by Holly Hook
Thoreau smiled like he expected me to say something like this. "Why would a demon head the ATC?" he asked. "I will tell you one thing. They are liars."
He reached out and snatched my glasses.
It had his desired effect. A sea of gasps rose from the audience. A few of the employees sitting in the front rose from their chairs. The tables had turned on me. I should have seen this coming.
I wanted to reach up and snatch Thoreau's glasses, but he turned away, anticipating the move. I wished I had my sword so I could stab him and force his glamour to melt away. We had only a few precious minutes left before the end. Janine looked at me like she wanted to say something, but one of the soldiers who held her arms tightened his grip. She grimaced in pain.
No one in this audience would believe me, but I had to try. "You had better run," I warned. "You're about to become part of the world's biggest sacrifice."
Nervous mutters rippled through the crowd.
"Now, now," Thoreau said. "Alyssa is harmless." He seized the chains that bound my wrists and pulled me forward. The two soldiers pushed me in the direction of the pool. I stumbled on the steps that led to the concrete. "I will show all of you what I have saved you from."
I thrashed against my captors, but it was no use. Another soldier stood at the base of the podium, holding my sword like a trophy. We walked down an aisle between all the chairs. Water Adventure employees stood and got out of the way as Thoreau led me closer to the pool. No wind blew. The full moon remained still, almost directly overhead.
Thoreau drew a knife from his pocket. It was the same dagger he had shown me before, the one with demon faces carved on a bone handle. He had Bound thousands with that blade.
A few more people gasped and backed away from the pool. The idea was spreading that something wasn't right here, but it wasn't moving fast enough. I fixed the partygoers in my glare, one that I hoped struck terror in them.
"What are you doing?" a woman asked.
"This is creepy. I'm leaving."
"Come on, Annie."
Some in the crowd shuffled away, but the mayor didn't look swayed. Some remained still, transfixed by what was happening.
A scream followed.
Thoreau chuckled and glanced at me. "The people of Cumberland are getting an unpleasant surprise. Isn't it amusing?"
More screams rang out. I saw why.
Soldiers emerged from the darkness, a ring of about a hundred of them. These imps hadn't bothered with glamour. They stood, black-eyed and bald and horned, holding guns in their red and scaly hands. A few incubi and succubi stood among them. I spotted a few disgusting banshees mixed in as well.
The darkness behind the army moved like a black wall.
Shadow Wraiths had come to the party, too.
They all surrounded the audience, trapping them.
Sheer panic filled the air and people backed away from Thoreau and me, only to back towards the imps, only to scream again and back towards the pool. Dozens fell into the water, splashing. Others joined them. It was like watching lemmings fall off a cliff. None of the imps opened fire. They didn't have to. They were here to get the victims into position.
The sacrifice.
There would be a lot of death here tonight.
I pulled against my captors, willing my chains to melt, but they held tight. I closed my eyes and reached for Xavier's power, but his imprisonment stopped it from reaching me. We were both in chains and unable to help each other. Infernal Iron was worse than I thought.
"Welcome to the future!" Thoreau shouted. His voice deepened and rang across the pool, booming over the annoying screams.
He grabbed onto my arm. I knew what was coming.
He needed my blood to start the merger. I opened my eyes to see that he had removed his sunglasses. The mayor brought his foot down on them. The days of needing them had ended. The fire in his eyes blazed with the victory. He held up the dagger with one hand and pulled my palm over the pool with the other.
I kicked and hit his leg. He staggered and locked me in his glare. I wouldn't let him ruin me.
"Alyssa," he said. "We've won."
"We?" I asked.
Behind him, a golden dragon rose into the air, flapping his wings. More screams rang out as the emperor growled and swooped over his water slide. A food stall toppled as panicked patrons bolted all over the place. The demon soldiers and the Shadow Wraiths approached the tape. A shot fired. More terror exploded. Chairs fell over, and people tripped, trampling each other. A police officer blew a whistle, helpless.
Thoreau pulled me closer. "You are one of us," he growled. "Take the place meant for you."
His words both disgusted and intrigued me.
I couldn't give up. Xavier said I was good. A chasm of anger and darkness filled me, but his words remained a pinprick of light. I was supposed to care about these people.
The mayor pulled me closer to the pool again. No one came near us. He grasped my wrist so tight that it lost feeling. The dagger caressed my palm.
The pool was so full of thrashing, terrified Normals--people who hated me. With one cut, they would burn.
A guy looked right at me and swam away. He was about Xavier's age.
"No!" I shouted, pulling, but it was too late.
Thoreau slashed the dagger across my palm.
It seemed to happen in slow motion. My blood dripped, black and oily. The first drops struck the water and spread like ink. A young woman eyed it and scrambled for the edge of the pool. The darkness from within me grew larger as people screamed and fanned out, pushing against each other to get away from it. Some didn't make it. I watched as the blackness wrapped around a few young men. They sank underneath it as if something had pulled them in.
The portal was opening.
Taking sacrifices.
Sending people to the Infernal.
Thoreau chuckled. He loosened his grip on my wrist, and I wrenched it away in disgust. It was too late now. No Normal would survive this, no Normal who wasn't Bound, anyway. The darkness spread out faster and faster as if fueled by the terror. People tried to push through the demon soldiers in desperation, but it was no use. A few more shots rang out, and some victims fell to get trampled by the crowd. Shadow Wraiths floated closer, filling the spaces between the troops. A few unlucky folks ran into them, only to stagger away and collapse in despair.
Xavier once had Shadow Sickness, and now these people had it, too.
The last of the patrons scrambled out of the pool.
Darkness filled it. The substance inside was no longer water, but a black mirror that reflected the moon above. No Infernal Dimension appeared yet, but it would take only time and a few sacrifices.
"Yes!" Thoreau shouted. His glamour began to fall away. His skin reddened. Black wings tore from the back of his suit. More screams followed.
Rage filled me at the sight of him so happy. I growled and elbowed the soldier who held onto me. He dropped his gun, and I stepped on it before he could retrieve it. His partner had gone to help corral the sacrifices. I stared at him so hard that he backed away.
Out of the corner of my eye, the Infernal Dimension formed in the portal.
Fiery lakes seethed, and red skies stretched out. Thoreau's castle rose in the distance. More screams erupted as Shadow Wraiths and demon soldiers drew closer, forcing the crowd to back against the former pool. A few more people fell in, not making so much as a splash. With each victim, a fiery ripple spread across the portal surface.
"More!" Thoreau commanded, now in full demon form. "Push them in! We need more!"
The imp soldiers from the stage followed the mayor's commands. They ran to help their comrades. The ritual wasn't complete yet. The mayor hadn't cast enough people into the pit.
Xavier's anguish washed over me. He must know what was happening.
I had to do something, even if it was just for myself.
The soldier I had elbowed had run off to help with the sacrifice. A woman tripped over a fallen ch
air. Janine bolted towards me, struggling against her chains. She held something in one hand.
My sword.
"Alyssa!" she shouted.
Janine had fangs. It was complete.
She threw my sword with incredible grace.
I caught my weapon. The dragon growled again, scaring people back, and I thought of my inner dragon fire and Gaozu's nod. Bathory said that demon fire was useless against Infernal Iron.
But dragon fire--
I wasn't sure what made me do it, but I slashed at my ankle chains. My blade struck, and Gaozu's flame spread through them, forming veins that sizzled and weakened the metal. The chains fell away, turning to dust. A sense of freedom washed over me, and I took my sword in my right hand and sawed at my wrist chains, hitting myself in the chest. Janine yelled something at George. He growled and ran closer, making more people run out of the way.
More people fell into the Infernal.
The last of my chains burned and fell away.
I wondered if the dragon emperor was helping me.
I slashed Janine's binds away, and George waddled up to me, unguarded and forgotten. His eyes had turned yellow, and his flesh rippled, struggling to change. He didn't need words to tell me what to do. I slashed at his silver chains, which burned and fell away as well.
"More!" Thoreau shouted. "Don't let them get away!"
A whistle blew somewhere. Men shouted commands. The sounds of motors joined the fray as the last chains dropped off George. He fell to all fours. Bones popped as he shifted and grew. He was ready to fight.
"The ATC!" Janine shouted as Liliana ran up to me, holding up her chains.
I slashed my sword across Liliana's binds. I followed Janine's gaze. The crowd around us had cleared due to George. A few more people fell into the Infernal, creating fiery ripples. The mayor had his back turned to us, wings spread, eyeing the pool and waiting for the worst. The worlds remained separate. The sacrifice count hadn't gone high enough yet.
The news reporter fell in, pushed by the crowd. He still held his camera. Both vanished into the Infernal. A fiery ripple raced across the surface as if it were making a burp.
I held down a laugh.
The ATC had arrived.
About four dozen black vans rushed to park on the grounds just beyond the ring of demon soldiers and Shadow Wraiths. Hundreds of armored agents poured out, shouting and pulling riot shields in front of them. They aimed guns and tasers at the ring of evil. Smoke grenades flew. Fumes rose between them and Thoreau's troops, who turned to face the newcomers.
"Hurry!" Thoreau shouted. "The sacrifices!"
The ATC had believed me.
They had answered their biggest call in history.
Some of the demon troops returned to the job at hand. Shots rang out from the ATC. Sparks lit the air, illuminating some of the Shadow Wraiths. Many of them crumpled, melting into the ground. An opening formed in the ring, which people took. A stream of panicked souls bolted through it and deeper into the park, screaming.
Others didn't make it. The imps renewed their charge on the partygoers, pushing more of them into the portal.
The ground trembled.
The merger had almost arrived.
I lifted my sword and charged Thoreau, who stood at the edge, arms spread.
Time seemed to slow.
A column of raging fire shot from the center of the portal as the ground shook and the concrete around it began to crack. People fell. Veins of reddish black stone spread through it. The column of fire touched the sky.
The merger had begun.
Chapter Twenty-One
I raised my sword and let out a war cry.
Thoreau turned as I brought my blade down.
He dodged, and I swung through the air. A reddish vein of Infernal stone spread from the portal like a disease, reaching me. My hand turned red, and my fingernails morphed into black claws. The Infernal had arrived. My glamour was fading.
"Alyssa!" The mayor seized my arm. "It is done. We have enough sacrifices. Now, watch as I destroy your last hope."
He flicked his fiery gaze to the ATC. Hundreds of agents fanned out, shouting and guns ready. Flames erupted around them, forming another ring around us. Even from here, I heard pained screams as agents hit the ground, rolling and putting out the flames.
I sliced into the mayor's side.
He loosened his grasp, and I backed away. Thoreau held his wound. The green glow of Death flickered to life in his eyes. But he held on, taking a step towards me. The reddish stone spread further from the pool, and the weight returned to my back as my wings ripped out of my shirt. A zap ran over my face. My glamour had abandoned me. Behind the mayor, the fiery column surged to the sky above, which reddened and blocked out the moon.
The worlds were coming together.
Inside the portal, Thoreau's full army marched towards us. I could see them now.
The bridge had come into view. The army marched from the castle, Marissa in the lead. Imps in army fatigues followed. Behind them came hordes of Bound Mages, werewolves, pixies, vampires, and even some ATC agents in black uniforms. All except for the wolves held guns. They marched in square formations across the fiery moat. The first wave would come through in minutes.
They numbered in the thousands. My father was with them.
"Alyssa!" Janine took my arm while Thoreau put his hand on his wound. "There's still hope. You can shut this down!"
"Silence!" Thoreau shouted at her, still grasping his injury.
Fire exploded around Janine.
She screamed and thrashed.
I almost turned away.
But she had information. Xavier must have told her what he'd figured out.
A dark, hulking form bounded past me and leaped at Thoreau. George. The two of them collided and went down next to the pool. The werewolf went for the mayor's throat, slobbering, as the flames around Janine died. Blisters covered her skin, and she hugged herself, seething in pain. I wanted to join George in murdering Thoreau, but we didn't have time for that.
"We have to get to Xavier!" Liliana shouted. "The Orb is still there. We have to break it and turn you back."
The crowd had cleared. The ring of Shadow Wraiths and demons had thinned, but the Infernal had spread further, reaching the park beyond the center and turning it to reddish stone. One of the water slides had become a lava slide. A tree caught fire. People screamed and scattered through the Water Adventure.
I glanced at my red hands and my black claws.
Could I turn back?
If I did that, I would wreck the Dark Pentagram.
George and Thoreau continued to wrestle. The werewolf had bought us time. He would probably die from this, but we had the chance to go.
"Come on!" I shouted, sword raised. Already, Janine's blisters were closing. Liliana stood with War Magic flaring around her hands. The three of us were ready to fight.
The way had cleared. Some people had escaped. Shots continued to fire. Shadow Wraiths crumpled. I stepped over one melting into the red stone. Behind us, George growled as a fire broke out. Thoreau was burning him.
Time was short, then.
Liliana threw a charge at a nearby imp, whose pants ignited in purple fire. She dropped her weapon, only to fall to an ATC taser. I searched for an opening in the crowd and found one. The fire ring had died. ATC agents held up shields against imps and gunshots. The God of War slide towered overhead, complete with its statue and his purple blade.
I held onto Janine's arm. I needed her.
An ATC agent faced me and raised her weapon.
Liliana struck her with a War Magic charge. She struggled to keep up with Janine and I. We ran, leaving her behind. The Infernal raced outward with us, both above and below, turning the ground to reddish stone. I felt as if I were leading the march.
"It's over there!" Janine shouted, pointing to the God of War water slide.
We crawled back under the structure. Two women hid underneath here, and they bot
h screamed as I invaded their hiding place. I ignored them. If they were too stupid to leave the park, they would die. Then again, what good what it do? The Infernal would spread through the entire world.
Unless what Janine said was true.
The two of us pulled open the door to Xavier's chamber. In the dark, I could see the magenta glow. It thrummed with energy.
I scrambled down. The soldiers had left Xavier.
Thoreau would be behind us.
"Go!" Liliana shouted. She closed the door above us as another scream rang out.
"Xavier!" I shouted. I needed to see him. I left Janine and Liliana behind. It didn't matter if they survived. I kept my sword raised. Gaozu's power could sever his chains, but if I wanted hope of stopping this, I had to suppress this demon that had taken me over.
But how?
Janine and Liliana ran down behind me. I reached the bottom of the chamber, which remained empty except for Xavier, who faced the floor. The Blood Orb sat there, not far from his feet. Thoreau hadn't counted on the ATC showing up and allowing us to get here.
The chains still glowed with magic that now betrayed him.
"Xavier!" I shouted.
He looked up with those intense violet eyes.
His immortal eyes.
"Alyssa," he managed, trembling. The glow remained around Xavier.
"Watch out!" I shouted, charging and raising my sword.
Xavier closed his eyes. I thought of Gaozu's dragon form, now swooping over his section of the park, and I felt a surge of his power rush through me. I swung my weapon down on Xavier's chains and watched as the dragon fire melted through them, turning them into ash. Xavier pulled his arms from his binds. There was no time for questions.
Xavier shook his arms, free. The glow around him faded, but his irises remained pure violet, and the heat in the room stayed. "We need to break that on the surface," he said, nodding at the Blood Orb. "At the right time."
I got his drift.
He reached out.
I sheathed my sword and took his hand, tucking the Blood Orb under my other arm. A flash of the old Alyssa returned, the one who cared about her friends. "On the surface," I agreed.
The four of us rushed back up the stairs. I had to let go of Xavier, but his touch had been enough to make me feel some concern for Janine and Liliana. We were in this together.
