by Linsey Hall
A dagger sank into his right eye, killing him almost instantly. There was a brief second where my FireSoul flared, desperate to jump on him and steal his power. I shoved it back, and he died so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to act on the urge, even if I had wanted to.
My gaze flew to my deirfiúr. Nix lowered her hand.
“You’ve had to do a lot of the hard stuff lately,” she said. “It was my turn. He couldn’t be left alive to scry for more of our kind.”
There would be more seers where he came from, but she was right. He was nothing but evil and had no doubt contributed to many deaths.
“Thanks. Now let’s get the hell out of here and close the portal.”
“Do you have enough juice to teleport us?” Nix asked Del.
Del shook her head. “I don’t want to risk it if I don’t have to. I’m running low as it is, and I want to make sure I get us out of here when the portal closes.”
“Then we try to sneak out,” I said. “Find Aidan and the Nullifier and get this done.”
We left the room and crept back up the stairs to the main dungeon. I shuddered as we made our way down the hall, now remembering the time I’d been dragged from the cell. I’d thought I’d escaped the Monster’s wrath when he’d first held me prisoner.
I’d just forgotten.
We paused at the great wooden door at the end of the hall.
I turned to Nix and Del. “We sneak out. Let’s not fight if we don’t have to. I don’t want to alert any more demons to the fact that we’re here.”
“And those Tracker demons probably went to fetch the Monster,” Del said. “So let’s hurry our butts outta here before he shows.”
I nodded, then led the way up the stairs, a horrible sense of deja vu stalking me. I couldn’t escape this hell hole soon enough. Maybe this place held more secrets about what had happened to me, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
We reached the top of the stairs. Experimentally, I tried using my new Illusion power to turn myself invisible.
“Whoa,” Del whispered. “Good work. But I can still see your head.”
Damn. It’d have to do. I’d be sure to practice my new skill more if we made it out of here.
Slowly, I pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and peered out. A smoke demon stood a few feet down the hall. His head whipped toward me, his black gaze meeting mine. His eyes widened.
Shit.
I flung Righty through the crack in the door, then yanked Lefty out of its thigh sheath. As the demon collapsed, I pricked my fingertip with Lefty. My blood ignited the spell that called Righty back. It pulled itself out of the demon’s chest and flew through the air toward me. I snagged it. I might not have used my daggers in a while, but it was like riding a bicycle. A pointy, sharp-as-hell bicycle.
But where there was one smoke demon, there was usually more.
“We’ve got trouble,” I whispered back to Nix and Del as I pushed my way out into the hall.
Four smoke demons waited. One muttered into a comms charm that was similar to the one hanging around my neck.
“Fight fast,” I said. “Reinforcements are coming.”
Del drew her sword and swung it in a graceful arc as she stepped forward. She dodged a blast of burning smoke and swiped out with her blade, removing the hand of the demon who’d threatened her.
I called on my Mirror Mage powers, reaching out for the demon’s magic. Time to fight fire with fire. Or smoke with smoke, in this case. The smoky bite of the demon’s magic filled my nose as I gathered up the blazing cloud and threw a blast at the demon nearest me.
The heat singed my fingertips as it left and bowled him over. Nix leapt upon him, her fist gripped around a long dagger that she’d conjured. Quickly, she slit his throat.
Del finished off her demon by plunging her blade into his heart while I threw another blast of smoke at the biggest demon in the bunch. Nix finalized the job with her blade.
Del and I tag-teamed the final demon, satisfaction lancing through me as she plunged her blade deep into his heart. We were a good team.
A shout sounded behind us. I glanced back.
Shit.
Six demons charged down the hall.
“Run!” I yelled.
We sprinted down the hall, jumping over the bodies of the demons we’d felled. I passed the room where I’d had my power obliterated and just barely repressed the urge to vomit. We skidded out into the foyer and sprinted for the door, an eerie reproduction of our first race to freedom.
I threw myself at the door, shoving it open and bursting out into the heat of the desert. We clambered down the stairs, our feet sinking into the hot sand as we raced for freedom. I wished Aidan were here so that I could mirror his griffin power. I might turn into an ugly beast, but I was so freaked out right now I knew I could definitely fly both my deirfiúr to freedom.
No luck, though.
The demons burst through the door behind us as the scenery began to waver.
Please put us back in that dance club.
I could definitely lose these guys in there.
Instead, we got my worst nightmare.
Lava stretched out in front of us, a seething ocean of neon orange death.
“Shit!” Nix screamed.
Magma rolled toward us, an oncoming wave of heat and molten rock.
“Go back!” I spun on my heels, Del and Nix at my side, and ran back toward the smoke demons.
Screw stealth.
I called upon my lightning, letting it crackle and burn beneath my skin as I built up a big enough bolt. At my side, Nix conjured a bow and arrow and fired into the crowd of shadow demons. She liked weapons as much as I did, so her aim was good. Three demons fell in quick succession.
I sent a massive bolt of lightning at the two demons nearest me. Thunder cracked as the bolt struck, and the demons collapsed.
Del raced ahead, safe in her phantom form. When she reached the last remaining demon, she turned corporeal long enough to take off his head with a flying leap and sweep of her sword.
She landed and turned to us, panting. “We cannot get a freaking break.”
I glanced at the lava that flowed toward us, then back at the Monster’s mansion. More enemies would come from it soon if we didn’t get out of here. The Trackers still hadn’t shown up with the Monster, but they would.
The air didn’t waver. No change of scenery was coming.
“I think we gotta risk it, Del,” I said. “The waypoint is weird, right? So it’s not as far a distance as out in the real world.”
“Yeah.” Her gaze clouded with doubt. “But I don’t know if I’ll be able to get us all back when the portal closes.”
Indecision warred within me. I could feel the heat of the lava at my back and the glower of the Monster’s mansion ahead of me. But it was the sight of him striding out the door and down the stone steps that made up my mind. Now that I realized how many powers he’d likely stolen, he seemed invincible.
“Risk it!” I sprinted to Del. “Monster incoming!”
14
A second later, we arrived back at the bazaar where we’d first been snatched. Sound and color were a wild cacophony around us as the heat of the desert and hundreds of bodies pressed in on us. A woman dressed in colorful scarves shrieked about fish for sale and a man who looked just like Aladdin—the cartoon one—shouted over her, trying to sell CD players.
“Fates, I hope that didn’t screw us,” Del said. “I really don’t know if I’ll be able to get us all back.”
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes.” A man jostled into me and I shoved him away.
“Wench!” he spat, then disappeared through the bustling crowd.
We needed to get the hell out of this bazaar. I focused on my dragon sense to find Aidan and the Nullifier. The familiar tug pulled at my middle.
“Come on!” I called. We raced through the stalls, not stopping to say “excuse me” or even “move your ass.”
We just bowled people over and shoved by them as we ran. Trackers and shadow demons could be anywhere. Because even though the waypoint was everywhere at once, it was the Monster’s world more than it was ours. He and his minions knew it better than we ever would.
I caught sight of Aidan’s dark hair, an easy feat considering he stood a head taller than everyone else.
“Aidan!”
He turned immediately, relief in his gray gaze. I reached him before he could take a step and threw myself into his arms. He hugged me tight, his strong arms banishing the last of my fear over my nightmare. It would come back in the dark, but for now, I was strong.
I pushed away from him. “We’ve got to go!”
He nodded. I glanced to his left to see the Nullifier, his gaze tired and stressed, then focused on my dragon sense and the portal we sought.
“This way!” I grabbed Aidan’s hand.
I set off through the crowd again, glancing behind to make sure the others followed. Del and Nix bracketed the Nullifier, protecting him as we pushed through the crowd. We’d nearly reached the edge of the bazaar when our surroundings wavered, the air shimmering. I held my breath and prayed for something favorable.
Yellow sand stretched out before us, waving hills like an ocean.
More freaking desert. Same oppressive heat, but instead of a crowd jostling us from all sides, sand sucked at our feet.
But an oasis glimmered ahead. The lack of obstacles in our path meant I could actually see the end goal instead of just feel it. It spurred me on.
“There!” I pointed.
I ran, but I was so slow. The sand dragged at me, holding me back. Aidan was faster than me, but not by much.
“Aidan! Fly the Nullifier to the pool. We’ll follow.”
“I’ll take you as well,” he said.
“No. You’ll be faster alone. He’s the one who needs to get there.”
“But we all need to get out,” Aidan said. “When the portal closes, we won’t have long to escape.”
I didn’t tell him that my deirfiúr and I weren’t sure we would all get out, but he was right. We needed to stick together.
“Fine. Take Del and the Nullifier. I’ll shift too and take Nix.”
Aidan nodded.
I reached out for his power, grasping onto the evergreen scent and crashing wave sound, searching out his ability to shift. I let the magic fill my limbs, warming me from the inside. My bones twisted and changed, a process that was thankfully painless, and a second later I stood taller, my clawed feet digging into the sand.
I knelt on one knee so that Nix could scramble onto my back.
“Looking better!” she called.
I grinned—or thought I did, if beaks could grin—and pushed off the ground, my strong wings carrying me into the sky. It was awkward at first, but I caught on quicker this time and flew after Aidan.
Nix shrieked, her joy obvious. My joy was palpable, too, singing through me. I loved my power now that I’d embraced it. It gave me so many gifts. Completed me. Whatever I’d lost when I was younger, at least I had this. I was too strong now for the Monster to steal it from me.
The scenery around us changed as we flew, turning to ancient forest. Scraggly oaks reached up from the ground, their claw-like branches grasping for us. Shade cast the forest floor in shadow. The woods looked like the type dark faeries would gather within.
I could still see the pool from my lofty vantage point, though it had changed slightly. The water still glimmered blue with the portal’s purple sheen, but the land surrounding it was now made of great boulders dotted with ferns and moss. An enchanted glen.
I pushed myself harder, beating my wings with everything I had. I was a griffin—mostly—and I could fly, but not like Aidan. He was strength and grace in animal form when he flew. His strong wings left me in the dust.
I squinted against the wind and raced to keep up.
Suddenly, a massive fireball flew from the ground, straight for Aidan. He dodged, wheeling on the wind, his golden wings glinting in the light. Another blazing orange fireball followed. He dodged again, Del and the Nullifier clinging to his back.
The third and fourth fireballs got him, shooting from the trees below and hitting him square in the underbelly, one after the other. He flailed as his wings failed, then he plummeted.
I shrieked and dived low to follow. More fireballs shot from the trees. A defense line we’d triggered? Guards? I’d seen no guards while the desert had been here, but we’d been farther away then. They could have been hiding amongst the palms and ferns.
“Fireball to the right!” Nix yelled.
I dodged the flame as best I could, escaping two fireballs that singed me with heat as they passed. My wings ached as I struggled to maneuver.
“Fireball left!” Nix screamed.
I shot right, but an enormous oak was in my way. I jerked back, narrowly avoiding the trunk, but pain blazed in my wing and the smell of burning feathers hit my nose.
I’d been hit!
I struggled to keep beating my wings, but they faltered, the injured one barely moving. With one wing, I couldn’t stay aloft. I fell, flapping my good wing in an attempt to control my landing. Nix clung to my back.
“The clearing to the left!” Nix screamed.
I aimed for it, flailing as we plummeted. I kept my footing as I landed, galloping across the ground on wild legs I no longer controlled. Unable to stay upright any longer, I skidded on my knees in the dirt, flinging Nix off my back. She flew head over ass, crashed, then slid on the dirt.
I struggled to my feet, wincing at the pain in my left leg, then called upon my magic. It flowed through me, warm and comforting, turning me back into my human form. Nix scrambled upright, her hair covering her face, then ran to me.
“You okay?” Nix’s gaze was wild as it skimmed over my form.
“Fine.” I was even wearing all of my clothes this time. “Let’s go!”
We sprinted through the forest but kept low to the ground.
Where was Aidan?
It was darker than it should have been in the shelter of the gnarled oaks, as if some kind of black magic protected this place, and it made it hard to see. Colored lights glittered amongst the trees. Dark faeries, the tiny apparitions that wreaked havoc with travelers. An ancient tower loomed in the distance, evil radiating from its gray stones.
The sounds of a battle drew us to Aidan and Del, who fought demons only fifty yards from the pool. Over a dozen smoke demons bombarded them, their clouds of burning smoke flying through the air. The Nullifier huddled against a tree and cast a protective circle of anti-magic around himself.
I threw myself into the fray, gathering up my lightning and blasting the nearest demon. Thunder cracked as he crashed to the ground, his gray form alight with electricity.
Aidan stood at the base of a giant oak, hurling jets of flame at any demon who approached. He lit up three in the short time I watched.
Del danced amongst the horde in her phantom form, immune to their smoke. She went corporeal long enough to slice limbs and lop off heads. Nix jumped in with her to conjure grenades that she hurled at the outlying demons.
“To your left!” I screamed at Nix.
A demon had snuck up behind her. His blast of smoke got her in the arm, but she ducked and pivoted, conjuring a sword that she swung one-armed with deadly accuracy. The demon’s head tumbled to the ground. She clutched her injured arm and glanced around for more demons to fight.
There were only two left before the way was clear and I could get the Nullifier to the pool. The water glittered beckoningly.
I raced to the Nullifier, jumping over boulders and dodging trees to get to him.
We were so close. Almost there.
The air shimmered. Dark magic shook the air.
I stumbled, recognizing the signature.
The scent of rot and decay filled my nose just before the Monster appeared, a Tracker demon at his side. My heart froze as I skidded to a halt, m
y gaze glued to the Monster. His pressed suit looked so out of place in the forest, but his hulking demon sidekick fit right in. The Tracker demon surged toward my friends, but the Monster turned his gaze on the Nullifier, who was still over a dozen yards from me.
I called upon my lightning, building the biggest bolt I’d ever created. It crackled and burned in my chest, ready to fly. But before I could send it, the Monster threw a sonic boom at the Nullifier. The ricochet alone knocked me on my ass. I skidded in the dirt, then scrambled up to see the Monster throw another boom.
This one hit the Nullifier dead on and threw him against the tree behind him. The first must have broken down his no-magic shield, but the second…
He didn’t move.
No!
I threw my bolt of lightning at the Monster, taking advantage of his distraction with the Nullifier. Thunder cracked as it hit him, vibrating my bones. He convulsed and fell; my heart soared. Victory tasted sweet, though it wouldn’t last. He’d rise soon. I wouldn’t stay to watch.
I sprinted for the Nullifier, yelling, “Cover me!”
My friends had polished off the demons and turned their attention to the Monster, who had climbed to his feet. As I ran, Nix lobbed grenades—which were a bitch to dodge even if you were a supernatural—while Aidan threw enormous blasts of flame that exploded against the Monster’s shield. Aidan shifted tactics, calling upon his Elemental Mage power to disrupt the earth beneath the Monster’s feet. It rose as a craggy hill, throwing the Monster to his back.
His gaze caught mine as he fell. Fire blazed in his eyes. He stretched his hand out toward me, but nothing happened. I grinned and sprinted harder. I was only a few yards from the Nullifier now.
Something hard snapped around my waist, a massive arm that jerked me up into the air. I thrashed and kicked my legs, clawing at whatever had grabbed me. Rough bark bit into my fingertips. I looked down. A tree branch had grabbed me, yanking me high into the air and holding me like King Kong had held Whats-her-name.
The Monster could control the forest?
We were screwed.
I pulled my obsidian blade from its sheath and hacked at the branch as I watched Del race toward the Monster, her invincible blue form transparent in the dim light. Fear chilled my skin as she charged. She ran straight through his barrier, her phantom form not stopped by his magic, but when she went corporeal to strike, he was faster. Before her sword blow could land, he’d thrown a sonic boom at her that sent her hurtling backward. She crashed into a tree, then collapsed.