by Linsey Hall
I wasn’t stupid—I knew it was up to me to save the day. But sometimes, a lucky talisman could make the difference. If only in my confidence.
Chapter Twelve
“Wow, this is nothing like their headquarters in Germany.” I looked out across the golden hills of sand as the sun beat down upon my face. Sweat rolled down my spine, and I shrugged out of my leather jacket, grateful for the tank top I wore beneath.
Roarke had just transported us all through an Underpass to a desert in Egypt. A small, beaten-down pyramid had been our exit point, though we still had a ways to go, according to Cade.
“That’s just one of their locations,” Cade said. “It was an ideal place to store Draka’s source egg. But their actual headquarters are in the Underworld. There are several portals that lead to that Underworld, one of them at the castle in Germany, but that is too well guarded.”
“Agreed,” Nix said. “This should have no guards?”
“It never has before.” Cade shielded his eyes with his hand and looked out across the sand. “This portal is at an abandoned settlement called Zerzura. It’s in an oasis. When I’d come before, demons would escort me. But I remember how to get there.”
“Zerzura?” Nix asked. “Isn’t that a mythical lost city?”
“Not lost anymore,” Cade said.
Worry tugged at me. ‘Lost’ cities were usually lost because they were so well protected that no one ever found them.
“Do you know what kind of protections might be guarding it?” I asked.
“None when I came with the demons.”
That didn’t make me feel too much better.
Claire pointed across the sand to a group of small dots heading toward us. “Looks like our rides are almost here.”
After a few moments, they were close enough to make out shapes. A herd of camels led by three men. Demon contacts of Roarke’s, as usual. One for each of us—myself, Roarke, Cass, Aidan, Nix, Connor, Claire, and Cade. Everyone had insisted on coming, though I’d tried to dissuade Connor and Claire. They’d risked their lives for us enough. They wouldn’t hear of it, though.
The herd of camels finally stopped in front of us, and the three demons, all dressed in white robes, swung off and approached Roarke. They spoke a language I didn’t recognize, but soon we were saddled up and trotting across the desert.
Cass leaned over on her camel and said, “This reminds me of that pyramid we raided for the dampening charm.”
I grinned. “That was a tough one. That sphinx scared the crap out of me.”
“Me too.” Cass laughed.
We rode for hours, the sun beating down upon us. At some point, I named my camel Iago, but he didn’t seem to care. I admired his gleaming golden fur. If I hadn’t been dressed in black, we’d have blended well into the golden sand.
We were close to Zerzura by the time the air started to feel weird. Only a mile, according to Cade.
“Something’s wrong. Can you—”
A low, rumbling roar cut off Nix’s words. Around me, my friends stiffened, and the camels snorted nervously. Ahead, the sand began to shimmer and roll, rising high into the air, swirling madly. It created a wall around us.
“What’s this, Cade?” Roarke demanded.
“I don’t know!”
Had Cade betrayed us?
No. Alton had determined that Cade was telling the truth and he was on our side. And I trusted him.
But whatever magic was possessing the sand, it wasn’t in our favor. The golden granules coalesced to form a massive snake. It was a sandstorm with shape, and it was rolling right toward us. The beast was at least two hundred meters long and fifty meters high. Long fangs made of sand protruded from the snake’s mouth.
My camel bucked, but unlike in Peru, I was ready. I clung to it, gazing at the sand snake in horror. Another rose up next to it, this one even bigger. Both were headed straight for us.
Cass hurled a massive fireball at the snake, which was only fifty yards away now. Aidan joined her. Together, they shot huge jets of flame that seared my skin.
But the snake wasn’t afraid.
And there was no way to kill a monster made of sand.
Unless…
I called upon my new power over the weather. It was rusty—the most I’d ever practiced was to form a few clouds early this morning. But desperation made me willing to try anything.
The feel of wind and sun and rain welled within me, a strange feeling.
“Hurry up, Del!” Nix cried.
I released my magic, hurling it toward the sky and demanding that it rain, envisioning a monsoon. In the distance, thunder cracked. Though the sun shone brightly, clouds formed in an instant, and rain began to pour. Millions of huge droplets spilled down from the sky, nearly blinding me.
Most importantly, they drowned the snake, melting its sand-form back into the earth. It was a half-melted pile within moments, writhing in its death throes.
“Keep going!” Connor cried.
I poured more magic into the air, begging the rain to continue. Rain splashed down, obliterating the snakes and turning the ground to sandy slush.
Finally, when the monsters were nothing more than puddles, I pulled back on my magic. The rain stopped immediately.
“Wow.” I panted. That was wild.
“Well done,” Roarke said.
“That’s a handy new talent,” Cass said. “You saved our hides there.”
I nodded, somewhat stunned by the power of being able to call up such an enormous rainstorm. The air steamed as the desert sun heated the wet sand at our camels’ feet. Their soaking fur began to give off steam, and my clothes heated quickly. The air became thick with humidity.
“Let’s keep going.” I nudged my camel with my knee.
The camels plodded through the slushy sand, which grew firmer as the sun dried it.
“That’s never happened before?” Roarke asked Cade.
“No.” Cade glanced around. “But we’re close. It’s normally a four-hour camel ride.”
“The demons may have had some kind of protection charms that allowed them to pass through any enchantment protecting the settlement,” Cass said.
“I’m thinking it’s likely,” Cade said. “I never paid much attention. They only started allowing me at their headquarters in the past year. By that time, I was fully under their control. The curse had totally taken over my mind.”
“I wonder what’s coming next, then?” I muttered to Roarke.
“Wish I knew.”
“We’ll just have to be ready,” Connor said.
Though we were supposed to be close to our destination, the rest of the ride seemed to take forever. As soon as I spotted a speck on the horizon, the heat of the sun seemed to dial up to a thousand degrees. Sweat popped up on my skin, only to be evaporated a half second later. My clothes dried fully in the space of a few seconds, and the air felt so dry that my skin itched.
“This is weird,” Cass muttered.
I started to pant, and my vision began to blur.
“It’s too hot.” Cade squinted up at the sun. “This is unnatural. It used to be hot, but this…”
“I’ll try—” I didn’t have energy to speak. I was woozy as I called upon my magic, managing to form a few clouds in the sky. But they were no match for the sun, which blazed right through them. This wasn’t weather—this was enchantment.
I fumbled for the water bottles in my pack. We’d each brought three, and everyone seemed to be of the same mind. I cranked the top off the first one, then held it out toward Iago’s head. He turned his neck and delicately plucked the water bottle from my hand, his big front teeth clutching the small bottleneck. He tilted his head up and let the liquid pour down his throat. As he drank, I sucked one down, too, then handed the last to Iago.
Had I known I’d be sharing with a camel, I’d have brought more. These guys could really drink.
After everyone had polished off their waters, the camels stumbled along for twenty more yard
s. No one spoke as the heat continued to increase.
Within minutes, my mouth had dried out almost entirely as the dry air sucked the moisture from my body. My tongue was a dry brick in my mouth. We hadn’t brought nearly enough water.
“This isn’t right,” Cass slurred.
Iago stumbled, affected by the heat.
If it was getting to this desert animal, we were screwed. And the oasis was still so far away. Around us, the air shimmered. We were trapped in some kind of pocket of deadly heat.
“Hang on, guys.” Nix’s voice sounded far away. Her magic swelled lightly on the air.
Suddenly, a big bucket of water appeared in front of Iago. He bent and lapped it up greedily. Through hazy vision, I saw Nix lead her camel around, stopping at each person. She handed out gallon jugs of water and golf umbrellas.
“Thanks.” I panted. I took mine gratefully, popping open the umbrella. The shade helped immensely, but it was the water that really saved my life. Literally.
For a while, the only sound was that of the camels slurping and the rest of us chugging water. Nix replenished the camels’ buckets four times before they were satisfied.
Finally, we were recovered enough to keep riding, but we needed to stop three more times before we finally made it out of the enchanted heat bubble. Twice, I’d started to keel over, and Roarke had pushed me upright. It happened to each of us at some point as our bodies gave up in the heat.
But as soon as my camel stepped through the shimmery air that marked the edge of the enchanted area, the temperature difference was immediate. Though still hot, it wasn’t kill-you-in-ten-minutes-hot.
I sagged over Iago’s back, panting. Slowly, my vision cleared. We had another water break, and it was five minutes before anyone could speak.
“Jeez, Nix, you saved our bacon big time,” Connor said.
“No kidding.” Roarke frowned back at the shimmery trap. “We would have died without water.”
Nix laughed, sounding out of breath. “Conjuring water and umbrellas seems kinda lame, but in that heat…”
“Life saving,” I said.
“That was bad.” Cade’s worried gaze was glued to the oasis, which was still far off on the horizon. “And I have no idea what’s coming.”
Cass shrugged. “We normally have no idea what’s coming, so it’s nothing new.”
“And at least you know the way.” My dragon sense hadn’t worked, more the pity.
“Let’s keep going.” Roarke nudged his camel into a trot.
Fortunately, we hit no more snags in the desert. By the time we arrived at the edge of the brilliant green oasis, I was eager to get out of the sun. Right before we reached the trees, the camels pulled up short, standing in a perfectly straight line.
As if there was a protective barrier.
“I think I see why Zerzura has been a lost city,” I muttered.
“I do remember this,” Cade said. “We would pause here while a demon would chant something in a foreign language.”
“I don’t suppose you remember it?” Roarke asked.
Cade shook his head. “No.”
“No problem.” Roarke climbed down from his camel, shifting quickly into his demon form. His dark wings flared as he stepped up to the boundary, feeling for it with outstretched hands.
Once he found it, he braced himself, then pulled back his fist and slammed it forward. It crashed against the invisible barrier, sending brilliant white lines streaking across the air like cracked glass. It took five more massive blows before the barrier shattered. It was like a hole in an invisible dome, only apparent because the edges looked like clear, jagged glass.
Roarke stepped back, and we passed by, single file. I glanced behind to see Roarke shift to human, then jump on his ride and follow us through. The camels plodded into the jungle, weaving expertly between palm trees as the verdant growth thickened.
“I sure hope there’s nothing waiting for us in here,” Cass muttered.
“Same.”
We reached a brilliant blue pool without problem. Animals had chittered at us from their hiding places amongst the leaves, but they hadn’t attacked. No charms had ignited against us, perhaps because the whole oasis was considered to be part of Zerzura. I’d caught sight of decayed white stone buildings, but there were no threats.
“This is it.” Cade gestured to the beautiful blue pool and the destroyed white building on the other side. The water was crystal clear and sparkled in the sunlight. “That’s an ancient temple. This culture worshiped the Shadows.”
I shuddered, suddenly glad their time had come to an end. Their temple was in better shape than the Incate village had been, but not by much.
“Where exactly is the portal?” I asked.
“See that platform over there?” Cade pointed across the water to a large flat rock that butted up against the water like a deck. A cliff rose on the side opposite the water, and six ornately carved stones bordered the glittering blue pool. “It’s over there.”
We climbed off our camels. I scratched mine on the neck and met his big brown eyes. “You hang out for a while. If we’re not back in a day, head home.”
Iago nodded as if he understood me. Even if he didn’t, he’d find his way home. Roarke had said the camels knew how to get back.
We walked around the pool, following a stone path that hadn’t been overtaken by the jungle.
“This is a good adventure,” Connor said. His bag of potion bombs was slung across his back. “Nice to get out of P & P every now and then.”
I grinned, hoping that we wouldn’t actually need his help. But since we were going into the lair of my greatest enemy—and I was still cursed to obey their orders—that was a long shot.
We followed Cade up onto the big stone platform. Up close, I could see that the cliff was a stone wall covered by vines. Cade walked up to the wall and pressed his hands against it, clearly expecting something to happen.
When nothing did, his shoulders sagged. Mine did, too.
“There’s a problem,” Roarke said.
“Yeah.” Cade turned to us. “That’s the portal. But it didn’t open.”
“The demons who brought you here must have had a key,” Aidan said.
Cade frowned. “I never saw one.”
“Wouldn’t have had to be obvious.” Aidan inspected the wall, pushing aside vines.
“That just means we have to figure out how to open the portal.” Though the delay wasn’t helpful, a grin still tugged at the corners of my lips. I liked a challenge. “Let’s look for clues.”
Everyone began poking around the stone platform, inspecting the six intricately carved stones that stood like sentries at the edge. But it was the flat stone wall that really interested me.
I began to tear away the vines. Roarke helped me, his big hands making quicker work. Eventually, everyone joined in. By the time we were done, I was sweating. The pool behind me was so tempting, but a cheerful swim wasn’t on the agenda.
We stepped back and examined our handiwork.
“Well, that’s definitely a door.” I studied the lines etched in the flat stone wall. There was also a ten-pointed star within the outline of the door.
“Yep,” Cass said. “But how do we open it?”
Roarke stepped up, shifting into his demon form. He pulled back his fist and slammed it into the stone.
Nothing happened.
He tried two more times. The third time, magic radiated out from the stone, but the portal didn’t open.
He turned to face us. “I can’t do it. There’s some kind of magic that needs to be ignited.”
That wasn’t a huge surprise, really. This whole place screamed ceremonial site.
I studied the star and door outline, then turned around and examined our surroundings. We were in an opening in the oasis, the sun beating down on the pond and our little ceremonial site. There were six pillars at the edges of the platform, creating a semicircle around the stone wall with the carving.
A dark stain dripped down the vertical side of each of the pillars. At the bottom of each pillar, there was a line carved in the stone floor. Six lines extended to the middle of the platform, right under my feet. They joined in the middle in a depression. One wider line, the indention at least an inch deep, extended to the door carved in the flat wall.
Hmmm. That was no coincidence.
I walked to one of the pillars and stood on my tiptoes. A shallow indention was carved in the top of each. A little notch was carved in the stone that would have allowed whatever was poured in the indention to flow out one side.
“I think they used fire.” I turned to face my friends. “Come look at this.”
I showed them the indention in the top of the pillar, which led to the stain that ran down the pillar. “I think they poured something flammable in this indention. It stained the stone as it flowed over the edge, down the pillar, then followed the channel carved in the ground to the door.”
“Is this anything like what you saw when you were here?” Roarke asked Cade.
“No. But the supernaturals may have had their own way of opening the portal that was different from the demons.”
“Very possibly, yes,” I said.
Nix nodded. “Then let’s try.”
“It’s worth a shot.” I looked at her. “Can you conjure oil or something?”
“No problem.” Nix conjured several jugs of oil and passed them around.
We filled the indentions in the tops of the pillars, letting them overflow. As expected, the oil poured down the front side of the pillar, following the indentions carved in the stone floor. Apparently, the ground was slightly slanted, allowing the oil to travel quickly to the central pool and then down the one wider indention toward the portal door.
“This is cool,” Cass said. “We’re recreating history. Just like those guys who repeat battles from the Civil War on Saturday afternoons, then go get ice cream.”
“Except we’re trying to break into an Underworld,” I said.
“Yeah.” Cass frowned. “There’s definitely a higher probability of a terrible death.”
“But if we make it out, I’ll definitely buy you ice cream.” I grimaced and grinned at the same time, both horrified and wanting to laugh.