by Sam Cheever
As his body crashed to the ground at my feet, a huge shadow covered me and I spun to meet the next guard with a knife-bearing fist to the gut. He grunted and toppled forward, almost landing on me, but I sprang sideways and he landed instead on the skewered body of his friend.
At that point the gig was up. A screaming crowd was moving toward me, closing me off on all sides except one. The altar was at my back and I wasted no time leaping onto it. I nearly missed because I’d tried to hit the edge, rather than land on top of the naked couple on its surface. Nille, who’d jumped to his feet as the crowd erupted, reached out a hand and grabbed my arm, steadying me.
“Nicely done, Princess Astra.” His pale, blue eyes found mine and, for the briefest moment in time I almost forgot that I was surrounded by hundreds of slavering members of the dark world that wanted to kill me.
He smiled and I smiled back. “Shall we, as you would probably say, kick some ass?”
I grinned. “Oh yeah.” Almost before I finished speaking, a heavy body crashed into my legs, knocking me off my feet to sprawl across the unfortunate Kaline. Nille reached down and grabbed the demon’s robe-enshrouded neck, uttering something in a strange language. The demon shrieked once and then simply disintegrated, leaving a flattened robe behind on my legs.
I grinned up at Nille. “Crashin’!” It didn’t occur to me at the time to ask why, if he’d had the power to vaporize demons with a few words, he hadn’t done it before.
He laughed and then turned to take care of three more hooded figures that were trying to clamber up onto the altar.
I pushed myself to my knees and searched the room full of brown robes and hoods for Emo, worried that he hadn’t found me. A soft but firm grip clutched my arm. Fighting the instinctual impulse to smash my fist into its owner, I looked into Queen Kaline’s soft, black gaze.
“Thank you halfling Phelps. It appears the prophecy is true.”
As I leaned down to examine the chains that crisscrossed her body, I forced myself not to think too deeply about what she’d said. I’d been called many things in my life, but I’d never been accused of being part of an ancient prophecy. Obviously she had the wrong girl. But I needed all the allies I could get in that moment so I just concentrated on getting her free.
The queen’s hands and legs were free, but her body was strapped tightly to the surface of the altar with heavy chains that rode the top of her hips and cut into the soft surface of her neck. I realized much of the blood she sported was her own. The brutal chains had dug deeply into the golden column of her neck, probably as the result of her struggling to free herself. They were glossy with her blood.
Realizing that no knife would cut through those chains, I made a quick decision. Closing my eyes I trusted Prince Nille and Emo, wherever the Hades he was, to hold off the attacking demons and lesser devils long enough for me to use my powers.
Grasping the chain that was around her neck on either side of her head, I quickly went to that place in my mind where the power waited. It sparked and spilled down my arms and, once again, I sensed Dialle’s presence in my magic. Together, if it was true that our powers were now merged, Dialle and I poured our magic into that dense metal chain in an effort to shatter it.
The chain jumped in my hands as an incredible amount of energy surged into it. Its surface grew red with heat and burned my hands until I could smell my own flesh. I gritted my teeth against the pain. Finally the links in the chain blew apart with a dark explosion that scattered debris into the crowd around the rock and pinged off my shoulders, leaving behind raw red welts.
Kaline jerked beneath my hands and opened my eyes. Her face and chest were wet with new blood and her neck was red and blistered from the hot metal, but she was smiling as I pulled the last remnants of chain from her shoulders.
“Sorry.” It was all the apology I had time for. The crowd’s mood was growing more agitated with the approach of Nerul’s trufka and I knew that Nille wouldn’t be able to hold them off much longer all by himself.
I spared him a quick glance as I helped Kaline squirm her hips free from the remaining chain.
He stood above us. From my perspective it was as if he had grown taller. As I watched, he raised his arms above his head, palms open. His legs were spread to block us from the surging crowd and his body was surrounded by a bright halo of light, which wavered and throbbed as he spoke in a voice that sounded like thunder on a steamy summer night. The crowd had grown suddenly quiet. For the moment at least, Nille seemed to have stopped everything and everyone in that room in its tracks.
Power radiated from him and coated the room. A spear of throbbing, iridescent light suddenly shot away from him in a vertical pillar. It rose into the thick darkness above our heads and, when it was stopped by the jagged rock that formed the ceiling of the cavern, it flowed down the cavern’s walls, bathing the room in a soft, throbbing light. Incredibly, one by one, the hooded creatures in that thickly populated cavern began bowing to his power. First their heads drooped in supplication and then they dropped to their knees before him.
I found myself staring like the rest of the sheep in the room. My mouth hung open with awe. Surely I was looking at the great unifier who’d been prophesied in the ancient court records I’d been given by the Angel Council. There was little doubt that he had control of the room. Even Nerul’s trufka had stopped moving forward. As the creatures around it began to drop to their knees, the trufka’s bearers looked around with confusion painted across their faces. Their knees buckled and wavered with their desire to follow the rest of the sheep to the ground. But apparently Nille’s power couldn’t overcome his father’s. As the hooded figures all around it fell like knickers in a whorehouse, the trufka remained determinedly upright. It was like a dark island in a sea of light.
Softly at first, then growing louder and more passionate, a sound started to throb against the rock walls. I realized after a moment that it was coming from the hooded supplicants on the floor. Their deep, razor-toned chanting soon filled the air, drowning out all sound and with it, the light that came from Nille grew brighter and more alive.
I shivered under the force of that sound and made myself look away from Nille. Even if his power was good, I didn’t want to be completely caught up in it and lose my capacity to think. Just as I turned away I felt a hand on my arm and looked up to see glowing, red eyes under the hood again.
I smiled at Emo. “There you are. I wondered where you’d gone.”
Emo’s voice came to me in my head. Astra. I need you to come with me right now. I’ve seen Dialle and he has an army from his court with him. I fear for your safety if this thing explodes.
My gaze flew again to Nille. Emo tugged at my arm with an urgency that surprised me. I think it’s obvious that Prince Nille has this under control. He can take care of himself now that he’s come into his full power.
Actually I had to agree. Nille certainly seemed to have come into himself in that putrid cavern. I briefly wondered at the sudden cause of all the power. If he had been that powerful all along, why had he needed me? And why had he allowed himself to be taken captive all those weeks? I allowed Emo to pull me off the altar but I wasn’t happy about it. Something just didn’t feel right. I was reluctant to leave Nille behind. But then Kaline rose gracefully from the altar and stood beside him. He dropped one arm and held it out at a ninety degree angle from his body so that she could place her hand on his. Immediately as they touched, his power thickened and flared to include her. I was almost blown away from the altar by the force of it.
I realized that Emo was right, they didn’t need me anymore. They had somehow forged their own unbreakable bond and what happened next was completely up to them. I allowed Emo to lead me back through the crowd, toward Nerul’s office. Though I experienced a quick jolt of reluctance to enter that office again and touch that nasty carpet, I knew I needed to get out of there before the war of all wars began. Besides, Emo knew Nerul’s court much better than I did.
My pa
rtner pushed through the corridor door and we entered the hated office. It was dimly lit by the horrendous mural above our heads. At first I thought the room was empty except for Emo and myself. Then I noticed that the hair carpet appeared to be especially agitated, swaying disgustingly under my feet and swiping my bare calves as if it were trying to warn me of something.
In a moment of piercing clarity, I understood what was wrong in that room. My heart plunged into my stomach and I thought I would pass out. Emo was there, but he was not standing beside me with falsely glowing eyes. He was hanging from the far wall on dense, blood-covered chains. His head drooped to a chest that was ripped to shreds beneath it.
My horrified gaze took in the thick, bubbling puddle of blood beneath his limp feet. My hand reaching for a knife I didn’t have, I turned to the hooded figure beside me, who was just starting to pull back the cloaking hood.
The face that emerged made me nostalgic for those carefree moments when I was on that altar with demon claws rubbing across my cringing flesh. It made me think longingly of that gargoyle mating Nille had spoken of so casually. It even made my sister’s idea of how my life should be structured start to look good.
Nah. What am I saying? It wasn’t quite that scary. But darn close.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
A Battle True
Despair! Our lady clasped a friend and trusted him to lead,
Only to find a plotting fiend and a loved one who is...dead?
I turned away from the hated monster emerging from the cloak. Running across the room, I grabbed Emo’s face with both hands. As I pulled his chin off his mangled chest my blood ran cold and I thought I would pass out. His left cheek was pierced through with a platinum knife. The point of the knife had left Emo’s head just above his neck. It would be a miracle if his spinal cord hadn’t been severed.
I quickly examined his chest and was relieved to find that his heart hadn’t been removed. Yet. And he was still breathing. Barely. At least that was something.
I didn’t even cringe at the sound of Rayanne’s voice behind me. “We meet for the last time, halfling Phelps. And this time there is no one here to save you from me.”
I kept my back turned to her with the greatest effort of will. My hands quickly moved over Emo’s body, assessing which wounds were life threatening and which could wait to be healed until later. I knew I didn’t have much time. As I’d been standing there his breathing had grown weaker and more strangled. Dark blood dribbled from the corners of his mouth. I had, maybe, a few minutes to save him. And there was Rayanne to be dealt with.
Finally I turned to face her with Emo’s blood coating my hands. I swallowed a gasp of surprise when I found myself staring into those cold, midnight eyes. She was standing mere inches away. I gave her a smile which was really little more than a violent promise. Hiding my feelings has never been one of my better things. “You’ve pissed me off for the last time, Evil Barbie. This time I’m kickin’ your scrawny ass and you’re gonna stay down.”
She laughed. My knees buckled and I went down onto that nasty carpet. Damn. I didn’t stay down for long, though. With a speed I didn’t know I possessed I sprang back up and flew at her. Her eyes widened just the tiniest bit as my hands closed around her throat, pinching her airways closed. She choked as I jammed my thumbs into the hollow of her throat and pressed with everything I had. I didn’t know if devils could even be killed like normal humans, but I was determined to find out. If choking her didn’t work I’d just try something else. She’d touched a live wire to my last nerve and I was going on pure, adrenaline charged pissed off.
Her body went limp in my hands as laughter chimed out behind me. A Rayanne-shaped shadowy figure stood a few feet away. Apparently royals could leave their bodies at will. Well that just sucked!
I dropped the useless husk of her body and turned to face her fleshless component, realizing she would have me on the floor again if I didn’t do something fast. I focused on my power core and drew it forward, using it, at first, to surround myself with a protective bubble, which I hoped would repel anything she threw at me.
In her spiritual form, her power was a visible entity. It emerged from her shadow self and crashed into my energy bubble. The result was impressive. The point of impact created a lightning bolt of electricity that throbbed and spat, fighting to be released but trapped at the juncture of our two powers. Her ghostly face registered surprise as my power proved to be the equal of hers. It gave me the confidence to hold her off, when I might otherwise have buckled under the spine-bending force. I closed my eyes and concentrated on building the power and pushing the spitting bolt of electricity back toward the evil witch.
Her resistance softened a bit as I caught her by surprise and I gained some ground. Inch by inch the life-eating force moved toward Rayanne and I could taste her fear on the back of my tongue. I wondered if she could taste mine.
Somewhere in the back of my consciousness I became aware of the splintered sound of voices, like static in my head. The static began to grow in intensity, distracting me, and Rayanne gained an edge in our magic confrontation. The lightning bolt surged backward with a roar, stopping just inches from my nose. I had to force my mind closed to the voices that fought to be heard. Sensing Dialle in the broken noise, along with someone else who felt familiar, I shoved them away. I couldn’t expend the energy to explore that avenue right at the moment.
I had to concentrate. Hard.
I managed to push the fiery wall of power back toward Rayanne a few precious inches, but unfortunately, my energies were running low. The power, all too new to me, seemed to have a limit and I wasn’t experienced enough at dealing with it to work through it. Despite my renewed efforts to hold her off, Rayanne and her evil energy started to close in on me.
Inch by inch the magic-charged electricity moved in my direction, until it burned at the edge of my power, eating it away bit by bit. My power bubble wavered, weakening, and I knew I was seconds away from losing the magical tug of war and eating a death sandwich, heavy on the ionic mayo. Every cell in my body ached with the effort I was expelling to hold her off. And, to make it worse, I could feel her gaining strength as I weakened. It was if she was feeding her power from me, sucking me dry.
That thought brought my eyes open and I realized with a start that that was exactly what she was doing. As I sent my power out, she was slowly draining it from me and throwing it back. I realized I would need to block her somehow and then use every resource I could find to finish her off.
Pulling together every ounce of will power I had, I stopped pushing at the lightning bolt that danced and hissed between us, burning a track in the floor and ceiling of that revolting room. I left the protective bubble in place to hold it off and threw my power in another direction. Beneath me, the souls of thousands of Nerul’s enemies lay trapped in the physical remains of their bodies, which consisted now only of a gathering of hair fibers, the rest of their physical forms having long since been sent to a cold, unhappy grave. I realized that if they were enemies of Nerul then they were friends of mine. What was left of those unfortunate souls waved and throbbed beneath my feet in helpless agitation because that was what Nerul had planned for them when he’d trapped their souls in that helpless state. But if I could I was going to release their souls and allow them to help me defeat the evil Rayanne.
I dropped my hands to my sides and redirected the power into the floor. I sent my senses into the horror beneath my feet and concentrated on melding them with the trapped souls there. Almost immediately a wall of angry, frustrated voices slammed into me, the voices of thousands of lost souls clamored and begged me for release. At first, terrified by the intensity of the onslaught, I fought against the angry voices and tried to push them down, but I suddenly realized that, rather than trying to force them into a manageable box, I would have more success using that rage. So that’s what I did. I opened myself up to the fury of those released souls and allowed them to flow through me into the room. In turn, the
y fed upon my power, taking it with them as they surged free and amplifying it as they merged into one, incredibly powerful and pissed off force. The result was catastrophic.
Almost immediately the floor beneath me started to rumble. The rock beneath the carpet shifted violently, nearly throwing me to the ground. I fought to regain my balance just as, above my head, the horrifying representation of Hades shattered and spat billions of shards of glass toward the ground. The glass stabbed tiny slivers into my flesh and pinged away, piling up around my feet. I didn’t feel a thing. Standing apart from the physical world around me, I was numb from channeling the earth-rending force beneath my feet.
Rayanne’s shadow form wavered and looked, for a moment as if it would fade as the room imploded around us. But I reached out with the enhanced power I shared with thousands of angry souls and grabbed her before she could disappear.
Her shadow mouth opened in a silent scream, which from behind me on the floor, was echoed by her physical form. Fueled by the anger in the released souls, I tore through Rayanne’s shadow form with razor-like tentacles of power and ripped her apart. Her chest caved inward and then exploded into the room, casting a green haze like smoke into the roiling air around me.
Almost simultaneously I felt her body rise up off the floor behind me and I turned, carrying my rage-fueled power rush with me and smashing it into her before she had time to move a finger to stop me.
Her face creased in an ugly scowl. She flew away from me and hit the stone wall with a sickening crunch. Slowly she pushed herself to her feet and stood, leaning against the wall, which was coming apart behind her in a spider web pattern that was quickly widening into cracks and spewing stone-dust into the room in choking waves.
I stood several feet away from her. My legs spread in a bracing stance and my face impassive. I was aware that my skin had started to glow with the combined power of a thousand angry souls. The rough material of the robe whipped around my legs, caught in a frenzied wind that raged around and through that cavern room, pulling my power with it and causing devastation everywhere it touched. My long, auburn hair whipped away from me, blown back by the sucking wind. As I stared at evil Barbie, I slowly raised my arms to the sky, feeling the power pulse between my uplifted hands.
