by Claire Marta
“Get up and fight me, or are you too frightened now?” Melinda sneered from where she stood watching.
“Finish your brother now, Melinda!” Teasag barked, slowly creeping toward them on his eight spindly legs. “Stop playing with him.”
Jasmine released a burst of frigid cold as he loomed closer. With a hiss, he tossed his arms up to protect his face as he back away.
Twitch quickly pushed onto his feet. Electricity snaked up and down his arms. In wonder, he flexed them, watching as the jolts sped along to follow the action.
“That isn’t possible. You don’t have any tech. You shouldn’t be able to use your magic without it,” Melinda stuttered in confusion, as she looked toward the melted smart phone a few feet away.
“Looks like I just learned to use mother’s gift with nature.” Twitch spoke more to himself than those around him. Arcs of the crackling lighting were smoothly dancing up and down the full length of his arms now.
Jasmine could feel the power building. The more he played with it, the more it radiated out of him. Holding his arms out straight, Twitch watched the overflowing flashes converge in his palms. They cast eerie shadows across his features. It made him look darker, harder.
Swiftly, he drew his arms inward, his chin almost resting on his chest. In one swift movement, he threw them wide again, his head snapping up. Whoosh. Magic shot out of him in every direction with the force of a sonic boom.
The shock wave disrupted Teasag’s hold on his minions. They toppled like marionettes, broken with their strings cut. As they hit the floor, the women crumpled into ash which was blown away on the rain laden breeze. The only one to remain intact, was the mage’s mother.
“NO!” Teasag shrieked, head turning from left to right in shock and disbelief as he took in the damage. “What have you done?”
Twitch staggered, one hand reaching up to hold his forehead. “I took away your power source, you motherfucking leech. Let’s see what you can do now.”
“Let’s finish this,” Ella called excitedly. Excalibur was in her hand. With an eager tug, she pulled the sword from its scarab. Its power resonated as the silver length of the blade gleamed dangerously in the torch light.
Teasag froze. “NO, no. Where did you find that?” The flesh across his features sunk in, stretching until it became skeletal. His expression contorted with rage, saliva hanging in strings, dripping from its extending fangs.
Fear. It shone in the old King’s eyes for the first time. In that moment, Jasmine knew they had a shot at winning.
Ella’s gaze was fastened on the orb. With all the slaves gone, it was laying unprotected among their fallen, tattered remains. Almost desperately, Teasag’s attention locked on to Melinda. Stabbing one of his long, spindly legs out, he stabbed her viciously in the back with the sharpened spear-like point.
The gasped, agonized scream which left her was mirrored in her features. Ripping it back out, the monstrous spider barely spared a glance to the blood which coated his limb.
Melinda staggered forward, crimson gushing from the wound which was soaking the back of her blouse. “Wh...why?” she stuttered, her voice filled with betrayal and surprise.
“Because you both have to die.” The old king spat the words, his mouth twisting with distaste. “Twin’s born with the blood of Merlin and Morgana in their veins will shatter the enchantments that bind my true power. As the life leaves your bodies, the shackles will slip free. Avalon will belong to me again, and all who live here will be mine to do with as I please.”
Twitch caught his sister as she stumbled and fell. Gently as he could, he lowered her onto the ground. Blood covered his hands, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Morgan I’m sorry...” Melinda told him in a rush of pain filled words. A spreading puddle of red was growing beneath her.
“Shh, it’s going to be ok, sis…you’re going to be fine.” Twitch was petting her hair with a look of desperation.
“No...you have to help mother and the others.” Her breath came out in gasping sobs as her body spasmed. “I know you hate me, brother, but for once do what I say...I should have listened to you.”
“I don’t hate you. You’re just a pain in the butt sometimes. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you. Believe it or not, I’ve missed you.” Twitch admitted, with tears shimmering in the eye which was not swollen shut.
Melinda laughed, her body going rigid as the action clearly hurt. Clutching at his bloodied hand, she clung to it tightly as if she were afraid to let go. She looked frightened. As if she knew that her end was coming, and what was waiting for her on the other side would not be kind.
“Morgan, you have to help us face Teasag,” Jasmine called. She hated taking him away from his sister, but they needed him. There was more than one life at stake.
Ella was beside them. “I’ll look after her,” she told Twitch as she placed Excalibur beside them on the ground.
The mage looked torn. Hand still clutching his sister’s, he remained huddled on the ground beside her. “I can’t just leave her.” His voice held a pleading note.
Jasmine nodded reluctantly. She would have to face the old King alone. Teasag was more than monstrous now. He was the stuff of nightmares. A creature from the dark abyss of hell. Gone were the handsome features, all that remained was a ghoulish thing. His true form.
Ripping the shredded robe from his body, he bared a pale muscled chest. From his hips downward, his spider-like torso was covered in thick, black, coarse hair. The flesh was sunken in and sallow. Mottled black and yellow with blotches, the skin sagged in places from his bony arms. It reminded Jasmine of a bloated corpse that had been left to rot in a river.
His face was now a leering skull. The yellow eyes glaring at them with intense hatred. Now that his connection has been severed with the women, he was not as powerful.
Jasmine could sense it. His energy had lagged. Without them to sustain him, he could not keep up the façade of deception he had been wearing like a second skin.
Death rose around him. It flowed from him like a river of misery and hopelessness. A darkness that would not leave you unscathed once it touched you. Taking a deep breath, Jasmine called on the ice. Like the mist that had steeped the city in a shroud for so long, it swept up around her. Jasmine could feel its frozen kiss on her skin.
The blue hue to her vision flared brightly with the action. Chilly crystals spread below her feet, decorating the ground like jewels glistening in the torch light. Would it be enough? She was not sure. But she would not go down without a fight. If the old King wanted to play, then she would give him everything she had.
Teasag’s magic lashed out. Raising her hands to ward it off, Jasmine unleashed winter. It howled out of her like a banshee bent on destruction. Whipping her hair with its frenzy, the snappy particles glittered as they hit the thick black cloud that was zooming towards her.
Hissing filled Jasmine’s ears as the two powers clashed. She could feel them struggling for supremacy. Yet both were primordial. They were more than a match.
With an inhuman screech, the old King flung out even more. The pressure as it weighed against her sent Jasmine slightly back. She was using everything she had, but she could already feel the power ebbing away. Whatever she was channelling was not going to last.
As if sensing this, Teasag pulled his spells away. Jasmine stumbled as it vanished, leaving her weak and shaky. The cold within her was gone. Disappearing as quickly as it had come. It left her feeling strangely hollow. Feeling dizzy, she fought down the urge to vomit. Fuck. Not now.
“Now, I have you,” Teasag gloated, sending fear spiking through Jasmine’s heart. “You’re nothing but an unwanted pest for me to crush under foot.”
Like a deadly tsunami, she felt death rush at her in a wave. She had no time to run. Bracing for it to hit, Jasmine knew the blow would probably kill her.
“No, freakoid, you don’t have anything.” Twitch was in front of her; arms raised, electricity streaked out in a flash s
o bright it was burnt momentarily into Jasmine’s pupils. It took her a second to realise he had deflected the killing blow.
“Shall I kill your mother while you watch?” Teasag threatened in a low growl. His creepy yellow eyes were boring into them, unblinking.
Twitch paled. “Fuck you.”
A cruel smile twisted the old King’s hideous mouth. “Slow or fast? Hmm, your sister is still hanging on by a thread, but it won’t be long now.”
Jasmine knew Teasag was doing it on purpose. He was playing mind games. If Twitch was off balance emotionally, it made him an easier target.
“I’m not dead yet, you manipulative sack of shit.”
The sound of Melinda’s voice drew their attention. She was wobbling on weak legs, Excalibur clutched in her hands. Skin pale, she could barely stand. Blood soaked her clothes, her skin, and hair. Jasmine did not know how she was still alive, let alone on her feet.
Ella was hovering behind her with a look of worry. The orb that held the Jinn enslaved, lay at her feet.
“Melinda! What the fuck are you doing?” Twitch asked in shock as he took a step towards her. “You’re hurt!”
“Fixing things the only way I know how,” she replied with a feeble smile. “I’m sorry for everything, Morgan, I love you.” A wealth of emotion was swirling in her green eyes; regret, sadness, sorrow. With effort, she raised the sword.
“NO!” As Teasag lunged over the distance to stop her, she brought it down hard. The blade sang through the air. Excalibur’s silvery metal flashed like a beacon in the light of the torches, which still flickered and danced around them in the night breeze. Jasmine felt its power converge for one split second before it hit its mark.
BOOM.
The orb exploded in a roar of black swarming darkness and shattering glass. It drove them all backwards. Their clothes rippling around them with the force of the blast. Melinda fell. Landing on the concrete ground, her eyes stared emptily up into the inky night sky. Skin white, her lifeless form lay broken.
“Melinda, no!” Twitch’s voice broke as he made it to his sister’s side. Falling to his knees, he clutched her body to his chest. Blood and dirt were smeared across the pristine white shirt and trousers he wore. His beaten features creased in disbelief and pain.
Ella dropped down beside him. Her red skirts puddling around her in her grief. Arms wrapped around her middle, she bent over as she sobbed. The Jinn vanished. One moment they were there, the next gone. All of them except for Kaysin who still stood watching.
“They’ve gone back to their own plane, for now,” Dane called, his voice thick with feeling. “Now it’s just you and Teasag.”
The barrier was still up. Dane stood looking on, unable to help. His hands pressed flat against their prison in defeat.
Beside him Benedict watched with a sombre expression. “Come on, Red, squish the giant mother-fucking spider. I know you got this girl.”
Jasmine hesitated. She wanted to run to Twitch and comfort him. Hold him tight. Take away the sorrow that he was unable to hide. He was hurting, and she could feel his pain like a tangible force. But they were vulnerable. The old King was far from done. Even without his servants and the sphere, he was a problem that needed to be dealt with. Losing focus now would cost them more than one life.
Pushing down her feelings, Jasmine did not move. Later, if they survived, she would help her friend grieve.
Jasmine narrowed her eyes on Teasag. He had to be controlling the barriers. It was the only explanation. Gaze dancing across the ground, she spotted Excalibur laying discarded. She needed to get her hands on a weapon.
A malicious sneer slashed the old King’s thinning lips. “One down, three to go.”
Before Jasmine could step forward, Twitch lowered Melinda back onto the hard ground and clambered to his feet. Hatred and determination were on his bruised face. Turning, he moved to battle Teasag once more.
Jasmine hung back. She was useless again. Powerless. This fight was Twitch’s, and even though she wanted to help, she was forced to watch. Even she knew a sword, even a magical one, needed to be used at close range. There was no way she could get close now. Not with Teasag so alert.
“Twitch don’t die…if you do…” If he did, then Teasag would regain his full strength. That would make him more than unstoppable. The fate of his family, and the Island of Avalon, now rested on Twitch’s shoulders. He was their champion now.
The mage ignored her words. Instead, his cold gaze fixed on the monster before them. “You killed my sister, and for that I’m going to send your ancient, sadist, fucked up carcass to hell where it belongs.” His features were shadowed with a dark and frightening look.
Twitch’s words made Jasmine shiver. They were controlled and sinister. A tone she had never heard him use before.
“Even without my puppets you’re still no match for me, boy. You’re nothing but a frightened child,” Teasag taunted, saliva dripping from his fangs.
“I don’t fear you.” Magic fizzled around her friend. This new power he had felt wild and feral. Jasmine could feel it against her senses. Would he be able to control it? The thought was fleeting, but the worry remained.
Teasag scuttled towards them in a fury of eight legs as his plan unravelled around him. He knew he was on borrowed time. If he failed to kill them, then everything he had worked for would crumble to dust, just like his poor minions.
Twitch leapt out of the way of a jabbing, sharp limb. Mouth twisting in anger, he sent out a bolt of pure pulsating light.
Slamming into Teasag’s chest, the monster screamed as its putrid flesh blackened at its touch.
Kicking out two of his long, thin, spidery legs, he caught the mage’s hip. Twitch grunted as his arse connected with the ground from the hard blow. With a swift roll to his right, he missed the curving stab of a hairy knife-like foot.
Fingers snapping with enchantments he was muttering, he let loose two more spheres. This time they went unpredictably wide. One hit the stone altar. An explosion destroyed half of it. Debris, shards of grey rock and dust rained down from the sky. The second hit one of the barriers. Luckily for the captives inside, it was only absorbed by the prison that held them.
“You don’t know how to control what you have.” Teasag’s voice had become gravelly persuasive. “Join with me. I will show you how to harness it. We could rule this Island together. Don’t you want to make them pay for how they treated you and your family? You could be their Master.”
“Nothing you can say will make me become your puppet.” Twitch snapped back as he regained his feet. His one good eye was glowing unnaturally.
“The magic that awoke me...” The old King sounded desperate now. “It could bring your sister back. If we searched for it together.”
Jasmine felt her friend’s hesitation. He wasn’t going to really fall for it? Was he? Teasag needed him dead. It was the only way for him to be free of his magic-less existence.
To her relief, Twitch shook his head. “No. You’re full of lies.”
Teasag’s emaciated fingers curled into claws at his sides. Death hovered around him. An ethereal shadow. “Then die like your worthless sibling.” Like an insidious phantom, it shot out across the distance.
Twitch extended his arms. His lips were moving silently as he formed his words. Jasmine felt his magic rise. It prickled her skin, dancing along her flesh like the buzz right before a tropical storm. Light burst into life, so bright she had to close her eyes. She felt the moment their powers collided.
A shock wave swooshed across the square, taking out several of the metal stands which held the flaming torches. With a pitiless snarl, Teasag charged. In a deadly dance, he used his spider legs as spears. Twitch stumbled back, avoiding them by a thread.
The evil black cloud of the old King’s magic clung to him like a ghastly cloak. Surging, it swelled hungrily. It was eager to be fed.
Sparks spat and seared along Twitch’s arms. His old scars burned. Splitting open, they peeled back. It l
eft them bleeding, exposed. Blood was tangled with the various shades of pink and red. The purple vivid welts of his beating added to the colour. Gritting his teeth, an agonized scream left his throat. Thick beads of crimson travelled down his pale forearms.
“It’s too much...” Twitch cried out. “Burning, it is fucking burning me alive.”
He was shaking. His body was being pushed to the limit with this newly awakened power. With a visible effort, he directed it towards his monstrous foe.
“I won’t even have to end you.” Teasag laughed with delight. “You will destroy yourself without me even lifting a finger. You’re more pathetic than I thought.” Agilely, he was quick to move out of the way of the attack.
The untamed magic streamed out, blasting into a building. With an almighty roar the structure collapsed into a pile of rubble. Desperation and pain were etched across Twitch’s face. He looked lost. So alone, standing there fighting for all their lives. The mage was going to get himself killed.
Jasmine wanted to help him. Wanted to stand at his side so he knew he was not alone. Abruptly, she felt a pull towards her friend. Like some deeply buried instinct, it bypassed common sense and made her act intuitively. Without thought, her feet started moving.
“Jasmine, what are you doing?” Ella called, trying to take hold of her arm to stop her.
Ignoring her, Jasmine stepped into danger, moving to the mage’s side. Twitch shot her a look of confusion. His hair was a knotted sweaty mess hanging over his face and shoulders. Sparks danced in his one good eye with the power he was channelling.
Again, listening to an inner voice, Jasmine reached out to touch his hand. He flinched, trying to jerk out of her way. Her fingers tangled with his. A gasp left both of them as she felt his magic course through her.
Particles touched her skin. The sensation was like a summer storm, charged and electric. Thundering, it roared over her. Through her. It flowed rampant and free in her veins. Now it wasn’t just with her sixth sense any more. Jasmine could feel it like electricity in her blood. Potent, it was out of control, yet Jasmine knew that together they could temper and command it. It was intense.