Conduit

by Maria Rachel Hooley

  Celia looked at Riley with hope growing in her eyes. “Can the mark be erased?”

  “No. There’s no erasing an eternal mark.”

  “Can it be hidden?” Evan suggested, clasping his hands together.

  Riley shrugged. “I do not know. I’d have to spend some time examining Elizabeth to know.”

  Celia and Evan exchanged looks before Evan finally spoke. “We still don’t know how to find her.”

  Rile stepped to the window and looked out. “Not true.”

  “What do you mean?” Celia straightened, glancing back to make sure she hadn’t woken Lev.

  “Before dispatching the dybbuk, I put a tracker on its essence. Wherever it came from, that trail will lead us back to its lair and hopefully Elizabeth, as well.” Riley folded his arms across his chest. He nodded to Lev. “He’d best rest up tonight because tomorrow we head out, and it’s going to be a tough trip. We all need to get focused.”

  Riley didn’t wait for a response, though none was needed. Instead, he strode down the hallway toward one of the bedrooms, leaving Celia and Evan to watch Lev.

  “The human part of him is getting worse, Evan.” Celia shook her head. “You know, I really wanted to believe his becoming mortal would be a good thing, but every day I see signs of bad things happening—of things going terribly wrong. His compass seems to just spin in a circles. If Elizabeth can’t be found or we can’t get her back, he’ll never get over it.”

  Evan nodded. “I know. Part of me thinks it’s neither in his best interest or ours to take him along, but I’m guessing he’ll be worse—impossible, even—if we leave him behind.”

  Celia licked her lips and slid a hand over her brother’s. “So what do we do, then? How can we make this better?”

  “I don’t know. We’re just going to have to try to hold everything together and pray we can see this through, for both their sakes.

  * * *

  “Lev, you need to wake up.”

  A hand lightly jostled his shoulder, and a dull ache filled him, reminding him of what he’d experienced the previous night.

  Sluggish, Lev forced open his eyes and immediately regretted it. The dull florescent lighting made his head ache, and he wanted nothing more than to drift back toward unconsciousness.

  “What’s going on?” he muttered, blinking as he forced himself into a sitting position. As he realized he wasn’t wearing his t-shirt, he stared at his chest and quickly spotted a softball-sized bruise morphing into a mottled shade of greyish-purple that made him never want to move again. He didn’t even want to think about something coming into contact with it and the wake of fiery pain it might bring.

  “We’re going to be hitting the road in a few minutes. You need to get ready.”

  Disoriented and confused, Lev frowned and ran his fingers through his hair. “Where?”

  “To track the dybbuks and maybe find Elizabeth before you do anything else that’s stupid,” Riley said as he sauntered into the room.

  “Perhaps you could lay off him at least until noon,” Celia snapped, obviously out of patience.

  Riley rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Princess. Just make sure he’s up and out front sooner rather than later—that is, unless he wants to stay behind, which would suit me just fine.” Riley strode away.

  “One of these days, the two of us are going to have some serious words,” Lev muttered, reaching for his shirt.

  “Well, make it some other day. You look like crap.” Celia handed him his bag and pointed to his shoes. “I’ve put a bag together for you.”

  “How is it Mr. Testosterone doesn’t set you off?” Lev asked. He struggled into his shirt and tugged on his shoes. Considering his vision was still just a little sleep-blurry, tying his laces took most everything he had.

  “Who says he doesn’t?” She pushed the hair from her face.

  “Then why do you trust him?” Lev found himself breathing with difficulty, as echoes of last night’s pain yet lingered, reminding him.

  “He’s a jerk, but he’s also Elizabeth’s best hope.” She watched Lev carefully. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Like I got the crap beaten out of me.” He sighed, suddenly consumed by the way hope seemed to fly from him, leaving him empty.

  “We’re going to find her,” Celia reassured him. “But first we have to get you on your feet.” She stood and offered her hand, which he took.

  “There’s food in here.” Celia handed him the bag. “And bottled water in case you get thirsty.”

  Reluctantly, Lev took it. “Sounds like you’ve thought of everything.”

  “Of course. I’m still your little sister.”

  “That you are.”

  The two stepped outside to find the others waiting. As soon as Griffin saw Lev, he frowned but wisely kept his questions to himself.

  “All right,” Riley said. “I guess this is it. I’ve locked onto the location of the dybbuks who attacked Lev. It’s not too far, and we’ll attack at nightfall. The last thing we need is for someone driving by to notice something and step into the middle of this, giving the dybbuks more bodies to occupy. Griffin and Lev, you have weapons in your bags.” Riley focused on them. “Stay with a partner, and we’ll get through this. For now, let’s just get underway.

  The small group divided into two smaller parties—Celia and Lev climbing into the Jeep and the other three following in Griffin’s vehicle. Even as Lev eased behind the wheel, a flood of memories rushed through him. This was her car, her place. How many times had he seen her here, smiling at him through the open window, hair raven black in the sun—eyes dazzling. Selfishly, he grabbed at them, those memories, but they fled, leaving Lev more despondent than ever. It was one thing never to know what a person had to lose but another to know exactly.

  Lev and Celia watched Griffin zoom past, obviously taking his cues from Riley. Lev pulled out after, wondering just where the dybbuks might be holed up, not that it much mattered. The only thing Lev could hope was that the road ahead would lead him to Elizabeth. That was all he could think about.

  “You ready for this?” Celia asked over the throaty purr of the Jeep’s engine.

  “I wish I knew.” Lev leaned back, trying without success to get comfortable.

  “If Riley can get us to where we need to go, it’ll be worth it, won’t it?”

  “Of course.” He noticed Griffin following suit, figuring he was headed for the highway. “How does Griffin feel about him? You seem to talk about everything these days, you and Griffin, I mean.”

  A guilty flush crept into Celia’s face, and she hastily looked away. “Griffin doesn’t like him, either. He’s just less obvious about it than you.”

  Lev nodded and changed the subject. “Does Griffin know how you feel about him?” He watched her out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her to give something away.

  Celia glanced toward the window, obviously trying to put an end to the conversation.

  “I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “Celia, you’re not fooling anyone, least of all me, and I’m the one person who understands this situation better than anyone. I’ve been living it, remember? So, tell me—does he know how you feel?”

  She swallowed hard. “Yes.” The answer came out a strangled and vulnerably human whisper.

  “What’re you going to do?” He watched as, just ahead, Griffin merged onto the highway.

  “There’s nothing to be done.”

  Lev cocked one eyebrow. “So I take it he doesn’t feel the same?”

  “I didn’t say that.” The flush deepened. “Look, can we just talk about something else?” She leaned back, still looking away.

  “And what good will that do? Whether we talk about it or not, it’s not going away, and how you feel isn’t going to change.”

  “Which is why I should stop things before they go too far.” Her voice sounded tired.

  “You’re afraid, aren’t you?” His voice sounded rough. “You’ve seen how difficult
it’s been, right?”

  “It’s not about you, Lev.” She chewed her bottom lip. “This is about Griffin and me.”

  Lev let out a hard laugh. “I’ve never heard you lie before, Celia. It doesn’t suit you.”

  “It can’t work, Lev. Look at what happened for you and Elizabeth—it’s been hard for both of you, and now this!”

  “It doesn’t matter what’s happening. I’d not change a second of it. Never.”

  Celia took a shaky breath. “Can we just stop talking about this? Please.”

  He glanced at her profile and realized that no matter what he said, this was a battle she had to fight and a choice she had to make.

  “All right,” he agreed. “If that’s what you want.” Lev gritted his teeth and shut up. Considering the mistakes he’d made in the last few days, he knew he was in no position to offer advice. Maybe he might if he ever got this human head on straight, but not now.

  “I’ll be so glad when this is all over,” Celia murmured. She rolled the window down to get some fresh air.

  “That makes two of us. Any idea where we’re headed?”

  “At the moment toward Knoxville,” she said, pointing to a passing road sign. “Beyond that, I’ve no clue.”

  “And that doesn’t make you just a little uneasy?” He narrowed his eyes, trying to see just how much faith she’d put in Riley to get them all through this mess.

  “Of course it does, but there’re lots of things that do that, so I have to be particular about which ones I give power.”

  Sensing he wasn’t going to be able to push Celia into buying into his distrust of Riley, he chose not to respond. What was there to say? As he drove, he felt himself drifting toward sleep once again, not that he hadn’t gotten plenty. No, it probably had more to do with the quality of said sleep and how all the stress had kept him from letting everything go. Still, as much as he wanted to give in, he refused. He’d just have to do his best.

  His best, under the circumstances, ended up managing to stay awake for the next several hours and exiting off the highway after Griffin. The exit he’d taken was in the middle of nowhere, as though everyone and everything had forgotten about it.

  “I’d love to know where he’s dragging us to,” Lev muttered dryly.

  “I think you’re about to get your wish,” Celia replied as they pulled into the tarmac of an old gas station, one that hadn’t been in business a long time. Its weathered sign offered gas for less than a dollar a gallon.

  “What do you mean?” Lev asked, frowning at the building clearly not big enough to host the kind of party he thought they’d be attending. Had Riley dragged them on a wild goose chase?

  “Look over there.” Celia pointed across the highway at a dilapidated factory just as deserted as the gas station. Lev had to admit it had promise.

  “You may be right,” Lev agreed quietly and pulled in beside Griffin.

  “Thanks for that vote of confidence, big brother.” She shook her head and folded her arms over her chest, obviously annoyed.

  “It does look like the perfect hideaway, doesn’t it?” Lev asked, torquing the key from the ignition and opening his door. He grabbed for the bag he’d been given, but as he started to get out, Celia grabbed his arm.

  “And what do you think you’re doing?”

  “You don’t think we’re going to need weapons?”

  Celia shook her head. “While there might be dybbuks around here. I don’t see them coming out in broad daylight. Once the sun goes down, yes, but not now. They aren’t as strong during the day. Besides, if someone sees you with that, it’s going to cause more problems when they call the cops.”

  “I’d still rather have a weapon.” His hand drifted absently across his chest where the dybbuk had touched him. Celia glared at him unblinkingly.

  Reluctantly, Lev sighed. As he shoved the keys into his pocket, he followed Celia to where the others had gathered. At their approach, Riley suddenly disappeared, and immediately, Left felt his chest tighten, and his breath quickened.

  “Where’d he go?” Lev’s heart hammered in his chest.

  “He’s taking a quick look around to try to get a feel for whatever we’re walking into.”

  “And you let him go alone,” Lev seethed. “Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d just gone with him?”

  Evan offered a pointed stare. “He’ll tell us what we need to know.”

  Or whatever he thinks we need to know, Lev thought. Still, despite his anger and frustration with his father’s obvious confidence in Riley, he said nothing aloud. There was no point. What was done was done.

  In spite of Lev’s silence, Celia must’ve guess his thoughts as she nudged him with her elbow and shot him a warning glance.

  He stared defiantly.

  Griffin cleared his throat and kicked at a dandelion flowering up amid a crack in the concrete, along which numerous other weeds had found places to bloom as well. He carefully avoided looking at Lev.

  Great, Lev thought. Trust the cocky angel instead of me, Elizabeth’s boyfriend, who was willing to sacrifice everything he was just to save her life. His body stiffened with outrage. He’d loved her more than anything, yet when it all came down to it, the very sacrifice he’d made had transformed him into something fallible and broken—a human capable only of disappointment and failure.

  The silence flourished around them, and Lev suspected that because of his inability to embrace and trust Riley, he had, in essence, become the elephant in the room, and there was nothing he could do about it, so he tried to distract himself by taking in the features of the landscape—a deserted station with tarmac so cracked it looked like some weird landscaping experiment gone wrong, edged in by tall grass and overrun with clusters of dandelions and milkweed. A few butterflies fluttered here and there in apparent search of something even they didn’t know they lacked.

  A smile touched Lev’s lips despite the situation, and he forced himself to peer out from amid the stand of trees they’d hidden themselves behind toward the factory, a dark brick structure decorated with both tagging and graffiti in a wide array of colors. Its numerous windows had either been long since shattered. Three decades ago, or thereabout, the building might’ve been new, but not now.

  Its deserted parking lot appeared green, as many weeds had overtaken the concrete there, too. Litter had blown into the area and the wind still clutched at the debris, whirling it around like bits of large snowflakes. A feeling of desertion and decay lingered—the air of forgottenness.

  Nothing moved. Nothing stirred.

  Lev wondered perhaps if Riley were wrong—or worse, could it be a trap? While that thought seized him, trying to overpower him, he resisted going that far, saying his imagination was just getting away from him. It was one thing to admit he didn’t like Riley.

  What if Riley actually could give him a chance he desperately needed?

  Still staring, Lev didn’t sense Riley’s return and was startled when the angel appeared beside him.

  “It’s quiet now,” Riley said, “but there’s definitely a bunch of dybbuks in there. If I’m right, there’s probably an angel, too, and I don’t want to get close enough to give us away.”

  “How do you know?” Lev asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  “I saw the dybbuks, and while I can’t be sure of the number, when I peered in at the windows—at least as much as I could—I saw five.”

  “And Elizabeth?” Lev felt his heart speed up.

  Riley slowly shook his head. “I saw dybbuks, nothing more.”

  Lev felt a surge of anger well up inside him, burning along with the pain.

  “Then why are we here?” Lev exploded. Even he still buried his hands in his pockets, he felt his fingers curling into fists, and he longed to hit something—anything—and would’ve had he thought it’d make him feel better, but deep down, he knew the only thing that was going to make a difference was finding Elizabeth, so there was no point.

  They all stared at hi
m like he’d gone mad. Perhaps he had.

  “Because, even if she isn’t here, I’m willing to bet one of them knows where she is, and that will tell us where to go next.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Griffin asked, staring past Lev at Riley.

  “We attack now. I’d planned to wait because even though the location is isolated, we can’t risk any human interaction. Still, the dybbuks appear to be resting, unaware we are here. We have the element of surprise, and with any luck, we might be able to save some of the hosts because they aren’t prepared.”

  Evan nodded grimly. “Let’s do it, then.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “So how are we going to do this?” Celia asked, focusing on Riley in the same way she used to look at Lev for guidance and clarification.

  “We need to split up.” Riley pointed at Lev and Evan. “You two go together to the back door.” He turned to Celia. “You take Griffin to the north side of the building and try to gain entry there. The more different ways we can attack, the better.”

  “And you’re going to be doing what while all this is happening?” Lev demanded, his voice rising impatiently.

  “Causing a ruckus at the front door to cover all of you.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Have you got a problem with that?”

  Although Lev opened his mouth, prepared to shoot off some smart-assed answer, he realized everyone was staring at him as though his stupid mortal temper held them back. He swallowed the anger, but its bitter taste wouldn’t leave him. Still, he couldn’t keep going like this, not without derailing everything.

  “No, no problem. You’re the one leading the show, not me.” His back and shoulders stiffened, and Lev wished he were the one in charge, which was where he should’ve been all along—in charge and not trapped in this human body, making every possible mistake. Lev averted his gaze, feeling the tension worsen by the moment. “Looks like I’ll be needing that sword.”

  “Yeah,” she managed. “Guess you will.” Frowning, she locked gazes with him, and he felt the weight of her stare might push him into the ground—bury him there. She was worried, and he wished he knew what to say to make her feel she could believe in him again.