Page 56 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)
IZZY
I gasp as I see the bodies strewn in the river, on the banks, up the side of the cliff, and just about everywhere else I look.
So many people have already lost their lives. Looking around at the faces frozen forever in pain or surprise or reluctant acceptance has my eyes burning with tears that I refuse to let fall.
I’m responsible for all these deaths at the end of the day. While I was not the one to actually kill them, I’m still the reason they were here and facing Lua to begin with.
The only thing that keeps me from breaking apart is seeing that my mates and family are all safe, at least for now.
Legion is in his hydra form, towering over our mate group and… eating spells and ghosts that come our way. Apparently, his hydra heads can just swallow magic, which is weird but handy.
Luca is in his wolf form, and Cain is in his hellhound form, which I’ve never seen before.
He’s a black, muscular hound who is as tall as the average person.
He has wispy black flames surrounding him that incinerate any spirits they touch.
They’re tearing into spirits as a pack of two, their attacks coordinated and efficient.
Bishop is with Rhys, Aiden, and the other mages, slinging spells at Lua and the spirits. They’re on the riverbank, a safe distance away from the Styx.
I look around for Levi, expecting him to be near Hades, who is right next to me, but he’s not.
After searching for a heart-pounding few seconds, I realize that he’s in his giant snake form, coiled around the feet of Hades’s mate group.
While they focus on hurling magic toward Lua, he keeps them protected from spirits.
Levi is the first one to notice me. His serpentine eyes go wide, and his snake form vanishes in an instant. Before I even realize he’s turned back, he’s sprinting at me. When he crashes into me, he wraps me in a hug and squeezes me so hard it’s difficult to breathe.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Levi rasps into my hair. “We were all so fucking worried about you. I would’ve dived in after you if Hades hadn’t stopped me.”
“How long was I down there? And why did Hades stop you?” I ask when his hold loosens enough I can finally breathe.
“You were down there for about seven or eight minutes. Those were the longest fucking minutes of my life.” He breaks off, sounding too choked up to speak anymore.
After swallowing a few times and clearing his throat, he continues.
“Hades stopped me because he believed that the river was giving you the power you needed to complete your task. He thinks you have a unique connection with it, so there was little chance of you drowning.”
“The Styx talked to me. Or I suppose it was a spirit trapped in there. She said I am the steward of the souls. I can apparently breathe underwater now. At least in magical river water that mildly tried to drown me.” I blurt the whole thing out, hardly pausing to take a breath as I unload the crazy that just happened.
Levi blinks at me without saying anything for a moment. Then he shakes his head. “Well, that’s… new. Do you feel any different?”
I shrug. “Yeah, I mean, I feel more powerful after I breathed in all that probably unsanitary damned-souls water. So, I guess the river was trying to power me up?”
Before Levi can respond, a pack of feral souls heads straight for us. Without any thought, my magic explodes out of me and slams straight into the six damaged souls.
Instead of tearing them apart or destroying them, my magic heals the damage. Six very confused ghosts peer back at me. Their clothing seems to be a mix of different time periods, probably dating back to the seventeen hundreds.
I blink at them as they blink back at me. “Uh, hi?”
“Who are you? Where am I? And why am I here?” a girl ghost, dressed in a plain overdress and petticoat, asks uncertainly.
I tilt my head back and forth as I think about what to say. “It’s kinda hard to explain, and you’re in danger of getting permanently destroyed if you stay here. Can you float over to the other side of the river and wait until we’re done fighting? If I’m not dead, I’ll come explain everything.”
“What a rousing, inspiring speech,” one of the souls dryly comments. “But, yes, I will lead our group to safety. Farewell, mage.”
I roll my eyes at him but don’t say anything as they do as I ask.
I’m pleasantly surprised to see the spirits make it to the other side without getting murdered. Now that they’re out of harm’s way, it’s time to focus on the more pressing problem—how the fuck to we stop Lua without losing a bunch more of our people.
“Wanna regroup with everyone else?” I shout to be heard over the din of battle. The screams and cries and whimpers will be something I hear for the rest of my, probably, short life.
Levi nods and begins splashing through the river. Luca and Bishop can’t go into the Styx, so we have to meet them on the banks. If I have to step into the water again, I hope I don’t get dragged down another time.
When Luca and Cain spot me, they both run over to me. Cain ventures into the water while Luca waits anxiously on the shore. Cain is as tall as me in his hellhound form, so he’s easily able to lick my face when he reaches me.
I sputter and wipe the doggie slobber off my face before leveling him with a half-hearted glare. He doesn’t look the least bit sorry as we keep making our way over to Luca.
The entire journey over to Luca, we’re constantly defending against spells and spirits.
I can see both Levi and Cain starting to flag by the time we make it to the shore, which doesn’t bode well for us.
There are still hundreds and hundreds of ghosts roaming about, and Lua shows no signs of slowing down as she keeps blasting everyone with her magic.
When we reach Luca, he headbutts my stomach affectionately before standing on guard, ready to tear any spirits that approach us to shreds.
Bishop comes running when he spots me and hugs me with all his strength. “I was so damn worried we lost you, sweetheart,” he whispers into my hair.
I look up into his baby blues and feel bad about causing the worry I can see swimming in them. “I’m sorry, St. James.”
He nods and squeezes me once more before his arms fall away. “So, what’s the plan? Because we can’t keep going like this forever.”
Looking around at our fatiguing forces, I know he’s right. Despite their best efforts, having to fight so many souls and battle Lua’s insanely powerful magic is wearing everyone out, including the curae .
“We need to get close to her so I can stab her.” I glance at the wall of messed-up spirits she has guarding her in concern. “How to do that, I have no idea.”
“We can help you get close, sagana. Hades and his mate group will also help,” Bear rumbles in my mind.
I glance around, expecting to see their rottweiler form. Instead, I see my twenty-five-foot-tall familiaris staring down at me. I give them a small smile. “I didn’t know you guys were planning to be here.”
“We would never leave you alone in danger. We will always be here when you need us,” Cer rasps, his giant doggy head dipping down to be level with my face.
“Thanks, guys.” Turning back to my mates, I tell them, “Cerberus suggested that we pull people like Hades and his mate group from the general battle to help us reach Lua.”
Levi tilts his head back and forth in thought. “That’s not a bad idea. We need a large force to be able to get to her at this point. Luca and Bishop will have to stay behind, but they could coordinate the shifters and mages and maybe draw the attention of the spirits.”
“I can help lead the ghosts over to the shifters and mages,” Aggie supplies helpfully. “You know ghosts always follow my lead pretty well, kid.”
Before I can say anything, a multicolored ball of magic arrows straight for our mate group. I reflexively throw up a shield and brace for the impact. It’s unnecessary because one of Legion’s hydra heads snaps up the magic and swallows it down.
I look up at him with wide eyes. “Thanks.”
He dips all nine of his heads before turning back to the battle. We’ve already wasted time standing around, talking, so we need to get a move on. The longer it takes to defeat Lua, the lower our chances of succeeding are.
“Everyone ready to go?” I ask.
I get nods from Levi and Cain, and a reluctant bob of the head from Luca. Bishop glares at me for a beat before pulling me into another hug. “Please be safe, sweetheart. I can’t do this life without you, so come back to me.”
With a lump in my throat from Bishop’s words, I nod and choke out, “I love all of you. Be safe, too.”
Turning around before he responds, because if I don’t leave now, I’ll never leave, I march back to the Styx and hope not to get dragged under again. I’m tense as I step into the murky liquid.
When nothing happens, I splash through the ankle-deep water over to Hades and his mate group.
The four of them are surrounded by curae of all shapes and sizes, many of them not even slightly resembling humans.
I push my way through their pack until I’m next to Hades. He looks down at me curiously while still slinging magic at the attacking ghosts and his mother. “Do you require something, earthling? Or are you just here to watch us fight?”
I huff. “I need help getting closer to Lua.”
Hades considers me silently before nodding. “Follow the earthling,” Hades shouts to the fifty or so curae surrounding him. They glance at him in confusion before he starts walking toward Lua. Then they follow him.
I pick up my pace so I can be in the lead with Levi and Cain trailing me. Cerberus and Legion are watching from farther back, since their massive bodies can’t fit in all areas of the battlefield.
Blowing out a breath, I ready myself for the confrontation that’s about to happen. Well, I ready myself as much as I can be because nothing can prepare me for putting all the people I love on the line to save the world.