Marie Harte - Below the Surface

“Cadmus, Aerolus, stand back,” he yelled before opening the floodgates.

Calling on Tanselm’s vast stores of the life-giving water he called his own, Marcus pushed the waters from another plane altogether. His vision turned blue and he felt at one with his element, strong and surprisingly at peace. From his mouth, nose, eyes and pores streamed Tanselm’s vengeance. Like a living tap, he provided the conduit of justice his world needed to restore balance.

“Holy shit,” he dimly heard Cadmus murmur. Aerolus called his name, but he was aware only of Tessa and the sorcerer who threatened all she could be, all Tanselm could be. Time faded as he washed ‘Sin Garu’s wraiths into the Next, where they would be judged accordingly.

Panting after his exertions, he nevertheless felt more energized than weak after expelling so much force.

“Very impressive, water bringer,” the sorcerer said calmly, as if he weren’t struggling to find breath beyond the film of water that fought to seal his fate. But fight he did, despite the terrible winds and raging quakes that shook him.

“Deal with that , if you can,” ‘Sin Garu snarled before dissolving into fits of coughing.

Before Marcus could decipher his meaning, something grabbed him from behind and knocked the breath out of him. Slammed up into the ceiling and held there, he fought to turn himself around using every ounce of power he possessed.

“Mother of Shadow,” Jonas whispered below him, staring at something beyond Marcus’ very imagining.

“Let’s see you defeat a Nocumat ,” ‘Sin Garu said through strangled breath, his laughter threaded with madness.

A red puddle of liquid gelled on the floor below Marcus. At first a drop, it grew steadily until it was at least ten feet in diameter.

“You do not defeat a Nocumat ,” Aerolus spoke in a low voice. The puddle began to rise, a large shape morphing out of the sluggish substance. Hands appeared within it, growing from the puddle. Like a bloody outreach, they pointed in Marcus’ direction. “Nor do you control one.” He turned to ‘Sin Garu. “Have you forgotten all you once learned from the Great Hall?”

‘Sin Garu’s smile shriveled and his eyes narrowed on the body now growing below Marcus. The body had taken Marcus’ shape and face, though its dripping red flesh made it look like a wax mould of Marcus that stood too close to flame.

“It makes you think you can control it, but you can’t,” Aerolus whispered, moving closer to Marcus. “Only at the end of everything can it be contained.”

“End of what?” Tessa slurred and stumbled to her feet behind the couch.

“Tessa, no,” Marcus shouted, fear for her enabling him to break through ‘Sin Garu’s hold. He dropped to the floor, lying in the pool that was the Nocumat , and fought the pinpricks of pain that suddenly needled into his skin as the hands grabbed him, and the red image of himself leaned close.

“Marcus?” Tessa shook her head and stared wide-eyed around her. “Cadmus, Aerolus?” Then she caught sight of Jonas. “Oh, my God, Jonas. You’re a Djinn!” But his flaming body had nothing on the bloody mess in front of her.

Marcus lay in its many-handed clutches like prey about to be devoured, his face pale and pinched with pain while a wax-like body loomed over him. At least it wasn’t a wraith again , she thought hysterically, trying to convince herself this nightmare was nothing more than a bad dream.

Aerolus and Cadmus tried in vain to free him, and became just as contaminated by the red goo that acted scarily alive. Aerolus muttered under his breath, his forehead streaked with sweat as he closed his eyes and waved his hands as if conducting an orchestra. His spell slowed the Nocumat’s progress, forcing several of the hands, if not the large body, to release Marcus and let Cadmus go. Now it crept instead of flowed over the Storm brothers.

Cadmus shook, his brown eyes black with pain as his skin suddenly flashed to gold and back again, black flames surrounding him in an almost mirror image of Jonas. Her eyes bulged. Was he turning Djinn?

She blinked rapidly, unable to process everything at once. Jonas, her boss, looked like a man covered in flame, but she could see his face amidst the fire, no skin, just bright, white-gold light—and Cadmus could have been his twin. Aerolus, at least, looked like himself, only more intense as he battled with the red ‘man’, for lack of a better term, on the floor.

But Marcus…he appeared almost dead. She held the back of the couch in a death grip. “Marcus.” She felt helpless and weak and achingly lost at thoughts without him—and that vulnerability seriously pissed her off. “Tell me what to do.” Her eyes flickered to ‘Sin Garu, who by now had shed himself of the waters trying to drown him and stared from her to Marcus with murderous delight. He took a step in her direction.

Jonas intercepted him with a blast of what looked like vaporous black mist, diverting the sorcerer’s attention.

Marcus’ eyelids fluttered. “Take it, Tessa. Take all of it,” he rasped as water rushed from his body to free him from the red monster caging him. He lay on his side, one arm buried in the Nocumat while with his other he tried to escape with a tide of water.

Glancing up, he saw her and most likely ‘Sin Garu battling Jonas over her shoulder, and stopped. He thrust his elemental and psychic energy into her, and they immediately took root in her being, the taste and touch of Marcus now a piece of her. “Use it to defeat ‘Sin Garu,” he said hoarsely, sliding deeper into the red ooze. “Once he’s gone, the Nocumat will follow. It has to,” he muttered, sounding desperate. “Do it, now, before I’m unable to help you.”

She knew he’d seen ‘Sin Garu’s murderous intentions, knew too that he could have used his powers to free himself and then helped her to ward off the sorcerer since Jonas had him occupied.

“Get out of there, Marcus. Jonas and I can hold off ‘Sin Garu until you’re free.”

“No.”

Shocked, she blinked at him, astonished at how arrogant and authoritative he’d just sounded with a single ‘no.’

“I won’t have you battling ‘Sin Garu, not while I’m still breathing. I have to do this, Tessa. I left you to him once, I won’t do it again.” He groaned as one of the red hands seemed to reach into chest. “Aerolus, stop dicking around. Grab Cadmus and protect Tessa.”

Aerolus quirked a brow, still calmly chanting under his breath as he calmed the flames around Cadmus while stopping another of the Nocumat’s hands from wrapping around Marcus’ neck.

Tessa shook her head, in disagreement with Marcus’ order of protection and in disbelief, that Aerolus hadn’t lost it yet. Despite freeing one brother and working to save another, he too was ankle deep in the Nocumat , a creature that seemed more ominous the larger it grew. Though its many hands clutched at the Storm brothers, its body seemed curiously content to stand there, as if watching the spectacle.

“Damn it, Tessa,” Marcus swore. “Use what I’m giving you, affai .” His voice grew alarming weak and the giant red body looming over him cocked its head. “Work with me, and I’ll be happy knowing we’ll have saved those I love most in the world: Tanselm, my family and you.”

What he really meant was “I’ll die happy” not “I’ll be happy.” The arrogant, overbearing jerk she loved was actually planning to die to save her. She stared at him, knowing she had precious little time to act. “You want to be a hero.” She sneered, taking comfort in her anger. How like a prince to make all her decisions for her . “Fine, be a hero. But you’re not dying until I’m good and ready to let you.”