Djinn Rebellion Boxset (Books 1 -30: A Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy

by Cage, Jessica

  She jumped from her seat. “I’m not a radio!” “How do you know that?”

  “I don’t, but damn, if he could do that I think he would have already made his move. Besides, being here dulls that. At best it would be muffled.”

  “Still, I think it's best if we went further with planning without Praia here. No offense, but it's not worth the risk.” Ardyn agreed with Bruto and the others nodded.

  “I agree,” Jinn stayed, and Praia looked hurt. “We can fill you in as we go, but if there is a chance that he can get the information ahead of time, that will hurt us.”

  “I have to say I agree as well.” The bear king added his vote with the others.

  “Don’t worry, I will come with you.” Rick comforted her and stood. “Jax can fill me in later.”

  “You know, this is really jacked up.” Praia rolled her eyes until a plate appeared on the table in from of her, loaded with perfectly seared cuts of steak. “Okay, you’re forgiven!” She beamed a Jinn, picked up the plate, and bounced out of the room with Rick on her tail.

  “Are you sure that everyone is in place?” Ardyn asked the bear king as they all climbed aboard the magical sled that would transport them back to the city’s edge.

  “Yes, we just received word from Magua, his people are positioned. He was also able to gain a few allies in the lion dens as well as the birds, so don’t be shocked to see them over head.”

  “Good, the more the merrier.” Bruto pounded his chest, ready to finally be able to get into some action.

  “Sir, we are ready to move out.” A large man approached them wearing nothing but an armored chest plate and a pair of shorts. Before anyone could question his attire, he burst into his bear form and ran off, leaving shreds of his shorts on the ground where he once stood.

  “Great! Let’s get going!” The bear king pounded his chest and cheered. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen action of this magnitude.”

  “I really like this guy.” Bruto slapped Jinn on the back and hopped into his sled.

  “Great, there are two of them now.” Jinn shook his head.

  When everyone loaded up, Bukai initiated the sled which shot up into the air, this time transporting them above the town, and sped forward to the gate where they all entered. The sleds touched down on the snow and they exited.

  “Well, that’s an interesting head rush.” Zaria held the sides of her head.

  “Sorry about that,” Bukai grunted as he stepped into the snow, stripping away the cloak that hid his half naked body from them. Strapped across his chest was an armor plate of silver etched with gold markings that glittered with the spellings of magic, another gift from his former wife. “This is where we part ways. You all have your marching orders. My men are in position and waiting for my arrival to move forward. Be safe, diligent, and keep your eyes open!” Bukai issued his command and then burst into a massive white bear that towered over them all. He roared and took off running at a speed that seemed far outside of the capabilities of such a massive animal.

  “Well, let’s get to it!” Jax slapped Rick on the back and bounded forward, leaping into the sky carried by a massive set of wings.

  Rick kissed Praia on the cheek. “Be careful. I’m coming for you when all this is done.”

  “I’ll be waiting.” Smiling, she watched him as he followed his leader. Inda and Zaria winked at each other and their bodies were set ablaze, melting the snow beneath them as they took to the sky. Ardyn kept his eye on Zaria until her light disappeared above the clouds.

  Twenty miles outside of the border of Artiqua was a small, wooded area. What was once a place of sanctuary for the local wildlife had become nothing more than an abandoned campsite and the new hold up of a warlock who was up to no good. The bears and jaguars attacked as planned. They targeted the small camp that Clay had created for himself. Hitting the area from all angles, they made sure that he would not have an easy escape. However, he wasn’t the only threat living in the thick collection of trees. Bukai lead his men forward until the air changed. The scent went from the woody odor of trees and grass to something sour and singed.

  From the shadows, a small, furry creature appeared—this was clearly the result of another magical experiment gone wrong, or for Clay’s purposes, gone absolutely fantastic. The furry little beast was deceptively adorable, but Bukai was cautious. When the first appeared, he halted his bears as it waddled out of the shadow of the tree. It stood there with wide eyes that held golden lit orbs and reminded him of a cross between a Cabbage Patch Kid and a Furby. Knowing what magic Clay wielded, he denied the urge to pick it up. Good thing, too, because moments later, more appeared and what were at first cuddly living toys, turned into living nightmares.

  Their small bodies exploded into large, scaly masses that moved like free-flowing ink. Each one had a mouthful of sharp teeth that were fashioned after what you would find in the head of a shark.

  “You know the drill, men! Off with their heads!” Bukai called out, and the bears went to work with the age-old play. In his experience nothing lived for long once you cut off its head. The trouble was that the things were hard to get a hold of and they seemed to be unending—when they cut down one line, another would replace it.

  While the bears attacked, the jaguars did quite the same. Magua was of similar mind and issued the same order to his men. As terrifying as they were, the creatures didn’t put up a great fight, and once they figured out how to entrap them, they were easy enough to cut down. Their endless numbers, however, stopped the outside forces from getting any closer to the camp. Ardyn and the others would be on their own.

  The center of the abandoned area was cold, dark, and smelled of onions. Even though they were far outside of the polar boundaries, the chill still hung to the air. Ardyn, Jinn, and Nitara appeared in the heart of the territory that Clay had carved out for himself. They were surrounded by rotting trees that let off a putrid smell, and though there were no animals present, the sounds of the pain he caused when he first arrived echoed around them.

  “This is some fucked up shit.” Ardyn took account of the area. Everything reeked of death, even the ground beneath their feet.

  “Well, isn’t this a lovely little surprise.” The voice came in a deep whisper from the shadow of the trees but there was no face, no form to assign it to.

  “Damn, this guy even sounds like Daegal,” Nitara whispered.

  “Show yourself,” Ardyn called out. “What do you want? Why are you here?”

  “Haven’t you figured that out by now? I doubted I would need to explain myself to you.” The pale figure emerged from the shadows that cloaked him. His translucent skin gave a sickening display of the green veins that pumped beneath his skin. He smiled, revealing yellowed teeth and diseased gums. “Wait, where is she? Where is my fae girl? I need her!”

  “Oh, her invitation to this little party got lost in the mail.” Jinn, ready for a fight, called the blue magic to his fingertips and Nitara did the same with her whip.

  “Hmm, well, that is no good. No good at all.” Clay shook his head and chewed the yellow nails on his finger tips.

  “What do you want with her?” Ardyn kept his wolf at bay but his skin lit with the green aura of his magic.

  “She is the key of course. She is the key to it all. We must bring him back.” Clay’s eyes darted around, searching for the girl who wasn’t there.

  “Excuse me.” Nitara cracked her whip, claiming his focus. “Bring who back?”

  “Yes, Daegal.” Clay announced and as he expected, his guests were not happy with the statement. “He must return.”

  “Are you crazy, he’s dead.” Ardyn could feel his wolf clawing at the surface the moment Daegal’s name was mentioned. “He’s gone, there’s no coming back from that.”

  “Dead, yes. Gone, no.” Clay ventured farther from the shadows, bringing the familiar strands of darkness with him. The same ones Daegal once wielded, the connection to the evil that claimed his soul. “He still lingers,
but we’re running out of time. I must find the girl.”

  “So, we definitely need to kill this guy, right?” Ardyn looked over his shoulder to Nitara.

  “Yes, we do,” Jinn answered, and the flames at his fingers stretched into the sharp blade.

  “Oh, fun. A fight. I never get to partake.” Clay raised his hands and the ground in front of him opened up and the furry creatures, his creations, climbed from beneath the surface.

  “What the hell are those?” Ardyn growled, and when the first one changed it’s form, he finally gave his wolf the freedom it begged for.

  Jinn and Ardyn immediately took to dealing with the creatures that came at them. Blue flames created a barrier around them and burned anything that dared to cross while Ardyn took the fight to the enemy. He jumped over the flames, putting on a show of his own. His wolf turned to a blurry of black and green ether that ripped through the monsters as fast as Clay could produce them.

  Nitara took her cue from Ardyn and called a second whip to her free hand. She smacked the ground at Clay’s feet, taking him away from his production. He smiled, excited to take her on, and called his own whip to his hand, made of the sticky darkness that surrounded him. He flicked it in her direction, but she skillfully dodged it and shot out another hit of her own. The two entered a dance of lashes, and while Clay became enthralled in the action with Nitara, he’d forgotten about the two who had run out of monsters to destroy.

  Nitara dipped down, dodging another attack from Clay before landing a hit of her own across his face. He held his cheek where green sludge leaked from within. His eyes turned black and he lunged for her, but before he could get his hands on her the blue blade pierced his back and emerged from his chest. His eyes dropped down to the source of his pain for a moment before it ripped through him. Clay’s body fell in two halves, revealing the man behind him.

  “Perfect timing.” Nitara held her hand out to her husband who helped her up from the ground.

  Ardyn returned to his human form, still glowing in a shade of green as his pulse slowed. “Let’s hope there aren’t any more of those freaky things coming.”

  “He was definitely a product of his maker. Those things were about as terrifying as the ones that attacked us in the Collective.”

  “Damn, I’m glad I never had to encounter those!” Ardyn shuddered as he remembered the description of the things that had attacked when Jinn had first set out to save Nitara.

  “Where are the others?” Nitara asked, “Bruto should be here by now.”

  “I’m right on time.” The orange smoke cleared and Bruto stood holding a piece of paper in his hand. “His little half breed was protecting this but we got it. Now we know exactly how he planned on bringing Daegal back. He had to trade a life to bring that monster back.”

  “Well, he won’t be doing anything like that now.” Jinn pointed to the ground where Clay’s split body still lay.

  “Where is Zaria? She was with you.” Ardyn scented the air and panicked. “She’s not here!”

  “She was right here with us.” Bruto vanished but quickly returned. “She’s gone!”

  “Akasha …” Inda landed in the center of the group, her wings extinguishing as they tucked into her side and disappeared. “She was here, she and her men, they walked right past those damn things! We couldn’t get to them, but they had something, a net or something, they threw it over Zaria and then they vanished.”

  “Why would they take her?” Ardyn growled and paced the ground, ready to take off running to find her but he had no idea where to go.

  “I don’t know but we will find her.” Nitara laid her hand on Ardyn’s shoulder to steady him.

  “They don’t have Praia, it’s fine,” Inda offered. “Maybe they just snatched her as payback?”

  “No, it’s not. Clay never wanted the fae, at least not to perform the ritual. Zaria is the key to bringing back Daegal.” Bruto tossed the rolled-up paper to Jinn who quickly read it over.

  “All of this was just a distraction.” Jinn rolled the paper back up. “Fuck, this was what Magua was worried about!”

  “What?” Ardyn pushed Nitara’s hand off of his shoulder.

  “Look, this spell, it calls for fire and rebirth. What powerful being do you know that possesses both of those abilities?”

  “She is of his magic. He can connect to her and use her life to bring his back.” Nitara was putting the pieces together just as everyone else was.

  “Wait, what happens to her if they succeed?” Ardyn snatched the paper from Jinn to read it himself.

  “I don't know, but it doesn't look good.” Bruto shook his head. “Jinn, we cannot let this happen.”

  “Bruto, go back to the others, warn them to get out of there! Jax, head back to the hub and get the team ready to get their asses here; Bruto and Rosie will meet you there to assist with transporting everyone.” Jinn’s brain went into overdrive as he mapped a plan for them. They had to move quickly, there was no telling how long they had before Akasha did what she planned. “The rest of us will go meet with Magua and Bukai and try to figure out where they took Zaria.”

  “What about the no magic order?” Bruto questioned. “I’m not trying to start any shit here.”

  “Fuck that order! If anyone wants to say shit about it, they can come deal with me.” Ardyn growled and burst into his wolf. He took off running toward the fading sounds of battle where Magua and his men were.

  The orange smoke cleared around him to reveal a scene of total devastation. Rosie stood in the middle of the courtyard with her back to the ocean defending the people who arrived with them. The dragons who’d stayed behind took to the sky, creating a ring of fire that stopped the cats from getting closer.

  “They attacked! Those fucking cats attacked us!” Rosie turned to reveal a long scar on her right cheek as Bruto joined them.

  “Your face!” Bruto ran his finger along her jaw beneath the scar that was left behind from a panther’s claw. His face turned red and blood boiled. “Who did this to you?”

  “Fuck my face, help me!” Rosie shot out another stream of purple light that reinforced their defenses. The guards were dousing their flames with water cannons that reached down into the ocean and pumped up rushes of water, creating holes in their wall.

  “Fall back!” Bruto yelled to the others as he joined Rosie in reinforcing the barrier. “We need to get to the hub.”

  “Round ’em up!” Rosie called to dragons who left the sky to usher everyone in a tight circle.

  “On three, we drop the barrier. Dragons, fly. We should be able to transport everyone else,” Bruto announced. He counted to three and Rosie joined him. They dropped their defenses, allowing the cats to move forward, but before they could land another attack the two djinns used their magic to transport the group out of there.

  “Where is Ryesen?” Inda took account of the room once she and Jax made it back to the safe house.

  “She didn’t make it,” Boxi answered her when no one else did.

  “What? What happened?” Inda approached the injured fae woman.

  “She was fighting them off, she was right by my side the entire time. And then she wasn’t. I tried to get back to her, but I was too late, they had her surrounded,” Boxi said as she held on to the chair next to her. She had a long claw mark down her left thigh that Rosie held her hand over. The wound closed up, leaving behind a scar tinged with pink etchings that flickered in the light. “Thank you.”

  “They fucking got us. I thought Akasha was Ardyn’s friend!” A dark-haired dragon named Xavier stood. He’d managed to get out without a scratch, but nearly lost his head in the process.

  “It would seem a lot has changed since the wolf left here. The jaguar king tried to warn us. If it weren’t for him, I suspect things would have gone a lot worse,” Jax answered the angry dragon.

  “Bruto said they got Zaria?” Boxi stretched her leg, testing for pain, and was relieved to find minimal tenderness.

  “Jinn and the other
s are trying to figure out where they took Zaria.” Jax nodded.

  “I know where they are,” a small voice spoke from behind them. They turned to find Lorraine, the clouded leopard, standing there covered by a black cloak. She pulled the hood that hid her face down. “I’ll help you in return for your protection for me and my friends.” Behind her three others stood—Nila and Nira, the twins who they recognized, and one other.

  “Why the hell should we help you?” Xavier growled, but backed down when Jax shot him a warning glare.

  “We didn't know what Akasha was up to. We found out moments before the attack, and the others, I don't know if they knew all along or if they just followed her orders blindly, but they didn’t stop to question her decision. While they were moving against you, we chose a different route and went to Akasha’s chambers. She left her notes on her writing desk.” Lorraine held up the folded documents which she’d stolen from the queen. “I will give these to you if you promise that we will not be harmed.”

  “Will you stand against your leader?” Bruto walked up and grabbed Rosie by the waist. He ran his finger along the fresh scar on her face and groaned.

  “She is no leader to me,” Nila stated, and held her sister’s hand. “This is not what our people are about. After we were separated from the others, she made it clear that we weren’t on the same page. She sent us back here to hurt those people. Akasha has gotten herself into some dark stuff and I want nothing to do with that.”

  “Do you know what it is she intends to do?” Jax questioned Nila who clung tighter to her sister.

  “Yes, she wants to bring back a warlock,” Nira answered for her.

  “Not just any warlock, the worst there ever was.” Rosie shook her head. “If she does this will effect not just us, but the entire world. Daegal was a monster before Jinn and Nitara killed him. There is no telling what he will be if he returns. She cannot succeed in this!”

  “Exactly! So, we need to figure out how to stop her and now.” Bruto looked to Jax who nodded in agreement before he continued. “We will grant you and your friends the protection you request if you help us, but this means you will fight on our side.”