by Casey Wyatt
“Works for me.” Cal flamed up, and orange fire danced in his hands and eyes.
A swirling dust devil grew behind Zephyr, picking up rocks, scrub, and sand. As it grew into a mighty vortex, the Centaurs came to a dead halt. The Cyclops urged them forward, taunting them for cowardice.
“I wish he wouldn’t do that,” Nix said. Unfortunately, Eddie knew how to get the pack fired up—question their manhood, insult their pride, and call them pussies.
The horde charged, only to slam into the vortex. The whirlwind sucked half the group skyward, blasting them toward space. Nix lost sight of them for a moment. When they reappeared, it was far off in the distance, probably a mile or two away.
“Way to go, Zeph!” Nix ducked. A heavy chain sailed over her head. A Centaur’s dark shadow eclipsed the sun. He reached down. Hairy brawny arms tried to capture her.
“Bring me the Nymph!” Eddie shouted. “We have unfinished business.”
“Why don’t you drag your fat ass over here and get me yourself?” Nix taunted, narrowly escaping another attempted abduction. The Centaur’s hooves danced close to her. One kick to the head and she would be out cold. Darting between the nearest set of horse legs, Nix hefted the knife and made a swift cut, slicing through the hamstring. Howling, the Centaur crashed to the ground. “Suck it up. You’ll live.” And heal.
Nix darted away, ducking behind the moaning Centaur, staying out of arm and hoof reach. She came around the fallen Centaur in time to see a thick chain wrap around Cal’s neck. Cal was yanked off his feet. The Centaur holding the chain had a large mallet poised to strike as soon as he dragged Cal close enough.
Nix reacted. Water balls the size and weight of marbles aimed straight for the beast’s eyes. On impact, the Centaur’s eyes were blasted inward into his brain. The Centaur howled and clutched his face, dropping the chain and hammer.
Nix raced to Cal’s side. Another Centaur beat her to him. It grabbed the chain and pulled Cal away. They didn’t make it far. Shrieks erupted as Cal super-heated the metal. The stink of burnt flesh filled air. The skin on the Centaur’s hands was gone, burned away.
Zephyr sparred with Eddie and the remaining Centaur. Although to Nix it looked more like Zephyr was toying with them. High up in the air, Zephyr faded in and out: fog to evade, solid to attack.
Nix unraveled the chain from Cal’s neck. Purple bruises and raw abrasions marred his skin. When she tried to tend to them, he stopped her.
“Later,” he wheezed through his battered windpipe. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
Two of the windblown Centaurs were bearing down on them at high speed. Arrows whistled overhead, ready to strike. Ban rose up out of the sand, blocking the projectiles.
When this was over, she had to find a way to make Ban’s life better. Nix sent a stream of water to the ground, creating a sinkhole. A Centaur stumbled over it. Ass over forelegs, it crashed with a bounce, then stilled.
Cal cried out. A knife was embedded into his shoulder. Hot, angry flames immolated the Centaur responsible. There was nothing left but a charred pile of ash.
“Cal, stop moving.” Nix studied the wound. If she yanked out the blade, she could make the injury worse, and they didn’t have time in a battle situation to wait for it to heal.
Allow me. Ban curled around Cal’s ankle, climbed up his waist, and settled over the injured shoulder. With a shivering motion, the blade fell to the ground, and Ban remained wrapped around Cal like a makeshift toga.
The ground shook. A rolling wave of Earth bowled into them. The air slammed out of Nix’s lungs as she hit the ground. Eddie was falling. His bulk tumbled forward; a giant Sequoia ready to crush them flat. If she assumed water form, she could escape, but not Cal. She wouldn’t leave Cal to die.
Cal shielded Nix, his large body over hers. Eddie’s shadow blotted out the sun. Nix threw every ounce of liquid under them, creating a rapid stream. Their bodies caught the tide and shot out of the way, barely missing Eddie’s fall.
“What the hell is Zephyr doing?” Cal shot to his feet and searched the area.
A dark shadow rose behind him. Terror twisted Nix’s gut. “Cal! Behind you!” Nix shouted.
Too late. An axe blade sailed straight at Cal’s neck.
“No!”
At the last moment, the blade whipped away, caught in the wind. Zephyr rose over the desert sand, a furious tornado. Eddie’s hand shot up in the air, clasping dead space, failing to make contact with Zephyr.
“Nix, Cal, go find Nereus. I’ll handle him.” Zephyr’s form melted into mist. Cal dragged Nix away as Zephyr’s wind form entered the Cyclops’ nose and mouth. Strangled cries, then choking gasps filled the air. Eddie wasn’t long for this world.
“Ban, which way now?” Cal kept a firm hold on Nix and ran them forward.
“How much farther?” The whole rescue was taking too long.
We are nearly there. Just over this ridge.
“Any traps?” Cal asked.
None that I can detect.
Portia was such a dumb Nymph. Nix couldn’t wait to meet her on the field of battle.
Nereus’ makeshift prison appeared on the horizon. Her father hung suspended above the sand in an orb. Disheveled and naked, he was a far cry from his normal perfection. He had reverted to his God form. Standing fifteen feet tall, his normally luminous green skin was dry and scaly. Strands of kelp and other seaweeds hung loosely from his scalp. He appeared to be in a deep sleep, eyes closed, chest falling up and down in a steady rhythm.
“I’m going to kill Portia,” Nix said. The bitch was going to die.
Cal frowned, but said nothing as they stood at the foot of the orb, examining it.
“This looks like a pretty standard containment spell,” Nix observed. “Why didn’t he just break out of it?”
Cal placed his hand on the barrier. “He’s been drugged.”
“Did Ban tell you that?” Nix tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She didn’t like to admit it, but she missed communicating with the alien. Since he had molded onto Cal she couldn’t speak with Ban anymore.
“Yes.” Cal knelt in the sand, dug a few inches, and confirmed what she suspected. “If we don’t release him soon, he is going to dry up and turn to dust.”
“Ban must know of a way to release Nereus. Right?” Nix hoped he did because, even though the spell was ordinary, she couldn’t break it. Not her thing. At least not without the Mantle.
Clouds black as coal rolled across the sky, blotting out the light. High winds whipped Nix’s hair out of its clip. Sand scraped across her skin and stung her eyes. When the winds stopped, Zephyr appeared.
“I can do it,” Zephyr said. He held a ring filled with assorted keys. Flicking through the odd variety of shapes and sizes, he stopped on an old brass one. It really didn’t look like a key at all, more like a half circle with jagged bits sticking out at irregular intervals.
“Is that what I think it is? A Keystone?” Cal leaned over for a closer look, then pulled back. “You could get busted for having that.”
“Not if it was freely given.” The West Wind sniffed as if insulted. “Nereus gave this to me a long time ago. He told me I would know when to use it when the moment came.”
“Come on! Get on with it!” Nix barked. Tiny pinpricks danced up her arms. The dry air made her skin itch. “Time is not on our side.”
Zephyr touched the barrier with the Keystone. Circles rippled away from the key like a pebble in a pond. When the ripples intersected, the entire barrier collapsed. Nereus crumpled to the ground with a soft thud.
“Father!” Nix pried his mouth open, parting his cracked lips. She poured her final water down his throat. He didn’t move. He didn’t cough the water up. Dread knotted her stomach. “Wake up.” When he still didn’t respond, she turned to Cal. “Ask Ban if he can help.”
Cal closed his eyes, then nodded. The Mantle unwound from Cal’s shoulder and dropped to the sand. Like a snake, the Mantle slithered, undulating unt
il it reached Nereus.
Zephyr muttered under his breath, “Am I the only one creeped out here?”
Nix ignored him and snatched Ban off the ground and cloaked him over her father’s head. “Are we too late?”
No. He will recover.
After an interminable moment, Nereus took a deep breath. Then another. His chest rose and fell to a steady beat. He cracked his eyes open and Nix released the breath she’d been holding. Thank the Gods, he was okay.
“Get back . . .” Nereus croaked. His voice was dry as the sand. He shimmered. His God-state disappeared as he reverted back to his mortal guise.
“Don’t talk, Father.” Nix helped Nereus sit up. When she held her hand out for a water bottle, Cal slapped one into her hand.
“Go back . . .” Nereus flayed his arms. They fell useless by his sides.
“We need to leave.” Nix tucked her shoulder under Nereus’ armpit, while Cal helped pull Nereus upright. Nix stopped. Damn. That niggle of doubt wormed its way up front. “This is way too easy.”
A faint ring came from her backpack. Nix shifted Nereus. Zephyr stepped in and took her father’s weight so she could dig out her phone.
“Hello?” she said, answering it.
White light exploded, blinding Nix for a moment. When the spots faded, Nix saw Portia, garbed in a Destroyer’s Mantle from the neck down. She held Jason under one arm and Devlin under the other. She unceremoniously dumped them face down into the sand.
“Nix. I thought you were the smart sister.” Portia laughed. “I win. You lose.”
The seal dangled from Portia’s silver clad fingertips. Nix wanted to scream. Again, her sister had one-upped her. Only this time the stakes for losing were life ending.
Fuck.
Chapter 20
Cal shoved Nereus into Zephyr’s arms. Flames surged into his palms. He had to give Nix credit. She hadn’t ripped Portia’s head off. Yet.
Nereus hacked up sand and spit a gob onto the ground. “Nix can’t fight Portia without a Mantle.”
“No shit,” Zephyr said, grunting under Nereus’ weight. “How about you help her out?”
Cal already knew the answer and responded bitterly, “Nereus won’t help. It’s against the rules. Remember?” He was so tired of the bullshit. No way in hell was he going to stand by and watch the woman he loved torn into pieces. “You sit this out too, Zephyr. You’ve already intervened enough.”
Zephyr frowned. “At least let me try and get Jason and Devlin. They’re unconscious.”
“Whatever, dude. It’s your call,” Cal said, watching Portia and Nix trade verbal blows. The sacred skin was still firmly in Portia’s grasp.
Cal moved closer. Almost there—
“Back off, Calder!” Portia brandished the seal. “This is between me and Nix. It’s about time she accepted that there’s nothing that she has that I cannot possess.” Portia kicked Jason in the abdomen hard enough that Cal felt it. Jason groaned but stayed down.
Cal winced when Portia socked Devlin in the nuts. “What do you want, Portia? You already have the sacred seal. Shouldn’t you be destroying it? I wouldn’t keep Typhon waiting if I were you.”
The ground rocked under Cal’s feet. Tendrils of power snaked across the ground. The sensation as it slid across his skin was sickening. As if all the evil, all the hatred, and all the menace in the world was concentrated in one spot.
Portia closed her eyes and moaned, ecstasy on her face. “Feel his power. It’s better than any male can offer.” Her eyes reopened, irises black as night. When she spoke, her voice was infected with Typhon’s presence. “Join me, sister. Leave that one behind. He has no soul. There is no future for you.”
Nix’s back straightened. To Cal’s horror, she reached for Portia, her voice dreamy. “Yes, Portia. I feel Typhon. He’s wonderful.” Nix closed the distance, her hand outstretched.
“Nix! No!” Cal rushed forward. He slammed into a solid barrier and bounced back. Another orb formed, trapping Nix inside with Portia. “Zephyr! Use the Keystone!”
“He can’t. It’s already been spent,” Nereus said, standing on his own. “The die has been cast. The fight is Nix’s alone.”
“You said it yourself. She can’t possibly defeat Portia without a Mantle.” Cal pounded on the barrier. Flames failed to breach it. He didn’t have the power to shatter the spell.
Nix and Portia were entwined in a hug. Portia stroked Nix’s hair and turned their bodies so Cal could see her hands.
As Portia turned, she arched Nix’s head, baring Nix’s throat. Portia tenderly kissed the hollow of Nix’s neck. Portia’s left hand came around. A gold knife glinted. The blade of a God Killer.
The dagger flashed, headed straight for Nix’s outstretched throat.
“No!” Cal screamed.
Nix could hear Cal’s scream, but she stayed perfectly still. Her sister had to believe that she had bested her. It was the only way to get close enough to take the seal.
Can I move now? Ban pleaded. He wasn’t too thrilled with Nix’s plan either.
Not yet. In order to hold Nix, Portia had tucked the seal into her Mantle. Normally, the only one who could retrieve an item from a Destroyer’s Mantle was the wearer of the armor. Portia had no idea that Ban could breach her defenses. Or that the alien could override Portia’s control of the suit.
“It was so easy to take Cal’s soul. He let me get close to him. He wanted me. I could tell,” Portia whispered into Nix’s hair, while tilting Nix’s head back. “When this is over, Typhon has promised to let me have him as a pet. Don’t you feel the great master’s power?”
Oh, yes. Nix could feel it all the way, deep into her bones. The magic was wild, untamed. It spoke to her of what she desired most—freedom. So seductive, so easy to give in and give up. But easy had never been Nix’s way. For her entire existence, the easy way had been offered. By her parents—all the money and comfort she could want. By the Delian League—guilt free killing, no remorse necessary. No pain need be felt. And now Typhon’s offer—freedom at the cost of humanity’s liberty.
No thanks.
When Nix felt the muscles in Portia’s right arm arch back, she alerted Ban. Get ready. Cal started yelling and battering the shield.
She’s got a knife. A bad one!
Portia’s arm headed toward her throat—
Now!
And struck. Hard. Against the Destroyer’s Mantle. The look of shock on Portia’s face was priceless.
“Witch!” Portia shrieked before her Mantle covered her face, changing her voice to the unisex tone of all Destroyers.
“Like I haven’t heard that one before.” Nix punched Portia in the face. Granted, it didn’t inflict any real damage, but it felt so good seeing Portia’s head bounce back. Nix’s fist flew again. Another thud. Portia landed on her ass.
“You’ve never been able to beat me, Nix.” Portia popped upright and waved her hand. The bubble’s spell broke. In a flash, Portia moved backward.
Nix closed the distance. “You’ve never fought me. Sneaking around thieving behind my back doesn’t count.” Nix lunged, aiming for Portia’s legs. She hit the ground instead.
“Winning is winning. Something you never did figure out.” Portia flashed away, a silver blur. She headed for Jason.
Nix intercepted her and stood over Jason’s body. Portia laughed instead.
“Nix, I’m going to beat you right now.” The God Killer was in Portia’s right hand. The seal in her left. The dagger plunged into the seal. The ink glowed red hot, then disappeared.
The sky darkened instantly. The ground splintered. Deep fault lines raced away in every direction. Winds whipped and howled, all while Portia laughed. She dropped her face piece. The maniacal glint in her eyes was unnerving.
“I win. I win.” Portia danced with glee. Nix raced forward and smashed Portia’s nose, bursting blood all over her white skin. Portia didn’t care. “He’s coming. None of you can stop it.”
Nix’s heart sank. She’d
failed. Typhon was free.
Nix looked around. Cal and Zephyr both stood stoically. Nereus’ lips were upturned in a sly smile. Hardly the reaction Nix would have expected. The battle for humanity was lost.
Something wasn’t quite right.
The wind still wailed and the ground rumbled, but the vibe was . . . angry.
Typhon was still trapped. Portia continued to dance in circles, arms held up high, wailing to her master.
“Hey, Portia! Where’s your boss? Shouldn’t he be here by now?” Nix asked, voice neutral.
“What do you mean?” Realization hit her sister like a rock. Portia’s mouth formed an O, before dissolving into an angry pout. “It didn’t work. You tricked me.”
“Did I?” Nix glanced over at Cal and Zephyr again. She had no idea why the seal had failed to release Typhon. The seal was destroyed. Unless the seal was a fake?
Portia tackled her mid-waist, driving them into the sand, then pinned her by the shoulders with her knees. A steady stream of blows rained onto Nix’s head, but thankfully the slick skin of the Destroyer’s Mantle protected her.
Why is she bothering with such a futile attack? She cannot hurt you in the Mantle. Ban sounded almost bored.
She hates me. Always has. Nix arched her back and twisted her legs around. Portia was knocked sideways onto the desert. For the record, the feeling is mutual. Nix lurched upright and faced Portia.
“How did you do it, Nix? That seal was real!” Portia’s unisex voice still managed to sound shrill. Portia manifested a staff. A jagged crystal studded the top. The black matte metal was unfamiliar. Dark as night, it didn’t even cast a reflection.
Uh oh. Not good. Ban took control of the Mantle and backed Nix up.
What is that? Nix could sense its dark energy. The one thing that can hurt me. Crystal death. Strong enough to pierce my skin. Fear tinged Ban’s voice. It’s from my world. Someone has fashioned a weapon out of it.