by Pond, Simone
“I don’t have anywhere to go, Miss Farrow. The event at Rhapsody Grove isn’t for another couple days. That gives us forty-eight hours of perpetual ‘enhanced’ interrogation. I’m thinking of using the rack to help persuade you. Have you heard of this device? Perhaps in your medieval history courses?”
I ignored him, putting a mental block on his fear magic. If I could stay focused and trust that the Light was in me, then maybe my Armor would activate.
He smiled, pointing to a horizontal rectangular frame with chains fixed to pulleys that attached to a ratchet mechanism. I didn’t need him to explain how the thing worked, it was clear he’d stretch their limbs until they dislocated and eventually ripped apart from their bodies.
“That’s quite a contraption,” I said calmly. “Looks painful.”
Cagliostro didn’t appreciate my lack of fear over his threat, so he ordered one of the demons to take down my mother’s body and attach her to the wooden frame. He knelt by me, making sure my eyes remained focused on the device. He snapped his fingers and the demons began turning the handle. My mother’s frail limbs began to stretch and she howled like a wild animal caught in a snare. I had to believe it wasn’t really my mother, but rather an illusion. Just another form of manipulation Cagliostro was using to break me down. My heart wavered because it was a huge risk. What if it really was my mother being tortured in that despicable medieval device?
“Stop!” she cried out. “Please stop!”
“Mom!” I screamed, unable to stop my emotions from bursting out.
“Please, Fiona. Just decipher the Scroll for him,” she wailed.
And I had my answer.
My parents were tried and true Protectors of Light. They’d never concede to evil. No matter what. They were willing to be separated from their daughter just to protect the Scrolls. While that wasn’t the most reassuring truth to me personally, it was the only truth. It was our destiny to protect the Light. It was our duty to go to any lengths to keep the Sacred Scrolls safe from evil. There’s no way my mother would cave in that easily, if ever.
Cagliostro’s warm breath brushed against my ear. “In a few moments, your mother’s limbs will be ripped apart from her body. There’s no coming back from that. And let me assure you, it’s a brutally painful way to die.”
I glanced up at the demon mage and smiled. “Go for it.”
Shock registered in his shiny black eyes. He stood up and kicked me in the head. “You foolish girl!”
The pain splintered across my skull, but I closed my eyes and focused on the Light. I focused on my Armor. A burst of magical energy shot through my head and the pain subsided. My helmet was working again. I decided to keep quiet about it and pretended to pass out.
Cagliostro clapped his hands and the demons followed him out. When it was clear, I looked around for my parents, but they were no longer with me. And they hadn’t walked out with Cagliostro, so my instincts had been right. Cagliostro was using some serious illusions and mind fuckery. He couldn’t kill me or Julian because he needed us to provide the cipher. So he’d just keep mentally and physically torturing us until he had the information. I was certain I wouldn’t break, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Julian could see through the mind games. I had to get down and find him before he gave Cagliostro anything.
thirty-two
The cave grew quiet except for the repetitive dripping of my blood. That sound alone was enough to drive me nuts. The Armor was activated, but I still couldn’t figure out how to get down. Not with my hands bound behind me and my feet chained high above. I didn’t have much to work with. I tried calling on my sword a few times to no avail. I continued hanging in the dark with the blood slowly being drained from my body, which was incredibly lame.
The minutes slowly passed.
I thought about Asher hanging from that tree.
My vision blurred.
One drop of blood plunked after another.
Then my body went completely numb. Even if I could call on my sword, I couldn’t feel my limbs to hold it up. I was completely useless. All that time I thought I had my shit together. Thought if I could take down Lucius Diamond, that Cagliostro wouldn’t be a problem. But as I hung there with the blood rushing to my head, it became clear that I had failed. Ezra had taught me better. What had I done wrong this time around? I’d be sure to ask if I lived to see my Guide again.
The fear magic had once again gotten the best of me. Wasn’t I born a Protector of Light? That meant I was set apart. I had something special inside of me. Sure, the Light was in me, but that’s not at all what Cagliostro was after. He was after my unique DNA. The DNA coding that had made me a Protector and had the power of unlocking the Sacred Scrolls. And if I was created with a special coding, didn’t that mean I could tap into it to get out of this mess? I didn’t know for sure, but I had nothing to lose by trying.
“Ez, I don’t know where you are or if you can even hear me. But I need some help. I’m running out of juice here and can’t seem to sync up with my Armor. So please, whatever you have to do, do it. Even if that means shattering me into a million pieces.”
I didn’t really want to be broken apart into a million pieces, but I was willing to do whatever needed to be done.
From above, I noticed my magical boots warming up like I had been sitting next to a fireplace after coming in from the cold. The warmth prickled through my toes and rolled up my ankles and legs. My breastplate pulsated and jolted my heartbeat like a defibrillator, kicking me back to life. The pool of blood below lit up from the reflection of the glowing helmet.
I was back in business! My Armor had been restored to full capacity. The fear magic and mind control Cagliostro had over me had dissipated.
Once the feeling returned to my fingers, I called on my sword and carefully sawed through the chains around my wrists. When my hands were free, I swung my body forward and up, swiping my sword across the rusty pipe above. My feet were released and I dropped to the ground, landing in the puddle of blood. Once I tore off the remaining chains, I cloaked myself, hoping Cagliostro and the others wouldn’t be able to detect me as I searched for Julian.
I followed one of the pathways, using my sword to light the way. The labyrinth of underground tunnels kept leading me in circles, which told me Cagliostro probably had a spell over the entire place. I closed my eyes and began chanting the ancient words of the Logos. Hopefully Julian would hear me and somehow lead me to his location.
A vision appeared. Julian tied to a pole, his back bleeding from deep slash marks. The torture had begun. I continued repeating the Logos just above a whisper, trusting I was being led down the right path.
After a few twists and turns, I heard the sound of whips slapping against bare skin. An overwhelming scent came to me: coconut oil and salty air, but also a rancid aroma of burning tar. I was close.
I came around another turn and saw the orange flicker of torches dancing against the cave walls. I quietly approached and stood in the shadows.
Cagliostro sat in a large throne made of intertwining metal. He looked bored, yawning as one of his demon henchmen lashed a whip across Julian’s raw and bleeding back. I bit down with each snap as Julian whimpered and sunk a little more. The sight was gruesome and made my stomach tighten. How could I release Julian from that pole and get out of the cave without Cagliostro catching us? I was fast, but not that fast.
Somehow I needed to convey to Julian that he was still wearing his Armor, regardless of the spell Cagliostro had used to manipulate his mind. If Julian could trust that he was protected, he could stand on solid ground. The pain would dissipate and he’d be recharged and renewed by the Light.
If I could communicate through the Logos, maybe my words could penetrate his helmet and he could call on help the way I had done.
“Stop!” Cagliostro shouted to the demon holding the whip. “Do you smell that?” He sniffed dramatically, causing me to roll my eyes. Always with the drama. “I smell the blood of the virgin Prote
ctor.”
The brawny demon turned around to face his master and jerked his thumb toward Julian. “It’s all over the place, boss.”
Cagliostro stood up from the throne and strolled to where I stood cloaked and pressed against the wall. He took another inhale and grinned. “Might as well de-cloak yourself, Miss Farrow. You’re never getting out of this cave.”
I took my hand and wiped a handful of my blood onto the wall and slipped away, heading toward the pole where Julian was chained. Standing close to him, I whispered, “Your Armor will work, you must call on it. You must believe that the Light is still in you. Don’t let his fear magic obstruct the truth.”
Cagliostro caught wind of my voice and whipped around. “Come out, come out wherever you are,” he sang.
I really couldn’t wait to rip his head from his body, but at the moment, I needed to concentrate on Julian. Get both of us out of that underground hell hole and back to the others. Besides, if I killed Cagliostro before getting the Scroll, that would be a bad thing.
“Trust,” I whispered into Julian’s ear, while simultaneously cutting away the chains that held him against the pole.
The demon swung his whip toward us, but I deflected it with my shield. The ricochet sent a pulse of electricity through the demon and he was blasted backward against the rocks. Cagliostro glanced at the heap of demon, shook his head and shimmered out.
I pulled Julian away from the pole. His body was limp, but his Armor began to light up and he slowly opened his eyes. “Come on, Julian. We need to get out of here before he brings back an army of those demons and sics those demon-bats on us.”
“Fiona,” he whispered.
“Come on, dude! You have to believe me. Trust the Light. Let it break the spell.” I balanced him against my body, which was still stark naked, by the way. Julian at least had a shroud wrapped around his waist.
“You’re not wearing anything,” he murmured with a Cheshire Cat grin.
I smacked him upside his head and his helmet ignited into a blast of light. He was back.
“We have to use the Logos to get out of here. Can you do that?”
He nodded, his eyes locked in on my chest. If he weren’t so badly beaten, I would have pummeled him. We held hands and began repeating the ancient words. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the tunnels. Just as a path of light filtered through my thoughts, the cave rumbled with a thunderous blast. At least ten of those high-powered vampires from the AOV stood before us. I yanked the chain from the pole and swung it toward them, but they laughed at my feeble attempt. Julian ripped the wooden pole from the ground and lobbed it directly into the pack of bloodsuckers, only taking down one of them. We held up our shields, edging our way out of the cave.
“We’re going to have to run backwards,” I told him.
One of the vampires blinked over to us and grabbed Julian by the throat, right as I began to roar out the Logos. The vampires covered their ears, and the one that had Julian released him. I continued unleashing the roar as Julian grabbed my hand and we hurtled down one of the tunnels. I kept transferring the images in my mind over to him as we navigated swiftly through the underground labyrinth. I’m not sure how we were able to communicate like that, but like Ezra had told us, we were stronger together.
We reached the mouth of the cave and darted across the woods, not looking over our shoulders. We were like streaks of white lightning dashing through the trees, crossing highways and cruising along two-lane roads until we were at a safe distance. We ducked behind a dumpster in an alleyway behind a souvenir shop. We couldn’t go back to the hotel; I didn’t want to lead any demons there. We needed to find Rocco. He had the sonar, we just had to tap into it somehow. But first we needed some clothes.
thirty-three
Julian broke into the backdoor of the souvenir shop, using his sword to pry off the lock. Fortunately, there wasn’t an alarm so we could take our time pilfering through the clothes.
“You sure you’re still a virgin?” Julian teased.
I threw a t-shirt at him. “Shut up and stop gawking!”
The options were slim at the souvenir shop, but I found an extra-large t-shirt that said Don’t Mind the Mystic and some zebra-striped Palazzo pants and sandals. Not the most ideal attire to go after demon mages and vampires in, but a lot better than nothing. Julian came around the corner sporting flip-flops, board shorts and a tank top. He didn’t look much different than how he typically dressed.
“Nice pants,” he joked.
“Whatever. The boy shorts couldn’t get around my hips.”
“I can see why … You have some nice curves, Fiona.”
“You going to stop anytime soon?”
“Nope.”
He grabbed a few handfuls of silver souvenir spoons and took out his sword to begin creating some silver dust.
“Good idea,” I said, following suit.
It was a nice break from all the running around. Just sitting in the dark making silver dust like two normal people …
“So, that cave was pretty nuts, huh?” I asked.
“Dude, I can’t even tell you what he tricked me into seeing.”
“Your parents?”
“Nah. Worse.”
I couldn’t imagine what would be worse than seeing your parents tortured, but maybe Julian wasn’t as tight with his parents as I was with mine.
“Well, what?”
He shook his head, quickly brushing away a tear. “My girl. She died a couple years back in a surfing accident. He brought her back from the dead. Or made me think that.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It was my fault she died. Shouldn’t have taken her out to that spot. She wasn’t ready.” He looked away, not wanting to relive the memory.
And then something hit me like a bolt of lightning. “If he was messing with our minds in that cave, is it possible he could do it outside?”
He shrugged. “Don’t see why not. He’s a powerful-ass mofo.”
“That means Asher might still be alive!” I stood up and paced up and down the aisle. “How can we find him? Do you think Cagliostro still has him? Should we go back to the caves?”
“Oh, hell no. I’m not going back to those caves. We’re sticking to the plan. Getting some silver dust and heading toward the Grove, calling out to Rocco along the way. If your beau is alive, he’ll show up. Isn’t he a bounty hunter?”
“Ex-bounty hunter.”
Julian had the right attitude. I had to trust that Asher would eventually show up. After all, he was an angel. I didn’t need to worry about him. He’d be fine. Well, at least if he was still alive. As Ezra had told me repeatedly, I needed to focus on my responsibility as a Protector of Light and get the Scroll.
thirty-four
Julian and I decided to play it safe and traveled through the woods. It would be my final attempt to get to Mattatuck State Forest. Third time’s the charm, right? We had placed the silver dust into water bottles with spouts so we could spray the shit out of any vampires or bat-demons that came within sniffing radius. As we rambled through the dark forest, Julian and I whispered the Logos, hoping that Rocco would pick something up with his sonar skills. Julian made a few fast breaks, flashing forward to scope out the path ahead. I stayed quiet, letting my instincts guide me.
“Any thoughts on how to get close enough to Cags and that Scroll?” Julian asked.
“I’ve gotta see the setup first. But I’m hoping we run into Rocco or Asher along the way. Together we’re stronger,” I said.
“Together we’re stronger,” Julian repeated.
A blast of white light streaked across the woods and came to a screeching halt directly in front of us. Rocco grinned, slipping a matchstick in his mouth. It was good to see the old detective.
“Dude!” Julian lifted his hand for a high-five, which Rocco ignored.
“I didn’t think I’d see either of you ever again,” he said, pulling us in for a giant bear hug. He rubbed our heads, causing the helmets to
zing with a twinkling energy.
“It was pretty bad,” I said. “He’s got some serious fear and deception magic. Had both of us seeing all sorts of things.”
“Yeah, he got me too,” Rocco said. “That wasn’t Asher hanging from the tree. I’m not sure what it was. But it disappeared the minute you were gone.”
A pleasant relief flowed through me; my assumptions had been confirmed. Asher wasn’t dead. “Cagliostro is using powerful illusions. We have to be careful, extra special careful the closer we get to the Grove. Can’t trust our own eyes.”
“Yeah, dude. In fact …” Julian stepped back and swung at Rocco, slamming his fist into the large Protector’s jaw.
Rocco didn’t budge, but he rubbed the spot where Julian’s fist had hit. “It’s me, kid. Nobody else can use the Armor except us. That’s how you’ll know.”
Julian nodded, grinning. “Got it. No glow, no go.”
“Can we discuss our plan?” I asked.
“After the bats took you, I went to the Grove to scope it out. It’s heavily guarded. I hate to say it, but I don’t think we’re gettin’ in. Not from the perimeter anyway. And they’re obviously gonna be expectin’ us.”
“We could use Asher right about now,” Julian said.
“We can get in,” I said.
“How?” they both asked.
“Same way we got into the offices of IP Montgomery. From above. You can ask your buddy Drake to copter us in.”
Rocco rubbed his chin, staring off into the distance. “Yeah, that might work.”
After Rocco contacted Drake, the three of us went to the location he gave—an empty corn field. The ground was covered in brittle stalks that crunched under our feet as we paced toward the middle of the open space.