Chapter 12

Frieda steppedinto the wall but didn't smash her face or bounce. She disappeared, and I felt like the dumbest witch.

A pocket dimension panic room. How fucking brilliant. How had I not thought of it? How was it I couldn't sense the magic tethering it in place?

I quickly followed my sister, passing through the wall to find myself in—a garden?

I'll admit it took me a second of gaping before I recovered my wits.

The oasis had much greenery—trees, bushes, flowers—so much of it I couldn't see if there was a sky. I did hear water, which came from a pond being fed by a creek. Lovely and peaceful with signs of habitation. A table with two chairs, holding a tea set. A chest with fabric pushing up the lid. Urns and crates. But the thing that drew the eye and held it? The old woman lying prone on a hammock. Frieda stood by her side, holding her hand.

"She's hurt," my sister announced.

"No shit." I could smell the blood and rot from here.

As I neared the oracle, I didn't need a doctor's degree to know the situation didn't look good. Beneath the many wrinkles, the woman's skin tone appeared ashen and her lips dry. She barely breathed, and she certainly didn't react to my sister clutching her hand.

"She's dying," I announced as if it weren't obvious.

"Can you fix her?" asked Frieda.

"I'm not a healer." My magic could break things, but fixing? Not part of my skill set.

"We have to help her," my sister insisted.

"I'm open to suggestions." I tugged at the cloth crusted with yellow and brown. It peeled away, and a stench exhaled from the wound that made my stomach turn. Frieda turned aside and retched.

I eyed the injury in the oracle's flesh. She'd been stabbed in the gut and the edges of it festered, the skin turning black, the hole itself oozing something that smelled rancid. Rot had set in, and I feared by the smell something vital was perforated.

"Maybe if we cleaned and cauterized it?" Frieda suggested.

"Nothing can fix this." Even if I could have rushed her to a hospital, she'd die.

But Frieda, my kind sister, wanted to help. "We have to do something." She tore a strip from the blanket dangling off the hammock and soaked it in the creek, pressing the damp fabric against the oozing sore. A useless gesture but I said nothing.

The oracle woke with a gasp, her body slightly bowing, her lips parting. But what staggered me? The eyes. They had no iris, no pupil, just a pure yellow glow, like two suns.

Uncanny? You have no idea.

A frail voice emerged. "I've waited a long time to meet the sisters."

"Which is weird because we just heard about you hours ago." My probably not-so-nice reply.

"The prophecy gathers speed," whispered the oracle. "The beginning of the end now starts."

Great. A ranting oracle. What a waste of a trip.

Frieda returned with a basin for more dabbing, only to have the oracle slap her hand. "It's too late for that. The poison on the deusvenati blade cannot be cured without drastic measure."

"Is that a polite way of saying we should let you die?" I didn't cushion my words.

The oracle snorted. "Death, ha. I would have become dust if you'd not come, but now that you're here, the prophecy foretold unfolds as it should. As I predicted."

Given she seemed willing to talk, I had to ask. "Do you know where Ariadne is? The twat who stole the monster god's magic?"

"She is with the godless."

"The godless being?" I asked to be sure.

"The deusvenati who wish to eradicate all gods and their blessings."

"Let me guess, so that only their god is left?" Because every religion I'd ever heard of remained convinced theirs was the only true path with the one true god.

"They have no god. They killed him long ago and have since regretted it, which is why they've been trying to bring him back."

"By killing magic?"

"Never said it made sense."

"Sounds like a recipe for the zombie apocalypse." My bedside manner could probably use work.

"They will destroy all life if allowed to proceed with their current plan," gasped the old woman. "But the prophecy states you will stop it."

"Great. And how are we supposed to do that?" Clear-cut instructions would be nice.

"The sisters must prevail."

"Ah, because that makes it so clear." I rolled my eyes.

"Be nice and listen," Frieda chided.

"How do we win against these deusvenati, find Ariadne, give Typhon back his power, and get back home all in one piece?" I fired a boatload of questions in hope of one not-so-useless reply.

"You must go to their world."

"Of course we do." I rubbed my forehead. "And let me guess, it's going to be dangerous." I mean a place with arcane hunters and magic-cancelling collars… What could go wrong?

"A mortal shall enter but not return," the oracle confirmed.

The ominous announcement had me glaring. "What's that supposed to mean? Who's not returning?" Of our group, no one was expendable. My sisters? No fucking way. Their partners? They'd probably snap a gasket. Which left Typhon… I was oddly reluctant for him to be killed, although the word mortal did imply it wouldn't be him.

"Quickly. We don't have much time," the old woman declared.

"Time for what?"

"Your sister knows." The oracle gripped Frieda's hand. "When Apate came and asked for my advice so long ago, I had only one price."

My blood chilled as my sister looked at me with apology.

"What are you talking about? What did Mom bargain?" I tried to gather my magic but, in that moment, realized it wouldn't come to me in this place. Something muffled it. Mine, at any rate. The oracle, on the other hand, began to glow, and that glow started riding up my sister's arm.

"Apate wanted to know how to right a grievous wrong. The future needed heroes, and I needed an heir," was the breathy whisper. "It took careful planning to get to this point that the gift might pass on."

Before I could tell the old lady to fuck off, Frieda went rigid. Her head tilted back, her mouth opening wide as the light enveloped them both.

I would have physically torn them apart, but the nimbus surrounding them repelled my attempts to shove past it. Screaming and pummeling did nothing. It resisted my efforts.

It didn't last long—despite the eternity in my emotions. The magical light faded, and the old oracle was gone. In her place was a young woman with a scar on her abdomen, wearing stained rags.

Frieda gasped and staggered from the hammock. Alive. For now. But I could see she'd changed. Not so much in appearance but aura. She glowed much brighter than before.

"French fry!" I cried as I grabbed her. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," she murmured.

"The gift has been passed on. My role is done." The young woman rose from the hammock and flicked her hand at us. "Time for you to go and fulfill your destiny. To forge a new prophecy. A fresh future."

"Oh no you don't. I think you owe us some answers, lady," I protested, but the words got sucked away by the storm-grade wind that pushed at Frieda and me, whipping us into retreat until we popped out of the wall into the destroyed room.

I stared at the wall in disbelief. How dare she!

"Like fuck, lady." I ran for the doorway, only to yelp as I hit solid stone. Frieda caught my ricocheting ass.

"She's gone, Dina. And we have to go too."

I shoved out of my sister's grip and scowled. "What did she do to you?"

"Gave me a purpose for my powers."

"Meaning what?"

Frieda turned a cheeky smile on me. "Meaning you need to be nice to the new oracle."

She seemed pleased, so I gave her a reality check. "You mean she put a target on your back. Those deusvenati want the oracle."

"I'm aware, which is why we have to leave." Rather than take our rooftop exit, she headed for the stairs, and I only had a second to deactivate the magical alarm before she descended to the main level of the shop.

"Can you see them? Are the bad guys coming?" I asked as I trailed behind.

"I cannot see who they are outside of magic."

"So that's a no on seeing the magic-killers coming. Great," I huffed. "Guess this means you can't see what happens if we confront them on their world."

"Not we. You. This is where our journey diverges," she announced as she tugged at the door leading outside.

"What do you mean diverges? I'm not going anywhere without you," I stated as we spilled into the street.

Frieda clasped my hands. "It will be okay. I understand now."

"Understand what? Because I sure as fuck don't," I grumbled.

"It's okay, dear sister. I know you're afraid."

"Am not." And that wasn't a lie. Pissed. Annoyed. Murderous. Those better described my state of mind.

"You have a great destiny if you don't fuck up."

I blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've been closed off since his death." He being my fiancé who died of cancer.

"And?"

"And it's time you started to live again. Love again. Oh, and don't be afraid to kick some ass."

"Hold on. Let's go back to this love thing. I don't need a man to make me happy," I argued.

She patted my hand. "Sure you don't. Because your vibrator is great at cuddling."

"You cunt muffin. Take that back!" I huffed.

"Save the name-calling for later. They're here." She turned from me to smile as John and Typhon came jogging into view.

John, a blond professor with tousled hair and a bright smile for his wife.

Typhon, a vengeful, stalking shadow with a billowing cloak and grim expression. It was as sexy as you'd expect.

"We have company," Typhon announced.

"So I hear. Where are they?" I asked. "And where's Enyo?" I sent a mental poke, Sis? We have bogeys incoming.

Shh. I'm busy.

My lips pinched. Enyo was hunting. Good and not good. We couldn't escape without her and her furball.

John scooped Frieda up and swung her around for a kiss.

Typhon glowered. But then again, so did I. "Where's my dog?"

He patted the satchel. "Tucked away to keep her out of trouble."

Not a bad idea. "Where are the bad guys?" I asked just as a scream erupted in the distance.

"I'd say over there," was Typhon's cheeky reply.

"Any plans on how to kill them? Aren't they supposedly immune to magic?"

"You'll have to stab them with a heavy sword or sharp spear. Nothing else will penetrate their armor," he advised.

"What about bullets?"

He shrugged. "They didn't have any in my time, but one would assume they should work."

I hated assumptions. I also hated the fact I didn't have a weapon. But my bag did. I crouched and dropped my satchel on the ground and shoved in my arm up to the shoulder, feeling around. Huge fucking thing made it hard to find anything.

The wet lick might have startled me if I'd not been the recipient of Jinx's love. I gave her a scratch and murmured, "Hi, baby. Momma needs a weapon." My dog, the smartest one alive, emerged from the bag, dragging a revolver. "Thanks, baby." I might not have Enyo's aim, but I could hit a target well enough.

"Got anything else in there?" Typhon asked.

I felt around even as Frieda stated, "There's no point in arming ourselves. We won't win if we take a stand. We have to go. Now."

"But Enyo and Bane aren't here," I pointed out.

"Too late," Typhon muttered. "They're coming.

At his words, I rose from my crouch and stared at the approaching menace.

I don't know what I expected. I mean with a name like deusvenati, I'd kind of pictured something from Lord of the Rings. You know giant, ugly orcs or something a little more ephemeral like the dementors in Harry Potter.

Instead, I got knights. Six feet tall or more, wearing golden-hued armor head to toe, bearing swords that gleamed wetly, the tips of them showing a sticky substance, most likely poison.

A group of five, they didn't run, they didn't yell. They marched toward us in unison.

Thump. Thump.I kind of expected the ground to shake with each booted step. Only my bravery quivered at their approach.

I lifted my fingers, ready to bowl them over with a bowling ball of air, but Typhon grabbed my hand. "They're immune to magic."

"They might be, but the ground isn't," I countered, ripping my hand free and aiming my concentrated power at the ground under their feet.

The magic shot from my fingers and hit the cobbled road, jiggling the stones loose and nothing more, although the deusvenati did glow for a few seconds.

I gaped. "Those fuckers ate my spell."

"I warned you," Typhon growled. "You can't defeat them with magic."

Fine. I aimed the gun in my hand and fired. A perfect shot. It hit one of the golden knights in the chest with a ping. The bullet fell to the ground.

"Uh-oh," I muttered.

"Die, fuckers!" Enyo dove from above, a Valkyrie with no wings, her long sword extended. The knight she went after barely had time to react, lifting his arm to shield, and losing it.

"Yay!" Yes, I cheered.

My sister began to clang her weapon against the knight who, despite losing an arm, seemed determined to fight. Of interest, blue blood ran liberally from the stump.

Cool.

Of concern? How the other knights began closing in on my sister.

"We have to do something!" I yelled.

Typhon sighed. "A god isn't supposed to be a hero. People are supposed to be heroic in his name." He complained, and yet he moved toward the golden group, a long dagger in hand, his cloak floating around him.

John ignored Frieda's clutching hands and, with his own blade, strode to join him.

An unhappy Frieda hissed, "Do something."

"Like what?" I snapped back. "Can't use the gun. Can't use my magic. Would you like me to sing?" Being tone-deaf led to me being banned from doing Karaoke.

"Send us back to the portal for Earth. They're forbidden from following," Frieda stated.

I wanted to ask how she knew that, only I got distracted by Enyo's cry of pain. Which led to the giant kitty roaring as he raced up the road. He soared for the knight who dared to draw blood from his mate. Surely those big, powerful jaws could crush the tin-canned soldiers?

A golden glove grabbed at the leopard, and suddenly a naked Bane dangled from his grip. Even shifter magic was affected.

This was bad. So bad. We couldn't win. Time to take Frieda's advice.

"John, get ready to grab Frieda and go," I hollered as I concentrated my magic and used it to rip open a doorway that would set them just outside the portal to Earth.

Frieda gave me the most serene look before her husband tossed her over his shoulder. I heard her in my head, You've got this, sis.

Fucking right I did.

John, holding his wife, leaped into the portal.

One sister down.

The other did her best to keep the blades at bay, but without her magical strength and other abilities, she tired, and her flesh showed stripes that dripped red.

Bane didn't fare any better. The bloodied man got tossed, and he hit the pavement hard and slid. Ouch. Road rash.

A mighty blow to Enyo sent her staggering, and she chose to regroup by Bane's side.

This was my chance. "Get your ass in the portal, Yo-yo!" I yelled, straining to keep the doorway open.

Enyo's lips went flat. "You first. I'll cover the retreat."

Fucking hell. Why did she love me so much?

With one part of me concentrating on the doorway, another part bubbled my sister and Bane and tossed them into the portal.

My dog chose that moment to bravely bark as the deusvenati headed in my direction. "Sorry, baby. Go wait for me with your aunties." I sent Jinx through the doorway and bit my lip as I strained to keep the portal open.

"Typhon! We have to go," I hollered as the man continued to fight, his bladework impeccable. He spun it round and round, a dervish that didn't need magic to fight.

But I did. I felt myself growing weak. Too weak to hold the portal open when I had to dodge a strike.

I stumbled and fell to the ground, losing my grip on the doorway and uttering a groan at the realization I didn't have the strength to open another. Not that it would matter, as the golden knight standing over me would kill me in just a second.

Only the death blow never arrived.

To my surprise, sudden hollers showed reinforcements had arrived. The dwarf we'd met earlier came bellowing with an axe. His mighty swing took out my wannabe killer at the knees. As I pushed to my feet, I couldn't help but gape in surprise as arrows struck, poking holes in the armor of the deusvenati.

From the shuttered houses crept the townspeople, clutching weapons, expressions grim.

One woman with a large butcher knife screamed, "You killed my husband and daughter." Then charged.

Others joined.

In the chaos, Typhon slipped to my side and wrapped an arm around my weak body. "We have to get you away," he stated as he dragged us from the main battle into a spot between buildings.

"I don't think I can open another doorway," I gasped. I could barely keep my eyes open as overexertion pulled at every single limb.

"We'll never make it to the doorway without being caught. We need a place to hide."

"Where? We're in an alien place with people who might just decide we're not worth the trouble and turn us in." I wanted to laugh hysterically.

"Somewhere safe. Somewhere safe," he muttered before the light bulb hit. I could see it in the way his expression brightened, and he grimaced. "I have an idea. Possibly a bad one." He dumped the satchel he'd grabbed during our escape.

"I'm sure your idea is better than mine because I've got nothing."

He opened the bag. "Crawl in."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Get in the bag," he snapped. "We don't have much time."

I wanted to argue, only I remembered the oracle and how she'd hidden. "Will we both fit?" The opening was large enough for me, but Typhon? He was a big man.

"Guess we'll find out. Now go."

I'll admit I felt a little like that mime who pretended to climb down some stairs, only in this case, I stepped into my bag and plummeted several feet before hitting with an oomph.

"Move aside. I'm coming in."

I scrambled in the dark, not sure of the dimensions. My fingers caught in the jumble of stuff I'd packed. I heard fabric protest and tear, and then what little light we had was gone.

I was still trying to orient myself when Typhon said, "And now we wait."

"How long?" I asked.

I couldn't see, but I imagined him shrugging in the darkness when he replied, "If we're not discovered in the next day, I'd say it worked."

"Day?" I might have squeaked. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Rest," he suggested.

Not a bad idea, but because I didn't like the dark, I crawled and felt around me until my hands hit a leg. His leg.

I yanked at him. "Get down here."

"Why?" he asked as he sat beside me.

"Because I'm tired, and you're the only mattress around," I advised as I crawled into his lap.

He could have argued or tossed me to the floor of my satchel, but instead, he cradled me, whispering, "Rest, my witch. I'll guard your sleep."