As soon as their eyes met, the doll’s plain expression turned into a smile.
Taking advantage of the doll’s distraction, a demon thrust its fist into the cage.
The dented cage came clean off the doll’s shoulders, flew through the air, and rolled to a stop only a few feet from Shalise. Despite losing its head, the doll continued to fight. It impaled the demon on a rusted spear.
Shalise bit down on a shriek and started running along the wall.
Juliana’s weight did not make it easy. She almost fell off Shalise’s back as she started running. Shalise had to stop and heft her up more than once.
Prax was correct. The other side of the cylinder had another hallway leading away. At least twice as many demons and dolls were locked in combat.
Wasting no time gawking, Shalise ran for the cylinder.
“You’re not getting away from me, doll,” a voice rumbled.
Shalise skidded to a stop.
An arm as thick as her entire body smacked into the ground, cutting her off.
She followed the arm up to the hulking brute of a demon. If his arms were the size of her body, a single tooth was the size of her head. And he had a lot of teeth. Thorns and spikes protruded from his dark skin at various, asymmetrical points.
Shalise gaped, open-mouthed. I am going to die, she thought.
He thinks you are a doll. Show him my brand. Quick.
Shalise didn’t argue with Prax. She tore her shirt even further trying to get the scraps out of the way without dropping Juliana.
“I’m not a doll,” she protested as fast as her mouth would move.
A steady, deep tone came from the back of his throat for a few seconds.
It stopped as his hand swung backwards, knocking an approaching doll all the way back to the mouth of one of the hallways.
“You are a coward. Fight with your familiar or pre–”
Whatever he was going to say got cut off as his head slid from his neck.
A pair of leather boots stood on one of his shoulders. Some specks of black blood clung to the blade in the doll’s hand.
Again, that disappointed frown flittered onto her face.
As the behemoth sank into a void in the ground, the doll thrust her sword out towards Shalise.
Shalise flinched backwards.
When she opened her eyes, she was still in one piece. The doll had disappeared, leaving a splattering of black blood on the ground in front of Shalise.
Not wasting her good fortune, Shalise stepped over the line of blood, closing the distance between herself and the cylindrical building. After taking a short breather at the building’s wall, she edged around towards the entrance.
A few combatants noticed Shalise as she slunk around. None of the demons were in much of a position to approach. The dolls were doing a good job of keeping them away.
The few dolls that glanced her way unnerved her far more than any demon. They either turned back to their fight or worse, offered a small smile.
“Are they intending to help me? The sword one could have killed me again and passed it up. There’s no way she didn’t see the mark on my chest.”
Shalise waited a moment in silence, but Prax said nothing.
Shaking her head, Shalise slipped through the red barrier. “Where to now–oh.”
That had to be it.
Shalise stared into the pitch black crystal floating above them. Jagged tendrils poked out at various points.
It was transparent.
At least, it felt transparent. Shalise couldn’t see through to the other side. There was nothing but darkness contained within. Her gaze stretched off into the infinite distance despite it being only a few feet away. Like the horizon of the ocean stretching around her, about to swallow her whole.
Shalise shook her head, but her eyes followed the crystal. It was so difficult to turn away.
Stop staring and touch it, Prax shouted in her head.
Blinking at the noise, Shalise looked down at the ground.
“W-what is that?”
Void. Prax’s excitement was palpable. His feelings set her hands to shaking in anticipation. Touch it. Your mortal friend as well, I suppose. Then let us be gone from this place.
“Juliana first,” Shalise mumbled. Especially if it could help her wake up.
Keeping her head off of the crystal as much as possible, Shalise lifted up Juliana’s hand and placed it against one of the crystal tendrils.
Juliana gasped, coughed twice, and slumped back over Shalise’s shoulder, breathing normally.
“What was that? W-was that supposed to happen?”
I guarantee that she has a soul now. Touch the crystal.
Shalise bit her lip. I hope this is the right thing to do.
Squeezing her eyes shut so as to not become enraptured with the crystal again, Shalise stretched her hand out.
And froze an inch away.
Cold metal touched against her neck, just under her chin.
Shalise only moved her eyes.
The sword-doll stood to Shalise’s side with her sword out.
She looked… sad.
“The crystal,” she said, “you must not touch it.”
Her voice came out with such intensity that Shalise started shaking against her will. At the same time, it was soft-spoken–barely above a whisper. That the doll’s lips were all but touching her ear didn’t help calm her down.
Slowly, the doll leaned back. Her metallic eyes meeting Shalise’s own.
They stood, staring at one another. Shalise tried to remain entirely unmoving, not wanting to give any reason for the doll to strike. At the same time, her legs were trembling in fear, trying to run out from under her.
Her eyes flicked away to a wall behind Shalise.
The wall exploded inwards an instant later.
The doll whirled, her sword vanishing from beneath Shalise’s chin.
Maoa’s outstretched gauntlet stopped in its tracks as the blade made contact. She screamed out in fury and frustration at failing to reach the crystal.
Before any fight could break out, the ground shook.
Shalise stumbled forwards as the earthquake pushed, brushing her fingers against the crystal.
Two brief shocks pulsed against her finger. Nothing more intense than licking a nine-volt battery.
Her fingers broke contact as the earthquake pulled her back.
Shalise’s feet spread apart, widening her stance to help remain steady against the shaking ground.
There was a burst of confusion from Prax. The confusion gave way to laughter.
Chapter 008
Zoe was not enjoying her assignment.
It was new magic–new to her, at least. Exactly the kind of magic she liked getting her hands on.
But it was all wrong.
Zoe had always been a firm proponent of the idea that magic was inherently neutral. Magic that other mages might consider ‘white’ could be used for nefarious purposes while ‘black’ magic was just as suited towards helping people as it was to hurting people.
Magic was a tool. Nothing more. What someone did with that tool was entirely up to the individual and did not reflect on the magic itself.
The project that Ylva had assigned her was slowly yet surely sending that idea down the drain.
Zoe sighed as she turned away from the dagger. The small side chamber to the library did not have enough air. Something about the dagger just made her sick.
While Ylva had managed to stop the curse afflicting Eva from progressing, she hadn’t been able to reverse the effects that had already taken hold. Eva was still unconscious. After almost a week and a half, she had shown no improvement.
Finding out why and coming up with a solution was her job. It was everything she had asked for. It was something she could do to help out. And yet…
Zoe ran her fingers through her hair, brushing back a few stray strands.
“I am out of my depth.”
In thaumaturgy, there was no spell that could accurately fit into the category of curse. There were spells that could be used to harm. They could be used in a similar fashion by enchanting objects. Lightning weaved with order and chaos on a rod could electrocute anyone who touches it.