by Ben Zackheim
His head rolled back and forth on the stone until he opened his eyes and gasped for air. He didn’t yet realize he wouldn’t need air ever again. The confusion on his face would have been funny to me an hour ago, but watching someone realize they were a vampire was not easy to watch. He flailed around, trying to understand why he wasn’t seeing or feeling like he used to. He leapt to his feet, eyes wide and ran at Fox. He collided with the vampire who stood his ground, his pale face devoid of emotion.
Skyler put his hands on Fox’s arms, looked up, and laughed.
He slammed his face in the vampire’s chest and embraced him.
“Thank you!” Skyler cried. He started to dance around, suddenly very comfortable in his shiny, supple dead skin.
Fox noticed my confusion. He shrugged. “I made a promise.”
“Are you telling me you wanted this, old man?”
Skyler pulled away from his one-way hug. “Hell yeah, idiot! Who wouldn’t want eternal life? I was getting sick and tired of the same old human sensations. Years of the same kind of hunger, the same kind of horny, the same kind of sleep. Bah! I wanted to mix things up until the end of the world!” Then he muttered, “Missed breathing for a second there, though.”
“Well, now you can spend all eternity knowing I saved your life,” I said. “Kind of,” I added, realizing I kind of hadn’t too.
Skyler walked up to me and shifted on his feet. He actually seemed uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Speaking of which, how about you give me my Solo Spell back?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Yeah, so, um, when I thought I was going to die, I…”
I realized what he was saying, but I couldn’t believe it. “Wait. You gave me the Swap Portal?” I’d been living with the Vault Portal my whole life. Having one of the two unique Solo Spells made me valuable to Spirit.
Now I had the second one.
Now I could store relics in my vault and swap with anyone anywhere in the world.
The two Solo Spells, the Swap Portal and the Vault Portal, can only be handed over willingly. If I’d known how much trouble two portals would cause in the coming months, I would have given the damn thing back to him.
Skyler cleared his throat. “Well, I’d say that ‘gave’ is a strong word to…”
My laughter interrupted him.
He shrugged and let out a melodramatic sigh. “And there’s my answer, I suppose. Welp, treat the Swap Spell well, kid. Don’t misuse it. Oh, and if I find a way to steal it back from you, I will.”
Skyler turned his eyes away from me and his standard expression of disappointment transformed into a smile.
“Rebel!” He embraced her.
“Watch it, vampire,” she said. “Super strength, remember?”
Scarlett’s eyes popped open. She screamed. I guess waking up and being surrounded by vampires, killers and a demon was tough.
“Settle down, girl!” Skyler barked. “I’m a vampire now.” He said that part with his chest puffed out like a kid with a new video game console. “Though I have no idea how this one is up and walking after being blown up by Cannon.” He pointed to Rebel.
“I don’t know, either,” Rebel said with a shrug. She glanced at me. “What? I don’t! I remember being blown off my feet backwards by a powerful force. I remember thinking I was dead meat. And then I was surrounded by an orange light. I landed pretty hard but managed to roll with it. Then I saw the sword sitting there. I realized I was in Kane’s Vault Portal.”
“How’s that possible?” I asked.
“Can we talk about this later?” Skyler asked. “I say we go get this job over with.”
I knew that dismissive tone all-too-well. “I don’t like it when we change the subject, Skyler. It means you’re hiding something.”
“I am.”
“How did she end up in my portal?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Yes, what?” I yelled.
“Yes, that’s what I’m hiding.”
He was back in prime form. Then he noticed Excalibur hanging from Rebel’s belt. Suddenly his eyes burned, hungry for its hilt.
“May I see it?” he asked, taking a step toward Rebel.
Now the hungry look was in her eyes. Mixed with rage.
“Step back,” she growled.
The silence between the two of them was thick.
“Oooookay,” I broke in. “Anyone know if Excalibur has a spell on it?”
“Like what?” Fox asked.
“Maybe Possession? These two don’t even know we’re here right now.” Skyler and Rebel, delighted to see each other a second ago, were about to go for the jugular if a wrong move was made.
I leaned into my partner’s field of vision. “Rebel?” No response. “Rebel!” She blinked.
“What?” she whispered.
“The sword is getting into your head.”
“What if I want it there, Kane?”
“Then we have a problem. We need to give it to Merlin.”
That did the trick. Rebel’s face relaxed a little. “Merlin?”
“Do me a favor and don’t ask which Merlin,” Skyler said, blinking his way out of his own trance. He backed away and plopped down on a rock, tired. But Rebel was still on guard. The sword had a stronger hold on her. Maybe the time alone with Excalibur had given it more power over my partner.
I had to get that thing back. It was my responsibility. At least that’s what I told myself as I stepped toward her.
Rebel pointed the blade’s tip at my face.
“I’ll give it to Merlin, Kane,” she said. She slipped it into her belt. “Come on, then. Let’s get this over with.”
“You stay here, Belch,” Fox said to his demon. “You won’t be welcome where we’re going.” Belch growled, with a little whimper at the tail end of it. His massive shoulders drooped. “No following us, either. Got me?” The demon gave him the silent treatment and turned away from him with a moping grunt.
The rest of us followed Rebel through the crack of light. The glare made it hard to see at first. My eyes adjusted and I slowly realized we were on a peak, overlooking a sea of trees below us.
But how could that be possible? We were still underground.
The white stone walls of the massive cavern arched into a dome ceiling, giving off a gentle light until the point right above the forest, which was as bright as the sun.
Cassidy was wide-eyed. “Holy shit.”
Rose held onto hims arm, smiling. “It’s beautiful.”
In the distance, about a half mile away, a small city poked up through the tree tops. A collection of hundreds of pearl-white buildings glittered in the light.
I knew what it was, but I was pretty damn sure most everyone else had no idea. I helped them out with, “Bhogavati.”
“What is Bhogavati?” Rose asked, sounding like she still needed coffee.
“It’s a city from legends. The Naga’s city.”
The city started in the middle of the massive cavern but snaked through the trees until it met the walls. Then it zig-zagged up an incline in the cavern. Three towers in the middle of Bhogavati loomed over everything.
A bird flew past us, bringing me out of my trance.
Scarlett turned a paler shade of white.“The snake people?”
“I guess the legend is true,” Rose said, getting some life back in her voice. The prospect of meeting snake people apparently agreed with her more than it did Scarlett.
We walked down a trail that snaked through the hill’s wild grass. I kept an eye on Rebel to make sure she didn’t start acting odd. I worried about her ability to give up the sword.
When we reached the forest’s edge I knew we would lose sight of the city behind the massive trees. I tried to find my bearings so we wouldn’t get lost.
After a few minutes, a hush covered the party. Cassidy was the one to break the silence.
“It’s getting really thick in here,” he said. The trees blocked out most of the light.
&
nbsp; That was when we heard the hisses.
The sound was distant but there was no doubt about it.
The Naga were coming.
Chapter 49
“Stay still,” I whispered. “Keep your weapons down.”
I holstered my weapon. Rebel kept the sword in its sheath, but she grabbed its hilt. Her fingers were spread in that special way — the way that meant she was a split second from using it.
We made a circle facing the shadowy forest. Figures moved in the darkness.
The hissing sound was steady now. Close.
“We’re here to see the wizard!” I said with a voice that I hoped was strong but not hostile.
“You will see him,” a high-pitched voice said from the darkness. Our hosts’ eyes glowed orange. I put my hand on Rebel’s sword arm to calm her. “But the dead among you are not welcome.”
A barrage of wet projectiles soared at us. They all hit Skyler and Fox, who immediately stiffened and dropped to the ground. That looked like it hurt.
Rebel pulled the sword and Scarlett pulled her pistol.
I stepped in front of them, arms stretched out. “Stop! Put it away you two.” I turned back to the forest’s darkness with my hands raised. “We’re not here to make trouble. We want to get rid of this sword. We were told we could come here to find it a safe place.”
“You heard wrong.” The nasal voice creeped from the darkness. It had a hostile edge that made my heart quicken. I felt my team ready to pounce again. “But Merlin will let you know that himself. I am Hyr. I will guide you where you need to go. You have made a mistake coming here, I’m afraid.” And with that ominous footnote, the most beautiful snake I’d ever seen emerged from the forest’s cover.
Her skin was a light green mixed with gray. It wasn’t scaly but it was shinier than ours. Her human body was barely covered with a simple white dress that loosely draped over her breasts. And those long legs would have made a model jealous.
But it was her face that surprised the hell out of me. And everyone else in my party who was upright. We all gawked. Her face was slightly more human than snake but the triangular shape of her head came to a point at the chin like a cobra. We were definitely dealing with Naga here. Her orange eyes faded to a deep blue as she glanced at me and smiled. Her mouth was set in a permanent smile which gave her a look of innocence that I was pretty sure was just skin-deep.
So yeah, I was crushing on her. But so was everyone else. Even Rebel. She put the sword back in her belt.
“I will do what I can to spare you his wrath,” she said. “You are our guests and only the second set of humans to ever see us. The Naga welcome you. Come.”
“We’re not leaving them here,” Rebel said, pointing to Fox and Skyler.
“We do not allow their kind into the city,” Hyr said with a slight tone of contempt.
“You didn’t say that last time, sweetie,” Skyler mumbled through paralyzed lips.
“Who is this?” Hyr asked as she looked down at the old man. “No, it cannot be.”
“How you doin’, toots?”
“Skyler. When did you become one of them?”
“About thirty minutes ago! Pretty cool, huh?”
She let out a hiss, but it was a pleasant one. Like a laugh. “This is unexpected.” Now I knew what a Naga smile looked like. But then a thoughtful expression took over. “I’ll allow it this time. Skyler has earned a spot as witness to this event. But Merlin will not be happy.”
“All the more reason to do it!” Skyler said.
Several Naga emerged from the shadows and lifted up the vampires. Hyr walked past Fox and seemed to recognize him too, but he didn’t get a snake smile. In fact, he got an angry hiss. Her tongue darted out as fast as lightning.
“I cannot guarantee his safety,” Hyr said, pointing her thumb at Fox.
“Yeah? Why not?”
She didn’t answer me. Fox stayed quiet. I couldn’t tell if it was from the venom or if he was hiding something from us. I assumed the latter.
We walked in silence for a half hour before we came to a clearing. It was a valley below the three towers. A few deer scattered as we walked into the light and some birds decided now was a good time to scream at each other elsewhere.
“It’s a beautiful city,” Scarlett said. Hyr smiled at that, as did the other Naga. The legends said they were usually kind to humans. At that moment, I was glad to find the legends were true. I was out of fighting juice.
Skyler and Fox were walking on their own now, with some help from our hosts.
We were about to take the path up to the city gates when two figures appeared on the road ahead. They were taking long, patient strides together as they walked hand in hand.
The man was human. His white beard was decorated with beads and gems. His silver hair draped over his black robe. The woman was a Naga, even more beautiful than Hyr.
“Bow,” Hyr whispered to the group. She bowed low and everyone followed suit.
“I see Skyler is enjoying the fate he wished for,” the old human said.
“Hey Merlin! Turned anyone into a toad recently?”
So this was Merlin. He didn’t look a day over 80 but he’d have to be over 1000 years old if it was really the legendary wizard.
“Lancelot,” Merlin said with a slight bow of his head.
We all looked at each other, wondering what he was talking about.
“Hello, Merlin,” Fox said.
“Lancelot?” Rebel said, walking up to Fox. She glared at him. “Lancelot?” she repeated a little angrier now.
“Yeah, that’s one of my names.”
“His first name,” Merlin said.
“Oh my God, that is hot,” Rebel said as she shoved the vampire gently.
“That’s why we needed Fox with us,” Skyler explained. “His knights will only follow him. And in the presence of Excalibur, well, the Knights of the Round Table are unbeatable!”
“I thought the knights hated Lancelot in the legend,” Cassidy said.
“We… reconciled.” That was a story I wanted to hear over some whiskey if we made it out of there in one piece.
It would have been easy to get caught up in all of the epic reunions but I had a job to do. The sooner I got that sword out of our hands, the better off we’d all be.
“Rebel,” I said. “Give him the sword.”
She looked at me over her shoulder and frowned. She reached for it quickly, as if she wanted to use it on me.
“No,” Merlin said. “You disturbed its slumber, young man. This is your fault. I will not take it. It’s up to you to keep it safe.”
I stepped toward him until my sense of self-preservation kicked in. I got the distinct feeling that I had to walk a fine line with the wizard. “It’ll fall into undead hands if you don’t help.”
“He speaks the truth,” Fox added quickly.
“And how is that my problem?” Merlin asked.
“It may not be your problem, dear, but it would become a Naga problem,” his beautiful companion said softly. She bowed her head to me. “I am Bhz. I am Merlin’s wife. Please pardon his temper.”
“I’m not showing my temper, woman. If they keep pushing me they’ll see what temper looks like!”
“Welcome to our city,” she continued, ignoring her husband. “Please know that we welcome all humans who can find us. The last party to do so included my husband and Mr. Skyler.” I could tell that she was hiding some other names from us, but I wasn’t going to dig. She had the floor and it appeared to me that she was on our side. “I see you’ve met our daughter, Hyr.” Hyr bowed slightly. But only to me. I bowed back. I wanted to get to know that snake better. Yeah, gross, I know, but she was something special. “Now,” Bhz said, “The sword brings great danger here. But if we loose it upon the world it will come back to endanger us anyway. It will be even more destructive in the hands of an enemy, with its point aimed at us, instead of its hilt.”
Merlin grumbled something and strode up to Skyler. “What
happened to the original plan, you imbecile?”
Skyler shrugged. “The 60s happened.”
“What does that mean?”
“Sex, drugs and rock and roll, wizard! Many brain cells were left splattered on my cranium back on Haight Street.”
Merlin’s head bowed. “So you’re telling me you forgot the plan?”
“Bingo.”
Merlin turned to his wife. “And now we are going to follow this man’s new plan, my dear? Now you want to keep this cursed weapon in our walls?”
“He’s forced our hand, Merlin. You know it is best for us to take it and keep it safe.”
Merlin turned back to Skyler. He stood a full foot taller than my ex-teacher, but Skyler met his glare with a grin. The success of our plan depended on that moment, and Skyler was acting like a dickhead. I don’t know why I expected anything different. He just couldn’t help himself. Merlin turned so fast his loose clothing snapped like a whip. He marched back to his wife’s side. “Fine. But we reserve the right to use it as we see fit. If that does not include pulling your backends out of the fire, then so be it. If you remember anything of the original plan, Skyler, you will know that this is bad news for you.”
“Got it,” Skyler said. “I have no idea what you’re talking about but it’s all good.”
“As for you,” the wizard said, looking right at me. “You waste your talent on doing his chores. You need to find your own path, Kane. Do not waste your short life on a mad man’s whim.”
“Stay out of his head,” Sklyer barked.
“He’s casting a spell, Kane,” Fox added. “Be careful you don’t let his words in. You’ll regret it.”
“Bah!” Merlin reached out his right hand. “Give me the damned thing and begone with all of you!” His wife placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Good thing it worked because his face was getting a dangerous color red.
I stepped back a couple of steps. “Rebel. You’re up.” I kept an eye on her as she took a few awkward steps toward Merlin. She lifted the sword out of her belt, took a deep breath and tossed it to the wizard, hilt-up. He caught it, uttered some words under his breath and the sword folded into the cloth of his robe as if it were fabric itself.
