Page 81 of The Misfit Mage and His Devilish Desires

“Hurry, Bez.” She extended a hand. “We need to move—now!”

Right. Undoubtedly, Lilith’s destruction would soon consume all the threads Mora had placed for fast travel. I’d almost forgotten about them since she refused to allow other Diabolics to spread their essence throughout her territory but freely offered her webbed dimension for anyone who desired it. Personally, I figured Mora was just looking for an excuse to have more people in her at once. Even adjacently like venturing through her threaded essence.

“Hold on.” I darted away from her and grabbed Weather, tossing the dog over my shoulder where he secured his front paws on my wings and wriggled in my grip. “Stay still.”

“Seriously? Gonna bring the dog?”

“Yeah, he’s not like your trinkets; he can’t be replaced.”

“Whatever, let’s go.” Mora snatched my hand, and we lunged into her Diabolic threads.

She raced ahead, weaving around others who screamed furiously as they whipped round and round in aimless directions. They looked like Wally whenever he tried to hop into the webbed world. Wait. What were so many people doing in Mora’s threaded essence?

“Are you evacuating the city?”

“Best as I can.” Mora shoved a confused gorgon out of her path and sent the serpent plummeting between the cracks of the threads, where they splashed through a golden glittery portal.

“What the fuck?”

“I might’ve mixed a bit of Fae magic with my Diabolic threads,” Mora explained. “Contingency plan in case the Oasiswas ever infiltrated. Though, I expected Collective forces or pissy Fae, not a fucking dying devil using my city as an appetizer.”

There was no way Mora could rescue all the citizens. Despite the amount of energy she expelled, reeling everyone in here for safety, I’d wager it was barely half of the people she’d invited to live in her private city.

Every person floating through Mora’s threads ate away at her power, depleting all her essence. Her steps slowed, already pushing past her limits. I wasn’t sure she’d make the trip across the city. Already, we’d spent nearly ten seconds in her webbed world for a trip that should’ve taken no more than three seconds.

When we finally reached the Well of Wonders, Mora ripped through her own Diabolic webs and evaded the waves of devil essence. The huge currents of tar below us weren’t the only threats. Tendrils sprang out with gnarled teeth and snapping jaws, eating away the threads of essence Mora had laced everywhere.

“Dammit.” She used her telekinesis to steady herself, unable to fly like me, and she did her best to send off as many still caught inside her Diabolic webs to a safe destination. Whoever remained inside was devoured by Lilith.

We pushed past a wall of barriers created by Wally and Kell, who warded the raging tar from consuming the store. Each time droplets of black tar struck the conjured barriers, they ate through the magic with the same force as acid. Wally and Kell spent more time reinforcing the defenses they’d just created than summoning new ones to expand their dwindling territory.

“Take him.” I shoved Weather into Mora’s grasp and pivoted in the opposite direction.

I soared overhead, whirling round and round above the chaotic essence. The devil essence latched onto the black wind I summoned; it feasted upon the flames I added; it chased the lightning I hurled in the opposite direction. There was nostopping this. None that I could find, but at the very least, I could stall for time.

“Bez!” Wally shouted, running toward the edge of the barrier line.

Dammit. The last thing I needed was for him to throw himself into even more danger because of me. Since I’d done all I could for the moment, I flew toward the Well of Wonders and snatched Wally around the waist for safe measure.

I moved so quickly, I beat Mora and Weather to the front door. As they joined us, Kell poured powders in every color of the rainbow, chanting something under her breath.

“Whatever witchy woo you’re saying, it won’t be enough to stop a devil’s rampage.”

Kell ignored me, continuing her spell until roots sprang from the ground. The colorful dust carried in the wind and took the form of spirits. Not fully composed like Abe’s summoned soul, but silhouettes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, purple, and a plethora of shades in between.

“It’s an evocation, baby Bez.” Kell winked. “Mixed with a bit of wicked magic.”

The dust. That was those gems crushed into nothing. I checked my pocket for the ruby Wally gave me. Abe remained tucked away and forgotten.

“Like I said, it’s not the first time I’ve done a bit of necromancy.”

“So, you’re controlling these souls?” Wally asked.

“Yes and no. I made a deal.” She gestured to the spirits collapsing onto the roots, which swelled and torpedoed beneath the ground. “Work with Nature herself and join her ranks. Which I think is a much better fate than collecting dust in one of my hats.”

“Nature’s Blessing mixed with evocation.” Wally stared wide-eyed as the roots burst out of the tar, sprouting into trees withbranches made of blades, flowers with fanged teeth, vines in the shape of women, and so much more. Every spirit added to the weaponry a hundred-fold, turning Nature into a front-line defense.

“How’d you convince your ex to help?”

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