by Alex Steele
I extended my hand out to the side as I walked toward Atticus. The mayhem magic eagerly formed a katana. I stopped about ten feet away and lifted my weapon toward him.
“This is between you and me.”
“Yes, it is,” he agreed with a grin. He lifted one hand and thousands of bones shot up out of the sand. They swirled around us in alternating concentric rings, forming a barrier that I could barely even see through. Atticus and I were alone in here.
“Now no one can interrupt us.” He yanked his sword out of the ground with a flourish, then slid one foot back. “I’ve watched you for a long time.”
I tightened my grip on my katana as I pushed a bit more mayhem magic into it. “You do seem like the type to stalk someone.”
I felt his magical signature increase before I saw him move. Atticus shot across the sand with such speed that my eyes could barely follow his movements. I leapt to the side and spun around with a sweeping strike meant only to keep him back.
He slid to a stop on my left and swung down, hard. I braced my katana with both hands to block the attack. Our blades crashed together with a flash of light and resounding crack. He kicked out blindingly quick and landed a blow right on my diaphragm. All the air left my lungs as I staggered backward.
I forced his sword away with a sharp twist, then lunged at him, thrusting my katana straight toward his heart. He leaned out of the path of the blade with ease, then swung his blade up. The awkward attack forced me to stumble backwards to avoid losing my guts. Whatever transformation he’d undergone had made him faster and stronger.
Hiroji battled two people, barely visible through the bone barrier. I couldn’t see the others. I had to trust that they were able to handle the hoard of zombies Atticus had raised from the sand even without their magic. The faster I killed him, the faster the spell would end.
I could help you defeat him.
Atticus jumped straight up, then twisted midair and shot straight down at me. I parried his thrust as I threw myself out of his path. The impact of even that glancing blow made my arm ache. Every attack was stronger than the last. At this rate, if I couldn’t land a solid blow, he’d wear me out in minutes.
You can’t do this alone. You’re not strong enough.
Tired of being on the defensive, I charged Atticus again. He slapped each of my attacks away with the flat of his blade. Anger rose in me as I pushed closer and closer to my limits. He was toying with me. I couldn’t land a single hit.
“You’re so earnest when you fight,” Atticus said with a chuckle. “You really fancy yourself a hero, don’t you? Here to save the day from the evil overlord.”
“I sure am. Just have to get through his underling first.” I charged him again but he caught me square in the chest with a kick that sent me flying back.
All the air was forced from my lungs, but I had no chance to catch my breath before he was on the attack again. Every blow felt twice as hard. He had not liked being called an underling.
I leaned out of the path of a strike, but the tip of his blade scored a line in my flesh. Blood soaked the front of my shirt. I parried the next attack, but that left me open for a kick. His foot hit my ribs, sending pain shocking through the fresh wound.
Atticus slipped to the side and lifted his sword. There was the barest of openings. I thrust my katana at his unguarded side, but as soon as I did, he lunged forward and elbowed me in the back of the head. Stars bloomed across my vision.
I’d taken the bait and not even realized it. Atticus was behind me and I had no way to block his next attack.. I tried to spin in place, but his blade was already swinging toward me.
Magic engulfed me and I felt my body move, but it wasn’t me moving it. Air rushed past my face as I shot forward, out of Atticus’s reach. My hand adjusted on the katana and my arm thrust the blade back. It met resistance. Flesh.
Atticus wheezed and planted his foot in my back. The kick sent me tumbling face first into the sand. I rolled and hopped back up to my feet, unsure now if that was my choice, or if I was still being moved like a puppet.
You’re welcome.
I watched my opponent carefully. The jab had drawn blood. Atticus did not look happy about it.
“Lucky shot.”
“Or maybe you’re just getting sloppy,” I countered, swaying on my feet from exhaustion. Snark was all I had left.
His grin sharpened and he sprung toward me. Instead of a direct attack, he swung his sword at the sand. A blast of wind hit the ground in front of me. A cloud of sand burst out in all directions. Grit filled my nose and eyes, momentarily blinding me.
Mayhem magic poured out of me in an agonizing pulse. A shield formed overhead that was immediately blasted with an attack. I found myself sprinting away with no idea where I was headed. It was as if I were a spectator in my own body. I blinked furiously, clearing my vision just in time to feel myself turn and launch myself back toward Atticus.
He was ready. Our blades crashed together in a quick series of attacks. A strange glee rose up in me as Atticus was forced on the defensive for the first time since the fight had begun. I was moving faster. Hitting harder. The constant drain of holding the mayhem magic in place was gone. But I wasn’t in control.
A cackle passed between my lips as I rained down a particularly savage series of blows. The voice wasn’t my own. It was his.
I summoned every ounce of control and focus I had and wrenched myself away. My left foot was slower to respond and I stumbled backward. The mayhem magic fought my movements.
We were winning.
“Shut up. Just shut up!”
Atticus stopped his approach, giving me an odd look. “Going mad already? Normally it takes people far longer.”
I threw myself at him with a shout. I could not lose this fight. Either of them. I had to beat Atticus myself but I would not give up control of my body to do it. No matter what the magic wanted.
Anger built in my chest with every swing of my blade. None of this should have happened. We shouldn’t be in this forsaken prison fighting for our lives. I shouldn’t be facing down gods. My parents shouldn’t be dead.
With an enraged yell, I lifted my free hand and blasted mayhem magic toward Atticus. It flared out toward him, but stopped short. My vision went blank, then...the anger overwhelmed me.
Wings burst from my back, lifting me straight up into the air. Black magic poured out of me. I felt something shift within me. A dark presence I hadn’t truly felt before. Something cracked. The binding Yui had left in my mind to hold back the magic I’d accidentally stolen from the warlock gave way.
Last time, this power had almost overwhelmed me. This time, it was different. Something was siphoning it away. I grabbed onto every last drop of it I could. It became a tug of war in my mind between me and the mayhem magic. Each of us scrabbling for whatever power we could grab. I wasn’t sure who was winning.
With all my focus on the warlock’s sacrifice, I lost control of my body. The mayhem magic lifted my hand, flexing it as if testing to make sure it all worked. It seemed pleased by what it found. The wings jutting out of my back grew larger. The katana thinner, condensing the magic within it to a razor sharp edge.
“Blackwell?” Atticus asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Guess again,” the mayhem magic replied with a grin.
Atticus took a step back, eyes alight with interest even as he tensed. “You know you can’t escape this time, Chaos. Not even if you managed to kill me.”
Chaos. Atticus said it like it was a name. I’d only heard it used that way once before, when I’d played janken with Yui. She’d said Chaos was an enemy of Fate. She’d said he was a god.
Everything clicked into place with horrifying certainty.
My magic wasn’t just sentient. It was a god trapped within me...like a genie in a bottle. And it was fighting me for control.
“Fate’s cronies always think they are incapable of failure. I am the wrench in their plans. The tear in the string of fate.
There is a reason they fear me. That you fear me.” The smile on my face widened with anticipation.
Atticus lifted his blade. “You are weaker than you’ve ever been. Even that mortal is fighting you for control.”
My head fell back as a laugh bubbled up from my lips. “We shall see who is weak.”
An arc of black magic shot ahead of me as I swooped toward Atticus. He flipped over the first attack and attempted to dart around my back. Chaos flared out my wings and I flipped, then twisted, redirecting my momentum with amazing speed. A second blast of magic caught Atticus unprepared, tossing him back into the sand.
He rolled up to his feet immediately, but we were already on him again. The first blow sliced through his sword. The second sliced open his back as he turned and tried to lunge out of reach. Atticus turned and threw the remnant of his sword at us. The attack was easily dodged.
Chaos released the katana and it dissolved into shadows. “With our fists then.”
Atticus snarled and threw a punch. Chaos slipped past it and caught him in the jaw with a hook punch, then a kick to the groin, and a final punch to the kidneys. Atticus swung wildly in return, but every attack missed.
Enraged, he attempted to draw on his magic once again, but Chaos kicked him in the jaw, knocking out two teeth. Atticus staggered back, blood dripping from his mouth.
“You know, if you weren’t trying to kill me, I’d like you,” Chaos purred, as I circled Atticus.
He took a step back, mad eyes darting around like a cornered animal. The sure arrogance in his posture was gone. Now he felt what all the people he had used here had felt. Desperation. It was a fitting punishment. Something to relish, just for a moment longer.
“Come on, Atticus, don’t give up just yet. The party has arrived.” My arms spread wide and Chaos gave him an inviting smile.
“You’re insane! You know they’ll never let you leave this place!” Bloody spittle flew from his lips as he shouted at us.
“Then there’s no reason to let you live.”
Chaos lunged at Atticus and tackled him to the ground. He punched twice and Atticus’s body went limp for a moment. With sickening glee, he wrapped my hands around Atticus’s throat and squeezed. Atticus clawed at my fingers as he fought for air. My hands tightened around his throat. His eyes bulged.
No. He’s mine. I struggled against Chaos’s control. I couldn’t let him take this from me. If I didn’t keep fighting him, I was sure I’d never regain control.
Slowly, my hands loosened their grip. Atticus’s struggles increased as he felt me faltering.
“Idiot!” Chaos snarled.
I fought Chaos’s hold over me. This was my body. My life. A shout built up in my chest. With a snap, I moved back to the front of my mind. Back to the driver’s seat.
The shock of it was enough for Atticus to throw me off and reverse our positions. I curled my arms over my face to block the punches, but he managed to shove them away and grab my throat. I was too tired to fight him off for long and I knew it.
From the corner of my eye, I saw my only chance. Leaving one hand on Atticus’s to keep him from bearing down on me, I reached for Atticus’s broken sword. My fingers wrapped around the hilt. Before he could see what I was doing, I thrust it into his neck.
Atticus’s eyes widened in shock, his lips stuttering over words he could not get out. I threw him off of me and yanked the sword free, then plunged the jagged edge into his chest over and over until he stopped moving.
Exhausted, I fell back into the sand. My body ached and every breath took effort. But it was done. The son of a bitch was finally dead.
Chaos watched from the back of my mind. Restless. Eager to get out once again.
Forty-Two
Bones fell to the sand like raindrops as Atticus’s magic dissipated. The sounds of fighting stopped abruptly. I tried to roll onto my side, but I couldn’t quite make it.
Swift ran over and pulled me up, wrapping my good arm around her neck. “Not the best time for a nap.”
I laughed, but it turned into a wheezing cough that hurt my bruised ribs. “My bad. Next time I’ll wait until we’ve escaped the magic-sucking prison.”
“Is all that blood on your shirt yours?”
“Maybe, but it’s only a flesh wound,” I wheezed. “Is anyone else hurt?”
“Bootstrap is probably going to have nightmares, but we all survived.”
My legs threatened to give out at we jogged toward the others. Bootstrap was holding a gore-covered sword with one hand and trembling with shock.
Lopez very carefully pried it from his hand. “I’ll hold onto this for you.”
Bootstrap spotted me and ran over, slamming into me with a tight one-armed hug before Swift could stop him. “Dude you came even though I said not to, which in hindsight was dumb. Always rescue me. I am not cut out for prison life.”
I grunted in pain. “Watch the ribs and the arm.”
“Oh, right, sorry.” He released me and took a step back. His hands were still shaking. In fact, his entire body was vibrating like a chihuahua on crack.
“You alright, kid?”
His teeth chattered through a smile. “Bro, I’ve got anxiety. This was nothing. Just a normal day. Full of zombies.”
His face paled and turned around, throwing up into the sand.
Lopez patted his back while standing as far from him as she could. “There, there.”
“Logan Blackwell.” Bradley’s voice cut through the air.
I turned slowly and found the old Chief stomping toward me with fire in his eyes and a mustache that defied gravity. There was real anger on his face. Not annoyance at my antics, or frustration with the progress of a case. He was furious.
He grabbed me by the front of my shirt, jerking me away from Swift’s support. “Where are my daughter and granddaughter? Are they safe?”
I lifted my hands in surrender and nodded toward Hiroji. “He got them into hiding before we came anywhere near here. They’re safe, I swear it.”
“Atticus didn’t leave us any choice,” Swift added. “He visited them and threatened them. Alyssa called us in a panic so we got them into hiding right away.”
“It’s the same reason Atticus arrested Bootstrap. He wanted me to try to break the two of you out, and he would have kept pushing until I tried.”
Bradley’s face paled, then reddened, and he finally released his grip on my shirt. I stepped back in relief.
He shook his head and glared at Atticus’s corpse. “I should have known locking me up wasn’t the end game.”
A muscle in Swift’s jaw jumped. “The Lord Chancellor always has plans within plans.”
“They’re safe, and as soon as we get out of here, you’ll be with them again.” I glanced back at Talos who was tending his wounded along with Yamashita. “There’s one more thing I have to do, but I need you to babysit Bootstrap on the way out of here. You, Lopez, Danner, and Viktor are heading out with the first group.”
Bradley frowned. “What the hell are you planning?”
“We have someone else to bust out of here. The Awakened didn’t help us with this for free.”
“I’ll go with you, help with the next part.”
“No,” I said firmly. “Your family needs you. And there is a war coming. People will need a leader and I need to know that someone I trust is watching over the kid. He’s smart, but he’s also stupid.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” Bradley muttered. He took a deep breath, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll do this your way.”
“I’ll fill you in on the plan,” Swift said, nodding toward the others.
As Swift dealt with Bootstrap and Bradley, I slipped out of the group. Hiroji crouched beside Atticus’s body and appeared to be rifling through his pockets.
“Robbing the dead?” I asked as I approached.
“I’ve learned to be practical.” He stood up and wiped off his hands on a handkerchief. “There’s nothing of use left on him though. I’d hoped
he carried something with him that allowed him to use magic in the prison, but he must have been gifted that ability in some other way.”
“Well, I can’t deny that would have been helpful.”
Hiroji looked me up and down, then narrowed his eyes. “You want something.”
I scratched the back of my head. “Just a small favor.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of those for you lately. What is it?”
I yanked my family ring off my finger and held it out to Hiroji. “If I don’t make it out of here, give this to Swift.”
His eyebrows shot up. “That little confidence in our chances?”
“It’s just a precaution. I’m trying to plan ahead like you always said I should.”
He stared at the ring for a long moment, then accepted it, slipping it into a pocket. “I’ll do as you ask.”
“Thanks.”
“We need to keep moving!” Talos shouted, waving everyone toward the exit. “The guards won’t stay occupied forever.”
Yamashita walked over to Hiroji and I. “We believe Prometheus is being kept fairly close to this area. It’s time to split off and find him.”
I nodded, feeling the loss of my family ring acutely as I curled my hand into a fist. “Let’s go rescue a god.”
Forty-Three
Yamashita led our small group to the other side of the Pit, in the opposite direction from where we’d entered. A recessed wooden door stood out from the stone. Claw marks covered the door and walls around it as if hundreds of people had tried to get through it. It must have looked like a chance at freedom to anyone trapped in this prison.
Yamashita drew a long chain out from under her shirt. Attached to it was a bronze key. She slipped the key into the lock on the door and turned it. With a click, the door unlocked, and swung inward.
“You have a key?” Swift asked, suspicion clear in her voice.
“I made a copy years ago,” Yamashita confirmed with a nod. “I’ve been planning this rescue for a long time. But we couldn’t attempt it until we found Blackwell.”
