by Holly Hook
"Look at my eyes," Mack said. The relief in them was immense. "The black is gone. The Dark Magic is gone. I feel different."
He looked so fragile in Allunna's grasp like she could snap him in half if she wanted. But that wasn't what Allunna usually did with men. She had something else in mind.
"I saw a flash of green light when I bit you," I said. My Death Magic was supposed to be different than what the Dark Mages had. So not only did I have the touch of death that could take down some types of beings, but I also had the ability to pull more Dark Magic within myself. I wasn't sure if I should feel relieved or horrified. I'd never stop discovering the full extent of my powers.
"You look shocked, Alyssa," Allunna said to me. She glared at me with those horrible black eyes. "You have a lot of magical secrets. Thoreau told me all about them before he decided to betray me. Though, to be fair, I betrayed him first by becoming Leon's battle partner."
"That's a lot, coming from you," I said. I tensed, tightening my grip on the handle of my sword.
"Alyssa," Xavier warned me. He shook his head like he was trying to break her spell.
Allunna released Mack, who hung close to her.
"So I guess you and Thoreau are even?" I asked.
"We are far from it," Allunna said. "You do understand that Thoreau is only for himself, do you not?"
"Of course I understand that," I said. I knew that better than anyone.
"So you must understand that the Dark Council is not a democratic group," she continued. "All types of demons are self-centered. It's our nature. Thoreau is no exception. Yes, I know what he says. He wants Abnormals to rule again and get the respect they deserve. But here's the true story. He's told the other members that they will have their pieces of the world if he merges it with the Infernal, but it's a lie."
"The last thing I'd expect him to be is fair," Xavier said. He was still looking at her in that dreamy way. I took another step to block his view of her. I hoped that he would thank me later.
"Why would Thoreau be fair to those he's Bound to him?" Allunna asked.
"What?" I asked. "He's had the entire Dark Council Bound to him?"
"Of course," Allunna said. "Thoreau is very manipulative. He is a Noble, the rarest and most powerful type of demon. So far, he has shown you only small samples of his power."
I thought of the times I'd done what Thoreau wanted, over and over again, without even realizing it. It had all started when Xavier and I invaded the ATC building for the first time. "So even Death is Bound to him?"
Allunna nodded. "I am not sure how he managed these feats, but she was the first. The dragon emperor followed, then Bathory, and then, at last, the War God. One by one, he Bound them to his service. It was Thoreau's way of eliminating every possible threat to him. That is the problem." She moved over to the TV and stood in front of it, leaving Mack puppy-eyed. "While Thoreau has the War God Bound to him, no one can go against him. Gaozu cannot fight back. And while he has Death locked into his contract, he will not stay dead. Thoreau has spent the last several millennia ensuring that he cannot be defeated."
I looked at George and Janine and Xavier. No one was smiling, of course.
"Are you serious?" I asked. "We've killed Thoreau before. We even used War Magic to do it."
"Falling rock helped," Xavier pointed out. "But yeah. Leon's exploding energy roasted him."
Allunna wasn't smiling, either. "Oh, he's died a few hundred times," she said. "He always comes back. The universe always finds a way. If not, Death does. There is only one way to make sure he is killed and stays dead, and that is to free the Dark Council from his rule. If you don't do that, he will return even if you manage to kill him again. And again. And again."
"How do I know we can trust you?" I asked. I had every reason not to. Allunna had helped lead Xavier's parents to the Infernal, and she had helped lead Xavier to me so I could fall into Thoreau's plans.
Then again, that was before she had turned against the mayor.
"You don't have to trust me," Allunna said. "I know why you don't. I'm just giving you information that might help you stop Thoreau for good."
"What's in it for you?" I asked. Xavier was still pretty much incapable of speech.
Allunna picked at her fingernails. They were more like black claws than nails. "Thoreau is merged with Leon through accident. I am still Leon's battle partner. Lately, Thoreau has figured out that he can suppress Leon by spending time in the Infernal Dimension, where he can't manifest. Leon, I'm afraid to say, is fading. If Thoreau merges the worlds as he plans, Leon will disappear. I will go with him. The two of us will not die. We will cease to exist. Frankly, I like existing." She flashed a smile at Mack.
"Oh," I said. "Okay. That's self-centered but understandable. But since Thoreau and Leon are merged, won't you die if we kill him permanently?"
"Yes," Allunna said. "I have been dead before. I will only go back to my home dimension and continue as a Fire Wraith. There is always the possibility of recovery from that. Dying is not the end of the world."
I shuddered. Allunna had a bad choice of words.
"Do you think she's right?" Xavier asked.
"Maybe," I said. Last time I had seen Thoreau, Leon hadn't been able to come through at all. I also knew how battle partners affected each other even if they were dead. Xavier was proof of that. His old partner, Lisa Elora, had pulled him into Shadow Sickness even though they had only a weak bond. If Leon vanished, so would Allunna.
The thought of that would scare anybody.
"How do you know for sure this is going to happen?" I asked.
Allunna nodded and continued her glare. "I already feel weaker. Leon is fading more the closer the full moon gets. The only thing keeping him in existence at this point is the fact that Thoreau must spend some time in the regular world to perform his mayoral duties. When the worlds merge, that will end. We have two days." She held up her hand. "Look."
I squinted.
A Normal wouldn't be able to see it, but I could. Allunna's hand was the tiniest bit transparent. I could make out the pattern of the curtains behind it.
"She's right," I said.
Allunna dropped her hand.
She had come to us for help. She had spent a lot of time around Thoreau. Wasn't he her former lover? It was a gross thought, but it might help us.
A vanishing Allunna had no reason to help Thoreau.
"You can take or leave my help," she continued, backing towards the door. Mack followed in a trance. "Accept my help, and you have a small chance of stopping Thoreau. Reject it, and I will spend my last two days having fun." She smiled in a way that told me that Mack might not survive it.
"Okay," I said. I looked at Xavier and George, but they were both entranced. Janine shrugged. "Tell us what we need to do."
Allunna smiled. "You are not going to like it."
"What have I liked so far?" I asked.
"When Thoreau binds someone to him, he takes a drop of their blood," Allunna explained. "He stores each of those drops in a special container called the Blood Orb. I've seen it. It contains one drop from each being he has had Bound to him. Every Normal, Abnormal, mortal and immortal. As long as their blood remains inside that container, his contracts stand, even if he dies. No one Bound to Thoreau can go against him."
"Are you Bound to him?" I asked.
"Demons cannot Bind other demons."
"So Gaozu's blood and Death's blood and even the receptionist's blood--"
"Are in that container," Allunna said. She was losing patience. "Breaking it is the only way to free the Bound. You break the Blood Orb, and you destroy every contract it contains."
"That doesn't sound so hard," I said. "Break the thing, free the Dark Council, and get them to help fight Thoreau or at least make him killable. They will want to fight Thoreau, right?"
"And everyone trapped in the Infernal Dimension will be freed?" Xavier asked. "He Bound our parents, Alyssa. He must have." He faced Allunna and struggled to sp
eak. "He also enslaved my dad?"
She smiled. "Yes. If you do not take action, your parents will awaken when he merges the worlds, and they will fight for him."
Xavier paled. We hadn't thought of this before.
That meant that my father was Bound to him, too.
"Where is this thing?" I asked. Dread curled in my gut.
Allunna smiled. "It's inside of Thoreau's place, of course."
"That figures," I said. "I'm not looking forward to breaking into the ATC building again."
"No," Allunna said. "The Blood Orb is in his castle, in the Infernal Dimension. And only a sample of Thoreau's blood can free it."
Chapter Seven
"We can't do this!" I shouted at Allunna.
Her black glare remained as evil as ever. "You are the only one who can go in and take the Orb, Alyssa. You, or Thoreau. Well, you could always ask your mother, but I doubt she's up for the task."
Allunna knew about my lineage. She had probably known for years. It was just one more piece of confirmation that I didn't want to hear. "You don't understand," I said. "I can't go to the Infernal Dimension." The vial of demon blood in my pocket felt heavier than before. I had forgotten it was there and that I had taken it from Beatrix's nightclub in the first place.
"Yes, you can," Allunna said. "All you need to do is take a sample of my blood--or any demon's blood--and find a portal. I can get you into Cumberland's Water Adventure. If you haven't heard yet, there's an enormous portal there you can use. I'll even go into the Infernal with you. It's my home world. I can show you where to go."
"I still don't trust you," I said. "This sounds like something Thoreau would want me to do."
"He would want you to find where he protects all his contracts?" Allunna asked.
"He wants me to go to the Infernal," I pointed out. "I have no proof that what you're saying is right about this Blood Orb."
Allunna held up her hand again. "I have a reason to see him die and remain dead." I could still see the curtains through it. "You'll find out that you can survive the Infernal just fine, Alyssa. I don't understand why you're passing up this opportunity."
"Because I don't want to turn into a quarter demon!" I shouted.
She just picked at her fingernails again. "What's wrong with being a demon? It's quite liberating."
I sighed. "Because if that happens, Thoreau will be able to use me to merge the worlds. He can't do anything until I awaken that part."
Allunna advanced on me. "That's true. But for one thing, Noble blood is very strong. It doesn't work the way that you think. And for another, Thoreau will find and take you to the Infernal, anyway. He's just had a Blood Amulet made for you from the blood I once took to him from our test fight. I've seen it. He keeps it in his pocket now because he no longer expects you to fall into his traps. As long as the two of you are in the same dimension, he can track you. He may be doing that as we speak."
A chill ran through me.
Thoreau was sure that he'd do the rite in two days.
Xavier reached into jeans his pocket and drew out the Blood Amulet Trish and Elsina had made for me. The red heart lifted and pointed right at me. Xavier stared at it.
It was like adding an exclamation point to what Allunna had told me.
I turned away from it as Xavier put it away. "There has to be another way."
"You can try running," Allunna said, "but you won't get far. That's why I came now. You don't have much longer. Take the chance, or wait for the end."
"What should I do?" I asked everyone. I had never felt this much indecision in my life. I faced Xavier and Janine.
I couldn't make this decision alone.
Xavier shrugged. There was no color in his face. Janine's lip quivered.
"What's going on?" Liliana asked, blinking sleep out of her eyes as she stepped into the living room.
Allunna paid her no attention. "Time's running out. I've told you the way. The rest is up to you." She waved to Mack, who drew closer to her. "I'll be off now."
A motor sounded outside. The dread feeling exploded in my gut, and I ran to the curtain, parting it. Allunna stopped by the door and gave me the closest thing to a concerned look she must be able to give me.
I squinted in the painful light. The pain in my head surged back, but I forced myself to check out the street.
Allunna was right.
Five ATC vans pulled up in front of George's house, each with two agents inside. I scanned but didn't see Agent Sanders or Agent Ernest. These were all new people.
A single limo pulled up to the back of the line. It stopped. I didn't have to see through the tinted windows to know who was riding in the back.
The back door to the limo opened.
Thoreau stepped out, in full human glamour and his sunglasses. The other door opened and Gaozu stepped out of the car, also dressed in a black suit instead of his golden robe. His beard toppled down over the front of it, and he looked in my direction, expressionless. No one else emerged from the car. It was just the two of them, and if Allunna was right about the Dark Council, one might not be here out of his own free will.
"Um..." I managed, feeling like I was going to throw up.
Allunna had led them here, or she was right about Thoreau having a Blood Amulet.
And as if they had rehearsed all of this, the ATC agents poured out of the vans and rushed around the side of the house, surrounding us.
"It's the ATC, isn't it?" Allunna asked.
I nodded. My knees felt ready to go out. I had dealt with the ATC before. I had even shown one of their agents the truth about Thoreau.
I couldn't deal with Thoreau and his new backup. Xavier and I had barely survived our last encounter with the dragon emperor.
"Then we need to Transpose," Allunna demanded. "There are two War Mages here."
"There are seven of us," I said, calculating. Liliana tensed, and George looked around, trying to find an escape. George had been safe from the ATC before. If they found him with us, they'd throw him into the back of a van, and they'd figure out he was the werewolf who had saved us from the airport. Even Mack was in danger. He fit the description of the guy who had helped kidnap two ATC agents.
I smelled more sewage mixed with cologne.
And then, the horrific burning rubber smell that was Gaozu. Both stepped into the yard while the ATC agents poured out of their vans. I counted ten.
"I can only Transpose two people," Xavier said. "Liliana can't do that yet."
"Then we need another escape," Allunna said. "Thoreau will learn that I'm working against him. He will have no mercy."
Agents shouted to each other outside. Fan out. Cover me. I closed the curtain, but I heard five of them run to the backyard and two to each side of the house. I wondered why Thoreau hadn't brought out more for such a big task. He wanted us captured, right?
Or maybe he wanted fewer witnesses for whatever he planned on doing, and I had the feeling it had to do with the dragon emperor. Already, the wind kicked up. A bit of rain pattered against the house as the light outside dimmed. I had the feeling that Gaozu could control the weather.
"What do we do?" Janine asked.
"I don't know," I said, drawing my sword. The two Dark Council members reached the porch, walking calmly, and the stench was horrible. George gagged. Janine stuffed her nose in her shirt. She wasn't ready to fight yet.
But I said, "Grab whatever weapon you can."
We were in for it. I wasn't going to leave anybody besides Allunna and possibly Mack here.
Someone knocked on the door. I wondered what Thoreau had said to these agents and why they thought it was okay to let the mayor come up to the door, alone. I had the feeling these agents might all be Bound.
The air heated. Xavier was ready to use War Magic. A growl came from George's throat. Mack backed into the kitchen, useless. Xavier shoved Liliana into the kitchen after him.
Allunna tensed, claws ready. I hoped that she was wrong, that we could kill Thoreau and m
ake him stay dead, but it looked like she was more right every second. He had found us, after all.
Thoreau knocked again, and again. At last, someone turned the knob, and the lock snapped. It was unspoken that we were all going to attack as soon as he walked in.
He opened the door, and the combined stench became overwhelming.
Thoreau and Gaozu stood calmly in the doorway while I brandished my sword. I wanted to throw up just looking at the mayor. Gaozu wasn't as bad. At least he was thousands of years removed from me and might not be as evil as Thoreau wanted him to be. A part of me hoped that I didn't have to kill him. Dragons were a part of my heritage on my dad's side, after all.
Besides, Gaozu didn't look happy about being here.
But Thoreau sure did.
"Alyssa," he said with a smile. He glanced at Janine for a second and then back to me. "I believe you are fully ready to discover your Noble blood."
His words sent chills through me. I should attack, but I couldn't. Even George had frozen. The mayor took one bold step into the house and stopped, lowering his sunglasses to reveal those black eyes and the flames they contained. "Allunna," he said with surprise. The fire raged as the realization came over his face. He must know what she'd told us, because he lunged at her, hand open, growing black claws. He turned all his rage on Allunna and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pinning her against the wall. A low growl emerged from his throat as Allunna struggled. She was no match for Thoreau. She made a gagging sound and clawed at his suit sleeves, tearing the fabric, all while Gaozu just stood there and watched. Thoreau tightened his grasp, cutting off her air supply.
I needed her.
She knew how to get to the Blood Orb.
George growled. The air glowed with angry violet. I raised my sword and willed the Death Magic to come to me. It didn't fail. My blade glowed with faint green, and I drove it into Thoreau's back, impaling skin and ribs and flesh. Black blood spurted out along the blade, and Thoreau stopped, releasing Allunna.
At the same time, Xavier threw a War Magic charge. The air heated as I drew my sword back in a lightning fast motion. The magic hit. Thoreau fell to the floor, clutching the wound on the front of his chest and putting his hand in his pocket with the other. His black suit burned with magenta fire. Flesh sizzled. It was disgusting. A button clicked as he slumped and fell to the floor, his human glamour falling away to reveal red skin. His hand began to shrivel.
