by Marisa Mills
I kept one hand on the hilt of my sword. Gabriel would probably be very unhappy to see me and even angrier that I’d brought a bunch of mages to his doorstep. A rat skittered by, causing Viviane to jump. It was almost dawn, and the eastern horizon was slowly turning a burned orange, like melting butter. The street lamps were still burning, but they barely cut through the inky shadows. My breath caught in my throat as I turned the last section of crumbled wall and saw the old train station. It was completely destroyed.
Formally, the entrance to my uncle’s criminal lair was underground, in the dark shelf beneath a large, wide bridge. Now that bridge had entirely caved in, creating a valley of destruction, rocks and twisted metal. I could barely even see the stairs, other than the steep, sloping decline. I picked my way through the rubble carefully, stumbling towards where the door should have been.
“Briar!” I shouted, moving between large chunks of stone. Tears were streaming down my face. I pushed against a large boulder, pounding with my fists. Alexander caught my wrist and pulled me against me, holding me still in his arms.
“No, he could be in there, we have to dig them out!”
“It’s too late,” he said softly, patting the back of my head. “This happened days ago.”
Movement sounded behind us as someone knocked loose a cluster of pebbles. I whirled around, pulling out a knife from my boot.
“Easy,” a voice came from the shadows. “It’s just me.”
Sterling crossed the distance between us, jumping between the fallen rubble with practiced steps. He was carrying a leather satchel, a crossbow and had at least two blades tucked into his belt.
I ran to him, pulling him into a tight hug. He was scrawnier than usual, all lean muscle, and he looked like he’d aged years since I last saw him.
“Where is he?” I asked, pulling away suddenly. “Where’s Briar?”
“It’s too late for him,” Sterling said quietly. “You can’t help him now.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, my eyes spinning again towards the rubble.
“Listen to me Wynter, you can’t be here,” he glanced over his shoulder anxiously. “He’ll kill you. You have no idea what he’s become.”
The lights flickered, as a shadowy shape filled the entrance. Sterling spun, drawing knives into both hands, but he looked like he wanted to run. He gulped, then straightened his shoulders to stand in front of me as a man practically floated into the center of the broken crater that used to be my home. It was hard to believe it was Gabriel at first, he was so changed. His shoulders were bulkier, and rigid muscles lined his neck and chest. But there was something wrong with his eyes. They were coal black, with a burning red glow in the center.
He was wearing a dark, shaggy cloak and leather skins, buckled together with a bronze belt. Black smoke rose from his shoulders like his coat was burning. Even from a distance, he smelled like he’d just crawled out of the sewer. I heard a low growl and two shadows stepped out on either side of him. Monsters, sleek and dark. They were as large as bears, with long, white teeth that shone in the darkness as they licked their chops at us, salivating.
“Welcome home, Wynter,” Gabriel leered. Then he grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground.
***
I pulled out my sword and slashed through the dark appendage that was pinning me to the wall. It shrank away with a hiss, like a deflating balloon. Six large, spindly legs spread out from my uncle, carrying him forward over the rubble.
My heartbeat quickened as I looked him over—the familiar dark hair, pale skin and cruel smirk. But while he’d always looked just a little too polished for the Scraps, now his monstrous form suited it perfectly. He looked like he were literally meat on a stick, held together by dark magic. I swallowed when he rolled up his sleeves, revealing his red and waxy forearm. Lucian’s fire had found its mark.
“As you can see,” Gabriel chuckled, flipping a knife in his right hand, “you’re not the only one with magic anymore.”
There was a ring of steel as Alexander unsheathed his blade. “We’re looking for Briar,” he said, “if you can direct us to him, no one has to come to any harm.”
“You’re really gonna threaten me?” Gabriel asked. “In my own home? Better mages than you have tried and failed.” He pulled his ragged coat aside, revealing a blue and silver sword that was achingly familiar.
“That’s Dorian’s,” Viviane whispered behind me. “He never goes anywhere without it.”
“But how?” I asked. “How is this possible?”
“It was Briar’s work, mostly,” Gabriel smirked. “Experiments in the Dregs, capturing the monsters and using their hides for leather. Made a pretty penny on that scheme. But his real stroke of genius was in trying to poison me. I didn’t notice at first, he’d stir a little bit into my soup each night. A month later I was vomiting black bile and couldn’t get out of bed. That’s when he came into my room at night with a dagger, thinking to kill me, and I discovered I’d been given a great gift of magic.”
His eyes were shining, and black tears oozed down his pale cheeks.
“Where is he?” I shouted. “What did you do to him?”
“Oh he’s around here, somewhere. Hiding under a rock like the coward he is.”
“What about Dorian?” Viviane asked with a shaking voice.
“By now?” Gabriel asked. “Probably dead. Came down here snooping around. I told you I was going to get what’s mine.”
“You overcame Dorian?” Alexander asked, with clear disbelief.
“Well, there was a mage woman. Long blonde hair? I told her where Dorian was camping. A few days later she returned and gave me this,” he said, pulling out the sword and swinging it wildly. “Now that’s class. You should’ve been more like her, niece. Maybe then things wouldn’t have had to end the same way.”
Dark figures rimmed the station, as Gabriel’s thugs stepped into view, brandishing weapons. His crew had grown.
“I didn’t come here to fight you,” I said, pulling out Amalia’s crown. “I’m here for business.”
Gabriel’s eyes sparkled like black diamonds as the sun rose behind him, casting his bulky form in silhouette. I could almost see the greed in his eyes, as he counted the gemstones on my grandmother’s tiara.
“A simple deal. My friends and I walk out of here. Briar and Sterling are coming with us. In exchange, you get more money than you’ve ever seen in your life.”
“Tempting,” Gabriel chuckled. “And I’m glad I raised you with some sense. I thought you’d forgotten everything I taught you.”
“Everything has a price,” I said. He nodded, repeating the words under his breath. “Unfortunately, while I would take your offer, my associates need to get paid as well. Why don’t we table this negotiation for five minutes, and see who’s still breathing?”
I caught sight of Briar’s familiar unruly, blond hair darting behind two of my uncle’s men and my heartbeat quickened. He was tall and lean, like Sterling. A shaggy fur was tied loosely over one shoulder, while most of his chest was bare. Symbols had been carved into his chest, worse than anything Gabriel ever did to me, and a band of black charcoal masked his eyes.
“You animal—” I growled, Lucian’s fire jumped to my hand. I charged towards Gabriel, swinging my sword. I dodged two of his strikes, coming close enough to thrust forward with my flaming sword, but Gabriel whirled his soggy, putrid cape and the flames extinguished. It was like trying to stab mud.
“I’m gonna beat you within an inch of your life for this,” he said.
“Like you haven’t done that already,” I spat. I wasn’t afraid of him. Not anymore.
“Let me have Briar and Sterling, and I’ll go.
Gabriel smirked. “You ain’t getting nothing,” he said.
I took a step back, giving myself space to maneuver. My blade pulsed with fire, and Gabriel retreated, his lips curled into a snarl.
“So that’s Gabri
el?” Viviane asked, with a haughty laugh. “You were right, he is a coward.”
Without warning, Gabriel’s knives flashed through the air. The first grazed her throat, the other caught her shoulder with enough force to knock her over. Viviane let out a sharp cry and disappeared behind a slab of concrete.
“Viviane!” I screamed. Alexander set Jessa down behind some boulders. She was too weak to fight. Then he planted his sword in the ground and cast a spell downwards, the sigils glowing from his palm. Ice crept towards Gabriel, immobilizing him. Gabriel shouted a command, and the monstrous creatures surged forward.
“Finish him!” Alexander shouted, as the black monsters pinned him into a corner.
I lunged forward, bringing Lucian’s fire with me. Gabriel pulled Dorian’s blade. He barely knew how to use it, but he was strong. My arms shook as I blocked his blows, looking on opening. But then he ducked under my arm, spinning until his sword was at my throat. I trembled as I felt the cold steel biting into my neck.
He forced me to my knees, kicking my sword away from me. I tried to summon Lucian’s fire, but it flickered in my palm weakly. Lucian’s energy had been exhausted. It was just me, my uncle and a sharp knife. He was stronger than I was, he always had been. But I wasn’t out of options. Lucian had taught me once, I should always have a dagger ready during a sword fight. I reached slowly into my boot, pulling out the blade I’d taken from the bandit who attacked us in Reverie. The steel flashed as I thrust backwards into Gabriel’s abdomen, twisting the blade.
“See Gabriel?” I said. “I was listening all along.”
With a roar he flung me backwards and my head struck stone. I climbed to my feet, but the world was spinning and I could feel the stickiness of blood in my hair. Footsteps sounded on the rocks behind me. I swept aside and snapped my head back, expecting one of my uncle’s men trying to sneak up on me, but it was Sterling. Briar was a half-step behind him, knives ready. My heart fluttered madly as I backed towards them.
“You can quit your fighting,” Sterling said, his green eyes hard. “It’s over.”
Gabriel’s eyes darted between us. He spread his arms wide and smiled mockingly.
“Go ahead, then,” he sneered. “Kill me. Ain’t none of y’all got the guts to do it. Besides, Wynter, would you really kill your own uncle?”
“You were never my uncle,” I said. “You stole me from Claribel, like you’ve stolen everything in your despicable life.”
I heard a gasp behind me, and turned to see Briar’s eyes widening.
“No wonder you left me,” he said quietly. “You’re not even really my sister.”
It felt like ice had pierced my heart.
“Briar, I love you. I came back for you. No matter what, we’ll always be family. I’ve been sending food and letters, didn’t you get them?”
“Oh, you mean like this?” Gabriel smiled, pulling out a red dress that dazzled in the morning light. Dark blood was spilling from where I’d stabbed him, but he smiled and held the dress up against his torso, performing a lewd dance.
“I bet Briar would look just lovely in this color,” he teased.
“It’s not for him!” I shouted. I’d only used the dress to piss off Dorian, if he ever returned, and because I needed something to wrap up the food with. I figured they could sell the fabric. Gabriel ripped the dress in half, grunting from the effort, before tossing the fabric to the ground.
“The Scraps is mine. Whatever magic you’ve learned, you’re no match for me now.”
Whispers filled the air. I thought it was the hissing of the monsters at first. But these were more like words, I could almost hear them trying to tell me something. Gabriel reached into his coat for more knives.
Sterling pushed me aside and pulled the trigger on his crossbow. Gabriel swatted it aside like a mosquito, before launching a blade in our direction. I ducked and darted aside. Dimly, I heard the knife clatter on the ground behind me. I rolled to my feet as Gabriel grabbed another knife and lunged at me.
Vines wrapped around his legs, pulling him down. I turned and saw Jessa, her face pale, dancing in concentration. Two of Gabriel’s thugs moved towards her. I heard shouts from Alexander and Viviane as they battled the other men. When I looked back, again, Gabriel was running away. I followed him, down the other side of the station, to where the metal rails cut into the earth, until it was just our boots pounding on the ground. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I caught up to him. I thought of all the awful things Gabriel had done.
Gabriel halted abruptly and spun around. I stopped, my blade ready.
“You’re too cowardly to do it,” Gabriel sneered, pulling out another knife.
A lump formed in my throat, as I stared down Gabriel, the man who had once been my uncle. The man who I’d once felt attachment to, even though he hurt me. My hand remained tightly coiled around my sword.
But I hesitated too long. With a flick of his wrist, Gabriel lifted a large splintering piece of wood and flung it forward like an arrow. It missed me by inches, but before I could relax, I heard Briar grunt behind me. The projectile lifted him off his feet and pinned him to a large bolder.
Fury boiled in my veins. I grabbed Dorian’s sword from my uncle’s belt, feeling the magic from the enchanted sword flow through me. Both swords lit up at the same time, one with ice and one with fire. Gabriel screamed when I plunged both into his chest. One side of him crystalized into the ice, while the skin on the other side began to melt away.
Lucian appeared in a burst of flame, riding the wave of my fury in his natural form; a sleek and lean dragon with large, feathered wings. Gabriel’s eyes widened. He turned to run, but he didn’t make it two feet before Lucian’s large jaws clamped across his chest. Bones crunched, muscle tore, and when Lucian turned around, Gabriel’s dead body dangled from between his jaws.
Fifteen
I RUSHED TO BRIAR’S SIDE, tears streaming down my face as I grabbed the large piece of shrapnel protruding from his chest. I sighed with relief when he blinked open his eyes, gasping for breath. I palmed his face with my hands, wiping away the dark patches under his eyes. He smiled weakly.
“Wynter,” he said. “You’re really back.”
“For you, dumbass,” I said, pulling him into a hug. Then I checked his chest for damage. I tore out the chunk of wood. His chest was scratched and red under his furs, but unbroken.
“How?” I asked.
“Told you last time,” Briar said, fluffing his coat. “Monster hide is real tough. Plus…”
He smiled, turning over the fur. I gasped when I saw it was lined with fabric from the dress.
“Took it from the back, he never even noticed.”
A purr rumbled from Lucian’s chest, and he stepped nearly primly past us, Gabriel’s body still in his mouth, only now it looked like charbroiled steak. My hand shook as I sheathed my blade and followed Lucian. My boots squelched in the blood trail.
Crunchy, Lucian said, licking his chops. Like deep-fried icecream.
“Please, tell me the monster’s some kinda friend of yours,” Sterling said shakily.
“He is,” I replied. Though I’d never seen him shine so brightly before. The sounds of the battle turned to horrified screams as Lucian tossed Gabriel’s body onto the concrete ground. I retrieved Dorian’s sword and watched my uncle’s men flee down dark alleyways.
My eyes swept over those who remained. Viviane’s shoulder was bleeding, and Alexander had sustained a cut to his arm. Both Tatiana and Jessa had bloodstains on their clothes, but I wasn’t sure if it was their blood or Gabriel’s thugs.
“He’s…gone,” Briar said.
I nodded, tears pricking my eyes. Sterling threw an arm around my shoulders, and with Briar trailing us, we joined the others. Briar whistled between his teeth, tapping his toe into Gabriel’s corpse before gesturing towards a recess between the boulders. He shoved aside a large board and gestured inside.
We followed him into th
e side entrance and made it down into Gabriel’s office. Half the room had caved in and light flooded down from a hole in the ceiling, but it was still standing. I trailed my fingers down the wall, peeking into my former bedroom. It was so small I reach both walls and the ceiling if I stretched out.
“Do y’all need first aid?” Sterling called down the hallway.
“I think we can handle it,” Alexander said coolly. He lowered Jessa onto the couch, where she curled up. Briar covered her with one of his dark furs. She sniffed at the mustiness, but then pulled it up over her shoulders and curled up into a ball.
“What happened to her?” Sterling asked, pulling a bottle of spiced rum from behind some books on the shelf.
“It’s a long story,” Viviane said. She grimaced as she found a pair of chipped mugs on the desk and held one up for Sterling to pour her a drink. She pulled up a stool and Alexander sat next to her. Briar joined me on my other side.
“You got somewhere to be?” he muttered, raising an eyebrow at me.
After a deep breath, I began talking. There was no point keeping secrets now. Alexander drew sigils over Viviane’s collarbone and shoulder. Briar kept stealing glances at her bare skin. Somehow, even bleeding and in simple clothes, she had a poise and elegance that caught the eye. By the time I’d finished, Alexander was resting against the wall with his arms crossed, Lucian had retreated into my sword, and Jessa was snoring quietly. Tatiana was the only one who still seemed interested.
“So,” Sterling said, once I finished. “You’re basically royalty.”
“Nobility,” I said.
“I always said you were gonna turn out to be a princess,” Briar smirked.
“I’m the granddaughter of a countess,” I said. “It’s not the same thing.”
“Do you get to live in a palace?” Briar asked.
I shrugged. “It’s not technically one,” I replied, “but it looks like a palace.”
“Wow,” Sterling said. “And you came back for all this?” His eyes flickered to the stained and crumbling walls, the thick black blood and bile that covered the stones like a fuzzy carpet. It was both comforting to be somewhere so familiar, and horrifying to see how much it had changed since I’d left.