Page 51 of Whispers of the Magical Forest

I nodded as I started conjuring elements. "Then let's show them why they shouldn't have come between the Backside of Forty and their goal."

The demon hounds surged forward. Their guttural roars echoed through the tunnels. Argies met them head-on. He’d shifted his fingers into talons. He sliced through their tough hides. I supplemented his assault with bursts of earth and air. The elemental energies confused the creatures.

Thanos and Bas used their weapons to cleave heads from shoulders wider than most buses. Fiona threw a few magical bombs and then decided to use her witch fire. Violet started with her blue witch fire. The stench of burning flesh made my stomach turn violently.

For every demon hound we dispatched, two more seemed to take its place. The relentless onslaught wore me down quickly. My magic flickered and waned as fatigue began to set in. "Bloody hell," Argies panted. "These thingsjust keep coming. We need to find a way to cut off their bloody supply line."

I gritted my teeth, racking my brain for a solution. As I studied the demon hounds' movements, I caught sight of something. "Focus your fire on the tunnels behind them. I think I know where they're coming from."

Trusting my instincts, Fiona, Violet, and my mate shifted their assaults. Argies spit his dragon fire towards the debris-choked passageways while Fiona and Violet directed their flames to the same location. The intense heat caused the rubble to crumble. It effectively sealed off the demon hounds' route of reinforcement.

With their supply line cut, the creatures faltered. Their twisted forms wavered as the corrupted energy that sustained them began to wane. Seizing the opportunity, we redoubled our efforts, our magic working in seamless harmony to dispatch the remaining monstrosities.

"Bloody good work," Violet said as the last hound fell. "But that was far too close for comfort. We can't keep fighting these endless waves of Marcus's abominations.”

“The good news is, we won't have to worry about fighting any more of Marcus's creatures. The man himself is just up ahead," Gadross replied with a grim smile.

Fiona’s grin turned feral. "Then let's not keep the bastard waiting. Time to show him that you don't mess with the Backside of Forty and get away with it."

We surged forward on swift feet. I easily kept up. Anticipation fueled me and gave me a second wind. We rounded the next corner, and the tunnel opened into a vast chamber. Marcus stood in the middle of it with his corrupted magic radiating an unholy power.

But he was not alone. Beside him, a rift had been torn in the barrier between realms. From it, tendrils of pure chaosreached through. The First Ones were trying to force their way into our world.

"So, you've finally decided to join the party," Marcus sneered, his voice layered with the discordant undertones of the First Ones. "I was wondering when you'd grace me with your presence."

Fiona and Violet flanked me. Their magic flared to life. Argies and Thanos moved to the other side of Marcus. Their power radiated a rage that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

"This ends now, Marcus," I said. "Your malicious schemes have gone on long enough. We won't let you or your evil destroy the sanctity of our world."

Marcus's laughter echoed through the chamber. It was cold and mocking. "Destroy? My dear Aislinn, I'm not here to destroy. I'm here to remake. To forge a new world where magic knows no boundaries or limitations. And you and your friends will be the foundation upon which I build my new order."

I expected Fiona to issue some witty retort to that statement. However, she and Violet threw a magical spell at Marcus. It exploded in spectacular fashion, taking one of his arms with it. His roar of fury and pain was followed by him using fire to cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding. He leveled us with a look that should have killed us right then and there. Oh, shite. We were in trouble.

CHAPTER 20

FIONA

The vast chamber echoed with the thunderous clash as we faced off against Marcus. Violet and I threw magic at him and he countered with spells of his own. Marcus’s form rippled with the stolen power of countless victims. Black snakes writhed beneath his skin. He’d been completely warped and corrupted by his insatiable hunger for power.

"You think you can stop me?" he roared. His voice was layered with the alien undertones of the First Ones. "I have been shown the path to true power."

Violet and I paused in our assault to erect a protective barrier that deflected Marcus's barrage of corrupted energy. "Your so-called unity is nothing more than a veil for your own ambitions, Marcus. The First Ones care only for remaking our world in their twisted image. They will use you, and then discard you. Just as they've done with so many others."

Gadross's copper artifact began humming. "The ley lines are in flux. Marcus is disrupting their natural flow. He’s trying to spread his corruption."

Fiona's eyes narrowed. "Then let's shut that down." She and I surged forward. Our magic wove in intricate patterns that lashed out at the corruption heading for the ley lines we’d already cleansed. Funny thing, my wound was healing very well ever since we’d cleared the tunnel system of his corruption and destroyed his dark relic. It hardly hurt anymore.

Marcus let out a guttural snarl. Shadows lashed out to block our assault. "Fools! Can't you see? This is the future. A world where magic knows no boundaries or limitations! The First Ones have shown me the way to true power!"

Thanos growled as he took a step forward. "The First Ones care nothing for your ambitions, Marcus. They seek only to remake our world in their own warped image. A 'unity' forged through the destruction of all that makes magic beautiful is not going to benefit you at all."

Gadross's artifice pointed toward the pulsing epicenter of the corruption he was sending to the ley line network. "There! If we can disrupt his primary nexus, it should sever Marcus's link to the vessel network."

Fiona and I worked in seamless harmony. Our magic joined without hesitation and surged toward the corruption. It sizzled and hissed when it hit the evil magic. The spell we cast scoured the threads he built during his ritual. It was slow going and took all of our focus. Thankfully, Thanos and the others kept Marcus distracted. Argies and Bas darted in with attacks. Argies blew a burst of dragon fire at Marcus. Bas followed that up with a hit from his Fae-forged weapon before retreating.

We poured our magic into preventing the corruption from spreading. Our combined power lanced out towards the pulsing epicenter of Marcus's ritual. We created a purifying pattern that sought to sever his connection to the vessel network. As our magic reached thetwisted ritual circle, the reaction was immediate and catastrophic. The corrupted energy recoiled violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor and the power writhed and collapsed inward.

A shockwave of explosive energy radiated outward. The corrupted power exploded in a cacophony of agonized screams. "No! This cannot be! The First Ones promised me power beyond imagining!" he cried. The stolen magics tore themselves free from his disintegrating essence. He exploded on a final howl of anguish.

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