The tension broke, like a cord pulled too tight, and then Zach’s fear whipped through me. Suddenly I covered my ears, attempting to ease the draining discomfort. Breathing in and out, I barged inside the pottery shed, and I found Zach squeezed in the corner with his gun in his hand. In the middle of the floor stood a huge hairy wolf, snarling and bearing his teeth at him. He was ready for attack. Magic was soaking the space. His fur shimmered with crystal powder. Someone must have injected this creature with spells.
“The bastard appeared out of nowhere,” Zachary shouted, and the wolf suddenly turned to look at me. He bent his legs and then arched his back. His yellow eyes focused on me.
I needed to make a split-second decision: either stay inside or save Zach. The detective could try shooting the beast, but the wolf was enormous and he could probably bite his head off before Zach could even attempt to use his gun.
I snarled and ran back outside, dropping whatever potion I had in my hands. My plan was to lure the wolf deeper into the forest. I had no idea what I was going to do after that, but it was a start. Unfortunately, the wolf got to me before I reached the trees, ruining my plan.
Then I felt Alexis near the cottage; her energy hit me hard, ceasing the air in my lungs all of a sudden. I didn’t have time to react, everything else happened so fast. The wolf snarled loudly and ripped my back to shreds with his claws when I turned around, trying to run in the opposite direction. I went down like a sack of potatoes, experiencing the most agonising pain in my life.
A split second later, I heard a shot and released some magic. The wolf was about three meters long, and it was at least twice as big as any normal animal. I doubted very much that a small bullet could change my fate. Blood poured out of my back and I wished that I could be immune to this excruciating pain. Somehow the power scattered around me shifted, and the wolf was lifted several inches above the ground. The beast went flying across the yard, slamming on the ground several meters away from me.
I panted for some air, and almost immediately, a fiery pain exploded throughout my entire body. I was lying face down, dizzy, and drained of any strength. Zach was nowhere to be seen, but when I lifted my head slightly right, I saw Alexis. She must have set the wolf on us; she must have known that we would be waiting for her. Matilda stood beside her, but she seemed zoned out. There was something seriously wrong with her.
The wolf growled loudly and was back on his feet. I thought that this was the end of me. I had no more strength to fight. I was losing my vision, blood dripping over me as I tried to crawl away from the danger. Lucifer was going to get my soul after all, earlier than he planned.
I closed my eyes, seeing in slow motion as the animal jumped toward me. I saw his fangs and I was ready, when the sound of another shot echoed in my head.
“Maxine, fuck. Get it together.” Someone was saying to me, shaking me. The magic came back, warming my insides. I blinked rapidly not feeling any pain at all. Zach was standing next to me, still holding his gun. The wolf was on the ground, lying in a pool of blood. This was impossible—the beast had me.
“What the hell happened?” I asked, trying to touch my back, but then I felt no pain. I didn’t understand. The wolf’s claws had ripped my skin to pieces. My clothes were smeared with thick liquid, but that blood wasn’t mine. Suddenly I could get back on my feet. Someone or something must have healed me.
“You dropped the bag, and when I picked it up, the contents spilled everywhere, doing some magic shit!” Zach yelled, but we didn’t have time to think about logistics. Alexis had appeared, but when I looked up, she was gone.
“Come on, let’s split. I saw Alexis by the cottage just before you fired your gun, and Matilda was with her,” I said, feeling better than I expected.
Zachary nodded and reloaded the gun, helping me up. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to use it. He saved my life.
A second later, we barged inside the pottery shed, but the space was empty. Alexis’s energy was popping out everywhere. I could feel her racing pulse and her rising magic.
“The potions, Warlock, where are they?” I heard a loud squeaking voice, somewhere. I smashed the door of the wooden shack, stepping around the back.
I saw her standing by a small pond. I didn’t even know it was there. The energy crawled down my skin, and I tapped into my source of demonic power. The fireball that I balanced on my hand should have taken care of her, but then Zach appeared from behind her. He tried to tackle her, but the fireball hit him instead, and he went flying and slammed against the nearest tree. He didn’t move again.
“No, not this time!” I roared, releasing yet another ball of energy, but then I realised what Alexis was doing. Horror went through me when I saw bubbles coming out of the water. Alexis was pushing Matilda’s head down in the water, trying to drown her.
I started running, not even thinking about my magic. Suddenly the light appeared, exploding around. It came from the centre of the pond, and the impact knocked me off my feet.
I quickly understood that it was Matilda’s magic. Somehow, she managed to pull herself out of the water. I lifted my head and saw Alexis. She was now sprinting across the yard. I knew that if she could get to the trees, I might lose her. The problem was, that she didn’t get to the forest; the stream of light appeared right in front of her, sucking her straight inside some kind of magical portal. She vanished in an instant.
“Go after her. It’s my spell. It will lead you straight through to the maze labyrinth,” Matilda shouted, soaking wet, still trying to get some air. I didn’t hesitate, got up, and started sprinting straight ahead. A second later I was sucked right into the Warlock’s spell, landing on my arse the middle of a tall green wall.
Chapter 23
“Yet those who live within your boundaries stand nowhere free of war.
Each gnaws the next, all locked together by one wall and moat.”
―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I rolled on the grass, gasping for air, touching my arms and legs, hoping that I ended up in the maze in one piece. After I assured myself that everything was in order, I closed my eyes for several seconds, tapping into my power. The waves of energy flew through me and I instantly felt relief. Moments later I was on my feet, still hurting, but ready to nail Alexis straight to the coffin. The sky above me was dark, filled with stars. In Matilda’s world the day shifted into night. All around me I could see the green walls. I had no other choice but to start walking, using my abilities to figure my way out of here.
My eyes hurt, and my ears popped. I brushed the magical dust off my clothes, removed the knife that I hid in my boot, and glanced around ready to tear this whole place apart in order to find my enemy.
“Alexis, you rotten bitch. I’m coming for you, so watch out!” I roared and started running, ignoring the searing pain in my left foot. It was dark, pitch black, but even in this magical place my vision was excellent. I ran across, then turned left, right, hoping that the damaged demon would respond to my threat. The tiny voices in my head kept reminding me that Zach was on the other side, probably lying in the bushes injured. Matilda was there, too, but what happened to Summer? Alexis couldn’t have left her alone. I was planning to rip her face off if she did anything to my little girl.
My breathing became laboured, but I kept going, sensing the bitch right in front of me. I took another sharp left and I ended up in a blind spot. Panic settled in, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. There was a way out of here, so I started backtracking my steps, connecting with the energy of the soil. The Warlock’s magic was weakening me with every step. Matilda had worked hard to trap someone in the maze. The waves of energy began to vanish, but I still had an advantage. Alexis’s condition had worsened, and she was an easy target.
Sparks rushed over my skin, burning some leaves on the way. I stopped, listening in, until the silence rang in my ears. I heard a movement on the other side of the green wall.
“Open!” I roared, throwing the fireball right across
from where I stood. My heart made a happy dance in my chest that my abilities were still intact. My magic lashed out, burning a hole in the bushes. A second later, I was staring straight into Alexis’s deformed face. It’d only been a couple of weeks, but now most of her skin was black, and it seemed burned out. It was difficult to tell if she was dying or if she was rotting alive. She’d lost a lot of weight, too, her green dress nearly hanging off her.
The pain in my left foot soared, but I kept a straight face.
“How did you find me? You stink of Hell, which means you went down,” she asked, not appearing even slightly worried that I was planning to kill her. My lips curved in a nasty smile, and I called out the power again, but something was suddenly blocking it. Alexis tried to create a ball of light inside the centre of her palm, but she was in trouble, too.
“Where is she? Where is my daughter, you coward?” I screamed, being inches away from launching myself at her.
She tossed her hair behind her, glancing around with a strained expression on her face.
“Safe for now. You won’t find her. She belongs to me now. She’s a royal baby who will give me unlimited power.” Alexis laughed, sounding like she had lost her mind, touching her black cheek.
I didn’t wait any longer. I jumped through the hole, supercharged, and ready to use my bare hands to fight her if that was necessary. Alexis started backing away as I bared my teeth.
She threw a red powder on me when I tried to grab her. Whatever magic it was, it fucked my eyes, and I suddenly couldn’t see a thing. My face was burning, and I screamed in frustration. There was a knife in my hand, so I started waving it, hoping to stab the bitch. She laughed loudly, as I spun around.
The powder was burning my skin, and I screamed. Moments later I was in a different place. Alexis was gone, and I could see again. She couldn’t have escaped. Suddenly I wasn’t standing inside the flawless maze but in an obscure square room with moulded walls. In the far corner, I spotted a bed, and on it, my daughter, Summer. I looked around, trying to find out where that stupid bitch was keeping her. There was a sofa in the middle with some blankets, chairs, and an old dining table. I wanted to rush to her and hold her, if only for a second, but it was another vision. My movements were limited. She didn’t seem to be in any distress, but she was flustered, and the bedding was dirty. There was a view from the window, so I figured out that this was either the second or third floor. A moment later, I was standing in the dim darkness, looking from a roof terrace down on the water that surrounded the square black building, a sort of tower. Then I was on the edge of the cliff, looking at the steps that led down to the bottom of the hill.
The wind ruffled my hair and I concentrated, trying to focus on all the details. Then my vision went blurry again, and darkness sucked me in. Moments later I was back standing face-to-face with Alexis. She seemed confused herself, staring down at her skeletal hands. The time went back to normal, so I jabbed her arm with my knife. She hissed, and some blood dripped down on the grass. I was just about to stab her chest, but a split second later, the bitch vanished. I lost my balance, as the Earth beneath my feet started moving. I fell through the cracks, going down, until everything went dark.
I regained my consciousness sometime later, waking up with a dull headache. My body refused to obey me, so for a long moment I sat on the ground, trying to remember how to breathe. A young deer looked at me for a couple of suspenseful seconds, then disappeared behind the trees. Silence fell between me and nature, as my chest began rising and falling quickly.
Memories came back, and I lifted myself off the wet ground. Confusion and disappointment washed over me. I almost had her, and then she was gone. I had no idea how she managed to use her magic inside the maze. Nothing was supposed to go wrong today, but in the end, everything had.
“Matilda … Zach,” I whispered, tapping into my energy. Yes, it was back, floating over the surface of my skin. My eyes slowly began recognising the surroundings, the pond, and cottage. I tried to sense Alexis or Matilda, but I was on my own. Zachary was somewhere here lying on the ground, unconscious. I had no idea how long I was stuck in the maze, but I had to find him. To me it had only been a few minutes, but here, several hours must have passed, because the sun had disappeared behind the horizon. It was getting dark. Every part of my body hurt like hell, but my foot looked the worst. It was swollen, and I could hardly walk on it. The wolf Zach killed was still there lying in a pool of its own blood. The animal was dead, and its body had begun rotting away already.
With shaky legs and an even shakier head I walked around him, trying to figure out the magic that was used to enhance his abilities.
In moments like that I hated being only half demon. With fully developed abilities, I could have reversed the spell and discovered the identity of the demon who sent the wolf after me. Alexis was involved, no doubt, but I really wanted to know who was helping her.
My strength was going to regenerate slowly, but I had never been so pissed off in my entire life. That bitch had gotten away again. I was so damn close to ending her. Our connection allowed me to see through her. Maybe she escaped without getting what she wanted, but now I roughly knew where she was keeping Summer.
I used my sparkling fingers to navigate around the trees. My heart began jackhammering in my chest when I couldn’t sense Zach anywhere. He went flying just before I vanished in the maze. Maybe he woke up and panicked when he couldn’t find me.
“Zach, hey, Zach! This isn’t funny, mate. You need to show yourself,” I shouted, trying to connect with his emotions, but he wasn’t responding.
Minutes were passing by, and it was getting darker. There was no way I was going to find him when it was completely dark and cold. I started walking around on my swollen foot, trying to stay positive. Alexis wouldn’t have taken him. Zach was useless to her, and besides, she had Matilda now, too. The Warlock must have set traps around her house for demons or nosy Watchers. That could have easily explained the spells in the maze.
I was forced to rest on the trunk of a tree for a bit. Moments later I realised that someone was coming toward me. I saw flashlights first, then sensed three humans.
“Max, is that you?” asked a voice that automatically made me feel better. I got up slowly, seeing Zach with two strangers. They were all flashing their lights at me. Zach looked terrible; he had scratches all over and he was limping. His two companions were humans. I recognised one of them from the pub in the village.
The pain made me dizzy for a split second, but I jumped straight into his arms and started hugging him like there was no tomorrow. Everything was suddenly better when his scent overwhelmed me, and I was nudging my nose into the crook of his neck.
I had never been very good with displays of affection, but I was so happy that he was all right.
“Wow, Max, are you all right? I have been looking for you for hours,” Zach said, wrapping his strong hands around my waist, sending small shivers over my body.
“I’m fine. Something happened, and I woke up here,” I explained, finally realising that the humans were staring at us. The older guy grinned at me. Of course, even after two years he remembered me.
“This is Gerald and Mathew,” Zach introduced us, scratching his head. “I’m glad you’re all right. We have been walking around the forest for hours, trying to find you.”
I assured him that I was fine and then spoke to Mat for a bit. He asked about Ronan. Apparently, no one in the village had seen him for weeks. Locals were worried that something had happened to him. I didn’t know what to say, so I explained that I hadn’t been in touch with him since I went back to London
They wanted to walk with us to the train station, but Zachary assured them that this was unnecessary. We chatted for a bit longer, and they finally went back toward the village.
It took me a little while to tell Zach what happened after he was hit with my spell that was intended for Alexis. This could have been so much worse, but it seemed that besides some scratches an
d bruises, Zach was okay. He didn’t let me see his leg.
“This is fucked up. Someone must have known we were going to be here. Alexis was warned. Do you think she set that wolf on us?” Zach asked, pacing around.
“Probably, but someone definitely enhanced its abilities. We can’t dwell on it. We need to go back to the cottage. Alexis was searching for something there,” I told him, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. Summer was all alone in that tower, and my time was running out.
“I’m sorry she escaped,” Zach said when we entered the house. “I knew you were hoping to see your daughter.”
I nodded, swallowing the tears. I couldn’t cry; the tears wouldn’t change anything. Morpheus had given me the right information, but I kept failing. Alexis couldn’t have known that I tricked her own sister. She had no connection with Hell. There was another demon helping her.
“So, what exactly are we looking for?” Zach asked, when we went inside the cottage again.
“Matilda was hiding something in here. Alexis vanished, even in the maze that was supposed to block her abilities. Just look around, go through drawers in the rooms. There must be something here that we missed,” I explained. Zach had most likely no idea what I was talking about, so I asked him to look for any books or potions that Matilda had left behind.
Her storage was almost empty, and I presumed that she must have emptied it out before she left. My hands were shaking when I searched through her bedroom. It was a violation of her privacy, but Alexis came here for a reason. The wolf was a distraction; she must have used a complicated spell to charm the wolf in order to keep us busy.
I threw all Matilda’s clothes on the bed, biting my lip and wondering what else there was for me to find. Frustration was taking its toll. I went to the smallest room and started rummaging through the drawers until my foot stood on a box.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 65