by A. R. Knight
When the severing was done, I stood, pain-free.
“It’s done,” I said to Selena. Only, it wasn’t. I heard the voices leaking into my head. The whispers. The endless parade of statements one after the other. Urging me, urging me to walk ahead. Take a few steps and disappear. All of my worries, all of my troubles would cease.
I knew where they came from, I knew that calling.
The Cycle wanted me.
Chapter 63
Selena had her arms around me before I could move. Her mouth close to my ear, and I heard her voice.
“ Carver, Carver come back. Push it away. Listen to me.”
The words came and went, blending with the growing chorus of whispers. Demands. Urges that I dive into the deep blue. Like the craving for tobacco, alcohol. Deep needs that had to be satisfied.
“I can’t fight it,” I said, and pushed Selena way. Stood up. Moved my left foot, then my right foot. Closer to the edge.
Selena tackled me from behind. Knocked me down. Jammed her elbow into my back and pressed me to the ground.
“You’re not going to leave me here,” Selena said, I could hear her voice break. “After all this, you’re not going to leave me alone. Not here. Not now.”
The raw emotion in those words broke through. Blunted the force of the Cycle’s call just enough for me to pause. To feel my hands, my legs, my mouth. To take control. But I didn’t tell Selena to get up. Not yet. Not until I was sure.
“Keep talking,” I said. “I need you.”
Selena did. She spoke in stories, and memories, and poems. She told me about how she felt the first time we met. When I’d saved her from the spirit and the streets. She told me about the apartment, the long days drawing and trying to find a passion in Riven, loving it when I came to the door to offer excitement.
She told me about the first time she held the cleaver. More than a weapon, it was a symbol of independence. Something that said this was her world too, and she had a place in it. Was no longer at the mercy of others. She could drive her own destiny.
She talked about how she felt closer to me than any other. How when the two of us journeyed through the strange world, those were the best times of her life. In Riven or without. That the two of us as a team, facing horrors, or just walking together through the endless desert or stalks of green, those moments are what she treasured.
Selena buried the Cycle under her words. Her love quieted the whispers, softened the cries. I fell into a kind of trance, meditative and listening to everything she said. When she finished, before she could launch into something else, I held up an arm. My face still lay against the rock, but I spoke anyway.
“Thank you,” I said. There may have been more to say. But right then, that’s all that seem to matter.
Selena let me up a moment later, but I noticed she stayed ready. Willing to throw herself under my legs again, and again and again if necessary.
Around us spirits continued their doomed walk as though none of this was happening. An audience unaware of the play in front of them.
The device sat there. Waiting for us.
I went up to it. A solid dirty metal sphere, with a small hatch that opened when I pushed in. Inside sat a smaller sphere, connected to the outer one with many spokes. A simple switch, one that you could press, sat inside.
Carved into the metal above it, was a message.
To whomever happens to be the one activating this device, I would pass along the following:
Pressing the switch will activate the procedure. Precisely 10 seconds after, the inner core will ignite. The rays will admit shortly thereafter, triggering the chaining reaction as expected.
Glanced at Selena. “He said this was complex, it looks like it’s just a switch.”
“Maybe he knew,” Selena said. “Maybe he understood at the end that it wasn’t going to be so simple. That he might not make it.”
I looked back in towards the switch, and noticed another series of etches. Below the button. These in a messier scrawl.
If you are reading this, then forgive me. The Cycle calls to me, and if I am to see it, I needed a reason. This was my chance.
Your friend,
Nicholas
“I always knew Nicholas was sly one,” I said after letting Selena look at the message.
“He got his wish,” Selena answered.
“So when do we press it?” I said.
“When Bryce gives us the signal.”
I don’t know how long we sat, telling stories, holding each other, and basking in the Cycle’s blue glow. Watching the spirits go by in their endless march. It was a long, perfect goodbye. The two of us together in our wait for the end.
When Selena sat up, I knew the call had come in. Bryce had made it home.
“He says to thank us,” Selena spoke, repeating prices words to her. “That they made it back, with surprise help from a golden ghoul who, wandering back from the city, found them.”
“Mali’s finest creation.”
“Anna made it,” Selena said. “Alec says Laurence is going to take her to the hospital. Bryce says to detonate it.”
“Are you ready?”
Selena nodded. I moved towards the bomb, stopped. Turned back to her. “Together.”
We both reached in, her fingers rested lightly on the switch. Selena whispered now and we pressed down. The only sound was a slight fizzing, as though something had started to burn.
I shut the hatch. We stepped away. Selena met my eyes, I met her lips, and the world swirled away.
Chapter 64
Anna walked down the avenue, on a wide sidewalk beneath towering buildings. More and more every day, scaling upwards ever higher. Now that the war was over, plenty of energy and materials were being thrown into the city’s growth. Zeppelins filled the sky, fewer mechs walked the streets. Still, Anna felt relief when she came in sight of Ezra’s. A home of sorts. Through the purifier, and into the rich bar. That mantle above the back counter showing a fantastical orchestra, jazzy tunes pouring out from speakers beneath. Alec was already there, sipping coffee. On the table, a mug of tea just for her.
“It’s been a while,” Alec said as Anna sat down.
It had. Months. Not much reason to get back together this far from home anymore. They didn’t have regular meetings. The guides, as a whole, had more or less stopped existing. Bryce said he checked every so often. Crossed over and stood on the small piece of Riven that remained. Anna hadn’t tried it. Most of the crossing points, the beds they were used to, would take you right to your own demise. They’d lost a few guides that way, immediately after. Now there were only special places, tied and designated to the small scrap of Riven remaining.
“He’s coming today, right?” Alec said. Anna nodded.
They spent the next hour rehashing their lives. Catching each other up the way, Anna supposed, normal people did. There weren’t toxic ghouls, angry spirits interrupting. No discussion of hidden enemies, vile maneuvers. No, for once all they had to complain about was the rent. New restaurants. The conversation went flat.
Then a third person joined the table. Anna stopped. Looked at the man.
“So I hear you’ve got a story to tell,” Opperman, the reporter, said.
Anna could only nod.
Also by A.R. Knight
The Mercenaries Trilogy
The Metal Man
Wild Nines
Dark Ice
One Shot
The Riven Trilogy
Riven
The Cycle
Spirit’s End
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About the Author
A.R. Knight writes sci-fi and fantasy in the frozen north of Wisconsin. With a pair of cats keeping him company, he enjoys delving into adventures that are as much about the villain as the hero.
After getting a degree in journalism and touring the country installing healthcare software, A.R. Knight thought it would be good to get back to what he loved. So now he's got a small office and early mornings to spin whatever tales come into his imagination.
When he's not writing, A.R. Knight tends to travel anywhere he can, whether that's islands off the coast of Ecuador, the rainforest, snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains, or sipping scotch in Edinburgh. That's the nice thing about the writing life, you can take it anywhere.
To contact or see what he's up to, visit www.adamrknight.com
[email protected]
Acknowledgments
There’s this idea that writing is a solitary act, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every writer depends on friends, family, and, yes, the readers to keep spinning their stories.
Specifically, I’d like to thank my fiancé, Nicole, who’s endless love and encouragement make every day brighter. My brothers, Jonathan, Justin, and Matthew, and parents, Bob and Mary, who help keep a smile on my face.
And, of course, all of you readers that make this life possible.
Thank you.