by Nicole Hall
Hell, Dax was unprepared for magical warfare, and he’d spent months training for it. But he’d dive into hell itself for Lindsey. If she needed him, nothing would keep him away. Once outside town, he picked up speed on the road to the house and prayed he wouldn’t be too late.
Lindsey
A small creature with a hammer had taken up residence next to her brain. Lindsey moaned and tried to rub the aching spot at the back of her head, but both arms lifted together. She squinted and examined the tape wrapped around both wrists. Shiny, but not duct tape. Washi tape?
She cautiously pulled her wrists apart, and the tape stretched. Worst. Kidnapping. Ever.
Lindsey tried to sit up, but the world spun and her stomach roiled. She squeezed her eyes closed until her head caught up to her body, then tentatively tried again. Her hand scraped against rough stone below her, and her gaze landed on the stack of books she’d seen earlier.
Someone had put her in the cave. She blinked, trying to bring the rest of the room into focus. The lantern cast light across most of the cave, and nothing else seemed any different than when she’d been peering in the opening. Only her hands had been bound, but the pounding in her head slowed her down pretty effectively.
She reached back again, then grunted and popped free of the tape when the angle tweaked her sore shoulder. A squeak came from the darkest corner of the cave by the entrance, and Lindsey hissed when she jerked her head sideways without thinking to peer into the shadows.
“I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to hit your head.” The soft voice belonged to Sophie, sitting with her back against the wall and her arms wrapped around her knees. She wiggled bare toes, and Lindsey finally had an inkling of where the footprint had come from.
“What was I supposed to do?”
Sophie sighed. “Drop the sword and maybe fall down. I guess you did that part.”
“How did you get me in here?”
“Aph moved you.”
Lindsey stopped rubbing the knot under her hair and focused on Sophie. “Aph?”
The girl nodded. “Aphrodite. My patron goddess. She wanted me to save my energy for later.”
“I’ll bet she did,” Lindsey muttered. Not a god, after all. A goddess.
“Where is she now?”
Sophie jerked her chin at the entrance. “Outside, checking for others. She’s very protective of me, being the chosen one and all.”
Lindsey tilted her head. The girl’s tone continued to sound like a drawn-out apology. She’d thought she was caught up on the lore involved here, but ‘chosen one’ was new.
“What did Aph tell you?”
At Lindsey’s friendly tone, Sophie uncurled from her tight ball, but bit her lip. “That a war was coming, and I was chosen among all the humans to help the gods right a thousand-year wrong.”
She sounded like she was quoting verbatim, and Lindsey assumed Aphrodite had repeated the information as many times as needed to convince Sophie. The poor girl would make a terrible chosen one if she willingly shared information with the enemy and apologized when she tased someone.
Lindsey nodded and edged toward the bright light at the entrance. “Is that why you’re living in a cave?”
Her face shut down again. “I like it here. Aph understands that and supports me.”
“Like Kora?” The question had been a risk, but Sophie winced and looked away.
“Kora sort of gets it, but she can’t really help. At least Aph doesn’t pretend.” She sighed. “It’s fine. I can take care of myself.”
The refrain hit Lindsey hard. She could have been listening to herself as a teenager. Then again, she’d never tased anyone without good cause. Kids these days.
Lindsey reached the hole and stretched one leg through it, then paused. Sophie paid her no mind, and the washi tape had been pathetic. Why would they want to keep her here anyway? Aphrodite wanted the seal, and Lindsey couldn’t get it if she was tied up in a cave. Was Aphrodite really out scouting the area?
Their motivation didn’t matter. Lindsey needed the sword, which she could see only a few feet away, and the goddess to force into it. She could also use exact instructions on how to trap a goddess in a sacred object, but she’d have to rely on the meager directions Calliope had given her. Whatever Aph had planned with the ‘chosen one’ business would become moot once the goddess in question no longer had the power to shove people off cliffs.
With a grunt, Lindsey emerged into the ravine and scooped up the sword. Mud slid right off the blade, and she shook her head. Of course, it had a magical cleaning spell.
From the entrance, Sophie peered out past Lindsey. “Was that what you needed?”
A translucent woman in a short, flowy dress walked around the boulder into view. “Good girl. You did just as I asked.”
Lindsey took a few steps away from the cave to give herself room to maneuver. The goddess’ amused eyes never left her. “Aphrodite, I presume. You wanted her to knock me out, stall me, then let me go?”
She shrugged elegant, bare shoulders. “I didn’t intend for you to be rendered unconscious. The rock was fortuitous. Did you bring the seal?”
Lindsey raised the sword like a baseball bat in a tight two-handed grip. “I brought this.”
Aphrodite’s gaze lingered on the inscription, but she didn’t recoil as Lindsey had hoped. A remnant of Aphrodite’s power definitely lingered on the metal, so why wasn’t the goddess more concerned that Lindsey had a sacred object connected to her magic?
Was this another example of Calliope making a guess and passing it off as truth? She sincerely hoped not, since her entire plan hinged on Calliope’s information and Lindsey’s ability to improvise.
Aphrodite sighed. “Give me the seal or I’ll kill your guardian. It’s not an option I’ll enjoy, but don’t mistake my distaste for weakness.”
Lindsey moved closer, brandishing the sword. “You should be more worried about me than the seal.”
The goddess waved her hand, and the weapon jerked forward out of Lindsey’s grip. It flew to Aphrodite who caught it smoothly and held it up to the filtered morning light. “I haven’t seen this in a long time, but if you hoped to use it against me, you’ve made a poor choice.”
She flung the sword behind her into the underbrush without a backward glance. Despite her filmy form, Aphrodite didn’t waver when she used her magic. Calliope had been quite clear that the energy the gods used for magic came from the belief of humans, and that it was finite.
A human like Sophie, who’d tased Lindsey at Aphrodite’s bidding, could potentially provide a lot of energy. Especially since the girl had bought into the story of a patron goddess. Aphrodite had found a devout worshipper, and she was using Sophie’s faith to power up. More troubling, the sword didn’t appear to be her sacred object after all.
Aphrodite smiled, but her eyes remained cold. “Last chance to prove where your loyalties lie. The seal or your guardian.”
Lindsey scoffed, snarling on the outside while she ached in private. “I don’t like ultimatums. I’m not bringing you the seal, and Dax is long gone by now.”
The goddess raised a perfectly arched brow in challenge. “I’d almost forgotten how obtuse humans could be. Your Dax will be here shortly to protect you like a good little guardian. Tell me, do you think streaks of fire and a broken bond will be enough to protect him?”
Broken bond? Lindsey couldn’t help it, she reached for the connection between them. Her sense of Dax came through bright and warm, and much, much closer than she’d expected. What the hell? He’d left. How would he even know she was in trouble? She shot a quick glance at the cave entrance, but Sophie had abandoned her post.
Aphrodite’s sly smile widened. “I see you’ve accepted the truth I told you in your dream.”
Most of the truth. Her bond with Dax hadn’t felt broken, only her heart. Aphrodite had clearly been watching them, but she didn’t know everything. For instance, she probably didn’t know that even with a broken heart, Lindsey ab
solutely trusted Dax to arrive with a contingency plan. There was no one else she’d want at her back.
Without Aphrodite’s artifact, Lindsey had to depend entirely on magic she’d never used offensively. Fire magic. In a forest. Against a juiced-up goddess with her own private power source.
The odds weren’t in her favor, but she’d sure as hell try to make Aphrodite’s attempt to lure Dax here backfire. Now the goddess had to face off against two instead of one. Even if neither of them knew how to get rid of a god.
Lindsey prodded her magic, and the flames sprang to life along her hands and arms, quicker and stronger than she’d been able to achieve before. Her Dax radar pinpointed him working his way down the wall of the ravine behind her current location. She hoped he had a better plan than she did.
The goddess sighed. “Very well. Let’s get this out of the way.” With a flick of Aphrodite’s fingers, the sword lifted from the sparse grass where it had landed and spun to point at Lindsey. “I have no qualms injuring you again to prove my capabilities.”
The weapon shot toward her, faster than she’d anticipated. Lindsey twisted and knocked the sword to the side with a blast of fire. It flew a few more feet past her, then suddenly dropped to the ground. Realization dawned and her eyes shot back to Aphrodite, who had a tiny line marring her forehead for the first time. The goddess could only use her power for short distances.
She wanted to shout ha! Or at least back up a few feet and do a snappy little dance, but the furrow cleared, and she had to dodge another sharp burst of telekinetic magic. Arrogance could be dangerous if she let it creep in.
Lindsey tossed a fireball at Aphrodite, but another flick of the goddess’ fingers sent the fire to its death in a shallow puddle. If she survived this, she’d have to beg Calliope for lessons on magical combat. Thus far, her attempts had been nothing more than embarrassing. Thank goodness her mouth never failed her.
“It’s going to be hard to take me out when there isn’t a handy cliff or stack of heavy boxes nearby. I can dodge your pointy projectiles all day, and you’ll never get close enough to Dax with your short-range magic.” Okay, maybe she’d let arrogance creep in a little bit.
Aphrodite tilted her head and silky blonde hair slid over her shoulder. “I don’t need to. How would he react to a young girl in need of help? Surely you noticed my young protégé has slipped away. Sophie will be sure to incapacitate your guardian, providing me with more than enough time to stop his heart.”
Helpless anger burned through Lindsey, stoking the flames on her skin. Dax would definitely fall for the ruse, and Sophie didn’t deserve the future Aphrodite had planned for her. “Why do you even need the seal when you have an acolyte?”
She spread her hands. “Sophie isn’t enough power, and finding others of her ilk has proven challenging. Modern humans see love differently. They’ve forsaken me in favor of independence and swiping.” Aphrodite shuddered. “In the aftermath, I’ve chosen to use love as a weapon. Your love for your guardian will net me the seal, which will grant me the power to trifle more effectively in the affairs of humans. They’ll discover they need my blessing after all.”
Lindsey mentally recoiled, but she wouldn’t show that kind of weakness in front of Aphrodite. “That’s despicable.”
“You presented the opportunity. I’m simply taking advantage of it.”
Dax had moved close enough that he could probably hear their conversation, but Lindsey didn’t dare look behind her to try to spot him. Since he hadn’t revealed himself—and Aphrodite clearly couldn’t sense him—Lindsey accepted that he did, indeed, have a plan. Next time, they’d have to discuss the plan before confronting the callous goddess of love.
An image of working with Dax, sharing her life with him, clicked into place in her mind, and Lindsey stopped fighting the obvious. She wanted a next time. Enough to fight for it, even if it meant relinquishing control.
With a scowl, Lindsey released her magic, letting it absorb back into her hands with a shudder. “Fine. Leave Dax alone, and I’ll bring you the seal.”
“Excellent. I’ll be accompanying you to the house.”
Lindsey turned and started picking her way toward the path out of the ravine. “Whatever.”
A quick flash of light in Dax’s location caught her attention, so Lindsey changed direction slightly to aim for his signal. She took her time choosing the least muddy spots to place her feet, waiting for him to move away before she approached.
As she stepped onto the slight incline that led to his former hiding spot, Lindsey shifted her weight and let her foot slide out from under her, sending her tumbling forward into the brush. One hand landed in a bed of pine straw and sharp pebbles, the other landed on the smooth glass of a mirror.
Aphrodite let out an annoyed sigh behind her, but Lindsey carefully wrapped her fingers around the golden mirror’s handle. In hindsight, the magic smeared all over the outside hid the parts that reached deep inside the metal. And an ornate mirror made perfect sense as a sacred object for Aphrodite.
Lindsey located the magical seal and popped the artifact wide open. A deep well with dregs of Aphrodite’s magic revealed itself, and Lindsey tightened her grip on the handle. Here was her choice. Dax had brought her the mirror, exactly when she needed it. He knew as much as she did about the sacred objects, and he could have taken any number of other paths in an attempt to protect her. But he hadn’t. He’d trusted her to choose. Risk her life or risk his.
She pushed her fire magic into the mirror in a steady stream as she turned and held the artifact up where Aphrodite had a clear view. The gold heated, turning pale orange where it touched her skin. “Your turn to make a choice.”
Aphrodite’s nostrils flared. “Traitor,” she whispered through clenched teeth.
The word wasn’t meant for Lindsey, but the fear she’d been waiting for finally flashed in Aphrodite’s eyes.
“Sophie!” Her high-pitched shriek drew the young girl into the open, trembling, but holding the taser again.
Lindsey wasn’t sure she could halt the stream fast enough to stop the girl, but then she didn’t have to. Dax came out of the woods, swift and silent. He scooped Sophie up, keeping a hand over hers on the taser, and quickly carried her well out of Aphrodite’s reach.
For a split second, Lindsey bobbled the magic stream as the reality that Dax had truly stayed crashed over her. Relief and joy made her giddy until a wave of fatigue nearly buckled her knees.
Another shriek brought Lindsey’s focus back to Aphrodite as the goddess lifted a hand, ostensibly to throw another piece of the forest at her, but her gaze moved past Lindsey. Her Dax radar told her what had caught Aphrodite’s attention—he’d come out of the trees behind her.
The goddess smiled, and Lindsey chanced a look over her shoulder. A vine trailing from the tree next to him had snaked along his shoulders and around his neck. Dax grimaced silently and yanked at the garrote, but it didn’t budge. Her dream flashed across her mind, and rage nearly blinded Lindsey.
She mimicked the goddess’ stance, raising her free hand, and a circle of fire roared up around him, roasting the vine to ash. The pine straw underneath him crackled and smoked, but the flames did nothing more than caress him. Lindsey said a silent thanks to whichever Fate had decided to make the guardians immune to demigod magic.
Aphrodite’s hands clenched into fists, but then her shoulders slumped. About time. Lindsey wasn’t sure how much more power she could pour into the mirror and a shield.
“Fill the mirror, or I will. You don’t belong here.”
“Neither do you, halfbreed.” A scowl darkened her features as she reached for the mirror. She hissed when her fingers came in contact with the hot metal, but she didn’t let go.
Aphrodite held her gaze, and Lindsey recognized the rage and impotence there. A twinge of pity tried to take hold, but she rooted it out. This goddess didn’t deserve her pity. A rush of magic brushed against her as Aphrodite poured her essence into the artifact.
Excitement stole her breath. The plan had actually worked. Despite her own worst fears, she’d managed to trap a god. Lindsey tugged on her magic, trying not to touch Aphrodite’s on the way in, but something held it fast.
She yanked harder, to no avail, and her pulse sped. Lindsey couldn’t pull her magic out. Her mind calmed, easing the panic. If ensnaring Aphrodite cost Lindsey the power she’d worked so hard to control, so be it. She wouldn’t hesitate to seal the artifact. The transfer happened in seconds, but a lifetime went by in Lindsey’s mind.
Aphrodite’s form faded to nothing, and a shadow formed in the mirror’s reflection, roiling inside the glass. The seal locked closed again, and all at once, Lindsey’s magic returned to her in the mother of all snap-backs. Like an elastic band, the force hit her in the chest and settled painfully inside her.
The circle of flames sputtered out as the world began to slowly spin. Lindsey reached out to steady herself against a tree, but missed entirely. Hadn’t she just been standing in a forest?
Her thoughts muddled together, and her eyelids dropped closed. She fell in what felt like slow motion as her balance abandoned her. Instead of hitting the ground, something caught her weight. Her head lolled against a hard shoulder that smelled like home.
A soft touch caressed her cheek, leaving a trail of tingling fire behind. “Lindsey, open your eyes.” The voice rumbled next to her ear and pulled her away from the heavy darkness where she floated.
She scowled and turned her face into the yummy smell. “No.”
The uncomfortably full feeling receded, and Lindsay realized the weightless sensation was from being carried. Her head ached like a bitch, and every breath came with a jolt of stinging pain from two spots on her stomach. But underneath it all, serenity tempered the suffering.
