Death Magic

by Holly Hook

  But in the end, we made it to the east side of Cumberland.

  I got out the phone as the GPS read out our directions. Trish didn't seem to need them. Instead, she took shortcuts through alleys that ran between old houses and even cut through a park at one point. She knew this city in and out and had seen it being built up over the decades.

  At last, we reached Burn Lane.

  “Good name,” I muttered.

  Burn Lane was full of boarded-up houses and looked like a place fit for gangs. There was graffiti all over the place and I felt a bit nervous, even though the gangs here were likely to be Normal. Thoreau didn't have to fear them. He was the scariest thing here. I had the feeling even gangs wouldn't want to mess with the armed ATC.

  We drove. The road curved. Lawns were un-mowed and the air smelled of plywood and rot. I rolled my window down as Trish turned off the headlights.

  “Demons don't have the senses that we do,” Trish said. “That's the advantage we have. They are stronger, but their hearing is not much better than a Normal's.”

  “Good to know,” I said. That horrible dread feeling that Death and the Shadow Wraiths gave off was everywhere now, as if Death were watching me from somewhere close. Yes. This was the test I needed to do to save Xavier.

  And to bring myself one step closer to being what Thoreau wanted.

  The feeling intensified and Trish tensed next to me. I couldn't smell her blood, but if she were Normal, I knew it would be flooded with metallic fear.

  A battered mailbox emerged from the darkness.

  One six six seven.

  Trish stopped and cut the motor about a hundred feet from the box.

  “That's it,” she said, looking at the old, boarded up house. “That's where they have your mother.”

  “Supposedly,” I said. The dread feeling was stronger now. I knew that Thoreau wouldn't have moved her. He wanted me to find her. Then I would be tested.

  What if I had to kill my mother or something? I had to accept death to awaken it inside of me. Thoreau and Death would think of something twisted and sick, something that would haunt me for the rest of my life. My mother has horrified of me already and I didn't want her final living memory to be of me destroying her or anyone else, for that matter.

  Maybe a part of me was hoping to get her back.

  I shook my head.

  I had to get Mom out of there alive first. The article on Janine's phone sure hadn't mentioned that she was being held in a creepy old house.

  I almost wondered if the article had been sent just for us.

  Trish got out and left the car door open. I did the same. We couldn't afford to close them and make the noise. The engine might have done that already, but the two-story brick house remained dark and quiet as if no one were inside. Boards covered all windows and tall weeds grew alongside the building. If I didn't know better, I would have guessed that it was empty.

  “Don't be fooled,” Trish said, sniffing the air. “I smell him.”

  The breeze blew in my direction, carrying the scent of cold sewage. Thoreau was present, all right, and he was waiting in there with my mother. I had barely killed Thoreau once. It had taken Xavier and I both to do it. Now Trish and I were acting alone and I couldn't access Xavier's War Magic. Even if I could, I wouldn't risk draining his strength any further. It might hurry his turning.

  “He's going to expect us to go around to the back,” I said. It was what I would do.

  “I know,” Trish said. “We should go through the front door. Literally.” She pointed. It had a large piece of plywood—a very fresh piece—nailed to it.

  “We can pull that off,” I said. I imagined Thoreau and some of his ATC goons boarding up the door right after they had taken my mother inside. The mayor must have brought in some of his Bound goons for this. He wouldn't risk his secret getting out to the others. I would have to hurt them like I had the ones who had first broken into my house and Thoreau wouldn't care.

  “I'm ready for this,” Trish said. “We have no time to plan. We go in and we fight.”

  “You know, Trish,” I said. “You're not so bad.”

  “Neither are you,” she told me. “I thought Xavier had brought in a real Imposter, but I was wrong. Maybe you were one at first, but you're not anymore.”

  “I don't know about that,” I said. Circumstances had forced me to give that up. But maybe if I got Mom out of here and dispatched Thoreau, I could get that back...

  Trish already moved. I followed her as we walked right up the street, underneath a streetlight that wasn't working but buzzing like it was trying to come to life. There would be a battle. I knew it.

  We had no problem walking up to the front door. The faint scent of cologne mixed with sewage was here, with a tiny undertone of wood smoke.

  Trish sniffed as we faced the new piece of plywood. "Something's off here," she said. "I've never smelled a demon that has the wood smoke smell like that."

  "That's because Leon's merged with Thoreau now," I said. "We're going to have to deal with that. I'm sorry but I didn't want to say that in front of Xavier and make him feel worse."

  I waited for her to slap me across the face--I probably deserved it--but instead, she sighed. "You're right. It would have made him feel worse and might make him turn faster," Trish said. "It was a wise idea to keep that to yourself." She grabbed the edge of the plywood.

  Before I could help, she pulled the wood off the front door, which was unlocked and barely hanging on by one hinge. The sense of dread coming from this house got overwhelming. The presence of Death was here, all right, whether or not we actually saw her. So was Thoreau. I wondered if they were having a tea party or if they even had such a thing, ever.

  Trish entered the house first, almost like she was trying to protect me. Her attitude towards me had changed.

  The living room was empty of all furniture, leaving only a hardwood floor, and the nearby kitchen was clean and empty as well. The house smelled like no one had inhabited it but dust mites for several years and all the windows were boarded up, something I was thankful for. I wondered if vampires used this as a daytime hangout but there was no way to tell. It didn't show any signs of Normal gangs popping in here and partying in the place. The sense of dread was too bad to allow that. Something had kept people away.

  "I don't like this place," Trish said.

  "The only upside is the boarded up windows," I said. We entered the hall and I slowly opened a quiet door that showed an empty but carpeted bedroom. I sniffed the air but there was no sign of any Normals. I couldn't pick up Mom's scent, whatever it smelled like now. "Is there a basement?" I asked, closing the door.

  "There could be," Trish said. "I hear water dripping below us. Don't you?"

  I listened. A bird chirped outside, then flew off as if it sensed the bad vibes coming from this place.

  Trish was right. There was dripping below us. The sound was coming up through the vents. Water met stone or concrete. Drip, drip, drip. I leaned down. The vent was also where Thoreau's stench was coming through the strongest.

  "That's where we need to go," I said. "He wanted us to enter like this."

  "I know he did."

  "Then what do we do?" I asked, keeping my voice as low as I could. I wasn't sure if the mayor knew we were here yet. "This doesn't make sense. The ATC was supposed to have my mom in custody."

  Trish brought her face very close to mine. "When you live as long as I do," she said, "you learn that the media is not always truthful. That article may have had a supernatural origin if Death was sending you a test."

  "So my mother might not even be here," I said. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

  "Your test is," Trish said. "Elsina saw this too easily. Death wants you here. Whatever waits, we have to go down and face it. I'm not going to march down the basement steps because that's what Thoreau wants us to do especially since we just entered through the front door. It's time to confuse him."

  "Then how do we reach the basement
?" I asked.

  "Easy. There are always windows."

  Trish led me back outside and around the house, to a front facing glass window. I kneeled down and peeked inside the basement. It looked like any other basement--empty with a gray-painted concrete floor and a water pump on the edge--and there was no one in it. I put my face closer to the glass and felt a slight tingle on my cheek.

  "I think there are magical wards here," I said. "This basement might not be what it looks like from here."

  "I believe you're right," Trish said, taking my place and peeking inside. "I feel it. It's probably a glamour ward. Many types of Mages can do them. We will have to go inside to see what's really there." She punched and shattered the glass.

  "So much for sneaking in," I said.

  Trish was already crawling through the opening, barely fitting in her Victorian dress, but it was easier for me to go through. I gripped my sword tight as if afraid someone would snatch it and slipped through after Trish, leaving the very faint morning light behind.

  The cave smell didn't hit me until I had landed on the other side.

  Then I realized what the basement truly was.

  All of the even flooring and walls had vanished. I felt like we had entered another world, a simple stone cave with a glass window behind me and stairs that led to the house above. It was strange, but it reminded me of something: the cave underneath Beatrix's nightclub, the one with the portal Xavier and I had used.

  But this cave had no portal. It was all brownish stone and a strange, ambient glow came from nowhere and everywhere, leaving just enough light for me to see in color. The cave stretched out into the distance, curving away and hiding its secrets from view. It wasn't a huge cave--about as wide as a living room--but a breeze blew against me and I knew it was long. Thoreau's stench rode on that breeze. He was further in, waiting for us.

  "Looks like it wouldn't have mattered which way we came in," I said.

  "It's possible he doesn't know we're here," Trish said. “We need to stay quiet. Of course, his magical wards could have already alerted him.”

  The cave was longer than I thought, as if some enormous, dinosaur size worm had carved it out. Trish and I walked as quickly and quietly as we could, faster and less detectable than any Normal. I kept my sword in front of me. Every muscle in my body tensed. Soon I would be face to face with my mother. This would be meant to torment me. Thoreau and Death had reached some kind of deal. Her test and my suffering would be rolled into one.

  The cave curved...and curved...we were spiraling down into the earth itself. Trish said nothing and I didn't dare whisper. There was barely enough light for us to see in color by and it never changed. It was too much like Death's realm. Even the light was growing greener and more sickly.

  I couldn't hold back anymore. “We're leaving the regular world,” I whispered.

  Trish didn't face me. “I know we are.”

  “You've been the Death's realm before?” I asked.

  “No,” she said. “I can just feel that we're leaving.”

  I looked back, to where the rock was browner and more full of life above. The stone down the spiral was blackening and taking on that oily look. I had a feeling that if we continued down, we'd eventually fall out of the Underworld's sky and to the dusty ocean far below.

  “We're in some kind of feed tube,” I said. I wasn't sure how I knew this. “Broken dreams and hopes fall through here and end up in the Underworld. Fitting place for something like this.” I thought of the boarded up houses above, full of fading memories of families that might have once been happy there. “This might have formed on its own.”

  “I believe you, Alyssa,” Trish said. There was an air of sadness in her words. “I think that's what we have here. The neighborhood above used to be prosperous and full of children. They're all grown now and long gone. If any happy memories are dying and going below, it's theirs.”

  My test would take place somewhere below, very close to the Underworld if not in it.

  I had no choice but to continue. I thought of Xavier back in Thorne's dojo. Thoreau knew I couldn't go back now.

  The air got thicker, sadder, and more hopeless the further we went down. I was right that this cave was spiraling. Thoreau's scent got stronger and the breeze from below blew more strongly against my face, carrying with it the despair. It must be coming from Death's Underworld, from a hole in that green and black ceiling, maybe. I just hoped the mayor was enjoying it.

  And at last, we reached the end.

  It was very abrupt. The stone by now was completely black, so I almost didn't see the huge pit at the end of the cave and the faint green glow coming from below.

  But I did see the single wooden chair, probably stolen from an abandoned house, that was perched very close to the edge of the pit. It held a single occupant bound to it with rough rope. The woman was facing away from me, but I recognized her dark brown hair that she had always kept long and straight because there was nothing else she could ever do with it. It was hair I had brushed when I was very young. It was hair that smelled like expensive shampoo when Mom used to hug me. Only now could I pick up her scent.

  That was before Hannah.

  Before my life shattered.

  I froze. Mom was perched there, still, looking down into the greenish underworld far below. Her hair ruffled in the wind. It looked as if someone was about to push her over the edge. A muffled sob escaped. She was waiting for her executioner.

  Mom had no idea that the two of us were here.

  She must have known what I'd done to the librarian. It was on the news for sure. She must have learned that Xavier and I had escaped the airport and were in the company of a werewolf. But I had to get her out of there. She was very close to the edge--so close, in fact, that a powerful sneeze might send her tilting over the edge. I could smell her fear now. It was metallic like that of all Normals and she had eaten a fudge sundae not too long ago, probably right after dinner.

  Trish held up a hand, warning me not to do anything.

  I remained still. This screamed trap more than anything.

  "Why, I'm glad you could make it here too, Alyssa," Thoreau said from the darkness.

  I wasn't sure where he was at first, but then I spotted him standing in the darkness on the other side of the pit. He stepped around the terrifying opening. He was in full human form, sunglasses gone, eyes flaming with the magic of the Infernal Dimension. Leon wasn't showing any signs right now. Thoreau winced a bit as he walked around the hole--it seemed that even he didn't like the despair that Death's underworld was giving off--and he placed one hand on the back of Mom's chair, facing us. He could tip it any second and I may not be able to stop him.

  Mom cried out as the back legs of her chair came up and went back down again. I tensed, terror exploding inside of me.

  "Stop it right now," I said.

  "Alyssa?" Mom asked. Her voice was muffled. There was a cloth gag around her mouth. I couldn't see it through her hair, but I was aware of it now.

  "I'm here," I said.

  She whimpered and went silent. It might be because of Thoreau. It might be because she was facing me again.

  "I take it you are ready to undergo Death's test?" the mayor asked. "She is not here in human form, but she is very close, watching and waiting to see if you earn access to your own inner Death. We stand directly above her realm. There are plenty of places in the ordinary world that lead there. You happened to find one of the many Cumberland entrances."

  "What do you want me to do?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice level.

  "Free your mother, of course," Thoreau said. He was alone. Another check of the darkness on the other side of the pit confirmed that. There was only a stone wall there, as dark as the rest of the cave and reflecting the faintest green glow from the pit.

  "That's all?" I asked. "What does this test have to do with accepting death?" I had a few horrible ideas. Death was about more than the physical kind but it could be that, too.

 
My mother was whimpering now and trying in vain to scoot the chair back, but Thoreau had perched her so she was facing downhill and he kept his hand on the back of her chair, preventing her from moving away. Her metallic terror competed with Thoreau's stench. My chest ached with what she must be feeling.

  "Alyssa!" Mom shouted. It sounded more like Alice behind the gag.

  "Don't worry," I said, shaking. My limbs turned rubbery. My stomach growled. I was ready to fight even if I couldn't feed off Thoreau. "I'm going to get you out of there. I won't let him push you off the edge."

  My words did nothing to comfort her. She squirmed, trying to free her arms from the ropes that kept her bound to the back of the chair. She kicked her free legs. I had just reminded her of her possible fate.

  Thoreau smiled. "I see you've brought a helper," he said. "It must be terrible, going without your battle partner. Like a part of you is missing or lost forever, similar to all the things rotting in the dust below us. Your mother would survive the fall into the abyss, but only to sink into the ocean below and slowly suffocate. I've sent people there before. Enemies. Uncooperative Abnormals that my ATC has rounded up. Death and I have a deal, the same way some countries have a deal to accept each other's trash."

  "What's your condition?" I asked. I knew what it was like to sink into that sand and the mayor knew it.

  "I have no condition," Thoreau said. "All you have to do is prevent me from pushing your mother over the edge. Do so in whatever way you can." The flames in his eyes danced, sly and dangerous.

  "It's a trick," Trish said. "If a politician's mouth is open, they're lying."

  Thoreau cracked a smile at her. "This is one case where no, I am not lying," he assured her. Then he faced me. "This is Death's test for you. Do what you need to stop me from pushing your mother over the edge."