by Claire Marta
Fear.
Dark power was growing around her, buffing against her skin and raising goosebumps. Her vision sharpened. She was so much more aware. All her senses keener. It was something that had never happened before. As if on some level, something had shifted inside her. Jasmine could see the chains of magic which bound Teasag’s slaves. The cords swayed like faint yellow ribbon.
Like a spider in its web, he was at the centre. Each thread dipped back to his waist. The women were weeping. She could hear the sound of their anguished sobs, yet physically they were soundless. They were prisoners. Trapped and enslaved. They were former shadows of themselves. It was then she realised she had been mistaken, they weren’t soulless husks. They could still feel. Still perceive what they were being forced to do. It was heart-breaking.
Jasmine blinked back tears. How long had he kept them captive? How long had they suffered unable to seek help? The air was ripe with their power. It was being drawn back towards their jailer whose aura was pulsing with what he stole.
“You’re a fucking monster. You’re using them like living batteries.” Jasmine spat the words with hate.
A boom of thunder followed them. For a split second a streak of lightening broke across the pitch black sky illuminating the scene. The women were still withering, their pain and misery obvious to more than Jasmine.
A sly smile spread over Teasag’s painted crimson lips. “It takes decades to drink them dry of power and life force. That’s why I love to consume magic bearers so much.”
“You’re right above spiders on my creepy scale.” Jasmine’s fragile new confidence faltered. “And that’s pretty high.”
Teasag’s expression turned menacing. “Funny you should mention spiders.”
His torso elongated, expanding outwards beneath the flowing crimson dress. Jasmine watched in growing horror as eight legs extended, stretching and flexing. They were long spindly limbs. Appendages, which looked frighteningly arachnid. She could see the thick, black hairs that covered them. It reminded her of a tarantula.
Fear was crawling its way down her brain stem, screaming at the rest of her to run. Spiders. She fucking hated them, and this son of a bitch looked like the daddy of them all.
Jasmine shuddered. It was the full body kind which started at the crown of her head and finished in her curling toes. Terror had her paralysed. Faint yellow strands worked their way from Teasag’s body. Like finely woven gossamer threads they floated towards Jasmine. She couldn’t move. Her own fear had her locked in place.
As they drew closer, her eyes latched onto the barbs at the end of each cord. They were sharp and hooked. Jasmine braced herself, waiting to feel them pierce her skin. But when the pain came it went deeper. Her flesh was left untouched. Instead Teasag’s hooks sank through her physical being to what felt like her soul. Where they burrowed deep.
With an agonized scream, Jasmine sank to her knees, clutching at her chest. They were ripping at her from the insides. Shredding, tearing at her essence. It was overwhelming. So excruciating she could barely breathe. She could feel the monstrous spider feeding greedily; the sensation of each pull, each gulp, as he sucked and fed.
“I doubt you will last long, but you will be a nice appetizer,” Teasag told her with a sinister chuckle. “You foolish mortal, you should never have interfered. After centuries of waiting, Avalon will once again be mine, and I shall feast on the life force of those who took my Kingdom from me.”
More barbs were clawing into her fragile core. She could see them twining around her in a web of glimmering delicate colour.
“Holy fuckballs, that’s definitely not a man in drag.” Benedict called from behind the barrier.
“I don’t think she’s fucking blind,” Dane growled back.
“Come on, Red, you’re not seriously afraid of that thing?” he asked, running a hand through his blue Mohawk. “I mean, just look at it.”
She was. Jasmine couldn’t take her eyes off it. She didn’t dare blink. Her breath was coming out in short, sharp, frightened pants. Legs refusing to obey she was frozen on her knees. Something twisted inside her. The pain had her withering with a scream as more of her life force was drained away.
“It can’t decide if it’s a he, she, or it.” The bard continued calmly.
That was true. The face was still very masculine, although she could still see the feminine make-up. Remnants of the tattered, flowing, crimson dress were hanging off its torso. Those long, hairy, thick legs met the ground in fine points.
“Is it a man doing a bad impression of a female spider in drag, or a spider doing a bad impression of a woman in male drag? That’s kinda fucked up.”
“I feel sorry for its therapist,” Dane replied dryly to his cousin’s question. “I mean he, she, it has to have some fucking issues.”
For a moment her fear was forgotten. Jasmine snickered. Hooks in her soul loosened. The tearing pain eased momentarily before they flexed back in.
“You checked for gonads? Spiders have gonads right?” Benedict asked giving the wizard a sideways glance.
This time Jasmine snorted. She could imagine the bard crawling under Teasag to go and have a look. He had probably added it to his ridiculous bucket list. Benedict was nuts. With that thought, she snickered again.
“I have no idea” Dane responded with a laugh. “I don’t think Jasmine wants to go sticking her head under that thing to look for its balls.”
“I can’t believe you’re having this conversation right now.” Her voice was unnaturally high, but she managed a rusty chuckle. The threads were beginning to fall away; dropping to the ground and shrivelling like autumn leaves. Her panic and fear melted away. The more she giggled the faster she was free.
“Then get over your fear and move your sweet arse, Red. If it helps, imagine me naked,” Benedict suggested with a wink.
That made her laugh harder. “God, no thanks.”
The bard pouted with a wounded look. “Oh baby, come on, don’t be like that.”
The last cord broke free. Jasmine rubbed at her chest as she got shakily to her feet. Twitch had finally gotten loose from his ropes. Limping slightly, he moved to join her. Ella was beside him. Thunder boomed above as another flash of lightening decorated the night sky above them.
“Ben’s right, Jazzy,” he told her, coming to stop at her side. “Pull your big girl panties up. It’s time to kick some freaky arachnid butt.” His gaze slid to meet hers. “That’s if you’re wearing any, of course.”
The mage had a smart phone clenched tightly in his hand. It was something Ella had kept hidden under her robes, ready to give him so he could join in the battle.
“Thong. Hot pink, and it’s so uncomfortably up my arse crack, I may never sit right ever again,” she replied loudly, giving him a cheeky grin.
Hoots of laughter rippled through the watching crowd. Jasmine saw the way the barrier dimmed at the sound.
“ENOUGH,” Teasag roared, scuttling closer. He moved soundlessly, but with a lethal grace. Before this would have sent Jasmine into fits of screaming. But Benedict and Dane’s distraction had focused her.
Teasag needed them scared. This was how he fed. How he got hooks into you and never let go. They couldn’t let fear over take them. If this happened, then this giant, eight-legged freak would win. It was also, she suspected, what was keeping the barrier in place.
“Dane, Ben, keep it up with your double act. I think the laughter is—” Jasmine never got to finish her sentence.
Power lashed outwards from two of the witches. It happened so fast no one had time to react. Crashing into Jasmine, it sent her flying. For a spilt second her heart seemed to stop beating as a flash of white blinded her. She hit the barrier, hard.
POP.
Agony roared down her right arm and into her back. For a moment she couldn’t breathe, it was so severe. Laying still, Jasmine caught her breath. The sound of a fight kept see-sawing through her ears. Magic smashed against her sixth sense. Not directed her way, but it saturated the ai
r.
Sitting up, she smothered a scream by clenching her teeth together. Intense pain stabbed through her body. She couldn’t move her arm. Jasmine ground her jaw, realising she must have dislocated it.
Kaysin was on the other side of the barrier. Gloved hands pressed flat against the invisible force, he was pushing at it trying to get to her. With open mouth shallow breathes, she took a look at her right shoulder. Hanging lower than her left side, it looked out of place. Her fingers were tingling.
Trying not to panic, her eyes met Kaysin’s. She could see the fear and worry in his gaze. Could see how he was fighting to get to her. As if he cared. The turmoil of emotion was so clear, she could not tear her attention away. Jasmine felt something click inside her. It was if a switch had been flipped. Power flooded through her out of nowhere, roaring up from somewhere deep within.
Her eyes flickered icy blue. She only knew this because everything took on a new hue. A tiny, chilly puff left her lips. Winter. Jasmine could feel it in her veins, the raw bite of snow and the frigid cold of a frozen lake. This all lay inside her. Whisking the heat from her body, it left her deathly pale. It filled her shoulder with a blessed numbness.
Kaysin crouched down the other side of the barrier watching her with fascination. Unblinking, he seemed to be in a state of shock.
Ella was at her side. Gently, she forced Jasmine to lay flat. With a whimper of pain, Jasmine complied without a second thought.
“This is going to hurt.” The witch apologized. Confused, Jasmine stared up at her not sure what she was about to do. With nimble hands she grabbed Jasmine’s wrist while the other slid under her elbow. She moved it up slowly.
Agony blazed through Jasmine’s shoulder and she screamed, tears blinding her as Ella continued the torture. She pulled it firmly away from Jasmine’s body.
A sob escaped her. Clunk. As the shoulder relocated, clicking back into place, the pain lessened. Jasmine released a sigh of relief. Gently, Ella lowered Jasmine’s arm.
The sound of ripping material filled the air, as Ella freed some material from her red skirt. With quick fingers, she made a sling. Jasmine bit back a groan as Ella bent her arm at the elbow and slipped it inside.
“Keep it like this, ok?” The witch helped her stagger to her feet. She had noticed the odd blueness of Jasmine’s eyes now and was staring at them in wonder.
“Thanks.” Jasmine gave her a pained smile. Keeping it close to her body, she moved back into the fight. Twitch was dealing with the enslaved hoard. His spells whizzing out as he jumbled his way through deflecting their attacks.
Teasag was not fighting. He stood gloating as Twitch’s reckless deflections became more and more uncoordinated. There were too many of the old King’s minions. Too many spells being unleashed their way for the mage to keep up with.
Twitch was already panting with excursion. His hair in disarray across his battered face, his one good eye wild as he focused on defending Jasmine and Ella as best he could.
“Decided to join the party now?” He grumbled as he noticed them from the corner of his eye.
Ella was swift to move back beside him. “Couldn’t let you have all the fun, cousin,” she responded as her magic rose at her command.
Jasmine headed for Teasag. Having her arm in a sling was annoying but it was something she would have to work with. The coldness inside her was growing. Such bitter chill should have been painful, but it wasn’t. She embraced it. She felt powerful. The energy that was racing through her veins was a thrill. It felt elemental, ancient, and primal. Jasmine noted that the stand which held the orb had toppled over. The sphere was on the ground, but looked intact.
Teasag cocked his head to the side as she drew nearer. “How are you doing that, little one?”
Jasmine did not have a clue, but she was not about to admit it. Whatever it was she was glad to have it. Somehow she knew it was connected with Eric. How, though, she was not so sure. Right now, she did not have time to analyse it. Maybe if they survived she would have time to find the cause.
“It doesn’t really matter now, does it?” she responded, her breath coming out in a puffy white vapour. “It just means I get a chance to help kick your evil arse.”
Teasag’s well-shaped lips curved slightly. “This time you won’t be able to break free.”
The ghostly threads weaved their way out of Teasag. Jasmine could see their shimmer. They were eager for her power. Lapping at the frosty energy, they readily streamed closer.
Eric stood spellbound in awe. Jasmine was breathtakingly magnificent. How could he have ever thought her weak? Somehow through the blood he had given her, she was wielding his power of winter. It was impossible. Unheard of. Yet he was seeing it with his very eyes. Her skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow. He could see the touch of crystalline ice shimmering just beneath its surface. This made her short red hair brighter, more vibrant. Jasmine’s eyes were now the same shade of blue as his own.
She was no damsel in distress. This fierce woman before him was a warrior; an avenging Valkyrie in red. In that moment, Eric wanted her all the more. The love he felt for her only grew stronger. His cock hardened at the thought of fucking her, still sweat soaked and breathless from her battle.
The image of her naked and writhing beneath him, as he took her savagely on the cold ground, made him almost dizzy with lust. He wanted to hear her moans. Take her over and over until they were both satisfied. Even then he was not sure it would ever be enough. Not with Jasmine.
A strange calmness settled over Jasmine. She had never felt so invincible. Concentrating on the unfamiliar glacial freeze, which was emanating from deep within, she flung it forwards with her one good arm. Like a rattling gale it poured outwards. Wind whipping into a frenzy, the hooked threads Teasag was sending her way shrivelled with the wintry touch.
The monster’s head jerked back as if he had been struck. Shock and surprise replaced the smug confidence he had been wearing all this time. Jasmine could not stop the grin which formed across her mouth. It looked like the old King was no longer as cocky as he had been.
“Attack them!” Teasag shrieked towards the Jinn.
The leather clad figures stood motionless. Their inhuman gold eyes watching with interest. It looked like they weren’t going to help.
Jasmine’s grin grew. Perhaps they had realised that this was their chance at freedom. Whatever the motive, Jasmine was happy they weren’t getting involved.
Teasag continued to shout at them, but they did not move. The sickly smell of decay was mingled with the scent of rain on the breeze. It seemed to increase with every passing second. Jasmine’s gaze strayed to her friends for a second.
Ella was clutching at the beads which hung from her neck. Her red skirts swirled around her as she cast. Mumbled words escaped from her lips. As her magic rose, it spilled out of her like the warmth of the sun. Zig zagging across the distance, it snaked towards their assailants.
Several minions were caught unaware. Bodies going rigid, their white, sightless eyes widened for a fraction before they crumpled to the ground.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, baby.” Dane called, causing Ella to blush. He and Benedict were still trapped behind the barrier along with Kaysin.
Twitch was still beside Ella. His magic swept up around him like a lightning storm. The static in the air crackled to life. Jasmine could see the smart phone he had clutched in one hand. His lips were moving soundlessly as he wove his spells. He stopped the moment his sister stepped to face him across the battle field.
“Melinda.”
Her white eyes stared at him unblinking, as a cruel smile curved her lips. “You’re no match for me, brother.”
With his free hand, the mage shoved some loose messy locks from his bruised face in agitation. “We could stop this now...work together.”
Thunder roared overhead. It was directly above them now, yet the rain was still holding off.
The smile slid away as she shook her head. “It’s too late.”<
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“No, it’s not,” Twitch responded, raising one hand in mute appeal. “Mel—”
Her magic whirled up so quickly no one had time to call out a warning. “Shut up, just shut the fuck up!” Flinging it out, the blast from her palm flared in a blinding light.
Twitch was not ready for the attack. His guard was down. The blow sent the mobile phone sailing from his grip as he was smashed backwards with the force. At the same moment, a crack of lightening streaked from the darkened sky hitting him dead in the chest. The mage lit up with a violent flash, his body seizing. Jasmine’s heart stopped for a beat.
“TWITCH!” she screamed, momentarily distracted. Attention jerking from Teasag, she stared at the crumpled figure of her friend.
Teasag’s monstrous laughter rang out. “You don’t think you’re actually going to win, do you?”
Panic welled up inside her. Darting between the women in red, she ran on swift feet, her gaze pinned steadfast on Twitch.
“Watch out!” Ella cried out in warning.
Jasmine barely had time to deflect a spell as it whirled in her direction. The icy power she was wielding rose like a frozen shield to protect her. Breathing hard, she took a moment to try and catch her breath. With an annoyed grunt she pulled her arm from the sling. Pain throbbed in her shoulder, but she ignored it.
“Calm your tits, Jazzy. I’m ok.” Twitch grumbled from where he lay as he rolled onto his side. Smoke was rising from a burnt scorched area on the front of the loose white shirt. Glancing down, he poked the spot. Blue sparks zipped against his fingertips. With a hum, he wrinkled his nose.
Jasmine was so relieved she felt like kissing him. “Are you all right?”
Sitting up, he swept back some errant messy locks from his face. A wary grin tipped his lips. “Well, I’m still here, so that has to be a bonus, right?”
Jasmine frowned, unable to understand it. She had seen the lightening hit him. It was then she noticed how his good eye glowed with a strange crackling blue. He blinked several times, as if he had noticed the difference as well.