Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Harley Merlin, #6)

“I will rain down hell on the pair of you, until you realize that you chose so very, very wrong,” Katherine spat. “As the death count rises, and you bury friend, after friend, after friend, you’ll realize that it’s all your fault. Look at them now, look at your friends, and remember their faces. Because you’re going to watch them all die, one after the other, until there’s only the two of you left.”

“We’ll keep coming after you, Katherine.” Harley raised her palms, gathering a fireball between them. She unleashed hell, sending orb after orb of crackling flames, but Katherine swept the onslaught away. She was still glowing from Tess’s spirit, her energy at its peak. Despite that, however, it looked like my mother was actually struggling. The fireballs were getting closer and closer to her face with every blast, her hands moving frantically to try and push the fireballs away. Harley really is strong. I’d never seen anyone break through Katherine’s defenses before.

“Don’t you get it? You can’t beat me,” Katherine replied, in between ducking Harley’s energy blows. “You’ve tried everything, and you keep falling at the last hurdle. I wish you’d get it into your thick skulls. I tell you what, why don’t I spell it out for you, nice and slow? I’m. Always. Going. To. Win.”

“Throw everything you have at us, and we’ll just keep coming. Why don’t I spell it out for you, nice and slow? You. Won’t. Win!” Harley roared back, firing a torrent of liquid Fire at Katherine. It narrowly missed her face, her eyes flying wide. She rallied, though, sending up a shield of bronzed energy.

“If you were my daughter, I’d have had you smothered in your sleep when you were a baby. Who knows? Maybe there’s still time.” Katherine chuckled coldly, before closing her eyes. Foreign words tumbled out of her mouth, but it took a moment for me to realize what she was saying. Understanding bombarded my head, but there was one bit I’d missed.

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! It was an Ancient Greek spell, older than any books. Katherine had told me about it once, after she’d torn it from the Librarian’s lips. It meant, more or less: “I bind myself to you and spare my life in the act. I cannot be your reward. In return, I will do your bidding. As you wish. But another must fall so that I may rise. I offer you the soul of so-and-so in my stead.”

I’d missed the name of the life she’d offered in return, but I wasn’t taking any chances. It couldn’t have been Naima. Even though she’d been crushed, her claws were still raking at the tiles. The beast wasn’t dead yet.

“Harley, get away from there!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs. Katherine had said she wanted Harley alive, but on impulse, she’d have Harley killed. She’d always been a “consequences later” sort of psychopath.

“Not yet, Finch! Not until she’s dead!” she snapped back, sending another torrent of Fire at Katherine. This time, it was Katherine’s shield that wasn’t strong enough to deflect Harley’s power. The crackling blaze tore right through the forcefield, grazing Katherine’s shoulder and prompting her to feint out of the way. The Rag Team weren’t immobilized anymore and were joining in the fight. They sent wave after wave of their abilities at Katherine, with Tatyana and Santana hurling projectiles. Their spirits had abandoned them in this place, forcing them to turn to practical manpower. Well, womanpower. But it was hopeless. The idiots didn’t realize the danger they were in. Mother dearest had left me with no other choice.

“Katherine made a deal, Harley. She’s negated the one you made. I don’t know who she’s chosen instead to satisfy Erebus. If we stay here, one of us dies!” I yelled. Naima was still breathing, and there were no assurances that Katherine would sacrifice her lieutenant to Erebus. No matter how desperate she was. She’d rather have seen one of us fall first.

Harley stared at me, a stream of Fire sputtering out in her hands. “What?”

“Clever, Finch. Looks like you learned something, after all.” Katherine smiled.

Harley’s face changed. She knew I was telling the truth. Her eyes sought Jacob out in the gloom. “Jacob, NOW!” Harley sprinted toward the Rag Team as a portal tore open directly behind Jacob. Our ticket out of here.

“I accept your offer,” Erebus boomed.

As Erebus’s shadow swept toward us, I, Harley, and the rest of the team barreled toward the portal.

“Who is it, Finch? Who did she pick?” Harley screamed in my ear as we ran for our lives.

“Would you shut up and get through the portal! I’ll explain later!” I shoved her with my full weight into the portal, watching the gaping mouth eat her up. Next, I turned to the Rag Team. “What are you all staring at? Get through the freaking portal!” While they were standing around, catching flies, Erebus was rushing toward us in a seething mass of darkness and Katherine was grinning like the maniac she was. She hadn’t just won, she was making a clean sweep.

Jumping into action at last, the rest of the Rag Team raced toward the portal. Erebus had spiraled up into the air, forging a thunderstorm of deadly tendrils. They shot down like black lightning, jabbing at the others as they sprinted for their lives. One caught Raffe in the shoulder, but he managed to tear himself free. Behind them, in the shadows, the monsters were rallying to the cry of their master. They charged at the fleeing crew, roaring and snapping their jaws with excitement.

“FASTER!” I screamed. I had no idea why I was hanging around to make sure this bunch of fools were safe. They meant nothing to me. Trouble was, they meant something to Harley. If I abandoned them here, she’d never have forgiven me. Yeah, we might want to rethink this whole emotion thing. I was certain I’d been better off when I had no heart.

Shinsuke was the last to run up, fighting off the gathering creatures with his blades. As he lopped off the head of a dog-like beast that was about to leap toward us, something swiped at his leg and dragged him down. I lunged forward to help him, but Jacob grabbed me by the wrist. I tried to pull free of him, but his face was set with a determined look. Where Shinsuke had fallen, the beasts flooded around him. A moment later, I couldn’t see him anymore. Just jaws and claws and spurting blood.

“You can’t help him,” Jacob shouted. With a surprisingly sharp tug, he pulled us both into the portal, the gaping hole snapping shut behind us. As I tumbled back through the darkness, the last things I saw were the glinting eyes of a thousand beasts and the slithering tendrils of Erebus, intent on a taste of blood.

I landed flat on my ass in the infirmary. Jacob lay sprawled beside me. Krieger and Isadora were staring at us, worried. Hauling myself up, I checked to make sure everyone was accounted for. Yep, the Muppet Babies are all here… all but one. His absence stood out, even though he hadn’t been with us very long. You tended to miss the guy with swords on his back, but nobody else had realized it yet. Instead, Harley was glowering at me. Not exactly the thanks I’d expected after saving her.

“Is everyone o—” Isadora moved forward, but Harley interrupted her.

“What did you shove me for?” she barked at me.

“Like I said, Katherine made Erebus an offer. You’d have wasted time making sure everyone was through. I did the job for you.” Mostly. I kept my tone curt. I wasn’t going to be berated for doing the right thing.

“What offer did she make? How did she even do that?”

I gritted my teeth. “She saved herself by offering someone else up in return. It’s an ancient spell. Nearly forgotten. It vetoes Erebus’s killing power. And Katherine just put someone else in the guillotine, instead of her. Trouble is, I didn’t hear who she said. She was talking too fast, and, what can I say, my Ancient Greek is a little rusty.”

Harley and her Muppet Babies gaped at me like a bunch of owls. “She really did that?”

“You think I’m lying?”

“No… I just… I didn’t think that was possible.” Her hands were shaking.

“Well, it is. Like I said, old, dusty-ass spell. One from the Librarian’s private stock.”

Harley glanced at the others, stunned into silence.