Chapter 38 #2
Malakai and William shudder at the sound.
Even Nagamaru wrings their hands in discomfort, their eyes darting between us and the vampiric zombies.
They don’t want to be here any more than we do.
The fact that they haven’t used their magic to transport away tells me that this place has some kind of wards in place to prevent exactly that.
No transporting without a coin—either in or out.
“Forget it, we’re risking it,” Malakai finally says, turning away from the horde and back to Inakr. “Let’s take him and get the hell out of here. I’ll deal with Yblis later.”
Malakai gives me a sharp look, making it clear this isn’t up for discussion and that I’m not making any kind of deal with Nagamaru. He’d rather piss off his brother than give them anything, no matter if it’s a lie or not.
Malakai raises himself to his full height and turns to Nagamaru while William makes his way over to Inakr.
Nagamaru takes a step back, clearly not approving of this turn of events.
Malakai snarls at them, magic creeping up around him.
As they stand there silently facing off, William bends over to hoist Inakr up.
When the First Son touches his wrist, the Nephilim’s eyes snap open, his mouth twisting into a feral, borderline deranged grimace.
Movement at the gate draws our attention.
The vampiric zombies spill through the broken-down gate and charge for us.
In a fraction of a second, Malakai’s magic surges forward to meet them head-on, to take out as many in one go as possible.
The black, smoke-like energy twists and turns into a form more like my own magic—like electricity.
Then it crashes into the horde, sparking and fizzling but only managing to slow them down.
Malakai’s golden eyes burn with fury. “Shit,” he curses, his jaw set in anger as he turns to me. “I don’t know what he did to them, but they’re immune.”
Meaning that it doesn’t even matter how much or how little magic he has left. It won’t do us any good either way.
“He knows about your magic—poisoned the blood and spoiled the flesh,” Nagamaru says from behind us. “A necessary precaution.”
Malakai frowns at them. “Why are you telling me this?”
Nagamaru shrugs, but it’s clear why. They don’t believe Inakr is on their side anymore.
I bite my lip and turn to face them once more, pleading with my eyes. To my aggravation, it’s not working—and I can’t even blame them. They clearly want more than the vague half-promise I’m offering. I make to argue, to try and convince Nagamaru, but the first of the horde reaches us.
Malakai raises his dagger and nods at William. William doesn’t question the command and launches himself onto the vampiric zombies, utilizing his teeth and claws to the fullest, shredding them to pieces. Wails sound, and heads roll in the dust as zombie after zombie goes down.
Malakai joins William, plunging his dagger into the walking corpses while simultaneously ripping heads from shoulders.
The combined sounds of flesh being cut, ripped, and torn create a nightmarish symphony of death.
The scent of the bodies as they die again and collapse in piles of rotting flesh is enough to make me gag.
They’re fast for being dead and rapidly closing in on us.
Unable to tap into anything besides my earth magic, I have it create vines that wrap around countless necks.
A little pressure, and the heads pop right off.
It’s all I’m capable of at the moment, and even this magic is limited.
It’s already straining me because it’s intertwined with my blood magic.
Frustration twists my face as I twirl around, biting through my growing exhaustion. Vines shoot out of the ground and take down as many of the vampiric zombies as possible. But my magic quickly wears thin with every vine I create. I won’t have long until I run dry.
“Naga,” I yell over my shoulder. Their eyes widen in surprise at hearing me use the nickname. They might see it as a sign of my forgiveness, wanting them, but it’s really just a way to manipulate them to help me. “Make up your mind.”
I send out more magic, which grows weaker by the second. It swipes around us, keeping the horde at bay. All while I try to maintain sight of Malakai and William. Both men are slowly being swallowed by the masses.
Nagamaru opens their mouth, ready to answer me. Right then, Inakr rises behind them and clasps a bloody hand around their mouth.
“She will never give you what you want,” he spits, the words hard to make out through the multiple still-healing wounds on his face. “You’ll only ever have her all to yourself—truly to yourself—when he’s gone.”
Frustration bubbles beneath my skin, and I want to scream at them—both of them.
“Fuck you!” I yell, causing Inakr to take a step back and Nagamaru’s eyes to grow wide—I don’t curse, not like this, and they know it. But I’m so done with this. I’m livid. “As if you’re ever going to get what you want.”
Inakr can take his so-called revenge and shove it up his—
I twirl around and slap a zombie away from me. A flick of my hand sends a vine burrowing down its throat. Another flick, and its head is ripped off from the inside out. A quick glance at Malakai and William shows they’re standing their ground despite the seemingly never-ending onslaught.
I don’t know how long they will be able to hold on.
We’re terribly outnumbered. Our magics are limited.
Our bodies barely healed. And worst of all, incapacitated.
I don’t even know how long I’ll be able to stand my ground when my magic runs out.
How many years has Inakr been accumulating these corpses?
Malakai looks at me and starts to hack his way back. “Too many,” he says as he returns to my side, an uncomfortable grin on his face. “Some of them go years back.” His eyes fall on the jewel around my neck. “If only your magic were done merging.”
“I know,” I say, taking out a zombie about to jump him from behind. “We could use the extra firepower.” My chest heaves with exertion. Every vine starts to take its toll. Another zombie claws at my ankles, and a shriek escapes me.
Malakai pulls it up and swiftly cuts off its head. “Not only that, love,” he says. “I have an idea about the kind of magic it might end up being, and we could use that right about now.”
I frown at him, about to ask how he could possibly have an idea. One of the zombies jumps him, planting its teeth in Malakai’s arm. The curse that escapes him turns his full attention back to the horde—away from me.
We quickly end up separated again. I return my focus to Inakr and Nagamaru.
I can’t risk losing sight of them in the chaos.
Above all else, they can’t get away. If they do, we’ll never find them again—especially the Nephilim.
I know enough about Nagamaru to know they’ll come knocking sooner or later.
Inakr still has a firm hold on Nagamaru, and I’m slightly surprised, yet relieved, to see them in the same spot.
He wants to see us fail. He might grow bored of that at any moment, meaning I have to take a risk.
I hope Malakai and William can hold their ground without me, because this will completely deplete my magic.
A single gesture of my hands is all it takes.
A dome constructed of thorned vines rises around me, Nagamaru, and Inakr.
It keeps us inside and the zombies out. There’s a spark of panic in Inakr’s eyes, there and gone again.
Seeing it pleases me, which only lasts a minute because as soon as the dome is up—
My magic sputters, sizzles out, and just like that, it’s gone.
I’m out—completely.
I stand there for a moment, panting heavily, trying to maintain my composure.
I’m betrayed only by the glamor on my arms falling away, baring my own set of Eloghyll scars fused with the black tattoos that symbolize my earth magic.
I clutch the fabric of my stays right above my heart, feeling a void where my magic should be.
It’s the first time I’m out, and I don’t like it.
I don’t like how vulnerable it makes me.
Was it always like this before Malakai? Before I had my magic? Was I this helpless all the time? This completely unaware and unprepared for the world around me?
My gaze falls on Nagamaru. Yes, I was this helpless before. If I had possessed magic back then, they would never have been able to take me. It feels almost unreal how little I knew, how sheltered I was because of my humanity.
How things have changed.
The first zombies are already starting to tear at the vines. It’s only a matter of time before they break through. The thought makes my skin crawl, but I push it deep down.
“Now listen to me, and listen closely,” I tell Nagamaru, banishing all thoughts about my magic not being at my beck and call.
They remain unable to speak while Inakr holds them back, shifting uncomfortably behind them, his eyes revealing his own uncertainty. Which means I might have a chance after all.
“I don’t know what he promised you, but I can make an educated guess.
” I hesitate for a fraction of a second, unsure of how much is safe to tell him with Inakr present.
“Malakai and I are bound together,” I admit after a few silent seconds.
“If it’s possible to recreate a prison like ours, locking him in there means locking me back up as well. ”
“She lies,” Inakr hisses, slightly more audible this time. His steady gaze is filled with fury. His fingers dig into Nagamaru’s face, and they wince under the pressure.
But then Nagamaru’s eyes widen when they notice the scars and tattoos on my arms. I see the moment their gaze lands on my wedding band.
It’s as if they’re seeing it for the first time now that they know what to look for.
Just like that, they understand. They know that Malakai and I are bound to each other and that my husband has willingly shared his blood magic with me.