The Cardkeeper Chronicles: Books 1-5 (Complete Collection)

by A. C. Nicholls

  It was closer now, stomping toward me while the ground continued to rumble. I teased the magic from the card in my pocket, wondering just how I was going to survive another bout. The fury in the demon’s eyes tore through me, striking fear deep into my heart as I lowered into a dashing stance, hoping to evade its next attack.

  Luckily, I didn’t have to.

  The blade came from nowhere, slashing through Zorin’s shoulder with a bright orange gleam that lit up the area. Jack dropped to the ground, the sword in his hand as the demon’s arm landed in front of him, sizzled, and then vaporized.

  “Not the arm,” I screamed. “The heart.”

  The demon’s arm was growing back already, but Jack was so confident that he had the upper hand, he didn’t notice it at all. I darted forward to push Jack out of the way, moving as fast as I could and planting the heels of my hands into his chest. I knocked him out of harm’s way, just before another swipe of the demon’s fist connected with my other side.

  This time it really took its toll.

  I breezed through the air like a tennis ball, smashing through a wall and feeling every last chunk of clay explode around my body. I landed in a heap, coughing up dust and broken brick. I wheezed, tried to get up, only to fall back down again, useless. I was done – I couldn’t go on. I’d faced smaller demons before, vampires, werewolves and countless other creatures, but this was outside of my capabilities. I simply didn’t have what it took to fight the monster outside the building, and as much as I wanted to get out there and help my friends, I just couldn’t find the energy to stand up straight. I clamped my eyes shut against the pain of my body and the weight of my failure.

  It was over.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Little hands littered my back, the sounds of shifting rubble reached my ears, and the patter of tiny footsteps hurried around me. Voices – soft, little voices – whispered around me in unison. It wasn’t until I twisted my aching neck to the side that I saw them.

  “You’ve come to help?” I wheezed.

  The imps, so many that I couldn’t count, all nodded together and lifted me off the ground. As my feet touched the floor of the building’s interior, I felt a surge of confidence blow up inside me. My new companions, despite their lack of height or strength, had come to stand by us. While they projected that kind of attitude, who was I to lay in the dirt, complaining about a few damaged bones?

  “Thank you,” I said, emotion welling up inside. There wasn’t much else I could say without bursting into tears of joy, knowing now that we weren’t alone – that Chicago still had a fighting chance. It was all I could do to straighten up, and act every bit the hero they thought I was.

  The sudden sound of crumbling rock startled me. We all jolted back, turning toward the hole in the wall that looked out onto the square. But it wasn’t a demon that stepped inside – it was Jack, the Sword of Lucada in his hand, and Link hovering above him with the staff in his. Each of them were covered in sweat and had red, puffy cheeks.

  “You okay?” said Jack.

  I nodded. “We’ve got company.”

  Jack came further in, Link trailing slightly behind in the air. When Jack saw the imps, a look of relief crossed his face, but then he glanced back at the mayhem outside, his grip tightening around the sword.

  “Where’s Ryker?” I asked Link.

  “I took care of the bastard.”

  “Meaning…”

  “I got the staff back and then handed him over to the cops.”

  My eyes fell to the staff, and I reached out to take it. I expected it to be heavier – something about the way the dull brass looked. It was surprisingly light, falling into my hand as if it weighed no more than a soccer ball. “That’s great. So the fight’s over?”

  The imps all made a commotion, each one struggling to be heard over the other. It wasn’t until I shot them a frustrated look that they all settled down, and a small bluish-green one came forward, clearing his throat. “The staff can only control the demon if the wielder summoned it to begin with.”

  I turned my attention to the staff, frowning. “It’s useless then?”

  “Sorry.”

  The imps all nodded, and Link flew to the corner of the room, safely propping the staff against the wall and out of harm’s way. He probably figured that we could swing by and grab it later. If there was a later.

  Jack spun back around then, blowing out a puff of air. “Think about it this way. Ryker is out of the picture, hopefully going to jail. That means Zorin is focused on killing you. It was his last command, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Then let’s go beat the ugly red bastard.”

  We all turned toward the hole in the wall, where Zorin stood with his back to us, looking all around for his target. When he turned and his eyes fell on me, I knew we were in trouble. But then the imps rushed to my side. Link landed on my shoulder, rolling up his sleeves, and Jack swung the Sword of Lucada around. Together, not saying a word, we all took a moment to organize ourselves, readying up for a fight.

  “Remember,” Jack said, “I’ve got your back.”

  “I know.” I had his, too. After everything we’d gone through, despite my previous suspicions as to whether he was suitable for the job, I saw great competence in Jack. Sure, he was confused – consumed by hate, even – but he was strong and courageous, loyal and devoted to the cause. If I died out there tonight, I would do so knowing that I’d found a worthy successor to defend the city.

  I only had to make it through one last battle.

  Then it would all be over.

  “Ready?” Link asked.

  I nodded. “Ready,” I said, and then we all stepped out on to the battlefield, our hearts pumping adrenaline through our bodies while we confronted the beast of the underworld, going up against the Demon King for the final fight of my life.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  The imps moved first and fast, running circles around the enormous beast as it spun and swayed in confusion. They climbed up its legs like a colony of ants, its huge red knees covered in slimy blue bodies. While Zorin was distracted by the imps, Link swooped in next, flying at full speed into the demon’s horns, bothering him like a hungry mosquito. As if by magic, the great and powerful demon was now a raging, tormented monster that couldn’t stand still for even a second.

  “Shall we?” Jack asked as he swung his sword around like a cyclone.

  “Of course.” I nodded at him, my eyes drifting to the shimmering blade in his hand and I suddenly realized what a suitable weapon it was for Cardkeeping. I could imagine Jack using it full time, if we made it out of here alive.

  “Then… ladies first?”

  “As long as you strike the killing blow, I don’t care what happens.” I summoned an icy spear into my hand, held it steady and stepped out into the rubble. “This is your chance, Jack. Take your revenge and savor it. It’s all hard work after this.”

  Jack nodded, primed his sword and exhaled. “I will.”

  I turned back to the carnage that was unfolding in the square. The Demon King swatted at the imps now, knocking them from his muscle-packed body and across the road, where they simply got right back up and returned to their position on its chest. Link was slowing down, likely growing tired as his circles turned slow and sloppy. I had to get in there, and didn’t hesitate to take a run-up before launching the spear into the air.

  It pierced through the breeze like a missile, glistening under the light as it glided effortlessly across the square. It struck the demon’s pectoral, tearing through its skin before shattering into a rainbow-colored shower. The hole it made in Zorin’s chest rebuilt itself instantly, filling in clean new flesh in place of the wound. I hadn’t expected it to leave permanent damage, but it slowed him down long enough for me to sprint toward him, hurling ice ball after ice ball at his face and keeping his attention off Jack.

  When I reached my enemy, I dashed around his leg, building a spiraling sculpture of ice from the ank
le up. My plan was to prevent his momentum, and as I built a second tower around his other leg, the imps slid down and scurried to safety. The demon stood frozen in place now, but his anger erupted when he roared at me, my hair blowing in one long gust as his hot breath came at me like a gale.

  “Ahh, you stink,” I said, stepping back slowly.

  But the demon looked down to his ankles, examined the restraints, and then ripped free of them as if they were made of butter. If I’d have known he was that strong, I wouldn’t have been so quick to comment on his oral hygiene.

  Link fell to my side then, his wings sweeping quickly like a hummingbird without the hum. He was drenched in sweat, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his arm. “Phew. Tell me what to do, Keira.”

  “You’ve done enough. Thanks, but get out of here.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  The demon strode toward me, his heavy, giant-like footsteps causing tremors. I continued to step back, glancing around at our audience. Beyond the barricade, hundreds of citizens had gathered and they now stood watching in horror as imps, faeries and mages fought together to bring down a demon. There was even a number of TV crews filming the entire event. This was what my nightmares looked like.

  “You want to help?” I said. “Get rid of those cameras.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Link blasted into the air and toward the growing crowd, flitting from one camera to the other and smashing right through the lenses. There was nothing we could do about the live streams, but at least the number of recorded videos would be greatly reduced. Hopefully, the rest would be considered fake. I mean, who would believe this was really happening?

  With my head turned, I hadn’t noticed Zorin catching up to me. His hand came down, wrapping around my entire body with only my head protruding from the top of his meaty fist. I tried to construct ice around my skin, hoping to cause a sharp pain and force him to release me, but instead he only squeezed harder, my bones ready to shatter.

  “Kill,” Zorin said, his voice deep and echoing.

  I couldn’t see. Colors swirled around in my mind, blinding me as the strength left my body. I struggled to break free, but to no avail. The demon was too strong, too powerful. It had been given a target and was simply carrying out its order, crushing me to death. I closed my eyes, accepting that it would all be over soon – that all those battles had led to this one singular event. My journey was at an end. I just didn’t expect it to happen like this.

  There was a sudden flash as my bones finally broke. I felt nothing after that, seeing only bright light. Was this it? Was this what happened after life? Were the Elders of R’hen accepting me into their own version of Heaven?

  No.

  Somehow, I was able to look up. My vision slowly returned, along with my ability to breathe. I realized then that my bones hadn’t broken – the demon hadn’t crushed me. His arm lay on the ground by my feet and, straddling the demon’s back, Jack swung his sword from one shoulder to the other, breaking Zorin down bit by bit.

  Gasping and shaking, I put the last of my energy into standing up. Finally on my feet, I slowly lifted my weak and feeble hands, aiming them at the wounds in the demon’s shoulders and firing blasts of ice over them. The arms tried to regenerate, growing slowly from the torn sockets but stopping as they met resistance at the ice. My body gave in then, and I fell onto my butt, watching helplessly as Jack raised the Sword of Lucada high into the air, and then plunged it straight through the demon’s heart.

  I watched with satisfaction at the tip of the blade coming through the other side of its chest. The demon wailed, knocking Jack from his back before stumbling around like a crazed mutant. It fell to its knees and roared with horrific pain as its body began to burn to ashes, incinerating its remaining limbs one by one until there was nothing left. The winds finally picked up and carried it away, leaving Jack doubled over his dropped sword, panting.

  He did it.

  I breathed a deep sigh of relief and fell onto my back, enjoying the feeling of freedom. Zorin’s hands had caused some damage, I was sure, but my ability to regenerate would take care of it in time. For now, all I could do was enjoy our victory.

  Jack stumbled over to me and Link landed beside me. I rolled my head to the side, watching the imps flee from the scene as quickly as they had arrived. I couldn’t blame them either – they’d done more than their fair share of fighting, avenging the loss of their fallen friends. I just wished I’d had a chance to thank them.

  Sadly, I had other things to do.

  Jack lifted me into his arms, carrying me across the square like we were newlyweds crossing over the threshold. Link, however, dropped into my lap, rolling onto his back and recovering from his efforts as badly as I was. Together, the three of us escaped the battleground before the police could detain us. The last thing we needed was questions, and I was eternally grateful to Jack for taking me away from that danger.

  I relaxed my body, groaning in agony as lights flashed past my eyes. It was the end of my final battle, and nothing excited me more than knowing I would never have to deal with Chicago’s underworld again.

  The only question remaining was what would happen to me next. What would become of my body when my immortality left me for good, transferring to Jack Hannigan along with my responsibilities? No matter how hard I’d tried to ignore it, the morbid question that I’d been dreading was soon to be answered.

  And there was nothing more terrifying.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  “I can walk from here.”

  Jack set me down by the front door of the VHS store, which I slowly unlocked. I then dragged my feet to the stock room, reluctantly creating a portal for the last time. It struck me then that this would be the last time for a lot of things; the last time I entered these mountains, the last time I trudged up the rocky mountain path in an alternate realm, the last time I entered the Vault, returning from a tough mission. Perhaps that was why I was taking my time with it – not savoring each moment, but because I feared the inevitable.

  I left my magicard in the lower card room, my heart heavy as I placed it into the wall (for the last time) and witnessed it get swallowed up by the bricks. Link said nothing as he watched from my shoulder, though his tiny body shook with emotion.

  “It’ll be okay,” I assured him, fully aware that I might have to break that promise.

  Jack walked alongside me all the way up the staircase, silently staring at his boots as he took each step, his eyes glazed over as if deep in thought. Something ailed him – something other than my fate, and I couldn’t help but ask.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Jack looked up from his boots as if he hadn’t known I was there. “Hmm? Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking about magicards and vampires and werewolves. You know, things that seemed like story-type stuff only a couple of days ago.”

  “Trust me, you’ll get used to it quickly.”

  “They’re not that bad?”

  “Which?”

  “The vampires, of course.” Jack scratched his bearded neck, and it sounded like the dragging of a match across a book. “I’ve known werewolves before. Good bunch, once you get past all the fur.”

  Another image of Jason flickered behind my eyes. It took everything I had to suppress a tear. I’d never needed him like I did right then, padding up the stone steps toward my end – my possible death. I missed the way he would wrap his arms around me and make me feel safe, as if none of this existed. As if it were just the two of us.

  “The vampires are nasty,” I said, “but their leader isn’t so bad.”

  “I hope not.”

  “What do you plan to do?”

  “I’ll let you know when I know.”

  We stopped at the mid-section of the stairs that led to the Grand Hall. I couldn’t help but notice Link sniffling not-so-quietly on my shoulder, and stopped before I opened the door. “Actually,” I said to Jack, “can you give us a minute?”

  Jack looked from
me to Link, then back again. He nodded, went inside the Grand Hall and closed the heavy oaken door, leaving us in peace. Eerie silence enveloped us – you could hear a pin drop… or a heart break.

  “What’s going to happen to you, Keira?”

  I lifted Link from my shoulder and held him to my chest, keeping my tears to myself. I had to be brave now, if only to set an example to my one true friend – the man who, despite his physical height, was the biggest man I’d ever known. “I don’t know. But if it’s not what we hoped for, I want you to know that I’ve loved you like a brother since day one.”

  Link shook his head, wiped an escaping tear from his eye. “Don’t do that. Don’t talk like it’s the end. It’s not the end… is it?”

  “We have to be realistic now. Cardkeepers don’t have the longest life expectancy, and I’ve done pretty well considering. Thirty years as a mortal and thirty years as a guardian… I think I’ve gotten pretty lucky.”

  “I think I’m the lucky one. Since you saved me all those years ago, I’ve had a good reason to live. The other faeries, they don’t have the luxury of sharing your adventures. I just regret being so mean to you over the years.”

  My mouth slowly opened and then hung there like a Venus fly trap. I hadn’t expected an apology like that from Link, and neither did I deserve one. “It was just satire. I knew that all along. It’s one of the reasons I loved you.”

  “Oh…” Link frantically shook his head from side to side, then flew into my chest, wrapping his tiny arms around my neck and holding me there, his warm tears rolling down my skin. “Don’t say things like that. You’ll make me weep like a sodding girl.”

  I laughed, holding him close as my own tears broke free from the corners of my eyes. It was hard to let him go, knowing the possibility that I might never see him again. I had to be brave, though, and if that meant ending the embrace, then so be it.

  “What will you do?” I asked, wiping my eyes dry.