Chapter 5
Nick hadn’t left his study since the event.
The clock struck midnight, marking the start of Christmas.
The storm continued to bring a deluge of snow.
Wind drove snow against the windows in sheets, piling drifts against the foundation.
I pushed my hand against the glass, eyes closed.
I welcomed the cold, letting it steal the warmth from my body.
Outside, the door to the shed opened, bathing the snow in a soft yellow light.
Charlene trudged through the waist-high snow.
The light faded as the door shut behind her.
A minute later she barged in the backdoor, banging books against the doorframe to shake snow.
She stripped down, hung her jacket on the hook and came into the living room.
“No power?”
“Your doing?”
She shook her head. “Not this time.”
Her eyes narrowed as if I had something on my face. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of checking. As if she didn’t believe me, she flicked a light switch. The first time I understood, but the tenth time, I thought she might be dense.
“Where’s Nick?”
“Study.”
She waved her hand in front of my face. “What’s something going on here? You’re not acting your normal self.”
“We just met.”
Even in the dim light, I watched her eyes roll back in her head. Shaking her head, she all but laughed in my face. “Danny. Danny. Danny. Oh, I know you. I’ve been working for your twin. You two are just alike.”
My face remained slack.
“Where is our jolly friend?”
Jolly? Not the word I’d use to describe him.
“His study.”
“Great. This is going to turn into a shouting match.”
“What’s that?”
Her eyes narrowed as her head tipped to the side. We held our positions for almost a full minute as she stopped and started half a dozen times.
“You don’t know. Do you?”
Three short quick raps against the front door. Our heads turned in unison. The knot between my shoulders turned as the hair on my arms stood on end. Bad news awaited us on the other side of the door.
"You expecting anyone?" I kept my voice low.
Charlene shook her head. "I'm gonna go ahead and not open that."
Nick emerged from the hallway fully clothed. While Charlene and I were tense enough to snap, his saunter to our side suggested he knew who waited for us. It appeared as if our tryst had been temporary, and he returned to being a man ready to accept his fate.
I signaled for them to stay back and moved toward the door. My boots were silent against the floorboards. I pressed my back against the wall beside the frame and reached for the handle. With every inch, a chill spread along my skin, preparing for our guest.
Opening it a crack, cold air rushed in. Nobody rushed in, weapons blazing. There was no villainous laughing. Snow blew inside as I leaned closer to the crack. My brain was already running through scenarios, preparing countermeasures.
A figure stood just beyond the porch, partially obscured by falling snow and darkness.
Over seven feet tall, I looked up. He was draped in ragged robes that moved wrong in the wind.
A black, cracked antler crown sat crooked on his head.
He held a cane in one hand, twisted wood with something metal at the top that caught the light from inside.
He looked up, a smile stretching from ear-to-ear. His teeth shone white against the dark shadows. “I smell faltering belief. Nicholas, I’ve come to collect.” His voice had a smooth certainty, as if they had already made the transaction.
Frost gathered at my fingertips.
He moved first.
The blast hit before I could react. Ice and wooden splinters exploded across the porch. The doorframe cracked. I threw myself sideways as debris shot past my head.
My hands transformed into living ice as I thrust them forward and summoned a wall of frost. Rising from the floorboards, it spread across the doorway in jagged sheets.
Even in my old age, the danger detector never lied.
I made fists, gathering the cold like a weapon.
The temperature dropped twenty degrees in seconds. Breaths came out in white clouds.
The figure stepped through the shield.
I needed to reassess the enemy, and quickly.
The ice cracked and fell away like it was nothing.
He crossed the threshold, and the air inside warped.
The ornaments on the tree fell, smashing against the floorboards.
The fire in the hearth dimmed to embers.
Frost spread across the windows from the inside. More concerning, it wasn’t my doing.
I launched a spike of ice at his chest. It shattered against his robe without leaving a mark.
I kept myself between Nick and the horned man.
He swept his cane in a wide arc. Frost followed it, spreading across the floor in arcane patterns that looked deliberate.
Magic? No, these were unlike modern mages.
He moved with fluid grace, too smooth to be human, too slow to be fearful.
Whatever he was, it was definitely supernatural.
I launched forward as ice formed around my fists.
I wasn’t the strongest man on the Task Force, but I could smash cinder blocks without breaking a sweat.
Before I connected with his pointy chin, he deflected with the cane, metal ringing against frozen knuckles.
The impact sent shockwaves up my arm as if it might shatter.
I had been thrown, trampled, and beaten. Never had I been dismissed as an inconvenience. This man had torn through my shield and brushed me like a snowflake. If the storm wasn’t proof, a single snowflake could turn into a raging storm. I was going to—
“You can’t have him!”
Charlene’s voice cut through the chaos. She was at the far wall, fingers working at something hidden behind a wood panel. It swung open, revealing a copper sigil. How had I missed that? The glowing symbol was as old as the pattern spreading along the walls and across the ceiling.
“I demand a raise,” she cried, slamming her palm against the sigil.
The threshold pulsed. A wave of energy rolled out with an audible thrum. The figure stumbled back half a step. It was the first time I had seen him falter. It’s all I needed. He could be moved, which meant he wasn’t invincible.
“How did you do that?” I didn't take my eyes off him as he leaned forward, trying to push through the pulsing.
Charlene kept her hand on the sigil. “Failsafe barrier. Once upon a time, our mutual friend prepared for this.”
I sneered. Nick had once had a fight in him. If it was still there, I’d find it.
The figure growled. The sound came from somewhere deep and wrong. It pushed him to where the threshold had been. The air shimmered where he touched it. The intern had a magical force field and forgot to mention it? Why wasn’t I surprised?
"Grab the myth and go," Charlene said.
“What?”
Her voice was steady. "I'll hold the line."
I turned. How much was he paying her?
Nick was slumped against the hearth, one hand braced on the stone. His other hand flickered, translucent at the edges. I could see the fire through his fingers. Whatever I was here to protect him from had arrived, and it didn’t look like I was doing my job.
If brute force wouldn’t work, I needed more information.
The figure's voice filled the room. "He's already fading. You're just delaying the inevitable."
Something cold and sharp stabbed through my chest. Not fear. Something worse.
I shifted focus and let the cold flood through me.
Ice spread from my feet in all directions, coating the floor in thick layers.
I drew from the chill beyond the force field, pulling into my body like a battery.
My breath came in ragged gasps. I wasn’t scared of our visitor, Nick’s fading fingers, that instilled fear. I let the emotion fuel my powers.
Forcing the arctic temperature through my arms, I hurled that cold, focusing it into a frigid beam. It smashed against the man’s chest, sending a shockwave through the cabin. He stumbled backward before it hurled him from the porch.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I turned and took in the wreckage. Windows were shattered, replaced with sheets of ice. The door hung crooked on its hinges. The fire was out, leaving only smoke and the smell of charred wood. Cold air poured in through a dozen gaps in the walls.
Charlene pulled back her sleeve, revealing her gauntlet. Instead of typing like I did, she drew sigils onto the screen. I should have asked more questions about her internship as her arms glowed a soft red. Somewhere outside, I heard machinery grinding away.
“Somebody’s on the naughty list.” I could hear her smile.
With a swift kick, she sent my duffel bag flying across the room. I caught it and moved to Nick. He was barely conscious, his condition deteriorating by the second. I scooped him into my arms. He weighed less than he had hours ago, as if parts of him were already gone.
“I’m getting him out of here. What about you?”
“He’s not here for me. But I’m going to have fun being a thorn in his side.”
Nick murmured under his breath.
Charlene grabbed my hand. With only the panel illuminating the room, I could barely make out her expression. Her casual humor had all but vanished. "Don't let him fade."
I nodded and carried Nick toward the door. I stepped through the force field, Charlene following me onto the porch. Behind us, the cabin was a disaster. Frost coated every surface, and this once cozy home had been destroyed.
The wind hit as I crossed the yard with Nick’s head bobbing back and forth. I pulled Nick closer as we passed an immobile attacker. A guttural roar came from behind us, and I picked up my pace.
“Ready for round two?”
I didn’t look back. I reached my truck and shoved Nick in the passenger side. Climbing into the driver’s seat, I turned the key. It turned over but didn’t start. I heard… no… felt the thumping of feet. With another turn, the engine struggled to start.
“Come on.” I couldn’t see out the snow-covered window. On the third attempt, the engine sputtered to life. I flipped it in reverse and put a hand to the rear window, sending a blast of cold through the glass to clear the snow.
Even with four-wheel drive, it struggled. Shoving my hand through the window, I gathered the cold and unleashed a pulse of energy. The snowbanks blew into the air, giving us a clear path all the way to the road.
A voice echoed across the field. "Vanguard won't save him. You're already too late."
Next came a primal cry, and I hoped Charlene drew blood.
I didn't look back. Didn't stop. Just kept an arm across Nick’s chest, holding him in place until the tires hit the pavement.
I had to get him to safety and regroup. Maybe I could call Alvarez for backup or reach out to the Centurions.
Whatever wanted Nick, it had used magic older than time itself.
The front windshield cleared as I kept the gas pedal pushed to the floor. I sped toward Vanguard. What had I gotten myself into? More importantly, how was I going to get us out of it? Whatever wanted him wasn’t done.
Neither was I.
A new question formed. “Who the hell are you?”