Boil (Salem's Revenge Book 2)

by David Estes

  The rage and sadness and anger and turmoil inside me all seem to rise in my throat at once, choking me. I could so easily send my sword through him, preventing any future evil wrought by his magic. And preventing any future good, too.

  The president’s question from earlier rattles through my head: If you come face to face with your ex-best friend, Xavier Jackson, the second in command of the Necros, what will you do?

  And my response: Kill him.

  I cough out a sob, not because I can do it, but because I can’t. As much as I want to hate him right now, I can’t.

  I can’t.

  Releasing him, I push him toward the back of the plane, where there’s a ragged opening where the emergency exit used to be. “Go!” I say, shoving him out into the air. “Run!”

  Xave’s entire face is a frown, even as he looks back once, twice, and then stumbles into the woods, trailed by a group of battle-worn Necros.

  And when I hear a noise behind me and I turn, I see Floss staring at me, a slash of anger on her face.

  “Drop your sword or I’ll make you drop it,” she says.

  I drop my sword.

  Chapter Forty

  Trish

  One of yours tried to kill her, Trish says.

  In her mind she grapples with the fact that Laney was even there at all, behind the fence, protecting New America. When in the back of her mind she knows she has to kill their leader. For what reason, she knows not.

  Ever since Trish has changed and become what she was always meant to be, she’s felt in control. But not now. Now she wants to scream and scream and scream, until the Changelings’ smooth skin melts and their beautiful eyes fall out and their silky hair shrivels up and turns gray.

  She knows she has the power to do that, but she doesn’t. Not yet anyway. But one wrong word from the red witch and she might change her mind.

  “She didn’t know,” the Changeling leader lies, pushing her perfect hair off her flawless face.

  She knew, Trish says. And your people Changed into me.

  “They did,” the red witch admits. “I told them to.”

  Why? Trish asks. The rest of the Claires, including the tall, willowy woman with the white-blond hair, crowd around her. Are they curious or are they preparing to fight? Knowing her Children, it’s a bit of both.

  Yes, why? her Children echo, their voices a chorus of susurrations in her head.

  “The President of New America needs to know who’s coming for her,” the red witch says.

  A memory slips into view and then slides away. A slippery memory that Trish cannot seem to get ahold of. She can’t ask the red witch why again, because that would give away the hole in her mind. Whatever the reason, it’s important that the human leader fear her approach.

  But her sister. Surely seeing her face on the necks of dozens of Changelings would’ve scarred Laney. And they almost killed her, something she cannot let go unpunished.

  Threat for threat, she says.

  “The threat was already killed,” the red witch says. “The Changeling that attacked your sister didn’t make it. Your revenge has been satisfied.”

  Not revenge, Trish says. Punishment. And the punishment goes to her who leads.

  Trish is surprised at the delight she feels when the red witch’s movie-star face twitches. Surprised at the power she feels running through her bones. Is it right? Is she losing control of her emotions?

  No. She is in control and this is right. This is just.

  “What would you do to me?” the red witch asks, her face once more stoic and fearless.

  Speak to your mind, Trish says.

  The red witch tries to hide the fear that bubbles up beneath the surface, but Trish is already inside her, probing, feeling the icy chill running down her spine, the trembling in her hands, the bumps that rise from her skin.

  “I will take your punishment,” the red witch says, her voice surprisingly stutter-free.

  Trish metes out the punishment without a wave of her arm or an uttered word, her mind’s eye as sharp as a dagger. All it requires is a devilish thought. And although the red witch’s screams do not affect her concentration, she doesn’t get as much pleasure from the act as she thought she might.

  When it’s all over, and the red witch is curled up in the fetal position, her lips alternating between drooling and babbling, Trish says, We attack at dawn. And no one touches my sister.

  Your will is ours, Mother, her Children say. The Changelings don’t respond, just collect their broken leader and carry her away.

  Before proceeding to the long white table laden with all manner of nature’s fruits, Trish makes a silent vow. She will not leave her sister’s fate to the whims of the Changelings. Despite her agreement with their leader, she will enter New Washington and face the president, as she knows she must.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Laney

  The news reaches me well ahead of the witch hunters’ return, rolling like a wave through New Washington, all the way to the infirmary. Apparently they fought with a gang of Necros. They won, not without casualties, but there was a problem. And Rhett was involved somehow. That’s all that I know.

  Despite my insistence that Hemsworth stop treating me like a child, he gave one of the infirmary caretakers strict orders to not let me leave under any circumstances. Her objections are futile as I push past her and through the door, feeling slightly dizzy as bright sunlight hits me full in the face.

  There’s a Jeep roaring past and I stagger into its path, probably looking like a zombie with the icepack strapped to my chin. I tear it off and let the half-melted cubes fall to the ground at my feet. The Jeep skids to a stop just in front of me, dust swirling around my legs. “I need to get to the witch hunters’ quarters,” I say to the disgruntled driver glaring at me.

  “We’re going past there,” he says. “But we don’t have orders to take you.”

  “You’ll get the orders when you get there,” I say.

  He seems to mull it over, and then shrugs. “Get in.”

  I squeeze in beside a large woman with a bullet sash across her chest, from shoulder to hip. She ignores me, cleaning her weapon, some kind of automatic gun that likely goes with the string of bullets she’s wearing like a piece of jewelry.

  A few minutes later we slide to a stop next to the Lincoln Monument. I stare at it. “Get out,” the driver says.

  “Here?” I say.

  “This is the place,” he confirms.

  There are a few people lounging on the steps, smoking cigarettes. No, not cigarettes, I realize, getting a whiff. All three of them have blood on their clothes—some on their skin, too.

  I jump out, say, “Thanks,” and half-jog to the steps. Behind me, the Jeep tears away. “Where’s Rhett Carter?” I ask the three joint-smokers.

  One of them laughs, another seems to look past me, and the third makes a wild gesture inside the Lincoln Monument.

  I take the steps two at a time and race inside. There are many more witch hunters, but these ones are either the wounded or the ones tending to the wounded. There’s a ton of blood, so much that it’s slippery under my feet, although I suspect it’s not all theirs.

  Chained against the wall is a familiar form. “Rhett!” I cry, running toward him. Hex, standing beside him, barks a greeting.

  A chick with rock-star hair and a crazy stripe down the center of her head steps in front of me. “Who the hell are you?” she says, in the same kind of way that I might say it if I was in her position.

  “You shouldn’t be here, Laney,” Rhett says, but I can tell he’s just saying it because he feels he has to. There’s no fight in his tone, like he already knows I won’t listen to him. He knows me too well.

  “Rhett’s friend,” I say. “Now get the hell out of my way or I’ll shave your ridiculous hair and shove it down your throat.”

  “Damn, girl,” rock chick says. “Feisty. You ever hunted witches?”

  Her question surprises me, and instead of pu
shing past her, I find myself answering. “By necessity only,” I say, which is mostly the truth.

  “We could use another chick with attitude,” she says. Hex, who’s moved over to me, paws at my leg, as if asking me to consider the offer.

  “Unchain Rhett and I’ll think about it.”

  “Can’t,” she says, bending down to scratch Hex behind the ear. “Who’s a good widdle boy?” Hex licks her hand, clearly enjoying the attention. I raise an eyebrow—I wouldn’t have pegged rock-chick for a dog lover. She stands and looks me in the eyes. “He’s a traitor. The president’s got to decide what to do with him.”

  A traitor? Not this again. “Rhett, what happened?” I ask, craning my neck to look around the witch hunter.

  Hex answers with a series of barks that almost sounds like he’s trying to explain everything. “What he said,” Rhett says.

  “Be serious,” I say. “This isn’t a joke.”

  “You should listen to your friend, Rhett,” says Rock-Chick-Girl. “The president could kill you for what you did.”

  I step forward, until my face is mere inches from hers. “What. Did. He. Do?”

  She doesn’t back away, seeming perfectly comfortable with my invasion of her personal space. Her eyes flick from my lips to my eyes a few times before she responds. “He passed up a golden opportunity to rid the world of the Necros’ second in command, the son of the Reaper.”

  My heart sinks. This was exactly why President Washington put a bounty on Rhett’s head in the first place. Because she was worried his friendship with Xavier Jackson would make him favor the Necros, or even help their cause. She won’t let this go easily.

  “Let me talk to him,” I say, rocking back a half-step. “Please.” The strength and anger has been sapped from my voice by the truth staring me in the face. Based on the world’s new set of rules, he really could be executed for what he did. Or more for what he didn’t do.

  The witch hunter stares at me for a moment, her rich, brown eyes seeming to dissect me, but then her face softens. “Any weapons?” she asks.

  I reach for my Glock, but it’s gone, along with all my other weapons. They must still be somewhere at the infirmary. “No,” I say.

  “Ten minutes,” she says. “And don’t try anything, I’ll be watching.”

  I nod, shuffling forward when she steps aside, Hex trotting beside me. My eyes meet Rhett’s and I can see the pain in their depths. His eyes widen when he notices my bruised jaw. “What happened to you?”

  I ignore him and when I get close enough I punch him in the shoulder.

  “Ow!” he says. “What was that for?” When I glance back at Rock-Chick, she’s grinning.

  I flop down beside Rhett. “For being stupid. To snap you out of whatever funk you’re in. For insisting we come to New Washington. Take your pick.” Hex seems to nod his head in agreement, but then turns his attention to a bloody rag nearby, at the base of Mr. Lincoln.

  Although my intention was the opposite, my words seem to thicken the haze around him. “Sorry I asked,” he says.

  “Hey,” I say, grabbing his hand, which is so warm it’s like he microwaved it. He looks at me curiously. “None of this is your fault.”

  He lets out a sarcastic chortle. “Right. I’d say everything you just said is pretty close to the truth.”

  “Cut the self-deprecating crap,” I say. “It doesn’t suit you. You’re a freaking witch hunter, not the pathetically weak crybaby panty-wearing sissy—”

  “I get the picture,” he says.

  “—Sponge-Bob-watching frail little child that you were when this all started,” I finish.

  He manages a wry smile. “It’s almost like you knew me back then,” he says.

  “Xave filled me in on how many times he had to save your sorry butt from bullies,” I say. At the mention of his friend’s name, he looks away. Oops. “Sorry. I forgot.”

  “It’s okay,” he says. “I guess I was all talk, huh? All that bullcrap about revenge and taking down the Necros and ridding the world of all magic-born. You can pretty much say ‘I told you so’ at this point.”

  “No thanks,” I say. “We’re all just muddling along trying to make the best decisions we can in a world where maybe there are no right decisions anymore. And you know what?” He shrugs, so I continue, lowering my voice so I’m sure only he’ll be able to hear me. “I would’ve done the exact same thing.”

  His eyes flick to mine and hold my gaze. “You weren’t there,” he says. “Xave was…controlling the corpses. And he raised them in almost no time at all. No waiting period, no months of brewing them, just raised them like it was nothing. His powers are strengthening. I think he’s stronger than the Reaper now.”

  It’s not at all what I expected him to say. “Did he attack you?” Somehow I can’t picture the heartbroken teenage warlock who I had long discussions with attacking anyone, especially his old friend.

  “Not him. His creations. It was awful.”

  My first reaction is to defend Xavier. What’s wrong with me? I hated the kid not that long ago, and now I’m on his side? This world is a topsy-turvy mural of change, as if some bipolar artist is swirling the colors and mixing them to suit his every-changing moods.

  “Did the Necros come at you and attack?” I ask.

  “No, I told you, it was Xave’s creat—”

  I cut him off. “That’s not what I mean. I mean, did they seek you out? Did they go on the offensive? Were they looking for a fight?”

  Rhett’s head jerks as he gets my meaning. “No, they…” His hand grips mine tighter. “We…we went after them. The scouts found them, and we hunted them down.”

  “So they were just defending themselves?”

  He nods slowly. “Yeah, but still. It was terrible.”

  Neither of us speaks for a minute, until the witch hunter woman holds up her arm and taps an invisible wristwatch. “Five more minutes, Floss. Please,” Rhett says.

  “What kind of name is Floss?” I say. “Maybe her father was a dentist?”

  Rhett smiles the first real smile since I got here. “Must’ve been a hard decision not to name her Molar.”

  “Or Cavity. That would’ve been a good one.”

  “Fluoride,” Rhett says.

  “Ruff!” Hex barks, which I think means Incisor.

  “Plaque,” I add.

  “I can hear you,” Floss says. “And you’ve got four minutes.”

  I don’t even care that we’re wasting time, because it finally feels like we’re okay again. Like maybe we can handle whatever’s coming. “Set the record straight, Floss,” I say. “Where’d you get your name?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but my parents named me Erin. Floss is a nickname the other witch hunters gave me when I used to use a French garrote to kill witches. They said I could floss a witch’s teeth and kill them in two seconds flat.”

  “Gross,” I say, thinking more about the prospect of flossing a witch’s teeth than the killing part. “Sorry I asked.”

  “Three minutes,” Floss says.

  “I went inside the White House,” Rhett says, changing the subject.

  “Did you take the official tour?”

  “There are witches in there,” he says, ignoring my bad joke. “A wizard, a Slammer.”

  “There are Pyros and Destroyers helping to guard the border,” I say.

  He rubs his chin. “There was a creature made from mud, too. A creation of some witch gang that’s helping the cause. The thing…spoke to me.”

  “What did it say?” I ask.

  He lowers his voice, so only I can hear him. “It told me to beware of the president.”

  “Oh come on,” I whisper. “She might be a prickly woman, but at least she’s human. Are you going to believe a mud-creature over her?”

  “That was my reaction, too,” he hisses, “but you have to remember that it’s not some mud-troll speaking. It’s really the witch or warlock controlling the mud-man.”

  “
So you’ll trust some witch you’ve never met over the President of New America?” I ask. This conversation is getting ridiculous. At least the president was honest with us, even if we didn’t like everything she was saying. That’s more than we can say about the Reaper and the Necros.

  “I wouldn’t normally,” Rhett says. “But then Xave seemed surprised when I told him that there were magic-born allied with the president. He said that didn’t make sense with something his father had told him.”

  “So what?” I say, lowering my voice even further when I see Floss craning her neck to try to hear us. “The Reaper is always lying.”

  “I don’t know,” Rhett admits. “Something just doesn’t feel right. Like we’re playing connect the dots but some of the most important dots are missing.”

  “More like the dots have been eaten Pac-Man style by corpses reanimated by the Necros,” I say. Before he can contradict me, I say, “Look, Rhett, at least the president is trying to protect all these people. You might not like all her methods, but at least she’s trying. And she’s managed to form an alliance with some of the magic-born, which is no easy task.”

  “True,” Rhett says, although he doesn’t sound convinced.

  “Thirty seconds!” Floss calls out.

  Hurriedly, I tell him what happened at the border, specifically how my sister’s image was used to threaten the president. Just as I finish, Floss says, “Time.”

  “Five minutes,” Rhett says.

  “No,” Floss says. “Maybe you shouldn’t have wasted half your time speculating on the origins of my name.”

  “Maybe,” I say, “but it was rather fun, don’t you think?” She glares at me, but makes no sign that she’s going to put an end to our conversation.

  “Do you think your sister’s helping the Changelings?” Rhett asks.

  “No,” I say quickly. And then: “Maybe. I don’t know anymore. But I also don’t understand why they’d use my sister to threaten the president.”

  “Neither of us do,” Rhett says, running a finger across the top of my hand. I’m lucky to have him, even if he’s chained up like a wild dog.