by Sadie Jacks
Something landed against my chest with ghostly fingers. Fire and agony spread from that singular point of connection.
I looked down to see a bubbling green spot of putrefaction about the size of a nickel slowly eating its way through my shirt and into my flesh. “Shite!” I bat at it with my hands, tried to knock it away.
“Endrik, fix him now. Or I’ll make your death so light and fluffy you’ll wish for life.” Vari knocked my ankles together and rode my body down to the ground. She bent down, her dark curls laid against my chin.
Feathering movements eased the edges of the pain, but it felt like it was trying to burrow deeper inside now that its ability to spread had been cut off.
“Hear me out. Then I’ll fix him.”
“Then start speaking or I’ll body jump you and do it myself.” Vari lifted her head, caught my cheeks between her hands. “Hang on, Koehn. Hang on. I’ve got you.”
My mouth no longer worked. As if the disease or poison had infiltrated my upper chest, my lungs failed to move. I could barely swallow. I couldn’t even nod my head to tell her I’d heard her, my body felt so heavy. Hurry.
Her eyes tightened at the corners as she turned and looked at the man. I felt the magic in the room shift as she called it to her. The same as she had in my kitchen earlier today.
From inches away, I watched as her lush body reduced itself down into nothing but the specter of death. All gray skin and barely covered bones. Her hair even lost its luster. With her poised over my hips, I could have sworn I was covered by a wooden structure instead of her delicious body.
“You have two seconds, Drik. Make them count.” She lifted one hand towards him. One boney finger stabbed in his direction as the room filled with voices. Loud and soft, yelling and moaning. It was like standing in a crowded stadium.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw wisps of figures. Old and young, fat and thin. Ebony and palest milk. Male and female and some who landed somewhere between those two endpoints. But they all had one feature in common: hunger.
Endrik hurried over, fear etching his face. “Call them off, V. Call them off.” He leaned down and swiped a hand against my chest. “There. He’s all clean again.”
The pain lifted as if it had never been there. While I couldn’t say that I was better than new, I was back to normal.
The magic in the room didn’t lift. In fact, it got heavier. As if she called all the dead to her side. Century’s worth of spirits and they all congregated in my throne room.
“V!” Endrik reached out.
“NO!” I grabbed the knife from Vari’s body that I could feel digging into my right hip. With a wild swing, I had it lodged in his leg before he could touch her. “Don’t touch her.”
Vari’s power jolted and expanded so quickly that my ears popped and my stomach dipped. It was like going down the first hill of a roller coaster…without a belt to keep me in my seat.
In an instant, all the ghosts and spirits vanished. Her skin was a rosy shade of pale cream and her body had filled out once more to the curves I would probably dream about for the rest of my life.
Endrik fell back. A high, girlish scream piercing the air.
Vari smiled down at me as she planted her hands on my perfectly normal chest. “Thank you.” She leaned down, smacked her lips to mine, and then catapulted herself off my body.
I tried to grab her back to me, but once again, she moved too quickly for me to catch her. Getting to my feet, I hurried to where she stood over the shrieking man.
Honestly, it was a blade in his thigh. You’d think I’d stabbed him with a ray of pure sunlight or something. What a baby.
Vari chuckled. “Seems your seat to the Underworld has been called. Are you ready to return to hell where you belong?” She reached down and yanked her dagger free.
Smoke and what looked like ichor seeped from the wound. Black ate at the veins in his neck and face. His skin had faded from healthy to waxy in the span of moments.
“You need me. When you’re ready to face that truth, you know where to find me.” His throat worked as charcoal ate its way from his neckline to his chin.
“The day I’ll need you is the day I love my father.”
Endrik smiled. “I’ll make sure I have some balloons and tissues ready for your love fest then.” He coughed. Ashes sprang up into the air over him. “King Atavian isn’t your real father.”
Vari snorted. “Good luck peddling that shite, Drik.”
He shook his head, his face wreathed in pain. “Not…lying.”
Vari crouched down.
I grabbed her shoulder, ready to rip her away from him if he tried anything while she was vulnerable.
“Then who is my father?” she asked in a low voice.
Even having known her for less than a full day, I knew what that tone of voice promised. Agony. Soul-searing agony. Coupled with a complete lack of mercy.
“Let’s go meet him.” Endrik reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Va—” Oh shite.
Chapter 31 – Vari
My body twisted itself into knots, set itself on fire, and then pissed on the ashes. Over and over. With no end in sight.
Nothing worked correctly. Not my vision, not my sense of time. It was all pain, all agony. And there was no end. No true beginning. Just a never-ending cycle of torturous pain.
Vari! Koehn’s voice shot through my head like a bullet.
Koehn? He was here? How the gods was he here? And why? Where are you?
I have no idea. But sweet gods, it hurts.
I looked around, trying to find him. But my vision had smoked to nothing. Just a hazy field of grays that felt like flamed sandpaper inside my skull.
Just as suddenly as the pain started, it stopped. Euphoria rushed over me as I took my first full breath in what felt like hours. Maybe months.
Hard arms wrapped around me from behind. But the scent that accompanied them had my muscles relaxing. “There you are.” He pressed a kiss to my hair. “Where the feck are we?”
I shook my head, pulled from his arms. I might not want to stab him, but I really didn’t like being touched all the time. And the man seemed to be made of hands. “I don’t know. How the hell did you get here?” I looked around again. “Wherever here actually is.”
“You’re in my world now, V,” Drik said. Gone was the gray pallor and the body that was slowly disintegrating into ash. He was even more vibrant and sexy in his normal habitat. Arsehole.
I looked around again. Couldn’t make out anything but the shimmering shades of charcoal and gray that looked like they glinted under a high noon sun. There was no way this was the Underworld.
Where were the fires? The agonized screams? The sinners reaping their eternal damnation?
Drik chuckled. “This is the Underworld. Not the Judeo-Christian Hell. Whole other place.” He spun on his heel. His dark jeans and plain black t-shirt molded to his body. “Follow me.”
Reaching out, I grabbed Koehn’s hand. If we were on another plane of existence, I wasn’t going to lose my only ally. And no telling if he could even leave this place without help. I wasn’t going to babysit the coven he was in charge of if I failed to return him.
What the feck, Vari? Koehn’s voice was both in my head and reverberating off the walls around us.
Drik laughed. “Telepathy doesn’t work down here. At least not in the way you’re hoping it will. There are no secrets…that you two can hide.” He didn’t even bother to turn around, just continued on his walk. His arse was bunching and flexing in his denims enough that I wanted to bite him.
His laugh turned to smoke. “Anytime, anyplace, V. You know I like your bite.”
Shite.
Koehn growled low in his chest beside me. “What the hell is he talking about?”
I shook my head. A dominance battle wasn’t what either of us needed at the moment. Besides, I could kick both their arses.
“Again, welcome to try.” Drik shot me a smirk over his shoulder.
/> “Stay out of my head, arsehole.”
“No. If you’re going to think it, I’m definitely going to listen in.” He stopped walking and turned back to us. Gone was any levity from his face. Hollows appeared under his eyes, in the shallows of his cheeks. His skin was no longer the healthy golden glow. Rather, a greenish tinge drowned out the healthy sheen. “A couple rules to follow while you’re here. And no, they aren’t mine.” He raised a single brow at Koehn.
Koehn blew out a breath through his nose. “As long as she stays safe, I’ll follow your rules. Someone attacks her, all bets are off.”
Drik’s mouth quirked up at the corner. “Your funeral.” He turned to me. “First rule: Whatever you do, don’t piss him off.”
My mouth fell open. “Me?”
Both men snorted.
“Hey!” I elbowed Koehn in the side with my elbow. “Rude.”
“Second rule: Don’t touch the walls.” Drik shifted back to what appeared to be an empty wall. He lifted a hand. A maze of golden red flames moved from his palm out into a shape that looked vaguely familiar.
Beside me, Koehn sucked in another breath. “Mallacht.”
Shite. He was right. The symbol on the door was mirrored in our flesh. What the feck was going on? And what did the Underworld have to do with it?
“Come inside and I’ll tell you,” a heavy masculine voice called from behind the opening.
Chapter 32 – Vari
For the first time in my one hundred and thirty-plus years of living, I felt the age and weight of authority in someone’s voice. It dragged on my soul, weighed down my flesh. But something about it also bolstered me. Gave me an anchor in the stormy seas that were my current life.
With Koehn’s hand in mine, I walked through the door. More black and charcoal. But instead of shimmering silvers, there were veins of gold that ran the length and breadth of the room. Which actually had defined edges that I could discern. We were definitely making progress.
That heavy voice laughed softly. As if a large animal had brushed up against me, I felt each note as it slid against my skin.
“I’m glad to see that your spirit is not broken, raza. This is good.” A figure seemed to separate from the walls and stand before me. Before us. As tall as Tavis, but shrouded in full black, only his face shone with color. Gold. Refined, brilliant gold.
“And who are you?” I demanded. Forcing myself not to step back, not to give him that ground, I held still. I locked my knees, even knowing it put me at a tactical disadvantage.
The figure bent in half, got right in my face. “Your father.”
I shook my head, pushed closer until our noses touched. “While I don’t mind fantasies, I know who my father is. He’s a monster given corporeal form. You are not him.”
Golden eyes peered back at me from inches away. Their color somehow soothing and frightening at the same time. “Hold out your hand, raza.”
“She’s not doing anything until you give us some fecking answers,” Koehn spit out beside me. “Your little errand boy pulled us to this place. I think we’re due some answers before you get any cooperation from us.”
I smirked at the look of confusion on the figure’s face. “What he said.” I leaned back slightly, rested the bulk of weight against Koehn’s bigger form. Easing myself in front of him, I wanted any blowback to land solidly on me. Koehn would be going home if I had anything to say about it.
The figure straightened, humor dancing in his golden eyes. “You are a protector, little one. That makes me proud.” He dipped his head. “So be it.”
Suddenly, the room brightened and the man’s voluminous robes were gone...as was his golden face. A normalish man stood before me. Garbed in oddly current styles, he was old enough to be bent in two. But his body was straight and strong. Vitality pulsed off of him in waves. His head was free of hair except for his pure white brows. “You might know me by many names. The one most are familiar with is Charon.”
Koehn sucked in a breath next to me. “Shite.”
Charon chuckled, dipped his head. “Shite, indeed. Now quit interrupting me while I speak to my daughter.” He looked down at me. Tipped his head to the side. “You’re quite a bit smaller than I would have expected.”
I shrugged. “Sorry, not sorry. If you truly are my real father, then it’s either your or my mother’s fault that I’m this short.”
Drik snorted from behind me. “I told you she was feisty, Char.”
“Don’t make me kill you again, Drik. I’m more than happy to oblige.” I didn’t bother looking at the arrogant manbaby.
“She’s tinier than a gnat, boy. You’re saying she was able to best you?”
Glaring up at the man who had yet to give me any solid evidence that he was actually my father, I pulled one of my knives. I was tired, hungry, and irritated. I put it against his belly. “Start talking or send us home. We do have more important things to take care of than just idle chit chat about how small I am.”
The room around us bowed and flexed. It made my belly twist, but I held my blade steady. I would get answers or I would be going home.
“You think to strike me, raza?” Charon asked in a soft, silky voice.
“I think to keep you on track. You and Drik can shoot the shite later. We were in the middle of something up there. Now, say what you need to say and let us get back to our lives.” I pressed the point of my blade into his belly.
“What the hell did I say just outside, V?” Drik whisper-shouted at me.
I shrugged. “I still don’t think he’s my real father, so unless I start seeing some proof, a lot of heads are going to start to roll. And I’m starting with yours, you overgrown child.”
“You were married to him,” Koehn said softly.
I glared up at him. “And I killed him. Besides, my father demanded I do it. I didn’t want to get married in the first place. It’s not my fault. But I did kill him as soon as I could.”
“You already said that,” Koehn said.
“It definitely bears repeating. Not my choice. I killed him. End of discussion.”
“You were married?” Charon asked.
Screaming was the next item on my list if this man didn’t start sharing the knowledge. “Yes. For all of two seconds. I. Killed. Him. I won’t repeat myself.”
“It’s a dead issue,” Koehn said.
I snorted. “It certainly is. Now, Pappa Charon here better start wagging his tongue, because I’m pissed enough to bring out the big guns.” I just prayed I could access Beastie in here.
I was actively trying not to think about him. Or contact him. If telepathy could be heard as easily as verbally talking, then that certainly wouldn’t work for me. Or the element of surprise. I just had to hope that he was paying attention and could come to the rescue if need be.
“If you would give me your hand, we could be much further along in our conversation about your true parentage,” Charon said. This time he sounded like he had a stick up his arse.
Without taking my blade from his person, I gave him my left hand. “Hurry up.”
Koehn stiffened beside me. His fingers digging into my side as he held me against him once more. He kept his mouth shut, but I could almost feel the effort that went into his restraint against my skin.
Charon reached out and cradled my hand in his. With his free hand, he covered mine. He tilted his head back and exhaled a long string of sounds that were probably words. Maybe. There was no guarantee.
When he lowered his head, he removed his hands. A slight smile shone on his face as he looked down at me.
I looked at my hand. Saw absolutely nothing different. “Great. Thanks for being a creeper. That was nice. Please put us back on Earth now. I have my real father to kill and I’ll be taking Drik as the spoils of war.” I put my hand down, kept my blade up. I was willing to fight our way out if necessary.
Charon smiled and dipped his head. “When you are ready for your answers, simply call out my name.”
“Does sh
e need to do it in a dark room with a mirror and repeat your name three times?” Koehn asked, fury riding his tone.
Charon ignored him. “Sorry for the pain.” He clapped his hands together.
The pain was immediate as it crushed through me with all the force of a mountain falling on my head.
“And I’ll be keeping Endrik here. But I’ll be sure to punish him for any slight he may have caused.”
The room faded as the pain ate through my mind.
Chapter 33 – Beastie
Bone crushing pressure cascaded through Vari as we finally left the Underworld. That arsehole Endrik was going to get the beating of his life when I finally got Vari to safety. He’d almost screwed up everything.
But that wasn’t the most important thing right now. Right now, I needed to keep Vari from fracturing into a million pieces. Huddling around the spark of her spirit, I cradled it against myself. Prayed the other creatures weren’t trying to smash through their cages.
A small line of energy that threaded through her soul pulsed and glowed with a shimmering navy thread. Koehn. One of her protectors. Even though neither of them knew it yet.
I followed the line of their connection until I made it to his mind.
Koehn, do not let her come back here. Ever. Not until I tell you it’s safe.
Roarke?
Yes. Vow it.
Feck. You’ve got to cool it with these vows, mate. But yes, I vow it. Just keep her safe until we get back.
I chuckled. I’ve been keeping her safe for a century. Do not make me regret giving her to you.
There was no answer. But I knew it wasn’t truly his fault. Unconsciousness tended to have that effect on mental prowess.
I managed to keep her together until I felt the magic around us shift. Back to the void that was Earth. Not quite a vacuum, but it certainly wasn’t teeming with the magic of the old days, either.
Such a barren wasteland. Especially in comparison to what it used to be.
Oh well. It was what we had to work with. And we would survive this just like we had Old Faery.