Gods of Chaos (Red Magic) (34 page)

Power coursed through me and swirled around in my chest, but I forced the energy to begin flowing through our clasped hands. It was excruciating. I felt drunk, and the urge to use all that magic myself nearly overwhelmed me.
This isn’t about you
, I reminded myself, clenching my teeth. With effort, I sent the power through our linked hands to Marcus. His hands grew hotter and hotter, until it hurt to hold them. I couldn’t break his grasp, though, or I risked breaking the spell. With my hands stinging, I drew up even more Red energy and passed it on to Marcus.

I don’t know how long we were linked like that; time slowed down, and all I was aware of was the power surging through me and the feel of Marcus’s hands in mine. Eventually, the faint wail of a siren came from somewhere inside the compound, but I shut my eyes and focused on directing the energy into Marcus’s hands. Another alarm sounded, closer to us, and shouts began to echo around the compound. I shivered, but I didn’t let go of Marcus. Whatever was happening, I prayed it would be enough to set Loki free; I didn’t think we’d get a second chance.

I could hear the increasing sounds of chaos around us; the sirens wailed, and voices shouted panicked commands in French. With one final surge of heat, Marcus let go of my hands. I opened my eyes and stared at him, completely drained. He was visible again. “Did it work?”

“I think so.” He rubbed his arms like he was cold.

I looked around. Smoke was billowing out of the looming chimneys, and the sirens droned on. “Just here?”

He shook his head. “I was directing the energy through the entire nuclear network. We’ll have to check the news to know for sure, but that should have caused chaos all over France.”

I concentrated on turning invisible again, but I felt like I had the flu. Not even a flicker of magic responded to my attempt. I just felt empty.
Is this what Nons feel like?
I shivered at the thought of a life without magic. “The glamour broke.” I gestured to Marcus, and he looked down at himself.

“I know. But I think they’ve got their hands full. We should be okay.” He reached over and helped me to my feet. We were both wobbly, but we managed to stand up, leaning against each other.

I looked back at the building. The smoke billowing out of the chimneys had thickened, and I could see people running frantically on the roof of the power plant. “When do we know if it worked?”

“Oh, it worked all right.” The familiar voice spoke from behind me, and I turned slowly to face Loki. He flexed his fingers and bounced on his toes. “Gods, it feels good to be free. Here.” He threw something at me, and I reflexively caught it. “You’ll be needing that.”

Dumfounded, I looked at the chain in my hand. It was slimy and squishy and felt strangely alive. My stomach roiled at the texture. When I pulled on it to test its strength, the links thrummed with an angry sound and I felt like I’d snapped a rubber band against my skin. Loki had kept his promise!

Loki laughed. “Bind whoever you wish with that, but I won’t be going back to my prison.”

Marcus stood up and clenched his fists. “My sister?”

The god with flaming hair put his hand against his heart as if he’d been struck. “Are you implying, boy, that I would break my word?” Before Marcus had a chance to answer, Loki chuckled. “She’s behind you. Use your eyes, Witch!”

Marcus whirled around and I peered over his shoulder. Sure enough, Izzy was lying on the ground, curled up like a sleeping cat.

“Is she okay?” I hurried to her side, but Marcus got there first.

“She’s breathing. I think she’s just asleep.”

I tugged on Marcus’s hand. “We can make sure she’s fine in a minute. We have to stop what we started. We got what we wanted.” He ignored me, leaning over Izzy. The persistent alarms grew louder, and I snapped my fingers in front of his nose. “Marcus! Help me.”

With a long glance at Izzy, he grabbed my hands again. “Give me as much as you can.”

I tried to summon Red magic, but it was like turning a broken faucet. Nothing happened. Nervously, I looked at Marcus, but his eyes were closed as if he were concentrating deeply. I shut my eyes and reached for Red energy again. Gradually, warmth began to fill me, and I felt it moving sluggishly into Marcus’s hands.
Hurry up,
I thought,
hurry up.
The sirens screamed around me, and I struggled to give Marcus as much magic as I could. For a minute, the flow of energy seemed like it was working, but abruptly, I felt the magic rushing back into my body.

Something made a sharp snapping sound, and Marcus’s hands clenched mine painfully. My eyes flew open, but I didn’t understand what I saw.

Marcus’s eyes rolled back into his head, and blood seeped down his chest. He looked like he was about to fall over, and I tugged on his hands, trying to keep him upright. At first, I thought he’d somehow hurt himself by trying to channel too much magic, but then I saw Loki.

He was leaning casually by a guard armed with a frighteningly large gun. They were standing twenty feet away from us, and Loki’s hand was on the guard’s trigger finger. The guard looked confused, glancing at his gun and then back to the three of us. Suddenly, I understood. Marcus had been shot. For some reason, Loki had betrayed us. I glared at the god, trying to summon the magic I needed to fight him, but Loki just laughed and vanished.

Marcus gripped my hands again, sinking to his knees. “Izzy,” he began, blood bubbling up from his lips. I fought back a wave of nausea and terror.

“She’s here.” I let go of his hands so I could grab Izzy by the shoulders. I shook her a few times, trying to get her to wake up. Glancing back toward the guard, who looked less confused now, I dragged her toward Marcus. That guard was about to realize there were three trespassers in the complex, and I didn’t think he’d be too thrilled once his senses returned to him. We didn’t have much time.

I shook Marcus’s shoulder gently. “Here’s Izzy.”

She was still asleep, but Marcus smiled. He kissed her forehead, leaving a bloody print like lipstick between her eyebrows. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice fading.

“Marcus,” I shook his arm, panicked. “Marcus, I need you to help me. We have to stop this meltdown!” His arm was still warm, but it felt stiff, less lifelike. For a moment, everything froze, and then his chest fell as the last of his breath left him. I sucked in air quickly, fighting back tears. How had everything gone so wrong?

“Darlena?” Beside me, Izzy looked up, blinking like a tired kitten. “What’s going on?”

Dry grass snapped behind me, and I saw the guard raise his gun. He definitely didn’t look confused anymore. Somewhere in the wind, I thought I heard Loki’s laughter. What a fool I’d been to fall for this! Loki was free, chaos was rampant, and Marcus was dead. I looked at the guard again and grabbed Izzy’s hand, turning her away from the body. “We have to get out of here.”

“Okay.” She nodded slowly. Her eyes landed on Marcus, and her lips parted in a silent cry.

I gripped her hand tighter. “I’ll explain everything, but we have to get away now.”

She nodded again, and I pulled her to her feet. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, I started to run, tugging Izzy along with me. She skidded to a stop, still holding my hand, and I jerked backwards.

“There’s an easier way.” She shut her eyes, and I braced myself for the dizzying experience of Marcus’s travel spell. Instead, blue sparks encompassed my body, pricking me, and everything dissolved in a hazy patch of blue light. The last thing I saw before we were whisked into darkness was Marcus’s bloody corpse, and then, mercifully, everything went black.

Izzy dropped her bag in a plastic chair and sighed. “I need coffee. Want some?”

I nodded, fishing a couple of crumpled bills out of my wallet. I handed them to her without a word, and she headed off. I leaned back, setting my feet gingerly on top of my backpack. Closing my eyes, I let my head hang off the back of the stiff airport chair.

“Leaving so soon?” a cold voice asked.

I kept my eyes closed for a moment, hoping that when I opened them, I would be alone, but unfortunately, I wasn’t. Freya sat beside me, her face expressionless.

“I think I’ve been here long enough, don’t you?”

She laughed harshly. “An ocean will not free you from your responsibilities.”

I felt my spine stiffen. “What are you talking about?”

“You went against my advice and made a bargain with the Lord of Chaos.”

My body felt like I’d fallen into any icy lake. “How do you know that?”

Freya shook her head. “Red magic is connected. As are the Red gods. We all know about your bargain.” Her lips curled back, revealing her sharp teeth. “And now that the Lord of Lies is free, we must all band together to stop him.”

Her words sank in and I sat bolt upright. “All of you?”

She nodded. “You’ve made many enemies among us. I should warn you to watch where you step, Darlena.”

“Are you threatening me?” I tried to muster up a tone of bravado, but I sounded as terrified as I felt.

The goddess glared at me. “As if I would sink so low. No, girl, I came to offer you a warning. There are not many Red gods left who will side with you, if that is what it comes to. The newest Red Witch is still undeclared, and many are rushing to win patronage of her.”

“The newest Red Witch? What do you mean?”

“Marcus is gone. You must have known that his death would open the door for another Red Witch.”

Her words chilled me. “But … ” I trailed off, stunned. I had never for a moment thought about that, but of course what Freya said made sense. There were always three Red Witches in the world. I shuddered, remembering Marcus’s gruesome end. Resolutely, I pushed the image of his bleeding body out of my mind and risked a question. “Will the new Witch help me stop Hecate?”

But the goddess was gone.

When Izzy got back, she took one look at my face and thrust a steaming cup at me. “You look awful.”

“Thanks,” I said wryly. “I feel pretty awful.”

“Still no luck getting things in France under control?” She dropped her voice, glancing around the airport nervously.

I shook my head. “I keep trying, but it’s not my territory.” Freya’s words rolled through my mind; I hadn’t really thought about the boundaries of Red magic before now. “And I don’t know who the other Red Witch is.”

“Should we find out who replaced Marc—my brother, and get her help?” Her voice broke, and I squeezed her shoulder. I couldn’t believe that Izzy was still willing to talk to me after everything I’d done.

“That might work, but right now, I need to go home. I’ve been gone way too long, and if anyone knows what to do, I think my mom might be able to help.”

She nodded. “It’s not your fault, Darlena. Loki tricked you.”

I gritted my teeth and gulped the coffee, scalding my mouth. “Still feels like my fault to me.”

Silently, we looked up at the monitor broadcasting the latest news. France had been declared a disaster area by the United Nations, and the world was scrambling in panic. I glanced around the busy Edinburgh airport. It had all been a blur: the nuclear meltdown, Loki’s betrayal, and Izzy transporting us back to Scotland. I looked at her. “How’d you manage to get us out of France, anyway?”

Izzy smiled. “Marcus taught me the traveling trick a few summers ago. I figured you’d want to be as far from the accident as possible.”