by Angie Fox
"That's good to hear," I told her, easing Dimitri's black shirt over the tight bustier. I'd need all the help I could get.
She slapped the skintight leather on my hips, admiring her handiwork. "Honey, this ain't my first rodeo. Now watch the armadillos—the petting zoo ones tend to get fat and lazy. And the fish are from Wal-Mart."
Fish? "Armadillos?" I hoped Grandma wasn't expecting me to do any magic in there.
Grandma shoved her head around the edge of the barn. "You happy?" She dug at her spell necklace like it was strangling her. "One of the fish just died."
Was that bad? "What happened?"
Frieda's eyes widened as she grabbed for her anti-demon quilt bits. "Hurry."
I followed Grandma to the other side of the barn and found a small armadillo-carrying army. "I know you want to do this," Dimitri said taking my hand. "But be quick about it. This doesn't feel right."
We jogged past the cabins, through the petting zoo, toward a supply shed at the edge of the Wild West town.
"Hup, hup," Grandma tugged on my black T-shirt. "Wrong direction, slick. That's the Cave of Visions." She pointed at a life-sized covered wagon over by the old-fashioned jail. The Conestoga's wheels sizzled with an unearthly blue current. A blaze of blue smoke trailed up into the night sky and—holy cripes—pearl white snakes as long as my arm slithered in Z-shaped patterns around and under the wagon. Large, flat heads thrust from both ends of the creatures as they hissed, spewing bursts of flame at each other and anyone else who wandered too close.
Dimitri didn't look happy. "What kind of magic do you think you're doing in there?"
"What?" Grandma snapped as the witches filed past us. "Do you want to run this thing? I'm trying to give Lizzie the best shot at getting out of this in one piece."
"By calling up Cold magic?" he thundered. "No wonder you killed the fish."
I felt a tugging at my mark. Something wanted me in there.
"Cripes. You know a better way to isolate a demonic presence?"
"Yes," Dimitri snarled. "Smother the Ice Winders. I can cast a protective charm."
"Wait," I said. If hissing, coiling fire breathers were on my side, I'd take them.
But naturally, no one was listening. Grandma and Dimitri had eyes—and arguments—only for each other.
"Oh sure." Grandma threw her hands out like an Italian grandmother. "You're not giving my grand-baby half-depleted magic. Besides, it's perfectly safe as long as the demons can't see her."
Dimitri shot her a dark look as he crunched past me, inspecting the perimeter of the Cave of Visions. The witches cast long shadows in a circle around us. They moved with military precision, dozens of Red Skulls carrying blue and silver candles.
Grandma nodded to each of the Red Skulls as they lined up. "A little extra juice, in case you need it."
I'd take all the help I could get.
Dimitri returned, wrapping his arms around me as he tugged me into a long shadow cast by the roof of the wagon. There were dark circles under his eyes. "Keep your grandma busy. I'm going to cast some protection for you," he said, his breath warm against my ear. I fought the urge to sink into him and nodded instead.
"You'll be okay?" I didn't know where he found the strength.
His mouth quirked. "Told you I can handle myself."
Mmm, I ran my fingers lightly along his bare back. What I'd give for another five minutes in that valley.
"Hello?" Grandma stood next to us.
The air chilled my skin as I stepped away from Dimitri. I really wished he could have gone in there with me. But I could do this. I was the only one.
Grandma clapped me on the back. "Okay, here's the skinny. I can't go in there and show you how it works because, hey, the demons would see me. But it's actually very simple."
"It can't be," I said, as she shoved a jar of guppies into my hand. Last time Grandma tried this, she ended up in the first layer of hell.
"Fine, you're right. It's dangerous as a barrel of snakes. You happy? The point is, you follow my instructions and you're golden. So first, watch the fish. We have three fish for you to take inside."
"Two!" Bob hollered.
"Oh yeah," Grandma muttered as I watched the guppies swim circles around the dead fish in my jar. "We spelled the fish to be kind of like those canaries they used to take down into mines. An evil spirit tries to take you, they get the fish instead."
I gripped the jar tighter. "What was just after us?"
"I don't know. But that's what got your fish. Now you have two left. The last one dies, you run like hell."
"Got it." I could do this.
"We're sealing you in with a circle. A strong one," she said as the witches moved to surrounded us. I caught Battina in the crowd, Jan, Sidecar Bob. "Also, there's a goat skull in there that your Great-aunt Evie used to use in her ceremonies. It'll help you focus your strength."
"And the armadillos?" I asked, watching Bob scatter Twinkee bits for the nobbly little things.
"Yes! Armadillo tracks. Their back paw tracks have six distinct points, almost like a pentagram. Very powerful magic. You worry about what goes on in that wagon. Light a candle. Focus on Phil and watch the fish."
"Okay." I nodded. I could do this.
"Something goes wrong, run. Try not to bring anything out of there with you." She hooked a thumb under her necklace. "I've got a mess of antidemonic spells, but without any wards in place, they're basically like tossing Pop-Tarts at a pissed-off lion."
"Don't worry, I can do this," I said. I had to do it.
Dimitri took my hand, more at ease than he had been. His eyes burned green in the moonlight. "Ready?" Seemed he'd worked his magic.
No. There were too many things to say and I didn't have any idea how to go about it.
He squeezed my hand and planted a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll see you in a few minutes."
Right. I planted one foot on the back hinge of the wagon and hoisted myself up. My palm radiated power.
Grandma handed me a lighter, a stubby red candle and the guppy jar.
Frieda scooched up next to me, her platform sandals crunching across the rocky soil. She whipped off her protection bracelet. "Deep breaths, sugar" she said, her lucky dice earrings jangling as she rubbed circles on my back. "Those fish die and you get the hell out of there."
"Hands off," Ant Eater growled from behind.
"Ease up." Frieda rubbed faster. "Her circle's open."
"What's that you said?" Ant Eater bent and lit the last candle. The air grew heavy around me as the last wick sputtered to life. And suddenly, I felt very alone.
A dribble of sweat ran down my back. I lit my candle and glanced back one more time at Dimitri, standing bare-chested outside the circle of witches. He looked exhausted but happy. Poor guy had given me the shirt off his back. When he caught my eye and winked, I couldn't help but smile.
You can do this, Lizzie.
I'd do it for him and for all of them. With that, I ducked inside the Cave of Visions.
My sweat gelled the second I stepped inside. The interior of the wagon was freezing cold, pitch black and smelled like canvas and dirt. I placed the candle in the center of the narrow space, with the fish right next to it. Breathe. I assembled myself into a Sukasana yoga pose on the floor in front of the gnarly-looking goat skull because, well, it seemed like the thing to do.
Sacrifice yourself. I had to believe I was doing the right thing, or I would have been tempted to sprint out of that wagon and never come back. The hexed fish swam circles in their jar, the dead one bobbing against the side. My ankles warmed where they crossed. The rest of me shivered.
You can do this, I reminded myself.
I had to do this.
I could feel Dimitri outside. He'd woven a protective spell, like a soft wind. He'd infused it with strength, purity and wisdom. Anyone else might have also tried to mess with my free will. Dimitri, curse him, was too noble for that.
The Red Skulls chanted outside, the words washi
ng over me as I watched the yellow flame of the candle. It danced on the blackened wick and, with a start, I realized we'd used this same candle to summon Serena at the Paradise. Scratches marred the surface from the day we'd lost Phil.
I focused on my fairy godfather, thought about the way he'd taken care of me when I didn't have anybody. And how it was my turn to take care of him now.
In my mind's eye, I saw him. The mark on my hand tingled. My breath roughened, each exhale a cloud in the rapidly freezing air. My fingers clenched.
I was Phil.
Scared. In love. And insanely jealous.
Serena doesn't want me anymore. She only married me in order to control me. And as soon as I deliver the blackout, she'll take what she wanted and get rid of me.
Shock threw me out of my vision. I found myself standing in the narrow space. My heart slammed in my throat. Serena wanted to take something? I thought she wanted to open up the portal. I couldn't afford to be wrong about this.
Focus. I steadied myself in front of the flame, forced myself to sit back down, resume my yoga pose. Two of the fish floated, dead.
Holy Hades.
I closed my eyes, pulled closer. I willed my mind to calm, my breathing to grow even. I wound my mind through the space like swimming through cold, dark water. The mark on my hand burned, and I used it to draw power.
Max stood in the rotting prison under the desert. The iron doors shook and bent. They were getting stronger. His seventeen demons were breaking out.
I caught my breath as a blackened demon writhed out from between the cracks in the door. I lurched for the hunter. Max stabbed the screaming, heaving succubus with a switch star and shoved her into a pile of writhing demons. Black blood caked his golden hair in a halo of death and red blood ran from deep cuts in his face.
"Get out, Max!" No way he could handle the demons behind those doors, or the bloodied ones behind him, once they regained their strength.
"Doesn't work that way," he said, squinting, his breath coming hard. "Think, Lizzie. Your Cave of Visions is set up for revelations, not painful truths. So you'd better figure this out soon.
"They know the end is near."
"Thanks for the pep talk," he muttered, dragging a stunned, hissing demon into an iron holding cell.
"I found the portal," I said in a rush. "They're using Ricardo Zarro and sex to drive it open enough to get six hundred and sixty-six through. We can't stop the concert. It'll be swarming with succubi. I'll bet they've got the dam guarded too."
Max shot me a look. "Figure it out. You know you're the only one who can stop this now." The iron doors around him shook and groaned.
The truth cut me like a thousand switch stars.
Max's eyes blazed. "It'll be the highway to hell. You don't want to know what's in the deeper layers. I don't, either. It'll make what I'm dealing with here look like Cirque du Soleil. It'll be a massacre."
And, I realized with a start, the dark mark wanted it.
"Lizzie," Max said, his image fading from my mind, "your last fish is dead."
My mind hurtled back to the Cave of Visions, where I sat crosslegged with a smashed pickle jar in my hand. The fish lay lifeless on the wooden floor of the wagon. I'd dropped the jar.
And nothing happened.
Joy and relief welled up inside me. I didn't need Grandma or the witches' spells. I was the only one who could stop the demons tomorrow night. I alone could save Phil, free Dimitri, destroy the portal, end this thing for good.
Sacrifice yourself.
Power shot through me, my body aching with the pleasure of it. The demons could try to darken the U.S., summon sexual power from the masses, eat my lover. But I could take out their entire operation. I could crush Serena.
No mistake, I could feel her, out there, waiting. A smile curled on my lips. I never had to worry about finding my power again. I had it all if I wanted it.
Strength coursed through me, surged from the dark mark into every cell of my body. I needed it like I needed my next breath. This was my secret weapon to defeat the demons. I reached out with my mind, saw Serena as she really was—a blackened shell of a creature, a living locust. I nudged her with my power, and she turned, bewildered. She couldn't even see me coming. I shoved her again, laughing at the irony of it. She could be mine. I could take her. And then, I realized, I'd have to give something back to the dark mark. This could consume me.
Oh Sheboygan.
This wasn't me.
I swallowed a lump in my throat.
This felt too good, too easy. Holy smokes, I wasn't even cold anymore. I didn't know what I'd invited in, but I did know that absolute power corrupts. There would be a price and no matter how good it felt, I couldn't keep the strength if it harmed, well, me. Who I am.
I pulled back from her, watched as she wrapped her arms around herself and searched for me. She stood in a narrow art deco hallway right below the control room of the Hoover Dam, where Phil worked to cripple the turbines. I had the information I needed now. So why couldn't I let go?
My fingernails bit into my palms as I resisted the urge to shove her once more.
This mark was wrong. I didn't need it. I didn't want it. I was strong enough on my own.
Sacrifice yourself.
I didn't need to sacrifice who I was. I needed to let go of the temptation to be something I wasn't.
I let go.
With a blaze of power that sent goose bumps up my arm, my hand absorbed the mark like it had never been there. I stared at my palm, amazed, unwilling to believe I'd actually gotten rid of it. I felt whole, grounded. Good gravy. I felt like myself again. Relief erupted in me, followed by the sheer joy of having my life back again. Dimitri was right. I could do this with the power I had.
And that's when things went to hell.
Chapter Twenty-six
Serena's fiery red eyes caught mine. Holy Hades—she could see me. I stared at the demon, my unmarked hand, the demon. Shock darted across her features before she grabbed me by the soul.
I tumbled through cold, wet air. Winds crashed into me from every direction. My lungs screamed as they fought to breathe. I couldn't see up, down. The whole time, Serena's fingers dug into my chest, pulled me through the freezing, churning void. I grabbed for my switch stars, but couldn't get a handle on them in the whirlwind.
Warm air smacked me in the face like a wave as I crash-landed on something cold and hard. I gasped for breath, planted my numb fingers on the slick surface and fought to get my bearings. My head swam, my neck burned and my mouth tasted like I'd been chewing tinfoil.
White boots strolled into my line of vision. "I'll give you one thing," said a voice dripping with sex. "Your family is certainly original."
Serena.
I struggled to stand, did a bad impression of a baby deer and flopped butt first back onto the floor. Yeah, well the she-demon had made a big mistake. I dug for a switch star, ready to end this debacle for good when I came up empty. My chest constricted. My utility belt was gone.
Serena shot out a laugh. "Oh please, I'm certainly not going to suck you through the eleventh dimension so you can put a switch star through my forehead."
I shoved my tangled hair aside and peered up at her. Serena had tossed my utility belt over her shoulder, a single claw looped through the buckle. The roughened black talons crackled under leathery skin. She'd hidden the rest of her demonic nature behind her petite body and Barbara Feldon good looks.
She seemed relaxed, too relaxed, for a demon standing in an art deco hallway under Hoover Dam. "Good to see you didn't blow town." She tilted her head, showing off a long neck. "When I stopped sensing you, well, let's say I was ready to send out an entire army." Her predatory smile told me she wasn't kidding.
I flexed my hand, wishing I had something to zap her with. Amazing. I'd given up the dark mark as easily as I'd gotten it. Both times had been a disaster. I planted my hands on the floor in front of me, gathering strength.
Rage churned inside me. S
he didn't think I could fight back. If I wanted the dark mark, I'd bet I could have it again. I could shove her, push her, destroy her. My strength surged just thinking about it.
I made a running leap for her, snagged the belt and went for my switch stars. Holy Hades! The belt was empty. I dug through the pockets. Everything was gone—even the creature who lived in the back.
Serena crushed me to the floor. I was too shocked to scream when my left hand sunk into the pink marble. H-e-double-hockey-sticks. I grabbed for the belt with my free hand, only to watch in horror as both of my hands sank up to the wrists.
Serena's two-way phone crackled and beeped, echoing down the hall. "Hell Fire Three reporting."
"Go ahead," Serena said.
"Lover boy is blowing out the turbines. Zarro is on stage." She talked like she was reading from a to-do list, like she wasn't about to unleash hell on Earth. "Do you have the demon slayer secured?"
She grinned, showing very un-Barbara Feldon-like double row of jagged teeth. "Affirmative."
"We'll commence as soon as the turbines blow."
"Thanks, babe," Serena chirped sweetly.
"What?" I struggled to stand. The end, the concert, the demolition of the power system—that was supposed to happen tomorrow night. Even then, I didn't know how we were going to stop it, but now? I needed more time. And how could they possibly move up a complete takeover of the North American airwaves?
"You can't," I insisted. Because, they couldn't, they simply couldn't. "It's impossible to move up a concert by a day."
Her brows knit. "This is Saturday," she shoved me with her toe. "Your fault," she added, as I lunged back at her.
Hell and damnation. Had I really been hurtling through that pathway for nearly a day?
Serena sighed. "I'd have been up there twenty-one hours ago if I hadn't been busy dragging your stubborn butt through the eleventh dimension. Broke a nail too." She flexed her talons. "Oh wait," she said, as it grew back, long and sharp. "One problem down. One to go."
I struggled against whatever hold she had on me. I used every ounce of my demon slayer mojo, but my hands didn't budge.