Hells Magic (The Armistice Book 1)

by Leslie Vatenar

  I gently took my hand off Jayden’s thigh.

  “No, I don’t want tea,” Jayden replied.

  “All right, Katy, come into the kitchen, I’ll make you a cup of tea that you’ll love, I promise.”

  I doubted that. I despised tea. Only Alice was a fan of his teas. Alice and I had spent enough time there for him to know that. He wanted to keep me away from the two supernaturals. So I agreed, just to understand the problem with them.

  We headed to the kitchen, leaving an uncomfortable Liam and a suspicious Jayden on the couch.

  “What are you doing with him? Are you out of your mind?”

  “What? But it was Alice who asked me to find him. He’s here to help us.”

  “That I doubt very much. This man is an abomination! You let in a Trojan horse!”

  He scowled at Jayden who was staring at us, ready to pounce at any moment. He was stoic and alert.

  We were in the kitchen, but Maurice was looking straight to the living room. Jayden had seen the entire scene, perhaps not being able to hear what Maurice was saying. However, there was no doubt about the guardian’s displeasure.

  I grasped his forearm. “Maurice! Hold on! Explain to me.”

  His rigid arm caught my attention, and I saw a twinkling blade of bluish and orange color in his hand.

  The scene took place with such speed that I didn’t have time to move.

  Maurice screamed out a war cry and charged Jayden, who was already ready. He’d risen from his seat and with a hand gesture he deflected the blade, which, with fascinating speed, was heading straight for his head. The blade lodged itself on a shelf full of books but soon returned to Maurice’s hand. He attacked Jayden with a blow to the stomach with the blade, but with a fluid dodge, Jayden avoided it.

  Liam threw himself at the librarian, but he faced Maurice’s palm, which released a huge fireball. Maurice was a powerful fire mage. Liam was thrown backward but got up in a split second. His eyes shone bright green. One thing was certain, he was furious.

  I went to intervene before he killed Maurice. Jayden had behaved himself so far, avoiding every blow coming from a fast and dangerous Maurice. I ran to the living room to stop them, but an explosion blasted in a circle around Maurice and hurled me through the air. I hit the kitchen table, which broke into pieces. My head hit the ground and a throbbing pain spread throughout my body. I struggled to get up, and before me the scene had reached a higher level.

  Oh, no, no, I had a concussion for sure. My vision was blurry, but I also saw three Maurices. I tried to come round, to regain my vision, but nothing helped. Three Maurices were fighting Jayden and Liam. They had avoided the explosion, but, knowing the power of the two supernaturals, it wasn’t surprising.

  Liam kicked the head of one of the Maurices, who backed away, stunned by the blow. Then he pounced on him before scratching him in the face.

  Scratch him! Where the hell did those claws come from?

  He was agile, fast and badass. If Maurice hadn’t pelted him with fireballs, I was sure Liam would have shredded him. I saw it in his eyes, shining emerald green.

  Two other Maurices were attacking Jayden, but he grabbed them by the throat and tossed them into the air with a powerful gust.

  His power filled the air, and I saw the face of both Maurices change. Anxiety distorted traits that always marked calm. Since we’d arrived, I hadn’t recognized Maurice. But if Jayden were to use his destructive flames, Maurice would be toast.

  Jayden smote them with his foot, and another powerful squall attacked the Maurice that Liam was fighting. He disappeared, as did one of the two Maurices in front of Jayden. I got up and rushed toward them as fast as I could. I placed myself in front of the last remaining Maurice.

  “Stop!” I said with both hands in front of me. “We have to get along!”

  “What the hell is this trap?” Liam shouted at me.

  His fury and his accusatory gaze shocked me. I didn’t even know why he was talking about a trap. I turned to Maurice. “Why did you attack them? They’re here to help us!”

  Maurice got up and conjured two fire blades in each hand. “Get away, Katy. I’m not done.”

  He had lost his mind. He was already tired. No chance that he would win a fight against the two titans who accompanied me. The guys weren’t even sweating. I had always seen him as the most powerful mage after Alice, but that was before I met Jayden. And a very strong necromancer was with him. Maurice was toast, but he was too stubborn and arrogant to admit it.

  “Maurice! Craid is destroying everything mages have built and you’re wasting our time.”

  “I’m saving our lives!” he yelled louder than I did.

  “Then come on, old coot,” Liam growled.

  My heart was racing. Maurice was determined, Liam even more so. What happened to them? I turned to Jayden, the only one who seemed normal. My look of incomprehension collided with his calculated gaze. I had to calm them down before it ended in a bloodbath. And I was between them. Wrong place to be if there were to be a war. I had to convince Maurice first that Jayden and Liam were trustworthy, and for that I had to know what he was blaming them for.

  “Maurice? What did they do? Why do you think Jayden is a traitor?”

  “Really, Katy? I’ve told you before, I know everything!”

  “No, Maurice, you don’t know everything. You have more magic books than anyone, you have a gift of vision, but you aren’t God; you don’t predict the entire future. Jayden has betrayed no one yet, at least not me. So, I ask you to stop getting on your high horse and reflect with me. And if you don’t tell me why I shouldn’t to trust them, how do you want me to guess? Shouting, ‘Don’t trust them,’ while they fight for me won’t change my mind like that!”

  Maurice turned to me, surprised that my anger exceeded his.

  “I have here my best hopes to defeat Craid and find Alice; I need you. Jayden’s infinite power, Liam’s mysterious strength, and Maurice’s knowledge. If we can’t join forces I can go to fight Craid myself, it’ll give the same result, he’ll slaughter us.”

  The three men looked at each other.

  “You may be right,” Maurice conceded. “What’s your plan, Katy?”

  “Find Alice. And, together, defeat Craid. She asked me to find Jayden; I guess she has a plan for him, but I don’t know it.”

  The two men defied each other’s gaze, information passing through them. Information I didn’t have. My head was about to explode. I sat on the couch, tired. I ran my hand through my hair and it came out bloody. I used an illusion to hide my wounds. I no longer felt my healing power. It didn’t seem to be responding. Maybe the last intervention with Liam was a factor.

  “I thought you could tell us how we could go incognito in the Armistice, and if you know anything about Craid, your knowledge is welcome.”

  Maurice also sat down, arranging his alb below him and brushing it over his lap. Then he invited the other two supernaturals to do the same.

  “I also think Alice wants to defeat Craid by using fire against fire. Jayden and Craid have mind-boggling magical powers,” I added.

  “Oh really?” Maurice said, his tone all but questioning.

  He was sarcastic. He didn’t know everything I was sure of, but he knew something about Jayden and Craid that I didn’t know.

  He sighed.

  “I don’t think that’s her plan. A fight between two men of Jayden and Craid’s caliber would cause terrible and unpredictable damage. There must be something else. I don’t understand why she called on him. We don’t need an unstable mage to defy the destructive magic of Craid; it would only amplify the chaos.”

  “If Jayden can’t use his powers, how are we going to defeat Craid?” I asked.

  He couldn’t be serious. Without Jayden, I didn’t see what other chance we had.

  “If we listen to this man, we’ll use arrows and spears against Craid,” Jayden mumbled, disgruntled.

&nb
sp; “We shouldn’t provoke a confrontation between them,” Maurice said, his annoyance increasing.

  “Oh yes. It makes more sense, so let’s go to fight a man without attacking him,” Jayden replied, rolling his eyes.

  To get this straight, Maurice was at the supreme level of annoyance, Liam was shooting daggers at Maurice with his eyes, Jayden was in a sarcastic and irritating mood, and I wanted to hit their three heads against one another.

  “Um… Maurice… I don’t think we can fight against Craid using our fists,” I said.

  “I know.”

  He frowned while looking at his shelves filled with books. He got up, grabbed a ladder, and took it back to the other end of the room. He went up to the top shelf and grabbed a large book. He took out a gold stake and brought it back to us.

  “All you have to do is stab him with that,” he said, handing me the stake. “This is the stake used by one of our greatest soldiers. Once in contact with the victim’s blood, it immobilizes anyone for hours.”

  I took the stake, keeping the tip as far from me as possible. I could use it against myself by mistake.

  I passed it to Jayden in front of Maurice’s venomous gaze. If Jayden couldn’t use his powers, I’d use mine. I’d do my best to hold Craid, at least until Jayden stabbed him.

  Jayden observed the various writings on the stake. Words of war and symbols were written in every way. He clutched the stake in his hands. A fine red mist surrounded it, and when it dissipated, the stake was gone.

  Maurice looked at Jayden’s hand where the stake had been. I expected him to panic or ask questions like the ones I was asking myself, but he just nodded.

  “The problem is that this stake is bound by blood to the soldier who is already dead. The stake may be much less powerful, and Craid could eventually neutralize it.”

  “I want to see your artillery then,” Jayden said.

  Maurice didn’t move an inch, leaving a heavy silence in the room.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he finally replied.

  Jayden leaned forward, placing his forearms on his thighs. His gaze toward Maurice meant, “Are you kidding me?”

  “How do you know?” Maurice asked with bewilderment.

  “The magic essences mix, but I know how to recognize them. Books have this aura of power and royalty, but weapons have an aura of danger and death. Subtle but present. I want to see them. If I can’t use my powers, I’ll have to change the method of attack.”

  “Okay.” Maurice yielded.

  He advanced toward a shelf and raised both hands in front of it. Nothing happened. I was still wondering where Jayden’s stake had gone. I glanced at Liam, who had his arms folded and his eyebrow raised. He shot me a questioning look that reassured me. I wasn’t the only one lost. I smiled at him, but he was still tense.

  Magic filled the air. The shelves opened, and a large rectangular room appeared before us. When Maurice put the first foot in the room, it lit up.

  My first shock came from the surge of power emanating from the room; then the second came from the impressive array of weapons in that room. Behind innocent-looking books, weapons were available for the next war. Swords of all sizes, shields of all shapes, scepters with all kinds of magic and magical gemstones of all colors; these weapons were abundant and there were also some axes, bows, tridents, and armor.

  All the weapons were placed behind illuminated glass that highlighted their precious and sacred hallmark. Jayden stopped in front of two long, intersecting swords. Blue electrical wires covered both swords, and a dragon was entangled around each pommel. It opened its wings at the handle. The dragons’ red eyes shone, contrasting with the blue of the electrical wires. The weapon was beautiful, and its magical signature was unique.

  “I want those,” Jayden said.

  “The bastard swords,” Maurice said with a crooked smile and arrogant look. “Also one of the most dangerous weapons in this room. Can you handle them?”

  Jayden replied with another ‘Are you kidding me?’ look, which he was fond of.

  “All right,” Maurice said, staring at me.

  I knew what that look meant. Maurice didn’t trust Jayden. If things went wrong, it would be my fault.

  Jayden’s hands went through the glass, and he grabbed the swords.

  “Besides its sword function, under your mental command it releases electrical wires that provide pain so excruciating that it’s comparable to what the most powerful creatures of the Hells can inflict.”

  The swords disappeared into a red mist after a few seconds.

  “Where did they go?” I asked.

  “To a safe place,” Jayden replied.

  Sadness crossed Maurice’s face. “There’s something else…”

  “What?” I asked, anxiety rising in me before his grave air.

  “You hope Alice will be at the Armistice. She knows the place like the back of her pocket, so you hope she’s hidden. Am I wrong?”

  “No.”

  “Except I have no vision of her at the Armistice. No sign, nothing to prove she’s still there. Her powers having been suppressed, her magical essence is much weaker, almost non-existent. Tracking her is even more difficult. If you don’t find her at the Armistice, Plan B is to fight Craid using the stake.”

  “Have you heard from the Armistice? What’s going on over there?” I asked, ignoring the first part of what he’d said.

  It hurt way too much. I wanted her to be safe; I hoped so much that I wasn’t ready to hear anything that might contradict me.

  “No. No sign of life.”

  “Craid has already informed the people of his seizure of power, right?”

  “No. No news of the Armistice or the Order. Everyone lives without knowing what happened at the Armistice. It’s better that way. But things have been more hectic here. Every night, I fought with The Reaper. She tries to steal one book, only every night she chooses a different one. I don’t know which one she wants, it doesn’t make any sense.”

  Did he just say The Reaper?

  I was having more and more difficulty staying focused. I must have had an ear concussion, too, for I swore I heard “The Reaper.”

  “Maurice, can I use your bathroom, please?”

  “In all your books you don’t have a spell that would trap her?” Jayden asked.

  “Yes, Katy,” he said, pointing to the door upstairs just in front of the stairs. “We can’t trap The Reaper. We can only fight her and pray to win.”

  “We must know Craid’s plans before we arrive headlong into what could be a trap at the Armistice,” I said from the top of the stairs.

  The voices were getting dimmer as I approached the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and let the illusion drop. I contemplated my reflection in the mirror. My short hair was bright red while my roots were black. They hid some blood that was flowing from the back of my head and down my neck. My eyes were gray, and my complexion looked paler than usual.

  Liam was mad at me, and he had claws. Maurice was freaking out at Jayden and multiplying into three Maurices, and Jayden was hiding something from me. And a story about The Reaper stealing books. Could things get worse?

  I cleaned myself with cotton that I found in the bathroom cabinet on top of the mirror.

  In fact, yes, things could get worse, they always can.

  I tried to use my healing power, but it was weak. Even stopping the bleeding seemed impossible to me. My back also hurt, but given what was left of the table, at least I was the winner of that fight.

  I once again forced my power to heal me, which it tried to do. Unsuccessfully. So I again used my illusion, and I was about to get out of the bathroom. When I opened the door, I saw Jayden waiting outside, arms folded.

  When he saw me come out, he took a step toward me. So, I was five foot three. Most people were taller than me, but was he imposing or I was small?

  A bit of both. Because the problem was that 50%
of my field of vision had disappeared, replaced by a muscular torso. He studied me with his eyes and with his magic. I felt him draw the curves of my body as his eyes were doing a complete scan. I took a step back, alarmed.

  “Stop it now.”

  “What are you hiding?” he asked me.

  “I could ask you the same question.”

  He squinted and stepped forward, forcing me back into the bathroom. Once we were both in, he closed the door.

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea to leave Maurice and Liam together?”

  “If he touches Liam, he’s dead.”

  “He’s a friend of Alice’s, you can’t kill him.”

  He inched closer, and I noticed how narrow this bathroom was. And I felt like the walls were just getting closer.

  “I know, but I won’t show pity to anyone who has gone after Liam. Show me.”

  “Show you what?”

  “Your wound.”

  “No.”

  “Katy, don’t force me to break your illusion myself.”

  Damn, he was worse than a jealous woman, it was impossible to hide something from him while he seemed to possess all the secrets of the world.

  “I don’t see why I would show it to you. You aren’t a healer, you can only heal yourself and we have more important things to do.”

  I crossed my arms, and he placed himself behind me. We were both facing the mirror.

  “I want to see it anyway.”

  I sighed. Stubborn he was. I wanted to annoy him a little, to show him he couldn’t have it all.

  I headed for the exit. “No.”

  He put his hand on the sink to block my path.

  Moron.

  “I heard what you just said in your mind.” He chuckled.

  His melodious laughter brightened up a face that often held a closed and focused expression. My smile completed his laughter. A smile that I lost at his next remark.

  “I’ve already attacked people for less than an insult,” he said, shaking his head, disconcerted.

  The last few days came back to me in a flash and I recoiled, once again alarmed. His threats with his demonic dogs, his destructive flames, his power comparable to that of Craid; only one conclusion came to me: he was dangerous and powerful above all. I was the crazy girl who was playing with fire.