Page 52 of Langiappe & Lost Legends

"Your point?" Dre asked as she finished drawing protection sigils on the windowsill. She had been working overtime sincewe got Dea back, and it showed in the shadows under her eyes. "Because unless you've got a better idea for trapping interdimensional terrorists, we’re all ears."

"Oh, I'm completely on board," I clarified as I sipped the precious liquid. I’d decided to cut back to one energy drink a day. My family was concerned despite the fact that I felt fine. I figured we had enough to worry about. I didn’t need to add to the list. It was startling when I caught sight of the impressive pyramid of empty cans I’d built over the last few days. Architecture students could study the thing. "Just wanted it noted for posterity. You know, in case we accidentally erase ourselves from existence."

"Your caffeine addiction is officially documented for future generations," Phi drawled, her smirk pure evil as she tapped away at her laptop. "It was filed under 'Reasons Our Sister Occasionally Vibrates Through Dimensional Barriers' and cross-referenced it with 'Why We Can't Have Nice Things’."

"I hate all of you," I declared as I crossed my arms. The effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that I was still holding an empty Monster can. And maybe slightly vibrating. But that was totally from the dimensional travel. Probably. "And I'll have you know I'm cutting back."

"Right," Dani snorted. "Just like you were 'cutting back' during the Evans’s wedding. And the cactus-themed baby shower fiasco. Don’t forget the makeover-themed sixteenth birthday last year." She paused dramatically. "Oh wait, those all ended with Steve or Jeff making emergency Costco runs for industrial quantities of energy drinks. And now Lucas has reluctantly taken over those duties."

I gasped, clutching my latest can to my chest as she'd personally insulted its honor. "That's the meanest thing you've ever said to me. Lucas understands my needs. He's supportive of my life choices."

"Honey, Lucas would support you if you decided to fight a kraken with a pool noodle," Kota pointed out. She was hugging what I'm pretty sure was emotional support pillow number four. "That's not the endorsement you think it is."

"At least I'm prepared for supernatural emergencies," I muttered. "Some of us cope with stress by hoarding decorative pillows. Others by mainlining Pepsi. I happen to maintain healthy caffeine levels."

"Healthy is not the word I'd use," Phi commented. "I’m pretty sure your blood type is now Monster Ultra."

I considered throwing my empty can at her head. Knowing my luck, my aim would be off from caffeine jitters, and I'd accidentally open another tear in reality. "Focus, people," Lucas called from where he was coordinating the pack's positions around the property. "The wards are picking up temporal distortions getting closer. And you all have habits that would rival Lia’s energy drink fetish. Gallons of coffee or matcha aren’t any better for you. And don’t even get me started on those tall-boys."

I beamed at him while my sisters started complaining. He simply held up a hand and pointed at the window. We raced through the back door and headed for the location where we had set up the trap. The guardian circles pulsed when we reached them. The light they emitted was casting strange shadows across the lawn.

Hannah's spirit materialized. "They're coming," she announced. "They can feel the crystal's energy calling to them."

I retrieved a potion that would explode when thrown and gripped it tightly. "Of course they can. We're practically gift-wrapping it for them. With a big sparkly bow that screams 'definitely not a trap’."

"Your sarcasm is showing," Kota observed dryly.

"Better than my panic." Nothing good ever came from letting fear stop you from moving forward.

Our plan was either brilliant or suicidal. Probably both. We'd modified the guardian circles to act like a giant magical beacon. We lifted the shield, and it started broadcasting the crystal's pure energy signature across the city. To the Lost Legends, it would feel like we were trying to purify their corruption. Exactly the kind of thing they'd want to stop.

What they didn't know was that we'd spent the last twelve hours preparing the mother of all magical traps. The circles weren't just for show. They were part of an elaborate containment system designed to do to the Lost Legends what they'd tried to do to Dea. Trap them between realities. Permanently.

"The grid is active," Phi reported as she looked over her detection device before stowing it in her back pocket. "There are multiple signatures approaching from the east. There's also something else. It registers as big."

"Define big," I requested as I glanced around at the hidden sigils we would activate when we had the assholes in the right place.

"Remember the Skinwalker when it shed its host?” she asked.

I gulped as I recalled the massive creature we had to fight on her campus. "Bigger than that?"

"Much bigger." Her response nearly made me pee my pants.

"Fantastic," I responded as the first wave of Lost Legends materialized on our grounds like oil slicks in reality.

Their forms flickered between states of matter. Their robes billowed in winds that didn't exist. Others followed, each one more horrifying than the last. Their corrupted energy made my gut hurt, and my lucky charm bracelet vibrated like it was trying to escape.

"Now that's just rude," I commented as they started testing our outer wards. "We spent hours on those protection spells. The least they could do is appreciate the craftsmanship before destroying them."

"Since when do evil horrors appreciate good spell work?" Kota asked.

"I'm just saying, a little professional courtesy goes a long way," I retorted.

"Focus," Phi warned as she tossed a fireball at one of the closest Legends. "Their corruption has evolved."

She wasn't wrong. The Lost Legends moved like nightmares given form. Their bodies constantly shifted between dimensions, making it difficult to hurt them. The crystal's corrupted power had changed them into something that shouldn't exist in any reality. Which was probably the point.

"Remember," Hannah's voice echoed through the night, "the circles must be activated in perfect sequence. One mistake and the backlash could shatter the barriers."

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