by Ioana Visan
“We’re not desperate.”
“Try to tell him that.” Alise made a face, thinking about the price and wishing she didn’t care.
Rafe didn’t reply. He stood there, silent and unmoving, watching as she touched various plants around her without a particular goal in mind while waiting for their host to return.
First, came the glow. Elronicus was carrying a big sphere the size of a human head in his hands. The pulsing light made eerie shadows dance on his wrinkled face. “This is all I’ve got for now. Please, help yourself. Take as much as you want.”
“Thanks.” Rafe grinned, eyeing the sphere, and let his fingers run through the light.
Alise made a step forward. Too easy. The magic slowly got absorbed by the suns in Rafe’s palms. It looked like he was able to control the process, but she couldn’t be sure. It was too much, too soon, even if he was taking his time.
“Is this safe?” Rafe asked the old man. By now, he held both of his hands close to the light.
“Absolutely … as much as magic is ever safe,” Elronicus answered with a shallow smile.
“I thought so.” Rafe’s frown could have been either a sign of discomfort or a reaction to the truth.
His body radiated in the dim light of the greenhouse, his system busy processing the magic and turning it into something it could use. It pulled Alise towards him. The artificial magic she could pass by and look the other way, but this was too close to the real stuff, and she found it hard to resist. Her hands reached out before she could consciously command the move, and they stopped a few centimeters short from touching him. The magic passed through the air that separated her palms from his jacket. She swayed in place, her fingers itching to achieve the contact. Maybe later if there’s time.
When the sphere reached the size of a large fist, Elronicus cleared his throat. “I will, however, require payment up front for this one.”
“What is it that you want?” Rafe asked, still focused on absorbing the magic.
“I will not ask what you need all this for, but please correct me if I’m wrong…” Dark eyes fixed him from above the oval-shaped glasses. “You need it to fight someone … someone powerful by the look of it. On this side, it can only be a Wizard or a Witch. And, given the business I’m running, I know everyone in the area who might be involved. Tell me. Is Lya one of them?”
Is the Witch one of his clients, too?
“It might be.” Rafe nodded noncommittally. “Get to the point.”
“I want you to give her a blow…”
“You want me to kill her?” Rafe looked up. “There’s not enough magic in here to do that.”
Fabian had just returned, and Lya was arguably stronger, so Alise tented to agree.
“No, just a little blast. The size of the pulsars I gave you the last time. I want her gone for a couple hours.”
“Leaving me with a pissed off Witch on my tail when she gets back? That doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.”
Elronicus grinned. “If you accomplish your mission, you won’t be here when she gets back.”
Maybe, but they had no guarantees. And an angry Witch would follow you not only to the end of the world, but also to the end of any other world.
Something shifted on Rafe’s face. “Okay. We have a deal.” And with that, he sent what was left of the pulsar flying into the old man’s chest.
Both Alise and Elronicus gasped, but only one of them remained standing, the other slumping to a heap on the floor.
“Why did you do that?” She stared at Rafe as they stood over the fallen body that looked much smaller curled up in a ball.
“I’m blasting the Witch like we agreed, but I’m not letting him take advantage of the time window. That was not part of the deal.” Rafe shook his head. “I hope she’ll keep that in mind the next time we meet.” It didn’t sound like he put much faith in it. He fished the car key from his pocket and tossed it to Alise. “You drive. I feel like my skin will peel off if I move too much.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Due to the absence of parking spaces in the main street and the packed back alleys, finding a place to park near the construction site turned out to be more problematic than it should have been at that late hour. They left the car in the street near one of the entrance gates and snuck in through a hole cut in between two panels covered in bright, flashy ads. Cassie and Vale waited for them on the border of the artificial enclosure left for the lake.
“Witches like open space,” Vale said. “It can’t get more open than this.” He made a grimace, eyeing the tall, unfinished buildings.
Rafe’s mouth twitched when he followed Vale’s gaze, and he walked straight to him. “Don’t move.” He took the other Guardian’s hands in his. Suns flared on the back of both sets of hands.
Vale swayed on his feet as if he were drunk.
Stepping closer to Alise, Cassie whispered, “What’s he doing?
“Sharing magic,” Alise said. Her shoulders tensed and her eyes narrowed as she watched the exchange. She only relaxed when Rafe broke contact.
Vale gasped. “Wow! That stuff is powerful.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Rafe muttered, stepping back. Unlike Vale, who shivered, struggling to adjust to the extra magic, he seemed to be in control.
“Is there more?” Vale asked.
“Yes, but I have a feeling we’ll need a backup plan, so I’m holding onto it for now.” Rafe turned his back on them and stared at the silhouette of the castle illuminated by spotlights on top of the hill.
“What about Alise? She could use more magic, too,” Cassie said a moment later.
Rafe threw a glance over his shoulder. “Magic will speed up the process. Hallucinations are the last thing we need right now.”
Relieved to hear him say that, Alise let go of a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding. He could have forced the magic on her if he wanted to, and hallucinations were no fun. While driving, her vision had turned purple twice, and it had taken her all of her self-control not to crash the car into a tree. Not fun at all.
Too bad Cassie wasn’t going to let it go that easily. “She’ll be in danger. She needs to be able to defend herself.”
“We’ll be there,” Rafe said. “We will protect her.”
“Actually…” Vale rested one foot on a pile of neatly stacked metal pipes. “It might not be such a bad idea. We’ll be taking on Fabian and Goren and who knows what else. We can’t be everywhere at once.”
Rafe’s eyes flashed at him. “We will protect the innocents.” The reminder of their credo came through gritted teeth.
Vale lowered his head. “Yes, we will.”
Alise lightly ran a hand up Cassie’s arm. “It’s all right. I prefer it this way.” Not exactly a lie since the magic was bad for her, more so now, and she wouldn’t have been able to do any extended damage like the Guardians could anyway.
“So what happens next?” the girl asked.
“We wait.”
There were a couple of hours until dawn. They moved by the mall entrance where Alise and Cassie sat down on concrete blocks. Vale patrolled the area while Rafe paced the ground, back straight and fists clenched tightly, ready to snap. The place appeared to be deserted, and as dawn was approaching, the air got chillier.
“We’re like sitting ducks here,” Rafe said to no one in particular.
Cassie shivered. “Is he all right?”
“No.” Alise sighed. “He’s ODing.”
“Is that possible? I thought you people ate and breathed magic.”
Alise shook her head. “Not that much at once.” Not to mention the fact that it wasn’t the right kind of magic. Rafe’s system was working overtime and, by the look of it, failing. He let out a low groan.
“Can’t you do something?” Cassie asked. “If he loses it, we’re all toast.”
Alise fought back a smile. “Since when do you know so much about combat?” Cassie never watched war movies and steered clear of war documenta
ries. She was one of the most peaceful creatures that ever existed … or she had been until recently. No one was left unchanged by the recent events and, for a moment, Alise regretted coming back into her life.
“I saw him blast Fabian,” Cassie said, “and if he was able to survive the blast, I don’t know what could stop him. Can he even be stopped?”
“I hope so,” Alise said, but she was looking at Rafe. Cassie had a point. If they wanted to have any chance at all, he had to be fit for fighting.
Wincing, she unfolded herself from the improvised bench and walked up to Rafe, who spun around at her approach. “It’s just me.” She held her hands up.
Rafe frowned, struggling to focus between heavy pants.
“Let me help…” She reached out, but he growled and stepped back.
“Vale will—”
“He’s not back yet.” Her hand found his.
“No.” Rafe’s voice was weak, and he shook as if fighting with himself to pull away. “It will hurt you. It will make it worse…”
“I won’t take any of it. I’ll simply act like a filter. There’s enough junk inside me not to make much difference, and maybe it will help with the poison.” Wishful thinking, but she smiled anyway. “I’ll be your personal dialysis machine.”
Despite his reluctance, Rafe’s hand painfully gripped hers, and his eyes burned into hers. “Mine.”
“So let me help you now, and you will help me later.”
His lips barely moved. “Always.”
Deciding to ignore the faint whisper, Alise took hold of his other hand and closed the circle. Her starving body was reluctant to accept the unnatural magic. She had to force herself to let it pass through, purifying it on the way. Black vines squeezed her wrists, feeding on the entrance points, and remained permanently branded into her skin. She didn’t see them as she only had eyes for him, but she felt them, burning and poisoning her in a different way.
The world trembled, and the image doubled, then tripled, moving in slow motion. Her peripheral vision acquired a faint purple tinge that increased in intensity. Too much? Perhaps, but she kept the flux going. As Rafe’s quicksilver eyes cleared, they helped to keep her grounded. It didn’t matter if the world danced and changed colors around them. She had a focus point to hold onto. He shone brighter than any star, and there wasn’t any hint of purple in his aura.
“Enough.” Rafe’s voice turned into a low plea.
Alise shook her head. “Not yet.”
As her body got used to it, it wanted more and it didn’t want to stop. Darkening vines stretched over her body, marring her skin, but her body was too intoxicated to care. Alise winced, feeling the presence of a pair of wings shimmering behind her. They were visible for a second, and then they were gone. For once, she didn’t want them.
The clock from the palace tower announced 5 AM, breaking the spell. Alise and Rafe let go of each other. In the eerie light that took over the world, chasing away the shadows just before dawn, her skin tingled where faded vines crept up her neck and headed for her face, which was still clear. Her wrists were black.
After regarding her with a searching gaze, Rafe cupped her face in his hands and kissed her hard and desperate, as if the end of the world was coming. And, in a way, it was.
Just then, Vale appeared from around the corner of the building. “It’s time. She’s here.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
“I see you’re all gathered here,” Lya said with a quick glance around and put on a superior look. She had changed into a faded gray dress. Only her frosted hair still sparkled, catching any rays of light. “What is she doing here?” She pointed her small chin at the human girl.
“Fabian is keeping Sarah prisoner,” Cassie said.
“So?”
“She’s my … uhh…” Cassie rolled her eyes. “Uncle’s girlfriend, I guess.”
“And I should care because…?”
“We need to set her free!”
“No, dear, you want to set her free. I’m here to do a transgression spell,” the Witch said.
“She won’t get in the way,” Rafe said.
“Hmm. Indeed.” Lya narrowed her eyes at Cassie, watching her closely. “All right.” She discarded the girl’s presence with a wave of her hand. “Let’s get to work. The sun is almost up.”
“Would that place do?” Vale pointed in the direction of the dry lakebed.
Without a word, Lya started that way. She only stopped when they got to it and all of them were standing on the layer of concrete. “Fine, but everyone would expect this.” She smiled wickedly. “I’ve got a better idea.” She poked Cassie with her index finger, sending her falling to the ground like a broken doll.
Alise stifled an outraged gasp, but kept still. She was in no condition to antagonize a Witch, especially one they needed.
“What’s wrong with you?” Rafe glared at her while Vale knelt by Cassie’s side to check her pulse.
“Relax. She’s fine,” Lya said. “But she was in the way. She was leverage.” Vale motioned to pick the girl up, but Lya raised her hand to stop him. “Leave her there. He’ll see her and think someone else got to her first. It’s perfect.”
Alise disagreed. Leaving Cassie unattended like that was a bad idea. She’d played bait before and ended up being bitten by a Mermaid, despite having two Guardians around to protect her. Who knew what could happen to the poor girl?
The Guardians still hesitated, so Lya rolled her eyes and tapped her foot on the ground. “She’ll be fine. Come on. We need to move.” She eyed a fourteen-story office building that was finished up to the twelfth floor, where it was still missing windows.
“Up there?” Rafe asked.
The Witch nodded.
“How on earth are we supposed to get up there?”
The elevators weren’t working since the building wasn’t open for business, and the power was cut at night.
Lya headed to the entrance of the building, and they followed, curious to see what she planned to do. Alise glanced back at Cassie’s body on the ground, and a shiver ran through her. The girl looked anything but safe.
How Lya managed to get the elevator working was a mystery, but no one asked when the doors opened in answer to her summoning. It was enough that they were there when the first rays of sunshine emerged from the east to greet the new day. Still half-asleep, the city was slowly waking
On the roof, Lya opened her arms wide and looked at the clear sky. Her melodic chanting included words too old for Alise to remember. Out of nowhere, heavy clouds gathered above them, and lighting and thunder made their presence known. It didn’t rain, but the strong wind rattled the windows below them.
“He’s here,” Lya said, her lips barely moving.
“Gorem?” Rafe held onto both of his blades. “Where?”
“No. His Wizard.” Lya rubbed her hands with a satisfied smile. “Okay. My job is done.”
“Not so fast.” Rafe extended an arm to stop her.
The Witch arched her eyebrows. “You dare to get in my way, boy? That’s not wise.”
“We had a deal,” he said. “You were supposed to bring Gorem here.”
“Kill the monster and he’ll follow.”
“What monster?” Vale asked.
Lya pointed at the sky. The clouds had turned into a huge mass the same color as Lya’s dress. It seemed to breathe in and out as it got closer and closer to the roof. It was coming down steadily like a death sentence, giving everyone a claustrophobic feeling. About a half-dozen meters still separated them from it.
“Oh, that monster…,” Rafe said with a hollow voice.
“You can’t kill it the usual way,” Lya told them. “No slashing, piercing, or blasting will harm it. You need to break it from within. And you better hurry. If it touches the ground, it’s over.” She turned to the roof exit.
“Leaving so soon?” Rafe asked, his voice going up a notch. “You’re not going to help us?”
“I told you I won’t fight aga
inst my kind.”
“Are you sure?” His eyes narrowed.
“Positive.”
“Fine.”
Rafe slammed his empty hand against Lya’s chest. The blast went through the Witch, opening a small vortex right behind her and sucking her into it. She had no time to react, or maybe she was too stunned to do it.
“Now we have to hurry,” he said. “She’ll be pissed when she comes back, and there’s no way to tell when that will be.”
“How much did you use?” Vale asked.
“A lot, but…” Rafe shrugged. “She’s powerful. Good thing they never check their own future, eh?”
No one answered. Their attention was caught by the cloud monster that was getting closer and looking more menacing by the second.
“Do we trust her?” A corner of Vale’s mouth arched up.
“I say we try blasting it since we’re so close,” Rafe said.
They exchanged a look then turned to Alise. “Ready?”
Alise nodded. They needed her help, so whatever magic she had left was theirs.
They bent their knees and, at Rafe’s signal, they jumped. The blades went through the monster like it was made of gas. Other than causing some stirring deep inside, the double blast left it unharmed. To her surprise, her hand slammed into a surface that solidified at the contact with her palm and pushed her back, sending her to the ground.
“Damn. We should have listened to her.” Vale grimaced, shaking his burnt hand.
Alise pulled herself up to her feet. Aside from the pain that shot through her ankle, she was fine. Her hands had left marks on the portion of the cloud above her head. Soon, they weren’t going to be able to stand up without touching it.
“Retreat!” Rafe ordered.
Chapter Forty-Eight
They stopped to catch their breath five floors below. With Lya gone, the elevator had stopped working, and their blades had failed to start it. At the end of a corridor, they paused on an open terrace to watch the cloud monster steadily advance towards them. Vale used the pause to heal his hand.
