by Eli Constant
The music is loud though, reaching a crescendo point, so maybe he’s still unawares. Maybe he’s so caught up in his psychotic needs that he’s lost to reality.
Mordecai raises his right hand, the God Stone gripped within his fist, and he walks forward into the unknown.
As we reach the bottom of the stairs, I feel the sensation of power again. Yet, this time it comes in an intense rush, racing from my fingers, up my arms, into my shoulders and down, down until it reaches the soles of my feet. I am flush with it. Hot with it.
And I can suddenly sense Mei again.
I leap into the feeling of it, reaching for her blood, and I see her lying on a table. Doctor Sherwin has his back to her, prepping something on a steel cart. He’s humming along with the music. Blue scrubs cover his body. He’s dressed for surgery. Paper hat covering his thinning hair, mask loops threaded over each ear.
Liam takes my arm as I sway, realizing that I’m caught in the dual perspective once more. He moves me forward slowly, keeping me upright.
“My power is back.”
“Yes, but it won’t stay for long.”
“What do you mean?”
Our voices are once again distant and far away. I can barely hear Liam responding, but we’re also whispering, trying to keep our presence unknown until the last possible second.
“I suspect that your pet berserker is in the building. You’re drawing from his energy to, let’s say, beef up your power momentarily. You can’t use him for long, Victoria. You could kill him if you hold on past his breaking point.”
I hear a thud upstairs, somewhere close to the top of the stairs, and am immediately pulled away from Mei and back into a singularity. “What was that?”
Liam does not respond. His head is tilted, eyes half-closed. He’s listening, breaking into the thoughts of whoever is nearby.
“Kyle has collapsed.”
My heart skips a beat. “Is he okay?”
“He is fine. Your Chief Goodman was with him. Apparently, they arrived at the same time.” Liam sounds so cool and collected.
And I feel like a jumble of emotions that will never be unknotted. A mass of fragile necklaces that have been tossed together in a bag and are now become one thing, twisted and tethered together.
Feet shuffle above us once more.
We begin moving again.
Ahead, in the very near distance, we hear a scream. Thin and reedy and definitely female.
And that’s when I throw all caution to the wind and I run. This time, I do not care if the door slams back towards my body and pins me. I just want to get to Mei.
The soft wail of sirens filters through the walls and ceiling around us.
So much help is coming, but it’s not going to be in time.
I crash through a set of double doors, Liam on my heels, and find Mordecai standing over Doctor Sherwin. The Dwarf King is leaned over, pressing the God Stone to Sherwin’s forehead.
Fascination forces me to watch as Sherwin’s face grows pale, the lovely tanning salon color fading away. His hair, once salt and pepper, begins to change. In moments, it is snow white and haphazard. The biggest change though is in Sherwin’s face, which seems to melt and mold and wrinkle until he is an ancient ruin. The effect only lasts a moment. But, even after Sherwin becomes himself again, orange tan and all, I can see pain contorting his brow.
I step even closer. Mordecai’s mouth is moving, but his voice is pitched so low that I cannot hear him.
When he rights his body, the once Dwarf King closes his fist around the God Stone he’s been holding with three fingers against Sherwin’s head. He turns to me, looking tired and worn. “He has been judged.”
“Tori?” A shaky, half-awake voice grabs my attention before I can ask Mordecai what he means. “Tori?”
I turn and find her, trying to sit up on a table, and rubbing her eyes like she’s fighting to stay conscious. It only takes me seconds to be by her side, my arm wrapped across her back, supporting her and hugging her. And then we are both sobbing, salty tears soaking each other’s shirt.
And that’s when the cavalry arrives.
Kyle and Terrance and probably every single cop in Georgetown.
Still holding Mei, I giggle inappropriately. “Sorry guys, you missed all the fun. Maybe I should take you up on that badge, Terrance. Since I seem to get to the bad guys before you.” I laugh again.
Hysteria after the chance of harm is gone. Seems right.
No one says anything. Eyes are scanning the room, taking in the truth of it. Mei on the table. The doctor on the floor. The classical music still threading through the room.
“Liam, Mordecai—” I shift my body so I can find them, thinking they’re standing off to the side and out of the way now that the cops have shown up. But they’re nowhere to be seen. They’re both gone. I don’t understand how… unless there was, in fact, another exit to this hospital of horrors. So I’m alone with Mei. Which means it looks like I stopped Mr. Serial Killer all on my lonesome. I was going to get a reputation I didn’t deserve.
I thought it was best if they didn’t see us, Liam’s voice. It’s becoming something I cannot live without. Like another part of my conscience. He’s definitely not just ‘mincemeat’. No matter how I try to resist. We took your business vehicle.
I’ll get a ride with Kyle.
I assumed you would.
Liam, thank you so much.
You should know by now, Victoria, that I would do anything for you.
Kyle pulls me from the conversation, his arms going around me and Mei in a huge—excuse the pun—bear hug. When he pulls away from us, I can see tears in his eyes. He leans in, pressing his mouth against my ear, “don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again, Tori. I won’t live without you.”
I kiss him lightly on the mouth. That’s all we have time for before Terrance approaches. And he sort of looks pissed. Definitely not in the ‘embracing’ mood. Which I don’t understand at all. I mean, look, bad guy caught. Girl saved. What’s to be mad over?
“Tori,” he begins, looking from Mei’s ashen face, her arms still wrapped around my neck and unwilling to let go, “I don’t understand what happened here, yet. But I’ll tell you one thing, girl—and you aren’t allowed to argue about this, so don’t even think of trying—you’re learning how to properly defend yourself. No more half-ass civilian classes at the Y. You’re learning how to shoot a damn gun. And you’re learning, dammit, how to wait for back up. You’ve put it off for way too damn long.”
“If I’d waited for back up, Mei might be—”
He cuts me off. “Yeah. I get that. You don’t need to say it. But, dammit, Tori. You could have died here. You both could have died. So starting next week, you are going to learn how to defend yourself. End of discussion.”
“Fine. But no badge. I was just kidding about that before.”
“We’ll see about that.” Terrance gives me a long glance, up and down to make sure I’m not hurt. And then he’s turning his attention to Mei. “You all right, ma’am?”
She nods, but doesn’t say anything.
“We’ve called an ambulance to take you to the hospital. It’ll be a routine check, so don’t worry about that. And then we’ll need to take a statement from you.”
Mei nods again.
The Georgetown police descend then, basically butting Terrance out of the way and spouting off something about ‘jurisdiction’. They are not nearly as gentle with Mei or me and they aren’t happy when I refuse to leave her side to give my own version of events.
Kyle and I follow Mei’s ambulance once the overzealous Georgetown Po-Po let us go.
We hold hands the entire way. All I can think about is the sight of a dazed-looking Doctor Sherwin being hauled away in hand cuffs. All I can think about is the fourth victim’s body being taken out of his torture chamber beneath his ritzy house. The police will do that soon. I hope they treat her with care.
All I can think about is Timothy and how he was murde
red by his own stepfather. And I wonder, in a passing moment that makes me sick to my stomach, if Timothy’s mother was in on it. But I’d leave that to the police.
I have to leave some work for them… right?
Chapter Thirty
Sunday’s morning papers are filled with front-page fodder about the plastic surgeon turned serial killer. Good news travels fast. Bad news travels faster. The details are brutal and the truth stretched only a little. I am relieved to find out that Tess Sherwin had no idea what her husband was doing, though surprised that she’d already been interviewed. Maybe reaching for her fifteen minutes of fame. I wonder if the revelation over what her husband has done will change how she feels about her deceased son.
I doubt it though. People like that don’t change overnight.
Liam is waiting in my apartment when Kyle and I finally come home from the hospital on Sunday. Mei was already released, only a little worse for the wear. Her parents had come to drive her home. Her father was crying, muttering in Chinese the entire time. Her mother couldn’t stop touching her and saying she was never delivery driving again and she needed to move home, where it was safe. Mei was going to have a time after this, hanging onto the bit of independence she’d achieved after finally starting college.
The rest of the day, we did absolutely nothing. Kyle, Liam, and me. Just the three of us, cozying up in my living room, the TV on, but none of us really watching.
Monday came and went.
Tuesday came and went.
Then Wednesday came and a call from Allen Barrington. He couldn’t stop crying on the phone, beating himself up, because he’d been the one taking Timothy to see his stepfather. I try to console him, tell him he had no way of knowing what Doctor Sherwin was.
Nothing’s going to be enough though, to calm the father who’s lost his son and just found out that the killer was someone they both trusted.
There is one golden thread through all of Allen’s darkness. Doug has told him that Timothy’s body is ready for burial. So we can plan the funeral and finally put him to rest beside his Rosemary.
I make the preparations over the next days, planning the funeral for Saturday and giving Allen time to tell everyone who might want to attend.
***
When Saturday comes, I think I am ready. I think I can emotionally handle Timothy’s funeral, just like I’d handled so many before. This was different for me though.
Timothy had lived his life not being accepted by so many people. One of which was his mother, the person who should love you no matter what in this shitty world. Yet, he’d found love with Darnell. He’d persevered. He’d held onto his identity.
Even Terrance comes to the funeral, escorting someone we did not expect to see.
Tess.
She can hardly stand and her entire body shakes as she approaches her son’s casket and sees his beautiful face—dark cropped hair and wide rim glasses. As I watch, she leans over her son and kisses him on the forehead. And then Terrance hands her something.
Even at a distance, I recognize it.
The heart earring, the one I’d found in the fish.
And she threads it gently through her son’s ear, sliding the backing on so it won’t fall out, and she begins to cry. Great, heaving sobs. Sincere, awful. Heartbreaking.
Allen and Darnell join her then, wrapping their arms around her in a collective embrace.
I’ve never seen something so broken become so whole. Even if it is only for a fleeting moment of grief, it is still beautiful to witness.
I hate placing the chains onto Timothy’s body. I hate watching the concrete truck fill his grave and cover his casket. But that’s the world we live in. Blanketed in the ever-present fear of the dead. I wonder if it will ever change.
If we will stop pouring concrete. If we will stop judging and fearing.
***
It’s Monday now. Sunday was just a blur. I spent most of the day in a haze. Kyle has gone to take a liquor delivery at the bar and Liam… I’ve no idea where he is actually.
The world is a little brighter though, and not just because there is a small break in the snow-filled clouds above that is letting loose a little sun across our dreary Bonneau. I’ve just showered after a long run around the lake. Leslie had waved to me from her porch on my way back past her house and I’d waved back. Everything is settling back into normalcy. I’ve even already booked a job for Friday.
Death never takes a holiday.
Frowning at that, I press the start button on the coffee pot and stare out the window. The mail truck will be coming by shortly. Just as the little ‘ding’ goes off to say brewing’s complete, I see the white postal vehicle make its fast stop at the mailbox outside.
Slipping into my boots, I trudge out into the slightly melty snow, which will refreeze tonight when the temperatures drop again. I’m amazed the lake is managing to stay so solid. There’d been people skating on its outer edges earlier.
The driveway feels longer than usual, but that’s only because my legs are aching from the run. My phone pings from my pocket about halfway down the drive. I pull it out, smiling when I see the text message. Though, it also brings me sadness because I think of Maggie and how she was robbed of her motherhood and life.
‘Found Jacob Smythe. Thought you’d want to know. Grew up in the system, no other family. He’s a mechanic. Four kids. He always thought she abandoned him.’
Before I can reply, another message pings.
‘He looks like his mom.’
I don’t write Terrance back. There’s no need to. He’ll already know how glad I am that Jacob knows the truth now. And I feel Maggie, in the ether or beyond, will find peace.
I tuck my cell away again, finishing my walk to the end of the property.
There’s not much mail today. A flyer for the car dealership in town—I really have to get on with finding a new vehicle, dammit—a magazine for a clothing brand I’ve never heard of, and a card which is addressed in impeccable script. There’s no return address, which I find odd.
I wait to open the letter until I’m back inside, boots off and my feet curled up under me on the couch to warm.
My heart stops when I read the words written on the thick, glistening cardstock inside.
Dear big sister, Liam was banished before he could make the Light Prince aware of your location. Please, do not fret. I have enlightened him on the matter. Love, your baby brother.
The letter is simply signed ‘B’.
I’m not sure what it’ll mean, that the light court knows where I live now, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be good. Liam didn’t tell them for a reason. And Braeden… well, he definitely told them for a reason. If I disliked brother dearest before, I really hated him now.
But that’s family for you. You can’t live with ‘em and you can’t…
Fuck, I could totally live without ‘em.
My name’s Victoria Cage. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but what I do know is that my best friend is safe. I know my powers are coming back stronger than ever. I know that I’m in love with a bear-man. And I also know that I’ve got a crazy mad crush on a fairy. But you know what they say? Life—it’s best taken one cup of coffee, and one crisis, at a time.
Body of Ash
A Victoria Cage Necromancer Novel
Book Three
BLURB
Fire, fire, burning higher, fairy better fight.
Victoria’s a necromancer, fairy, Blood Queen… hot freaking mess. Her identity is so twisted up in supernatural nonsense that all she wants to do is go back to embalming bodies and coffin brochures. Being in love should make things easier, but when your beau’s a bear and you’ve got a fairy suitor waiting in the wings, romance is just another complication.
While preparing the victims of a tragic fire for their funerals, Victoria discovers that their deaths were not accidents, as the police have ruled. Soon, she’s hot on the trail of a Firestarter who’s been scorching his way through the surroun
ding counties. It’s about more than murder and flame, though.
Bodies with their hearts missing. A dark coven. And a gate to hell.
It’s not long before Victoria goes from the hunter to the hunted. But she’ll do whatever it takes to bring the arsonist to justice—even if that means getting a few burns along the way.
Turn the page to begin book three, Body of Ash!
Chapter One
Dear big sister, Liam was banished before he could make the Light Prince aware of your location. Please, do not fret. I have enlightened him on the matter. Love, your baby brother. -B
***
For what feels like the millionth time, I’m staring at Braeden’s handwriting and the words that have made my future more uncertain. And, Jesus, my future was already about as precarious as a cat balancing on an electrified wire several hundred feet in the air.
I have come to a conclusion though—one that has nothing to do with how to handle balancing Kyle, my Berserker beau, and Liam, my would-be fairy suitor (and trust me, that’s a problem that really needs solving). No, what I’ve decided has to do with the letter I’m holding. And the long and short of it is:
My little brother, I mean little half-brother, is a grade A asshole.
I’ve spent the last three months on pins and needles, waiting for some sort of fae soldier detachment to show up at my door, string me up, and forcibly carry me to Mr. ‘Prince I might be made to marry’. It was the absolute worst thing Braeden could have done—leaving me that damn note. Anticipating something is way harder than just getting the damn something over with. About a month after the note had arrived, I’d told Liam to just go ahead and take me to the Light Court. We’d get it the hell over with, because anything was better than the waiting game.
We fought over it, more than once. He said it was probably just a scare tactic. I said the ‘not knowing’ was going to drive me crazy.
In the end, no matter what I said each time we argued, he refused to turn me over. And he also reminded me that he’d be thrown back in jail if he returns, so it wasn’t just about me. Mostly, I think he doesn’t want me to go meet my marital destiny because, well, he wants to be that destiny. He’s not around as often as I’d like right now. I hate to admit that I miss him when he’s gone. I want his presence. I feel ungrateful sometimes—he’s leaving to keep me hidden. He’s planting false leads and whatever else will help me stay free. I’m glad nowadays he’s letting me know when he’ll be gone. And he’s even gotten a cell phone. I can text my fairy any time I want. If I want to. I wish I didn’t want to.