Dance of Magic - The Books of Beginning [1]

46. Once A Monster

Kate could feel the darkness and evil around her. It sent shivers down her spine as she walked through the mountains. Her legs were sore from so much walking with no sign of either Rafe or the Dire Magnus. But somehow she wasn't tired. It was as if the deeper into the dark she went, the more her adrenaline kicked in. She supposed that was a good thing.

Her hands trembled even as they came to cup her locket for comfort. She could sense that the climax of this battle was drawing near, and that terrified her. It was her responsibility to defeat the Dire Magnus, but she wasn't sure what to do. She was alone and carrying the weight of the world. But there was no time to dwell on her fear. She had a job to do. It was up to her. Just like always.

And with that, Kate stepped into the dark and swirling shadows gathered around her.

She could hardly see in the gloom, but she could feel the pull of her magic keeping her from walking into anything. Instead it tugged on her soul, leading her to, for better or worse, her destiny.

It was in the darkness that she first heard the burst of sinister laughter. Jumping back, startled, Kate looked around to see the fog and smoke beginning to clear.

"Ah, Miss Wibberly, I hoped you'd be joining us," the cold voice of the Dire Magnus said. 

Kate turned to look straight forward at him. He sat on a large rock, but the way he held himself turned the rock into a twisted throne. He was having fun with this, Kate realized, trying to take his revenge before he took the world.

He was the villain of so many stories, including those dearest to Kate. Now it was time for her to step up and be the hero that defeated him.

Kate forced her voice to stay steady, "what do you mean, 'us'? Where's Rafe?"

"Right over there," the Dire Magnus said with a lazy wave of his hand. 

Kate stifled her gasp. Rafe was unconscious, leaned against a wall of rock with his eyes closed and his arms tied behind him. There was pain on his face as though even in his state of unconsciousness, he was suffering.

"What did you do to him?" Kate asked.

"Relax, Miss Wibberly, I merely knocked him up and bound him. He is otherwise unharmed. It would be counterproductive to my plan to have hurt him," the Dire Magnus replied.

"Why?" Kate demanded the answer. She would have thought that the Dire Magnus would have wanted to cause pain to Rafe, for his betrayal.

The sorcerer attempted a smile, but looked more like an animal baring it's fangs, "because thanks to you, I don't have a living body to rule the world from. And thanks to you, I still need him."

Kate's eyes went wide as she realized his intentions, "is that even possible?"

The Dire Magnus laughed, "Miss Wibberly, he sold his soul to me. He gave me whatever I wanted.  Soon, he will be me. Anything is possible."

Kate felt a surge of emotion then, fear and anger and horror all washing over her like a wave. She couldn't let this happen. She had to stop the Dire Magnus before he took over and Rafe was lost to her again. But how to do that, was the question. This was the most evil sorcerer that ever lived, who set plans into motion that echoed even thousands of years later. It would take far more than raw power to bring him down.

"Well then why haven't you taken him over yet? Why are you waiting for me? Just to gloat?" Kate stalled as best she could, her worry echoing in every syllable she spoke.

The Dire Magnus shot Rafe look of disappointment, "it seems Rafe isn't the ruthless villain he had the potential to me. I suspect you made him soft and weak. He refuses to kill you and to fight me if I possess him."