by Ashley Meira
“I hope so. They sound so great — not traumatizing at all,” she said dryly. “I can’t believed you survived your last trip up here. His magic is so horrible. You don’t even need to be a tracker to sense it.”
“Sensing it is one thing, remembering that night is what really bothers me.”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “I still remember waking up in that cell all alone, the guard, and running…. Feeling his magic has brought all the hurt back. I feel like that scared little girl again, all alone.”
“You’re not.” I squeezed her trembling hand. “I’m here. We’re together, and we’ll always be together.”
“Family,” she said with a vigorous nod. “Sisters. Always.”
That was our mantra. It’s what kept us sane over the years — gave us hope when we wanted to give up. There’d come a day when we wouldn’t need it anymore, when these dark shadows looming over us were no more. I hoped it was soon.
Fiona was shivering, but giving her my jacket would raise all sorts of red flags with Adam, so I just hugged her closer. “The masked thief is up there. I can sense her magic. She’ll have answers — if we can question her without Adam listening in.”
“Good luck with that,” she said, casting a furtive look at Adam. “I guess I could knock him out or something.”
“That sounds like a terrible idea.”
“You could try distracting him with nudity.”
That sounded like a wonderful idea. “Also terrible.”
“I’d do it, but I’d probably freeze to death the second I unzip my jacket.”
I elbowed her. “No stripping in front of Adam.”
“Jealous.”
“I’ll knock you off this mountain.”
“I can fly.”
“Are you two okay?” Adam asked.
Fiona jumped away. “No. Yes”
I wondered which of us was worse at this. “We’re fine. She’s just cold.”
“Yeah, make with the magic, pretty boy.” She shuffled back to him. “Chase some of that whacked mojo away.”
“Whacked mojo,” he repeated slowly.
She nodded. “The gross magic, duh. Keep up with the times, grandpa.”
Adam’s brows furrowed. “I’m twenty-eight.”
Huh. She could totally distract him long enough for me to get answers.
“That’s almost thirty,” she said, eyes wide. “Are you scared? I’d be scared. I’m twenty-two, and I’m already scared.”
“You’re twenty-four,” I said. This third wheel gig sucked.
“No, you are. Maybe even twenty-five. You don’t know how old I am.”
“You don’t?” he said.
“A real lady never reveals her age,” she said smoothly.
“We’re almost there,” I said.
“Let’s hurry then,” Adam said, taking the lead.
Fiona and I exchanged relieved looks before I smacked her arm. “Twenty-two, my ass.”
She stuck her tongue out then quickly sucked it back in. “I can’t feel my tongue.”
“It’s okay. Young people heal quick,” I said, sticking my tongue out. Not even a chill. Ha.
There was a chance Fiona was twenty-two — and that I was twenty-five. Neither of us knew our real birthdays. Even the age I had for myself was based on hearsay. Still, no way she got to play the younger sister card without solid proof. It was bad enough she was prettier than me. And taller.
The path widened, allowing the three of us to walk side by side. I ended up in the middle, suspiciously close to Adam. Every time I tried moving away, Fiona magically appeared on my other side to nudge me back. Shame she wasn’t on the edge. What? She could fly — a little shove wouldn’t hurt.
“Adam, you should switch spots with me. To keep Fiona warm. With fire,” I added. The thought of him doing anything else bothered me more than I would ever admit.
“I’m fine,” Fiona said through chattering teeth. “Besides, that’d put you on the edge.”
“It’s true,” Adam said. “At least I can fly.”
“So can she. Why don’t you move to the edge, Fiona?”
Rubble rained down on us before she could reply. A giant stone fist swung above our heads, the golem’s body spilling out of the mountain after it. Rumbling from behind revealed more golems freeing themselves from the cliff face.
Green flashed in our face, and we appeared further up the path from the herd of golems. Fiona opened another portal. “It’s too narrow for a fight. Run!”
The next portal took us further up the path and toward another portal. And another. Sludge slipped us up, but a few scraped limbs were the least of our worries.
“Thought you said we were close,” Fiona hissed as she opened another portal.
“I was just trying to shut you up,” I hissed back. “We’ve got another hour—”
“Hour?!” Fiona glared. “Damn it, Sinclair.”
“You chose that name, remember?” Neither of us remembered our last names, so Fiona chose her favorite romance novelist’s surname. I didn’t complain. Alliteration was fun.
“Can you point to somewhere closer to the plateau?” Adam asked. “Fiona can open a portal — save us the trip.”
I pointed to the peak. “This path circles to the other side. Two more rounds should take us to the summit.”
“I think I can get us to the other side,” Fiona said.
We leapt through the next portal. Gray skies greeted me, and air rushed under my feet. Adam yanked me back before I could drop. I stumbled forward, the toe of my boot catching on every crack possible.
“Farther!” I told her.
Another portal, another near-death drop. Rocks tore through my sleeve and sleet cut my face as we rushed forward. Should’ve made Fiona do this sooner, honestly. We ran, waiting for the next portal.
Fiona hit the ground, a giant fist wrapped around her ankle. She vanished in a cloud of pink before flying over to us in miniature form. A Fairy Bolt flew from her tiny hands. Even in this form, her magic pushed the golem back. She shifted back to normal size and opened another portal.
I pulled her through and landed on my ass. Ice coated the floor, stretching up toward the vaulted ceilings. A cave. Not the same one we’d been in. This one was bigger. The lack of snow revealed no ice lakes, which was a good thing. No telling how well the floor would hold up though. The ice was too thick for me to see how high the drop would be.
“We’re close,” I said. “Lower.”
A cacophony of ghostly shrieks decimated my eardrums. Ice wraiths flooded the room, their long serpentine bodies little more than blurs as they converged upon us.
“No fire!” I called before swinging my sword around. The wraiths hissed but kept their distance, but it wasn’t them I was worried about. “Golems can’t come through ice walls, right?”
As the words left my lips, a giant crack appeared in the wall. The ice chipped away, revealing the rock behind it. A long leg stepped out, followed by the rest of the golem’s faceless body.
“One break!” I yelled at the ceiling. “Is that really too much to ask?”
“You met Adam,” Fiona called. “That’s a break.”
“A break in my ass,” I muttered to myself. Whatever that meant.
“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing,” Adam said, gesturing around the cave. “Echoes.”
Maybe the golems would kill me quickly.
An ice wraith rushed over my head, whipping my hair around. I swung out, ignoring the ache in my arm. Shame healing magic didn’t work for sore muscles. Well, it did, but since they didn’t count as actual injuries, I’d absorb more magic than my muscles would. Another swing had me reconsidering telling Adam the truth just so he could heal my arm.
A burst of wind shattered the circling wraiths and filled me with adrenaline. I turned to Adam, but he was too occupied with the wraiths swarming him to notice I hadn’t been affected by his attack. Deciding I’d be more use running interference, I ran to Fiona and swung at the
wraiths surrounding her.
“Take care of the golems,” I told her.
She nodded, firing a Fairy Bolt at the golem closest to us. Three more had come out of the wall behind him. They looked mean, but it was hard for giant, faceless rock people to look friendly.
Sharp fangs cut into my leg. I kicked the wraith away and stabbed another before it became incorporeal. A flurry of blue obscured my vision. Being in the center of the wraith tornado felt like standing in the afterlife — empty and disconcerting with glimpses of the living world before me, just out of reach. Shuddering at the macabre thought, I sliced down the middle. They weren’t damaged, but the wraiths still parted. I ran through, dropping into a slide and dodging a golem’s punch.
“They’re going to keep coming,” Adam said, blasting back another horde of wraiths. “We need to get to the plateau.”
Fiona looked around. “I don’t see an exit. Everything is sealed.”
“Open a portal,” I said, scaling a golem and stabbing it through the head.
“I need to be able to see where I’m going or be able to picture it,” she said. “We could end up in some random cave or in the air. So, unless you’re a shifter….”
“She could be,” Adam called.
“Doubtful,” I said, dodging another golem. “And I’m not eager for a trial by fire. Besides, what if I turn into a cat?”
“It’d be a cute cat.” Adam winked before throwing a ball of concentrated air at the golem chasing me.
The third golem grabbed the back of my jacket, but I slipped it off and rolled away. It slammed its cloth-covered fist down and began pounding the ground. I wanted to climb his arm, but his attacks were too fast for me to hop on. Fiona flew up, charging her Fairy Bolt. She released the magic at the same time Adam threw a burst of wind. His attack pulverized the golem, causing Fiona’s Blast to smash into the already cracked ground.
It happened fast, but felt like it was in slow motion. I could count every fissure that formed, spreading out like grasping fingers. Cracks formed under my palms, chipped ice cutting into my skin. The sparks of pain spurred me into action. Rising to my feet, I kicked off toward safer ground. Before I could, the ice beneath me vanished. This time, Adam wasn’t able to pull me back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Everything was white, but the ground was hard and stuck to my cheek. I figured Heaven wouldn’t be this uncomfortable, and Hell wouldn’t be this bright, so I must still be alive. Every rib felt bruised as I pushed myself up. Being alive was overrated.
Green light caught my attention. I looked up once Adam and Fiona passed through, checking to see how far I’d fallen. My Fire surged at the feel of Adam’s magic, but my feet kicked me away. I figured if I could do that, nothing was broken.
“I’m okay, thanks.”
He caught me as I fell forward but didn’t try to heal me again. His hands slid down my sides, sending tingles up my spine. “Nothing feels broken. You’re not holding back a scream, are you?”
“With the way you’re touching her, I’m sure she’s holding something back,” Fiona said. “Any chance you can fix that hole before we get swarmed— Never mind.”
A herd of ice wraiths flocked toward us, translucent maws bared. Flames sprung from Adam’s hands, pushing them back. “The exit. Go!”
Fortunately, this cave had an opening. Fiona and I ran to it with Adam on our tails. Fresh air hit our faces. Adam turned back, conjuring rocks to block off the exit. The ice wraiths didn’t follow us, but I was worried golems would come from the rocks he used.
“Golems aren’t going to pop out from those, are they?” Fiona asked.
I leaned against her. “Get out of my head.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Adam asked. “And no, golems shouldn’t be able to come out from these.”
“Shouldn’t or won’t?” It felt like a bad idea, but I batted his hands away. “I’m fine. Just a little winded. You know, because I fell fifty feet.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “It was barely fifteen feet.”
“Felt like fifty.”
“Are we close to the plateau?” Adam asked.
I nodded up the path. “Around the corner.”
“Take a minute before we continue,” he said. “Resistance is going to be worse up there.”
“I’m good,” I said, shaking my head. The world blurred a little but everything came into focus a second later. “As good as I’m going to get, at least.”
He didn’t look convinced. “You need anything, come to me.”
“She’s always wanted a mansion- Ow!” Fiona rubbed the side of her neck and glared at me. “Don’t pinch me.”
“Don’t be a pest. Let’s go.”
“Wait.” Adam slipped his jacket off.
“Hell no.” I grabbed his collar and pulled it back up, trying not to lean into his heat. “You’ll freeze.”
“All you have is a turtleneck.”
“A warm turtleneck.” And my heritage. “Plus, Fiona’s annoyingness gets me all riled up.”
She crossed her arms. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ll take his jacket and smother you. Stop that.” I smacked Adam’s hands as he tried slipping off his jacket again. “I won’t be able to move in that anyway. It’s too big.”
He grabbed my shoulder as I walked away. “Sophia—”
“The sooner we finish this, the sooner—”
“You can warm her up,” Fiona finished. At my glare, she added, “Hey, know your audience.”
“She’s got a point,” he said, giving me one last hard look. “If anything feels off—”
“I will tell you,” I said, resisting the urge to say “dad.” Urgh. That would open up a whole new can of worms I never wanted to deal with. “Can we go now?”
We managed to walk the ten feet up toward the plateau without a single fight, which I considered a personal success. Nothing stirred as we stepped foot on the plateau. The fissures had grown, permanently scarring the deadened rock beneath our feet. Without magic coloring my vision, the barrier looked almost alive. I could see multicolored veins underneath the opaque clouds, beating in time with the pulsing magic.
“Were those there before?” I asked. “The veins.”
Fiona frowned. “Veins?”
“In the barrier,” Adam said. “I’m surprised you can see them — they’re very thin.”
“Thin? They’re as thick as my fingers.” I shrugged. “Guess that’s kind of thin.”
“They’re that clear to you?” he asked, brows knitting together. “Fascinating.”
Crap. Fascinating was the last thing I wanted. Why did I open my mouth?
“Look at that,” a familiar voice called from behind the barrier, “my two favorite mercenary whores.”
Fiona and I scoffed as Cyrus stepped through the barrier. He was wearing the same old ratty trench coat he had when we caught him. His hair looked cleaner though, and he wasn’t sweating…as much. Who sweated on an icy mountain?
“That’s Cyrus,” I told Adam. “In case you couldn’t tell.”
He snorted. “Thanks.”
Cyrus stepped forward, his arms held out like a discount messiah. “I have to admit, you two are smarter than you look. But you’re too late. As usual.”
“You can’t say that,” Fiona said. “We’ve only met once before.”
“Shut up,” he growled. “You can be a smartass all you want. You were too late to stop me from selling the Heart, and now you’re too late to stop the ceremony.”
“Ceremony?” Adam asked.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” I said. “Ceremonies are never good. Especially when people like him are involved.”
“I was a little worried when they took me to the Black Citadel,” Cyrus continued, ignoring us. “But he promised I wouldn’t be there long. He was telling the truth. Processing was a bitch, and that inhibitor bangle felt like death, but here I am. Now, he’s going to make me a god.” His smile was twisted, and his voice was
depraved. “So many people are going to die.”
Fiona shuddered. “Gross.”
“This is why you don’t do drugs,” I said.
“Don’t mention that.” Cyrus glowered. “She won’t let me have any Dew until the ceremony is done.”
“And what exactly is this ceremony going to do?” Adam asked, wind swirling around his arms.
Cyrus’ sunken eyes were wide with excitement. “That would ruin the surprise.”
“Screw this.” I launched my sword at him, smirking at his shriek. “Deja vu, dude?”
“Bitch!” he growled, his magic surging.
The stench of stale beer was still around, but the syrupy taste of Fairy Dew was absent. There was something new, though: the dry taste of earth and odor of rot. The Heart’s magic was merging with his. Shit. I had no idea what that meant, but no way it was anything good.
Golems poured out from the mountain, one after another until there were over a dozen. They spread out over the plateau, blocking Cyrus from our view. Calling my sword back, I readied my arm. Would it be inappropriate to ask Adam for one last massage before trying to never see him again?
Fiona broke our standoff with a Fairy Bolt. The center golem burst into dust, sprinkling across his former comrades. They charged at us. I slid between the legs of one and scaled the arm of another, thrusting my sword through its head. Hopping onto a third golem’s shoulder, I stabbed it too, feeling the vibrations deep in my bones.
A pink spark darted around the battlefield. Fiona reverted back to normal size to throw a Fairy Bolt before shrinking back down and needling the golems. They batted at her like giant cats, their distraction allowing Adam to attack them with ease. He destroyed five before they turned to him. I was stabbing another golem when it hit me. These things weren’t very bright, but they moved according to their master’s wishes. Cyrus should have directed them to Adam right away. Unless he summoned them with the command to kill us and then left. I backflipped away from a heavy stomp before running to where the thief had been. Gone.
“Cyrus went back behind the barrier!” I called, rolling away from a golem. “Can you bring another one up after we destroy it?”