by Aubrie Nixon
Sephera mumbled a thanks. She grimaced as she pulled the brush through the tangles. Twenty minutes later her hair had cooperated enough to be pulled into a knot on the top of her head. She slipped off the dress and pulled on her freshly cleaned tunic from the day before. Chantry waited by the door for her until they stumbled up the stairs to get something to eat.
They found Brenner and Zad in the dining hall, dressed in full armor and reviewing a notebook together. “Good morning, ladies! Or should I say good afternoon? We are about to dock,” Zad teased, amusement in his voice.
“What? Seriously?” Sephera pouted. She sat next to Zad who handed her a bowl of oats and an apple. She ate quickly, satisfying her growling stomach.
Brenner handed her a glass filled with a green, chunky liquid. It will help clear your head, though it does not taste pretty. She made a face at him.
“Thanks,” she said, giving him a small smile. She glared down at the beastly concoction and pursed her lips. Chantry had a glass, too. They raised their glasses in unison and choked down the mess.
“Ick,” Chantry grimaced.
“Oh, no,” groaned Sephera as Charolette and Eviee glided into the room.
“Vell, hello, my lovelies,” Charolette purred. “I take it your night vas satisfactory?” Her eyes twinkled knowingly.
“Perfectly peachy,” Sephera replied.
“Thank you again for your kindness,” Chantry said, getting up to hug the two women.
Eviee waved her off. “Et was nothing, our pleasure. If you are ever in Sarilo, please look us up.”
Sephera smiled. “We will. You will have to show us how a real Sarilan lives.”
“Yes, it vill be delightful.” Charolette smiled. “Farewell, my friends, until we meet again.” She bowed, and she and Eviee turned to leave.
“Wait! Your dresses! Where should we have them sent?” Sephera called after them.
“Keep zem,” Eviee answered from the doorway before flashing them one last smile.
A horn sounded three times, signaling that they were about to dock. Sephera sucked in her breath.
“Well, back to reality, I suppose. Meet you on the docks?” she asked Zad and Brenner, who already had their belongings piled at their feet. The two men nodded and turned their attention back to the notebook. Sephera and Chantry returned to the cabin to dress in their leathers and gather their belongings.
A few minutes later, Sephera felt her stomach begin to knot as they walked off the ship onto the docks. She bit her lip as she stared up at the castle across the harbor. The diamond towers glittered in the sunlight, making the edifice glow with crystalline fire. She caught up with Zad, who was talking to a carriage driver about a ride back to the Keep.
Sephera felt a familiar, unpleasant presence. Brenner felt it too. He grabbed Sephera’s hand tightly.
“Hello,” said a sinuous voice. “I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting before.” Sephera whirled. Valessa was holding out a hand to Zadkiel. Though he looked shocked, he at least had the sense to shake her hand. Valessa smiled, her lips curling around her teeth like a feral animal.
Chantry looked from Valessa to Sephera as Sephera unsheathed her curved blade. “You left me to die!” she hissed walking towards Valessa.
The woman shook her head. “I had no way of getting to you, Sephera. When I saw that your party had found us, I made a judgment call. They were perfectly capable of rescuing you. I needed to be back in the city to prepare for Reina’s tracking spell, so I ported. You cannot fault me for doing what needed to be done.”
“You could have at least brought one of them along with us. I almost died!”
“Such is the nature of your chosen lifestyle. You deal in death. Do you think it will not come for you?”
Zad growled. “What is it you need, woman? Speak and be gone.”
Valessa laughed. “Oh, you have spirit. I like you.”
“What do you want, Valessa?” Sephera asked coldly, stepping between her and Zad.
“So hostile,” she clucked. “Baleem sent me. You are to come with me so I can perform the tracking spell.”
Sephera narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She is the only one who is capable of performing the spell, Brenner's voice said inside her head.
Sephera nodded. “Very well, let's get to it. Lead the way, Valessa.”
Valessa looked surprised. “And here I thought you did not trust me.”
“I don’t,” Sephera replied.
Valessa laughed. “Very wise, dear girl.” She turned, pointing to the carriage. “Get in. I will pay the driver to take us to my home.”
Sephera nodded at Zad, who eyed Valessa with distaste. “You’re in charge, Sephera. We will do whatever you tell us,” he said.
“C’mon. Let’s get this over with. We’ll be rid of her as soon as we find Reina,” Sephera said, getting into the carriage.
The others followed, taking their seats. Brenner sat between Chantry and Zad, leaving the seat next to Sephera open for Valessa.
“Where is Deagan?” the woman asked curiously, as if she had only just noticed his absence.
The others looked at Sephera. “He was needed elsewhere,” she barked, turning abruptly to look out the window at the passing roads. They rode in awkward silence for twenty minutes before the carriage pulled up in front of a large townhouse nestled amongst the Elite homes.
The driver opened the carriage door and took Valessa's hand, helping her down. She smiled coquettishly at the driver, who looked embarrassed by the attention. Then she strode off toward the front door, beckoning the others to follow her. Not looking at the others, Sephera pulled her bag onto her shoulder and followed the woman into the house.
CHAPTER 34
Sephera stifled a laugh when she saw the plain interior of Valessa's home. The walls were painted a stark white and stretched on throughout the house, undecorated and spare. A faded wooden writing desk sat in a corner of the small living room, buried in papers. There was a small armchair by the fireplace with a linen blanket and a book on it. This was it? The lair of the monster?
As if reading her thoughts, Valessa curled her lips, revealing the sharp glint of her teeth. “What did you expect? Torture chambers and a coffin?”
Sephera shrugged. “Well . . .”
“This is my home, Sephera. Not the Keep.” She leered at Brenner, and he shuddered. Sephera snarled, stepping in front of him protectively.
Valessa crowed and clapped her hands together. “Such a touchy bunch. Shall we begin?” Not waiting for an answer, she turned and led them to a small room filled with candles. Chalk markings covered the floor. In the center of the room, there was a wooden stand with a large ceramic bowl on it. Valessa walked to one of the shelves that lined the room and grabbed an old book. “My grimoire,” she explained. “The only thing I brought with me from the Dark Realm.” She stroked the spine sadly.
Chantry sucked in her breath. “I’m sorry, did I hear you correctly? The Dark Realm?”
Valessa beamed cruelly at Sephera. “Oh, this is too good! You didn’t tell them, did you?”
“Valessa, don’t . . .” Sephera warned.
“What is she talking about, Sephera?” Zad asked cautiously.
Sephera glared at Valessa, who shuddered mockingly. “That expression of yours is positively glacial, Sephera.”
“Can someone PLEASE tell us what the bloody hell is going on here?” Chantry yelled, her normally long fuse cut short by Valessa’s taunting.
“I can.”
Sephera’s heart almost jumped out of her chest as Daegan walked through the door.
“What are YOU doing here?” she asked, her voice cracking.
“He missed me,” Valessa said fondly, standing to meet him. Daegan greeted her with a deep kiss.
Ignoring the icy spear that shot through her at the sight of their kiss, Sephera scoffed. “Didn’t you just ask me where he was?”
Valessa shrugged. “I can be such a nasty liar sometimes. My apologies.
”
Zad unsheathed his sword. “What is going on here? No more games, you bitch!” He strode menacingly towards Valessa.
Before Sephera could utter a laugh at Zad’s word for Valessa, he fell to the floor, clutching his throat. His eyes widened as he struggled to fill his lungs with air.
“Let him go, Valessa,” Sephera said, kneeling beside Zad.
Daegan stood in front of Chantry and Brenner, blocking their path. “I wouldn’t,” he said as they tried to push past him.
“Bitch is such a rude word. After everything I have done for you all, you dare to insult me in my own home?” Valessa looked down at Zad, who was turning purple.
“Valessa, please!” Sephera sobbed.
“Ugh. Fine,” Valessa said, taking a seat on a leather armchair.
The woman’s invisible grip on Zad’s throat loosened. He coughed, sucking in as much air as he could. Sephera helped him sit up, tears in her eyes.
“Just get on with it so we can go,” she spat, glaring at Daegan.
He met her gaze boldly, no remorse in his cold eyes. The dagger necklace suddenly felt heavy against her chest.
“Where to begin . . .” he mused. Taking a seat next to Valessa, he pulled her up and over onto his lap.
Sephera closed her eyes. He was about to tell them everything. She folded her arms over her chest and looked at the floor, afraid to meet her companions’ eyes. They were going to hate her after this. They would think she was one of them, a creature from the darkness.
Daegan cleared his throat and began to tell the room of his and Valessa's past. He spoke of the Dark Realm, of the wicked kings who tore their world apart. He had known all along who she was, who Gregour and the Dark Priestess were. But he’d never told her. Tears pooled in her eyes as she buried her head in her hands. When he got to the part about her true identity she heard Chantry whisper, “No. There must be some mistake.”
“There is no mistake,” Valessa explained. “Do you see that mark on her arm? Her mother put it there after she was born. Every time she is reborn, she has that same mark on her arm. I have now watched her live three lifetimes. Each cycle, she becomes more and more balanced. She wasn’t ready in the past. But this time she is complete.”
“How do you know that?” Sephera asked, staring at Valessa. She wanted to look at Zad but couldn’t bring herself to risk it, to see the disappointment in his eyes. He had been strangely quiet throughout Daegan’s story.
“Because this time your heart is light, and your soul is dark. You know this, Sephera. You struggle with the conflicting feelings it brings. You enjoy killing. You crave it. Yet your heart longs for normalcy, which is why I assume you have taken to bedding him.” Valessa nodded in Zads direction.
“Why must you say such things?” Zad spat. Sephera finally glanced at him, but he wouldn’t look at her.
“What does Sephera’s being born of both realms have to do with ending the cycles?” Chantry squeaked.
“For thousands of years her father has taken many forms: always a form of power. The splitting of the realms gave him an immense reservoir of magic, and he has become obsessed with holding on to that power. If it weren’t for Sephera and her mother's spell, the cycles would never have existed. Our realms would have been cut off from one another forever. Sephera’s mother was a gifted Dark Priestess whose magic came from nature. When she died bringing Sephera into the world, her magic returned to the earth. But her spirit could not rest. When she realized what her husband had done, she searched for a way to make it right somehow. Gathering her magic back from the earth, she came back to life for a short time. She took the child and created the cycles. She was killed again by Gregour at her altar in the Mountains of Dreer after she performed the final ritual. She sacrificed her renewed life so Sephera could live and undo what her father had done.”
“If she has failed so many times before, why are you so sure she can do it now?” Zad asked.
“Because I helped her along this time. For a thousand years I have worked to build up enough magic and power to create in Sephera a perfect balance of Light and Dark. With this reincarnation, I succeeded,” Valessa said quietly.
“Is that why you tortured mages and stole their souls? Why you rendered them mute? So they couldn’t speak of your treachery?” Sephera yelled.
“Partially, but I did what had to be done, Sephera. So did you. It was your idea, after all. You were a much darker version of yourself then, but still you nonetheless.”
“NO!” Sephera cried, feeling as if she’d been punched in the gut. “No.” She echoed uselessly. She looked at Brenner. “Brenner I wouldn’t . . . I never . . .” She watched him shy away from her and curl into himself.
“See for yourself, Sephera.” Valessa pointed to the bowl on the altar.
Sephera stood, hands shaking. She looked into the dark liquid.
“Ostende Memoriae,” Valessa whispered.
* * *
The room around her faded away, and a room made of stone took its place. She watched as Valessa walked in, followed by herself—or someone who looked like her. This version of Sephera had darker eyes and a foreign, cruel smile.
“What is it, Tatia?” Valessa asked.
“I’ll show you,” said the other Sephera—or Tatia. Her hips swung as she walked towards a gagged, naked man who was suspended by chains that hung from the ceiling and floor. He let out a piteous, muffled cry when she shouted“Transeo!” and reached her hand into his chest, pulling out his still beating heart. She laughed at the man whose face was now frozen forever in fear.
“Thank you for your sacrifice,” she said with a mocking lilt.
Valessa smiled affectionately as Tatia placed the heart on a nearby table. “You do love to show off.”
Tatia shrugged. “When I am gone, you will need to continue this work. I am sure that you can find a cleaner way to take their souls,” she said as she wiped her bloodied hands on a towel. “Perhaps eventually you won’t have to kill them in the process. Such a waste of magic.” Tatia shook her head. She held up an amulet with a clasp upon its dark design. “Fill this, and if we collect enough souls we will have the power needed to stop Gregour and return home. Then we can do whatever we want. We will have enough power to rule both realms if we wish, and no one will be able to stop us.”
The women’s voices rose in a duet of savage mirth. “Oh, I do wish you didn’t have to go. You might not be as fun next time.” Valessa pouted.
“Yes, well, my father is waiting. I can’t let him think I know what I am, can I? It is a shame I have to die so soon. I rather liked the feel of the darkness,” she said, kissing Valessa. “And darling, don’t tell me about any of this until you are sure that I am ready.”
Valessa nodded. “I do wish you didn’t have to forget me, Tatia. I will be lonely without you.”
She smiled sadly at Valessa. “It will be worth it, to rule this world with you, my love,” she said before walking out the door.
* * *
The memory began to fade, and Sephera was brought back to the present.
“So you see, Sephera, even if want to deny it, it was you who chose this path,” Valessa said, holding the amulet between her fingers.
Bile rose in Sephera’s throat. She had done this. She had been the malicious, evil woman who had created this plan. Her stomach cramped, and she found herself bending over, retching out the afternoon’s meal. She heaved again and again until all that came out was gasps of air. Finally, she stood and wiped the vomit from her mouth, revolted at herself.
She glanced at Chantry. All hope that the others in the room hadn’t seen the vision died as she saw the pained expression on her friend’s face. “Chantry, I swear. It might have been my soul that did those things, but it was not my hands.”
Chantry bit her lip nervously and looked at the floor. “I don’t know what to believe right now,” she whispered.
“Believe me! Chantry, PLEASE!” Sephera cried.
Chantry shook her head. �
��I’m sorry, Sephera. I need time to process all of this madness.”
Sephera sighed. “Brenner?” she said quietly. The mage shook his head at her and looked ahead, avoiding her eyes.
“Zadkiel?” she asked, walking towards him. She put her arms around him. “Please, you have to believe me. I didn’t know, I swear it. I would never—”
He pushed her away. “But you did.” Tears were falling from his sad, grey eyes. “I don’t know who you are, but I do know that you are not someone that I can love.”
Sephera’s heart ripped apart at his words. She fell to the floor, devastated. “Why are you doing this, Valessa?”
The woman scoffed. “Because I can, love.”
Sephera looked at Daegan through tear-stained eyes. He looked away stonily, avoiding her gaze. She breathed raggedly and bit her fist to deaden her agony. Every dream she had hoped for—a future with Zad, her friends—had been stripped away. She could blame Valessa, but she had only shown Sephera what she had wanted to see. No, she had betrayed her friends all on her own. She was a demon disguised as an angel. She was a monster.
CHAPTER 35
Daegan stood up, frustrated. “Enough. Sephera, get up. The rest of you, prepare for the spell.”
Sephera stood, looking at the floor, tears falling from her eyes.
“Yes, let's get this over with so we can be done here,” Zad said. Sephera sensed that he’d meant to say, “be done with her.”
“The items, Sephera,” Valessa commanded, holding her hand out.
Sephera nodded and grabbed her bag. She rummaged around inside, pulling out the carefully wrapped items. “Here.” She handed them to Valessa.
Valessa unwrapped the cloth. Her right eyebrow rose slightly at the contents. She held up the finger. “Reina certainly has a morbid sense of humor.”
She placed the finger and the wooden horse in the bowl on the altar. Then she picked up the vial and stared at it curiously. “And what is this?”
Zad stepped forward. “It’s for me. I need to drink it, and then you need to use my blood.”