Agent of Magic Box Set

by Melissa Hawke

  My grandfather waited in patient silence, though his expression never wavered. I watched for the horror to sink in, for him to tell me that I’d managed to get in over my head. But it never happened. My grandfather shrugged when I’d at last exhausted myself.

  “He has weapons, certainly. But you have something he does not, Natalia.”

  “Zero qualms with killing and a leg up in the demon department?” I muttered.

  “No,” my grandfather said with a sigh. “He is weaker than you know, Natalia. His control over Bryne will not last forever. He is an intruder. An outsider. You were born for this world. All you must do to win is to seek our gods. They want to prevent the end as much as you do. Merely ask for their assistance.”

  I snorted. “Forgive me for saying so, but that’s a fat load of horse shit. Gods in pantheons like these are generally great big bags of dicks. There’s going to be a catch.”

  My grandfather merely laughed. “You are strong enough to bear any task they ask of you.”

  I wanted to tell him that his gods were the ones who locked up Bryne and Valerius after killing their mother. I’d considered them as the enemies, but maybe Grandpa was right. Maybe they were on our side, at least in this conflict.

  Valerius grumbled, but didn’t raise his voice in protest, which I took as a good sign.

  Ewan had already helped himself to weapons of a supernatural persuasion. Who knew what legendary Aztec artefacts had been stashed in Mictlan. Besides, a detour sounded like a pretty good idea, especially with the fate of the world at stake.

  “Alright, I’ll bite,” I said finally. “Who do I need to see about acquiring a weapon of the god-killing variety?”

  “Huitzilopochtli,” my grandfather answered at once. “The war god keeps a massive armory. But you’ll want to win his personal sword, Xiuhcóatl. It is strong enough to face the might of Heracles.”

  “Great, where do I find this guy?”

  “When Huitzilopochtli was born, his older sister and her four hundred siblings led a revolt against his mother. He sprung from the womb, fully armed, and defeated them—hanging his sister’s head in the sky, which became the moon. However the victory is not absolute; Huitzilopochtli was put in orbit, following the sun around the earth in an eternal vigil. The Aztecs used blood sacrifice to keep him strong, and together with his brother Quetzalcoatl, they made the first humans, and gave them fire.”

  I blinked, breaking my grandfather’s spell. It was just like the stories he used to tell me when I was little; but I’d long since stopped believing in fairy tales. I wondered how much of his story was even true. But then again, my skepticism wouldn’t protect me the poisoned arrows of Hercules, which Ewan would be using against me.

  “So, great.” I said. “I’m stuck in a cave, halfway to Mictlan, and the weapon I need it somewhere up in outer space, back in the real world. Sucks to be me.”

  Findlay, who’d been silent up to this point, spoke up.

  “Sienna will help you,” he said. “She may not be able to cast portals as a spirit, but down here her magic is stronger. It may be possible.”

  I wished I had his confidence in that. Sienna Vogel had proved herself to be somewhat ruthless when dispensing her justice. For all I knew, she’d feel justified in slipping a knife between my ribs. After all, I’d failed to save her in time.

  “If there’s even a chance the old man’s right,” Findlay continued, “you must take it. For Cat and Sophia. I can’t help them anymore, but you still can. From now on, you’re all we’ve got.”

  My grandfather nodded. “Yes, mi nieta. Go with the woman to the realm of Huitzilopochtli. If you can win his sword, I believe you will defeat this Ewan. But he will not yield it without a fight.”

  “Fantastic,” I muttered. “All I have to do is fight with a war god, take his weapon, duke it out with a crazy redneck and his demonic hitchhiker and make it out of Mictlan without pissing off the lord of the dead. Why didn’t anyone tell me it was going to be so simple?”

  Grandfather’s grin didn’t waver.

  “You can do it, mi, nieta. I’ve always believed you were destined for great things.”

  This time when he attempted a hug, I stood still, enduring the rush of cold that came with the embrace. I returned it as best I could, a measure of warmth seeping into my stomach at my grandfather’s eager confidence. And just for a moment, I believed I could do it. Against all odds, I would have to try. For my grandfather. For my sister. For the world.

  The cave shook and the grinding of stone on stone tore at my eardrums. I slapped a hand over them as light began to pour into our hiding spot. I gulped fresh air greedily as the mountain lifted off of us. I found myself grateful for the small reprieve. The conversation had been illuminating, to say the least. Now all I had to do was carry out the plan, no matter how suicidal.

  I darted back into the open, only to find a giant, vibrantly green snake blocking my path. My grandfather’s spirit quailed beneath its eyes, as it flicked out a forked tongue as long as my arm. Rage filled me as the guardian hissed its disapproval. Nobody threatened my family. I drew upon Valerius’ power, smoke curling off of my skin. The serpent bared its fangs at me, fluttering its polished scales like feathers. I snarled right back, exposing my own set of barbed teeth.

  First on the itinerary? Get my grandfather off this stupid mountain.

  The rest could wait for now.

  chapter

  13

  THE VIPER’S HEAD WHIPPED FORWARD in a deadly, sinuous movement that nearly crushed me with sheer momentum. I moved at precisely the right moment and its foot-long fangs struck the ground where I’d been only seconds before. I felt the breeze as it sailed past me, blinking in shock. Damn. This thing was fast.

  Golden light emanated from my fist as I drew it back and slammed my punch right into the side of the snake’s face. The jelly of its wide green eye began to boil the moment my fist touched it. My stomach revolted as the slimy goo oozed around my hand. Pulling myself free, I dropped flat to the ground when the snake’s head whipped around to face me. It let out a reptilian sound of agony, a rasping that was so eerie it made goosebumps flash across my skin.

  The snake’s flailing tail struck me upside the head like the crack of a bullwhip and I saw stars. It pushed me a few inches into the earth, leaving me gasping for air. My mind spun in a dizzy circle as I tried to remember just why it was so important I regain my feet. The ground wasn’t so bad, was it?

  Then I was jerked sideways, out of the path of the snake, like the earth beneath me had become a rug dragged by a child. I glanced up to see Ewan’s hand extended toward me, and the earth beneath me speeding toward its touch. When I came to rest near his ankle Ewan glared down at me with no small measure of contempt.

  “You don’t get to die, sweets,” he hissed. “Think twice if you’re going to try to make yourself more powerful than me.”

  So that’s what Ewan thought this was all about? Dying to gain an edge over him? It was single-minded and a petty reason to keep me alive, but hell, I’d take it. If it got him on my side against this snake, I was game.

  “Oh, yeah?” I taunted, a little out of breath. “Watch me.”

  Then I sprinted for the snake’s head, leaped onto its back and held on for dear life. The snake tried to twist around to strike me, but couldn’t. I rested in the hollow where its spine met its skull, and it couldn’t twist around to face me without doing something anatomically impossible. It bucked like an angry bull, trying to dislodge me. A very immature part of me wished I had a cowboy hat so I could complete the impression.

  I was about to strike toward that vulnerable hollow and rip out the creature’s spine when my grandfather’s voice reached my ears, tinny and distant but nonetheless recognizable over the din.

  “You cannot kill the guardians, mi nieta! It would be evil!”

  I was brought up short, irritation and guilt warring inside my chest. Killing it would be easy. Finding a w
ay to get past it while leaving it injured and alive would be far more difficult. But my grandfather had a point. Killing the guardian might not be the best move, if we were hoping to charm Mictlantecuhtli into letting us use his city for our epic showdown. We’d already intruded on his territory and flaunted his rules. Killing his favorite pet might lead to more trouble than it was worth.

  When I turned to examine the path ahead, I found Dom engaged in battle with a lizard the size of a horse. Both were sporting cuts, but neither seemed to be winning. With a growl, I released my hold on the snake’s neck and tumbled down the long, muscled body like I was descending a very bumpy slide. When I reached the tail, I seized it and yanked with all of my might, whipping my head around to shout at Dom.

  “Out of the way!”

  Thankfully, he didn’t question the order or demand an explanation. He dove out of the way, sheltering behind one of the boulders at the mountain’s base. Warmth coiled in my chest, despite the danger. Though he’d made noises to the contrary in the past, when it came down to it, Dom trusted that I had a plan.

  Tightening my grip on the snake’s tail, I used all of my strength to hurl it toward the lizard. It bunched and twisted, snapping at me through the air, but it couldn’t escape gravity. Its body shot forward like the crack of a whip and landed on top of the lizard, crushing it flat. Without wasting any time, I pelted for them, seizing the snake’s tail again. I tucked it under the lizard, then wrapped the snake around him like a reptilian pretzel.

  I leaped back when the snake tried in vain to strike me. Its range of motion was inhibited by the lizard’s leg, and its fangs snapped shut inches from my face. A startled laugh escaped me as I staggered back, staring with some satisfaction at my work. A non-deadly, still functional way to keep them occupied for a while.

  “Come on,” I said, jerking my head further down the path. “We still have a long way to go and I don’t think that will hold them forever.”

  My companions were slow to shake off the shock, but within a few minutes, I’d managed to get the rest of our group moving. My grandfather clapped me on the back as we cleared the shifting mountain pass a few minutes later.

  “Oh, mi nieta, you performed wonderfully.”

  The wave of cold barely bothered me after the exertion I’d just expended trying to fight the snake.

  “Don’t congratulate me yet,” I muttered. “We still have to face the deserts.”

  “All eight of them,” Sienna agreed cheerfully. “And the obsidian winds.”

  Ewan shot her a dirty look. “One of these days you’re going to tell me what the hell that means.”

  Sienna’s smile was no less terrifying for the beauty of it.

  “You’ll see, Saunders. You’ll see.”

  ***

  We made it to the end of the first desert by sundown. The rich rose color of the sand was burned into my retinas, even as everything else dulled do a soft magenta after dark. The skeletal remains of giant ships crested the dunes, along with the tops of buildings from long-lost civilizations, and half-buried fortresses carved straight into the rocks. Ewan and I could have gone further, unhampered by a need for sleep. If I’d asked, Valerius could have kept me awake the entire time. If all of the deserts were similarly sized, we’d reach our destination in ten days. After crossing all eight of them, the river that ran across the keep, and defeated the guards that would no doubt be waiting for us on the other side.

  The shades no longer needed rest, so the stops were really only to accommodate Dom. Though he’d said nothing, I could sense his brewing frustration at being the only dependent one in the group. My planned detour off of this plane was going to piss him off as well, but what choice did I really have? I’d be facing down a war god, and there was a decent chance I’d end up charbroiled before the battle was over. I couldn’t bring my very alive, very vulnerable boyfriend into a cosmic battle fought amongst the stars.

  Ewan bunkered down on a large boulder and pulled out the leather sling that held all the weapons of Hercules, flaunting them under the guise of making sure they were in working order. I turned away to conceal just how hard I was rolling my eyes. What had initially been a frightening reminder that he’d outmaneuvered me was just becoming annoying. And if all went well, I’d have an edge come nightfall. I strode away from camp, crunching the dry sand beneath one boot.

  “Where are you going?” Ewan snapped, eyeing me suspiciously.

  “Going out to get some firewood for Dom. It’s going to be cold as balls come midnight.”

  “I can provide the fire,” Ewan countered.

  “So can I, shithead,” I said, immediately calling a ball of flame to my palm. “But we don’t have any kindling, so unless you want to keep it going all night…”

  Ewan snapped his steely glare back to the ground after a moment, conceding my point. “Fine. But don’t you even think about wandering off to find Mictalasouplo on your own.”

  “Mictlantecuhtli, you philistine,” I corrected with a scowl. “And no, I’m not traveling ahead. I’m just going to find some brush. Findlay, would you come with me? There doesn’t appear to be a moon here, and I may need some extra light if my arms are full of sticks.”

  Findlay glanced up from the piece of parchment he’d been scribbling on.

  “I’m composing a letter to Cat and Sophia. Could Sienna travel with you instead?”

  It was a setup we’d rehearsed earlier. Ewan looked skeptical at first, but then leaned back against the rock to play with his new toys. Sienna, on the other hand, bristled—her edges going a little wavy as her spirit form rippled in anger.

  “I’m not a goddamn night light, Findlay.”

  “Please?” I wheedled. “It’ll only take about ten minutes.”

  She remained resolutely still and silent for several minutes, ignoring my expectant stare. She finally relented when I refused to budge.

  “Fine. But if this takes any longer, I’m leaving you in the dark.”

  “Deal.”

  We walked in silence for several miles, passing several scrubby trees that could have provided the vegetation I needed. I made a note to pick some up later if I survived the encounter with Huitzilopochtli. I made damn sure we were out of earshot before I turned back to Sienna.

  “This isn’t actually about getting firewood,” I said in a slow, persuasive tone.

  Sienna crossed her arms over her chest, lips pursing into a thin line. “I assumed as much when Findlay refused to come with you. The letter could have waited, or he could have passed the message on to you. You seem to have become quite chummy of late.”

  She said the last like it was a bad thing. I supposed in her mind it would be. She’d died with the notion that I was still a dangerous renegade and nothing we’d gone through in recent weeks was going to dissuade her of that. I quickly explained where I needed to go, and why.

  “So can you do it?” I asked.

  “Yes, but I haven’t decided if I’m going to,” she responded.

  “I know you hate me, Sienna. But can I count on you for help, just this once? You know what will happen if Ewan wins this battle. Can we put aside our prejudices in light of complete world annihilation?”

  Sienna sighed. “I don’t hate you, Iron Heart. Mostly, I’m disappointed. You single-handedly jeopardized everything I spent my career working towards. The Trust was practically a joke, until we founded the Five and began enforcing our laws. But it was a delicate line: we had to enact justice, without seeming unduly biased against supernaturals in general. You ruined that when you became an assassin for hire. You destroyed decades worth of trust in a handful of weeks; without which the Trust was very obviously unworthy of our own name. Dom was barely functional after he testified against you; Ewan started taking personal leave; I had to start relying more and more on Findlay, despite my misgivings, and look how that turned out.”

  “You’re right,” I conceded quietly. “If I could take it all back, I swear I would.”<
br />
  “Then perhaps you are finally mature enough to bear this burden,” Sienna shrugged. “You’re trying to protect your sister, while I was looking out for the entire world. Maybe now our positions have switched. In death, I find I’ve been worrying more and more about Alice. It bothers me that I brought Ewan to power, that I let him get so close to me, and her. And that I didn’t see all this coming from miles away, too distracted with politics. So I will help you, as long as you make me a promise: when you defeat Ewan, you’ll finish my work with the Trust, and provide a safe place for both humans and supernaturals. I want Alice trained and ready for war, but also smart enough to avoid conflict when possible.”

  “Fine,” I nodded. I wasn’t eager to get involved in the Trust’s business, or become some kind of babysitter for orphaned mages, but it wasn’t that different from the deal I’d made with the barbegazi leader, and none of it mattered unless I actually defeated Ewan. I’d just keep my obligations stacked up in the corner of my mind until I had the luxury of making good on them.

  “Magic is a living being’s game,” Sienna said briskly, rolling up her transparent sleeves. “I’m going to need blood, and even then, the portal will only last for so long. I’d say I can give you about an hour tops. Any longer than that and you’ll be stranded wherever I send you.”

  Shit. Somehow it completely slipped my mind that Sienna’s ghost wouldn’t be able to cast portals without her own life force to draw on.

  “How much will you need?” I asked at once.

  “A pint, at least,” Sienna said with a sigh. “Dig a furrow in a circle large enough to sit or lay inside, step into the boundary and then seal the circle with blood.”

  I swallowed hard. It sounded like the setup for black magic. My mind flashed vividly back to the moment when I discovered my sister in the middle of a circle, wrists and ankles slashed deeply so that her life would drain out of her. Ewan had been hiding somewhere in the apartment at the time, just waiting for my sister to arise as a demon-infested corpse that he could deliver to Algerone Lamonia. If I’d been able to think past the panic, I would have searched for her attacker. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been in the predicament that I was in now. Or maybe I was just delaying the inevitable. Ewan would begin to become suspicious if I was gone much longer.