by Sarah Noffke
He wrote out the message to Talon. The God Magician didn’t even have to enter the Chamber of the Tree to lock someone’s magic. He was powerful enough that he was connected to multiple areas of the House, one of them being the system that held the magicians’ magic.
After sending the message to the God Magician, Adler laughed. Liv wouldn’t make it far without magic. Just like her parents and siblings, she’d quickly realize how weak she was without it.
When Talon sent back a confirmation, Adler hurried over to the observation window. The mortals hiking up the peak were mere specks from that distance. However, he didn’t need to see them clearly for this spell to work. All he had to do was pull on the dark magic that filled the mountain. It had protected the signal for years, and right now, it would fuel his spell. Adler muttered the incantation that had been one of the first curses. It created monsters out of men.
“I don’t understand,” Liv said as they passed a tour group headed down. “I thought you sensed evil.”
“I don’t get it either,” Stefan said in a hushed voice. “I mean, tourists are pretty annoying, but not necessarily evil.”
“Maybe it’s Adler.” Liv pointed to the summit, where she expected he was guarding the signal. That had been their best guess as to his whereabouts, anyway.
“I’m used to him,” Stefan stated. “This is something different. It’s like a darkness lurking somewhere, but it’s not like anything I’ve felt before.”
“So, not a demon or a vampire or a werewolf?” Liv asked.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t sense that it’s a thing or person. It feels more like an energy.”
“You’re getting all metaphysical on me now,” Liv joked. “Please tell me you’re not turning into a dirty hippie who is going to read my aura.”
“Oh, you’re not into that?” he teased. “I was hoping we could sip kombucha and review each other’s star charts after this whole thing was over.”
Liv rolled her eyes. “And we’re officially done.”
Stefan whipped around, feigning a hurt expression. “Seriously, you’re already dumping me? I knew you wouldn’t put up with me for long, but I was hoping we’d make it more than a day.”
“Fine, I’ll give you another chance, but any more hippie bullshit and I’m kicking you to the curb.”
“Noted,” Stefan said, ambling on. “Any other rules I should be aware of?”
“No cute nicknames.”
“Like snugglebutt?” he asked.
“And you’re done again.”
“No, no, no,” he said in a rush. “I was only asking about gross nicknames like snugglebutt.”
“Okay, fine. And yes, no cute names that will make me want to puke. Also, don’t ever take a picture of me when I’m asleep. Actually, don’t watch me when I sleep. That’s totally creepy.”
“When is this occasion that I’ll have to not watch you sleep? Do I wake up in your bed, or do you wake up in mine?” Stefan asked.
“As I was saying,” Liv continued, “Bad table manners are a deal breaker.”
“Good thing I took that etiquette course.”
“If you leave your clothes on the floor, they will go in the trash,” Liv stated.
“Again, when is this occasion that I’ll have to not leave my clothes on the floor?”
“Never, if you don’t watch yourself.”
“Did I leave these clothes on the floor after you ripped them off my body?” Stefan teased.
Liv shook her head, suppressing a grin. “Don’t grab food off my plate without asking first. Never, ever, sing my name. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it. I don’t like people who talk but don’t follow through. Also, use headphones when you’re listening to music on your phone. No one wants to hear your teenie-bop ballads. And most importantly, don’t ask me if I’ve seen a movie and then synopsize it for me.”
“I think this is going to go smoothly,” Stefan said proudly. “Do you want to know my list of dos and don’ts?”
“Not really,” Liv said, picking up her pace and passing Stefan on the path.
“But what if you do something I don’t like?” he asked.
“Get over it or dump me,” Liv stated, noting another group of hikers who were trotting down the mountain. However, they were moving strangely.
She halted, this time extending her arm to stop Stefan.
He tensed. “What is it?”
She pointed ahead. “Does something appear wrong with those mortals?”
Stefan squinted at the group. His mouth fell open. “No, they can’t be.”
“I believe they are,” she said. “Draw your weapon. It looks like we’ve got zombies to deal with.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Clark’s nerves made him shake as he paged through the Forbidden Archives. It didn’t seem right that he was sitting in Liv’s apartment while she went after the evil man who killed their parents.
However, he knew she was right to leave him behind. They couldn’t both go. He wasn’t designed for fighting or adventures. He had been born a Councilor through and through.
Like many history books, the Forgotten Archives wasn’t that interesting. Yes, it had been fascinating at first to learn how the Great War had started between mortals and magicians. One man, a Sinclair, had stood against the Mortal Seven, stating that they had no business weighing in on matters they knew nothing about. From there, things had escalated, until the war couldn’t be stopped.
When the magicians won the war, this founder took many steps to force mortals out of the House for good. One was the signal broadcasting from the Matterhorn. Then he sealed the real history in the Forgotten Archives and buried it at sea so that it wouldn’t be found. But before that, he did something to ensure that he would be incredibly powerful and therefore almost impossible to kill.
“The founders of the House have a unique strength running through their veins,” the book had stated. “Therefore, if a member of the House takes the life of another, either a Councilor or a Warrior, they absorb their life force, making them even stronger.”
Clark’s head whipped up. “That means…”
His eyes darted back to the text, and he scanned the page. There was only one way to combat the power a magician had stolen when murdering another House member. It wasn’t complicated, but without it, Liv would be doomed.
She had no idea that Adler would be impossible for her to kill. How could she? But he had murdered their parents and Reese and Ian, which meant he’d absorbed their power and was much stronger than he should be.
Clark jumped up from his place on the sofa, searching for the anywhere pad. He had to warn Liv before it was too late.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Whatever had possessed the mortals approaching Liv and Stefan was dark, evil magic. Once humans, the monsters lumbered forward, their eyes bloodshot and their mouths hanging open in evident hunger. They clawed at each other, gunning for the front position. Their faces were ashen gray, and high-pitched screams spilled from their mouths.
“I think we should try to knock them back,” Stefan said, holding up his hand.
Liv expected a blast to shoot from his palm and hit the beasts, giving them an advantage. However, nothing happened.
Stefan looked at his hand like there was something wrong with it. Again he positioned it toward the approaching zombies. Again nothing happened.
“Your magic has been locked,” Liv realized at once. She held up her own hand and sent a blast of wind at the zombies. It worked, and this time they flew back several feet, crashing into sharp rocks.
“Well, that’s just fine,” he said, not at all deterred. “Adler can lock my magic, but that won’t stop my demon blood.”
In a flash, he disappeared, moving faster than Liv’s eyes could process. Instantly, he was on the other side of the ridge, slaughtering zombies with impressive grace. She shook her head and smiled despite herself. There was something to admire about a man who wasn’t easily disco
uraged. Many would have panicked or complained. Not Stefan Ludwig. Seconds after finding out he had no magic, he had sprung straight into battle.
Liv rushed after him. “Don’t have all the fun without me.”
The rattling was the first thing to catch Adler’s attention. It was a slight noise, but he knew it wasn’t right.
Abandoning his position by the windows, where he had been more zombies after Olivia and Stefan, he hurried to the magic tech in the middle of the facility.
A loud buzzing noise radiated from the large machine. Smoke shot up from the wires on the side.
“Oh, hell!” he yelled, pointing his finger at the small fire that had broken out. Nothing happened.
He couldn’t understand what could be causing the problem, and there was no reason that he shouldn’t have magic. Again he tried to stop the fire, but his magic was too weak to do anything. That didn’t make any sense.
Frantically looking around, he found a blanket. Like a revolting mortal, he went to work trying to manually put out the fire. The signal was still broadcasting, but something was definitely wrong with it. Maybe that what was affecting his magic? he wondered. He’d been able to create the zombies, but that might have been because he was pulling from the dark magic inside the Matterhorn.
Closing his eyes, Adler drew that power into him. Then he pointed his finger at the magic tech. Instantly the humming stopped, the fire went out, and the signal strengthened.
Adler flexed his fingers, seeing the blackness start in his fingertips and spread up his hands through his veins. He’d allowed dark magic into his system. There was no way of ridding himself of it now, but that was fine. That was how Talon had come so far, and Adler was ready to join him and lead the House of Seven.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Fighting zombies was about like slaughtering demons, except that demons were dumber and stronger. So there were pros and cons, Liv realized, pulling the sword from a zombie’s stomach and swinging it around to lop off the head off another one.
Although Stefan had killed quite a few, by the time she showed up, the number of zombies had doubled. They just kept coming.
With her back up against Stefan’s, Liv surveyed the area. “Any bright ideas about how we get rid of these guys?”
“I have a few, actually,” he said, launching himself forward and thrusting his sword into one zombie’s chest while side-kicking another one, sending him down the side of the steep slope.
Liv took this opportunity to shoot a few fireballs at three approaching zombies. Adler had to have turned every mortal on the mountain into the walking dead. Liv instantly felt remorse for the mortals who were innocent in this but victims of this war. All she could do was get past them and hope to save the rest of humanity.
“So, these ideas,” Liv said, throwing a fireball over her shoulder and knocking out a zombie that was about to pounce on Stefan.
He glanced over his shoulder with surprise. “Hey, thanks.”
“No problem,” she said, catching her breath as the next wave of zombies approached.
“I think you need to go that way,” he said, pointing to where the path split.
“Why?” Liv asked, sending out more fireballs to halt the progress of the monsters. “The summit is to the right.”
“And I’m guessing that wherever this magic tech is, it won’t be on the beaten path,” Stefan explained.
“Good point,” Liv stated. “Actually, I should have considered that it’s entirely hidden. There’s got to be a way to reveal it.”
“I’m sure you can use your magic to figure it out,” Stefan said, wiping his blade clean and preparing for the next wave of zombies. “Must be nice.”
Liv winked at him. “We’ll get your magic back.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he said confidently. “I’ll be fine. But you can’t stay here fighting zombies—”
“But—”
“Liv, you have to get up there and stop the signal,” Stefan cut in. “Mortals are in danger, and that means magic is too. Me not having magic isn’t that big of a deal if everyone doesn’t have it.”
“But I can’t leave you here.”
“Of course, you can,” he stated. “I’ll hold off the zombies. You get past them and go after Adler. I’ll be fine.”
Liv knew he was right, but she didn’t want to admit it. Finally, she nodded reluctantly. “Fine, but let me at least help you with this next group.”
“Go now,” he encouraged. “And no more fireballs. We don’t know how much longer you’ll have magic. I’ll be fine.”
Liv didn’t want to leave him, but she knew she had to. She gave Stefan one last look before sprinting up the path that led away from the summit.
Clark frantically scribbled on the anywhere pad.
Liv, are you there?
A moment later a response scrolled across the blank page.
I’m sort of busy right now.
Clark quickly wrote a reply. This is important.
More important than not getting eaten by zombies? Liv asked.
Even in battle, she’s making jokes, Clark thought, shaking his head. Yes, but don’t get eaten by zombies.
What is it, bro?
He let out a breath. It’s about Adler. He’s more powerful than we thought.
A moment later, Liv’s words appeared. Hence the freaking zombies.
Clark nodded. Yes, but that’s not all. You can’t simply kill him since he absorbed our family’s lives when they died, making him stronger.
Oh, shit.
Quickly Clark referenced the Forgotten Archives, ensuring he got the information correct. There’s an easy way to combat it, though.
I’m listening, Liv replied.
You’re not going to like it.
Clark could almost hear the eye roll from on the other side of the world.
I suspected as much, Liv wrote. What do I have to do?
You can’t kill him with magic, Clark explained.
I figured you’d say something ridiculous like that, Liv fired back.
He almost wanted to laugh. She was doing an impressive job of replying, considering she was in battle.
Liv, you have to spill your own blood.
Oh, dude, that’s so gross, Liv shot back.
And then you have to kill Adler with your own hands.
There wasn’t a response for a long moment. When it finally came through, Clark’s chest lightened slightly.
I was already planning on doing that.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Liv slid the anywhere pad back into her cape. She was grateful she didn’t mind the sight of blood. Her experience fighting demons and other bad guys had gotten her over that pretty fast. However, she still didn’t like the sight of her own blood. Still, whatever it took to rid the world of the last Sinclair would be worth it. She daydreamed of a time in the future when the Sinclair family would be replaced in the House. Another magical family would come in, one that wasn’t corrupt down to their very core as well as power-hungry.
Often Liv checked over her shoulder, spying on Stefan’s battle with the zombies below. She’d hiked such a far distance that it was hard to make out the details, but he was still standing, and that was what counted most. She consoled herself with the fact that the demon blood should heal him if he was bitten by a zombie. It was incredibly helpful stuff if one didn’t mind nearly dying to have the blood running through their veins.
That strange wind from before ran across Liv’s cheeks, sending her back a step. She halted, sensing that things weren’t what they seemed. Holding up her hand, she tried to clear the space ahead of her. She needed to see what was actually there and not the glamour that covered it. However, she didn’t have magic. She knew at her core that it hadn’t been locked. That would have been impossible. Like a faucet being turned on, she could feel magic trickling through her. There just wasn’t much of it.
This was Adler’s doing. He was killing mortals and taking the magic from this world. S
he had to stop him.
Closing her eyes, Liv focused on the one thing she knew was the purest form of her magic. It was the only thing that could restore her magic if every mortal died. This source was timeless. It was all-encompassing. It was infinite.
It was the love she had for her family.
With her eyes closed, Liv repeated the words her mother had taught her. The ones that were more powerful than any spell in the world: “Familia est sempiternum.”
There were few things as incredible in the world as Liv Beaufont. Stefan would happily face down a thousand zombies without magic for that woman. However, he might have gotten a bit in over his head with these particular monsters. They kept coming, crawling over the sides of the cliffs and scurrying out of caves. He had no idea where they were coming from. Adler had to have resurrected every dead and living person on this mountain.
When the forces were almost overwhelming him, Stefan drew them down the mountain, trying to pull them away from where Liv had gone. He didn’t see any zombies on the path she’d taken. They were coming after him, and he had to keep it that way.
He pulled out his other sword, slicing zombie after zombie. However, there were always more ready to attack him.
Thrown off balance when a zombie took out his legs, Stefan tumbled several hundred yards down the slope, rolling end over end. The fall would have killed him if it hadn’t been for his demon blood. He looked at a deep cut on his forearm as he tried to stand. It sealed up almost immediately. He pulled his swords from where they’d stuck in the dirt and glanced up. A solid wall of zombies was approaching. It didn’t matter that Stefan had demon blood. He was hard to kill, but not impossible. Several hundred zombies were all it would take.
He pressed his fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Liv, I hope you make it. And I hope you know how amazing I always thought you were.”
