Exchange

by Katherine Rhodes

  “Yesterday,” Miriam said.

  “You didn’t tell me?” I could hear the disappointment in my voice.

  “It was kind of…spur of the moment.”

  “You just woke up, slipped on shoes and said, ‘Hey, let’s get married?’” I felt the blood rising in my face. It wasn’t a blush either—I was turning blotchy, bright red. “You didn’t think to ask me to be there? That even on a spur of the moment I wouldn’t drop everything to be there to see you get married?”

  Miriam hung her head. “I told you.”

  “And I told you we should call her,” Laxmi answered softly.

  “The fact is, you didn’t.” Ellie’s voice was quiet, angry. “You didn’t tell your best friend that you were getting married. That’s not fair to her. That was very selfish of both of you. Even if you wanted it to be private, telling Wren would have been the right thing to do. It’s not like you had to find a payphone.”

  The two of them stared open mouthed at my daughter—and in that moment she really, truly became my daughter.

  Ellie looked down at her hands on the table and the over to me. “Would you like to go, Mom?” she whispered.

  I nodded once, knowing the restaurant was the last place to have an argument like this. Ellie grabbed her purse, and hopped out of the booth, I was right behind her.

  She tossed thirty dollars on the table. “That should cover us. Sorry for the trouble.” Linking her arm in mine, she marched us away from the table and out the door.

  Holy God, my girl played fucking dirty when it came to shade.

  I heard her sniffle, and realized there were tears in her eyes. My blood was still running too hot to feel that way, but I had to address it. “You okay, baby doll?”

  “No,” she said, swallowing. “That was really fucking mean of them. I liked them, and they didn’t even bother to call you to tell you.”

  I stopped on the bridge halfway across the Schuykill River and looked down at the brown water in the dying light of the day. It wasn’t filthy—not entirely. Most of it was silt and salt that halted a little further upstream at Boathouse Row. “Fact is,” I found myself saying, “I love Miriam. We may have had a few nights of casual sex, but I love her fiercely. And this…just guts me.”

  Ellie wrapped her arms around me and hugged. It was exactly what I needed to swing me from raging pissed to actually sad and betrayed.

  “Come on, let’s go watch a movie or something.”

  “I’m still hungry,” I answered.

  “Me, too.” She nodded.

  I raised an eyebrow. “John’s?”

  Ellie shook her head. “Shank’s.”

  “Shank’s.” I nodded, and wrapped my arm around my girl as we headed across the river to our car.

  Shank’s was a small counter-service cheesesteak stand on the Delaware, down by the old docks. It was one of the best in the city, and there was nothing like their chicken cheesesteak sandwich anywhere. Tony Luke’s came in a close second, but it was the time of night where they would have a line down the block. Shank’s never seemed to have a line.

  It was cool out, but with our coats, we were able to grab one of the outside tables and settle down with our food and our drinks. There were a few random geese in the water nearby, and the strings of lights had looked better in the spring. I didn’t care. I needed a large chicken cheesesteak with extra provolone and a massive soda to drown the betrayal I had just gone through.

  “You always get the provolone,” Ellie observed. “Why?”

  “Because Wiz is gross. It messes with my head. A lovely sharp provolone just does something to chicken, and with it melted into the roll? Mmm. So damn good.”

  “Do you think you’ll be mad at them for long?”

  “To the heart of it, eh, baby doll?” I sighed. “I don’t want to be, but you’re absolutely right. Even if they didn’t want anyone there, they should have called me. Shit, I would have taken a DM on Twitter, for God’s sake. Just something to let me know.”

  “Why do you think they didn’t?”

  “Who the fuck knows?” I answered. “I’m not supposed to curse like that around you, am I?”

  “I give a fuck?”

  We both chuckled.

  I put my sandwich back down. “You know, I screwed that up. The whole damn thing. It was their happy news and I made it about me. That was like, super selfish of me.”

  “I don’t think so.” Ellie shrugged. “I think you wanted to be part of that joy, and they blew you off. They didn’t seem to want to tell you, either, which I thought was also shitty.”

  “I think we need a swear jar, we’re both terrible at not cursing.”

  She stared me right in the eye. “You’re not my real mom! You can’t tell me what to do!”

  Half a second later, we both cracked up laughing.

  After taking another bite of her sandwich, Ellie took a sip of her drink, and studied me for just a moment. “Do you think if everyone apologized you might be able to make up with them?”

  “Of course.” I sighed. “I just don’t know when that would happen and who would have to go first.”

  “Well, good, because here they come.” She took another giant bite of her sandwich.

  “Wait, what? Who?” I glanced behind me to find Miriam holding open the door of her car for Laxmi and linking arms as they walked toward us. “Are you for—how the hell did they know we were here?”

  Ellie shrugged in place of a verbal answer since she was still chewing on her strategically large bite of sandwich.

  I grabbed mine and did the same. Huge bite. Didn’t want to talk. But Miriam and Laxmi were next to the table and looking…contrite.

  “Can we sit?” Miriam asked.

  I tried to give a nonchalant, one-shouldered shrug, but I wasn’t sure I pulled it off well. They sat, so at least I got that through to them.

  Miriam leaned forward, and I could tell she had been crying. I tried not to let that affect me, but it did. “Wren, this is way more complicated than I can explain to you right now. We were going to have a party and informal ceremony in a few months, but this had to happen, and it had to happen quietly.”

  “She didn’t even want to tell you tonight,” Laxmi said. “I made her. You needed to know because you’re our friend and we shouldn’t keep this from you. We’ve been arguing since we realized this had to happen. It’s the only thing we’ve argued about.”

  I took another monstrous bite of the sandwich and started chewing again. They sat looking at me, expectant. I chewed slowly, and Ellie giggled next to me. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “You’re a bitch, Wren.”

  I choked on the sandwich, and finally had to do a quick save-swallow, and wipe my mouth. I looked at her. “That’s double in the swear jar for making me choke.”

  “You’re not my real mother!”

  We collapsed in a fit of giggles again, and once I got myself under control, I took a sip of my soda. I looked at the two of them.

  “I was wrong to make your announcement about me. So, I’m sorry. But really, Miriam. I don’t care what or why or how you got married so fast. I thought you and I were better friends than that. You’ve been in my bed and you’ve left that behind in favor of being someone I would call a sister. You couldn’t just drop me a text to tell me?”

  “My wife was not lying when she said this is complicated,” Laxmi said. “I wanted to, but I also know the whole deal on this and…I had to go with her conclusion that we shouldn’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

  “What’s the fucking big secret? I mean are you having money troubles? Parent troubles? Jobs? Let me help, please.” I leaned toward them. “You’re my best friend, Miriam. And I will help in any way I can, both of you.” I glanced at Laxmi. “If it’s Fischer, just ask. I’ll kick his ass and solve the whole problem.”

  Laxmi laughed and twisted her mouth in a wry smile. “It’s not that simple. Really, believe me. If it were Fischer, I would have already kicked his ass.”

  Th
e air around us trembled in a way I’d never felt before. I’d felt earthquakes and truck brakes, but this was almost twice as powerful as those.

  “What the hell was that?” Ellie asked, looking around.

  “I don’t know.” I glanced around, and noticed there were ripples on the water in the little inlet we were sitting by.

  The tremble hit again as I was watching and the ripples raced out from about halfway down the pier we were sitting by.

  Pointing to where they were coming from, I stood and walked to the water. This time when the tremble hit, I could see a percussion down into the water, like a sound wave, that caused the ripples.

  “Call the cops?” Ellie asked, walking up next to me.

  “Did you ever get the feeling you weren’t supposed to let someone know something weird was happening?” I raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Laxmi and Miriam racing down the sidewalk, past Shank’s, beyond the Budget storage building, and disappearing out of sight.

  “What the Sam Hill…” I mumbled.

  Grabbing Ellie’s wrist I pulled her in the direction they had gone. We were running after them a second later, as the air trembled again.

  From ahead of me, I could hear Laxmi’s voice. “Stay back! Stay away!”

  “No!” I screamed at her.

  But when I rounded that corner, I really, really, really wished I had listened.

  Nothing was ever the same again.

  Wren

  If vomit could be personified, that was what was waiting for us around the corner.

  Tall, at least twice my height, the mountain of a creature was covered in welts, sores, chunks, strings, and boils. There were dull reds, bruised purples, rusted oranges, blinding chartreuse, and plain skin between. It was a mishmash of rioting colors that oozed and ran—

  And fucking smelled.

  Ellie gasped as we both pulled up short. “What in the name of all the saints in Heaven is that fucking thing?”

  Before I could say a word, the thing in front of us dropped a hammer on the dock and caused the pressure wave I had been feeling.

  Ellie screamed and dropped to her knees. She slammed her hands over her ears, and I could see the pain tear across her face. I dropped down next to her and pulled her in close to me.

  “What the fuck!” I screamed at Miriam and Laxmi.

  They charged back to us, and Miriam knelt down next to me. “You shouldn’t have followed.”

  “Really?! You think? How about conveying that we should get the hell out instead of just don’t follow? Meanwhile, what the hell is that thing?”

  Laxmi stepped closer, curving her fingers in a threatening way I never imagined she would. “It’s voral, a pestilence demon.”

  There was no way to keep the sardonic tone out of my voice. “Oh, good, a demon. Why do you know that?”

  “He hurts,” Ellie whispered, her voice raw. “He hurts so much.”

  I watched as the hammer was drawn up to drop again. I turned so my back was to him, covering Ellie as the tool came down again.

  I felt the compression waves of the hit, and they washed over me, breaking and scattering away when they crashed into my back.

  Miriam grabbed my arm. “Never turn your back on—”

  “My daughter is in pain!” I snapped at her, and threw an angry finger back at the thing. “That creature is causing it. I won’t have her suffer!”

  Staring at me hard, Miriam grabbed my arm and jerked me to standing. “Never turn your back to a demon.”

  The hammer dropped again and it slammed through Ellie. She slumped forward screeching. I yanked my arm out of Miriam’s, but she caught me again and whirled me around.

  Her eyes were nearly glowing white in the terrible echo of the sodium lights on the road behind us. She frightened me in that moment, and I desperately want to run. She shook her head. “You weren’t supposed to be here tonight. You were supposed to stay at the restaurant and go home safe with Elutheria. Now…”

  “What is going on?” I barely managed to whisper over the din of the hammer once again falling to the ground. “Please, please let me help Ellie. She’s in pain.”

  “She’s Waking,” Miriam said. “It can’t be stopped now. She wasn’t supposed to until we had Benjamin.”

  “Waking?”

  “Miri!” Laxmi snapped from somewhere beyond us. “A little help!”

  Whipping my head around to see what was going on, I didn’t see Laxmi there. The creature dropped the hammer again and Ellie’s scream was heart-rending.

  As the concussion wave came at us, I finally saw Laxmi and she was not the slight, dark skinned, dark featured woman that I knew her to be.

  She stood at least two feet taller than I knew her to be, and her dark skin was now a deep ruddy tone. Her hair blazed around in a black flame. Her hands were no longer just curling, but wielding wicked looking claws. In her right hand she held a white-bladed sword alight with a black flame…

  …A light and dark flash went through the room, and a moment later, a white figure with a black blade enveloped in white flame and a black figure with a white blade stood and a black flame stood on either side of Melchior…

  But worst of all, she had wings.

  Big, black terrible wings with feathers that were outlined in red, seeming to flicker with flames.

  I looked at Miriam and she let out a rough sigh. “Well, fuck. You were just supposed to get mad and leave.” She let go of me and pointed to Ellie. “Stand behind her. Please, trust me. If you interfere with what’s happening to her, she’s going to die.”

  “Miriyam!” Laxmi’s voice was strained.

  “Stay,” she snapped at me once more, then turned and changed.

  Between one step and the next, she grew from her tall physique into a massive figure, just as tall as Laxmi. Shocking white wings blossomed from her back, and her hair damn near glowed. In the next instant a terrible black blade was in her hand, lined with white fire, and her white wing feathers were tinged with the same red fire as Laxmi’s.

  “What the fuck…” I whispered, huddling down behind Ellie. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her close to me and just rocked slowly to try and comfort her.

  “Mom.” Her voice was horrible and the word alone tore at my soul. “It hurts…”

  “Oh, baby doll, I know,” I said, even though I had no idea what she was feeling.

  “Make it stop!”

  “I can’t, Ellie. I can’t.”

  The air rippled again with the slam of the hammer. I didn’t know what to do to stop her from hurting. And that was all I wanted to do at that point.

  Glancing up, I watched the three figures on the dock dancing around each other, Laxmi and Miriam taking swipes at the creature with their huge swords. Everything about this was a supersized fight. The people, the swords, even their shoes were too big now.

  The creature dropped his hammer again and Ellie screamed, throwing herself on her front and trying to reach around to claw at her back. “It hurts!”

  I grabbed her and cradled her head on my lap. Watching the horror in front of me, I leaned down to Ellie’s ear. “Don’t fight it, baby doll.” It felt like the right thing to say, and I whispered it again.

  She slumped and grabbed my hand. “It still hurts…”

  “Miri and Laxi are on it,” I whispered, and smoothed her hair.

  This time as the hammer fell, the air trembled and the percussion rushed through us, she didn’t fight. The tremble ripped through her, but she didn’t seem to hurt as much. There were tears in her eyes, though and she looked up at me. “What’s happening?”

  “I don’t know, Ellie,” I answered, trying to stay calm. “I wish I did.”

  Glancing up, the three figures were still dancing around each other. I didn’t know what to think or do aside from sitting there watching my two best friends in a sick dance with what was now obviously a demon from Hell.

  I guess I believed in Hell now. />
  What shocked me was the way Miriam and Laxmi moved with a smooth, practiced coordination that could only have come from years and years of practice. And they had known each other only six months.

  A new voice rang out. “Aschvredn deslasch Versilange!”

  I snapped my head up to see Lily running around the corner just as she snapped her hand out and a bright black blade appeared in her hand.

  “Why does everyone have swords?!” I screamed.

  “Delashki Versilange!” Lily screamed again, and dove down next to me on the dock. “Bea’l mux’l neleron grodasch beo. Quilikrozh.”

  “What fucking language is that?”

  “Feir’dio! Go help them! They can’t do anything aside from protect you!”

  “Ellie—”

  “Elutheria is why he’s here!” Lily snapped. “Get that hammer away from him.” She grabbed my bad hand and slapped the sword into my palm.

  “Ouch! Fuck!” I snapped.

  “Cut it away! That hammer is hers, and you can’t let him give it to her!”

  “Lily—”

  She grabbed my arm and curled my fingers around the hilt of the sword. “Please, please, Wren. Go help them! I have Ellie! Don’t switch hands…”

  Narrowing my eyes at her angrily, I stood and up, headed over to where my entirely too tall friends were still dancing intricately around the monster with the hammer. My hand was killing me and I was grumbling to myself. When I finally got there, I flicked the sword up and pointed it at the creature. My hand cramped in pain.

  “What the fuck do you want?”

  “Keirzx’o keo,” the thing grounded out as an answer and fuck if my brain didn’t immediately translate it into English as claiming her. “Keirzx’o Versilange.”

  “Take the hammer,” Miriam boomed from behind me. “Take the hammer! Don’t let him near Ellie!”

  “I have no idea what’s going on,” I whispered, looking around.

  He dropped the hammer again and I could hear Ellie scream behind me. Forcing my fingers to work on the hand, I clutched the hilt even tighter, bringing it back like a baseball bat.

  “Stop!” I screamed. “Stop smashing the hammer!”