by Linsey Hall
I used the monster’s slowness to my advantage, throwing my dagger right for its eyes. The blade pierced the crystal, and magical energy exploded outward. It blew my hair back from my face and stole the breath from my lungs.
The Unhcegila disappeared in a burst of silver light. A small red crystal flew up into the air, turning end over end and sparkling like a ruby.
“Turn around!” I screamed.
“Why?” Rowan shouted.
“Because!”
“Great reason!” Rowan yanked the wheel to the right, and the buggy made a sharp U-turn. I clung to the railing, keeping my gaze pinned to the crystal. It hurtled back toward the ground, splashing into the water.
The red gem glowed brightly, and I pointed toward it. “Head for the glow!”
Rowan did as I asked, and I climbed over the side of the platform, clinging to the safety railing. “Slow down!”
As we neared the crystal, Rowan slowed the buggy. The gem gleamed brightly, and I hung low, scooping it out of the water. It was warm in my hand, and I squeezed it tight, scrambling back onto the platform.
“Can we keep going now?” Rowan asked.
“Yep!” I looked at the gem briefly. The center was black where my dagger had hit it, but the rest gleamed red and bright. I wasn’t sure if it really was lucky, but I could use all the help I could get, so I shoved it into my pocket.
Rowan cut through the rest of the Bad Water without incident, the silver liquid spraying up around the tires and glinting in the sun.
The buggy cut across the desert as the sun beat down upon us. I shielded my eyes, squinting into the distance. Everything was beige, all different shades. And it all shimmered with danger. The air stank with it.
“You smell that?” Rowan asked.
“Yeah, dark magic.” It was the thing that made the desert nearly impassable, and the reason that Hider’s Haven was so protected. If you wanted to lie low—like, really low—that was the place to do it. It was full of criminals, mostly. But also innocent people who were trying to avoid criminals. Get in trouble with the magical mob? Hider’s Haven was the supernatural version of witness protection.
Rowan expertly drove the car around scrub brush and boulders. Up ahead, the air shimmered, making it hard to determine what was coming at us. But the air stank with dark magic and prickled, abrading my skin.
Whatever it was, I knew it’d be bad.
2
When the ramshackle buildings finally appeared, my stomach dropped. “Shit.”
“Ghost town,” Bree said.
“The one with the Wendigos?” Rowan asked.
A sickly smile tugged at my mouth. “Probably.”
Ever since we’d been driven from our home by those who hunted us, we’d had some pretty shit luck. Topping the list was the murder of our mother when we were thirteen. She’d held off our pursuers, but lost her life.
I shook the thought away. We had to focus on the Wendigos. Uncle Joe had told us the story of the mythological beasts from Algonquin legend. They’d been driven away from their homeland in the Northeast and had ended up here, haunting the ghost towns of Death Valley.
The fact that they had a ravenous taste for human flesh was just our bad luck.
I squinted at the decrepit buildings as we approached.
“I’m going to try for speed,” Rowan said.
“I like that plan.” If we could blast past the zombie-like Wendigos, it would suit me just fine.
She pressed her foot to the gas, and the buggy jumped forward, racing toward the old buildings that lined a central street. A real Old West style town. We’d have to pass in between the rows of buildings since the land behind each row was covered in huge boulders. They’d make going around in the buggy impossible. And we couldn’t abandon our vehicle.
Ha. As if.
The wind tore at my hair as we sped along. The dark magic that filled the valley began to smell strongly of death and decay. Until now, it’d smelled mostly like sulfur and months-old garbage.
The dead bodies were worse.
“Yeah, they’re here,” Bree muttered.
As soon as she spoke, a figure burst out from a house up ahead. My skin chilled. The creature was tall, at least six feet, with a skeletal form that looked half decayed. Antlers topped a skull that was missing most of its flesh. It turned to look at us.
I swallowed hard. “Faster, Rowan!”
The buggy jumped forward, eating up the ground. I clung to the railing, praying to fate that we’d make it past the Wendigos.
When we came up level with the buildings, the buggy slowed.
“What the hell, Rowan?” Bree shouted.
“It’s not me!” Rowan yelled. “It magic!”
Shit. Magic that slowed us to a miserable twenty miles an hour. Then slower. Some kind of sticky force field that prevented us from outrunning the predators.
My heart thudded and my breath came short.
I hated being prey.
More Wendigos appeared in the doorways of the beaten-up buildings, hissing when they saw the sunlight. But it wasn’t enough to stop them. They lurched toward us, picking up speed as they ran.
“You’ve got to take off their heads!” Bree shouted.
Yeah, my daggers couldn’t do that.
I climbed over the safety rail into the back seat and fished around on the floorboard for the spare sword that we kept down there. It wasn’t my preferred weapon, but I’d use it if some zombies needed decapitating.
My hand closed over the hilt, and I lurched up, scrambling over the safety rail and back onto the platform.
The Wendigos were close now—only about ten yards away.
“Get ready!” I called.
At the front, Bree crouched, keeping her balance. Her sword glinted in the sun as she held it ready. I gripped mine, nerves shivering down my arms.
The first Wendigo to reach me had only half the flesh on its face. It reached out with a long arm, swiping with its claws. I swung my sword and sliced off its arm. The limb thudded to the ground, and the creature shrieked.
Pain pierced my eardrums, and tears pricked my eyes, blurring my vision.
“Holy fates!” Bree cried.
Desperate, I swung my sword, taking off the monster’s head. The shrieking stopped.
“Kill shots only, from now on!” Rowan cried.
“Gonna be hard to deliver on that one.” I gestured to the two Wendigos who were nearly to me. “Come at me, boys.”
Bree laughed and swung her sword. From the corner of my eye, I couldn’t see where it struck, but when a head flew past me, I knew she’d had success.
The two Wendigos leapt for me. One clung to the railing surrounding my platform, while the other went straight for me, mouth open and fangs glinting. I sliced off its head—an easy task, since it was little more than bone—then went for the Wendigo who was trying to climb onto my platform.
It swatted at me with its lethal claws, and I dodged left, then sliced my sword, cutting off its head.
Victory surged through me as the head rolled way and the body fell back.
I’m doing great!
“A little help here!” Bree yelled.
I glanced over.
There were half a dozen Wendigos nearly to her. They’d all headed her way.
Crap!
I scrambled over the seats and leapt onto the front platform, side to side with Bree. We swung our swords in unison, some kind of sisterly bond keeping us from slicing each other.
Or, more likely, it was the fact that Bree had practiced endlessly with her sword and made up for my deficiencies.
Yeah, that was more likely.
Heads rolled as we took out the Wendigos.
We were nearly halfway through the town when one of the houses exploded with monsters. They streamed out of the doors and windows, over a dozen of them.
“Crap,” Bree muttered.
“Hit some of them with your boom. Let’s time this.”
She nodded.
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They were about ten yards away when her magic swelled on the air and she sent a sonic boom toward half of them. They flew backward, slamming into the ground. They lay there, stunned for a few moments.
The rest raced for us, looking like a zombie horde.
While Bree fought her half of the crowd, I took out the first to reach me. He was easy. I beheaded the second just as the third swiped my arm with its sharp claws.
Pain flared and I jerked away, but it was too fast. The beast gripped my wounded arm and yanked me out of the buggy. I flew over the railing and slammed to the ground, panic opening a hole inside my chest.
Holy fates!
The Wendigo lurched on top of me, mouth gaping wide to reveal its fangs. It reared its head back to strike. I kicked up with my knees, heaving it off of me.
I scrambled to my feet and swung, slicing through the creature’s neck and removing the head.
My heart raced as I spun in a circle and searched for the buggy. Bree had one foot on the bottom safety rail, clearly about to climb out.
“Don’t do it!” I screamed.
It would be a death wish. There were at least eight Wendigos out here, all turning to run for me.
Without the buggy to fight from, I was screwed.
I wouldn’t take Bree down with me.
“Stay in the buggy!” I screamed.
But of course she jumped, hitting the ground running.
“Idiot!” I shouted as I searched the terrain for something to hide behind.
Silver metal glinted about twenty feet away.
An old garbage can lid?
Heck yeah.
I sprinted toward it and swept up my makeshift shield. The Wendigos raced after me. It seemed that they hadn’t yet spotted Bree, who came at them from behind.
To the left, more Wendigos rushed out of the last house on the street.
There were fifteen of them.
My skin chilled.
Too many.
We couldn’t take out that many, even from the buggy, which was currently turning around to come get us.
We had to be smart.
My mind raced as the Wendigos ran for me. They were twenty yards away. Ten. Bree was behind them, about twenty yards off.
Finally, an idea flared. “Bree, you blast them! I’ll slice.”
“I like it!” She grinned and hurled a blast of magic at them.
The Wendigos went flying, and I raced after them, leading with my shield. The first one I came to was still stunned. I swiped with my blade, removing the head. The second had begun to climb to its feet, but it was easy, too.
The rest were harder, but I blocked their claws with my shield, taking advantage of their disorientation.
I darted away from the last three, which had climbed fully to their feet. Once I was about five yards away, Bree hit them with another blast. I darted in and finished them, using my shield to protect me.
In the distance, Rowan drove the buggy into a group of three, crushing them with the tires. They twitched, clearly trying to get to their feet, dark magic and a taste for flesh propelling them.
Bree and I raced for them, finishing the monsters off with our swords as Rowan waited nearby, keeping the buggy in idle.
“We’re at the edge of town!” Bree cried.
“Come on!” Rowan shouted.
I didn’t hesitate, just sprinted the last few yards to the buggy and scrambled onto the back along with Bree.
Rowan hit the gas, and the vehicle charged forward, breaking away from the spell that encapsulated the ghost town. Wind tore at my hair as we raced away.
More Wendigos ran from the building, but we were fast now that we’d gotten out of town.
Bree leaned against the back railing, panting. “All right. We need to get safety harnesses.”
I sat down next to her, the metal platform warm against my butt, and inspected the gashes on my arm. “Yeah, that’s a good plan.” I nudged the trash can lid with my foot. “And we need shields.”
“You better move that powwow along,” Rowan shouted. “I think we’re coming up to something.”
I groaned and climbed to my feet. “Already?”
Bree pushed herself off the railing and climbed over the seats, headed toward the front of the truck.
Rowan pointed toward the glittering silver sky ahead of us. “That looks weird, right?”
I squinted into the wind, studying the sky. “It looks kinda like the Bad Water.”
“That’s what I was afraid you’d say.” Rowan slowed the buggy.
“You think the silver glow comes before the monster?” Bree asked.
“Maybe.” I searched the buggy for something to bind my wound with and came up short. “Add a first aid kit to our to-do list.”
“I’m starting to think we came ill prepared.” Rowan laughed.
“What gives you that impression?” I laughed as I squinted toward the silver sky, my chest tightening. The scent of dark magic was starting to roll toward us—it reeked of rotten organic matter.
The sky shimmered more brightly, then a massive figure burst forth.
The eagle was easily the size of the buggy, his wings glittering with all the shades of the rainbow. His massive beak looked razor sharp. Black eyes glinted as he swooped around in a circle to inspect us.
“Achiyalatopa,” Rowan said.
“Oh crap.” Memory flared. He was part of Zuni legend, a member of the thunderbird family.
Just our luck we’d run into one of the most deadly ones.
I dived for the trash can lid that I’d tossed onto the back platform and raised it over my head just as a lethally sharp blade shot from the eagle’s wings. According to Uncle Joe’s stories, it was made of flint and was sharper than steel.
The blade hit the trash can, shattering.
“Take the wheel!” Rowan screamed.
I lunged for her, covering my head as I leapt over the back seat. I tossed the shield at Bree—Rowan wouldn’t need it. Rowan and I traded places, the buggy slowing as I scrambled into the seat and found the gas pedal.
I grabbed the wheel and hit the gas as hard as I could. Rowan stumbled as she climbed into the back seat.
“Shoot, sorry!” I cried.
“I got it!” Her magic flared on the air, bringing with it the scent of lilacs and the feel of a breeze.
Bree left the front platform, scrambling onto the front seat and raising the trash can lid to cover the both of us.
I was able to catch a peek at Achiyalatopa, who swooped low over us, his beautiful wings glinting. But there was murder in his eyes. A dozen flint blades shot toward us. Rowan’s magic surged, and the blades deflected, flying off track and missing us all together.
Telekinesis was badass.
I focused on driving while Rowan defended us from the thunderbird. A few times, flint blades slammed into the front platform, but they never hit us.
“Can you hold the shield?” Bree shouted. Wind whipped her dark hair into my face.
“Yeah!” I grabbed it, holding it over our heads with one hand while driving with the other.
Bree edged out from under the shield, and her magic swelled. I couldn’t see Achiyalatopa because of the shield over my head, but when Bree’s magic exploded out of her, I had to assume he was close. A moment later, I caught sight of him tumbling through the air, low enough that I could spot him. But he recovered quickly, shooting toward the sky.
I kept my foot on the gas, aiming for the giant stone arches up ahead. Rowan played offense while Bree played defense, but the eagle kept coming. We needed to find some cover.
“How’re you holding up?” Bree shouted to Rowan.
“Running low.” She sounded winded.
We definitely needed to find cover.
Flint blades smashed into the ground all around us as I drove, desperate to reach the arches.
“Faster!” Rowan screamed.
“I can’t!” The pedal was all the way down.
Finally, we zoome
d into the maze of stone arches that sat in the middle of the valley.
“Where is he?” I shouted.
“I can’t see him!” Rowan yelled.
I darted around the archways, having to slow the buggy to avoid crashing. Dark magic lingered on the air, but nothing came out for the attack.
“I think we lost him.” Bree collapsed into the seat next to me, leaning her head against my shoulder.
“Thank fates.” Rowan sat next to Bree.
“Good job, guys,” I said.
“Good driving,” Rowan said.
I kept my gaze sharp on our surroundings, but finally we exited the arches. On other days, there had to be dark magic waiting to strike inside here.
But today, we were lucky.
It continued for a while, long enough for us to drink some water and chow down on one of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Bree had brought. The sun was getting lower in the sky by the time the dark magic swelled again.
“Feel that?” Rowan rubbed her arms.
“Yeah.” It pricked like the devil, making it clear that something was coming up.
“I don’t see anything weird,” Bree said. “Where’s it coming from?”
I squinted forward, but all I saw was flat ground. I slowed the buggy a bit, wariness creeping through me. The feeling of dark magic made it clear that something was coming up.
But what?
Then I saw it.
Ahead of us, the earth fell away, forming a massive crater. It was about one hundred feet deep and as wide across as two football fields. The bottom was flat and the sides were slanted downward.
Dread welled inside me. “The Phantoms.”
“Oh, hell,” Bree whispered.
“Uncle Joe made it clear in his stories,” Rowan said. “We have to go through.”
Fear like I’d never known chilled my skin, nearly freezing my muscles and bones.
3
We had to cross.
My skin tingled and my palms sweat. This crater was famous because it was one of the worst places in the world. The deep hole in the ground was filled with Phantoms, the most terrifying of all supernatural beings. They fed on fear and grief, reaching into your mind to dredge up your worst memories. Some people couldn’t take it. They collapsed from the horror, helpless against the Phantoms who would devour their souls in their attempt to feed off the sadness that people held deep within them, buried away.