by G. P. Ching
“And then what?” Mike said. “I hide forever? No. I’m done hiding. I’m done letting Lucifer have his way. This all started with Deviant Joe, Finn. We all rode the bus together to Revelations, and do you remember what you said to me? You said, ‘We can handle anything they throw at us. We’re together. We have each other’s backs.’ Well, we’re together again. We can handle this. All you have to do is get us to the tree, Finn. Either take me there now, or take me to Lucifer.” It was an ultimatum, but he knew Finn would take it. No way would he hand him over to the Devil.
A muscle in Finn’s jaw twitched. “You’re serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious.” Mike reached for Finn’s hand. If he could heal him… But Finn pulled away before he could make contact.
“Don’t touch me,” he snapped. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want to be healed. I need the power. Without it, I’m helpless.”
“With it, you’re a pawn of the Devil.” Their gazes locked and Finn’s expression turned hard.
“Finn…” Mike took another step toward him and slammed into an invisible barrier. Finn was shielding. Not only shielding—holding Mike in his magical grip. He struggled, but it was no use.
“I want you to know, you did this to yourself. This is not on me.” Finn snapped his fingers. The purple barrier he’d put in place disappeared as quickly as it had come. He raised an eyebrow at Mike, shook his head, and cracked the door.
“We have a guest,” Finn said, opening the door wider. In an instant, the Devil was there in the doorway, having come from the direction of the main room.
Lucifer’s black eyes locked onto Michael. “I watched you die.” He stepped into the room, his eyes narrowing on the triquetra around Mike’s neck. His eyes widened and then he laughed long, wicked, and loud.
28
Introductions
Nothing could prepare a person for the day they looked into the eyes of the Devil. Mike couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Everything he believed about the inherent good in the world was lost in impending darkness. The Devil charged forward, fisted his triquetra, and tore it from his neck, then cast it into the corner of the room with a curse. Mike caught a glimpse of the Devil’s palm, the symbol burned into the flesh there. Lucifer flexed and contracted his fingers, and the three overlapping ovals faded from his skin.
“So we meet again, Michael Carson,” Lucifer said through his teeth. “It seems death agrees with you.”
“Do I look dead to you?” Mike asked, the words holding more bravado than he felt.
“No, you do not. Which means, as your friend Finn suspected, you are the Healer.”
In these types of situations, Mike had learned it was best to keep his mouth shut. There was no reason to give someone information they claimed to know already. No reason to admit his identity or further add to the pile of reasons Lucifer wanted him dead. So he stayed silent, his face impassive. But deep inside, his heart ached to know that Finn had told Lucifer his true identity. It was traitorous to their friendship.
Lucifer walked into the room and circled Mike, his feet falling slowly one after another. “Oh, Finn didn’t give you up immediately. I’ll have you know I had to work the knowledge out of him. A sorcerer’s mind is a hard nut to crack, but crack he did. I couldn’t have Finn changing his mind about the sacrifice. I control him now. It’s far easier that way.”
Mike glanced toward Finn. His eyes were glazed and stared directly at the wall. But he’d seemed clear enough a few minutes ago. Mike wondered how much was an act and how much was real. The last thing Fate had said to him before he left the In-Between was that all the power in the universe couldn’t replace the magic of true friendship. His friendship with Finn had to be stronger than any spell Lucifer could dole out. He believed that.
“Why did you come here, Michael?” Lucifer asked.
Mike didn’t hesitate. “To save Finn.”
The Devil raised his face to the ceiling and cackled. “Honestly? After he refused to go with you the first time, I would have thought you would get the hint. He doesn’t want to be saved, Michael. Finn is enjoying the power I gave him, and after I bury the obsidian dagger in your heart, he’ll be rewarded with even more.”
“I won’t fight you. I’ll go willingly… If you let him go,” Mike said. It was the offer he always knew he was prepared to make. His life for Finn’s. He was the one Lucifer wanted, after all. He was the sacrifice.
Lucifer paused, his eyes raking over Michael. “How noble of you. Unfortunately, your arrangement does not suit me. You see, Finn is a sorcerer. A powerful one at that. You Soulkeepers never appreciated him. But I digress. Finn, as a Soulkeeper turned sorcerer is in a unique position to serve my purposes. Ironically, the ancient magic I must use to tear the veil requires that it is he who plunge the obsidian dagger into your heart.” Lucifer clapped his hands in front of his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “If I free him, I have no one to perform the sacrifice.”
Mike shook his head, feeling undone. “Finn… has to…”
The smile that spread across Lucifer’s face made Mike’s stomach turn. “You didn’t know?” He laughed. “Hadn’t figured that one out yet, had you? With all your Healer wisdom and godly resources? Why did you think I was so interested in finding Damien? Before he was so rudely redeemed, he being a former angel turned evil was the perfect catalyst. Though thanks to Hope, now he is useless to me. But, as I always say, when one door closes, bulldoze the entire building to the ground. Finn turns out to be an equally valuable catalyst. And now that you’ve walked into our lives, we have all the parts we need to do what needs to be done.”
Mike stared at Finn, but his friend continued to stare at the wall. He did not react to this news at all. Was he dreading the thought of stabbing him in the heart? Or had Lucifer fried his brain to the point he didn’t care?
Lucifer tipped his head to the side. “As for you participating, you don’t have a choice. Either you walk yourself to the stone altar, or we have Kirsa carry you. If you try to run or hide, Ravenguard will hunt you down. You can’t leave the cemetery. I’ve already made sure of that. However you got in here, you will not get out. Everything else, Mr. Wager can handle with magic.”
“Finn, this isn’t what you want, is it?” Mike asked, keeping his eyes on Lucifer.
Finn didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at him.
Like something out of Mike’s scariest nightmares, Kirsa swaggered into view in the doorway. She smiled when she saw him and retrieved a dagger from a sheath strapped to her thigh. “My old friend Michael,” she said, stepping toward him and pressing the tip of the dagger to his chest. “You must’ve missed playing with me. Remember the fun we used to have?”
Mike did remember. He remembered every single time she’d sank a knife into his gut, and the memories made him want to knock her head off. He’d dreamed of giving Kirsa a dose of her own medicine. Now he cringed at the thought of being her pincushion again.
“Now that you’re the Healer, there are no limits to the fun we can have,” she said. “Why stop at a stab wound when I can gut you like a fish, then watch you slowly heal yourself, only to do it all over again.” She gasped as if she’d thought of something wonderful. She circled a finger and pointed it at his chest. “No, no. I won’t gut you. I’ll drown you.”
It took an iron will to keep his knees from buckling. His worst nightmare. Oddly, that was the end of it. To his surprise and confusion, Kirsa turned on a dime and completely changed the subject.
“Can we eat?” she asked Lucifer.
The Devil rolled his eyes.
“I’m hungry too,” Finn said, seeming to wake up from the trance he was in at the mention of food. “If you want me strong enough to perform magic, I need food and clean water.”
Mike was temporarily stunned at the strange turn of the conversation, but he remained silent. Food seemed vitally important to Kirsa and Finn. It didn’t take a super sleuth to guess why. Both of them looked thinner, gaunt even. Lucifer was
n’t feeding his pets.
With a sneer, Lucifer snapped his fingers. “Very well. You’ll find the table set and the food prepared.” He stepped closer to Michael. “I’m afraid I can’t join you. I have preparations to make.”
Kirsa gestured toward Mike. “What do you want us to do with him?”
Lucifer shrugged. “As you wish, Ms. Hildburg. Have your fun. As long as he’s on the stone altar at midnight, you can do whatever you’d like to him.”
Mike’s face must have paled because Lucifer looked positively delighted as he left the room and called for Ravenguard. Kirsa walked around him, digging the tip of the dagger into his back. “First we eat, then we play.” She nodded at Finn and the magic binding him loosened. Mike took a deep breath and cracked his neck.
Finn led him down the hallway to a room Mike could have sworn wasn’t there a minute ago. A table was set worthy of a king. Goblets filled with what looked like water and wine sat next to silver serving pieces and bone china plates. Candles burned at the center, the fire harboring that same green tinge. Platters of beef, potatoes, and vegetables lay between them. The food proved too much for Finn and Kirsa to resist. They seemed to forget all about him. Kirsa sheathed her dagger and grabbed her plate with both hands. As fast as she could move she loaded it with food.
The smell wafting from the spread was heavenly, but Mike knew this dinner was straight from Hell. Although he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, he had no appetite for any of it.
“Sit down,” Kirsa said around her first bite, pointing at the chair across from her and beside Finn with her fork. He obeyed.
“Is it just us?” Mike asked.
“Ravenguard and Lucifer don’t eat,” Finn said, shoveling in a spoonful of potatoes.
“And they don’t like to watch us eat. They find it disgusting,” Kirsa added.
Mike scratched the side of his jaw, noticing he could move freely now. Aside from clearly being starved for food, he wondered if the absence of Lucifer and Ravenguard was another reason they were excited for the meal.
“It’s dead,” Finn said, by way of explanation. “Those two only eat the living.”
“Aren’t you hungry?” Kirsa asked Mike between bites. “This is your last meal. You might as well make the most of it.”
“I think I prefer to die on an empty stomach.” Mike folded his arms across his chest.
“Suit yourself.” She took another bite.
Mike had to try again. They were alone. This was his only chance. “Finn, I know you don’t want to kill me. Help me get out of here. Come with me.”
Finn’s fists hit the table on either side of his plate. “How do you know I don’t want to kill you?” he said flatly. “Maybe I think the world would be a better place without you.”
Mike recoiled. This was not Finn. This was not his friend. “You don’t mean that.” He reached over the glasses to touch Finn’s hand, but his former friend leaped out of his chair to avoid his touch. All Mike managed to do was knock over Finn’s glass of wine. The red soaked into the tablecloth and spread toward Finn.
“Sorry,” Mike said, dabbing at the wine with his napkin and moving his own full glass in front of Finn.
“Don’t try to touch me again,” Finn warned before sitting back down. He snapped his fingers and the wine and stain were gone, all of the glasses back in their original positions.
Leaning forward, Mike lowered his voice. “I don’t understand what you two think you’re getting out of this. Why help him? Why not fight for your freedom?”
Finn sat back down and resumed eating while Kirsa glared at him.
“He’s the father of lies,” Mike said. “He’s not going to reward you. Once he’s used you, he’s going to kill you.”
More chewing. More vacant expressions.
Kirsa took a long drink and then set down her glass. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “What you don’t understand, Mike, is that Finn and I don’t have a choice. Lucifer is pulling our strings. We are aware of it. We still have our souls and we can feel him controlling us. In theory, we have free will. But in practice… there’s no choice.”
“Stop, Kirsa. He won’t like you talking about this,” Finn whispered. “He’ll punish you.”
She snorted. “What does it matter if I tell him?” She gestured at Mike. “He’s going to be dead in a few hours.”
Finn looked at her and then down at his plate. “Yeah.”
The word sent a chill through Mike. Finn only looked like Finn. His will was no longer his own. And if there was any fragment of his friend left inside the tattooed shell beside him, it was so deeply buried that it was likely beyond his reach.
Mike focused on Kirsa. “Did you know that you’re a Soulkeeper too?”
The woman shuddered like she’d been struck by lightning. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s why you haven’t aged and you’ve kept your power away from the island. It’s not because of anything Lucifer has done for you. It’s you. You have the Soulkeeper gene. We found your information in the scrolls. You inherited it from your great-grandmother on your father’s side.”
“No.” Her eyebrows knit and she shook her head. “No. No one at that school liked me. I was nobody.”
“That’s the thing about being a Soulkeeper. God doesn’t pick the most likable people, or the most talented, or even the purest of heart. It’s not like a fairy tale where you drink the potion and gain Soulkeeper status. He picks you because he picks you, because there’s something about you that you can give to the world, something that no one else can.”
Kirsa’s face paled. Mike thought she looked younger then, and thinner, like her eyes were too big for her face. But as he watched her, he had to admit that her soul had the faintest silver lining. Not a healthy soul by any means, but brighter than Finn’s. It wasn’t what he’d expected.
“Are… are you saying that God… picked me? You think I’m a Soulkeeper?” She’d stopped eating and her hand trembled next to her plate. It was a small twitch, barely noticeable, but there.
He nodded. “I don’t think. I know. I’m the Healer. I can see it in you.”
She looked at Finn, who ignored the conversation in favor of picking at his food, and then back at Mike. “But not now. Not after…” Her eyes shifted toward the door.
“Still,” Mike said. He tried to appear sincere. “It’s not something someone can take from you. It’s a free gift. It’s what you are. All you have to do is choose it.”
The dishes rattled as Finn’s glass hit the table. “Shut. Up.” He turned on Kirsa. “He’s lying to you. I used to be a Soulkeeper, but I’m not anymore. It was taken from me. And after the things we’ve done… for him…” He pointed his chin toward the door and Lucifer. “Kirsa, you are an idiot if you believe there’s any chance of coming back from this.”
Kirsa scowled, fisting her fork. She stabbed a piece of meat and gave Mike a deadly look. “Yeah. I didn’t think so.” She pointed at Mike. “Don’t say another word to me or I’ll make it so you can’t. Healer or not, a gag works the same.”
Mike leaned back in his chair, thinking he’d made a terrible mistake. He’d come to rescue Finn, but there was nothing left to bring home.
29
Gone
Hope was out of breath by the time she arrived back at Revelations. She’d run as fast and as hard as she’d ever run. Even Soulkeepers weren’t machines, and unlike Finn, she couldn’t fly. She burst through the doors to Revelations panting and nauseous from the exertion.
“Help,” she called, but she was too breathless to put any real power behind it. “Ms. D! Someone! Please…” Now the tears came. Oh, how could she be so stupid? “Someone help!” she yelled even louder.
Ms. D appeared on the stairs and ran to her. “What is it? What has happened?”
“It’s Mike… He… He tricked me. Confused me. I… I…”
“Slow down. Start from the beginning.”
After a deep breath, Hop
e told her everything, ending with both Archibald and Mike disappearing through the tree. “They’d planned it together. The gnome was helping him. I never considered that Archibald is like… programmed to obey him. And Mike wanted off this island terribly.”
“You don’t think he…” Ms. D gave her a horrified look. “He wouldn’t do something stupid like go after Finn on his own, would he?”
“Where else would he go?” She grabbed Ms. D’s shoulders, as much to hold herself up as to comfort her.
“Help me find the others. We’ll load the buses and get off the island. We need Damien.”
“If Mike went to Lucifer, what can he do? None of us can get inside!” Hope desperately wished she was still the Healer. What was Mike thinking leaving them like this? It was one thing to resent the power. She could relate to that. But to misuse it? To deny the team the leadership they needed? It was wrong. It was a mistake. She wondered if Mike was figuring that out now.
“We will do what we have always done,” Ms. D said. “We are performers in a circus of good and evil, delighting our audience with feats of strength and courage at the whim of the ringmaster. We are entertainers and warriors, Hope.” She held Hope away from her by the shoulders. “The show must go on. We will go, and we will fight.”
Paul limped from the dining hall with a plate of Mrs. Wilhelm’s empanadas in his hand. He was always eating these days, a habit that had bolstered his weight to the point he almost looked like the old Paul, before he’d lived for weeks as a wild animal.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. You two look like someone died. Did someone die?”
Ms. D took the plate from his hands. “We need your help. Round up the others as quickly as possible. Tell them it’s an emergency. I’ll explain everything once we are all on board. We leave as soon as we can get everyone on the bus.” Paul nodded and transformed into a parrot, leaving his clothes where he stood. Smart, Hope thought. He wouldn’t have to shift back to relay the message.