Two Worlds of Redemption

by Angelina J. Steffort

  ‘I don’t know how much longer I have. But I want you to know that I am sorry I didn’t prepare you for any of this. I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you, sorry for all the years of study I have kept you from, during which you might have become strong enough to change the course of history. But you have to believe me that I did it in your best interest.’

  When Corey lowered the paper, she felt old—not sad, not betrayed, but simply old. She had lived barely eighteen years of her warlock life, and she had gone through three families: her biological parents who had given her away, Feris, and a dangerous immortal warlock who was not only after Maray because of Rhia’s promise of first Laura’s hand in marriage and then Maray’s, but also after her as he was after every devil-child.

  “What does he want?” Wil asked, and Corey turned to look into his warm, brown eyes, finding an anchor there that kept her from losing herself in all of the doubts and emotions that were boiling up inside of her.

  “He wants me to separate the binding spell between Laura and Rhia so Rhia can’t turn on all of us eventually,” she said mechanically. “He says that he has given me all of the instructions and clues.” For now, she left out the part about confirming that she was Gan Krai’s experiment.

  Wil scrutinized her face, thin lines appearing between his brows. “Maybe, if you need some time to gather your thoughts, we can return to the study so we won’t be caught.” He broke away from her gaze and nervously glanced around then held out his hand, nodding at his bracelet until Corey was ready to lay her own hand into his and let him take her back to Allinan.

  Jemin

  Jemin woke up drenched in sweat, head pounding, and unclear about where he was or what time it was. The room was dark, and Maray’s scent lingered in the air.

  “Maray?” he whispered and found himself relieved he was still in his human form.

  There was no answer.

  He tried to remember what had happened, and as the hammering in his skull retreated with every breath he took, it came back to him in bits and pieces. His transformation, portaling out of Allinan, rushing through the palace gardens until he made it to Maray’s apartment.

  The apartment. He rolled over and blinked until his vision cleared and he was able to see outlines in the darkness. Specks of light filtered through the slightly uneven door and through the keyhole, and he wasn’t sure if he could see what he could because it was bright enough or because being a Yutu-shifter had changed his perception altogether.

  There was Maray’s cupboard, her closet, her bedside table. A lamp was sitting on it, reminding him a lot of the lamps in the studies of the council people in and around the palace. There were signs that this had been Maray’s room, but Maray wasn’t here any longer. Even though there were some leftover clothes in the closet.

  Jemin closed his eyes again. His mind was desperate for some rest. Ever since they had locked Rhia down in the dungeons, he had been working nonstop—guarding Maray, questioning Rhia, coordinating with Neelis and Scott for the search for Feris… And now, Gan Krai and the Yutu transformation. He was stuck in this world without his bracelet, and he hadn’t learned yet how Yutu used their innate magic to cross the border back to Allinan. And Maray—she was still dealing with not knowing all of the details about the Shalleyn… How he ached to just return straight to Maray and go confront Rhia with her. His plan actually had been to tell Neelis to keep all guards out of Rhia’s cell area after they returned to the palace from the hunt for the crimson-eyed monster. Now, priorities had shifted—literally.

  A suspicious sound made him sit upright on the bed. It was the clicking of a violated keyhole, he knew the sound from his days as a spy, only he had been so much better at picking locks—he still was. He would have opened the door that way himself had he had tools, a knife, or anything on him when he arrived the night before, but he’d brought himself in his own, bare skin as the only item.

  With a racing heart, he rolled off the bed, silent as the night itself, and landed on his feet like a lion. He was used to being smooth in his movements, but this was different, faster, more predatory somehow. He listened intently. There was some crackling as if the wooden frame around the lock was having issues, followed by a blast that sounded almost as if the entire door had given way and fallen from its hinges. It wouldn’t be surprising after the shifters who had combed Maray’s apartment and Jemin breaking in earlier, no less gently than he would have with a crowbar. Whoever had been trying the lock must have landed flat right in the entrance area.

  With a second of consideration over which tactics would be the best—storm out and confront whoever was there or remain concealed until whoever this was made it to the bedroom and then take them out—he screened the room for something he could use as a weapon. He suppressed a curse for having dropped the torn off stand earlier and not having held onto it.

  “Damn,” Heck’s familiar voice replaced the curse that hadn’t escaped Jemin’s lips.

  Jemin smiled involuntarily. If there was anyone he could count on, it was Heck. Even if Seri was the one in charge of making sure he was alright, it was Heck who had tracked him down and found him first. Jemin wanted to skip right through the door to meet his friend, but something inside of him was holding him back. At first, he couldn’t name it—just the uncomfortable sensation that Heck wouldn’t be equally pleased to see him. Then, Jemin found that that sensation originated from the recent changes in his entire being. He was a shifter now, not the guard of dimensions who Scott had appointed to keep the borders safe from portaling Yutu and other dangerous creatures. He now was one of those he was supposed to protect Allinan and this world from.

  Heck’s curses grew fainter until they were replaced by rattling and bumping, an indicator that whatever had happened to the door must have been provisionally fixed. The mostly soundless footsteps drew closer, and Jemin, who was now peeking through the keyhole, was surprised he could hear all of them. His inner self struggled. On the one hand, now that he wasn’t in his furry version, his enhanced senses would make him a better soldier. He had seen it in Seri, and he would be just the same, like a soundless devil but fighting for the right cause. But then, there was the shock of waking up in the body of a Yutu. It was fresh and traumatic, leaving him with the fear of accidentally transforming back into that shape, that beastly version of himself which could run like the wind, but he had no control over its instincts and reflexes. He had been like a passenger in his own Yutu-self, unable to stop himself and unable to control himself… until the thought of Maray had slapped him out of it.

  Heck’s footsteps were right at the door when Jemin managed to bring himself to move away from it and quietly slither aside to prevent the impact of the wood on his forehead as the door opened and Heck’s fingers reached through the gap, searching the wall for a light switch. Jemin glanced up and found it sitting right above his head.

  “Let there be light,” Jemin commented, and from his crouching position next to the door, he hit the switch with a finger, making Heck stumble back in surprise, but his blade remained half-inside the room.

  “Jem?” Heck asked, apparently not convinced by Jemin’s voice.

  “Who else would hide in Maray’s apartment?” Jemin found he sounded unintentionally funny, and Heck seemed convinced by his words. The tip of the blade moved forward, followed by Heck’s perma-grin underneath his curious eyes.

  “Good. You’re alive,” Heck said after a long, inquisitive look at Jemin. “But your sense of fashion seems to not have made it.”

  He stuck the blade back into his weapons belt and held out a hand to help Jemin up.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, the smile retreating into a look of concern. “I’ve been looking for you. I made it to the southern regions while tracking you, and when I couldn’t find you, I returned to the palace. I ran into Neelis on my way in, and he told me what happened. How are you dealing?”

  Jemin swallowed. Heck knew, and still, he had come to find him. Jemin took Heck’s
still open hand and pulled himself up.

  “Aren’t you scared?” he asked as he smoothed out his provisional clothing and Heck’s eyes followed his hands.

  “Only of whatever you’re wearing there.” Heck wrinkled his nose as if something smelled bad. “Is that the Ambassador’s?”

  Jemin nodded and noticed that what he had on was a pair of jeans and a frighteningly colorful sweater. He shrugged. “So word spread already?” he assumed.

  Heck nodded. “Neelis was on his way back from a meeting with Laura, Gerwin, and Maray. He says they all know, including Scott, Corey, Wil and his little sister.”

  Jemin hardly listened while Heck retold of the choosing ceremony for the handmaiden. He was too busy worrying what Maray might think about him being a shifter. Would her feelings change? His hadn’t. After a night of sleeping in a room filled with her scent, if anything, he was aware of his feelings for her more than ever. His attention returned to Heck only when he mentioned Gerwin had been poisoned.

  “He’s recovering,” Heck explained as Jemin opened his mouth to ask details. “Corey saved him. But that’s not the end of the story.”

  Jemin sat and listened as Heck told him what had happened in the dungeons with Rhia, how their plan to go and question the Queen of Allinan in secret was no longer relevant. Jemin’s insides squirmed as he tried to comprehend the layers of betrayal that had been woven since the First Breach of Dimensions. And as he went back and forth between fury and fear, he realized that this must be even worse for Maray. She was at the eye of the tornado of intrigues, and while Rhia seemed to have saved Laura, Gan Krai wasn’t going to let Maray slip from his claws. Jemin was sure of that after what he had experienced on the lake.

  As Heck illustrated how Rhia had left her cell just by stepping through it like through a hologram, Jemin had millions of questions: How had Rhia become that strong? Did the magic she had to contain in her body have an expiration date? Would she fade if she didn’t get Maray’s blood? If Feris had been helping her, why wasn’t he there to do so now? Why wasn’t she going after Maray now that there was actually nothing standing between them but the guards, which she had so bluntly pointed out, had no chance of stopping her if she didn’t want them to? Was Rhia actually trying to help—even if for lack of better options? If anything, Jemin could imagine Rhia was hiding from Gan Krai himself, and that must be the reason.

  “But that’s not all, Jem,” Heck said, tearing Jemin out of his thoughts as he stopped his flow for the first time since he began.

  Jemin stared, unsure of what could be worse than everything Heck had just told him.

  “Princess Laura decided to move up the ball for the suitors to New Year’s Eve.”

  Jemin’s heart plunged into his feet. “That’s in two weeks,” Jemin objected. He wasn’t ready to let go. Even knowing the day would eventually come.

  “Where are your weapons?” Heck asked and glanced down to Jemin’s hips, earning a frown.

  “Lost them in the lake. As I did with my bracelet. Why do you think I am still here?”

  Heck nodded with a bit too much relief for Jemin’s taste. “You won’t like this, Jem,” Heck opened with a tone of caution which was unusual for Heck’s voice. He paused and fidgeted the way he only did when he had messed up something beyond repair—which was rare for Heck but occasionally happened.

  “Spit it out,” Jemin requested and felt his temper boiling up surprisingly fast.

  “Laura asked me to be on the list.” Heck eyed Jemin as if he was expecting him to understand.

  “What list?”

  “The suitors.” Heck looked away now, apparently unable to face Jemin now that he understood.

  “She wants you to be on the list?” he asked, hoping he had misheard. “But you are not even interested in your noble background.” Jemin took the first thing that popped into his mind and threw it at Heck. He wasn’t able to say what he really wanted to. He couldn’t bear the thought of anyone being with Maray.

  There was no anger in Jemin, though. This wasn’t Heck’s fault. Probably his parents had insisted—

  “Laura thinks that if I become Maray’s husband, she at least knows what her daughter gets. Plus my family is among the—”

  “Most reputable noble families in all of Allinan. Heck, I know.” Jemin threw his hands up, feeling helpless.

  “I told her I didn’t think it was right,” Heck defended himself. “I actually had been hoping that the council would come to its senses and change the requirements for suitors.”

  “Change them to what?” Jemin found himself snarling as he asked what he thought he already knew.

  “To allow individuals from noble bloodlines independent of their ancestors’ crimes and reputation,” Heck glanced at him as if he was waiting for a bomb to go off.

  “You are speaking about my father,” Jemin noted, and by the look on Heck’s face, Jemin knew he was right.

  “My father’s name was cleared,” Jemin said between clenched teeth.

  “And still, when you look at bloodline and degree of nobility—” Heck didn’t need to say more. Jemin was well aware of how far below Heck he was in the eyes of all nobles. Maray’s mother, even when she allowed for him to spend time with her daughter, was eventually going to make him disappear from Maray’s life. He could tell by the way she kept reminding him of his place, how she kept smiling at him when Maray was around, and how Laura’s smile faded when they were alone in a room. “She won’t be yours forever”, Laura had said and that he should never forget that if he didn’t draw the line, he would damage the reputation of a Princess of Allinan, potentially future Queen of Allinan, and that meant none of the reputable nobles would ever marry Maray. That was why he had been keeping more distance than he’d been able to bear. He wanted Maray. Her mind, her soul, her body. And he knew he could have only two of those, for the third would belong to her future husband. At least Heck wouldn’t be surprised if Maray wasn’t thrilled to find out she’d spend the rest of her life with him.

  “It’s just what Laura wants, not what Maray wants,” Heck defended. “If it were up to Gerwin, he’d let Maray be with anyone as long as she’s happy.”

  Jemin felt it ticking. It was different from how he knew himself. The calculated Jemin wasn’t there even when Jemin was trying to live up to his track record of dealing with anything in a professional manner. This was a professional situation. It was related to his duty as a guard and his loyalty to the crown. He had to do what was best for Allinan, not for his own, weak heart.

  “You’re a great choice. Any girl would be lucky to have you.” He found his hand darting over to grasp Heck’s shoulder as his mouth spoke words so different from what his heart did. “There is only one thing I’d like to know,” Jemin said, sounding less his old self than ever. “Does Maray know, or are you planning to spring that on her at the ball?”

  Heck shook his head, not clearly answering Jemin’s question, and shrank away, but Jemin’s fingers were iron as they clawed into the fabric of Heck’s shirt. First, it was his fingers that curled into the layers of Thaotine, then a moment later, there were real, sharp claws there on Heck’s shoulder, and they ripped the sleeve off as Jemin turned on his—now transformed—hind-legs and bolted from the room.

  The apartment door burst open as Jemin thrust his Yutu-shoulder against it, sending splinters flying everywhere. Heck’s call for him to stop was an echo in the layers of Jemin’s perception. He slithered down the twisting stairwell, almost hitting the elevator door at the bottom of the stairs on his way to the gate.

  The iron door blocking his path wasn’t the issue, and he smashed it open as if it were merely made of cardboard, but the blinking lights of cars outside as he entered the street made his head swim once more. He couldn’t stop himself for even a moment as angry honks sent him flying off the opposite direction. The thrill of sprinting from the danger cleared all thoughts of Maray and Heck from his mind, and as his vision slowly adjusted, he found himself able to dart for
ward the way he had when he had run to the apartment. The streets were empty of pedestrians, windows brightly lit. Everything looked so different from the first time he’d come to this street. Maray’s purple crystal had led him to her apartment back then, and it had been bright daylight. He had been full of anticipation of seeing her flawless face as it brightened up when she spotted him—even if the reality had looked different then and she’d jumped and frowned.

  And there the thoughts of her were. They followed Jemin as he turned corner after corner until he no longer knew where he was. And as he slowed down, seeking protection from potential eyes, he thought of Heck and how he had torn his shirt apart. Thaotine was sturdy almost like a bulletproof vest—he had read about those during his training, convenient tools for this world’s guards—and yet, Yutu claws were maybe the one thing that had a chance of penetrating it.

  Jemin pushed himself against the wall in the niche where he was now cowering beside a garage and swallowed remorse. Had he hurt Heck? He needed to go back and check on him, but he needed to get the hell out of this Yutu prison first.

  Why hadn’t Seri found him before Heck? It could have saved him and Heck a lot of pain. Wasn’t she looking for him? She was a shifter. She should be here to help him. She had said she would.

  As Jemin was still musing, the icy wind tore along his back, and his knees and hands felt as if someone had stuck them back into the frozen lake. He glanced down and found himself transformed back into his human shape—and naked from head to toe once again. Would that be his new normal? Randomly transforming and then freezing somewhere in a corner because he apparently was unable to keep his Yutu self in place until he returned to shelter?

  He did feel the cold, every last bit of it, even if as a guard of dimensions he was used to withstanding weather no matter how hot or freezing. His body was trained to defy temperature. But after his recent dip in the freezing water of the lake, his system seemed to have a different opinion on temperature. As the wind came blowing around the corner, bringing in little snowflakes, he shuddered and pulled his knees to his chest. It would be healthier for him to transform back into a Yutu, or at least to portal back into Allinan and yell for help, but no matter how hard he tried, how he strained his mind and his emotions in order to achieve one or the other, it didn’t happen.