The library was empty. The large space was usually quiet, but it felt more like a tomb than anything. I froze in the doorway, listening for any movement that might point me in toward Drekvic. The air smelled musty and seemed to press against my skin. The push against my magic was still there, too, and part of me just wanted to curl into a ball until it was all over.
“Drekvic!” I called, trying to keep the feeling at bay. I felt Joy lean forward, trying to find him.
You should just show yourself to him and be done with it, I told her, annoyed that her emotions were still so strong inside of me.
Maybe I will, she snapped, but I didn’t feel her shift to a corporeal form.
I heard Drekvic call out in the distance and moved towards the sound. I found him in a secluded nook of the library, wrinkling my nose at his collection of books, empty food wrappers, and dirty cups. I knew better than to say anything, but his slovenliness was usually brought on by distracted research. I often wondered how he ever got anything done.
He looked up at me from his over-sized chair when I came into the small space, frowning as his gaze lingered on my face.
“You’re changing,” he said, flatly.
I narrowed my eyes, not trusting his statement. Drekvic never hid his emotions, and the fact that he was trying to hide what he thought about my new look was disturbing. I waited a moment, but he didn’t say anything more.
“We have work to do,” I said, pushing a strand of short hair off my cheek and behind my ear. The cut was still jagged and uneven, and I wondered when I would take the time to get it fixed.
Sorry, by the way, Joy muttered, but I reassured her it was fine. I’d rather have short hair than have been taken by Lavkas.
I explained the situation to Drekvic, but he didn’t seem interested. He just shrugged and looked back down at his book. I noticed he was wearing red-rimmed glasses, the thick plastic breaking up his face strangely.
“You have fun with that,” he replied, turning a page in the large volume propped open in his lap.
“Really?” I demanded, resting a hand on my cocked hip.
He looked up at me over his glasses, his hazel eyes cold and annoyed.
“You left me. Again. Now you want me to drop everything to come help you save ghosts?” he snarled, his teeth flashing in the light as he spoke. I had to look away, ashamed.
“I had a lot on my mind,” I whispered. I didn’t think I could share with him the conversations I had with Hope and Fate.
“Obviously, I’m not your partner if you aren’t willing to share anything with me. Partners share things, Ellie.”
“You’re one to talk about secrets,” I spit rudely. I remembered our last conversation and his knowledge of Joy’s feelings.
He stood up, his hands closing into fists as he took deep breaths. He was taller than me, and the enclosed nook suddenly felt too small. I didn’t back down and met met his glare with one of my own.
“I keep secrets? Do tell.”
“You know about Joy,” I replied, and she cringed.
Don’t bring me into your argument, she whined, but I silenced her with a reminder that she wanted to know how he knew as much as I did.
“Everyone knows about Joy,” he scoffed. “Do you claim Chester has secrets, too?”
“You know how she feels about you. You admitted as much. I haven’t told anyone about that.”
Joy groaned in the back of my mind, but I pushed her feelings to the side. I was certain Drekvic knew more than he was telling me.
“Of course, I do,” he snapped. “I look at you and see desire and repulsion staring back at me every time. When I kissed you, you kissed me back, but it wasn’t you, was it? It was Joy, and you pushed me away. I’m not stupid.”
My pulse raced in my ears and I had to swallow the lump in my throat that stopped me from speaking.
“You’re not going to deny that I disgust you?” he accused.
I looked up at him and shook my head. “You don’t disgust me. You never have,” I replied with hesitation. I wanted to tell him the truth—he was the new Hope and we were supposed to be soulmates.
He took a step closer, reaching up to touch my face. I didn’t flinch, but my body tensed. Joy made herself small, trying not to influence me with her thoughts.
“But you don’t love me either, do you?” he asked, stepping closer still. His magic curled around me, a caress against my own power. I recognized the sensation from Fate’s vision. Our magic was supposed to fix the balance, but there was a wall between us.
He was right. I didn’t love him in that way, and without that love and trust, I would never open myself up to him enough to reset the balance. Unless I could make my soul forget about Chester, I would I would never be able to love Drekvic the way I needed to.
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking a step away from him. “Everything is a mess.”
Drekvic let his hand fall, and for a moment he didn’t say anything.
“Mother told you?” he asked with sad eyes.
“Yes and no,” I replied. “She started to. Hope confirmed everything.”
He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Meddling parents,” he grumbled, turning back to his chair to pick up the book he’d let fall to the floor. He turned a couple pages to straighten the bent corners before closing it again. “I was hoping to find something, but now it seems selfish.”
“What does?” I asked, leaning forward to make out the book’s title.
“I wanted to see if I could break your bond to Chester,” he said, cheeks flushing red. “If bonds can be created, logic dictates they can be destroyed as well. If you didn’t love him, then we could fix things, but…I wonder how much of that is my heart talking, and how much is me really wanting to save the balance.” He looked down at me, smiling. “You make me question these things now.”
The thought of not loving Chester was foreign to me, but it would solve a lot of problems. I couldn’t bring myself to ask whether or not he’d found anything and turned the conversation back to our more pressing problem.
“I have to start collecting those ghosts. Neither of us should be alone, and no one is here right now,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Can we still work together?”
He gave me a roguish grin.
“I have to hold you to teleport us…” His voice trailed off and I couldn’t help but laugh as he stepped forward and jerked my hip against his.
“It’s somewhere that way,” I replied, pointing in the direction of the pressure. I couldn’t explain it any better than that, but Drekvic thought for a moment, then nodded, drawing on his power to take us away.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The devastation on the west coast was so severe that the negative energy had somehow made its way to the spirit world. When Drekvic and I arrived where the pressure was greatest, the spirit world was a desolate landscape. The ground was gray, and the trees were pale and void of leaves. The silence was absolute.
Drekvic didn’t let go of me when we landed, his hand entwining with mine as we took in the empty void. Even the magic was tainted and felt like tar that would swallow up any spell. I was afraid to go to my reality, unsure of what I’d find that could cause ripples across the in-betweens to reach the spirit world. The pressure was starting to make my stomach churn, and I had to start working or I’d never be able to stand it.
With a deep breath, I began to envision the key to the first gate.
“Stop,” Drekvic said, shaking his head.
Confused, I lowered my brows and stared.
“I can take us there. You won’t be as tired,” he explained, tightening his grip on my hand and pulling on his power again.
I felt his magic swirl around us, and then a gentle side step off the spirit plane. It was a strange sensation, and the cool air slithering across my skin raised goosebumps. Drekvic’s hand was cool against my palm, a constant stream of magic pulsing though me as he side-stepped the gates and dragged us into reality with no more effort t
han it took to brush his teeth.
Ghosts were everywhere. I could see collectors in the distance, their auras strong and bright as they gathered as many souls as they could, but even I could see there were far too many. Their faded forms mingled with the debris, dazed and lost.
A sob rose from my chest, and I covered my face with my free hand. Drekvic’s fingers were crushing my bones together now, but I didn’t pull away as I managed a painful gasp, the smell of brine so strong I could taste it on my tongue.
Drekvic had brought us through on the top of a small hill, the only place where the ground was even enough to stand. Overturned cars and uprooted tress surrounded us, and from where we stood, I could see a fissure in the earth that now housed all manner of items. A baby stroller was overturned on top of the pile, its frame crushed.
I took deep breaths and released Drekvic’s hand as I dropped to the ground, my knees weak. The smell of brine was stronger, and I reached down to touch the mud under my feet. It was cold, and I shivered.
“What happened?” I asked, faintly.
“Cascadia Subduction Zone,” Drekvic said, his tone flat.
“The earthquakes,” I mumbled, remembering Melo ask if I was looking into them. I regretted not taking her concerns seriously as I looked out over the destruction. Hundreds of thousands would have been killed, not in the initial quake—which would have been bad enough—but in the resulting tsunami. I wondered if a second wave of desctruction would do the same on the other side of the Pacific.
“I’m not sure you should be here,” Drekvic said, his mouth a hard line as he looked at me. “You could get hurt.”
“I have to do something,” I said, frowning. The pulsing in my head was less painful now at ground zero, but it was still pounding against the front of my face, demanding I get to work.
“I think you should stay here,” Drekvic insisted. “I can bring the ghosts to you and we can take them together. This area is clear and stable, but down there?” He gestured to the chaos around us.
“What if you get hurt?” I demanded, reaching out to grab his arm before he could move too far.
“I’ll be fine,” he replied, grinning. “Are you worried about me now?”
“Don’t be stupid,” I snapped. “I always worry about you.”
“I’ll be okay, Big Sister,” he laughed, pulling his sleeve from my grasp. “Just wait here and I’ll bring the first ghost to you.”
“Don’t take stupid chances,” I called after him as he carefully picked his way into the chaos.
I watched him go, rubbing my arms to stay calm. I turned around in a slow circle, listening for any movement. The only sounds were Drekvic’s footsteps, fading as he went further into the wreckage. My breath was loud in the silent void
It’s sad, Joy said softly.
Yeah…it really is, I agreed. I couldn’t let myself get emotional. It was going to be a long day.
Drekvic and I spent the next several hours bringing ghosts from the wreckage to the Beyond. It was exhausting, and even moreso when the ghosts tried to fight the transition. One man struggled so much I thought I was going to lose him as he fought to find his wife and child. I was grateful that I was able to reunite him with his daughter in the Beyond. I wondered if his wife was still alive, but there hadn’t been time to look. Drekvic kept bringing me ghosts, and I kept dragging them through the gates.
I was exhausted by the time dusk came around. Drekvic insisted we take a break, and too tired to argue, I’d agreed. Joy was subdued as well, despite my leaning on Drekvic’s shoulder on a large block of cement deemed safe. It was cold, and I wasn’t sure I could sit up on my own anymore regardless. He was leaning on me as well, his face looked paler than normal.
The pounding in my head was gone, satisfied at what I’d done for the day. I gently tested my tether to Chester, reaching out to make sure he was still safe. I closed my eyes and imagined grasping it with both hands, feeling the warmth of it in my fingers. I could sense his fatigue, but his magic was still steadily regaining power. Collectors seemed to be never-ending batteries of magic, and I found myself jealous of his stamina.
My stomach growled loudly and I sighed, wondering if the magic that had pulled me to work would let me go home to eat, or if I’d just be pulled back by a headache. Drekvic chuckled when he saw my face, the softness of his expression surprising me.
“I’ll get you some food,” he said, hopping off the block with ease. He seemed more energetic than I did, but I could see the stiffness of his movements. He was just as sore and tired as I was.
“I can go with you,” I said, preparing to slide off my perch.
“No, just rest,” he replied. “You’ve been working harder than me. You should just sit for a bit.” With a slight wrinkle of his nose, he snapped his fingers.
The blanket from his bed back at home appeared in his arms, and I flinched back in surprise. I had thought he’d lost the power to materialize things when his parents remade him.
“Wrap this around yourself. It’s getting cold. I’ll be back before you know it.” I took the blanket gingerly, hoping he had at least washed it in the last week or so. The soft fabric felt good against the back of my neck, and I rolled it tighter around myself as Drekvic vanished.
If I had been more awake, I probably would have insisted on joining him, but the warm blanket gave me a sense of security, and I didn’t hear the soft sound of footsteps behind me until it was too late.
A course hand clamped down over my mouth, rough against my face. I drew on my power for protection, but the moment I felt the familiar touch of my own magic, bright visions exploded through my mind. I was a young man, tall and bulky, standing over a little girl. She was my sister, and I had killed her. It was been an accident, but the guilt and powerlessness felt real all the same. The vision shifted to a familiar face. Rakshina stood in front of me, her expression one of disgust, and I knew she was scoffing at the idea of the man ever becoming her lover. Then I felt extreme pain as the connection to Rakshina shattered. She had accepted the power to become a collector, and the bond that kept Lakvas from going insane was broken.
I jerked myself out of the vision and fell back into my body only to find myself restrained against a cold wall. There were ropes around my chest and my wrists were bound and twisted uncomfortably behind me. Someone was binding my legs, and the ropes cut into my ankles sharply. I tried to pull away, but was abruptly halted by a sharp jolt of magic that surged through me like an electric shock.
“Don’t move,” a rumbling voice said, and I looked up at the source. I could barely see his face in the darkness, but he loomed over me when his hands finished the knot that bound my feet. His pale blue eyes glowed in the dim light, and I took a shaky breath to keep my composure.
“What do you want?” I asked, less confidently than I’d intended.
“You know Drekvic. I smell him all over you.” His mellow expression turned into an ugly sneer, and it was all I could do to remain still. “I can smell her, too. They will pay for what they did to me, and you’re going to help me get them.”
“You shouldn’t reveal any more to her,” a small voice said, and I turned my head toward it.
Lakvas roared, lunging forward to slap my face. The impact of the blow dazed me, and I fell heavily onto my side, unable to catch my fall. Dust and dirt rose as my feet scuffed the ground and I coughed painfully as it filled my mouth.
“Don’t look at her,” he growled. “You are not worthy to even lick her shoes.”
I pulled my legs closer to my chest as I managed to stop choking.
“It’s okay, love,” the little voice said, and I heard her dainty steps come closer to us both. I averted my eyes, not wanting to get hit again. It had to be the small girl who tried to kill Chester. “She’s smarter than you think she is. We can’t have her learning all our secrets.”
“They’re dirty.” His anger made my blood run cold, and it was all I could do to keep my face turned away. If my previous encounter h
ad taught me anything, it was that I couldn’t overpower both of them alone.
“Come, let us rest. We waited long to gain the upper hand,” the girl said, and I felt her hand reach out to stroke my hair, grateful for the lack of head-splitting visions at her touch. One was more than enough. I kept my eyes down and breathing even.
“You shouldn’t pet filth.”
“I might want to keep her when this is over,” she replied, high-pitched and airy. “She’d make a good pet.”
“Her soul is bright,” Lakvas agreed, and I wanted to snarl at them. I would never let them take my soul.
Her fingers left my head and their footsteps receded behind the heavy sound of a door closing. I let out a sigh of relief. A loud click confirmed that I was in a locked room, but the solitude was more like a blessing.
My body was sore and weak from all the magic I’d used ferrying ghosts to the Beyond. My arms were already falling asleep despite my aching shoulders. I’d have to untie myself if I wanted to be more comfortable.
Joy? I asked, tentatively. I hadn’t felt her since regaining consciousness.
I’m too weak right now, she grumbled. Concern for her despondency filtered through me. When we had faced hardship before, Joy had always been willing to fight with me. Her lethargy was unusual, and I thought back to the magical shock I’d felt when I tried to move. Had they bound her in some way? How could they even know what she was?
When I hesitantly reached for my magic, I was met with that same shock and I dropped it. Gritting my teeth, I reached for it again, feeling the burn in my arms and legs. I just needed enough to untie my hands, then I could do the rest manually, but the effort caused spots to pepper my vision. The pain was extraordinary, and just as I bade the bonds to untie themselves, the surge of magic erupted into a roaring inferno. I heard glass break around me as I passed out from the pain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The throbbing in my skull reached a new level of pain. My ears rang with each beat of my heart, and my vision blurred around strange, floating lights that danced through the dim room. My forehead throbbed with pressure and my stomach flip-flopped with each pulse. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force the lights to fade, but I could still see them behind my eyelids.
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