Vargal, like twisted versions of guard dogs.

  “You are an insufferable, meddling witch,” accused Vargal, his tone as cold as his white skin and remarkably human. His voice hinted at an accent I couldn’t place. Light from the candles reflected off his face and bald head, leaving shadows and deep crevices. His skin took on the gray tone of a corpse, dark hollows forming under his eyes.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” I said, my voice high with tension as I ran ways to kick his ass without hurting Colin through my mind.

  Vargal laughed and dragged Colin some more. “I’ve always hated witches. Ever since you were created by the folly of my brethren. You are weak. Mortal. Despicable creatures that need to rely on our magic because you barely have any of your own. And with such a thirst for power. So easily manipulated for souls. What stupid creatures you are.”

  “You speak of power like you have a lot,” I argued. “But it looks like you don’t. Why else would you try to summon a god if not for power?” His eyes narrowed and I knew I’d hit a mark. “What’s the matter? Did your power run out? Are you going to exchange your soul for a taste of the god’s power? Is that it?”

  The Greater demon continued to circle around, his robe brushing the ground behind him like a cloak. His gait was confident and oozed power. He looked like a monk from Hell.

  Vargal’s smile was cold, and it had my skin riddling in goose bumps. “I really must thank you, witch,” said the Greater demon as he moved around his summoning circle, hauling Colin by the neck with him. The kid fought in his grip, uselessly beating at the demon’s arm. “Delivering me this prize,” he added, giving Colin a shake. “One would think that you were working for me.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “In your dreams, asshole.” Wow. A cocky Greater demon. This was just great.

  The Greater demon pulled back his lips, which looked red and bulbous in the candlelight. Very creepy. “You did kill my witch. And now I’m in need of a replacement. I’ll
make you a deal.”

  Here we go.

  “You work for me, and I won’t kill you and all your friends,” added Vargal with a smile. His eyes gleamed with an orange-red glow of an inner fire. “Starting with this filthy boy, right here. A fair exchange, is it not? Considering that you’ll all be dead in a few minutes.”

  I gave a mock laugh. “You should stop smoking that demon crack.” Adrenaline made my head hurt. “You’re even dumber than Alex if you think I’ll ever work for you.”

  Vargal pulled his hairless brows up. “Oh. But you will.”

  Colin’s face was turning blue. Tears streamed down his cheeks and I almost lost it. Rage hit me, hard and deep. Emotions were also a source of power. They fueled my magic like a surge of adrenaline, a boost.

  Be cool, Sam. Think. Damn it. Think.

  I shifted my weight. “Let him go.” I knew this was a long shot, but it was the only thing that popped into my head at that moment.

  Vargal smiled without humor. “Or what?”

  I shrugged. “I’ll throw you a party?” Idiot. He knew how the line went. “You know the rest, you ugly, white bastard.”

  He laughed harshly. “And what can a witch do to a Greater demon?”

  “Plenty,” I answered, seeing Logan roll his shoulders next to me, anticipating a fight. “How long you got?”

  Vargal’s red eyes were expressionless. “You really should have brought more of your friends. Then it might have been a fair fight. More or less. This”—he raised his other hand—“will be an extermination. Nothing more.”

  “If you let the kid go,” said Logan, surprising me as he stepped forward, “I’ll think about giving you a quick death, Demon.”

  Vargal threw back his head. “What’s this?” He gave Colin a twirl, lifting him off his feet like a third arm. “It speaks? I think I’ll save you for last.”

  Logan flashed a smile. “You’re going to pay for those lives you took, Demon. You know... an eye for an eye, that kind of shit.”

  Vargal made an excited sound in his throat, his eyes wide. “You are a treat. And with a pretty meat suit.” He showed his perfectly white teeth. “Your soul will be like honey on my tongue.” He made a rude gesture with his tongue.