Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Hack
Ican feel her.
How is that possible? The itherium should be blocking it all out but I can sense her blood flow and her hitched breaths. The distinct scent that is undeniably her invades my mouth and gives me a shot of newfound adrenaline.
But I can’t see her. Nor can I hear her.
There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s here, somewhere, and my body is buzzing with this new knowledge.
“Trina. I don’t think we know each other, and it’s quite uncommon for spirits to have the ability to show themselves.” Baba Yaga interrupts my train of thought, and with it goes all the sensations associated with Sage.
“Don’t change the subject, you crusty old witch.
” Trina’s words are crystal clear, and I have to admit I’m both amused and curious.
The fact that I can see her is normal. As the four horsemen, we see spirits and take their souls back to the Great Library.
Even our marshalls and lackeys would be able to see her, but not other kyn.
Baba Yaga turns to me with utter shock written across her age-worn features before she narrows her eyes and lifts her head like she’s sniffing out the air.
“Something’s not right.” Her mumbled words coupled with how Trina tries to get my attention with the subtlety of a Labrador puppy tells me something is wrong. Or maybe something is right if my earlier senses meant anything at all.
“Is that all you’ve got? And here I thought Baba Yaga was the ultimate witch. The one to outshine us all. Turns out, you’re just an old lady with a sketchy past.” Damn, Trina is on fire with the insults, not to mention the venom she throws in for free.
“You dare affront me? You are insignificant with your lack of…” Baba Yaga waves the hand not leaning against her cane as if to dismiss the importance of Trina’s presence. “Well, anything, really.”
Trina swirls around Baba Yaga like a fly that can’t decide where to land. It almost destabilizes Baba, but she lands safely on the chair.
“What is the matter with you? Why are you here?” As Baba screeches out her questions, Trina nods to the side just as she swings around to the back of Baba’s head. Sage’s dear friend and mother figure is trying to tell me something, which means it has to be about my chosen.
Stepping away from the bars of the cage, I open myself up to Sage and fight with everything I have against the itherium trying to diminish my senses. She’s here, of that I have no doubts, but I can’t pinpoint the where.
Just as my frustration begins to hit its peak, I hear my brother inside my mind, overpowering the sounds of bickering between the witches.
You doing all right there, brother? Fuck, I’ve never been more relieved to hear Slash’s voice than I am at this moment.
Yeah, where are you? Where’s Sage? My bond is growing stronger by the second and I just know she’ll be here soon.
We’re somewhere in this cave but there’s a spell blocking us.
At first we thought we’d found you but it was just an illusion spell.
Sage is trying to figure it all out but so far, she’s only scared a colony of bats and set a few innocent spiders on fire.
I try not to laugh, it would be impossible to explain in this situation, but a small chuckle escapes nonetheless.
Just a heads up; Baba Yaga is here. That’s her spell.
But Trina is here too, which is really fucking weird because she’s made herself visible.
It’s important that they have as much information as possible before they appear because Baba isn’t just any witch, she’s probably the most powerful save for Hekate.
Fuck, we’ve got company.
Our communication goes silent and my best guess is that they’ve run into djinn and harpies in their quest to find me.
This just makes me feel powerless. I’m all for equal power and shit but that’s my chosen out there and she’s only been a certified kyn for less than a week.
It’s like giving the keys to a brand new sports car to a toddler with grease on their hands.
“Fuck!” I don’t realize I roar that sentiment out until both witches stop their bickering and look over at me. So I improvise. “You’re giving me a headache.”
Baba Yaga is the first to respond but she doesn’t use words, she aims her hand and throws one of her infamous lasers at me.
I barely have time to jump out of the way when Trina gets in her face.
I mean, she’s in spirit form so she’s more of a fog than an obstacle, but she’s taking her job of distracting Baba Yaga very seriously.
“How dare you try to hurt him? What’s wrong, you don’t have the power to get to me so you attack the more vulnerable?” Fucking hell, I’ve never in my thousands of years in existence been called vulnerable. Not once.
This gives me the time to get back to my brother.
Slash! What’s going on? I have to wait, and I fucking hate waiting for anything in general—even less when it has to do with my chosen. Slash! I swear to fuck, you need to answer me!
A little busy right now.
His curt response is confirmation that they’re fighting something. I’ve only seen the two kyn here but nothing says there aren’t more out there. Hell, I don’t even know where I am, let alone who my enemies are.
Distant shouts echo around the cave and I realize that Trina did her job well. The spell Baba Yaga was using to keep us invisible has been weakened by her lack of concentration. That small window has given Slash and Sage the opportunity to bust in here with literal fireworks exploding.
“What is happening?”
“Sage! Finally!”
Both witches are yelling at my chosen one but with different expressions on their faces. One with fury, the other with relief.
“You taking a nap, brother?” Slash winks at me as he slices through the bars with his almighty sword as though they were melted butter.
There are weapons, then there’s this. Just like my bow and arrows have extraordinary powers, Slash’s sword holds magical strength given by the Dei of the demons. Nothing can stand in its way.
Until the next time he annoys me, he’s going to secretly be my favorite brother.
Sage barely acknowledges me as she sets off fire bomb after fire bomb aimed at Baba, who is too weak to do much more than throw some half-hearted bolts at her once-upon-a-time daughter.
Thousands upon thousands of stories have been told about Baba Yaga among the anthros and the kyn.
Just like all the other rumors concerning our world, I dismissed them as myths.
Turns out, everything we’ve heard about Baba Yaga is true and she really is a hyped up cunt with a few magic tricks up her sleeve.
As I step over the now-open cage, I place myself between my chosen and her attacker, Trina floating right behind me. I want to destroy this witch, tear her limb from limb before cutting her head right off her shoulders.
My vines are finally liberated and as one connects with Baba Yaga, a strange sensation comes over me. It’s not the itherium, it’s not any spell I’ve ever felt before.
This is something more altogether.
I’m frozen, completely still as I watch my life essence travel from me to Baba Yaga by way of my vines.
It’s surreal and impossible, yet here we fucking are.
“What the fuck is going on? What is she doing to him?” Slash tries to pull me away but he’s sucked into the vortex right along with me, his own life force being siphoned off and floating into Baba Yaga.
“Quick, Sage, do something. She’s taking their strength to give to herself.” I can hear Trina but I’m incapable of speaking.
“I don’t have that spell. I don’t know how…” At first, Sage’s voice is panicked, like the whole situation has gone completely over her head.
I can feel myself weakening as well as Slash right beside me. In front of me, Baba goes from weak and nearing death’s door to standing straight without her cane.
“Hurry, my darling!” Trina’s voice is a pitch higher than normal and I’m thinking this is it. This is the moment we all fail.
“You will not hurt my chosen!” To punctuate her roaring declaration, the entire cave explodes into a ball of fire and I’ve never been more thankful for being a demon. Fire is not our enemy, but Baba Yaga? Not so much.
The connecting spell breaks with the severing of my vine but Slash and I are too out of it to do anything meaningful.
“Zelos, baby, are you okay?”
I blink up at my chosen and smile. At least, I think I do.
I’m not sure if my muscles are working properly and my mouth is definitely not cooperating.
Being demons means we’re never sick and dentists aren’t of any use to us, but I’d imagine I’m feeling the same way an anthros would in the aftermath of anesthesia. Loopy. That's what I am.
“Fucking hell, if you wanted my cock, all you needed to do was ask, you crazy cunt.” I want to laugh at Slash’s slurred words but I can’t quite move yet.
Sage puts both of her hands on my face, her mouth peppering tiny kisses all over my lips and cheeks and nose.
“You scared me! What the hell is wrong with you? I was doing just fine so why the hell did you get in the middle of that?” Okay, she has a point, and if I could speak, I’d explain it to her.
There is no universe, real or imaginary, where I don’t step in between my soul mate and any immediate danger.
“Love…you.” It’s all I can say as my life-force slowly replenishes, giving me a semblance of speech back.
Slash spent less time under Baba Yaga’s spell so he’s wobbly but standing, and his first target is Baba, trapped in a bubble of white light. Shit, is that Sage’s doing?
The question must be written all over my face because Sage answers. “I learned a few things while you were away.”
I raise a brow at her choice of words. This wasn’t a fucking vacation and I’m thinking she’s been hanging out with Slash a little too long.
“You know what I mean.” As soon as she starts peppering more kisses all over me, I forgive her. Who the fuck am I kidding? Nothing she could do would make me angry enough to hold a grudge.