“I’ve had enough of you,” he spat, and spread his arms wide.
A thin streak of light opened up between his hands like a tether. With a flick of his wrist, the light unfurled, spreading into five separate whips. Four of them latched around my wrists and ankles, and the fifth one swiped the magicard from my hand before wrapping itself tightly around my neck. I watched my card, with my breath in my throat, sailing off the edge of the roof and out of sight.
Shit.
The pain I’d experienced from the magicard was nothing compared to this. Even my thick, immortal skin burned hot beneath the fierce grip of these light-constructed chains. They pulled me forward in the air, limbs spread like a star. My eyes dropped to Link, who stood frozen and petrified behind the pole. I wished that he could help me, but even if he found the courage, there was nothing he could do.
“I’m going to summon Ilfirna, the Fire Demon,” Victor said. A grin lit up his face as he watched me suffer, struggling to breathe. “When he arrives, he will be pleased to see that I brought him a Cardkeeper. Oh, I think he’ll use you for a new plaything. Do you think this hurts, little girl? You wait until you spend an eternity in the depths of hell, with nothing more than a sense of failure and a duty to this beast.”
But his words didn’t hurt. They fell off me like water off a duck’s back. I had bigger things to worry about. My strength waning, my breath came out in tiny pants as I tried to maintain it, the neck chain choking the very life from my body. With it coiled around my neck, there was nothing I could do – it was hopeless.
Until Link came into view.
I loved him for doing it, but I wished he hadn’t. It was little more than suicide, especially for him. Though he was stronger than any mortal, his bones would still snap like twigs. I watched him dash forward, teeth bared, ready to take a large bite.
Victor’s eyes widened as the teeth sank into his leg. His focus on the constructs faded, and I dropped to the floor quickly. He turned fast, swiping at Link as he ducked, dodged and dived around him, evading every lash of Victor’s light magic.
I still couldn’t move. Weakened, I struggled to regain my breath. I clambered to my feet, wavering as I took a step forward and tried to attack Victor. But it was no good. If I’d had my magicard, which was nowhere to be seen, I could have seized this opportunity to strike, leaving me with half a chance of overtaking him.
Victor seemed to give up then, turned, and saw me standing in front of him. Once more, he raised his arms to form a construct. Before I found the time to move, a large gust of purple smoke – the size of a motorcycle and as purple as his other magic – rushed at me.
It connected with my nose, knocking me backward through the air. My eyes watered at the sting, blinding me, but I could still feel my feet come off the ground. Before I knew it, I went over the edge of the roof and plummeted toward the ground. Even my body wouldn’t take that one-hundred-story impact with the concrete below.
Wind ripped at my face and hair. The yelling on the street grew louder as I picked up speed, falling faster and faster toward my premature end. It was all over for me now, and I knew it. All I could do was close my eyes and accept my fate, trying to find peace in the fact that I had tried to stop Victor Kronin – tried, but failed.
Chapter 27
I clamped my eyes shut and held my breath to prepare for impact. But the collision never came. While gravity worked so hard to drag me down, another force tugged at me from above, pulling me upward. Almost as if it wanted to help me. To save me.
The tugging on my jacket made me glance at my body. Link stood with his feet planted firmly on my stomach. Each tiny hand clutched at a side of my open jacket, rippling under the harsh force of the wind. His face strained as if he were lifting a tremendous weight and trying to haul me upward.
But we continued to fall.
Although I appreciated his determination, I didn’t want him to surrender his life just for a thin chance of saving mine. If heaven existed, I’d meet him there and give him my eternal gratitude for his sacrifice.
Still falling, a sudden, intense light blinded me. At first I didn’t know what to make of it, until I saw that it was coming from Link. The wind howled around us and people gasped from the ground below, the same ground that we were shooting toward like bullets.
“Link,” I tried to yell, but nothing came out. His face was now concealed behind a multitude of glowing lights, crawling over him like bugs. The bright orbs, each the size of a marble, swept around his little body until two thin frames appeared on his back.
He had finally earned his wings.
The two frames widened and began to flesh out into white, silky wings. They grew longer, larger, and Link had never looked more like an angel than he did at that moment. They began to flap, slowly at first, and then quickly picking up speed. His face contorted with the struggle. He screamed with pain as he continued to pull up at my jacket. We slowed down, but we’d still hit the ground too hard.
“Link,” I screamed. “Fly to safety. Save yourself!”
He shook his head and I held his body to stabilize him. As if that would help. In my panic, I’d try anything. The only good it did was serve as extra grip. I even tried to will myself to levitate, but that ability had left me as soon as I’d been stripped of my magicard. Below us, the ground seemed to be rising, growing larger by the second, rapidly approaching.
We’re not going to make it, I thought. We’re not going to–
Link yelled, lifting me as much as his petite body could muster. Only twenty feet from impact, I felt my stomach hollow out, like going over a hill too fast in a car. I slid from his grip then, and fell the rest of the way, falling, falling, until…
I hit the ground with little more than a knee-grazing thud. The speed of the impact made me roll across the grass, and I felt so lucky to have landed so far away from the sidewalk. I recovered, turning my back on the amazed civilians and soldiers. I didn’t want them to see my face.
Link landed beside me, his wings letting off a small flutter as he lowered himself gently to the ground. I ran to him, slinging my arms around him and holding him close to my chest. Never had I been so glad to see him – he had saved my life.
“Link,” I said, laughing. “You got them.”
“I guess.” He almost looked disappointed.
“What’s wrong?”
“They’re just… I mean, they’re not very masculine, are they?”
Smiling, still amazed that I had survived the fall, I crooked my head to the side. I could feel something; a strong tickling sensation in the back of my throat. I had felt it before somewhere, and as I saw it, face-down beside a nearby tree, I understood.
I set Link down and ran to the Elders’ magicard, scooping it off the floor with a big smile on my face. Victor had made a bad call by trying to kill me. Until now I had been going easy on him, keeping the card’s true power at bay.
But it was time to unleash it.
“You’re going back up there?” Link asked. He sounded surprised.
“I’m not leaving here tonight with you being the hero,” I teased. “Besides, that demon of his looked like a nightmare. We need to take Victor down before he completes the summoning. Agreed?”
Link nodded. “Agreed.”
“Then let’s go.”
I stowed the card inside my pocket and looked up toward the roof. The Elders were binding into my soul, weaving power into every cell as I shot up off the ground. As I passed each floor, I spread my hands and prepared my attack. If I could get a couple of shots in before Victor discovered me, I would have a distinct advantage.
My body swept the height of the building until I landed safely at the roof. The second I saw him, I extended my arms and fired at the evil son of a bitch. Victor’s eyes widened with shock as I shot two more blasts at him, each one stronger than those he had felt before. The red energy burned through me, and I felt my power surging more powerful than ever. It stung, seared, ached all the way through me, but
it was worth it.
Link hovered at my side, wings spread and flickering so fast that they almost looked stationary. His right arm hooked back as he hurled a handful of stones at Victor. Useless, I thought, but it was great to see him behaving like a badass.
Victor stumbled back. The portal at his feet began to close, fluctuating at first, pulsating vibrantly, and then shrinking until it no longer existed. Victor himself had his palms held out, ready to strike me with another of his destructive shots.
I wouldn’t give him the chance. I fired another, and another, each one knocking him back toward the edge of the roof. Something began to take over me, an adrenaline-fueled anger encouraging me to fight stronger, faster. Red smoke continued to explode from my palms, while wave after wave of scorching pain burned through my blood like fire in a pipe.
Link suddenly turned to me, screaming my name and telling me to stop.
Somehow, I couldn’t.
Rage consumed me as I went on, ignoring the pain that came with each surge. I fired a stream of energy at Victor, watching it tear at his chest like a laser beam. My face grew hot. My hatred took over. I could feel blood trickle from my nose. Somewhere deep inside, I knew it was no longer me – I wasn’t in control of my own actions. Not anymore.
Victor chose his moment.
His arms flew out between bursts, and a blue shield of energy appeared before him, covering him head-to-toe. My attacks hit the shield and fizzled into nothing, keeping him safe and rendering me useless. It made me lower my hands, confused for only half a second, during which he seized the moment and made his next move with those damn electric chains.
Three of them this time, each one wrapping around my neck and choking me. The power inside me retreated, leaving me and only me. The anger, remained, but my strength had vanished. I couldn’t breathe. The chains strangled me like a team of boa constrictors, pulling me toward Victor Kronin. Toward my death.
“I commend your effort,” he said. “But you won’t get another chance.” His eyes began to glow that fierce purple, and I felt his power expanding. My vision blurred and the last of my breath blew out of me. There was nothing even Link could do now – to even try would mean his own demise.
Not to mention, my own.
Chapter 28
The howling echoed through the night sky. Not one, not two, but a chorus of long, desperate cries. I couldn’t see the werewolves, but knowing they were there gave me the faith I needed to stay alive for those few extra moments.
Victor frowned, cocked his head and stared at the ground, as if to make sure that he’d heard them correctly. When the confirmation registered on his face, finally, I saw a look that I hadn’t seen in thirty years: fear.
Victor Kronin was terrified.
The first wolf burst out of the door to the stairwell, teeth bared. It dashed across the roof and pounced on Victor, loosening his electric grip around my neck, while the energy dissipated into the abyss.
I hit the ground and looked up, watching wolf after wolf pour through the door in single file, each one leaping toward their target with their claws extended. My heart jackhammered as I stood to help them, letting the magic of the Elders’ card flow through me, rejuvenating my burned flesh.
By the time my strength returned, Victor had recovered his balance. He raised a hand, letting off a blast that burned a hole through an attacking werewolf, making it slump to the ground with a whine. The first wolf – who I was almost certain was Jason – reacted, clawing at the air as Victor blew him back with a terrifying cloud of purple smoke.
I had to get in there and help.
Without my full powers, I pushed myself to my feet and stormed toward the battle. I lined up my shots with one arm, while the other burned a loop in the air around Victor’s feet, keeping him grounded like a vat of tar. I kept my other arm extended, feeling a sizzling ball of red energy pulsate through my arm with a throbbing sensation. It hit victor directly in the chest, stunning him.
“Keep at it!” Link yelled, swooping around our enemy and wrapping his arms around Victor’s head. It kept him in place while I strategized. “Go for the chest!”
Don’t have to tell me twice. I lunged forward with my scalding hands at the ready.
Another werewolf threatened Victor with ferocious bites, forcing him to keep his guard up. Two others circled him, the moonlight reflected in their eyes even through the large, purple cloud. One of them launched a sneak attack, pinning Victor to the ground. The others rushed to assist, holding down the other arm while Link flew all of his weight into the head.
My arms tingled with the pure energy. Even as Victor flooded Chaos smoke into the werewolves’ faces, they stood their ground to give me those extra seconds, to keep throttling him with my own magic… and I was going to use them.
I didn’t let up. Shot after shot blinded me as they ripped through my palms and struck his chest. The arm I’d been using to pin him could now be used as a second weapon. Victor’s body thrashed around as he took the hits. And I enjoyed it. The souls of the Elders took over, exacting their revenge on their killer. I could feel their wrath, their raw power, as I assaulted my target without relent.
The storm cloud in the sky began to dissipate, wafting into thin smoke and restoring the night to its natural dark color. Victor couldn’t move. His power had been drained. Even in the heat of battle, I grinned as I watched Link slalom around the carnage to remove the Chaos card – and two others – from Victor’s pocket, and bring them to my feet.
There would be no more magic for him. No more murder.
But that didn’t seem to stop me.
The Elders seized control now, firing a barrage of explosions into this defenseless mage’s chest. Even as the wolves howled and Link screamed his disapproval, I couldn’t help but keep at it. I couldn’t stop. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. This was no longer my war.
Pushing forward, I stopped at Victor’s feet, looking down into his sunken blue eyes, and for the first time ever… he looked weak, pathetic. “Choose your last words,” I told him.
The werewolf holding down his right arm made a grumbling noise, and his face began to shrink. Although his body remained that of a werewolf’s, Jason’s face began to emerge above the fur-coated neck. “No, Keira.”
“Shut up,” I said, focusing on my enemy.
“He’s right,” said Link, flying into the air and landing on my shoulder. “You made Lena a promise. Let Victor go. Let the wolves take care of him now.” He reached a hand up and tucked a stray wisp of hair over my ear – an attempt to calm me. A poor one.
“He deserves to die,” I said. My hand came up by itself, the red energy glowing through my skin. “He took innocent lives. He attacked the Vault. Two of the Elders were killed and you still stand there telling me to let him live?”
Silence.
Jason, lessening his grip on Victor, climbed to his feet. As he rose, his body turned back to a human’s. I couldn’t help but notice that – somehow – his pants hadn’t been ripped. Topless, he shivered in the cold as the wind toyed with his black hair.
“Keira,” he whispered as he approached. “Think of all the progress that can come with keeping your promise. Lena is counting on you to deliver. Victor will suffer – you have my word on that – but don’t undo this friendship we’re all building. Just let him go.”
The strength and emotion of his words ripped through my body. His words rang true but could I honor his request? After centuries of mages being at war with the werewolves and vampires, it would be a shame to shatter any chance at restoring faith. This was our opportunity to strike mutual trust between us.
The energy inside me dimmed. My heart rate slowed and the anger eased out of me. I took a step back, letting my hands drop to my sides. But even as Jason smiled, I still felt an ounce of the Elders’ regret remain buried somewhere deep inside. It would be my load to carry as I moved forward.
“You’ve done the right thing,” said Link.
I looked down at Victor
Kronin, watching him gasp for breath in between pathetic pleas for forgiveness. A light rain trickled in, landing cool splotches of moisture on my face. I looked up to the sky, amazed to see it revert back to its former glory, as the soft drizzle and the wind worked together to soothe me.
Still, a flood of ill thoughts chased each other through my brain; the things Victor had done, the state of the Vault. I wondered how these events would change things in the years to come, but for now, all I could do was smile and enjoy my sense of accomplishment.
I’d really done it.
The Chaos card was ours again, and the Vault was finally safe.
Chapter 29
Link proved useful, carrying the lighter of the werewolves while I took the bigger ones, so we could evacuate the tower without being seen. We glided in and landed them softly on a small patch of grass two city blocks away. But Victor… well, I “accidentally” let him slip from my hands, just as we were passing a gravel driveway. Too damn bad. I couldn’t think of a more worthy recipient for a little road rash.
In thirty minutes, we reached the sewage plant. The moment we arrived, two teenage boys stood holding the gates open for us. Link waited outside, testing his wings like a child with a brand new toy, while the rest of us went inside in search of Lena.
When we found her, her frown softened.
“You have the mage?” she asked, her face a stubborn mix of eagerness and suspicion.
I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, diverting her attention to the guys behind me. They dragged Victor in by his arms, and although he tried to put up a fight, he was no match for the wolves, even in their human forms. He squirmed like a worm on a hook.
“All right,” Lena said, nodding. “You kept your end of the bargain.”
I shrugged. “We’re not as bad as you think we are.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” She waved the guys through to the back door, whispering instructions and then sending them on their way. Victor looked over his shoulder at me, pleading forgiveness with his eyes one last time.
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