Peter grunts. “Catch up is for later. We all go…now.”
Ice blasts into me the minute we materialize. I glance at the portal, shivering, then find the shimmering peak in the distance. Everything looks the same, except now this place is covered in blue ice that manages to appear colder than it is. When I attempt to change the scenery, I am blocked. My head pounds from the flash of anger the dreamer sends to me.
Maybell takes my hand and pulls me closer. At her touch, my connection to the dreamer severs. She slaps my back, then my shoulder before she flicks a spike at my wrist. My gear transforms from leather to fur in an instant. My boots grow spikes and gloves appear on my hands.
“Thanks,” I tell her, wishing she didn’t have to look after me so much.
“My pleasure, Amelia. When we get some downtime, I’ll show you the sequences to change your gear.”
I nod. “What the hell is going on? The last time Seth and I were here, I was looking at a broken-up desert. It wasn’t exactly hot, but it was nothing like this.”
“If I had to guess, I’d wager the dreamer has shifted his focus.”
I lift my eyes to the horizon and follow it to the lone peak waiting for us to climb. Those spikes might just come in handy.
“Where do we set the charges?”
Kelsby shrugs. “There are three portals on this world. This one should be easily managed. The other two will be more difficult.”
Of course. Never let it be said anything came easy to me. “Where are they?”
Kelsby hesitates, but Maybell plods forward after taking a hasty breath. “The one you used with Seth shifts with the landscape, so it is harder to locate, but the last…well, it resides in the crater.”
“Inside the crater?” I ask, not quite believing what I heard.
Kelsby nods. “Quite right. We’re wasting time, young’uns.”
I stare at him. “Just where did you pick up your lingo?”
He smiles. “I’ve enjoyed American cinema since inception.”
No wonder he can’t seem to stick with an accent or century. He’s an odd duck, but I’m beginning to like him. I reach inside for my best John Wayne. Justine could do him perfectly…me, not so much. My voice can’t reach that low. “Time’s a waistin’, buckaroo. We best head on out.”
Kelsby gives me a grin before he tosses a lit-up ball at the portal we just exited. “Up and out,” he yells before his skinny legs buckle under him and spring him into the air like a jackrabbit on the moon. He lands thirty yards away and springs again.
Maybell yells for me to run, but I’m already moving. The air thickens as a sickening crack blasts out behind us followed by a sonic boom that ricochets past me. The blast sends me sprawling. I bring my arms up to brace myself, but when I land, I slide a good hundred feet. Maybell catches my upper body before I can scrabble to my feet and hauls me against her skinny frame.
“Thanks,” I say while sending daggers toward the bouncing toad that has managed to spring his way out of view. “He could have given us fair warning,” I grumble.
Maybell laughs. “Kelsby has a dark side, Amelia. Don’t ever doubt it.”
“Gotcha,” I say, still hoping my ears will stop ringing.
By the time we catch up to Kelsby he’s setting another charge. “Wait,” I yell, but he tosses the explosives into the open portal.
I crouch into a ball and steel myself against the blast. Maybell curls around me as if I’m nine. I don’t mind so much considering she’s just saved me from getting buried under flying ice chunks.
Kelsby’s laugh reverberates along the ice. “I live for days such as these.”
Wobbling, I stand up. “You’re sick,” I tell him. “Just sick, maybe even bonkers. You’ve only left us the portal that happens to be in a boiling volcano.”
His grin stretches along his broad features. “That way, no one can sneak up on us.”
“How do you propose we blow up that portal, Kel? Isn’t gravity against us? Not to mention the guy sitting up there. What if he’s dangerous? What if he doesn’t want us to blow up his portal?”
“I don’t believe a single soul has called me Kel.” He shoots me a thumb’s up. “I like it. Has a certain ring to it.”
I walk up to him and plant my nose dangerously close to his. “How the hell are we going to get out of here now? Throwing a charge into a gaping hole makes a lot more sense than trying to make an upside-down basket.”
Maybell steps between me and the big guy. “Amelia is right. You may have acted a bit rash.”
His gaze bounces between the two of us. “Where’s your sense of adventure? We can do this! And now, we have the motivation!”
“What we have is a hot mess,” I say.
Kelsby doesn’t comment as Maybell takes her first step up the mountainside. I follow close behind her, wondering how in the world this thing got so out of control.
Our journey consists of circling back and forth on barely-there ledges, attempting to find crevices in the ice to latch on to. The initial adrenaline of the climb wears out fast. Somehow I hoped we’d have superpowers or at least ice picks. As it is, digging in with my boots and gloves has my digits stinging.
I’m not about to complain though. Truth is, I need some time to figure out how to handle this. Seth is trusting me here. I’ve got to show him my worth. Screw that. I’ve got to show myself my worth. I don’t give in easily, but I’ve never been able to be part of a team.
It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but somehow even just thinking about failing blisters my insides. The idea of failure is not acceptable, but the haunting aftertaste lingers in my mind, instilling doubt.
Maybell looks back at me, smiling in that motherly way of hers. I smile back, but in my next attempt to climb, my fingers slip, leaving me grasping at air. For one horrible moment I’m pretty sure I’m going to wake up in Seth’s library having been proven wrong, but Maybell catches my hand and pulls me back up.
Staggered heartbeats pound in my head while my chest heaves to take in enough breath. That was close. Good thing for me, close wasn’t enough to derail this dream.
From that moment on, I concentrate with my whole heart. I’m dying to reach that summit. I don’t care what that guy is or why he’s there. I need this. Dealing with him will be all frosting.
That guy is stone cold wrong. It shows in the ice coating this mountain. It shows in the red-tinted sky without a sun to speak of. It shows in the absolute lack of life. But worst of all, it shows in the volcano that bubbles and pops so loud the ruckus makes me want to cover my ears from only halfway up.
Kelsby is truly a walking conundrum. He’s so flexible he twists in ways that make my skin crawl. There are reasons joints have a stopping point. It’s just plain gross without it.
He swivels his head around and glances down on us. He’s at least a hundred feet above me and Maybell. I’m probably holding her back, but I appreciate her willingness to stay behind with me.
Kelsby might as well be flying with how fast he’s scaling the slippery slope. He’ll get to the top way before we do, which bothers me, considering his lack of judgment earlier.
I sort of wish I was carrying the explosives, but he insisted. Now I know why.
Seems I’m not the only one who’s a control freak. Maybe it’s a prerequisite for the job?
To my surprise, he hangs back just short of the top, watching our slow progress as if he’s grading us. If I wasn’t so focused on keeping myself on this mountain, I’d be giving him the bird, double barrels, for sure.
Maybell glances at me and chuckles. “You’ll get used to Kelsby. He’s overly dramatic at times, but he’s a keeper. I wouldn’t trade him for any other member of the team in this circumstance.”
I smirk. “I’ll take your word for it.”
She smiles then gets to it. Pretty soon, I’m lagging so far behind I can’t stand it. I kick it up a notch, ignoring the splintering pain that bursts from my shoulders to my belly button.
When I
reach the last few feet, I can almost taste it. I’m nearly there, but my muscles scream for relief. I tell them to shut up and keep going.
Kelsby crosses over first, closely followed by Maybell. She stretches over the edge and grabs me when I’m two feet away. She hoists me up and all I want to do is take a breather, but I can’t.
The air thickens with darkness even though the sky is still light. I search for the source of the oppression and find two black orbs staring straight at me from a face so pale and cracked it should tumble to the ground from a breath.
The man’s sallow skin clings to his bones like aged leather, but that’s not the worst part. One of his ears has fallen off and the other one is coal black, matching his hands. Yet his eyes are the things that pin me where I stand.
Shadows swirl in them, as if I’m staring at twin black holes. The darkness expands until it encompasses his face then twists away from him like tendrils of a hellish flame. The spirals spread out and I back away, careful to stay clear of the cliff. I pull out my sling shot, wishing I had put up more of a fight back in Seth’s lair.
One thing’s for sure, Kelsby’s gonna hear about this later.
We reach the portal, yet it doesn’t ignite. Anger rises in my throat until a roar comes out of me. They’ve already blown the link.
My hands fist in my hair. Damn Kelsby. Why did I agree to send him?
Ian’s jaw twitches as he clenches his teeth. My fists bunch in response. He’s got too much invested in Amelia, but at this moment I’ll take any help I can get where she is concerned. If his desire for her will make him focus on bringing her back safely, I welcome the perceived competition. One day soon, I’m going to flatten my brother to the ground, but I have to reel in my temper…for now.
My only hope is we will reach the next portal before Kelsby can blow it.
Zed trudges up to me and clasps my shoulder. “Trust her.”
When he starts out, I follow, picking up speed, but Ian calls us back. “We need to use the failsafe.”
An involuntary gulp makes its way past the ball of nerves in my throat. Each of our worlds is equipped with a failsafe portal. It is easy to get out, but not back in. In the event Erobos ever took over a portal we would have a way to reach the next world without getting caught. If they managed to breech that portal, they would be in for a fight they could never win.
Ian’s right. Kelsby’s probably popped the other one already.
Too many risks, but we need to take them. “What do you think?” I ask Zed while Ian shakes his head at me. Peter stands away from us, looking at us as if we are strangers.
“I concur.”
“No more talking,” says Ian just before he takes off.
I’m in total agreement with him and follow closely behind. If anything happens to Amelia I will never recover. She is in my blood, but does she know this?
I have so much to teach her still. Damn the Erobos, and damn Daegan. He will regret his attempt to alter my recruit. He has no chance of capturing her.
Even if he managed to splinter Amelia’s soul, he would not have her. His strategy makes no sense. He would be better off to wait until she is physically present to risk such a thing.
There has to be more to his plan than taking Amelia, but I cannot allow myself to travel a dark path at this moment. I must keep focused on the reasons I chose my recruit.
It doesn’t take us long to reach the other portal; however, entering it will prove difficult.
Ian circles the pool, his eyes searching the blackened depths where dangers await those with darkness in their souls.
I swallow my own fear and look to Zed, who doesn’t show a single sign of nerves. Sure, he just got his recruit back, thanks to mine.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
I nod and Ian grunts.
“Let us depart,” says Zed moments before he dives through the crystalline surface, followed quickly by Peter. I push back my gnawing thoughts and follow, barely noticing Ian behind me.
The nymphs swirl around us, circling like sharks on the hunt. One detaches from the crowd and draws nearer. The beautiful face in front of me twists into a sultry grin that is somehow ruined by her razor-sharp teeth. She zips up to me, her black hair floating about her body like a widow’s veil.
I still myself, allowing her to appraise me. A single dark brow raises and her smile takes on an evil twist. A talon scrapes down my arm, drawing blood, and more nymphs circle closer.
I’m caught up in the sway of their movement and allow my thoughts to dip into darkness again. She shakes her head, sliding her talon along my cheek, and I stiffen. If I am not careful they will shred me where I stand.
Swallowing, I conjure Amelia in my thoughts. Her light, her purity, buoys me up. A smile spreads my mouth, and my heart pounds with her song.
When the nymph frowns at me, I smile wider. Breath is not an option, but I am in need of a different sustenance only Amelia can give me.
With a swift flick of her tail, the nymph leaves, taking the others with her. Ian can take care of himself. If he makes it through the portal, I will be stunned. If he doesn’t, we will have to take further precautions with him.
Either way, this test is a good litmus for us all. I should really thank Kelsby, and I might, after I throttle him.
The minute I’m through the barrier, I spring for the rim, not even taking a moment to search for Zed. Once on the surface of the crater, the scene disintegrates in fragments.
Amelia is ten feet away, Maybell right behind her. Kelsby is off a distance, but I’m not concerned for him. Amelia’s features are pulled in disgust, and I can only imagine what she sees until the dreamer spins around and smiles at me.
His voice is layered with the darkness of hell. His tongue lolls over his rotting teeth as he speaks, still counting. His presence pushes against me, threatening to steal my power, but I am prepared for him.
What I am not prepared for are the Eros he has inside him, and worse, the Eros that have escaped him already.
All hushes to movement. I lift my sword near my face, taking a breath to still my thoughts and ground my heart.
The first one flies at me, offering ghostly masks and vain wails as it dives for my face. I wait until it is inches from me and slice the air in a wide arc. It dashes away on the wind as another takes its place. Again and again I am bombarded with the entities of the damned.
I inch my way closer to where Amelia stands, but I can’t allow myself a moment to glance at her. One wrong move and I could be infiltrated.
Eros, even without a physical shell, can tempt, but they can also terrorize instantly. As if punctuating my thought, Kelsby screams while Maybell yells out obscenities.
Zed, I’m not too worried about. Peter has already begun dispatching the dark ones. He is the least affected by Erobos influence. Ian has yet to show himself. Perhaps it is better for the nymphs to push him back than for the Eros to have a shot at him.
I stagger closer to the dreamer, who stands statue like, allowing the Eros to rush out of him.
His skin has turned ashen. He will not be long in this world, of which I am grateful, but what is his intention? What has he planned?
I bypass more Eros, who are interested in Amelia anyway. “Hello,” I say to the walking corpse.
He doesn’t acknowledge me, still counting. For a moment I wonder if this is the countdown to oblivion for him, but then another thought hits me. What if he has kept track of the Eros he houses?
“Twenty-five thousand two hundred and two, twenty-five thousand two hundred and one, twenty-five thousand two hundred…”
He doesn’t even take a breath as he plods forward. I’m not waiting for him to get to zero. I lift my sword and slice through his neck. His head rolls away from his body with a sickening thud, followed by a gurgling hiss.
Not the best choice I’ve ever made. Hordes of Eros rush out of his body, both from his dismembered head and the rest of him.
I morph immediately, choosing the form o
f a dragon. My wings pump until I hover over the crater. Spikes line every inch of my skin and I use them to skewer as many Eros as possible with one simple swish of my tail.
Now that I’m airborne the scene becomes clearer. Amelia gapes at me, a leather strap dangling from her fingers.
“Move!” I yell at her, but as usual, she doesn’t listen to me.
At the last moment she loads a ball and hurls it toward the closest Eros. It takes seconds for the projectile to reach its mark, shattering it into tiny specs of smoldering ash. Kelsby must have a touch of sight. He’s given her one of the only weapons Eros cannot avoid. The blast is made to attach to dark energy, so it doesn’t matter if they disassemble.
She goes to work after that and so do I, my chest swelling with pride I impale more Eros. Once I take care of the immediate vicinity, I scan for the others.
Kelsby is in trouble. He’s got five Eros attached to him, his face drawn in the pleasure pain that brings a shiver to my spine.
I glide over to Maybell, who has her own set of Eros inching closer. These are stronger than usual and more determined. Letting out a battle roar, I tuck my wings and dive.
Seth’s a dragon…a stinking dragon. If I hadn’t seen him morph myself, I would have never believed it. It’s wicked cool, but I can’t focus on my desire to join him in the sky, not with these things hovering about like grim reapers on the hunt.
Kelsby showed me how to multiply my ammo by clicking a button on the side of the little balls. When I do, the ball vibrates before it splices like an out-of-control cell.
They have some kind of homing mechanism that latches on to darkness. I don’t know the technicalities, but I’m glad once I release them they do their job fairly quickly.
I’m trying to ignore the decapitated body lying mere feet from me because the goo coming out of him isn’t near as freaky as the wispy tendrils that solidify into grotesque creatures that shift form constantly.
If I make it out of here with my wits, I’m going to ask Seth more about them. Somehow, I doubt they come from the same sphere as humanoids.
They fly at me in hordes like locusts fleeing a storm, yet they are the storm. Darkness consumes the very air, even though light still penetrates the atmosphere.