Immortal's Spring (The Chrysomelia Stories)

by Molly Ringle

  “True,” Freya said. “It’s not like only former immortals could understand about this realm.”

  “Well,” Adrian said, “there should be plenty of orange to go around if we add a few more names. Anyone for us to think on?”

  “Zoe’s parents.” Niko smiled at her. “I propose them officially.”

  “And your dad?” Zoe said to Adrian.

  He lowered his gaze. “Nah, he won’t do it. I’ve tried.”

  A pang of sympathy struck Sophie. Adrian’s mother was already dead, and if his father wouldn’t accept immortality, eventually he would age and die too. Their souls, like her own parents, would someday leave the Underworld to be reborn, and would be temporarily lost to their children. She and he would have that grief in common, some year in the future. All of that flashed through her mind within a few seconds, and complex though it was, she could have sworn he thought the same thing. Because he glanced up at her after a moment, and the solemnity in his eyes seemed to carry all those notions.

  “Anyone else, then?” Niko looked around the circle.

  No one spoke up. Surely they’d already pondered this. Sophie had too. Tab was already immortal, Liam and Rosie already on the list, her parents out of reach. She had no one else to add. She wasn’t even sure she’d accept for herself; how could she throw anyone else onto the horns of this gigantic decision?

  “So it’s those five,” Adrian said after the spell of silence. “Sophie, Liam, Rosie, and Zoe’s mum and dad. We can propose more in the future as we see fit. Do we adjourn to vote later, like in the old days, or…”

  “In this case,” Freya said, “we know everyone well enough and have already been thinking about it. We could vote today.”

  So after a brief break, Sophie returned with some of her empty plastic plant pots and a chunk of white chalk. Niko picked each pot up and chalked a candidate’s initials on the side. Zoe dumped a pile of beach pebbles into the middle of the circle, some white and some black.

  “Those voting, take five of each color,” Zoe said.

  While the immortals picked up their stones, Sophie beckoned to Liam. “Come on. Let’s take a walk.”

  They walked together toward the river, letting Rosie stay asleep near the group.

  “So you’re going to become immortal if they let you?” Sophie asked her brother.

  “Duh. What, you’re not?”

  “There’s something to be said for a normal life.”

  “Like what?”

  Sophie folded her arms and studied the river. “For starters, not having people get all suspicious of you because you’re not aging.”

  “Versus not aging. Hello.”

  “Not being a target of Thanatos.”

  “Being strong enough to destroy Thanatos.”

  “Being…you know, normal.”

  “Never getting diseases,” Liam countered.

  “Okay, I admit that one is really tempting.”

  “All right, guys!” Zoe called from across the field.

  They abandoned the debate and walked back to the group.

  The smiles wreathing every face told them the answer even before Sophie’s gaze fell upon the scattering of all-white stones next to each pot.

  “Congrats,” Zoe said. “All of you are in.”

  “Huh.” Liam shoved Sophie lightly. “That’s a pretty wide smile for someone who ‘isn’t sure.’”

  “I’m just happy for you and Rosie and Zoe’s folks.” But Sophie met Adrian’s gaze again, and read the speculation in it. Her mind was doing some heavy speculating of its own.

  She’d been willing and prepared to eat the fruit a couple of months ago. Her circumstances were different now, and so would be some of her reasons for eating or not eating it. She loved Adrian, and still intended to become his lover again eventually. Judging from his teenage writings, she would have loved him even if they’d both been mortals, clueless about this realm, and had happened to meet somehow in real life. Zoe’s old files had laid Sophie’s doubts about their compatibility to rest.

  But Adrian was immortal now, and they did have this other realm and all their memories to deal with, and she did have to consider all of that as well. Besides, to become a worthy immortal herself, she had to stand strong on her own as a human with something valuable to contribute to the world, not just as someone who loved another immortal. She needed to be completely sure before popping a wedge of blue orange into her mouth.

  Adrian broke eye contact with her and looked around at everyone else. “Okay then. I’d say meeting adjourned, so we can get back to the task of stopping this attempted invasion. Suppose it’s time to try our hand at forming a ghost army.”

  Freya caught her breath. “He’s here.”

  Everyone’s gaze shot to her. Sophie’s heart tightened in fear.

  “Zeus,” Freya said. “Tracy. I just began to sense him. He’s somewhere close by.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Tracy and Tenebra stood outside the entrance to Diros Caves and examined the hillside that encased the cave system. The glamours they wore ensured that no one gave them a second glance. For all Tracy knew, they looked like employees or bus drivers or extra rocks. Tourists paid their admission and disappeared inside for their subterranean boat tour, but that wouldn’t be Tracy’s way in today.

  “We can’t very well switch realms from within a boat full of people, I suppose, even with glamours on,” Tracy remarked.

  “Well, we’d fall in the water. And returning would then be trickier.”

  “So shall we try from outside?”

  “Might as well.” Tenebra cast him a sultry look from under her eyelashes.

  Yes, he could bed her soon if he wanted. Oh, there was Yuliya to be cast aside first, but she had to know the hook-up had about run through its appeal. He’d taken her to dinner the other night and behaved nicely enough; it was as good a way to end an affair as any. But that could be dealt with later. The Underworld awaited.

  He leaned his back against the rocks and encased Tenebra beneath his arm. In his hand he held the gold leaf and the fresh strawberry tree leaves. He reached for the other realm.

  And got thrown back. It felt like bumping straight into a wall. He blinked and tried again, and got rebuffed again.

  “Stop.” Tenebra sounded satisfied, of all strange things.

  He frowned down at her.

  “It’s magically protected,” she said. “I can feel it. A ward, a good strong one. That tells us all we need to know, don’t you think? This is the site.”

  “Ah.” He looked up the rocky hillside. “How I’d love to see it, though.”

  “We will. I must bring extra supplies next time, is all. Then I can dismantle the ward and let us through.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Of course. You doubt me?” But she said that with a sultry glance too.

  He smiled. “Never. But shouldn’t we at least try to get through today?”

  She shook her head. “If they are in there, which they probably are, whoever set up this ward will know when it is broken, and would likely attack us. Our invasion would be over before it has begun.”

  “Very well. I regret not getting a look in, but you’re right. Best to bring our army when we do enter.”

  She nodded. “Do we move everyone closer to here?”

  Tracy slipped his various leaves back into his coat pockets. “I rather think not. We’re likely being watched, at least whenever they manage to catch a glimpse when our glamours wear off. So let’s stay over on Zakynthos—most of us, anyway. Let them think we’re entirely on the wrong track. Maybe they’ll relax their guard a bit too much.”

  ***

  “And now he’s leaving,” Freya said. She peeked out from behind the boulder in the living world, where she, Zoe, Niko, and Adrian were hiding. They hadn’t dared let Tracy and the unknown woman see them—no good letting them know they’d hit the right site. “He’s getting into the taxi,” Freya added.

  “That’s them
, the couple getting into the taxi?” Adrian was confused. “But he looks nothing like Tracy. And I don’t know who the woman is.”

  “The sense. I’m telling you, it’s him.”

  “Could be a good disguise.” Niko sounded reluctant to believe his own suggestion. “A really good disguise.”

  “Or magic.” Zoe squinted at them. “But Thanatos has never used magic before. Have they? I’d have to get closer to tell, and I don’t dare.”

  “Well, they’re researching how to switch realms, so anything’s possible,” Adrian said.

  “But they didn’t switch realms today,” Zoe said. “I mean, I can’t tell from here if they tried and the wards made them fail, but…”

  “We don’t know that they ever have switched realms, in fact,” Niko pointed out. “And even if they are hiring magical practitioners, none of them could compare to you, love.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Zoe sounded wretched with worry. “There’ve always been people born with a talent for it. If they study and work at it, they can become quite strong.”

  Concerned, Adrian looked at her. “Do you know of anyone who can use magic the way you can?”

  “Not in this life, but only because I haven’t properly been looking. They could be out there. In past lives, there’ve been some who’ve come close. I studied with them, when I was practicing witchcraft in one life or another.”

  “Ah, but,” Freya said, “they cannot use it for evil without it bouncing back upon them threefold. Right?”

  “Hm, well.” Zoe wrung one hand inside the other. “You always hear about ways to get round that. To twist the powers to do what you like. I mean, it might rebound on you unexpectedly someday, and in any case you’d serve serious time in Tartaros after you died. But if you didn’t care about that, or didn’t believe in it…”

  They stared grimly after the departing taxi.

  “Still,” Niko said. “We don’t know for sure.”

  “But they came here.” Adrian set his teeth together. “I do not like it.”

  “We have wards,” Freya said. “And soon we’ll have a ghost army.” But she sounded worried too.

  ***

  “You found the Underworld?” Krystal’s eyes gleamed with malice. Or maybe bloodlust. With her, bloodlust was always likelier. “Let’s do it! I’m so ready.”

  “You aren’t.” Tracy cast a stern look at her legs, though nowadays she stood on them without crutches. “You’re coming along brilliantly with your physical therapy, but I’d feel much better if you gave it another week.”

  “God damn it, Tracy—”

  “You’re one of my best soldiers.” He used his most soothing and syrupy tone. Might as well turn up the charm, even though she’d never want to sleep with him, and the feeling was mutual. “I want you in tip-top shape so you can charge in there, guns blazing, just like you want to. All right?”

  She pouted, her lips painted with that absurd fuchsia lipstick. “Fine.”

  “And,” Tracy added, “tonight you and I will go over the layout of the cave. I’ve found geologic maps for Diros. They may be useful, since landscape forms tend to be similar in the other realm, as far as I’ve seen. I want your thoughts on what equipment we’ll need.”

  He already had plenty of thoughts, but might as well flatter her. It worked; her pout smoothed into a calculating smile.

  Tracy turned to Yuliya. He smiled and laid his hands on her shoulders. “For you, dear, I’ve a very important job. I need someone on the mainland to put together the army. Someone discreet, someone I can trust. It can only be you.”

  She pouted too. “For how long? A week?”

  “A week, perhaps ten days. Let’s see how it goes. Then we’ll all be together again.”

  Her reluctance to leave him sang in her sad, round eyes, and she shot a distrustful glance at Tenebra. But finally she nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  “Lovely.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Let’s slip you out tonight, under a glamour. Hopefully our enemies won’t even notice you’ve gone for a couple of days, and by then they’ll find it hard to locate you.”

  After all, it seemed to be Krystal and possibly even himself who suffered from this uncanny tracking issue. Tenebra had done her best to scan them for any magical trace, but had shrugged and said she detected nothing. The immortals’ abilities were truly mysterious, and dangerous. Good thing Tracy and his team were about to kill them all.

  Also a good thing Yuliya would be off to the mainland, leaving him free to seduce Tenebra. He beamed at his team, and managed not to rub his hands together in glee.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Niko upended a rucksack and spilled a pile of lethal-looking combat knives on the pale grass at Adrian’s and Zoe’s feet. “Fifty for now,” he said. “Can acquire more as needed.”

  “Do I want to know if you paid for these?” Zoe asked.

  “Better still, I stole them from a group who shouldn’t have them. I’ll say no more.”

  Adrian ran his eyes over the weapons and nodded. They’d agreed guns would be too risky to strap to souls, since accidentally-fired bullets could do a lot of damage to any innocent mortals who happened to be around—such as Sophie and Liam. Knives would suffice for the time being.

  “Well, then.” Adrian looked up at the souls of Terry and Louis, Terry’s father, who had both drawn closer to examine the knives. Adrian switched to the Underworld tongue and raised his voice to address all the nearest souls. “Your attention a minute, please. I—we—need your help. We’re looking for souls willing to defend the Underworld, and us. We’d attach these knives to you, the way we’ve done for some of the guards already. We’re expecting an attack soon from Thanatos, the group who thinks no one should be immortal. But we’ll probably need guards even after that, so the post would be for as long as you can spare the time.” His voice faltered. “It might mean killing someone. I…I don’t know what that translates to in the judging system, killing someone after you’re already dead; if that calls for punishment or…”

  “Not in self defense,” Zoe protested. “Nor defense of someone else. Stopping a would-be lethal attack.”

  “I hope not.” Adrian looked in desperation across the vast fields of souls. “But I understand if you don’t want to do it, so…just, whoever’s willing. If we don’t have more guards, the cult might get in here and destroy us, along with the tree of immortality and everything they can lay their hands on. So, please. Anyone. And…thank you.”

  The message rippled outward in a murmur.

  “Well, you’ve got us two.” Terry nodded toward his father’s soul. “But you knew that.”

  “And me.” Isabel’s soul wandered over.

  “Thank you,” Adrian said with sincerity.

  “And obviously us.” The voice was behind him, and he turned to find Sanjay, Rhea, and his mother.

  “Thanks,” Adrian repeated. “Though I hope it’s not just you lot.”

  “It won’t be.” Zoe was watching the crowd. “See. Here they come.”

  Individual souls threaded their way through the masses and came forward. Adrian noted five or six at first, then more came into view from farther out. And more, and more. They formed a loose ring all around, young and old and in between. Most were grown men and women, but some were boys and girls as young as ten or eleven.

  “The children—no, we can’t,” Adrian said to his friends.

  “Why not?” Niko studied the accumulating volunteers. “They can’t get hurt. And how creepy would it be to have the ghost of a child coming at you with a knife? That’d shake the resolve of even the nastiest thug, I bet you.”

  “He’s right, you know,” Zoe said.

  “Well. Then perhaps.”

  “Hey, is that Freddie Mercury?” she said with fascination. “I think it is.”

  “Indeed.” Niko gave Freddie a thumbs-up. “Tabitha made friends with him, I gather.”

  “And Ciaran! Hi, Ciaran.” Zoe exchanged waves with the soul of the
Irishman killed by Erick Tracy.

  As Adrian turned and scanned all the faces, another realization struck him. His breath caught, and tears filled his eyes.

  Zoe noticed his reaction. “What?”

  “They’re…” He cleared his throat. “Most of these are people I helped. The murder victims. The ones I placed anonymous tips for, to get their murderers caught.”

  “Someone needs to be down here doing that,” a man in his forties said—a shopkeeper in Texas, killed in a late-night hold-up, Adrian remembered. “We want to keep you around.”

  “You helped us. We want to help you,” a young woman said. Australian, kidnapped and murdered by a neighbor.

  “I—I didn’t know if anyone would be willing,” Adrian said.

  An older woman smiled. From India, killed by a niece no one had suspected. “All you had to do was ask,” she said.

  “Thank you.” This time Adrian’s voice vibrated with gratitude.

  Zoe swung her arm around him.

  Among the milling souls Adrian spotted two solid figures: Sophie and Liam, just outside the ring of volunteer soldiers. Sophie must have witnessed the gathering, seen the loyalty of these souls to Adrian. Now she met his gaze across the crowd, her sweet, proud smile shining brighter than any soul.

  He smiled back.

  “Well, this is far more than fifty,” Niko remarked. “I am going to have to get more knives.”

  ***

  Landon’s terror had diminished, which was perhaps strange, in his situation. Then again, the immortals and their cohorts were still not torturing him, and seemed unlikely ever to do so. So it did seem he could ease up on the fear. Instead new emotions had taken its place. Longing, for one.

  Lately his heart rate picked up whenever Niko appeared for a guard shift. And he then missed Niko when others guarded him, even though Niko didn’t talk to him much, and usually only teased him or said something annoyingly enigmatic if Landon did try to strike up a conversation. Still, he caught glances from those green eyes that carried at least pity, maybe even the echo of past-life fondness. Landon didn’t delude himself into thinking there was much in the way of current fondness. But he was also pretty sure Niko didn’t actively hate him. Like, maybe if they were strangers who met in a club, Niko might even welcome his advances. Probably just for one night, but still, that was more pleasant to think about than a lot of the other topics on Landon’s mind these days.