I left him there, sobbing.
Justin and Ares fell into step beside me. Darren appeared from behind another tree.
"Turns out we won't be needing a sacrifice after all," I told him as I stalked past. "Let's get the others. We have a world to save."
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
"So you can control emotions now?" Justin asked.
I nodded. I resisted the urge to lay my head on his shoulder. It wasn't easy with all the feelings sloshing around inside me.
"I was so focused on containing the power," I answered. "I didn't even consider what it meant."
We sat together in the very back of the van, along with Jason. Demeter and Ares were in the middle. Darren was driving, with Carson beside him.
"But doesn't that mean Ekhidna can use the power of the other Elements against us?" he asked.
"No," I assured him. "She can't risk depleting them. She needs them at full strength for what she plans to do. She won't take any chances. She knows this is her only opportunity. She'll leave the Elements alone until she makes the gateway."
And a good thing too. I didn't want to imagine fighting Ekhidna if she could use our minds, bodies, and passions against us.
"How much further?" Ares asked.
He balled and unballed his fists. I could sense his thirst for battle, a sort of wild exhilaration. I was amazed he could focus enough to speak.
"Fifteen minutes maybe," Darren answered.
"So, we're just going to drive up?" Jason asked dubiously. "That's our big plan?"
"We'll park a block or two away," I replied. "We'll go the rest of the way on foot."
"How many monsters do you think she'll have?" Carson asked quietly.
"I don't know," I admitted.
She was scared. I couldn't blame her. I just wished I didn't feel her fear like it was my own.
"I'd feel better if we had a real plan," Jason muttered.
I narrowed my eyes. Not at him. At the road ahead. There was something.
"Justin, what's that?" I asked, pointing.
"I don't ... what the ..." he muttered.
Darren pulled over, but he didn't turn off the van.
The road was blocked. Car upon car piled on each other to create a crude wall.
"I guess they know we're coming," Justin said.
"It doesn't matter," I replied. "We still have a world to save."
"I don't suppose you can just take the Element of Water to the Heavens?" Darren suggested.
"The Elements aren't divine. They can't make the transition," I answered. "Besides, with all the world hopping that's happened lately, I'm worried about how damaged the boundaries between the worlds have become. We can't risk them breaking down."
"That rules out me taking you guys any further," Justin realized.
"So we hoof it," Ares concluded.
We piled out of the car. I clutched the briefcase tightly in my hand. No matter what, this Promethean Fire had to be kept safe. Unfortunately, it was safest with me. If I hid it someplace, Ekhidna would just use her magick to track it down. It had to stay with me. At least, I could defend it. Theoretically.
"I know this may sound crazy, but maybe you shouldn't come," Jason said to me.
"What?" I replied.
"Ekhidna needs the Water and the Promethean Fire. We're bringing both right to her," he argued. "Doesn't that seem like a bad idea?"
"She needs them," I agreed. "But we need them too if we're going to seal the Void. And even if I were to try to disappear with the Water and the Promethean Fire, Ekhidna would find me. She'd put all her magick and all her monsters into finding me. Alone, even I wouldn't stand a chance for very long. This is our only chance. Us. Together. We go in and face Ekhidna with everything we've got. And only we, or she, will walk away from this."
Jason sighed, but he nodded.
"Don't suppose you can see anything that might help?" Justin asked.
I shook my head. "Too many feelings. They'll pollute my visions. I won't see anything real."
"Walk along the side of the buildings," Darren advised. "Keep a low profile."
"Too late for that," Ares rumbled. He nodded at the road.
A line of monsters. As we watched, more and more strode out from the shadows where they'd been hiding.
"We have to get past them," I said.
"No problem," Ares answered, grinning darkly.
"Not all of us are invincible," Jason reminded him.
"Speak for yourself," Carson murmured.
I turned. Carson gleamed metallic in the streetlight. She'd transformed herself into steel.
"You and Ares go first," Darren decided. "Distract them. Absorb the worst of what they've got. The rest of us will pick them off from here."
Then Darren turned to me. "Except you. You just worry about getting through to Ekhidna. You're going to have to stop her on your own."
"Like hell," Justin snapped. "I'm going with her."
"Fine," Darren replied. "You both go. But the rest of us are going to have to keep the monsters busy."
Demeter opened her mouth to argue, but I intervened.
"He's right," I agreed. "We need as many people here as possible. We can't risk getting caught between Ekhidna and her monsters."
"Hera," Carson called.
I turned. I stopped breathing. I blinked.
The road was full. Oni. Dahaka. Lacrima. Cachars. Pishacha. Yokai. On and on. I couldn't see the end of them.
"How…" I started. "I saw her army drown in the realm of Water!"
I tried not to let my panic show. My Heroes were powerful, and they had Ares and Demeter to help them. But it was still a handful against hundreds. There was just no way.
No wonder the monsters hadn't attacked us yet. They didn't need to. They could wait forever. We'd never get through.
"It has to be the Alchemist," I guessed. "He must've helped Ekhidna multiply her forces."
"With the water from Hades, he could have freed the spirits of the monsters who've died," Demeter suggested.
So it wasn't another army. It was the same one. Ekhidna was just using it twice.
"I'm taking you to the Dreamlands," Justin told me tightly, reaching for my arm.
"What? No!" I said, pulling away. "We can't risk fracturing the worlds."
"We have to," Justin replied firmly. "We can't risk them taking you. If they get the Water and the Promethean Fire, game over. We lose. Now, don't fight. We have to hurry. Before…"
But it was too late.
I felt it.
A change in the air. No. Not the air. In the Water. In the monsters' emotions. Their excitement had peaked.
They were coming.
We'd be swarmed in seconds.
"Back in the van!" I cried.
"No time!" Demeter shouted.
Then she stepped into the centre of the road.
I lunged for her, but Justin caught me and pulled me back. I'd never hated him so much in my life. In that moment, I could have killed him.
Demeter bowed her head. I screamed her name. She didn't hear me. I tore at Justin. He ignored me. Then in one quick, fluid movement, Demeter raised her arms upward.
The roar of power knocked the wind out of me. I fell against Justin, gasping. He reeled as the invisible shockwave struck him.
Then the shockwave really hit. Not invisible this time. Real.
The earth trembled. The trembling became shaking. The shaking became convulsing. The ground under us roiled like waves on the ocean, vaulting up, then plunging down. I'd seen earthquakes before but never like this.
We all fell, sprawling to the ground. The monsters tumbled down too, scattered everywhere like toys.
There was a great tearing sound, the loudest roar I'd ever heard, like the earth itself screaming in fury.
And then the ground parted.
Between the monsters and us, the earth ripped in half. A giant fissure split the ground. The monsters were knocked back down again. Hordes of them fell screaming into
the giant chasm.
Demeter collapsed. This time, I evaded Justin and rushed to her side. I felt for her pulse. Faint. So very faint. But it was there.
"She's alive," I breathed, willing myself not to cry.
Justin started to drag me back to the van. Ares came around and lifted Demeter up. A Dahaka barb lodged itself firmly in his arm. He didn't even flinch. He just cracked his neck and walked back to where the rest of us were hiding behind the van.
"We'll take her," a voice I didn't recognize told me. "Now go!"
A man stepped away from the wall of the building. I had no idea how long he'd been there. Carson stepped in front of me, arms crossed, a solid steel shield.
"Who the Hells are you?" I snapped.
A smile played on the man's lips.
Then Erinle stepped out from the wall.
"Always so glad to see me," Erinle laughed.
Then all trace of humour vanished from his face. I'd never seen him like this. Cold. Hard. Ruthless.
"We come for our brothers and sisters," he informed me. "We come for vengeance."
And then I saw that Erinle and the man weren't alone. A dozen men and women stepped away from the wall. I didn't recognize any of them, but they all radiated the same power.
Orishas.
But it wasn't enough. Even with them, it wasn't enough.
"There's an army," I warned.
"All the better," Erinle replied grimly. "We got a lot of vengeance, and we didn't come alone."
He nodded over my shoulder.
There was a ripple in the air. And then there were women. These I did recognize.
"Erinle told us what was happening," Kira said. "And before you say anything, we know it's dangerous. But this is our world too. And there's no way we're going to sit by and let it get destroyed when there's something we can do about it. You can't do this alone."
I didn't know what to say. I was stunned. I'd come to protect them, but they'd come to protect themselves. And me.
Kira smiled.
"What aren't you telling me?" I demanded.
"We didn't come alone either," Kira answered.
Another waver in the air.
"Morgan!" Carson exclaimed.
My jaw dropped.
"You told me Djin would give me what I desired," Morgan said as she joined us. "And he did. When he told me what was happening, I wanted to be here. For the first time, I really, actually wanted something. I guess I found where I belong after all."
I hugged her fiercely. She hugged me back awkwardly. It was probably her first time.
"What can you do for us, Kira?" I asked.
"Invisibility spell," Kira answered. "It's the best we could learn on short notice. We're not fighters."
"But we be fighters," Erinle added, smiling.
"We have a chance," Ares whispered to me.
I bit my lip.
"A chance," I murmured.
"A chance," he repeated.
"We'll make it count," Carson told me. "We'll buy you the time you need."
I looked at her. Something had changed. Her fear was gone.
Her powers were changing her the way mortality had changed me. The difference in Carson had been more subtle than Darren, whose I.Q. had skyrocketed overnight. Carson had taken longer. But it was there too. She was becoming colder. Harder. Tougher. Like stone.
"I know you will," I said finally. I turned to Darren. "Read any good battle manuals lately?"
Darren grinned. "A few."
I gestured for him to take over.
Darren cleared his throat. "Listen up. We've got to move before the monsters get it together, so I'm only going to say this once. Jason, you lift Ares and Carson over to the other side. They'll get the monsters' attention, draw their fire. Once they're focused on Ares and Carson, the witches will turn Hera and Justin invisible, and Jason will lift them over. After that, everyone goes invisible and everyone goes over, except Jason and Morgan and the witches. They'll do what they can from a distance. Focus on the pishacha. Don't let them get near the others. And don't forget to watch yourselves. Those dahaka can shoot across the chasm. Questions?"
No one said anything.
"Then let's go," I ordered.
I could sense the monsters' confusion fading. It wouldn't be long before they got organized. We needed to strike before that happened.
The witches sat in a circle behind the van. They pulled out what they'd brought with them. With surprising efficiency, incense was lit and a cauldron was placed in the centre of the circle. They each tossed in herbs and poured in vials of liquid. Finally, Kira spit into the cauldron. A cold, black flame shot upwards.
The witches joined hands. Their chanting filled the air. And I felt its pull immediately. I felt like I was dissolving, melting somehow. I was lighter. I almost felt like I could float.
With a gesture, Jason lifted Ares and Carson into the air and launched them across the fissure.
Monsters ran at them immediately. But Ares had faced hordes in battle before. He struck with ferocity. His fearless battle-cry raised goosebumps all over my body.
Carson however wasn't an experienced fighter. The monsters attacked her before she even knew what was happening, but their blows glanced off her harmlessly. Well, harmlessly to her. The more the monsters attacked, the more they screamed as their skin split and bones shattered against her metal flesh.
That only made Carson's confidence soar. She started to fight. Really fight. She kicked. Punched. Tore. It wasn't graceful, and it probably wouldn't have been very effective, except that each blow was like being struck with a metal pipe. Gone was the girl who could barely lift her stone arm to smash down Ana's door. Her powers hadn't just changed her mentally, they had changed her physically too. She was faster, stronger, and more agile than she'd ever been. She was in full control of every inch of her new body. I couldn't have been more proud.
But she made a mistake. It was bound to happen. One of the monsters managed to grab her wrist. Another grabbed the other. Instead of trying to pummel her uselessly, they lifted her up and dragged her to the fissure. Then they threw her inside.
Carson screamed.
I screamed.
Jason screamed.
And then Carson flew up and landed on top of a group of monsters trying to pile on Ares.
Jason collapsed against the van, gasping for breath. But he'd saved Carson's life.
Carson was surging with adrenalin: I could feel it fuelling her rage. Monsters crumpled under her furious attacks. She moved so quickly. I couldn't even follow her. No one could move that fast. This wasn't just her new physiology. This was something else. This was ... Morgan.
Morgan stood next to me, hands outstretched. Ares began to move like lightning too. They were a blur of death.
Monster after monster fell. Five. Ten. Twenty. More.
But for every one that fell, another rushed forward to take its place.
They would be overwhelmed. It was only a matter of time before they were exhausted, or they made another mistake.
I spotted something moving out of the corner of my eye.
Orishas. They stepped back into the shadows and vanished. Then they stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the chasm.
They flung themselves into battle with primal rage and deadly skill. Every punch landed. Every kick found its mark. Nothing sloppy. No mistakes. Dodging. Weaving. Striking. Over and over again.
And the monsters had no idea what was happening. As they fought, the orishas melted back into shadows only to step out again somewhere completely different: they moved freely around the battlefield, sowing terror and confusion wherever they went.
But most unsettling of all was their laughter. It chilled me even more than the brutal efficiency with which they fought. It was the cruellest, most inhuman sound to ever come out of a mortal body.
"The monsters are as distracted as they'll ever be," Justin said.
"Then we go now," I replied.
Kira
caught my arm. "Wait! The invisibility spell isn't finished. You won't be completely invisible if you go now!"
"I understand," I replied. "But we can't wait. We'll be careful."
Kira looked like she was about to protest, but Jason was back on his feet and I felt myself being lifted into the air. It was a strange sensation, being helpless, completely in Jason's power. He could hurtle me or drop me to my death, and there was nothing I could do about it. I wouldn't even see it coming until it was too late.
Carefully he moved us over the chasm and onto the other side.
I fell. I wasn't that high, and we were already safely across. But it caught me off-guard all the same. Fortunately, I was already so tense that I reacted quickly and landed on my feet, clutching the briefcase to my chest like it was my life.
Justin wasn't so lucky. He fell hard on his back. He gasped for air. I rushed over to him and knelt down. His eyes were wide, but he was nodding. Just stunned then. Nothing broken.
"Gotcha!" something roared behind me.
I felt arms wrap around me.
I didn't hesitate.
I flung my head back as hard as I could and then raked above my shoulder with the fingers of my free hand. I heard a satisfying scream. The arms around me loosened enough for me to fling one of my elbows behind me. It was like elbowing a wall. But it was enough. I was free.
I whirled. An oni.
The oni reached to grab me again, but I was ready for it this time. I dodged to the side, and it caught only air. I smashed it in the face with the briefcase.
It grabbed again, but this time, nowhere near me. It was stumbling, grabbing at the air, its head turning wildly.
The witches' spell was complete. We were invisible.
When the oni turned and tried grabbing me again, I raised my leg as high as I could and drove it down on the back of its knee. The oni collapsed, shrieking with surprise and clutching its leg. Then it slid across the ground with dizzying speed and tumbled into the fissure.
I looked up to see Jason. He gave me an apologetic look before turning back to the battle. Now that the precision work was over, he could have fun. And he was. With great swipes of his arms, monsters flew into the chasm. It was like sweeping the floor. They tumbled in by the dozens. It couldn't have been a more beautiful sight.
Hera, Queen of Mortals (Goddess Unbound) Page 27
