Maria didn’t think much of the North American team this year. Conryu had no idea if the team was any good, all he knew was this was Heather James’s last year and the blond team captain was one of the hottest women he’d ever seen. He’d have to be careful not to drool or Maria would give him a smack.
Conryu collected the bag of chips and fresh salsa his mom had picked up for him and spread them out on the living room table. The others were supposed to bring sandwich fixings and more snacks. Five minutes later his doorbell rang. Maria was waiting on the other side with rolls and deli meat. “I’m the first to arrive?”
He grinned. “Yup, though you had the shortest trip. I finally finished the stupid book.”
“But did you understand it?” Maria slipped inside.
“I think I understand the principles, how the various types of energy interact, that sort of thing. What I can’t figure out is why people who wield certain types of energy wouldn’t get along.”
“It’s not that the people don’t get along, it’s that the energy doesn’t combine well with its direct opposite.” Maria put the meat in the fridge and the rolls on the counter. “Some wizards also have a tendency to get mixed up in the politics of elemental spirits which can lead to arguments as well. Those who specialize in one type of magic tend to view the world through the lens of that magical philosophy and it colors everything else. It’s stupid on a lot of levels, but then wizards aren’t so different than any other group of people.”
Conryu sighed, still not really getting it. “It sounds sort of like the arguments Harley guys and Indian guys have.”
“That’s as good an analogy as any. When are the others supposed to arrive?”
“Any time now.” Someone knocked. “Speak of the devil.”
Conryu was surprised Jonny arrived first. He figured if anyone would arrive early it would be Rin. Jonny had a cooler with him, hopefully stocked with soda. “Hey, bro. Did I miss anything?”
“Nope, we’ve got ten minutes before the start. What’d you bring?”
“Root beer, cola, and mineral water for the ladies.”
“Bless your heart, Jonny Salazar,” Maria said in an over-the-top southern accent.
The boys shared a laugh at that. Maria’s phone rang and while she talked Conryu and Jonny broke into the chips and salsa. A few seconds later Maria joined them on the couch.
“Who was it?” Conryu asked.
“Rin. She can’t make it, her little brother’s sitter had to go home early. It’s weird, my phone cut off in the middle of our conversation.”
Conryu shrugged. That happened now and then. No big deal. Since Rin wasn’t coming they fixed themselves some sandwiches and settled in.
The announcer came on the tv. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 567th annual Four Nations Tournament. This year’s odds-on favorite is the Empire of the Rising Sun’s team with four seniors and two juniors returning to compete.”
“Who do you like?” Maria asked.
“Heather James,” Conryu and Jonny answered together.
He thought maybe that wasn’t the wisest answer an instant before she smacked him on the back of the head. The blow didn’t surprise him in the least, but it still stung. “I meant which team. All the guys and many of the girls like Heather James. I read online she’s got a modeling contract waiting for her after she graduates.”
That surprised Conryu less than the slap. “I don’t know. If the Alliance doesn’t have a chance I guess I should root for the Empire, since that’s where Dad comes from.”
“Yeah, that’s who I’m going for,” Maria said.
“I’ve got twenty bucks on the Kingdom,” Jonny said.
The camera shifted to the arena floor and they stopped talking. There were no seats since the people monitoring the event didn’t allow a live audience on the off chance a spell went out of control. Outside the arena dozens of lounges had been built with large-screen tvs, bars and restaurants for the patrons, and plenty of gambling halls.
The tournament was being held in the Republic of Australia this year, though no one gave their team much chance of success. A group of girls stood at each of the cardinal directions. They wore robes associated with their element and school patches on the back.
“What are they starting with this year?” Conryu asked.
“Group casting. It’s the trickiest discipline and requires the most teamwork.” Maria took a bite of her sandwich.
That was one of the last chapters Conryu had read and he hadn’t fully understood it. Something about layering spells so opposing energies didn’t come into contact.
The Empire team and Australian team moved to the edge of the arena leaving the Alliance to face off with the Kingdom of the Isles team in the first match. Five members of the Alliance team raised their hands. Heather took the lead, chanting a spell, her blue-green robe swirling around her, outlining the exquisite figure underneath as the power built. She was stunning, like someone out of a story.
“Oh man,” Jonny groaned.
Maria glared at him then shifted her gaze to Conryu. He kept his expression neutral, barely.
A water dragon appeared above her. Next it was wrapped in a skin of swirling energy by the wind mage, followed by scales of fire and spikes of earth. Last the light mage cast a spell, but nothing happened.
“Did her magic not work?” Conryu asked.
“It worked,” Maria said. “Light magic can interact with all four elements. She used her spell to bind the construct into a complete whole. The results aren’t visible, but they’re probably the most important if the team wants to win.”
“What now?”
“Just watch,” Maria said.
A single member of the Kingdom team stepped forward. She wore a black robe and carried a rod tipped with some sort of round black gem. She chanted in a language both guttural and entrancing. Conryu had never heard anything like it. Those strange words spoke to him, called him. He leaned closer, his food forgotten.
Beside him Maria shivered and set her snack down. On the screen, power gathered around the gem, throwing off black sparks. The chant built to a crescendo. With the final word the wizard in black thrust the rod at the dragon construct.
An orb of dark energy streaked toward the dragon. It crashed into the stone spikes, smashed through the fire scales, shredded the wind skin and exposed inside the watery center, blowing the construct to shards of energy.
“Told you they were going to lose.” Maria hugged herself and tried to act like nothing had happened.
For his part Conryu couldn’t get those words out of his mind. He wanted to hear more.
The match went to commercial and a few seconds later someone knocked. “I thought you said Rin wasn’t coming?”
“That’s what she told me. Maybe something happened.”
Conryu shrugged and walked to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw the familiar mass of white hair. He groaned and opened the door. “Can’t you take a hint?”
“Sorry, my boy,” the professor said. “I just thought you might li—”
“Die, abomination!”
Conryu looked down the hall. Four men carrying an assortment of improvised weapons roared out of the elevator and charged.
Conryu grabbed the professor and yanked him inside before bolting the door. “We’ve got company!”
Lady Raven booted up her laptop and logged in to the secure forum using a proxy server. After a few days the tiny motel room had grown confining. It would be a relief when the police finally completed their work and let her go.
She’d sent the zealots all the information they needed to infiltrate the building and kill the boy the day before yesterday. It hadn’t been difficult to determine when Shizuku Kane would be out of the city and the rest was simply understanding how the building’s wards functioned—child’s play for a wizard of her skill.
The question was did the cultists have the courage of their convictions, or were they nothing but talk? Hopefully the death of their comp
atriot would properly motivate them. If that didn’t do it she didn’t know what would.
There was a single private message waiting for Black Bird. She smiled and clicked on it. The cultists were attacking today a little before noon. She checked the time. Quarter after eleven. She had to hurry.
She tossed the laptop on the bed and stood up. The only mirror in her piddling little room was in the bathroom. Not ideal, but it would work. She stepped into the cramped bathroom and locked the door behind her. She doubted the cops outside would barge in on her, but why risk it?
A wind spell linked the mirror to a minor spirit and sent it soaring out over the city. What it saw appeared on the mirror. After a number of scouting runs she knew exactly where Conryu’s building lay and how to get there. Her will guided the spirit and soon the roof of the building came into view. A young man stood there with a small device in his hand. That had to be the cell scrambler she told them to bring.
Excellent, the attack was either already underway or soon would be. She commanded the spirit to remain in place and chanted another spell. Though Lady Raven preferred to use shadow beasts for jobs like this, the bright daylight rendered that impossible.
Fortunately, sunlight didn’t bother actual demons in the least and she knew the true names of two that would like nothing better than to have a chance to rend the flesh from a foolish mortal. Not that the other demons she’d dealt with over the years didn’t enjoy a bit of rending. It seemed to be one of the prime pastimes in Hell.
With the wind spirit serving as a focus Lady Raven opened a small portal above the building and called the names of her hunters. The black-winged demons hurtled through the gate, eager to answer her call.
They plummeted toward the cultist on the roof. Their bloodlust washed over her through the spell that connected them. Her face flushed and her fingers curled like claws. Nothing would have pleased her more in that moment than to feel the man’s blood oozing through her talons.
She clenched her fists. “No.”
Lady Raven refused to let the demons overwhelm her.
The hunters continued their descent. They’d reach the cultist in moments. If they damaged the signal disrupter her true prey might call for help.
“No!”
The demons pulled up short and soared away. Their rage at being denied prey flooded through the link. She forced the feelings away. The demons obeyed her, not the other way around. If she didn’t maintain control of herself and of them it would lead to a bloodbath. No bad thing in and of itself, but not what she desired at the moment.
She formed an image of Conryu in her mind and thrust it into the demons’ brains through their link, along with an unspoken threat that if they let him escape it would be the end of them. The hunters shrieked their anger to the heavens, but it did nothing to affect her will.
She commanded. They obeyed. Period.
“Dude, what’s going on?”
A heavy blow struck the door before he could answer Jonny’s question. A second blow struck and the tip of a crowbar appeared through the wood.
“That door won’t hold them long.” Conryu turned to the trembling professor. “Do you know those guys?”
“We rode up on the elevator together. I didn’t notice the weapons.”
Another crash rattled the door.
Jonny and Maria were both on their feet and looking more than a little worried. Conryu didn’t blame them. How many times did someone have to try and kill you before it became routine?
Maria whipped her phone out and dialed. She shook her head. “No signal.”
“Try the landline. Jonny, help me push the couch against the door.”
The boys ran behind the couch and shoved it until the far end hit the door frame.
“No dial tone!” Maria slammed the receiver back down.
“What should I do?” the professor asked.
“Stay out of the way.” Conryu brushed past him and went to Maria. “I didn’t think you could bring weapons into this building.”
“You can’t.”
A resounding crash blasted one of the panels out of the door.
“Really?”
A face appeared in the opening. It was a man in his late thirties with a full beard and wild, crazy eyes. “Give us the abomination and the rest of you will be spared.”
“Eat shit!” Jonny shouted.
The man snarled and withdrew. A moment later the pounding resumed.
“We’ve got a minute, maybe two.” Conryu looked around, but the only weapons were kitchen knives. Hardly ideal. “We’ll have to take the fire escape.”
“You’re not supposed to leave the building,” Maria said.
“Inside’s looking as lot less safe than it did yesterday.” Conryu led the way to his parents’ bedroom where the fire escape attached to the building.
Maria dragged on his arm. “The wizard might have sent them in to flush you out. Who knows what kind of monster might be waiting outside.”
Conryu went straight to the window and pulled it open. “I’ll take my chances with potential monsters over sure-thing murderers.” He motioned her through, then the professor and Jonny. Conryu climbed out last and slammed the window shut. It wouldn’t even slow a crowbar, but maybe one of those assholes would cut himself.
A hideous shriek was followed by a…something, slamming into an invisible wall inches from the railing. It had black wings like a crow; long, thin limbs that ended in curved talons; and a fang-filled mouth that took up half its face.
Jonny scrambled away from the creature and pressed his back against the building. “What the hell is that?”
“A demon!” Maria and the professor shouted.
A second creature almost identical to the first slammed into the barrier. Three-inch claws scrabbled against thin air as it tried to reach them. Maria shot him her patented I told you so look.
“Up or down?” Conryu shouted over the screams of the demons.
“Down,” Maria answered without a moment’s thought.
“Go, Jonny. I’ll bring up the rear.”
Conryu didn’t have to tell his friend twice. Jonny’s sneakers clanged on the metal steps as he ran down them. The professor followed at a slower, but still hurried pace. Maria looked back at him, her eyes wide. He squeezed her shoulder and gave her a little nudge toward the steps.
She’d barely moved when the sledgehammer crashed through the window, missing Conryu by inches. He snapped a kick that caught the guy’s wrist as it swung past. He didn’t connect cleanly, but he knocked the attacker off balance so he fell halfway out the window and lost his grip on his weapon.
When hands grabbed the attacker’s belt to help pull him out of the way Conryu ran for it. Maria had cleared the first landing, giving him a clear path. He bounded down the steps four at a time, catching up with the others in seconds.
“What do we do when we hit the ground?” Conryu asked when he reached Maria. A few feet away the demons soared back and forth, just waiting for them to leave the protection of Mrs. Kane’s wards.
“Hug the wall. It looks like Mom’s wards extend about three feet from the wall. As long as we stay in that safe zone the demons can’t reach us.”
“You hear that, Jonny?”
“Loud and clear, bro.”
Conryu started to ask the professor, but the old man was busy gagging and tossing his lunch over the railing. The demons lunged for him, but Conryu managed to jerk him back to safety.
“Careful. You don’t want to die before you can prove your theory, do you?”
The professor coughed and wiped his mouth. “I’m not used to this much exercise. Even in my youth I preferred the vicarious thrills of a good book.”
The heavy tread of boots on metal announced the pending arrival of their unwelcome guests.
“Suck it up, Professor. We need to move.” Conryu gave him a gentle shove towards Jonny who’d stopped and looked back. “Keep him moving.”
Jonny nodded and grabbed Angus by the wrist,
half encouraging and half dragging him along. Conryu and Maria followed as closely as they dared.
Conryu glanced up. There were only two guys behind them. The others must have gone around to cut them off. Only three more floors and they’d reach the pavement. Should he stand and fight when their numbers were divided? It would be tricky fighting armed men given the space limitations.
They reached the final landing and Conryu still didn’t know what to do. “Any thoughts?”
“We just need to hold out a little while longer,” Maria said. “Mom would have sensed it the moment those demons struck her barrier. She’ll call Dad and he’ll send help.”
“How long?”
She shook her head. “Maybe ten minutes.”
“Shit!” Ten minutes surrounded by demons and lunatics might as well be ten hours.
Ahead of them Jonny had the professor smushed up flat against the wall. “Dude, which way?”
Behind them a broad-shouldered guy in his thirties carrying a crowbar started down the ladder to the ground. The nut with the sledgehammer stood on the platform above. Conryu stepped back, set himself, and lashed out with a side kick that struck between the ladder rungs.
The force of the blow sent Crowbar Man flying out into the alley between his building and the one next door. He landed with a dull thud. When the demons didn’t immediately fly down and rip him to pieces it confirmed what Maria had guessed. The killers and the demons were working together.
“Head for the garage,” Maria said. “At least we’ll be safe from the demons.”
At least they’ll be safe from the demons. For some reason, as they ran through the almost-empty garage, that thought kept running through Conryu’s head. He had the professor by one arm, Jonny had the other and between them they almost carried him. It would be hours before anyone returned home from work. Ninety percent of the residents worked for the government and came and went on the same schedule as his mother.
The professor stumbled and fell to the concrete. “I can’t take another step.” He held his head between his knees and gasped for breath.
Conryu looked around, but there was nowhere to hide. They’d intentionally run away from the elevator on the assumption that the other killers would be around there somewhere. They’d gotten a small lead on the two that followed them down the fire escape and lost them when they ducked into the garage.
The Impossible Wizard: The Aegis of Merlin Book 1 Page 16