Chapter 6

Stella stood on the porch with her hands on her hips. "How the hell do we get out of here?"

My brow furrowed, and my breath caught in my throat as I scanned the horizon. "Um...I have no idea. We search for something like the altar."

Aidon stalked down the creaky steps with his daggers in his hand. "What if it was the house? You obliterated the symbols on the outside."

I scowled at his back and followed behind him. "We will get out of here. There's no way we're going to be trapped here."

Stella ran to catch up to us just as I grabbed Aidon's arm and spun him around. His body listed to the side, and he stumbled. I held him tighter when he tried to shove me away from him.

"What are you..." My question trailed away when the world around us spun again. Two things happened then that I was grateful for in the end. Aidon screamed out, and Stella latched into my bicep. Stars whizzed past, making my stomach churn. I landed on Aidon, and Stella landed on me.

The smell of car exhaust and sulfur hit my nose when I heard a familiar demon"s call. Aidon pushed us off of him and reached for the coin he used to send demons back to the Underworld. Stumbling, my eyes roamed over what was happening, at the same time I steadied myself. Stella helped me straighten and my jaw dropped open. "That pocket realm was a trap. And we fell right into it," I muttered, unable to believe what I was seeing.

We were in the middle of a horde of demons. There were too many for me to count. Stella cursed and started casting magical bombs. I had already thrown two balls of witch fire. She tossed her first ones at those closing in on us, and the explosion made the ground shake.

I alternated between flames and bombs while trying to gauge where we were. The exhaust told me we were on Earth, and the sound of the ocean in the distance told me on the coast. A gust of power knocked Aidon into a demon who grabbed something from him. The roar that came out of my mate shocked the babies in my womb and frightened me. I'd never heard him so angry before.

I tried to make my way to his side when the demons parted and a man with long, blonde hair gathered at the base of his neck stalked toward us. He was holding an amulet that made it feel like we were suddenly moving through mud. I couldn't identify the power signature of our newcomer, but I knew what he was.

Our adversary was a powerful demigod. And he responded to Aidon's charge with a surge of dark energy that twisted the very fabric of reality for one dizzying second. The battlefield became a shifting kaleidoscope of distorted images that visually represented the supernatural forces at play.

The demigod"s presence loomed. His form was a silhouette against the night sky. He spoke with a voice that resonated like the echoes of a distant black hole, "I knew you wouldn't see the trap among the darkness. Mortals never do. And, you," he pointed to Aidon. "I expected more from a God of the Underworld."

I narrowed my eyes. "You've underestimated us. We have style and a flair for the dramatic. Ever seen a magical dance-off? Spoiler alert: it"s dazzling."

Stella rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "Phoebe, can we save the banter for after we"ve saved the world?"

Aidon nodded in agreement and met my gaze. "Disrupt his control over the demons." He gave a pointed look at the amulet the demigod was holding. I smiled at my mate and tossed a series of fireballs at the demigod.

As the clash resumed, Stella conjured protective wards that shimmered like a rainbow. Aidon countered the demigod"s dark tendrils with his power bursts while trying to get closer. There was no time to puzzle out why the demigod seemed to be a match for Aidon. As a god, he should have more power. It had to be something in the amulet.

I cried out when a claw sliced through my shoulder. Pouring my anger into my next spell, I shoved the magical bomb down the demon"s throat and danced away from him. Limbs, blood, and intestines rained down on the scene. Ignoring the gore coating me, I continued setting others on fire or blowing them up.

Aidon must have landed a blow that pissed off the demigod because the next thing I knew, the demigod bellowed, "You cannot defy the inevitable!"

I smirked, "Inevitable, schminevitable." I ducked between a demon's legs and set his balls on fire. "We"ve got a flair for the improbable," I finished as I stood up and conjured a bomb for the two in front of me.

As the fight reached its crescendo, the demigod in all his malevolent glory, decided it was time for a monologue. Because nothing says evil mastermind like a good old-fashioned villain speech. "You are oblivious to the grand tapestry of fate being woven around you. You will be eliminated," he said to me. "And your friends along with you. Don't worry. Your power is already promised to someone else. The world will go on."

I grunted as I kicked the demon reaching for me and pushed him into the others behind him, trying to get me. "Ugh, does every villain have a flair for the dramatic? I mean, can"t you just text us your evil plan like a normal person?"

Stella shot me a look that said, "Really, Phoebe? Now?"

The demigod was undeterred by my sarcasm and continued his monologue. "You stand at the nexus of destinies, ignorant of the threads plucked to bind your feeble existence to a grand design."

Aidon never stopped throwing magic at the demigod at the same time he tried to send the demons home. He must have lost his coin because it took him longer than it should have. "What is your endgame, asshole? And what line does your magic come from?" Aidon barked out.

The demigod chuckled, a sound that echoed like distant thunder. "My endgame? You have no idea who and what is at play here. But you will. By then, it will be too late. Your realm will be plunged into an era of unparalleled chaos."

I rolled my eyes. "Chaos? I"ve been to a Black Friday sale. Your disruption will have nothing on that."

Stella snorted and shook her head but continued fighting the demons like Aidon and I were doing. The night crackled with energy as we gave it all we had. I was getting tired. I was four months pregnant with triplets and hadn't eaten in hours. This was not how I wanted to be spending my time. Aidon's power warmed me and gave me the boost I needed. I sent some of the energy to Stella.

Aidon's black wings burst from his back, and his entire body lit up like a light show. The demons closest to him cowered as his power started taking out larger swaths. His efforts made the demigod lose all color in his face. I focused on what a spear looked like and chanted a spell, sending it at the amulet dangling from the demigod's hand.

Beams of light exuded out of my stomach and Aidon. The two converged, forming a barrier that crackled with Underworld energy. It expanded like a force field straight out of a sci-fi movie. It started cutting demons in half instead of protecting us from our enemy. They vanished as they died, pissing off the demigod. It distracted him enough that my spear hit its target.

The talisman exploded in a million pieces. "Duck!" I called out. The shards hung in the air for one poignant moment before they all headed directly for the demigod like heat-seeking missiles. I have no idea if he burst apart or if he just vanished. All I know is he was gone.

"Someone"s not a fan of disco. Tough crowd," I murmured.

Visibly drained from the exertion, Aidon staggered. Stella and I rushed to his side. Together, we caught him before he fell. A band constricted around my chest, reminding me of the time Zaleria had poisoned him. Aidon was a god. He shouldn't be weakened like this. I worried if he was okay but didn't dare ask. He was a proud man and wouldn't appreciate me pointing out his weakness, even if it was only temporary.

The residual echoes of the battle lingered in the air like faint ripples on the surface of a pond. Stella ran her fingers through her hair, the usually immaculate strands now slightly disheveled. "When will it stop feeling as if someone threw us into the deep end of a pool without floaties?"

I chuckled darkly. "I don't think that will ever happen. There are no floaties or safety nets in our world of chaos. Just us and our ability to beat the odds every Wednesday afternoon."

Aidon looked at me with amusement as he caught his breath. "You know, most people have a normal midweek crisis. We, on the other hand, get demonic battles and revelations about ancient conspiracies. I'm so glad life with you isn't ordinary."

I kissed his lips, glad to see him standing straighter. "You'll never be bored."

Aidon laughed. "Not a chance of that."

Stella waved her hand around us. "Where do you think we are?"

Aidon tilted his head and went silent for a second. "We're still in Salem. Not surprising since it has a deep magical history. Speaking of, we need to find Glimmerford. If there are answers, they"re likely hidden in there. Or in the various books and scrolls hidden around town."

Stella started walking as if she knew where she was going. Aidon and I followed along, figuring it was better to get the hell out of there. She looked back at us and said, "We should visit the magical archives and consult any elders in the area. There might be records, prophecies, or even hints about a powerful witch and chaos in Salem's future. Isn"t shit like this foretold?"

I shrugged one shoulder. "It'll be safer than heading to Glimmerford right away. We need to rest up and so does Aidon."

Aidon shot me a wry smile. "Sometimes, the most mundane places hide the most extraordinary secrets."

The air shimmered before us, stopping our progress toward a clump of trees. A thick, white mist formed, making my skin prickle. There was a lot of magic at play, but it didn't feel Dark. As if the universe couldn"t resist piling on more drama, a cryptic message materialized. It wasn"t your usual ‘gone to the store, be back in five minutes' note. Oh no. It was to be written in arcane symbols.

I squinted at the message, my eyes scanning the cryptic swirls and lines as if they were part of an intergalactic crossword puzzle. "You know, when I wished for a sign, I was hoping for something a bit more straightforward. Maybe a neon arrow pointing us to the bad guy"s lair. This is like playing Scrabble with Lovecraft."

"These symbols are ancient. They date back to a time when magic and prophecy intertwined. The mist reminds me of the Oracle of Delphi. Whoever left this message knew we"d find it," Aidon said. "It"s a warning. A message from someone who"s been watching the events unfold."

I frowned at him. "But what does it say?"

Aidon focused on the symbols. His wings finally disappeared as he did so. "The symbols reference an ancient prophecy about a convergence of forces that could tip the balance between the mortal realm and the supernatural. Everything that has happened is part of a larger scheme, and we"re in the middle of it."

I groaned, "Great, just what we needed. To be the unwitting star of the universe"s soap opera. And they won't even give us a script. I'm going to try and snap a picture so we can look this up."

Stella touched my shoulder reassuringly as I pulled out my cell. "We"re the ones who can change the course of destiny. We have to unravel this prophecy, understand our roles, and face whatever"s coming head-on."

Aidon added, "And we start by decoding this message. It could be the key to understanding the bigger picture."

After ensuring I had a good picture on the phone, we moved around the mist and made our way out of the woods. We weren't far from downtown and decided to pay a visit to the bookstore we'd seen in the Mellow Hag.

We made our way through the hidden magical market nestled in Salem. The enchanting aroma of herbs and potions wafted through the air, accompanied by the soft hum of mystical energies. With our destination in mind, we headed right to Enchanted Tomes Treasures. We stepped into the quaint bookstore tucked away in the heart of the bazaar. And I was overcome with a sense of reverence for the information awaiting discovery.

The shop had an air of whimsy. The shelves teemed with dusty tomes and glittering artifacts. The soft glow of enchanted lanterns bathed the space in a warm light. Behind the worn wooden counter stood an eccentric man with a long, flowing beard that seemed to possess a life of its own.

"Hello, I am Eldritch Nightshade. How can I help you?" He asked. His piercing emerald eyes held a depth of knowledge that hinted at centuries of magical expertise. He wore a vibrant robe adorned with symbols much like those we had encountered in the pocket realm that connected to the market.

I approached the counter with a casual smile. "It"s good to meet you, Eldritch. We"re on a quest for a book about ancient symbols. We hear you have one that could help us decipher an important message." I held out my cell phone to show him what I was talking about.

Eldritch"s gaze lingered on the photo. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, the gears of ancient knowledge turning in his mind. "That is a language written by the cosmos," he mused. His gaze went to Aidon and held. "Follow me. I believe I have just the tome you seek."

We trailed Eldritch through a concealed doorway at the back of the store, hidden behind a bookshelf. I shared a look with Stella. This was like something they would have included in those Harry Potter movies. It was an exciting change from what we normally did.

The private room held shelves lined with rare and arcane volumes. In the center, a small wooden table displayed an ornate box. It hummed with dormant enchantments. Eldritch produced a key from his robe. He murmured something under his breath as he unlocked it with a flourish. As he opened it, a soft glow emanated from within. Standing on my tiptoes, I saw a book with an ornate leather cover. It had stars on the front and a symbol in the middle of a circle.

"Behold, the Celestial Archive," Eldritch declared. His eyes gleamed with the passion of a guardian of magical knowledge. "Within these pages, the secrets of the gods await your discerning eyes. Although you might have been able to find the answers in your father's library," he said to Aidon, "I am honored you have chosen me for help."

Aidon quirked an eyebrow. "I don't think my father has anything like this in his collection. I'm sure he would appreciate a copy, though."

Eldritch gave Aidon a tight smile. "Nothing in this room is for sale. These tomes are too rare. Keeping them here makes them available to more in need. The entire room and its contents are spelled, so you cannot remove them in any way. Let me know if you need anything else."

We watched him leave, Aidon pulled out a chair for me and Stella. "As if I would ever do such a thing," he sniffed.

I opened the book and smiled at him. "You can't blame him for saying something. He obviously loves books and is only protecting them."

Aidon nodded and focused on the pages. "This talks about a convergence that links our fates with the unfolding prophecy," Aidon said

I frowned, contemplating the gravity of our situation. "There's nothing else?"

Aidon flipped through faster than Stella or I could react. "This hints at an intricately woven web of destiny. Each thread connects to the next in a tapestry that defies understanding." Aidon's translation didn't flow smoothly. I imagined that was because of the way it was written. "In the shadows, a despised enchantress shall face the approaching peril. Crimson rivers shall cascade across the earth. The one who first marked their dominion shall ascend to unrivaled sovereignty. Veiled truths will persist, birthing the demise of celestial beings, claiming the lives of two gods."

The blood froze in my veins. That sounded about right for the shit we'd faced. But we'd always overcome it. "Do prophecies always come true?"

Aidon tried to hide his frightened expression as he said, "Not everything is written in stone, but I have yet to see one be wrong."

Fucking hell!