Page 16

CHAPTER 16

VIOLET

T he ancient doors groaned open like a pensioner with arthritis. Bloody hell. More tunnels stretched before us. This was a maze of corruption that would make the London Underground seem straightforward. Purple sludge dripped down the stone walls and pooled on the floor like toxic waste.

"Someone needs to introduce these ancient evil types to WD-40," Fiona quipped. She was leaning heavily on Bas as purple energy pulsed from her wound. "Though he's outdone himself with the maze. Nothing says 'I'm summoning eldritch horrors' like extending the scenic route for your guests."

"Well, this is horrifying," I muttered as we watched corrupted energy drip from the ceiling like toxic rain. It even sizzled against the stone. "At least we know exactly what awaits us at the end of this charming tour. Ritual chamber, blood sacrifice, possible end of the world."

"Don't forget the fashion choices," Fiona added with a grimace. "Black robes, skull accessories, the whole dark aesthetic. Though I suppose if you're planning to unmake magic itself, you've got to dress the part."

"Speaking of which," Thanos said, divine power crackling around him as he surveyed the branching tunnels, "we need to split up. That ritual isn't going to stop itself, and we need to cover more ground."

He was right. The magical currents pulsed through the complex with purpose now. It was a corrupted heartbeat. Each wave made my magic stir restlessly. I nodded, though everything in me screamed against separating. "Three teams. The tunnels branch east, west, and center. You’re right. We'll have a better chance of finding Aislinn if we divide and conquer."

"As much as I hate splitting up in the evil underground lair," Fiona added, "we're running out of time. Argies, you should take point through the middle. You've got the strongest connection to Aislinn's scent. And your dragon magic packs the most punch."

"I'll go with him," Gadross said as he pulled another copper artifact from his seemingly endless supply. This one was a sphere and looked like it had a compass set in it. Its needle spun wildly as it tried to track something. Likely the power. "I should be able to help shield against the worst of it."

He paused, then reached into his bag again. He pulled out what looked like rough-cut quartz crystals that pulsed and were lit from within. "Take one of these. They will let us communicate better than those cell phones you're all so fond of. But be warned. In a place this dark you will need to keep them clean. The corruption will try to seep in. If you see black veins starting to spread through the crystal, cleanse them immediately. Otherwise..." He grimaced. "Let's just say having dark magic whisper directly into your mind is not an experience I recommend."

"Join the club," I muttered and accepted one of the crystals. It felt warm in my palm. It was almost like holding a bit of captured sunlight. "None of us were prepared for this level of magical perversion. Thanos and I will take east," I continued as I gathered my witch fire until blue flames danced around my hands. "Fiona and Bas take the west. These should keep us connected."

"I've always wanted to go spelunking in tunnels of doom," Fiona quipped in a voice tight with pain as she tucked her crystal into a pocket. "It really rounds out the whole evil lair experience. Although, I have to say, their interior decorator needs to be fired. Purple is best on our dragon princess." I had to agree entirely. Kalli was adorable.

"Try not to die," I told Fiona seriously as I gripped her free hand. "And Fi? Don't do anything stupid. That wound is going to try and take you over. I mean it. We need you functional when we find Aislinn."

She managed a weak grin that didn't reach her eyes. "Me? Never. I only do incredibly brilliant things that look stupid in retrospect. Besides, Bas won't let me do anything too reckless. He's worse than my mother when it comes to protecting me."

"That's what worries me," I muttered as we prepared to split off. "Your definition of 'too reckless' usually involves mouthing off and pissing off the wrong person."

"Only the necessary ones," she protested, then sobered. "Be careful, Vi. Whatever's down here is awful, old, and hungry."

"We've got this," I replied, then turned to Thanos. "Ready to crash this apocalyptic party?"

His demigod power crackled around him like contained lightning. "Lead the way. Just try not to set the entire tunnel system on fire. I'd rather not add 'buried alive' to today's list of near-death experiences. "

"No promises," I said as we split off into our assigned paths. "Sometimes a good inferno is exactly what's needed."

The eastern tunnel seemed to descend deeper with each step. The air grew thicker and colder. My senses were immediately overwhelmed by the concentration of death magic. It was like walking through a graveyard where nothing had been allowed to properly rest. Every soul was trapped in that terrible moment between life and death.

Evidence of failed experiments and discarded vessels littered our path like trash. The scorched circles on the floor still hummed with residual power. There were shattered crystals that held traces of corrupted energy. Worst of all, the lingering echoes of pain were etched into the very stone. Each step revealed new horrors and signs of what the Blackwoods had been doing down here for centuries.

"This is awful," I said as we passed another failed ritual site. The magical residue made my magic burn beneath my skin. My magic was crying out against the perversion of natural law. "The death energy is not dispersing properly. It’s being contained. I can’t tell if that was intentional or not."

"Everything down here goes against the natural order, so who knows," Thanos observed grimly. "The natural properties of these tunnels could automatically store it. When you enchant limestone, it changes how things work."

As if in response to his words, the stone itself began to bleed. Dark liquid oozed from the walls. Instead of dripping down, it defied gravity and flowed upward then outward. The droplets coalesced into humanoid shapes that made my magical core recoil in horror. Blood wraiths. Dozens of them. They were created from former vessels whose life essence had been violently harvested and bound to this place.

Their bodies rippled like crimson mercury. They had half-formed faces that were melting. If I tilted my head, they had expressions of agony. Where eyes should have been, purple flames flickered in hollow sockets. The most horrifying part was their mouths. They gaped impossibly wide and were leaking black blood.

"Well," Thanos said as he drew his blades, "I guess we found where they've been keeping the leftovers. Stay close. These aren't normal spirits."

"Wasn't planning on wandering off for a tour," I replied as I called more witch fire. The flames responded eagerly. "I hate this for these people. They were innocents killed by power-hungry evil arseholes."

The shades attacked in waves. They moved with the terrible grace of the truly dead. Thanos's weapon flashed in my witch fire as he swung it in precise arcs. Thanos and I fought like one thanks to our mate bond. We knew where the other was and didn’t have to worry about hurting one another by accident. We were covered in black, decayed blood as we cut them to pieces. Unfortunately, there were so many.

"Watch the backlash!" I called as I incinerated another cluster. Their final screams echoed off the tunnel walls like that scene in The Grinch . "He’s using the defeated ones to try and grab me!" I ducked another grabby hand.

Each destroyed shade released bursts of congealed blood. It was like being struck by waves of rotten, frozen fire. Through my bond with Fiona, I got the sense that she and Bas were embroiled in a battle as well. Worry for my best friend made my heart race.

"Behind you!" Thanos called. It snapped my attention back to our fight. I spun and unleashed a wave of witch fire that reduced three shades to purified ash. Their final screams held notes of relief. That choked me up and made my eyes burn with unshed tears. Whatever fragment of their original selves remained was grateful for the release.

The communication crystal at my neck flared with Argies's voice. "The scent's getting stronger," he reported. "But it’s changing. I’m afraid we’re going to be too late." His voice cracked on the last part.

There was another burst of static that brought sounds of fighting. The crystal pulsed with transferred power, and I felt Argies's magic flare repeatedly. His rage burned through the connection. It was hot enough to make the crystal warm against my skin.

"Marcus is trying to feed on his bond to Aislinn to take his dragon magic," I told Thanos as we fought through another cluster of shades. Their cold essence made the air crystallize around them.

Thanos sliced a particularly aggressive shade to pieces. "Argies's rage will protect him. So will his love for Aislinn. I’m more worried about him losing his shit entirely. I just hope he doesn't bring the whole place down around our ears. Dragon fire and underground tunnels aren't exactly a stable combination."

"Would that be so bad?" I asked as I burned away another wave of shades. My magical energy was beginning to wan. Each blast required more and more effort. "It might solve our corrupt magic problem rather efficiently."

"And take our oxygen in the process," he pointed out as he carved through a shade that had tried to flank us. "We'd be buried under half of Hambledon. Given all of this, the idea is tempting."

Movement at the edge of my vision drew my attention. More shapes were emerging, but these weren't shades. The corrupted pack members that slunk toward us were barely recognizable as shifters. Shadow magic had consumed almost everything they once were. Distorted amalgamations of darkness and bestial fury was all that was left.

"Gods," I breathed as my chest tightened. It had suddenly become harder to breathe. "The corruption has eaten away everything they were. There's nothing left to save."

One of them laughed. "Save? We don't need saving. Marcus has made us strong. Made us pure. Soon, all will know the freedom of true chaos. The barriers between powers will fall, and magic will return to its primal state."

"That's not strength," I said as my witch fire blazed brighter in response to my command. It was driven by my fury over seeing magic so perverted. "That's corruption wearing your skin like a cheap suit. And you're not even pulling it off well."

The blood wraiths surged forward like someone had rung the dinner bell at a zombie convention. Time to show these nightmarish gits what happens when they crash our rescue party. My flames caught the first wave, and I couldn't help but smirk as they shrieked. The wraiths' liquid forms bubbled and boiled away like overheated jam. There was nothing but empty space beneath their grotesque facades. That was freaky.

Beside me, Thanos went full warrior god. His sword practically sung as it sliced through the horde. "Show off," I muttered as he bisected three wraiths with one swing. He was cutting through them like Grams through her Sunday roast and looking annoyingly magnificent while doing it. The git didn't even have the decency to break a sweat.

But each death weighed heavily on my soul. These had been people once. Someone's family, friends, and pack members. Now, they were just vessels for darkness. Their very essence had been consumed by Marcus's twisted vision. The crystal flared again with Argies's voice. "We found another ritual chamber," he reported, his words tight with barely contained rage. "There are more victims. They’re all dead. The walls are practically bleeding with purple fire here. Please tell me you’ve found her. "

"Working on it," I grunted as I immolated another shifter. Its flesh had been melted away like wax. "Bit busy with quality control issues in pack management. These guys really need a new HR department."

"Something's wrong with the energy pattern," Fiona's voice crackled through the crystal. Her usual snark was replaced by analytical focus. "It feels like it’s reaching harmony. Like a corrupted orchestra tuning up. Each nexus vibrates at a specific frequency. Holy shit... they're actually using Aislinn's innate resonance as the conductor."

"Brilliant deduction," I muttered, ducking as crimson liquid whipped overhead. The wraith's form splattered against the wall when Thanos kicked it. Ugh, it was trying to reform. "And terrifying. Marcus is creating some sort of magical symphony of corruption."

The last wraith dissolved into mist, leaving behind only the steady plink of water and the low hum of whatever waited in the depths below. I pressed my palm against the tunnel wall to feel the vibrations. My magic stirred restlessly and seemed to be trying to... listen? That’s how it felt. Horror washed over me as I wondered if he was already taking what he needed from Fiona and me.

"There's something else," Thanos said quietly as he cleaned his blade. "I’ve been studying these tunnels. They were created for a specific purpose. Look at the curve of the walls and the spacing of the support arches. It's inverted sacred geometry.

“Basically, you’re saying they took a temple blueprint and turned it inside out," I surmised. “We need to rejoin one another. It suddenly feels far more dangerous to be separated.”