Page 135
“I’m going to have to look it up. It’s ancient text. I will send you the spell via scroll.”
“Thank you so much. This was incredibly helpful.”
“You’re most welcome.”
Mira and Rylan took their respective coins out of their pockets.
“Oh, and, Miss Winters,” Tanaka said before they traveled away. “If you happen to come across the amulet…you know where to find me.”
She nodded and wondered how much he would pay for it. Then she flipped her coin and reappeared in front of the gate to leave Kadaro.
Rylan materialized next to her, looking at the line in front of them. One by one, people were allowed to step through the gate and into darkness. Smaller magic gates, which the council could open in any sphere for medical transport and other emergencies, were simply portal holes. But the ones at the borders of the spheres were much larger and equipped with a physical gate as well. Kadaro’s was made of wrought iron and adorned with sharp spikes.
“What’s really going on with the amulet?” Rylan asked as they shuffled one step closer with the rest of the line. “Whatever this is, you’re doing it on your own. Dawson isn’t helping you or else he would have asked his illegal Dark Magic artifact dealer himself. And clearly Obryn isn’t helping you because otherwise you wouldn’t have involved me.”
The shield around the magic gate glistened with bright lights every time someone stepped through.
“If those two won’t do anything about the amulet,” Rylan continued, gesturing wildly with his hands, “then I have a feeling you should definitely not get involved.”
She took another step toward the gate. On the top left corner she noticed pulsing lights.
“Rylan, look!” She pointed at the shield. “Have you ever seen anything like that?”
“Stratospheric disruption. Sometimes when two gates don’t communicate properly, it can lead to this.”
A similar flicker appeared on the bottom left corner.
“And this disruption…it can only be triggered by another gate and not another dimension?”
“Oh, well there are studies—”
The ground shook and claws cut a gaping hole in the shield. Alarms blared, but even then, Mira could hear the unmistakable snarling. Feeders! Out of the hole in the shield, long, gangly arms emerged. Black veins wriggled under translucent skin. The defenders stretched out their right hands, and when the first demon appeared in full sight, baring its sharp black teeth, they sent dark spells flying and cut it in half.
Because the shield had ruptured, the magic gate turned into a solid wall. People banged their hands against it, hoping it would open back up.
“Everybody back!” one of the defenders screamed.
But it was too late. Demons crawled out of the broken shield like cockroaches. They jumped on people and sunk their teeth into them. Panic erupted. People screamed. Wielders tried to fend off the demons, but there were too many.
She connected with her White Magic and cast a shield around herself. Rylan did the same. People ran in different directions; others coin traveled away. Several Wielders tried to fight off the demons.
“The next magic gate is east of town,” Mira screamed at Rylan over the noise.
That gate would lead them in the opposite direction of Osterbury, but at least it would get them out of Kadaro.
Rylan gave a nod and they both flipped their coins and reappeared at the second gate. Hundreds of people were there, trying to escape, shouting over each other. Behind them, more people arrived, pushing closer to the magic gate. Squeezed among bodies, it was difficult to breathe.
“Another gate?” Rylan asked next to her.
Defenders pushed people back as alarms over them continued to blare.
“I don’t know if they will be any less busy, but we could try. How about—?”
The magic gate in front of them solidified into a wall.
“Attention,” a voice over the speakers announced. “All magic gates in Kadaro will be temporarily disabled. Attention—contingency plan A.”
Rylan grabbed her by her elbow. “They’re overrun with demons and have shut the gates so they can’t escape to other spheres. Can we go back to Tanaka?”
