Celine bit her lip. “It’s my fault Fen wants you out of here. I feel responsible for all of this. At least let me try to help?” Her eyes pleaded, begging Hunter to let her do this, and Hunter softened. “Please? Helping might make me feel less guilty,” Celine prodded.
In truth, Hunter was curious.
And deep down inside, she knew she might be something awful.
But she had to know for sure.
“Come on, this will only take a minute. Sit over here.” Celine pointed. “And I’ll sit here.” Face to face with the diminutive creature, a soft feeling of contentment washed over her, along with Celine’s words.
“Now close your eyes. I’ll lead you in. Just try to relax.” With her eyes closed, Hunter let Celine’s soft laughter wash over her. “I’ve never done this before, so it might not work, but if it does…now just relax.”
As Celine’s voice faded, Hunter floated in nothingness. Gone was the hard floor beneath her and the soaring ceiling overhead. Instead, her world turned white and wispy. When a small cool hand slipped into hers, her eyes flew open.
“There you are.” To Hunter’s astonishment, they were floating in a fog, against a nondescript landscape of ghostly gray. Wisps of smoke or clouds floated all around them, and the air—it smelled like rain or wet limestone.
“Is this a dream? Are we in a dream?” Hunter whispered.
“It’s an actual place. For me, at least.” Celine squeezed and Hunter felt a sharp, quick pressure on her hand. “See? You feel things in here. Not as real as anything outside and I don’t know exactly which world we’re on. We could be close to the Underworld, but I sure hope not.” Celine shuddered. “We want to stay out of there.”
“It feels warm in here.”
“Does it? It feels cold to me. All right.” Celine met her eyes steadily. “Are you ready for this, Hunter? Close your eyes and think about the place inside of you that’s different. The place that changed, when Tyr brought you back to life. The place that’s dark.”
Had Tyr told her? Hunter wondered. But how could he? Even he didn’t know the full extent of her darkness. “How do you know about that?” she whispered.
“I’ve been seeing you in my visions for weeks and weeks. If you really want to understand this power inside you, open yourself up and let it out, it’s the only way to know for sure. Just let go.”
Hunter hesitated. When she’d lost control before, the destruction she’d wreaked had been so awful, she lived with the memories still. If it hadn’t been for Tyr…
“No, I can’t. Celine, what’s in me is terrible, it’s so terrible, you don’t understand…”
“Hunter, we’re not in the physical world. We are in the Dreaming. Look around you. You can’t do any harm in here. Go ahead. Give yourself over to it.”
Still, Hunter hesitated. This girl could not know the strength of the power inside of her. Suddenly, she was all alone and then, from behind, Celine’s low voice crooned silkily into Hunter’s ear, “Let go, Hunter. How long has it been since you were truly free? Let it out. Show us what you are. Why hide yourself?”
Why indeed?
Hunter felt the quick stab of anger. She was only in this mess because she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. And because you killed a god. Well, yes, there was that. She might shoulder a bit of the blame. Still, it would be nice to let down her guard. Just for a few, precious seconds.
“C’mon Hunter, relax.” Celine coaxed gently from somewhere behind her. “Let it out. Let us see you.”
But still, fear pricked at Hunter. Memories of before washed over her. The smoking crater, the ruined castle. The dead villagers. While a wrongness about this place played on the outside edge of her instincts.
Caution raised its head, and she whirled around, finding nothing behind her except swirling mists. “First, tell me exactly why you want this so badly,” she countered, searching the fog for any sign of Celine. “And then, perhaps, I’ll decide whether to show myself to you.”
Somewhere in the mist, Celine chuckled, a cunning, wild laugh edged with madness. Hunter ducked, her hand going for her knives, just as a dark form rose up, from which a raging voice issued,
“Don’t you understand, my child? I already know who you are.
“You are me, and I am you.”
8
Heart hammering, intuition prickling, Hunter lunged up off the bed and stood for a second in the middle of the room, finding her bearings. She was not, as she remembered, dressed in her fighting leathers but was still in the loose borrowed clothing. Celine wasn’t with her, and sunlight was streaming in all around her.
What in the hell?
The door flew open with such force that the crash reverberated through the room. Celine swayed on her feet, half dressed, wild-eyed and panting in the doorway. “I just…you and I just…oh my God…I…” Her pale eyes flew around the room, bouncing off everything before finally settling on Hunter. “You and I were….”
Somehow, Celine’s sudden appearance, combined with the fact she’d obviously just woken up, made everything fall into place. Hunter’s heart pounded even faster as she realized what had almost happened. What she had almost done… Hunter sheathed her knives and caught her breath. “Yes. Yes, I remember it all. That was…quite disturbing.” To say the least.
Settling back on the bed, Hunter eyed the diminutive blonde. “Are congratulations in order, then?” she asked, her gaze dipping to Celine’s stomach.
Celine’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God, it really was real. How is that even possible? Do you remember all of it?”
“I do.” Since she didn’t want to have this conversation in front of everyone, Hunter crossed over and pulled Celine into the room, shutting the door. “So how much of that was you?”
“I wasn’t doing it on purpose, just so you know,” Celine told her. “I just laid down. I’ve been so tired these past few weeks.” She offered a wan smile, hand brushing her stomach. “And then somehow, we were together in my dream. Everything was fine until… How did you even know?” Her gaze turned speculative. “When did you figure out he was there too?”
“At some point the atmosphere felt…different. Evil, almost. As if it weren’t you doing the asking. As if you were worn as a costume.” Hunter braced herself. “That was the God of Chaos?”
“Yes, it was. He took control.”
“Explain to me exactly what he felt like.”
Celine shuddered. “Relentless. Definitely overwhelming. And he wanted you to lose control. It was as if he wanted to see what might happen, once you did.” Her voice grew reedy.
Hunter’s stomach lurched. “I know,” she muttered, suddenly frantic. “I know that’s what he wanted. He used the Dreaming and your abilities to maneuver me into lowering my guard.” A shaking started somewhere in her knees. “And that was before he said—you are me—”
“And I am you,” Celine finished, her eyes wide.
Hunter tried to quell the growing horror inside of her. It seemed she finally did have a name. And she didn’t like it one bit.
“There’s something else you should know.” Celine’s bottom lip wobbled. “This isn’t my first brush with the Orobus. He’s been in my dreams before.”
Hunter began to strip quickly, panic building along with Celine’s questions.
“But this time he seemed different. This time, when he manipulated us, he was trying to accomplish something. What did he want you to do, Hunter?”
Hunter tugged on her pants, reasoning this near-disaster was the final push out the door she needed. “If the Orobus had succeeded just now, if he’d tricked me into releasing my power, the blast would have leveled this entire building, perhaps the city block. And there was a second when I considered it. You see, it’s happened before, and unless I’m very careful, it could happen again.”
Hunter stripped off the loose blouse and pulled on the jacket. “I have to leave right now. Fenrir was right to be worried. Nobody’s safe around me. Especially now.
”
She needed time to think. Space to work through this disturbing turn of events.
You are me, and I am you.
If that message meant what she thought it did, then she was thoroughly screwed. It also meant the Orobus was heading straight for her. And she’d best put as much space between herself and the Tower as she could.
Celine grabbed her arm, and there was a surprising amount of strength in those slender fingers. “You can’t go out there. There’s nowhere to even go, Hunter. The city’s falling apart, and it’s dangerous.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It simply means I have an entire city at my disposal. And playing hide and seek was always one of my specialties,” she added wryly. If this thing thought she’d just lie down and allow herself to be cornered like a rat, he hadn’t studied history. At least, not her history.
“But you’ll be a sitting duck out there.”
Hunter fixed Celine with a steady stare. “No, actually I won’t be.” She tucked another knife in her right boot. Checked both guns. She’d need some ammo but had scoped out the armory on the way in, and she’d swing by and take what she needed on the way out.
“It’s the Orobus who’d better watch his back.”
9
Tyr stationed Balder at the south end of the city. Vali on the west side, in case the God of Chaos swept in through the suburbs. Thor at the pier, just in case the bastard could swim. He didn’t ever want to be accused of underestimating the enemy.
Looking at the maps, the video feeds, the logistics, the hours and hours of planning, his brain rattled around in his skull. It’d be tonight, possibly tomorrow, when the combined forces slammed down on them. Mir strung some magical warning systems together, so when the bastard broke through his wards, at least they’d know.
Not that Tyr was focused on their impending doom.
No, at the moment, his mental bandwidth was used up on a worry of another sort.
He’d sensed Hunter, the second she’d left the building. Knew she was currently on the south end, close to Balder’s position, probably setting up a secondary sightline. Waiting for her opportunity. Of course, if he had his way, he’d keep her close. But it wasn’t up to him, never had been. From the first second he’d seen her, it had been like the Fates had conspired in some cosmic plan to both throw them together and tear them apart.
Tyr ground his teeth. She had been close. For two entire days. And what had they done? Circled each other like jackals. When he should have had her in his bed. Fuck this war. Fuck the God of Chaos. Fuck the world. After everything, they’d ended up right where they’d begun.
On opposite sides.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. That about sums it up. Given any thought to how we’re going to draw the God of Chaos down to the circle? Because none of this will matter if we can’t toast his ass within the first few hours of the attack.”
Mir ambled in, his gaze ruthless as he proposed, “If only we had something the creature wanted.”
“What in the fuck are you talking about?” Tyr had to get his head back in the game. They only had a few hours left before they were hip deep in blood, and until then, all of this rested on his shoulders. “Could you possibly be any vaguer?”
“What if we did have what he wanted?” Mir pushed, “Would you leverage it?”
“Of course I’d use it. Are you fucking crazy? I’d do anything…anything to kill that bastard.” Tyr concentrated on positioning, found they were shorthanded. “Look, what we really need are more hands on deck, and a rocket launcher or two might help, but sure, tell me what the fucker wants.” He dragged his hand through his hair, deciding to move Vali further south, praying the break in formation wasn’t going to prove fatal.
“I’m dead serious, Tyr. If we had something that would draw him to us like a magnet, would you use it as bait?” Mir took a step closer. “Would you?” he demanded, his finger drilling into Tyr’s chest.
Tyr’s internal warning system went off a minute too late. “What exactly is this something?”
“I just had a little chat with Celine and Fen. Regarding visions.” Even Mir looked unhappy about it. “And the visions she’s been having about Hunter. And the Orobus. But before you fly off the…”
“No.” Tyr swung his head steadily side to side. “Let me amend that. Fuck no.” Everything inside of Tyr shut down. Locked down tight as all the little pieces fell into place. As clues from these past few days—what was inside of her, the death wish Hunter seemed to have—began to suddenly make more sense. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it.”
“Think this through for a minute.”
“Damn it, Tyr. She’s out there. Alone. And that thing’s gunning straight for us. Celine’s visions haven’t been wrong. Not so far. Even you can’t argue with that. And she’s had a new one.”
Tyr couldn’t even think, couldn’t even breathe as Mir said, “Celine said she and Hunter were together in her dream. And the Orobus talked to Hunter. And he told her…” Mir’s mouth tightened.
“Don’t you even finish that sentence,” Tyr gritted out. “You’ve already pissed me off, so just shut up right the fuck now.”
“Celine said the thing told Hunter, ‘You are me, and I am you.’”
“That sounds like a mind fuck to me,” Tyr said. “And it isn’t proof of anything. Ever thought that maybe this thing is trying to distract us? Orchestrating some diversion to pull us away, while he razes Chicago to the ground?” As Mir remained silent, Tyr chuckled. “I thought not. That’s why I’m in charge of this war, and you’re in charge of…well, pretty much everything else.” Tyr snarled, “Now get out of my way.”
He would have been gone, except Mir braced his hand against his chest. “Look. This way you can control the situation, Tyr. Let’s pull her back in. If she shares some connection to him, and you’ve got to admit that’s a possibility, keeping her close is better than her being out there alone.”
Tyr barked out a short, bitter laugh. “Control the situation? You don’t know Hunter. You don’t know anything about her. And why the hell are you so sure this thing’s gunning for her, anyway?”
From the doorway, Celine’s soft voice said, “Because we were both pulled into the same dream. And the Orobus was after her. Not me. Her.”
“Bullshit,” he said flatly. “This is bullshit. It was only a dream.”
Whirling, he made for the door, was out in the hall when Celine’s voice stopped him cold. “There was a lot more to it, Tyr, and you’ve got to calm down and listen. The God of Chaos tried to get Hunter to reveal her powers to him. I believe he wanted to confirm she possessed a sliver of his energy. But she said something terrible would happen if she did.” Celine added, “He’s coming for her, Tyr, whether you like it or not.”
He’d never seen what he’d pulled out of the ground that night. It had felt, in some way, as ancient as time itself. It had certainly been evil. But he’d sealed the darkness inside of her just the same. Because with that hideous force had come life. He’d considered it, at the time, a small price to pay. “Still doesn’t—”
“We talked…afterwards. We discussed everything that happened in the dream. And Hunter was so shaken up by it, she left. But before she did, she said if she’d lost control, the blast would have destroyed this building, maybe even the block. Said she’d done it before. Is that true?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Tyr murmured.
Now it was Mir who laughed. “Bullshit. You know exactly what she’s asking. Rumor is, Hunter destroyed an entire mountainside once. My question is, why would the God of Chaos be after her in the first place?” Tyr barely felt the punch Mir landed on his shoulder, nor heard the question that followed. “Talk to us, asshole, or you’ll wish you had.”
So there were times in one’s very, very long life when things came to a head. This was one of them. “She’s the opposite of creation.”
“So she’s destruction?” Mir smirked. “Yeah, I’ve heard the rumors.”
>
“Not exactly. She’s more of a black hole. If she…” God, was he actually going to break his word? He’d sworn never to speak of this. He chose his words carefully. “After Hunter died, I used an old pagan binding spell to save her. Before she woke up, I took her back to her father, thinking I’d leave her, maybe ride back someday and find her again, and… Fuck, I didn’t know what I thought. She was still unconscious when I left.
“It was weeks later when I heard what happened. Whispers of a castle disappearing. Along with the entire clan, the village beside it, most of the loch, and the upland crags guarding the valley. I rode back, and when I reached it… I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everything was gone, except for a great, smoking black crater. The castle. The mountain. And over four hundred people. Erased.
“I found her wandering the Highlands. Out of her mind. Darkness oozing from her pores. Begging me to kill her.” Tyr rubbed his face, feeling moisture there. “Her name was Charlotte. She’d been a beautiful, beloved daughter of a once-great king. By the time I found her, there was nothing left. She was begging for mercy, for death. I couldn’t give her either.
“She was easy enough to find. In her wake, everything died. It was as if she consumed life itself as she passed. Fields of heather were black, forests turned to skeletons, flocks of sheep became carcasses. And the mortals…” Tyr didn’t bother finishing.
“The same as the God of Chaos,” Mir murmured.
“I ended up trapping her like an animal. Took her to the mountains. Since my blood was in her, blood magic protected me, I suppose. I even controlled her to a certain extent. I kept her away from anything living. I used every spell I knew, every bit of magic I could summon, to seal that thing away, inside of her.”
“How long?”
“Months, I suppose. I never kept track. She certainly couldn’t. It took time, but she became herself again. Or as close to herself as she could get.”
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