by Ashley Meira
“I’m not a barrier mage,” Adam said. “Wouldn’t stop the golems anyway — there’s still rock on the other side.”
“Maybe it’s turned into a weird flesh palace.”
Fiona destroyed another golem before turning to me. “Flesh palace?”
“Yeah, where everything is covered in skin and stuff,” I said. “What? Demons are weird like that.”
“We need to clear a path to the barrier so I can use the beads,” Adam said.
I looked at the herd of giant rock creatures blocking the barrier. “That date you wanted seems more likely.”
“I’m holding you to that when this is over.”
“It doesn’t apply if we get through.”
He grinned. “I disagree. Now help me clear a path.”
Adam threw a burst of concentrated air at the huddled golems. Two shattered while the other six spread out. More golems pulled themselves from the earth — not enough to fill the plateau, but enough to give us trouble.
Fiona shrunk down and took to the sky, raining down a flurry of Fairy Bolts at the golems below. Not one to be outdone, I leapt into the fray.
Magic sounded like the perfect idea after stabbing my third golem. Picturing they were Cyrus helped, but didn’t drown out my screaming muscles. For every golem we took out, it seemed two more took their place. My sword pierced through a rock-hard skull only to be knocked away by a giant fist before a third golem threw me aside.
“Nothing in my contract stated I was going to be a human football!” I cried, picking myself up. My clothes were sopping wet from all the sludge. Freezing wasn’t an issue, but the extra weight from my wet clothes was throwing me off balance.
“Use your magic!” Adam called back, knocking aside two golems as if they were bowling pins.
Crap. Should’ve seen that coming.
“We need to destroy that barrier!” Fiona said, earning herself a free latte. It wasn’t the most eloquent save, but I’d take it. “Throw the beads!”
Adam knocked a trio of golems away with another blast of wind before rushing toward the barrier. I launched my sword at the golem approaching him, spearing it right through the head. Calling the blade back, I scaled another golem rushing toward Adam and stabbed it. I kicked off, leaping onto a third golem. Pain shot through my arm as my sword pierced hard stone. Maybe I should look into getting a prosthetic arm made of the same material as my sword.
Adam was a few feet away from the barrier. He fished the beads out of their pouch and threw them before dodging a golem’s punch. The blue beads made contact with the magic, spreading out to form an arcane pattern. The rainbow-colored veins pulsed, growing smaller by the second. More of the plateau appeared behind the quickly thinning cloud of magic.
Then it stopped. The beads shattered like the golems we’d been killing, blue powder floating in the icy breeze.
“What’s taking so long?” Fiona asked as she rolled between two golems, pink clouds exploding from her hands. The golems crumbled as three more stepped from the mountain wall to take their place.
“The beads weren’t strong enough,” Adam growled. Streams of magic sparked from his body, smoky and ancient. He wanted to shift but was resisting the urge. “I need to break through the barrier.”
As if they understood him, the golems surrounding me charged toward him. Their movements became more aggressive, giant hands and feet slamming the ground around him. He broke through the herd, firing a barrage of wind blasts. Fiona ran past him, shooting the golems as she did so.
“Any weak spots on the barrier I can hit?” she asked me. Her chest was heaving, and her hands were trembling. She was nearing her limit.
“No. Just hit it. A lot,” I panted. “I’m going to help Adam.”
“How’s your arm?”
“Can I have yours?”
“I don’t think even your magic can do that.”
“Leave my magic alone. You sound like Adam.”
She winked. “Can’t get him out of your head, huh?”
“For—”
Something hard wrapped around my waist and flung me aside. I hit the mountain wall, stray rocks crumbling around my shoulders. Fiona joined me a moment later, her hair a tangled mess of red. She touched her face, and her hand came back bloody.
“I don’t think they want us touching the barrier,” she said.
Wind knocked her down and filled me with adrenaline. The golems before us shattered. Harsh winds buffeted the dust into our eyes. Adam rushed over, throwing spells over his shoulder. I rolled over while he was distracted, pretending to be as hurt as Fiona.
“You girls okay?” Healing magic burst from his hands. “They were too close to avoid hitting you. I tried to hedge the spell.”
“We’re good,” I said, kicking away from him. “Get to the barrier.”
Frowning, he lowered his hands. “Can you heal her?”
“No healing.” Fiona groaned and pushed herself up. “I’m fine. Just go.”
“Um….” I sighed at the golems gathering before the barrier. “We have a problem.”
“We’ve been having this problem for the past twenty minutes,” Fiona said. “How about a new problem? Like too much money. That’d be a great problem.”
“She babbles when she’s upset,” I told Adam.
“So do you,” he said.
If my arm didn’t hurt so much, I’d smack him. “We are sisters.”
He smiled and offered his hands. We took them and stood, preparing for another round. The golems stamped their feet, nondescript faces turned toward Adam.
“We need to distract them so Adam can hit the barrier. Softly,” I added. “Like a baby.”
He raised a brow. “A baby?”
“Yes. One that doesn’t cause avalanches.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he caused avalanches as a baby,” Fiona said.
“Neither would I.” I gripped my sword. My muscles ached with every move, but I forced myself to move past it. Suffer now, rest later.
“I can hit the barrier from here—” he nodded at the Golem Gang. “—but we need to clear a path first.”
“If you jumped off this mountain, do you think they’d follow?” I asked.
“You’d miss me.”
I would. “You can fly.”
“And they can come out of rocks. More will show up anyway.”
Fiona sighed, cotton candy scented magic dancing around her hands. “All this weird foreplay is, well, not cute. Interesting, I guess. But could you two save it for later?”
“Sure.” Adam nodded.
“There will be no later!” I called as they charged ahead. “Why are you even running? You’re mages — you can attack from here!”
Jerks. I ran after them, wondering if I could survive living with Symeon from now on. The golems crumbled at our feet, but we were still losing ground as more came out from behind. A wave of rock monsters swarmed around us. Fortunately, the cramped space gave them little room to smash us into the ground.
They seemed to realize this. Spreading out, they resumed their assault. As I stabbed what felt like my millionth golem of the day, Fiona made another move for the barrier, her tiny form diving between grasping hands. Her luck ran out, and she was nearly crushed between the palms of a far-reaching golem. She hit the ground, full-grown. Sweat coated her brow and giant clouds of white covered her face with each breath. She was awake, but she wasn’t moving.
Kicking off a crumbling golem, I ran for her. A golem punched the ground before me. I backflipped, bumping into another golem. He reached for me. I grabbed his arm and swung up, planting my sword into his head. By the time I finished, Fiona was back on her feet, throwing Fairy Bolts at everything around her.
“Hurry up!” she panted.
I looked around but couldn’t find Adam. A figure flew through the air. Adam’s broad form skidded across the plateau, blood seeping from the multitude of cuts he’d gathered. He pushed himself up immediately, but a large shadow engulfed him bef
ore he could stand. My eyes widened as I saw the golem raise its foot. I ran for him, a warning on the tip of my tongue. The first syllable was half out when the golem stomped down.
Adam didn’t scream, but I did. The sound of cracking bone was deafening compared to the howling winds and violent smashes. I stumbled, shell-shocked. His leg was bent in the complete opposite direction and blood was flowing like a violent river. Sweat drenched his forehead as he sat up. Every tendon in his neck was bulging and his teeth were bared in a feral grimace.
On instinct, I hurled my sword at the leg-breaker. My muscles shrieked in protest, but the blade pierced right through the golem’s head. Wind rushed above me. I ducked, rolling to the side. Fiona blasted my attacker but couldn’t make it past the wall of golems encroaching on her.
Their friends came for me, but it was the ones approaching Adam that scared me. Recalling my sword, I ran for him. A golem stepped in my path. I sidestepped him but another blocked me. And another. And another — a zigzagging line of rock monsters intent on getting in my way.
I leapt onto the first one and dispatched him before quickly moving onto the next. It was like playing Leapfrog with the difficulty ramped up to insane, but I didn’t let any of them stop me. Four golems were closing in on Adam. He was alternating between healing his leg and blasting his enemies away. But the previous fighting had worn him down. There were too many for him to keep it up much longer.
I jumped off my last victim and made my way to the next. He dodged. My foot slammed into the ground, sending pain shooting through my toes. The path was clear, but I was still too damn far. I couldn’t reach Adam in time, and Fiona was too busy with her own enemies.
Magic.
The word zinged through me like a thunderbolt. Magic was the only way I’d be able to stop those golems in time. I had to do it, or Adam would die. I looked at him, hoping he’d healed up and was kicking ass. But no, he was still on his back, hurling concentrated air at his attackers. I reached out, willing magic to burst from my hand.
Nothing.
Damn it. This sucked when that vampire came at me eight years ago and it sucked now. I stretched my hand further, trying to compel the magic to come out. A golem came at me, breaking my concentration. I ran. Maybe I could still reach Adam in time. He just had to hold on a few more minutes—
Pain shocked my system, and a metallic tang coated my tongue as I slid across the ground. I coughed up blood, throwing the golem that hit me a dirty glare. Patting my side, I counted two, maybe three, broken ribs. I couldn’t let that bother me now — I had to get to Adam.
Thanks to that golem, he was farther away than before. I got up on one knee, but my ribs forced me back down. He was still blasting away the golems, but his attacks were slower, the magic in them weaker than before. My eyes widened as I spotted another golem coming from behind. He was too occupied with the dozen attacking his front.
“Adam!” I reached for him but didn’t have the strength to stand. Time seemed to freeze as the golem got closer, its fists raised high. Electricity crackled against my skin. My heart throbbed, threatening to burst out of my chest. Heat blossomed with me as my Fire surged.
Adrenaline shot through me like a breath of fresh air. Wind whipped my hair around and knocked me forward. Streams of air flew from my fingertips, swirling around to form a tornado. I watched with wide, disbelieving eyes as it flew toward Adam, reducing the golems in its way to dust.
My aim was off — the tornado swerved toward the group of golems in front of him. As they crumbled, he threw a ball of wind at the golem coming up behind him.
No more golems approached. He was safe for now. His chest was heaving, and his skin was ashen from the blood loss. Gray eyes fixed themselves on me, widening in terror.
I fucked up. He knew something. Dread filled me, but it was mixed with something else. Relief, I realized. He was okay. He would live.
But would I?
My throat felt like the Sahara when I opened it. I had to say something to convince him I wasn’t an abomination. “Adam—”
He yelled, “Sophia, look out!”
I screamed, agony shooting through me like a white hot knife. My broken ribs felt like they’d been snapped twice over as a golem wrapped its hand around my waist. I pounded against its rocky skin, trying to break free. The golem slammed its fist against the ground, cracking my head against it. Stars — actual freakin’ stars — danced in front of my eyes as it lifted me back up and flung me aside.
Bursts of color flooded my vision as magic shocked my system. The barrier, I realized. The golem threw me into it. Magic surged into me like a rushing river, spreading to every corner of my body. The high was extraordinary — almost as good as riding Adam down that mountain had been.
I forced myself away, but my Fire called me back. It wanted more — the rest of the barrier’s magic. There was so little left. If I hung in there a little longer I could take it all. A gasp escaped me, like a breath of happiness that burned my lungs. I did it a few more times, giggling like mad at the mix of pleasure and pain. Once the moment passed, I fell back against the barrier.
Why not, right? It was almost drained, so it wouldn’t affect me that badly. Maybe. The magic overload made thinking hard. And if it did make me sick, who cared? We needed to get through, and I was willing to do anything if it meant never having to stab another golem.
A few more jolts of magic had me reconsidering how good Adam’s magic was. I found it hard to imagine anything feeling better than this barrier. Magic slid through my veins like liquid joy, filling them to the point of bursting. My fingers itched, eager to fire off another tornado. Maybe I could set it on fire — watch the flames swirl around the cyclone. That’d be neat.
Soon the unimaginable pleasure faded into a warm tingling. Then, it turned to slight discomfort before descending into sheer nausea. Just when I thought I couldn’t handle anymore, the magic stopped. What was left of the barrier snapped at me like a rubber band before vanishing entirely.
When the bright pinks and greens faded from my vision, I saw the golems crowding the plateau vanish. The magic that had snapped at me was destroying them, leaving tiny bits of rock behind. They coated Adam and Fiona’s hair, turning dark brown and vibrant red to sandy blond. Damien was his brother, but I found it creepy how similar they looked with Adam’s hair like that.
I opened my mouth to tell him that. But bile chased my words, and all I could do was throw up. The world faded into a soft gray. I hit the ground with a moan, vomit sliding down my cheek. The ache in my ribs came back, the intensity rising to unbearable proportions. I went limp, face pressed against stone, watching as the gray turned to black.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A tiny bird landed on my face, its wings fluttering across my nose. Frowning, I batted it away. It came back a moment later. Except now it was pecking at me. I waved my hand harder. I didn’t want to hurt the thing, but I also didn’t want to lose an eye. The assault stopped, then resumed a moment later. Finally, I sat up, letting out a sharp cry. Guess my ribs were still broken.
“About time,” Fiona said.
Blearily, I opened my eyes. She was floating there, no bigger than my finger. Her hands were on her hips, and her cheeks were puffed out as she fluttered in front of me. She grew back to normal size and kneeled by my side, waving her hand in my face.
“I almost crushed you,” I said.
Instead of replying, she widened her eyes and moved back.
A large shadow swooped down, and two large hands grabbed my shoulders. Adam’s handsome face came into view as he kneeled before me, taking Fiona’s spot. I stayed still, too afraid to move. He was mad. He had to be. That display of magic showed him what I was. He knew and—
I gasped at the feel of his magic. It encircled my ribs, piecing the bones back together. No, I was wrong. Screw the barrier — Adam’s magic was the best thing ever.
“Am I hurting you?”
I shook my head, resisting the urge to lean again
st him.
One hand threaded through my hair, thumb stroking my cheek. “You went down really hard. Nothing else feels broken. Does anything hurt?”
“You’re not mad?” The words came out before I could stop them.
His brows furrowed. “No. Why?”
“I almost killed you.” I gestured around the plateau. From the looks of it, we were a foot past the barrier. “The tornado and—”
“The tornado blew those golems to pieces. You saved my life.” His free hand covered my knee, rubbing circles against the exposed skin — all that being thrown around had shredded my clothes. “Why the hell would I be mad at you?”
“But….” I stuttered, waving a hand everywhere and trying to find a flaw. “I’m not good— You broke your leg. I mean, the golem broke your leg. Because I wasn’t fast enough.”
He shushed me, pulling me to his chest. “I healed it. Healing isn’t my speciality, so it drained me like hell. But it’s not your fault, Sophia. None of it was. You saved me.”
I nodded, pressing my nose against his neck. The scent of pine chased away the rotting smell of the Heart’s magic. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.” He chuckled. “But I’m more worried about you. Vomit and broken ribs don’t exactly scream healthy.”
“If I was famous, everybody would be doing it.” I patted my side. My ribs were healed. “You’re a better healer than you say.”
“And you’re a better mage,” he said, helping me stand. “Even powerful mages have trouble conjuring tornados.”
“Maybe they weren’t scared enough,” I mumbled, pulling away.
“I hate to break this up,” Fiona said. “But we need to keep going. Crazy guy and an evil ritual, remember? There’s a demonic artifact that’s probably going to hurt a lot of people.”
“We don’t know if the Heart is demonic,” Adam said. “Technically, it’s demonic tinged.”
“Tinged?”
“We can always ask Cyrus,” I said. “After we kick his ass.”
“I sense mages,” Adam said. “High on Fairy Dew.”
“Good,” Fiona said. “I hope it’s driving Cyrus crazy.”