Shift - 02

by M. R. Merrick

  “Not here, it wasn’t.”

  “Time works differently in each dimension,” Tiki said. “Wherever you were, time moves much slower than here. Where exactly did you go?”

  “I’ve no idea; it felt like I was on a cloud.”

  “Sounds like the Overworld.” Tiki nodded.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s what my people call the plane the gods live on.”

  “Did you talk to Serephina?” Rayna asked.

  “Yeah.” I moved to a chair and sat down. My legs were tingling and I couldn’t stand any longer.“She said Riley needs the ring; it’s the only way he can communicate with Ithreal.”

  “So we use a spell to hide it.”

  “No, she said the Dark Brothers would find it.”

  “And what happens if he gets the ring?”

  “He can speak to Ithreal and find out where all his soul pieces are. Once he has them, he can finish the ritual. But Riley isn’t taking Ithreal’s powers. Riley’s body will be his vessel. Ithreal can’t leave his world in his pure form; the gods’ powers hold him there, but once the ritual is complete, his essence–a part of his soul–will take over Riley’s body.”

  “Did she say anything else?”

  “She said to destroy the ring. If we do, his link to Ithreal is cut off and he’s flying blind, but we need a god’s weapon to do it.”

  “I’m guessing she didn’t give you one?”

  “No, but she told me where to find one. One of Ithreal’s soul pieces is a dagger, in a dimension called Theral. If we get it, we can destroy the ring and we’ll have one of the pieces Riley needs.”

  Tiki’s eyes widened and fear filled them. “Theral is a dark dimension, full of the purest, most evil Underworlders. They never leave their world, and no one goes there. Ever. You need to find another way.”

  “We don’t have a choice. We need to do this and we need you to take us.”

  “We will all die. I will not do it.”

  “You said when we needed you, you’d be there,” Rayna said. “We need you now.”

  Tiki shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “If Riley manages to get this ring, he’s that much closer to bringing Ithreal into our world. If you’re this worried about something Ithreal made, think about what the god himself will be able to do. You want to talk dangerous now?”

  Tiki’s orange eyes flickered between both of us and he sighed. “I need to think,” he said, and walked out of the room, his bare feet silent along the wood floor.

  “Still mad?” I turned to Rayna with a sheepish grin.

  Rayna glared at me and rolled her eyes before walking towards the stairwell.

  “I said I’m sorry.”

  Rayna turned and didn’t hold back the anger in her voice. “You know, the more I think about it, the more you sound just like Marcus. You hate that he keeps his secrets, but that’s exactly what you’re doing. We’re supposed to be on even ground, working together, but instead, you’re off on your own trying to be everyone’s hero. If you think an apology is enough, you’re wrong.”

  “You’re right.”

  “What?” Rayna’s anger turned straight to surprise.

  “I didn’t know what was happening to me, so I kept it from you. It started when Riley invaded my dream, but I ignored it. I refused to believe it was more than a dream. Then we were at the werecat’s camp when it came again, but I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want anything to distract you from shifting.”

  “Don’t act like you did this for my sake.” Rayna crossed her arms, but as much as she tried to hold onto it, the anger faded.

  “I didn’t know what was happening to me. Since I couldn’t explain it, I thought it best to keep it to myself.”

  Rayna shook her head, the remaining anger evaporating around her. She came forward and stood in front of me, reaching out pale, slender hands on either side of my face.

  “I don’t know how many times you need to hear it before it gets through your thick skull, but I’m with you. Together, we can do this, but we need to trust each other. With everything that’s happening, I need that trust, now more than ever. I don’t need secrets, Chase. I need you.”

  Rayna’s eyes moved back and forth over my face, and for the first time, I realized how beautiful she was. There was something new in her eyes: a sparkle of power that had nothing to do with magic. She stepped closer and pushed up on her tiptoes. Her breath was warm as it rolled across my skin and the sensation sent a chill down my spine. I leaned towards her, and the scent of her perfume forced me to close my eyes and revel in its fragrance. Her breath grew warmer as she neared, and my hands found her hips. Her warm, soft hands slid over my neck, forcing goose bumps to scurry down my arms.

  “If I do this…” Tiki interrupted.

  Rayna and I immediately pulled away. We turned to face Tiki and he watched us intently from the doorway. We were silent and I felt awkward with his eyes glaring at me. His head tilted to the side, as if he was trying to understand what he saw. He shook his head and walked into the room. “If I do this, you need to understand what you’re getting yourselves into.”

  “We’re listening,” I said, and cleared my throat.

  “Theral is not like Drakar. It is not pretty and full of life. It’s a world full of darkness and death, lit only by moonlight. It reeks of corpses, and the creatures that inhabit it are ferocious. You think Vincent is bad? Wait until you see his ancestors.”

  “Pureblood vampires?” Rayna asked.

  “Yes, and they aren’t the worst thing that lives there.”

  “Just tell me how to kill them and we’re good,” I said.

  “It’s not like it is here. There is no sunlight to burn them. You must use fire, or cut off their heads. Your stakes will not hurt them.”

  “Well, I’ve got fire covered.”

  “It’s not that simple.” Tiki moved to the bookshelves. He pulled a book out and skimmed through it, opening it out on the table. “This is an understatement of what you’re up against, but it has similarities.”

  The book showed a black and white sketch of a demon. It looked like a dwarfed human with a hunch and apelike arms. Its head was bald and the body scrawny. Claws hung from long, gangly hands and its mouth was filled with violent looking teeth. Small, jagged bones lined its jaw and forehead, and its eyes were huge.

  “It doesn’t look that bad,” I said.

  “This picture does not do the beasts justice. They are fully resistant to spells and their mental power is unparalleled. Their entire body is covered in a protective film no blade can pierce, and fire won’t harm them until that armor is gone. They are faster and stronger than anything you have ever faced.”

  “Great,” Rayna said.

  “How do you get through the armor?” I asked.

  “There is a single bare spot on the front of their throat. If you cut deep enough, it hits a vital vein and they’ll bleed out.”

  “But loss of blood doesn’t kill vampires,” Rayna said.

  “That’s why you need to be fast. The blood is acidic. It will burn away the protective coating, but if it touches you, it’ll do a lot worse to you than it will to them.”

  “An opening on their throat is all we get?”

  “There are two other things that can pierce the armor: another vampire’s claws or the bite from a changeling.”

  “What’s a changeling?” Rayna asked.

  “In your world, it’s a shifter, but in the Underworld, pureblood changelings are not restricted to one shape; they take on many. Changelings, however, are among the rarest of creatures.”

  “Vincent’s got vampire claws, think he would come?” Rayna smirked.

  I laughed. “And put himself in harm’s way? Not a chance.”

  “I’m not sure he would be of any help, or you for that matter. You are a shifter and Vincent is a vampire, but you are both half-breeds. Typically, our abilities do not affect purebloods.”

  “This just k
eeps getting better,” Rayna said.

  “So, you see my concern?”

  “I get it. It’s dangerous, but it doesn’t change what needs to be done.”

  Footsteps came from the stairwell and we all turned to find Marcus standing there. He carried his huge form up the last few steps and cleared his throat. Awkward didn’t begin to explain the silence. Everyone’s eyes were on the floor, except Marcus’. I could feel his eyes burning into me.

  “I’d like a few moments with Chase. Alone,” Marcus said, his deep voice didn’t sound angry. It was quiet, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

  “I don’t want to talk. I’ll find a way to pay for the damages,” I said, and Tiki and Rayna vanished from the room.

  “Well, I do. I don’t care about the damage, but as long as you are under this roof–”

  “That can change.”

  “Chase, what would you have me do? I made a promise to your mother that we wouldn’t say anything until we knew what our options were.”

  “That doesn’t make it okay.”

  “You need to realize you weren’t the only one who lost someone, Chase. We’re all hurting.”

  “You lost a friend. I lost a mother,” I snapped.

  “I lost the woman I love!” Marcus shouted, and his words silenced me.

  My pulse was a hammer, smashing against my inside. “What?”

  Marcus’ eyes were full of anger, then fear, and finally, sadness. “I…loved her. I always had. I could never break a promise to her. Not ever.” He dropped his gaze.

  I didn’t know what to say. Marcus had finally broken down and shown me a piece of what hid behind his neutral expression, and it stole all the anger burning inside me.

  “I…didn’t know.”

  Marcus stood across from me, his massive form seemingly indestructible, but the sadness in his eyes was greater than any emotion I’d ever seen from him.

  “I understand why you did it,” I said.

  “You do?”

  “I’m not angry with you.” I sighed. “I mean, I am, but…you weren’t the only one keeping secrets. She’s just as guilty.” I didn’t realize who I was truly angry with until I said it, and I instantly felt horrible for even thinking it.

  “She was your mother; her first instinct was to protect her child.”

  “Well, she shouldn’t have. If you two would’ve told us, Rayna might not have been discovered. We might never have been in Drakar, and Mom…might still be alive.”

  “That’s a lot of ifs. It was a decision your mother and I made together, and although I regret the results, I stand by my choice.”

  “Well, when your decisions affect my life, I should be included. You don’t get to decide what I know and what I don’t.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “Right now, I want to know how to get to Ithreal’s dagger. That’s all that matters.”

  “You can’t go hopping around from dimension to dimension. It’s a risk I’m not willing to let you take.”

  “This time it’s not up to you. Unless you’ve had some vision you’d like to share.”

  Marcus ran a large hand over his smooth scalp and shook his head. “I haven’t.”

  “Then we’re going.”

  “Rayna is not ready for that, and neither are you.”

  “Excuse me?” Rayna’s voice came from the stairwell.

  Marcus sighed. “You two are listening anyway, so why don’t you join us?”

  Rayna and Tiki came back up the stairs. Tiki looked slightly ashamed, but Rayna was angry.

  “I’m going,” Rayna said.

  “You’re not,” Marcus commanded. “I won’t lose anyone else.”

  “We can’t let Chase go alone. Not with those…things.”

  “What things?”

  “Pureblood vampires,” Tiki said.

  “Purebloods? Okay, none of you are going.”

  “Riley’s out there right now, trying to get everything together to invoke Ithreal. If he succeeds, we all die,” I said.

  “We’ll find another way.”

  “There is no other way; don’t you see?”

  “Chase, I promised your mother I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I’m in charge of this, and until that changes–”

  “Then maybe it’s time for a change.” I felt guilty immediately, but using my mother as leverage wasn’t going to work. Someone had to stop Riley, and that someone was me.

  “Chase, we can find another option. I can’t let you continue to throw yourself in harm’s way. I won’t.”

  “Nobody is trying to get themselves killed here. Serephina said if we don’t destroy the ring, Riley will get it. Once he has it, he can start gathering the soul pieces. I have no choice but to destroy it, and I need all the help I can get. I need your help.”

  Marcus stared at me with his empty expression. His dark eyes moved over each of our faces before he uncrossed his arms and sighed. “Start by telling me about Serephina, then show me what we’re dealing with.”

  Once we’d given Marcus the rundown, we went to the training room and the arsenal of weapons it carried. I always had my daggers, but I loaded up on throwing knives and a sword. If Tiki was even half right about the purebloods, I wasn’t going in light.

  “Everyone have what they need?” I asked.

  “Yes,” they all said at once.

  “Good. Tiki, you’re up.”

  Tiki shook his head. “I cannot do it here.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’ve been trying to focus my power, but it’s not working.”

  “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “You never asked.” Tiki shrugged.

  “So, what now?”

  “We need to get away from the city. There is too much interference here. It’s preventing me from teleporting. I need an open place, away from everything. Preferably a place of magic.”

  “The sanctuary?” Rayna offered.

  “Before we get ahead of ourselves, do you know where the temple is, Tiki?” Marcus asked.

  “I don’t know of its location, and even if I did, I couldn’t take us directly there. It is hard enough to transport this many people. If I can get us all to Theral, where we end up is not in my control.”

  The buzzer sounded through the condo and we all jumped.

  “Also…” Tiki trailed off looking guilty.

  “Also what?” I asked.

  “I may have told Willy what was happening.”

  “You, what?”

  “He is a shifter. If there is a small chance his abilities will work against the vampires, I thought we could use more than one.”

  I shook my head. “Willy isn’t designed for things like this.”

  “Tiki might be right,” Marcus said. “It can’t hurt to have more than just Rayna with us.”

  “Why don’t we just call all the shifters and see if they want to tag along then?” I asked sarcastically.

  The buzzer rang again; this time Willy pushed it repeatedly.

  “Fine. But you invited him, so he’s your responsibility.”

  Chapter 26

  We pushed past the last line of undergrowth and stepped into the clearing. The sun had set and the moon was high. Rai disappeared off my shoulder, flying into the bluish light that hung on the air.

  “This place is incredible.” Tiki’s voice reveled in amazement, gliding his fingers over the bark of the tree.

  “We don’t have time for appreciating the scenery; every second we waste is another second Riley could be getting closer,” I said.

  Tiki looked up at the colorful flowers that always seemed to be in bloom and smiled. “Gather ‘round.”

  We all stood in a circle around him, and as his power started to wrap around us, a white light flashed, washing his magic away. Elyas stood in the middle of the clearing, her long blonde hair flying up in wisps around her body. A white glow encircled her form and vibrant blue eyes stared at me. She was beautiful and perfect, yet plain a
ll at once.

  “Your adventure begins,” Elyas said. Her lips moved, but no sound came from them. Her voice moved around me in every direction. It made me feel warm, confident, and unstoppable.

  “Nice of you to show up. I’ve been trying to contact you.”

  “I am quite aware, but I am not a magic eight ball. You cannot summon me as you wish. I appear only when directed.”

  “Serephina sent you?”

  “Who sent me is not of your concern, Protector. I am here to aid you in your travels to Theral.”

  “But we have Tiki.”

  “He is not a pureblood, so he cannot take you all. If he does this alone, you will be scattered throughout the dimension. I shall aid him, and with my help, I can get you closer to the temple.”

  “He’s taken this many of us before.”

  “Yes, but you need more help. The wolf and cat will not be enough.”

  “We don’t have anyone else. This has to be enough.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” she said, and her figure started to fade. “When you are ready, I will assist.”

  “Wait!” But it was too late; she was gone. “We don’t have anyone else…” I whispered.

  The snapping of branches sounded and Vincent stepped out of the woods with a small group of vampires behind him. His pants and dress shirt were torn, with dirt and leaves stuck to them.

  Rayna stepped forward. “What are you doing here?”

  “We came to assist you of course.” His cool gaze watched me and a destructive smile pulled at his lips.

  “He’s not here to help.” I put my hand on Rayna’s shoulder and pulled her back. “He’s here for the ring.”

  “Nothing gets past you, does it, hunter?”

  “Why are you doing this?” Rayna asked. “We were friends.”

  “We were never friends, my sweet, and to question me shows just how little you know about me. I’ve offered you an opportunity to join me. I thought you’d eventually come to your senses, but now I see you will not. I can show no more charity. I have a name to uphold.”

  “And upholding your name means coming after us?”

  “You are a naïve little girl. And self-centered too, it would seem. Not everything is about you.” Vincent walked towards us, colored leaves rolling at his feet. “At first, I wanted the ring for the power. To have an item crafted by the gods on my finger would do wonders for my family. Then when the Underworld came calling, I realized I could sell it to the highest bidder and make a nice little profit. But now I realize I can have it all. I can keep the ring for myself, and rent it to Underworlders, a single use at a time.”