The Torn World: The Harvesting Series Book 5

by Melanie Karsak

  I laughed then reached out and touched the scar on his face. “Kellimore?” I whispered softly.

  “Or that,” he said, then pulled back. “Or that.”

  “But I thought…”

  “When you’re sober. And if you really mean it. Then that, all of that, but not right now. Rest, Layla. We’ll wake you when the sun comes up,” he said then helped me lie down. He gently covered me and then left. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I closed my eyes.

  “Tu-tu-tu, Layla,” I heard a voice say then.

  I opened my eyes just a crack to see the ethereal form of my grandmother sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Cheap vodka loosens the lips before it’s time…every time.”

  “Grandma?”

  “Sleep, my Layla. Tomorrow, the world will be all new.”

  CHAPTER 45: CRICKET

  I SAT ON THE FRONT PORCH OF LAYLA’S CABIN patting the little dog’s head and waiting for the sun to rise. I could smell the daylight in the air, but the sky was still dark blue. The last stars twinkled in the night’s sky. At this point, my neck hurt from looking back and forth from the back of the property toward the gate. No Tristan. No Layla. I hadn’t felt this on edge since the day Daddy turned the juice on to his refurbished tilt-a-whirl. I remembered how the red, blue, and yellow lights sparkled back to life. The ride slowly sprung forward and started her smooth turns, around and around again, the cars moving like fine ladies dancing across a ballroom dance floor. This anticipation…well, who knew what lay on the other side.

  The front door opened. I turned to see Vella coming out. Frankie rose and wagged his tail.

  “It’s too early,” she told me, settling onto the porch swing beside me. “Amelia is still sleeping.”

  “But couldn’t Tristan and the others get through? I mean, would Amelia’s spell—I guess that’s what you call it—keep him out as well?”

  “I hope so,” Vella said then.

  “You hope so? Why?”

  “Because if it can keep Tristan out, it can keep everything else out too.”

  I sighed and looked back toward the gate. “You think they’re going to make it?”

  “Yes,” Vella said assuredly.

  “You think it or you know it?”

  “I know it.”

  “Cards?”

  “No, I just know.”

  “Well, I suppose that will have to be good enough for now. Darius ever fall asleep?” I asked. Darius had been pacing the house all night worrying about Chase. Despite Ariel’s best efforts to get him to sleep, he was still sitting drowsy-eyed at the kitchen table when I’d gone outside.

  Vella laughed. “He’s in the chair…snoring.”

  We were both quiet then, watching the clouds drift by. Slowly, the sky filled with more and more light. After a while, a light purple haze filled the skyline as the first rays of light began to filter over the mountains.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door opened once more. This time, Amelia was standing there. The poor girl looked like she was a mess of nerves.

  “Anything?” she asked.

  “No. Only quiet,” Vella told her.

  “Logan and the others?” she asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Amelia nodded. “Well, I guess it’s time,” she said then crossed the yard toward the gate.

  Vella and I followed behind her.

  Amelia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then set her hands together, rubbing her palms in circles. She raised her hands before her and abruptly lowered them.

  The air seemed to shiver.

  Amelia then went to the gate and opened it, stepping outside.

  There was no one there.

  “Maybe…maybe it didn’t work. Maybe the enchantment is still going,” she said, looking back at Vella.

  “They aren’t there?” I asked, joining Amelia on the other side of the fence. I looked down the long driveway toward the road. There was no one. “Vella? Did it work? Can you tell?”

  “It worked.”

  “But they aren’t here,” Amelia said pensively.

  “No, maybe not yet, but they will come.”

  “Are you sure it worked, Vella?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But how do—“

  “Because they are here,” she said, pointing behind her.

  I looked around Vella to see Tristan, Logan, Madame Knightly, and a man and woman I didn’t know walking toward the house. You didn’t have to be psychic to tell me the pair were important people. The air around them seemed to hold them in regard.

  Amelia and I came back inside, closing the gate behind us. We crossed the lawn to meet the others.

  “Amelia, Cricket, Vella, this is my daughter, Peryn and her husband, Obryn. They are the king and queen of our people,” Madame Knightly said.

  Amelia and Vella inclined their heads politely.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said, sticking out my hand.

  Obryn smiled politely and shook my hand. “You must be Cricket.”

  I looked up at Tristan who winked at me.

  “I am,” I said, letting go of his hand.

  “Where is Layla?” Peryn asked.

  “Not back yet,” Vella said.

  Peryn frowned.

  The door to the house opened and a sleepy-looking Darius, along with Ariel, came out. It wasn’t long afterward that everyone else was up and eager to see what was happening. Beatrice, Elle, Brian, Brianna, and Frenchie and her girls soon joined us.

  “Where’s Layla and the others?” Elle asked.

  “Not back just yet,” I replied.

  Darius looked at Ariel who nodded and the two of them bounded down the steps. “We’ll go look for them. They might be in trouble,” Darius said.

  “Or worse,” Ariel added.

  “No. Wait,” Tristan said, lifting a hand.

  We paused and listened. A moment later, we heard an engine headed our direction. Darius and Ariel ran to the fence and opened it, letting Tom drive through.

  “Oh, thank the Goddess,” Amelia whispered under her breath.

  Tom parked the truck, and the others got out. Everyone was there, and no one looked hurt.

  “What happened? Everyone okay?” I asked. Layla looked pale and rattled, but the others looked all right for the most part.

  “The vampires were there,” Will said. “They set a trap.”

  “We got lucky,” Tom said. “Layla and Zoey discovered them before they discovered us. They’re gone, at least for now.”

  “They are a dying race now, just like mankind,” Peryn said.

  “Peryn,” Layla said softly, coming closer.

  “You’ve done your best, Layla. And you’re home now.”

  “The kitsune…what will happen now?” Layla asked.

  “Their people are divided, but we’ve brokered a peace for you, for now,” Tristan said.

  “So long as we no longer interfere,” Peryn added.

  “And just what does that mean?” I asked, looking at Tristan.

  “It means they will cease their fight against you, but you must remain on your own from now on.”

  “Meaning, they won’t attack us anymore, just leave the dead world to destroy us,” Chase said sharply.

  “Tristan, you didn’t agree to something like that, did you?” I asked.

  But the look on Tristan’s face told me he had.

  “There was no choice. Your revenge against them was justified, but their rulers are dead. That isn’t something they accept lightly.”

  “So you mean to say, so long as you just let us live or die, now that you went ahead and saved us in the first place, they’ll be fine with that.”

  “They don’t expect us to live,” Layla said, her words dark and hard. “They’ve condemned us to death, just like they wanted from the start. And you’ve agreed to this?” she asked Peryn.

  I stared at Tristan. I could barely believe what I was hearing.

  “No,” Logan said. “Our p
eople have agreed to remove ourselves from the fight. But we haven’t condemned you,” he said then looked to Madame Knightly who nodded.

  “There is a way for you to keep yourselves safe,” Madame Knightly said, turning to Amelia. “From the night walkers, the undead, and the kitsune.”

  “How?” Elle asked.

  “I…I have to separate the worlds,” Amelia whispered, her eyes wide.

  Madame Knightly nodded.

  I looked at Tristan. If they had promised to remove themselves from the battle, did that mean the man I loved was about to leave me?

  CHAPTER 46: LAYLA

  “TIME TO GO,” PERYN SAID.

  Madame Knightly set her hand on Amelia’s shoulder and whispered in her ear.

  Amelia nodded then kissed Madame Knightly on the cheek.

  The matriarch squeezed the girl’s shoulder, kissed her on the forehead, then turned and joined Peryn.

  I turned to face Peryn one last time. If Amelia could really do it, could really drop the veil between this world and the world of the undead, then we could live on. We’d become like the faeries, creatures of legend. We’d belong to our own Land of the Young, a land beyond the veil of the dead world.

  “Layla,” Peryn said, “you have lost much, and I am sorry for it. But look what you have done,” she said, gesturing to the others who were gathered around to watch, and lend their support to Amelia. Everyone was gathered, that is, except Tristan and Cricket who were in the middle of a heated argument. “It will be up to you to begin anew.”

  “How?”

  Peryn smiled and leaned in toward me. “You’re not the only ones we sheltered from the undead. Find the others. Build a better life. A new world awaits, and it needs you.”

  I cast a glance at Tristan who was now holding Cricket against his chest.

  “Amelia will need you too. Lend her your strength,” Madame Knightly said. “And please watch over her.”

  I nodded to Madame Knightly. “I will. I promise,” I said then turned back to Peryn. “Thank you…for everything. I wish I’d done better,” I said. I felt the weight of my failure hanging on me.

  “Let go and move forward,” Peryn said, gently touching my chin. “Let go. It’s time to see something new.”

  Peryn, Obryn, and Madame Knightly turned and walked away, disappearing into the ether before my very eyes.

  CHAPTER 47: CRICKET

  “SO, WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME you are going to leave me all alone,” I half-yelled at Tristan even before we were out of earshot of the others.

  “Peryn and Obryn have commanded me to return—”

  “So, after all this, you’re going to leave me just like that?”

  “Cricket,” Tristan whispered, pulling me to his chest, holding me so tight I couldn’t have struggled to get away no matter how angry I was. “Cricket. I told them I won’t leave you. I’m not going back.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. I leaned back and looked at him. “Wh-what?”

  “They forbid me to stay, but they’ve known me many years. I told them I’m not going back and that’s that.”

  “And…and what did they say?” I asked, dashing my tears off my cheeks.

  “They told me to look after Logan,” he said.

  I looked back at Logan who stood beside Amelia. I understood Tristan’s words then. Logan, it seemed, wasn’t going anywhere either.

  “Tristan?”

  “I love you. I promised I would do everything I could to keep you safe. I didn’t mean just against zombies, unseelie, and vampires. I’ll keep you safe against splinters, colds, banged shins, and everything else. I love you. I’ll never leave your side.”

  “I love you too,” I whispered then fell into his arms, joy spinning around and around in my chest like a tilt-a-whirl.

  CHAPTER 48: AMELIA

  “YOU CAN DO THIS,” LOGAN WHISPERED THEN STEPPED BACK.

  I cast a glance back at Vella.

  She nodded to me.

  I closed my eyes. This was much more, much bigger, than anything I had ever tried before. But if magic was real, if all the things I had ever seen, ever felt, all the things that had been beyond everyone else’s vision were real, then I could do this.

  Opening my eyes, I looked out at the woods. I remembered how the light used to look. Everything had become so dark, all the life in our world muted by the pall of death that hung over everything. I fixed my eyes on the space in front of me and willed myself to see the life inside the trees, the deep well of raw energy that lived within. I willed myself to see the energy that flowed up from the ground, from the roots, from deep within the living planet. I felt the great pool of life inside Mother Earth, hidden below the surface, buried by so much garbage—the hatred, the rage, the disconnect, the pollution—and the dead. I could feel them too. They were like blisters on the world, symptoms of the rot that had destroyed us. I reached out and felt the energy of the people gathered around me. I felt the love between Tristan and Cricket, the joy coming from Kira and Susan as they dared to hope, and life I hadn’t known even existed, a tiny heart beating inside Ariel’s womb. There was so much goodness here. I felt Layla’s strength and Vella’s sense of the otherworld which resonated with mine.

  I put all my thought, all my strength, all my energy and focus on the world of color and light.

  All the good.

  All the joy.

  No evil.

  No darkness.

  Just love.

  With thanks, I pray thee.

  And with a scream, I ripped the world in two.

  CHAPTER 49: LAYLA

  THE SHRIEK AMELIA LET OUT STRUCK ME TO MY VERY CORE.

  There was a strange shift, as if the entire world had shuddered. The earth moved under my feet, and an odd gust of wind washed over us, rolling with tremendous force. But the wind was warm and perfumed with such sweet scents, the likes of which I’d smelled only on a warm spring day deep in the woods. The smell was fresh, and earthy, and alive. I staggered, barely staying on my feet, and then the moment passed.

  Suddenly everything was so bright. It was like sunshine after a storm had passed. Sunlight glimmered on the green leaves overhead, making them sparkle. The sky was a vivid periwinkle blue. Everything and everyone around me seemed to shimmer with brilliant light. It was like someone had turned up the colors on the world.

  “Beautiful,” I whispered.

  I felt a warm hand slip into mine.

  Kellimore moved close to me. He was looking at the sky. His blue eyes glimmered like brilliant topaz stones, his cheeks a sweet rosy color. And I felt a sweetness radiating from deep within him.

  A hazy memory, drowned by vodka, came to mind. It was like watching a scene from a depressing movie, a sad, drunk girl confessing what she was better off leaving unsaid. But now, in this bright air, something felt different. A flicker came to life in my heart.

  The little dog Cricket had found barked happily.

  “Look, Mommy,” Kira said. “Amelia tore the world.”

  “What did you say?” Frenchie asked.

  “See?” Kira said, pointing up toward the sunny sky. “She tore the bad part away. Don’t you feel it? Only the happy part is left.”

  I gently squeezed Kellimore’s hand then turned and looked at all the joyful faces around me. We were finally safe.

  What a thing to see.

  EPILOGUE: KIRA

  I SLIPPED MY BOW ONTO MY BACK and dropped the rabbit into the game sack. Two rabbits. That should be good enough. I looked up at the sky, feeling the warm rays of light on my face. It was summer again. The pink pine needles below my feet made a soft cushion, the trees perfuming the wind with their sharp scent. I turned and headed back toward town, following the trail which ran along the river’s edge back to Hamletville. I walked down Brighton Street toward the elementary school.

  When I got close, I caught the scent of wood smoke and roasting meat. In the distance, I heard laughter. I wasn’t late. Soon, I spotted them. In what had once been th
e playground, people had gathered for the midday meal.

  “Kira,” Layla called, crossing the grass to meet me.

  I smiled at her, my chest filling with love and gratitude at the mere sight of her. “Two rabbits,” I told her, handing her the game bag.

  Layla laughed. “Is this why you’re late?”

  “I’m not late,” I said, my eyes scanning the parking lot. Well, maybe I was a little late. Will’s truck was parked and looked ready to go. He stood talking with Jason, Marcus, and Courtney, who were also ready to head out.

  Layla raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Okay, I’m late, but they say pregnant women have cravings for a reason. I couldn’t let our baby girl go without,” I said then, setting my hand on Layla’s swollen stomach.

  “Or baby boy,” Layla said with a laugh. “Kell is convinced it’s a boy. But anyway, thank you. Now come on, I have something for you, too.”

  “Oh cool,” I said, catching sight of Cricket. “She got it working.” For months Cricket and Andrew, a former engineer who’d found his way to Hamletville, had been working on a clockwork device. They’d dismantled the playground roundabout and affixed it with a seat that rotated in quick turns while someone cranked a lever. Cricket’s and Tristan’s daughter, Clementine, laughed wildly while she held on for dear life.

  “I don’t think I’ve seen her look that happy since the day Clementine was born,” Layla said then led me to a picnic table. On top of the table was a bundled package. “Here,” she said, handing it to me.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  She smiled. “Just open it.”

  I slowly unbundled the parcel. Inside, I found a sword. But it was not just any sword. I recognized it from Layla’s collection as one of the swords she’d had with her since the beginning, or the end, depending on how you looked at it.

  “Scimitar,” Layla said, lifting the blade.

  “But Layla, I can’t accept this.”

  “Of course you can,” she said then slipped a belted scabbard around my waist. “You’re my best student, and you’ll need a good sword with you if you’re going out there.”