by K. F. Breene
“I liked you a lot better when you were being helpful.” I unslung my backpack and put it down beside the flap. Hopefully speaking English, I said, “Grab this as soon as I go through the flap. Wait until the first roar to follow me in. This demon’s able to carry things telekinetically, so I doubt anyone will question the backpack flying. Just make sure to get it before someone else grabs it.”
Reagan… He was pleading.
“Do you wish to remove that… What is it called?” Three Fists asked, pointing. “Fanny belt, yes?”
“Really? Even here?” I rolled my eyes. “It is a pouch, for fuck’s sake.”
“I was summoned for months at a time by a group of disgusting humans who wore them. I know the slang used by you vile humans.”
“You’re putting on blood sport, and you’re calling humans vile?” I rolled my shoulders and thought about opening my pouch. “Does magic work down here?”
“Of course. You are not the first offspring of a mage who summoned a demon for pleasure.”
“Gross. You know, I didn’t get this hostility earlier. This is a different side of you. Your grumpiness is showing. Are you tired?” I glanced in my pouch, making sure I remembered what all the various colors meant.
“Enough stalling. I will enjoy watching you die, greedy, disgusting human.”
“You guys are really disgruntled about the whole double-time situation,” I muttered.
Three Fists pushed through the flap and then held it open with its hand, watching to make sure I followed. I did so with a straight back and raised chin. Adrenaline pumped in time with my heart. Rage pumped in time with the music.
The crowd shifted in impatience. They banged on their seats or whatever they had at their disposal as I stepped onto the performance circle. A large demon decked out in a clown suit sat in a box I hadn’t noticed off to my right. I felt a protective wall of air draping down in front of it.
Even from the distance, I felt the pulse of that demon’s power. It was even stronger than Agnon, the lower level five from Seattle. It called to my ice magic, expanding it throughout my body. Unlike before, my fire magic rose as well, already more powerful than normal from being in the underworld.
I felt obscenely powerful. I felt alive.
I bowed, a grand gesture that felt right.
“A human,” the clown said, leaning back. “Interesting. We haven’t seen one of you since the Great Master enhanced the fog near the river. Your maker must’ve had substantial power. I can almost feel it. Who was it, tell me?”
That clenched it. Darius’s suit did deaden the feel of my power. Maybe I’d remember to thank him if I ever got over this whole circus situation.
“I don’t know,” I said with a flourish, playing to the crowd. “He was a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy.”
“Hmm. Well. Please continue.” He waved his gloved hand, and it was then I felt the presence behind me.
I turned and the first thing I thought was, I’m going to blow my cover.
Chapter Nineteen
It wasn’t a creature I could’ve expected. Not at all.
I had no idea how I’d missed it upon first entering the arena. My suspicion was that I had intentionally blocked it out.
Because it was a freaking dragon.
A dragon!
I wasn’t sure if it was using that shape because it was massive and terrifying, or if it was actually the mythological creature. Being that unicorns were real, I had my suspicions.
Its scaly hide glittered and sparkled when it moved, like a writhing rainbow. With the lights shining down on it, throwing color around the room, I now understood the reason for the black-and-white decor. Heck, even for the color outside. This great beast was the attraction, and Clown Demon over there was hamming it up.
Great wings topped with hooked claws tucked against its sides. The large hind legs indicated its ability to launch into the sky, and the small front legs would probably soon be swinging at me, trying to rip me apart with the clawed ends. A great tail curved around it, the end spiked like a Brink dinosaur.
The thing took up a quarter of the performance area. All it had to do was stomp around and hope it squashed me.
Again. How in holy Hades had I not noticed it immediately?
“I bet my sword doesn’t do a great job of piercing that hide,” I muttered, reaching into my pack. “Well, then. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”
The dragon roared its challenge. It spread out its mighty wings as best it could, given the space constraints, and bowed.
“Oh.” Surprised, I bowed back. “That’s nice.”
It roared again and stomped toward me, fairly clumsy and odd. It wasn’t a ground creature, I could tell. If it got into the sky, I bet all that awkwardness would melt away.
What was this majestic beast doing in this ramshackle circus?
“Blink once if you are being held prisoner,” I said.
It rose onto its hind quarters and slashed at me with its front legs. Expecting that, I back-pedaled as fast as I could, putting away my sword. I was sure it had vulnerable spots, but I didn’t want to dodge underfoot to find them unless there was no alternative.
Let’s see if the Callie and Dizzy team can help me out, I thought.
I grabbed out the T-Rex spell casing, pinched, and threw it at the flap at the back of the performance area so it would distract the dragon that way and give me room to work. It flared pink light.
The dinosaur grew from the casing, three-quarters as big as the dragon and utterly lifelike. Its thick hide, a dark green, looked tough and kind of swampy. Its teeth gleamed as it opened its mouth to let out a mighty roar.
The dragon flinched, its focus abruptly shifting, now clearly unsure what the hell was going on. It regrouped quickly and spun, swinging its spiked tail.
I dove out of the way, barely missed, and spilled half of my spells. “Dang it!” I grabbed them in fistfuls and shoved them back in the pouch, pausing only to pinch a Weather Beater and throw it at the crowd.
Lightning rained from the ceiling, followed by churning tornadoes. Gasps and shrieks filled the air. A woman with a fistful of large hoops went flying through the air, the first to be caught by the spell. Her rings separated and arched through the air, a lovely blast of color.
I glanced up as the T-Rex lunged for the dragon. The dragon spun again and smacked the side of the T-Rex with its tail, making the dinosaur flicker. I heard a sound like a bug zapper. The dragon roared and backed up.
I threw another T-Rex out at the crowd, just to mess with everyone, and because they deserved it. Why not? If you didn’t know the rules, you didn’t know when you were breaking them.
A dog in a party hat flew past me. A zebra head attached to a demon’s body flew by in the opposite direction. The dragon swiped again, undaunted by pain. The first T-Rex blinked out.
I heard yelling behind me but didn’t pay any attention. The dragon was advancing.
An explosion rocked the other side of the tent, behind the dragon. Darius. Colorful fire flew into the air, then exploded again. I knew each explosion would spray little magical needles down on the crowd even as the lightning attacked them.
I zipped up my pouch, since Darius would cover for me, grabbed out my sword again, and rushed at the dragon. It lunged down at me, snapping its great, pointy teeth, and I slapped it in the face with my sword. The clang sounded like metal against metal.
I was right—even with my magic, my sword would not pierce that armor.
“This is a terrible thing to ask,” I said in a collection of grunts as I ducked under its leg and rolled. “But do you critters shed and sell your scales? Because I would pay for that armor. I really would. Million-dollar idea. Let’s talk.”
I hopped onto the knee of its back leg, surprised at how slowly it moved. When it shifted, bending back to snap at me, I sheathed my sword and jumped, grabbing the edge of its wing and pulling myself up. The wing flapped, as I’d figured it would, trying to shake me loose. I
let go, the timing a little off, and splatted onto its back.
“Now what?” I asked it. It roared and beat its wings before pushing off with its legs.
“No, no, no! That was a rhetorical question. There isn’t enough room for that!”
The sharp edges on the end of the wings fanned the crowd. Gashes opened up on arms, faces, and backs, whatever the wings could reach, before the dragon rose higher into the air.
“I should’ve thought that through.” I grabbed wildly for something to hold on to, but my hands slid against smooth scales. Its neck was too thick for me to wrap my arms around. Its wings beat too frantically for me to grab.
I glanced over its shoulder, seeing Clown Demon looking up at me with a wide smile behind its ice magic shield. It was the only one still watching the show. The rest of the former observers were now running frantically, trying to escape the spells.
For now.
I winked at Clown Demon even as the dragon’s muscles bunched under me. It was about to make a move, and I had a feeling that would lead to me being dumped off its back.
“Darius, if you don’t want me to use my magic, you better get ready to catch me,” I said, hoping that translated into his mind even though we were a good distance apart.
If I got past the dragon, I had a feeling Clown Demon would be up next, so I made fire spring up on the ground around its special box, out of sight of the demon and unnoticed by the pandemonium around it. I immediately felt the ice power creating the wall. Just like the work of all the other powerful demons I’d encountered so far, this concoction was complex, woven together meticulously. Deftly.
The dragon tilted, and I scrabbled for purchase. My fingers caught a lip between the head and neck, but I didn’t have enough time to secure a hold. Instead, I slid off its back, across its wing, against its claw (which hurt something fierce), and off.
Weightless, I windmilled my arms. My fire magic kept working on the ice wall, counteracting Clown Demon’s efforts. He was definitely powerful, but I was a good student. I sped up the effect as I winked an eye open and looked below me.
The ground rushed toward me.
I started an air buffer, quickly running out of time. Arms wrapped around me out of nowhere and scooped me out of the sky.
“Oh thank God, Darius,” I said in a gush. “That would’ve been a rocky landing.”
He threw a spell at Clown Demon as the last of the air wall disintegrated, and it hit the base of the box with a thunk. The demon’s smile wilted and it leaned forward in its box. A vine instantly began to crawl up the box, sprouting fierce thorns.
“How have you done that?” Clown Demon bellowed. “Someone is carrying you! Yes, I can just see it.” Clown Demon gestured. The small hairs stood up on my arms. It was about to hit us with some powerful magic.
“How long does it take that spell to work—” The vine shot up in front of Clown Demon, unfurling like a friend saying hello. The demon’s brow furrowed as lovely red flowers bloomed in front of it. A moment later, they spat out something I couldn’t make out.
The demon flinched and looked at its front, still clearly confused. It wiped its chest. Then swatted it.
Magical acid, I believe, Darius said. It seems to work very well on demons. More so than I was expecting.
“Did Penny do that?” I asked, mystified. That was a league above Callie and Dizzy.
“No.”
He didn’t elaborate as he ran. The thwump of dragon wings beat the air overhead. It wasn’t doing anything more than staying in place at the top of the arena, watching us.
“Think dragons can spit fire?” I asked as we ducked through the flap and into the area where the would-be combatants awaited their turn. All their faces were frozen in shock.
Ordinarily I would say yes, but then why is it here, in a sect that has Incendium magic?
I had no idea.
I vaguely know the direction we’re going. I waited next to a circus member until the last possible second so I could get a read on its previous location. It is a hazy power, at least for me. That was why I wasn’t waiting for you to fall.
“At least you got there before I went splat.”
You wouldn’t have splatted from that height. You would have bounced and severely broken something.
“Right…”
He turned a couple times as color slowly worked into the design of the enormous tent. I could tell when his knowledge ran out because he slowed.
“It’s strange that we haven’t seen anyone,” I whispered as he paused at an intersection in the canvas halls. He was still carrying me, holding me tightly against his chest.
Do you think so? I am under the impression everyone turns up for the main show. And for the record, you made it through both of your time allotments and then some.
He chose the tunnel to the right and picked up speed again. As we moved through the back end of the tent, several living areas were sectioned off, probably for the higher-powered demons that didn’t live in the smaller (now mostly ruined) tents at the front of the big top. A few turns later, which were totally random, regardless of what he said, we burst out through the back flap into blessed darkness.
If only that meant we were free.
Chapter Twenty
Are you tired? Do you need to rest? Darius asked as we ran through the back lot of the circus.
Strange shacks and leaning buildings made of wood or stone suggested the kind of caravans that the circus staffers in the Brink might live and travel in. Few beings wandered around, but those that did were all costumed or disguised as circus animals of some sort.
I felt fatigue pulling at me, but knew I could continue on. I had a feeling that if I ignored the human side totally, I could keep going for much longer. Maybe never stop. Until I (possibly) dropped dead. It would be a one-time shock.
“I’m okay,” I said. “You?”
“Surprisingly, yes.” His deep timbre rumbled through his chest, and I was glad he was using his voice again. “I thought we’d have to figure out sleeping schedules, but at the moment I don’t need it.”
“I can run with you, you know. You don’t have to carry me.”
“I want to,” he said simply. I suspected it was because he’d feared for me before the dragon fight.
Sounded fine to me, both because of the contact, which was comforting, and because I was lazy.
I thought over the things we’d seen and heard. One thing stuck out. “Clown Demon said he hasn’t seen a human—which really means half human or less, obviously—since my dad enhanced the fog. Other demons seem to hate anything human, but aren’t surprised to see us in their territory. Even beyond the edges. Don’t you find that strange?”
He was quiet for a moment. The makeshift caravans fell away and the land turned wild, though not unpleasant. A strange sort of…grass, I would call it, formed a bumpy meadow. Twisted and gnarled trees rose to the sides and began to creep closer. It was like a pleasant hillside in a Jane Austen movie mixed with The Nightmare Before Christmas. Weird, but once you realized the gothic feel of it, kind of nice.
“That fog must’ve been put in long ago,” Darius said, angling right as we raced through the trees. I knew he was altering course from the straight shot to our destination. And since my memory was freaking awesome now, I also knew he would skirt the edges of a place called Caritas. If my Latin, which was dicey, was correct, that meant affection, love, or passion. Maybe all of the above—Latin confused me. He was answering my wish for a momentary diversion from the violence. “Demons are immortal unless killed, like vampires. Like gods. Some will have long memories and little concept of the passing of time. A human in their midst won’t seem like many lifetimes ago to them. The term enhanced, however, suggests that the previous fog wasn’t doing its job. Which would account for the difference between mine and Ja’s experiences.”
“Why’s he trying to keep everyone out, do you think, including creatures he’s fine with being on the edges?”
Darius sho
ok his head slowly. “Ja spoke of the many delights in the Dark Kingdom. The beauties. Why go through the trouble of creating those and then hide them? Unless he’s tightening the borders to keep the influx of other creatures from tarnishing his creations. The elves tried tightening the Realm’s borders once. At least, that’s what they called it. What they were really attempting was to wield an iron fist of control. With new species come new ideas, and that can create control issues for a leader. Make your people dependent on you, ensure they learn only the information you would have them know, and what a smooth ride you’ve created for yourself as a leader.”
“Did they fail to realize that vampires won’t let anyone have a smooth ride?”
“They learned that lesson the hard way, which was why their attempt failed. Miserably.”
“I’ll bet.” I brushed my fingers against the base of his neck, thinking. “I think we are ignoring the dragon-sized elephant in the room.”
“Was that creature real? Or a demon assuming the shape, like the lion at the front of the sect?”
“I don’t know about the lion, but the dragon was a dragon. They might call it something different here, but it was a dragon. No demon could mimic those scales. My sword couldn’t even scratch them. Do you think that fog is there to keep the dragons a secret, like the unicorns?”
“There has to be more to it than that. If it wasn’t for the effect of unicorn blood, they wouldn’t have to be guarded and kept secret.”
“Not to mention the importance of the part they play in creating new vampires.”
“That as well.”
I watched the subtly changing landscape for a while, noticing the trees becoming denser and adorned with more foliage. “Whatever the reason for that fog, I doubt it’s targeted at humans. That’s not the thing that erodes at humans’ mortality down here. The other heirs of Lucifer were able to get past it, but still ended up dying.”
“I agree. Without that fog, humans might be able to get in for a time, but I doubt they would be able to stay for long. How long depends on their power level, I imagine, but only a certain type of half-breed human can survive down here. They must have a lineage of immortality on their human side. For you, it is the bloodline of the gods passed down through your mother’s side.”