by Linsey Hall
Crime was tiring.
When we neared the crossroads, where the hall dead-ended and split left or right, footsteps sounded from the left.
I stopped dead in my tracks next to Cade, gripping my daggers. Squido darted under the wooden walkway and swam down the left hall. There was a massive splash, then a shout.
We ran for it, peering down the left corridor to see a guard wedged in the narrow water channel on the side of the hall, Squido on top of him, clinging like a monkey. He tore at the guard’s neck with his teeth.
There was no screaming—Squido seemed to have gone right for the voice box—and hopefully no one had heard the initial splash and crash.
If that was Squid’s signature move, I didn’t want to get on his bad side.
I grimaced, then darted right, hurrying along next to Cade. Fortunately, the doors in this hall were all shut, and the one at the end wasn’t terribly far away.
Magic seeped out from under the door, a dozen varying signatures.
“Has to be his potions room,” I whispered.
Blood Sorcerers performed their magic with blood. They could do some spells, but a lot of what they created was potions and enchanted charms. It wasn’t necessarily illegal, though it did walk the line. It all depended on how the blood was obtained. Willingly, and you were good to go.
Unwillingly… Yeah, the Order of the Magica would object.
And knowing Ricketts, I’d bet that he was high on their list.
We stopped at the potions room door, and I pressed my ear to the wood.
“We’re good,” I whispered, then pushed at the door.
It didn’t budge.
“Let me.” Cade laid his hand on the wooden door. His magic swelled slightly, and I stepped back, not wanting to get a taste of his death magic again.
It still hit me, sending visions of battle and death into my mind, but magic burst on the air, and the spell that protected the door broke.
He gripped the doorknob, but it didn’t turn.
“I got it.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out my picks, then got to work. Six seconds later, it popped open.
We stepped inside.
Hundreds of magical signatures rolled out from inside the room. Everything from the scent of clean grass to the taste of old fish. Ick.
Tables—cluttered with hundreds of bottles and all sorts of magical tools—lined every wall, and herbs hung from the ceiling.
Before shutting the door, I peered back out at Squido. The body was gone, and so was he. Must have pulled it under the dock.
I shuddered, then shut the door quietly behind us.
The only light came from the dim glow seeping from under the door. Once my eyes adjusted, I hurried to one of the long tables against the wall, going straight for the candlestick.
“Old school.” I lit it with a nearby match.
Cade lit one of his own. “Hard to run electric down here, especially if you’ve stolen the place from some water monsters.”
We held our candles near the vials and jars on the tables. They were stacked in wooden boxes and carefully labeled. There were hundreds.
Acid bomb, illusion mist, eternal sunshine, murder, house cat.
“House cat?” I muttered.
“Maybe you turn into one?”
“I don’t know.” I kinda wanted to take it, though. Just to see.
Get on track!
I bent low over the tables and studied the many little labels. My chest burned with pain as I searched, as if it were urging me on to find the antidote quickly. I tried to breathe shallowly to manage the pain. Thank fates Hedy had given us the pain potion. I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like without it.
Cade went to the table along the other wall. A moment later, he stood straight. “Found it.”
I hurried over, bending low to inspect the spidery writing that marked the little box full of potions.
Lithica. Right between jelly legs and spider head.
I poked at the glass bottles in the Lithica box. “There’s two different-colored bottles.”
“One must be the poison, and the other the antidote.”
There was no blue glass, so they hadn’t been decanted into bomb form yet. “Only he would know. Good security system. Not great for us.”
“Hedy will be able to tell.”
“Right, so we take it all.” I looked around for a bag.
Footsteps sounded at the door just before it opened. Fear shot through me, cold and bright. I grabbed for the jelly legs potion, going for one with thin glass that was likely to be a bomb—those exploded on impact—then whirled around.
“What are you doing?” An old man stood at the door, face incredulous.
I hurled the jelly legs potion at him.
He collapsed, his legs going out from under him. In his eyes, shock gave way to fear, and he opened his mouth.
Cade was on him before he could scream, slapping a hand over his mouth. Quietly, he shut the door so no one could see us. “Get me a gag.”
“On it!” I glanced around frantically, my gaze finally landing on some tape and white cloth. I brought it to Cade, who bound the old man’s mouth.
“Now what?” he asked.
“Ahhh, let’s call it good.” The man was at least seventy years old. His magic stank, a sure sign he didn’t use it for good, but… “I can’t kill an old man. Just make sure you tie him up good. We’ll tell the Order he’s here. I’m going to grab the potions.”
I took the tape back to the box of Lithica and taped up the top so that the little jars would stay protected inside the wooden box. Then I tossed the whole thing in a large canvas bag I found hanging from a hook on the wall.
“Do one last sweep,” I told Cade. “Take anything that looks like it might be an antidote, or anything that looks handy.”
I grabbed a box and filled it with a few potions that said antidote, though they didn’t say to what exactly. But just in case… I didn’t want to get this wrong. Then I grabbed a few more potions just for the hell of it. They were usually expensive, and I could use them in a fight.
Sleeping potion, acid bomb, smoke cloud, oil slick, and house cat.
I put the fighting potions into a smaller bag so I could get at them easily, then joined Cade, who was putting another box into the big canvas bag.
“We have to have at least a hundred bottles here,” he said.
“Good. One of them has to be the cure. And I like the idea of cleaning Ricketts out.”
“Ready to go find him?”
“Born ready.” I winced. That sounded way cooler on TV.
Cade grinned at me.
“Whatever. Let’s go.”
He nodded, kindly letting it slide, and we went to the door. He pushed it open, and I peeked out.
“Coast is clear.” I slipped out into the hall, the smaller bag of weaponized potions over my shoulder. Weaponized potions and house cat.
Which could be a weapon. Who was I to say?
I just hadn’t been able to resist.
Quickly, we made our way down the hall. My senses were on high alert, listening for footsteps and trying to pick up any unfamiliar magical signatures.
I scanned the water around us, looking for Squido.
A splash sounded from up ahead. A dark gray head popped above the surface of the murky water.
“He’s there,” I whispered.
Squido pointed to the door at the end of the hall. It had to be the room he’d said would contain Ricketts.
We hurried forward. When we reached the crossroads in the hall, I slowed, pulling a potion bomb out of my little bag. I peered around the edge of the wall, looking down the hall toward the entrance to the catacombs.
“Coast is clear,” I murmured.
We moved toward Squido on silent feet.
Then I heard footsteps.
Dang.
I darted back, peering around the corner. A demon was striding toward us. I hurled the potion bomb at him, using all the skill I’d honed whi
le training with my knives.
It crashed against his chest, exploding in a burst of green liquid.
His eyes rolled back in his head, and he keeled over backward, landing hard against the wooden walkway.
He didn’t move. Passed out.
I rejoined Cade. “Let’s go.”
We raced the last twenty feet toward Squido, who’d climbed up onto the walkway and crouched in front of the door at the end of the hall, excitement in his green eyes. He looked a lot like Gollum, but uglier and more charming, if that was possible.
Squido pointed to the door. “Open. Seven inside.”
I grimaced. Seven was a lot without using my sonic boom power.
“Where’s Ricketts?” I mouthed.
“Straight in. Behind desk.” Squido’s hiss was low.
“The others?” Cade asked.
“All around room. Sitting.”
Cade, who was carrying the bag of antidote potions, took the thing off his shoulder and hung it over a wall sconce, no doubt so it wouldn’t get destroyed in the fight that was to come.
I pressed my ear to the door, trying to focus on picking up any voices.
Cade did the same.
Our eyes met.
Tension sent a shiver through me. We were just too close. Why hadn’t he faced the other way?
I dropped my gaze.
“What is it?” a voice growled.
Not Ricketts’s. I’d only met him in person once, but his voice wasn’t that deep.
“The magic that I need to catch them,” Ricketts said.
At least, I thought it was Ricketts.
“How, though?” the lower voice said.
“I must determine that,” Ricketts said. “But it’s greater power than I’ve ever known.”
I frowned. What the hell was he talking about?
“I don’t know, boss,” growled the low voice. “You sure you trust her?”
“You leave that to me!”
“All right. All right! Just getting hungry. Making me antsy.”
I pulled back from the door. If they were going to come out to eat, we’d lose the element of surprise. Cade drew back as well, clearly thinking the same thing.
Then he pressed his hand to the door. His magic swelled so lightly that I could barely feel it. He turned to me and whispered, “No spell.”
Good. “Let’s get this show on the road. I hate waiting.”
Already, my heart was racing. We needed to get into the battle now.
I dug into my bag for a smoke cloud potion and yanked it out. I held it up so Cade could see the label.
He nodded. “On three.”
Squido slipped back into the water, no doubt to launch a sneak attack from below. Little did Ricketts know that his stupid walkways had left a secret channel for his enemy.
On three, Cade kicked down the door.
I took a quick look inside—long enough to see Ricketts at the back of the room and three guys on each side—then I hurled the smoke bomb.
The little glass ball exploded against the ground. Gray smoke plumed upward, filling the room. The jerks inside began to cough.
Yeah, take that!
He didn’t like a taste of his own magic, did he? I wanted to shout it, but that’d give away my position.
I drew my daggers from the ether and rushed into the room, then threw them on memory. There was a thud. A splash. A delighted shriek from Squido.
The second dagger clattered against the wall.
One outta two ain’t bad when you can’t see.
I crouched low and dug into my sack as Cade rushed toward the side wall, his huge sword drawn. Though I’d normally prefer my sword, in this smoke, I’d have an advantage with the bombs.
Anyway, I liked to mix it up. Adventures in demon slaying. It was important to keep one’s work interesting, after all. Variety was the spice of life.
My hand closed around a potion bomb as the smoke in front of me brightened with a yellow glow.
Fireball!
I dove left, skidding low along the ground as the fireball sailed overhead, singing my hair.
“Who are you?” Ricketts bellowed through the smoke.
“Your worst nightmare.” Ah, crap. That also sounded cooler in the movies.
Whatever.
I dug into my sack for another potion bomb. The smoke was clearing, and I spotted a large form cutting through the gloom. I hurled the potion bomb. The demon dodged, so fast I could hardly see him, and the bomb exploded against the stone wall.
Dang.
Super-fast demons were damned hard to fight. Sword or bombs?
Squido leapt from the water behind the demon, catching him by surprise and clinging to his neck and forehead. He sank his fangs into the demon’s skull, and the demon whirled around, trying to grab him.
Bomb it is!
I grabbed a potion bomb and heaved it at the beast. It slammed into his back, exploding in a burst of pink smoke. The demon howled, and the smell of burning flesh rent the air. He tumbled onto his front, Squido going down with him. The little water monster gave another shriek of glee.
Ricketts had climbed onto his desk to get a better vantage point. His long black jacket flapped around him, making him look like a Matrix wannabe. His dark hair and goatee were ruthlessly trimmed, and his black eyes blazed.
A hulking demon stood in front of him, guarding his master.
To the left, Cade was fighting the only other demon. The beast was eight and a half feet tall if he was an inch and wielded a blade as long as I was. Squido was still on top of his demon, chowing away.
I grimaced, turning my gaze back to Ricketts, who looked enraged.
“Hiding behind your hired gun? Afraid to fight?” I taunted.
Ricketts grinned. Shark-like. “I have you right where I want you. After all that effort, you came right to me!”
“Where? Perfectly in line to kick your ass?” I dug into my sack.
He hurled a potion bomb. I dived left, and it sailed by me. The glass ball exploded against the wall, and a plume of white mist unfurled. I lunged away from it, toward Ricketts. It was the only direction to go to get away.
But the mist caught me in its grip, clinging tight to my legs. I tried to run, but its grip held tight. Like the blob from that movie.
I threw the potion bomb in my hand.
It crashed into the chest of the big demon, and surprise flashed on his face.
“What, thought my arms were caught, too?” I asked.
Light swirled around the demon and he shrank, turning into a white house cat with piercing blue eyes.
I looked at Ricketts. “Seriously, an actual house cat?”
I couldn’t kill a freaking kitty. Even if it was a demon. The cat hissed and ran behind the desk.
Well, that was one way to get rid of enemies. But I really hoped he’d turn back into a demon. I did not have time to find a home for a magical demon cat.
On the other side of the room, Cade continued to battle the huge demon, landing a good blow to the side. They were evenly matched, both bleeding from wounds to their arms and chest. It might be a while.
I pulled my sword from the ether as Ricketts dug into the pocket of his flowing coat. He pulled out another potion bomb.
Shit.
I swung the sword for the mist that surrounded me, hoping I could cut through the stuff. Ricketts chucked his bomb. I dodged as best I could, but with my legs trapped, I couldn’t go far.
The acid bomb nailed me in the shoulder.
I shrieked as the pain tore through me. “Bastard!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I hacked at the mist surrounding my legs. The grip loosened, until finally, I slipped free.
Ricketts dug into his pocket, then flung another potion bomb. I dove left, avoiding the bomb but not the backsplash. The thing exploded against the wall, spraying me with a freezing cold solution that burned my skin.
“I haven’t tested that one yet,” Ricketts sai
d. “What’s the verdict?”
“That you’re a two-bit egg sucking rat bastard.” I scrambled to my feet.
I lunged for him, sword raised.
He stuck his hand into his pocket, but before he could pull anything out, the desk beneath him rocked, rising up from the ground and throwing him off it.
Right into me.
I collapsed under him, but not before my sword sliced his arm. He hissed and rolled off me.
Behind him, the big demon who’d turned into a house cat climbed out from behind the upended desk. The spell had worn off while he’d been hiding under it.
Cade landed a killing blow to his massive demon—a stab right to the neck—then leapt for the demon who was no longer fabulously fluffy.
I scrambled to my feet and raised my sword, going for Ricketts.
He threw a potion bomb to the ground in front of him. It exploded and magic surged up, a pearlescent shield. My sword collided with it.
“Ah, ah, ah.” Ricketts gave an evil smirk. “Not through my shield.”
“I’ll just wait it out. Or Cade might get you.”
“He won’t. But I will get you.” His eyes glittered with promise.
“Pretty hard to get me when you’re outnumbered.” Behind him, Cade beheaded the last demon. “And yep, there goes your last guard.”
“Oh, there’s more than one way to get you. And now I have the means,” he hissed. Then he threw something on the ground.
I caught sight of a black pebble right before a silvery cloud burst up.
“No!” I screamed, lunging for him.
I slammed into the barrier, getting a miserable electric shock for the trouble. Pain surged.
He stepped into the transportation charm and disappeared.
“Damn it!” I nearly threw my sword to the ground, but I’d never do that. No amount of frustration would make me let go of my weapon. But it was close. “Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Squido looked up from his demon, who’d almost entirely disappeared. “Missed?”
“Yes.” I scowled. “But we’ll get him, Squido. I promise.”
Squido nodded. “You’d better.”
Cade wiped his blade off on one of the demon’s shirts. “Are there any more in the building, Squido?”
“I think not. But more may come. He has more.”
“We’ll take care of them.” Cade looked toward me. His chest and arms seeped blood, but otherwise, he looked as dashing as an ancient Celtic warrior. Which he was, basically. Except for the ancient part. “Are you all right?”
