5.0 - Light Of The Stygian Orb

by Krista Walsh

  “Got it.”

  “And if I seem to…go a little crazy, yell at me to smarten up. These demons are tricky, and they know what they’re doing. I might need to dig deeper into my magic than I’d like, but I can’t let myself slip too far. It won’t be easy for you to tell when it happens, but if you get any hint that I’m losing myself, I need you to do what you can to pull me back, okay?”

  Molly jerked her head in a nod, aware of the seriousness of the responsibility. When they’d been in Jermaine’s locked room, Daphne’s story of craving power had stood out for Molly. Back then, Daphne had been little more than an addict, always searching out more magic for herself, no matter the cost to others. It sounded as though she’d turned her life around since then, but Molly understood how easy it could be to slip back to old habits. There was something addictive about this world. She was certain it didn’t matter if you were born to it or came into it later, the power was enough to suck you in, and it wasn’t easy to let go.

  So many nights she had lain in bed trying to put her experience in the locked room behind her. She’d wanted to focus on school and graduation, and all the other priorities she knew were more important. But she hadn’t been able to turn away.

  The fact that Daphne had managed to put so much restraint on her impulses told Molly how strong a woman she was. Maybe that was why, despite the demon threat hanging over her, she trusted the sorceress enough to follow her lead.

  “I’ll watch out for you,” she said.

  “Then let’s do this. And pray we’re not too late.”

  Molly stuck close by Daphne’s side as they crossed toward the parking lot at the back of the building.

  “I found the blood trail,” Daphne said, her voice tight. “It’s pretty messy.”

  Molly’s stomach twisted and tears threatened the corners of her eyes. She wouldn’t cry — not when they weren’t sure of what they would find — but the thought that something had happened to Zach while she’d been away left an ache in her chest. If she hadn’t gone to talk to Steve, if she’d come here to share her news with Zach instead of the guy who didn’t believe her, maybe she could have been here to help him.

  Regrets were stupid, she knew that, but that didn’t remove any of the anger she was certain would come if they couldn’t save him from whatever had happened.

  “There’s a different trail here, too,” Daphne said. “Not a physical one, but I sense it. I’d guess that four different energies passed through here recently other than Zach. They don’t feel too strong, though, so I don’t think we need to worry about running into them around the corner. Still, stay alert.”

  Daphne didn’t need to tell her twice. Although Molly didn’t have the same gift of picking up energies in the air, she did feel an uncomfortable tingle pass over her skin. Something she chose to identify as a trace of pure evil. Whatever had come through here had left its mark, whether she could explain what it was or not.

  An unpleasant odor tickled Molly’s nose. “What the hell is that smell?”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a maylin, kind of like a demon hound. It tracks whatever scent you give it and leaves a sharp one of its own. If they’ve got one hunting Zach, our chances of finding him intact might have just dropped to nothing.”

  Molly groaned, but swallowed her rising panic.

  “Did you find anything out about where that factory is Zach was talking about?” she asked. She needed something to distract her from the possibility that they were about to stumble upon a dead daemelus, no matter how determined she was to believe he would still be alive when they found him.

  “Some,” Daphne said. “I couldn’t find anything on where Mayzell bought their new property. Their last purchase activity was a secondary factory on the edge of town about ten years ago. Nothing came up at the county clerk’s office, even with the blueprint copy Zach gave me. All I’ve been able to tell is that they’re driving out of state toward the coast. I have no idea what they might be thinking, moving business away from headquarters, but if they’re trying to keep their heads down, it’s working.”

  “Zach said they planned to make an announcement soon about whatever it is they’re releasing. I wonder how soon ‘soon’ is.”

  “Probably sooner than we’d like. If Zach still plans to find the factory before Mayzell shares the news, I think he’s running out of time.”

  Molly didn’t like how Daphne’s words so closely echoed her own thoughts. She was the teenager. She was supposed to be the one inclined to melodrama and expecting the worst. Daphne should have been the one trying to put her at ease, not confirming her fears.

  “And the orb? You said on the phone that you found something.”

  “That one was easier to figure out. I showed the rosewood box to my grandmother, and she knew exactly where to look.”

  Molly didn’t say anything, but a flare of jealousy ran through her. She wondered what it would be like to have her whole family know about the otherworld to the extent that Daphne’s did. The dinner conversations would be fascinating.

  “It turns out the symbol is a common engraving to signify the boat that crosses the River Styx, the mythical river that divides the living world from the underworld,” Daphne said. “The orb was created centuries ago by those in power as a form of punishment for otherworldly beings who went against the treaties or committed any acts that were deemed heinous or worthy of death, a play on the story of the curse of the Styx.”

  “What’s the story?” Molly asked. In spite of her concern, curiosity rose within her, and she leaned closer to Daphne, not wanting to miss a single word.

  “According to myth, gods could swear oaths on the river in exchange for favors. If they broke their oath, they would be cast into a death-like sleep for a year as punishment. The Styx never forgot an oath and took them seriously. This myth raised the important question of what the best method is to punish an oathbreaker who can’t be killed. The beings who created the orb decided to go with something similar in spirit to the Styx story. If they couldn’t kill an otherworldly being, they could still punish them by binding their power. The orb blocks any otherworldly energy in the body, effectively rendering the bearer human.”

  “So that’s what happened to both of us?” Molly asked. She was so engrossed, she tripped over something in the alley, but caught herself before she fell. “That’s why I went blind?”

  “That about sums it up,” Daphne said.

  Molly walked into Daphne’s outstretched arm and stumbled at the sudden stop.

  “The energy splits here,” the sorceress said.

  Molly didn’t know how many twists and turns they’d taken through the alleys. She’d trusted Daphne to follow the energies and guide them where they needed to be. She stayed quiet now, letting the sorceress work out the puzzle.

  “The blood continues straight, and that’s where the rest of the demons have gone. But I sense…no, Zach definitely came this way. He must have backtracked, the smart bastard. And he must have bound his injuries, because I don’t see any blood trail here.”

  “Maybe he’s not as badly hurt as we thought,” Molly suggested. “Maybe the bleeding stopped on its own.”

  “It’s possible,” Daphne said, but she didn’t do a great job of hiding how likely she believed that to be.

  The air changed around Molly as they moved farther along the new route, growing thicker and heavier. Unpleasant odors wafted around her that indicated fewer maylins and more rotting meat.

  She pressed the back of her bow hand against her nose to block out the reek and did her best to breathe through her mouth.

  “Are you sure he went this way?” she asked.

  “He must have wanted to cover his trail,” Daphne said. “Gods, that’s awful, but genius. We’re coming close to the alley behind the chain restaurants. I can only imagine the amount of food they toss out on a regular basis and how often the city comes to pick it up. How good are you at holding your breath?”

  Molly had neve
r really tested the question before, but she was willing to do her best to beat all living records now.

  Hot air tickled her face from the ventilation systems at the backs of the restaurants. Unfortunately, the kitchen smells did nothing to improve the stink of the trash.

  “Shit,” Daphne said. “I found him. Shit.”

  Molly tripped over something lying in her way, too overwhelmed by the sensory overload to notice in time to catch herself. She fell to her knee, and pain shot up her thigh into her hip.

  “Are you all right?” Daphne asked.

  “Fine,” said Molly. She set her cane down at her side and trailed her fingers over what she had tripped on, recognizing the texture of worn denim. Jeans. She crawled her hands up the side of the leg to the broad, muscular stomach stretched out in front of her. Her fingers came away sticky. “Zach?”

  She reached her fingers toward his face, feeling over the deep scars along the right side from around his eye, over his cheek, chin, and neck, and down under his collar. She’d never known what he looked like before, but as she traced the lines of his mouth and the furrows around his eyes, a picture formed in her head. Broken, but beautiful.

  “What’s wrong with him?” she asked. She couldn’t bring herself to feel ashamed by the note of fear in her voice. Her hand rested over his bleeding chest, where she could barely feel the unsteady rise and fall beneath her palm. “He’s not dead.”

  “No, he’s not,” Daphne said. “But he’s not far from it. You’re kneeling in a pool of blood, and his shirt is soaked through. His face looks like he’s been beaten with a hammer. This is not good. But he still has a pulse, so that’s something.” A silence drew out between them, then Daphne cursed again. “My magic is doing nothing to help. He’s past the point where I can heal him. Come on, help me get him out of here.”

  Molly used the surface behind her — by the cold metal, she guessed it was a dumpster — to get up, but slipped as her hand caught on something slick. She toppled backward, and her back struck against the corner of the dumpster, forcing the air out of her lungs.

  Groaning, she eased herself to her feet and limped forward.

  “You take one arm, I’ll grab his other,” Daphne said. “Let’s see if we can get him to his feet.”

  Molly stooped to drape one of Zach’s arms over her shoulders, but when she made to straighten up, she couldn’t lift him more than an inch. She felt Daphne have better success on the other side, but not by much.

  “Seven hells,” Daphne said. The weight on Molly’s side increased as Daphne laid him back down. “It’s no good. There’s no way the two of us can get him back to the college without tearing the skin off his back and giving one of us a heart attack.”

  “What are we going to do? We can’t just leave him here.”

  Fear constricted Molly’s chest, and beads of sweat trickled down her back.

  “Of course not. Just give me a chance to think.”

  “Can we call an ambulance?” Molly pushed. She didn’t want to give Daphne any more time. She’d wasted enough of it already. The demons were gone. She should have taken her chances and done her best to search for Zach on her own.

  Don’t be an idiot. You would have gotten lost at the first turn, and you’d still be stuck here.

  That didn’t matter. While she’d spent her time waiting, safe at her picnic table, Zach had been bleeding out in an alley, surrounded by garbage. As though that was the death he believed he’d earned.

  It was enough to break her heart.

  She rested her hand on Zach’s head, hating the clamminess under her palm.

  “No hospital would know what to do with him,” Daphne said. “But that does give me an idea. I need to make a call.”

  Molly opened her mouth to ask what she was thinking, then snapped it shut again. It didn’t matter, as long as this person could do something quickly.

  “Emmett, I need your help,” Daphne said to someone on what Molly guessed was her cell.

  “It’s all right, Zach,” Molly said, keeping her voice low so as not to disrupt Daphne’s phone call. “You’re going to be okay. You don’t think I’d let you save my life and not make it up to you, do you? What kind of honor debt would that be? We’re stuck in a loop now, and you’re just going to have to live with that.”

  She sat back on her heels and took his massive hand in hers. His pulse beat rapidly beneath her fingers, and with each labor of his heart, she sensed his life slipping further away. No matter what she’d said to Zach, the loop was breaking. And as she knelt there with his blood on her hands, she had no idea how to prevent it.

  18

  Trying not to focus on Zach’s weakening heartbeat, Molly turned her attention to Daphne’s conversation.

  “Mom’s car is too small,” she was saying. “Take the neighbor’s van…Yes, I know what I said…I know — dammit, Emmett, we don’t have time for this. You know where they keep the spare keys, and don’t try to tell me you don’t. Just take the van and come get us, then go home and return it. They don’t even need to know it was missing…If they catch you, I’ll talk to Hunter.”

  They went back and forth a few more times, but when Daphne’s patience sounded on the brink of slipping, this Emmett person seemed to cave. Daphne gave him the address, then ended the call.

  Molly sensed her approach, and when she spoke again, her voice came from across Zach’s body, suggesting she had crouched down on his other side. “What is it with you teenagers never doing what you’re told the first time we ask? You don’t stay at home like Zach and I tell you, and now Emmett’s putting up a fuss about borrowing the neighbor’s van. What moral superiority does he have, huh? He spent most of his childhood pickpocketing the entire city. Seven hells, I’m going to strangle that boy.”

  “Your brother?” Molly asked. She recognized the tone of voice from her friends’ houses, listening to siblings bicker about inconsequential things like who left the shampoo bottle open. Sometimes she regretted that she’d never been able to experience it for herself.

  “Gods, no,” Daphne said. “Well, sort of, I guess, if you hear the way my mother and grandmother talk to him. They’ve adopted him right into the family circle. It’s a recent change, though. We’re still trying to adjust.”

  “Will he get here soon?” Molly asked. She squeezed Zach’s hand tighter as the muscles in his arm contracted, but he made no noise, and the rest of him remained still. Did he know she was here with him, or was he lost somewhere between this world and the next, hovering between the two as he decided which way to go? She hoped he heard them talking and understood help was on the way.

  “If you’ve ever seen Emmett drive, which I’ve had the misfortune of doing once or twice, he should be here in a matter of seconds. Are you good to stay with Zach on your own while I watch for him to get here?”

  “Yes,” Molly said without hesitation.

  “If anyone comes up behind you, scream,” Daphne ordered. “I don’t care if it turns out to be one of the cooks. Just scream as loud as you can, and I’ll come running. I don’t want to take the chance that his attackers might still be coming for him.”

  As if Molly needed any other reason to worry. She slipped her free hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around her phone. Not that she had anyone to call or text, but she felt better having it ready to dial…someone. Hopefully when the time came, she’d have some idea of who that might be.

  She tightened her fingers around Zach’s hand and settled down on her knees beside him. Daphne hadn’t been exaggerating about the pool of blood — she could feel the cold dampness soaking through her jeans. But she didn’t bother trying to avoid it. Her clothes were already ruined anyway and would need to be thrown out somewhere her parents would never find them. In the meantime, she might as well be comfortable.

  “Good thinking, bringing yourself out here,” she said to Zach, anything to keep the silence around her from becoming too heavy. Sounds came from inside the restaurant kitchens, but they s
eemed distant from her. As though she were separated by miles and not by mere feet and a wall. “Too bad you had to pick somewhere that smells so bad, though. Especially now that I have to wait here with you. I’m pretty sure you’re lying in a pile of old seafood.”

  The fishy smell hit the back of her throat as soon as she noticed it, and she worked hard not to gag. She guessed it would be a while before she was able to sit down to fish for dinner. It’d be good times explaining to her mother why one of her favorite meals was no longer on the menu.

  “What happened today?” she asked Zach. “Did they catch you by surprise? Why didn’t you go all demon on their asses and destroy them? I know you’re capable of it.”

  She remembered the sound of his rage during the last attack. His roar had been enough to raise goosebumps on her skin. While she was certain that some of these other demons were stronger and scarier, he was no kitten.

  “Dusty needs you to hang on, you know,” she said, and her throat grew thicker at the thought of the black furball wandering around the college basement looking for her friend. “I mean, obviously, I won’t let her starve to death if something happens to you. I’m sure mom would let me bring her home. But that’s not the point. She doesn’t want me looking after her, she wants you, so wake up and say something, goddammit.”

  Anger stirred within her, warming her from the inside, and an irrational part of her brain wanted to give a good solid punch to his muscular chest.

  Then she remembered all the blood soaking his torso, and her emotions shifted back to a coldness that settled in the pit of her stomach.

  She peeled off her jacket, figuring it was a lost cause as well, and splayed her fingers over his middle, searching for the source of the blood. When she found it — a deep gash crossing his ribs from his heart to his gut — she pressed her jacket into it to try to staunch the bleeding. Likely, it was too little, too late, but she couldn’t sit here and do nothing.