The Creative Strategist

by Sarah Noffke

  “They can’t help you,” he explained. “They aren’t as powerful as they used to be, and the fight to send Russ back to the underworld, behind the gates, would kill them.”

  Liv lowered her chin, frustration building in her head. “Plato, tell me what’s going on now. I’m tired of the secrets and the mystery.”

  He sat on his haunches and looked up at her. “Russ wants me.”

  Her mouth fell open. Shock made her knees soften. “What?”

  “I’m the one who locked him behind the five gates,” Plato stated. “He came after me when I didn’t die the first time. It’s against the rules. When someone dies, they are sentenced to the underworld. Russ keeps them there. However, my existence breaks that rule. Unlike Papa Creola, I’m not a god of any sort. I simply defy the laws.”

  “Because you have nine lives or something?” Liv asked, lowering Bellator.

  “More like a hundred,” he stated. “When Russ came after me the first time, I fought him, using up a few of my lives. However, I was able to push him behind the five gates and put him to sleep. Someone woke him, though, and he’s madder than hell. He’s coming after me.”

  “Which was why you left me,” Liv guessed.

  “I didn’t want to,” he said on the heels of her statement.

  “But if you fought him before, then why can’t you now?”

  “It’s the same reason I’ve been acting differently,” Plato stated.

  Liv thought about how he was showing up more when he normally disappeared around most people. He’d also been saying things that bordered on sentimental. And then there was the secret he didn’t want to tell her. The tears suddenly welled up in her throat. She held her breath, knowing with absolute certainty what he hadn’t wanted to tell her.

  “You’re down to your last life, aren’t you?”

  With a piercing pain in his eyes, he nodded. “I’m sorry, Liv.”

  “Y-y-you’re sorry?” Liv stammered. “Why are you apologizing to me? You’re the one who is…”

  She couldn’t say it. Dying. They both knew the word, but neither spoke it.

  “I hadn’t realized you’d put yourself in so much danger lately,” Liv said.

  “My lives work a bit differently,” he explained. “Yes, I lose them if I’m mortally injured. However, the magic that created me is unique, and so powerful that it is shrouded in mystery in order to protect it from being stolen. That’s the law that governs my life. So when you’ve seen me shift or do anything outside my normal parameters, it has taken one of my lives.”

  Liv’s mouth fell open. Her tongue was suddenly dry. “So when you saved me from the mermaid and I briefly spied you as a lion…”

  He nodded. “And when I rescued you in griffin form from the Matterhorn. Anytime someone saw my magic, it cost a life.”

  Liv had known for some time that if Plato revealed his secrets, it weakened him, but she never would have guessed this. “So you literally killed yourself every time you saved me.”

  “I would do it all over again, exactly the same way,” he said firmly.

  “But you only have one life left,” she said, hardly able to speak past the tears.

  “Which wouldn’t be a problem,” he stated, “but Russ is awake now, and he’s coming for me. One attack from him, and I’m gone.”

  “Then I definitely have to stop him,” Liv said, real conviction in her tone.

  “No!” Plato yelled. The gate shook again. In the distance, Liv suddenly spied several small lights. Then she realized that they weren’t lights, but rather eyes. Three pairs of eyes.

  Plato didn’t turn to look at the monster banging on the gate behind him. “You won’t be able to defeat him. I can’t have you risking your life for this.”

  “You risked yours for me. You lost lives for me.”

  “And I’ve lived for centuries,” he argued. “I’ve had lots of time on this planet. You are young, and the world needs you.”

  “I need you,” she countered. “And when I stop Russ, you’ll have, what? Fifteen or twenty years, right?”

  “Roughly,” he answered.

  Deep growls echoed from the end of the hallway. It was hard to make out Russ on the other side of the bars, but Liv could definitely see the whites of his teeth

  Liv stepped to the side, narrowing her eyes at the rusty barred door. “I’m doing this, Plato. If Russ is here, you shouldn’t have even shown up.”

  “No matter what I do, he’ll find me,” he stated. “I had hoped to hide for a little while, but I knew it was a long shot.”

  “And that’s why I’m going to put him back in his cage.”

  “Liv, please!”

  She shook her head and charged forward. “Don’t try to stop me. I want you out of here now. Get as far from Russ as possible.”

  “Liv,” he pleaded.

  She spun, determination written on her face. “I’ve never demanded anything of you, Plato, but right now, I’m ordering you to get out of here. Don’t try to stop me. I’ve made up my mind.”

  “But pushing him back and putting him to sleep is incredibly difficult,” he argued.

  A mischievous smile whisked to her face. “I know. Which is why I’m going to kill him.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The sound of her boots on the wet floor echoed loudly. She was able to make out a large black form pacing in front of the gate as she got closer. The movements were rough and full of hostility, but the mutt had stopped ramming the gate. Liv figured she’d simply stab him in the heart through the bars and be done with it.

  She looked over her shoulder. Plato was gone. He had listened to her.

  It was hard for her to believe he’d lost so many lives for her, but everything made sense now. His mystery, him hiding his magic and his secrets.

  Papa Creola had assigned her this case, which meant that he didn’t want anything to happen to Plato either.

  Liv knew that killing the beast wasn’t the most desirable option. He did have a role in the world, keeping the dead in the underworld. It was honorable that Plato had simply caged him and put him to sleep, but it obviously wasn’t a long-term option. She’d made up her mind. No matter the consequences, she was going to kill the guardian of the underworld.

  A chorus of low growls greeted her when she neared the barred gate.

  “Hey, boys,” she called when she could make out the shapes of the black dog’s faces. The heads were wolf-like, with their pointy ears and long snouts. The beast was massive, the width of the big gate, and he towered over her.

  Even though it was dark, Liv could plainly see the creature’s chest. “I realize that you three have a job to do, and you’re just doing it. The thing is, I have a job to do also, and it involves protecting my friends, no matter what the cost.”

  The three heads growled louder, their eyes glowing red. Liv pulled back Bellator, ready to strike the dog through the bars. The beasts opened their mouths, and rather than growling again, fire shot out, sending her stumbling back to avoid getting caught in the flame. She fell on her backside and shuffled back on her hands and feet, pulling Bellator with her.

  The fire dissipated from their mouths but re-surfaced in their eyes. Behind their heads, fire licked at the air, emitting black smoke all around them.

  Striking Russ in the chest was going to be harder than Liv thought if the monster could spit fire at her—an important tidbit she thought Plato could have mentioned, if only in passing.

  Liv pushed up, dusting herself off as the heads jerked from side to side, almost as if fighting each other.

  “Good. A little internal rivalry might be the distraction I need,” Liv said, twirling Bellator around and locking it in place with both hands as she sidestepped forward again.

  A snarl ripped from the head on the far left, and it lunged at the one in the middle. The head on the right opened his mouth. Liv prepared to be blasted by fire again, but this time the flames flowed out of its mouth and behind it. Russ was on fire from the insid
e out. Its emotions seemed to communicate this internal raging fire that spread over the dog more with each passing second.

  The other two heads continued to fight, biting at each other and jerking their shared body from side to side. Liv would have taken this opportunity to strike, but the head on the right was keenly focused on her.

  The two fighting heads gave Liv an idea. She raised her hand, about to spell them, when the head on the right lowered, steam rising from his nostrils. The beast raised his paw, covered in long, sharp claws, and slammed it into the gate. Liv barely had time to react, throwing herself against the brick wall to the side and shielding her head. The barred door flew straight back through the hallway, slamming into the stairs and breaking them into pieces.

  The two fighting heads forgot their dispute as the beast realized it was free. It stepped over the threshold that had been barred by the last gate. Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld, was at large…and madder than hell.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Liv glanced back at her only exit. The stairs had been demolished. She knew that portaling out of there wasn’t an option. The area was blocked from teleporting, which was why Amity had to let her in.

  That was fine, Liv thought. I don’t plan on running, not when I have a job to do.

  She stepped out from beside the brick wall into the center of the long hallway and faced the slowly approaching beast.

  Russ appeared to be slightly disoriented by his first taste of freedom in centuries. He took each step carefully, his long claws raking the bricks.

  Now that the dog was free, Liv could plainly see how large he was. The animal was about the size of a horse, with a long tail that swished back and forth, accurately communicating its hostility.

  Liv ran through her options. She was a bit peeved at herself for thinking she could simply stab the magical creature in the chest and be done with it, but simple solutions were usually the best. That was why she thought her second idea still might be worthwhile. However, she needed a distraction since all three heads were lowered and all six eyes were focused on her.

  Methodically, Russ raised one paw, sliding it forward as he took another step. He knew she had nowhere to go. She knew he was stalking his prey, figuring out how best to attack. They both knew one of them wasn’t getting out of this alive.

  Liv took one hand off Bellator. Four of the six eyes narrowed as she held her palm out, watching each of her movements keenly. A fireball materialized in her hand, starting out small, the size of a golf ball. It quickly gained size and speed, growing bigger than a softball and rotating so quickly that it was mostly a blur.

  “Hey, Rover! Do you want to play fetch?” Liv asked, earning a contemptuous growl from two of the heads. The one on the right wasn’t distracted like the others. It seemed to be the mastermind.

  Liv laughed, thinking how perfect the expression was for that particular head.

  When Russ looked to be on the verge of charging, Liv released the fireball, aiming it to the left of the beast. It sped past, gaining the attention of two of the heads. The other, more focused one, lost the battle and was jerked in the opposite direction and dragged back to where they’d busted through the gate.

  It skidded to a halt as the fireball exploded in the darkness, sending sparks and debris in all directions.

  The head on the right looked over its shoulder, its fiery eyes full of hatred.

  Yeah, I’ve pissed off that one, all right, Liv thought, funneling all of her energy and focus into a very specific spell. When she was sure it was right, she directed that energy at the two heads on the left.

  The curse left her fingers like a comet, streaking down the hall and circling the two heads, clouding them in dust for a moment. When it dissipated, Liv held her breath, not knowing for sure if the spell had worked. There was only one way to tell.

  The head on the right, tugged the others so they were all three facing Liv. It growled low, and the others copied the sound. Fire flared in their eyes and poured from their mouths.

  Liv had gambled, and she had been certain it was a good idea. However, the spell didn’t seem to have worked, and it had taken a huge chunk of her reserves. She was going to have to rely on her strength to battle Russ, but based on his size and the number of teeth he had bared at her, she doubted she’d get a hit in before he slaughtered her.

  The monster lifted his paw, holding it up. All he had to do was lunge and strike to end her world. She lifted her own hand, copying his movement. Her magic was weak, and her head was beating with the heat. She could think of only a couple of spells that might help her, but all of them required more than she had left.

  Still, she wasn’t going to quit now. Then she’d be dead, and soon after, so would Plato. That wasn’t an option.

  She tried to figure out what her options were. Fire wouldn’t work, and many other attacks were too much for her at that point. But the element that magicians controlled was available to them for much less effort. It might not work, but what did she have to lose at that point?

  With her hand still raised, she released a gust of wind, throwing it straight at Russ. It rushed at the creature, and when it was just about to strike him, the beast swiped his paw, simply and effectively knocking it down with little effort.

  And that was it. Liv had tried everything she could think of. She was down to almost nothing. She lifted Bellator, feeling its familiar hungry pulse in her hands. She might be down to her last option, but she wasn’t out yet. She and Bellator would fight to the end.

  Liv gritted her teeth, about to lunge forward and attack Russ with everything that she had left. She had rocked back on her heels in preparation when the head on the left yelped so loudly the building shook. The head in the middle lunged at its brethren again, biting his ear completely off.

  Liv backed up, her eyes wide at the disgusting sight in front of her.

  It had worked! She couldn’t believe it. The feuding spell she thought had failed had only been delayed, and it appeared the two heads were ready to fight until the bloody end, which might be sooner rather than later.

  The head on the left sent blood all over the stone walls. It splattered Liv’s face as it shook. Its ear was missing, but that wasn’t stopping it from fighting back. It teeth clacked loudly as it tried to attack the one in the middle. The head on the right seemed to know who was responsible.

  It shot Liv a murderous look, fire flaring in its eyes. Thankfully, the fight of the other two knocked the dog off balance, sending it into a roll. Claws and fangs flashed through air filled with smoke and fire.

  Liv watched, backing up as the fight got closer to her. When her heel met the rubble that used to be the stairs, she realized she was officially out of options. The beast was too large to get by without getting swept up in the fight. Her magic reserves were too low for her to hover or fly to the door, which was one story up.

  The head on the left let out a ferocious growl that rocked the building, sending loose bricks from overhead raining down. Liv covered her head, diving as the rest of the stairs collapsed. She rolled, finding herself inches from Russ’s feet.

  Her breath stopped. Her pulse quickened. Cold sweat ran down her forehead. “Nice doggy,” Liv said, holding Bellator in front of her. She realized that one strike from Russ would end her.

  The head on the right opened his mouth, infernal fire roaring deep inside of him. Liv lifted Bellator, knowing that was her last option. Then the head in the middle thrust itself to the left, taking the weight of the beast with it, slamming the other head into the stone wall.

  A loud and guttural scream filled the air, followed by cracking. Bricks rained down again. The cellar was a mess of dust and smoke. Liv blinked, trying to figure out what had happened. It took her several moments to make out the strange shape of the dog. It appeared quite different when it lunged to the side, away from the broken wall.

  The head on the left was limp, the fire in its eyes gone, blood pouring from the hole in its head. It was dead.
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br />   The head in the middle was battered from slamming its brethren into the wall. It was also disoriented. The head on the right seemed to be trying to pull the body upright, but the balance was completely off.

  This was Liv’s chance.

  She straightened, holding Bellator close to her chest, then she shot forward, whipping her sword up and diagonally. As she’d planned, the disoriented head was too slow to react. It merely blinked, not moving fast enough before her blade ripped through the soft underside of its neck. She sliced through cleanly, killing the middle head at once. Like the one beside it, it was bloody and limp, its fire extinguished.

  Liv’s chest rose and fell as the beast lumbered to the side like a drunken sailor trying to find their way. The one remaining head was having trouble balancing, which would make finishing it easy.

  Liv smiled, holding Bellator proudly. She raised the sword, thinking that finishing this beast was the kind thing to do.

  “Thank you for your service, but it’s time that you rested forever,” Liv said. She brought Bellator down, but before it connected with the last head, a blast of hot wind shot from the dog’s mouth. It threw her back, making her slam into the broken staircase. She lost Bellator in the blast, and her head hit something hard. Fire erupted all around her, or at least, that was what it felt like. She saw ash and smoke, and her eyes burned. She had no idea what was happening. When her vision cleared, she realized how wrong she’d been to think this was over.

  The two heads turned to ash from the top down. The remaining head shook, causing the ash to fall to the floor. There, standing completely untouched and unfettered by the dead heads, was Russ, eyes full of fire, a solid and incredibly huge dog who looked ready to fight for centuries.

  And she was bruised, weaponless and without a single option left.

  Chapter Twenty-Five