by Linsey Hall
“Hurry,” Roarke whispered beside me. “Demons are starting to look suspicious. They may feel your magic influencing the portal.”
I opened my eyes. Damn it, he was right. The demons looked around, studying the portal and then the land around them. Some even put their hands to their weapons.
“I can’t turn back time here,” I whispered.
“Just close it, then,” Roarke murmured. “We can fight them.”
I nodded sharply and shifted gears, calling upon my portal magic. I envisioned my mother briefly, picturing her as she told me to imagine my power as a light I could manipulate. I followed her advice, envisioning my portal magic as a golden light inside of me.
Slowly, it solidified, warming my chest from the inside and giving me the confidence to send my magic toward the portal, envisioning it closed and cutting off all the demons.
A shout nearly broke my concentration. Demons from below were turning toward us, looking up at the small cliff and pointing.
Had they seen us? I ignored them, focusing on my magic.
“Go time,” Cass said. “We’ll have your back.”
Roarke squeezed my shoulder, then stepped away. From the corner of my eye, I could see the black tornado form around him as he shifted into his demon form. In a flash of golden light, Aidan shifted into his griffon form.
I kept my attention squarely on the portal as battle exploded around me. My friends leapt off the cliff, Roarke and Aidan carrying Cass and Zoya straight into the fray as demons surged toward me. Nix stood at the cliff edge, firing her arrows down at the demons below.
Roarke and Aidan dropped the others safely on the ground. Cass powered up her fire, throwing balls of flame at any demon who approached me on the cliff, while Zoya shot blue light from her palm that froze the demons solid. The Ice Fae were fighting as well, every one of them—old and young—armed with blades of ice. Some had Zoya’s power, which was the fiercest of all.
My friends defended me from below, keeping the demons from climbing the thirty-foot cliff and stopping me from my work.
As Roarke swept through the air, tearing demons off the cliff wall, I pushed my magic toward the portal, envisioning it closing forever.
My skin prickled with adrenaline and fear as I drew on every bit of magic I had. Closing portals wasn’t quick work, and this was the strongest portal in the world. But I didn’t have time to doubt. We were outnumbered. I could see without even looking closely that the demons outnumbered the fae.
I forced my magic toward the portal, giving it everything I had. My breath came short, and my muscles quaked. A demon nearly breached the edge of the cliff as the portal began to shrink. He crawled up over and reached for me, but Roarke swooped up on powerful wings and dragged him away.
“Hurry!” someone cried.
I shook as I worked, but the portal was closing. Slowly, slowly, it shrank. The black was eaten away by the glittering white of the village returning to normal. The demons in hell must have known something was up, because they raced out of the portal as fast as they could.
The portal was nearly gone when something flew at me. I tried to dodge, but was slowed by my unwillingness to let go of the portal.
Pain flared in my upper arm. Some kind of weapon had hit me—a knife or an arrow, I hadn’t been able to see. I debated adopting my Phantom form, but discarded the idea. I couldn’t waste the magic or the mental energy. I needed all my focus to close the portal.
So I ignored the pain, giving everything I had to the job at hand.
Another projectile sliced through my side. Agony flared, like hot metal pressed against my bare flesh.
Shit, this was bad. I was a target now.
With a last burst of strength, I fed my magic to the portal. It took everything I had, making my heart race and dimming my vision to gray. Finally, the portal closed, zipping out of existence. The demons roared their rage as I stumbled, my muscles weakened and my head swimming. Pond Flower raced in front of me. I grabbed onto her for support, blinking to regain my vision.
I’d given everything I had to the portal and was so close to passing out. But Pond Flower’s magic flowed into me, strengthening me. She was like my familiar, or something. I didn’t understand it, but I was grateful.
“Del!” Roarke shouted from above. “Are you all right?”
“Yes!” Strength was flowing into me. I could see again, and my muscles were strong. Blood still dripped from the wounds in my arm and side, but I was fine.
I dragged in a ragged breath and adopted my Phantom form, taking stock of my surroundings. Nix continued to fire arrows down at the ground, never leaving her position at the cliff edge.
The battle raged below, demons fighting the Ice Fae and my friends. Bodies lay in the street. More demons than Ice Fae, but they were down too. My friends were wounded, blood dripping from cuts all over their bodies, but they were still fighting.
Cass was a whirlwind of fire, cutting through clouds of demons and taking them out like they were toys. Roarke swept through the air, grabbing up demons from the base of the cliff and breaking their necks. He nimbly avoided arrows and daggers that were thrown at him. Aidan flew as well, his powerful griffon form swooping low and grabbing up demons with his huge claws. He tore them to bits, raining blood onto the pale stone streets.
I leaned over the edge of the small cliff, shock piercing my chest. The thirty-foot cliff wall was covered in demons climbing up to stop me from closing the portal. Nix took out one every five seconds, but there were so damned many. Dozens more gathered at the base, scrambling to reach me. My friends were holding them off, but the demons would overpower them eventually. They’d overrun the cliff, taking me with them.
Then, they’d turn and demolish the village.
No way in hell I’d let that happen.
I backed up so the demons couldn’t grab my ankles when they reached the top of the cliff and glanced around, frantic for a plan. I couldn’t power up enough icicles to kill all the climbing demons quickly. Most of my power wasn’t very handy as mass murder.
Except….
“Nix! Get back from the edge. Now!” I cried.
She hesitated, then lowered her bow and raced to my side. I eyed the towering spears of ice that had formed the barricade I’d hidden behind, then called on my new telekinesis. I envisioned the bases of the ice spears cracking and breaking, then the thousands of tons of ice plummeting over the small cliff and crushing the demons.
My muscles trembled as I forced my magic to follow my will. The sound of ice cracking was like music to my ears. It echoed with the noise of the battle below. When the ice began to tip, joy flared in my chest.
Demons were climbing over the edges of the cliff now, so close to me that I could smell their rank, evil magic.
“Watch out, guys!” I shouted to my friends. “Threat from above!”
The demons’ wide eyes met mine and I grinned, giving my magic a last shove. At least forty massive ice spears toppled from the top of the cliff like a wall of death. I leaned over to look as the ice hurtled down the side of the cliff, taking out the demons in one fell swoop. The ice knocked them off the cliff and crushed them under its weight.
“Nice,” Nix said. “You took out at least fifty.”
“Let’s take care of the rest.”
Nix saluted and drew her bow. “Aye aye.”
I found an ice spear that was propped against the cliff like one long slide. I climbed up and slid down into the fray, hitting the ground and rolling to my feet.
I called my sword from the ether and powered up an icicle in one hand. I threw the spear of ice at the nearest demon. It plowed through his middle, and he collapsed to the ground.
The battle raged around me, but it’d turned in favor of our side. I fired icicle after icicle as those around me fought tooth and nail. Pond Flower was vicious, along with the Husky friends. But it was the Ice Fae who really shocked me. Those who could freeze bodies solid didn’t hesitate to use their power. There we
re demon popsicles all over the street.
When the last demon had died and the street fell silent, my head swam. Once again, pain flared in my side and arm. I finally looked down at the wounds, shock opening up a hole in my chest.
Blood soaked my entire arm and all of my side, reaching far down my leg. Fading adrenaline made me shake.
Holy fates, it looked like my wounds were worse than I thought. I spun, trying to find my friends. The pile of demon bodies underneath the massive pillars of ice caught my eye. The slanted pillar that I’d ridden to the ground was slicked with blood. My blood.
Oops.
I swayed, falling to my knees. Blood loss was finally getting to me.
“Del!” Roarke’s voice echoed in my woozy head. Through blurry eyes, I saw him swoop down and land in front of me. He didn’t look much better than I felt. He was covered in cuts and blood too. His gait was unsteady as he rushed toward me. He knelt at my side, but it was really more of a controlled collapse.
“We did it, right?” I slurred.
“Yeah.” He wrapped an arm around me. My head spun from blood loss and pain.
I was going to say something, but we both crumpled to the ground.
Chapter Eight
I drifted in and out of consciousness. At the best of times, I saw a pale white light through slitted eyelids. At the worst, it was blackness. The pain in my wounds flared, then disappeared.
After what felt like a millennium, a voice woke me, pulling me from the darkness.
I blinked my eyes, finally strong enough to open them. It was blurry and white at first, then I focused on a figure. She was pale and clear, with the sparkling white hair and skin of the Ice Fae.
“I’m Gera, the healer.” Her voice sounded like wind chimes. “You’ve had a bit of trouble with blood loss, but you’ll be fine.”
I struggled to sit up, feeling like I was pushing my way through jello. “Where are my friends?”
I searched the room, grateful to see Roarke seated in the chair next to me. Pond Flower was sprawled out on the floor next to him, snoring. A smile tugged at the corner of Roarke’s mouth, and he reached for my hand. The room itself was full of narrow beds draped in white fabric and tables full of potions and tools. A hospital?
“Your friends are fine,” the healer said. “Many were wounded, but they are better now. Almost all of them are in the waiting room adjoining this one, having lunch.”
A head popped in through the door. Cass. Then Nix.
“You’re up!” Nix cried. She had a sandwich in her hand.
“Thank magic,” Cass said. “How do you feel?”
“A lot better.” I looked at the healer. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. You saved us.”
I doubted that, but didn’t say it.
“Why don’t you join your friends for a meal, then the council would like to see you,” Gera said.
“Okay.” I could definitely use some food before we faced out next big problem. And a big problem it would surely be—thousands of demons running lose was going to be hell to deal with.
After a quick lunch of sandwiches and soup—which were of an unfamiliar variety—Cass, Nix, and I made our way toward the main council hall with Pond Flower at our side. Both Roarke and Aidan had departed earlier with the intent of calling the Order of the Magica and the Alpha Council to see if they knew anything. We’d agreed to not reveal what we knew—yet—but it was time to gather more intel.
The streets of the village were quieter than they had been. Night had fallen, and it was cold and dark. The Aurora Borealis did not grace us with its fantastic light show tonight. The bodies had been cleared from the streets, though there were still patches of blood staining the pale gray stone. Everyone was inside their homes, away from the cold and the site of so much death.
As we approached the large council chamber at the edge of town, I caught sight of Roarke and Aidan, each leaning against the wall of the building while talking into a cell phone. They waved at us, then returned their attention to the calls.
The building was built of the same gray stone as the others, but this one was two stories tall with a magnificent slanted roof. The doors were huge slabs of dark wood that opened at the slightest touch. Inside, it was one large room, warm and filled with golden light from sconces that lined the walls.
A long rectangular table sat in the middle of the room. It had space for at least thirty people, though it was only two thirds full. Everyone seated was an Ice Fae, their sparkling, transparent forms looking as icy as the snow on the mountains. Their magic smelled like an icy winter day, and a chill breeze rushed over me. I’d felt this magic before, during the battle, but had chalked it up to the weather. But inside this cozy room, it was obviously the magical signature of the Ice Fae.
Zoya and Vera sat near the head of the table, next to an older woman with the most commanding presence I’d ever seen. She even gave Madam Melephonus a run for her money. Her features were strong and ageless, though beautiful. She could have been thirty or fifty—it was impossible to say.
The woman rose, revealing that she was well over six feet tall and dressed in sweeping white robes. Her white hair was piled high on her head, and her eyes glittered a striking blue. I winced slightly. That gaze could see right into my soul, it seemed.
“Welcome.” Her voice resonated with power, echoing off the high ceiling. “I am Galina, the council leader. Please, join us.”
She gestured to seats along the side of the table, and we took them. Pond Flower lay on the floor behind us, apparently still loath to leave my side. There were two empty chairs beside us, but Roarke and Aidan walked in a moment later. Galina greeted them in the same way, and they sat next to us.
Twenty pairs of icy blue ices turned in our direction. We weren’t in trouble—I didn’t think—but suddenly I felt like I was in the principal’s office. I wasn’t used to such scrutiny from a government body, even a small one such as this.
“We’d like to thank you for helping us save our village,” Galina said. “Without you to close the portal, we would never have had a chance.”
I almost mentioned that I’d been the one to open it, but that would have been plain stupid. Of course I felt guilty about it. But not enough that I’d fess up to Galina.
Instead, I said, “I wish we could have done more. I’m sorry for your casualties.”
Sadness crossed Galina’s face, her mouth turning down at the corners and her blue eyes darkening. “We lost good Ice Fae. But this event has been prophesied for generations. We knew to expect it. And in fairness, it was far less devastating that we expected it to be.”
I remembered what Zoya had said. She’d been so afraid of this battle that she’d run from here. But now she was seated next to the boss lady, a look of contentment on her face. She was glad to be back. I smiled, happy for her.
“We must discuss the demons who have escaped,” Galina said. “We do not want them roaming the earth freely.”
I sat up straighter. “Yes. That is of primary importance to us. How many have escaped?”
“At least two thousand. Possibly closer to three,” she said.
Damn. I’d hoped she’d say less than Vera had estimated, but of course the number was just as dire.
“All of the demons departed overland because our protective charms make it impossible to use transportation charms and teleportation,” Galina said. “None of them spent long in our village. They forced us to escort them past the barriers, then they went their own way.”
“What about their leaders?” I asked.
“Those shadowy figures have long since departed.” Galina shuddered lightly. “We do not know where they went.”
Double damn. I turned to Roarke and Aidan. “Did you guys learn anything from the Order of the Magica or the Alpha Council?”
Roarke gestured to Aidan. Aidan, as the Origin and strongest shifter, had contacts with the Alpha Council that no one else did.
“The Alpha Council does not kn
ow much.” Aidan frowned. “They’ve seen more demon sightings, but had no extra trouble. However, they don’t monitor demon activity with the same intensity that the Order of the Magica does.”
The Order employed a band of bounty hunters and mercenaries to keep track of demon activity and send them back to hell when necessary—which was almost always.
“What about the Order, Roarke?” I asked.
“They knew a bit more, but not much. I wasn’t able to press without revealing what I knew, which we haven’t agreed to do yet. They did say that there has been an increase in demon sightings, but not an increase in activity. For all intents and purposes, the demons are behaving themselves.”
“Well, that’s not natural,” Cass said.
“Certainly not,” Galina said. “Though there are demons who are not evil, the ones that we’ve watched come through the portal are the worst of the worst. The kind who eat children and live off the fear of others. Murderers, slavers, and rapists. They stunk of dark magic. If they are behaving themselves now, it’s not because they want to live a peaceful life on Earth. They have a plan.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you,” Roarke said.
“Same.” I nodded. “After seeing the Shadows and the types of demons they employed, this isn’t a peaceful move from the Underworld to Earth.”
“Then they’re planning something,” Nix said. “The Shadows, most likely. And they’re keeping their demon minions quiet for the time being.”
“I would think so,” I said.
“Agreed.” Roarke nodded. “Their behavior is unusual. The Shadows won’t be able to keep them quiet for long. Whatever they are planning—it’s going to happen soon.”
“Did the Order of the Magica say anything else?” Galina asked. Though she was a government official in her own right, her village was so remote that they didn’t have any reason to engage with the worldwide government of supernaturals. Some species governed themselves, and a remote, closed-off one like the Ice Fae were one of those species.
