by Antara Mann
Contents
Copyright
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Thanks For Reading
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About The Author
Also by Antara Mann
Infernal Curse
A New Adult Urban Fantasy (The Half-Goddess Chronicles)
Book 2
by Antara Mann
Copyright © Antara Mann (2018). All rights reserved.
http://www.antaraman.com
Edited by Ella Medler: https://ellamedlerediting.yolasite.com/
Cover design: http://orinakafedigitalart.wixsite.com/portfolio
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the author. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Chapter 1
I hit the trimmed grass having closely avoided Kagan’s fairy dust flare. He had shot it straight at me like a missile. It wasn’t anything deadly; he was just using his fae magic. I bet he was drawing magic from the earth. The fae usually drew power from the elements around them, like the sun, the moon, the wind, etc.
We were sparring in the fae’s meticulously maintained garden at his castle in Ireland, where we’d been practicing and training for the past five weeks. Ever since we returned from our short vacation in Bali, our first as a couple, he insisted I hone my untamed magic to prepare for my next fight with Garrett, who was sure to come back and attack me again.
About a month ago, while working as an independent consultant for the Magic Council on two ritualistic murders in New York City, my ex, a werewolf, asked me to join the investigation. We discovered a conspiracy masterminded by a dark supernatural being, Garrett, and his secret inferni master against the chief of the demons, Kai. They were planning a magical revolution, which would inevitably lead to a supernatural apocalypse. Oh, and I, having known all my life that I was merely an elemental mage, learned that I was a half-goddess. Exciting times, even discounting Garrett’s obsession with killing me.
We didn’t succeed in identifying his magic — he was very good at concealing it — but we suspected he might be a sorcerer. The day after Kagan and I returned from our exotic trip, I received an anonymous post card in my mailbox, bearing the text, “Are you missing me?” A strange, almost rotten magic filled the air around me when I touched it. I instinctively dropped the card, and a second later it exploded in sizzling flames. Not powerful enough to kill me; Garrett just wanted to remind me of himself and the fact that he hadn’t given up on finishing me off.
Kai, the head of the Court of Hell, had taken measures to prevent any further conspiracies: He severely punished the only known inferni in his Court thinking he must have been Garrett’s accomplice, and sentenced him to a long stint in a torture facility. Of course, he could have simply thrown him in Inferno, among the other inferni, if he was feeling lenient, but clearly that day he had not. It was no secret that Kai’s special asylum was way worse than Inferno and Hell combined — tortures beyond compare. Its only drawback was that one couldn’t stay there forever — that was why Kai would send the offenders into either Hell or Inferno after that, depending on the severity of their crime.
I’d also heard Kai had put a new, super-resilient — according to him — protective charm on Inferno, one guaranteed to block any Egyptian rituals. Kagan told me that Kai had conjured the spell together with a lich. Due to the threat of a magical apocalypse, the Morrigan wouldn’t get off Kai’s back, and thus he had combined powers with the lich.
Inferno was the most powerful type of hell, where the inferni had been locked for centuries. Garrett and his secret inferni ally were scheming to unlock precisely this type of Hell.
I was hoping the inferni Kai had punished was Garrett’s accomplice and not someone else, and also that Garrett wouldn’t dare to strike on his own. Why was I doubtful? Kagan had told me rumor had it there were quite a few more inferni in Kai’s inner circle, inferni whom he trusted. One of them had betrayed him and was Garrett’s mysterious ally, but had he gotten the right guy? So much for my dreams for peace.
“What is it? Scared of facing my fairy dust?” Kagan’s voice brought me back to the present. A satisfied smirk twitched at the corner of his lip, and it enraged me.
Kagan had been cornering me for the past quarter of an hour, trying to blast me. I had so far avoided his attacks, but it was starting to annoy me. I was half an elemental mage and half a goddess; I could do much better.
During my confrontation with Garrett, I’d begged my inner voice — the link to the goddess in me — for help. It summoned all my hidden magic and turned the concrete basement in which I was held captive to a wooden enclosure. A few days later, when the danger had passed, I asked the voice for an explanation. It told me it had handled the situation the best it could since I’d begged for its help. I wasn’t trained, and therefore summoning all my hidden power would have resulted either in me demolishing the place or fainting on the bare floor.
When I told Kagan about it, he worked out a nice plan to train me so that I could control the other half in me — the goddess and its magic. For now, though, I couldn’t properly use my hidden magic. It’d have been much easier if my own mother — a pure-blooded goddess — could train me, but her presence in my life had been fleeting. Besides, she was long dead, killed by that same Garrett and his inferni ally. Yeah — karma is a bitch.
“Why should I be scared of your magic?” I teased him, anticipating his next blast of fairy dust.
As a fae, Kagan had the gift of being able to manipulate and bend his opponent’s emotions, mind and will. He’d confessed this to me in Bali. But unlike supervillains, he used it for good deeds only, and very rarely. Aside from that, he belonged to one of the magic dynasties, and his family had sworn to keep the peace between humans and supernaturals on earth. I’d met him during the investigation of the ritualistic murders in New York City.
“You are scared. Otherwise why would you avoid my fairy magic?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. I noticed something else flicker in them. He was reaching for his magic.
Before he could blast me again, though, I forestalled him and hurled a sizeable fireball right at his chest. He was faster than I’d hoped, and ducked out of the way, then stood up quickly and blasted me again with his fairy dust.
This time I wasn’t fast enough. Before I could hit the grass or jump out of the way, his sparkling golden fairy dust hit my body. A strange sensation engulfed me. I was in the fae’s sway. The fairy dust blurred my vision, but I didn’t feel any pain, nor was there any blood or gore. Instead, I heard his magic inside my mind, hissing tenderly
but persistently, almost whispering to me to surrender.
Never! Magic is as alive as any person. It has its own language and fingerprint. Mine wanted to fight back, and I wasn’t about to repress it.
I pushed Kagan’s magic back by remembering a protective spell. I wouldn’t accept defeat. Not now, anyway, when I knew I was much more powerful than just an ordinary elemental mage.
When the two collided, the air around me vibrated in yellow-purple sizzling light that eventually faded.
I swept away the tiny droplets of sweat forming on my forehead and neck. The weather was warm for the end of November. The sun had already started to rise. We’d begun our training session in the dark. I was clad in sports leggings and a long-sleeve shirt, the fae — in a gray t-shirt and sports pants. Apparently the cold breeze didn’t disturb him.
“Not a quitter! I like that. But I want you to summon your goddess power — I know you can do so much better. Garrett won’t be as gentle,” he said, his face suddenly stern, bearing no trace of the amusement of a few moments ago. He was right, and I knew it.
“I am doing my best.” I steeled myself and gritted my teeth in firm resolution. I couldn't help but feel slightly frustrated — I had a long way to go to reach the level of control I wanted over my powers. “But that magic just doesn’t come out.” I had the sinking feeling my goddess power kicked in only when I was in dire situations. For anything else, I had a hard time convincing my subconscious mind to let it out, like right now.
“Try harder, Alex,” he said, harshness discernible in his voice. "You've got to win over a cruel inferni — the inferni who wants nothing more than to finish you off. On the spot."
Okay, I muttered to myself, gritting my teeth. The mere mention of the bastard responsible for my mother's death sent my anger into overdrive. I focused and summoned another fireball in my hand, letting the magic build inside me for a bit longer than usual. I felt my power tug at me right in the center of my chest. I liked to imagine that I had something like a well of magic inside me that I could tap into. In the meantime, Kagan didn’t stand idly waiting for me, but shot another ball of fairy dust in my direction. I avoided it by ducking low down, my head and body one with the grass. This whole sparring session was beginning to get on my nerves. The whole purpose of it was that I would learn to seize control and dominate him, not vice versa.
“Being humble, huh?” he called, and I regretted that I had allowed him to listen to my meandering thoughts. The golden rule was that nobody should sneak and listen to one’s internal musings without permission. Clearly, Kagan was challenging me on purpose to irritate me even more so that I might lose balance and clarity of mind.
“Come on, Alex, connect with your raw goddess power,” Kagan said, irritation obvious in his voice.
I narrowed my eyes, focusing on him. I needed a good view of this arrogant fae to blast him off his feet. He stood with his arms folded over his chest, his eyes gleaming with stubborn will. I didn’t wait a second longer. I gathered all the magic I’d summoned inside of me and hurled it to the fae. He dodged it with the grace of a gazelle.
“How the hell?” I grunted, throwing up my hands in frustration.
He chuckled. “Faes have excellent agility. Forgotten your lectures at the Magica Academy, have you?”
I cursed him silently. “I want to see you lying on the grass, on your back. Helpless.”
“Umm, I like the sound of that scenario,” he said, a mischievous grin pulling up the corner of his lips. I immediately regretted saying it.
He was about to hurl another lot of fairy dust at me. Distraction was just another way to test me and make me more resilient to mental manipulation.
Suddenly, the pendant in the form of a chakram on my chest — a gift from Anumati, a Hindu goddess of the moon whom I’d met in Bali — glowed in a strange greenish light. This was a warning. The goddess had told me to touch it whenever I wanted to channel my goddess power, so I touched the pendant with my left hand.
The space around me began vibrating in a pale-yellow light. I connected with the magic inside me and a new wave of energy fluttered in my veins, invigorating me. It felt so good that I wanted it to last forever — as if I were drunk on magic.
The fae shot his fairy dust at me, an ominous swirl of shimmering magic. This time, though, I stopped it midair without using my elemental air power. I held his fairy dust for a moment in the air, then pushed it back at him. He fought back, resisting my push, but his magic was now no match for my own. Finally his own fairy dust hit him in the chest, and he dropped to his knees.
Back to where it came from, I thought and smiled. This is what happens when you want to blast someone and overpower them. The fae pulled himself together pretty fast. He jumped up from his knees, a triumphant smile dancing on his lips.
“You did it, Alex.” He strode toward me, admiration clear on his face. And I’d thought he would be disappointed that I blasted him with his own magic, not with mine. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tight. His touch always gave me butterflies. “I am so proud of you. How did you do it?”
I gave a shrug. “It wasn’t anything special. I just touched Anumati’s gift.” My hand wandered back to the necklace.
His smile faded. “You did? And I thought you had connected with your own goddess magic.” He let go of me and paced around furrowing his eyebrows.
“Why should it matter? Anumati must have known I needed a push and extra magic to release my goddess power; that’s why she gave this gift to me. Besides, you were the one who suggested we go to Pura Besakih,” I said. Pura Besakih, the temple where I met the Hindu goddess, was a large complex consisting of several places of worship. Its magical history spoke of a massive volcanic eruption that destroyed a large part of the city nearby. But the temple, protected by the gods, was untouched.
“Yes, I did, and I am glad she gave you this necklace, but I want you to control and summon your own goddess magic, not rely on an external object. What if Garrett figures it out and takes it away from you or he blocks the item’s magic? You need to be confident in your own power.”
I frowned. He raised valid points. “Maybe if that ever happens my special magic will awaken. Meeting Garrett surely classifies as a life-or-death situation.” My lips curled up in an apologetic smile as I realized how lame my excuse sounded.
Kagan looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.
“The Council entrusted your training to me. I promised Awen that I’d train you properly. I feel responsible. And… you’re not even trying.”
I knew about the Council, but had no idea my mentor, Awen, had spoken to the fae. The Council naturally wanted me to be in full control of my magic — I was working for them, after all. Prior to the Bali vacation I wrote to the Morrigan, but it turned out the gods in her Court didn’t want a half-goddess like me in their ranks. So I accepted the Council’s offer, which came with a very good salary. However, someone had to train me, and Kagan had offered his services. The Council agreed, as did I. Better him than anyone else. But… why wouldn’t my mentor train me himself? Like in the good old days?
“Awen asked you to train me?”
Kagan waved is hand dismissively. “He thought it’d be better for you; I wouldn’t go easy on you.” He arched his eyebrow up. “And that’s why I’m pushing you harder. I know you can improve your abilities and control.”
I sighed. “I am trying my best. I’ve tried so many times during these five weeks, you have no idea.”
Kagan was shaking his head. “No, I don’t think you are. I think you can do better.”
“Sweetheart, please don’t be so hard on me and on yourself. We’re in no immediate danger, and you know my goddess magic doesn’t come out of me unless there is an emergency.”
“Then you just need a little push. Give me the necklace.” He held his hand waiting for me to give it to him.
My eyes widened at the boldness of his idea. I swallowed hard, but refused.
"No," I said firml
y, looking him in the eye.
“C’mon, babe, give it here.” His smile grew radiant. It almost dazzled me. As it often happened when he turned on his charm, his smile made me go weak at the knees and weakened my resolve. Not fair. He knew I couldn’t resist his smile.
No doubt, fighting was easier with the pendant, but I decided to trust the fae's judgment. I was aware that I had to improve and at the very least try to release my magic without external help. Reluctantly, I gave him the pendant. He gifted me with another dizzying smile, then turned his head toward the castle and set his sight on the stone statue of a dragon sitting at the center of the huge garden.
“Hell, no! Have you lost your mind?” I practically shrieked, realizing what he intended to do. “I haven’t bargained on you bringing to life your freaking giant dragon. No way am I fighting that! And without Anumati’s necklace!”
The jerk just smiled. “You said you needed a challenge. I think this is close to what you need in order to unleash your magic. Life-or-death situation, as you said.”
He was right, and I hated him for that.
The fae had closed his eyes and was now concentrating. The air around us swished, a light-blush swirl splitting out of it. It circled around the stone dragon statue, shimmering in a purple-red light. The fae transferred a last, stronger surge of magic to the dragon, and in the next moment the animal woke up to life, its nostrils flaring with its breathing. Low, guttural sounds emitted from his throat, and small circles of fire puffed out of its nose. His tail thrashed on the grass, drawing my eye. I blinked and held my breath. Did I really have to fight this thing?
Kagan's lips broke into a loving smile and he looked at his dragon — who was his family guardian — before clearly ordering him, “Go after her. She is your challenger.”
Shit! The dragon’s sleepy eyes focused on me first with a blank stare, then they awakened, pinning me intently as angry flames flickered in their depths.
