Magic - Chapter 52

This is the second book in The Godsverse Chronicles, a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.

Ollie wasn't looking for trouble, but after she saved the Antichrist from being slaughtered, it came for her.

Ollie lived by one rule. Never get involved with anyone for any reason; humans, demons, fae folk, it didn't matter. They were all trouble. Keeping her distance was how she survived in the criminal underworld for so long.

Keep your head down and don't piss anyone off. That was her motto, especially since her clients all had access to powerful dark magic.

She thought she had a flawless system for keeping her nose clean, so how did she wind up in a stolen car, with a demon spawn in her back seat, driving away from her ex-lover and a gang of demons ready to skin her alive?

That's a good question.

And why did she agree to help save the demon's life so she didn't get sacrificed to open the gates of Hell?

An even better question.

She had one rule. One stupid rule. And tonight...it goes right down the toilet.

Now, the only way for Ollie to get her life back is to save the girl, prevent the Apocalypse, and track down the people who betrayed her.

They will pay. Oh yes, they will all pay.

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Twenty-three minutes later—according to my watch—a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. A couple of minutes after that, the conveyor belt track ended inside a white, seamless room, with nothing but a large metal door directly in front of us.

The tunnel had collapsed behind us and the track beneath us disappeared, leaving Lily to crash two feet onto the ground. My head smashed against the roof when we landed.

“Ow.”

A woman’s voice spoke over an intercom. “Sorry about that.”

“You should be,” I snarled. “Lily is an innocent in all of this!”

“Show yourself, asshole!” Aimee added, pushing herself out of the car and banging on the door.

“Patience. We would like to speak with you in a civilized manner. I promise that if we cannot, we have ways of neutralizing you.”

“All right!” I said, exiting the car. “We’ll be good. What do you want?”

“You say that,” the voice said, “but your heart rate is still elevated. Once you have returned to calm, the door will open, and you will be led to the truth. And please don’t try to use magic in this room. It is ‘warded up the ass,’ to use your expression, Ms. White.”

“Goddamn it!” Aimee shouted. “This is bull!”

“I know,” I said. “But they hold all the cards here, and we can either play their game and find a way to cheat, or we’ll be stuck in here.”

“I like cheating,” Aimee said.

“Then we have to play the game.”

Aimee took a deep breath and let it out. It wasn’t enough on its own, but another five minutes of deep breathing must have been enough, because the door clicked open with a loud buzz.

“Please follow the hallway until the end and take a seat at the table there,” the voice said. “Don’t be cute about it, or we’ll zap you.”

Aimee ripped open the door and stomped down the hallway. I followed behind. I knew enough to know you never wanted to be the first person to enter a room in a new, weird place, so I let Aimee be the guinea pig. However, we reached the next room without incident and sat down in the only two chairs.

“Very good,” the voice said. “Now, I appreciate that you are not interested in hearing what I have to say, but I promise you we are on the same team.”

“People on the same team don’t kidnap each other!” I muttered.

“Now, now. You and Dexter were on the same team, and didn’t you kidnap him?”

“I just took him for a little bit!”

“Marvelous,” the voice said. “Then you agree that ‘taking you for a little bit’ isn’t kidnapping. When you’ve heard us out, we will let you go if you so choose.”

I grumbled under my breath and then said, “Who are you, anyway?”

“You have surely heard of us, though never our name. We are the same agency that conspiracy theorists have placed behind Area 51, among other things. In the simplest terms possible, we are here to protect humanity against all things that go bump in the night, big and small.”

The intercom clicked again, and then the voice continued. “For the past decade plus, we have been mostly concerned with preventing an Apocalypse and have become increasingly concerned with the dagger you keep on your person, Ms. White.”

“This one?” I held it up. “Come close, and I’ll show you just how dangerous it is.”

“Pass,” the voice replied. “However, yes, to answer your question, that is the dagger in question. We believe it to be the most likely cause of the Apocalypse, and we need it destroyed.”

I put the dagger away. “Well, I’m using it right now.”

“And we’re definitely not giving it to you!” Aimee added.

“Oh, perish the thought. We have heard of your plans, due to Ms. White’s outburst in Scotland, and make a proposal to you both. Help us destroy the dagger, and we will give you a pardon of all your past crimes and give you a chance to start your life over again.”

“What if we like our lives?” Aimee asked.

“Then you will at least not have to hide from us at every turn, Ms. Donovan. Really, it must be exhausting.”

“I’m used to it by now.”

The voice sighed. “Fine. I don’t wish to be crass, but we are prepared to give you each ten million dollars for helping us. I know money, as you say, ‘talks.’ Am I speaking loudly enough for you?”

“I’m listening,” I said.

Aimee gave me a shocked look. “Come on, Ollie!”

“You come on. You’re supposed to be the heartless contractor here. That’s ten million dollars apiece. That’s ‘screw you’ money. That’s ‘never have to work a day in your life’ money.”

“I mean…” She faltered. “I guess. I don’t like it, though.”

“I don’t either, but…ten million dollars.”

“What do we have to do?” Aimee asked, settling into her chair.

“Much like you were going to do, go into Hell, and throw that dagger into the lake of fire in front of Lucifer’s castle.”

“What about Et’atal?”

“He is one of ours, on our payroll, and we prefer him to remain unharmed.”

“That’s a deal breaker for me,” I said. “He needs to pay.”

There was a pause, and another sigh before the voice spoke again. “What happens to him is not our concern, so long as the dagger is destroyed.”

“I can live with that plan,” I said.

Aimee sighed. “If I can break my morals for five hundred grand, I guess I can do it for ten million. I hate all of this.”

“We do not like this, either,” the voice said. “It’s most untoward to involve civilians in our business. But, drastic times and all.” The voice went silent for a moment. “Welcome to the U.S. Armed Forces.”

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This is the second book in The Godsverse Chronicles, a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.

Paid subscribers can access the entire archive of this series from the beginning, along with other series and every article I’ve ever written.

If you are not a paid member, you can read everything with a 7-day free trial, or give us a one-time tip.