by Cheree Alsop
Madam Opal’s eyes were wide with fright. She pressed as close to the corner of the wall as she could, but still the demons advanced. They stopped only when they were inches from her feet and sat watching her with flames in their adoring black eyes.
“Wha-wha-what do I do?” Madam Opal whispered as though afraid to raise her voice any higher.
“They’re all over the room!” a woman shrieked.
“They’re everywhere!” another member said.
“Don’t touch me!” the last man Vicken had bitten cried as he ran from two demons who followed him like maggot-filled spider creatures.
“Want to escape?” I asked them.
“Yes!” Madam Opal said immediately. “I’ll call off the guards! You can all go free. Just get us out of here!”
“We’re going to the infirmary,” I suddenly decided.
“The infirmary?” Madam Opal replied. “Why the infirmary?”
“It’s safe there,” I lied.
I glanced at Vicken and was grateful when the vampire went with it. “Oh, yes, the infirmary is safe. We’ll guide you down there.”
“Th-thank you,” Madam Opal said.
“Keep them away from us!” a man yelled.
“This way,” I replied.
I pulled open the door. All of the Maes leadership members ran out without being told. To my amusement, the demons followed, anxious to feed on the fresh fear wafting from humans.
“What’s the deal?” Vicken whispered when he reached me.
“We’re going to see if we can kill two birds with one stone,” I replied. “It might not work, but it’s worth a shot.”
“The demons?” he asked. “You’re going to trap them like we did in Lark’s basement?”
I shook my head. “I’m going to use them as bait.” I gestured past the demons to the people who ran to the escalator.
“Bait for what?”
“Do you smell their fear?” I realized it was a ridiculous question since I was talking to a vampire instead of a werewolf. “Never mind. Help me inject as many guards as we can catch on our way down. The more fear we invoke in them, the stronger their smell.”
“What’s the goal?” Vicken asked. I could hear the frustration in his voice at me putting off telling me.
I gave him a grim smile. “We’re going to entice the Darkest Warlock to come out and play.”
“Finn,” Vicken began.
I shook my head. “Now’s our chance, Vicken. Let’s at least try. You saw the look on Conrad’s face. We can’t send him back to that house filled with demons and we can’t stop Chutka without the final piece of his heart. This is all related somehow. We just have to figure it out. Trust me.”
I ran down the escalator to catch up to Madam Opal’s desperate flight. Sweat was already beginning to break out across my skin as a result of the vampire’s bite. I clenched my hands into fists and refused to show weakness to the humans. Relief filled me when Vicken fell in at my side. Each guard Madam Opal ordered to join us was quickly bitten before they could react to Vicken’s attack. At their sudden ability to see the demons, the guards were more than happy to stay with the group.
By the time Madam Opal used her keycard on the infirmary, our ranks had grown to the size of a small army with both humans and several monsters we had freed from the displays. Panic showed on the faces of the humans around us and I could smell their fear. The demons played their unwitting part by following the scent, effectively herding the humans into the same big glass room where I had seen Sir Harbrand the first time.
“Are you sure we’ll be safe in here?” one of the leaders asked.
“As safe as we can make it,” Vicken replied. “It’s your own sadistic ways that have gotten you into this position. We’re just trying to help you get back out of it.”
Madam Opal paused near the glass door. She eyed the horde of demons nervously. “How do we know these aren’t hallucinations from the vampire bite?” she demanded. “I feel sick and dizzy since he bit me.”
I took a chance and said, “If you can see them, you can touch them. Try it.”
Madam Opal looked positively terrified at the thought. I couldn’t blame her. The demons that waited at her feet swayed from side to side; they drank in the scent of her fear and gnashed their teeth for more.
Madam Opal reached out a well-manicured hand. Her fingers shook slightly as she stretched it out toward the closest demon. When the creature realized what she was doing, it stilled and watched her with its flaming eyes. Froth began to bubble at its mouth. My hand gave an answering throb. If the demon felt provoked, the froth would ignite. I had no idea what demon fire would do to a human. I watched, my muscles tense, as she bent down.
The instant her hand touched the demon, she screamed. In response, the demon’s froth ignited into a roaring green flame. I shoved Madam Opal away and kicked the demon in a desperate attempt to get it clear of the others so they wouldn’t spit fire as well. My werewolf strength came into play and the demon flew across the hallway, slammed into the opposite wall, and fell unmoving to the ground.
“They’re real!” Madam Opal said. “Get to the back of the room! Stay as far away from them as you can!”
I had to give her a glimmer of respect for trying to protect the members of her Society.
“What’s going on here?” a voice demanded.
I turned slowly around and had to fight down the urge to phase into wolf form and attack Sir Harbrand like he deserved. His eyes widened when he saw me. The walking boot on his damaged ankle and the bandages covering his hand made a smile spread across my face.
Vicken appeared behind the man with stealth and a speed that made the hair rise on the back of my neck. He grabbed the man’s arm and a yelp of surprise sounded from him.
“Is this the one who stuck that moonstone under your skin?” Vicken asked.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
Vicken’s eyes narrowed as he looked the man over. “I recognize your bandana.” He bared his teeth. “You mess with Finn, you mess with me.”
Sir Harbrand cried out when Vicken bit his arm in a motion that was over in the blink of an eye.
Vicken spat on the floor. “I’m going to have to brush my teeth after this, Finn,” he called over his shoulder.
“You’ll probably need to do a lot more than that,” I replied.
“Wh-what are those?” Sir Harbrand asked in a shaky voice.
Vicken grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the door. “Demons. Thanks to your little training arena and display, your group has created a very successful demon feeding ground.” He shoved Sir Harbrand through the door I held open. “Now stay in there until we figure out how to fix the problem.”
Sir Harbrand hurried to the back of the room with the others, which left Vicken and me staring down a mass of demons.
“You know the glass isn’t going to keep them out,” Vicken said, his voice tight.
“I know,” I replied. “We have options.”
“Which are?”
I glanced behind me. “They’re trapped. The demons want to feast on their fear. We can step aside and let it happen.”
Vicken considered my suggestion, then shook his head. “As tempting as that sounds and as much as they deserve it, they might just die of fright.” His scorn at the weakness of humans was evident in his voice. “I might be a heartless monster, but even I can’t do that to them. What’s our next option?”
The sound of a baby’s cry stopped what I was going to say.
Dara’s shout rang out. “Finn, we’re in trouble!”
She rounded the corner with Conrad in wolf form right behind her. The bundle Dara carried in her arms gave another cry. At least fifty monsters they had freed from the training grounds and displays followed close behind. Just as I was about to ask what the problem was, a dark form turned the corner.
“The Darkest Warlock,” Vicken said in shock.
“Bingo,” I replied.
Chapter
Thirteen
The Darkest Warlock was huge. His head nearly brushed the ceiling and the robes of his dark cloak hung around him like shadows. He had three eyes and they each burned with green embers. His hands were claw-tipped skeletal bones like Alden’s when the Grim stuck them in the moonlight, only there was no moonlight so deep within the Maes headquarters. The entire air around the Darkest Warlock writhed and shimmered as if his evil was too great to be contained. His hands made strange gestures as though he worked spells while he closed the space between us.
Uncle Conrad spun and placed himself between the Darkest Warlock and the monsters he had helped to rescue. He snarled; the sound reverberated off the glass walls.
“Dara, get behind me!” I shouted.
The empath ran past me with the other monsters following close behind. I caught a small glimpse of the baby in Dara’s arms. My little sister Amelia’s eyes were scrunched shut and she was sucking in a breath to let out another angry wail. I felt Dara push and the baby’s frustration stilled.
“Everyone, go in the glass room,” I told them. “Dara, stay behind the others. Keep safe!”
“I’ll help,” a girl with purple hair said.
“Me, too,” the man with orange scales echoed.
Other monsters joined us, choosing to fight instead of hide inside. I waited until the others were through the glass door, then I shut it behind me. It might not keep out the demons, but I hoped it would at least slow the Darkest Warlock down if we couldn’t stop him.
“Uh, do we have a plan?” the purple-haired girl asked.
“To kill the Darkest Warlock and not die,” I replied.
She rolled her eyes. “You really need to work on your plans.”
Vicken grinned. “I like her.”
The Darkest Warlock and Uncle Conrad were in a standoff. The Darkest Warlock kept trying to get past him, but every time he moved, Conrad leaped to stand in his way. Each sweep of the Warlock’s claws threatened to end his life. It was the bravest thing I had ever seen anyone do.
I really missed my team from the Academy at that moment. Lyris and Brack could have helped with spells while the vampires used brute force. I was sure Alden would have some suggestion that might keep us from getting killed. He was the smartest of the group. At the very least, we would have a fighting chance.
“What is it?” Vicken asked at my side.
I shook my head. “I’m out of plans.” At his stare, I said, “I wish the others were here.”
“What do we need?” he asked.
“A shield to protect Conrad from the Darkest Knight, another to block the room so the demons can’t get to the humans,” I replied. “We also need an army, preferably vampire, and a Grim to tell us what we’re forgetting.”
“I can make shields,” a tall, balding man from the group Conrad and Dara had rescued said.
“Me, too,” an older woman with missing teeth told us.
“And I can make an army,” the girl with purple hair said. “Sort of.”
She raised one hand. On cue, a dozen Vickens surrounded me. She grinned. “You said vampire, right?”
I passed a hand through one. “They’re illusions?” I asked.
“Yes,” Vicken replied excitedly. “But he won’t know which one is me. Can you do Finn as well?”
The purple-haired witch nodded. “Coming right up.”
She raised her other hand and illusions of me joined those of Vicken. I waved a hand and they followed. I snapped and they did the same a split-second later.
“As for someone to tell you what you’re missing,” Dara said from behind me. “It’s this.”
She pressed something into my hand before slipping back into the anxious crowd with the baby held securely in her arms.
“What is it?” Vicken asked.
I looked down at the ironwood box. “The moonstone,” I told him. My heart rose and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. “Dara, you’re a genius!” I shouted.
A yelp sounded from Uncle Conrad. I looked up to see him slam against the wall. He tried to stand, but his legs collapsed from under him.
“Shield him,” I said to the witch. “Protect the others,” I told the warlock.
Their familiar chants filled the air and a shimmering orb surrounded Uncle Conrad. The Darkest Warlock tried to reach him, but his hand couldn’t penetrate the shield.
“Our turn,” I told Vicken.
I pulled out my stun gun and ran toward the Warlock, firing shots as I did so. Around me, the other twelve Finns did the same. The bullets didn’t have any impact on the Darkest Warlock. I didn’t expect them to. They were merely a distraction to get me close enough to inflict some real damage.
I pulled my knives from my vest and swiped at the Warlocks’ side as I ran by. He let out an angry, wordless roar and turned to face me. But with the amount of Finns rushing past him, his claws cut through thin air.
Vicken did the same on the other side. This time, the Darkest Warlock got close. His claws raked through the air inches from the vampire before my best friend whirled around at my side.
“It hurt him,” he said with excitement in his voice.
“But not enough,” I replied.
I could barely make out the nicks we had cut in his skin. His swirling black cloak covered the injury, and when I looked again, the knife marks were gone.
Vicken swore. “So now what?”
Unable to find us, the Darkest Warlock turned toward the glass room. The mythics in front and those inside with the humans cringed away from the angry glare. I heard my baby sister give a sad little cry.
“We keep going until we figure something out,” I said.
Vicken nodded. We brandished our knives and ran back at the Warlock. I had to give the purple-haired witch credit. No matter how many times the vampire and I attacked, the Darkest Warlock couldn’t get a lock on us. Vampires and werewolves ran everywhere, swiping, ducking, and spinning away. Every time the Warlock’s claws swept through empty air where one of our illusions had been, he became even more upset. The sounds of wordless fury that emanated from his mouth rebounded off the glass and multiplied until angry howls were all we heard. At the very least, we were tiring him out. At least I hoped.
“Any ideas?” Vicken asked me on his next pass.
Even the vampire was gasping for air. Our efforts to distract the Warlock were taking a toll on both of us.
“He needs to be weaker. I can’t penetrate his skin deep enough for the moonstone to take effect. He’s too strong.” Worry filled me. If we couldn’t stop the Warlock, there was a room of helpless victims he would make short work of.
At another cry from Amelia, I redoubled my efforts. I made another pass, but my legs were tired and I tripped on the edge of the Warlock’s cloak. He grabbed me before I could get away. As soon as he picked me up, the illusions disappeared.
The Warlock lifted me high off the ground so that he stared into my face. “Enough of your games,” he growled.
His deep voice reverberated clear through me. I struggled to free myself from his hands, but he lifted me up and his bone fingers tightened. I gave a yell of pain when his claws pierced the vest and sunk into my skin. A smile creased the Dark Warlock’s twisted lips at my struggles and he gripped even tighter.
I focused all of my strength on one of his hands. Channeling everything that made me a werewolf, I tried to pull his clawed fingers from my ribs. At my efforts, his grip constricted. My back arched at the pain and I yelled again.
“Hold on, Finn!” Vicken shouted.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the vampire grab a guard and bring him close. A dozen other vampires acted out his actions. To my shock, the vampire bit the man’s arm and drank deeply. When he let go, his lips and chin were red with blood.
Vicken’s yellow eyes were wild when he ran to the Warlock.
“No!” I protested, afraid I was about to see my friend killed.
Vicken took advantage of the Warlock’s occupied h
ands to scale his side. He climbed as though the Warlock was a tree, using the cloak and one arm to swing himself up to the Warlock’s wide shoulder.
“Feel what it’s like to be human for a change,” the vampire said.
He bent down and bit the Warlock’s throat.
The Darkest Warlock’s eyes widened and the muscles in his neck tightened so that they stood out like cords. I pulled one of my arms free, tore a knife from the front of my vest, and plunged it into the Warlock’s chest. He gave an angry roar and his claws sunk deeper into my sides. With a yell, I pulled out the knife and shoved the moonstone into the hole.
The Darkest Warlock’s eyes widened. Inside his gaze, I saw memories, memories of a dark room, flaming demon eyes, and a feeling of helplessness. Those memories were over swept by another where a dark form loomed. In its hand was what looked like a piece of black rock. The Darkest Warlock accepted it and I felt his powers multiply until the demons cowered at his feet, eager to be his followers.
The memory shifted again. I saw the Warlock use the heart to lure a young Conrad into opening the gate. I heard the chants Conrad used and felt the power he yearned to hold, power that the Warlock used instead to take over his body and control him. The Darkest Warlock then turned that power on the students. I watched in mute horror as he tore apart students and professors as easily as if they were the petals of a flower. He threw bodies aside and looked for more, drunk in the scent of fear and pain that he caused.
The Darkest Warlock killed a girl I recognized as Mezania. I ached at the sight of her fallen body. I watched Briggs’ young self run into the corridor and stop at the sight. A girl ran up behind him. My heart slowed when I recognized my mother. Briggs told her to run, then threw himself at Conrad.
Later, broken and bleeding, Conrad’s misshapen form limped through the streets of the city driven by a force beyond himself. Demons follow in his wake. Those humans who saw him in the darkness scurried out of the way and hid their faces from the sight they later convinced themselves was a terrifying dream. I watched the Darkest Warlock force Conrad to make the mirror room. He lay there night after night until he was aware enough to realize the nightmare in which he now lived.