Power of Magic

by Linsey Hall

  Without saying a word, he swooped me up into his arms and threw me over his shoulder.

  “Oof.” The air whooshed from my lungs as my stomach slammed into him.

  “Hang on.” He sprinted faster, and there was no doubt that I was moving quicker on his back.

  How embarrassing.

  “I can’t hold it much longer.” Prometheus panted.

  Maximus ran faster, but the flames flickered and died a moment later. We kept running, though, so fast that the ground was a blur in front of my eyes as I bounced along on Maximus’s back.

  I heard the Echidna shriek from behind me, and lifted my head to look back. The three of them had appeared, perched on the rocks above. They looked entirely unharmed by the fire, and their eyes glowed bright with malice. They searched the area where we ran, their eyes racing over it. Almost as if they couldn’t see me. Then their noses twitched.

  “We’re invisible,” Prometheus whispered from where he ran along beside Maximus and me. “Illusion.”

  Ah, right. He was a trickster god, which probably brought with it the power of illusion.

  “They can smell us,” Maximus murmured.

  I clung to Maximus, unable to look away from the Echidna, who were still scenting the air.

  “I can run,” I whispered at Maximus’s back.

  “Not fast enough.”

  Instead of throwing fire or sonic booms at us, the Echidna began to move, racing toward me. Their double tails moved gracefully on the rocks as they climbed over.

  Oh no. “They’re coming.”

  Within seconds, the Echidna were in front of us.

  Oh fates, they’re fast.

  Dark delight lit their features, and they grinned evilly, white fangs glinting.

  They raised their hands, magic sparking around their palms. Blue, green, red, they were ready to throw their entire arsenal toward us.

  A glint of silvery water caught my eye.

  There was a waterfall behind them, just to the left.

  Heck yeah.

  I called upon it with my magic, feeling the crisp bite of the water as it poured down the cliff face behind the Echidna. The water came easily to me—easier than it ever had before.

  Quickly, it surged forward, a wide silver spear that plowed into the Echidna’s backs. The snake women hissed in rage, plowing forward and slamming into the ground.

  Maximus sprinted away, moving as fast as he could. Up ahead, I spotted the end of this narrow valley. We were almost to the end.

  Prometheus pointed. “That’s the boundary to their territory. We make it there, we’re safe.”

  As soon as the words left his lips, a shiver ran down my spine.

  Something was coming. I lifted my head to look, catching sight of the Echidna, who’d scrambled after us on their slithery bottom halves.

  Man, they recovered quickly.

  They darted toward a rock formation that was only a couple feet high, grabbing something in their hands. They lifted it, the three of them bearing the heavy weight of what looked like a tangled rope.

  Then they threw it.

  “Move!” I shouted to Maximus and Prometheus, but it was too late.

  The net flew toward us, so fast I could hardly see it move. When the heavy weight landed on me and Maximus, my muscles froze solid. Maximus fell forward, and I went down right along with him, unable to move a muscle. I couldn’t even move my eyeballs, though I was able to spot Prometheus going down with us. He was just as frozen as we were. When I hit the ground, my head slammed into a rock.

  Blackness followed.

  Pain streaked through my head as I woke from a deep sleep.

  Sleep?

  I couldn’t be sleeping. I was upright, for one, tied to a chair with my head aching like I’d been hit with a truck. Agony radiated through my brain, and the muscles in my shoulders pulled.

  It took everything I had to pry my eyes open. Sand seemed to scrape beneath my eyelids, burning my eyes.

  A great fire roared in front of me, sending flickering shadows over the interior of a huge cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, piercing downward. A glance to my left and right showed Prometheus and Maximus in the same position.

  How had we gotten here?

  I tried to call upon my magic, but it stayed dormant inside me. The ropes had to be suppressing it somehow.

  A memory of the snake women flashed in my mind.

  Crap.

  I blinked, searching the cave for them. When the red one slithered out from behind the fire, her dual tails carrying her quickly across the dirt ground, I winced backward.

  There was only one way to describe the look in her eyes, and that was hungry.

  Only then did I notice the weird iron bar that extended horizontally over the blazing fire.

  “Oh fates, is that a spit?” I blurted the question, so horrified that I couldn’t keep it in my mouth.

  The red Echidna grinned evilly. “How else are we supposed to make dinner?”

  There was no meat in the cave that I could see. So yeah, it was pretty obvious who was going to be dinner. Frantic, I struggled at the rope that wrapped around my chest and arms. My hands were bound behind me, which explained the pain in my shoulders. The ropes were so tight that I couldn’t move an inch, and frustrated tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

  Maximus and Prometheus were now coming to, and the shock on their faces scared me even more. They were struggling to break their bindings, and they couldn’t.

  These were two men who were clearly used to muscling their way out of any situation they didn’t like. And it wasn’t working.

  These were some seriously strong ropes.

  I swallowed hard and turned back to the Echidna, struggling uselessly at my bonds. The knot was at the back—if there even was a knot—and there was no way for me to reach it.

  The other two Echidna slithered out from behind the fire, their blue and green tails glinting like jewels in the light. The three of them slid toward me, eyes gleaming bright.

  They ignored Maximus and Prometheus, leaning over to sniff me.

  Surprise flared in their eyes, and they looked at each other.

  “She smells of the ones on the mountain,” whispered the blue-eyed one.

  “Who are they?” I demanded.

  The Echidna just stared at me, then slithered back toward the fire, leaning toward each other. They whispered frantically, and I called upon my gift from Artemis, using my animal hearing to pick up traces of their words.

  “Should we eat her?”

  “Will the gods be angry?”

  “She’s a trespasser.”

  “What about the winged ones?”

  Who the hell were the winged ones?

  The Echidna looked at me, calculation in their eyes. I glared back, and they turned away, resuming their conversation. They’d lowered their voices enough that I couldn’t pick up on their words anymore, so I looked at Maximus and Prometheus. Both were red-faced as they struggled at their bonds.

  Maximus was actually having some luck. The ropes were beginning to fray at his elbows, where he was shoving them away from his chest.

  “Just a few minutes more,” he murmured, so low I could barely hear.

  My mind whirred. It’d definitely be a good thing if he could break free, but we all needed to escape at the same time if we wanted any hope of fighting off the Echidna. They’d go for us immediately, and we’d need all our skills to take them out.

  Something small nudged my thigh, and I jumped.

  I looked down, spotting Romeo’s toothy grin. Poppy and Eloise stood by him.

  Shit!

  Then they disappeared.

  “I’ve hidden them,” Prometheus whispered.

  Thank fates for illusion.

  I’m working on your bindings. Romeo’s voice sounded in my head. Poppy is on the big stranger.

  “Where’s Eloise?” I breathed. Maximus had it under control with his enormous gladiator strength.

  Distrac
tion.

  Just then, a sound echoed from behind the fire. A rock falling.

  The heads of the three Echidna whipped up, then they slithered behind the fire, searching for the source of the noise. It was all the time we needed.

  My bindings fell loose, and so did Prometheus’s. Maximus surged free as his ropes snapped, falling to the ground.

  I sprinted toward the tall bonfire, using it as cover.

  “We’re invisible,” Prometheus whispered. “And I’ve bought us a few moments.” He hiked a thumb behind him, and I looked back.

  My brows jumped.

  In the three chairs sat myself, Maximus, and Prometheus, still bound.

  “You’re good,” I murmured, so low even I could barely hear it.

  Together, we crept around the flames, spying on the Echidna. They were at the back wall of the cave, searching the crevices in the rock for whatever had made the sound. They were like bloodhounds on the scent, determined to find what had disturbed their habitat.

  We could run for it now, but they’d figure out we were gone before too long. And they were so fast they would definitely catch us. We needed to take them out while we had the chance.

  I glanced up, spotting the stalactites on the ceiling. There were even more over here, and if we were lucky, they might be useful.

  I pointed upward. “Let’s knock them down.”

  I dug into my potion bag and withdrew one of the disintegration bombs. If I threw it just right, it could dislodge the stalactites without destroying the whole thing.

  Romeo, tell Eloise to clear out, away from the back wall. No way I wanted my plan to squish my badger buddy.

  Maximus drew his round shield from the ether, and Prometheus’s hands lit up with fire.

  All clear, Romeo said.

  “Go,” I whispered.

  As one, we hurled our weapons. I chucked my potion bomb at the biggest stalactites, while Prometheus shot a blast of fire so strong it dislodged another one. Maximus hurled his shield, which flew through the air and slammed into the base of one of the protruding rocks.

  As the three limestone spikes plummeted, I drew another potion bomb from my pack. Prometheus created another fireball, while Maximus caught his rebounding shield. One of the stalactites hit the red-headed Echidna right on the head. She collapsed.

  The others shrieked their rage, their eyes frantically searching the cave for us. They glanced right over our forms, tricked my Prometheus’s illusion.

  The three of us threw our projectiles at the ceiling again, breaking away another series of stalactites. Then another. Within seconds, we’d knocked out all of the Echidna. They lay amongst the tumbled rocks, still as corpses.

  Prometheus let his illusion magic fade, and suddenly I could see the Menacing Menagerie, standing near the fire. They crept toward the bodies of the Echidna.

  “No way they’re dead.” Prometheus shook his head. “Too bad.”

  “Better that way,” I said. “I’m supposed to prove myself by getting up this mountain, not kill all the citizens.”

  Even though they’re jerks? Romeo asked.

  “Yeah.” I nodded, hurrying toward the Echidna to make sure they were well and truly out. “This is their turf. We were trespassing. They were just doing what monsters do.”

  Upon closer inspection, all of the Echidna were definitely out cold. Maximus conjured some iron shackles and bound their snake tails together.

  Once he’d finished, he brushed off his hands and stood back. “They’ll get out of those eventually, but they should buy us enough time.”

  I grinned. “Good. Let’s get a move on.”

  “This way.” Prometheus waved his hand to indicate we should follow him, then led us out.

  “You’ve been down here before?” I asked.

  “Long ago. Before the Echidna even moved in.”

  We hurried away from the snake women and their fire, finding a huge tunnel that exited the cavern.

  “What do you think she meant, that you smell like the ones on the mountain?” Maximus asked as we walked.

  “I don’t know. But she said something about the winged ones.”

  Maximus raised his brows. “Interesting.”

  “Seriously.” My sisters had both gotten wings when they’d become Dragon Gods. To be honest, I’d quite like a pair myself.

  Unless I turned into a bug. That’d be a letdown.

  I grinned, and we continued on, following the scent of fresh air. The Menacing Menagerie hurried along beside me, their little feet moving fast on the dusty ground.

  “I think we’re nearly to the cave exit,” I murmured.

  We stepped out into the sunlight a moment later. The roar of a waterfall sounded to my left, and I looked over, spotting the falls that I’d used to knock over the Echidna. We were at the very end of their gauntlet.

  “Let’s hurry.” Prometheus led us away from the valley, and we hurried up the mountain. The path narrowed as we climbed, falling away on either side. We could probably climb on the lower portion, but I didn’t want to. The ground looked rocky and uneven.

  A while later, we reached a part of the mountain where the ground flattened out. The peak rose high in the distance, still a long way off.

  Prometheus led us toward the sound of water, and we reached a waterfall that flowed down a sharp cliff. I craned my neck, looking up. There was no easy way to ascend.

  “Are you sure this is the right way?” I asked.

  “Not entirely, no,” Prometheus said. “This looks different than it did last time I was here. It’s been a couple thousand years, though. The waterfall is new.”

  I frowned, inspecting the waterfall that flowed into a river at the base. The wide rush of water flowed across the flat plain upon which we stood, then poured down the mountain in the distance. The cliff wall on either side of the falls was perfectly smooth. Terrible for climbing.

  I moved closer to the falls, my ears picking up the sound of rustling in the grass that surrounded the river. The Menacing Menagerie stopped abruptly, their eyes glued to the grass.

  Visitor. Romeo looked at me.

  “What kind?”

  Don’t know.

  A moment later, a small cat with russet fur crept out. Some kind of wildcat with bright yellow eyes and an intelligent face.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Not sure he can talk back,” Prometheus said.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Romeo had shocked the hell out of me when he’d started talking. And I had Artemis’s gift of an affinity for animals. There was no telling what this wildcat might be able to communicate.

  For now, though, she just stared at me suspiciously.

  “We’re trying to get to the top of Olympus. Any advice?” I asked.

  The cat tilted her head, as if she could understand me. I called upon Artemis’s magic, trying to forge a connection with the little feline.

  Almost immediately, I felt her life force. Her eyes widened, almost as if understanding dawned upon her.

  Suddenly, a thought blasted into my mind.

  We needed to climb up the cliff, right behind the waterfall. There was a passage there that would lead us higher into the mountain. The cat never took that path—never went any higher on the mountain, in fact—but she’d heard of it.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  The cat inclined its head, then trotted off, slipping into the bushes once more.

  I turned to Maximus and Prometheus, who were looking at me like I was nuts. They hadn’t heard my communication with the cat—even I hadn’t really heard it so much as felt it. “We have to climb up behind the waterfall. There’s a tunnel back there that will lead us farther up.”

  “The cat told you that?” Doubt echoed in Prometheus’s voice.

  “Yep.”

  He shrugged. “Fine enough. Makes sense. The waterfall was likely diverted this way after my last visit. I think I recall climbing a cliff.”

  I gave him a skeptical look. He was good as far as guid
es went—he’d gotten us all this way—but I wouldn’t be five-starring him on Trip Advisor. Four point five stars, max.

  We skirted around the edge of the river, going right up to the base of the waterfall. The river poured down, speckling my face with droplets. I edged up to the side of the falls and peered behind. The water arced away from the cliff, forming a pocket within which we could climb.

  I spotted several indented handholds in the rock and grinned. “Jackpot.”

  I glanced down at the Menacing Menagerie. Romeo was frowning at the rock face.

  “See you later?” I asked.

  Yep.

  With that, the Menagerie disappeared.

  “Let’s go.” I jumped on the wet rocks that lined the area behind the falls, making my way toward the middle where the handholds were etched into the rock.

  Maximus and Prometheus followed, silent and quick.

  I began to climb, finding the handholds easily. There wasn’t much light back here, but it was enough to illuminate the grips. The stone was wet beneath my fingertips, but rough enough that I had a good handhold.

  Water roared behind me as I climbed, water droplets splashing the backs of my jeans. Probably my jacket, too, but I couldn’t feel it through the leather.

  I was nearly to the top when I gripped the handhold that was actually a huge hole in the cliff wall. It was the tunnel that the wildcat had mentioned.

  I scrambled up into it, climbing to my feet in the dark space. Maximus and Prometheus followed. I shook my hand, igniting the magic in my lightstone ring. It flared to life, sending a golden glow over the huge cavern.

  Prometheus stepped forward. “Yes, this is familiar.”

  “Any monsters in here?” Maximus asked.

  Prometheus shrugged. “Probably. But they’ll likely be different than when I was here last.”

  Just our luck.

  We started through the tunnel, which was at least thirty feet across. It sloped gradually upward as we travelled, extending through the mountainside.

  After about half an hour, we reached a wider cavern. It was huge, soaring at least a hundred feet overhead.

  Aaaand…it was a dead end.

  I stopped abruptly. “Well, shit.”

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