by Linsey Hall
“Our thief lives here?” Del asked. “Verrry depressing.”
“It’s great from a security perspective,” Aidan said. “If you’re a wanted criminal, this island does a damn good job of keeping you hidden and deterring those who’re after you. All the thief has to do is transport straight into the house.”
Good point. If this thief had been filling his house up with treasure for years, it had to be awesome. I itched to explore.
“Follow the yellow brick road?” I asked.
“Only if I get to be Dorothy,” Aidan said.
I glanced at him. He loomed beside me, his shoulders broad and his face intensely masculine. “You would never pass for a Dorothy.”
“Fair enough,” he said.
I drew my blades, and we set off up the road. The air tingled with magic, prickling against my skin. Actually, it felt like a lot of things—bugs crawling, blowing sand, slimy cold. All of them bad.
We’d only made it past the first pair of stone statues when the magic changed. It surged to life, vibrating on the air.
“We triggered the magic,” I said. Just like in one of my tombs.
Stone creaked and groaned on either side of us. Two great, horned beasts with bulging stone muscles jumped down from their pedestals. The ground vibrated beneath their hooves.
Stone minotaurs. They each raised an enormous clawed hand to obliterate us.
14
Del swiped out with her sword, aiming for the arm of the one closest to her. Metal bounced off stone.
“Shit!” She jumped back.
Well, my daggers wouldn’t stand a chance.
Aidan threw out his hand and blasted magic at the minotaur on his side of the road. It ricocheted off. “Damn it. Their stone is enchanted against my control.”
Damn. If the Elemental Mage couldn’t control these lumps of rock, we were screwed.
Nix held out her hand. Light glowed and the flowery scent of her magic washed over me. A huge mallet appeared. She gripped it with both hands and swung it at the minotaur who was closing in on her.
He shattered beneath the blow.
“Nice,” I said.
She tossed me the enormous mallet. I caught it. “Oof.”
Weighed a ton. I swung it at the other minotaur as she conjured three more and handed them off. We set off down the road, swinging our mallets at the stone beasts that came to life. Monsters of all shapes and sizes shattered at our feet.
“This is pretty fun!” I said as I swung at a two-headed snake that rose high above me. My arms shook when the mallet collided with stone, but the monster shattered into a hundred pieces.
Got him!
An enraged roar vibrated my eardrums. Hot breath blew from behind, wafting my hair in front of my face.
Oh, holy magic, I’d spoken too soon.
Dread soured my gut as I turned and stared into the green eyes of an enormous three headed dog. Like Cerberus.
He looked like the topiary I’d just seen.
Come to life?
His breath reeked of rotten meat and his fangs dripped yellow slime. I stumbled back and raised my mallet, but it was laughably small compared to the monstrous dog.
Behind him, other topiary beasts shook themselves and shed their leaves to become monstrous animals. Winged serpents, giant alligators, and raging hippos burst to life, their growls rumbling through the night.
“Oh, holy magic, we’re screwed,” I breathed.
Gold flashed at the corner of my eye, then a horrifying roar broke through the beasts’ growls. I whirled to face it.
Aidan was a griffon.
He was the one who had roared.
Damn, he was scary.
Aidan crouched low, then launched himself into the air. He roared at Cerberus again. Cerberus bowed his head low. It looked a hell of a lot like a gesture of respect. Cerberus then turned and ran, his giant strides eating up the ground. With a giant leap, he cleared the stone fence and disappeared into the night.
Something hard crashed into my shoulder and knocked me to the ground. Pain shot through my shoulder. An enormous stone werewolf loomed over me, his hunched back and giant wolfish head unmistakable. He wasn’t the real sort of werewolf shifter, but rather the fantasy kind. The extra-scary, monster kind.
He swiped out with his huge stone claws, and I rolled to escape, then scrambled to my feet. I grabbed my mallet and swung, hitting him in the shoulder.
Aidan’s roar rent the night again as half of the werewolf exploded. I swung again, aiming for the other side. My shoulder screamed in pain as my mallet crashed against stone, but the werewolf finally burst into a pile of rubble.
I glanced skyward. Aidan swept through the night, roaring at the topiaries as they shook themselves to life. They bowed immediately, then took off.
On either side of me, Nix and Del fought stone monsters that animated as soon as we crossed their pedestals. At least they all didn’t come to life at once.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the magic in the air swelled. It battered my senses, a hundred awful scents and tastes at once. Ahead of me, the remaining statues burst to life even though we weren’t anywhere near them.
“The magic is mutating!” I shouted. It was responding to our threat and changing to meet it.
“I hate smart magic,” Del grunted as she slammed her mallet into the side of a two-headed goat monster.
Maybe the thief hadn’t enchanted this island to remain hidden from mariners. Maybe the island had enchanted itself as the magic had aged.
Great.
The stone monsters charged us. I glanced skyward again. Aidan was still subduing the giant topiary beasts. If he stopped to help us, those monsters would come from behind and devour us.
It was up to the three of us to beat our way to the house. Nix and Del charged the stone monsters, swinging their mallets with precision. I joined them, trying to ignore the pain in my shoulder. Rocks exploded into the air as our blows landed.
By the time we’d destroyed the last stone monster, Del and Nix were both limping and my arm hung uselessly at my side.
“Oh, my ribs,” Del moaned. “Definitely cracked a few.”
She leaned against me as we waited for Aidan to finish demanding obedience from the giant beasts. Nix thumped to the ground and rubbed her calf.
“Those stone bastards packed a hell of a punch,” she muttered.
“Good thinking with the mallets,” I said. “They were special, right?”
She nodded. “A modification of Thor’s hammer.”
I looked down at my mallet—excuse me, hammer—with more respect. Nix couldn’t create conjurations that had magic, but if there was magic around her, she could put it into her conjuration—like she’d done with the chalice that we now hunted. She must have taken some of the crazy magic in this place and created a version of Thor’s hammer.
“Badass,” I said.
“Thanks.” She climbed to her feet as Aidan landed in front of us.
In a swirl of golden light, he turned back into a man.
“Damn,” Del said. “I’d kinda hoped you’d end up naked.”
He grinned. “Not since I was a pup.”
“Ah well.” She shrugged.
I tried not to think of him naked. What was wrong with me? Even in the middle of this situation, I couldn’t help myself.
I turned to face the manor house. It loomed over us, creepier up close than it had been from far away. It had dozens of mullioned windows, ornate cornices, and stonework arches. The sort just perfect for mean little pixies to hide within. Expansive stone steps led up to a pair of enormous black doors. Even the stone appeared black in the moonlight, and the windows were dark.
“Think our guy is inside?” Aidan asked.
“I feel him coming from that direction, so probably.” I started up the stairs.
“Excellent,” he said. “When we come upon him, let’s attack from different directions. Cass and I, Del and Nix.”
“Okay,” I sa
id.
“Those mallets should take care of the doors, then,” he said.
“Not a chance,” Nix said. “No point in using a hammer when we can use a key.”
We reached the landing, and Nix leaned her mallet against the wall. I held on to mine because I liked it. It wouldn’t do for my normal work—I didn’t want to be smashing my way through temples and tombs—but it was fun for now.
Nix held her palm out facing upward and touched the lock with her other hand. A blue glow enveloped both her hands. A moment later, it faded, leaving behind a golden key in her upturned palm.
“This should do it.” She slipped it into the lock and turned. Snick.
She pushed it open. The door creaked as it swung, like we were entering a haunted house.
Of course.
The dry air that rolled out smelled like neglect and abandonment. As we stepped into the large foyer, the feeling only intensified. I pulled my lightstone from my jacket and shoved it onto my finger. Del did the same with hers. Nix didn’t carry one, but it was more than enough light to illuminate the foyer.
It was an elegant space, with marble floors and a soaring ceiling. An enormous chandelier hung overhead, and a sweeping staircase ascended to the second floor. Enormous paintings hung on the wall, and marble statues dotted alcoves.
Fortunately, they didn’t come to life. But the stain of old dark magic dripped down the walls.
“Fancy,” Del muttered.
“Very,” I said. “But I don’t think he lives here. There’s almost no magic. Just the shadow of it.” I pointed toward the ceiling where the shadow of magic dripped like tar down the walls.
I’d expected more wild magic within the house. Instead, it felt almost peaceful. I shivered as an awful feeling rolled over me. It was peaceful, but not in a nice way.
“Feels like death,” Aidan said.
I couldn’t agree more. There was something dark here. Far darker than the magic that had enchanted the garden or allowed the foreign Phantoms to set up shop in the village. Not just magic that had died, but something worse.
“We shouldn’t stay here long,” Aidan said. “Which way, Cass?”
“Ahead. Toward the back of the house.”
We crossed the marble foyer, keeping our footsteps silent. We hesitated at the double doors. I propped my mallet against the wall and drew my knives. As much as I loved the mallet, my knives were better against the thief. If he was on the other side of this door, I wanted to be ready.
We nodded at each other, then slipped through the doors. The room on the other side was empty. An enormous dining room stretched out before us. My light glinted off the suits of armor lining the long room. Normally, I’d expect them to come to life.
Here, I wasn’t worried. Animated armor was almost sweet compared to the feeling that pervaded this house. If despair had a smell or a taste, it would be what I was currently sensing.
I jerked my head toward the door on the other side of the room, and my comrades nodded. We skirted around the long table, which was still set with an elaborate meal. Though it looked fresh, I’d guess it’d been there for centuries.
We hesitated at this door as well. At Aidan’s signal, we pushed it open and went through.
Nothing.
Just an empty sunroom dotted with chaise lounges and settees. The large glass windows looked out on a partially destroyed cathedral. My dragon sense tugged hard.
“In there.” I pointed at the cathedral.
“Why the hell is he in there? That’s almost spookier than this house,” Nix whispered.
She was right. The cathedral was built entirely of stone. It was far too big for an island this size. The walls soared high, crumbling here and there. The roof was long gone and so was the glass, leaving empty spaces in the ornate stone walls.
“He’s definitely in there,” I said. My dragon sense was pulling harder than ever, which often happened when I neared my prey.
“This place is freaking weird, and this thief is freaking weird,” Del said.
“We’ll split up,” Aidan said. “Enter from different sides.”
“Good idea,” I said.
He looked at me. “You and I will go from the left, Del and Nix from the right. The way those walls are crumbling, it won’t be hard to find an entrance. We’ll go quickly across the grass and enter the cathedral sixty seconds from when we leave this room.”
I nodded. My deirfiúr both said, “Agreed.”
Del and I both looked at our watches, then nodded at our partners. We all slipped out the door and raced across the grass, veering off to head for our assigned sides of the cathedral. Aidan loped ahead of me, his long legs carrying him farther faster.
The moon shined brightly, illuminating our path. I prayed to magic that the thief wasn’t looking out a window. And that he didn’t have guards on the lookout.
Aidan and I leapt over a fallen column and sidled up to the cathedral wall. We edged over to a gap in the stone. I glanced at my watch, then up at Aidan and mouthed, “Five seconds.”
I peeked around the edge of the wall and into the space. The cathedral was empty, the floor grown over with grass. Movement caught my eye from the front. A dark-haired man stalked back and forth, a black bag at his feet. The thief. He looked like he was waiting for something.
He whirled toward us, as if he sensed something. Our sixty seconds were up and I had a clear line of sight, so I flung a dagger at him.
Quick as a flash, he threw up his hand, and a bolt of lightning knocked the dagger away. Thunder boomed, vibrating my chest, and the scent of ozone rent the air.
I lunged backward. Holy magic, I’d never seen anyone throw lightning before.
Aidan surged into the room. He used his magic to lift a fallen column off the ground. It hurtled through the air at the thief. Again, the Lightning Mage threw a sparking white bolt. Aidan lunged behind the wall.
The column exploded, the sound vibrating my eardrums. The smell of singed stone burned my nostrils.
How the hell were we supposed to fight this guy? He had lightning.
“Use your powers,” Aidan demanded. “You’re a damned Mirror Mage. Blast him back.”
“I could kill us all!” I looked back into the room in time to see Del and Nix enter from behind the thief.
Nix had conjured lightning rods and placed them a dozen feet in front of them, like a shield. As they advanced, she conjured more lightning rods, an ever-extending field of protection.
Until the Lightning Mage whirled around and saw what faced him. He laughed, a dark sound, then flicked his hand. Another fallen column rose into the air and battered down the lightning rods. The thief threw an enormous bolt of lightning at them that cracked through the air.
It parted and arced up, forming a domed cage of lightning over my deirfiúr. Trapped.
“No!” Enraged and terrified, I raced into the cathedral. I had to stop him before he killed them. I raised my knife to hurl it as the thief spun around. He raised a hand and launched an enormous bolt of lightning at me.
One crystal thought flashed in my mind. I’m dead because I didn’t use my magic.
Something enormous crashed into my back, throwing me to the ground behind a column, blocking me from the lightning. Pain blossomed in my injured shoulder as I rolled to see the lightning strike Aidan, who’d become a griffon. He lit up like a lightbulb, shaking, then collapsed, his huge form limp.
I gasped and reached for him.
Oh, fates, not Aidan. He’d thrown himself in front of lightning for me. He couldn’t be dead.
But he looked it.
More than anything, I wanted to go to him. But if I did, we were all dead.
They relied on me.
And the only chance I had was to use my magic. I couldn’t beat this guy with knives or quickness. Oh, fates, I didn’t want to blow us all up. If I tried to use lightning, that wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities.
But my deirfiúr were in that cage and Aidan lay dead or d
ying.
I blew out a shaky breath, then opened myself up to the thief’s magic. It sparked and crackled as it washed over me, lighting me up in a way that made me feel entirely alive. I absorbed it, picturing myself as a lightning rod.
When I felt full to bursting with electricity, I tried to gather it up, to harness it. The scent of ozone filled my nose. I envisioned myself throwing a bolt of lightning right at him, then popped up from behind the column. He was striding toward me. I threw out my hands and released the lightning.
It went awry, an enormous bolt hitting one wall. The stone exploded and crumbled, throwing dust into the air.
Damn! I dived behind the column again. Fortunately, the rocks had missed my deirfiúr and Aidan. But they’d also missed the thief, who’d been thrown to the side. I seriously doubted he was dead.
My entire body shook as I tried to harness the lightning again. I envisioned less of it. It’d be easier to control, and maybe I’d keep him alive long enough to ask some questions. How had he found me? Why did he want me?
Once I had a grasp on the lightning, I peered up over the column. He was climbing to his feet from where he’d been thrown. I stood, but before I could throw the lightning, he caught sight of me. His dark eyes blazed as he threw a bolt.
I dived to the side, barely missing being struck by it. I lunged up and threw my bolt at him, praying.
It hit him square in the chest. He shook and fell, his body alight.
I sprinted to him. It’d been a small bolt. Was he dead?
I skidded to a stop near him and straddled him, my hands around his throat. They hit a thick metal collar, but it didn’t strike me as odd when I felt his magic. He was alive. Which I could have guessed since his electric cage still buzzed over my deirfiúr. It should fade when he died.
He looked young—not more than twenty. He had black eyes and would have been handsome if his magic didn’t feel so awful—dark and polluted. It washed over me. It felt like drowning in tar made up of people’s evilest impulses. Though strangely, it didn’t feel connected to him. Like it was separate. It made no sense.