by Krista Walsh
“Likely they have all moved inside as reinforcements,” said Allegra. “We were not exactly subtle.”
After what felt like too long, the ferry lurched, the hull bumping up against the docking station. Silence reigned around the prison. Molly jumped as something nudged her side, but by the smell of the laundry detergent and the height of the form, she deduced that it was Emmett. He rested his hand over hers, and she looped her fingers through his. Anything to grab on to a smidge of comfort while they waited for the world to end.
Allegra made no move or comment, of either encouragement or contempt, but the tension oozed off of her, tickling the back of Molly’s neck.
Molly tried her best to hang on to the hope that she would meet her friends again, but as the silence stretched out, it drifted away on the wind, leaving her just as cold within as she was without.
But she didn’t change her mind. Hopeful or not, she would wait. Sooner or later, something would change, and she would be here to face it.
38
A chunk of the wall slammed into Zach’s shoulder. He’d seen it coming and had managed to brace himself in time so the rock smashed into pieces at the strike, but the force was enough to send him off balance and distract him for the one moment it would have taken to avoid Lozak’s follow-up blow.
A stone fist struck the side of Zach’s face. Blood burst between his lips, and he spat it onto the ground as he tried to shake off the disorientation and shift to the offensive.
To his left, Vera was keeping on her toes, moving around Lozak to keep his attention split between the two of them, though Zach worried about the way her own gaze was drawn every so often to the satchel against the wall. The strap on her bag had snapped, and he’d spotted her stashing it during a moment’s reprieve. He guessed she’d managed to reclaim the book she’d come here for and hoped it wouldn’t end up getting her killed.
But more likely the book was the least of their worries. His own strength was starting to wane as the fight dragged out, and by the tremble in Vera’s legs, she wasn’t faring much better. No matter what form of attack they took or what they tried, Lozak refused to go down. With every blow the demon received, he seemed to grow larger, as though he were absorbing everything Zach and Vera threw at him.
He swung out another stone fist and caught Vera on the side of the head, sending her flying into the wall. She collapsed to the ground and couldn’t seem to find her legs to get back up.
A harsh laugh rumbled through the room as Zach spat out another gob of blood.
“I don’t see what purpose you think you’re serving,” Lozak said. “You can’t win this fight. Didn’t you learn that lesson the last time we met, daemelus?”
Red flashed in Zach’s vision as his memory returned him to the hallways of the old trade college. Lozak had said similar words to him then, and at the time he’d been right. But Zach wasn’t carrying the orb this time. There was nothing to stop his power from rising.
He knew he’d been holding himself back, too afraid of what would happen if he let go, but in the face of Lozak’s growing defenses, his options had run out. It was fight or perish, and he refused to make it that easy for the bastard.
Releasing his restraints, he sank deeper into the heat of his white-red strength. It suffused his veins and filled his muscles, driving him on.
He cracked his whip at Lozak so the end wrapped around the demon’s neck, then jerked his arm back, throwing Lozak off balance. Taking the opportunity, he swung his sword at the demon’s face, the white-hot blade hitting black stone so hard that chips of rock crumbled to the ground.
The blow gave Zach only a momentary advantage. Before he could use it to escape Lozak’s reach, the demon shifted again, the stone of his frame growing thicker, transforming him into a golem more than a demon. Yet the bastard could still move fast.
A stone hand flew out and grabbed Zach by the neck before he could dodge. He tried to tug himself free, but Lozak tightened his grip, squeezing him hard enough that he lifted Zach straight off the ground. Zach lost his grip on his sword and a flood of panic rushed through him as his empty hand flailed in the air. He pushed the fear down and kicked his feet to find leverage, but there was none.
Then Lozak started to shake him, and Zach struggled to keep hold of himself as his brain rattled inside his skull. The air in his lungs thinned. He took hold of his whip and attempted to crack it around Lozak’s neck, but the demon caught it and yanked it out of Zach’s grip, tossing it to the ground.
Come on, Zach. Don’t let him kill you here. Not like some rag doll he can toss aside. Get your ass moving.
Spots danced in his vision as he ran out of air, unable to suck in anything more than sips.
He attempted to throw a few punches, but couldn’t reach anything except Lozak’s arms, which did nothing to relax the demon’s hold on Zach’s neck. Thinking as quickly as he could through his dizziness, Zach switched his attention to his feet instead.
Using Lozak’s hold on him to his own advantage, he swung his legs backward and forward, each kick lodging into Lozak’s torso. The soles of Zach’s feet cried out in protest through his boots, but he refused to stop. Even stone had its weaknesses.
There.
It was subtle, but Zach picked up the faint grunt in Lozak’s breath. He kept kicking, swinging himself harder, putting all the weight he could into each blow.
Finally, his feet found the center of Lozak’s gut. The golem dropped Zach to the ground and wrapped his arms around his middle, and Zach rolled out of the way to grab his sword. He attempted to get to his feet, his breath coming in ragged gasps through his aching lungs.
Lozak loomed over him, ready to deliver another strike, but Vera had recovered. She darted in and delivered a punch to the side of his stony face. Zach was prepared for her to cry out in pain with a broken hand, but she managed enough force that she knocked Lozak off balance. When the demon swung back toward her, she was ready with another blow, which she threw at the same spot Zach had kicked with such success.
Before her fist struck home, Lozak grabbed her hand and wrenched it backward. Her wrist snapped, but he kept pulling until her arm was pressed tight against her back, her body blocking him from Zach’s next attack. Vera hissed through her teeth and the blood rushed from her face, as though the pain was nearly too much for her to handle.
“…ferry,” Percy’s voice shouted in his ear. “You hear me? Get to the ferry!”
Communication with the outside had been cutting in and out for the last twenty minutes. Unfortunately having it back was far from helpful, given the instruction was one they couldn’t follow.
Zach snarled and hunched forward, raising his sword in front of him. His long wings ruffled and stretched as he braced his feet against the floor. With a beat of his wings, he lifted himself upward and charged toward Lozak. The demon attempted to do the same while still holding on to Vera, but in his new bulkier form, his dark wings didn’t have the strength to support the weight, and he crashed back to the earth hard enough to shatter the stone beneath his feet.
Vera cried out at the landing, shifting to relieve her shoulder from the pressure Lozak was applying, but otherwise she seemed unhurt.
Overhead, Zach took his sword in both hands and swung it into Lozak’s neck. He’d hoped it would slice right through the stone, the flame around the blade turning the rock molten, but instead it lodged tight. He tried to pull it free, but it wouldn’t budge.
Lozak laughed and jerked himself away, tugging the hilt out of Zach’s grip.
“I won’t make the same mistake I made last time,” he said. Zach hadn’t thought it possible for the demon’s voice to get any deeper, but now it rumbled through him, causing his bones to tremble against each other. “The sword stays with me. Unbroken.”
Zach saw Vera stiffen. He caught her gaze, wishing he could ask her for help. Although it would hurt like a son of a bitch, their only way forward was to do what Lozak refused to. But there was no way to signal her without giving himself aw
ay.
Fortunately, she seemed to read his mind. With a cry, she pushed her feet against the floor and shoved Lozak backward. He’d been unprepared for the assault, so had no time to find purchase before he stumbled into the wall. Zach heard the sweet sound of metal snapping and clattering against the floor.
Pain cut like a broken bone through Zach’s chest, and he dropped to his knee, all breath escaping him. It throbbed deep in his core, blinding and deafening him to everything else.
He sucked in heavy breaths and worked to find his center. Thoughts buffeted him from all directions — Lozak, Mayes, the spell, the Collegiate — and he tried to push them away so he could focus. Maybe it was enough that the Collegiate would soon be stepping in to end things, but he couldn’t let them take Lozak away from him. That was a death that needed to come by his own hand. If he wanted any peace after death, it had to happen now.
His strength ebbed, sinking deeper into his core, and he allowed it to flow as it willed, putting his faith in his power. Heat grew in his chest and he curled his fingers against the floor, propping himself up on his fist.
Ahead of him, he heard Lozak moving, trying to find his feet in the rubble. Vera released a sharp cry, but Zach tuned her out, focused only on the warmth as it crept back through him, searing his veins and setting his blood aflame.
He raised his head and stared at the pair in front of him. Lozak was standing strong once more, his hand wrapped tight around Vera’s throat. Her eyes were closed, but there was a look of acceptance on her face, as though she’d come to terms with whatever was about to happen.
Zach moved his gaze to Lozak and stared into the deep red eyes glaring back at him. It was a silent challenge, and one Zach was too happy to accept.
In a burst of power, he unleashed his full strength. A new sword pushed through his arm and he spread his wings, launching himself into the air. The red and white light surrounding him cast shadows on the walls and reflected back at him in Lozak’s eyes as he came closer. He gripped the sword in both hands and charged forward, extending it in front of him.
Lozak had no time to defend himself. He took one step back, but wasn’t fast enough to escape as Zach drove the sword directly through his chest, just missing Vera’s arm. Lozak grabbed for the hilt, and in his rush his hold on Vera faltered.
She jerked away, and Zach backed up beside her, leaving the blade lodged in the demon’s chest. Lozak looked up at them, confusion written deep in his diamond-sharp eyes. Then the confusion turned to shock, which only increased as the sword grew brighter.
“It turns out you taught me a lesson after all,” Zach said to him, stretching his arm out in front of Vera. “Having something worth fighting for is all that matters in the end. Too bad for you that I cared more.”
The light around the sword spread and grew stronger, and he took a few more steps backward, keeping Vera with him. They needed to get out of there. He grabbed her good hand and started them toward the door on the far side of the room.
She freed herself from Zach’s grip and detoured just far enough to grab her satchel before falling into step at his side, running. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see Lozak’s stone frame start to glow. The light shone between the cracks that were forming at every joint, as though he were lit from within as his frame extended outward.
In a whoosh of hot air and melting rock, Lozak exploded into pieces. Stones rained down around them, and Vera covered her head as they sprinted closer to the door. Zach stumbled, his muscles and joints screaming with every impact of his feet against the stone, but he pushed himself through the pain.
“Did you guys hear me?” Percy asked, his voice frantic. “You won’t make the tunnel. Find the front doors.”
Zach heard Vera wheezing beside him, but he gave her no opportunity to slow down. They burst into the main foyer, its two forty-foot-tall wooden doors up ahead. Zach scrambled to grab the pass out of his back pocket, cursing that what might kill them in the end was having to deal with Mayes’s security system. After three tries, he managed to swipe the pass over the reader. It flashed green, and he burst his way through the door so hard he knocked it off its hinges, releasing them into the early morning light.
39
The fresh air hit Vera like a blow, the coldness sucking the heat out of her lungs. For a moment, she couldn’t find her breath. She hugged the satchel tight against her chest with her good arm as she staggered forward, its weight as precious to her as a life preserver.
Up ahead, the ferry rested against the docking station, and she could hardly believe her eyes when she saw Molly waiting with Allegra and Emmett on the boat. Was Gabe with them?
“My gods,” Allegra said, stepping forward to take the wheel. “The door, open the door.”
Emmett moved to the front of the boat and pulled the low door open. Zach shoved Vera onto the deck first, then lurched on after her.
They were out. Vera couldn’t believe it. She wanted to laugh and cry and hug everyone in sight, but when she scanned the deck of the ferry, Gabe was nowhere to be seen. She met Allegra’s gaze with the silent question, but Allegra didn’t answer. She simply set her jaw and returned her attention to the prison.
Vera’s blood ran cold. He’d made it out. He’d brought Molly to safety.
Gabe, you fool. She gripped the satchel and looked back at the doors. Come on. Come back to me.
Beside her, Zach’s light began to dim and his scales faded beneath his skin. He released a pained groan as his wings folded in on themselves, pressing back into his spine, the bones reforming into his human shape.
Molly approached him, but kept her distance until the last of his light faded away. Could she see him? Vera watched her closely, amazed by the surprises this human girl continued to dole out.
As soon as Zach’s power had soaked back into his blood, Molly threw her arms around his neck, and he caught her in an awkward hug.
“Hey, kid,” he said, with more gentleness than Vera would ever have expected to hear from him. “You good?”
“I’m good,” she said. Anyone could tell by looking at her – her torn clothes, the bruise on her face, the blood on her shoulder and her back – that she was lying, but for now no one pushed the issue. There would be time for that later.
Together, the three of them turned toward the prison. Vera curled her fingers tightly around the railing of the ferry, praying that her wish would be granted.
Her heart leaped as a shadow appeared in the open doorway. Daphne stumbled through, followed closely by Gabe.
Vera cheered and jumped up, but she froze when she noticed that Daphne was barely able to hold herself steady, even as she led Gabe by the hand. Blood smeared his face and his eyes were squeezed shut, his sunglasses nowhere to be seen.
“Seven hells,” she said. She stepped toward the gate to help them onto the boat, but they were moving too quickly, and she could do nothing but take Gabe’s arm once he’d boarded.
“You’ve got to get this boat moving,” Daphne said, her voice barely more than a rasping wheeze. “Mayes is right on our heels and he is pissed.”
As though she’d held on to the last to give them that final warning, she collapsed into a heap on the deck. Zach knelt by her side and gently pulled her closer to him, cradling her head on his knee. Molly dropped to her other side, stroking the sorceress’s hair.
Emmett cast Daphne a heart-wrenching glance, but he obeyed her command and reclaimed the helm from Allegra, focusing on moving the ferry back across the water.
“Gabriel, where are your glasses?” Allegra asked.
“Don’t know. Inside. They broke,” he panted.
“Too bad we don’t have the orb when we need it,” Molly said, her voice shaking. “It would keep you from turning anyone to stone, right?”
Her words triggered a jolt in Vera’s chest, and she rummaged through Gabe’s pockets, hoping the box was still somewhere inside. When her fingers brushed over the metal tin, she drew it out and lifted the lid. The plain
glass sphere rested within.
Hating the feel of the energy as she lifted it out of the case, she pressed it into Gabe’s palm. For a moment, nothing happened, and then the sphere took on a bronze glow that shone between Gabe’s fingers, and he gasped. His back arched and his eyes flew open. Everyone around him jerked their heads away, but Vera remained focused on him, confident that she hadn’t maintained enough contact with the sphere for it to have had any effect on her.
But it wouldn’t have mattered. When their gazes met, she waited for the tug on her brain, the feeling of her memories being pulled forward, but it never came. Gentle hazel eyes stared back her. Completely human.
“Amazing,” he said. “As comfortable as having a cage around my head, but incredible.”
Carefully, he sat up and stared around. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, and blood smeared most of his clothing, but he was alive. The awe on his face tugged at Vera’s heart, and she rested her forehead against his shoulder. He was alive and unharmed. She would heal. Everyone had made it out, and they had foiled the enemy’s plan. She patted the satchel at her side, comforted by the thickness of the pages hidden within. Everything could go back to the way it was supposed to be.
As the ferry floated away from the fortress, the first hints of dawn touched on the horizon, and the wind seemed to die down.
Which made it that much easier to hear the crash of the doors as Mayes’s hulking form burst through the frame. Flames licked from his shoulders and steam rose from the ground beneath his feet with each step. Even from this distance, Vera swore she could see the fury in his dark eyes as he moved toward them.
“Can we speed this thing up?” Zach asked.
He settled Daphne down on the bottom of the boat, stood up, and moved to stand by Vera’s side. His wings unfurled between his shoulders, but he was wobbling on his feet. After the effort it had taken him to bring down Lozak, Vera knew he didn’t have it in him to go after Mayes as well. Her stab wound, shoulder, and broken wrist throbbed at the very idea of going back in. Against a burning devil, nothing she could do would help. Only Daphne might have stood against him, and she lay unconscious on the floor.