Page 69 of Magic and Medicine

We are here. Take what you need, and be brave, little sister; fight back, fight back, fight back.

The chorus of voices in my head urged me to break through the torpor affecting me. Supportive, invisible hands filling me with their wild, feminine power and giving me the strength to act. Czernobog didn’t even look at me, clearly dismissing me, solely focusing on Leszek… Leshy.

A hand stroked over my cheek, and I nearly cursed as it continued to the still sluggishly bleeding bite marks. The Dark God was taunting my lover. I looked at Leszek, and somehow, his eyes moved, our gazes meeting. Love and sorrow mixed in the rich green eyes, and I lost myself momentarily, smiling at him to give us both courage before I mouthed, Buy me some time.

The touch of a viper’s tongue slithered over my skin, making me shudder. ‘She tastes delicious filled with my venom, Leshy. Soon, the taint of your blood will be gone, and she will be only mine,’ Czernobog said, releasing his grip and whispering. ‘Stay here, sweetheart. I will see to you later.’ With that, the old god walked close to the barrier and stretched like he was trying to adjust to his new body, the powerful spirit not entirely fitting in his new form.

With a casual wave of Czernobog’s hand, the bubble shimmered. ‘Join me, Forest Lord. Join me, and we can share in the bounty that is your lover. I am even willing to allow you dominion over your wild and free spaces.’

‘Why did you come here?’ Leszek’s voice, distorted by his frighteningly large canines, was intimidating, but the look he shared with me seemed softer, and I nodded, confident he’d received my message. Relief washed through me, but I didn’t have much time, even with Leszek keeping Czernobog occupied.

‘Why? For her, for my freedom. Are you not tired of hiding? Of living in the shadows? Nicolai saw what you were trying to do. You want a better future for our people, but this is the wrong way to do it. Freedom must be taken, not scraped off the floor like scavenging dogs, and you, with your politics, hospitals, agreements and alliances, are just a slave to the humans. Once feared and respected, the noble Forest Lord reduced to the role of guard dog for a mere scrap of land. How far you have fallen, my brother, and those idiots in Gedania support this. I can give you the freedom to hunt, to rule. We can tear down the Nether and return magic to the world.’ His fervent speech was met with Leszek’s icy stare.

‘To hunt? To rule? Do you really not remember why we created the Nether in the first place? We were being hunted, mortal bodies killed over and over again, weakening our spirits with each rebirth and with what? With bows and fucking swords. We are immortal. We can survive this, but what about the lesser spirits, magical beings, and hybrids? Do you think humans, with their guns, tanks and planes, would allow a few upstart gods to take control? Even Rostov knew the truth of human technology, killing dozens of our people with bullets he helped create, and how long till they develop worse weapons? Weapons strong enough to kill the gods? I succeeded in this realm because I never underestimated humans, but now they have changed, too. While they have better ways to kill, they have also grown more accepting. We can find freedom in this world, but not through tyranny. The times of ruling through fear and magic are over, but if you crave power, there are plenty of ways to gain it.’

I tuned out their conversation while attempting to unravel the temporal spell, tracing each of the symbols Veronica taught me, one by one in the air, my finger leaving an afterglow in its wake that made me work slowly to avoid being seen. I saw more people spilling through the broken door, spreading out around the room’s edges in disjointed stops and starts, the distortion of the Dark God’s spell creating the odd effect. Only Adam came closer, his eyes fixed on Nina before he stopped at the barrier.

‘You want me to be satisfied with being a husk of what I was? Kowtowing to my inferiors so they don’t kill me? I see you, Forest Lord, the power you have gained thanks to the Soul Shepherd, but those women are rare and hidden well by Dola. You’re telling me you’d give it up to live as you were? Living on the fringes of a society that uses your image to scare children? Or is the real reason that you want this for yourself? Unlimited power and the freedom to reign unrestricted?’

I paused when Czernobog turned his regard toward me, a frown forming when he realised I was much closer than before.

‘No, I cannot stay locked in that gilded cage, filled with power and unable to use it freely. I will ask one last time: join me as Jurata did or face destruction as I take this world for my own.’ Czernobog’s ultimatum came as I completed the rite and pulled the dagger from its sheath. As the blade trailed over my forearm, it sliced through the flesh effortlessly, blood welling from the wound and trickling into my palm.

Leszek sneered in answer to the Dark God’s demands. ‘You just want war with humans, your own kind, or anyone that dares challenge your words. Do you really think you can win?’ That question was my cue, and I cast my blood at the barrier, my mind focused on the magic boiling inside me as I shouted.

‘Restore!’

I assumed the bubble would collapse. Instead, the spell sent shock waves across its surface, a frost expanding and obscuring the outside world as Czernobog turned, grabbing me by the throat.

‘You insolent bitch. He won’t get you, and once I’m done with him, I will make you regret that,’ He spat, his face so close I could smell his breath. Something had gone wrong. Had I made a mistake? Was I not strong enough? My thoughts turned frantic as the grip on my throat constricted, darkness creeping into my vision.

‘Sara!’ I heard Leszek’s voice and held on to it as my anchor. I was running out of time, the pressure on my neck stealing my consciousness, entirely in the old god’s power. I tried kicking and punching, all to no avail, my eyes scanning the area, desperately seeking a solution even as they caught sight of the frost nearly completely covering my prison. If I could only hold out.

I felt the heaviness of the dagger in my hand, unsure of how it got there. Before today, I’d never killed anyone, not even when I witnessed the horrors of the Balkan War, and we’d been attacked by marauders, but this time I couldn’t hesitate. Jarek’s mutilated body flashed before my eyes, strengthening my resolve. God or not, he had to die. I stopped thrashing and placed my hand on Czernobog’s chest. The Dark God looked back through Nikolai Rostov’s eyes. His face changed by its possession, black veins beneath its white skin, and I knew I would see this scene in nightmares for the rest of my life. Bracing myself, I stared, sinking into his gaze, relying on my intuition to determine the right path. Vision blurring, I felt the answer reveal itself.

The grin I let spread across my lips made Czernobog frown, but it was too late, as I was already at work binding the darkness, the nightmares, pain, menace and sorrow that defined his existence into the flesh beneath my hand.

‘I hate you,’ I whispered, barely louder than a sigh.

‘Everybody does,’ he answered, his eyes widening when I moved. Not a mindless trashing this time, but a last-ditch effort using a move taught to me by Adam. I arched my body and kicked so hard I felt it in my bones. It gave me a little space, and I struck. He was fast, so fast that the dagger almost missed the mark, catching the rib, but I pushed hard until, with a sickening crack, the blade found its target.

‘What have you done? You cannot kill the darkness. You can’t… just… kill me,’ He rasped. We dropped to the ground, and that gave me another advantage. I pushed him down, my hand still on his chest, holding his spirit in place while blood gushed from the wound. If I’d hit the heart, he would be already dead. Instead, Czernobog kept bucking, and I knew if I let go if I allowed this essence to escape to the Nether, he would return to exact his revenge, so I held on. Pain and darkness engulfed me, choking all light, his claws digging into me. His bite mark radiated with sharp, agonising pain while his poison burned through my veins. Czernobog was using his venom somehow, trying to kill me, but I was going to kill him first.

‘I’ve got you, my love.’ The sob that escaped my lips when I heard this was ragged and uncontrollable, but nothing else mattered as Leszek’s calloused hands wrapped around mine, adding strength and magic. My Wolfie was here. He’d broken through that damned barrier and come for me. So I clenched my teeth, unwilling to reveal the hellfire destroying my body, weakening me with each breath.

As Czernobog’s hands fell from my body, I leaned in close.

‘Can you feel death coming, you bastard? For everything you’ve taken away from me, I will hold you to this body as it bleeds and dies, and you along with it.’ A disturbed laugh rose from inside me. I would be a Godkiller, but even if I died, it would mean something.

‘Your soul is facing eternity in the void unless I convince my Lady to release you.’ Leszek’s voice startled me, and I gasped, unsure of what was happening and why he wanted to release this monster.

‘What do you want?’

‘A blood oath, an eternal promise. You will never return to the mortal world and never seek revenge on Sara or those she holds dear. That is the price for your freedom.’

‘He has to die.’ I said through clenched teeth, and my words earned me a quick glance from the fallen god, his fear evident as he spoke.

‘Usstan swariy pholor l’vlos lu’athiyk ulu neitar xta’rl dos xor dossta.’

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