Magic and Mayhem: A Collection of 21 Fantasy Novels

by Jasmine Walt

  Marcus doubted she’d put much effort into her search. “Where’s Kat?”

  “Kat? Why?”

  “I need to ask her a question.”

  Genevieve narrowed her eyes. “Which would be . . . ?”

  Marcus took a deep, calming breath. He had neither the time nor the patience for this. “I’d like to ask her if she would be interested in taking up a position on the excavation.”

  Genevieve’s dark eyes had always reminded him of Set, but he’d frequently wondered if he saw what he expected rather than what was really there. Those midnight pools slanted hotly. “Doing what, exactly? And don’t you dare say ‘excavating.’”

  Purposely, Marcus let his emotional restraint break. He could use it. He could use Genevieve—she was a woman, and he’d always been able to manipulate women. “I need her help, Gen. With Lex.”

  “How could my daughter possibly help you with your woman?”

  “If Dominic brings Kat into the At, they can break through Set’s barrier and get to Lex. It’s the only way,” Marcus said, letting his voice hitch.

  “But Kat’s not ready. She’s too young. She can’t even do it yet!”

  “If she lets Dom take her into the At, he can make it work,” Marcus explained.

  She inhaled sharply. “No! I know what you’re talking about—forcing. You won’t do that to my daughter!”

  Marcus clouded his voice with as much genuine emotion as he could muster. “Gen, I need you. You and Kat, you’re the only ones who can help me. I—I’ll die without your help.”

  Her anger wavered, but it quickly reformed under the strength of motherly protectiveness. “Absolutely no—”

  “Will she die without my help?” Kat asked from behind Marcus. Unbelievably, she’d eavesdropped on their conversation without Marcus noticing.

  Marcus turned slowly, settling his desperate gaze on Kat. “Eventually, yes.”

  “Am I really the only one who can help?” she asked.

  Genevieve began, “Kat, go back to—”

  “No, Mom! This is my business, not yours.” She ignored her spluttering mother and addressed Marcus. “Well, am I?”

  “Yes. I would be forever in your—”

  “Oh, please.” Kat rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself already. I don’t want you to be forever in my anything. I’ll do it—for Lex. I like her. She’s strong. She doesn’t let you push her around with all your ‘I’m such a hottie stud god’ crap. Plus, she’s my sister. I’d like to have her around again.”

  It took Marcus a few seconds to wade through her language, but eventually he stared at her, awestruck. “You’ll do it?”

  “Seriously? Didn’t I just say that? I thought you guys were big on, like, verbal agreements or whatever.”

  At a loss for words, Marcus closed the short distance between himself and the teenage girl and hugged her. She was slender, like Lex, and easy to lift until her feet dangled uselessly.

  “Thank you!” he said fiercely before setting her back down.

  Breathily, Kat said, “You can totally do that anytime you want.”

  “Kat!” her mother screeched. “I forbid you fro—”

  “You can’t stop me, Mom. Marcus won’t let you,” she told her mother. The girl was as fierce as a wildcat.

  Genevieve turned her dark, furious eyes on Marcus. “If this harms her in any way, I swear to you . . .”

  “I know,” Marcus said. “Kat, Dominic awaits us in my tent. Come.”

  “Now?” Kat asked. Her eyes were wide, making her look younger, but not afraid.

  “Was I unclear? Yes, now.”

  “Fine. Don’t get your tighty whities in a bunch!” Kat stated hotly. “I don’t know how she puts up with you . . . she deserves, like, a medal or something for messiah girlfriend of the year. You’d better treat her well!”

  She swept out of the tent with Marcus and Genevieve close behind her.

  29

  Lost & Found

  Standing at the edge of the illusory camp, I stared out at Hatchepsut’s unreachable mortuary temple. Set had made the impenetrable perimeter of my prison large enough for a variety of death scenes, but cramped enough to taunt me with views of places I couldn’t reach. The temple ruins and surrounding cliffs glowed an eerie orange under a perpetual sunrise.

  I hugged myself, holding completely still and silent. How long have I been trapped in here? It felt like years.

  At the sudden, abrasive crunch of footsteps, I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. Soon Set would strike, belittle, or command me. The order was unpredictable, though all three were inevitable.

  “Dieu!” an unexpected male voice exclaimed, quickly followed by the softer, shaky words of a woman. “Oh. Em. Gee. Is it always like that? It was like an acid trip. Not that I’ve done acid or anything. Where are—holy shit! How many . . . are all of those bodies Marcus’s? Oh . . . I think I’m gonna puke.”

  I wrapped my arms around myself more tightly, taking slow, deep breaths and trying to ignore the new, confusing twist to Set’s torture. Dominic hadn’t been present for at least several hundred death cycles. I wished Set would just show himself, so I could let him know he’d won, that he’d broken me to the point of obedience, and the torment could stop.

  “Lex?” the false Dominic said, only feet behind me.

  I hunched in on myself. Why Dom? Why now?

  “Are you okay? Lex?” Dominic asked, concern lacing his words.

  “What’s wrong with her?” I heard the female voice—Kat, I realized—ask in front of me, but I refused to open my eyes.

  Dominic, his sensuous accent inflaming my turmoil, joined Kat in front of me. “Lex? Why won’t you answer? Look at me, Lex. Open your eyes.”

  “No. You’re not real,” I whimpered.

  “Oh, Lex,” he whispered. “What did he do to you? Your face . . .”

  “It’s not just her face,” Kat said. “Look at her arms, her legs . . .”

  “Oh, Dieu . . .” Dominic groaned.

  “He’s not real,” I reminded myself out loud, trying to ignore the mental image of the man who had quickly tunneled his way into my heart, becoming my closest friend. “He’s not real . . . he’s not real . . .”

  “D’you think she’s broken?” Kat asked.

  “I don’t know . . . Lex?” Dominic said again, and my eyes flashed open when I felt his gentle fingers on my elbows.

  I stumbled backward, gaping. “You can’t . . . you’re not real. You can’t touch me!” Shock, more than anything else, made my eyes widen and dart around franticly. Where is he? He’s here, I know it!

  Dominic approached me again, wrapping his long, graceful fingers around the hand I’d flung out as a shield. “Feel me, Lex. I’m real.”

  Trembling, I let him pull me in close and wrap his arms around me. His lean body hummed with tension like a live wire.

  “Dom?” My voice was breathy and too high. “Are you really here?”

  “Yes. I promise.” He held me tighter, trapping my hands against his chest. I balled the soft cotton of his shirt in my fists and succumbed to violent, uncontrollable sobs. Had his arms not been around me, I would have collapsed to the ground, a broken heap of the woman I’d once been.

  “Um . . . guys?” Kat said from inches behind me. “I hate to interrupt this lovefest, but shouldn’t we, you know, get the hell outta here? ’Cause, if this was a movie, the evil dude would totally show up right now.”

  “Well put, Katarina.”

  My body went rigid at the sound of Set’s voice, smooth and contemptuous, and I groaned against Dominic’s shoulder.

  “Merde!” Dominic hissed. At feeling one of his arms release me, I held onto his shirt more tightly.

  Set chuckled. “My three favorite children visiting all at once . . . now, tell me how you broke through my—NO!”

  His wail echoed as the world melted around us, dissolving into a frenzy of erratic colors that blinked in and out of existence. The At felt dangerously unstable
as it swirled, as though we’d been caught in an endless, violent wave.

  Abruptly, the disorienting motion ceased, and one blessed realization overtook my entire consciousness—the absence of pain. For once, my body felt whole. My ribs and abdomen didn’t ache. My hands weren’t sliced with a thousand cuts. Amazingly, my mouth neither tasted of blood nor felt swollen.

  Eyes still closed, I smelled the spicy, alluring scent surrounding me, and my pulse sped. That was something Set had gotten wrong; he hadn’t been able to recreate Marcus’s enticing aroma, nor his electric presence. I felt Marcus squeeze my hand, his warm, real fingers sending a thrill of sensation up my arm.

  “Lex?” Marcus whispered and I moaned at hearing the richness of his voice. “Lex? Can you hear me?” He sounded anxious . . . eager . . . desperate.

  “Mmmm . . . Marcus . . . you smell good,” I murmured.

  “Are—are you alright?” He gently ran his finger along my forearm as he waited for my response.

  Smiling, I whispered, “You’re here,” and opened my eyes. It was bright—too bright to focus right away. “Why wouldn’t I be alr—” My question cut off as soon as my vision cleared and Marcus’s concerned face came into view. He was leaning over me, his beautiful, blazing eyes searing into mine. My entire body tensed, and I sat up, ripping my hand out of his grasp. I instantly turned away from him and pulled my legs up, hugging them to my chest. A low keening tickled my ears, and I realized, belatedly, that it was mine. The sound rose and fell with my rhythmic rocking motion.

  “Lex—what’s wrong? Why won’t you look at me?” Marcus asked.

  “Don’t look at him,” Set’s voice replayed in my head.

  “No,” I whimpered. “I won’t.”

  “Please, Lex, tell me what’s wrong. Tell me what he did to you. Just look at me!” Marcus ordered, his words increasingly frantic.

  “Tell him you hate him. Tell him he means nothing to you.”

  “No!” I wailed, rocking with increased intensity. “You’ll die! He’ll kill you! You’ll die!”

  Hands were on my shoulders, stilling me, and I knew they were Marcus’s from the pleasant thrum their touch invoked in my blood.

  “So she really is broken,” Kat said. “Should we, like, slap her or something?”

  “Absolutely not!” Dominic nearly shouted. “She’s been beaten enough already!”

  “Set beat you?” Marcus asked, hoarse. Nobody but me seemed to hear him.

  “Fine, fine, whatever. Don’t Hulk out on me, dude! I’m just saying, maybe Marcus should back off. Seems to me he’s the one driving her batshit . . .”

  “You should probably stop talking now,” Dominic advised.

  “Well, he should probably leave her alone! He’s making her worse!” she huffed.

  “Dear little sister, this is quickly becoming none of your business. Perhaps you should take your leave,” Dominic suggested, his voice cold.

  “Screw you! And you too, Marcus!” Kat screeched. “I totally made a flippin’ huge sacrifice for her—my boobs are never getting any bigger! Of course she’s gonna freak out at the sight of him—there was a mountain of dead Marcuses in that echo prison thing. So, if you two could take a break from the ultimate douchebag competition for a few minutes and let me have some girl time with Lex, maybe she’ll calm down!”

  Marcus’s hands withdrew from my shoulders, but I remained still, staring at the tan, canvas wall of Marcus’s tent. “What do you mean, ‘mountain of dead Marcuses’?” he asked, sounding shaken.

  Dominic spoke defensively, “I was going to tell you as soon as—”

  “Kat?” I said softly. My single word cut through the explosive atmosphere, diffusing it immediately.

  “Yeah, Lex?” The girl’s voice had utterly transformed from that of a pissed off teenager to that of a caring friend.

  When I spoke, it was to the tent wall. “What are you talking about? What huge sacrifice?”

  Kat sat on the cot beside me, facing the opposite direction, her hip flush with mine. “Um . . . they needed me to go with Dom into the At. It was the only way to break through the barrier to get to you.”

  Turning my head, I rested my cheek on my knee and met her rich brown, almond-shaped eyes. “But you’re too young.”

  “I know. It’s called ‘forcing.’ Now I’ll go through all the usual manifestation crap like you’ve been dealing with, just a little earlier than expected.”

  “What’s that have to do with your boobs?” I asked, feeling like I wasn’t seeing the whole picture.

  “I’m frozen . . . like this. Sure, I’ll get all the healing awesomeness and be über-glam and whatever, but I’ll always look eighteen.”

  “Oh, Kat,” I said, reaching for her slim hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m so sorry.”

  She nudged my knees with her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’m gonna be one of a kind—a superhot teen chick for thousands of years,” she preened.

  I wondered if she’d have to deal with the shitty adolescent mood swings forever. It would pave the way for an exciting life, if nothing else, but it was a high price to pay.

  “Thank you,” I said, trying to hold back the guilt and self-loathing that were suddenly coursing through me. Did she sacrifice her maturity for nothing? Were they too late?

  “Hey . . . Lex . . .” she soothed, misreading the cause of my souring mood. “It’s okay, really. It was my choice.”

  “I’m in your debt, okay? Whatever happens, I owe you . . . big time,” I told her. “Deal?”

  She gave me a genuine grin and agreed, “Deal.”

  “Wonderful,” Marcus said, his voice deep, smooth, and razor-sharp. “Now, someone tell me what the hell happened to Lex over the last three months and why she can’t stand to look at me. That is, if it’s not too much trouble . . .”

  Three months? What . . . how is that possible? I felt like I’d just woken up from a nap, not from a three-month coma. I had no feeding tube, no catheter—I gave my shoulder a sniff—I didn’t smell different than I usually did, and my mouth didn’t taste like anything had crawled inside and died, so . . . what’s the deal?

  Taking a deep breath, I released Kat’s hand and slowly rotated on the cot, noting how surprisingly normal my muscles felt. I wasn’t weak or stiff. I just felt like me. I dangled my legs over the edge of the cot next to Kat’s, facing the center of the tent. I was looking at the canvas floor, at two pairs of men’s work boots, one set of reddish black leather, the other light brown. They belonged to two of the people I cared about most in the world, and I was terrified to look at either them.

  “He killed you,” I said hollowly, studying their khaki trousers. “He killed everyone I . . . everyone I love . . . at first. My mom, Dom, you, everyone. And then he focused on you, Marcus. He’d switch it up every once in a while, tossing in Jenny or Grandma Suse or Alexander or . . . anyone. But after a while, it was just you. Over and over and over. It felt like forever. If I didn’t do what he said, he’d shoot you in the head. If I looked at you without his permission, he’d kill you. If I said the wrong thing, you were dead. If . . .”

  “What was the right thing? What did he make you say to me?”

  “I had to tell you that I”—I stifled a sob—“that I hated you and that you meant nothing to me. I told you I was disgusted by your touch and that you should go be with other women. And I told you I never wanted to see you again. Hundreds of times . . . maybe thousands.” I lifted one shoulder in a weak shrug. “If he didn’t believe it, he’d shoot you. You always ended up dead. I couldn’t . . . I’ve never been a good liar.”

  Tears streamed down my face as I waited, staring at their legs. Silence, thick and palpable, filled the tent.

  Marcus was the one who finally broke it. “Dom, Kat . . . leave us.”

  “Why? What are you gonna do to her?” Kat screeched, scooting closer to wrap a protective arm around my shoulders. “You can’t be mad at her . . . she didn’t mean
it!”

  “I’m not. I just need to talk to her. Alone.” As Marcus spoke, it became evident that his patience had waned to a fragile thread.

  “Come along, Kat. I’m sure your mother will want to know you’re back and not . . . damaged.” The darker shoes—Dominic’s—stepped forward, and he reached his hand out for Kat, latching onto her wrist. He pulled her up and dragged her toward the exit. Before leaving, he said, “Can I speak with you for a moment? Outside?” I assumed he wasn’t talking to me.

  “I’ll be in my mom’s tent if you need me, Lex!” Kat called from outside. She and Dominic were closely followed by Marcus.

  Staying as silent as possible, I focused on my heightened sense of hearing. I hoped Marcus and Dominic didn’t move too far away from the tent, so I could catch whatever it was that Dominic wanted to say to Marcus . . . that he wouldn’t say in front of me.

  “Just give her time,” Dominic said quietly. “She seems more or less okay. She’ll probably come around eventually.”

  “Probably? You mean ‘might not.’ You’d like that, I’m sure, but I can’t accept that.” Though his voice was also quiet, Marcus sounded strained.

  “If she’s not ready to be around you, that’s all there is to it. You can’t make her be the way she was before.”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Marcus growled. “I have to get rid of her aversion—for her sake as much as mine. She’s been in At-qed so the effects have been slowed for her, but if she goes much longer, she’s going to start having withdrawal pains, and then . . .”

  There was a choking sound, and when Dominic spoke, his voice sounded tight, like he might be sick. “Are you saying—you and she—you’ve bonded?”

  “Yes.”

  “But it’s been months. You must be in agony. People have died from the withdrawals!”

  “All true,” Marcus said.

  “Well, that explains a lot. You’ve been acting—”