by A. Blythe
The torso was wrapped with muscle, solid and—what was with the blue? Maybe Pirate Bob had a secret Smurf fetish.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reed go down. Gina's spell must have broken. An Ifrit had him pinned to the ground in its animal form. A three-headed dog.
Double shit.
"Gina!" I couldn't see her because she was somewhere behind me, but I needed her to cast a spell to help Reed before the Ifrit finished him off.
Two giant blue arms shot out the sides of the beast and a thick neck emerged from the mist. The horned head told me everything I needed to know.
We were in trouble.
The gold hoop that he'd sported in his ear was now much larger and looped through his nose. The red handkerchief had hardened and relocated further south to protect his Minotaur genitalia. A blessing for all of us.
His eyes glimmered red.
Reed, are you okay? I couldn't afford to take my eyes off the blue Minotaur.
No reply. My heart raced.
As the Minotaur stomped toward us, the ground shook beneath my feet. I'd never wished harder for my cuffs to come off. It was painfully ironic that I was a djinni, yet my wishes were futile.
He now clutched a golden double-bitted axe in his hand. A labrys.
I unsheathed my yantoks.
"Help me Luke and Leia," I whispered. "You're my only hope."
They lit up like stars, sending a blaze of light rippling throughout the stadium. Even the Minotaur paused for a brief moment to admire the light before resuming his march madness. My little sticks didn't seem to concern him.
Which concerned me a great deal.
I ran for the Minotaur, hoping to prevent him from getting any closer to my teammates. I had no idea what was happening with them and didn't want to risk them becoming collateral damage.
The labrys swung down and I ducked under the blades. His height may have given him an advantage, but the lower I was, the harder it was for him to reach me with those tree trunk legs in the way.
I struck the side of his leg with a yantok and the skin sizzled with heat. That was it. No howl of pain. No flinching.
Gods above.
I ran behind him, dodging his flicking tail as I went. Between his legs, I saw a fireball streaming toward him. Reed was back in action. If I'd had the luxury of time, I would have sighed with relief.
When the fireball struck his torso, he reared up in anger. Charred flesh fell to the ground at his feet like acid rain.
While his attention was focused on Reed, I used all my strength to drive both yantoks into the back of his calf. I wasn't expecting kickback. His oversized hoof flew back and upward like recoil after a gunshot.
I shot through the air and landed with a heavy thud on solid ground.
As I gasped for breath, I heard the crowd cheer.
Assholes.
I tried to sit up but a searing pain in my chest rendered me immobile. Under my body, I saw the white markings of the boundary line. I closed my eyes and thanked the gods. Somehow, my limp body managed to stay far enough inside not to be disqualified.
My yantoks were on the ground, about halfway between me and the blue Minotaur. They must have fallen out of my hands when I was in mid-air. If I had any chance of surviving this fight, I needed them back.
From my new vantage point, I got a quick update on my teammates. Reed was now battling the Minotaur, encircling the beast in flames. Gina was standing a safe distance behind him, her palm upright. I saw the glowing shield between them and the Minotaur.
Cyrus launched a grenade. Not a smart move. The Minotaur simply flicked out his tail and swatted it back in his direction. It flew over the shield and landed in front of the first row of bleachers. People bolted from the blast zone as the grenade detonated.
Taking advantage of the pandemonium, I ran for my yantoks and tried not to think about how I could just have summoned them in my djinni form. I would never accept this human form as permanent. If I got out of this alive, I vowed to devote my waking hours to getting these cuffs removed. I couldn't live like this. Then again, any more blows like the one that just launched me skyward and I might not have to.
I scooped up the yantoks and continued running toward the back of the Minotaur. He was focused on breaking Gina's shield so I still had the element of surprise going for me.
"Die, Pirate Bob," I muttered.
The yantoks glowed with a bright green light I hadn't seen before. What new magic was this?
I could tell Reed noticed me because his fireballs moved higher. Now I just had to make it through the wall of flames between the Minotaur and me.
I didn't slow my speed on the approach. In fact, I increased it like a triathlete about to tackle the long jump.
I sailed through the air, the bottom half of my legs catching the brunt of the flames. I blocked the intense pain.
"I always threaten to do this," I said, panting from exertion, "but this is the first time I've made good on it."
With those words, I shoved a glowing green yantok straight up the Minotaur's ass.
I held on to the other one in case my efforts didn't have the desired effect.
The Minotaur's body shuddered and the blue skin took on a greenish hue. I hobbled toward Reed and Gina, each step a painful reminder of the fire I'd just burst through. Reed extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand as Gina lowered the shield to let me pass.
I turned back in time to see green light shoot out from his eye sockets, followed by his hooves. He was burning up from the inside out.
His body plunged to the ground and his horned head landed directly in Reed's remaining flames.
The crowd erupted as the body blackened and crumbled into ash.
That left three Ifrits to contend with. As I scanned the field for them, I caught sight of Farah's bright red hair in the stands and smiled. A small comfort.
Glancing around the stadium, my smile slowly faded. Something didn't look right and I quickly realized what it was. All the Ghuls I'd noticed in the stands before the match were now missing. A lump formed in my throat as the knowledge washed over me.
They weren't missing. They were invisible.
All the bloody Ghuls had turned invisible.
23
Once they reappeared, the Ghuls were easy to spot. They'd all converged in one section of the stadium. The VIP section. I recognized one of Prince Simdan's bodyguards standing between his liege and a group of bloodthirsty Ghuls. Why were they targeting one section when they had an entire stadium of onlookers to ravage?
A light bulb exploded in my head.
Holy Plasma Plane. They were after Prince Simdan.
This was a coup.
I raced over to my teammates, waving the single yantok in my possession. "Stop the match! We're in a state of emergency."
I sheathed my yantok and held up my bare hands to show the remaining Ifrits I was unarmed. Thank the gods, the scorpion shifted back to a human body.
"The judges have issued no such decree," he said. At least he was listening to me and not killing me.
The crowd booed loudly. They didn't understand why we'd stopped fighting.
"We need to stop the Ghuls," I said. "They're about to murder Prince Simdan."
I could see the exhaustion on Reed's face, but he didn't hesitate. "Where?"
I pointed to the Ghuls swarming around the VIP seats.
"The Ghuls are working as a group," he murmured. "I've never seen that before."
"Me neither." I looked at the Ifrits. "We need your help. We need everyone's help to stop the Ghuls. We can't let them murder the royal leader of another caste. It will cause chaos in the colony."
The three Ifrits exchanged glances.
"She's right," the smallest of the trio said. "I studied economics at Penn. A coup could cause massive unrest. Your business could go under, Pete." He looked at the former scorpion.
"We're in," the lead Ifrit said.
"Let's go." I broke into a run but Reed's giant
hand yanked me backward.
"Alyse, stay here. You'll get yourself killed."
"I am not letting Ghuls kill the royal prince of the Marida court."
"But you despise Prince Simdan."
Fair point. "If anyone's going to kill His Royal Jackass, the honor should be mine."
He almost smiled. "That sounds better."
Together, we sprinted toward the edge of the stadium. The Ifrits had already shifted to mist and were way ahead of us. The crowd grew quiet, uncertain what was happening.
"What's the plan?" he asked.
"Farah and Mix are in that general area. See if you can reach one of them with your Jedi mind tricks. We're going to need all the help we can get."
The Ghuls were grunting and stomping on the bleachers, gearing up for the attack. Although the noise was overwhelming, the action was not. What was stopping them? Why hadn't they just torn him to pieces already?
"I think they're in position and awaiting instructions," I said, glancing around the stadium. "Someone needs to give them the green light."
"Who?"
I found her on the opposite side of the stadium. My stomach turned as the rest of the puzzle pieces clicked into place.
The woman we'd named Dragon Mage was exactly that. The Dragon's mage. That was why she wasn't competing in the games. She never was. It had been a ruse from the beginning. The Dragon wasn't willing to risk sacrificing his personal mage for the sake of appearances.
The Dragon needed to lure Prince Simdan to the games. He made sure that X-caliber was distributed to the right competitors. Kieran first, thanks to his relationship with Simon. The Dragon knew what the effect would be. Somehow, he knew enough of the inner workings of the Enclave to know that Pinky would end up in the games. Then he sent his mage to The Night Owl to stir up trouble and get my attention. They wanted to draw me in, knowing I'd be concerned for Pinky, banking on my weaknesses. They made sure at least one mage overdosed at the gala so a new participant would be needed at the last minute. And who would be arrogant enough and foolish enough to jump in to help a friend? Oh, that's right. Me.
I fell for it—hook, line and sinker.
She wasn't difficult to spot with her pale skin and bright red leather ensemble. There wasn't a subtle bone in her body. Her gaze was focused on the VIP section. Maybe she was waiting for Prince Simdan to beg for his life or something. It seemed up her alley.
"She's like a statue," I said.
Reed turned to see the object of my attention. "I think she's chanting. Her lips are moving."
Chanting? What would she... I turned back and looked at the Ghuls. "That's why they seem so organized. She's their remote control."
If we took her out, we'd still need to fight the Ghuls, but they'd be less coordinated. They'd be easier to beat one on one than fifty on one.
"I'll take her," I said. "You get as many supers as you can to defend the prince."
"I'm already giving orders," he said.
Of course. The Protectors were used to operating this way and there were plenty in the stands. Reed's hive mind approach could be exactly what we needed to defeat this many Ghuls in one sitting.
He gripped my arm before I could run off. "How can you beat her without your powers?"
I didn't know that I could, but I had to try. Reed was the only one who could organize the supernaturals in the stands without moving a muscle. It had to be me.
"I don't need to kill her," I said. "I just need to distract her enough that she breaks her connection to the Ghuls."
"Well, you're good at that," he said with a vague smile.
"What?"
"Distracting people."
I didn't have time to enjoy the warm fuzzes in the pit of my stomach or contemplate the greater meaning of why they were there in the first place. I had a fire-breathing bitch to fight. Quickly, I unsheathed Leia.
"Tupi," I said and the yantok glowed red.
"What does tupi mean?" Reed asked.
I kept my gaze firmly fixed on my target. "Punishment." I'd been saving this particular spell for the right moment. Looking up at the Dragon Mage's serene expression, I knew that moment had finally arrived.
"Get to the prince," I said gruffly.
I set aside all thought of baby pandas and ran like I was uncuffed. I wrapped the breeze around me and let the forceful flow of the air take me. I raced up the steps two at a time, brandishing Leia, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Human bodies weren't completely without merit.
The Dragon Mage's body was rigid. I could hear her deep, rhythmic breaths. Great, another yogi. I bet she could touch her toes, too.
There were no spectators in this section and I quickly realized why as I hopped over a pile of charred remains. Bodies lay scattered on the concrete slabs beneath the benches. I wasn't sure if the non-fried ones were dead or merely unconscious. Either way, they had to wait.
"Hey, Dragon Bitch," I yelled. I tried to keep out of range of potential fireballs, but I wasn't sure that was possible. My guess was the entire stadium was in the danger zone.
She didn't look in my direction. Instead, she remained on task, continuing her incantation. She wasn't going to sever their link without a fight.
"Why Prince Simdan?" I asked. "Don't tell me it's because you want to be the fairest of them all. I gotta be honest, it's not even close. His clothes are better and he's much prettier."
Her right hand twitched.
Progress.
I glanced around the ground for something to throw at her, but there wasn't anything heavy enough to make the distance. Not with the strong breeze. I'd have to sacrifice another weapon. Not Leia, though. And the sword on my hip was too long. I sighed. If I was going to throw something, it would have to be the remaining jade dagger. If I survived this little altercation, Farah was going to kill me.
I unsheathed the dagger and waited. It was rare that I could take the time to aim carefully. It wasn't like she was willing to move.
"If you're interested," I called, "I can recommend a mouthwash to help you with that rancid breath of yours. Minty fresh, I swear. Whichever Ghul you're bumping uglies with will love the taste. Hell, maybe it's all of them." I raised my hands, still gripping the dagger in one hand and Leia in the other. "It's cool. I don't judge."
"Stay back, Marid, or you will regret it." Although it was her voice I heard, her lips were still reciting the incantation. How did she do that? Ventriloquism on top of all her other talents? Some girls had all the luck.
"I'm sure I will," I said. "I've seen your version of foreplay. I can only imagine what you do to female rivals."
The voice laughed. It wasn't throaty like I expected, but dainty. A tinkling laugh. It didn't match the leather-clad woman in front of me.
"I can't decide if you're brave or stupid," she said. "Your powers are muted, yet here you are. You fought in the games as though you were still a djinni. You come to me now as though you could defeat me."
"I was just curious as to what you were doing all the way over here when your boyfriends are all over on that side. Don't you get lonely without their lumpy bodies to keep you warm at night?"
Her jaw tightened and I knew I was getting under her skin. So she could throw her voice. Big deal. I had the power of annoyance. Even my cuffs couldn't stifle that.
"Your friends are in danger over there," she said. "Shouldn't you be there to help them? It would be a shame to lose them so soon after your handler."
My handler?
"How do you know about Jamie?" I asked, my blood heating up.
"For someone so worldly, you have taken a narrow view of things."
I had no idea what she meant. I didn't care. It was time for action.
I raised the dagger and the breeze yanked my hand slightly. The wind was too strong. I'd intended to wound her with the dagger and then get close enough to unleash Leia. If the breeze blew the dagger off course and I missed, I'd have to go in without any advantage. I didn't like those odds.
T
hen again, she was multi-tasking. Not everyone was good at that.
Slowly, I sheathed Leia so that I only clutched the dagger. Before I could change my mind, I darted up the steps and raised the dagger, driving it right into her foot. I heard the slicing of flesh and the crunching of bone as it pushed its way through the top of her foot, down to the concrete below.
She howled in pain and I realized the sound came from her throat.
I unsheathed Leia and and backed down the steps slowly.
"Why not let him die?" she asked as she stooped to pull out the dagger. She tossed it aside and glared at me. "He would have no qualms about ending you."
I might have agreed with her, except...He didn't. Since my return, Prince Simdan could have done any number of awful things to me. He could have kept me from leaving court, forced me to serve him, punished me for returning in secret. Instead, he gave me a stern lecture and let me go. Not that I trusted him—I was sure he had his own reasons for leaving me alone—but he was still the leader of my caste and I had a duty to protect him.
"Our relationship is complicated," I said.
I noticed the red sparks dancing around her fingertips and knew I was in trouble.
She worked her hands like she was molding dough until a fireball appeared. Well, we were in a baseball stadium. Might as well play a little ball.
She aimed the fireball and pitched it at me. I held Leia like a Louisville Slugger and swung. It caught the edge of the fireball and sent it careening off to the side.
"Foul tip," I called.
She scowled at me and worked another fireball into existence. If I kept her occupied, maybe Reed would have a shot at thwarting the assassination attempt. I couldn't risk turning my back to Dragon Mage to see how they were faring over there.
She hurled another fireball toward me and, this time, Leia made solid contact. I wasn't sure why the fireball didn't disintegrate my yantok or blow right through it. It must have something to do with Pinky's spell.
The fireball shot back toward the Dragon Mage and nailed her in the stomach. The red leather hissed and blackened where the ball struck her.
"That's a good look for you," I said. "Very edgy."
She wailed in anger and aimed her mouth in my direction. I knew what was coming. I'd seen this scary number before.