Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) (16 page)

I only knew a little about Marcus’s training. He’d said that Cerridwyn, his patron, had trained him in Red magic by taking him through time on a tour of history’s greatest battles and disasters. I wondered if he’d ever told his sister that. He’d seen enough battlefields to justify his hope for an anonymous death, but then why did I keep hearing his voice talking about revenge?

Izzy leaned forward. “So if it’s not Marcus, who would use his voice to push you to act?”

“I guess Rochelle makes a certain amount of sense,” I offered, but something about that statement felt discordant.

“In that case, we need to do a banishing ritual. You’ve got to get rid of that creepy voice in your head!”

Izzy was probably right; after all, she knew Marcus better than I ever would, but I still hesitated. Part of me didn’t want to lose Marcus again, even if it wasn’t really his voice I was hearing.
That’s just perfect,
I chastised myself.
You’re obsessed with a dead guy. So normal.

Izzy ignored me, chattering away about her plans. “This would be a really great way to start teaching the boys how to do magic. Banishing rituals are stronger with more people.”

I was still getting used to the idea of communal magic. Even though I had wanted to form a Coven to defeat the forces of chaos, it had never happened, and I was starting to feel like maybe that was a good thing. “Do we really need them for this? I mean—” I went on, trying to ignore her sharp glare “—they don’t know what they’re doing. Couldn’t they screw it up?”

“They have to start somewhere. And you and I will be there to keep things safe. Besides, banishing spells aren’t
that
hard.”

I sighed in defeat. “Fine. Give them a call.”

She grinned. “I already texted Ben. They should be here any minute.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. I tried to glare at Izzy. “You knew I’d let them help with the banishing?”

She shook her head. “No, but I knew you didn’t have any other plans for today, and I figured we should teach them sooner rather than later.”

Suddenly, I remembered what Brad and Pele had said the night before. “Izzy, there’s something about them I need to tell you—”

But she had already opened the door.

Brad looked at me and then quickly lowered his eyes, but Ben smiled easily and crossed the threshold. “I’m glad you girls are ready to get started.”

I forced myself to smile at him. He seemed perfectly at ease: did he know about the deal his brother had struck with Pele? I shook my head slightly. Of course he knew. Brad wouldn’t keep something like that from his twin, would he?

“So,” Brad said quietly, still looking at his feet, “what did you guys want to do today?”

“Darlena is being haunted,” Izzy began without preamble. “We need you to help us with a banishing spell.”

Brad turned pale, but Ben looked at me with interest. “Haunted, eh? Bad breakup?”

I laughed nervously, but my face felt hot. “Not really. And not really haunted: someone is using the voice of a Witch who died to tell me to do things.”

“And you’re sure it isn’t actually the ghost of this Witch?” Brad asked skeptically.

I hesitated, but Izzy nodded. “It’s my brother. And whoever the voice is, he’s been saying things that my brother would never say.”

“I keep forgetting you lost your brother. I’m sorry,” Brad said, his words sounding hollow and out of place.

Izzy shook her head. “This isn’t about Marcus. It’s about protecting Darlena and all of us from whoever wants to manipulate her.”

Manipulation
. I had been manipulated before, I realized, and in a spectacularly awful way. A prickle of warning inched down my back. “Guys, hang on a sec.”

Izzy put her hands on her hips. “We have to start somewhere! And you need to get rid of that creepy voice.”

I shook my head, trying to clear it. A dull, throbbing pain had started at the base of my spine, and the pain was creeping up my back. “It’s not that. I think I figured out who it is.”

Izzy rolled her eyes. “Who else? It’s Rochelle. We already talked about this.”

“No, Izzy, it’s not Rochelle. I’m being manipulated. When was the last time I was manipulated like this?”

Izzy hesitated, but I could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. “But how could he—?”

“He did it before, didn’t it? And that was while he was trapped. I’m guessing he’s much stronger now that I freed him.”

“Hang on,” Ben said. “What are you girls talking about?”

Instead of answering, Izzy warded the room. After the Blue glow had faded, I added my own wards. We looked at each other nervously.

Izzy cleared her throat. “Um, if Darlena is right about this, we didn’t just call you over here to banish a ghost.”

“Then what are we here for?” Brad crossed his arms and stared at me.

I took a deep breath, trying to slow my pounding heart. “I think we need to banish a god.”

Brad stared at me, his mouth hanging open. “You can do that?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. But you guys need to know before we go any further who we might be dealing with here.”

Ben nodded, looking unruffled. “Who do you think it is?”

“Loki.” The sound of his name made my stomach churn as if I’d taken a bite of rotten fruit.

“He’s which one again?” Ben asked.

“The Norse god of chaos. He’s supposed to be trapped until the end of the world.” To my surprise, Brad was the one who answered. He glanced at me and shrugged. “I like comics.”

I snorted. “That Loki is pretty tame compared to what we’re dealing with here.”

Brad hesitated. “But if he’s loose, the world really is ending.” He looked truly scared, like he’d finally decided to believe everything we’d told him about magic. I almost didn’t have the heart to tell him that I was the reason Loki was free in the first place.

Izzy nodded. “And it seems like he’s haunting Darlena. Well, I guess not haunting. Bothering would be more like it.”

“But why would Loki be interested in her?” Ben didn’t sound mean, just confused.

I took a deep breath and decided to tell them the truth. “Because he’s been able to manipulate me before. I’m the reason he’s free.”

“Wait a minute. So you recruit us to help you stop the end of the world, which you started in the first place?”

I glared at Brad. “If you want to see it that way, then sure. But Rochelle and Hecate were already working together long before I freed Loki.”

“Darlena,” Izzy interrupted, “do you still have his chains?”

I nodded, ignoring the startled expressions on the twins’ faces. “Upstairs. In my closet.”

“Do you think we could use them?”

“I don’t know, Izzy. It took all of the Norse gods to trap him the first time. What good could the two of us do?”

“Four.” Ben spoke softly, but his voice was strong. “You’ve got four of us here. It’s worth a shot.”

Brad nodded after a moment, and a voice that I wanted to forget hissed, “Five.”

Izzy looked like she was going to pass out. “Darlena,” she whispered, “there’s a strange goddess standing in the living room.”

Ben laughed out loud, and Pele bared her teeth in a smile. “That’s Ma Pele. She’s agreed to be our patron once we learn magic.”

Izzy’s eyes telegraphed an urgent question to me, and I shrugged. “We’ll talk about it later.”

After a minute, she nodded and closed her eyes. I didn’t have long to wonder what she was doing: there was a soft rustling sound, and Isis appeared behind Izzy, extending her shimmering wings in a magnificent display. “I can add my strength,” the goddess said, in a voice that sounded like chimes. “And I can also summon my sister.”

“Even though Lorna isn’t here?” I blurted.

Isis regarded me. “There are more bonds than the ones between Witch and patron. The bonds of blood run deeper still.”

The air shimmered, and another goddess appeared. I had seen her before, so I knew she was the twin to Izzy’s patron, but I hadn’t expected the frightening shape that accompanied her.

Izzy recoiled in fear, but no one else moved.

“I come, sister,” Nepthys spoke formally, “and I have brought strength.”

Izzy whimpered. “It’s Set.”

Her words took my breath away, and I stared at the strange god. A mask obscured his face, making him look like a wild dog, and Red light pulsed around him. “Why would we trust him?”

The mask bared its teeth, and I realized the god really did have the head of an animal. I tried to swallow my fear, and he spoke. “I am not what I seem. You of all people should understand this.”

Isis said nothing, keeping her face neutral. I glared at her, and then looked at Izzy, hiding behind her patron. “You kidnapped Izzy. Why should we trust you now?”

The monster god laughed. “All things change. Even gods. You trust the other Red one.” He gestured sharply to Pele.

I frowned. “That’s different.”

“Why?”

“Because she never harmed my friend!”

Izzy spoke softly. “I forgive him.”

I looked at her, exasperated. “Now’s not the time for that, Izzy.”

Set smiled wickedly at me. “But it is for her to say, after all. If the child has no objections to my presence,” his voice hissed suddenly, making him sound more like a large snake instead of the monstrous dog he looked like, “then I don’t think anyone else has the power to object.”

“We need all the strength we can get.” Persephone strode into the living room from the kitchen, and I gaped at her in surprise. “Three Red gods may be enough to bind the Lord of Lies—” she gestured around the room “—with the assistance of all present, of course.”

Isis and Nepthys exchanged a look, but then they nodded. Brad shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, and Ben stared around at the assembled gods in wonder. “Now what?” he asked breathlessly.

Persephone looked at me. “You still have the chains?”

I nodded.

“Fetch them. We will prepare the fire.”

“It’s the middle of the day!” I blurted.

The goddess smiled. “I doubt your neighbors will notice. Trust me.”

I did trust her. I nodded once, and then rushed upstairs to retrieve the slimy bonds.
Marcus died for these, and Rochelle gained power because of them.
I had intended to use them to confine Hecate, but in the time since Loki’s release, I’d felt powerless, trapped at home, unable to act.
No more,
I vowed, grabbing the backpack that housed the chains. First, we would deal with Loki, and then I would settle things with the other Red gods once and for all.

The bag felt heavy as I carried it down the stairs. When I opened the back door, I paused, staring at the strange circle assembled around the fire.

Izzy stood between Isis and Nepthys. Ben looked comfortable, even though he stood between Set and his wife. Brad stood on Set’s other side, carefully looking at the flames. Pele flanked him, with Persephone between her and Isis to complete the circle. A part of me wondered if the Red gods should be separated and spread out, but I didn’t say anything. Instead, I placed the bag at Persephone’s feet and stepped into the space between her and Pele. She nodded at me. “A circle of nine.”

Persephone spoke softly, but I still heard her. I looked around with a start, and Izzy met my eyes with a sharp intake of breath. Maybe we had formed a Coven, after all, although I’d never heard of another Coven that included Witches, Nons, and gods.

Despite the boiling hot day, they had started a fire in the fire pit. There was no smoke yet, but orange and red flames licked the air. It felt uncomfortably familiar, and for a minute, I caught Brad’s gaze across the fire. He knew what I was remembering: the crackling noises Rochelle’s house had made as it burned. I shook my head slightly and focused on the goddesses beside me.
There will be time to talk about that later. First, we have to deal with Loki.

Persephone lifted her arms. “We have a chance to join together today to right a wrong. Our actions may or may not be enough to tip the balance away from chaos.” Her dark eyes focused on each person in the circle in turn. “Are all here of the same mind? Do you come here to confine the god Loki?”

One by one, the gods inclined their heads. In a clear voice, Ben answered, “Yes,” and Izzy and Brad nodded at the same time. Persephone looked at me.