by J. M. Briggs
There was a sudden change in the flow of his magic, so slight that Aiden almost didn’t notice it, but it was there. The warmth that he’d always associated with his magic was fading and the warm sensation was instead pulling back and swirling in his chest. He refused to let it distract him and kept the image of the snow storm he wanted in his head. It was simple, he was a native of the northwest and had seen enough snow. It was winter and snow was everywhere; he just had to build on that.
Opening his eyes, Aiden gasped softly and then grinned. Snow was swirling around him, creating a thick veil of ice between him and the shadow monsters. A soft hint of red distinguished his magical ice from the ordinary. The creatures were barely visible through the haze, but he could hear them over the howl of his own little storm. Excitement flashed through him. He straightened up, boosted by the blazing warmth in his chest as his magic lashed around him. Raising both hands, Aiden grinned and pushed more magic into the storm and looked up, watching as the blizzard created a dome over his head.
Why had this been hard? He laughed in glee as the small blizzard grew thicker and thicker as he pushed more magic out into the air. The heat he’d pulled from the magic was thrumming in his chest like a happy puppy making him feel giddy and confident. Magical snow swirled in the air around him in a thick haze of tiny ice crystals, but he wasn’t feeling cold anymore. At his surprise, the magical blizzard faltered. Aiden shook his head, ordering himself to focus and not get swept up in the high of success. This storm could protect him; it was a barrier that the shadow monsters were unwilling to cross, but he’d run out of magic sooner or later. He could only do so much so how could he use this to get rid of some of these things?
“What would Nicki do?” he asked out loud, then slowly he smiled and a chuckle escaped him. After knowing her since grade school, he knew the answer all too well.
Aiden slammed his eyes shut and squeezed them tightly, willing the rest of the world to just fade away. He focused on the sounds of the small storm blazing around him and willed it inward, ordering it closer to him. The sound intensified and he could feel the snow tickling his cheeks. Pouring magic into the storm, Aiden kept repeating ice over and over again in his head. He tried to imagine every movie with ice magic he’d ever seen, every book he’d ever read or any game that had ever inspired him. His magic felt hot in his chest, sending small bursts of warmth through his arms and down to his toes. It was spiraling to the limits of his control. There was a tiny tether that he could feel connecting him to it, like the tiny fragile silk of a spider that could snap at any moment.
“Now!” Aiden shouted, pushing the magic out with all his might.
The snowy dome exploded outward, the snowflakes fusing together into shards of ice that went flying in all directions. A wave of tiny daggers rippled around him, striking the shadow monsters. Some were taller and lanky being struck in the head from the top of the dome while those that were lower to the ground took shards in their legs from the bottom. Shrieks echoed in all around him and Aiden felt his knees begin to buckle. His eyes moved to a mass of collapsed shadow creatures who were dissipating into the night air with groans and small cries of pain. The layers of darkness rippled and faded away leaving him alone in the road.
Gasping, Aiden stumbled to the side and nearly fell down. He shook his head and forced the blind spots in his vision away with several rapid blinks. It took him a moment to remember where he was, what was happening, but then he spotted the huge dark shape in the distance. Just the sight sent a spike of cold through him, making him shudder in dread, but he pushed it away.
Chernobog hadn’t moved from his place in the lake; there were flashes of magic on the shores giving a clear sign that the others were fighting something, but the master of the shadow monsters was just watching. Aiden swallowed and glanced around at the shadow monsters that were coming down from the hills. There seemed to be no end to them and fatigue was already seeping into his bones. The options ran through his head like lightning and he made a decision. Stepping back, Aiden glanced towards Chernobog and swallowed. Then with a small nod to himself, he turned and started to run down the road towards the others with shadow monsters racing after him.
29
Against Shadow
Standing completely still in the darkness, Alex inhaled slowly in an attempt to calm herself. Morgana’s voice echoed in her head and Alex fought off the instinctive quiver that was threatening to take hold of her. She summoned forth an orb of magic, willing it to light up the area. The small orb swirled into existence in the palm of her hand and cast a weak low light over the area, but it was like the light was being actively smothered.
Around her the shadow monsters were moving in slowly, creeping forward with gleaming red eyes. Alex wasn’t sure if they were hesitant about her magic or trying to frighten her. Glancing towards Arthur, she saw his magic swirling in his hand and beginning to form something made of ice. There was a knot in her throat that kept her from yelling for him to run, but the reality of the situation was sinking in.
Moving slowly, Alex reached towards her pocket to retrieve her phone. Even a quick text could bring the help they desperately needed. But before she could reach the phone, a shadow monster shaped like a huge panther lashed out at her. Instinctively, Alex threw the energy orb at the creature and gasped softly when it snarled in pain and backed up. More creatures moved closer and Alex abandoned the idea of reaching for her phone.
She was surrounded by the swirling creatures of darkness, red eyes, teeth, and claws. Some were tall like the massive monster that was moving slowly and swinging huge long arms with long claws, others were short like the low creature that reminded Alex of a crocodile slinking towards her. They looked like twisted animals or in a few frightening cases like humans spun out of shadows. Despite the cold, she was sweating beneath her coat and her dagger felt ready to slip from her fingers.
A strange low sound came from Chernobog. To Alex’s ears, it almost sounded like a growl, but there was a hint of a melodic note within it that made her feel lightheaded for a moment. Swaying on her feet, Alex shook her head and turned her face away from Chernobog. She focused on the nearest shadow creature whose red eyes were raised as it looked towards its master. Slashing with her dagger, Alex felt the flesh of the nearest shadow creature give to the blow, but there was no blood. Instead, its flesh rippled as soon as the blade was withdrawn. Alex couldn’t see any sign of a wound. Around her the shadow creatures cackled, flashing their perfectly white teeth as their eyes narrowed at her.
Pulling on her magic, Alex formed another orb of energy. One of the creatures grew tired of waiting and lunged towards her. Alex shifted her position and threw the orb at the shadow creature. It struck the creature in the chest and it howled. A sharp metallic smell filled the air as the shadow creature began to vanish. The others howled, snarled and growled at her in a growing tide of noise. Alex shuddered and summoned another two orbs of energy, letting her dagger slip from her fingers to the ground.
This time she didn’t wait for any of them to attack. Throwing the orbs, Alex kept pushing magic into them even after they left her hands. There was a crackling in the air as the orbs transformed into beams of magic, striking two of the shadow creatures. They vanished and more began to press forward. Alex charged up another blast, this time opening her hand and pushing it towards the creatures. Fast, but weaker bolts of energy lashed out and struck the shadow creatures. These did not vanish but were knocked backward to the ground as their comrades simply stepped over them.
She was being overwhelmed. The terrifying realization cut through the haze and the rhythm of pulling on her magic and blasting the shadow creatures. There were piles of the shadow creatures that had been blasted back and some were beginning to get to their feet, but there seemed to be no end to them. Icy tears prickled at her eyes and threatened to blind her, but the burning instinct to fight in her chest kept the tears from falling.
A risky glance towards Arthur up the hill revealed that her
boyfriend was surrounded too, but there were far fewer around him. There was a sword formed of ice clasped in his hands and he was swinging it about in random patterns to keep the shadows at bay. Alex yelped as cold claws swiped her leg. Instinctively she shoved a wave of magic towards the leg as she looked down. Her jeans were slashed open and blood was oozing slowly out of the long tears in the skin. Hissing, she stumbled away from the shadow creature that had her blood dripping from its claws only to almost fall onto another shadow creature.
Alex spun around and waved her hands sending a wash of magic sparks across the area. The shadow creatures hissed as the sparks showered down on them, but they lacked enough magic to do any real damage. It bought Alex a moment to steady herself and plant her feet against a pair of rocks. She ignored the blood dripping down her leg and brought up her hands to charge another blast. This time she charged the orb up with as much magic as she dared. Three heartbeats and the shadow beasts were moving for another charge and Alex released the magic, envisioning a lightning bolt in her mind.
The magic ricocheted amongst the creatures, arcing between them as bolts of dark silver lightning. Eyes narrowed, Alex pushed more and more magic into the bolt and forced her hands to move to spread the attack. A shadow creature beside her reached forward and slashed at her side. Seeing the movement in the corner of her eye, Alex shifted her weight and avoided the worst of the attack, but heard her coat being torn open.
Panting, Alex pulled sharply at her magic and ignored her legs as they started to shake. She created another orb and released it upon another shadow creature. There was a hint of satisfaction as it faded away, but another rushed up from the shore of the lake. The swirl of magic around her was beginning to dim and she could see red eyes watching it carefully.
Magic danced over her fingers and across her palms sending a dim silvery light over the shadow creatures. Alex attacked another shadow creature and growled in frustration when it climbed back to its feet. Another wave of magic kept them at bay followed by another blast. This seemingly unending dance was getting her nowhere. She could hear Arthur fighting up the hill and glanced his way. There were far fewer around him and he was managing to keep them at bay, but the coat on one of his arms was ripped.
They weren’t getting anywhere and even if they cut through all the shadow monsters there was still Chernobog to deal with. She needed more energy, the connection that thrummed inside of her to the earth felt raw. Each pull, each tug was beginning to feel painful. It was getting hard to breathe, but more shadow creatures were coming forward. In the corner of her eye, Alex could see Chernobog in the lake watching. His thin dark mouth seemed to be twisted into a smile with flashes of teeth.
Anger flashed through Alex even as she became aware of the ache developing in her muscles. Her heart was pounding as adrenaline washed through her, but exhaustion and doubt were beginning to trickle past her defenses. Alex flinched as another wave of cold washed over her and clung to her skin. Her clothes were soaked from the snow and ice and her teeth chattered violently. The air was painful to breathe, catching in her throat as more of Chernobog’s magic filled the area. Alex blinked as she kicked at one of the shadow monsters.
“His magic,” Alex gasped, her eyes widening and a flash of hope and excitement burning hot in her chest. “Oh my god!”
With renewed vigor, Alex forced back as many of the shadow creatures as she could with a wave of dark silver sparks. Alex opened her fingers as wide as the cold digits would allow and closed her eyes. Her heart pounded with fear as the shadow creatures moved around her and their growls filled her ears, but she pushed it all away.
Reaching out with what little magic she still had Alex envisioned a thin mist that spread out. Alex gasped as she felt an icy spark in her heart as the vapor collided with the first of the shadow creatures. It stopped moving and jumped back with a hiss, arching its back. Alex opened her eyes, fixed her gaze on the shadow monster and pulled. There was a moment of resistance, a moment of unbelievable cold gripping Alex around the heart, but she kept pulling. Chernobog’s magic kept pushing back, but then suddenly it gave and the cold began to dissipate in her body.
There was a roar behind her, but Alex didn’t turn her focus away from the shadow monsters. A thin shimmering stream of energy appeared in the air, glittering in the darkness. It flittered through the air towards Alex, swirling around the shadow monsters. More strands appeared and Alex laughed out loud in excitement as the strands connected to her fingers and she felt small jolts traveling up her arms.
The shadow creature screamed as thin streams of power began seeping from it and flowing to Alex’s hands. It stumbled backward and hissed at her, baring its long gleaming white teeth. Around her, the cold began to recede. More energy flowed towards her and the darkness around her weakened.
The sound of sloshing in the water made Alex look towards Chernobog who was beginning to move towards the shore. She pulled harder on the cloud of energy around her and saw more streams of power appearing out of the others shadow monsters. All of them were pulling back from her with soft panicked noises as a glittery web of energy began to weave itself around her. The dark glittering strands began to shine dark silver and spun together into Alex’s outstretched hands. Then cautiously she pulled her hands closer and began forming the energy, spinning the strands together into something she could control. Smiling grimly, she noted the shadow monsters pulling away from her with whimpers and whines as their magical energy was sapped and their very form was pulled away and changed.
Her whole body was shaking, but Alex kept pulling in all the power she could. Magic sparked in the air between her hands, swirling amongst the strands of energy that were arcing violently. She could barely keep her hands still, barely keep her focus on the increasing pulse of power that was threatening to explode. But she kept the energy contained. It brushed over the inside of her hands gently. Her magic traced over each jolt of energy and turned it the dark silver color of her magic.
Glancing back towards Arthur who was using the ice sword to attack one of the shadow monsters, Alex noted that he was still okay. The orb of power in her hands pulsed as the shadow creatures drew back from her. She licked her dry lips nervously and then carefully slowly drew her hands back from the orb. Then with a sigh, she let go of the magic.
There was an explosion of power that rippled all around them, illuminating the entire area in a burst of dark silver light. The air became supercharged causing Alex’s arm hair to stand on end. It smelled like a thunderstorm and Alex gulped in the air greedily as she tried to control the release and keep it from harming Arthur. Alex’s whole body shook as she pushed more magic outward to surround the sphere of magic, desperate to slow down the rush. Hair whipped back from her face and Alex closed her eyes against the pressure for a moment, but curiosity and fear made her open them quickly.
The shadow monsters were scattering, but many were falling to the ground as the waves of magic rolled over the area. Alex turned her eyes to one that was on the ground twisting with pain and clawing at the ground while high pitched shrieks escaped it. For a moment she felt a pang of guilt before the creature began to fade away and more of the darkness lifted. The clouds were still rolling around Chernobog, but the soft silvery glow of the moon was visible around them once again.
Dropping to her knees, Alex hissed as her knees splashed in the slush. Around her, the last of the shadow monsters were twisting on the ground and vanishing into nothing, but her sense of victory was rapidly fading. Her legs were shaking badly and her hands felt raw as if they’d been burned.
“Alex!” Arthur shouted nearby to her, but his voice sounded distant to her. She wanted to shout back to him, to reassure him but her mouth was painfully dry.
Alex began to stand only to slip in the snow and mud. Her knee hit a rock and Alex groaned in pain, frustration, and worry. Opening her eyes, she looked around wearily. The shadow monsters were almost all gone. She could see only a few pairs of glowing red eyes in the distance
and far off down the road she thought that she saw headlights. Alex forced herself to her feet only to almost stumble as a shadow monster that looked far too much a like a dog for comfort rushed her with two more of its heels.
“Look out Alex!” Arthur shouted and Alex thought she heard him moving down the hill.
Alex eyed the last of the shadow monsters and mentally growled at them for surviving. The sound of the water moving made Alex freeze. In front of her eyes, the three charging shadow monsters turned into black masses of swirling darkness. Cold exploded outward and Alex shut her eyes on reflex as the icy blast hit her face. When she opened her eyes the dark swirling masses were floating through the air and Alex fearfully followed them with her eyes.
Chernobog extended one long arm, casting a shadow over the shore as he opened his hand. The masses of darkness flowed into his hand, a dark version of what Alex had done earlier. She swallowed as the giant being began to move towards the shore. His long shadow moved over her and Alex suddenly wished that the thick clouds were still surrounding him. She felt cold and frozen to the spot as the darkness surrounded her and blocked the light of the moon. Shivering, Alex pulled her eyes away from Chernobog.
Waves of water were rolling up against the shore as Chernobog moved and Alex swallowed thickly, trying to get her legs to move. She could see the large shadow stretching out on the slope of the hill around her and watched the shadow as Chernobog opened his large arms. His shadow began to become fuzzy and Alex was torn between looking to see what was happening and keeping her eyes averted. She opened her hands nervously, fighting back the pain of the cold and tried to pull more magic from the earth. The connection inside her chest ached and sparked painfully like an electric discharge at the attempt.
