by Jasmine Walt
“Yes. The doorway we open won’t disrupt the skein that holds the worlds together. Does this Jeremiah mention whether the doors he opened remained that way? Whether there was a time limit, or whether he had to reopen the door to return to this world?”
“No. We didn’t find anything on how the doors operate.”
Loki pressed his lips together.
“What are you thinking?” Garuda asked.
“I’m thinking that the multi-verse’s natural reaction would be to heal itself, so it makes sense for the doorways, the tears, to close as the multi-verse protects its integrity.”
“Makes sense,” Garuda said.
Loki continued, “So it would also make sense that Jeremiah must have had sigils that represented a doorway back to this reality.”
“Shit,” Drake said. “I didn’t see any in the journal.” He looked to Penelope. “Pen?”
She shook her head.
Comprehension dawned. “So, if we go in, there’s no way back?” I glanced from Loki to Drake. “There has to be a way to hold the door open, right?”
Loki began to pace, muttering to himself.
“Dad? I had a bad dream.” Adam stood in the doorway, his eyes still sleepy.
Loki stopped pacing, his head whipping around to take in the boy.
Adam lifted his chin to meet the witch’s gaze. His eyes lit up. “Hey. You’re like me.”
Ajitah tensed. “Adam, go back up to bed. I’ll come up and tuck you in.”
“Wait.” Loki walked toward Adam and crouched to his level. “My name is Loki.”
Adam giggled. “No, it isn’t.”
Loki smiled. “You’re right, it isn’t. But who told you?”
Adam smiled. “You know who, silly. It woke me up. It says it’s time. I need to get Danny and Jack.”
“There are three of you… a trinity…”
Adam nodded. “We have to help stop it or something bad will happen. It showed me… The darkness had teeth.” He shuddered. “Are you here to help, too?”
Ajitah stepped between them and scooped Adam up. “What the hell is going on?”
Loki straightened. “You have triplets.”
“Yes. So?”
“Did you know your sons are earth witches?”
Ajitah’s face paled. “No. They’re not like you. They’re just little boys with witch blood in their veins.”
“And yet, I wager they’re not on the coven’s radar. And you know why?”
Ajitah swallowed. “Because they’re not connected to the skein. Fuck.”
“One earth witch may not be able to hold open the doorway, but maybe a trinity with a focal point can.”
Maybe? He still wasn’t certain. I swallowed the bubble of anxiety climbing up my throat. This had to be done. There was no choice.
“No.” Ajitah shook his head vehemently. “I won’t allow it. They’re just kids.”
“Children with immense power at their fingertips,” Loki said. His expression softened. “I know this is a shock, but I believe we were all brought together for a reason, that the boys were born to play a part in a greater scheme. Their connection to the earth is no coincidence. You being here with your children is no coincidence. The multi-verse wants to survive. It wants to protect itself from the Daughter of Chaos. And I believe we were all brought together by events beyond our control to do just that.”
Adam yawned. “It’s time, Daddy.”
Ajitah stared down at his sleepy son with a twisted expression of awe and fear. “I’m putting my son back to bed.”
I took a step toward him. “Ajitah?”
He blinked and looked across at me, then kissed the top of Adam’s head. “If they’re going to do this, it will be after a good night’s sleep.”
I poured much-needed coffee into huge mugs and passed them around the table. Still three hours until dawn, but we were too wired to sleep.
I held a mug out to Loki. “Who is this it Adam was talking about?”
Loki took the mug and set it on the table in front of him. “The earth. Some of my brethren in the guard could hear it, too. They called it the voice of guidance and caution.”
“You never heard it?” Drake said.
Loki shook his head. “No. Only the truly gifted ever did.”
Ajitah strode back into the room. “This better not harm them in any way.”
“I promise you, I won’t allow any harm to come to your boys.”
But harm could come to me. I’d be the one going into another reality to face goodness knows what. Jeremiah had seen only a fraction of their world, and there was a real possibility I could land in the danger zone he’d spoken of. I might not come out alive. Or come back at all. Only a handful of hours remained before I had to go, and I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to two of the most important people in my life.
I headed out of the kitchen.
“Malina?” Garuda followed me into the foyer.
I put on my jacket and grabbed the car keys off the pedestal by the door. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
He nodded and stepped back. “Say hi to Aaron and Carmella for me.”
And then I was outside in the cool night air on a mission to say goodbye.
“Malina? Hey!” Aaron rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What time is it?” He ushered me in and checked the clock. “Shit, four in the morning. You’re a little late for the sleepover.” He studied my face and immediately went into alert mode. “What happened? Tell me.”
“Aaron, who are you talking to?” Carmella came padding out of the guest room. “Malina? Shit, what’s wrong?”
Now that I was here, I wasn’t sure what to say. Hey, guys, I’m off to another reality and I may not make it back? Hey, just wanted to say ta-ta before I run off to my possible doom? I just knew I couldn’t leave them hanging like I had when I’d buggered off to Nagalok. Carmella had been particularly furious with me, and it wasn’t often I’d seen Aaron hurt. I couldn’t do that to them again. They had a right to know.
“I wanted to say bye.”
Carmella dropped onto the sofa. “You’re going back to Nagalok.”
I shook my head. “No. Somewhere else. We have a lead on the hinn bones.”
“But that’s great!” Aaron said. “Give us a sec to dress and we’ll come with.”
“I can’t take you with me. I’m crossing into another reality through a doorway Loki will be opening. I’m going to go alone. If anything happens to me, this world will need champions to fight for it. It’ll need you guys.”
Ajitah and Garuda wouldn’t be happy about my decision, but I couldn’t risk their lives. Not when they could be of use here. I’d made that mistake once with Garuda, allowing my fear to pull him into Nagalok with me. He’d almost lost his life because of me.
Aaron and Carmella just stared at me as if I were speaking in tongues.
“Guys?”
“Are you fucking crazy?” Aaron said. “You think we can sit here and let you swan off into danger without us, again?”
Carmella pulled herself off the sofa. “I’m coming with you. I don’t care how dangerous it is. You are not going alone.” Her lips trembled. “If I’m gonna lose you, then I want to be lost with you.”
“I second that,” Aaron said.
My eyes pricked. Dammit, they were going to make me cry. Force me to accept how fucking scared I was. I’d been frightened when going to Nagalok, but deep down, I’d known I would be meeting my people, my mother’s kin. So the unknown…it hadn’t felt so alien. But this trip, I had no real idea what to expect. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong. What if I landed in a danger zone? What if Loki failed to keep the door open? What if the sigils were incorrect and I ended up on the wrong world. We were placing all our faith in the words of a dead man. Words we’d translated as best we could using a cipher we hoped was correct.
Too many variables.
Aaron and Carmella wrapped their arms around me. I leaned into t
hem, allowing them to hold me up, allowing myself this one moment of weakness. But the moment had to end, because I had a job to do. With a final squeeze, I pulled out of their embrace.
“I have to go.”
“I’ll get dressed.” Carmella headed toward her room.
Aaron stared down into my face. “You’re not going to let us come with you, are you?”
“No.”
He nodded. “Can we at least come to the mansion with you?”
“Yeah.” I smiled up at him. “I guess I can allow that.”
I stared at Garuda. “What do you mean, I’m not going?”
“I mean exactly that.”
“You’re the gatekeeper,” Ajitah said. “We can’t risk anything happening to you. The Daughter of Chaos could strike at any moment. We need you here.”
I looked around the lounge at the faces of my friends and allies. “I was never meant to go?”
Drake winced. “I thought you realized that. We discussed who should go when you left to see Aaron and Carmella. Garuda volunteered. Ajitah wanted to go with him, but we decided it was best he stay, for the boys.”
I’d just assumed I would go. But now that they’d broken it down, it made sense. I was needed here. Relief warred with indignation. They knew how dangerous this was. They knew I was needed here, so they were sending in Garuda because he was expendable? No. No way.
I looked up at Garuda. “I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Dammit, you can’t do this alone.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been alone for as long as I can remember. I work better solo.”
Ajitah watched the scene from his spot leaning against the archway to the foyer. I looked to Aaron and Penelope, perched on the sofa. Aaron shrugged and Penelope looked away. Loki was in the garden preparing the sigils with Carmella’s help. They’d be no help for me here.
I raked my hair back in exasperation. “Surely two heads are better than one.” But my tone was less confident now that the logical half of my brain had been activated.
“You know we’re right,” Drake said softly.
Yeah, I did. I needed to be here to ensure the gate remained closed. I needed to keep the entity locked away.
Garuda cupped my cheek, his voice dropping an octave. “I am coming back.” For a moment, everyone else faded away, and it was just him and me.
Ajitah stormed out of the lounge.
Garuda dropped his hand and blew out a breath. “I’ll go speak to him.” He turned and followed Ajitah.
Drake’s brows shot up. “What the heck? Are those two friends now?”
“I have no idea.” My brain was stuck on the fact that Garuda was leaving and may not come back. I walked out into the garden, where Loki and Carmella were painting intricate symbols on the patio.
“Almost done,” Loki said.
Aria appeared with the triplets in tow.
Loki made a final sweep with his brush and then sat back.
My heart rammed against my ribcage.
“Boys,” Loki said. “You know what you need to do?”
The triplets nodded, their green eyes alight with eagerness. They spread out to form a triangle around the symbols. Loki took a spot behind Adam just as the rest of the crew spilled out onto the patio. But I couldn’t focus on them right now. My attention was fixed on Garuda as he strode into the triangle.
I took a step toward him. “Please…”
He met my gaze, his eyes soft. “I have a lot to come back for. Trust me.” He turned to Loki. “Shall we begin?”
Loki tucked in his chin and began to hum.
The boys joined in the humming. Slowly, the sigils began to glow.
Garuda closed his eyes as light began to rise off the ground and climb his body. The doorway was opening.
He was about to step through, and I might never see him again. The light crested, movement catching the periphery of my vision. He was right. I was needed here. I had a job to do. But my body had other ideas. Before I even realized what I was doing, I leapt into the triangle.
8
I opened my eyes to silvery gloom. “Garuda?”
“Malina?” Garuda made a grab for me and hauled me to my feet. “Malina…how? You idiot.” He pulled me to his chest and kissed the top of my head. “Do you ever listen to anyone but yourself?”
“Says the guy who wouldn’t leave me in Nagalok.”
His chest rumbled against my cheek. I closed my eyes, reveling in the uncomplicated closeness.
“I think we’re in a large closet.” He released me to investigate.
A thin silver line—like a tear in the fabric of this world—marked the doorway that Loki was holding open for us. Behind me was a rail hung with soft, silken fabrics. Garuda pushed them aside and stepped into the main part of the closet. It was one of those walk-in affairs, and whoever owned it loved to dress up. I pushed the clothes back into place behind me, blocking out the glow of the exit leading back to our reality.
“I found a door,” Garuda said.
Weak light filtered into the tiny space.
Garuda peered out for a long moment, probably making sure the coast was clear, and then stepped out, indicating I follow. The room beyond was huge and over the top, with drapes and silks of all colors. The bed, circular and littered with embroidered cushions, dominated the room. A light breeze ruffled my hair, pulling me toward the wide balcony beyond the gauzy fluttering curtains. The velvet blue sky was beset with twinkling stars. Below us stretched a sleepy city lit by a soft ambient glow.
“Lamplight,” Garuda said from beside me. “This must be the city Jeremiah alluded to in his journal.”
“We’re awfully high up.”
“That’s what worries me.” He leaned over the balcony. “Look.”
I peered down to see the moonlit grounds and small figures walking up and down. Not walking…patrolling. Guards?
I glanced across at Garuda. “I think this is some kind of palace or stately home.”
“Which means it’s probably heavily patrolled inside as well as out,” Garuda said.
“We need to get out of here before we’re discovered.”
The sound of footsteps, accompanied by voices, had us rushing back into the closet. Garuda pulled the door shut just in time. We stood, ears pressed to the wood. Muted voices drifted into the closet.
“—what you are saying. However, I must reiterate my earlier point.” The voice was feminine and sultry with a sulky edge.
“Do not bother. You are blinded by his devotion. Your vanity will be your downfall,” a male voice replied.
“I am not vain. I am a goddess, and thus I am due the adoration of my people.”
“You are a goddess and therefore must remain apart from your people.”
“Is this the only reason you wished to speak to me privately?”
“Isn’t it enough?”
“I must go. Valerian will be awaiting my presence. He wishes to anoint me himself this eve. He has worked hard to prepare this celebration of our wondrous blessing. I would caution you to show a little gratitude.”
“I thought we were above showing gratitude,” her male companion said.
His voice sounded almost familiar…
“A humble god is a loved god.”
“I think the problem lies in your love for them…or for him…”
Silence, thick and telling.
“I do not wish to discuss this further, brother.”
“Elara, please. You cannot give your heart to one mortal. Your heart is not yours to give.”
Elara? Why was that name familiar? Oh, fuck! Ice flooded my veins. Loki’s goddess… the goddess who’d been infected by the darkness within the void.
A door slammed and silence reigned. Garuda gently squeezed my forearm and opened the door a tiny crack to scan the room. After a second, he pushed it open a little more. Satisfied we were alone, he ushered me out.
I grabbed his arm. “I think this is Loki’s
old world.”
“What?”
Shit, Garuda didn’t know about Loki’s previous life. I quickly filled him in, Cliff Notes-style.
“It’s possible that this is another Elara,” Garuda said.
“Possible.”
“But you don’t believe that.”
“No, I don’t. Let’s just get out of here and find those bones. I don’t want to be stuck here when this place begins to unravel. Can you fly us out?”
“Too conspicuous.”
“Shit. Okay. Old-fashioned stealth it is, then.” My hand went to Vindra. I just hoped I wasn’t forced to use her.
We ducked into an alcove as a guard strode by. He carried a lamp dangling from a stick. As he passed, the shadows closed ranks behind him to cover us. He rounded a corner out of view.
I squeezed Garuda’s hand. “How many floors does this place have?”
“We’ll know soon enough. Come on.”
We made a dash for the nearest staircase and descended to the lower floor.
Voices echoed off the walls, laughter getting closer. Someone was coming. They’d be rounding the corner any second. There was no time to leg it back up the stairs. I spotted a door to the left of the staircase and pulled Garuda through, quickly closing it behind us. We were trapped between the door and a set of thick, dark drapes that ran the length of the room, cutting us off from whatever lay beyond.
The laughter from the corridor carried through the door, crested, and then dialed down as the group of people moved up the stairs. Something clattered, and a strange humming filled the room. Garuda put a finger to his lips and took a tentative step toward the drapes. He found the edge and parted the fabric to look out. I slipped between him and the curtain to get a peek. The room beyond was huge, lit by several wall sconces. A raised platform at one end housed two ornate chairs. A man stood at the base of the platform against a long table, his back to us. The humming was coming from him. His arms moved as if he was mixing something.
Garuda slid his free arm around my waist, pulled me against him, and whispered in my ear, “There are two more exits on the far side of the chamber.”
I nodded. If we couldn’t go back the way we’d come, we could try one of the other doors. Provided the man by the table left soon. As if obliging, he stepped back and turned toward us. His hair was longer, and his face was covered by a week’s worth of stubble, but I’d recognize that face anywhere.