by Holly Hook
“There are stairs here?” Connors asked. “We should go back.”
“Nope,” I said. “You're going to see what you've been working for and then you're going to tell the rest of the ATC what the real deal is. If you do that, I'll let you live.”
Conners resisted as I pushed him up the stairs. The man was still in some denial and he wanted to keep it that way.
We emerged on the top floor, another marble chamber that stretched out in front of us. The bluish pool of water waited, set into the floor like some fancy, marble ringed swimming pool. Strange symbols not unlike the ones back in the ruins surrounded the water, all etched into the floor. The water reflected off the ceiling as more torches blazed between pillars, making shadows around more carved demon faces. Now that I wasn't being chased by Shadow Wraiths, I could see that there was a large, wooden set of double doors on the other side of the room. Both had demon faces that were leering at me. Thoreau had just forgotten to add some sunglasses.
“Now you see,” I said, letting Connors go. “Go tell the others about this.” I stood over Connors as he kneeled next to the portal pool.
The portal that held my dad and Xavier's parents on the other side.
The portal that I could open right now if there was enough demon blood left on my blade.
Connors got up and nodded to me. The look on his face was one of a shattered worldview. “I'll tell the others,” he promised.
“Go,” I ordered.
The ATC guy got up and ran back down the narrow stairs and into the other chamber below. There was a heavy knock on the steel doors. The ATC backup had reached our location and they still wouldn't enter the restricted area. Thoreau had made sure that his Normal minions, other than his Bound, didn't know about his true nature.
“Guys!” Connors shouted. “She's climbing down the side of the building! We have to catch her!”
I grinned. He was watching out for me now. Connors was a changed man. It was amazing what the truth could do to people.
But the portal...
And Thoreau's office...
I could go through right now. This was supposed to drop me in the right part of the Infernal Dimension. Then I remembered Xavier saying that once I was in, I might not get out again. A demon had to let us out. Once I went in, even if I woke Dad and the others from their magical slumber, we might find ourselves trapped and waiting for Thoreau or some other ancient demon to find us.
I hesitated. There might be a way...
No. I'd be trapped inside the Infernal and Xavier would be doomed. Dad was just sleeping. Xavier was about to turn into a Shadow Wraith and there was no coming back from that.
And there was no way I could get so many people out of the Infernal by myself, was there?
But Dad...
He was just on the other side...
I had to try.
I took my sword and dipped it into the pool. I couldn't help it. Emotion was getting the better of me. Maybe I could get those people out and they would help me fight. There were War Mages in there. Other Abnormals. Some Normals, but even Xavier's Normal father was good with guns and weapons.
I had done this before. At Beatrix's portal, I had watched as the portal water turned inky and black, waiting for use. But this time, there was nothing.
“Come on,” I muttered, shaking the sword in the water and splashing it on myself. Even in the semi-dark, it seemed like it was glowing and not normal water at all, but it gave off no other smell than moisture. “Come on!”
A tiny fleck of blood came off, but it floated away and dissolved.
The demon blood on my sword was too dried and dead to work.
“Having trouble with the portal, Alyssa?”
The voice was familiar and terrifying. I looked up, expecting to see Thoreau standing there, leering at me.
What I did find was much, much worse.
It was Thoreau, all right. He had slipped out of his office and one of the doors had closed behind him. He was decked out in his best suit and in full human form with his sunglasses and his shiny, bald head. To a Normal, it would look like nothing was different with the mayor at all. But my nose told me another story. Thoreau gave off his normal, demonic sewer smell mixed with cologne. But there was another scent mixed in now: wood smoke. There was also a new raspiness to Thoreau's voice like drying leaves.
And then Thoreau reached up and took off his sunglasses.
Instead of the black, fiery eyes that Thoreau usually sported, they were blue eyes with a hint of magenta, a severe pair that I had seen before.
I took a step back in utter horror.
The creature before me was an abomination.
Both Thoreau and Leon had returned to life in the same body.
Chapter Eleven
"What?" was all I could manage.
The Thoreau/Leon hybrid glared at me as if this were all my fault. It was, in a way.
"Your resurrection rite had some unexpected...consequences," Thoreau said, this time with Leon's raspy voice being more dominant. It was two people in one, all right. "We were both very dead before your battle partner said the words to bring us back. My grandson has always been trouble. Dangerous. A stain on my family pride. He will bring down the entire Lovelli line if he is not stopped. You don't understand what you're doing to us by partnering with him." This was Leon speaking now. The anger in his eyes was very obvious. They shone with hate.
Xavier and I had done the worst. We had brought back two horrible people at once. The rite hadn't called for two sets of remains to be inside the magic circle--just remains from one person. The rite had been complicated. We had messed up royally.
The hybrid shook his head and Thoreau returned, complete with black, fiery eyes. He was trying to hold Leon back. His arms trembled with the effort. "Stupid War Mage," Thoreau said. "He's insufferable. Alyssa, you can say that you stopped me from using Leon's full power against the Underground. Extracting his magic from his body has become much more difficult now." He took a step towards me, a step filled with pure hate. "But I do have access to War Magic." His smile was strained and evil. "I suppose it's the first time in history a full demon has, isn't it?"
"Actually, no," I said, struggling to not run back down the steps. The air in the room was tingling and hot like Thoreau was going to unleash all his power on me any second. Leon wouldn't even try to stop him from that. If anything, he would help. "All a demon has to do is be a battle partner to a War Mage. Look at Allunna." She couldn't kill Thoreau now if Leon was merged with the guy unless she wanted to die again. This was getting complicated.
Thoreau's face fell. "I suppose you're right," he said.
I was happy to burst his bubble. "I guess you aren't so special after all. Do you know what? The two of you deserve to be merged with each other. I hope it lasts for a really, really long time and it's ruining that Dark Council meeting you've been looking forward to for the last hundred years."
Thoreau glared at me. A bit of Leon crept back but it was clear that the ancient demon baron had the upper hand. He was the stronger of the two. Even the Elder Lovelli, the strongest member of the strongest War Mage family, wasn't much of a match for Thoreau. It was no wonder the demon had stayed alive for thousands of years.
"So, about this Dark Council meeting," I continued before he could speak. "Who were you meeting with, anyway? You should have a yearbook. Or a century book, with all your photos and some notes to each other about what a great time you had together, sacrificing people and doing disgusting magical rites."
"The meeting is canceled," Thoreau said, letting out a breath and pacing calmly around the pool of water now. It was clear that he was trying to enter a bargaining mood. I didn't dare loosen my grip on my weapon. Did he know what was wrong with Xavier and what I had come for? Only those fiery pits stared at me now. Thoreau was still keeping the Elder War Mage suppressed. "You drained all of the ruins' energy when you resurrected me. It will take another full century for its magic to replenish itself. I do tha
nk you for the handy resurrection, Alyssa, though the rest of the Dark Council could have brought me back quite easily. We've resurrected each other plenty of times. It helps to have Death be such a team player. I'm sure that at the next meeting, we'll find a way to remove Leon. A century is not too long to wait. I'll mostly just have to deal with that pesky Allunna until then."
We were both getting to the same thing.
Death.
Thoreau must know.
"So," Thoreau said, "how's Xavier doing? I imagine his old battle partner has been getting to him. Death's energy is very strong around the ruins and being exposed to it must have brought on Shadow Sickness by now. I'm amazed that such an inexperienced and rash kid like him held out for so long."
"I hate you," I said.
The mayor laughed and stopped halfway around the portal pool. If I lunged, I could stab him and spill his blood into the pool. I could get to Dad and the others. But the energy in the room was still hot and dangerous. Thoreau could inflict some serious damage on me as soon as I moved. That left me no choice but to listen to him, as much as I wanted to harm he and Leon both and make them suffer.
"You have to admit," Thoreau said, "That Xavier isn't the most intelligent Mage in the world." His voice was mixed with crunching dried leaves. Both he and Leon were speaking now and in perfect agreement.
"Xavier's very smart," I said. "At least he doesn't blindly follow tradition just because someone tells him to. It's not his fault his family is a bunch of ego-filled, traditionalist losers who care more about how they look than about their own families. Leon, I heard you used to have dealings with Beatrix Smurch. You know, the half-demon crime boss? What would the other Elder War Mages think about that?"
Thoreau's eyes flashed back to the blue-and-violet and he lunged at me, hand morphing into an old man's. Then Thoreau growled and stopped like he was trying to restrain them both.
"You two deserve each other," I said. I had an advantage here. "Leon, I can always go and spread the news about you unless you help me out here. You don't want your pride hurt any more than it already has been."
"You stupid girl," Leon rasped. Thoreau's face turned wrinkly. Severe. Leon was becoming stronger on his hate alone. Thoreau's entire body trembled. It was a very strange and creepy sight.
"Like I said," I told him. "Help me out, and I won't blab the fact that you were involved in some organized crime. The first thing you need to do is stop scapegoating Xavier. The second thing you need to do is make sure Thoreau does what I want him to do. And that's hook me up with Death."
Leon melted away and a full Thoreau stood there in his place, shaking his head like he'd just gone somewhere else and come back. He dropped his arm, but the air in the room remained hot and dangerous. I stood my ground. This was a very dangerous game and I had to play all my pieces right if Xavier was to be saved.
But Thoreau was so close. I could stab him right now and spill his blood into the portal.
Thoreau shifted his gaze to the water and back to me. "I know what you want to do," he said. "I might let you do it. Go ahead. Stab me."
"Once I'm in the Infernal Dimension," I said, "is there a way out?"
"What do you think the answer to that is?" Thoreau asked with a horrible grin. He was fully back now. He and Leon were taking turns. It was unpredictable and scary.
"I can guess." A faint feeling of dread surrounded me and I knew the Shadow Wraiths were near. Thoreau wanted them to touch me, to bring out whatever piece of Death was lurking inside. That might make Xavier turn faster. I hadn't thought about that until now. At any moment, those Wraiths could melt out of the walls and attack. I would be powerless against more than a couple of them.
"So, I take it you are here to seek the cure for your battle partner?" Thoreau asked.
"No," I said. "I just felt like stopping by and having a chat with the being who's a blend of two people I completely hate. Of course I'm here to ask for the cure. Is Death around? Do you have her cell phone number, by any chance?"
Thoreau took a step back and laughed. Leon was gone, leaving no trace of his existence. I wondered what it was like sharing a body with a demon. "I love your sense of humor," Thoreau said. "You'll be the comic relief that I need by my side once the Dark Council regains its control over the world. Speaking of that, you have further preparations to make before you become the full Dark Pentagram. I knew that Xavier would eventually fall into Shadow Sickness after his old battle partner turned. You will not, Alyssa. You can not. Having a piece of Death inside of you, no matter how small and dormant, gives you protection against becoming a Shadow Wraith. That protection can extend to Xavier if you would only allow that tiny spark inside of you to awaken."
"And how do I do that?" I asked. There was a way to save Xavier after all if Thoreau was right. He had to be, because if Xavier turned, I would no longer have access to War Magic. Thoreau would either have to find another War Mage for me to bind with or he'd have to give up his plan until another person like me came along. Judging from the fact that he had waited millennia for me, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
"You allow the Shadow Wraiths to take you to Death," Thoreau said, wrapping both arms behind his back and rocking on his heels. "They and the Dark Mages both have connections to her. Of course, the Dark Mages, being fully human, only rarely get to see her, but the Shadow Wraiths are her true children."
The air in the room thickened with dread and tension. I eyed the walls, but I couldn't see them yet. "And what if I refuse?" I asked. "What if Xavier does turn and I no longer have access to War Magic? That would ruin your plans, wouldn't it?"
Thoreau's eyes popped open and the flames inside looked like they were going to extinguish for a second. "I will not allow that to happen," he said, getting his composure back.
“So what if I just leave?” I asked. I had more leverage here than I thought. “Does that mean you have to cure Xavier yourself or ask Death to do that?”
“I cannot,” Thoreau said, taking a step towards me. “I have no power over Death. I do not have the special spark that you do. Demons cannot even meddle in her affairs.”
My threat evaporated. I backed towards the steps.
But it was already too late.
The air in the room was darkening. I blinked. The walls were black and moving. No. It was dozens of Shadow Wraiths, all bleeding out of the walls in complete silence. Their dark shadow robes flowed around them as pure darkness underneath their hoods glared at me. All of them were looking at me. My knees trembled as they got closer...closer..drifting across the marble floor and over the portal pool. Thoreau stood there, unbothered as they drifted past him, brushing his suit and closing in on me. I turned in a circle. I wanted to give up and let them do whatever they had planned. I wanted to scream and cry and pound the floors with my fists. Them touching me would be terrible, even if I didn't get full Shadow Sickness. I would suffer. I knew that.
Closer...closer...
I kneeled, clutched my sword, and closed my eyes.
I would do this for Xavier. I was endangering the world, but I would do this for him.
A gloved finger touched my shoulder.
I gasped. A tsunami of sadness and anger and self-hate crashed through me. A tear slid down my cheek. I was nothing but a monster and I was about to become even more of one, an abomination that no one could love.
The world spun.
The floor dropped out from under me and I fell.
Wind screamed around me, cold and lifeless. This wasn't like the hot wind that blasted around me when Xavier and I Transposed. This was different.
I fell and I fell for what felt like years. Even through my closed eyelids, I detected nothing but pure darkness. If I opened my eyes, there would be nothing but a void. Maybe I would fall forever and back home, Xavier would turn. A Shadow Wraith had already touched me. It could be too late.
But then, as if I were approaching something huge and strange, a faint green glow tried to poke its way into my clo
sed eyes.
I kept them shut. I had fallen for years and years or maybe just seconds, but at last, my feet met the softest sand I had ever felt and I sank in to my knees.
I let out a breath.
And then I opened my eyes.
I had entered some kind of underworld.
Chapter Twelve
It took me several seconds to understand that, but it was the only way I could describe it.
I stood in dark sand that might be black dust. It sparkled with a faint green light and spread out from me in every direction, forming a dark, desolate wasteland that screamed death and despair. The sky above was dark, except for some cracks of eerie green light that peeked through a black crust. It looked like a huge expanse of green, hardening lava. The only colors in this place were grays and blacks and the eerie green. Crumbled things that might be ancient buildings or temples dotted the wasteland along with very dead and decaying trees. A faint gray fog hung over the dusty hills and crumbled buildings.
This was a nightmare.
I was in some underworld, all right. Despair and hopelessness hung over this place in a faint cloud. I would never forget this. The world I stood in was a place of death, of sadness, of broken dreams and shattered hopes. Bits of those had collected here over millions of years, given off by everyone and everything, falling from the regular world above and accumulating where I stood. I wasn't sure how I knew this. Maybe intuition. Maybe it was the spark of death inside of me.
There were no happy endings here. It was a place of nothing.
I turned in a circle. I had to yank my legs out of the black sand to do so. It was trying to pull me down into it, to suffocate me. Once I took a step, I sank to my knee again. There was no solid floor. It was just the dusty sand, packed tighter the deeper my foot penetrated. There was no solid ground nearby.
A couple of Shadow Wraiths bled out of the ground in the distance, but they ignored me or didn't notice that I was there. I watched the two of them drift aimlessly away from each other for a bit before they bled back into the sand to join the rest of the sadness. I watched another Shadow Wraith blur and rise from the sand to my left, close to some very crumbled stone ruins, only to vanish again a minute later.
