by Antara Mann
“How in Hell…” Angus’ words died in his throat, his eyes glowing with rage — red flames burned menacingly in them.
“That’s not possible!” Garrett cried out, his eyes gleaming with maniacal fervor. “They must have tracked the goddess.” He spat the words with venom and charged at the fae and his ogres as if possessed. Fireballs flared, flames erupted, and stones, cement and dust swirled around me. A chunk of the nearby ceiling exploded and showered down upon us, dangerously close to the bound mages.
I shuddered at the possibility of them being killed in the fight, unable as they were to defend themselves. I screamed, hoping the sound would draw Kagan and his assistants’ attention to the bound mages, but the hooded figures charged at the ogres. New swirls of fire, noxious gas and scorching spells filled the air, and I ducked praying nothing would hit me — the iron chain and the infernal magic had stripped away all my powers, including my self-healing.
I glanced at Ryan and saw him seize the moment. He’d sneaked through the fighting commotion over to the bound mages and was unlocking their cuffs. I was ready to bet they were iron, as well.
Angus’ powerful, gigantic purple blast drew my attention back to the fight. He had hurled it as fast as a sonic boom at the fae and his assistants. Thanks to his extra agility, Kagan ducked, but the air behind him exploded. Massive chunks of dark-gray dust and smoke filled the crowded space around us, clinging to our clothes and eyes like a monster's tentacles. I struggled to see through the multitude of particles clouding my vision.
Chaos erupted for a few seconds and a few of Garrett's minions screamed in pain. The air filled with even more chunks of stone, cement and dust, making it very hard to breathe. I coughed rapidly when new screams, this time from a few of Kagan’s assistants, pierced the cavern, chilling my skin. Cold, unadulterated fear flowed through my veins. The smell of scorching flesh reached my nostrils, and the dread at the pit of my stomach mounted. The air began to clear and I saw that the ogres’ bodies had caught fire. Horrified, I wondered whether their tattoos might save them.
As if in response to my thoughts, Kagan snapped his fingers. In the next moment, torrents of rain showered upon us. He didn’t lose time, though. In the distraction that his rain had caused, he hurled an equally gigantic green-purple fairy ball straight toward Angus’ chest. The air ominously swished and swirled in a raging tornado, and a thunderclap resounded. Before the blast could hit him, the inferni summoned a protective barrier. The enormous mass of fairydust crashed into the shimmering wall and rebounded, hitting Kagan square in the chest. He staggered and spun on the spot but managed to regain his balance. I cursed the inferni out loud. That was below the belt!
Angus gave me his best demented smile and I couldn’t help but say, “That was a dirty trick, using my boyfriend’s power against him. Bastard!”
“Yes, honey. I like the poetic nature of it,” Angus replied. His smug smile raised the bile in my mouth to new levels of wretchedness. The throbbing ache in my body reminded me that I was still bound with that stupid iron chain.
Then two of Kagan's ogres charged at Angus with wild rage. The runic tattoos on their necks and arms glowed in a deep dark hue, and a new wave of elemental powers burst in the air round them.
Taking advantage of the commotion, another of the ogres sneaked past the fighting figures to me. He summoned a flame in his hand and cut open the iron chain holding me captive. I didn’t know Kagan employed fire mages, too. This was a first.
“Thanks,” I said to the ogre once I was free.
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Ryan throw a transport charm to the ground, his arms wrapped around the three mages, touching them all. So he was planning to smuggle them out of here. Smart.
“What the triple hell!” I heard Garrett shout. He was close, with his back turned to me — he’d seen Ryan, too. Before he could draw Angus’ attention I grabbed the nearest big chunk of concrete and smashed it on the sorcerer’s head. He hadn’t anticipated my move. He was so shocked to see Ryan had double-crossed them that when I struck him, the words died in his throat. “Master..." was all he managed to utter, then he reeled back and fell over with a dull thump.
In the meantime Angus had pushed back the two ogres that had charged him. One lay still on the ground, the other was smeared in blood, and swaying on his massive feet. Even in that state, he shook his head and charged at the inferni with his last efforts. Angus squinted his eyes and an enormous wave of shimmering magic exploded from his hand and hit the ogre squire into his chest, sending him flying a few yards back.
Angus, however, had heard Garrett’s cry, because he looked my way, and as he did so his eyes swept over the place where Ryan was standing, his arms around the three mages.
"What do we have here? A traitor?!” he yelled, his voice booming with rage.
I held my breath. I half-expected the inferni to set Ryan on fire or freeze him on the spot. Or a thunder to strike him down. Anything involving his gruesome death.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Angus said, his voice full of power, though he didn’t raise it. He hurled a sonic boom explosion at Ryan, but he was a split second too late. Before they could be hurt by it, the mercenary’s transport charm took him and the mages through the ether, away from the fight.
I sighed, relief washing over me — I couldn't forgive myself if something bad happened to them — and reached for my magic, too. It came to my fingertips as pulsating energy. But I wanted my goddess magic; elemental magic stood no chance against Angus’ crazy, off-the-charts powers. I connected with the invisible thread in my center, but nothing even prickled my skin. “Damn it,” I cursed under my breath, but Angus heard me.
“Missing your secret weapon, huh?”
I cursed him mentally and summoned a ball combined of all the elements: fire, air, earth and water. I had never before performed such a thing in an actual fight, only during my training at the Magica Academy. I was taught, though, that it was immensely powerful, so I flung the ball at Angus, hoping for the best.
Garrett had gotten to his feet as well and was now fighting with another ogre, their bodies swiftly moving. I didn’t want to risk hurting the ogre. The fae’s assistants were already reduced to four; two had died at the hands of either Angus or Garrett. Our party had killed two of the hooded figures, as well.
What the inferni did, though, left me speechless. He stopped the swirling and vibrant elemental ball I’d just hurled at him in midair with his hand, and the magic disintegrated in the room almost immediately. He bestowed me with his most wicked smirk, and next, teeny snowflakes fluttered in the air. He took advantage of my distraction and threw another one of his purple sonic booms. The concrete floor and ceiling shattered further and a hole opened up above our heads, cement and stones showering upon us.
Garrett, who had in the meantime overpowered the ogre, was now fighting Kagan. He blasted the fae with his power, and it hit Kagan in his upper arm as he ducked. He roared in rage and concentrated hard, his aura turning a shade redder, then busted Garrett with a huge fairydust explosion. The sorcerer reeled backwards and fell to the ground. Then Kagan whistled. A strange melodious sound reverberated, unusual and appealing at the same time. A loud screeching reached our ears, and soon, thunderous, ominous flapping of wings resounded in the semi-dark space. A dragon? Kagan had called his guardian angel? A devilish smirk spread on Kagan’s lips.
“Surprise!” he said to the inferni.
Angus’ face remained inscrutable. Only his eyes turned a shade darker. He shot another sonic boom, this time at Kagan. The fae quickly summoned a barrier wall to protect himself. The inferni’s magical flare thundered on impact with the invisible shimmering wall.
I took advantage of Angus' absorption with fighting my boyfriend, and called out all my elemental powers, blasting him again with the biggest ball I could muster. The bastard again stopped it in midair, but this time he flung it back toward me. I ducked and a heavy boom followed the noisy crash.
The flames caused more stones and cement to shower upon our heads. The ogres that were charging at the hooded mages ran out of the way and missed the fiery mess by inches. A muddle of spells filled the air, and I wasn’t able to see who was shooting at whom. The place glowed in all the colors of the rainbow with the mix of spells and magic. I flung another gigantic ball in the direction my magical sense told me Angus was, then summoned a barrier around me. Seconds later the dragon’s screeching came closer but I heard nothing from my arch-enemy; no boom, no thunder, not even a painful cry. The dragon's tail trashed on the debris-strewn charred ground, the mages and ogres still fighting for their lives.
The fae instructed the dragon to attack Garrett and Angus — I knew by the way their eyes flickered — and the mythical beast stopped in the air, his wings flapping to keep him airborne. He spat a hot fountain of lava at the inferni and the sorcerer. Garrett screamed; his body had caught fire, the flames spreading quickly to engulf him fully. The stench of burned flesh drifted in the air and nauseated me.
Angus was less affected — his barrier as well as his power were much stronger, yet the dragon’s fire made it through. The inferni’s face darkened, his skin turned a dirty crimson-brown color — even darker than Kai’s — and his eyes had become two glowing scarlet dots. The magic increased in intensity, the dread of horrible omens palpable in the air.
The inferni hurled the biggest blast I’d ever seen at the flapping dragon. Orange-red flames with sparkling purple edges exploded in the air, and the beast took the gust on his chest. The explosion carried him off-course, and he fell to the ground with an earth-shattering thunder.
We all took cover as his tail trashed wildly. The dragon opened his mouth and, with an angry cry, spat a lot more fire at Angus. This time patches of the inferni’s barrier caught fire. I watched in astonishment as Angus managed to extinguish the localized small flames quickly. Was there no way to defeat the bastard? I couldn’t let this abomination get away.
I decided to make yet another attempt to connect with the goddess magic inside me. I touched my invisible thread, and this time I felt the surge of magic to my pores and fingertips. For a second I wondered how come I’d finally been able to do it, but I had no time to ponder it further; we had to win this battle.
The all-familiar feel and warmth of the goddess power gave me strength, bubbling on the surface of my body like a fountain that needed to be tamed. I let it all build and then hurled the biggest magical ball I’d ever been able to create at Angus. It sizzled in the space between us, glowing a dark purple color. When it touched his barrier it exploded, and the force of it made the inferni stagger.
Garrett, looking charred but no longer on fire, intervened and shot a fierce spell in my direction, but an ogre behind him throttled him with his fist. The bluish light of his spell shone for a second and died out as Garrett fell to the dirty, dusty ground.
The ogres now outnumbered the two remaining hooded men. In the meantime, the dragon had shot another two consecutive fire blasts at Angus, causing him to back away. He wasn’t going to win this battle. Even if he somehow managed to kill Kagan’s dragon, the beast would fight to the death causing as much damage as he could and exhausting the inferni. I saw the realization of his defeat in Angus’ eyes, too.
“Okay,” he spat, turning to me, “you may win this battle, but you will not win the war.” His body had begun shimmering with an eerie dark blue color. Suddenly runic symbols — all infernal, ugly and twisted — vibrated on his skin. What the heck?
“I, Angus Hellster, curse you, Alexandra Shaw.” Next he enunciated words unknown to me: “Ipzzlgnjv, wmnj, reggeg mjd anizeghpjl irmbb flzmbb oep.” The string of foreign sounds didn’t make any logical sense to me — it wasn’t in any of the languages I knew. Judging by the way my body stiffened and my head throbbed fiercely threatening to explode at any moment, it had to be in Inferni.
“Suffering, pain, horror and misfortune shall befall you, you and your family, friends and everyone you love and who is associated with you,” he went on. “I won’t be at peace until I finish you. Damn you and your friends and everyone you love.” His voice boomed with such power, vigor and energy that the words rang in my mind for quite some time after he’d pronounced them.
The inferni’s skin sparkled with a bluish hue. Even the dragon stopped his attacks for a second to watch him. Kagan pursed his lips, his eyes cold and merciless, and in the next moment the dragon spat a new river of fire at Angus. The space between them filled with orange-red flames, the temperature rising significantly. Smoke, fire and debris were obstructing my vision anew. Worse still, my mind struggled to deal with Angus’ insanely powerful curse. For some reason, his words kept echoing in my mind. In some perverted, creepy way, I was mesmerized by them.
My knees buckled and I hit the dirty ground, the words still resounding in my head, “I, Angus Hellster, curse you, Alexandra Shaw. I won’t be at peace until I finish you.”
The last thing I remembered before darkness wrapped around me and took me into oblivion was that same mystical bluish light.
“Damn you and your friends and everyone you love.”
Chapter 21
My mother’s touch felt so familiar, so welcome...
I was in my mentor’s home and she had come to visit us. I was surprised to see her, and rushed into her arms to hug her, squeezing her delicate frame with all my might. Even though they looked soft and slim, the arms she wrapped around me were powerful, and I knew they would protect me should the need arise.
“Mom, I missed you,” I said and rested my head on her shoulder. She stroked my hair, lifted my head and looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes. A smile danced on her lips and she said, “I am so glad to see my little girl all grown-up.” She caressed a lock of my hair and whispered, “I am so proud of you. You will accomplish what I couldn’t. My little, sweet Alex.”
Happy tears coursed down my cheeks. “You don’t know how many times I’ve dreamed about this moment.”
“What makes you think this isn’t a dream?” she asked, her tone more serious and businesslike, less motherly. The question shook me up.
“What?”
The spell was broken, and in the next moment my mother’s image was gone. I heard someone calling me, “Alex! Alex, wake up!”
Suddenly I was acutely aware that my head was swirling and my body felt impossibly heavy, as did my head. I opened my eyes to a beam of light so bright it was jarring.
“Sweetheart, are you all right?”
Kagan’s voice. He was sitting to my right, near my bed, on a chair. Noe and Awen had gathered around me like a family. My heart fluttered, joy and happiness rushing to my face and warming my blood. I had a family. I couldn’t suppress the smile stretching on my face from ear to ear.
“W-what happened?” I strained to ask. My throat felt parched and it hurt to speak.
“It’s okay, Alex. The most important thing is, you’re alive and well,” Naomi said and squeezed my hand reassuringly. She nodded at me, her eyes full of warmth and love. I smiled at her.
Awen turned to me, his tone as soft as silk. “You were unconscious for a few days. Take your time, honey. Do not hurry.”
Unconscious for days? This stunned me, and I suddenly recalled the fight, the dark bluish color that Angus’ skin had glowed in the last few seconds, and… there was also something very bad, evil… Something truly wicked. Bile rose in my throat and my stomach lurched. I swallowed hard and asked, my voice still raspy, “Did… did he escape?”
“Sh-sh.” Kagan put his finger on my lips and gave me a warm smile. “Can you please give us a minute?” he said to the others.
Naomi and Awen nodd
ed curtly and left the room in silence. My best friend squeezed my hand and winked at me. I was still alive, and kicking. Somehow we had beaten Angus and his crazy cult. That was what I felt the fae was about to tell me.
Once we were alone, I, however, forestalled the fae and asked him, "Couldn't you have shown up any later? I thought Angus would blast me to pieces and devour my magic."
Kagan drew nearer and stroked my hair, his touch soft and reassuring. "Sorry, babe. I wanted to connect mentally with you — really, I did — but I couldn’t risk the inferni hearing our mental exchange. It would have forewarned him, and I was counting on the element of surprise."
That made sense and I decided to drop the matter. He might have been late to the fight, but he had come and helped me, and I would be forever indebted to him.
I realized I had been drifting away when I heard him clear his throat.
“Good news is, the mages are recovering and are with their families.” He scratched his chin while speaking, as he usually did when he was thinking hard or pondering something.
I sighed in relief. I had kept my promise to Freya, the sister of the second mage, Kevin, if I recalled correctly.
“The Council is following their recovery, and supernatural physicians are monitoring their condition — Garrett had drained them nearly to death.” He paused and added after a short hesitation, “Garrett killed himself while we were still in the underground cavern.”
“What?” I croaked. I was not sure whether this was good or bad news.
Kagan’s forehead creased, his tone somewhat grumpy. “He was probably afraid we would torture information out of him.”
