Gods of Chaos (Red Magic)

by Jen McConnel

  Something about his words made me pause. “Gods of chaos?” I looked around the room, but no one met my eye. “You know who has her!”

  “Perhaps. And perhaps not. But we will not share that knowledge with you.”

  Dr. Farren glared at Samuel like she wanted to argue with him, but she didn’t say anything. Once again, I got the feeling he was the leader of the Coven, and his decision would bind the rest of them. I ignored him and appealed to Dr. Farren. “I can’t let Izzy … I have to help her.”

  “Very noble, but also very foolish. Think before you act, Darlena.” Dr. Farren looked at me sternly.

  I stayed silent, but my mind was made up. I would find Izzy. It was my fault she was in this situation, and I’d get her out. Whichever gods of chaos had her would be no match for me. Red sparks surged up my arms for a moment, and I felt Samuel’s eyes on me as I stalked out of the farmhouse.

  When Dr. Farren dropped me off in Edinburgh that evening, she hesitated like she wanted to say something. I didn’t want to hear more of her cautious lecturing, so I slammed the door and waved as fast as I could. She shook her head, but she drove off without speaking.

  As I passed the reception desk, the clerk stopped me.

  “Miss Agara, there have been three messages for you.”

  Messages? “Are you sure?”

  He nodded politely and handed me three crisp sheets of hotel stationary, folded in half. I thanked him, and headed to the privacy of my room.

  The first note was from my mother. She’d called the hotel earlier that day, and the only message she left was that she’d call back. My heart clenched with loneliness, and I realized how homesick I was. I really wanted to talk to Mom about everything I’d learned in the countryside, but I should probably read the other two messages first.

  One was from Justin. It was short and to the point: “We need to talk.” I wondered what the hotel clerk had thought when he wrote down that message! I’d obviously neglected everyone the past few days if even Justin was calling the hotel looking for me. The thought of hearing his voice again was comforting, and I debated for a minute between calling Justin before I called Mom. I glanced at the last message as I picked up my phone, and my skin started to tingle.

  “Meet me there, same place, same time, tonight.” There was no name signed to the message, but I was sure it must be from Izzy. Who else had I met anywhere while I’d been in Scotland? Maybe she’d managed to escape! For a minute, my pulse sped up. Where would she want to meet? It must be the cemetery, I reasoned; I hadn’t met her anywhere else, other than the school, and I doubted she’d invite me there. If the message was a trap, I’d just have to be careful, but my instinct said the message was genuine, and I felt giddy with relief.

  Ignoring the other messages, I donned my coat and scarf. I debated calling Dr. Farren and telling her where I was going, but then I decided not to. I wanted to see what was going on before I involved the Coven, and somehow, I didn’t think Dr. Farren would approve of me running around Edinburgh in search of Izzy. The entire Coven had made that pretty clear; they didn’t want me involved, period.

  I grabbed my backpack and headed out into the street. Partiers surged around me as I walked. With New Year’s Eve a night away, everyone was getting into the spirit of the season. I had to step carefully to avoid the broken bottles that littered the street, but luckily none of the partygoers paid me any attention. The bells of a church were chiming as I rounded the corner to the cemetery gate.

  It was locked. I rattled the gate, glancing around to see if anyone was going to come yell at me for trespassing. I was alone. It wouldn’t take much for me to open the gate, but I hesitated. Marcus had already flown off the handle at me for using Red magic in his land.

  Marcus isn’t here, I reminded myself harshly. He’s the least of your problems. With a deep breath, I held the lock in my hand and summoned a burst of Red magic. The lock started to heat up, but I held on until I was clutching the melted remains of the padlock. I unwound the chain from the gate and slipped inside.

  The last time I’d been here with Izzy, I’d been too wrapped up in our conversation to notice how creepy the graveyard was. Smooth, gray stones, worn down by the weather, lined the twisting path, and here and there large marble statues of angels sprouted up among the simpler headstones. The cemetery was surrounded by a high wall, and the sounds of the city were muffled. In the distance, a siren started to wail, but I ignored it. My ears began to buzz, and I shivered, recalling the afternoon at the Clava Cairns. I shook my head, hoping that nothing dangerous was waiting for me in the shadows.

  “Izzy?” I whispered, but my voice bounced off the headstones. The graveyard was silent. I moved through the cemetery slowly, checking the shadows for Izzy, but I didn’t see her. After a half hour, I had traversed the main path that looped through the graves, and my head was pounding. The buzzing sensation had been increasing, and I was miserable. Had I been wrong about the note? I was about to turn and leave when I felt the air around me tremble.

  Suddenly, Izzy was standing next to me, looking confused.

  “Where’d you come from? I’ve been looking all over for you!” I rushed to hug her, but she stepped back, putting a finger to her mouth to silence me.

  “Izzy, I don’t feel like playing games—” I started to argue, but the pleading look in her eyes seemed sincere, so I stopped talking and followed her to the steps of a looming mausoleum. It didn’t have a door, just a gaping opening, and the blackness of the grave slipped around me as I followed her inside. I hesitated, unsure, but Izzy moved forward into the tomb. Whether she was real or not, I needed to find out where she’d gone.

  “Here goes nothing, I guess.” Warily, I entered the tomb.

  My steps echoed off the marble floor. As I walked, the floor began to slant down gradually until it was more like a ramp. I realized that I was walking into the earth, descending away from the tomb and Edinburgh. I paused, frightened. This was feeling more and more like a trap. I’d lost sight of Izzy almost immediately, and the back of my neck prickled in warning. What waited for me at the end of the ramp?

  “Izzy?” I whispered, but my voice was magnified in the dark chamber, and it sounded like something was mocking me by repeating my words. The darkness felt threatening, and I clutched my backpack to my chest like a shield. A faint glow emanated from the bottom of the bag, and I dug out the crystal sphere that Hades had given me in the fall. It was glowing weakly. With the ball in my left hand, I gathered up a burst of Red magic to hold in my right. Now that I had light and protection, I felt a little calmer, and I continued to move with care down the sloping tunnel.

  The tunnel had been growing lighter as I walked, but the crystal sphere was still burning dimly. The sparks dancing on my arm weren’t bright enough to give off more than a faint red glow, and I paused to let my eyes adjust to the new source of light. A carved stone gateway was standing at the end of the tunnel, filled with blinding white light.

  “Izzy?” I called hopefully. “What is it?”

  “The door to Annwn. The living can pass through it, if they can find it. All Otherworlds lead to each other.” Her voice came from behind me, and I jumped. When I turned around, I couldn’t see her.

  “Izzy? Where are you?”

  “I need you to find me! He—” Her voice cut off abruptly, and I spun in a circle, confused. I was alone in the tunnel.

  The stillness almost swallowed me after her voice was gone, and I shivered. A human couldn’t just vanish into thin air, and she’d left in mid-sentence. Maybe Izzy had sent the message, I thought, trusting that I could help her. After all, she was a pretty powerful Witch; who’s to say she couldn’t have reached out with a Seeming to show me the way to rescue her? I glanced back the way I had come, then I looked at the doorway, deciding.

  It wasn’t a choice, not really. I had to find Izzy. But one thing held me back.

  I racked my brain, but I knew next to nothing about this place, Annwn. I assumed it was another Un
derworld from what the Seeming had said, but I had known more or less what to expect when I found myself in Hades’ domain last fall. If I walked through that doorway, I’d have no knowledge to protect me. It would be like being blind. For a moment, I lingered in the dark, staring at the glowing doorway. I gripped the sphere tighter and made my choice.

  “‘Unto the breach,’” I quoted with a sigh, as I stepped into the light.

  The air changed as I walked forward: the cold clamminess of the graveyard and the tunnel were replaced by warmth. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was stepping into the most perfect springtime ever.

  I began to feel too warm in my coat and scarf, and I pulled them off absently, stuffing the bulky fabric into my bag. The tunnel wasn’t sloping down anymore; it tilted gently up, toward the surface. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, I hurried forward. A pink glow became visible far up the tunnel, and it grew as I rushed toward it.

  Without warning, the tunnel dropped away and I burst into sunlight. I plunged forward, rolling head over heels. My fall knocked the wind out of me, and I came to rest face down in a soft patch of moss. Taking a deep breath, I staggered to my feet and looked around. Soft, rolling hills covered with clover were set against the purple cliffs of far distant mountains, making the place look like a painting. It was beautiful, and nothing like the dark tomb I’d just emerged from. I breathed deeply and was surprised at the rich, sweet scent that filled the air. It was like I had wandered into fairyland.

  “Don’t think you haven’t.”

  The voice came from behind me, where the tunnel should have been, but when I turned, I saw a wide tree stump instead. Sitting on it, with his legs crossed, was the most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen. His skin reminded me of a triple latte, and his curly black hair hung charmingly over his eyes. And his eyes! I couldn’t pinpoint the color, but his eyes were some perfect blend of grass and ocean waves. Nervously, I pushed my hair out of my own eyes and stared at him. He smirked at me and winked.

  “Another live one! This is certainly turning into an interesting morning!”

  I frowned at his words. “Morning? But it’s not morning.” I thought for a moment, calculating how long I’d been in the tunnel. “It can’t be after ten o’clock at night!”

  He grinned. His teeth actually sparkled. “Suit yourself. But here, it’s morning. Can’t you feel the sunrise powers?”

  I paused, reaching out my hands and sensing the air around me. He was right: it felt like dawn. “But that’s impossible!”

  “This is Annwn. Nothing is impossible.”

  I looked around again. If this were an Underworld, it was nothing like I’d been expecting. “You said ‘another live one.’ Will you tell me what you meant?” Maybe he’d seen Izzy! If she were here, I knew I’d need help finding her; the verdant field around me was beautiful, but other than the mountains in the distance and the stump the guy was sitting on, there were no landmarks in sight.

  “Maybe I’ll tell you. But nothing is ever free, especially not information.”

  I glanced at him warily, and his teeth flashed. “What do you want?”

  “Just a dance. With you.” His voice was like honey, and I felt my body beginning to sway in anticipation.

  He laughed at my startled expression. “Be careful, Darlena, you’ll catch flies that way!”

  I shut my mouth quickly and looked harder at him. “How did you know my name?”

  “You told me when we met.”

  Confused, I thought back. “No, I didn’t. I just met you.” My head started to throb again, and I raised my hand to cover my eyes. The sunlight was so bright!

  He slapped his chest with one hand like he’d been shot. “How can you say that? Have you honestly forgotten me?”

  My mind was fuzzy from the heat and the wonderful perfume in the air, but I knew that I’d never met him before. I would have remembered someone that gorgeous. “I’m sorry, but I think you’re trying to trick me.”

  He snarled and I backed up a step, wary.

  “I hate when Witches wander through! You’re no fun.”

  He shimmered, and suddenly the hunk was replaced with a tiny, mean-looking man. Even standing on his stump, he didn’t clear my waist.

  “What are you?” I blurted.

  His once beautiful voice turned raspy. “I am Fey. You knew I was tricking you, so now I have to answer three questions truthfully. Well, two questions, now. That was one.”

  I glared at him. “That’s not fair.”

  He shrugged. “Magic never is.”

  I thought for a moment. “Okay. My second question: how do I find my friend?”

  He scrunched up his face. “Walk until the mountains disappear. Then you’ll be a few steps away.”

  “That doesn’t even mean anything!” Angry, I flexed my fingers. Maybe a zap of Red magic would make the creature behave.

  Screeching, he leaped off his step. “Didn’t anyone tell you the rules? You can’t use magic in Annwn.”

  “Why not?”

  His eyes glistened wickedly. “Because Annwn has its own magic. And that was your third question.”

  With a sound like a suction cup being ripped off a window, he vanished, and I snarled in exasperation.

  “I hate fairies!” I screamed at the vacant stump.

  “Just because you hate us, doesn’t mean we like you more!” a chorus of voices taunted.

  I spun around, but couldn’t see anyone. The disembodied voices giggled. It was like wandering through a nightmarish Munchkinland.

  “Are you going to help me?” I called to the empty field.

  More giggling.

  “Fine.” I pulled out my athame. Even if I couldn’t use magic here, it wouldn’t hurt to appear on my guard. There was a collective gasp in the air, followed by the sound of a million suction cups being pulled off a window at once.

  After a moment of stillness, I called out, “Are you still there?”

  There was silence. The fairies were gone.

  Nervously, I looked at the blade in my hand. It glinted dully in the bright sunlight, and if I looked at it carefully, I could see a faint glow edging the knife. I moved it in the air, and the color around me faded for a minute. Whatever had just happened, it was clear that my athame held some power here in Annwn. I glanced around uncertainly, but I kept the unsheathed knife in my hand. Looking at the mountains in the distance, I started to walk.

  The air stayed sweet-smelling and hot, and it was easy to forget that I’d left behind a bitterly cold winter. As I walked, I shed my sweater, balling it up in my bag with my coat and scarf. I looked down at my jeans, wishing I could transform them into shorts, but the creepy Fey man had said magic wouldn’t work here. I rolled up the cuffs, though, and kept moving.

  I must have been walking for almost an hour, but the mountains hadn’t shifted at all. Not only were they still visible, but they didn’t appear to have gotten any closer. It was hot and sticky, and I realized I was thirsty. I desperately wanted a drink, but of course I hadn’t packed any water in my bag. Just then, I came up on the edge of a burbling stream.

  It startled me; it was as if the water had appeared in response to my thoughts. I knelt eagerly to scoop up a handful of water, but something stopped me. Maybe it was a flash of intuition, or maybe I had remembered something I’d learned in school about the Fey, but I paused. Sitting back, I looked hard at the shimmering surface. I could almost see smoke rising off the water, and I shivered.

  I wasn’t thinking clearly. Just because I didn’t know anything about Annwn didn’t mean I didn’t know anything about magic. I’d been so cautious about eating in the Underworld before until Hades promised me he meant me no harm. Why wasn’t I being as cautious now?

  Fishing through my bag, I pulled out the pill container of herbs. Thinking for a moment, I pulled out a peppermint leaf and a dried chrysanthemum flower. Mom had said something about that combination of plants being good for breaking enchantments, and I hoped they would keep me sa
fe. Cupping my hands again, I reached into the stream, letting the water run over the herbs in my palm. After a few seconds, I lifted my hands to my face to drink.

  The water was cool and crisp, and it didn’t taste like anything except water. I hesitated a moment, waiting for something to happen, but when nothing did, I took another drink, filtering the water over the herbs in my hands before sipping it. After three long gulps, I felt refreshed and less bitchy. Standing up, I picked up my bag and continued walking toward the mountains.

  When I had jumped from rock to rock across the stream, I looked up to find that the mountains were gone. I stumbled and almost slipped, but I steadied myself and looked around again. There were no mountains in sight. There was also no sign of Izzy.

  I turned in a slow circle. “All right, what do I do now?” I asked the empty air.

  A silky voice came from behind me. “If you sheathe that blade, I will tell you.”

  I whirled around to see a young woman dangling her feet in the stream.

  “Why do I have to put this down?” I gestured with the knife and she flinched.

  “Iron is too firm, too grounded for Annwn. The Fey cannot stand this metal.”

  That was good to know. I looked at her carefully, studying her beautiful, delicate features. “Are you another fairy?”

  “Put the knife away and we can speak more freely.”

  I wondered if it might be a trick, but since I’d never intended to use the athame as a weapon anyway, I didn’t see the harm in doing as she asked. Once the blade was sheathed, the young woman shimmered for a moment. Her image settled into place again, but she was more defined. Her black hair was shiny, and the gauzy blue dress that hung on her body seemed more solid somehow.

  Standing warily a few feet away, I asked again, “So what do I do now?”

  She shook her hair, sending droplets of water across the stream. “That is not the right question. The question is, what do you want?”

  “What do you mean? I came here to find Izzy.”