Page 99 of Ignited Spirits
I prop one hand on my hip and extend the one holding the softball-sized rock toward her. “So… do you want the rock or not, crazy pants?”
Is it smart to rile an off-her-rocker, super-powerful war goddess? Not normally, no.
But I need her to follow me through the portal and not ask too many questions. So, getting under her skin, it is.
My taunt works a little too well. She tips her head back and lets out an ear-piercing scream that has me involuntarily recoiling into Cain behind me. Her hair starts floating on a nonexistent breeze, and the blood dripping from her hair and gown flies around her.
“Give it to me now,” she grits out, her voice sounding deeper than usual and multilayered. It sounds like something straight out of a horror movie, and I am not here for it.
I tap my chin like I’m pretending to think. “Hmm, nah, I don’t think I will. But you can try to take it from me.”
Opening a portal behind me, I trust that my mates, aside from Legion, are going through like we discussed. I’m too wary of Lua to take my eyes off her, so I just have to hope that none of my mates are pulling a sudden switcheroo.
Legion has to be the last one through the portal to keep the defensive dome open, which I hate but understand. I don’t want to leave any of my mates alone with Lua, but I don’t really have much choice.
Chancing a glance over my shoulder, I’m relieved to see that everyone has gone through the rift. Slowly backing up toward the interdimensional black hole, I only turn around when I’m a step away. “Be careful,” I whisper to Legion before walking through.
When I step out on the riverbank, I immediately start sprinting up the tall, rocky cliff to get to the rest of the forces.
As soon as I get close enough, I chuck the hunk of core rock at Hades. He disappears to hide it somewhere super-secret because we can’t chance Lua getting her hands on it.
My heart is in my throat until I see Legion sprint through the portal and up the cliff. As soon as he reaches us, the assembledcuraecreate a defensive dome similar to the one Legion created to stop Lua earlier. With over a hundredcuraefeeding their magic into it, the hope is that she won’t be able to tear through it easily or at all.
An eerie quiet falls over our group as we watch anxiously for whether Lua will come through the rift.
We chose a secluded spot a few miles outside of Acheron to stage this battle to keep the residents of the city safe. Since the River Styx runs throughout the whole plane, it was easy to find a barren area where there’s nothing for miles, other than the river, jagged, imposing cliffs, and rocky desert ground.
When we brought everyone in this morning, the wildlife created a calming symphony of chirps, rustling, and howls that made the desert feel alive. Now, however, all the wildlife has gone just as silent as our tense army.
I push to the front of the group, standing on the cliff point overlooking the portal when Lua walks through. She is quite the sight to behold, with her hair violently whipping around, a tornado of blood swirling around her legs, and her glowing red eyes that exude madness.
“Silly little girl. Did you think that running to my plane would save you?” she asks in her echoing, inhuman voice. “No one can save you, sport. You were always destined to die at my hands. Give me the rock, and I will kill everyone you love quickly.”
My throat tightens as I think about everyone I care about that’s here on this battlefield today to support me. My mates, my parents and brothers, Hades and his mate group, Mateo and his shifters, and the mages from Elemental. Even the people I don’tknow who still showed up to fight beside me matter so much to me.
I have the urge to give her what she wants so that she’ll leave everyone else alone. But I know the only way to guarantee their safety is to eliminate Lua once and for all. With her on the loose, no one I care about will ever be safe.
Gathering all the strength and courage I have, I straighten up and stare her in the eyes. “You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.”
She gives me her signature terrifying grin that’s more like a baring of teeth. “That can be arranged, sport.”
Lua lets out the worst shriek I’ve ever heard, and I have to slap my hands over my ears because it kind of makes me feel like I’m going to pass out. I hear thuds behind me and turn to see some of the shifters have fallen unconscious to the ground with blood pouring out of their ears.
Apparently the shriek wasn’t the real attack, because a blast of multicolored magic explodes from her and hurtles toward us.
I have time to realize that her magic is multicolored from all the people she drained before it smashes into the shield with an audible crack. While it doesn’t shatter the shield, it does weaken it significantly.
Some of thecuraeresponsible for maintaining the shield are on their knees, sweating profusely as they do their best to hold up the barrier.
Lua frowns at the fact that the shield is still in place. I’m pretty sure she expected to annihilate everyone with that blast of magic. Unfortunately for her, I’m coming into this battle better prepared than our last confrontation.
After glaring at us like the force of her displeasure alone will kill everyone, Lua shrugs and turns around. My nose wrinkles in confusion as I wonder what she’s doing. There’s no way she’s giving up this easily without a fight.
Understanding dawns on me when I watch her walk into the Styx, the source ofcuramagic and enhancer of their power. We knew it was a risk that she’d decide to juice up in the river at some point, but this was the only place here that was out of her reach. And the Styx powers us up, too, so it was a calculated risk.
“Everybody, brace yourselves!” Hades bellows as his mother turns back to us, standing ankle-deep in the river.
Lua laughs maniacally, like Hades just cracked the funniest joke. It’s like a light switch flips and she sobers instantly. Then she sends an even stronger blast of her multicolored stolen magic at us.
