by T. A. White
Groans came from all those around them. Many went to their knees, planting hands on the ground to keep themselves from collapsing fully.
Night hugged the ground. His ears swiveled as his eyes fixed on Tate. A set expression crossed his face as he slid one paw forward and then the next, belly crawling in her direction.
Tate, hold on. I’m coming.
Stop, Tate mouthed. Lie still.
Night ignored her, his face determined as he slid forward another centimeter.
“How is the minor goddess doing this?” Thaddeus said between gritted teeth.
Nathan’s grin was affable. “A little device I picked up. It temporarily extends the domain of the minor goddess. Your former dragon slayer was so kind as to seed it throughout your palace.”
He gestured and a small rock with an opalescent sheen rose from the ground, coming to a rest on his palm. “Pretty nifty, isn’t it?”
“William, this isn’t you. Why are you doing this?” Thaddeus collapsed to his knees.
Nathan leaned forward. “Your recriminations are useless. For starters, that’s not William.”
The face of the Lord Provost rippled as if there was something fighting to get out under the skin. No wonder he’d set her instincts off. As good as he was at pretending to be the Lord Provost, there were still slight discrepancies.
Tate couldn’t move as the man wearing William’s face crouched in front of her, reaching into her jacket pocket where she’d stashed the cube earlier. His hand froze upon finding it empty, his eyes coming to hers.
Tate allowed herself the barest of smiles. Wasn’t expecting that, were you?
The man’s mouth flattened as he started patting her down.
“What’s wrong?” Nathan asked.
Finished, the man stood. “It’s not here.”
His voice was different from the Lord Provost she knew. Higher pitched and more nasally. That’s why he hadn’t had anything to add in the meeting and afterward. It would have been a dead giveaway even for the most unobservant.
Nathan’s expression darkened. “Where is it then?”
Frustration briefly flashed on the man’s face before it was buried behind a calm mask. “She had it earlier. I saw it myself. She must have passed it to someone.”
“You gave yourself away. She must have realized you weren’t the Lord Provost and stashed it somewhere,” Nathan said, unsurprised.
“Impossible.”
Rath’s form peeled back, leaving Ryu crouched in his place as they spoke. On first glance, it would seem he’d made the shift in the hopes of reducing the pressure being exerted on his dragon’s body, but judging by the furtive movements he made, only visible from where she knelt, Tate suspected that wasn’t the case.
Ryu’s collar moved as a tiny version of his dragon nosed out of it, blinking gem-like eyes at the surroundings. His movements were furtive as he freed himself from Ryu’s clothing, careful not to draw attention to himself.
Smart.
Ai’s ability must be selective. She had to choose who it applied to. Otherwise, Nathan and his traitors would face the same constraints. Since she didn’t know about Rath’s tiny form, she hadn’t accounted for him, leaving him free to move.
“I warned you how perceptive she was. You should have listened.”
“Where is it?” the man demanded, looking at Tate.
“She won’t answer. It’s not in her nature to make things easy for others.” Nathan waved a dismissive hand. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She’ll have given it to one of her companions. She’s predictable that way.”
The man frowned as he looked at those trapped by the gravity. “One is missing.”
“Then that’s the one who likely has the Apportens Mortis.”
“I’ll send people to recover it.”
“Good, because if you don’t, you can forget joining my new world order. I’ll have your head,” Nathan said in an airy tone. “I need the Apportens Mortis for my plan. The ship can’t move without it.”
Nathan didn’t realize the cube was nothing but a message box, Tate realized. How ironic. The thing he wanted was kneeling right in front of him and he didn’t even realize.
“What about her?”
Nathan flicked her a glance, silent for a moment. “Kill her.”
A snarl came from Night as he shoved off the ground, forcing his way forward with sheer determination. The mini Rath took flight as he arrowed in Tate’s direction as the man reached for the sword in her chest.
Arms closed around Tate as the smell of a forest filled her nose. “I’ve got you.”
Peter held onto her as a sucking sensation similar to when she stepped through the Rift swallowed her. The last thing she saw was Night’s focused expression as he leapt toward her, front paws outstretched, Rath inches behind him.
Night’s paws touched Tate as Rath landed on her chest just as blackness rose all around her. Tate’s consciousness slipped away.
TWENTY ONE
Tate found herself on a rocky outcrop, a chasm riddled with sharp spires stretching below her feet. Everything around her was lit with a reddish tinge—as if the light spectrum was on the wrong wavelength. Great arches hovered upside down in midair. Their surfaces were cracked, allowing glimpses of a red-hot glow of a fire so intense it melted rock, to seep through.
“I know this place.”
She should since it hadn’t been that long since she’d stood on this same outcrop in a battle against Nathan. She’d won that battle but it looked like she hadn’t won the war.
“He did say you’d be back,” a feminine voice came from behind her.
Suze’s shoulder brushed Tate’s as she stopped beside her to take in the view. Tate examined the familiar face of her one-time friend as she gazed out at the chasm and strange structures Tate didn’t understand even now.
Suze was older than the last time Tate had seen her, during the confrontation where Suze and the others had forced her into sleep.
Something clicked in Tate’s mind. Memories that were mostly hidden bubbled to the surface. Here, she felt complete. The two sides of herself, the ones from pre- and post-sleep, at long last, melding together to form a comprehensive whole.
“Am I dead?” Tate touched the center of her chest where the blade had pierced, her gaze searching her surroundings as if they held the answer to that question.
“Not quite. At least not yet.”
Tate’s hand dropped as she sent Suze a wondering look. “Why are you here?”
Suze’s lips twitched as a fond expression settled on her face. She reached up, tucking a strand of Tate’s hair behind her ear. “I wanted to see you.”
Tate’s forehead furrowed. “You betrayed me. You all betrayed me.”
“Yes.” Suze stuck her hands in her pocket and raised her eyebrows at Tate’s silence. “Not going to ask why?”
Tate’s frown was pronounced. “I know why. We were out of control.”
It was coming back to her. The death all around. Everywhere she and Ilith went. Until it felt like they were wading hip-high in blood and viscera.
Suze hummed, looking thoughtful. “Not as much as you think.”
Tate sent her a questioning look.
Suze lifted one shoulder in a negligent shrug. “People fear what they don’t understand and back then you were incomprehensible. It made us unwise.”
Tate processed that statement. “I should hate you and the rest for what you stole from me. Yet somehow I don’t.”
“That’s because a part of you knows it was necessary.”
Tate’s gaze grew distant as she slowly nodded. “Yes, my mind was breaking.” Her eyes sharpened. “That doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
“Of course not. You wouldn’t be you if you did.” Suze’s grin was impish as she slung an arm around Tate’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. When you finally make it to this side you can discipline us as much as you want.”
“Why am I here?”
And how?
&n
bsp; Tate concentrated, trying to feel her bond with Ilith. Her heart gave a small jolt as she found the thin rope of it extending into a blank space. The dragon on the other end veiled from her perception.
Still, it was enough to know Ilith was alive and safe—even if they were unable to communicate.
“I told you this place would be here when you needed it,” Jax said as he took his place on Tate’s other side. He turned to her with a warm smile. “However, I didn’t think you’d visit so soon.”
“The Apportens Mortis. You made me the key, didn’t you?”
Jax hummed in approval. “Very good.”
“That’s why every relic responds to me.”
“There’s a little more to it than that,” Jax corrected.
Tate frowned before understanding cleared the clouds from her expression. “You sly dog. You gave me authorization to make changes to the base coding of the relics. How did you manage that?”
It should have been impossible. No two relics were alike, and each required a certain amount of synchronicity to be used. To make changes to their structure or purpose was several steps beyond that. Only a very few individuals in that time period could design relics. Even less could force adaptations once they were already in existence.
That ability was what enabled her relic to bond with her despite her connection to Ilith. It was why all relics responded to her when she touched them.
Jax’s lips curled in a wicked smile. “Let’s just call me a genius and leave it at that.”
“That’s—” Tate trailed off.
“Consider it a gift to make up for our crimes,” Suze said.
“Why does Nathan think the Apportens Mortis is the key to making the ship move?”
“Because it is,” Jax said simply.
Tate gave him a bug-eyed stare. “What were you thinking?”
Suze snort-laughed as she reached up to cover her mouth. “I missed that part of you.”
Tate didn’t let herself soften as she glared at the two. “I mean really? What were you thinking? Why didn’t you disable that function in the first place?”
Suze’s lips quivered as she forced herself to sober. “In our defense, we didn’t expect our descendants to build a city over the Aurelia’s remains.”
“At the end of the war, that area was known for being under the Creator’s control. It’s why there’s such a large population of sleepers located under the city,” Jax explained. “They’d already placed many of their creations in the cryostasis pods by the time we took the ship back.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t kill them in their sleep,” Tate said.
“You told us not to.” Suze’s smile was bittersweet. “You said they deserved a chance. We’d just betrayed you and couldn’t bear the additional sin of ending all of those lives.”
“Yet we also couldn’t allow them to jeopardize the world we were building,” Jax added.
“So, you left them for the future to deal with,” Tate finished.
Jax inclined his head.
“Why wouldn’t we? You were the one who saw potential in them; you should also deal with any potential messes they made.” Kenneth stepped onto the outcropping, his expression just as grumpy and irritable as Tate remembered.
Tate glanced at the three of them. “What is this? A reunion? Is Trace next?”
“You called?” Trace appeared out of the haze, joining the rest of them on the outcropping with a teasing grin. “Tell me, our wayward leader, how exactly did you manage to get stabbed by such a novice?”
“There were mitigating circumstances,” Tate grunted.
That reminded her.
She glanced at Jax. “What exactly is Ai?”
The others traded looks before avoiding Tate’s stare, leaving Jax in the hot seat.
“She and the rest of the avatars were an experiment,” he finally said.
Tate’s eyes narrowed. There was more to it than that. Tate had a suspicion, but she wanted him to confirm it. “What kind of experiment?”
Unlike the rest, Jax met her gaze calmly. “The Ijiri created Ai and the rest of the avatars. They’re half Ijiri.”
Tate shook her head. “How is that possible?”
Ai and the other minor gods were an existence that defied even her understanding. Until now, Tate had thought they were artificial intelligence programs Jax created, but unlike the programs she’d known they had an ego and will. Human-like in the way they perceived and interacted with the world. Tate suspected they felt loneliness and pain—even if it wasn’t to the same extent a human did.
Or perhaps there was simply never anyone to teach them what emotion was.
“The Ijiri wanted to leave behind a being who would be compelled to resurrect them after we were gone. When I found the first of the Creator’s resting spots, I also found Ai. She was born into this world fully formed, practically a blank canvas since the Ijiri went into their sleep before they could program her. She was—” Jax paused, his face showing a remembrance of wonder. “Glorious. Machine and organic in one. Self-aware but in a limited capacity. Far beyond anything I had ever dreamed of. A new form of life. It would have been safer to let her fade. Instead, I bound her and the others to their domains so as to limit the damage they could cause in the event their Ijiri half ever overshadowed their other side.”
“And you didn’t see any potential problems with this?” Tate asked.
His smile was faint. “Many. However, you’re the one who taught me to take risks when it came to preserving life.”
Tate squinted.
“I don’t know what Nathan did but she’s not the Ai I know anymore,” Tate said.
“He’s likely managed to awaken the original programming the Ijiri left.”
“So that’s why her appearance changed,” Tate guessed.
“It’s her original form.”
Silence grew between them until finally Kenneth and Trace exchanged a glance before shit-eating grins spread across their faces.
“You have a choice to make, oh wayward leader,” Trace sang.
“Will it be your past or present? Death or life?” Kenneth added.
“There are no battles to win here. No pain. Only peace.” Suze was the last to speak. “Whereas there, it will never end. There’ll always be some other war to fight or villain to resist. There’s no shame in walking into your final rest.”
Tate looked from face to face, her eyes studying their familiar features before moving on. If this had been before she met Dewdrop, Night, and Ryu, she would have been tempted. Tate had been lost and alone for so long. She’d been tired of the world without even knowing it.
But then a certain bearcat and pickpocket crashed into her world followed by a possessive dragon. Frustration and irritation became her companions, but also life and love.
How could she give them up?
The answer was that she couldn’t, not even for these four.
Tate saved Jax for last. His expression said he already knew her choice. There was pain and longing but also acceptance.
“If it were up to me, I would return to them.” The bridge of Tate’s nose stung with suppressed emotion. “But I don’t have a choice, do I?”
Willpower and determination could only carry you so far. The body had its limits that not even the brain could overcome. Death was one of them. To be honest, Tate was surprised she’d held on as long as she did after the blow. Without Ilith and her relic working to keep her alive, she doubted she would have managed.
Death was only a matter of time. No matter how much Tate yearned to go back, she couldn’t. Not even Jax’s Apportens Mortis could fix that.
Suze’s lips curled up. “You’d be surprised.”
Tate’s frown of confusion changed to one of surprise as the edges of Jax’s pocket realm wavered.
“It looks like you get to live after all,” Trace said as his image slowly faded from view.
Suze hugged her. “We’ll be waiting for when you’re ready. Kick that traito
r’s ass for an old friend.”
Kenneth jerked his chin at Tate as he started to fade. “It looks like we made the right choice all those years ago, if you care so much about them that you’re willing to give up all this.”
Tate laughed as her eyes grew moist. “I guess so.”
Some of Kenneth’s humor faded as a serious expression took over his face. “There’s a kid there. I’m not sure you’ll ever run into him but if you do, take care of him for me. I really want him to have a better future than the one he would have had if he’d remained with me.”
Tate didn’t have time to ask what he meant before Kenneth was gone.
Finally, it was just Jax and Tate standing there as the dreamscape dissolved around them.
“You’re not really like them, are you?” Tate guessed.
There was something about him that was different. More real almost.
One side of his lips lifted up. “Correct. They’re fragments of the originals, left behind in the same way Jax’s fragments were. I’m the avatar you met before.”
Tate’s gaze lifted to the upside-down arches. “Then this really is the pocket realm.”
He inclined his head.
“Its access point is a little different than I expected.”
“It’s keyed to you and can be opened at any time.”
Tate took one last look at her surroundings. Already, she could feel consciousness rushing toward her as if she was caught on the edge of a dream and waking.
“Any advice?” she asked.
“Show no mercy to the traitors.”
The roaring of rushing water filled Tate’s ears drowning out Jax’s next words.
Tate read his lips, making out the words. “And trust your friends.”
Then the world ripped around her sending her into darkness once again.
* * *
It was cold. So very cold. The kind that bypassed reason and made you forget you ever knew what warmth was. It extinguished all feeling, leaving nothing but her mind to hover in that cold, dark reality. Silence wrapped around her, so deep and encompassing that she knew if she screamed the void around her would swallow the sound before it could even exist.