Harley Merlin 6: Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris

by Forrest, Bella

  I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t want to spend my life here. I didn’t want to be labeled the same way as these creeps. Katherine had been my general, and I’d been her soldier. I was only following orders.

  The Nazis said the same thing. My brain had a habit of pulling me up like that. I called it my split personality, but there was more than one inside me. Anyway, after everything that had happened, my personalities were sort of blurring into one. A better me, I hoped. One that Adley would have kept loving, if she were still here. One that she could have forgiven.

  I jolted as Grimshaw pushed me back into my cell, sending me sprawling to the floor. I shot him a dirty look over my shoulder, but he just laughed. Assholes, the lot of them. If it’d still been legal to beat us with batons, they would’ve. There were good officers, sure, but they hadn’t been stationed to watch me. I’d gotten the barrel-scrapings.

  “You want me to end up back in the ICU?” I snarled through the glass.

  “Ideally,” Chalmers replied. “Or the morgue, preferably with your mother.”

  My hackles rose, but I had to play nice if I wanted to get these Atomic Cuffs off. They liked to taunt me by leaving them on after my shower, purely to piss me off. I'd be lucky if I wasn’t still wearing them in the morning.

  “How about you take these things off, and I stay nice and quiet for you?” I walked to the grate and put my arms through.

  Grimshaw and Chalmers exchanged a weary look. “Saves me doing it in the morning,” Grimshaw finally muttered as he took the Cuffs off.

  As the grate closed and the two guards returned to ignoring me, I walked over to the bed and lay down, staring at the stupid chrome ceiling. Alone again, I wondered why it had taken me so freaking long to betray Katherine. I guessed it wasn’t an easy bond to break, and I’d been in the land of the brainwashed. For years, she was all I’d known in terms of family. Even after they threw me in here, I’d still been a loyal dog to her. Waiting like a fool. Thinking she was coming to get me out. Thinking that she cared.

  When Garrett had come to the prison and told me about Adley, I’d still been resolute. Even hearing with my own two ears that Katherine didn’t give a crap about my feelings, I’d stayed loyal because I thought there’d been a good reason for everything she did. But then she’d tried to have me killed. It had been a blessing in disguise, turning my mindset 180. That was the deal-breaker. The no-go zone. Now I knew I meant nothing to her. And, if she kept going with her plans, she’d kill me and everyone else, too, as easily as tossing out the trash. Which, in her mind, was probably what she thought she was doing.

  I was sick in the head, but at least I knew that. Katherine was oblivious to the disease festering inside her. She called it power and aspiration instead. All my life, I’d backed her because I’d hoped it would bring us closer. That I’d have a freaking mother one day. The fact that she chose weaselly little Kenneth to end me spoke volumes. I’d known him before he went into foster care, and I’d hated him then, though slightly less than I hated him now. Her picking him for the job was almost more insulting than her actually wanting me dead.

  Katherine had used me, and then some.

  I got back up and wandered to the glass wall of the cell I’d been moved to after the attempted murder incident. Sitting in front of it, I stared out at the mass of cells identical to my own. I missed trees. I missed green things. I missed rain. I missed the sun. I missed air that hadn’t been recycled through a million magical pores. The view of guards and prisoners and chrome and glass was making me restless. I had books to read, but they didn’t appeal to me right now. I couldn’t focus. I was too worried about Katherine’s plan to read trite fiction, although Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption might have been inspiring.

  I padded over to the small pile of books on my bolted-down table, just in case any Stephen King had slipped in. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single escape-action thriller in the stack. I plucked the first one up anyway and flipped absently through the pages. I didn’t read a word. My mind was on Harley.

  If she lets me help her, I know I can bring Katherine down. No one knew my mother better than me. She’d kept a ton of information from me, yeah, but I knew where she hid important things. I knew more secrets than she’d told me. I was clever like that. Plus, I knew the cult. I’d been there from the start, after all. I was even there when Katherine had Purged Naima. I had the knowhow; I just needed to get out of this box before it drove me nuts. I couldn’t sit here while Katherine kept winning.

  A rush of cold air made me turn away from my book. My mouth hung open as I stared at three figures standing in the blind spot of my toilet area. Harley was crouched on the edge of the toilet, while Wade was perched on the cistern. There was another guy with them, much younger, who’d ducked down beside them.

  As coolly as possible, I set the book down and walked behind the partition. Ducking out of view of the guards, I sat beside Harley on the toilet seat. “What the hell?”

  “And here I was, thinking you’d be glad to see us,” Harley muttered.

  “Are we going now?” I gaped at her. After so many letdowns, I hadn’t actually expected her to come for me. I guessed desperation made people do crazy things. Like break into Purgatory.

  Harley nodded. “Just shut up for a second, and I’ll explain everything in a moment.” She took a small device out of her jacket pocket and pressed a button.

  “What’s that?” I jabbed a finger at the device.

  “It wipes the footage from your cameras and replaces it with a neutral loop of you, just before we showed up. It plays out as a projection on the glass, too.”

  I smirked. “I have to get me one of those. Let’s get out of here.”

  Harley crossed her arms. “Not so fast, pal. We need to strike a deal first.”

  “Now?” I shot a look over my shoulder.

  “This device will buy us plenty of time,” she replied, with a cutting smile. “Here are the terms: once we’re done getting my mom’s spirit out of the cult and Katherine has been brought down, you’ll be returned to Purgatory. From here, with the help of us and Alton, you’ll make your case for freedom, following the proper avenues. We’ll support your case and put forward some insanity defense, saying you were brainwashed or something. The Council knows what Katherine is capable of. We’ll help you walk free, the right way.”

  Yeah, right. And I’ll get a gift-wrapped present from my mom on my birthday. “And I can expect a pristine character witness testimony from you?”

  Wade scowled. “If you don’t screw us over, then yes. Or, rather, a terrible testimony about how unhinged you were when you did this stuff.”

  “Secondly,” Harley continued, “Katherine can’t be allowed to survive. If we do this, we have to destroy her. No hesitations. It’s the only way we can end everything she’s caused and disband the Cult of Eris, too. Cut the head off, and the body dies.”

  “I get the picture. Believe me, I’m good with it.”

  “Thirdly, if I get even so much as a whiff that you’re trying to play us, then the whole deal is off. You’ll lose any privileges you’re getting out of this partnership, and my friend here will portal your ass straight back into this cell, with no hope of getting out again. Capiche?”

  “Ah, so this is what it’s like to have a sister, huh? I heard sisters were bossy. They were right.”

  Harley narrowed her eyes. “I mean it, Finch.”

  “Geez, is joking around banned, too?” I held her gaze. “Look, you’ve got to understand something. I want Katherine dead as much as you do. We’re both looking to stop her. I’ve had a lot of time to think in this place, and it’s made me question my loyalties. I want her taken down. The end.”

  Harley sighed. “All right. It’ll be the three of us going to the Cult of Eris—you, me, and Wade.”

  “No, no, no. That won’t work,” I replied, waving a hand. “Two moles are already two moles too many. Any more than that and we’ll be found out, for sure. Besides, I’ve
already got two identities in mind for you and me, and they’re perfect. Happy to toot my own horn on that. But I can’t think of a third. If your big old manfriend up there comes with us, he’ll get us killed.”

  Harley turned to Wade. “He might be right. We might be pushing it if the three of us go. You heard what happened to the National Council agents. Plus, we don’t know how many… uh, things Krieger managed to get hold of.”

  I eyed them both curiously. I wasn’t about to get killed just because my half-sister wanted to bring her bodyguard along. But it made me wonder what was going on between these two. A little fledgling romance, perhaps? From the way he was looking at her, it definitely seemed like it. My heart twisted unexpectedly. Adley used to look at me like that. And, if they didn’t listen, Wade would have to deal with Harley’s loss in the same way I’d dealt with Adley’s.

  Wade shook his head slowly. “Then… I guess I’m not coming with you to the cult. I’m not happy about it, though.” He glared at me. “If anything happens to Harley, you can rest assured that I will come down on you so hard, you won’t know what hit you. I won’t show mercy.”

  I waggled my fingers. “Ooh, I’m trembling in my boots. Where’d you get that line? Terminator? Braveheart? The Avengers? I’m dying to know.”

  “You’ll be dying, for sure, if you hurt her in any way,” Wade shot back.

  “Did the SDC give you guys a humor-ectomy or what?” I couldn’t help myself. The sincerity coming out of Wade was hilarious. I felt like I’d waltzed into some cheesy drama. Besides, I’d never been one to walk away from pushing someone’s buttons. It was one of the reasons Garrett and I had gotten along so well.

  Speaking of which, there’s a guy I’d really like to make amends with. Garrett hadn’t deserved the betrayal. Even when he’d come to tell me about Adley, I could see how much I’d wounded him. And yet, he’d still come. He’d still thought it important that I knew what had happened. We’d talked about everything a little bit, when he’d come to see me, and I knew Garrett understood why I’d done what I’d done. Still, there had to be more I could do to fix things with the only friend I’d ever really had.

  I looked to Harley. “Okay, I accept your terms. So what’s next?”

  Five

  Harley

  “I’ve got some tricks to pull before we can go anywhere,” I said, keeping my eye on Finch. The portal had closed behind Jacob, but that didn’t mean Finch wouldn’t try something funny.

  I pulled out the small, gilded box that Santana had given me, with the Orisha inside. She was working away on my duplicate back at the SDC, and I just hoped this worked. Carefully, I opened the box and released the bluish spirit. It buzzed and thrummed around my head, awaiting the instructions that Santana had told me to give it. But first, I had to get a lock of hair from Finch. Gathering a tiny, controlled ball of fire in my fingertips, I grabbed Finch and singed off a cluster of copper strands.

  “Hey, what the—” He tried to protest, but I already had what I needed. Ignoring him, I turned to the skittish Orisha.

  “Please, spirit, do as Santana has asked with this lock of hair.” I handed it to the curious being and watched in surprise as it snatched the entire cluster out of my hand and vanished it into thin air. A few seconds later, the shimmering bluish light stretched out, growing limbs right before our very eyes. Finch gaped as it swiftly turned into a complete imitation of him. Great, as if one Finch isn’t bad enough.

  “Well, well, I didn’t know they allowed turds in prison,” the Orisha spoke, the voice still slightly too feminine. Clearly, it had no issue getting right into Finch’s mindset.

  Finch spluttered. “What did you say to me?”

  “Ah, the turd speaks! Will wonders never cease!” The Orisha grinned, exactly the way Finch would’ve done. Please don’t get us into trouble, Orisha. As if hearing me, the duplicate Finch turned to look at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll tone it down for the men in black out there.”

  Finch moved toward the duplicate and reached out to touch it. “You’re… You’re me.”

  “Sure am, genius. Now, hands off the merchandise.” The Orisha slapped his hand away, her voice getting more and more like Finch’s by the second.

  Wade chuckled. “I’d say the duplicate is more like Finch than Finch.”

  I pulled a worried face. “Santana did say she might struggle with filters.”

  “Finch doesn’t have one,” Wade reminded me.

  “At least you’ve given up that ridiculous hair color.” The Orisha flashed a mischievous grin at Finch. “Copper suits us much better. Ooh, and this body—what’ve you been doing to yourself? I ache all over. Yeesh.”

  Finch pointed at the duplicate. “I’d never say ‘yeesh.’ Don’t say that again.”

  “I’ll say what I want, thanks,” the Orisha shot back. “It’s your ass I’m covering, after all.”

  “What are you?” Finch peered closely, evidently creeped out by the accuracy. I was, too.

  “A divine being. I have to say, this is one hell of a demotion.”

  He looked at me. “You did this?”

  “Nope, this is all Santana and this kind Orisha here. They’ve agreed to cover us while we’re away at the cult,” I replied.

  “And don’t you forget it,” the Orisha chimed in. “Yeesh, this is going to take some getting used to.” She tugged down on the crotch of her replica prison jumpsuit, adjusting it awkwardly, much to Finch’s horror and my amusement.

  Finch’s cheeks had turned a faint shade of pink. “How about you take your hands off the merchandise!”

  “Nope, all mine now, buddy. Until you get back, that is.” The Orisha grinned, her voice now perfectly aligned with Finch’s. “Just a word of warning—I don’t trust you. But Santana has asked me to do this, and if she thinks it’s a good idea, who am I to say no? Desperate times, eh?”

  “This is insane,” he mumbled. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

  I shot him a withering look. “What were you expecting? That we would come in all guns blazing? The idea is to get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible. No muss, no fuss.”

  The Orisha beamed. “Ooh, I like that one. No muss, no fuss. I’ll keep it.”

  “Hang on a sec, we can’t leave here without my Esprit,” Finch said, averting his eyes from the Orisha as she continued to readjust the jumpsuit. I was glad the guards couldn’t see what we were up to; they’d be pressed to the glass, not knowing whether to arrest us or howl with laughter.

  I shook my head. “We don’t have time to get your Esprit, Finch. Plus, it’ll only make you more dangerous, and I’m not chancing that.”

  Finch sneered at me. “I need my Esprit if we’re going to pull off a good disguise, Sis. It’ll help me fine-tune my Shapeshifting. You didn’t think I was going in as myself, did you?”

  “No… I guess not.”

  “Besides, if, by some twist of fate, we get trapped in the cult, we’ll need all the mojo we can muster to get ourselves out.” He folded his arms across his chest, and the Orisha copied him.

  “Mojo is good, too,” she murmured.

  I realized I had to do as he’d asked, or we’d never get out of here without alerting the guards. The camera loop wouldn’t work forever, and I didn’t exactly know how much time we had before it failed. Annoyed that Finch was somehow getting his way, I turned over my shoulder to look at Jacob.

  “Jacob, can you radio in to Astrid and Krieger?”

  He peered up at me. “Me? Oh… right, sure.” He pressed his ear like a newbie bouncer. “Krieger, Astrid, do you read? Harley wants to ask you something.” He looked back at me. “I’ve got them on the line.”

  “Ask Astrid if there’s any safe way to portal into the storage room that has the prisoners’ possessions.”

  He did as I’d asked, the rest of us waiting for a reply. A few minutes later, he spoke. “She’s given me the coordinates. There’s another safe spot in the corner of the storage room, but we’ll have to use the camera lo
op on the security there, too. If you give Astrid five minutes, she’ll send a new loop to the device. You’ll need to press the blue button to get it to work. She just needs a moment to hack the cameras.”

  “That woman is a miracle,” I said.

  “Harley says you’re a miracle,” Jacob repeated. I chuckled, but I didn’t mind Astrid knowing what I thought of her. He glanced back at me. “She says, ‘Thanks, you are too.’”

  The minutes seemed to drag by, until a green light flashed on the device, letting me know the new loop had been received. Meanwhile, Finch kept trying to touch the duplicate, only to get his hand savagely smacked away.

  “This had better not be some kind of trick,” I warned as I prepared to cancel the loop on Finch’s cell.

  He grinned. “What do you take me for?”

  “Everyone ready? Jacob?”

  “Ready when you are,” Jacob replied. Tendrils of bronze energy swirled around his fingertips as he gathered the strands of his portal ability and tore open a much smaller gap in space and time. In the weeks that had passed since the president’s death, I wasn’t the only one who’d been practicing. Jacob’s skills had improved massively with Isadora’s ongoing help.

  After Finch had snatched up a bottle of something from a shelf in the bathroom area, Wade shoved him through first, with the rest of us moving to follow. What are those? His pills? I knew he had to take something for his psychosis, so at least he was being responsible about it. Just before I stepped through, I pressed the red button on the device to stop the loop and the projection, returning the cell to its previous state.

  “Will you be okay?” I asked the duplicate.

  “Oh yes. I’ll fit in just fine.”

  I didn’t doubt her. Santana’s magic was powerful stuff. Giving her an encouraging nod, I jumped into the gaping mouth of the portal. It snapped shut behind me, spitting me out into a dark, unfamiliar room.