“The kid,” Cash said suddenly, frowning. I thought maybe he disagreed with the term because Jed wasn’t that young. He wasn’t old either, maybe in his thirties, but I supposed next to Marc, most people were young. Cash continued to pace, eyes flicking to and fro as he calculated. Then he stopped and caught my eyes. “I think I know who he is.”
Instead of revealing his thoughts, he cursed. Then he swore some more and slammed his fists on the table.
The only one not cowered by his sudden outburst, I crossed the room to place a steady hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, sweat beaded his forehead. “It’s Alkiemon. Your son.”
“What?”
“The bloody prince,” Marc said.
“Think about it,” Cash continued. “If I survived that day, it’s not a far stretch to imagine he did too. That dark, slippery essence he can detach from his body, it’s eerily similar to what a witch can do, right? He had the first black serum oozing through is veins, but he had too much control. I don’t think Urser meant for him to attack the first settlement when he did. Since then, Urser has spent years perfecting the serum so he’s got full control of any new darkling he creates. Jed—Alkiemon is the prince, and now he’s evolved into something else. He’s helping Urser finish his original plan: To create an army to take over the Empire.”
I sat down hard on a chair. This was way above my pay grade.
“We need to involve the governing authority at the Empire,” I said finally. “Surely there’s more people who can help. It wasn’t all me, was it?”
“They can’t help until the gate is open. And besides, nothing’s changed,” Cash said. “We knew we had a traitor who had inside knowledge. So we’re no worse off than before.”
“That’s right,” Marc added. “I’m still going to exterminate all of them.”
Cash shot him a jaded look. “I meant that we can use the knowledge the prince gained against him. For starters, what can we do to up the ante on what we’ve already planned? How can we surprise him?”
We were all silent for a few minutes, letting his question gestate.
Then I thought of something. “The vaccine. Can it be adapted for human use?” I thought of James and his infection. “Urser has used humans before, he could do it again.”
“Yes,” Jesop said. “I can adapt it for humans. But how would we get it to all of them in time?”
“I could help with that,” Cato said.
Everyone in the room gave him a curious look.
“The water supply,” he elaborated. “Thurstan and I can use our abilities to spread the vaccine exponentially—even carry it to the air if we need.”
“Great. When Jesop creates a big enough batch, you two do that. Unless anyone has a problem with that?” I asked.
I caught Cash’s eyes, expecting him to have something to say, but he was already looking at me with a small knowing smile. “Good thinking.”
A little warmth bloomed in my chest and I smiled back, but then Cash’s mood darkened and I knew I wouldn’t like the next words out of his mouth. “There’s another way we can surprise Urser,” he said. “I’ll travel with you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.
“Lena,” Cash looked at her. “Being soulmates means I’m connected with Roo, right? Do you think it’s enough to get me through the in-between?”
Lena appeared thoughtful for a minute. “In theory, it’s possible. If that Jed truly is the prince, and he’s developed the ability to travel through the in-between, then perhaps that ability has been in his genetics and passed down from the queen. Considering you’re the queen’s soulmate and her blood was used to convert you, yes … it’s possible, but not a certainty.”
“But I stole that ability off Marc, didn’t I? Accidentally, I mean. It wasn’t on purpose.”
“If you took that ability from me, love, it happened long ago—perhaps even when we were children,” Marc added. “We grew up as neighbors and best friends. We spent a lot of time together. While you were always able to travel with me, you’ve never been able to do it alone until now. I think it evolved in you.”
“So it’s settled, then.” Cash clapped and rubbed his hands together. “We’ll all get vaccinated, then head to the gate. The rest of you can follow the traditional way, by plane.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” I held up my hand, heart thumping wildly. “We haven’t settled anything. What happens if you die while traveling?”
“Should we at least test the theory?” I asked. “Lena?”
“I don’t think testing would make a difference. It’s either going to work, or it won’t. If you want to take a risk, it won’t matter if you make a short trip, or a long trip,” she replied.
“That’s right,” Marc added. “Your atoms either entangle, or they don’t.”
“I don’t think that will happen.” He looked me in the eye. “I have faith you will keep me safe.”
The niggling feeling in my gut didn’t agree with him.
A few minutes later I followed Cash into the medical laboratory in the castle basement. He’d arrived first and flicked on the lights to illuminate the cold, stone room. Equipment had been cleaned, sterilized and neatly put away for the day and a station had been set up near the plastic covered recliner that had a rack of vials on a metal table, ready with syringes. Lena and Jesop had obviously expected everyone to agree to the vaccinations.
“Right, I’ll go first, shall I?” Cash removed his jacket, folded it neatly, and then handed it to a wide-eyed me. I took it on reflex.
Lena and Jesop were still to enter the room, so it was just me and my misguided fiancé.
“Cash, you can’t come with me through the in-between.”
“I’ve thought about it, Roo, and it’s something he won’t expect. Neither of them will.”
“But…”
His gaze turned fierce. “You expect me to let you be bait without me?”
My mouth hung open.
“That’s what you were planning to do, wasn’t it? Be bait, let Marc somehow swoop in from the side? Well, I got news for you, Urser knows everything about you. He knows everything about Marc. But he won’t see me coming. My re-emergence in this body wasn’t in his master plan.”
“Neither was mine!”
Cash sighed heavily. “The last thing Jed—Alk—”
“Don’t say his name!” I said, cutting him off. “He’ll know we’re talking about him.”
“Good. He should know we’ve figured it out. We’ve already said it a few times, anyway.” A sharp, harsh laugh escaped him. “You know it was me saying that to you once, long ago: Don’t say his name. And you didn’t care. Looks like our roles are reversed.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked lost in thought for a moment, then refocused on me. “Just before the disaster that ended your experiment, all those years ago, I was lecturing you about your recalcitrant son. I was worried about his unstable behavior, and you told me there was nothing to worry about. You loved him, even then, despite his bratty attitude. You had faith that all he needed to get over his father’s death was some time on this planet, surrounded by the new marvels you’d created. I should have trusted my instincts, but instead, I let you placate me. I won’t let you go without me, Roo.”
I lost all energy and sidled up to him in the chair. I climbed on and slotted myself between his big body and the side of the plastic recliner. It was a snug fit and I ended up more on top of him than not. My hand curled around his middle. “Cash, I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” His big hand landed around my neck and he squeezed gently. “My soul was split into three. You brought me back together. You can keep me in one piece. I know you can.”
“I’m only beginning to understand the complexities of the in-between. What if your soul gets lost again? What then?”
“Then you’ll have to come and find me.”
Lena, Jesop, Jacine and Marc all entered at that point.
“You
lovebirds want a minute?” Marc said.
I cleared my throat and slid onto the floor. A breath of silence passed. Cash rolled up his sleeve and presented his forearm to Jesop. “I’m ready.”
Chapter 35
After we vaccinated, we sat and waited a few minutes in case adverse effects presented. Cash, Marc and myself ended in the kitchen to wait out the time. I was still hungry, and wasn’t the only one. We hashed out our plan over scones and coffee—well, Marc had tea. We’d meet at Marc’s cabin, which was close enough to the gate that we could ride his bike and survey the situation before flashing into the thick of things. The risk that something happened on the teleport journey was too big to arrive dead on into battle. Plus the humidity meant Marc’s illusion-construct ability was glitchy, and who knew what mine would be like, so we all needed to clothe ourselves and he had supplies there.
Once we were done planning, we received one last check from Lena and made our way to the front courtyard. The icy cold bit into my face and drilled down to my bones—it would be a stark contrast to the stifling weather we were heading into. We didn’t bother dressing in warm clothing because it would all be left behind.
Cash was strong, he would survive this.
But maybe being strong has nothing to do with it. Maybe we weren’t as similar as I thought. That little doubt sitting on my shoulder wouldn’t shut up. Yes, Cash and I had been cut from the same cloth in these new bodies, and it had rescued both of us, but we were also different, and I remembered little of what made me so knowledgeable in the past. What if I wasn’t strong enough to contain him? I watched him stomp his feet, and blow on his hands to ward off the frostbite. Through his T-shirt and jeans, the angles of his lean body and musculature were the picture of perfect health. The perfect specimen to live a long, fruitful life. Unless I fucked up.
An ache twisted in my chest with the very real possibility of a life without him. I couldn’t accept that. I needed him with every buzzing molecule of my being. If he didn’t turn up on the other end of the ride… a lump formed in my throat.
“You ready?” Cash’s deep, masculine voice snapped me back to attention. He placed a steady palm on my shoulder. Under the overcast sky, his blue and brown eyes looked the same shade of gray. They were constantly changing color, but they were always filled with emotion when he looked at me. And now was no exception. I’d given so much of myself to him, and relied so much on his steady guidance, that I was afraid of who’d I’d become without him by my side.
“Stop it,” he said and dipped to catch my fallen gaze. “We’re doing this. It’s going to be fine.”
I made a string of stifled sounds and scrubbed my face, wanting to speak the reply that hung unsaid in the air, But what if it’s not?
Cash notched his finger under my chin and kissed me. White electricity zinged down our connection and I sank into him, melting in the cold air. He let me feel everything he was in a wave of emotion through his essence. It flowed into me, unfurling warmth like a hot drink. When his lips left mine, I felt bereft but better at the same time.
He shifted a stray hair from my face. “Just follow your instincts. Whatever happens, I know you’ll find me.”
I nodded and then glanced at Marc. “So, explain to me again what you did when you first took me through the in-between?”
Marc came to stand next to us, seemingly impervious to the cold. “Right, kids.” He placed a palm on both Cash and my shoulders. “I brought you in close, like this”—Marc drew us against his long body, like a hug—“Cozy, isn’t it?”
“And then?” Cash prompted gruffly.
“Right. And then I expanded my aura to fully contain both of us and made sure not to let go. Do you think I should carry all of us?”
“No,” Cash replied. “Lena said you’re too different than me. It has to be Roo.”
I took a deep breath. I could do this.
“Ah, Marc. You can let us go.” I raised a brow at his snug contact.
“Sorry, just enjoying the one and only three-way I’ll ever have with you two.” He sighed dramatically and stepped away.
I chuckled and even Cash gave a short laugh. It released the tension gripping our minds.
“Right, give it a go, love. Encompass him. I’ll watch to make sure you’re all over him, yeah?”
“How is it everything you say has a dirty double meaning?” I said.
“Me?” He looked shocked. “You're the one with the mind in the gutter.”
I released my energy from the confines of my body and let it flow around us. I’d never done this exact thing before, so it was all theory, and that’s what scared me. Just keep letting it out, coat Cash until he was as much a part of me as I was with him. Marc circled us with a wary eye, scrutinizing the air around us.
“Looks good to me,” he said, “but I can’t tell if the hunter’s aura is contained. It’s invisible. I can see his body is enveloped, but I’m afraid I don’t know how accurate that is.”
I exhaled sharply and my energy snapped back into me. “So we might be missing the mark? We can’t do this then. I’m sorry, Cash, but I’m not willing to risk your life on a maybe.”
“Blood,” Lena said, from behind us.
I twisted to find Jacine guiding Lena down the steps of the castle to meet us at the courtyard. When they reached our side, Lena elaborated. “Blood is your connection. You’re linked on a biological and metaphysical level that only you truly understand. You’re the one who made the soul-link in the first place, and even if you can’t remember it, you’ve got that instinct still inside you. It drives you every time you use your power. How have you linked with Cash in the past?” Lena asked.
“Well…” I thought for a moment. “We’ve done our mentor-progeny ritual via the blood bond. I also used a blood connection to pull Tommy’s soul into Cash… oh!” I gave Cash a coy look. “We kiss.”
Cash returned my look with a flick of the eyebrows.
“Well, that’s my suggestion,” Lena continued. “Connect with him, any which way you can, then make sure you hold onto him with every atom of your being.”
“Sure. Easy,” I murmured. “What can go wrong?” Only annihilation and entanglement of every particle in our bodies.
Jacine disengaged from Lena and crossed the short distance to Marc. She spoke quietly and I couldn’t hear her words, but their body language said enough. He gave her his full attention, and bent down when she reached up to cup his cheek. I averted my gaze to Cash who had a tiny smile quirking his lips. He’d heard what was said.
“Alright, then,” Marc called out to us. “I’ll see you at the cabin.”
With that, he vanished and all the particles of dust, construct, and sand that had collected on his body showered to the ground.
I stared at that small pile with foreboding.
“Let’s do this.” Cash took my hand in his.
Jacine and Lena retreated to the steps to watch us from a distance.
“Okay, hold your palm up,” I said and Cash showed me his hand. I used my power to slice both our hands and hold the wound open. Then we joined hands in a grownup version of a childish pact. “I want you with me until we arrive at our destination.”
“I want to be with you until we arrive at our destination.”
Then he enveloped me with his free arm, hand cupping my rear possessively, and laid his lips on mine. Without thinking further, I opened myself to our connection and willed us across the other side of the world.
Chapter 36
Just like every other time I traveled, I arrived in a blink of an eye. I knew I had come to our destination because humid heat slammed into my face, smothering my airways. Dawn peeked through the gaps in the forest leaves and cast the dense underbrush with dappled misty light. Monkeys whooped, insects chirped and birds cawed. But no Cash.
Time stood still as I took in my surroundings and the very obvious lack of warm body next to mine. He had to be here. He had to be.
“Cash!” I cried out, my v
oice echoed in the vast forest. Monkey’s screeched in response. I flailed around, moving ferns to see better at my feet.
Dirt.
It was all muddy dirt.
No.
All form and function left my mind and all I could think was that I’d lost him. My senses flared out to scan the area, but nothing. He was invisible. I forced myself to calm but couldn’t help my rising panic. Then, through the naked connection at my feet, the earth echoed my pain, and I almost lost my shit. Did that mean it knew? My eyes burned, my throat closed up. No. I had to be sure. I slammed my bare fist into the dirt to latch onto the metaphysical veins of the earth’s life-force. Life pulsed beneath and, like a magnetic reaction, was drawn to me, little worms of electricity snapping home to shoot power up my arm. “Find him,” I commanded, voice a thin rasp. Filaments of energy burst from my hand, symbiotically searching through the vast network of the forest for an echo of myself—Cash.
If he was here, I would find him. If he wasn’t here…
I felt it—a whispered response, a ping. Tension released in a sudden surge from my muscles, leaving me limp with relief. He was here, lying prone on the ground a few feet away. I wept. Sobbed. He was here. He was here. My legs weakened, and my strength failed as I allowed a moment to process. Then I was up, crashing through the ferns, plants and trees. Anything and everything in my way moved, either telekinetically, or out of some precognitive reaction, or perhaps I’d stepped through the in-between. I’d never know—only that I was simply there when before I was not.
“Cash.” I fell to my knees in front of him. He lay on his stomach, face down. Unmoving. I touched the skin on his bare back—warm. His neck—hot. “Hey, wake up.” I shook him. No movement. “C’mon, Cash. Wake up.”
I gripped his shoulders to roll him over. He was heavy. He was a mountain and I was the wind. But I didn’t give up. I pumped power into my arms and gave an almighty heave until his body turned to lie face up. Dirt covered his lax, chiseled features, and muddy debris plastered his naked body. Wet leaves, soggy sticks, and soil. I wiped grit from his mouth and then rested my palm, hovering over his airways. Breathing. Thank God. I fumbled against his neck to find the artery. Life rhythmically pulsed back at me. So why wasn’t he waking?
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