“It’ll be okay,” I assured him, fully aware that I might have to break that promise.
Jack walked alongside me all the way up the staircase, silently staring at his boots as he took each step, his eyes glazed over as if deep in thought. Something ailed him – something other than my fate, and I couldn’t help but ask.
“What’s wrong?”
Jack looked up from his boots as if he hadn’t known I was there. “Hmm? Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking about magicards and vampires and werewolves. You know, things that seemed like story-type stuff only a couple of days ago.”
“Trust me, you’ll get used to it quickly.”
“They’re not that bad?”
“Which?”
“The vampires, of course.” Jack scratched his bearded neck, and it sounded like the dragging of a match across a book. “I’ve known werewolves before. Good bunch, once you get past all the fur.”
Another image of Jason flickered behind my eyes. It took everything I had to suppress a tear. I’d never needed him like I did right then, padding up the stone steps toward my end – my possible death. I missed the way he would wrap his arms around me and make me feel safe, as if none of this existed. As if it were just the two of us.
“The vampires are nasty,” I said, “but their leader isn’t so bad.”
“I hope not.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“I’ll let you know when I know.”
We stopped at the mid-section of the stairs that led to the Grand Hall. I couldn’t help but notice Link sniffling not-so-quietly on my shoulder, and stopped before I opened the door. “Actually,” I said to Jack, “can you give us a minute?”
Jack looked from me to Link, then back again. He nodded, went inside the Grand Hall and closed the heavy oaken door, leaving us in peace. Eerie silence enveloped us – you could hear a pin drop… or a heart break.
“What’s going to happen to you, Keira?”
I lifted Link from my shoulder and held him to my chest, keeping my tears to myself. I had to be brave now, if only to set an example to my one true friend – the man who, despite his physical height, was the biggest man I’d ever known. “I don’t know. But if it’s not what we hoped for, I want you to know that I’ve loved you like a brother since day one.”
Link shook his head, wiped an escaping tear from his eye. “Don’t do that. Don’t talk like it’s the end. It’s not the end… is it?”
“We have to be realistic now. Cardkeepers don’t have the longest life expectancy, and I’ve done pretty well considering. Thirty years as a mortal and thirty years as a guardian… I think I’ve gotten pretty lucky.”
“I think I’m the lucky one. Since you saved me all those years ago, I’ve had a good reason to live. The other faeries, they don’t have the luxury of sharing your adventures. I just regret being so mean to you over the years.”
My mouth slowly opened and then hung there like a Venus fly trap. I hadn’t expected an apology like that from Link, and neither did I deserve one. “It was just satire. I knew that all along. It’s one of the reasons I loved you.”
“Oh…” Link frantically shook his head from side to side, then flew into my chest, wrapping his tiny arms around my neck and holding me there, his warm tears rolling down my skin. “Don’t say things like that. You’ll make me weep like a sodding girl.”
I laughed, holding him close as my own tears broke free from the corners of my eyes. It was hard to let him go, knowing the possibility that I might never see him again. I had to be brave, though, and if that meant ending the embrace, then so be it.
“What will you do?” I asked, wiping my eyes dry.
“Stay at your place until the rent runs out, I guess.”
“And then?”
Link shrugged, wiping his eyes too. “I don’t know. Maybe head back home.”
“You could always hang with Jack.”
“He’s not my kind of guy.”
I pictured them together – or tried, before realizing I couldn’t. “No, I suppose he’s more of a one-man band. And you… I don’t know, you seem to have everything you’ll ever need.”
“Except I won’t have you.”
“Stop.”
The waterworks came again and I pulled him in for one last hug. Even though his body was so small, his heart still pounded like a drum against my own beating chest. By the time he pulled away, my eyes were raw with the stain of tears.
“Go, Keira. I can’t cry forever.”
“You’ll be okay. If you need anything, Dalton’s here. Make sure he gets my letter.”
Link nodded.
“And be sure to return the Staff of Lucada to Ernie.”
“I will.” Link planted a kiss on my cheek and then whispered in my ear. “I love you, Keira Poe. For the record, you’re the greatest person I ever had the honor of knowing. Now get in there and quit your job, for God’s sake.”
This time, somehow, I held my tears back and went for the door, shooting one long, loving look back to my old friend. Our eyes locked and I held his warm gaze, staring into those loving blue eyes one last time, before entering the hall and closing the door behind me.
Goodbye, Link.
I took a moment to recover from my heartache, sucking in a large breath and crossing the Grand Hall toward Jack. He stood by the fires, still refusing to wear a robe even as he prepared to accept his new job. I wished I could stick around to see how Dalton felt about that.
“You ready?” I said, stopping beside him.
“As I’ll ever be.”
I took a short step back and waved my hands above the flames. The embers receded, parting in two like Moses controlling water. Amid the center of the pit was a floor grate, and right in the middle of that, a magicard hovered in the air.
“The Elders prepared this for you,” I said.
“I didn’t want a magicard.”
“That’s what I told them, so they gave you an empty one in case you ever need it.” My eyes shot over to the door and then back again, but I refused to think about Link anymore. “You will encounter mages who need to be stopped, and you’ll need an empty card to do it with. As long as you have one on you, you’ll always be covered.”
“Fair enough. So then, what do I do now?”
I held out my palm. “Just walk in and claim it.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Jack hesitated before taking short, frightened steps into the fire. Each time his foot landed on the grate and he came one step closer to his future, I felt my own life fade from existence. Any second now, I could die. Any second now, I could simply drop to the floor as if I’d never existed. Like the Gods of R’hen snapped their fingers and terminated me.
“It doesn’t hurt.” Jack glared down at his feet with wonder, the fires roaring around him as he stood beside the magicard. “One step closer to immortality,” he mumbled, and then met eyes with me. “You ready for this?”
I took a moment to collect myself, nodded, and then raised my quivering hands over my eyes. The last thing I saw before the world turned black was Jack reaching out toward the magicard. He spread his fingers wide and wrapped his hand around his future, while the fires considered his sacrifice… and made my strength his own.
Chapter Thirty
One by one, I removed my hands from my face and peered over at Jack, who stood beside the fire staring down at the bright orange glow. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said something had hit him on the head, but then he craned his neck to face me, and a small grin appeared.
“This is…” He laughed, spreading out his hands to examine them. “I feel so strong.”
I couldn’t share that sensation with him as my own strength drained from my body, but not as dangerously as I’d imagined. I kept staring at my arm, waiting for the sags of old age to weigh down my skin. No such thing happened.
Jack returned to me, placing his hands on my shoulders and beaming widely. “I feel great! An
d – And you? How are you feeling? You haven’t aged and you’re still alive. That’s a good sign, right?”
I nodded, slowly trusting myself to accept it. “I… Yeah, I feel okay.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“I’m just used to being stronger, that’s all.”
Jack dropped his hands to his sides and spun around. “Yep, definitely great. No wonder you enjoyed your job so much.” He looked down at the magicard in his hand, raising it to his face for closer inspection. “And if I trap something in here, I get their traits too?”
“Good and bad, so be careful.”
“Absolutely.”
I felt my lips curve into a smile as I headed back for the hallway, back to Link. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when I popped open the door and appeared in front of him. When I did, I got a hug that fiercely exceeded my expectations.
“I’m okay,” I said, holding him close.
“You look okay.” Link studied me from head to toe. “And your strength?”
“Leaving, slowly but surely.”
Jack cleared his throat, stealing our attention. I sensed his impatience to leave, and lifted Link onto my shoulder before heading back down the stairs for the last time. Before we left the Vault, I took my letter from Link and left it for Dalton by the front door.
Goodbye, old friend. I wish I had it in me to say it to your face.
But Dalton must have been watching me somehow, for when we reached the end of the dirt path, a portal opened up in its usual spot. I turned back toward the Vault, taking one last look at the dark tower standing proudly on the horizon. Just in case he was watching, I gave Dalton a nod of appreciation, and then passed through the portal.
The VHS store was something I’d be glad to never see again. Its dusty walls and creepy-looking exterior had always made me feel like a sleazy old man when I entered, the gloominess sucking the life from me a little more each time. It made me consider its opposite: sunlight – bright, burning sunlight. I thought of sitting in the sun, of maybe taking a long vacation before I found a real job and settled down. Hell, Link could come if he wanted.
We took to the front door then, where Jack stopped suddenly and softly pressed a hand on my arm. There was something about him that was uncertain.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure.”
We all stood awkwardly for a moment before Link finally got the hint.
“Oh, right. You want to say goodbye. Keira,” Link took flight and kissed me all over my cheek, smothering me with affection, “I’m so, so glad you’re back. I’ll meet you at home, yeah?”
“No problem.”
“Take care, little man,” Jack said, teasing without emotion.
“I’d rather be little than have a puberty beard like yours. Later.”
Link was gone only a second later, leaving Jack and me alone in the store. I looked around the room, taking in the details that I was sure to forget soon after leaving. Life always had a funny way of making you move on.
“I can’t work out if I’ll miss this place,” I said.
“Hmm? Oh, sure. Listen…” Jack’s expression had changed massively since excitedly dancing around inside the Grand Hall. His enthusiasm for becoming immortal seemed to have been replaced by sheer exhaustion. “Your mind is at peace?”
“I guess,” I agreed. “Why?”
“That means the job hasn’t changed you?”
“Only for the better, I hope… What is this about?”
“How do you… do it?”
I sensed a strong feeling of fear radiate from Jack. Everything from his dull tone to the way his body sagged told me that he didn’t consider himself worthy of the job. I reached out to place a hand on his arm. “You’re going to be fine, you know.”
Jack looked up, his eyes reaching into mine. “I’ve been such a fool.”
“Why?”
“The imps… I hurt them, Keira. I did some bad things. I lied to you about my sister. I made a bad habit of rushing in without considering the consequences. How am I supposed to live with that? How do I go from day to day with this responsibility, knowing that I have stuff like that in my past?”
I shook my head. “We all do stupid things. But you know what made me realize you were the right person to follow in my footsteps?”
“What?”
“You fought with me.” I smiled then, noticing traces of that smile carry over to him. “You’re only human, and yet you went up against a thirty-foot demon with nothing but a sword. That shows heart, Jack. And even more than that, it’s totally badass.”
Jack laughed, sucking up a breath and reaching for the doorknob. “I suppose you’re right. I just wanted to say thanks. For everything. I’m going to do the best I can with this power. You can relax knowing that.”
“I already knew.” I shot him a wink and passed through the door, leaving this life behind me. To say that I trusted Jack entirely was one thing, but I was certain he had potential. The Vault was in safe hands with him, and years from now, when I’d be sitting on a beach and watching the waves roll across the sea, I’d know that Jack Hannigan was out there, protecting the city and fighting the good fight. I smiled, picturing the title, and carried on down the street.
Jack Hannigan, Cardkeeper of Chicago’s Pillar.
Yeah – he would be just fine.
Inner Demons Page 13