In Mage We Trust (Of Mystics and Mayhem Book 1)
Page 12
“I’m not so sure he did. From what Niki's told me, the Realm won’t let him do anything. And if he tries to use magic, the Shadows will suck it out of him.” I ignored my parents’ grimaces. The queasy sensation in my own stomach joined forces with their unrelenting expressions. They weren’t going to let me go.
Mom sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry, honey. We can’t. Max’s assistant may have fired the killing shot, but Max controlled him to get to you. I’m not going to simply hand you over to him now.”
I clenched my teeth shut to keep from speaking. If I did, I would say something I’d later regret. Even though I silently screamed every obscenity I’d ever heard, I mustered all the strength inside me to keep my face blank as I left the room.
Before I’d even taken two steps away from the closed door, Niki’s deep voice rippled through my mind. Wait in your room. I’ll return as soon as we’re through.
I didn’t answer him because if I did, he would see my determination to do the very thing I’d been told not to do. Besides, I wasn’t about to just sit back and let him talk to me like a small child.
Go to my room, indeed. Nobody’s stopping me.
Something, maybe intuition, told me I needed to do this by myself. Whether I liked it or not, Max was my grandfather, and I was quickly coming to the conclusion sending him to the Pits of Despair had been wrong.
No one had been able to prove he’d murdered anyone, except my mother. And his apprentice had been the one who fired the demon flame and killed her mortal soul. None of this added up.
Was he evil? I had no clue. I’d replayed our conversation over and over, hearing the off tunes from his metal, along with feelings of sadness and confusion. He’d been even more confused when my mom appeared. I hadn’t understood it then, but now my mind spun with possibilities.
There was only one way to get any answers to my questions. I needed to ask the source.
I ran to my room and grabbed my rod and sword, stuffing them into a bag I’d found lying in the closet. I glanced around one last time and closed the door, hurrying toward the bathroom. I ran my finger along the intricate, dark purple tribal tattoo adorning the skin of my neck where Al now slept. I wasn’t quite sure how he’d done it; magic more than likely, but the imp had actually become the tattoo. I’d always wanted one—a tattoo, not an imp—but the extreme pain had been too much of a deterrent.
Staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I willed him to wake up. Running out of patience, I poked the tattooed medallion resting in the hollow of my neck, wishing he’d come with instructions. The little fart still didn’t move. “Al,” I whispered with a hiss. “Wake up. I need you.”
I choked down the bark of laughter rolling up my throat when Al’s two very round eyes popped open in the middle of my neck. I can’t say I enjoyed the ripping sensation as he pulled away from my skin. It felt too much like a Band-Aid being jerked off, taking hair and the scab with it. Really, how could a wound heal when the top was always being torn off?
Still better than getting a tattoo.
A tugging rooted around deep in my brain, sort of like the beginnings of a headache, yet not. So weird. I met Al’s hard gaze as he floated in front of me at eye level.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I do need your help. I promise you can go right back to sleep when we get there.”
The pressure in my head eased into a steady buzzing, sounding almost like a word. I concentrated even harder, hearing it again.
Waaa.
“You almost got it, little man. One more time.” I found myself moving my lips as the imp repeated the sound several more times. I let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry. I know you’re trying super hard to talk. I’m not sure what you’re saying.” He started bouncing up and down in my face like a bright purple, bouncy ball. “Al, stop.”
Al slammed to an abrupt halt. No warning sounded this time, only a loud, Whaaat.
I grabbed my head and squeezed my eyes shut as the scream split my head in two. “Ow. Well, you definitely have that word down. Now, we need to work on your volume.” I opened my eyes and grimaced to realize the noise now cleaving my head was Al, laughing. It was sooo creepy.
Then it hit me. My imp had said ‘what.’ He asked me what I wanted.
“Way to go, Al.” I smiled. “Dad’s right. You are smart.” I tickled what I hoped was his chin. “Here’s the thing. I need to get to the Pits of Despair to talk to . . . well, my grandfather. Can you take me there?”
His body bobbed up and down. Yesss.
“Two words now. You do learn fast. Okay, so what do I do?” He zoomed at my face and I flinched, not quite sure what he was doing. When his weight settled on my shoulder, I relaxed. Until he grabbed my ear with his teeth. Surprisingly enough, they didn’t hurt, but his rough, leathery skin tickled.
The room swirled like some weird psychedelic painting, and queasiness built in my stomach; the kind of feeling one got after riding a tilt-a-whirl. When I forced my eyes closed, the rotating feeling worsened, so I opened them again.
My ear stung, and the spinning slowed to a gradual stop. I wasn’t sure if we floated, apparated, or did something else because my feet never left the ground. At least I didn’t think they had. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
A tingling sensation wound around my neck as Al once again wrapped himself back into his choker sleep mode. A momentary pang of jitters skittered through me as my goosebumps did a new version of the wave.
Taking off at a brisk walk, I dismissed my trepidation.
Niki and Malachi, not to mention my parents, were going to kill me for this.
~ ~ ~
Gerard
I walked down the hall, a tray of wine and fruit in my hands. I almost made it to the bedroom where Sabine waited for me, but stopped several feet before reaching the door. Turning on my heels, I started to go back to the kitchen and stopped again, staring at the floor.
“She’s going to kill me,” I muttered. “I promised I wouldn’t make big decisions without her.” I knew I would have to confess; I just didn’t want to. “She’s definitely going to kill me.” In a slow death march, I walked back to my waiting wife.
Standing in front of the door with my hand on the knob, I gave myself a last-minute pep talk. “I’m a demon mage, for gods’ sakes. What am I worried about?”
Stepping through the door, I set the tray on the dressing table, and faced my wife, who stared back with a narrowed gaze. “I’m doomed.”
“Yes, my dear. You are.” Sabine sat up slowly. Her very sexy and extremely see-through negligee dropped off her shoulder, resting against the gentle slope of her breast.
My breath caught in my throat. “You are so beautiful.”
She chuckled. “Good recovery.” Her pink-tipped fingernails caressed the thick brocade bedcover several times. She patted the empty spot beside her. “Come, sit down and tell me what’s bothering you so much since you’d rather pace the hall than be with me.”
With a loud sigh I sat next to her and willed my tense muscles to relax.
“Well?” her whisper skittered across the back of my neck, making the skin there pebble in anticipation. At the soft touch of her lips, feathering across the already stimulated area, my taut nerves screamed out in elation.
I shoved the coverlet and pillows behind me and leaned back, pulling Sabine with me. Tucking her close, I didn’t want to let her go. Not even for one second. Absently, I ran my fingers through her silky hair, the repetitious motion calming.
“You realize this isn’t the activity I had in mind?” Sabine mused.
“Hmm? Oh, well . . . I know. This, I think, is just as nice.”
“My libido begs to differ.” She turned on her side and rested her chin on my chest. “My big, strong mage—what’s laid you so low?”
&n
bsp; “You. Johnna.” I took several deep breaths, her head raising and lowering with each internal forage for strength. “I’m so proud of her. Our little girl. She could have died.”
“She’s strong, Gerard. Stronger than you give her credit for. She’s the best of us both, and we wouldn’t have let anything happen to her.” She ran her fingernail along my chin, scraping the day’s stubble. “Tell me what’s really bothering you.”
I met my wife’s knowing gaze. “I let them stay together last night. After you went to bed.”
Sabine sat up, her soft expression replaced by a stony mask. “You did what?”
“She’s an adult, Sabine.”
“She’s only twenty-three.” Sabine punched my chest and rolled to the floor, pacing back and forth beside the bed, muttering. “In this world, she’s only a child.”
“Now who’s pacing?”
“Oh, shut up.” She didn’t miss a stride on her next turn, grabbing a glass of wine. As she passed by the table again, she snatched up a handful of grapes.
“Sabine, I trust Niki. He won’t do anything to hurt her.”
She stopped and stared at me, her eyes wide and panicked. “I know he won’t hurt her. I’m more terrified he’ll get her pregnant. A baby is the last thing we need to deal with.”
“I don’t think their relationship has made it to the sex stage yet. Besides,” I added smugly, “Niki won’t be able to forget you’re an Erinys, my dear. My tiny memory spell will make sure of it.”
Her answering smile was slow and sensual. The unclenching of my internal organs allowed me to exhale the anxiety I’d been holding.
I do believe I’ve been forgiven.
“Devious—and sexy. Don’t think you’re getting off so easily. You should have discussed it with me first.”
“Damn.” I held out my hand and waited for her to take it. When she finally did, I drew her gently down to the mattress. My kiss lingered softly, a prelude to the full night I had planned.
A crimson glowing light filled the room. As it grew, a scratchy chuckle brought us back into sitting positions, and I pushed my wife behind me. The face glaring at us from the dressing table mirror definitely was not a welcome sight. Giselle’s frizzy, red hair and bright blue eyeshadow hurt my own eyes. She couldn’t have pulled the look off even when it had been popular.
I shuddered and sent a silent warning to my wife. Don’t say anything. Yet I knew better than to trust Sabine would follow my instructions, and began weaving a protection spell around us, hoping to keep the queen engaged long enough to complete as many layers as I could against her caustic magic.
I tipped my head. “My Queen.”
“Be quiet, Mage. I don’t like you—you don’t like me.” She glared at Sabine. “And I abhor you, little Erinys. You have caused me too many problems.”
Gerard, what is she talking about? I’ve never met her before.
Not sure. Let’s see what else she says and maybe gain some time.
“What problems, My Queen? Nothing is ever as bad as it seems. Whatever the problem is, let us try to fix it.”
The only reaction my words had on her was the scrunching up of her turgid face. I barely stifled my shudder.
“No. Too late. I’ve already made plans for the two of you—so foolproof, not even Lucien will find you.”
I shoved Sabine off the bed and onto the hard stone floor behind us. For the moment, at least, she lay hidden from Giselle. I muttered the strongest protection spell I knew but wasn’t fast enough as the fingers of her evil magic cruelly dug into my mind and unraveled the maze of spells I’d erected.
~ ~ ~
Sabine
I rolled to my feet to find a fuzzy purple mist building around Gerard. His features were frozen, a look of fear so stark, my heart tightened in response. A fire burned deep inside and spread as my anger morphed, consuming me like a giant fireball.
No one messed with my family. No one.
Facing the mirror, my eyes glowed blue. My hair rose, floating around my head like flames, although nothing compared to the queen’s frizzy mass. I focused on the image inside the mirror, but before I could do anything, the demoness’s purple gaze brightened. In a quick flash, Gerard disappeared from the room. Fear stabbed my heart as my magic stuttered.
Giselle’s eyes widened in a maniacal glee as the tentacles of her power forced their way through the chink in my armor. My powers died. I’d screwed up. Gerard’s one mantra was to never show fear.
How could I have forgotten?
Giving up wasn’t an option, though, at least not before I got in one last hit. Refocusing on the fat face in front of me, I ignored the way my own body blurred; my edges turning hazy, followed by the middle of myself. Before I evaporated completely, I threw a mark of Thurisaz on the queen’s face, the small golden rune quickly fading from sight. With any luck, Niki or Lucien would recognize the meaning and realize they’d been betrayed . . . and by whom.
I struggled against the queen’s magic, trying to fight its strength as it pulled me toward the mirror. Behind my almost transparent reflection, the room disappeared.
The queen’s beady eyes glowed, the smirk disappearing in the fat of her cheeks. A series of sharp snaps and pops creaked and a jagged flash of light streaked across the mirror’s surface, bisecting her grotesque face. A loud cra-ack echoed through the empty chamber, and the queen’s image disappeared as my body faded completely.
~ ~ ~
Johnna
Cringing, I glanced around. From the drab surroundings and the fast-growing feelings of hopelessness enveloping me, I knew Al had done as I’d asked and brought us to the Pits of Despair.
I stepped across the level, ochre-colored terrain, taking in the desolation surrounding me. No trees, grass, or even clouds. Everything was drenched in an ugly shade of yellow-green. I’d never minded the dull color before. Now that it surrounded me, I decided ochre was totally putrid.
“And I thought limoncello color was bad . . . this is another whole level of yuck,” I muttered.
Along the narrow path, odd-looking trees stood scattered around the landscape. I stopped to examine one lying near the path. The lower portion resembled a dried out tree trunk. I couldn’t see the other end, except for the tufted top curving toward me. I ventured closer to the edge of the path to get a better look, but my imp choker tightened around my neck. I hastily retreated, and the pressure eased.
“We need to work on your communication skills. You’re a little vague, Al.” I stepped back to the edge of the path, and the pressure returned, tighter than the first time, with the addition of hard tingles prickling across my skin.
I stomped my foot in frustration, not realizing I’d brushed against a tuft of grass growing from the side of the path. A freezing wind rushed by me. My foot slid, and my hands rose defensively as a dark, misty apparition appeared in front of me. Sucking in my breath, I hopped back to the middle of the path, keeping the sinister wraith in sight.
Shaadohhh, Al whispered fervently. Leeevvvv.
“Give me one more second—I got it.” A huge shiver shook my entire body, the kind of shiver that left the muscles tense and twitchy. I continued to stare at the Shadow as it tried to reach me, hitting an invisible wall along the edge of the path.
The light bulb suddenly came on, and I rolled my eyes. “Duh.” The path was enchanted, allowing safe passage to anyone who needed to travel through this horrible area. I whispered a quick thank you to the architect as another shiver pulsed through me.
The Shadow unnerved me. The core of its face remained a stygian hole surrounded by a cowl of lighter darkness, undulating like a shroud as it floated across the ground. Something else must have caught its attention because the eerie head turned away, as if looking toward the hill behind it. Suddenly, the Shadow imploded.
After what seemed like the hundredth turn, I let out a loud groan. Just ahead of me I glimpsed another small hill. “Damn things are never ending,” I grumbled, forcing my legs to keep moving forward. Briefly I wondered what the pillar things were in this area but was simply too tired to ask.
Sifting through Niki’s information dump about this place, I immediately noticed one variant to his story. There were no people. I slowed down, squinting against the yellowish light as I tried to pick out anything even remotely looking like a person. My thoughts waded through the murky confusion growing inside my brain. Wasn’t the purpose of this region to punish? If so, where were all the people? And where were the Shadows causing said punishment of devastation and despair?
Another pillar-like thing lay beside the path. Although, looking closer, I couldn’t call it a pillar. The curved form looked more like a letter ‘c’ to me, which seemed odd. My steps slowed as a thought wriggled in the back of my mind, dodging here and there the closer I got to a realization concerning the form. The thought too horrible to think . . . yet I knew I’d found the answer.
I couldn’t pull my gaze away from the object, unable to stop my tears. I didn’t even bother wiping them as they fell, silently mourning the lonely figure before me. Standing as close as I was, I could now make out the tortured features and the tucked-in body as if it sought one last chance at protection. A deluge of overwhelming pain gripped my throat and chest as I gazed into the distorted visage, vacant yet so full of anguish. The body resembled a caterpillar’s chrysalis, dry and stony. I wondered, hoped, like an emergent caterpillar, life remained within.