Doomsday Magic

by Linsey Hall

  I gasped, climbing to my feet. Every inch of me was coated in a layer of black oil. It smelled so bad that I nearly gagged. Muffin shook himself violently, sending sprays of black oil onto the ground around him. It didn’t clean him entirely, but he was able to fly into the air and hover in front of my face.

  This sucks.

  “Yep.”

  Lachlan appeared next to me, followed by Bojangles and Princess Snowflake III. All of them looked miserable, slick with the black liquid.

  I turned my attention to our surroundings.

  The sound of the battle echoed in the air. Something in that sound called my soul, a strange tugging sensation. A feeling of familiarity. It reminded me of the dream where I had heard the battle while in crow form. In the dream, I’d understood that I had control over the battle.

  What does that even mean?

  “Let’s go.” Lachlan started forward, golden sword gripped in his hand.

  I clutched my branch, having no idea what to do with it, and followed him. The cats kept pace, dripping oil as they walked.

  Ahead of us, a battle was being fought in the middle of the River Styx. Thousands of individuals swung swords and fists while standing knee high in the rushing water. Blood sprayed like it was rain.

  The fight was vicious. But most horrible of all was the joy in the air.

  We stopped about twenty feet from the river.

  "They like it." Confusion sounded in Lachlan's voice. "I enjoy a good fight myself every now and again. But this is a true nightmare."

  He was right. The sky was as red as blood and smelled strongly of sulfur. This battle looked like it had raged for centuries. For millennia. People died left and right, only to be resurrected again to continue fighting.

  But their joy in the act was unmistakable, and so was their rage.

  Muffin meowed. We have to cross the river.

  “Looking forward to it.” Not. There were so many fighters in the river that I had no idea how we would get through.

  Could I shift back into the form of the Battle Crow? Lachlan could ride on my back as I went across. I had a ridiculous vision of carrying a basket in my beak that was filled with the Cats of Catastrophe.

  I shook the crazy image away and tried to call on the same magic that had turned me into a crow before.

  I felt nothing.

  I reached deeper into myself, trying to pull on the magic, trying to drag it out from within myself. I imagined shifting into the Battle Crow and flying over the battle, then delivering my friends safely to the other side.

  But nothing happened. The magic that had filled me so recently was gone.

  "Are you trying to turn back into a crow?" Lachlan asked.

  I looked at him. "Yeah. How’d you know?"

  "It's the only logical thing. And you were weirdly silent for a while.”

  “It's not working. I just wish that I had enough control.”

  "It's a transition," Lachlan said. "It hasn't happened fully yet, but it will.”

  "How do I make it happen?"

  Mystery of the ages, Muffin meowed.

  Lachlan nodded. "What he said."

  "I'll have to figure it out. But for now, let's use the tools that we have."

  Lachlan held the blade out toward me. "Here, you take this."

  I shook my head. "No, Plutus gave it to you. He did it for a reason."

  “Just take it.”

  “No.” I raised my branch. “I have a deadly and fearsome weapon.”

  Sure you do.

  I looked at Muffin. “Enough from the peanut gallery. My stick will save the day.”

  I wasn’t so sure of that, but I wasn’t about to take the sword from Lachlan.

  Onward! Muffin flapped his wings, looking weirdly excited.

  Princess Snowflake III led the way toward the battle, trotting along with some serious pep in her step. She was going to enjoy this, I could already tell. It’d distract her from the black oil coating her fur, at least.

  As we neared the battle, the sound of clanging swords echoed louder in the air. The shrieks of the dead and dying made me shiver, and the joy in the laughter of the fighters was one of the darkest things I'd ever heard.

  "Stay close to me,” Lachlan said.

  "You don't have to tell me twice."

  As a group, we approached the river. Bojangles hurtled ahead, racing toward the fight. He meowed in glee, then leapt onto the back of the nearest fighter. He disappeared, using his new invisibility magic, but it wasn't hard to see the path that he took through the fighters. The screams and spraying blood made it obvious enough.

  He cleared the way for us, an invisible whirlwind of claws and teeth.

  Lachlan stepped into the river, and Princess Snowflake III took a running leap and jumped onto his right shoulder. A blast of fire shot from her mouth, and she began to help Bojangles clear the path in front of us.

  "Wow, that's super handy." It was like having our own feline blowtorch. The fighters in front of us fell away, opening a path for us to cross.

  I stepped into the river, following closely behind Lachlan.

  Fighters surged toward us from the sides, turning their attention to us.

  Lachlan used the golden sword to fight them off, swinging so fast and so gracefully it looked like a dance.

  It was the strangest sight, to see such a skilled fighter with a fire-breathing cat riding on his shoulder, both of them coated in slick black oil.

  Sometimes, my life was ridiculous, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

  I gripped the tree branch in my hand, waiting for it to come alive or do something. When one of the fighters stumbled towards me, gleaming blade raised in his hand, I struck out with the tree limb, aiming for his chest.

  It slapped against him and did nothing.

  Crap! I dived left, narrowly avoiding his blade. Muffin, who had been flying by my head, swiped out for the man, raking his claws across his face and then kicking him with his strong hind legs.

  The man fell backward into the water, a massive splash rising up.

  "Okay, so the tree branch is not a fighting weapon." I scowled at it.

  Nope! Muffin darted for another attacker, driving him off, while Lachlan kept up the fight ahead.

  But more fighters surged towards us, nearly a dozen of them, enough that they were going to bowl us over. Panic sent my blood racing.

  I tried to use my magic to call on the river, and bend it to my will, but it didn't work. Unlike other water, the river lay silent and dormant, unwilling to follow my commands.

  No huge surprise there. Not only was it not normal water—it was the freaking River Styx for fates’ sake—it was mostly made of blood.

  When the fighters neared, I called upon my old shield magic, hoping to drive them back.

  Nothing happened.

  Surprise raced through me.

  I tried again, but nothing came.

  My heart leapt. If my shield magic was gone, did that mean I was fully transitioning to Dragon God?

  I didn’t have time to dwell. The attackers were too close. I drew a sword from the ether, swinging for the nearest fighter. It passed right through him without doing any harm.

  Crap!

  Plutus had been right. Only the golden sword would work against these fighters.

  I staggered along behind Lachlan, dodging anyone who came too close. Muffin had my back, using his fangs and claws to drive off the attackers. He had no trouble fighting down here. But then, this was his domain.

  We were only halfway across, and the onslaught of fighters was getting worse. Fear iced my muscles and chilled my skin.

  I was worthless back here, unable to fight. I had to try something.

  I called upon old faithful, the light within me that seem to drive off anything made of darkness. And these fighters… They were made of darkness. Only the truly evil would take such joy in killing. This was not normal bloodlust, or the crazed obsession of the Norse berserkers. Or even the delight of the Cats
of Catastrophe. This was just evil.

  The magic swelled within me, the light rising to the surface. I could feel that it was the last of my magic, the dregs of what was in my soul.

  The light burst out of me, driving the fighters back. There were so many of them, and I was so weak. I must have used up most of my magic already. Fear thundered through me as I worked, sending my light toward the attackers.

  I was only able to drive off a dozen, but Bojangles kept up his devilish work, while Princess Snowflake III continued to clear the path with her fire. Lachlan was as quick as ever with the golden sword.

  I searched for the other shore. We were more than halfway across. We are going to make it. I called on even more magic, using everything I had to help us get across.

  Then something grabbed my ankles and yanked me under. I lost my footing so fast that I didn't even have time to scream. Somehow, Lachlan saw me and grabbed my arm right before I went under.

  Then his legs were knocked out from under him. The last thing I saw before I went under entirely was him getting yanked down as well. Princess Snowflake III clung to him as we all disappeared under the surface of the river.

  12

  The disgusting bloody water closed around my head, and panic flared in my chest.

  Around my legs, hands clawed at me, pulling me deeper. There were people beneath the river.

  There were bodies down there, continuing the fight underwater.

  Fear like I had never known rose in my chest. I nearly opened my mouth to scream, and barely resisted sucking in the dirty water.

  Instinct drove me to raise the branch that I clutched in my hand. I gripped it as tightly as I could and felt unfamiliar magic vibrate through my palm.

  Then it tugged. I gripped the branch tighter and grabbed Lachlan with my other hand, making sure that we were connected.

  The branch pulled at me, and I kept my grip tight. It began to pull us through the water, breaking the grasp of those who held us down. I burst out of the river, gasping raggedly and opening my eyes.

  The branch had turned into a rope and was wrapped around a rock on the far side of the river. It pulled us out of the water, dragging us toward the shore. Princess Snowflake III clung to Lachlan's back, her eyes wild and pissed. Bojangles and Muffin waited for us on the other side of the water.

  When we reached the rocky shore, the rope turned back into a regular branch. I scrambled up onto the rocks, leaving the river far behind me. I gasped and collapsed on the ground, panting.

  Lachlan landed beside me, catching his breath.

  Holy tuna, that was close. Muffin looked at the stick with wide eyes. That’s some stick you have there.

  A second later, the stick disintegrated, turning into dust.

  "Well, I guess that was one-time-use magic." I flicked the dust with my finger, and it blew away. Slowly, I sat up.

  Lachlan did the same. “At least we’re clean."

  I laughed. “Sort of.”

  I wasn’t sure what was worse, the black oil from the shortcut or the bloody water of the River Styx. I was going to need a dozen baths when I got home.

  Princess Snowflake III shook herself so fiercely that water flew in every direction.

  Together, we staggered to our feet. I was so exhausted that I could hardly move. I turned and observed the fight in the river. The combatants continued their deadly, endless battle. None of them spared a glance for us, which was fine by me. I was totally out of energy, and totally out of magic.

  I looked at Lachlan. “How are you?”

  “Completely out of magic. We need to rest, or we won’t survive the rest of this realm.”

  “Do you think we can afford to lose the time?”

  “I don’t think anyone could have made it here before us, so we should be ahead of the Fates. They don’t know the shortcuts like we do. We’ll beat them to the stone.”

  I turned to Muffin, weakness pulling at me. "I'm tapped out. Is there anywhere that we can rest? Just for a little while. Just long enough to recoup our magic.”

  You're in luck. I’ve got just the place. Muffin launched himself into the air and began to fly away from the river. He was really getting better at the flying thing. Now, he could maintain a height of about six feet off the ground, only bobbing down occasionally.

  He led us away from the battle, across the barren fields of dead grass. It still smelled of sulfur, but there was sadness to the air here as well.

  In the distance, a low hill rose up from the ground. Muffin went straight to it, flying for a cluster of boulders against the side.

  This is an excellent hidey-hole. He flew through a crack in the rock, disappearing into the darkness.

  I didn't even hesitate. I followed him right in, ready to rest in any hidey-hole he might find. Lachlan and the cats followed me into the darkness. I shook my hand, igniting the magic in my lightstone ring. It gleamed on our surroundings, illuminating a narrow tunnel through the rock. Princess Snowflake III trotted ahead of us, followed by Bojangles. They knew exactly where we were going, and they wanted to get there quick.

  I picked up my pace, following them deeper into the earth.

  The tunnel opened into a large cavern. A beautiful blue pond glittered on the far side, reminding me of the pond that had been in Aerdeca and Mordaca’s underground lair. Behind it, a soft bed of green moss spread over the ground. Vines crept up the wall on the left, ripe red fruit hanging from the branches.

  You can eat the Night Apples, Muffin meowed. Tastes fine, won’t kill you.

  “My two primary requirements.” I grinned. “You’re sure we can eat the food in hell?”

  Would I lie to you?

  “Depends.”

  Well, not about this, so eat up.

  I passed the message on to Lachlan as Muffin flew toward another small tunnel that exited the cavern on the far-right side. Bojangles and Princess Snowflake III followed him.

  We’re off to visit friends. You’re safe here. See you in a few hours. With that, he disappeared, flying off through the exit, his hairless tail the last thing to disappear.

  “They’re off to visit friends for a few hours,” I said.

  Lachlan frowned. “Friends? Here?”

  “Is it really that surprising that my hairless, winged, thief-cat has friends in hell?”

  “No, actually, it’s not.”

  I grinned and walked over to the apples, then pulled one from the vine and bit in. An explosion of flavor filled my mouth, and I swallowed quickly. “These are delicious.”

  Lachlan plucked one, and we chowed down, filling our bellies. As soon as I was finished, I took off my clothes. I felt so filthy from the River Styx that I didn’t even consider modesty, just stripped down and raced for the pond.

  I jumped in with a splash, gasping at the bubbly warmth that flowed around me.

  “You look happy.” Lachlan’s gaze heated. “And damned good.”

  I grinned at him, then splashed water in his direction. “Why don’t you join me?”

  He smiled, so handsome that he took my breath away, and stripped out of his clothes. He made his way into the water, and my realization from before blared into my mind.

  I loved him.

  I’d hesitated to tell him before because I’d been scared. It hadn’t been the right time, either, but fear had been my primary motivator for silence.

  I couldn’t be scared anymore. Not when there was so much at stake. The Protectorate, our friends, our lives. There was no time to waste.

  He drifted toward me through the water, his gaze devouring me. His cheekbones were sharp in the dim light of the cave, his lips full. The heat in his eyes made me blush, but there was something else there. A softness that I hadn’t seen before.

  He reached out and drew me to him, his gaze meeting mine.

  I opened my mouth to tell him that I loved him, but he spoke first.

  “I love you, Ana.” His voice was deep and sure.

  Shock lanced me. “Really?”


  “Of course. You’re strong and brave and smart and beautiful. You’re the best person I’ve ever met, and I love you. No question.”

  He’d beaten me to it. Warmth filled my chest, so much of it that I thought I would float away. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love you, too. I wanted to tell you before, but I chickened out.”

  He grinned. “I love you, even if you are a chicken.”

  I laughed and pressed my lips to his. He groaned and pulled me closer, his arms tightening around my waist. I pressed myself against his warmth, reveling in his strength.

  The kiss stole my breath, and when he lifted me up and laid me on the soft bed of moss, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. The last thing I’d expected was to confess my love in hell, but life was crazy with Lachlan. Dangerous, but crazy and perfect.

  The dream came again. It had that same kind of hazy reality that made it obvious I was no longer in the real world. I wore the long green dress. It flapped around my ankles as I strode across the open countryside.

  My gaze was riveted to the cliff ahead of me where the seagulls whirled on the air, squawking and calling to the morning breeze.

  I would join them.

  I began to run as fast as I could across the rolling green grass. The wind tugged at my hair as I picked up speed. I neared the cliff with no sign of slowing down.

  Holy fates, I was going to jump off of it.

  I tried to stop myself, the conscious part of me not wanting to throw myself off the cliff. But dream-me was determined to do the deed.

  Why?

  Waves crashed far below, and I realized that they were so far down I would be dead as a doornail when I hit the bottom.

  But I kept running anyway. Nothing could stop me. I reached the edge of the cliff and leapt into the air, then plummeted toward the sea. My heart jumped into my throat, and the wind made my eyes tear up. Panic closed around my throat, so tight that I couldn't even scream.

  Half a moment later, I was swooping upward. My huge black wings caught the breeze, and I was gliding along with the seagulls, skirting over the waves.

  Holy fates! I was the Battle Crow.

  Believe.

  Risk.