by H. M. Ward
His gaze was wide, as he stared unbelievingly at my mark. “It can’t be you…”
“It is.” I swallowed hard, “I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want it. It happened to me. I don’t even know why. The only thing I know is what I saw in my visions.” I tentatively reached my hand out, but he backed away. I stood, giving him more space. “I need you. None of this stops unless you help me. Killing me doesn’t change things either. The demons still come. Soon. I saw it.” I placed the comb into my jean pocket. I wouldn’t hide who I was, and I wouldn’t fight him.
Eric’s face was white. His fingers twitched on the hilt of his sword. Anger seared his words. “I’ve been tracking the purple demon—the Prophecy One—for nearly two millennia. She’s supposed to become ruler of the Underworld. How did you… ?” His muscles tensed. “How is it you?” Betrayal burned behind his eyes.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Shannon thinks I swallowed demon blood the night I was attacked, but I don’t remember. I didn’t do it on purpose, and I can’t change what’s already happened. Eric, the visions I saw… ”
“They match Al’s?” His brow pinched.
I nodded, “They were the same vision. The demons are coming here. The only way we stop them is with you.” He breathed in deeply. His eyes shifted from my face and then to my mark. His hand rested on his sword.
“What are you supposed to bind me with?” It was a morbid question, but I wanted to know what he was thinking. The silence was killing me. I was tired of hearing my heart thundering in my ears, waiting to die. Al was right. I should control what I can. If he planned on killing me, I had to know.
His gaze snapped to attention. “You knew I was hunting you? This whole time?”
I nodded stepping toward him. “Yes. I freaked out with good reason. I know you’re the Seeker—the Regent Polomotis. I know you were working with Julia and Al to try and find me. I know what you’re supposed to do when you find me, too. I heard Julia. I heard you.”
He shook his head and stared at me. His brow was pinched tightly. “How is it you? The prophecy—it was supposed to be someone inherently evil. You were supposed to be a demon.”
“Yeah, I’m not.” I rubbed my arms, trying to calm myself, swallowing hard.
“I can see that. But still. You can lie. You lied to me this whole time. How can I believe you?” And that was it—the moment I’d been dreading. The look of betrayal infused his entire face with disgust. But the worst part was his eyes; his amber eyes were wounded, disappointed, and disgusted. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I had nothing to say. There was absolutely no reason why he should believe me. None at all. I lied to him this entire time—about everything. Ashamed, I couldn’t bear to look at him anymore and turned away.
That’s when Al spoke from the shadows, “Because I say you can.” Her voice echoed through the hall.
Eric spun around to see her. His jaw dropped in surprise. “Sister, you knew?”
An odd smirk crossed her lips. “Of course, boy. I’m a Seyer. I saw what she was as soon as you brought her here. Thank God she told you. Now don’t mess it up and kill her.” Her candor was awesome. If she was afraid, I couldn’t hear it. She continued, “If you do, the prophecy happens anyway. What’s been done can’t be changed. She’s the catalyst, but she’s also the key.”
“But she’s the enemy!” His face contorted with rage, as his finger flew up to point at me. “She’s the force that rapes the world of good and ushers in a demonic age. Humanity will be enslaved. We’ll lose. Sister, I can’t… ” Eric’s words were cut off.
Her old voice barked. “Think boy! Don’t let the laws cloud your brain. If things have already been let loose, then what happens if you kill the gatekeeper?”
His lips pressed tightly into a straight line, as his jaw locked. He stared at me with burning hatred. I wanted to die. Seeing him look at me like that was more horrible than I’d imagined. It took every ounce of strength to stay, and be ruthlessly judged by someone who was my friend—but was now clearly my enemy. His amber gaze burned holes in me, but I wouldn’t look away.
His voice was gruff, “We can’t close the gate.” The words came out grudgingly.
Al said, “That’s right. Now if you want to be an idiot and make the prophecy come true, kill us both. If you want to stop this—let us live.”
I finally spoke, “Al, you can’t… ”
Her old bark cut off the rest of my words as she turned to me, “I can so. I said I’d protect you, and I have to, otherwise everything I’ve worked to prevent happens. It happens Eric.” She turned her haggard body back to him, shaking her head. “I can’t let it happen, no matter the cost. If you kill Ivy, you’ll have to go through me first.”
Eric eyes were wide as he looked at Sister Al. His hand gripped his hilt so tightly that his fingers turned white. For a long moment Eric said nothing. Then he pressed his sword to his mark. It became the cross I’d seen hanging around his neck at the diner. Grudgingly he said, “Sister, I respect your vision and will do as you ask. Ivy. Come with me.”
I reached for the comb slowly, unlacing it from my hair. My curls tumbled forward. I sat down on Eric’s couch. I held the cold silver in my hand. He dragged me across town, not telling me where we were going or why. His gaze rested on my mark. I knew that he didn’t trust me. “Touch it to your mark.” I pressed the silver filigree against my mark, and then lowered it. Eric’s gaze shifted to the silver. He told me that celestial silver would melt to a weapon that suited its owner. He wasn’t sure what mine would do since I had a ravaged soul and was part Valefar. But whatever he thought would happen, it must have been worth the risk of removing me from the church.
We watched as the intricate ivy on the comb became larger. It grew down and embedded into the silver. The tines increased in size. The ivy pattern shifted to look like it was etched into the silver. The tines became razor sharp as they grew. They curved like the blade of a reaper. The butterfly melted into a hilt wrapped in purple leather. It looked like a big sharp pitchfork. A single hysterical giggle escaped me. Eric’s eyes were narrow, as he watched the comb turn into a really big comb.
I felt gypped. “I thought it was supposed to turn into something useful? This is just a bigger comb.”
“Don’t question the shape of your weapon,” he scolded. “It chose you. And it chose that shape for some reason. You will need it to survive.” He moved around the apartment like he was sitting with a demon.
“Eric… ” I began.
But he stopped me, “I’m not talking about it Ivy. Al said you needed to know this—or we lose. I believe her. She can’t lie. So I’ll show you. That’s it.” He folded his arms and regarded me coldly. “You’re on your own after that.”
“Whatever,” I sulked back into the couch.
Eric moved through the room like he was looking for something. But, if he was, he didn’t tell me. His fingers finally scraped along the wall, and pulled a wooden panel forward. It looked like the rest of the wall, but it was hollow. When the panel opened, a book raised out of the space. It slid into his hand.
He walked over, with the book open, thrusting it into my hands. “This is what you do.” He hated me. I snapped the old thing away from him and looked at the pages. The book was so old that the spine barely held the pages intact. It was a handwritten book, older than any book I’d ever seen.
“What is this?” I asked.
Narrow eyes stared at me before answering, “Just look at it.”
I sighed, my eyes scanning the page, unsure of what I was looking at. There were words I couldn’t read, in letters that were foreign to me. Drawings lined the edge of the page—not pretty ones meant to enhance the contents. No, they were more like technical drawings. One was a circle; the other was a building with no windows that was surrounded by tombstones. The drawing that made my stomach lurch showed layers on top of layers with a demon at the bottom of a pit.
Something inside me reacted to the images, knowing I propelled them
into motion, but not knowing how. I turned the page and recognized a drawing before Eric snatched the book out of my hands. It was the pendant on my necklace—on Apryl’s necklace. But I couldn’t read the words around it. Why was it in his book? I didn’t have time to ponder what I’d seen.
Eric yelled, “Do you see! This happens because of you. Centuries of notes, studying what would prevent you from doing this, and it was all for nothing!” He bit his lip and hurled the book down on the table in front of me. It landed with a loud thud, and I flinched.
My eyes narrowed, as I stared at him, hating the person I saw. He was the ruthless warrior. The one Shannon warned me about. The fact that Eric could act like this pissed me off. It made everything we shared meaningless. Even if I was the one who laced our relationship with lies, I did it because I had to. He didn’t have to do this now. He didn’t have to hate me so much.
I sneered at him, as the words slid out of my mouth, “I knew you were full of crap.”
“Me?” he sounded incredulous. His hands flew to his chest, as his fingers pressed down. “You think I’m the problem here?”
“Damn straight.” I nodded and jumped up, walking toward him. He backed away, avoiding contact. Anger surged through me. “Like that. What the hell was that? We use to spar, wrestle, and be normal—but not now. Now that you know what I am.”
Rage painted his face red, as he fought to control himself. “You didn’t tell me what you were! I would have never… ”
I cut him off, “Yeah, I know. You would have never done any of that if you’d known. Damn it, Eric. I’m not bad!” The fight went out of my voice as I looked up at him. I couldn’t take the venom in his voice and the pain in his eyes. “I didn’t choose this. I don’t even know why it happened.” I whispered, “Why can’t I just be Ivy?”
He shook his head. “Because, you’ll never just be Ivy. You’ll always be the one who damns us all; the one who destroys everything good. Everything I protect. Everything I’ve worked to keep safe.” He turned away from me, running his fingers through his hair. “I can’t forgive that.”
His condemnation pissed me off. “But I didn’t do anything! I swear to God! I don’t want demons here. I don’t want any of this!”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It’s already done.”
I watched him shrug, like I didn’t matter. Like none of this mattered. He’d already written me off. Anger boiled in my mind, and made my body tense. “What a bunch of shit.” He flinched. “Stop acting all pious. You’re full of crap! You act like you care, and if you really cared about making sure this doesn’t happen, you wouldn’t give up on me.” My brows pinched tight, as I felt my muscles twitching ready to fight.
He folded his arms into his chest. “I didn’t give up on you. It’s not like that. You have demon blood. You’re one of them. There is no help for you.” Disgusted I turned away. What could I say to that? There was no in the middle for him, even though I was trapped there. “I’m going to teach you how to use your weapon. I waited too long, assuming you were normal. The silver can make Martis bleed if it hits us, but it can’t kill us.”
He showed me how to use my comb. It was basically a multi blade knife. The tines curved, which he told me would help rip open flesh. Ewe. He spoke to me with a frigid tone and unsmiling glare.
When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I turned to him and threw my arms up. “I was right.”
He straightened obviously ready to fight with me again. “No. You weren’t. Things changed.” He held his sword loosely in his hand. It was the only clue that he might still trust me - a little.
“It shouldn’t matter! I told you. I knew you’d turn on me! You swore that you wouldn’t. And here we are.” His amber eyes were intense. He walked slowly toward me. His jaw locked tight, and the vein in his temple was throbbing.
“We’re enemies Ivy. It’s the way it is. I can’t protect you. My previous promise is void. No matter what I want.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I looked up at him, gnashing my teeth. “What do you want? Cause it seems like you want me dead, but you can’t hold your hilt tight enough to do it.” I took in a breath. My anger faded. I looked up at him, not wanting to fight, and wishing I could undo everything. If I could go back to the night Jake attacked me and Eric saved me… oh God. I’d rather die than live through this again. Sadness covered my face. I didn’t try to hide it from him. My voice was soft, “I didn’t want this.”
His face softened for the first time, since I told him my secret. His mouth opened, but I never got to hear what he was going to say. The glass windows shattered, pouring into the room like a crystal carpet. I screamed as it seemed like everything played out in slow motion. Jake’s body passed through the flying shards. I sprung backward. Jake came at me quickly. Blood ran down my cheek. I smeared it away, as my body tensed. I touched my comb to my mark, extending its tines.
“Give her to me and you won’t die tonight,” Jake breathed heavily. Eric answered him with his sword.
Four more Valefar poured into the room. They swarmed Eric. Jake refocused his attention on me. A sadistic smile spread across his face. I darted across the room, heading for the door. My body lunged for the knob. I turned back to the room slashing. Jake jumped back. Pulling the door opened, I swiped the silver in front of me. My blades cut through two more Valefar. They crumpled onto the carpet. I wounded them enough to slow them down, but I didn’t give the deathblow. I couldn’t. I darted into the hallway, with Jake right behind me. I could hear Eric’s voice spill out into the hallway, but I couldn’t make out his words. I backed down the hall, keeping the curved blades in front of me.
Jake’s face was contorted, as he snarled, “Ivy, you bitch! Do you have any idea what you’ve cost me?”
“Cost you! Are you insane?! Cost you?” I yelled. Hatred spewed out from me. I suddenly didn’t care if I lived or died. The urge to kill Jake was too strong. I couldn’t control it. I ran at him. The sharp tines slashed through the air. I wanted to feel the bite of my blades move across his flesh—to feel the sensation of his body ripping open. The feeling consumed me. And I let it.
Jake paused, then withdrew his attack before I could pin him to the wall. Backing down the hall, he twirled the brimstone chains in front of me. It kept him just out of reach of my blade. He jumped down a flight of stairs, and looked up at me. He didn’t think I would follow him. He was wrong.
As my feet sprung off the ground a body collided with mine, and I fell to the floor. I turned growling. My hand slashed the creature that downed me. The silver pierced his flesh. Fury blinded me until it was too late. The curved blades ripped into Eric’s chest. He fell back. Scarlet poured out of the sliced skin. Clutching his chest, he dragged me away from the stairwell, moving stiffly.
“There are more of them down there,” Eric said, “He was baiting you.” He walked into his apartment and clutched the counter. I stared at him. All that crap about how he wouldn’t protect me. I never thought he’d try to save me again. And I’d slashed him!
“Eric. I’m… I thought you were one of them.” I tried to help him, but he held up his hand, waiving me away. I stayed back.
Shannon was moving quickly through the room. “Shannon?” I asked, dazed. When did she get here? I couldn’t take my eyes off of Eric. She moved around me shifting through the debris looking for something, “Al told me what happened. Listen, we have to get out of here. Now. There will be more coming.”
My focus fell on several patches of black goo smeared on the carpet. My stomach twisted. Shannon pushed her hands through a pile of wreckage and pulled out Eric’s book. She dragged me out the door. Eric followed. I could hear movement below, but the only Valefar left alive was Jake. He wasn’t stupid enough to come after me with two Martis at my side.
We went up the fire stairs to the roof. Shannon kicked open the door. Crisp night air hit my face. The wind bit my tear-stained skin. I didn’t remember crying, but my face was wet. We ran down the rooftop of the bu
ilding. Fear clutched me so violently that I wanted to use my ring and turn to mist. I could leave them behind. I could evade Jake and the rest of the Valefar. Then it occurred to me that he might be doing the same thing. I was the only Martis who realized what they could do. Shannon urged us onto the other buildings. They connected to the apartments. We went to the end of the block. She went down the fire escape. Her eyes shifted over the area.
“Keep moving,” Eric’s voice came from behind me. His hand pressed my back. I pressed myself forward. I decided to stay with them. I had to. Eric saved me. Again. Damn it! The wind cut into my burning face. We emerged in front of a darkened church. Shannon opened a door. We didn’t stop until we reached a kitchen in the back of the building. Shannon ignored Eric’s wounds. He opened a few drawers, until he found a dishtowel. He held it under a faucet, and then pressed it under his shirt.