Mad is on her knees in front of the evil witch. She’s fighting with all of her strength to rise, to fight, but Trivia, her hand outstretched as if looking for Mad to kiss her ring, holds my friend down all the while looking quite bored with this whole affair.
And they are not the only witches held captive.
Dozens upon dozens surround them, the graveyard teeming with the spirits of the witches buried in the ground we now walk upon. Their apparitions flicker and fade, with wisps of smoke and ether floating from them toward Trivia in an endless tide. She’s draining their energy, the red electricity around her growing brighter with each passing minute.
Trivia is relishing it, a small smile pulling up the corners of her cruel mouth. She fixes her gaze on Bex. “You again. I guess this is a lesson that needs to be learned twice?” She points at Mad, and then Delaney. “Which one would you like to lose this time? Or maybe both? Two witches as the price paid for your second offense.”
Next to Delaney I see the faintest of the spirits and realize with a shock that it’s Anya. She is barely visible now but clings to her wife with everything she has left.
I feel helpless. With no magic in my blood and my dagger seeming small in my hand, I am at a loss as to how to help. “What can I do?” I whisper to Kara through gritted teeth.
“You,” Trivia says, her eyes locking on me. “You’re the nuisance who poisoned my dogs and doused my torches, yes? That wasn’t very hospitable.”
“Gods damned right I am,” I say, fury sparking in my gut. How dare she hold my friends hostage like this? How dare she cause these witches so much pain? Cause Runner to lose himself in such a terrifying way?
“Then I will punish you last,” she says, chuckling softly. “And I will enjoy it most.”
“Let them go, Trivia,” Bex says, the energy in her palms glowing brightly enough to rival Trivia’s. “This is your last and only chance.”
“Before you what?” Trivia responds. “I have two of your necromancers incapacitated, their lives in the palms of my hands. The only thing you can do is stand there, watch, and hope that I have mercy.”
My grip tightens on the hilt of my dagger. Trivia is going to destroy us all. She’s toying with us now, and when she tires of it she will obliterate us. I have to take her by surprise. While her attention is taken by Bex and Kara, I slink toward the gravestones to my right, out of her direct field of view.
“I’m not feeling very merciful, though,” she continues. She closes her right hand into a fist, and Delaney’s body jerks, tensing, her face twisting into a rictus of pain.
“Stop!” Kara yells, and I drop to my knees to keep a tombstone between me and Trivia, blocking her view of me.
“No, I don’t think I will,” Trivia responds. “You are the ones who have come here challenging me. You are the trespassers. And you expect me to let you attack? After the unfortunate incident with your sister Anya, I let you go on the condition that you never return. You are the ones who broke the truce. Why come back here? Why now?”
“You are draining the energy of your dead sisters,” Bex says, nearly shaking with fury.
“And what is that to you?” Trivia challenges. “I have kept my word. I have left you alone.”
“It’s blasphemy!” Kara yells, and with the sparks coming off of her fingers I’m shocked that she doesn’t accidentally ignite the grass at our feet.
“It’s smart,” Trivia counters.
I need to figure out a way to incapacitate Trivia without killing her. Bex and Kara are nearly incandescent with rage. If they get a shot at her they won’t hesitate, and I can’t have that happening until I find out where the Dead Hex is.
I peek around the tombstone and find that Mad has somehow wrenched her head to the side and is watching me intently. She’s in terrible pain, it’s written all over her face, but she’s concentrating on me, looking at me for… something. She slowly moves her eyes back toward Trivia. More specifically, back toward Trivia’s outstretched hand.
I follow her gaze and my jaw drops.
Trivia is wearing the gods damned Dead Hex.
17
SHE'S MAD, AND YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE
The Dead Hex glints on Trivia’s forefinger, the silver sparkling red in the electric current. It’s here, everything I need. I just have to take it, except for…
The Dead Hex controls and manipulates demons.
Luke’s words come back to me. That could be a problem.
Don’t touch it.
Lucifer’s warning doubles down on Luke’s sentiment. Okay, it’s definitely a problem. Shit. It’s never easy with him. And why would it be? The Devil lives to make things obscenely difficult for people. No matter. I’ll chop off Trivia’s hand and drop it on his dinner plate for all I care.
I crawl through the damp grass, careful to keep behind the crooked gravestones and out of Trivia’s sight. Mad’s gaze follows me the entire time as if I’m the last thread of hope that she’s clinging to.
Delaney shrieks in pain, the sound ripping itself from her lungs, and I swear it sounds as if she’s being torn apart. It makes my stomach turn, and I can hear Anya moan right along with her. I don’t know if it’s the magic swirling around us or the strength of their bond, but the air sizzles with their agony.
Kara launches herself at Trivia.
Bex follows right along with her.
Now is my chance.
While they attack Trivia from the front I race around the side and come up from behind, my dagger brandished and gleaming red in Trivia’s electric light.
Trivia swings her arms around, releasing her immediate hold on Delaney and Mad, and shoots a blast of red magic toward Kara and Bex. It hits them and it is catastrophic. I swear she pulled it back at the last minute, though, because my new necromancer friends aren’t dead. They’re limp on the ground, groaning and shaking their heads, but they’re alive.
Trivia chuckles, and I am reminded of a cat batting a mouse. She’s toying with them until she tires of them, and then she will destroy them, and me.
I don’t stop my approach. I leap at her, bringing the dagger down into her back, slicing through the red energy and feeling every nerve ending in my body sizzle and snap.
She roars as the blade pierces her skin, but it doesn’t go as deep as it should. The magic protects her, dulling my assault, and she whips around, tossing me off of her with a twist of her body. I go flying, my spine cracking into the dull edge of one of the tombstones, and I collapse in a heap at its base.
For a moment I’m sure I’m paralyzed, and all I can do is listen to her laugh at my agony. Then I realize that I don’t feel numb, I feel pain, and if I feel pain, then… I wiggle my toes and relief washes over me. It’s short-lived; I may be able to walk, but I certainly can’t attack her again. Not yet.
We are all incapacitated. I don’t know why we thought we could take this woman on. My own ignorance, certainly, and the others were blinded by their wanting, their mission of revenge. I was, too.
“I was looking forward to a challenge,” Trivia says. “A little girl’s night out that ended with a bit of murder. Instead, I find that I can still overpower you so easily…”
Her cold gaze pins each of us, one by one, as she makes her point.
“I would’ve had more fun conjuring in my chambers, to be honest. Ah, well. You’ll all be the crown jewels of my collection. That is something I suppose. You must’ve been working hard on your craft; I can feel the energy coming off of you in waves, and I do believe that once I siphon you all dry, I’ll be the most powerful witch in the Counterfeit world.”
Blinking hard, doing my best to tamp down on the pain, I roll over and pull myself to my hands and knees.
“Except you,” Trivia continues as she looks down her nose at me. “Little demon. You and your sidekick don’t belong. Stupid, really, to bring a Phantom to me. What did you expect to happen?”
I don’t bother to answer her. Instead, I focus on gathering my strength and slowly
stand to face her. I swipe at the liquid that trickles from my forehead and pull my hand back to find it black with my blood.
Trivia’s face twists in disgust. “So vile,” she says and raises the hand with the Dead Hex on it to reach out to me. “I can’t even take your energy, not when Lucifer has your soul. Useless,” she says, shaking her head. “At least I can have some fun with you for a while. I think I’ll make you kill your friends.”
“I don’t take orders from you,” I say, bringing up my blade. It doesn’t matter whether I can beat her or not. I’ll die again trying.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Trivia says.
A blue glow begins to emanate off to my left, and I find Kara and Bex kneeling on the ground facing each other, holding hands to form a small, two-person circle. They chant, the light from their hands glowing brighter.
“Quaint,” Trivia snarks. “You all are nothing more than a small annoyance to me, a blip in my otherwise serene day. Chant all you want, it won’t change a thing.” She looks back at me. “Kill this one first. She bothers me.”
Trivia is pointing at Mad, who still cannot rise from her knees. Mad looks up at me with fear in her eyes, and I look back at her in horror. There’s no way I’ll hurt my friend. And yet…
I walk toward her on wobbly legs, my hand gripping my dagger so tightly my muscles ache.
“No,” Mad whispers. “Gray, don’t…”
“Do go on,” Trivia says. “I should at least get some thrill out of this waste of an evening.”
There is so much I wanted to ask Mad. So much I can learn from her. But if Trivia has her way…
Sinking to my knees, I bring the blade up to Mad’s throat.
“Please…” she whispers, tears in her eyes.
Bex and Kara’s chanting grows louder, and I feel a tug on my arm trying to draw it away from Mad. I fight it.
“That’s it,” Trivia murmurs.
“Remember who you are,” I whisper to Mad, and she blinks in surprise. “Remember what you did to the Haunted?”
She nods ever-so-slightly.
I press the blade tighter. A tiny bead of blood trickles down Mad’s neck.
“Go on…” Trivia says, and I can hear the edge of impatience in her tone. She won’t let me drag this on much longer.
“Her blood runs in your veins,” I say, my hand trembling as the dagger presses deeper. “Don’t fight it. Use it.”
“How have you not killed me?” Mad whispers, astonished.
“I don’t feel a gods damned thing from that ring,” I say, and Mad’s lips part in shock. “I just needed to get close to you. To remind you of who you are and who you can be. Save us. I’ll help you.”
Hope sparks behind her eyes, and it’s glorious to watch. “Make it look good,” I say and swipe the blade across her neck, just a hair’s breadth from her skin.
She topples forward, collapsing onto the ground.
“Excellent,” Trivia says. “This is quite fun. Now do them,” she says, turning to Bex and Kara. And yes, it is excellent, because turning her attention away from Mad is just what I hoped she’d do.
I stride toward them, stronger now. I lift the blade and they turn on me, their arms outstretched and their palms glowing like fire, but they don’t hit me with magic. They both look confused.
“I didn’t feel it,” Bex said. “Mad… I didn’t feel you hurt her.”
Kara’s eyes glisten with tears as she says, “Neither did I.”
“That’s because I didn’t,” I say, and spin to face Trivia. “And I don’t think I’m going to kill Bex and Kara either.”
“That’s not possible,” Trivia says, looking down at the ring as if it’s incomprehensible that it hasn’t driven me to murder these insolent witches. And I suppose it is. “You do as the Dead Hex bids. You do as I bid.”
“If I were you, I’d spend less time worrying about what I do, and more time worrying about what she’s doing.”
Trivia spins to find Mad, on her feet, her palms glowing and her fingertips sparking red. The confusion on Trivia’s face is nearly comical.
“What?” I ask, “You don’t recognize your own great-great-great-great-great-whatever granddaughter?”
Trivia cackles at that. “I have no descendants. You’re mad.”
“No, she’s Mad,” I say. “And you’re in big trouble.”
Whether Trivia believes me or not, she must decide that offense is better than defense. The glow around Delaney abruptly goes out and she drops to the ground in a heap as Trivia brings up her hands to fling magic at Mad.
With a roar of rage, Mad channels her own magic, and the streams that explode from each of their palms meet in the middle, the spot where they collide blazing like fire and lighting the graveyard like it’s the middle of the day.
I fling an arm over my eyes, shielding myself from the sudden light, and crawl to where Bex and Kara are dragging Delaney away from Trivia and the chaos. “Is she okay?” I ask, and they both look at me with uncertainty.
“You’re not strong enough,” Trivia says to Mad, low and deadly.
“But I’m stronger than you thought,” Mad responds, her voice strained from the effort. “Stronger than I should be.”
“And with all the energy you’re using to fight her,” Bex says, lunging at Trivia and striking her in the middle of the back with a stream of blue energy of her own, “I don’t think you’ll be able to fight us off this time.”
Kara braces herself against one of the tombstones and lets loose with a blue streak of magic of her own. Trivia arches as the stream hits her in the gut. “I hope it hurts,” Kara hisses, and the agony on Trivia’s face is enough proof of that.
She doesn’t drop, though. Or die. She’s simply incapacitated. Shrieks echo in the woods. The sounds of the Haunted still shambling toward the graveyard.
“Do it!” Mad shrieks. “Get the ring!”
I get as close to Trivia as I dare. She’s suspended in mid-fight, their magic encasing her, and the air smells of ozone and sulfur and the hair on the back of my neck raises.
“We won’t let it hurt you,” Bex says through gritted teeth, “but you have to hurry, Gray.”
I trust them. So I reach out and slip the Dead Hex from Trivia’s finger. Her eyes are wide with pain and surprise. “How are you doing that?” she asks.
Slipping the ring on my finger, I answer truthfully: “I don’t know.”
Mad screams, channeling every last ounce of energy into the stream of magic coming from her hands, and the last thing I see before the necromancer’s combined conjuring becomes blinding is Trivia arch back in a silent roar of agony as the red energy around her crackles, falters, and winks out.
18
YOU CAN'T BEAT THE DEVIL
Trivia lies on the ground at our feet, and from here she doesn’t seem nearly so frightening. She’s just a witch in chains, the picture of defeat, surrounded by the specters of the women she murdered.
She hisses at us, sputtering about how none of this should be possible. When we don’t respond, her anger turns to wheedling. “We’re sisters, you know. Necromancers need to stick together.”
“You murdered my wife!” Delaney screams. She is on her feet, and though she’s weak, her anger fuels her. I know what it’s like to run on rage.
“We all have to go someday, sweetie,” Trivia purrs, condescension dripping from her words. “Why not die to serve a greater purpose? I’m many times the witch any of you will ever be. She should be grateful that I chose to drain her.”
Delaney lunges at Trivia, and it takes me, Mad and Kara to hold her back. “If you’re so powerful, why are you the one in chains?” Delaney hisses.
“It’s time, they’re ready for us,” Bex says, stepping in front of Delaney and cutting her off from Trivia’s position. “It’s time, Delaney. She will be punished. Believe it.” Slowly, Delaney regains a hold of her emotions and finally relents. Bex gestures for the four witches to join hands.
“You don�
�t have to do this,” Trivia’s voice rises with each word as if it’s because she’s been too gentle with her words that we’ve been ignoring her pleas, not simply that we choose to.
“No, we don’t,” Kara says, “but we sure as hell want to.”
“Demon, undo these chains right now,” Trivia orders. She’s been bound with metal that Bex had pulled from a pocket inside of her jacket, and it’s like no handcuff or binding I’ve ever seen. It seemed to fuse with Trivia’s wrists and prevented her from doing any sort of magic. When she’d tried, her fingertips had fizzled and sputtered out.
Smirking down at her, I say, “Like I told you before: I don’t take orders from you.”
The witches join hands, and where their palms meet the air around them turns blue. They chant low, and the space Trivia occupies in the center of their circle begins to waver like a television channel with bad reception. She screeches in anger, cutting off abruptly as she disappears in a small poof of black smoke. They finish their chant, release hands, and open their eyes.
“Where did you send her?” I ask Mad.
“Tartarus. It’s like Alcatraz for Counterfeits, but instead of being surrounded by water it’s surrounded by a lake of fire.”
“She’ll get out of there at a quarter to never,” Kara adds, flipping her middle finger at the quickly dissipating smoke.
“Thank you.” A hollow voice floats toward us, and we all turn in unison to find the dozens of ghosts that Trivia had been siphoning from hovering over their graves. They seem to have regained some of their essence, and perhaps, in time, will come back to full strength. Maybe now that they can rest, I guess. I hope.
“I’m so sorry we didn’t come sooner,” Bex says. “We didn’t know.”
“We owe Anya,” Delaney says. “She’s the one who betrayed Trivia, who suffered most for this.”
Anya’s faint spirit floats mere inches from her wife, and it looks as if she’s reaching out to hold Delaney’s hand. It’s just vapor, an inconsequential apparition, but Delaney seems grateful and at peace for the first time since I’ve known her. Anya isn’t recovering like the other ghostly witches, though, and I worry that the damage done to her has been too great.
HELLION: THE DEAD HEX: (Hellion, Book 2) Page 10