Battle With Fire

by Breene, K. F.

  It seems my surprise won’t be the only one they’ll get today.

  Correct.

  A hard fist of magic wrapped around me and squeezed, sending shooting pain up through my middle and stabbing behind my eyes. Archion shuddered under me and let out a burst of fire as he lost altitude, doing as I’d said and veering toward the field, only he was going to miss the fluffy section of grass up ahead and land on the hard stone and packed dirt beyond it. At least, that was what the illusion made it look like.

  I extended that fluffy bit toward his probable landing site, pulling it up over the dirt and then layering the design on top of the stone. It was coarse and unrefined and looked utterly ridiculous, but it should work. I tacked the magic down so it would hold under his crash landing and then threw myself from his back.

  My Glaciem magic didn’t catch right away, and I dropped like a stone. Pain stabbed through my head and felt like it was gouging my eyes. A hot spike drove up through my center, starting between my legs and pulsing out through the top of my head, as though I’d been impaled on a spike.

  The shock of pain, and where it had originated, triggered a very female part of me. Shock and fear clawed at me. Tugging at my vulnerability. Urging me to run off to a dark corner to hide. Because everyone knew about the inexcusable things men did to women when conquering lands.

  Whether the elves intended to stir those fears or not, they had.

  Vulnerabilities made us stronger. My father had said that. You could not really hate unless you knew how to love. And you could not revel in rage if you didn’t know great passion. You would never know your true strength unless you gave in to your greatest weaknesses.

  They hadn’t tapped into my greatest weakness, but they had triggered the kind of hot, consuming rage that took no prisoners.

  I shoved back at their magic as I fell, catching myself in a hover for a brief moment before resuming the fall. I hit the ground and rolled, no stranger to being tossed around and rolling out of it. As soon as I found my feet, I charged straight at those bastards. Just like old times.

  I dipped my hand into my pouch, lost a couple spells in the process, and found the one I wanted. I snapped the casing and threw, hitting the edge of their fancy little dais as they pushed together, shoulder to shoulder, and faced me, arms coming up.

  This was going to hurt.

  Their magic hit me like a fucking brick. It slammed through my middle and drove all my insides out through my back. They peeled my skin from my body and stole my vision. At least, that was what it felt like.

  “Shit birds sucking on a crack pipe, what in the holy fuck?” I said, continuing to run. I pushed out my magic in front of me, like rolling a carpet under my feet, making sure I didn’t trip on anything. I didn’t stop. Probably should’ve, but I refused to give them the satisfaction. Fuck ’em.

  I sliced through their magic, unraveling pieces of it, but they were both at my power level, working together, and I was outmatched.

  My magic hit a bump, and then my foot did. My body kept going in total blackness, my vision still cut off, and flew. I threw out my hands, and good thing I did, or I would’ve hit one of them face-first. As it was, my palms hit a pair of boobs, and I latched on, angling my body to make a solid hit and take her down with me. We rammed into the dais, and I grappled instantly, so incredibly used to this sort of thing from years of bounty hunting and tackling marks. I wasn’t the best at that job for no reason.

  I landed three quick punches to her upper chest, then adjusted my aim and smashed her nose. Hot liquid sprayed across my face and my vision flickered back to life. I crashed my fist into her face again and then struck out with air, throwing my hand to the side to get her beau.

  “Guards!” the other turd shouted, warding off my attack with a blast of magic. Not only were they way back here away from the battle, safe from most danger, but they apparently had guards, too.

  “Come on, Gumby, let’s fight fair and square.” I pushed up a little and yanked my foot up, slamming some lady balls before hopping over her and repeatedly ramming my foot into her side. She tried to fling magic at me. Tried to push at my face with her hands. I just kept going, slashing and burning with my magic at the other one while I physically assaulted this one. They clearly were not used to animalistic close combat. Where was Roger when you needed him?

  Stinging magic rolled over me, and hands grabbed my shoulder and ripped me back. Their help had arrived.

  “Gotta kill you quick-like,” I said, my vision still splotchy but good enough.

  I threw back an elbow and connected with a sternum. The hands loosened and the guard’s breath flowed over me, but he didn’t let go. Someone else grabbed at my arm.

  I swelled air to throw them off, but my attention was divided, and the king had an unimpeded shot at me. My vision flickered out again, and pain nearly doubled me over.

  I felt a blast of magic rush by me. A hoarse cry sounded before the pain ceased and my vision flickered back to good enough. The hands yanked at my shirt before disappearing entirely.

  I spun with wild eyes in time to see Cahal’s sword slice into one of the guards that had restrained me. Emery punched another before grabbing the dagger from her belt and stabbing her in the chest. He turned to another one, wild-eyed, and let loose a spell that tore the guard’s chest wide open. Blood and guts spilled out. The guard tried to catch them in crimson hands as he sank to the ground.

  Penny shot off another spell. The king barely managed to redirect it before falling off the other side of the dais.

  She glanced over, and I felt relief so thick it was choking me. She met my eyes and nodded.

  The queen had turned over and was crawling to the back of the dais, clearly not sure where she was going, just away. Marks did this too. Usually I’d step on their backs and demand answers, or just haul them up and take them in.

  But she wasn’t going anywhere. Neither of them were.

  “I got the king,” I said. “I’ve already primed the queen for you.”

  “Nah. I’ll let Emery take that sack of monkey balls.”

  “You can’t swear, even here?” I grinned, my rage swelling, my magic swelling with it. “Still know how to do hellfire?”

  “I can’t without your dad’s magic here too. I can light a bunch of guards on fire, though.”

  “Good. Don’t go overboard. We don’t want you losing yourself to rage and never coming back.”

  “My mom already warned me about that. I’m good. I’ll let Emery handle it.”

  I nodded and stepped up onto the dais, ignoring the queen. Emery would handle that, as Penny had said, and we’d forgive him for his lack of decorum when he did.

  “Fucking with us was a big mistake, your highness,” I said as I stalked toward the king, shoving at his magic with gritted teeth. “Oops. Found your equal, did you?”

  “You’re trash,” he snarled.

  “If name calling helps you cope with this situation, by all means.” I tangled with his power. It was volatile and unstable sometimes, and cool and smooth others. I had no idea what that meant, but I did know these suckers weren’t great with their hands.

  I gave a big push as I rounded the corner, shoving his magic right back at him. Then I physically rushed forward, jumped, and kicked. My heavy boot cracked him in the face, and he fell backward like a log. He shot his hand up, but I slashed with air, ridding him of that ability in the future.

  “I have to ask…” I slashed down at him, my magic skimming across his neck. He cried out, an inhuman sound, throwing everything he had at me.

  I spared a bit of my magic and endured the pain. I worked around his gale of power.

  “You’re not banging your sister, right?” I stabbed, the thrust of air magic shoved aside but not enough, because it came down in his side. “Because that would be gross.” My next slash was accompanied by another swell of magic. I cut through his middle this time.

  He yelled, clutching the wound, and I swiped once more, silencing hi
m for good. His head rolled away.

  Archion now stood on the field he’d crashed into, my hasty grass illusion torn up in a couple places, but at least it had done the job. He appeared unhurt. The other two dragons dropped down as well, Coppelia huffing smoke.

  Emery stood on the dais looking at the castle, his chest rising and falling. He’d dealt with the queen. He glanced my way, saw that I was good, and then found Penny shooting off spells into the much-reduced crowd of guards like a gunslinger. None of the other elves had come back to help. Not one. That spoke volumes.

  Your people need help, Archion thought. You will have to surprise the elves another time.

  I told Emery and the others what he’d said.

  “Penny!” Emery shot out a spell, cutting down a guard who’d thrown some kind of nasty magic at her. Cahal lopped off one elf’s arm, another’s head, and then cut through a third’s leg with cool economy, like he was dancing with his sword. It was vicious and vile, and I loved it.

  “Let’s go, show over,” I yelled, waving my arm in the air.

  He is worried about you, Archion said as we ran their way.

  Who? I asked as I took a running leap and hovered onto his back.

  “That’s not fair,” Penny called. “How can I get style points when I can’t hover?”

  “Not my problem,” I yelled.

  Lucifer, Archion said, lifting off. The vampire. The shifter—take your pick. They are cutting the elves’ forces down, trying to get to you.

  I grimaced. I’d totally get in trouble for this.

  In fairness, they’d known something like this was liable to happen. I couldn’t be trusted to follow a plan. Everyone knew that. In fact, hadn’t most of my friends encouraged me to go rogue?

  The others are working with Lucifer? I asked.

  Not exactly. But they have a common cause right now.

  I’d definitely get in trouble.

  “Let’s fight back the demons,” I yelled at the others. “I doubt the elves think of us as friendlies after killing their monarchs, so don’t get killed in the process.”

  Eighteen

  We flew over the line of elves, now completely scattered. Fliers swarmed the sky now, healed from our efforts, beating back the demons as the rows of elves waved their hands in the air, using their magic to target the dragons and dragon riders. The front line clashed with shifters and demons alike as the vampires on our side tried to cut a path through the elves’ army. Darius was trying to get to me, just as Archion had said.

  Tatsu bellowed, the effect sliding off me, and pushed up higher into the sky. My father sat atop her, and he noticed me immediately, relief washing over his face. My heart glowed at this show of genuine emotion, but I pushed that away. I could feel affectionate toward him later. Right now, I had to beat him back.

  I swelled my magic and shoved with air, putting everything into it. It shoved away demons and dragons, both on the ground and in the sky, creating some space. A few from the elves’ side were caught up in the blast of air, but they’d just have to be collateral damage.

  We dove down to the troops, and I layered the friendlies with cold while Archion blew fire across the demon side in a smooth line. Some demons burned and writhed. Trolls caught fire or turned to run. A cluster of gross little goblins was caught in the blast. Those behind pushed back even more, scurrying away.

  A lone wolf howl floated up to us. A big gray wolf—probably Roger, though I couldn’t really tell from this height—turned from the elves. He ran forward, joined immediately by shifters and fae. Definitely Roger. Spells changed direction, once aimed at the elves and now swinging toward the demons.

  But the elves didn’t suddenly decide to stop fighting. They pushed forward, emboldened by our people’s altered focus. Swords swung and magic blasted, yelps of pain and shouts erupting. The demons slammed into our forces on the other side, too, led by those most resistant to fire.

  Tatsu flew over our people and went directly for the elves, raining down fire as Lucifer pummeled them with air spears. Other dragons blasted fire at our people, catching a shifter before I could cover them with protection. I threw down knives at the demons as Archion turned to go after Lucifer. Lucifer’s team of dragons followed his lead, attacking the line of elves. Our dragons went to lend aid, the only fliers we had. We were severely outgunned in the air.

  Flame went up behind me, and I turned to see a demon spear a mage with it. I gritted my teeth, sending my own air spear to take it out. I hadn’t been there in time for that mage, though, not to mention there was a whole sea of demons pushing forward with the same sort of magic. I wouldn’t be able to protect everyone. I had to turn my attentions to where I could do the most good.

  A thought curled through my mind, unbidden. How does this end?

  It was a good question. Lucifer had thousands. We wouldn’t be able to hold them off forever. They’d shove us forward until we were basically fighting side by side with the elves…except the elves would kill us right along with the demons. We’d be trapped in the middle, a position Lucifer had always known I’d end up in if I didn’t join him. A position he planned to pull me from, leaving everyone else behind. Which wasn’t going to happen, obviously.

  There had to be another way, and Lucifer was the key. He could call this off. We’d taken out the monarchs—the elf leadership would be vulnerable. They’d be ready to compromise, they had to be, especially if they knew he’d take it all if they didn’t.

  To Lucifer, I thought, and Archion rushed forward. The way to make my father see reason was to force his hand, and everyone had always known that would be my job. I was the only one that could.

  I blanketed the elf troops with protection as fire rained down over them, their magic doing a little something to provide their own brand of resistance. They worked their magic up at the dragons, making their wings flutter uncomfortably, and a couple came crashing down. I grimaced and lifted my spell enough to let those dragons right themselves before pushing them away. I wanted them to stop, not to get hurt.

  Lucifer threw magic that materialized in a wide splash of air that sliced through flesh and bone. I slapped him back with my magic, knocking him to the side. His head snapped up as he clung to Tatsu, whose bleats had the dragons around her shifting and moving. Those on the outskirts turned toward us, and Archion tensed below me, preparing for battle. But they didn’t attack.

  The dragons flapped, crowding us, getting in the way. They were a deterrent. They wouldn’t kill me, and I wouldn’t kill them.

  What a stupid kind of battle I’d found myself in. This wasn’t my speed at all.

  Keep trying, I thought to Archion before throwing my leg over and hopping off.

  “Reagan,” I heard as I fell before catching myself, seeing Penny and Emery looking around, probably wondering how they were going to follow. Of course they would; that was a certainty. Right or wrong, Penny would not risk allowing me to save her a third time.

  I pulled them off their dragons, who would get their directives from Archion. Cahal jumped, of course, just as damn stubborn as the others. Near the ground, I caught them all, thankful the elves were more worried about Lucifer than us.

  “What’s the plan?” Emery yelled as they ran at me. He fired off a spell to take down a centaur, cutting out its legs, and Penny finished it off with some sort of bone-breaking thing. They’d clearly studied the best way to take those creatures down since we’d dealt with them the last time.

  “Always with a plan, even though you’re the one that told me to attack without one,” I grumbled, throwing my hand wide and cutting down a row of goblins vying for space. What a very handy way to take down a bunch of things at once. Thanks, Pop. “We need to make Lucifer give up this fight,” I yelled.

  “Oh, only that?” Penny said. She shot a spell at a minotaur, catching it in the chest and flinging it back.

  I didn’t get to see what that did, too busy ripping at three enemies in front of me and blasting a fourth with fire. “Null hi
s magic, and I’ll shove with mine,” I yelled. “Help Cahal…”

  I let my words slip away as I felt Darius’s presence throbbing through our bond. He was close and coming closer. Monsters burst through the crowd of bodies around us, claws ripping. A goblin went flying. Darius reached forward to grab another, but only took out its throat. The rest of the body slid to the ground.

  What is the plan? Darius asked as the vampires seeped into the area, clearing out the enemy.

  This time I could actually pretend I had one. I relayed it to him, throwing air at a minotaur trying to ram his way into our group from the elves’ side.

  “We’re trying to bloody help you, you miserable shithead,” I yelled, frustration eating at me. A pegasus flew overhead, its legs gyrating through the air as if it were running along solid ground. A winged horse reminded me of the unicorns. They hadn’t engaged in the battle. I wondered why they’d even come. They hadn’t seemed too keen on seeing action back on their island.

  The pegasus neighed as it pulled up and kicked out with its back feet, its hooves cracking into a dragon’s hide. The dragon turned to deliver retribution, but it must’ve been slapped with magic, because its wings tilted dramatically. The pegasus kicked again, and then again. The dragon crashed into the ground, disappearing behind a crush of bodies. Its roar cut off, and my heart jumped into my throat.

  “Hurry,” I said, shoving forward, pushing with air, cutting down anyone in my way. “We have to stop this now! Vampires, keep everyone off us. Cahal, you come too. Emery and Penny, null Lucifer’s magic.”

  “I’ll null the magic. I know how,” Emery said. “Penny, cut out the elves’ magic if you can.”

  “I’m not close enough to feel their magic,” she said. “I don’t know how to stop them unless I can.”

  “Then we have to get closer.” I pushed Cahal to the side and blasted out with air and fire, pushing and killing at the same time, cutting a line to those elves so Penny could get close enough to do her thing. The vampires stepped up quickly, helping me. The front-line creatures fell away, surging around behind us. I doubted we’d be able to get out of this as easily as we were pushing in, but that was a problem for another time.