Deadly measures, p.2
Deadly Measures, page 2
She had replayed that scene in Titania’s court over and over in her mind, more times than she could count. Now she recognized Titania’s calculating words. In her mind’s eye, she could see Sanders’ hesitation. She could see his wavering as Kasey had begged him to leave.
And she could vividly recall Marissa’s taunting mockery.
Of all the Sidhe she’d ever met, Kasey liked her the least.
The progeny of Titania and Oberon, the Princess of Autumn and Spring was a malicious bitch. She’d been imprisoned in the Terminus for five centuries, but by all accounts, she’d been losing her mind before that.
Now her haunting condescension plagued Kasey’s every sleeping moment. Sanders had chosen to stay, and he’d done it at a time when the Council had needed him most. Never would she have believed he would put his own well-being ahead of others.
Was he just following orders? Or did she really not know him after all?
Kasey shoved the thought from her mind and fought the urge to scream. She felt like an idiot for trusting him.
Steady, the Earth spirit warned inside her mind. I can feel your temper, Kasey. Nothing good was ever wrought in anger.
We’ve just been framed for murder, Kasey thought back. The Congress is in ruin and Methuselah is on the loose. You’re worried my temper might be our biggest problem?
I was old before the Congress was born, the Earth Spirit answered. In my lifetime, I have seen species brought into existence and ended, but have joined myself to only a dozen Earthborn. Understand this, my power is in you. The anger that is coursing in your veins could bring down buildings, rend the earth, or unleash a tsunami of destruction.
Sounds pretty good right now, Kasey bit back. Tell me, all-knowing one, why is it always me that has to pay the price? My heart is breaking, and all you have to say is don’t get mad. I need help. Can’t you see that?
I’ve been helping you since the day you were born, the Earth Spirit answered. You might have spent most of your life running but I was always watching. Yet you trusted Titania over me. Why?
I didn’t know you existed, Kasey replied as she entered the subway stairs. Here in the outer suburbs, the metro tracks were above ground. She rushed to the platform. You might have been watching me, but I had no idea what my visions even were until recently.
You might have been watching me, but I had no idea what my visions even were until recently.
I left you to seek me out when you were ready. I didn’t anticipate you’d so quickly entangle yourself with the Sidhe. Now we are, as you humans would say, making lemonade with our lemons.
Thanks, Confucius, Kasey replied. Any opinion on my current course of action? Am I crazy to trust Strang? More importantly, am I about to be tossed in a cell, because that would be inconvenient?
You’re right to try and heal the rift in the Arcane Congress. Peace comes of compromise. We must bring Summer and Winter together, and we must destroy the creature that has named itself Eternity.
Destroy, how? she asked. Don’t hold back on me now.
You must cast it out of its vessel, and back into the never from which it has come. It cannot inhabit this plane without form. It’s very being is anathema to this world and likewise our world is its antithesis. Without Methuselah’s body to sustain it, I’m afraid it could prove rather destructive.
So, you’re saying I can’t kill it Methuselah without causing collateral damage?
No, but it’s a small price to pay, the Earth Spirit answered. If Eternity remains in our realm, it will seek to undo our very existence.
Got it. Kasey swiped her Metro card at the turnstile and stepped onto the covered platform. She headed left to be near the front of the train. A few dozen commuters waited for their ride into the city.
A surge of magic rolled through the air about her. Kasey turned to see the fabric of reality tear open, as if some sort of being had torn straight through the veil itself. Beyond the rift stood a cave lit by primitive torches.
A skittering filled the air, like the rush of dozens of feet striking stone. A fuzzy silhouette approached the portal.
A giant spider leaped onto the Marci Street Station. On its back, a small green goblin carried a primitive bow in one hand and shouted undecipherable words in a language consisting entirely of clicks and whistles.
Commuters screamed as the massive spider reared up, towering overhead.
“Aw, hell no.” A woman beside Kasey threw her bag over her shoulder and headed for the exit at the opposite end of the platform. “Not today, New York.”
Kasey agreed with the sentiment as more of the spiders scurried through the portal onto the platform.
“What on earth?” Kasey growled, her heart pounding in her chest.
Not from Earth, the Earth Spirit said. These are of Faerie. They are Wyldfae.
What does that even mean? She drew on her power, not sure what to make of the creatures. Are they Summer or Winter?
The creatures fanned out but hadn’t attacked any of the commuters.
Neither, the Earth spirit replied, but they shouldn’t be here.
The rider on the lead spider pointed at Kasey and bellowed something that sounded like two raccoons fighting in a dumpster.
“Do I run?” Kasey answered, eying the turnstiles as the creatures surged forward.
You’ll never out pace them.
Ideas? she asked the Earth Spirit, trying to do better at following its guidance. In the past, her instincts seemed to always get her into trouble.
Well, you were angry, the Earth Spirit replied. Might I suggest leaning into that emotion for the time being?
The commuters on the platform screamed as the spiders raced towards her. The massive mounts sent several of the commuters crashing to the ground as they charged through their midst.
One of them mounted the wall, running across it in a bid to flank her. Another jumped onto the tracks, seemingly oblivious to the danger that posed. The remaining three charged side-by-side right at her.
Kasey closed her eyes as the station platform shook beneath her feet. When she opened them, flames broiled above her outstretched palms. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Chapter 2
Kasey hurled the swirling orbs of fire at closest spider. The creatures were still the better part of the length of the subway platform away but they were rapidly closing the distance.
Chaos prevailed as people raced for the station exits.
Kasey appeared to be the only human mad enough to stay, and as she evaluated that choice, she realized there wasn’t a snowflake’s chance in hell she would get away.
As the fire arced toward the first spider, the mammoth creature plunged forward, splaying its legs out, its carapace smacking into the station platform. The fire whistled past the spider’s head.
With an effort of will, Kasey ensured the flames slammed right into the rider’s chest instead.
The goblin let out a piercing shriek as the fire consumed it. The oily fire kissed the spider’s back. The mammoth creature sprung up, slamming into the roof of the subway station. The building shook. The burning goblin’s shrieks ceased in a sickening crunch that also extinguished the flames that had caught on the leather saddle.
With its rider dispatched, the spider, veered right, leaped onto the subway tracks, and broke ranks, racing for the city outside.
Another goblin shouted after it, but the retreating spider paid it no heed. The remaining four riders drew their bows and fired after the deserting spider, but the crude projectiles bounced off its stony hide. They weren’t the hairy creatures Kasey was used too; their bodies seemed protected by a kind of chitinous bony plate.
What are these things? Kasey asked the Earth Spirit. My fire did nothing to it.
Cave spiders, the Earth Spirit replied. You will have better luck burning their masters. They are unwillingly press ganged onto the surface by their goblin masters.
The spiders were dangerous, but if left to their own devices, they would flee.
Normally, she would think twice about letting such beasts loose in the city, but she didn’t have all day to chase them.
As the creatures adjusted their aim to her, Kasey sheltered behind a concrete pillar.
If fire won’t do it, let us try a little earth magic, then, Kasey said. Perhaps I can simply tear them apart.
If you miss, you could bring the whole station down, the Earth Spirit replied. Your earth conjuration could use some work.
“Lousy teacher,” Kasey muttered.
Smart arse, the Earth Spirit answered.
Any other suggestions you might have? You’re about to be down exactly one Earthborn.
Water if you can, the Earth Spirit said. It’s anathema to them.
Two vending machines and a drinking fountain stood on the platform, but the spiders were already on top of them.
An emergency access fire reel, like a shining beacon, stood in a reinforced closet about twenty feet away.
The spiders charged toward her, arrows bouncing off the concrete pillar as they pinned her in place.
Kasey wasn’t sure she could make it to the door in time but it seemed her best bet. Conjuring water out of nothing but air wasn’t a talent she had devoted effort to mastering. She had always been quick to rely on fire, neglecting the other elements. Often, she thought she’d missed her calling as a pyromancer. It was only since reconnecting with the Earth Spirit that had she had started applying herself to the school of Earth Magic.
She needed something to work with.
Kasey launched into a dead sprint. It was all or nothing. As she ran, she hastily erected a crimson shield behind her.
Clicks and whistles alerted her to the fact the spider riders were drawing nearer by the moment.
Each arrow that struck her shield drew on her power, but not nearly as much as a bullet would. She was confident the shield would hold against the arrows until she reached the fire reel, but the spiders themselves were another matter, their mass would require far more effort to hold at bay.
The massive beasts moved quickly but seemed to struggle to turn at speed. Kasey darted to the side, putting a pillar between her and two of her pursuers. Arrows ricocheted off the concrete pillar until a spider collided with it. The station roof shook.
Kasey took advantage of the shrieking and confusion to sprint the rest of the distance to the emergency cupboard. The spiders fanned out, not realizing her intention. Rather, they tried to block her escape and back her up against the wall.
Each arrow slamming into her shield siphoned some of her strength. The creatures were growing bolder, closing fast in spite of the shield. She needed to buy herself time.
While her fire wasn’t particularly effective against the spiders, it did come easily and was a more than serviceable distraction. If she could hit one of the riders, its beast might likewise desert the cause.
“Pel Tan!”
Twin orbs of fire, blazing a white-hot orange, coalesced into being above her outstretched palms. She sent them flying at the two nearest creatures. The first spider dug its bony legs into the tile floor, bringing it to a screeching halt as the fireball sailed past.
Kasey’s aim was better on the second, but its rider yanked up on the chains around the creature’s neck, forcing it to rear on its hind legs. The spider’s chitinous body separated its master from Kasey. The fire washed over the creature’s hide, scorching bone, but otherwise rolling harmlessly off the spider’s tremendous bulk.
Kasey cursed as the creature shook off the attack without so much as a second-degree burn. She’d hoped to immolate another rider, but the rider mocked her efforts with a series of clicks that was unmistakably laughter.
“Little bastards,” Kasey said.
Are you sure that’s wise? the Earth Spirit asked as she drew deep on her well of power.
Everything burns. It’s just a matter of temperature, Kasey replied, focusing her will into a thin lance of superheated fire. It was barely the width of two of her fingers, but she aimed it right at the spider’s chest.
Her hands trembled at the intensity, but the pillar of fire was hot enough to reduce steel to molten slag. It was an adaptation of the spell she had used to kill several of the feudal court vampires.
The riders were still cackling when the lance punched straight through one of the spider’s bony hide and burst through the back, right where the goblin sat astride it.
The spider’s multifaceted eyes darted everywhere as it spasmed in its death throes.
One of the other spiders positioned itself between her and the emergency closet.
As the spider’s fangs descended, ready to ruin her favorite shirt, she hit the deck, sliding beneath the creature. It teetered forward, overbalancing.
Kasey cleared the creature’s massive abdomen and sprang to her feet. Yanking open the closet, she stepped inside. She pulled the door shut behind her as a flurry of arrows slammed into the steel door. One of them pierced the glass window, lodged in the toughened glass, mere inches from Kasey’s chest. The sharpened head of the arrow dripped with a viscous yellow substance.
A shiny aluminium tag announced the most recent inspection date of the fire hose as less than six months ago.
“God bless the New York Fire Department,” Kasey whispered as she yanked down on the hose.
She wanted as much freedom to move as she could get.
A colossal sound reverberated in her soul as one of the spiders slammed into the door. The door bowed dangerously, threatening to cave in and pin her against the hose. The door edges splayed outwards, allowing Kasey a glimpse of the creature’s legs moving on the other side.
The door wasn’t going to hold. She only had one shot at this.
Grabbing the nozzle of the fire hose, she pointed it at the door. “Dwrn grym!”
A fist of power slammed into the door, blowing it outward into the spider. The dull steel edge went straight through one of the creature’s immense legs. The spider backpedaled, screaming murder.
The other two spiders rallied behind the wounded beast. The goblins had their bows drawn and were nocking new arrows. Kasey opened the valve to full.
Water surged through the hose, forcing Kasey forward as the hose expanded in the void behind her. Keeping her balance, she pointed the nozzle at that the spider before her. Water spewed from the fire hose in an explosive torrent, the pressure of it requiring all her strength to keep the hose from wildly snapping every which way.
The wall of water struck the spider, blasting it backwards. As the spider shrieked and twisted, its rider leapt from the saddle rather than risk being crushed by its flailing bulk.
More arrows hurtled at her.
Get down! the Earth Spirit said.
Kasey did her best to press herself against the wall of the closet to give as narrow a profile as possible. One arrow missed entirely, but the second sliced through her jacket, nicking her arm before bouncing off the wall behind her.
Her nicked arm wasn’t nearly as irritating as her new jacket being ruined on its first outing. A dull rumble filled the station as she turned the hose on the other spiders. The creatures scurried back from the spreading pool of water.
That gave Kasey an idea.
Opening the nozzle to full, she let the hose go.
The hose whipped around like a serpent, spraying water in every direction and in a pattern that was impossible for the spiders to predict. Kasey charged out behind it.
The station platform was soaked. The closest spider was stuck on its back, its legs scrambling in an effort to right itself. Aiming at the spider rider that had just ruined her jacket, Kasey drew together a fist of kinetic energy and sent it hurtling at the spider.
The spell struck the spider center mass, sending it flying off the platform and onto the tracks right as the J train rolled into the station. Spider and rider were ground into the railway tracks as the train fired its emergency brakes.
Now there was two, and Kasey had an abundance of water to work with.
The spiders scampered back and forth, seemingly conflicted between trying to attack Kasey and avoiding the runaway hose.
Kasey raced toward the last spider still on its feet. As she went, she drew the water together, infusing it with her power until she had two spheres rising out of the pool on the station floor.
With a thought, she sent them flying at the creature. Both orbs struck the spider’s head. The spider squealed in anger and pain as it danced back and forth.
Kasey threw herself on the ground, diving clear of the frenzied motions. Intentional or not, one of those flurries could knock her out cold.
As she tried to regain her feet, the last spider sprang forward in a massive bound, crossing the ten feet between them in a singles leap. Its maw opened as the spider raced toward her. Saliva dripped from the creature’s mouth as Kasey struggled to find purchase on the wet concrete.
It reminded her of dueling with Nora in the tunnels beneath the city. It had been going well until Nora had brained her with a bat formed of solid ice.
“Rhewi!“ Kasey said.
Shaping the water into a stalactite of ice, she sent it flying at the cave spider’s open mouth. The spear of ice flew true, slicing through the soft flesh at the back of the creature’s throat and went straight through its brain.
The spider pitched forward, its legs non-responsive as it threw its rider clear of the saddle.
Kasey rose to her feet, fatigue starting to set in. Clambering over the dying spider’s twitching legs, Kasey found the goblin still entangled in the chains that served as reins.
“Why are you here?” Kasey asked.
The creature clicked its tongue, its speech utterly unintelligible to her.
He reached for a dagger on its belt. Kasey drew back and kicked his head so hard his neck snapped. The station was still but for the thrashing spiders which were quickly fading.
The J train stood at a standstill, its doors closed, its passengers pressed against the window. The spiders were dead or dying. The one trapped on its back was slowly melting into a puddle of muddy mess, as the fire hose drenched it again and again.
The only spider to live through the ambush was the one that had bolted up the tracks.
