I quickly closed my eyes and played dead when the sound of crunching steps got closer. Someone else was here. We walked for a little more, until the light dimmed, and I noticed the drip of water. The hollow, dank smell of musty air. A breeze fanning my cheeks through the jostling. The temperature dropping. I would have shivered inside the dank, stone temple except I felt nothing. Numb. Not even when Jed approached from somewhere and took me from Urser’s punishing grip.
“She’s awake,” Jed said.
Fuck.
He dragged me off Urser. I kicked and lashed out, but my blows were ineffectual without my power feeding into my hands. I was weak. Human. Jed took me through the dark corridors to an enormous room that opened to high ceilings. Light came through holes above in rays of dust. Mold soured the walls. Invasive vines grew through gaps in the damp and glistening, rocky enclosure. Instruments of modern technology contrasted with the ancient ruins. The equipment reminded me of the inside of a computer.
And then I saw it. The gate. Made from an obsidian like substance, the slick doorframe screamed foreign. In front of the large doorframe sat a stone podium with wires shooting out of it, reminiscent of the woody roots on the ceiling. I’d never in my life seen anything like it. The monolith structure was surely the star-gate they all spoke of—the wormhole that opened a portal between worlds.
Urser left us to check on a stack of large, black cargo crates and then greet the remaining traitorous Watchers as they entered the room. He was bringing more than darklings back to the Empire. Those crates were numerous. More serums? More destruction? How could those people let him do this? It was their world he threatened.
“Where’s Marc?” I asked Jed. “Is he alive?”
Jed hit me in the head and I blacked out again.
When I woke, he was in the process of unceremoniously yanking me to the podium near the gate where he slammed my wrist against the smooth tablet top. He strapped my hand down, then pulled a knife and stabbed my palm, welding it to the surface. White hot agony sliced up my arm, but I didn’t scream. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Blood oozed onto the podium tablet and filtered to a catchment where it drained into the device. Jed watched as red liquid oozed from my veins, eventually slowing when I healed.
And he watched. Everyone watched. And waited. Something was supposed to happen, but the tablet and podium beneath my hand remained lifeless. The obsidian doorway remained dormant.
Jed gave a sidelong glance to Urser. “It’s not working. You said it would work.”
Urser glanced nervously at the Watchers and then came over in a few quick strides. He lowered his voice. “You’re the one who said she’d fully converted.”
They acted in a hurry. Nervous. Which meant perhaps they knew someone was coming. Perhaps the other gods found a way across the chasm. Or, Marc. I gasped. Cash? Who else would they be afraid of?
Hope flared in my chest.
“She has converted,” Jed hissed. “Maybe we need more blood.”
He twisted the knife in my palm until the pain caused spots to dance across my vision and I finally screamed. But whatever they expected from the gate didn’t happen.
“I know why it’s not working,” I gasped.
“Bullshit. You remember nothing.”
“Who is left alive?” I asked. “Of my friends. Tell me and I might help you.”
Urser narrowed his eyes at me. I had a good, hard look at him. Lines creased around his eyes. Short, military styled hair not so neat anymore. Stubble peppering his chin. He wasn’t as collected as he led me to believe.
I continued pushing. “I know you have someone prisoner, or perhaps someone is coming. You’re nervous. You’re rushing. Making mistakes.”
Jed shook his head. “Don’t tell her.”
“You have me where you want me,” I pleaded. “Tell me if my friends are alive and I’ll tell you why the gate isn’t working.”
“You’re in no position to bargain.”
“I need the collar off,” I blurted. “It’s not just my blood, but my life-force needed. The collar disrupts my full biological-connection. It means you need all of me. Soul and all.”
Urser cursed. “That’s why it never worked with a sample. Thaw him halfway, then bring him out.”
“No,” Jed replied. “Take the collar off and I’ll make her open the gate. We don’t need him.”
“You fool. She can travel through the in-between. Just like you. Take the collar off and without incentive, she’s gone.”
“Fuck.” Jed punched a nearby crate. When he turned to face me, the area around Jed’s lips turned white. A withering stare and he stormed out of the room. Minutes later he was back.
With Cash.
Chapter 40
Cash was wet, through and through. He hugged himself and rubbed his arms briskly. Almost rags by now, his thin clothing was covered in filth and blood from his recent battles, and whatever he did to survive the fall. His thick lashes lifted to reveal eyes reflecting the magnitude of emotion I felt.
“You’re alive,” I said.
“Lucky for him your water gods were quick to respond,” Urser said. “Unlucky for him they put him right in Jed’s path.”
“Marc’s alive,” Cash said quickly. “He escaped.”
When I caught the quick pass of frustration between Urser and Jed, I knew Cash’s words were true. Cash opened his mouth to say something else, but Jed struck him across the cheek. Cash’s head whipped to the side. When he turned back to Jed, his lethal gaze promised death. Jed must have seen the same thing because he hit Cash again. Black blood spurted out of Cash’s mouth to splat on the rubble. That shouldn’t be black. A dark stain painted his lips. I thought it was blue from the cold, but, no. The serum? But we’re vaccinated. Cash sucked a rattling breath in and coughed uncontrollably. He fell on one knee, casting his face into a stream of light filtering from the ceiling somewhere.
The horror of his pale skin hit me.
“What have you done?” I glared at Jed, then at Urser.
“Nothing that can’t be reversed.” Urser came to stand next to me. He waved back at Jed. “Thaw him some more.”
Thaw him? So not the serum. Something else. Or… someone else.
Black dots pebbled on Jed’s forearm until they ran rivulets down to his hand. Mist formed and broke away to float in front of Cash’s face.
Cash’s eyes widened and he jerked back, but the mist collided with his skin. A painful sound ripped from the back of Cash’s throat.
“Stop!” I shouted, and winced when my jerk tugged at my hand, still pinned to the tablet by the knife.
“Relax. I’m extracting it.” Jed rolled his eyes at me. Blackness swam out of Cash’s mouth and returned to Jed. Cash relaxed, the color returned to his lips. “I don’t know why you’re so against this,” Jed continued. “I am what he made me. He should experience it firsthand. When he exploded that day, all those years ago, he tried to break me apart, but the darkness in my veins kept me together. I was nothing but mist and energy for such a long time. It hurts me to be in that form as much as it hurts someone to feel it against their skin. Even worse inside. I have no chance of a normal life now. I’ll never have an ordinary relationship.”
“You did this to yourself,” Cash growled. “You were the one who defied your mother in the first place. The fact I had trouble with your death stroke is a regret I will always carry.”
“And now look where we are,” Jed sneered.
“Enough,” Urser said and reached for my collar. “When I remove this, you are going to open the gate. You are going to let us all pass through and you are going to stay in case the gate closes before we have all left.”
“Then you will let us go?” I couldn’t believe it.
“What do I care what you do once we are gone? We will destroy the gate on the other end. We have what we want. We don’t need this useless planet so far away from everything else. Once the gate is destroyed, it will take hundreds, if not thousands of light-y
ears to get here by conventional methods.” Urser passed a scathing look over me. “I wanted you out of the Empire and off the throne. Now you are. Mission complete.”
Mission?
Slowly pieces of the puzzle came together.
“You once told me the Seraphim are a very patient race. Now I see what you mean,” I said as the pieces came together.
“There’s my clever girl. Not so stupid after all.”
“No. I’m not.” On both accounts. Not his, and not stupid.
“What does he mean?” Cash asked.
“It was his plan all along,” I replied. “All these millennia we thought he was trapped by the queen’s quarantine, but… he planned it that way. Marc told me once that time passes differently over there. A couple of weeks pass here and only a couple of days there. The Ursa Constellation dignitaries were against the queen’s peace project from the start. Getting me off the throne was the true purpose of his being here.”
What I didn’t say was there were two advantages to the difference in the passage of time between the worlds. He could afford to spend more time here, planting the seeds of his plan, while the Empire carried along, not missing their dignitaries too much. That was also the appeal of the Game.
“Good. Now that’s cleared up, open the gate.” Urser unclasped my collar and life surged back into me. Like a cold drink on a hot day, I felt replenished. It wasn’t as much as if I were outside in nature, but enough I could feel each individual life-force around me.
I hesitated.
“Roo,” Cash rasped and caught my eyes. “Don’t. I love you, but don’t. This was never our plan.”
He knew things that I didn’t. He remembered the world I was opening a door to and he didn’t think I understood. But I did. It was time I embraced my true identity. I had to trust in the laws of the universe, and trust my friends on the other side had taken my message to the authorities. Like Urser said, I wasn’t as stupid as he thought and I knew Cash would get that if he gave me a chance.
“You’re right,” I said. “This wasn’t the original plan, but it’s okay, Cash. We’ve done our job. We played the Game. We followed the rules. We sent as many souls as we could to the Empire. It’s up to them, now.”
I hoped he read between the lines. I winced and twisted the blade in my hand until blood flowed fresh to coat the tablet in red. Dizziness clouded my vision for a moment, then a roaring sound came from the doorframe and the emptiness between it became a solid wall of colored, granular light. Like the mist near a waterfall—it was blinding. Everyone in the room thought so too, their gazes squinted into the sight.
But I knew what was coming. I’d hoped. Thinking quick, I pulled the knife from my hand, and ran across the stones to Cash. Jed shoved him my way so he could get past us to the gate. I collided with Cash, both of us falling to our knees.
“Are you okay?” I held him.
“I’m fine.” He coughed then lowered his voice. “Let’s get out of the way before they come.”
I smiled. He knew.
Urser barked orders and the Watchers in the room leapt into action. They went to the crates, picking them up, angling themselves in the tight space to cross to the portal.
Then the light flickered at the doorway as though the current was being interrupted. Jed moved to stand in front of it, caution etched on his face. He leapt to the side, just in time as body shape broke the light filaments and people walked through the door. Not people. Soldiers.
A team of them. All tall, dark, wearing smooth helmets that hid their faces. Their one-piece suits were made of something seamless and futuristic. I didn’t need to guess where they came from. They hustled into the room and fanned out in military formation. They had no discernible weapons, but held their gloved palms face out in a menacing way. An enormous soldier in a light suit came in after them. His shoulder width was the size of two people. He surveyed the room with a robotic, almost casual turn of the head. Then he dropped a silver orb the size of a baseball on the floor.
It rolled until it hit Urser’s feet.
Urser glared at me in accusation. He roared in defiance and the ground shook as he used his power to rock the foundations. Dust and rocks crumbled from the ceiling. Jed’s face contorted into vengeance and his arms beaded with black residue. A burst of light emitted from the ball on the floor, and then…
Nothing.
Chapter 41
Mud. Water dripping. Birds cawing. Monkeys chittering. These things I heard so I knew I was outside. Caution prickled my skin, along with a soft tickle of the wind. It smelled fresh, not moldy like inside the temple. I sent a tentative probe of energy below ground. Yes. Outside. The energy in the earth beneath me purred, as though suddenly coming aware of my lucidity. I opened my eyes slowly and discovered I was at the foot of the temple, laying on a soft blanket of all things. The fading sun cast orange and purple clouds. It was almost night time. Which meant I had been out of it for an hour or two.
“She’s awake.” A voice I recognized sent a happy feeling spreading through me.
“Marc!” I croaked, dry mouthed.
A few feet away from me, Marc stood at the foot of the temple steps speaking with a small group of people. He wore similar clothing to the soldiers. It looked foreign and wrong in the jungle. A seamless shirt that was almost the same shade of gray as the pants molded to his legs. Seeing the silver starburst brooch on his chest sparked a memory. Images of soldiers coming through the gate flashed before me. In helmets with visors closed over their faces. They all had the silver brooch. The orb one of them dropped was sliver. And then at the end, just as the orb exploded, I caught Marc striding through the rainbow gate. He’d been wearing those clothes when he’d walked through.
Marc came over to me with a smile. “Looks like plan B worked.”
“Who are those people?” I asked, tension coating my insides.
“They’re your subjects.”
I glanced over his shoulder to the group trying not to look at me. “Right.”
The giant soldier with the lighter uniform had his helmet retracted to reveal a face with a crooked nose. He had strong carved features and intelligent eyes that held a twinkle of mischief. He appeared middle aged but, with Seraphim, it was hard to tell. Next to him stood an extraordinarily beautiful woman with long black hair and olive skin. Her cryptic smile made me nervous. She knew me. A trio of soldiers came down the temple steps, helmets retracted to reveal serious faces. Jacine, also in the group, appeared to be giving directions. When she glanced at me, she wore the first genuine smile I think I’d ever seen on her.
“Where’s Cash?” I asked Marc hesitantly.
“He’s with Lena over there. Had some more of that vile stuff in his lungs.”
I followed the direction he pointed and relief thumped my heart. Cash sat on another blanket and did his best to put up with Lena’s hands hovering around his chest. He glanced at me in a way that suggested he’d been checking every other minute because when he caught me awake, he swiped Lena’s hand impatiently and then turned back to her with an apologetic face, indicating my way. He made to move, but Lena stopped him with her index finger in the air. A soldier held a device in front of Cash as though scanning him.
“Is he okay?” I asked Marc.
“Right as rain.”
“What happened to Urser and Jed?”
He scratched his head. “I don’t know what to say except it’s all been taken care of. They’ve returned to the Empire… and, well, I wouldn’t want to be them.”
I shivered. “Did they devolve?”
“You could say that.”
“Is Jed okay?” I couldn’t help asking. Part of me will probably always worry about him.
“He’ll live. He’s basically human now, but he’ll live.”
I exhaled. “And, the darklings? I should go and fix them.”
“Love, help arrived. Your work is done.”
That concept was so foreign I couldn’t focus on him for a moment. Then the
urge to get to my feet superseded all else. I had to see Cash, to touch him, to make sure he was real. I still saw him falling from the bridge every time my eyes closed. Within seconds I was at his side.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, hesitant to touch him and interrupt Lena’s work.
“I’m fine.” He gave the soldier with the device a scathing look. “Lena’s just being thorough.”
Lena tilted her head my way. “Good to see you are up. Those Mind Frags can be disorientating.”
“Mind Frag?”
The soldier, a thin man with a long face rattled off a scientific explanation, most of which I missed, until he gave me the abridged version. “The silver ball that gave off the light. It’s designed to momentarily wipe the mind of all people who see it. Unless you’re wearing a helmet, of course.”
Marc came up behind me and cleared his throat.
The soldier saw him and widened his eyes. “Sir?”
Sir?
“You are in the presence of the queen. Address her appropriately.”
The solder looked back at me and realization dawned on him. His cheeks flushed beet red. “Apologies Your Majesty, I didn’t recognize you.”
I grimaced at Marc. He was one to talk about appropriate behavior. Jacine said those same words to him all the time.
Lena pulled her hands from Cash. “I think the taint is leaving on its own. Your body is taking care of the healing.”
“Thank you,” Cash mumbled and got to his feet.
“Kitty and Alvin?”
“Treated and back at the bungalow, resting,” Marc replied.
“The baby?”
Lena smiled at me gently. “The baby is fine.” She caught my worried look and then added: “On both accounts, she is fine. Jesop told me about your concerns, so we checked her for an active hex. We found none, but I flushed her system with a cleansing tonic just to be sure.”
I sighed in relief. Instantly Cash gathered me into his arms. I melted against his warm, hard chest as he crushed me in his embrace. He pushed me away momentarily to check me over, then, satisfied, pressed his lips to mine in a deep, passionate kiss that had his emotions slamming into me so fast my mind wiped again.
The Game of Gods: Series Box Set Page 100