Blood for the Spilling

by TJ Nichols

  “Yeah. But the Mayan hospitals are in a bad way because of the ban. If we were in Vinland—”

  “We’d be dead.”

  “True.” Terrance’s lips pulled into a grim smile.

  “I’d rather get it fixed now. Getting treated at a Mayan hospital isn’t an option. I’d be low priority because it’s not life-threatening. Even if I did get seen quickly, I’d still need to come back here to heal, and that won’t be possible. The doorways are being jammed. We don’t have the days to wait, Terrance.”

  Terrance nodded. He expected Angus to go for the quick fix, but he wanted him to stop and be safe. If he was in the hospital, he wouldn’t be running around, trying to get himself killed.

  “Please don’t tackle a clean sweep again.” He blinked hard, his eyes burning. “When I couldn’t open the void to you, I thought I’d lost you forever.” He leaned over and hugged Angus, sticky paste and all. He could live without magic but he couldn’t live without Angus.

  “I won’t.” Angus lifted an arm and returned the embrace. His fingers brushed the back of Terrance’s neck. “I don’t need to.”

  “Why?” Terrance glanced up, but Angus’s eyes were still closed, sealed shut with the paste. He didn’t believe for a moment that Angus was quitting.

  A smile formed on Angus’s lips. “Because I know how the clean sweep works, and I’m going to make one to deploy.”

  Terrance blinked, not sure he’d heard right. The words rolled around his head as he tried to make sense of what Angus had said. He was aware of the rise and fall of Angus’s chest, the beat of his heart and the way his own had almost stopped. Angus wanted to make a clean sweep—wouldn’t that be even more dangerous?

  “We can take back the magic the Vinnish have stolen,” Angus continued.

  “That doesn’t sound particularly safe.”

  “Magic isn’t safe. That’s why there are rules.” Angus leaned up and kissed the top of Terrance’s head. “Your hair is getting longer.”

  Who cared about his hair? “Does Saka know this?”

  “Not yet. While I’m resting I’m working out what I need to do, creating the right kind of spell.”

  A spell. “You’re relying on words?” Words were nothing, a simple focus for wizards who couldn’t handle the small amount of magic they could grab.

  “Not words, but a way of unleashing and pulling back. I need to control the tides.”

  How could one man control the tides? Was it all a fever dream? But Angus didn’t feel overly warm, and he seemed lucid. “Surely you need more than one person?” The college had many warlocks at their disposal. If a few died in the process, they probably didn’t worry.

  “I do. I felt the warlocks controlling the spell, their anger as it hit me. They knew it was me. They didn’t expect the void to open and take what they were using.” He smiled again as though it had all been worth it.

  The warlocks had recognized Angus. That knowledge chilled and terrified Terrance. The warlocks had already sent people to capture Angus, and after this they would be furious. “This isn’t your war to fight.”

  “It’s everyone’s, but I know how to do it.”

  Terrance shook his head. “Even if you take the magic back, what’s to stop them from taking it again?”

  Angus was silent for a moment. “The clean sweep kills people who have magic. There would be no warlocks left.”

  Terrance’s heart stopped. “And where will you be? How will I be able to get you if you’re stuck here?”

  Angus was silent for several heartbeats. He couldn’t tell Terrance where he’d be. He would worry, and rightly so. “You’ll be here too.”

  “How will we get back if the demons have closed the doorways?” He wasn’t liking Angus’s plan at all. Cadmael was furious that the demons were locking up the doorways so they all opened in one village.

  “The doorway will probably collapse with the tide of magic.”

  “This isn’t a plan.” It was suicide.

  Angus smiled. “But it will only take one wizard who wants a demon to open the void and reestablish a doorway.”

  Chapter 33

  ANGUS’S BONES ached from the healing of his ankle and foot. He wiped away the worst of the paste that had coated him and inspected the damage now that the skin wasn’t hanging off it like so many white-and-scarlet ribbons.

  The scars were red and angry, thick around the back of his leg, and his foot was kind of stuck. He couldn’t flex it. The tendons had been ripped out by the creature’s many teeth, and magic couldn’t create new ones. He wasn’t sure human doctors could either. Bitterness bubbled up, but he pressed it down. He was lucky to be alive… to have a foot at all. While he could no longer run, at least he could walk. That would have to be enough.

  The paste and the night of rest had given the insect bites time to fade, and they were no longer itchy, swollen lumps. He needed to scrub the rest of the paste off and wash his hair—look presentable when he talked to the mages. Wandering outside in only his underwear and the residue of the paste wouldn’t do him any favors, and he needed their support. He examined the remains of the suit, but it was a ruined mess, and he wasn’t entirely sad about it. There were clean clothes in another pile—demon-style pants and a shirt.

  Wearing just his underwear, he held the clean clothes in front of him and made his way to the bathing house. His steps were awkward as he tried to get used to the lack of movement in his foot. He didn’t want to drag his leg, and his step was heavy and rolling, but it was better than lying in a hospital and spending weeks recovering the nonmagical way while the world froze. He didn’t have weeks, and neither did the world.

  They probably didn’t have days.

  He took as long as he could in the shower, which wasn’t nearly long enough. When he was clean, his skin was unblemished by bites and his head no longer hurt. He searched for the lump, but he couldn’t find even a tender spot. How much magic had been used to heal him? More than he could repay today.

  But if his idea worked, he would return everything. If.

  He needed to share his idea with the mages to see if it would hold up to scrutiny. Did he know enough, and was he strong enough? Doubts nibbled at his thoughts. The confidence he felt when he talked to Terrance had faded in daylight. There were so many ways it could go wrong… assuming he even got the backing of the mages and the priests.

  And if he didn’t?

  The water shut off and he stood dripping for several breaths.

  If he didn’t, there was nothing more to do but watch the world go to war and magic users get slaughtered. He sighed, flexed his fingers, and watched as bright, golden magic sparked across the tips. He stepped out of the cubicle and found Saka waiting next to his clothes and holding a long wooden staff.

  He held it out to Angus. “You might need it.”

  He might. It would make his steps easier. But at the same time, he didn’t want to be dependent on something when he knew the warlocks would strip him of everything.

  “Thank you.” The staff was smooth and made of the bloodred wood that was so common in Demonside. He felt the weight of it as he held it, but he couldn’t imagine walking around using it. If he’d had it sooner, he could have used it to fend off the creature that bit him. His knives and bells would’ve been a good idea too. It might be a good idea for him to always dress as though he were about to go to Demonside, as he had when he worked with the underground.

  “What are you planning?” Saka leaned against the wall. He appeared calm, but his tail twitched.

  “Planning?”

  “You were talking in your sleep. Asking for the mages to listen to you. I am listening.”

  Angus hadn’t decided if he was going to tell Saka first or ask to speak to all the mages at once. He picked up his pants and pulled them on, but his foot made it awkward. He’d never thought much about his feet before, but now they were everything. He sat on the bench with his clothes and held the staff in front of him. He’d been wondering how bes
t to bridge the void. Maybe a simple stick would be enough.

  He looked up, knowing Saka would wait for him to speak until the worlds died.

  “I know how the clean sweep works. I want to use one against Vinland and return the magic to here.” He rubbed his palms over the smooth red wood. Who had made this for him?

  “How would it work?”

  “I’d need to be in Vinland and open the void.”

  Saka sucked in a breath and looked away. “You can’t go to Vinland. They’ll kill you on sight.”

  “No they won’t. They’ll make an example of me. It will give me the time I need.”

  “And if it doesn’t, you’re dead.”

  “We’re already dead if we do nothing.”

  Saka knelt before him and put his hands over Angus’s. “You are a mage, but you do not have to give your life for Arlyxia or even for your world.”

  “I don’t plan on dying.”

  “But you might.” Worry filled Saka’s black eyes. Angus had never seen him look so desolate.

  “I might’ve died in the desert or when my father stabbed me or when the riverwyrm attacked or if the underground had turned me over to the college.” He cupped Saka’s cheek. “Someone needs to do this.”

  “Get the priests to. It is too much for you.” Saka bowed his head. “My heart is cut in two—for you and for my people. I do not want you to do this, but no one else can go to Vinland in your place.”

  “Mages shouldn’t have families, I know. But here we are. I need to talk with the mages. This isn’t something I can do alone. I need you.” If they all turned away, then he would fail.

  Saka nodded. “I will gather them. I could not have had a better apprentice or a lover with a braver heart.”

  Angus kissed him, and Saka pulled him close. The staff pressed against Angus’s chest. “You made me see magic as it should be. I should be thanking you.” He sniffed as his eyes burned. It wasn’t goodbye yet.

  SAKA, IKTAN, and four other mages, including one that looked like a snake with a feathered crest, sat in a circle. Angus formed part of the circle, but while they had been studying for years, he was a nothing who’d had a bit of good luck… or bad luck, depending on how he viewed the last year of his life. He tried to move his foot. While there was no pain, it still didn’t move. He needed to stop testing it and move on.

  For the first time in his life, he wouldn’t be able to run away.

  Worse, he was running—hobbling—toward danger.

  He explained how the clean sweep worked and how he’d create one to deploy on Vinland.

  The mages were thinking. At least they hadn’t said no or gotten up and walked away. If they agreed, he’d have to actually do it. Cold rushed through him and stole all the courage he’d gathered to simply take a place in the circle.

  “You are sure you can create a clean sweep?” Niri, the snake mage asked.

  “Yes.” And if he couldn’t, then it would be too late anyway.

  “You should do a practice first,” Saka said.

  “The spy would learn, and the warlocks need to think I’ve been defeated.” That was the worst part of this plan. At some point he was going to have to tell Terrance what part he would play. Angus didn’t look forward to that. He wasn’t looking forward to any of it, but who else had been inside a clean sweep and survived?

  “If you fail, all the magic will be dragged out of Arlyxia and given to the warlocks. You were a warlock.”

  “And if we do nothing, all the magic is bleeding across anyway.”

  Mages offered their comments and doubts but none were helpful.

  “No one has offered an alternative idea,” Saka said. “All we can do is shut the doorways and hope the humans deal with Vinland. That is less of a plan and more of a refusal to help.”

  Iktan’s ears flicked. “I do not like it, but I do not have another idea.”

  “I don’t like it either.” Saka held Angus’s gaze. There was more in his words than anyone else would hear. “But I will do what needs to be done. I will do what you ask.”

  Slowly the other head mages agreed to the plan, but only if they hammered out the details before Angus left Demonside. He bowed his head, grateful that they would share their knowledge and add to his plan instead of leaving him to flounder alone.

  IT WAS late by the time Angus was done talking with the mages. He was surprised to see Terrance still in Demonside and even more surprised to see Emma with him.

  “I’d heard you were here. I’m so glad the Vinnish didn’t get you.” Emma hugged him.

  “They almost did… you knew?” And he’d be walking into their waiting arms too soon.

  “I fled, but I had to open the void to get away. I’ve been making my way here with some of the other humans who are stuck now that this is the only doorway.”

  “If you opened the void….” A frown formed. “Then you must have a demon.”

  “Yes.” She looked away. “Not a mage, just an animal. So I guess it’s like not having one at all.” She didn’t appear thrilled with having a demon. “I won’t be using it for magic. That wouldn’t be fair.”

  Her eyes were dark, although she’d been in Demonside for several days. The skills she’d learned on the trek were saving her life again. If she went back across now, the priests would push her into doing magic or she’d be killed when his clean sweep sucked the magic from her.

  “Don’t cross the void yet. Stay here.”

  “Terrance said you were planning something.” She stared at him for a few seconds. “Try not to die.”

  He smiled. “I’ll do my best.” But it wasn’t a promise he could make, because he didn’t know what would happen. It was all very well to think about it and discuss it, but a weapon like the clean sweep would’ve been tested on a small scale before becoming a city destroyer. He wasn’t going to get that chance.

  “Did you want to eat?” Terrance took his hand and led him away. His fingers were warm, but his smile was tight.

  “You waited for me.”

  “Of course I did. I want to know what stupid thing you’re going to do next so I have a chance to prepare. I know I won’t be able to stop you.”

  Angus wasn’t ready to talk about the plan yet. The mages needed to do some more work on the doorway situation. They needed to be able to shut down Demonside, and he needed to get to Vinland to deploy the weapon. Terrance was not going to like what Angus needed from him. “Let’s not worry about that tonight.”

  He gave Terrance’s hand a squeeze.

  They were in Demonside, they were alive, and he wanted to make the most of that while he could.

  “What did you have in mind?” Terrance watched him with a tilt to his lips that suggested he knew.

  “I have to pay for the magic that was used to heal me.”

  “That was a lot of magic. Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Fine, but you could help.” Angus grinned. “It can feel pretty good.”

  There was a flicker of hesitation, but then Terrance shrugged. “Fuck it… we might be dead in a few days.”

  Angus shook his head. “No. Don’t do it because of that reason. Do it because you want to.”

  Terrance stood in front of him. “I don’t know….”

  “Just me. Saka can watch… unless you don’t want him there.”

  “He should be there.”

  Terrance’s nerves washed over Angus. The first time he’d ever rebalanced with Saka had been part anxiety and part pleasure. “But he doesn’t need to be. I want to show you that magic doesn’t have to hurt or be about blood and pain.” While he still had that chance. They wouldn’t all be dead in a few days, but he might be. He put his palm on Terrance’s cheek. “Magic can be good.”

  But Terrance had been pulling away from him since the last time they were both in Demonside. The sacrifice had been too much for Terrance to witness.

  “You say, after nearly dying. I see magic hurting you.”

  “Magic didn’t hurt m
e. That was an animal.” Angus stepped closer. “I miss you.” They should be closer than ever, but the gap between them had widened. And if what he was planning did kill him, he wanted Terrance to remember something good about him and have a nonmagical connection to Saka. They’d both need someone to lean on.

  And he needed both of them.

  Angus dropped his hand. He didn’t want to waste his last night in Demonside. Tomorrow they’d go home and make plans, and the mages would work to close up Demonside, tribe by tribe.

  “I miss you too, but I’m not cut out for this. I can’t help you the way you need. I can’t be a mage or a priest.” Terrance glanced down. “You should’ve accepted Kabil as your anchor.”

  “No. You’re what I need. You don’t need to be or do anything special. I’ve never wanted anything else. You’ve always been there when I came home—the anchor who keeps me from getting swept away.” While Saka was the lure of magic and Demonside.

  A sad smile formed on Terrance’s lips. “This is it, isn’t it? You’re going to do this thing as soon as we get back.”

  Angus nodded, and his eyes were hot. “Tonight is ours. They were going to kick us across the void after dinner, but there are some parts to finalize in the morning. So what’s the point in going and then coming back?”

  “Plus you said you told them you’d rebalance.”

  The mages knew exactly what kind of rebalancing that would be. But, unlike the priests, they didn’t care.

  Terrance frowned. “Can two humans rebalance without a demon?”

  “Yes.” Angus didn’t know what he’d do if Terrance made him choose. He didn’t think he could. Maybe it would’ve been better to go home for the night and finish preparing. Terrance was the distraction Saka always talked about. Mages didn’t have family. They weren’t supposed to fall in love, because love messed up your priorities and the tribe had to come first.

  Saka had held their hands in the desert and said that he’d like to rebalance with both of them. That day seemed so long ago—a faded memory—when they were running from warlocks and toward possible death. This time Angus would be running toward the warlocks and certain death.