Taking a deep breath, I try to calm down, see past my anger but it’s impossible with Maddox standing right across from me. “Back off, I need some space.”
He moves to the end of the counter. “No sweat, I’ll be over here. Waiting my turn,” he says, his voice dipping into a threatening growl.
Hands glide over my back as Pandora and India slide in on both sides of me. “There’s something you should know before you do this,” India says. “I wasn’t going to say anything because I want my sister back.” She stops, glancing at Pandora reluctantly.
Pandora narrows her eyes on India, gesturing for her to tell me.
India’s expression turns guilty as her gaze shifts back to me. “It’s one thing to cure a vampiric infection by transmuting the virus into a harmless organism. But it’s a whole different thing to play God and cheat Death. When you do that, you disrupt the natural order and balance of everything. There’s always a price to pay and there’s no way of knowing how high the price will be, or who pays it. Some call it karma.”
Maddox snorts. “Don’t listen to her. The invocation’s taken from the Book of Loagaeth. For all the idiots in the room, I’m talkin’ text written in the tongue of the Angels, stuff that predates all of India’s bunk hippie crap by at least two thousand years.”
India’s face flushes with anger. “Be careful, Edge. There’s a fine line between what you’re about to do and necromancy.”
Maddox pops the cap off a beer and takes a long swig. He sets the bottle down, saying, “Not when the invocation comes from on high.”
“Stay out of my beer!” India screams, her fists shaking at her sides.
“Don’t let him get to you,” I tell her. “If we’re gonna do this, I need to be chill and start feelin’ the love.”
Her eyes go wide with surprise. “You still want to try?”
“Thanks for the warning, but Nyx is worth the risk.”
“Yeah, she is,” India says, giving me a hug. Before she lets go, she slips a small bundle in my hand and whispers, “Give this to Maddox after you bring Nyx back.”
I nod as Pandora steps in behind her, signing in a flurry of movements. Her message makes me smile. “When Nyx wakes up and finds out what you put on the line for her, she’ll probably kick your ass.”
“I can deal with that,” I say, my smile fading as I sweep the kernel of fear India’s warning stirred up in me to the dustiest corner of my mind.
I look down at Nyx’s pale-blue face. I never realized what a full, pouty mouth she has until now–lips begging to be kissed. I brush a mess of dark strands off her forehead and feather my finger over the line of her eyebrow. She’s beautiful, not in the same way as Sienna, who’s delicate as a deer and in need of protection. Nyx’s beauty is more like a jaguar, sleek, strong and wild.
My chest warms as silvery sparks crackle and sizzle into the air.
“It’s time,” India whispers. “Read the invocation.”
Resting the paper on Nyx’s arm, I read the note. “I invoke the Words of Making from the Book of Loagaeth to deliver the Animate Essence into this decaying Material Essence, making the corruptible incorruptible without defect or disorder.”
There’s still more of the invocation to read, but the energy’s building, searing my insides. I can’t hold it. I throw my head back, locked within the throes of ecstasy and pain as light blasts from me in a net of silver-blue electricity, blazing and snapping over Nyx. Her body jerks once, then twice, until she’s shaking all over, racked with violent convulsions.
“Finish the invocation,” India shouts.
“By the power of my Sidhe Celair, I confirm this is done,” I say, my teeth chattering as a chill sweeps over my skin.
As soon as I speak the last word the lightning storm stops, and with it, the burning pain. I stagger back, catching my breath. Smoke drifts over Nyx. Her body has gone still again. Dead still. I stare at her chest, looking for any sign of breathing.
Nothing. It didn’t work.
I cave at the waist, crushed under an avalanche of disappointment. I didn’t know how desperately I wanted this until now, when my hopes shatter into a million pieces, and I’m forced to accept Nyx is gone for good.
32
Goodie Bag
I’M SPENT. I’ve never been more tired than I am right now. Putting my back to the counter, I slide to the floor, listening to India’s soft, muffled cries. Everyone else starts yelling at once, outraged about being roped into believing we could turn at least one tragedy into a victory.
I’m caught in a stare, unable to drag my gaze from the scratched floorboards. A pair of boots steps in my line of sight. Maddox is standing over me. “A deal’s a deal, Edge. Time to give me what I came for.”
I’d laugh if I had the energy. “In your goddamn dreams.”
“You promised. Get up.” He kicks my foot. Not hard, just a soft kick.
That’s it. I snap.
Before I know it, I’m on my feet, wrapping my arms around him in a blaze of Djinn fire. Our bodies disintegrate, melding into one stream of fiery particles as I jet through space. His terror vibrates through me as I focus my attention on the Sahara Desert. Nine hours ago, I would’ve had to stay in New York. But the Wall’s down now. I can go wherever the hell I want, thanks to Maddox and Rade.
There’s some irony.
In an instant, I’m on the other side of the world, pounding down into soft sand in a tornado of smoke and lightning as we divide and solidify back into two separate beings. Maddox turns from side to side, taking in the rolling dunes stretching endlessly in every direction. There isn’t a lick of shade to be had anywhere. We’ve been here less than a minute and the sun’s already roasting the top of my head. Heat radiates off the ground in waves, cooking us like two steaks in an oven. The desert’s melting temperature makes New York in July seem like a paradise.
For the first time since I’ve known Maddox, I see terror in his eyes. It’s not the sun he’s afraid of. His century’s old skin is too thick to burn up the way Sienna nearly did on the beach.
He’s afraid of me. I can see he’s surprised I’ve got my Djinn powers back. Probably thought he’d squeeze another deal out of me with an offer to remove his double-crossing ward from my skin. I can see now, his manipulations would never end.
“Okay, you got me good. What’s next, Edge?” he says, doing his best to wipe the fear off his face.
“Nothing. That’s what’s next. I’m gonna leave you here, lost in the middle of the desert, with nothing to feed on but the scorpions. I’ve heard the worst thing for a vampire is to starve.” I make a face. “Apparently the veins shrivel to the point, where even if you manage to get some red later, the veins are too far gone to pump it through your dried up corpse. And the crappiest part is, you can’t die. You just suffer. Forever.”
His features twist with fury. “I’ll find a way out of here,” he growls. “You forget who you’re dealing with. Starting with–”
“Yeah, yeah. You’ll summon some demons to open a portal out of here, or maybe pull a beastmaster and get a camel to carry you out.”
“Well…yeah.”
“India wanted you to have this,” I say, chucking her little gift at him.
Maddox catches it on reflex. As soon as he sees it’s a hex bag he drops it. “What’s this?”
“A goodie bag made just for you, full of binding, banishment and defusing spells. The sisters told me she started putting together the mother of all hex bags the minute she got news of what you did. She’s had the whole night to work on it.”
Maddox gulps, rubbing his palms on his thighs.
I shake my head. Like that’s going to clean the hex off him. It’s strange seeing him all scorched and powerless. He’s been like a god to me. I was just a kid when he found me, desperately needing someone to look up to. In my eyes, there wasn’t anything Maddox couldn’t do during all those years growing up.
Until the day he turned on us. He never accounted for what he taught us
and how strong we became. If he had, he wouldn’t have walked back into Magic Brew without any fear of what we would do when he did.
Maddox takes a step toward me. “What about your promise? Doesn’t your word mean anything? I gave you what you wanted. It’s not my fault it didn’t work. You owe me the cure!”
“You’re right. I owe you big.”
He breathes in a sigh of relief.
“I owe you for selling me out to the warlocks. I owe you for taking three of my brothers from me. Most of all, I owe you for a lifetime of grief knowing Nyx will never know how damned much I loved her. You stole her from me!” I scream.
Panic fills his eyes. “Edge, I took you off the streets! I gave you–”
Hardening my gaze on him, I surrender to my inner fire and blaze out of there.
33
Shine On
AFTER BURNING OFF SOME STEAM for over an hour, I finally touch down at Magic Brew. It’s completely empty. Hard to believe it’s been less than 24 hours since we walked out those doors. This is the one place that was supposed to stay the same. Now it looks like a tornado tore through here. I guess if you think about it, one did. India’s going to have to shut the place down for repairs. We probably won’t recognize the place once it’s done.
Too many changes too fast.
I kneel down, setting a tipped over spriggan lamp back on its end. After being locked in a lava lamp, it pains me even more to see the little guys caged like this. Lifting the hurricane glass off the lamp, I zap the binding potion holding the spriggan, neutralizing its power. The tiny creature looks up at me in surprise, but doesn’t move.
“Go on, you’re free,” I tell it.
When it doesn’t move, I stand up and look around. Where is everybody? India and Pandora must’ve wanted to take care of burying Nyx right away. I can’t say as I blame them. But where’d they go? I need to be there.
“Edge?”
I turn to see Sienna coming out of the ladies can. She’s bundled from head to toe in Pandora’s baggy clothes and carrying an umbrella. “I was hoping to be gone before you came back.”
A dull ache snakes through me. “Where will you go?”
She stares out the broken window at the new day. “I don’t know.”
“Stay,” I say, grabbing her hand. “We can work this out.”
Tears cling to her long lashes. “No, I have to leave. You’ll see why.”
I frown at her. “Sienna, you don’t have to–”
The door to the smoking lounge opens. The sound of saxophones and synthy riffs spill into the quiet room. Sienna’s hand slips out of mine as I turn to see who’s standing in the shadowy doorway.
I nearly fall over. It’s Nyx. She’s alive!
I don’t know how long I stand there staring before she finally walks over to me. “What’s up, fuzz nuts?”
Nothing comes out when I open my mouth to speak. She’s different, very different. She’s not wearing her eye patch. I’ve never seen her without it. Wide, almond shaped eyes the shade of polished granite stare back at me, stopping my heart. The patch interfered with the perfect symmetry of her face, hiding the smooth planes of fine features I never fully appreciated. She’s downright irresistible. Yet I find myself missing that flinty one-eyed stare. I didn’t know until this moment that her imperfections made her all the more compelling to me. Not that I’m complaining. I’ll take her either way.
“Damn, girl, you’re lookin’ fine,” I say under my breath. “Bring it in.”
Smiling, she steps into my arms, the top of her head sliding in under my chin like she was tailor made for me. As I glide my hands along her back something thin and wispy vibrates under my palms. I let go and step back. “What the–?”
Nyx turns and glances over her shoulder, laughing at my reaction. She’s got pixie wings. Full on iridescent, dragonfly wings sticking out above the halter-top she changed into. That’s when it hits me. She wasn’t just brought back to life. She’s been reborn.
“You used to have wings?” I ask.
“Yup. They shriveled and fell off after I started leaning too heavily on my shadow elf powers.” She stretches her wings out, letting them twitch and vibrate. “I like ‘em though. Of course, there’s no wearing my colors any time soon. It’s tube tops for me until these suckers toughen up. They’re super sensitive right now and don’t like being weighed down.”
Shaking my head, I smile. “Things could be worse. You could be stone cold, six feet under.”
“Hey, no gripes here,” she says, stepping close again. “You’ve given me a second chance.” She presses her chest against mine. My heartstone sparks hot, pulsating in time with hers. “I’m Seelie again,” she whispers.
“Yeah,” I say leaning within inches of her upturned face, “I kinda got that.”
“Now you won’t be the only weirdo in the gang.” Smiling mischievously, she grabs my hand and pulls me toward the smoking lounge. “Come on, you look awful, like you’re ready for the big dirt nap. You’ve gotta kick your feet up and chill out.”
“I don’t know. Is it even safe to ease up? The place is trashed. Anybody can come stormin’ in.”
“I get it, you’re shell-shocked. Trust me, you can relax. We’re good. India rolled out the neutrality spell and warded the place against anybody who doesn’t know Rade’s bounty’s been lifted, on account of him being dead. Plus she whipped up a super nasty repelling spell for Maddox in case he’s able to somehow undo her hex bag. What’d you do with him, by the way?”
“Dropped him in the Sahara.”
“I like it.” Smiling, she turns and pulls me along.
I start to follow, but then I remember Sienna. “Wait, I…”
Nyx’s smile vanishes. “She’s gone, Edge.”
“What?” I run across the room and push through the door. It’s still early. Surf Ave is quiet and empty. There’s no movement on the street other than the shredded bits of firecrackers, roman candles, mini flags and fast food litter skidding over the asphalt in the morning breeze.
I should go after her, but I don’t. Is it exhaustion? Or is it Nyx? Unsure of the answer, I let the question hang. The thought of chasing after Sienna makes me want to puke.
I glance back through the broken window of Magic Brew to where Nyx is waiting for me. A warm feeling spreads through my stomach and rises to my throat, filling me with a sudden longing. Everything in me wants to go to her. My face relaxes into a tired smile as I wander back inside. Without a word, Nyx takes my hand, pulling me past the mess of tipped over tables and chairs. Willingly I follow, my stiff, sore legs growing heavier with each step.
She pushes the lounge door open. It sounds like India pulled out the old vinyls. The needle’s set on the grooves of some classic Pink Floyd, and the lounge is hazy with smoke. As soon as we step inside, a mixture of sweet, earthy blends fills my nose. Of course Knox has to go and taint the air with his ragweed crap. But hey, he could be smoking a dog turd for all I care. I’m just glad to be home.
Everyone’s sprawled out and asleep, or close to it. Nyx pulls me down on one of the low-lying mattresses. Feels like I’m falling into a cloud as I stretch over the soft velour, my head sinking into the silk cushions.
Being back here is sweet, but so much has changed. There’s no returning to the way things were. Our gang’s been broken, and I have to wonder if we’ll pull together or end up drifting apart.
The weight of everything that’s happened is crushing.
Nyx leans over me, a bright shimmer in the blue murk of my mind. She bends down, whispering in my ear, “Let it go, Edge. Let it all go. Leave it for tomorrow.”
The song’s relentless guitar lick swiftly doubles in volume, lifting the tempo of my thoughts to a higher plane. New possibilities flicker in and out of existence as I’m carried upward on the guitar’s steel currents. Along the edge of my awareness the lyrics of Shine On You Crazy Diamond grab hold, lifting me out of my bluesy funk.
“Yeah,” I say to Nyx with a sleepy
smile, “we need to shine on.”
Her face disappears behind the curtain of my drooping eyelids. As I freefall into the black, her soft lips find mine. Our tongues meet and I drink her sweet pixie nectar. Soaking into my bloodstream, she rockets straight to my core, and together, we blaze into pure liquid lightning.
Thank you for reading!
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FORSAKEN GANG STATS:
Tag: Circle of thorns with crossed ‘F’
Territory: Southwestern Brooklyn
Colors: Red leather jackets
MADDOX
Species: Warlock infected with Vampirism
Rank: President and founder
Age: Over 200 years old
Known for: Black magic
EDGE
Species: Djinn / Highborn Seelie
Rank: Second in command (joined the gang at the age of 9)
Age: 19 years old
Known for: Teleportation and transmutation
ZULU
Species: Witchdoctor / Zambezi River Demon
Rank: Old timer (joined the gang in 1975)
Age: Nobody knows, but he looks like he’s in his late 20’s
Known for: Blowpipe with darts dipped in confusion potion
KNOX
Species: Fire Elemental / Redcap (Unseelie Fae)
Rank: Old timer (joined the gang at the age of 13)
Age: 28 years old
Known for: Fire
FLETCHER
Species: Air Elemental / Lenape Mishipeshu Demon
Rank: Old timer (joined the gang at the age of 12)
Magic Brew Page 23