by SGD Singh
Ursala and Ariella staggered away from the group to collapse onto a bench.
Jax looked lost and beyond exhausted, her face and spiky hair covered in black dust and blood, her clothes filthy and torn.
They were all filthy and torn, he realized. And there was a lot of blood.
He moved to Jax’s side. “You all right there?” Nidhan took the civilian’s pack from her shoulders. She stood like a statue.
“All right?” Ursala called. “We just dragged her through the horrific streets of the Underworld, and then watched hundreds of tortured humans die. She’s traumatized for life, man.”
Nidhan wrapped an arm around Jax. “It’s going to be okay. You’re home now.”
Then Kelakha, Aquila, and Dinesh lowered something to the floor with gentle care and Nidhan felt the room tilt.
Lexi.
Nidhan rushed to her with a cry, feeling a panic like he had never felt before. “She’s not… oh dear God, tell me she’s not…”
“She’s alive,” Aquila said. “An Urnayu broke her back. She needs—”
“She needs Asha.” Nidhan scanned the crowd. “What the hell? Where—”
“She stayed,” Kelakha said. “Asha’s not here.”
Nidhan’s heart sank even deeper.
Kelakha went to Jax’s side, speaking to her softly and urging her to drink something. Nidhan watched him with numb disinterest.
“But…” Nidhan tried to imagine how they had gotten separated. If Asha thought the others’ lives were in danger, his sister would’ve found a way to send them to safety, even if it meant sacrificing her own life. And she would’ve been able to get her way in spite of any protests.
But she had made a mistake, because now Lexi was dying. Nidhan knew it as surely as he knew he couldn’t live in a world without her. She would die unless…
Zaiden.
The golden prince stood behind him. Nidhan lunged toward him, crushing the Upperworlder’s strange shoulder pads in his hands. Zaiden didn’t seem to notice Nidhan’s presence at all as he stared down at Lexi against the floor. He looked dazed, his skin almost as light as white gold, and Nidhan realized with a jolt that the Upperworlder was suffering as much as himself.
More, even.
“Do something!” Nidhan shouted in his face.
Zaiden made no indication he’d heard, and Nidhan barely stopped himself from slapping him.
The civilians took a collective step away from them.
“Zaiden!” Nidhan shook him once more, feeling a pang of pity as the Upperworlder’s head lolled at an alarming angle. “You have to do something to help Lexi. Use that thing the Goblin used, something.”
Satish stepped between them, speaking to Zaiden in their own language.
Finally Zaiden’s lizard eyes came into focus, and he nodded, tearing his eyes away from Lexi with obvious effort, and placing a hand on Nidhan’s shoulder as if for support. “My sister is coming. She’ll… she should be able to heal her.”
Zaiden turned to the crowd, and Nidhan sank to the floor to take Lexi’s hand. The prince’s voice filled the room. “A Healer is on the way. She will arrive shortly, so please remain calm.” He turned to the black-winged Upperworlder. “Dinesh, you’re done. Satish, take him to report to the Commander.”
Aquila leapt forward, getting in Zaiden’s face. “Look, I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but this operation is not over.” Aquila turned to Dinesh and shoved a ring at him, and Nidhan recognized the design of their graduation rings. “You said your portal works with a person’s belongings. So take me back to Asha. Now.”
“No.” Zaiden took the ring from Dinesh’s palm and shoved it Aquila’s chest. “He’s injured and needs medical attention. As do you.”
Dinesh looked down at his bloody arm as if he hadn’t noticed he was injured, and shrugged.
Aquila obviously hadn’t heard anything beyond ‘no’. He slammed his palms against Zaiden’s chest, and the Upperworlder staggered. He caught himself, and motioned Dinesh and Satish back when they started forward.
“Satish will take Barindra and the others to retrieve your Seer shortly,” Zaiden said. His voice was soft, calm, but Nidhan wondered for the first time since meeting the prince if he were dangerous.
The air shimmered and shone again, and Sashi was there. The green Upperworlder took in the crowd of bedraggled civilians with a tortured sigh and glared at her brother.
Aquila didn’t even glance at the newcomer as he hit Zaiden again. “Hey, asshole. There’s no time. Understand? We need to go back right fucking now, and if you’re too chickenshit to do it, Dinesh will.”
Zaiden spared Aquila a disbelieving glance, then pushed past him to Sashi’s side, guiding her to Lexi, who still looked dead despite Nidhan’s efforts to will her to wake up.
Nidhan turned to Kelakha. “Explain how you guys left Asha there alone.”
Kelakha just shook his head.
Dinesh said something in the Upperworlder language, and Zaiden hissed something back at him, crouching next to Lexi. “Don’t worry, Nidhan, she’s going to be fine now that Sashi is here.” But his smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Nidhan opened his mouth to ask Sashi her opinion, when Zaiden exclaimed something that sounded suspiciously like Upperworlder curse words.
Aquila had grabbed the Upperworlder and dragged him to his feet by his wings. Nidhan knew Aquila could be intense, especially when it came to Asha, but he’d never seen him like this, crazed, his teeth bared.
“Look, fuckwad,” he growled in Zaiden’s face, his Gurkha blade at the prince’s throat. “I don’t give a shit about your orders. One of you is taking me back to Asha, or God help me I’ll kill you myself.”
Ursala and Kelakha took Aquila by the arms and dragged him away, but Kai, Kenda, and Koko surrounded Zaiden. He looked at them in surprise, but they only crossed their arms and smiled.
“Satish!” Sashi’s voice snapped like a whip, and everyone but Aquila turned to the green Upperworlder. She didn’t look up from her examination of Lexi. “Take this emotion-infested Jodha wherever he wants to go. I can’t work surrounded by this ridiculous commotion.”
Aquila’s eyes flashed at her and he opened his mouth, looking murderous, but Kelakha and Ursala tightened their hold on him until he relaxed, yanking his arms free.
He flipped his knife back into his belt and held the ring out to Satish, ignoring Zaiden.
Kai, Kenda, and Koko slapped the Upperworlder on the back, and his rainbow hair and wings ruffled in protest. “Let’s go rainbow boy,” Kai said. “You heard the lovely green lady. Asha’s waiting.”
Chapter 47
Ranya gazed at the red ocean that stretched out in front of her and took a deep breath, smiling contentedly. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she said. “Not a single human in sight.” She turned to Asha and added, “Well, almost.”
“So tell me,” Asha said, trying to calm her racing heart. “If everything is so done, and we’ve lost to your big master plan of peace and annihilation, why don’t you either kill us or let us go?”
“Such noble suicidal impulses,” Ranya said. “But no. I think if you use that Seer’s mind of yours you’ll realize what a waste that would be. You’ll accept there’s a bigger plan for the three of us. Your Prophecy might be criminally lacking, but ours isn’t.”
Great. She still wants to lure me to the Dark Side. They should teach a Guard class on Negotiating with Insane Underworlders.
“I’ll be honest,” Asha tried. “I’m interested to learn about your Prophecy.”
“Are you really?” Ranya’s smile was a whole new kind of creepy. She stepped over one of her dead sisters and held a hand out to Asha.
Asha glanced down at the Witch’s hand. Metal bands wrapped around her fingers, the inside of razor-sharp claws curving to match her smile. There was something dark dried along one, and Asha didn’t have to think too hard to guess what is was. She imagined the Witch’s one eye glinting with amusement behind he
r mask as Asha hesitated to touch her skin.
Asha placed her hand in Ranya’s.
The Witch closed her fingers slowly, one at a time, watching Asha behind her mask.
“What?” She laughed. “You should see your face, Asha.”
Asha squeezed the Witch’s hand, lunging at her, and Ranya flinched.
“Yeah. Hilarious.”
Ranya brought a metal-covered finger to her lips and Asha felt her heart rate speed up in spite of herself. Then, very slowly, the Witch reached for the unconscious Seer’s hand and lifted it in hers, and Asha felt the electrical current flash through her cells again.
Ranya nodded at his other hand, making a sound of impatient irritation.
You can never go back from this.
A salty breeze filled the air, and the smell of rotting fish wafted through the room. A rancid mist coated her face, and Asha concentrated on not gagging.
She reached for the Seer’s other hand.
Asha felt the pain in her knees before she realized she had fallen.
Oh, holy fuck.
Ranya was laughing. “Don’t look so grim! None of this is your fault. What is meant to happen will happen.” She patted Asha’s shoulder, then leaned close. “I hope you realize, now that you’ve seen our Prophecy, that the best thing for you to do is join me. After all, what are your options at this point? Stay here and die, or join me and rule together.”
“What makes you think I wouldn’t rather die than watch… extermination? Why would I ever agree to be part of that?”
Ranya sighed dramatically. “It’s unfortunate we were unable to acquire you before now. It’s left me with the bothersome chore of convincing a person already tainted with righteous-self-delusion to see reason. I agree it’s a setback.” She shrugged. “There was no help for it, though. Until I came of age, our forces were atrociously lacking.”
“The Asura failed to turn me against our realm. Then and now.” Asha felt her temper rising dangerously. “But there is one thing both Prophecies have always agreed on.” She pointed at the sleeping figure on the bed. “He will never rule with you.”
Ranya smiled as she sauntered across the room to regard the view again. “Why do you think he’s unconscious?”
Asha wanted to wrap her hands around the Witch’s neck and squeeze the life out of her more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Ranya said, grinning as if she was about to give Asha an exciting gift. “You are who you are simply because you’ve never had to suffer. You don’t know what darkness you’re capable of. So… I’ll give you time to experience it for yourself. We’ll see how your infuriatingly virtuous attitude lives up to reality. Maybe a week? A month?” Ranya frowned, then clapped her hands. “Oh, you know what? Humans can’t live without food and water that long. Sorry.” She looked at the figure on the bed. “You’ll just have to find something to sustain yourself when I’m gone. How long will it take you, I wonder?”
Asha looked at the bodies of the Witches, hoping she looked afraid, anything to throw Ranya off the idea she may be rescued. Ranya smiled with happy fascination, falling for it.
“Oh, no,” she said. “That would be too easy.” With a flick of her wrist, seven small bodies flew past the pillars and landed with splashes in the water. Immediately, the water roiled and churned. Something moved on the surface with a flash of teeth, and the water turned a darker red.
“You sadistic bitch,” Asha stepped between the Witch and her view of the Seer. Ranya was toying with her. She would never let her, or the Seer, out of her sight. “I don’t know how, but we will stop you. You’re going to regret everything you’ve ever done. Right before you die in agony.”
“Threats?” Ranya howled with laughter. “Still? After everything you’ve seen?” She waved a hand at the endless sea. “There is no we anymore. No one knows you’re here. The Prophecy is fulfilling itself.”
“A diseased Underworlder Prophecy doesn’t foretell shit. I don’t recognize it. And neither should you.”
“We’ll see how you feel once you get thirsty enough.” Ranya sang, straightening the folds of her dress. “Once your precious Seer starts to look… tasty. Do start with his feet though, okay? We might still need his hands, at least for a little while longer.”
Asha crossed her arms to hide the fact her own hands trembled with rage.
Ranya opened her mouth to say something else when there was a shimmer of light, and a bleeding Witch suddenly appeared at her feet. The girl struggled to stand and fell back to the floor, her white hair so caked with blood it looked red. She reached a hand out to Ranya, who yanked her dress out of the young Witch’s reach with obvious irritation.
“Mistress…” The Witch coughed blood, and Asha felt a pang of sympathy at her determination to remain conscious. “He’s… there’s a Vampire attempting to enter the Emperor’s chambers, Mistress. We can’t, we can’t hold him off much longer…”
Sid. Sid found the Emperor.
“One Vampire?” Ranya’s lip curled in disgust. “Are you telling me seven of you couldn’t take care of one filthy Stragoii?”
“He’s… royalty. A powerful Va—”
Ranya crouched in front of the dying Witch and gripped her chin in a clawed hand. She leaned in until their noses almost touched. “I gave you one… simple… task.”
Asha saw the Witch had begun to tremble in fear.
“There are rumors of Manananggal, Mistress. If they are true, there isn’t time for—”
“Manananggal?” Ranya hissed. And with a violent shove, she drew the last life from the Witch’s bleeding body with a flick of her clawed hand, and Asha flinched in surprise.
Interesting. Is Ranya unaware of the attack on the city? Not as in control as she thinks she is? Or maybe she’s simply not concerned with the threat of Manananggal.
Asha looked at the dead Witch and said, “So much for the Sisterhood and all that, eh?”
Ranya spun on her with an impatient growl, pointing a hand still covered in the fallen Witch’s blood. “Those who prove themselves useless cowards are no longer my sisters. They are happy to be sacrificed for the greater good. Something you could never understand, so don’t bother trying.” Ranya straightened her clothes, seemingly unaware of the blood she spread on her dress. “It seems my betrothed requires stronger motivation in order to renew his… undying loyalty. Our fun will sadly have to wait. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
With a broad smile that filled Asha with dread for Sid’s chances of escape, Ranya placed her hand on one of the pillars and vanished.
Asha sank to the floor as relief washed over her. She hoped Sid got his wish for a glorious death. If he took out the Emperor first, even better.
Crossing the room, she studied the view. The red water writhed with tentacled creatures, their mouths like caves of teeth, hungry for more blood, and Asha shuddered in the foul breeze.
The room seemed to be protected by a kind of electrical impulse, and as the sky filled with lightning, illuminating the endless ocean within churning, sulfurous clouds, Asha tried to stifle the helpless panic that waited at the back of her mind. “C’mon, Aquila,” she said out loud. “Now would be a great time for a fantastically heroic entrance.”
What qualifies for fantastically heroic these days? I’m willing to do whatever it takes.
Aquila!
Asha was in his arms without knowing that she crossed the room, kissing him before deciding to, the relief of his lips sweeter than the sweetest dessert.
Let’s get the hell out of here. Ranya will be back soon, and the Seer… he… he won’t wake up.
“So this is him.” Ursala was there, standing by the bed and looking down at the Seer. There was no sarcasm in his tone, and Asha could tell the Jodha was feeling the same awe she had felt.
Kelakha joined him at the bedside, straightening a moment later.
“Huh,” Ursala said. “Looking at him, I wonder how the hell we could’ve
ever thought Asha was The One.”
“Yeah.” Kelakha nodded. “Wow…”
Aquila reluctantly stepped away from Asha and joined his brothers. “Oh,” he breathed a moment later.
“I know, right?” Asha told them. “And when you touch him, there’s like this connection. It’s…”
The three of them touched the Seer at the same time, then turned to Asha in confusion.
“I think that part’s just you,” Aquila said. “Maybe you shouldn’t touch him again until he’s healed, okay?”
“You sucked the life out of him, Asha,” said Ursala, then grinned, the respectful spell broken. “That didn’t come out right.”
“Oh, shut up,” Asha said. “No, listen, he’s under some kind of Witch spell. I tried to heal him and… nothing happened.”
All four Jodha looked down at the Seer, and Asha knew each of them felt it. Something about his presence inspired loyalty and the desire to protect. The very thought of him not waking up was devastating, somehow, as if hope would die if he did.
“We can heal him.” An Upperworlder Asha had never seen materialized at the foot of the bed. His hair matched the bright red, blue, green, and yellow feathers folded at his back like a cape, and his skin was as gold as Dinesh’s. “We have the ability to heal almost anything, given time.”
Asha raised an eyebrow at Aquila and he said, “This is Satish.”
Ursala studied the Seer. “Can we, I mean, is it safe to move him?”
“Just hold his hand,” said Satish, approaching Ursala with his own hand outstretched.
They all joined hands, and Kelakha grasped the Seer’s pale fingers in his.
And Asha felt the reality of the Tenth World vanish as everything went black.
Chapter 48
Kelakha insisted on accompanying Jax to Miami.
After nearly murdering the Upperworlder prince, Aquila had brought Asha back within minutes. Jax had watched the multi-Talented Guard as she directed Sashi to the Savior-Seer. As the green Healer began to examine him, the very next thing Asha did was check on Jax, even ignoring Lexi, who still lay unconscious, her head in Nidhan’s lap, Zaiden hovering anxiously nearby.