Sari turns to the half-elf, a cold look in her eyes. “Everyone dies, Nyx. Learn to accept such things.”
“Well, what made you all dark and gloomy?” grumbles Nyx, who is visibly shaken by Sari’s words.
“It’s a fact of life you learn when every member of your clan is butchered before your eyes,” Sari says, tightening her grip on Nyx’s shoulders until the half-elf winces in pain. “Your parents, siblings, and friends are all gone. The last memory you have of them is of them being killed. The best that I can do is try to keep up a strong, fun-loving front, but it isn’t easy.”
“I’m sorry, Sari,” Nyx apologizes, easing the girl’s hands off her. “Though, I hope you remember who you’re talking to. It isn’t like I have any blood relatives left in my life either.”
“I . . . forgot,” the gypsy whispers. Realizing she upset Nyx, she feebly tries to cheer the half-elf up. “I’d rather have your situation where you don’t remember them.”
“I’d trade you no memories for bitter memories any day. My dreams never have any faces when they involve my parents. It forces me to wake up cry . . .” Nyx slowly stops talking and twitches as if being prodded from behind. “Would you stop poking me in the back, Luke? It’s making me queasy.”
“Did your friend kill another zombie and want some praise?” Sari sarcastically asks.
“You might want to turn around,” Nyx mentions in a slightly louder voice than before.
Sari sighs and turns to see a terrifying sight no more than twenty feet away from her. The swarm of zombies is moving steadily and silently toward the two women. Every zombie has its mouth sewn shut and they appear to be pulling themselves along the walls and ceiling. The zombies suddenly break into a mob of slavering chaos when the head of the nearest monster explodes into a curtain of gore. Nyx and Sari waste no time sprinting down the hallway and charge through the first door that they find.
“How did they sneak up on us?” Sari asks.
“I got a quick look at them before common sense took over and I started running for my life,” Nyx replies, almost skidding into a locked door instead of turning the corner. “They aren’t touching the ground. I’m guessing Kalam made those zombies with a permanent levitation spell. That probably explains why they are dragging themselves along the walls and ceiling. Though, I don’t see why he didn’t make them invisible if he was going for stealth.”
“That would be-” Sari starts before she slams into an invisible form, which quickly lifts her into the air.
“Sorry,” Nyx gasps.
“You and your big mouth!” the gypsy shouts, kicking out in front of her. Her foot hits exposed bone and she feels the clammy hands of the zombie release her. She lands on her back and sweeps her leg to knock the invisible monster to the floor.
“Get behind me,” Nyx urgently demands.
Sari scrambles on all fours to reach Nyx. She looks up to see the swarm of hovering zombies coming around the corner. The gypsy gets to her feet and presses back to back against Nyx. She whispers and signs the first spell that comes to her mind, creating a layer of white ooze on the walls and ceiling. The zombies lose their handholds and collide with each other. Within seconds, the monsters are coated in the slippery goop and helplessly floating against the slick ceiling. Sari turns in time to see twin streams of fire spiral down the opposite side of the hallway. Several previously hidden forms can be seen falling to the ground and burning into smoking piles of invisible ash.
“Wow,” Sari gasps in awe.
“Where’s Luke?” Nyx asks, starting to run again.
“How should I know? I can’t see him or hear him. I’m still not even convinced he’s real,” Sari answers, staying a step behind the half-elf.
“I think we got separated from him,” Nyx says, risking a quick glance around the hallway. “Maybe he decided to handle some of the zombies.”
“He’ll be fine. It isn’t like he can die twice,” Sari declares. She cringes when she steps in a pile of warm zombie ashes. “Considering we no longer have the element of surprise, we should head for the main ballroom. All of the hallways eventually bring you to the ballroom, so we can get our bearings there. I just hope Kalam doesn’t have anything other than zombies.”
Nyx shakes her head and takes a deep breath. “We won’t be that lucky.”
“Always the optimist, huh?” Sari teases before the sound of shuffling feet catches her attention. “Next wave coming up!”
Another group of stumbling zombies are at the far end of the hallway while the sound of the hovering zombies, dragging along the walls behind them, gets closer. Nyx and Sari skid to a stop when they see a swarm of distant, orange orbs appear in front of the new zombies. They hurl themselves to the ground as the fire orbs sail overhead. An explosion shakes the hallway and the hovering zombies are torn apart by the powerful attack.
“On the plus side, we don’t have any zombies behind us,” Sari nervously laughs.
“I would rather have the hovering zombies than the fire throwing ones,” Nyx admits, getting to her feet and pressing against the wall. “I’ll take care of this if you don’t mind.”
“Knock yourself out, Nyxie,” the gypsy says as her adrenaline and fear makes her giddy.
“Don’t call me that,” Nyx snaps. She coats her hands in magical gloves and catches an incoming fire orb. She hurls it back at the zombies with all her might, but it only grazes the closest of the monsters.
“I thought you would grow out of throwing like a little girl by now,” Sari teases the half-elf.
Nyx growls playfully at the gypsy. “Shut up.”
Another volley of fire orbs hurtles down the hallway only to be caught in a large, glimmering hand of energy. The lavender hand appears to be made out of magical prisms and it has a serpentine wrist wrapped around Nyx’s right arm. Nyx makes a tight fist with her right hand and the magical extremity crushes the fire orbs until they harmlessly explode. The hand is covered in liquid fire that drips onto the stone floor. Nyx punches at the space in front of her, sending the magical hand barreling toward the zombies. With amazing force, the hand splatters the zombies.
“That’s a neat spell,” Sari says, swiftly getting to her feet.
“Honestly, I made it up on the spot,” Nyx admits. She lets the hand detach from her wrist and it dissolves into the air.
Sari grabs and squeezes Nyx’s hand. “You always had a knack for inventing spells.”
“That’s it!” Nyx exclaims. Sari jumps in surprise before yanking her into a nearby store room.
Sari cautiously peeks into the hallway. “This is not the time for a magical breakthrough. We need to figure out how to steal Kalam’s spellbook and get out of here alive. It would be horrible for me to taste freedom only to get my throat ripped out. Keep in mind that, unlike you, I’m too sexy to be zombie food.”
“I figured out what Isaiah was talking about,” Nyx gushes gleefully, nearly jumping in place. “He told me to figure out the source of my power. I always assumed the source was my aura, but I was only half right. My aura is merely a tool. The real source of my power is my mind. I’m able to create new spells instantly instead of using pre-existing spells like an average caster. The source of my real power is my ingenuity and creativity.”
“I need you to focus your ingenuity and creativity on surviving this mess,” Sari desperately announces.
Nyx looks slightly upset at Sari’s apathy toward her revelation. “Is the hallway clear?”
Sari sticks her head out carefully before answering. “Yes. Let’s go back the way we came. We can get to the ballroom in less time if we go back to the fork we made a left at. It should take about sixteen minutes of cautious jogging to get there unless we run into more zombies. Hopefully, we find your spirit friend on the way there.”
“Luke will be fine. I trust him to regroup with us later,” Nyx claims.
“I’ll wait until I can see him before I trust him,” the gypsy swears, secretly praying that Nyx really does have a ghost
ly friend. “Now, let’s go before more zombies show up.” She slips into the hallway and silently jogs through the gore-covered section of hallway.
Nyx mutters a prayer for Luke to be safe and return to her. With a final glance around the hallway, she follows Sari with a little less silence and grace than the gypsy.
*****
Thirty minutes and forty-three zombies later, Nyx and Sari stagger against the huge doors to the ballroom. They gasp for air while examining the ornate doors that stand between them and freedom from the zombie-infested halls. A collection of silver bones frame the double doors of blood red wood. A petrified ogre skull is embedded in the stone framework above the doors. Nyx is still staring at the skull when its eyeholes and mouth glow a dull green for a few seconds.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Nyx mutters.
“Is that because your phantom friend is still missing?” Sari asks, pushing against the locked doors. She gives up and smacks the door in frustration.
“I just have a bad feeling,” Nyx replies.
“Just open the doors before more zombies find us,” Sari complains with a weak whimper. “A person with hair as long as mine should not be around exploding corpses, especially when she is lacking in basic grooming tools.”
“Have it your way,” the half-elf grumbles. She grunts and heaves while pushing against the heavy doors until she gives up.
“Not surprised,” Sari quietly admits. “It usually takes eight zombies to open this door.”
Nyx angrily glares at the gypsy. “You could have told me that before I tried to open them by myself.”
“I thought you were going to blast them open. It isn’t like we have any element of surprise left,” Sari argues, jabbing a finger at Nyx’s chest. “Do what you do best and blow those doors open, so we can get closer to going home.”
Nyx is about to say something when a feminine whisper leaks through the ballroom doors. The half-elf’s blood freezes and she curses under her breath once she recognizes the voice. She looks at Sari an instant before tendrils of green flame blast the doors open and yank Nyx into the ballroom. She can hear the doors slam shut behind her as she is dragged across the floor. Nyx covers her body in golden fire, which dissolves the tendrils into mist. The half-elf rises to her feet, finding herself in the middle of a mirrored dance floor. A chandelier of skeletons gently sways high above her head, bouncing its candlelight off the floor.
Nyx stares at the familiar figure standing at the edge of the dance floor. “I was wondering when we would meet again, Trinity.”
“It’s been too long. I have been starving to go another round, Nyx,” Trinity swears, hungrily grinning at her enemy.
“So, do you have some evil sorceress speech to give me?” the half-elf asks with an expression of mock boredom.
“Nothing drawn out. Excuse me while I get more comfortable,” Trinity answers, drawing a long knife. The chaos elf queen delicately cuts out the midriff from her tight, leather shirt.
Nyx tries to hide her shock when she sees a pulsing enhancer gem in Trinity’s bellybutton. “You have another enhancer gem? There has to be some kind of law against that.”
Trinity shrugs and rubs at the warm gem. “It was thought that the mortal frame can only handle a single enhancer gem. I already had three, so I decided to try my luck with a fourth. As expected, I was able to handle the increased power and become stronger. This should tell you something, little champion.”
“What’s that?” Nyx nervously asks.
Trinity launches herself into the air and sends a shower of acid at Nyx. The half-elf is barely able to block the spell with a wall of molten metal. She quickly turns the metal into a smooth ball and sends the metal orb soaring toward Trinity. The chaos elf drops to the ground, letting the ball crash through the ceiling. Nyx begins hurling every snare spell that she can imagine, but Trinity proves to be too fast. The chaos elf dives under a cage of fire and flips over a long, electrified rope before landing behind Nyx. Trinity nimbly draws a stiletto from her boot and places it against the half-elf’s throat.
“You aren’t the only magical prodigy in this world,” Trinity whispers, playfully licking Nyx’s cheek. “I earned my first enhancer gem when I was five.”
“I cast my first spell when I was four,” Nyx contends, crossing her arms and letting her body relax.
“The great caster who is destined to combat the coming darkness. Chosen upon birth to defend all of Windemere,” Trinity says mockingly. She slowly draws the blade across Nyx’s skin. “I hate you with every fiber of my being because of those words.”
“I think you need to explain yourself,” Nyx states, hoping to keep Trinity talking until she can think of a way to escape. She feels a trickle of blood run down her neck. She winces every time Trinity makes a small cut on the surface of her skin.
“After our last encounter, I learned the truth. It is because of you that I exist in darkness and obey a dark master. It is because of you that I am unable to lead my people out of slavery,” Trinity rants. She stops making tiny cuts on Nyx’s neck and leans toward Nyx’s ear. “Every scrap of suffering in my life is your fault.”
“You aren’t making any sense, Trinity,” Nyx points out. “We never met before that night in Rodillen.”
Trinity pushes Nyx to the ground and sheaths her stiletto. Nyx rubs her blood-covered throat as Trinity’s hand covers itself in raw, bubbling magic. The putrid green energy grows brighter and brighter with every wiggle of her finger. Nyx is almost on her feet when ten emerald spikes erupt from Trinity’s hand. They skim Nyx’s cheeks, sides, and limbs as they race by. She turns to see them circling around, intended to impale the half-elf from behind. Nyx quickly raises a pillar of stone from the ground in front of her and breaths a sigh of relief when the spikes get stuck in the thick stone. She turns back to Trinity in time to feel the chaos elf deliver a solid kick to her chest. Before Nyx can recover, she finds herself pinned against the stone wall by Trinity’s foot.
“We exist to be each other’s shadow,” Trinity says, grinding her heel against Nyx’s chest. “It took me three days of temporal scrying and praying to the goddess Ambrosine to discover this. My life became a cesspool of hate and evil because you needed to be balanced!”
“I still don’t understand,” Nyx gasps. She tries to grab Trinity’s leg with hands of fire, but a savage fist of air slams her head against the wall.
“Idiot! You never wondered why there are two female magical prodigies of the same age in Windemere. It never crossed your mind that something was strange about that coincidence?” Trinity angrily rants, occasionally stunning Nyx with a quick stomp to her chest. “Let me make it clear. I could have been you! I could have been the magical prodigy who stood against the darkness! Gabriel chose you because you were born to a safe and nurturing path. Then, he abandoned me to the inevitable, so that I would make his game fair. After all, there was no way that my master would ignore a caster of my potential living under his nose.” She pauses to take a shuddering, angry breath. “All this time I secretly wondered why I was given such power and handed over to a creature of evil. Then, I met you. I sensed our similarities when we first met and thought it was nothing more than me finding a rival. Now, I know that the reason my life was destined to be a nightmare is because you exist.”
Nyx slaps at Trinity’s heel, gasping for air. “You could always join me.”
Trinity’s voice falls to a steady, sullen tone that drips with hateful venom. “No. Without the destiny of a champion, I cannot stand against my master and keep my people safe. The only way for me to become a champion is for you to die. Killing you proves that Gabriel chose the wrong prodigy. Only then can I stand against my master and free my people.”
“Would it help if I said I was sorry,” the half-elf suggests, struggling to clear her mind.
“Well, it couldn’t hurt, but I’d still have to kill you,” Trinity mentions in a surprisingly friendly voice.
“Why haven’t you killed me?”
Nyx asks out of sudden curiosity.
“Don’t rush me. Now that I got all of that off my mind, I feel almost at peace. All of that has been kept inside me for weeks and I feel giddy after letting it out,” Trinity admits, easing the pressure on Nyx’s chest. “Then again, it might be light-headedness from barely breathing through those rants.”
Nyx smirks whimsically at the chaos elf. “So, you will let me go?”
“Sadly, I will have to settle for beating you into unconsciousness and handing you over to Kalam,” the grinning chaos elf announces, moving her foot off of Nyx’s chest. “I will kill you after he tortures you. I want you begging for death, my sister.”
“Don’t call me-” starts the half-elf.
Trinity sends Nyx to the glass floor with swift kick to the side of her head. Nyx is about to get up when a strong hand grips her by the hair and heaves her up to her feet. She is able to block another kick and barrels into Trinity like a panicked bull. The casters fall to the floor with Nyx straddling Trinity and repeatedly punching her in the face. With amazing flexibility, Trinity stretches her legs over Nyx’s shoulders and firmly presses her crossed heels against the half-elf’s wind pipe. She continues to choke Nyx who desperately wraps her hands around Trinity’s throat.
“Give up,” Trinity wheezes.
“You first,” Nyx coughs.
“I’d use a spell if we weren’t so close.”
“Me too.”
“Fistfights are not going to solve this.”
“I agree.”
“Count of three, we push away and start casting.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three!” both casters gasp. They push away from each other and roll to their feet.
“I don’t want to fight you, Trinity. I’m in a hurry,” Nyx admits, her face flushed and warm.
Trinity answers with a sudden burst of flame from her mouth, which is instantly deflected over Nyx by a simple air shield. Nyx uses a gust of hot air to launch her to the skeleton chandelier. She grabs the rusty chain and, magically increasing her strength, pulls it out of the ceiling. The entire chandelier ignites, becoming an enormous flail of bone and fire. Nyx swings it at Trinity who is sent careening into the far wall. Swinging the burning chandelier over her head, the half-elf makes a furious, deadly charge. Trinity is still getting to her feet and casting a protection spell when a blur of motion dives in between her and Nyx.
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Allure of the Gypsies Page 30