Eternal Magic

by C. N. Crawford

  “Stay back, dragon,” Midac shouted. “Do not forget that you are bound to protect Mount Acidale.”

  “It is a duty I hold with great honor. Now tell me, Your Majesty,” said Lucius. “Was my oath to you or to the kingdom?”

  King Midac sputtered, his eyes flashing wildly.

  Lucius leaned closer, so that his eyes were on the same level as Midac’s. “That’s right, Your Majesty. My oath was given long before you were even born. It binds me to the kingdom. To Mount Acidale. Not to a particular king.” Releasing Ursula, he grabbed the king by the wrist. “Your Majesty, the pressure of your job is affecting your judgment. You will take a brief sabbatical from your duties.”

  “Noooo!” shrieked the king, as Lucius’s other hand clamped around his remaining wrist. Emerazel’s fire erupted from Midac’s fingers, and he tried desperately to burn Lucius.

  “Sir,” Lucius continued. “May I also remind you that I am a dragon and am immune from Emerazel’s fire?” Like a python coiling around its prey, Lucius’s arms slowly wrapped around Midac’s chest. “Have you ever seen my chambers, Your Majesty? I believe you will find them exceptional. Fully provisioned and decorated most tastefully. A few days in my rooms away from the stress of this court will do wonders for your well-being.”

  Turning to the entrance of the throne room, Lucius began to drag King Midac from the room.

  Chapter 35

  As Lucius disappeared out the door, Ursula and Grisial stared at the guards who surrounded them, rifles pointed at their heads. Had Ursula just witnessed a coup? And if so, were she and Grisial about to take the blame for it?

  “At ease, men,” shouted a familiar voice. Slowly, the guards lowered their weapons.

  Ursula stared as her grandfather stepped in front of the throne. “As you can see, the king is temporarily indisposed, but I am certain he will return in a few days. You may return to your stations.”

  Frank’s order seemed to relax the guards, and they began to creep away from Ursula and Grisial.

  When they’d moved out of earshot, Frank stepped down the stairs, nodding at Grisial. “I must say, I am impressed that you managed to find her.”

  “It wasn’t easy,” said Ursula.

  “No, I imagine not.”

  “Your granddaughter can be very convincing,” said Grisial.

  “She always has been.”

  Ursula wrung her hands together, wondering if she could summon up some of that persuasive ability. “Frank? My friends are still imprisoned. Bael and Zee.” She bit her lip. “Any chance you could free them?”

  He arched a white eyebrow. “We can talk in my office.”

  Frank showed them to a large room above the main gate to the castle and told them to wait there. Once inside, Ursula sat on a worn leather couch, listening to raindrops pattering against a row of glass-paneled windows. Through the wet panes, Ursula had a misty view of the moat and the cobblestone street.

  With a creak, the door to the office opened, and Frank stepped inside, followed by Zee and Bael, each still wearing their burlap prison outfits.

  Bael was already in attack-planning mode. “We will need enough swords and shields to arm ten thousand soldiers.”

  “The armory is well stocked,” said Frank.

  As Bael nodded a curt approval, Zee caught Ursula’s eye. “Are you okay? I thought Lucius was going to kill you.”

  Ursula shook her head. “He’s an arsehole, but he’s on our side for now. He’s imprisoned King Midac in his quarters.”

  “He didn’t hurt you?” Bael’s eyes shone brightly.

  “He was an excellent host. Even got a shower and golden robe. More importantly, how are we going to take on Abrax? Are we bringing these swords and armaments into the Shadow Realm?”

  “Precisely,” said Bael.

  “You’ll have the support of my soldiers,” added Frank. “You’ll need them.”

  Ursula could see the concern etched on Bael’s face. A large-scale invasion of the Shadow Realm by an army sworn to the fire goddess had never been on his agenda. Still, he kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t as if they had a ton of options.

  “Good,” she said. “Now that that is settled, can we get Bael and Zee some clothes that don’t smell like the bottom of a grave?”

  Thirty minutes later, they all sat squished together on Frank’s sofa, gripping steaming cups of tea. Bael’s and Zee’s prison uniforms had been carted off while they showered, and they now wore simple black clothing.

  Frank sat on the edge of his desk. “It will take me a few days to notify my men and collect the weaponry.”

  Bael nodded. “Good. That will give us time to prepare for your arrival.” He stood, turning to Ursula and Zee. “We should return to the Grotto. Ursula, will you be able to bring the two of us along with you through the sigil?”

  Before Ursula could answer, the door to Frank’s office burst open. Lucius filled the doorway, his hair seemingly brighter than normal, and gripping a long, cloth-wrapped object. Seriously, does he ever knock?

  “Leaving already?” he said, his voice a low growl.

  Bael faced Lucius head-on, his broad shoulders larger even than the shifter’s. “We must return to the Shadow Realm.”

  “And you plan to take our soldiers? Leaving Mount Acidale undefended?”

  Frank straightened. “Bael and Ursula will need all the men I can round up to fight the Darkling. If we defeat him there, we don’t need to worry about him invading here.”

  “But I do believe you’ll be needing my sword,” said Lucius, touching the pommel at his belt.

  Ursula smiled. “That we do.” I’d rather wield it myself, but I suppose this will have to do.

  Lucius puffed out his chest. “And one more thing. I believe you lost this.” He handed her the cloth-wrapped object in his hands.

  Ursula took it from him, and her jaw dropped open as she unwrapped it, revealing a gorgeous, gleaming katana. One she knew very well—Honjo, in fact.

  “H-how? Where?” she stammered, gripping it by the hilt.

  “You stabbed me in the leg with it,” said Lucius. “When we first met in the skies above New York. I’m not giving you Excalibur back, but I suppose you can have that one.”

  Frank put his hand on Ursula’s shoulder, staring into her eyes. “Give us a little bit of time to get our forces organized and trained for the Shadow Realm. But we will be there to fight by your side. Make sure you’re ready for us.”

  Chapter 36

  A cold wind ruffled Ursula’s hair as she surveyed Cera’s home—or what remained of it. With the roof torn off and the door caved in, it hardly counted as a house anymore. She found no sign of either Kester or Cera. Behind her, Zee and Bael coughed, ridding their lungs of ashes, staring at the ruins.

  Dread whispered in Ursula’s skull. What happened while we were gone? “Cera? Kester?” she called out softly, but silence greeted her. It felt colder than she remembered.

  Bael spoke in a low voice. “Draw your blade.”

  Ursula was already gripping Honjo, and she lifted him defensively.

  “Stay where you are.” He crossed to the bedroom, pushing through the door and poking his head inside. He returned a moment later, shaking his head.

  “Nothing?” asked Ursula.

  “Just the burned outline of Emerazel’s sigil.”

  “Kester must have taken Cera out of here,” said Zee.

  “Where would they have gone?” asked Ursula.

  “I don’t know,” said Bael. “But the mark looked at least a day old.”

  A chill rippled over Ursula’s skin. “Apparently, someone found the Grotto. I think we need to explore.”

  Already, Ursula was pushing through Cera’s front door, Zee and Bael following behind her.

  The scene that greeted them was pure devastation. Where once had stood a city of stone houses, now she found a pile of rubble. A few wisps of smoke rose from the ruins, and a deathly quiet enshrouded the place. Ice snaked up Ursula’s spine. This wa
s all wrong.

  Her chest tightened. “Either Abrax or the lords must have found them.”

  Something glinted in Bael’s hand—an obsidian blade he must have taken from Cera’s house. “Let’s get to my manor.” He pointed to the path out of the grotto. “We can go that way, to the main cave.”

  Zee looked Bael up and down. “Wait a second. You can’t go around looking like that.” Immediately, Bael’s massive form shimmered, his skin twisting until he no longer resembled a massive demon. Instead, he appeared considerably smaller, with a stooped back and thin wisps of hair sprouting from his chin.

  Ursula’s eyebrows shot up, but within moments, her skin was shimmering as well, deep wrinkles developing along the tops of her hands. “Let me guess. I look like a hag.”

  Zee smiled. “I had lots of practice doing hags in the prison. Kept the guards away from my cell.” As she spoke, she transformed into a weedy demon with a single green horn that sprouted off-center from the middle of her forehead.

  Glamoured to look like the ragged end of Abrax’s army, they began to hike up the side of the grotto.

  Despite the destruction of the hidden city, the path itself was clear, and they were able to move quickly.

  When they reached the boulder blocking the city entrance, it only took a single push from Bael to roll it aside. They slipped out onto the cliffside path in the dim violet light. Ursula shuddered, remembering that the Molok lurked somewhere in the darkness below.

  As they stood on the side of the cliff, Bael put his fingers to his lips and whistled. A moment later, the soft, rhythmic sound of bat wings beat the air.

  Sotz swooped before them.

  “You go on,” said Bael. “I’ll take Zee with me.”

  Ursula wasn’t sure if Zee’s horned demon scowled or if the frown on its lips was simply its natural resting face.

  In any case, when Sotz circled back, Ursula leapt onto his back, grabbing his fur with one hand and clutching Honjo with the other. Together, they lifted off into the darkness, the cool air whipping at her hair.

  They reached Bael’s manor, soaring through a hole in the ravaged wall, where great beams of metal twisted into the darkness like steel innards. Starlight shone through cracked shards of shattered windows, and ragged holes interrupted the sleek walls. Burn marks marred the marble floors.

  It had been damaged the last time she’d been here—but it now looked considerably worse.

  “Thanks, Sotz.” Ursula slid off the bat.

  As Sotz launched himself back into the lunar sky, she surveyed the room. The demon lords had ransacked the place, leaving only the half-smashed stones of the mosaic. Scorch marks streaked the floor where some sort of bomb had exploded. An icy breeze blew through the holes in the walls, the familiar creosote smell mixing with the more recent scent of fire.

  A screeching of claws turned her head. She watched as the bat carrying Bael and Zee skittered to a stop on the tile.

  Bael offered Zee a hand, and she hopped off, looking a little shaken.

  “You okay, Zee?”

  “I’m fine.” She rubbed her green horn as though soothing it. “Just not used to riding these creatures.”

  “It’s a bit of an acquired taste,” said Ursula. “But then it’s amazing.”

  Without another word, Zee closed her eyes, pulling the glamour off the three of them.

  As he took in his manor, Bael stiffened, his darkening eyes seeming to focus on one of the ravaged upper levels. Ursula followed his gaze to a balcony cloaked in shadows.

  “What is it?” asked Ursula.

  “There’s someone up there,” said Bael. “Draw your sword.”

  Ursula looked at the sword in her hand and inwardly rolled her eyes. Asking her to draw her sword was clearly some sort of nervous habit of Bael’s at this point.

  “Who deigns to invade my manor?” Bael bellowed.

  Never a fan of stealth, that one.

  His voice echoed in the darkness. Then a shadow shifted on the balcony, revealing a familiar silver-haired oneiroi.

  “My lord. Is that you?” Cera’s voice rang out in the darkness.

  “Cera,” shouted Bael. “You can stop calling me my lord.”

  Cera’s pale eyes went wide. “Zee, is that you?”

  “Yes, it’s Zee.” said Bael. “Could you send down the cage?”

  Ursula was pretty sure she heard Cera softly say “Yes, my lord” as she disappeared into the shadows.

  A few moments later, a creaking sound groaned through the manor as the cage-like elevator began to descend. When it reached the floor, they stepped inside, and Bael shut the door behind them. Within moments, the lift began to rise slowly, groaning as it swung from side to side, and they passed one dark, dusty balcony after another. Ursula grabbed the bars with one hand, and the chilly manor air whispered over her skin. She’d once felt so intimidated here. Now, it felt strangely like home—broken walls and all.

  Instead of rising all the way to the roof as Ursula was used to, the elevator stopped at Cera’s level. The door creaked open onto a small marble platform. Cera stood at the far end, and as soon as the elevator door opened, she rushed forward to give Ursula a hug.

  Bael stepped out onto the platform. “It’s good to see you again, Cera.”

  Cera released Ursula, running to hug Zee. “Zee, are you all right? You look skinny. Did the dragons hurt you?”

  Zee shook her head. “I’m fine. Where’s Kester?”

  Cera’s muscles stiffened as she released Zee. “There was an attack. Abrax and his golems captured him.”

  Ursula’s stomach sank, worry blooming in her chest. She’d already seen what Abrax had done to him the first time he’d been captured. She couldn’t imagine he’d be treated any better now.

  Chapter 37

  Ursula sat next to Bael in his living room—one of the few intact rooms remaining in his manor. Zee sat cross-legged on the floor, while Cera busied herself making tea.

  The oneiroi sighed over the steaming tea kettle. “After you all left, Abrax and his golems attacked the grotto. Xarthra led the defense against them, but there simply weren’t enough oneiroi to fight back. Abrax’s forces are too strong.”

  “What about her new soldiers?” asked Bael. “The ones who’ve been drinking her blood?”

  Cera shook her head sadly. “All killed in the battle. The rest of the oneiroi are hiding in the mushroom forest. Others are in the deep caverns below the grotto. Abrax is hunting them like animals. That’s how he thinks of us, you know.”

  “Why did you come here?” asked Ursula.

  Cera handed her a hot cup of mushroom tea. “Because I knew this is where you’d go first when you returned.”

  Ursula rubbed a knot in her forehead. “We can train here in your manor. Zee can help to glamour us from prying demon eyes.”

  Bael nodded. “This is the last place Abrax would look anyway.”

  Ursula frowned, not understanding. “But your manor is in shambles, and worse, it’s completely exposed. The first demon that flies by on a bat will see us.”

  Zee ran a hand through her short, blonde hair. “I can glamour the exterior, but not indefinitely.”

  “We’ll only need a few days,” said Bael.

  He stood, his perfect jaw firm. “Cera, do you think you can rendezvous with the remnants of Xarthra’s army?”

  Cera nodded. “Yes.”

  Ursula found herself staring at Bael, at his deep golden skin. His dark hair swept over his forehead, and his straight black eyebrows furrowed as he fell deep into thought. Eyelashes dark as the void, and eyes pale as the morning sky over Byblos. Bael had looked this beautiful for ten thousand years. Ten thousand years of perfection.

  And if she was going to stay with him, he’d watch her grow old, wither, and die. A cold shudder danced up her spine. She had more immediate concerns than her future mortality, but it chilled her to the bone nonetheless.

  Ursula woke tangled in the bedsheets, in what might have been morning.
It was always hard to tell on the moon. Last night, she’d slept wrapped in Bael’s powerful arms, dreaming of Byblos.

  When she woke, she found herself alone in his stark, gray room. Starlight streamed through the window, bathing his room in silver.

  Hunger drew her out of bed—hunger and the scent of food. Given that it smelled delicious, she knew for certain Bael wasn’t cooking.

  Wrapping a soft, black robe around her shoulders, she opened the door and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

  Cera knelt over a small stove, stirring something in a pot. “Hungry?” she asked.

  “Famished,” said Ursula.

  “Well, come here, then,” said Cera. “It’s mushroom stew. Your favorite, if I recall.” She ladled a heaping portion into a chipped ceramic mug, then handed it to Ursula. “Drink it. It’s good for you.”

  Ursula took a long sip. The stew was warm, with the same rich mushroom flavor she remembered.

  With the stew warming her stomach, she dropped into a chair across from Cera. “I thought you were going to look for survivors.”

  “I only just returned.”

  Ursula blinked. “How long have I been asleep?”

  “A day at least. Bael said not to disturb you. That your journey to Mount Acidale had exhausted you.”

  “Where is he?” asked Ursula.

  “In the caves, helping find the remnants of Xarthra’s army.”

  “And Zee?”

  “On the roof. Glamouring the whole place.

  Ursula took a sip of her stew, crossing her legs. It seemed everyone had a role to play.

  “You want something to do, don’t you?” asked Cera.

  “Bingo.”

  Cera clucked her tongue. “Well, you can’t go around just wearing a robe.”

  “Not a lot of options.” Ursula looked down at the bathrobe she’d taken from Lucius’s quarters. It was now covered in soot and bat sweat.

  “Come with me.” Already, Cera was bustling into another room.