Harley Merlin 11: Finch Merlin and the Lost Map

by Forrest, Bella

  It giggled.

  “My mind gremlins don’t giggle!” I barked as it approached. Terrifyingly cute. “They’re big, tough, nasty little bastards!”

  “Who said I’m not?” It blinked its shiny black eyes, snuffling its little pink nose. “You can’t run from me. I have a snug little nest in your head.”

  I shuddered. “I did not need that imagery, thanks.”

  It pointed out a tiny paw. “He’s out to get you. Kill him before he kills you!”

  “What?” I whirled to find a figure crouched on the stairwell. Well, what remained of the stairwell. The whole thing wiggled like jelly, appearing less than structurally sound. And the figure looked all wrong, like Picasso drank one too many pints before painting a portrait. Still, his eyes and nose were sort of in the right place. Just enough for me to recognize the man trying to sneak up on me.

  Luke.

  I hurried backward, glancing at the fluffy ball. It was gone.

  “Are you… real?” I gasped, my body descending into the jitters.

  “I’ve come for the recipe.” Luke rose to his full height, and he didn’t stop there. He grew until his head touched the ceiling.

  I pressed flush against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut. “I told you! Figure it out yourself!”

  “The day will end in a matter of hours.” I heard Titan Luke thud closer. “Do it for Melody. She needs this. I need to do this for her.”

  “Bullcrap!” I yelped. Closing my eyes didn’t help. Colors swam across my eyelids, filled with all the monsters I’d ever faced. Every beast from Tartarus, every creature from my missions for Erebus, every boxed-up demon from the Bestiary. Even Tobe made an appearance, flying at me with fangs bared and black eyes, his talons outstretched to shred me. My eyes shot open, only to see Titan Luke looming over me.

  “She has a purpose, Finch. Give me the recipe!” Luke’s eyes glowed red.

  “No way!” I tried to hold my ground, but the floor melted under my feet like I’d waltzed into a Dali painting. “You’re not doing any of this for Melody. You’re working with Davin—his spy! I know you are! He wants you to learn map-making and kill me as the sprinkles on top of his evil little cupcake of doom!”

  Luke paused. “Davin? Who’s Davin?”

  “Who’s Davin?” I mimicked. “Like you don’t know. What’s he got on you? Did he say he’d hurt Melody?”

  “Why are you shouting?” Luke stepped toward me.

  “Don’t move, I mean it!”

  Luke kept moving. “Whoever Davin is, I’m not working for him. I’m doing this for Melody.”

  “That’s what I said. You’re doing this to stop Davin from hurting her. I’ve seen your puppy dog eyes. I know you love her. You’d do anything for her, and I’m guessing the buck doesn’t stop with working for a known murderer!” I shivered against the wall.

  Luke took another step, and I attacked. My Telekinesis hit him in the chest and knocked him to the floor. Only, the strands were wrong—not clear and shimmery. They came out as oiled-up ropes, with black droplets falling from them and leaving a dark smear across Luke’s chest.

  It’s not real, IT’S NOT REAL! Where the drops fell, craters formed, and the edges fizzled as if from acid.

  “I’ve asked nicely.” Luke stood. Lifting his hands, he tore the metal handles off the desk drawers with his Magneton abilities. They darted through the air, clamping my wrists against the glass. I struggled, panting as they turned into snakes and slithered up my forearms.

  Desperate to get them off, I sent two fireballs upward, melting the slithery handcuffs into pools of smaller snakes that tumbled to the ground. Their tiny mouths lunged at my boots, nipping and biting at the leather.

  “Stop! For the love of Chaos, just stop!” I bellowed. “It’s over, Luke. I’m on to you.”

  “On to what? You’re not making any sense.” Luke readied for another blow, pins and nails hovering, waiting on his command.

  How was I supposed to do anything in this state? I couldn’t even get back to the desk with golden liquid crashing through the ceiling and melting everything inside. Not to mention the threat of that weird puffball jumping at me. Was this another one of Etienne’s tricks? A way to screw with me? He was probably watching on a camera somewhere, having the time of his life.

  “You’re the spy. That’s why you were following me,” I replied, trying to get ahold of myself.

  “I followed you because you acted suspicious,” Luke said. “Maybe you’re the one keeping secrets. Bit weird, isn’t it, that you just happened to come up with the right formula?”

  “Don’t flip this on me.” I unleashed a barrage of Air, the poison transforming the currents into horrifying specters who huffed out vast breaths, their mouths gaping in silent screams. I wondered, in the midst of this twisted reality, if the poison was showing me the truth behind our abilities—revealing them like it supposedly revealed hidden places. Or was my head just upping the weird to epic proportions?

  Either way, Luke slammed into the glass. More melting chunks dropped to the floor. Fire sparked up, and the temperature surged to an unbearable level.

  The blow made Luke shrink to his normal size, and his features settled into their usual positions. I sagged against the wall, my floppy limbs hardening up until they felt like lead weights.

  “Just give me the damn recipe!” Luke jumped up.

  “No!” I sent another surge of Telekinesis at him, trying not to look at the fizzing craters that appeared underneath the pulsing strands.

  “I’m not a spy! I don’t even know who Davin is!” Luke fought back with his pins and nails, forcing me to shield myself with Telekinesis. The oily sheen was worse up close, coming in full Smell-o-vision. An acrid, gasoline-like stench hammered my nostrils, making me choke.

  “Liar!” I snuck a ball of Fire underneath the Telekinesis shield, the sparking orb narrowly missing Luke’s head.

  “On the stairs,” a small voice whispered. My head snapped to the side. The little fluffball rested on my shoulder.

  “Can you not?!” I reeled in shock. “It’s bad enough when you’re in my head. Don’t pop up out of nowhere!”

  The fluffball dipped its head, snuffling sarcastically. “You’d miss me if I left. On the stairs, Finchy. Get the first jab in, twist up their guts, blast them sky high. You know you want to.” It vanished during my blink.

  “On the stairs? What do you mean, on the stairs?” I looked at the stairwell, dodging another onslaught from Luke and his endless array of stolen metalwork.

  “What are you talking about?” Luke yelled. “What’s gotten into you?”

  I glowered at him and prepared another set of fireballs to fry this spy. “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know!”

  Blanche appeared at the top of the staircase, bringing the fight to a sudden halt. By the looks of it, neither Luke nor I wanted her getting caught in our crossfire.

  “Oh dear, is this a bad time?” She lingered on the top step, fidgeting nervously.

  “Like you wouldn’t believe.” I exhaled. “Doesn’t Etienne lock doors?”

  Luke eyed Blanche. “Actually, he does. I had to break in.”

  “Perhaps we should trade lockpickin’ tips. You didn’t quite lock it again behind you,” Blanche replied, offering him a sympathetic glance. “Not that it would’ve mattered. I’m very proficient in the art. Another trick I picked up in my misspent youth.”

  I sighed, trying to focus. “Let me guess, you’re here for the recipe?”

  “It’s just… we’re almost out of time, and I’m no closer to figurin’ it out. I thought I had it, but the trees kept sobbin’,” she replied. “I can’t fail, Finch. I’ve put so much into findin’ El Dorado. If I don’t succeed… I’ll be kissin’ that dream goodbye. After my husband died, it’s all that kept me goin’. I don’t know how I’ll cope, without a purpose.”

  I frowned. “How did you know where to find me?”

  “I followed Luke, who followed you and Etienne. I waited
outside awhile, to muster the courage to beg for this,” Blanche explained. “Please, Finch. Just give me the recipe. I need it so much.” The note of desperation in her voice didn’t sit right with me. No, the desperation wasn’t the problem… it was the note of command in her voice.

  Is it the poison? I stared at her. Nothing made sense in this warped world. More troubling was the fact that Luke was staring at her, too. His face mirrored what I felt: confusion.

  A pigeon exploded through one of the windows in a flutter of wings and coos. It wheeled overhead before flying toward me at lightning speed, its coos getting louder. Almost like it was angry about something.

  “You all see that, right?” I hissed.

  “Of course we do,” Luke shot back. “It’s a freaking pigeon.”

  Blanche’s face paled. “Yes… I do believe it is. Quick, catch it!”

  I ducked away from the bird, but it divebombed my head. Sharp jabs hit my skull. Blanche lunged to stop it, but Luke held her back. She struggled in his arms.

  “We have to catch it!” she urged. Now she was more desperate. But why?

  “Let Finch do it,” Luke replied firmly, still holding her.

  “No! He can’t!” Blanche howled.

  I frowned in total bafflement at the bird. It flapped close to my face, sticking out its leg. A metal cylinder hung on its ankle. A carrier pigeon… Realization struck.

  “Kenzie? Is that you?”

  It cooed furiously and gave me a peck for good measure.

  I reached out and untied the cylinder. As I removed the lid, a note slipped into my palm. I unfurled it, and Blanche’s eyes widened.

  “That’s not for you!” she snarled. Luke gripped her tighter. I saw him shivering and realized Blanche was using her Ice ability on him, drawing moisture from the glass above.

  My eyes skimmed the note, and my heart sank.

  BD… Blanche Dunham. “It’s you… you’re the spy.”

  Thirty

  Finch

  “You might’ve lived if you’d given me the formula,” Blanche snarled. “But you won’t stand in my way.”

  She grabbed Luke’s wrists, and ice frosted up his forearms. He wrenched them away as if burnt, releasing her—and allowed Blanche to unleash hell at the same time. Water surged from the ocean beyond the glass walls and smashed through the roof, sending glass and liquid shattering in all directions. My addled brain couldn’t handle it, not knowing what was real and what wasn’t.

  “Fight, Finch. You have to fight.” Puffball sat on the edge of the desk, jabbing a paw at Blanche. That’s not real… is it? Either way, the fluffy creature was right. I had to fight the enemy I could see and ignore the rest. For now.

  I lifted my palms as Blanche made a bid for the notebook on the table—the one with the formula. Oily tentacles of Telekinesis shot out and grabbed the notebook. I yanked it away, and the book sailed into my outstretched arms. I wedged it quickly into the belt of my jeans.

  “No!” Blanche hissed. She launched a torrent of Water at me.

  I stood, facing the wall of writhing liquid. It took a moment to kick my brain into gear. Fire with Fire, Water with Water… Still holding the book, my hands twisted in the air as I focused on the oncoming torrent. I had to bend it to my will. I was stronger than her. I could do this.

  The water, seconds from slamming into me, came to a screeching halt. I balled my hands into fists, and the water obeyed. It twisted in on itself, creating a huge, churning orb. With a shove that left me breathless, I forced it back where it came from. It barreled at Blanche, who stared in open-mouthed fear.

  She dove out of the way as it crashed into the back wall. An eruption of droplets showered everything, the paper on the desk included.

  Blanche was as spry as a woman half her age. She bounded up before I had time to blink, wrangling more water to her command. Luke stepped in, throwing manacles at her. They bumped against her wrists, clattering against something solid.

  “Nice try, Magneton.” Blanche smirked. “I came prepared.” Her sleeves fell back to reveal two black cuffs. They gleamed in the sunlight. I had no idea what they were, but something in them repelled the metal Luke had thrown at her.

  “What?” Luke stared at his hands, like they’d failed him.

  “Anti-EM cuffs,” Blanche said. “Courtesy of my employer, in case you got in my way. Carried in by my trusty pigeons—though one appears to work for Finch now.”

  Kenzie flapped wildly over my head.

  “Davin’s going to wish he’d stayed under his rock,” I seethed. “What’s he got on you, huh?”

  “None of your business!” Blanche snapped, as she split a torrent of seawater and sent half at Luke, half at me.

  I lifted my hands in time to control the incoming wave, but Luke was helpless. He twisted out of the water’s way while I bent the deluge headed for me. I sent it from the room, and the water surged through the hole in the roof in a violent geyser.

  “You can’t trust he’ll give you what you want,” I said urgently.

  “He promised me. I trust his word far more than yours!” Blanche spat. She flung another burst of water at me as she ran. The gush was evidently supposed to keep me busy. In the roiling wall, I saw the hazy outline of her sprinting figure. A glint flashed.

  “She’s got knives!” Luke yelled. He lifted his palms, trying to whip them from her hands, but nothing happened.

  Blanche laughed icily behind the protective wall of water. “Ceramic knives, naturally, pilfered from the kitchens. As if I would be stupid enough to use metal with you around.”

  She’s thought of everything! Yeah, this spy had picked up a few traits from her weaselly employer. He’d probably coached her on all of our skills, once he’d found out what she might be dealing with.

  “I thought you had the formula.” I dug in deep and concentrated on my Water power, my Esprit growing hot in my pocket as it channeled the energy. With a painful tug that left me shaking, I ripped the torrent aside and slammed it to the ground, the liquid following the movements of my trembling hands. I was in no state for this. Only Puffball, still on the desk, kept me going.

  Fight… you have to fight.

  Blanche prepared to pounce, knives drawn. “Who told you that?”

  I shot a fireball at her chest, knocking her back. The Fire came out of me as crackling, red-winged spirits—the orange I’d eaten was still messing with my head. Even though she was the spy, smacking an old lady around didn’t sit comfortably with me. But it was her or me, and I knew my choice. Davin wouldn’t win this one, especially if he didn’t have the decency to show his face.

  “You did!” I barked, preparing a burst of Telekinesis. “In that note of yours. Davin gave you a list of possible formulas. You said you were close.”

  She staggered to her feet. “I lied.”

  “Then it looks like you’re perfect for each other.” I lashed the Telekinesis at her, sending her careening into the wall.

  “On the stairs!” Puffball cried.

  “What?” My head snapped toward the staircase. Who’s coming now?!

  Melody crept up to the platform, eyes wide with fear.

  Luke rushed toward her. “You can’t be here!”

  “I heard noises,” she replied, eyes flitting around the room. How quickly could that sharp mind of hers piece this mess together?

  “Blanche!” Puffball squeaked.

  I turned in time to see her propel a vast ball of Water at Luke and Melody. If it hit them, it’d wash them both down the steep staircase.

  “Luke, behind you!” I yelled, whipping tendrils of Telekinesis to pull Melody out of harm’s way. I wasn’t gentle. I had no time to be. As I yanked the strands, Melody flew halfway across the room and hit the floor with a thud. She skidded for a moment, ending up right between me and Blanche.

  Luke dove to the ground, the water pummeling the wall behind him and dousing him thoroughly. But at least it hadn’t knocked him down the stairs. Without Air to cushion his fall,
he’d likely have snapped his neck.

  I sprinted toward Melody, but Blanche was a second faster. The torrent of Water hardened with a dose of Ice before hitting me full force. The pain left me speechless. Agony ricocheted through my ribcage, and my abdomen tightened to try to meet the impact. Digging my heels into the ground didn’t help, as my legs were too shaky from the poison. The ice pounded me against the railings of the balcony, which looked down over the staircase below and the steep nothingness on either side of it. Sheer willpower made me grip the iron bars, or I would have flown over the edge.

  As the ice splintered into shards around me, I wheezed. I’d taken a hell of a battering and felt every inch of it. I gripped the iron bars tighter, fearing I’d crumble if I let go.

  Blanche set her sights on Melody, who struggled to stand. I tried to step forward, but my knees buckled. Pain jolted through my legs and back up my torso like a yo-yo of torture, every breath hard to take.

  Luke sprinted for Blanche, dragging every piece of metal he could find out of the woodwork. He hurled pins and nails and even the knife that’d been set out for the oranges, but it wasn’t enough. Blanche lifted her cuffs, and the metal bounced away, tumbling harmlessly to the ground.

  A second later, she whacked Luke with a vicious explosion of Water. Only, it didn’t slam right through him as before. This time, the water formed a bubble around him, and he was trapped inside. His pale face stared through the membrane, his mouth opening and closing in panic as bubbles rose from his nose.

  He’s going to drown.

  Blanche held one hand up, her expression determined, keeping the bubble in place. “I’ll kill Melody and Luke if you don’t hand that notebook over.”

  “You’re not getting it,” I rasped.

  “You might change your mind in a minute.” She pointed her free hand at Melody and started to chant. “Frange ossa. Sanguis tuus calidus est. Audite vocem meam. Frange. Hoc autem dolet. Audite vocem meam. Frange ossa. Sanguis tuus calidus est. Dolor sentiunt. Enim superveniet in te.”