The Crossing (Immortals) (37 page)

He nodded. He kept the orb of elflight glowing overhead as they made their way deeper into the cave. Waves
of foul air and foul emotion buffeted his life shield. Casting his senses ahead, he searched for specific threats. He
felt none.

A red glow marked the end of the cave. Wailing voices
grated like fingernails on a chalkboard. The tunnel ended,
and they looked out over Hell's ninth level.

"Oh my gods," Artemis breathed.

They stood on the edge of a large, domed cavern. The
roof and walls of the cave ran with blood. Its acid drip had
dissolved most of the cavern floor, leaving only the barest
network of solid surface.

Mac advanced as far as he dared. He peered through the
floor to the pit below, where blood dripped, sizzling, into
lava. Wailing corpses burned in boiling stone.

Betrayers, every one of them. Mac let his gaze pass over
them. What he and Artemis sought wasn't in that pit of
misery. Their goal lay on the opposite side of the cavern, across the treacherous floor. Two arched portals stood side
by side fronted by a wide ledge of solid rock.

"One archway leads to Ptolomaea," Artemis said. "The
other leads to Satan's lair."

"Which is which?"

Artemis bit her lip. "I don't know."

"Right. Well, first things first. Getting across." He
studied the delicate stone tracery.

"I'll go. I'm lighter than you."

Mac grabbed her arm. "You'll do nothing of the sort.
Stay here."

He slid one foot forward. As soon as he began to transfer his weight, the stone crumbled. He jumped back as a
huge chunk of rock disintegrated. Long moments later, it
splashed into the lava below.

"Looks like we won't be taking the obvious route,"
he said.

"Gods. How are we going to get across? I don't have
any magic that will bridge a gap like that."

"I do."

Doubt was clear on Artemis's face. "Your magic can
only be cast inside a circle. How will you ever get a circle
around the entire cavern, with us stuck on this side?"

"Trust me, love."

He drew a tight circle around himself and Artemis.
Closing his eyes, he called the spell. When it was ready, he
lowered his protection and cast the magic out. It formed a
shining white bridge, arching between the cave and the
solid ledge on the other side of the cavern.

Artemis gasped. Mac took a step onto the spell's transparent surface. It dipped under his weight, but held.

"It's not going to last long," he said, jumping off and
pushing Artemis before him. "We'll have to hurry."

They ran, their eyes fixed on their goal. They were
halfway across when a dark wave of pure malice rose from the lava pit. Tentacles of raw evil, reaching, curling,
clutching...

Mac's bridge cracked.

Artemis paused, looking back at him. He all but picked
her up and threw her forward. "Run!"

For once, she didn't argue. Her boots pounded on the
disintegrating spell as she sprinted to the other side. Mac
dogged her heels, catching her once when she stumbled
and shoving her on ahead.

She leaped to safety as the spell gave way completely.
Mac threw himself after her, his fingers clawing slick
stone. His legs kicking empty space. Blood, dripping from
above, burned on his bare back. Artemis grabbed his arms
and dragged him onto solid ground.

"Gods," she gasped when he was safe. "I didn't think
we'd make it."

He rolled over and looked up at her. "I know."

She met his gaze, startled. "I'm sorry."

"No need." He grunted as he sat up. "I wasn't so sure of
it myself."

Climbing to his feet, he peered up at the twin arched
portals, looming darkly above them. Each was sealed with
a monolithic black panel that resembled polished obsidian. He could see no latch, no handle, no hinge, not even a
seam.

"Want to hazard a guess which is Ptolomaea?" he asked
Artemis. "Perhaps you can sense your son's soul?"

"Maybe..." Her eyes closed. A moment later they
opened, with her no wiser than before. "No. I can't feel a
thing."

Mac shrugged and chose the door on the right. He cast
his senses toward it. It was sealed with death; his psychic
brush against it burned his mind. The weave was flawless,
stronger than any magic he'd ever encountered on earth.
As strong in death as magic in Annwyn was strong in life.

He laid his hand on the panel. Ignoring its heat, he
traced a circle on its surface. Casting deep, he called his
brightest elfshot into his palm.

Light blazed, causing Artemis to shield her eyes. He
poured his soul into the green fire, willing the wall to melt
under its power.

It did not.

Perhaps if he put some force behind it? He stepped
back and traced a circle on the ground around himself and
Artemis. Gathering his magic within it, he launched a
blast of elfshot at the door.

A woman's laugh sounded behind him. "It doesn't matter what you try, you know. You'll never get in."

Artemis made a strangled sound. Slowly, Mac turned,
not at all surprised to find Hecate standing behind them.
The demon wore a shining black gown, its long train
trailing into the lava pit. A lacey corset cinched her tiny
waist, offering her breasts like a deadly gift. Her scent,
thickly floral with a touch of dung, contracted his nostrils.

"You." Artemis tensed like a spring about to snap. Mac
put a cautioning hand on her arm.

"Surely you're not surprised," Hecate scoffed. "Ptolomaea is my realm. If you wish to enter, all you have to do
is ask. It's leaving that will pose a problem."

Artemis let out a sound akin to a growl. "Where is
my son?"

Hecate smiled. "Safe."

She waved a hand. The blank face of the right portal
lightened, revealing wisps of light floating behind it. Human souls. Children.

Artemis covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh gods.
Zander. I see him."

Mac followed her gaze. He caught only a glimpse of the
lad before Hecate dimmed the panel. An animal sound of distress emerged from Artemis's throat. She pitched
forward, arms outstretched, only to have Hecate knock
her back into Mac's arms with a flick of her finger.

"No! Please! Bring him back. What do you want?
I'll... I'll do anything, if only you'll let him go free."

This time it was Mac's hand that covered her mouth.
"Damn it, Artemis, shut up. Don't you know by now that
bartering with demons is useless?"

Hecate laughed. "Wisdom for the ages. Come, now,
witch, even if I were disposed to trade, what could you offer? Your soul is hardly equal to that of a sweet child." Her
gaze moved to Mac. "But your immortal lover... if his soul
is part of the bargain, I may be inclined to negotiate."

"Sorry," Mac said. "I'm not for sale."

He punctuated his rejection with a blast of elfshot.

Hecate repulsed the attack easily. "Ah yes, clever of you
to realize your life magic isn't so useless here in Hell after
all. But if you should step out of that circle..

Mac responded with a second round of elfshot-swift,
precise, and stronger than his first shot. Artemis, inside his
protective circle, added her own spell to his attack.

Mac scowled. "Damn it, Artemis," he snapped. "Get behind me and let me deal with this bitch."

With a grimace, she obeyed.

"Protecting your whore?" Hecate taunted. "How
touching."

The demon launched hellfire at Mac's legs, intent on
blasting him out of his circle of protection. "Fight as long
as you can, Mac Lit. It will do you no good. Death cannot
be denied."

Saraid's words. Mac couldn't accept them. "We'll see
about that." He gathered a new assault on his fingertips.

But even as he launched it, he knew his chances of destroying Hecate, in her own realm were slim. He was discovering that casting life magic in Hell was wrenchingly difficult. Hecate, by contrast, didn't seem to be exerting
herself at all. For now the battle remained relatively even,
but for how long? He had a sickening feeling that Hecate
was toying with him.

Artemis knew it as well as he. He felt her step outside
his circle of protection; felt her gather her death magic,
preparing to enter the fight with the most powerful
weapon she had at her disposal. Damn it. He didn't want
that-didn't want her risking his child.

Artemis's spell unfurled in ugly strands, wrapping itself
about Hecate's ankles. Demon snare. Hecate cursed, kicking. Her struggle only caused the strands to tighten. "Insolent witch..."

The demon launched hellfire at Artemis. Artemis
ducked. Mac, growling, grabbed Artemis and pulled her
back into his circle of protection. He strengthened his defenses as Hecate, spitting curses, disentangled herself
from Artemis's spell.

"Don't you dare do that again," he hissed at Artemis.

"You needed my help. She's stronger than you, Mac.
You're not going to be able to take her alone."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew Artemis
was right. "What do you suggest, then?"

"A melded life/death spell," Artemis said. "Like the
ones I cast in the human world. My death magic, your life
magic. Together."

Mac cursed. "Damn it, Artemis, I don't want you casting death magic. A spell that strong could-" Could kill
his child. But he didn't say it. He knew they had no choice.

"All right," he said tightly. "Tell me what to do."

"Here. It's easier to show you."

She laid her hand on his arm. Their minds touched. He
felt what she needed from him; felt the death magic he
would have to balance.

A blast of hellfire shook his protections. Hecate had returned to the fight.

"Ignore her," Artemis whispered. "Fighting her now
will destroy our balance."

Mac nodded. The ground shook as Hecate exploded
her next spell. He focused on Artemis, on her power, on
her death magic. They built the spell strand by strand,
death magic, then life, dark, then light. Perfect balance,
interwoven in a perfect pattern. Truly a terrifying work
of art.

They loosed the spell together. It hit with a tsunami
roar. A whirling symphony of dark and light, dissonance
and harmony, evil and beauty, it demanded as much as it
gave. The tension it exerted on Mac's soul was fierce. Balancing Artemis's death magic, he fed his life magic into the
maelstrom. The spell descended on Hecate, surrounding
the demon like a storm.

The spell sucked power from the Old One with the ease
of the sea accepting the flow of a river. Hecate fought;
Mac and Artemis fed the spell, drawing it tight around
her. The demon writhed, and cursed, and launched spell
after spell in defense. Mac, with his infinite life essence,
countered Hecate's every attempt to break free.

The demon howled. "This cannot be! No god can defeat a demon in Hell!"

"I'm only half a god," Mac muttered.

Hecate's human guise wavered. Her cold beauty withered. Her young woman's form faded into that of a withered hag. But even that guise could not hold. Her human
form slipped away entirely, revealing a misshapen, tentacled monster.

The creature's gelatinous maw gaped, spewing filth and
rage. Artemis, caught in the trance of her magic, didn't react; Mac grabbed her and pulled her to the ground as the
vomit flew overhead. Grunts spilled into the air as Hecate's
demon form melted into an oily blob.

For a long moment, Mac lay motionless, Artemis
wrapped in his arms. Her heart hammered against his ribs. He delved deeper, seeking the spark of new life in her
womb.

He let out a long breath. Thank the gods. His son was
alive. But the scent of death on Artemis was strong.

"Bloody hell," he said. "I'm sorry."

She lifted her head and stared at the mess that had once
been Hecate. "I had to do it."

"I know."

He helped her to her feet; she could barely stand on
shaking legs. He flooded her soul with life essence; some
of her color returned. But she was unsteady. The spell had
almost been too much for her. He lowered her back to the
ground.

She looked up at him. "Mac?"

"Yes, love?"

"Do you... do you really think we'll be able to get
Zander out from behind that door?"

"No worries, love. I'll see to it." He hoped it wasn't a lie.
"Just rest a moment first."

"No, I'm fine. See-" She tried to sit up, then moaned
and sank back into his arms.

Alarmed, he fed her more life essence. "Give it a
minute, love."

Weakly, she nodded. But a minute passed, then two, and
Artemis didn't improve. Her defenses were gone. The life
essence Mac channeled to her slipped through the cracks
in her soul and disappeared.

Mac shifted his focus, reinforcing the circle of life
around her. But it was as if an unseen hand snatched each
thread of the spell before he could tighten it. He stood as
the barrier crumpled completely and turned to face his
new foe.

"Malachi."

The Old One dipped his perfect chin. "Surely you anticipated my return."

Mac said nothing. Malachi toed the oily remains of Hecate's body. "So. She is gone." Satisfaction gleamed in
his eyes. "Ptolomaea and all its delights are mine. I claim
your whore as well, Mac Lir."

"No. She fulfilled her contact with you. You'll let her
go, and free her son as well."

Malachi heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, but the contract terms have changed once again. Because of this
witch, I've lost your sister. I'm due compensation. I claim
Miss Black's soul and that of her son as recompense."

The demon's index finger tapped his lips once, as if a
thought had just occurred. "Of course, I maybe induced to
consider alternate reparation. Your own soul, for example."

"Hardly an equal exchange," Mac said evenly. "My soul is
infinite." He paused. "I would, however, consent to a duel
for the right to take Artemis and her son out of this place."

Malachi's eyes lit with interest. "A duel? And what will
you surrender when you lose?"