No Magic, No Problem

by Blair Daniels

  "Get ready to fire!" Eric yelled.

  "Oh, I'm ready to fire," Abby muttered, her flame rising high.

  Thump. A third shadow flitted out from the depths behind us. I lifted the scimitar; it felt heavy and cold in my hands.

  He-he-he-he.

  Cackling, screeching laughter echoed through the mall.

  And then a face caught in the orange glow. Golden skin. Green eyes. A flattened, almost feline nose. White whiskers that shuddered with every breath.

  "Sphinxes," I said, my voice catching in my throat.

  Three of them. They stepped out of the darkness and surrounded us. Hissing. Shrieking. With no cage to confine them, they were stretched to their full height. More than seven feet tall, ten feet long, and claws the size of my head. Each one sported a thick slash along the neck, caked with dark, dried blood.

  The injury that killed them—and turned them over to Ryan’s control.

  "You must answer a riddle to pass!" shrieked one, in a screeching, hissing tone. Its blonde hair swayed as it spoke.

  The second one's wings fluttered in the darkness, making a quick swoosh. "These are the ones that imprisoned us," it said, its hair glinting red in the firelight.

  "We hope you fail," laughed the third, its dark brown hair trailing to the floor. "And you will die slow, painful de–"

  Hissssss.

  A fireball collided with the shoulder of the brunette. It reeled back, falling to the floor. Fur smoking.

  The other two advanced in anger. "Kill her first!" they shrieked, bounding towards Abby. The third one hobbled up.

  "No!" I ran forward, slashing the air with my scimitar. The blade danced wildly, before I plunged it into the arm of the redheaded one. It almost lost its balance.

  Almost.

  Its ugly, horrible face dipped towards me—easily twice the size of mine. "No!" I screamed. It opened its mouth. Fangs dug into my sleeve, and I yanked up into the air.

  Wwhhhzzm. An arrow sailed through the air. It missed my head by a few inches and burrowed into the sphinx's eye.

  It screeched in a deafening pitch.

  Then it dropped me.

  I fell through the darkness—then hit the ground with a sickening splat.

  Everything hurt.

  Splsh! I turned to see the murky water in the fountain behind us spinning upwards, like a tornado. It hung in the air for a second—then shot forward.

  It hit the blonde sphinx right in the face. As it froze, stunned, Jim raised his spear. The javelin soared, and hit the creature right between the eyes.

  It screeched an inhuman wail. Redhead and Brunette bounded forward in its place, the entire mall shaking under their footsteps.

  "Get back!" Abby screamed. The fireball in her hand grew, rolling and ebbing like a skein of yarn. With a scream, she hurled it at the two sphinxes.

  And missed.

  It sailed straight through them, singing fur on either side, but striking neither.

  Salazar raised his staff. The blue light in it swirled and grew—then it shot into a beam and hit Redhead in the face. It tried to step through Brunette, possibly blind; instead, the two collided, falling to the floor in a tangled heap.

  Twang. Twang. Two arrows. Brunette immediately fell still, finally dead. Again.

  But Redhead was too quick.

  It leapt up—and lurched towards Jim. Mouth open, fangs out.

  "No!" I screamed.

  But I was too late.

  Jim dangled from the creature's mouth like a puppet. His dark eyes showed no fear; only resolution. Blood dripped across his tattooed arm, streaming towards the floor.

  The shield didn't seem to do much—if anything—to protect him from the creature.

  The creature transferred him to its claws, and spoke. "You must answer a riddle. Answer it correctly, and he lives. Answer it incorrectly—or attack—and he dies."

  "Don't listen to it! Attack!" Jim shouted.

  But we did listen. Abby's flame shrunk; Apu lowered her bow. The roiling sphere of water in Eric's hand exploded into fine mist. The blue light of Salazar's staff twinkled and died. I would've lowered my scimitar, if I still had it—but it was still sticking out of Redhead's leg.

  Then the five of us stood before the beast, utterly still.

  "Only a riddle stands between you and life," it hissed, elliptical pupils darting to each of us in quick succession.

  "You'll kill him anyway. And then you'll kill us," I said, remembering what Abby said the day we visited B2. She likes to ask people the riddles... and then eat them, regardless of whether they got it right or not.

  But the creature shook its massive head. "Answer the riddle, and no one is harmed."

  "Fine. What's the riddle?"

  She stretched up to her full height and asked: "What has four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?"

  "That's easy!" Eric shouted behind me. "Ma—"

  "No!" I shouted.

  "What do you mean, no? It's the most famous riddle there is!"

  "No, that riddle goes 'what walks on four legs in the morning.' Not what has." I turned to the sphinx, glancing at Jim. "It's a trick question. It's an Amoebic Slug, which literally has a differing amount of limbs throughout the day."

  "Is that your final answer?" she hissed, baring sharp fangs.

  I glanced at Apu, who nodded; then to Eric and Salazar, who seemed more unsure. Abby shrugged.

  What if I'm wrong?

  But newfound confidence flowed through me. Maybe it was Jim's words, or the fact that I was finally being useful. "Yes," I said.

  Her green eyes flared.

  "Wrong!" she screeched. "It's the Amoebic Snail! Now, prepare to—"

  Zing.

  A ball of purple energy shot through the air and pierced her between the eyes. For a moment, her eyes widened; then she teetered and fell towards the floor.

  Jim leapt from her grasp just before she hit the ground.

  I turned around. The other teams had finally joined us. They huddled in the darkness, weapons and magic out. Yang, the purple-haired woman who shot the ball of energy, blew on her fingertips. Smoke curled out from them.

  "I'm so sorry, Jim," I whispered. "Are you okay?"

  He bent to pick up his spear. "I'm fine. Do not worry about it."

  "Don't worry about it?! I almost killed you! And was your shield even working? Did I mess that up, too? And—"

  "Kira, it's okay. Focus on finding Ryan. Nothing else matters."

  I fell into silence as we walked towards the gargantuan corpses. "I can't believe I fed you my caramels," Abby muttered, kicking at Redhead's still paw.

  Then they were behind us.

  The mall grew quiet as we continued into the darkness. Only the electrical buzz of the damaged Nordstrom sign broke the blanket of silence, the R dangling dangerously overhead.

  As I led the Hunters past the angled glass storefronts, of businesses long gone, my reflection stared back at me like a fleeting ghost.

  If I die, I won't be a ghost.

  I'll be a rotting monster. Controlled by Ryan.

  No! Don't think like that!

  I forced my feet forward. The twin orange and blue lights radiated behind me, glinting off glass and metal, followed by purple and blue from the other teams. Motes of dust shifted by, fluttering to the ground like snowflakes.

  Now that the sphinxes were dead, the mall was utterly silent. Where are the other monsters? Shouldn't they be here? Attacking? I looked up, at the second floor of the mall. Are they up there? Watching? Waiting to ambush us?

  Dread pulsed through me, and I stopped short. "Wait. I don't... I don't like this. Where are the other monsters? They should've heard us by now."

  "Unless it's some sort of trap," Salazar said behind me.

  "A trap?" I asked, my throat going dry.

  "Yeah. Something's not right here," Eric said, swirling water around his wrist. "Three sphinxes—and nothing else? This is totally a trap. And we're just stup
id enough to go along with it. I say we get out of here. Now."

  "No. We need to keep looking," Jim said, stepping to the front of the group. "He’s here, somewhere, according to the dark magic detector."

  "Then we should split up," Eric replied. "We'll cover more ground that way."

  "What? That sounds like a real bad idea." Sparks flew from Abby's hands as she grew angry. "We have the best chance of surviving if we stick together."

  "And the worst chance of finding Ryan," Apu said.

  "But Kira's the only one who can see him!" Abby shouted. "How are we supposed to find him? Shoot a ton of arrows and see if it bounces off thin air?"

  "You could use your fire. When he catches on fire, the flames won't be invisible."

  "Are necromancers even flammable?" someone asked from the back. I turned to see the antlered man towering over the crowd.

  "What kind of question is that? Of course necromancers can catch on fire," Salazar said.

  "But they're effectively immortal, right?" I asked. "So maybe—"

  "We're wasting time," Jim boomed. "Split up or not, fine. Just keep moving."

  "We are absolutely not splitting up," Abby said. "There is no way in heck I'm leaving Kira alo—"

  Brzt.

  The dark magic detector buzzed in my pocket. I slowly pulled it out.

  "What the hell?" I whispered.

  The purple was gone from the silhouette of the mall. Completely. Not a trace of dark magic left.

  "Uh, guys... he's not here anymore."

  "What?!"

  Everyone crowded around me. I zoomed out, fingers sliding across the tiny screen. Finally, I saw it—the huge purple mass, now engulfing a different building.

  A familiar, eight-story tower above the Bubbles laundromat.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  "But we have the shield!" Abby said. "And Thomas blocked Gavin's ID from entering!"

  "He must’ve got in before we did all that," I said. The monster truck swerved underneath us as Jim took a sharp left. "Maybe he's been hiding out at NIMP for days."

  "Then why did the map show dark magic at the mall?" Jim asked. "And not at NIMP?"

  "I don't know." Jim swung right and I jerked forward. "Can you not take the turns so fast? I'm ready to barf, here."

  "Sorry."

  He slowed by about three miles per hour. I groaned.

  "Have you been able to get a hold of Thomas, Abby?"

  "No."

  Jim sighed. "Okay. Prepare for the worst, then. Kira, can you check in with the other teams?"

  "Sure." I pulled out my radio—a bulky, square device that looked like it belonged in the 1980's—and pressed the button down. "Uh, this is Team Indigo. We're almost at NIMP. Can't get a hold of Thomas. Do you copy?"

  That's what people say into radios, right?

  There was a beat of silence. Then various staticky voices came through the speaker, weaving in with each other. "We're all going to go in together, right?" a male voice yelled over the noise.

  "Yes!" Jim shouted from the driver's seat.

  We pulled up to the curb. Several monster trucks were already parked on the street in a haphazard cluster, with various Hunters standing around.

  We leapt out. Abby glanced around. "Okay, who's here? Aubergine?" Hands went up at the far end of the curb. "Bronze? Turquoise? Chartreuse? Vermillion? Saffron? Who am I forgetting... oh, Onyx!" No hands went up. "Where's Onyx?"

  The rumble of an engine cut through the darkness, followed by screams. We all turned.

  A monster truck veered around the corner, playing death metal at full volume. It parked, and three people got out: Yang, a man with coppery skin, and a tall, pale guy who was definitely wearing eyeliner.

  "Onyx," Jim growled, narrowing his eyes.

  "Okay, we've got everyone," Abby shouted.

  In a flurry of motion, we brought out bows and spears, produced balls of fire and magic from thin air. Then we charged forward into the laundromat.

  It was empty.

  So far, so good.

  "Freight elevator!" someone yelled. "Can't split up!"

  We ran past the normal elevator—which was much too small to hold all of us—and continued to freight elevator. Even that was a very tight squeeze. Someone's sword scratched against my back. I felt cold against my body, and turned to see massive ice crystals covering the man next to me.

  Brrrrr.

  The elevator rocketed upwards. I gripped my scimitar, preparing for the worst.

  Ding. The doors opened to floor 2. Then 3. Then 4... every single floor was silent. Seemingly empty. Then, finally—we were at 8.

  The doors parted, and we stepped out. The atrium was dark—and silent—like the rest of the floors.

  "Where is everyone?" I whispered to Jim.

  "No idea."

  As we walked forward—as my eyes adjusted to the darkness—I sensed there was something... off. I couldn't see the silhouette of the fountain, even though I could make out the outlines of the walls, the offices.

  "Abby? Can you light it up?" I asked.

  Sparks zipped out of her palm and swirled into a fireball. The shadows receded as orange light danced across the scene.

  I stopped.

  Hundreds of people stood in the atrium. NIMP employees. Faces contorted with fear, frozen still, staring blankly ahead. I recognized Thomas—and Sandra—near the back.

  But they weren't dead. Not yet, anyway.

  Next to each stood one of the zombies. With his (or her) right arm linked tightly around the neck of the victim, and the left holding a knife.

  And behind them... hulked immense shadows. Monsters. I recognized the smoldering, orange eyes of the dragon. The pointed ears of the gremlins.

  All standing still, ready to attack.

  The silence behind me gave way to chaos. "Attack!" a man shouted above the murmurs. Arrows, magic, fire went flying as we charged.

  Zing. A purple ball of energy zoomed by my ear. Towards a rotten woman in front of me.

  With lightning speed, she shifted. Crack! The energy collided with the man she held, and sizzled against his shirt. He screamed in pain.

  I watched in horror as an arrow collided with a woman's leg and a fireball scorched Thomas's arm.

  Screams of stop! erupted behind me. As soon as our magic ceased, the undead resumed their positions. Statue still.

  Then they all shifted a step. Parting like the sea, to let someone walk through. My heart dropped as I recognized the familiar figure.

  Blond hair. Blue, smoldering eyes.

  "He's there!" I shouted, pointing wildly.

  "Where?"

  "There!"

  Shards of ice flew through the air. Followed by fire and tendrils of a black, inky substance. But none of them even came within a foot of him.

  They can't see him.

  Only I can.

  "Steele."

  That awful, familiar voice. He stepped towards me, lips curled in a smile, and stopped less than a foot before my face.

  "We've been waiting for you."

  As he spoke, clusters of shadows swarmed out of the offices. They lurched forward—and grabbed the Hunters around me with their rotting, tattered hands. Screams erupted. The crackling of fire. The snap of bullets. The whispers of incantations.

  But it was too late.

  I watched as Jim and Abby were dragged back into the depths of the crowd. Then the undead resumed the exact same position the others did. Right arms wrapped around their neck. Left arms holding daggers. Sparks flew from Abby's hands as she screamed; Jim thrashed, but even his immense frame was no match for zombie strength.

  When I turned back around, the Gravedigger was gone.

  But then movement flickered in the shadows, and another man stepped forward. A familiar pale face, framed with messy dark hair.

  Gavin.

  He towered above me, green eyes burning in the darkness.

  "Kira," he said, my name rolling smoothly off his tongue.

  M
y entire body felt weak. Every one of my muscles trembled. The scimitar was a dead weight in my hands.

  He stepped closer. I could smell him. That familiar smell of gunpowder and fresh laundry. The same scent in his apartment, in his bed. My eyes glanced at his lips, and I remembered the kiss.

  None of it was real.

  He is your enemy.

  Every muscle in my body tensed as I expected him to pull out his gun. To aim it between my eyes. To pull the trigger.

  But he didn't.

  "I have a deal to make with you," he said, leaning so close I could feel his breath across my face. "And if you agree to it... I'll let everyone here go."

  What?

  "You're lying," I said.

  "I'm not."

  I stared into his eyes. Ryan Banks, the Gravedigger, the blond man. Wearing the mask of the man I loved. Or would have fallen in love with, given enough time.

  Time that I didn't have.

  How much longer did I have on this earth? Seconds? Minutes? Patches of black floated in my vision as I began to panic. Weight pressed against my head, my shoulders.

  I can't do this.

  "After Gertrude captured me, she buried every single body I reanimated in an undisclosed location. Including my wife." He leaned in, his face inches from mine. "Tell me where, and they live."

  "I don't know where—I didn't even know Gertrude captured a necromancer until—"

  "I'm sure, with a little motivation, you can find out."

  He pulled out his gun. He's going to shoot me. No, please, no—

  I froze as he placed the gun against his own temple. "If you don't tell me, Gavin dies first."

  "No—please, don’t,” I begged, tears clouding my vision. “I'll find out. I'll call my mom, I'm sure she knows. Just please don't—"

  "I'm waiting."

  He didn't remove the gun.

  Hands shaking, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. He must've seen my hesitation, because he added: "If you so much as give a single hint to your mother that you're in trouble, I'll pull the trigger."

  With a trembling finger, I tapped the screen.

  She picked up on the third ring.

  "Kira! Hi!" she said. Her voice happy, carefree. I glanced at Gavin. His green eyes bore into mine. Warning me.

  "Hey, Mom." I bit back sobs. My entire body shook. “I, uh… do you know anything about Gertrude Steele capturing a necromancer?"