Wolf in the fold, p.33
Wolf in the Fold, page 33
Unless this is just one huge diversion, she mused. What was happening back home? But Jade wouldn’t have been able to bring his army here, briefly, if everything had gone to hell back home.
She shook her head and kept working, picking her way through the charms. They blurred together oddly, some seeming to cancel each other out and others appearing to exist in total isolation. The magitech at the base of the device reminded her of the obelisk, yet ... she scowled as she studied it as best she could, not daring to pull it apart. Not yet. Perhaps she could disconnect the nexus point, carry it outside and watch the tower collapse ... assuming it could be done without killing themselves in the process. Or trapping themselves,
Professor Serigala entered the chamber. “I couldn’t figure out how to move the obelisk,” he said, shortly. He sounded more focused than normal, irritation clearly gnawing at him. “It appears to be firmly wedged into the tower.”
“Don’t try,” Emily told him. She didn’t look up from her work. The spellware just kept looping around, as if it were trying to hide from her ... and doing it in a manner that drew attention to its existence. Odd, to say the least. “Just ... we’ll just have to see what we can do.”
The professor snorted. “What do you think you can do?”
Emily frowned. “It was too easy,” she said. The more she thought about it, the more it worried her. “The nexus point is a source of near-unlimited power. The defenders should have been able to put up a better fight. Why didn’t they?”
Serigala cleared his throat. “Perhaps they weren’t expecting us.”
“We were attacked on the way,” Emily reminded him. Her thoughts felt sluggish. Being so close to the nexus point was taking its toll. “They knew we were coming.”
She frowned, feeling her head starting to pound. Again. How long had it been since she’d slept? She didn’t know ... hours? It felt like days. She was in no state to start poking into incredibly complex and dangerous pieces of spellware, let alone dismantle what was starting to feel like an unexploded bomb. Pulling the wrong wire might cause an explosion, according to the movies, and she had no idea which wire was the right wire. If there even was a right wire ...
Perhaps that’s the point, she thought, numbly. They let us take the nexus point because we’re held hostage to its continued survival, because we can’t dismantle the device without risking our lives and everything else. It doesn’t matter who has possession as long as it remains intact.
Her blood ran cold. We used chat parchments to hack the system. Why can’t they do the same? Why can’t they control the device, whatever it is, from a distance? Why ...
And then she heard the scream.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Stay here!”
Emily turned and ran back up the corridor, cursing under her breath. The scream had sounded feminine, but neither Frieda nor Penny were given to screaming. Cat and Caleb had to be on their way too ... she grasped for her magic, cursing her exhaustion as she darted through the first set of chambers and up to the entrance hall. Her power reserves felt dangerously drained ... she kicked herself, mentally, for not eating more. Whatever had happened, it had come at the worst possible time.
She slowed as she reached the hall and peered into the chamber, careful not to expose herself. The door was still wide open, the rain pelting down outside ... she shivered as she saw flickers of lightning darting through the poisoned rain. It was so heavy it looked as if they were standing on the wrong side of a waterfall, watching the water pouring down from above. There was no sign of anyone, no sign of ... she heard a groan and turned, spotting Frieda on the ground. Blood was pooling around her head ... Emily threw caution to the winds and ran to her. The wound looked nasty ... she muttered a healing spell, hoping desperately it hadn’t caused permanent damage. There were few physical injuries that couldn’t be treated, if the victim reached a healer in time, but mental damage was something else. The taboo on trying to heal any sort of psychological problem was far too strong to be challenged openly, even by her.
Frieda shifted against Emily, her breath coming in fits and starts. Emily checked her pulse – erratic, but present – and then looked for Penny. There was no sign of her. A flash of paranoia shot through Emily as she started to stand, reaching out with her senses. Penny wouldn’t have attacked Frieda, would she? It was massively out of character ... she felt a twinge of magic further down a side corridor and forced herself to go look. Penny stood there, face so completely blank Emily knew her free will had been taken from her. Whatever had hit her had hit her hard.
Something moved, behind her. Emily threw herself aside as a bolt of superpowered magic crashed past and vanished into the distance, so powerful she was certain she was facing a necromancer at point-blank range. She hit the ground and rolled over, drawing on her magic to boost her alertness. She was going to pay for that later, and she’d be in real trouble if she ran out of energy before winning the fight, but she saw no other choice. The girls were out of it, the boys were nowhere to be seen ... the professor would be worse than useless. She scrambled to her feet as another blast of magic came right at her, her skin prickling as it swept over her head and slammed into the walls. It evaporated a second later, the raw magic fading into the background. Emily would have been impressed if she hadn’t been fighting for her life. Her enemy was fuelling the tower!
Her opponent was a blur, his face lost behind a haze ... her eyes tried to flicker over his face, as if they didn’t want to believe he was there at all. His hands were moving in a complex pattern ... it took her a second to realise what he was doing, then cast a counterspell as he launched another wave of raw magic. The impact stunned her, driving her back against the wall. She bit her lip hard, using the pain to focus. The haze parted, just for a second. A very familiar face looked back at her.
Emily stared. “Resolute?”
The Great Sorcerer of Celeste – the former Great Sorcerer, who had been stripped of his magic - stared back. He had been a handsome man once, dressed in robes that leant him an air of solid dignity mingled with the certainty he was doing the right thing; now, he looked like a tramp, robes replaced by stained rags that seemed on the verge of coming apart. His brown hair had turned white, his eyes pulsed with madness and hatred ... the cool calculating man she’d met, the one who had justified horror and bigotry in oh-so-reasonable tones, had been replaced by a lunatic. And his magic ...
Resolute lunged forward, the magic pulsing around him. He shouldn’t have had magic at all. Emily had given Adam the curse King Randor had cast on her, the curse that blocked and drained magic once and for all ... she’d told him to use it only as a last resort, if there was no other choice. She’d checked the results afterwards and Resolute had been powerless, reduced to the same helplessness in the face of magic as the mundanes he’d ground into the dirt. She hadn’t wanted to be merciful, not after everything he’d done ... how the hell had he gotten his magic back? It should have been impossible.
You got your magic back, her thoughts pointed out. Why can’t he?
Emily felt his fingers curving around her throat, ready to choke the life out of her. She brought her knee up, slamming it into his groin. He howled in pain, giving her a chance to break free and run ... up close, his power was shimmering out of control, his body threatening to burn up as he stumbled after her. His magic wasn’t as controlled as she’d thought, closer to a necromancer’s raw fury than the spells she’d seen him use earlier. His eyes hadn’t gone red, a sure sign of a necromancer, but ... what had he done? She knew how she’d regained her magic ... had he somehow done the same? Perhaps she’d underestimated his remaining allies. She’d assumed they’d shun him for lack of magic, but if they were genuine friends ...
“You did this to me,” Resolute howled. The raw anger in his tone boiled through his magic as he cast another spell. “You did this ...”
Technically, Adam did, Emily thought, although Resolute had credited her with all of Adam’s accomplishments over the last few years. The bigoted fool had been unable to wrap his head around the idea of a mundane creating magitech ... Emily had no idea why he’d engaged in mental gyrations to convince himself that Emily had given Adam the credit as part of some long-term plan, but it hardly mattered. What did you do to yourself?
Her mind raced as she cast another force punch, using the blow to cover another spell. His magic was a solid wall of madness, the world rippling around him as he brought his power to bear on her. He was like a necromancer, lashing out with naked force rather than anything more elaborate. Resolute was experienced enough to know the dangers of messing with necromancy ... had he been able to perform the rite without his magic? Emily had no idea. It should have been impossible, but she’d seen a lot of things that had been impossible once upon a time. The subtle analysis spell flickered into his raw power, noting that he didn’t have protections so much as a wall of magic surrounding him ...
Her blood ran cold as she saw his eyes shift and change, something else peering out through them. Something inhuman ... a demon. Resolute had summoned a demon and made a deal and ... she cursed under her breath, as she hadn’t even considered the possibility, and forced herself to think. The demon wasn’t in control – probably – but it was just a matter of time before it took over or Resolute’s body and mind burned out under the stress. She darted back as another blast of magic came at her, too strong to deflect, and glanced behind her. Where were Caleb and Cat? They could both help ... Resolute howled the scream of the damned and came forward, magic warping the world around his fingertips. Emily started to put together another spell as the demon howled too, utterly inhuman eyes resting on top of Resolute’s face ... it clicked, suddenly, that it resembled the city outside. The demon was a multidimensional being too.
Another spell struck her defences, picking her up and throwing her down the corridor. Emily let it happen as he marched after, muttering a levitation spell as she flew into the next chamber and went up. There was too much magic in the air for an illusion to last for long, but she cast an image of herself and sent it down anyway, in hopes of distracting him long enough to come up with something better. The more he spent his power – no, the demon’s power – the sooner he’d burn himself out. Resolute crashed into the chamber, spotted the illusion and launched a burst of raw power at it. The blast went right through the translucent illusion and slammed into a pile of machinery. Emily blinked as it exploded ... and nothing happened. She’d expected a far greater explosion.
Resolute laughed. It was no longer wholly human.
Emily summoned her magic and dropped down, slamming a handful of crude curses and hexes into his back while slipping something more dangerous into his magic. The surge of power surprised her ... she channelled it through the edge of her wards, shaping it into something that might start ripping his very limited spellware apart. He howled again and made a slapping motion with one hand, his magic smacking into her and throwing her back. His magic had always been a part of him, like hers, but this was different. He felt like a man wearing a suit of powered armour.
He stood and glared at her, his eyes glowing with madness. “Where is my daughter?”
Emily had a different question. “What are you doing here?”
“They told me they could give me back my magic, if I killed you,” Resolute said. His face was flickering, the demonic visage slowly coming into reality, impressing itself on top of him. “If I fought you. If I stopped you ...”
“You attacked us?” Emily’s mind raced, despite the tiredness threatening to overcome her. The tower was draining her magic too. If Resolute had been desperate ... she kicked herself, mentally, for not killing or imprisoning him. She should have known her cruel mercy would come back to bite her. The man had deserved to suffer, after the nightmare he’d unleashed, but perhaps a lifetime in a cell would have been a better option. He’d been so desperate after a few weeks without magic that he’d made the bargain without hesitation. “Why ...?”
She forced herself to think. Demons could see the future. If one was involved here ...
Resolute’s face shifted. “Where is my daughter?”
“She’s better off without you,” Emily said, bluntly. There were few worse father figures than her stepfather, but Resolute was a monster all the more monstrous for being so calm and reasonable and dangerous. “She’ll be fine ...”
He jabbed a finger at her. She ducked as a blast of raw power shot over her head, nearly singeing her hair, then tossed back a pair of ward-cracker spells. A skilled magician would have no trouble deflecting them ... would he? She followed up with a simple tripping spell ... Resolute battered them down with a wave of magic, then came after her. Emily shaped a third spell, turning the air around him into pure oxygen, and threw a fireball. The explosion made him flinch, at least, but it didn’t do any real harm. His face was starting to look more ragged. She knew that wasn’t a good sign.
Caleb appeared, his face pale. “Look out ...”
Resolute howled and hurled a spell at Caleb. He threw himself aside as the blast crashed into the walls and vanished. Emily could feel magic curling through the tower, her hair prickling as she sensed the power surges growing stronger. It felt as if something was about to happen, something bad. Resolute’s skin split, eerie inhuman light pouring like blood from the wound. The demon was growing stronger ... Emily motioned for Caleb to get back, then threw a handful of spells herself. None were very dangerous, but anything that forced him to burn up power was a good thing. Hopefully.
“Get back, Emily snapped. Resolute was turning his attention back to her. “Go to the packs. Get the thingy.”
Caleb glanced at her, then turned and ran away. Resolute laughed, the mad sound echoing through the air and following Caleb down the corridor. Emily hoped he’d keep running, that he’d understood what she’d been telling him to do ... most young men would sooner die than be thought a coward, even if a tactical retreat was the best possible thing to do. Cat and Jade wouldn’t let the taunt pass, she knew. They’d let themselves be provoked into doing something stupid. Caleb was a little more practically minded ...
But where the hell was Cat?
“You intend to marry that man?” Resolute sounded absurdly concerned, as if he were a kindly uncle offering good advice. Emily gritted her teeth. He sounded almost like his old self. “He ran, leaving his bride-to-be in deadly danger.”
He giggled, the madness growing stronger. “What a man. What a father. What a coward. You must be so proud.”
Emily gritted her teeth. The words stung, even though she knew better. “I didn’t want him to watch me tearing you apart,” she said, instead. Alassa could have pulled it off. She could speak with a tone dripping in arrogance. Emily wasn’t sure it worked for her. It sounded more like a pathetic attempt to cover for her boyfriend. “He doesn’t like that part of me.”
Resolute snickered, then raised a hand in one smooth motion. Emily darted back, cursing under her breath as a blast of magic slammed into the walls again. The sheer power was daunting ... the demon was breaking free, silent laughter battering against her mind, and she had no idea where the magic was actually going. There were odd little shimmers flickering through the tower. She cast a simple illusion spell, then summoned smoke, then turned and ran. It wouldn’t deceive him for long, if at all, but it didn’t matter. She needed him to follow her.
“Pathetic,” Resolute said. She could feel him walking after her, he and the demon slowly eating his soul. His magic was shifting into something else, something bad. “Such a man could only put an inferior child in you. A child without magic ...”
“I stole your magic,” Emily said, tauntingly. “I can give it to my child.”
Resolute roared and came after her. Emily picked up speed and ran into the hall, back to Frieda and Penny and ... she barely had a second to note Caleb before Resolute ran into the hall himself, right into the trap. Caleb triggered the magitech necromancer-killer and ducked. Emily turned, just in time to see Resolute stagger to his knees. His entire form blurred, something utterly inhuman pressing its way into reality, trying to take his place ... Emily had an impression of teeth and claws and cruel, very cruel, eyes. They burned into her soul ... Resolute screamed in pain, the demonic magic dissolving into nothingness. The demon looked at her, then vanished. Resolute collapsed, his body coming apart at the seams. There wasn’t enough left for him to have a hope of survival.
Emily forced herself to walk up to him. He was gasping for breath, his eyes wide ... Emily could see his exposed lungs, his damaged heart. His eyes met hers, just for a second, silently pleading for a mercy she couldn’t grant ... she wondered, suddenly, just what happened to fools who allowed themselves to be possessed by a demon. Did they go to hell? Was there a hell? Or did they wind up somewhere else? Or eaten ...
“Your daughter is fine,” she said. It was the only thing she could offer. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Resolute’s lips moved silently – Emily couldn’t tell if he was trying to thank her or curse her – before his entire body crumbled into dust. Emily met Caleb’s eyes, just for a second, then hurried over to Frieda. The wound had healed nicely, her eyes widening ...
“Lie still,” Emily said. She motioned for Caleb to see to Penny. “Can you hear me?”
Frieda nodded. “I ...”
“Lie still,” Emily told her. She held up three fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Three,” Frieda said. “Why ...?”
