by Linsey Hall
They didn’t dissipate into the air as I’d expected. Instead, they swirled over the orange fire, forming colorful balls of mist.
“What kind of magic is this?” Declan demanded.
“The kind you sell your soul for.”
Ugh. This whole business was shady.
Finally, the mist seemed to be slowing. The Devyver pulled a tiny stone jar out of his pocket. He held it beneath the swirling mist, and after a moment, the mist turned to liquid and fell into the jar. He corked it and handed it to me with a strange smile. “That will work.”
I took it, studying the look on his face. There was something off about it. “It had better, or I’m coming back for you.” I hiked a thumb at Declan. “Him too. With your soul and my hellcat.”
The Devyver shivered, fear clear in his eyes. He shifted, obviously uncomfortable.
What the hell was up with him?
“What does the demon look like?” Declan asked.
“All Oraxia demons are complete. Not made of parts, like those.” He pointed to the guards that Declan had felled. “Tall and strong, with orange skin, black eyes, and four horns.”
Four horns were rare on a demon.
“Do they have any weaknesses?” I asked.
A wide smile stretched across his face. “No.”
“No?” Declan sounded incredulous.
“No, they don’t.” The smile widened even farther.
I yanked on his chain. “Tell us the truth.”
He smiled. “I am. The Oraxia demon was one of my greatest accomplishments. I was only able to make three as I had a limited supply of Leviathan Weed, but those three demons are surrounded by a forcefield that no magic can penetrate.”
“Bullshit,” Declan said.
I studied the Devyver—his cocky smile, the relaxed set of his shoulders, the glow shining from his face. This was the reason for his weird expression a moment ago. “No, he means it. He really means it.”
“I’ve never heard of Leviathan Weed,” Declan said.
“It’s a myth.” I searched my mind for all that I recalled of it. “Or at least, I thought it was a myth. Turns out this little weasel found some of it.”
“Indeed, I did. Took all there was, too. And the weed imbued the Oraxia demon with a defensive shell that no magic can penetrate.”
“So, the potion that you made for us,” Declan said. “It will be impossible for us to get a piece of his body in order to complete the potion and the spell.”
The Devyver laughed.
Anger bubbled in my chest. This jerk. He was destroying lives with his work.
“A nullifier could get through the Oraxia demon’s shell,” Declan said.
The Devyver’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “Yes, one could.” He shrugged. “If you can find one.”
Which we probably couldn’t. Nullifiers were a type of Magica who could undo magic. They were extremely rare. About five years ago, my friend Cass found one.
He’d died. I thought she’d taken his power, but it was such a miserable magic to possess that she’d gotten rid of it immediately.
“We’ll find one,” Declan said.
The Devyver laughed.
I yanked hard on his chain again.
He held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Fine, fine.”
I looked at Declan. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
He nodded, expression grim. “About time.”
I turned to the Devyver and punched him so hard he flew backward, then lay still. Declan knelt over him.
“Dead?” I asked. That’d been one powerful punch.
“Looks that way.”
“Good.” Most of my friends didn’t like killing. I didn’t mind it—at least, not with the right sorts.
And the Devyver was definitely the right sort. Made of evil and just creating more of it. He actively worked to make the world a more horrible place.
We left the Devyver where he lay and descended the stairs again, taking them two at a time on our way down.
“Will Wally meet us when we’re out of town?” Declan asked.
“I think so.” The hellcat had said we had to be outside of the town before his magic could transport us out of there, but how far outside?
We were halfway down the stairs when a gong rang, loud and clear. It came from the top floor, and my skin chilled.
“Wasn’t he dead?” Declan asked.
“I thought so. Someone may have found him.”
“Faster.” Declan picked up the pace, but the alert was out.
A demon roused from its nest in the open-air apartment next to us and looked at us, hissing. It lunged upright, headed for us.
Damn it. That gong had definitely been an alarm.
I called my mace and chain from the ether and swung it toward the approaching demon. He ducked, avoiding the first strike, but the mace came back around and slammed him in the head.
I sprinted after Declan, who’d had to stop on the stairs below me to fight off two demons who’d come out of their own apartments. Another one came for me from the floor above. He was tall and skinny, with long claws and fangs. He swiped for me, and I ducked, nearly losing my footing on the narrow stairs.
My stomach lurched as I spotted the ground, far below. I sucked in a deep breath and looked back up at the demon, shoving away my fear.
I swung my mace and hit him in the middle, bowling him over. Declan sliced down the two demons who’d come for him—each of them well over six feet tall and heavily muscled—but more were charging up the stairs toward us.
Apparently the whole place went on the alert when the alarm rang.
Below, the streets heaved with activity. Demons were pouring out of the other buildings and looking up toward us.
Holy fates, the whole city was after us.
“Screw this.” Declan’s black wings flared from his back. “They’ve already figured out we’re not like them, so let’s get out of here.”
I sprinted down toward him, taking the last few stairs in a rush. I stashed my mace in the ether and leapt into his arms. He gripped me tightly and took off, just as a fire demon hurled a blast of flame at us. It nearly hit Declan in the leg, but he kicked it away with his boot.
“Go straight up!” I shouted, drawing a shield from the ether. It’d make it easier for me to block oncoming magic with my shield, otherwise the firebombs and icicles could hit Declan in the back.
Declan shot for the sky, his powerful wings carrying us high.
I leaned over in his arms, grateful for his strong grip on me, and held the shield so it deflected the worst of the magic hurled at us. It was awkward as hell and we both got hit in the legs a few times, but we made it out of range without serious injury.
“Get ready to call your hellcat.” Declan grinned and flew fast, heading for the edge of town. The whole city was surrounded by a wasteland of barren ground cut through with crevasses. The train tracks heading back to the station were empty. The train was long gone.
Please show up, Wally.
Finally, we reached the edge of the city. Down below, demons chased us, sprinting as a horde. Thank fates we were up here in the sky.
As soon as I thought it, something huge and gray hurtled toward us, shooting down from above us. It was the size of my car, with a massive beak and sharp claws. Tattered gray fabric fluttered from its wings.
“A shroud bird!” I shouted, my skin chilling. I’d only ever heard of them, but thought they were myths.
Apparently not, and they were deadly.
Two more appeared behind it, headed straight for us. The closest bird shrieked, a blast of freezing air shooting from its beak. The air wasn’t just cold, according to myth. It also carried the winds of death.
“We do not want that bird to breathe on us! Go lower!”
Declan didn’t need to be told twice. He dived for the ground. I looked up, heart thundering in my ears. The bird raced down toward us, tattered gray wings flapping hard on the air.
The air was their domain. If we could get to the ground, we might have a chance.
I looked down, trying to gauge our distance from safety, and spotted an army right below us.
Shit. We were trapped.
9
“Are you sure about this?” Declan demanded.
“No!” I looked back up at the bird, who was closer. Only fifty feet away, if that. He was so damned big and his breath sparkled with icy cold.
Dread stole my breath.
Down below, the demons were following us, running across the barren ground outside the city.
Yeah, better to take our chances down there. At least we were outside of the city limits. As long as Wally showed up right away, we’d be good.
“Go to the ground!” I shouted.
“All right.” He sounded skeptical, but he trusted me, flying fast for the ground.
He flew at an angle, gaining a bit of a lead on the crowd of demons. I kept my gaze glued to the three shroud birds above, riveted to the sight of their icy breath.
“Almost there,” Declan said.
The birds veered off, heading back up to the sky.
“It worked!”
Declan hit the ground with a thud, and I leapt out of his arms. “Wally!”
“Wally!” I didn’t know how to call the hellcat to me, but I hoped this worked.
A firebomb plowed into the dirt next to me, and I turned to catch sight of the demons sprinting after us. They were only about one hundred feet away.
“Run!” Declan sprinted away from them.
I followed, my legs wobbly from the hits I’d taken when we’d flown away from the Devyver’s building. “Wally!”
We sprinted fast, darting left and right as we tried to outrun the icicles and firebombs. My lungs felt like they would burst, but I gave it my all, racing away from the demons.
A fireball glanced off my thigh, and pain bloomed.
I screamed, desperate. “Wally!”
Finally, the black hellcat showed up, running alongside.
Where are we going?
“Home!”
Then stop running!
I stopped, shouting, “Declan, stop!”
He halted, spinning back to run toward me, his expression saying I was crazy. Then he spotted Wally. “Thank fates.”
I drew a shield from the ether, and Declan did the same. We turned to face the oncoming demons, ducking behind our shields.
Blasts of magic slammed into the metal protection, shaking my arms and nearly bowling me over.
Declan’s magic swelled, and lightning began to strike from the sky, hitting the demons one after the other. They fell, but others took their places, stomping on the bodies of the fallen as they charged us.
Wally weaved around our legs, his smoky form expanding and enclosing us as the cloud grew bigger. I watched the demons with wide eyes, holding my shield up to deflect the blows that landed with more accuracy as they got closer. Declan’s lightning was working, but there were just too many of them.
“Come on, Wally!” My heart thundered as we waited for the hellcat’s magic to take effect. It was probably only a few seconds at most, but holy fates, my heart felt like it would jump out of my throat.
It’s hard here. Dark World is the farthest place from earth.
The demons were close enough that I could make out their features. Close enough that they’d be on us in seconds.
Shit.
I called upon my magic, slicing my thumb with my finger. Blood welled, and I imagined controlling the earth, praying that Declan wouldn’t notice what I was doing. I’d try to make it look natural.
In front of us, the ground began to crack. It took everything I had to command the earth to move. This was big magic—bigger magic than I usually used my dragon blood for. I poured my power into it, feeling the drain on my strength.
The crack widened, and the demons slowed.
Yes.
Declan glanced at me. “Is that you?”
“No, we must have gotten lucky. There are so many cracks in this land, and one is forming here.”
Okay, that was total bullshit. Yes, there were a lot of cracks in the land. But what were the odds one would appear right in front of us?
Shit. Those were the odds. Pure shit.
A skeptical frown creased Declan’s face, but it faded when the first demon leapt over the crack. Then another. And another.
Almost there.
The ether began to tug at me, just slightly. “Come on, Wally, you can do it.”
Finally, when the demons were only yards away, Wally’s magic kicked in.
Thank fates. I was totally drained.
The ether grabbed me and pulled me through space, spinning me wildly as we returned home.
The ether spat me out in the parking lot of our favorite beach, just north of town. It was daylight here, with the sun hiding behind some clouds. Declan and Wally appeared next to me.
Panting, I crouched and looked in Wally’s flame-red eyes. “Thanks, pal. You’re the best.”
He purred and rubbed against my hand, then walked away. Off to find some dinner.
I didn’t know where he went to find the souls he ate, and I definitely didn’t want to. I stood and turned to Declan. “That was close.”
“No kidding.”
I patted my pocket to make sure that the vial of potion was still there, and smiled. I looked at Declan. “Give me a second, I need to change.”
He nodded, and I hurried off toward a collection of trees. Quickly, I took my ghost suit from the ether and changed my clothes, making sure to tuck the vial of potion back into my pocket. Once the familiar material settled onto my shoulders, I relaxed the smallest bit. I was a creature of habit, and I liked my ghost suit. I’d wear something else when the situation was dire, but only if I had to.
Properly dressed, I returned to Declan. I had Bree’s clothes tucked into my arm, and I’d have to stash them in my car until I saw her again.
“Do you know a nullifier?” The problem had been spinning around my head this whole time.
He shook his head. “Maybe the Protectorate can find one. I can call some contacts, too.”
I nodded. “Good. And we have some serious firepower here. The DragonGods are mega strong. There’s a good chance they can get through the magical barrier that protects the Oraxia demon.”
He squeezed my arm. “We’ll make it work.”
We had to.
I pressed my fingertips to the comms charm at my throat. “Mordaca? Where are you? How’s the evac going?”
“Hey. We’re at the beach.”
“The beach?” I turned to inspect the parking lot, then headed toward the water. Declan followed. “We’re here, too. But why are you?”
“It’s right at the six-hour mark,” she said. “All evacuation crews have cleared out of town for thirty minutes until we know which district is frozen.”
My heard thudded. “Oh crap, it’s already been six hours?”
“Twelve. You were gone a long time.”
My stomach pitched. Shit. “What district fell?”
“Business.”
“Crap. And now you’re waiting to hear about the other?”
“Exactly.”
I spotted her striding up the beach in her black fight suit, her eyes weary but her hair and makeup still perfect. She pressed her comms charm to sever the connection and shouted, “How’d it go?”
“We’ve got a lead and a problem.”
A moment later, we met on the sand. Closer to the water, a couple dozen Protectorate members were sitting on logs and eating sandwiches.
“We’re about to head back in,” Mari said. “As soon as we hear which district has been hit.”
“How’s it going?” Declan asked. “Are people leaving?”
Mari shrugged. “They’re stubborn. We made a citywide announcement that played in everyone’s homes, but we’re going door to door, and we’ve discovered many people who didn’t leave.”
“Can you make them?” Declan asked.
“No. But we can strongly encourage, and it’s working in a lot of cases. Once someone is there to scare the crap out of them in person, they’ll usually get the message and leave.” Her gaze turned sad. “But mostly we’re just helping those who couldn’t afford to leave or didn’t have the ability. Like older people and poor people. Sick people. Those with animals.”
I looked at Declan. “There’s not any public transportation out of town because there isn’t another all-magical city for hundreds of miles.”
Understanding dawned. “So a lot of people would be stranded.”
“Exactly.” Evacuating was a privilege. It was the same in the human world. I’d seen it on the news, with things like hurricanes and other natural disasters.
“What’s your plan?” Mari asked. “What did you find out?”
I decided to start with the good news and explained about the Bermuda Triangle and the ingredients that we were looking for. “Can you transport us there?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s a blank space. No one can. You may be able to transport out, but since it’s constantly moving, it’s impossible for a transporter to find it. I think you’ll need a boat.”
Fates, that would be slow.
Her eyes met mine. “You mentioned some bad news, and I have a feeling you led with the good. What’s the damage?”
“The Devyver doesn’t know who hired the Oraxia demon, so we still don’t know who the mastermind is.” It was a shadow that hung over us—who the hell had planned this?
“That’s not all,” Mari said. “I can tell there’s more.”
I nodded. “The demon was made using Leviathan Weed.”
Figuring out who wanted all of Magic’s Bend turned to stone was our biggest problem. But the fact that the Oraxia demon was unbeatable? That was our most immediate problem.
She frowned, her brow creased as she searched her memory. “The stuff that makes you invincible? That’s a myth.”
“Apparently not.”
“Shit.” She paled.
“We need a nullifier,” Declan said. “If the DragonGods and our combined firepower can’t make a dent in the Oraxia demon’s shell, a nullifier is the only one who can undo the magic that makes him invincible.”
Mari’s eyes widened. Memories swirled in their depths, but she managed to keep her voice calm when she said, “We’ll ask the Protectorate if they know one. We have about twelve hours. We’ll find one.”
