Every muscle in my body twitched. Now he was just teasing me.
“That’s right. You won’t be around for the Renewal.” Malek’s wings spread, and he ascended into the sky saying, “Renewal of all my children!”
Suddenly, the ground rumbled from the force of a thousand demons running down the chains of the remaining Hell Gates. Soon, the square was flooded with demonic creatures of all kinds, big and small.
“Join me, and learn all the answers you’ve ever sought, or spend what may be your last life saving this pathetic excuse of a human.”
“Fuck you, man!” Creep yelled, and Malek tightened the vines holding Creep down.
“I know what scares you most, dear daughter. The fear of not knowing if your next sacrifice will be your last and when True Death will welcome you into its grip.”
“Don’t listen to him, Mackenzie! He’s just trying to get into your head. Keep him out,” warned Spratlin.
But Malek was right. Those were my worst fears.
“What’s it going to be, Mackenzie?” Malek swooped down toward Creep.
I started toward them.
Another flash of True Death zipped through my mind stopping me dead in my tracks. The winged creature, Malek, was closing in on Creep.
I hesitated.
Time seemed to slow to an agonizing crawl, yet in reality it happened in a blink of an eye.
Screams of save him and what are you doing? rang through the air.
Malek knew my weakness.
My fear of abandonment had manifested itself into fear of unwillingness to take action to save my friend.
I froze.
Then, Malek swooped down again and threw a javelin made of fire and electricity all balled into one straight through Creep’s heart.
Creep’s eyes locked onto mine right at the moment of impact. It was like I could feel the piercing of his heart. I felt all the pain and heartbreak in that moment as his eyes rolled back in his head.
As he collapsed mere feet away, I hit my knees. “NOOOOO!”
I had failed my friend.
All of them.
Tears and rage filled the next few moments to the point of chaos.
Malek retreated to his Hell Gate like the coward he was.
Ivy and the others rushed to Creep’s side, but it was too late. No amount of love could bring him back.
Magic coursed through me like hot liquid, burning me from the inside out. Each element bubbled to the surface in my palms, begging for release. The magic didn't want me to use it, it wanted to consume me. To control me.
Spratlin was the only one to rush to my side. Not even Jasmine was truly concerned for my well being.
In all the confusion and chaos, I heard Spratlin yell, “You have to fight it, Mackenzie. Don't let it consume you.”
It was doing a good job of that.
Spratlin yelled once more, “You can’t let power affect who you are!”
My head was spinning. All I could hear was demons chanting in my ears.
I knew exactly who I was, who I was becoming. “I am the power. I’m the Blue Devil. And I know exactly what I have to do.”
My hands turned to claws, and I grabbed a winged demon as it flew by. I knew where it wanted to take me. And I was ready.
20
I was right about the circle in the Hell Gate. It was a portal. But to where? I dug my magic claws deeper into the winged demon’s rubbery skin as we zigged and zagged through darkness. It eventually lightened up a bit, or maybe I my eyes were beginning to focus in the darkness, but things were becoming more clear.
We were in a forest. It was trees that the winged beast was zipping around. Tall, skinny, decayed trees.
The Dead Woods.
I thought of a hundred other places I would rather have been and, all of a sudden, we slowed. I didn’t have to wonder why for long, as the why became apparent. Moments, like little scenes playing out on a stage, flashed all around me. The scene of Gaylin and I arguing appeared on the right, while a scene of Spratlin and I fighting flashed on the left.
Then, there I was, in the forest with the demon I killed with my Lightning Blade arm and Spratlin witnessing my power. Another moment flashed of my loved ones feeling disappointed. My deceit bringing more darkness.
Up ahead was the faint glow of another scene ready to paint another ugly picture. It was me, looking at my dead body. I thought maybe that was the moment that foretold Creep’s death until we flew a little farther. There I was, on the left, standing still, not even trying to save my friend from death.
The look on my face—the look of calmness—sent an eerie chill down my spine.
I lost my grip as my hands returned to normal. Slipping from the winged creature’s back, I fell with a thud on the ground. As if flying through them wasn’t bad enough, now it seemed like all of those bad memories were closing in on me. I closed my eyes, shaking my head, and screamed.
All went quiet.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing on a long, narrow stone bridge suspended in space. Purple smoke swirled all around a reddish-orange sky. There was no ceiling, no bottom that I could see. It was like I was in infinite space. The precursor to Hell.
There was no where to go but forward, so I began walking the length of the stone path. It felt like one of those moments in a video game when the heroine was making her way up the long and winding path to face the final boss. Only, there were no bonus hearts or extra lives or weapons to gather. No, I would have to beat Malek with only what I had—newfound elemental power and a thirst for vengeance.
Rage and hatred burned in my veins with every step. I didn’t even know to where I was walking, only that it would likely appear when the time was right. And just like that, like a cut scene in a video game, I was transported to an arena-like area with stone columns jutting up from a cold, hard floor.
The sky darkened. A cyclone of black and purple smoke formed across from me. Another portal. Lightning struck across the portal, and Malek appeared. His stark white skin a definite contrast to the black and purple. He was so pale, he almost glowed. Like some sort of demonic angel.
“You killed my friend, asshole.”
Malek outstretched his boney arm and pointed at me. “No, you did.”
“Stop with the lies, Malek! I’m here to put a stop to whatever you’re doing!”
“Silly child. It’s already begun.”
If Dominion had already happened, then there was nothing for me to go back to. Although, after what I’d failed to do, I imagined that would be more difficult anyway.
“Fine.” I extended my right arm out to the side revealing its blade form like Wolverine showing his claws. “Then I’m just here to stop you.”
Laughter echoed throughout. When Malek had finally had his fun, he said, “So be it,” and then disappeared once again.
“Shit.”
As if he were simply toying with me, he reappeared several yards behind me and fired a Fireball. I threw up my shield to absorb the heated blow. I had to lean into the impact to keep from being pushed over. When I turned to take my shot, he had already disappeared again. It wasn’t going to be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.
I had to play smarter. If he was gonna keep up his disappearing game, I would have to anticipate his destination. Pretending to play along, I fired a Bolt in his direction whenever he reappeared. I may have missed each time, but I was watching how the air around him reacted whenever he teleported. There was movement in the ether. Nothing tangible to the touch, and only a slight change in the atmosphere right before he reappeared, but I could feel the pull of it. The pull of him as he moved from one place to the next. It was a movement too fast for the eye to comprehend, but it tugged on my magic like a vacuum.
He had a tell. I couldn’t bank on him not being aware of it, so I had to be smart. In the split second before Malek reappeared behind me, I turned. My Bolt struck him in the chest.
Malek stumbled. “Ouch,” he mocked.
“Lucky shot.” I hoped he bought it, otherwise I was in for a long night.
I missed on purpose the next time, but then I got him good in the chest again. It got tougher once he started slinging Fireballs at me repeatedly. Dodging the flames and staying in tune to my magic was much harder.
A stray Fireball scorched my left arm. “Fuck!”
Unlike Malek, one or two direct hits would take me out, especially if he continued to use the one I was weakest to—Fire. You would think that because I was a Lightning Mage, fire wouldn’t necessarily be my weakest element, but it didn’t work that way. Sure, water and fire didn’t mix, but water wasn’t necessarily a Fire Mage’s weakest element. The magic books claimed there was a rhyme and reason, especially when it came to witches like me who could produce multiple elements, but it all seemed so random to me.
I made contact with Malek once again, but it barely fazed him. It was apparent that the big boss’ health meter was much bigger than mine. Time to ramp up the opposition. Learning what he was weakest to would be my best ally.
I surprised Malek with a Bolt to the legs when he reappeared the next time airborne. I landed direct hits the next three times, each with different magic elements, which only angered him more.
Moving toward him on the ground, I said, “Give it up, Malek!”
I was able to zap him once before he disappeared in a fit of rage. The stone ground exploded and rained down on me from the pressure, my shield only barely protecting me. Malek continued to move invisibly through the atmosphere, holding his full reappearance until he was ready to strike. He teleported all around the concrete arena, only staying in one place long enough to move to the next, and never truly reappearing. It was a neat trick.
Only catching a glimpse here and there of the waves he made in the magic ether, I had to do something to slow down time. Since a stasis ability had not yet been revealed unto me, I did the next best thing.
I closed my eyes and drew in all the magic I could hold and then let it burst loose all at once. Water rained down in an even shower over the arena. It clung to the magic in the air and slowed Malek’s movements just enough to reveal his teleportation path.
Ah-ha!
Malek’s weakness to water gave me the edge I needed.
I flung a Lv 3 Electro Bolt at the next stone pillar where I knew he would appear blasting Malek with stone and debris. The mix of water and electricity added an extra punch.
Malek scrambled to his feet and ran into a large field of boulders. “You fight well… daughter.”
It would take more than just combo magic to beat him, but if I could time it perfectly, I could hit him with everything I had one after the other.
I followed after Malek, darting between each boulder with careful movement. “No thanks to you, father.”
A shot blasted the rock above my head. I didn’t know who was the cat and who was the mouse.
Malek took our current situation as an opportunity to open the lines of communication. “Your friends don't accept you as the Blue Devil.”
“Leave my friends out of this!”
“Too late,” he mocked.
“Although, there can only be one Blue Devil.”
When he reappeared in a cluster of rocks behind me, I was ready for him with a bolt of electricity. “That can be arranged.”
Before I knew it, Malek reappeared directly in front of me. My magic failing to warn me, he grabbed hold of my left hand with his fiery touch. I screamed out in agony as I force shoved him with a pulse of energy. Then, he disappeared once again.
With my left hand badly burned and the heat draining my power, I could do nothing but watch as Malek reappeared across the way where he created another portal across the way. The stone columns would give challenge as Malek began teleporting to each one, getting closer and closer to the portal.
Malek teleported to the next stone column. I only had one chance. If he reached the portal, everything was for naught.
Using all the magical energy around me that I could harness, I flooded myself with aquatic energy. I figured, if I couldn’t overcome the heat, I would use the only source that I knew could. The water cooled my internal temperature and soothed my aching, burning skin.
Malek was already halfway to the portal.
I drew from the magical well once more, pleading to give me strength to endure. Then, I jumped to the first pillar, then the next, after Malek. When I knew Malek was about to make his final leap, I flung a string of Electric Wire toward where Malek’s feet would reappear. The Wire wrapped around one leg and then the other as it reappeared. Malek’s momentum wasn’t enough to carry him all the way to the portal, and he plummeted to the ground.
I let all the aquatic energy that I was using to cool myself flow out through me and used it to douse Malek to add that extra sting. I continued my ascent up the pillars. Then I leapt into the air from atop the highest column and zapped the ground and Malek with every ounce of Electric Fury I had.
Using a pulse of energy, I cushioned the blow when I landed beside him. I watched as the man whom I had become to know as my biological father writhe in pain… and I enjoyed it.
“Forgetting something?”
The look of shock on his face briefly overtook his pain.
As he laid dying, he said, “I’ll see you in Hell.”
To which I replied, “I’ll be there.” I then yanked the amulet from my neck and dropped it on his chest. “You owe me five grand, you sonofabitch.”
And, with that, I raised my hand high and stabbed Malek with my Lightning Blade once more. Piercing both the amulet and his earthly flesh, Malek disintegrated into the ether in a shattering of red light.
Power. Rage. Darkness.
It all swirled around me. Inside me. Consuming me. Until there was nothing left of my former self.
The lure of Dark Magic wasn’t too much for me to fight. The truth was, I wanted it. I needed it. I welcomed it.
Slowly, as if more afraid of me than in awe of me, demons of all sizes and types gathered around me, bowing their heads, careful not to meet my gaze. Malek’s minions of evil had accepted their new master.
I whistled, and the winged serpent on which I road into the Hell Gate appeared in the sky, ready to obey. It, along with everything else Malek had once controlled, belonged to me now.
My left hand was too badly damaged, but my right hand transformed into a devilish claw once more, and I hopped on the serpent’s back. Together, we flew up into the purplish sky and then swooped down over the demon covered landscape as we made our escape through the Hell Gate.
A desolate calmness had blanketed the town since my departure. Blackwood’s town square had been a war zone. Buildings lay destroyed, smoke billowed in the distance, overturn vehicles and store contents littered the landscape. The demons, however, were gone. By defeating Malek, I may not have stopped whatever he had caused, but I could only assume they had retreated, awaiting their next orders.
Dominion had ended.
Renewal would not begin.
The winged serpent touched down, and I slid off the side. Spratlin and my friends were there. The looks on their faces told me everything I needed to know. There was an unmistakable distance between us. I hadn’t just let them down. I destroyed any ounce of trust they once had. Creep, most of all.
I wasn’t expecting forgiveness, but it would take more than love to bridge the gapping hole I had put in our friendship.
As I stood before my friends, Alexa and Jasmine circled behind me. Whether I wanted them there or not, they were the only family I had. The pain in Spratlin’s eyes bore into my soul. The agony of what I had done, what I had become, ripped at my heart.
I was surprised when Spratlin spoke. “Your hair.” His voice was soft, almost breathless and full of sadness, as if he knew something about my transformation that I did not.
Lifting up a few strands of my long hair so that I could see, I gasped. My hair, at least from what I could tell, had turned platinum—a true sign
of my magical evolution.
As my hair slipped through my fingers, I gazed at my mother’s ring. Perhaps it felt a little too natural on my finger.
I looked up at Spratlin once again. The sadness in his eyes knew no depths, and that reality punched me in the gut. The fear of never feeling the warmth of Spratlin’s touch again, or the laughter from Creep and my friends was almost more than I could bare. What came next was almost a welcomed relief.
I felt Alexa step closer as she said, “The process is almost complete.”
I didn’t have time to process what she meant because, without warning, she forced a Lv 3 Spear of Flame straight through my chest.
I gasped as I looked down at the fiery spear sticking out of my lungs.
Spratlin’s cries echoed somewhere in the darkness. “NOOOOO!”
They say when you die that your life flashes before you. I’m here to say that isn’t true. Or perhaps it’s only true if you die a good person. Me, I didn’t die a good person, so I saw no happy scenes of my life replayed in that moment, no welcoming arms, or bright light to run toward. No, for me… everything went dark. Like my cold, black heart.
21
A surge of energy coursed through my veins like ice cold fire.
The shock jolted me.
My eye fluttered open.
Then shut again.
Repeated attempts were met with the same results.
Like trying to force yourself awake from a drugged state.
My eyes continued to fight me but I was becoming more alert.
I was alive and aware of my breathing.
But I could not move.
Bound.
My arms and legs felt bound to something.
Trying to force my eyes open, I did not have the strength.
Hoping the feeling would wear off, I focused on my other senses.
Decay and metal.
Death.
Blood.
The smell of both permeated the room like muck clinging to sewage.
Faint sounds of feet scuffing across concrete.
I wasn’t alone. But who?
A figure leaned over me, blocking the light. Everything still blurry.
Rogue Witch (Daughter of Darkness Book 2) Page 13