Jonas (Darkness #7)(36)

“The man in the white cloak was taking out our guys while dueling Cato,” Jameson said softly. “If it was a full attack on only Cato, he would be long since dead. As it is, he probably isn’t far away.”

“That mage is shot, though. That’ll slow him down,” Paulie said.

A normal man, yes, but not this guy. I had every belief he’d rule pain like he ruled his people—not much would slow that mage down. He didn’t get as good as he was without constant diligence and complete focus on the matter at hand.

Urgency squeezed my chest as the last trap turned into a puddle of magic and drifted away. “Hmm. That was the best yet. I’m learning.”

The door burst open. Three men poured out with swords drawn.

Spoke too soon!

Stefan pushed me to the side and took my place at the top. But we had a bear. A really big, angry, alpha bear.

Tim lumbered forward with a roar that shook the walls. I heard a yell from the battlefield below. Our guys knew what that sound meant.

Tim stood, taking up most of the corridor from side-to-side and top-to-bottom. He swung his massive paw and swiped the face off of the first guy. Jonas jetted under another huge swipe and stabbed an enemy in the gut as Tim took the guts out of someone else then pushed forward, stepping on squirming bodies and getting a chop in the neck from a man trying to get out to the fray. The huge bear roared again with anger and determination.

I blasted the whole wall, knocking rubble into the room and a hole in the ceiling. Tiles and plaster rained down on us as our guys forced their way into the room behind and to the sides of Tim. I was crowded with Emmy between Charles, Jonas and Paulie as the three pushed us in after the others.

The room opened up like Emmy had said. One figure stood at the ledge on the far side. Crimson leaked down his arm and the tail-end of a really nasty spell left the circling of his arms. A sword came at my head as the robed man turned around slowly.

At that moment the world went dizzy. My stomach heaved. And then the perfect balance, the harmony of magic, eroded away. I was left without the other half. With just my own.

Someone fell dead at my feet, but I didn’t even notice. A sob ripped out of my throat as I met the cold, calculating eyes of the man who’d just killed Cato. Nathanial now had all his attention on me.

Chapter Eleven

“No!” I screamed.

“A human. To challenge me? Why-o-why did they bother to let you out of your cage?” His smile became placating. “What will you do without your puppet-master, little puppet?”

Faster than thought, a blast of white came at me. I plunged into it with my opposite magic and imploded the damn thing. I knew what he was about. I might be a human hack, but I was a destructive one.

“Puppet-master? That is so cliché,” I said with a sneer as I took a step forward and blended two of Toa’s really, really nasty spells. I added my own flourish—a bunch of jumbled, magical crap all heaped on top with little zings and blasts of magic. No pretty wrapping that he’d be used to, no. A bunch of spare parts and forgotten bits that would affront this sensibilities. So suck it!

Tim roared and attacked one of the mages huddling against the wall. “Let me disengage!” the man screamed as the bear descended.

Stefan dodged a swinging sword, stepped over a wolf, and plunged his sword into an enemy’s gut as Jonas launched himself at another mage running toward the door.

“But I need your magic,” Nathanial sneered as his face clouded with my spell. “How ab-solutely revolting is this spell?”

“I hate how you all drag out the word absolutely. It drives me nuts.” Another spell came at me as mine fell away. And then Nathanial glanced at Tim and flicked his wrist.

“Did you know, stupid human, that the mastery of magic can force a shifter into his own body? A lesser species, to be sure.” Another spell came at me and exploded halfway to me as Tim erupted in a cloud of green. In the place of the bear lay a naked and shocked human.

Nathanial laughed as I wrestled with the next spell. Even just blowing things up or changing them, he was too good. Too experienced. Too fast. I was flying by the seat of my pants, and he knew it. He devised his spells accordingly. He aimed to take time. To make me think. He was the best mage in the world against, arguably, the most new and naïve. I didn’t stand a chance.

Spells zipped off toward Stefan and Jameson as the rest of the shifters were forced to change into their human, expending massive amounts of energy to do so. The shock of blue hair in the corner meant Ann was alive, but not much use.

“Paulie, do you have your gun?” I asked in desperation as shimmery light bathed Stefan’s face. I zipped off another spell as I wrestled with the creation aimed for Jonas.

“No. It’s no good.”

“Emmy.” Jonas’ voice was gruff, but the tone was pleading.

“Emmy is mine. That’s the wonderful thing with fear and humans. They only have so much courage. And then they just wait to be led.” Nathanial’s voice was cold and grating.

I could barely see Emmy huddled against the wall. She held her whips to her chest. Her body racked in sobs.

“I overcame my fear, Emmy,” I said with strain in my voice as I quelled the burns against Jameson’s skin. Stefan tried to rush forward to physically kill Nathanial, but a singeing spell had him grabbing his eyes and staggering back.

“I am still terrified most of the time, but f*ck it, you know? I’d rather be free in this life then caged in my old life. He only has the power over you that you give him. I’ve set you free—now you just have to keep your freedom.”