by S. L. Watson
“Don’t freak out,” I told Bree, who watched me wide-eyed as I lifted the bandage from my hand and cut through the open gash once more. Once enough blood had pooled, I tilted my hand over the stones.
Bree grimaced. “Yuck! What are you doing?” Her tone quivered with disgust. She backed up a few steps, gawking at my blood like it was a contagion. “Wha… what’s happening?” Her finger shook at the drops of blood that gathered and slithered over the rocks.
“Would you settle down? It’s just a little blood,” I told her.
“Yeah, well, blood doesn’t just coagulate and travel over rocks on its own.”
Jasper coughed to hide his snicker.
I rolled my eyes at both of them. “It does when it’s infused with magic.”
A jolt shot through me when the blood stopped. “He’s down there.” I hurried past them.
“Who’s down there?”
I ignored Bree’s question and sped up the trail. My hamstrings were on fire by the time Bree called out, “This is it.”
It was barely a path. The only signs of use looked to be recent. If Bree hadn’t known it was here, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I hiked up here with Ty a few days ago. He wanted to go check out the old tunnel, and I nearly broke my neck making my way down when my foot got stuck in a pile of vines and I tripped.”
“You saw the tunnel? Did it look like anyone else had been in there?”
She shrugged. “All we saw was a bunch of old beer cans and candy wrappers, probably left behind by teens who come down here to party. Follow me.” Bree took the lead.
“Stop!” Jasper said. He took off his jacket and unsheathed the sword on his back.
Besides in our fencing lessons over this last year, I’d never seen Jasper wield an actual sword that was intended for lethal purposes. But Jasper had been training with his father for most of his life, and he was an expert swordsman, as was every member of the royal guard.
Jasper moved past Bree, who sneaked in a brush of her hand across his back.
I swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to snatch a handful of her hair and yank. She was supposed to be dating Ty, yet she flirted with every good-looking guy she crossed paths with.
My sword gleamed in the black of the night as I drew it from its scabbard and grasped the hilt, appreciating that it fit perfectly in my hand. And I enjoyed the startled look I got from Bree. I smiled to myself. A little fear would do her good.
The whispering of a swift blade slicing through grass and bush brought my attention back to the present. I nodded for Bree to proceed behind Jasper, who started down the trail, hacking away overgrown foliage that threatened to scratch out our eyes in protest at being moved aside.
The hill was steep and littered with fallen branches. Ferns brushed our legs, and our feet squished in the damp moss that had taken over where the path had become overgrown and barely visible. A screech echoed in front of me as Bree slipped and fell back. I dropped my sword and caught her from behind just before she hit the ground.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, and accepted Jasper’s hand. He gave her a strong pull, and she jumped back to her feet. “So, who are you two looking for in the middle of the night?”
“Huh.” I sighed, and my breath dissipated in the misty air. “My brother and Lucas.”
Before she could ask another question, I had one of my own. “Why were you following us?”
She didn’t turn around when she said, “I don’t sleep well, and I was checking on my new sign—I’m sure you’ve seen how awesome it is—and when I saw you creeping around your studio without the lights on, I got curious.” She shrugged like curiosity gave someone the right to sneak around, spying on other people.
I fumed that I couldn’t use my Empath powers on her. “First of all, I wasn’t creeping around. And second, your sign sucks!” I knew it was a cheap shot, but lashing out felt good.
Bree tossed her head back. “Not everyone has taste as sophisticated as mine.”
“Sure, that’s it,” I mumbled under my breath, and rolled my eyes at her back.
We reached the bottom of the hill and came to a narrow creek. “It’s just this way.” Bree went left at the creek. The ground turned to mostly crushed rock, and our legs wobbled over the sharp edges. Bree jumped over the creek and pushed through a thick area of leafy bushes.
“She didn’t strike me as the woodsy type,” Jasper whispered as we neared the creek.
I eyed the rocks on the other side, determining which one would be easier to land on. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. She’s hiding something. I’m not buying that she followed me out here and tracked us through the forest out of some morbid curiosity.” I jumped and landed firmly on a flat rock.
Jasper sprang off the ground with no hesitation. “I agree. And she’s not Ty’s type at all. I mean, she’s gorgeous in that Barbie doll kind of way, but Ty’s never been into girls like her before.”
Bree’s voice echoed through the woods. “Everything okay back there?”
“Yeah,” I responded to Bree, then more quietly to Jasper, “I hear you. I can’t figure her out. She’s just a human, but I can’t shake this feeling … I don’t know … I can’t explain it.”
Jasper lifted the branches back for me. “I know what you mean. She makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and not in a good way.”
We huddled behind the bush a moment longer. “We’ll let her show us the tunnel,” I told him, “and when we get back, we’ll do a memory spell, so she forgets all this, but we’ll keep a close watch on her for a while.”
Jasper puckered his lips to the side and nodded his agreement.
A scream came from the other side of the bushes, followed by a loud thump. We rushed through the thick branches, not caring about scrapes or pokes to the eyes, and found Bree kneeling over a body and holding a heavy rock above its head.
Jasper pried the rock from Bree’s shaking hands, and she twisted her quivering body into his.
“Wha… what is that thing?” she stuttered. She curled herself around Jasper’s torso, and I couldn’t help but think she was taking advantage of the situation, but then I chided myself. She was just a human girl who’d knocked her first monster unconscious.
I bent down to examine the body and had to check the human way to see if he was still alive, since I couldn’t feel his energy or see his aura. My fingers pressed against the wrinkled and deteriorated skin of the Shimera. The eyes, nose, and mouth weren’t abnormal; they resembled human and Vitarian features, but every visible part of his skin appeared decayed. And the odor of rot permeated the air all around him.
A faint pulse beat against my fingertips—that was, until Jasper came over and shoved the tip of his sword through the Shimera’s throat. A gurgle bubbled from his mouth, and I glanced up at Jasper and lifted my brow in a question.
“He would have done the same to us, given the chance, and alerted any others inside the cave.”
The cave. I stretched and stepped over the dead Shimera.
Just ahead of us, nestled within the moss-covered mountainside, was a large cave entrance.
“This has to be where they’re keeping Darion and Lucas,” I said to Jasper, who was already surveying the area for more Shimera.
“Um, are either of you going to tell me what that freaky zombie thing is?”
I flicked my gaze toward Bree. What the hell. We’re going to erase her memory, anyway. “He’s a creature from another planet who can take the form of anyone he wants to. That rotting, mutilated thing is his natural appearance.”
Bree dragged her gaze from the Shimera’s lifeless body. “And you two?”
I huffed. “We don’t have time for this. We’re both”—I pointed to Jasper and then myself—“from another planet and have magical powers. No more questions. You wait out here and hide in the bushes. Quietly,” I added.
“Um, that’s not happening.” Bree stomped her foot. “No
way I’m waiting out here alone to get attacked by another pus-filled monster. Besides, you wouldn’t have found this cave if it wasn’t for me.” She placed her hand on her hip. “I’ve been inside and explored the different tunnels. I can help navigate.”
My chest tightened. Of course there would be multiple tunnels. I ground my teeth. “How many tunnels are there?”
“I don’t know. I was too afraid to go very far, but they looked to go pretty deep under the mountain.” Bree shoved her hands into the pockets of her tight-fitting sweater.
“Well, you’ll be a great navigator.” Sarcasm oozed from my tone. I spun around and hacked at a bush. It was unnecessary but made me feel better. “Okay, you can come with us, but stay close and keep quiet.”
Jasper sped in front of me. His gaze was sharp as he glanced inside the cave. He tightened his grip on his sword. “I’ll go in first. Both of you stay behind me.”
Bree leaned toward me, her breath hot on my ear. “He’s so hot when he’s all protective.”
I resisted the urge to turn and elbow her in the jaw. Instead, I whispered back, “Just stay close and keep quiet.”
A chilled, dusty air hit my skin inside the dark cave. Bree shivered behind me, her teeth jittering in my ear. My right hand rested on the hilt of my sword as I tried sparking light from my left fingertips as Calista had shown me. Only a weak glow sparked before dimming out, like every other time I’d tried. Jasper was no help in that department either. Besides mastering his shield and combat training, he didn’t put much effort into learning other magic. I gave up and pulled out the flashlight and pointed the beam ahead.
We stood in a large, empty cavern, facing four separate tunnels.
“This is as far as I’ve gone,” Bree admitted, her words echoing off the dirt walls.
My palm pulsed with pain as I renewed the gash once more. I winced at the pus pockets forming inside the cut. When the blood trickled over the line of stones, indicating the tunnel at our right, Jasper scoped it out. I couldn’t sense his shield, but I knew it was there, and nudged Bree to follow behind him so his shield would safely encompass her.
We stepped into the tunnel, our feet crunching over a mixture of dirt and crumbled stone. A damp mildew breeze hung in the air, and my skin prickled with the familiar buzz of the curse that Darion and I shared. “He’s close,” I whispered.
Jasper nodded and continued to lead the way.
The air grew colder as we moved deeper beneath the mountain.
Our steps slowed as the scent of rotten eggs wrapped around us. Bree coughed, and Jasper’s sword flashed ahead. The Shimera hadn’t expected the invisible shield nor Jasper’s speed. His blade sang as it slashed through the Shimera’s hand, then down across his body. The Shimera thumped to the ground.
“Where did he come from?” My heart raced as I spun, checking behind and the walls on either side of us. “There could be more.” I shook a clinging Bree off my back.
“Oh my God! We’re going to die in here,” she quivered.
“You’re not going to die,” I assured her, even though the truth was that it was entirely possible that we would. “It’s not too late for you to go back.” My whispers echoed overhead.
Bree’s head bumped against mine as she shook it side to side. “Uh-uh … no way. I’m staying with you two.”
We kept moving. The decaying odor grew stronger, burning my lungs with every breath. A shiver crawled down the back of my neck as something scraped nearby. I twisted side to side, bathing the walls in light. Bree spun, blinding me with her cell phone light, and my foot bent awkwardly as I tripped over a rock. Arms snaked out from the wall and slammed me into hard earth. Metal clanged as my sword hit the ground. I grasped toward my belt and yanked Freya’s blade free, and in one swift movement, I whirled around and buried the knife into the side of the Shimera’s throat.
“You okay?” Jasper scanned my body for injury.
I snatched my sword from the ground and kneaded my throbbing temple. “Yeah. My head hit the wall, but I’m fine. Why couldn’t we see them?”
“I don’t know,” he answered, monitoring the walls for further attack. “I don’t really know much about the Shimera, but it appears they can blend in with their surroundings.”
“Great!” Bree screeched, brushing dirt from her pants. “So now we have to worry about invisible monsters.” She sidestepped the Shimera’s blood pooling near her feet.
I blocked my eyes. “Bree, get that light out of my face.”
She pointed the light toward the ground. “Look, I want to help find your brother and boyfriend, but maybe we should all go back, and you can come back with the police.”
“That’s not an option,” I bit back, and ground my teeth. If I left now, Orien would move them. This could be my only chance to save them both.
The curse hummed stronger within me. “We have to keep going. Darion is near.”
“Okay,” Jasper agreed. “Let’s keep close in the center of the tunnel and pay attention to any sound or movement.”
We huddled together, watching the walls as we inched forward. If there were any more Shimera, they kept hidden and didn’t attack.
Jasper stopped abruptly.
“What is it?” I asked, not wanting to take my eyes off the tunnel behind us.
“A light ahead. Looks like another cavern.”
I risked a glance over Jasper’s shoulder. “Darion’s in there; I can feel it. Let’s keep moving.”
Jasper hesitated. “It could be a trap.”
“I know, but what choice do we have?”
Jasper continued forward, with Bree and me pressed to his back. He tapped my shoulder, signaling for us to creep to one side of the tunnel. He used the point of his sword to check the wall for unseen threats as we shuffled toward the light. When we reached the entrance to the cavern, two more tunnels broke off on either side.
Jasper held his finger to his lips and motioned for Bree and me to stay where we were. Knots twisted in my stomach as he peeked around the entrance, then slipped inside the cavern.
Bree fidgeted at my side. I nudged her away, to get her hot breath off my ear. Seconds passed before Jasper popped his head out and whispered, “It’s clear.”
“Darion!” His body lay limp on the ground. Dread knifed at my insides when I saw that Lucas wasn’t in the cavern. We’d have to keep looking for him.
I pulled Darion’s blindfold away. Dried mud smudged his face, and I carefully brushed the dirt pebbles from his eyes. His skin felt ice-cold, but I knew he was alive—our curse still hummed inside me.
His eyelids flickered as he rolled to the side with a low moan.
“Ev? Is that you? Are you really here?” His voice cracked.
“Of course I am. Can you move?”
His head dangled as he groggily scooted into a sitting position.
He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the light of the torches staked in the ground, and settled a dark scowl on me. “I told you not to come.” Then his face twisted into a grimace as he glanced behind me. “What’s she doing here?”
I’d forgotten all about Bree. “I’ll explain later,” I told him without paying Bree any attention. “Let’s get these bindings off.”
Jasper bent down to help.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Bree’s change in tone hit me like ice.
I gripped the hilt of my sword and turned to face her. “Why not?”
Her green eyes sparked with a devilish glint. And then a deeper voice sounded from the tunnel just outside the cavern.
“Because if you remove his bindings, I’ll finish this one off.” Orien stepped into the cavern, holding a limp Lucas in his arms.
Acid burned in my throat at the sight of Lucas. His head hung forward; he was barely conscious.
“Hey, baby,” Bree cooed at Orien.
Baby? My jaw clenched. I hadn’t trusted Bree, but this didn’t add up.
Bree laughed hysterically as she slinked near Orien and ran a finger
down the back of his neck, licking at his ear.
“We could do without the PDA,” Darion jeered, earning himself a hard stare from Orien.
“What?” Darion kept going. “It’s like watching myself being fondled by a hyena.”
“Shut your face, pretty boy, or I’ll shut it for you,” Bree threatened.
“Oh, you wish,” Darion taunted her.
“Enough.” Orien settled his cold sapphire glare on Bree. “Did you get it?” His words came out impatient.
Bree shoved her hand into her pants pocket. “Of course I did. You were right. She’s naive and careless and not fit to rule our people.”
“Our people?” The words left my lips as I studied Bree with fresh eyes. “You’re Vitarian?”
It was Jasper who asked, “How did we not sense you?”
Bree shrugged. “It’s my dominant gift. I can hide my essence and that of others. I’ve got a talent for persuasion too.” She winked, then ran a long red fingernail down Orien’s arm. “Isn’t that right, baby?”
That was why I hadn’t been able to use my Empath abilities. She’d been blocking my magic the entire time. “You nasty little rat,” I ground out. My hand ached to throttle her.
Bree’s lips twisted into a satisfied smirk as she slipped something from her pocket.
No! How did she …? What have I done?
A bitter taste filled my mouth as Orien greedily reached for Oria’s ring and grasped it between his fingers. “Finally,” he whispered.
My heart froze as images of my premonition filled my mind. I’d failed everyone. I lunged forward and caught Bree by surprise, wrapping my arm around her throat and pressing the edge of my sword into her flesh. “How did you get the ring?”
Jasper flew to my side with his sword arched to defend.
Bree’s shoulders shook but not in fear. She laughed even as my blade inched closer to her skin. “I’ve been watching you, you silly girl. What kind of queen can’t sniff out her own kind? You were as easy to fool as Ty was to persuade.” She attempted to twist out of my grasp, but I cut into her skin and kneed her in the side.