by MJ Caan
I felt Cody tug at my elbow. I had been lost in my thoughts and had not noticed where we were going. I looked up, and saw that my spell was slithering toward a larger opening that seemed to have a weird, flickering pink glow coming from it. At the same time I saw it, I felt it. It was the same itchy feeling I had gotten in Hope’s house when that one member of the Order of the Fell had worked his magic on me. The stench of black magic was suddenly everywhere, and I had to steady myself against the assault of my senses. I stretched out a hand and reabsorbed the magic that created the tracker. Wouldn’t be needing that anymore.
Cody stepped up next to me, and together we walked slowly toward the opening. I called up a blast of magic and held it at the ready in my hand. I looked over at Cody and he nodded in response, and willing a bit of the Shift to come over him. His eyes glowed yellow and I could see his teeth elongating into fangs. His nails had extended into razor-sharp claws which he held at the ready. That was as much as he allowed himself to Shift, and together we walked into the space.
27
The first thing I noticed inside the cavern was that the pinkish glow seemed to be emanating from various points along the floor and the walls of the space. The rock that made up the surfaces around us was smooth and well-worn. Rather than dark slate, it was a lighter sandstone color. At various points along the stone there appeared to be tiny cracks, allowing the pink-white light to pulse through in irregular-cadence beats.
I could feel Cody’s body go stiff at my side. I glanced over at him and could see that his frame was rigid and tense as his eyes darted to and fro, looking for something that seemed to be hiding just outside the periphery of my vision.
“What is it?” I said. I was hoping it wasn’t a supernatural threat; surely I would’ve been able to sense that as well?
“I’m not sure,” he replied. “I feel… something familiar here. I know this place.”
“Well you did say you used to bring girls up here,” I said.
“No, I said some people brought girls here.” His tone was more serious than I liked; it reflected the gravity of the situation. “I’ve never been this deep into the caverns. I have never seen this part of the caves. But still…”
He walked to the rear of the cave. There, he squatted down and placed one hand on the floor, his head cocked to one side, eyes closed. He stood up and looked over at me, and even without my magic I would’ve sensed the waves of sadness that suddenly rolled off of him.
“This is where it happened,” he said softly.
I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “Where what happened?”
“Where I was born,” he said. He paced around slowly, reading the space in a way that I couldn’t. “Yes. It’s not like I remember being here per se, but the smells, the feel, the taste in the air; all of it tells me this is where my life started. Mine and many others’. And…” He stared at one spot, tilting his head and sniffing at the air. “This is where they killed my birth mother. Yes, this is where so much started.”
Something about the pain in his voice triggered something in me, something that tugged at my magic. I concentrated and whispered a spell of revelation and willed my eyes to see the truth. Instantly, everything around me changed. The cave lit up with a new source of light that only I could perceive. Everything gave off a glow, and the spidery lines that had previously been luminescent now stood out as bleeding black lines. It looked like an ebony ichor that crept across the surfaces all around me. It was invasive and dangerous, and I could feel the stone around me crying out for help.
“What is it?” Cody asked.
“There’s so much power in the space,” I said, “and pain. Not just your pain, but the entire bedrock here is hurting. I can see the ley stones and the ley lines intersecting all around us, and these pulsing cracks that are giving off the light are choking off the natural flow of magic all around us. These cracks are like an infection spreading through everything.”
Maybe it was the combination of Cody’s enhanced senses and my spell of revelation, but something made both of us turn and face a corner of the cave at the same time. It was the one area of the cave without any light at all, but we both knew something was there. A shadow moved within the shadows and seemed to detach itself, taking on a ghostly form that was all too familiar.
It was the shade my aunts had summoned in their study.
“Oh my,” breathed the shade in its raspy tones, “now this is interesting. I put out a call, yet I had no idea it would be you that would respond.”
I stared hard at the dark shape, but even the spell of revelation couldn’t help me see anything in or around the spirit. He might as well have been invisible to me. I glanced at Cody and he only shook his head, reading my mind. Even his enhanced vision couldn’t make out the form within the darkness.
“I may be trapped here,” the spirit said, “but this is still my little piece of the world. You will not be able to compel me or divine anything from me that I don’t want you to know in this space.”
“What do you mean, you ‘put out a call’?” I asked. Despite the chill running down my back, I found my courage, and in the immortal words of William Shakespeare, I screwed it to the sticking place. Since it wasn’t doing me any good, I dropped the spell of revelation and drew on my more active magic, channeling it into my hands in preparation for an offensive attack. I had no idea what kind of magic worked against a ghost, but I was ready to find out.
“The infection that is ravaging your friend,” said the warlock, “was caused by the forbidding that was created to keep me locked away in this place. It dammed the flow of magic in order to lock me in place. And now, it has seeped into the very wellspring of mystical energies and poisons the very ley lines you draw your power from.”
“You’re lying!” I shouted. “My mother created that spell, and she would never do anything to harm nature!” Instantly I regretted what I said. Though we were deep enough into the cavernous system that no wind could flow, I suddenly felt a foul breeze swell up around us.
“I knew it,” cackled the warlock. “When I heard your voice, felt the magic that it carried, I knew you were the direct descendent of her—the one who imprisoned me here and robbed me of what was rightfully mine.”
Every instinct I had told me to run. But we had come too far, and I was determined to see this through. I had come here intent on finding a cure for Cody, and I wasn’t leaving without one.
“My mother imprisoned you because you are a murdering leech who lived off of the stolen magic of witches,” I said.
“Is that what they told you?” the spirit said. A long, dry, raspy laugh followed his words. He let the laughter die in the air, which had suddenly grown still around us, before he spoke again. “Why don’t you ask your mother the truth? She’s here with me, you know.”
And that was all I needed to hear. I completely lost it.
“You lie!” I screamed. The magic I had called up erupted from my hands in a bright blue, searing blunt force. The energy waves struck the shadow with a thunderous crack. I felt Cody’s arms wrap around me and could barely make out the words he was shouting in my ear.
“Allie, stop it!” he was saying. “Get a grip on yourself! This isn’t helping anything.”
Reluctantly, I reeled in my magic. I already regretted my outburst; I felt spent and my head was starting to hurt.
“Well, I would say that tickled,” said the spirit, “but in all honesty I didn’t feel a thing. But I do thank you for bringing my pet to me.” I sensed a break in his diatribe, and I could tell he was shifting about, floating from place to place in the confined space. “What’s wrong with him? What have you done to my pet?”
“I haven’t done anything,” I said. “He was injured in a fight with one of your Order of the Fell bitches.”
“Oh yes, I can feel it,” he said. “He’s been cut by the Black Blade. Nasty stuff. I’m surprised he’s still alive.”
“What’s the cure?” I said. I could feel
my anger starting to build again, and it was all I could do to keep it under control.
“Well I certainly don’t have it,” said the warlock. “There’s a vet in town that specializes in the unique physiology of werewolves. She has a way to stop the spread of the poison through his system.”
I stepped forward, hands clenched in anger. He was playing with us, and he knew that we knew it. “Dr. Garner is dead. So that’s not an option.”
There was a rumble in the darkness as I sensed the warlock weighing my words.
“Well then, my dear,” he said, “the two of you are fucked. And not in the good way.” If the shade had had features, I was certain he would have been grinning ear to ear at us. “While I don’t want to see any of my pets suffer, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do. The same magic that infects the ley is the same magic that now courses through his veins.”
Again, the spirit paused. I knew there was more he wanted to say, but he was correct about this space: I could not compel him to do anything against his will. However, he had told me quite a bit, whether he meant to or not. I still wasn’t sure I understood everything about magic. I assumed that like most forms of energy, it followed very specific laws. For every spell that was cast and created an action, there had to be an equal and opposite reaction; for every spell, there was a counter-spell. So it stood to reason that there was still hope for Cody, and I was going to find it.
“There’s only one way to stop the poison spreading through his body,” said the spirit. I swallowed hard as I considered that maybe this warlock could read my mind. Either that, or he was one hell of a guesser. “The dark magic that is killing him is only possible because of the spell that created the forbidding. Shifting is a natural occurrence in the world, and to block it off requires a twisting of nature. Kind of like the twisting that is infecting the mystic energies you see around you.”
I stared hard at the dark shape moving around in front of us. Even without being able to compel him, I could sense that he was telling us the truth—or at least some version of the truth.
“It’s pretty simple,” said the warlock. “Break the spell that keeps the forbidding in place, and you break the dark magic that is flowing through his veins. Do nothing, and he dies. The forbidding is already crumbling, just not fast enough to save your lover. Eventually, I will get out of here. It’s just a matter of whether you want that to happen now so that he lives, or later, after he’s dead. Your choice.”
“Allie, no,” said Cody. “This is not something you should even consider. How do you know that even attempting this won’t kill you? I’m not… I’m not worth the risk.”
I walked over to Cody and took his hand in mine. He’d shifted back to his fully human form, and I could sense the weakness that was once again surging through his system. I reached up, placing one hand behind his neck, and pulled his face down to mine. The kiss was long, and flooded my body with new strength and determination.
“You’re wrong,” I said. “I would risk anything for you.” And before he could argue, I placed my hand on his chest and willed a bolt of magic to flow forward, pinning him against the cave wall. “I’m sorry. I can’t risk you trying to stop me.” My hand went to my right hip as I grasped the hilt of the knife I had slipped into my belt. With a tug, I freed the blade; I had retrieved it from Dr. Garner’s house just before setting it ablaze. It had belonged to the female assassin, and I could still feel the dark magic she had whispered onto it that infected Cody.
I spun to face the cave opening, and once again dialed up enough magic to see the ley lines coursing through the stone. There seemed to be a central spot five feet to the right of the floating spirit. I was both drawn to and repulsed by the energy coming out of the ground. Every instinct I had told me this was ground zero. I knelt down and raised the knife overhead, holding the hilt in both hands.
“Allie, no!” screamed Cody. He Shifted again, this time into his full lupine form, hoping that his strength would overcome the mystic ties with which I had bound him. I couldn’t afford to split my concentration to give more energy to the straining chains, so I had to make this quick.
With every bit of strength I could muster, I stabbed the blade downward into the rock between my knees. I had expected the blade to shatter on impact, but instead it felt like the time I had helped Hope slash her cheating boyfriend’s tires. The rubber was resistant, but it eventually gave way to the blade as we found the sidewall.
I hoped that that was where I had stabbed: the vulnerable, dark magic sidewall of the ley stone.
As soon as I felt the blade punch through the rock, I poured my own magic into it, charging it to a degree I had never known possible. The black energy of the knife was burned away, replaced by a blinding white light. The normal blue hue of my magic was bleached away by the amount of raw power I poured into the blade.
I felt the entire cave floor rise up and shake violently beneath us. A column of white light shot upward from the blade, striking the ceiling some sixty feet above us. Again, the cave rumbled. It sounded like a freight train was tunneling through the rock toward us. I sensed Cody break free just as the column of light exploded in a million daggers of mystic energy that radiated outward in all directions.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Cody Shift again into his hybrid form. One muscular arm closed around my waist and scooped me up as he bounded away from the knife toward the far side of the cavern. Just as he landed, one final explosion rocked the cave, sending a percussive shockwave spiraling outward, penetrating the rock walls in all directions.
And then, just like that, it was quiet and dark once again. But that was just it: it was dark. There was no pink glow, no flickering lines racing across the floor or the walls. Just a blackness that was so inky I was sure I could reach out and touch it.
I held up my hand and generated a glowing ball of light that allowed us to see in all directions. I was looking for the spirit of the warlock, but it was nowhere to be seen. Just then a breeze picked up in the cave. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I could hear a slight warning growl beginning to emanate from Cody’s chest.
“Uh oh,” whispered the voice of the warlock, seemingly from all directions. “Something wicked this way comes.”
Before Cody or I could say anything, we were both blasted backward by a hot burst of wind. We watched as the wind swirled and began to take visible shape. Another spirit materialized in front of us. This one was tall and menacing, but with no true shape or mass. At the top, two piercing emerald eyes formed, glaring at us with an intensity that shook me to my core.
“Allie, what have you done?” the spirit breathed.
All feeling left my body as the words ripped into me.
“Mother?”
28
“You let him out, Allie,” said my mother. “What were you thinking?”
I was in shock and completely unprepared to speak. Try as I might, I couldn’t make out her form or features; she was just an amorphous floating blob in front of me with piercing emerald eyes—my mother’s eyes.
“Mother?” I stammered. “Is this really you? I don’t understand. How are you here?”
“I’ve always been here,” she responded. “This was a decision I made that night so many years ago. When I created the forbidding I knew that eventually he would get free. That’s why I’ve stayed here for so long, continually reinforcing the magic that keeps the forbidding in place. But I am weakening, and cracks between the two worlds have started to appear.”
“Mother, are you… are you alive?”
“No, my dear, not in the way you mean. My physical body has died and turned to dust, returning to the bedrock that is the source of all of our magic. I did this because I didn’t want you to ever have to go through what I went through. You deserve more.”
“What can I do to get you out of here?” I asked quickly. My mind was racing and I was running through spell after spell in my memory, trying to latch onto one that could restore a spirit
to the world of the living.
“No, there is nothing you can do,” she said. “With the forbidding destroyed, you have freed me to move on. I cannot maintain this state much longer.”
I could feel my eyes burning at the thought. “There has to be a way. You’ve been gone so long and I’m just now finding you again. You can’t just leave me all over again.”
“Allie, you have no idea how much I would love for that to happen. I miss you and your brother more than anything in this world. But I can’t stay on this plane now. You should not have come here, and you should not have broken the forbidding.”
I was choking up now, and didn’t even bother to stop the flow of tears that began to scream down my face. “I didn’t know what to do. He was dying and I couldn’t let that happen.”
For the first time, my mother seemed to realize that there was another person in the cave with us. She focused her ethereal gaze on Cody before looking back at me.
“Allie! That’s a werewolf!” The air around her spirit form began to crackle and heave. I could feel the heat begin to roll off of her in waves. I quickly placed myself between her and Cody, praying that she would listen.
“Mother, no. He would have died!” I screamed.
“He should die, Allie! That creature will herald the beginning of the end if you let it live. With the forbidding down, it’s only a matter of time before the warlock figures out how to bring the rest of his kin back into the world.”
“It’s already happening,” I said. “They’ve already had success creating the wolves. But Cody’s not one of them.”
“He absolutely is,” she said. “It’s just a matter of time before he recognizes his master’s touch and goes crawling to him. You have made a powerful enemy in that warlock, Allie. If you have the power to bring down the forbidding, then you’ve attracted their attention. Even now, the warlock has gone slinking back to his master, Mallis.”
