Page 43 of Whispers of the Magical Forest

"No," Violet replied with a grim smile. "But when has that ever stopped us?"

The others nodded, and we moved forward as one. The doors loomed before us like the gates of hell itself, which, given what we'd seen so far, might not be far off. It was time to crash an apocalyptic ritual and save our friend. Just another day in the life of Britain's most chaotic supernatural problem solvers.

CHAPTER 16

VIOLET

The 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 darkaesthetic. 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 oneof 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 shouldhave 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."

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