by Linsey Hall
“How does it work?” I asked.
“It’s a combination spell. One that freezes the victims before sucking out their magic. It appears as a dome of dark smoke. Once trapped by this smoke, you cannot move.”
Recognition tugged at me. Oh no.
“It is all powered by a magical power source and conduit. This is what allows him to take the magic for his own. But one must have enormous power to put this plan into motion, as well as have the power source and conduit.”
“What do you mean by power source and conduit?” Ares asked.
“There are many things that could work. Ancient artifacts imbued with great magic, for one. You will have to find what he is using to understand. Oftentimes, it’s hidden near the magical dome that freezes the victims. It has to be, to funnel the power.”
Magical dome that freezes the victims. Understanding dawned, dark and horrible in my mind. “He’s stealing the magic from the people of Elesius.”
Everyone’s head turned toward me.
“What do you mean?” Del asked.
My heart thundered in my ears, blood rushing through my veins. “That’s what he’s doing to my village. He isn’t just freezing them. It’s not just a ploy to catch us. It’s to take their magic.”
I dragged in a ragged breath, so appalled I almost couldn’t fathom it. Losing ones magic was like losing one’s soul. It was enough that I had taken all the plant magic. This spell would steal the magic of the individuals as well, leaving them as half the people they had once been. It would leave a gaping hole that would feel like part of their soul had been stolen.
“This is your home village?” Hildr asked.
I nodded. “Two days ago, I went to visit and found a smoky black dome like the one you are speaking of. I think he’s doing exactly what you say.”
“That is very possible. And he may be trying to weaken you. Your magic comes from Elesius. If he steals it all, then you would be left with so much less.”
“I thought I’d already taken all the magic from Elesius. The plants there are so dead.”
Hildr shook her head. “The whole place is tied to you. If he succeeds, it will hurt you as well.”
I scowled. “That bastard is efficient.”
“And intelligent. And evil. You must defeat him. You and Drakon were meant to clash. You are the last defense for the dragons, but you are also the tool by which they can be destroyed.”
“How will he use us to destroy the dragons?” I asked.
“It is related to stealing their power, but the details…I do not know. Nor do I know exactly how you are meant to save them other than keeping him from stealing their power. But you have a weapon to help you.”
“I do.” I withdrew the sword from the sheath at my back. “It was given to me by Laima, the Latvian goddess of faith.”
A smile stretched across Hildr’s face. “I know Laima well. It’s been a millennia since we’ve spoken, but we were friends once.” She inspected my blade with keen eyes. “You will use that to destroy the threat to your village. It is a cancer that must be destroyed from the inside, and only that blade can manage the task.”
“What do you mean, a cancer from inside?”
“Only that. You will know when you see it.”
Oh, man. That was clear as mud. “Is there anything else that you can tell us? Where are the dragons?”
“They are resting in the tallest mountain in Norway. High above the clouds and deep below the magma.”
“What does that mean?”
“That is all that I can share. Fate be with you, Phoenix Knight. We are depending upon you. What the Valkyries started, you must finish.”
No pressure. My mind raced for more questions. But the air shimmered and Hildr disappeared, leaving me with no one to ask.
We had to climb down the mountain in the dark because Ares’s transportation magic wouldn’t work near the ancient stave church. No wonder—I couldn’t imagine the Valkyries wanting people to pop out of nowhere with no warning. I just hoped we wouldn’t have to go all the way back to the entrance of the fjord. The glow from Ares’s hands lit the way down, gleaming on the snow. Wind whipped past us, howling in the dark. It was an eerie trek, and I sighed with relief when we reached the bottom.
I shivered and turned to Ares. “Will your magic work here?”
“I think so.” He held out his hand, and I took it.
“I’ll wait with Roarke,” Del said.
Ares nodded, then called upon his magic. The ether sucked us in, and gratitude welled in me. Thank fates we didn’t have to make our way back across this treacherous land.
The afternoon sun shined high overhead when we reached Magic’s Bend. Though there was a winter bite in the air, it was nothing compared to the whistling cold of the Norwegian winter. It was nearly balmy here.
I sagged, relieved to be home. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime.” He grinned. “Be right back.”
“I’ll meet you at P & P.”
He disappeared and I walked down the street toward P & P, hoping my favorite chair would be empty. The golden warmth of the cafe welcomed me as I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Music played on the speakers. Ghoston Road, I thought Connor had once called it. As usual, my chair was empty. I suspected that Connor or Claire had enchanted it. They were cool like that.
Connor looked up from behind the counter and grinned. “Any luck?”
“Some.” I didn’t say more since there were a few patrons on the other side of the cafe, enjoying coffee and their books.
“What’ll you have?” Connor asked.
“A double-boosted latte and whatever you have with cheese.”
“Cheese quiche and a latte coming right up.”
“Thank you. You’re a hero.” I tugged off my jacket and collapsed into my favorite seat, leaning my head back against the chair. Though I didn’t normally experience jetlag from my cross-world jaunts, this time I was ready for bed. And it was only three in the afternoon. There would not be time for that, however.
Sighing, I pressed my fingertips to the comms charm at my neck. “Cass, you there?”
“Yeah, where are you? We should talk.”
“P & P.”
“Cool. We’ll be there soon.”
I cut the connection just as the door swung open and cool air rushed in. Ares, Del, and Roarke entered, making a beeline for me. They tugged off their jackets and sat.
Connor came over, carrying a tray with my quiche and latte. He smiled at the newcomers. “Hey, guys, what’ll it be?”
I ate quickly while they ordered, ravenous. Connor wrote down their requests and left.
“Cass and Aidan will be here soon. We can do a recap,” I said.
The door opened at that moment, and Cass and Aidan walked in, hair disheveled and foreheads slightly bruised.
“What happened to you guys?” I asked.
Cass flopped into a seat, shoving her red hair back from her battered face. “Well, we slammed into some kind of magical wall while looking for Alton.”
I frowned. “That’s not good.”
“Nope.” Cass shook her head. “When I transported, I couldn’t get there. Slammed right into a wall.”
“That’s strange. Do you have any idea why?” Ares asked.
“Protection charm of some sort, we think,” Aidan said. “Though I’ve never seen the likes of it.”
“Which means it’s freaking rare.” I frowned. If it was security related, Aidan would know.
“We’ll figure it out,” Cass said. “What about you. How did Norway go?”
Del chuckled. “About how you’d expect Norway to go. Everything was bigger than life, including the magic. And it was cold.”
“It’s been a long two days,” I said. “But we did get to meet a Valkyrie.”
Cass grinned. “Very badass. They’re super rare.”
“Yeah. She was awesome. Though the news she shared was not.” My stomach turned, thinking of my village.
I explained everything that Hildr had told us, down to the last detail.
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry about your village,” Cass said.
“Don’t be. We’ll save them,” I said. “We just have to find that power source and the conduit. And Alton. We can’t forget about him.”
“This is the worst timing,” Del said. “We need all our forces on Nix’s problem, but we can’t ditch a friend.”
“Definitely not,” I said. “The FireSouls have always come to our aid.”
“Which means we now need to divvy up our resources and come up with a plan,” Ares said.
I leaned back in my chair, sipping my latte. What to do first? I looked at Cass. “Why don’t you try taking me and Del to the place where you think Alton is? Maybe we’ll be able to recognize something.”
“Sure. Though I suggest a hockey mask.”
I grinned, then stood. “Let’s do it now.”
Cass nodded and joined me. Del stood as well. I glanced at everyone else. “We’ll be right back.”
I reached for Cass’s hand. Del wrapped her arm around Cass’s waist so that Cass could cover her face with her arm. Del and I mirrored the movement, and Cass dragged us into the ether.
I slammed into something hard and fell on my butt. As I got my wits about me, something familiar tugged. I opened my eyes to see the familiar dark grey dome that covered Elesius. “Crap.”
I turned, looking for Cass and Del. They were climbing to their feet.
Cass’s eyes were wide. “We didn’t see this before. We just slammed into a barrier and were spat back out into Magic’s Bend.” She approached the barrier, lifting a hand.
“Don’t!” I grabbed her shoulder. “That’s the barrier that’s freezing Elesius.”
Cass turned to me. “This is your home?”
“Yeah.”
“No wonder we couldn’t make it before. We couldn’t cross over the barrier into Elesius when we tried to find you last week.”
Del nodded, understanding glinting in her eyes. “But we can at least come here now because we’re with Nix. And we’re on the outskirts.”
I searched the woods, the familiar huge trees towering around me. These weren’t dead like the ones in Elesius, though they didn’t look as healthy as normal trees. We were in the forest, away from town. The dome was huge, covering not just the city but the surrounding terrain as well.
“So Alton is somewhere in this forest,” I said.
“But why?” Cass asked.
“I have no idea.” I shivered, not liking that this was all part of the same terrible plot. “But it’s no coincidence.”
“Nope.” Cass frowned. “We need to get started on our search, but this area is huge. I don’t feel him nearby.”
“Neither do I. My dragon sense feels weird. Scrambled, almost.”
“Do you think it’s the magic in the dome?” Del asked.
“Could be. Something is way wrong with this forest. Can you guys feel it?” I asked.
“Yeah, feels dark.” Del spun around, eyes wide. “Did you hear that?”
The trees rustled. Hair stood up on my arms. A shadow darted amongst the trees twenty meters away, coming closer. To my left, thudding footsteps sounded. They were fast, and it was more of a gallop than that of a person walking. My eyes darted frantically, searching for both threats. I caught sight of the massive four-legged beast to the right. It had huge horns and looked a bit like a wild pig. A Boarhunde. To the left, a shadowy dark figure raced through the trees, white fangs gleaming in the dark. I’d never seen his kind before. And I didn’t want to see any more. Both charged toward us, coming from different directions.
I raced toward Cass. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Hell, yeah.” She grabbed Del and me, gripping tightly.
The ether sucked us in, throwing us across space. We stepped out in Magic’s Bend, right in front of P & P. I sagged.
Del looked at us, eyes wide. “What the hell were those things?”
“Monsters of some kind.” I drew in a shuddery breath.
“Did you know they lived near your town?” Cass asked.
“I had no idea.”
We hurried into P & P. Ares, Aidan, and Roarke all stood, concern creasing their brows.
“You look like you saw a ghost,” Ares said.
“More like monsters.” I described what I’d seen, the enormous creature that had looked like a giant boar with massive horns and the shadowy creature that had looked like a nightmare version of a vampire.
“Hmmm.” Ares rubbed his jaw and sat.
We all followed suit. My breathing was finally starting to calm.
“So this means that Alton is somewhere on the outskirts of your village. Which is no coincidence,” Ares said.
“Exactly. Drakon has something to do with his abduction,” I said.
“And we have to search the perimeter, but there are monsters,” Cass said.
“A security measure, perhaps,” Aidan said. “To make it difficult to find and interfere with what Drakon has planned.”
“Makes sense.” I leaned back in my chair, thinking. “We can’t search on foot. We’ll be too slow. We need off-roading vehicles.”
“None of yours will work, then,” Cass said.
“No.” Mine were road-only, sports cars built for speed and not crazy terrain. “But I do know a couple people who could help.”
Ares’s gaze met mine. “Bree and Ana, from Death Valley?”
“Exactly. Their vehicles are built for rough terrain, and they’ve got the skills.”
“Do you have the magic to transport the vehicles there, though?” Ares asked.
I nodded. I hadn’t yet shown him my trove, or the cars that were on the roof of the factory building, but I knew a guy who could transport large objects like that. “We have to go find them.”
“Do you think they’d do it?” Cass asked.
I thought about the tough, danger-loving girls who reminded me so much of Cass, Del, and me. “For the right price, yeah.”
Chapter Eleven
Ares and I transported directly to Death Valley Junction. The sun blazed overhead, warm and bright in the late afternoon. We arrived in the same place we had before, but at least we knew where we were going. As it had been before, it was quiet on the main road, people staying out of the sun during the heat of the day.
“Here’s hoping they aren’t out in the valley,” Ares said as we set off down the street.
“Seriously.” We passed by the old wooden saloons and the buggies parked in the alleys. It was the presence of the crazy cars that modernized the place a bit. Otherwise, I’d expect John Wayne to come strolling out the swinging doors of Death’s Door Saloon.
As we neared the end of the main street, approaching the road where Bree and Ana lived, I noticed a figure standing close to the corner of a building, using the cover to spy on Bree and Ana’s house. I nudged Ares in the side and pointed.
He studied the man, frowning, then murmured, “Suspicious.”
“My thoughts exactly.” That guy had stalker written all over him—but skilled, dangerous stalker. He wasn’t the fumbling sort who was obsessed with a pretty girl.
I walked closer to his side of the street, approaching him. I didn’t know what I planned to do when I reached him, but I wanted to get a better look. Maybe get a feel for his magical signature and figure out what the hell he was.
He stiffened, seeming to sense my approach, then vanished without turning around.
“He didn’t want me to see his face,” I said.
“Yeah. And he was hiding his magical signature.”
I nodded. A complete lack of magical signature was rare, unless this guy was a human or an extremely powerful supernatural. And he was definitely no human.
We continued past the turn and saw Ana and Bree’s house. Fortunately, their buggy was out front. The curtains by the front window twitched. They were watching.
I waved.
The door swung open
a moment later, and Bree propped herself against the doorjamb. Her dark hair gleamed in the light, and she wore the same style strappy leather top that was very Mad Max chic.
“Don’t tell me you want another ride across the valley.”
“No.” I approached. “But we do need your help.”
She jerked her head back toward the interior of the house. “Come on in.”
We followed her into the small, dark space. It was totally run-down, with very sparse, ragged furniture and window cracks covered with duct tape. Given what these girls charged for a ride across the valley, they couldn’t be this broke. Even their buggy couldn’t eat up all the money they made.
No way I’d be asking about it, though, since I certainly didn’t want anyone asking where I put all the money I made from my shop.
Bree led us toward the small Formica table in the kitchen, shouting out toward the back of the house, “Ana! Get out here!”
We sat, and I looked at Bree. “There was a man watching your house.”
She twitched, eyes nervous. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Don’t know what he was, but he could transport.”
She shifted, clearly nervous but trying to hide it. Too young. In a few years, she’d be better at it. Cass, Nix, and I had only really gotten our poker faces after years of practice.
“Do you have a stalker?” Ares asked.
“Not that I’d tell you about.” Her face closed up.
“Who’s poking in our business?” Ana’s voice came from behind.
She entered the kitchen, wearing a similar outfit to Bree’s. Her blonde hair was no longer in a mohawk, but rather swept to the side in an artful disarray.
“Hi, Ana.” I waved. “Not poking, just trying to help.”
“We don’t need help.”
I shrugged, knowing when to let a bone go. “How about a job, then?”
Her eyes sharpened and she sat. “What kind of job?”
“We need you and your buggy to take us through a forest that is protected by monsters.”
“Why?” she asked.