“Bro, you do realize if this was a horror movie, running toward the danger is bad, right?”
I chose to ignore Marcus. Sure, running into the face of danger was bad in movies, but it seemed to be what we did for a living. If that got us one step closer to home, then I was all for it. “April, if you thought that was sweet, why don’t you go first?”
April’s fist cracked into my bruised ribs hard, and I fell to the ground, gasping. “Serves you right.”
Marcus couldn’t stop from chuckling as he helped me up. I felt the warm touch of his magic as he healed the damage to my ribs. “Damn, dude, that thing really did a number on you.”
“Well, you guys can take the next one.”
April shot me a glare, and Marcus started laughing again. “I’d be careful, man. She might hit you again.”
“Worth it,” I grumbled.
April flashed a quick grin and leaned into me. All of us sat there looking at the cave for a few moments before we started forward. As much as I didn’t want to go into the cave, I never wanted to have to do this again. That meant it was time to man up and find out just what being swallowed by the earth felt like.
CHAPTER 16
ADAM
When she walked into my office, I could tell that she was nervous. That was good; she should be nervous. Her actions were traitorous against the Ascendancy. If I hadn’t thought we could use her to find out more information about what Stillman was doing, then she would have disappeared as soon as I found out about her betrayal.
Now that point was moot, because Jackson had informed me that he was not going to use her and that she knew I was aware of her actions. What he didn’t understand was the kind of position that put her in. By all rights, she should be dead, but for some reason, Jackson was still attached to her. He had taken the high road, something more of us should aspire to, and that was the only reason Britta was in my office now.
I watched her as she sat down, letting her nerves do the work of breaking down any resistance she had toward me. There wasn’t much to say. She had betrayed all of us by feeding information to Stillman, and if I couldn’t kill her, then I needed to send her away. Unless she had something for me, that was all I could do. Jackson would have to understand that in sending her away, I also spared her life.
She squirmed a bit under my gaze, which was exactly the type of reaction I was looking for before we got started. “You know why you’re here?”
She looked down and nodded. “Because you know that I gave Stillman information on Jackson.”
“And you know the penalty for betraying the Ascendancy is death?”
“I do.”
I slammed my hand down on the desk, making her jump. “Then why did you do it!” Jackson had told me about her family, but before I could just take his word for it, I needed to hear it from her. I wanted to look her in the eyes when she told me about them and see if I could discern the truth from her lies. If I thought she was lying, the conversation was over.
“He’s keeping my family. He said if I didn’t do what he asked, they would be tossed out into the street.”
“So he is holding them hostage.”
“Not exactly.” She squirmed.
“Then explain it to me.”
“You have to understand my parents are proud people; our family name goes back for generations. We have a history of being wealthy and powerful. When the market collapsed, my parents lost everything. We were out on the street with nowhere to turn until Stillman took us in.”
“Go on.”
“He gave us a house and money. In return, he gained access to my parents’ contacts. He had me go on a few jobs with him, which is why Sarafina recognized me. So while my parents are free to come and go, they are very much prisoners. He said if I didn’t get him the information on Jackson, he would toss them out, that he had no further use for us.”
“Your parents by all accounts are industrious people. It seems to me they could find a way to make a living without his help.”
“They could, but they are too proud to admit that they made a mistake. With Stillman’s money and influence, it’s like nothing ever happened. Jackson seemed to think that we could work something out, but I know that we can’t. As long as he has my parents, I’m a risk to you and everyone here.”
She lowered her eyes to the ground but stayed leaning forward and alert. What she said was true; she was a risk to us as long as she stayed. Her honesty won her some points in my book. I could send her away into Stillman’s clutches, but that was a risk as well. He would garner whatever information they had to give, and then their use to him was at an end. Normally I would say that it served them right for betraying us, but Jackson asked me to do more.
He was right; we had to be able to do more to unite our people. The risk was there; we would be bringing three more vipers into our nest if we did this. There was no way to guarantee that her family even wanted to leave. Jackson wanted to do the right thing, and tossing Britta out wouldn’t win us any points with him. Despite how he felt now, his future was very much in flux. He could still end up being the destroyer instead of the redeemer. The actions I took now could very well push him to one side or the other.
“We will collect your family if they wish to come.”
Britta looked up with disbelief etched across her face. “What?”
I knew exactly how she felt. I almost couldn’t believe the words had tumbled from my mouth. Once they were out, though, they felt right, as if I should have made this decision long ago. Britta smiled, and tears leaked from her eyes. She had come here expecting to die and instead was presented with the possibility of reuniting her family.
“I will need to know everything about where they are and what to expect. When the time comes, you can be a member of the team that is sent to retrieve them.” She looked so happy that I almost didn’t want to say the next part. “We will not force them to leave; they must come willingly.”
“They will. I promise you they will.”
I had my doubts. It seemed as if the trappings of wealth and power meant more to them than the wellbeing of their daughter. Here they would have to give up all of that, and that alone might be too much for them to bear. Being humbled in such a way was never easy for people, even when it meant losing part of their family if they couldn’t do it.
Britta was still watching me as if we would be springing into action this second. “Please go and sit with Henry. Tell him everything that you know, and when we are ready to act, I will call for you.”
“Thank you so much. I’m in your debt.”
“Just remember that your debt actually belongs to Jackson. Without his intervention, your punishment would have been swift and final.”
That seemed to sober her a little bit as she stood and gave me a tiny bow before heading out of the door. Henry would take all of the information she could provide on their location, and then we would get eyes on the targets. After some reconnaissance, it would be time to act. Either they would come or they wouldn’t. Only time would tell.
As Britta walked out of the door, the first seeds of doubt started to flicker across my mind. Was I making the right choice? Or the easy one? Could it be that I was putting us all at risk for one life? It was important that Jackson had all of the support he needed to be on the right side of things when this ended, but would we reach the end if I based all my choices off of his needs?
The desk chair creaked as I leaned back, pondering what was going to happen from here. There was still time to change things if I needed to. The wooden pipe felt just right as I held the stem with my teeth. Flicking a finger, I lit the contents and inhaled deeply. Clarity washed over my thoughts, and I drifted away.
CHAPTER 17
JACKSON
The cave had one thing going for it over the last cavern I had been in today. It was big. In fact, I would say that it was huge. The rock monster it sheltered had to have been close to twelve feet tall, so the cave it emerged from was taller and wider. I gue
ss that didn’t mean it would stay that way forever, but for now, it was a nice change of pace.
What wasn’t nice was the warm air that continued to wash over us from further into the cave. It felt as if I was walking into a blow-dryer set on high. My eyes had stopped watering, and now I was struggling to keep them open against the continuous drafts of hot air. The sweat on my skin dried almost instantly. We passed a bottle of water back and forth as we continued to descend.
So far the cave seemed to be progressing downward at a pretty slow interval. The incline wasn’t steep enough to cause us any major problems, although periodically the incline seemed to be increasing. All of us were still suffering minor effects from the tiki’s poison, but every hour that passed, the effects seemed to lessen. Who would have thought that those weird little creatures would pack such a punch?
It just reminded me that I had been neglecting some of my magic. Healing had never been a priority for me, but I needed to make it one, even if it was just to master more of the basics. When it came to magic, I tended to rely too heavily on Marcus, but with him out of the fight, I almost lost my friends.
April also took the cake when it came to defensive magic and martial prowess. As much as I wanted to be able to rely on her, I had to train harder in case something like this happened again. It was a good wake-up call to the reality of our lifestyle. At some point, all of us might not be together for something, and we would have to overcome things alone. As much as I hated the thought, I needed to consider it. This was something that would relight the fire under me and get me back into training with the intensity that I needed to have.
The cave continued to move downward, but now it was spiraling. The incline grew a little bit steeper, and the hot air blowing toward us was warmer than before. Marcus whispered something, and a wave of fresh cool air washed over us. I could see the shimmering outline of the shield he had placed in front of us. Somehow it was cooling the air as it passed through it, making it bearable to continue.
“That feels good,” April said.
“Yeah, man, total lifesaver.”
“Thanks, guys. I’ve been trying to think of something for the last hour or so but couldn’t put my finger on it until right now.”
“Well, you nailed it.” I held out my fist for a bump.
Marcus bumped me back. “The best part is the hot air is maintaining the spell. The spell siphons off the heat to keep the shield up and then lets the cool air through.”
“That’s brilliant,” April said, holding out her fist.
Marcus bumped her back and then motioned for us to stop. “I’m not sure about the two of you, but I could use a few minutes to relax.”
“Good idea. Let’s break out the rest of those PowerBars and some water. We can rest for a bit, but then we have to keep going. I’m not sure why, but I get the feeling that Adam needs us.”
“How are you holding up, babe? You’re the only one of us that didn’t get any real sleep.”
“I’m doing all right. I just want to reach the end of this thing and get home.”
“I hear you, bro. All I want right now is a bath. I don’t know if it was the water or the tiki dart, but I’m smelling pretty ripe.”
“True story,” I said.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, bro, but you’re no rose either.”
“I guess that just leaves you, April.” I leaned in to give her a sniff, and she shoved me away.
“Let’s all just pretend that I still smell fine.”
We got a good chuckle out of that as we climbed back to our feet. The tunnel continued to spiral downward, almost making me long for the scenery of the island, or even the depths of the eel-infested water. Just anything besides the endless smooth walls of the cave we were in now. Even though the giant eels had tried to eat us, at least we had something to look at. Here, it was the same fifteen-ish foot circle over and over again. Always moving steadily down.
Five hours into our descent, and the cave started to widen slightly. After another hour, the tunnel branched into two paths. One continued downward, and the other straight. I moved us into the tunnel that continued down, and realized that the air was no longer washing over us. Whatever the source of heat was, it had been straight ahead.
Now was the perfect time to see if the scroll had any additional insights. I unrolled the paper, and almost all of the wording was gone except for the line “Only then will your faith be tested.” I read it again and tucked the scroll away.
“Looks like we are on the final leg of our journey. Our faith is about to get tested.”
“Does that sound not fun to anyone else?” April asked.
“I’d agree with that,” Marcus said. “We might as well get it over with.”
Nodding to the group, I started to move forward slowly. The cave continued downward for a few more spirals, and then it opened into a huge cavern. Stalactites hung from the roof of the cavern. After facing the golem, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of them as teeth. The wide, flat floor continued in front of us for a few hundred yards. At the end of the path, I could just make out a figure waiting next to a stone table.
Who could be down here? It wasn’t as if there was a great abundance of food down here, or anywhere on the island, really. Maybe he liked the taste of tiki. Whatever or whomever it was had to be the final test. I felt a wave of nervousness crash over me. I crushed it down relentlessly. Now was not the time to waver or give up. We needed whatever was ahead to help defeat the demons. If I was the only one who could read the scroll, then it was up to me to pass the test. This was the moment we had been waiting for. It was all or nothing.
Marcus’s magic burst to life around us as we drew closer to the figure. April pulled out her swords. They looked ready to go to war, but still, I didn’t see anything that would warrant that. As we drew closer, all I could make out was the hunched-over figure of an old man. He wasn’t making any kind of gesture that I would consider threatening.
I reached out and touched April’s arm. She seemed to jerk for a moment when I made contact, almost as if some kind of electric current had jumped between us. “The swords are a little much, don’t you think?”
She stopped walking and looked down the corridor and then back at me. “That’s not what I saw a moment ago. It was a demon, and it had my baby brother.”
“What are you guys talking about? It’s not a demon; it’s a bunch of vampires. They picked the wrong mage to fuck with today.”
April sheathed her swords, and I let go of her for a second so I could move to stand between Marcus and April. I’m not sure why whatever enchantment that was being cast didn’t affect me, but all I had ever seen was the same old man. I took Marcus’s arm in my other hand and felt the same jolt. He was shaking his head as if to clear it as we walked forward. He tossed me a quick look that said what the fuck? I shook my head back at him. I had no idea what was going on.
When we reached the old man, the strong voice of a younger man greeted us from under his hood. “You can let go of your friends now. I’ve stopped the enchantment.”
Letting go of my friends’ arms, I asked, “What was the point of the spell, anyway?”
“Those who seek to pass the final test must be worthy. Their worth is further tested by the spell I just cast. If they fall victim to it, they are transported out of the cavern and won’t be able to enter it again. It’s a test of your soul.”
“And what makes my soul less worthy?” Marcus asked.
“I have no idea. My master set the spell and the guidelines in his journal. I only followed them. If it’s any consolation, the same spell would have worked on me.”
“And just who are you?” April asked. She had her hand on her hip, and I could tell that she wasn’t buying into his speech. To be fair, she probably hated that the spell had been able to penetrate her defensive magic, as much as she distrusted the man before us.
“It’s been a long time since anyone has cared enough to ask for my name. You may call me Bri
stow.”
“No way,” I said. It couldn’t be. Bristow from the story Adam gave me. He would have been a thousand years old. I knew that we could live for a long time, but still hearing about it and having a book come to life in front of you were two different things. I mean, Adam was reported to be in that same age group, but I was never really sure.
“What? You’ve heard of this guy?” Marcus said.
“Yeah, Adam gave me a book about him. He is the one that wrote the scroll.”
“No way,” April said.
“I’m afraid it’s true, young lady.” He removed his hood. “I am the keeper of the demon stone, and only one who is deemed worthy may remove it.”
He looked younger than I would have expected, and yet his age matched his voice. I would have put him at closer to being under fifty than over it. He had a beard and a scar from his left eye down to his cheek. That would have been from his battle before he stabbed the archfiend. Too many things were adding up for his story not to be true.
“How does one become deemed worthy?” I asked. From his previous comments, not many people made it this far, and few, if any, had made it past the illusion.
“There is one final test, but it is for you and you alone. Your friends must wait outside.”
“Not going to happen,” April stated, moving closer to me.
“No chance in hell, bro,” Marcus added, moving in closer to my other side.
The man in front of me looked calm, as if he had seen all of this before. With a wave of his hand, my friends simply ceased to exist. Before I even registered what had happened, one of my swords found its way into my hands, and the tip pointed at Bristow’s throat. To his credit, he didn’t move away from the razor-sharp blade. The time for niceties was over. He had some explaining to do.
“Your friends are waiting for you at the clearing where you started your journey. They will be fine.”
I kept the sword pointed at his throat. “You could have simply explained what you were going to do.”
“I find it hard to explain myself after centuries of testing the unworthy.”
Demon Stone (Ascendancy Legacy 4) Page 14