The Shadows of Dark Root (Daughters of Dark Root Book 5)

by April Aasheim

  A woman’s laughter bounced around the vast chamber.

  “Larinda, come out!” I shouted “Or are you afraid? No wonder my father left you here. He never had any respect for cowards.”

  It was Leah who appeared - a simpleton mouse in an elegant ballroom gown, draped on her like a flour sack. She posed at the top of the balcony, then proceeded down the staircase, as if she were a queen. I held her stare the entire way, until she broke off and looked down at her own feet.

  “I’ve come for Montana.” I lifted my wand. “Give me my son or I’ll…”

  “You’ll what?” She sneered.

  Ready to strike her down, I summoned all my remaining patience. “Leah, there’s nothing you can do to stop me, but I’m willing to reason with you first. What do you want?”

  “Want?” She scrunched her brow.

  “You obviously want something, or you wouldn’t be here.” I looked at a portrait of her mother hanging on the wall, posing in a flaming red dress. “Power?” I asked. “We can make you a formidable wand. Love? Eve can craft you the perfect charm. Health? Merry can cure or fix anything. Knowledge? Ruth Anne can teach you ancient languages and help you master the lore.”

  When Leah didn’t immediately answer, I stamped my foot onto the stair. The chandelier quaked, blinking off and on in response. What else could she want? “Money? Leah, is that what you want?”

  “Money?” Leah shook her head and spread out her hands. “Is that really what you think I want from you, Maggie Maddock. Look around? Money means nothing here.” She walked to the banister and picked up a pottery vase, smashing it on the steps. “Material possessions mean nothing here. Don’t you get it? As long as Mother is bound here, I have to keep coming back. I may not be trapped as she is, but I might as well be. Her guilt is stronger than her magick. Money won’t help me, Maggie.”

  “I can help you escape for good,” I said. “We’ll put a blocking spell on her so she can’t contact you once you’re back in the Upper World.”

  She frowned, then sighed. “I wasn’t asking for escape or spells. Do you know what it was like growing up, alone with only Mother? I had to animate my own imaginary friends,” she said, nodding towards a gargoyle pedestal. “I wanted a sister. But you can’t be that, can you?”

  As much as I wanted to lie to her, knowing it would help my cause, the Netherworld had shown me the repercussions of untruths and secrets. “No, I can’t be your sister. Maybe before all this, but I could never trust you. You helped steal my son, and then you locked us in cages and left us there. If I acted like I loved you, you’d know I was lying. It takes more than blood to be my sister.”

  My answer enraged her. “Mother!” she shouted up the stairs.

  I snapped my wand and unleashed on her, thrusting all my anger her way. Leah was tossed back against the stairs, her head hitting the railing as she fell. I readied to strike her again, before she could collect herself.

  “Leave my daughter alone!” a shrill voice ordered. Larinda materialized at the top of the stairs. “Touch her again,” she warned, “and you’ll never see this child again.”

  She drew open her cape, revealing a wicker basket tucked beneath her arm. It wriggled as she held it out, and I caught a glimpse of auburn hair within. Montana! I dashed for the stairs, and was quickly flung back to the floor by a flick of Larinda’s powerful wand. Her red lips twisted into an ironic smile as I scrambled to my feet, my ankle throbbing in pain from the impact.

  She flipped her wrist again and I crumpled, like a baby deer with new legs. “You should know better than to challenge me. I’m older than you, and far wiser. I’m much stronger than you here in the Netherworld, Maggie. This is my domain.”

  Michael and Shane lowered their shoulders and charged up the stairs, suffering the same fate, landing beside me. Larinda laughed, as if it were the funniest thing she’d seen. “This must be what bowling is like.”

  Her wand at the ready, she made her way halfway down the stairs to her daughter. “My dear, you feel trapped? I also overhead you asking Maggie for a pledge of sisterhood. Tsk, tsk… I thought your loyalties were to your mother. We shall talk of this later.”

  “Yes, Mother.” Leah’s face greened. “I didn’t mean to-“

  “Enough!” Larinda peeked inside the basket and smiled. “I might decide to keep this little guy, since my only daughter is so ready to abandon me.”

  “You don’t scare me Larinda,” I said, standing up and advancing slowly up the stairs. She was right, I didn’t possess her age or wisdom, but I had wilder-blood running through me. I pointed at a gargoyle statue across the room, exploding it to bits.

  “My pet! Make her stop, Mother!” Leah cried out.

  “I’m ready to take everything down in this fragile illusion of yours,” I said, drawing in as much energy as I could contain, pulling it in from the fast-approaching storm. I swung my wand in a wide arc, shattering the dozens of stain glass windows lining the hall. My sisters drew up beside me, readying their own wands.

  Larinda raised an eyebrow. “Fancy display, Maggie, but you’re still no match for me. Even with your entourage, although I am surprised to see you all still together. I was sure the gates would have stopped you, or at least splintered you.”

  “You underestimated us,” I replied. “You’d be wise not to do it again.”

  “You may have gotten past your inner demons, but that is not the demon you should be worrying about.” Larinda’s eyes moved to the broken windows. An angry wind whistled through the open holes, blowing the tattered curtains. “Gahabrien has been summoned, and he is not far away. He will devour you and your friends, and then he will go after that wretched father of yours. So many birds, with just one stone. Delicious.”

  Merry drew a circle in the air around us, which Larinda found amusing. “Your protection spells will not keep out a true demon. Trust me, I tried. But if it makes you feel better, go ahead.”

  “I’m done with this, Larinda. Give me back my son,” I repeated, advancing towards her. The enormous chandelier overhead rocked and flickered as we mounted the steps, the light wavering throughout the hall. Larinda looked up at the ceiling, backing away. As we reached the top of the staircase, my fingers twitched and my body tingled, begging for release.

  Larinda tilted her chin and uttered a quick spell.

  North, South, West, and East

  Stop the witch and feed the beast

  She pointed to all four corners as she spoke, and at the word witch, she pointed her wand straight at me.

  I instinctively raised my palms, putting out both hands before me. My crystal bracelet spawned a silver sphere around us. In that moment, the tracers from Larinda’s wand intersected with the sphere. Her spell bounced away, angling directly for Leah.

  Leah turned to stone, just like one of her gargoyle statues. Only her panicked eyes were free to move, following the sounds and lights of the storm flashing in through the windows. The castle walls shook, but not from magick. Gahabrien was here.

  “Look what you did!” Larinda accused, going to her daughter.

  “Want to try again?” I taunted her.

  Larinda looked around uncertainly. Gahabrien’s shadow, that of a great muscled beast, began to drift across the walls and floor, through the open windows. Larinda clenched her jaw as his acrid stench overtook us all. She might have freed Gahabrien, but it was clear she didn’t control him. No one controls a greater demon. She should have learned that lesson from Armand, who was still paying his due to the devil.

  We gathered around Larinda, still keeping a safe distance. She waved her wand threateningly as she tapped on Leah’s stone prison. A deafening blow struck the walls from all directions, loosening the grout between the stones. Larinda used the distraction to run, racing past us down the stairs, abandoning Leah in her dash for the door.

  “Stop!” I ordered, and the door’s massive metal bar slammed into place. “You’re lucky. If you weren’t holding my baby, I would already be done with yo
u. Whether you give my child to Gahabrien or Armand, it still won’t be enough for them. It will never be enough. Demons are insatiable and my father consorts with the devil. They’ll always need more. Remember your lineage, Larinda, and do what you know is right.”

  “Not The Devil,” Larinda said, hunkering over the basket tucked beneath her cloak. “A devil. There are many of them here in the Netherworld, exploiting mankind’s weakness for power and physical desires. Demons feed off dark emotions – fear, jealousy, and rage. And Gahabrien seeks all of that, hungering for revenge against your bloodline. Armand pulled him to the Upper World against his will, and then you trapped him there. He will not relent until destroys all of you. Your entire brood.”

  “That means Leah, too,” Ruth Anne said. “She’s Armand’s daughter.”

  I could hear Leah’s muffled screams from within the stone. Larinda glanced at her daughter, but her gaze didn’t stay long.

  “I believe all he really wants is my father, the root of his suffering. Send Gahabrien after Armand,” I said. “Then your daughter will survive and you’ll be avenged. This is your last chance, Larinda.” I raised my wand to the ceiling and the chandelier exploded into a million tiny shards, raining down on us like exploding fireworks.

  A dark, swirling mist trickled in through the windows and down the walls, separating out into skulking shapes along the floor. The dark creatures licked at the air, searching and hungry, their coal-red eyes forming in their sharp heads. They whispered in unison, a chorus of hell. “Waiting…Waiting…Waiting.”

  “Waiting for what?” Eve Anne demanded, as we backed against one another, holding our wands out in all directions.

  Shane swallowed. “I don’t know, but I wish I’d brought my machete instead of a pocket knife.”

  “Waiting! Waiting! Waiting!” The dark creatures sang, content to linger along the walls.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  It was the sound of dragon’s feet, poised outside the door.

  A great voice bellowed, and the staircase and balcony collapsed behind us.

  The Leah statue tumbled down, buried beneath heaps of rubble.

  Larinda stifled a cry then snapped her fingers. A broomstick appeared in her hand. “I’m sorry, my love,” she said. She squatted low, then leapt into the air and out the nearest window. Her image disappeared into the shadow of the storm. And the baby basket vanished with her.

  “Why didn’t you get rid of her when you had the chance?” Eve demanded. “You could have used your death touch and finished her off.”

  “I couldn’t risk hurting Montana,” I answered, looking at my hands.

  “We have to go after her!” Michael said. He looked at Shane. “Think you can track her in flight?”

  “I don’t know,” Shane admitted, “but I’ll try.”

  Gahabrien bellowed again, and the great redwood door blew in off its hinges, splintering into fragments. My crystal bracelet shot forth its protective barrier, saving us once again as the jagged wood pieces bounced away.

  The demon bent low and stepped under the door frame, his body almost corporeal, with the outlines of muscle and sinew and flesh embedded in the dense shadow of his bulk. Stones rattled in the walls around him; several broke off and were sucked into his black maw, only to be spit out the other side.

  “He’s feeding on our fear,” Ruth Anne reminded us, as we huddled in the center of the room, doing our best to avoid the falling debris.

  “Well, he’s getting plenty from me,” Eve said.

  “I yield nothing to this demon,” Michael said calmly, holding his cross out before him.

  I looked at him, flabbergasted at his composure while Gahabrien towered over us. But then I realized he was on to something. “It’s our fear! We need to get control of it. We need to take away everything he can use against us. Merry, you’re on protection spell duty.”

  She nodded, and quickly focused all her powers on cocooning us within her bubble.

  “Eve, sing something calming and beautiful.” She tilted her head in thought, and began singing a haunting yet powerful hymn.

  “Keep praying,” I instructed Michael. “And everyone else, no matter what happens keep the negative thoughts out of your head. Hold hands, and focus on each other.”

  Gahabrien stomped forward into the hall, but then suddenly stalled. His black face swung from side to side, up and down. Shiny dark tendrils snaked out from his mass, probing into the ruins, searching for us in the debris. He can’t see us anymore!

  The castle continued to collapse, and the storm outside continued to rage, pounding in through the exposed walls and ceiling. The demon might not be able to harness our emotions, but he had collected a massive amount of dark energy around him. His strength was still great, and we were still very vulnerable.

  But harnessing energy was something I understood well. I began to pull it all in. The wind, the thunder, the lightning – I opened my being and drew it in like a magnet. I let it flow into me, packing it denser with every passing second. I soon felt the pressure on my bones, my joints, my skin.

  Gahabrien drew into himself slightly, deprived of his fuel. It wasn’t much but it was enough to renew my flagging efforts. I was further bolstered by Michael’s calming words, Eve’s ethereal voice, and Shane’s protective presence at my side. Merry’s spell was unflinching, and I knew the collapsing castle would not harm us. I drew the storm into me, deeper and deeper, dropping to my knees.

  The demon continued to shrink. My body was sweating, and my felt like I was going to faint. The floor rippled under us, and the air itself vibrated. I stretched my arms out wide, releasing everything inside me, all at once.

  White light exploded like a sun. The demon roared in pain, and the entire castle fell away.

  18

  The Star

  “A star!” Merry said. She was lying on her back amid the rubble, pointing up. “Do you see it?”

  I turned my head, my back braced against a fallen pillar. “That’s not a star,” I said. “It’s a flashlight beam.”

  Ruth Anne rolled her head onto her own shoulder and grinned, looking at me with dopey eyes. “I was thinking it might work as an SOS signal, seeing as we have no idea where we are.” She flipped it off and on several more times, into the empty sky. “What’s Morse Code for ‘get me off a mountain?’”

  “Put it away. Who knows what you’ll draw in.”

  “What happened?” Shane asked, opening his eyes and rubbing his jaw. “Feels like I got punched.”

  “Demon-punched,” I said.

  “More like Maggie-punched,” Eve corrected, standing and looking at the ruins of Larinda’s castle, her expression both impressed and horrified.

  “What did I miss.” Shane asked, looking about. “The last thing I remember, the walls were falling and Maggie…”

  “You’re asking the wrong person,” I said. “I blacked out, too.”

  “You all missed an awesome show,” Ruth Anne said, continuing to fidget with her flashlight. “I just wish I had caught it on my camera, so I could analyze it later. I’m not sure if the demon imploded or exploded.” She slugged me hard in the arm. “Sorry. Just wanted to say I’m impressed. And I hope to always stay on your good side. You’re a badass.”

  I smiled, trying to recall those last moments. I could only remember Gahabrien’s powerful presence, and the inner calm I felt when harnessing the storm. The next thing I knew I was staring up at Ruth Anne’s faux star.

  By all appearances, we were all safe and accounted for. “Thank you guys. I’m so grateful to have you with me.” I sniffled and wiped away two rebellious tears. “I just wish… we came all the way to Eagle Mountain… I thought that if we got here… What do we do now?”

  I looked up. There was not a single star to wish upon. The clouds had been ripped apart and stretched like gauze, muting the sky. I wasn’t a badass at all. I had vanquished Gahabrien, but it had gained me nothing.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” I said, knowi
ng Larinda was far away by now. I didn’t bother asking Shane if he could track her. He would have already told me if he could, and I didn’t want to make him disappoint me. I tugged at my lifeless ankh. “Maybe we should just go home.”

  Merry stood, wiping stone dust from her hair and clothes. “We aren’t going home. We’ve come this far, and we’ll keep going for as long as it takes. You said we didn’t have time, but we do. I know because time doesn’t exist here. Every new doorway is another opportunity. This world will bend to our will eventually, never the other way around!” She leaned onto one hip, a determined look on her face.

  “Merry’s right,” Eve said, rising to her feet. Somehow her face was still clean, and aside from a little dust on her sleeve, she was untouched. “I didn’t come all the way here to fail. I mean, I ruined a pair of expensive boots for this. Failure is not an option.”

  I smiled weakly and joined them. Maybe Merry was right. The hourglass in my pocket felt cold, like a dying man’s breath. I drew it out. There was a mere handful of grains left, and I flung it as far away from me as I could.

  We stood in the middle of an island of rubble. The castle was no more. “Do the rest of you want to keep going?” I asked. “Paul? Shane? Ruth Anne? Michael? It’s got to be all of us or none.”

  “We’ve come this far,” Paul said, looking at Eve. I sensed that he wasn’t about to go home, but he wasn’t about to leave without her.

  “Little Monty is gonna want to see his favorite auntie the second he’s found,” Ruth Anne said. “I can’t deny him that.”

  “I’ll work on finding Larinda,” Shane said. “I just need to close my eyes for a few minutes and get rid of the static.”

  “Take your time,” I said. “I want you to be sure. We’ll find our things and be ready when you are.”