by Ciara Graves
The gargoyles continued to circle. lower and lower, but none of them landed.
“Come on, you bastards,” I whispered fiercely. “Land. Freaking land.”
Mercy stepped backward, inching her way out of the trap.
The gargoyles continued to circle until finally, one hovered right in front of her. It scoffed at her magic, as if not intimidated at all.
“Where are the artifacts?”
The voice threw me off. None of the others had spoken a word. The words were garbled and sounded nothing like I expected them to sound, coming from this ancient creature.
“They’re here. Why don’t you come and get them?” Mercy suggested.
The gargoyle bared his fangs as the three others hovered behind Mercy, cutting off her escape. Her gaze slipped to mine then up then back to the gargoyle. I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say until the third time she did it.
“Run up to the roof,” I whispered to Iris. “Tell them to deploy the nets on my call.”
“We won’t have anything to use if they try to fly off.”
“We don’t have a choice. They aren’t landing.”
Iris took off, up the steps.
I turned my attention back to Mercy.
“I will not ask you again, mage, where are the artifacts?”
Mercy shrugged. “Sorry, I’m not much in the mood for divulging information.” She planted her right foot and made as if to turn.
The gargoyles followed every move she made. Their backs were almost all to the warehouse now. One more step and we’d have our shot. I ordered another agent to the bottom of the steps to make ready to shout the order.
I raised my hand and waited.
Mercy backed up another step, shifting once more. She was nearly out of the trap.
If the gargoyles went any further, the magic wouldn’t hold them.
Right when I was going to let my arm drop, Mercy’s intense sapphire eyes latched onto me. My jaw clenched at the sorrow in those depths. The pain and the guilt. And with it came a resolve that made my heart pound.
She didn’t think she was going to make it through this fight. She almost seemed to be counting on it.
Then the gargoyles lunged for her.
I dropped my arm with a yell.
The order was picked up behind me, and the agents on the rooftops let the nets fly.
Two nets hit the three gargoyles, while another caught the wing of the third and sent it reeling to the ground. The other two fumbled to get free, but they were unable to and fell.
The fourth dodged the nets and whirled around with a roar. His wings spread wide, ready to take off.
Mercy was faster. She let loose a fierce battle-cry, and as her sword unfolded, she leaped onto the gargoyle’s back. The point of her blade drove through his neck.
His harsh shriek hurt my ears, but I charged out to help her take him down.
He reached around and yanked her off, throwing her clear across the lot.
She rolled, but I didn’t see her get back up.
I grabbed hold of the gargoyle’s wing and dragged him all the way down to the ground.
The second its foot touched, I let go and staggered away, out of the trap.
The other three ripped through the nets and came at us, but they bounced off an invisible forcefield.
The trap worked. All four gargoyles were trapped.
Mercy limped her way toward the trap, glowering at the gargoyle with her sword embedded in his neck. She held her right arm, but otherwise seemed unhurt.
The trick now, would be knocking them out somehow or getting one alone, so we could use the truth serum on him.
Joseph and Nor emerged from the other warehouse. The mage appeared thrilled that the trap worked as planned.
“Told you,” he said with a wink.
“Yes, you did.” What I didn’t ask him was if the gargoyles were truly drawn to the presence of the artifacts or if it was Mercy’s stunt that brought them here. “Now what?”
The gargoyles had spread out around the trap, each one testing a different section with the same result.
The forcefield rippled like water but remained intact. They weren’t going anywhere until we wanted them to.
Joseph opened his mouth to talk but closed it just as fast. His eyes focused on something to our right.
I followed his gaze.
The gargoyle who spoke to Mercy stood right in front of her now. He grabbed the blade of the sword jutting through his neck and yanked on it.
Several of the newer agents gagged and turned away as the gargoyle destroyed his own throat ripping the weapon free.
Mercy didn’t even flinch.
“You will not stop us,” the gargoyle warned, holding the blade in its massive hand.
“Watch me,” Mercy replied.
The gargoyle took her sword and broke it over his leg as if it was nothing, but a stick. “You are a fool. You are all fools.”
He backed away from Mercy, his lips moving, but the words that tumbled out were strange to me.
The other three gargoyles picked up the chant.
I noticed they were evenly spaced around the trap. “Joseph, what are they saying?”
“I don’t recognize the language.”
“What are they doing?” Nor stepped closer, but I stopped him from walking right up to the forcefield. “Look at their eyes. Gargoyles can use magic?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Joseph replied.
Their eyes all glowed the same sickly green color. The sharp image of Envy’s face and his glowing green eyes hit me like a punch to the gut. Was he behind them?
I yelled for the agents to get back and form a perimeter. This fight wasn’t even close to being over.
Mercy hadn’t moved, except to draw her dagger. She held both daggers in her hands, waiting.
“Mercy, move back.”
She either didn’t hear me over the sudden loud humming coming from the gargoyles in the trap or didn’t want to. As the words grew louder, the lines of the trap Joseph created pulsed with shadows.
They crept out of the ground like writhing snakes until the lot was filled with them, contained only by the forcefield.
“Joseph,” Nor murmured.
But the mage was already holding out his hands. White and gold flames glowed at his palms stretching forward, but he wasn’t going to be strong enough. The forcefield crackled. Those shadows crawled up the inside of it, blocking out any sign of the gargoyles.
Mercy sprinted to Joseph’s side, sheathed one of her daggers, and grabbed his hand.
The immediate burst of power took my breath away. The flames from the two of them glowed like the afternoon sun. They struck the forcefield and began their ascent. We had no other mages with us, but the witches hurried to grab Joseph’s other hand, and another rested hers on Mercy’s shoulder.
They picked up the words Joseph was chanting, and white magic surrounded them, boosting the mages’ magic.
I had a moment of hope that this would be enough to counteract whatever the gargoyles were doing to break the trap, but a resounding crack came from the forcefield.
Yelps of pain sounded behind me.
I covered my ears, wincing at the ringing sensation.
I held my gun, watching as the shadows seeped out of the crack. The white magic was shoved backward, forcing those controlling it to slide across the lot.
“Mercy.”
I hadn’t spoken her name loudly, but she turned as if she heard me. Her lips moved, and though I didn’t hear it, I knew exactly what she said. Run.
The ground trembled. Nor shouted for everyone to retreat, but we were too late. The writhing shadows exploded outward, and everything went dark.
Agents shouted.
I fought to stay on my feet.
It was impossible to see anything. My gun was torn from my grasp. I swung my fists wide, but they passed right through the shadows. Something heavy struck the side of my head, and I fell to my knees. Another hi
t to my back forced me forward until I was eating pavement.
All around me were the panicked sounds of fighting that slowly died away.
Several gunshots went off and then it was eerily silent.
The shadows hissed as they surrounded me then dragged me upright. They held back my arms and kept me on my knees.
“Rafael.”
Nor was to my right, held in the same position, growling as he fought against the shadows. His face was bloody. Iris was behind me. Joseph was on the ground, not moving. Alive or dead? I couldn’t tell. Every agent was either down or being held captive by those shadows. How many had we just lost?
“What the hell is that?” Iris whispered, alarmed.
Where the trap had been was now a whirling cyclone, made completely of shadows. Slowly, it shrank, and when the shadows parted, I snarled and lunged forward. The shadows only tightened around my arms, digging into my skin, but I wasn’t going to do nothing.
There at the center of the ruined trap was one of the gargoyles. The other three stood nearby, watching. But it wasn’t them I focused on.
In the monster’s grip, being held by her throat was Mercy. She beat the gargoyle’s arm, but it didn’t budge.
Her face was red, and the fight was quickly going out of her, the longer he held her in his grasp.
“You foolish girl,” the gargoyle said with a leer that didn’t fit his face. “You are blind just like the rest of them. That is how we will win.”
Mercy’s eyes glowed white, but the gargoyle squeezed, and her power fizzled out.
“None of that now. You’ve given me enough trouble, as it is.” The gargoyle reached to its bloody neck and twisted.
A clasp that I hadn’t noticed before appeared. As the being shrugged, a change came over the gargoyle.
The wings vanished as his body shifted and shimmered.
A hefty piece of fabric fluttered to his feet, and there, standing before us was a hooded figure. The one who attacked Mercy.
“Handy things, these artifacts,” the figure announced. “Very useful at beating back pathetic mage powered traps. Now, where are the other artifacts?”
“I don’t have them,” Mercy replied roughly, given enough air to talk.
“I know you don’t. Where are they? Answer me now, or I start killing these innocents.” He held up his hand, ready to snap his fingers. “You have three seconds.”
“I don’t know,” Mercy shouted.
“Two and one.” He snapped his fingers.
A shifter collapsed, dead, without even a sound.
“Let’s try this again.”
“She doesn’t have them,” Nor bellowed. “Let her go, and I’ll tell you where they are.”
The figure sighed heavily, his hood preventing me from seeing who he was. “And why would I let her go?”
“That’s the deal.”
“You do not have the advantage here. You do realize this, yes?”
“I do, but you can have me as a hostage. I’ll take you to the artifacts. Just let them all go.”
He tapped his chin then shrugged. “I will release them once you hand over the artifacts.” He lifted Mercy higher in the air and sucked in a deep breath. When he released the air, Mercy was thrown clear across the lot and slammed into the side of the warehouse.
“Mercy!”
She crashed to the gravel and didn’t move again.
I strained against the shadows, snarling and yelling her name as the robed figure turned his attention to me. “You bastard.”
“Yes, yes, I’m a bastard and all those fun words. Now,” he said, ignoring me as he strode toward Nor. “I suggest you get on your radio and call whoever you need to. I want those artifacts here. You have ten minutes. And in case you attempt to deceive me,” he said as he held up both hands, weathered and aged, “I will ensure you pay a very hefty price for it. Starting with him.”
The shadows sliced into my skin and I grimaced at the ambush of pain. Blood dripped from the wounds. Each time I moved, they deepened. When Nor took too long to get his phone out, the man squeezed his hand and the shadows cut in harsher. Lucky for me I’ve had worse agony in my life. Much worse.
“Tick, tock, Chief Nor. I do not have all day.”
Nor was on his phone giving orders for the artifacts to be transported back to the vacant lot. He chose his words carefully.
The cloaked man shook his head and snapped his fingers.
Two more agents keeled over.
Nor shouted furiously.
The figure simply snapped his fingers again, and two more of our number dropped.
An image of the rebellion I started in the slums appeared in my mind. Watching my brethren die at the hands of such dark magic and there’d been nothing I could do to save them. It was happening right before my eyes all over again. I thrashed, but the shadows didn’t give way.
“I said no tricks, Chief Nor. I am far older than you and can smell your treachery. The artifacts. Now. Or watch every single agent here perish.”
Nor glowered at the villain, but made his orders direct this time. He ordered the artifacts brought to the lot. “They’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“Did I say ten? I meant five. Pity,” he said as he snapped his fingers a fourth time.
Nor lunged at the man, but more shadows slithered up from the ground and pinned him, not giving him an inch to move. “You lying piece of shit. I’ll tear you apart.”
“I’m afraid you won’t.”
He raised his hand again. The agents around me screamed in protest, all fighting to get free.
One hit, all I needed was one good hit, and I could distract this bastard, give the others a chance to escape. The blood loss was getting to me. Each drop weakened me. Soon enough, I wouldn’t be any good in a fight.
The man spun around slowly as if debating who to kill next when a roar cut across the rest of the noise.
“Hey, dingbat.”
The man paused then turned.
Mercy was on her feet, barely standing, from the looks of it. “Yeah, you. Yellow-bellied coward.”
“Again with the coward,” the man said, sounding bored.
“Does dickhead work better?”
He bristled as he stalked closer, his grip on the shadows loosening.
I breathed harshly in the respite from the pain, not sure how long it would last.
“You truly do not know when to quit, do you.”
“Maybe not. But you know what I do know? I know how to knock someone out properly.”
“Perhaps you can teach me another time. I’m busy.”
“Yes, and now you’re about to be dead.” She launched her dagger through the air.
It thudded home, right in the man’s chest.
He stumbled away from the hit, sucking in a harsh breath. The shadows flickered then disappeared with shrieks of protest.
The man’s breathing wheezed as Mercy stalked to him, her other dagger in hand. She looked ready to kill. “You like that do you? Try to use your magic now.”
The man lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. Except nothing happened. “You, what did you do to me?”
“Not me. A very talented witch with potions. Time to end this.”
The man yanked the dagger from his chest as Mercy charged.
He met her attacks blade for blade.
I wanted to rush in and help, but the gargoyles joined the fight and attacked the agents.
Many were wounded and needed to get clear.
“Rafael, ready for a fight?” Nor asked as he drew a knife from his boot.
The only weapons I had were my fists. They’d do just fine. “I’m ready, alright. What say we kill some gargoyles, sir?”
Side by side, we strode into the fight and attacked the gargoyles.
Chapter 13
Mercy
Despite being stabbed in the chest and having his powers bound temporarily, the hooded figure fought almost too fast for me to keep up with. His blade slashed at my face, and I
barely dodged it by ducking low and kicked at his knees. He didn’t let it slow him down. His dagger slashed through my thigh.
“You foul wretch,” he seethed as he came at me again. “Why do you fight me?”
“I have plenty of reasons.” I bashed him in the face with my fist but missed the hit to my ribs and gasped as the air was driven out of my lungs.
He hit me again.
I spun out of his reach.
His slamming me into the warehouse might not have knocked me out for good, but it freaking hurt like a bitch.
My magic was wonky as hell right now too, after the backlash from the shadows. There wasn’t even a hint of it inside me anywhere. “Who are you working for, huh?”
He cackled darkly as his hand lashed out and grabbed mine holding the dagger. “Come with me, and perhaps you’ll get to see for yourself.”
“Not a chance in hell.”
I headbutted him, but he twisted my hand, and I dropped the dagger.
He threw me to the side, and I rolled right into a pair of legs. A hand appeared in my face, and I took it, knowing full well who it belonged to.
“What did you do?” Rafael eyed the robed man pushing his way toward us through the chaos.
The agents were attacking the gargoyles, but they were hard to take down, and gunfire didn’t do shit to them. Too many dead already laid on the ground. Too many that shouldn’t have been here in the first place. Their deaths were on me.
“Gigi gave me a powder to use as a last resort.”
“Bound his power?”
“For a time.”
“How much do we have?”
The man snapped his fingers and shadows hissed to life around my feet, but they disappeared after a few seconds. “Not long at all. Get everyone out of here. Understand? This is not their fight.”
“We’re not leaving you to face this bastard alone.”
“You might not have a choice. Go,” I shouted then scooped up a knife.
I charged at the man, but he cast me aside like I was nothing, but a doll.
His foot pressed against my back, not giving me a chance to get up. “Pathetic. That curse has truly done a number on you. Shame really.”
I pushed off the ground, but he slammed me right back down again.
“You’re coming with me. I might not have gotten the artifacts, but at least it won’t be a total loss.”
