Page 48 of Flirting with Death

Plastering myself to the wall as if I could blend in as well as my companions, I moved down the short hallway.

"They know we are here," Brook hissed.

I turned to watch as Lumi put her behind him, trusting what she said completely. She rolled her eyes as a ball of ice formed on her palm, and her eyes glowed unnaturally. The magic formed larger and larger, before making a gremlin-looking snow monster she placed on the ground at her feet before repeating the process.

"I can feel the muse," Tyler muttered. "I think I'm connected somehow."

"Probably the powers her sister gave you," Alastor replied without looking back at him. "That enchantment is dangerous for mortals. Be careful not to lose control."

He sounded like he was judging Sam's brother, but really, he was just doing a really terrible job of cautioning him. "What he means to say is, it is a lot of potential given all at once and is sometimes hard to keep a hold on. Few people are granted gifts from Gods anymore. Count yourself as one of the lucky."

"Lucky," Alastor scoffed, and I smacked his shoulder. Did I agree with him? Yes. But would that help Tyler navigate the challenges he was bound to face because of that one single act? Not one bit.

"The Gods are never kind, and they only do things that benefit themselves," Lumi said.

"He isn't lying," Alastor agreed. The fucker would know.

"Ty, your powers are what you make of them. Trust me. I know. Now, can we please focus on the matter at hand?" Brook asked. Her army of ice gremlins had grown during our conversation.

Taila, the fox my mom had given me, slipped into the room beyond, slinking in the shadows, sneaking closer to the demons. She added to the picture Dodger was painting, as she listened in to the conversation.

"They are at the back," one troll muttered. "Why are we still standing here?"

"Because they will come to us. The more of the people we have that the hunter cares about, the easier she will be to control," the Leyak dark mage replied, his voice clipped and annoyed, like he had said the same thing multiple times and was reaching his limit. His head was currently floating next to his body, the spinal cord hanging from the detached head. I knew he was dangerous in this form, with all of his black magic at his fingertips.

"Won't it be easier to do that after—" he asked, his question cut off before it finished with a single look from the mage.

"We need a plan," I muttered to our small group. "We are walking into a trap."

"That was already obvious," Brook scoffed. "It's too late now. They locked the door behind us. The only way out is through."

Someone needed to remind me to listen to the Fae Queen next time she told us something. Not only was Brook Samantha's best friend, she was also more powerful than I had given her credit for.

"The plan is, don't die," Lumi laughed. He pressed a quick kiss to Brook's lips, and she grinned at him. Maybe they were both a little crazy.

Taila sent another snippet of the conversation, and I paused.

"The King will have no choice but to give me the crown. Once I have the future queen at my side, we can rule the horde the way it should have always been ruled. Not like this weak prince. Osiris has promised me great power and wealth as soon as I take over the horde and control of the hunter, but to do both, I need leverage," the mage said. He hauled Bellamy's unconscious form up, bringing his face level with him. "He doesn't deserve to be King."

Bellamy’s prone form crumpled to the ground as the mage released him with a snarl.

The vampire that had led him into the trap leaned on a crate, his arms and legs crossed. "He controlled the horde pretty seamlessly before we came here. I was only protected because of this," he said, fingering a necklace around his neck.

"If you are becoming a weak link, tell me now, Victor. The new Gods do not have time for anyone that is not strong."

"I'm not." Victor stood up straight, as if that would make his words have more impact. "I was only letting you know so you could be aware."

"I'm aware of much more than you know, thanks to the muse. I don't know why I never captured one in life. Maybe I would still be alive," the black mage replied, talking more to himself than anything else.

Victor looked between his floating head and body dispassionately, like it wasn't anything new to see a talking head. The trolls looked unaffected too.

"I think he knows about the prophecy, and he is working with new Gods," I whispered to the others. What could he mean about the last part?

Dodger slipped down a steel bar to the floor, soundlessly moving toward the demons, while Taila and Silver stalked their prey from the shadows.

The others were moving before any of us could say anything else. The room beyond erupted in chaos. My shadow pets joined the fight without question. Brook's small army of ice gremlins jumped onto the backs of the trolls, taking them down almost systematically, while Lumi and Brook protected each other. Tyler let out a burst of blinding sunlight from his fingertips, just barely missing my shadows. They jumped back from the one thing that would destroy them, Apollo's power. Cerberus tore at the demons, protecting Alastor as he moved across the room.

I slipped through the combat like a ghost and knelt by Bellamy's prone form. My shadows closed ranks to protect us as I gathered him up. Alastor and Cer cut a line to us. Time stood still as I straightened up. The black mage was in front of us, his eyes glowing blood red with his power. The spine dripped some sort of liquid from it, and he smelled like death. He wagged a finger at us as his head grinned like a madman.

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