by Jasmine Walt
All she knew was that her father had taken her to the Netherworld when she was twelve. Then there was nothing… a white void. When Koa woke, she was in a strange place with no recollection of what had happened, or how much time had passed.
Halston finally broke his silence. He shook his head. “No. It is out of the question. You are not ready.”
Koa’s eyes narrowed. “How the hell can you say that? How do you know? You may be the ‘boss’ in this Netherworld Division, but you don’t control me!”
Halston shook his head. “You don’t get it, Koa. I don’t want to control you. I am trying to protect you.”
Koa sneered. “Yes,” she said sarcastically. “I suppose it’s for the best. I suppose I’m not meant to have my memories back. I mean, they are my memories and all.”
Halston gave her an odd look. “Perhaps you don’t know just how lucky you are to not have those memories back. Have you ever thought of that?”
Koa glanced at him. “What do you mean?” Her face was hot with rising rage. She hated being told what she could and couldn’t do. She was an adult, not a child. “What do you know, Halston?”
Halston’s watch began to ring. He answered it and Koa sighed. He hung up and came to his feet. “The Oracle is ready to meet with us. Let’s go.”
Koa nodded and watched Halston arm himself. For the first time, she felt as if Halston was hiding something important from her. He wouldn’t tell her what happened with Galena, but she had an idea.
She frowned down at her hands. She couldn’t shake the feeling, but she felt a small spark of doubt that she could fully trust someone who kept so much from her.
Halston glanced at her, and it was as if he could read the concern on her face. She thought that he would say something, dismiss her doubts. She wanted him to. Instead, he simply nodded for her to follow and left the room.
6
KOA WAS A little taken aback by their means of transportation. Out of every car that Halston had, they drove an old sedan to the Oracle. She was confused. There were so many better ways to get there—that is, until she saw where the Oracle lived.
They arrived at a tiny flat in a lower-class complex. A seedy hole in the wall that most people of means would try to avoid. Koa knew better than to judge, though. Her childhood home wasn’t much better. She knew what it was like to be dirt poor.
She overlooked the dilapidated buildings and pot holes in the street and looked into the faces of the children. They played in the street with nothing more than their imaginations. She knew what it was like to not even have a toy. Most people would have felt uncomfortable in this neighborhood.
Koa felt the exact opposite, and she was glad that Halston had chosen the old sedan instead of a shiny Maserati or Mercedes. She would have felt ashamed in the midst of these unfortunate people.
Halston stopped the car and they stepped out into the sunset. Halston closed the door and looked over the car at her. “Are you ready?”
Koa nodded quickly. “I am. I’ve been waiting to finally meet her.” She smiled and Halston did the same.
“Good. She has been looking forward to meeting you too. Don’t forget that she can be dangerous though.”
“Please, she’s a sweet old lady,” Koa replied as she followed behind Halston to the woman’s flat.
“And she can be more dangerous than a man with a gun,” Halston said over his shoulder.
Koa just nodded when they stopped before a door. Halston knocked.
Koa smiled at a little boy who nearly ran into her. The little boy returned the smile, and she giggled at his missing two front teeth. He hid and peeked around the corner as if playing with her. He made a silly face and hid again.
Koa covered her eyes and pretended that she was scaring him when he peeked around the corner again. He burst out laughing. Koa beamed. She loved children more than anything. Sometimes she wondered if she’d be able to have a child someday.
Koa should have never been born. Vampire children weren’t born to human mothers. As far as Koa knew, she was the only one.
The door opened and Koa turned her attention from the child. She waved to the boy before she stepped into the flat. The Oracle was a small Chinese woman. She wore a warm smile on her thin lips. Her wire-rimmed bifocals made her dark eyes look abnormally large. She wore a red nightgown that seemed like it needed a wash. There were food stains all over it.
“Koa, right?” the Oracle said with a heavy Chinese accent.
Koa nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
The Oracle looked her up and down and nodded. “Come in.”
Koa had to hide her disgust as she entered the flat. It was a small home, and unlike Halston’s safe house that was an illusion on the outside, this place was just as rundown on the inside.
Koa covered her nose. The smell of cat urine made her want to gag. The smell was as intense as ammonia and with Koa’s heightened sense of smell, she felt like she might faint if she breathed it in too deeply, so she took small, quick, breaths behind her hand.
The house was a cluttered, revolting mess. The Oracle seemed to be a mixture of a hoarder and a victim of a chronic obsessive-compulsive disorder. Koa watched her step away from the door and flick the light switch four times after she closed the door. She spoke Mandarin under her breath in what sounded like a chant.
Koa and Halston stepped to the side and waited for her to complete her rituals. She touched the doorknob a few times to make sure that it was locked, before turning her attention to them. She waved for them to follow and walked down the narrow hallway to the back of the flat.
A cat jumped onto the Oracle’s shoulder and seemed to cradle her head as she walked. Koa grimaced at the stains in the old, disgusting carpet. There were open cans of cat food scattered about and small piles of cat feces. Koa wanted to vomit. She averted her eyes and swallowed the acid in her throat.
“No time to clean up today,” the Oracle said. She pushed a pile of newspapers off her tattered sofa and motioned for them to have a seat.
Koa wanted to stand, but she didn’t want to offend the older woman. She sat on the very edge of the sofa and kept her hands and legs close, so that she wouldn’t have to touch anything. A cat ran under the coffee table and looked up at her with its yellow eyes. Koa smiled at it, almost expecting it to say hello. No, only her mother could do such a thing.
“You come much sooner than I expected,” the Oracle said. She sat in a rocking chair and folded her hands in her lap. “I am surprised.”
“Your messenger came by this morning. I saw no reason to wait,” Halston said.
Koa listened. She was so anxious that her knees bounced with nerves. The Oracle knew so much about both worlds, and Koa felt like such an eager novice on the subject.
“Well, I suppose that is just as well.” She leaned back and her eyes settled on Koa. “It is nice to finally meet you.”
Koa nodded. “Yes. Nice to meet you too, Oracle. I’ve been waiting for Halston to bring me here for quite a while.”
The Oracle’s smile spread across her small, sagging face. “Well then, now that we’ve met, you can visit me anytime. I teach you a thing or two about life.” She glanced at Koa’s hand. “You married?”
Koa was aghast. She shook her head and pursed her lips.
The Oracle grinned. “How old are you?”
Koa glanced at Halston. She was uncomfortable already. “Twenty-one.”
The Oracle waved her hand. “Oh, just a baby. Still… not too early.”
Koa looked away. She pretended that she didn’t hear.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked.
Koa giggled nervously. Change the subject lady, Koa thought.
The Oracle sat back in her chair. “I married one man. At nineteen. He was good man.” She nodded her head at the memory. “He never judge me for what I am. When he die, I lost more than love. I no longer care what happen to me. I give up.”
Koa looked at her. She felt bad. She looked around. It made sense
. She wondered if the Oracle’s home had been this messy when her husband was alive. Something told her that it hadn’t.
“Because I treat him good, he good to me.” The Oracle pointed at her. “But you see? All men the same. Rich man, poor man, white man, Asian man, black man… all the same. Just pick one.” She laughed. “You cook for them, you clean, you take care of them, they all yours. They have no reason to act up.” She laughed harder. “Understand?”
Koa glanced at Halston who just looked ahead at the Oracle with an expressionless face. Koa couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. “Yes,” she said, but she had no idea what the older woman meant. Koa didn’t think all men were the same. She’d seen too many evil men out there to have her ideas changed by a strange woman with bifocals as big as saucers.
The Oracle scoffed and slapped her knee. “Nonsense. I know you don’t get it, child.”
Koa’s face turned red. She hoped to God that the Oracle couldn’t read minds.
“But one day, you will get it.” The Oracle stared at her.
Koa nodded. She tried not to think too much… just in case the Oracle could read minds. She tried not to think about how disgusted she was to sit in that smelly house and have cat fur all over her clothes. She tried but she couldn’t help but to think those things. Koa and the Oracle were in a stare-off with Koa trying to figure out if the Oracle was fiddling in her head, and the Oracle simply giving her an intense look with her magnified eyes.
Halston cleared his throat. He was all business on this night. “The message said that you linked with someone. Someone from the Netherworld.”
The Oracle ignored him. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to look at Koa. “You want something, child, don’t you? You want to know the truth of your past.”
Koa nodded. She leaned forward in her seat so much that she nearly fell off.
“I sent the message because I wanted Halston to bring you here. I wanted to finally meet the girl of prophecy.”
Halston looked at Koa. He looked perplexed. “But…”
Koa smiled and looked to the Oracle who winked at her. The Oracle had tricked him.
“Do not worry, Halston. I did not lie to you. I did link with someone from the Netherworld last night, and that link wanted one thing. They want Koa. Koa the key… and she must be used to set the world right again.”
Halston turned to the Oracle. His brows were furrowed in annoyance. “Is it true then? Is he behind everything that’s been happening lately?”
The Oracle nodded. “He is.”
Koa looked from one to the other. “Who are you talking about?”
Halston sat back and Koa nearly yelled at him not to. He would get cat fur all over his clothes. She restrained herself.
What is wrong with you? Koa thought to herself. That is not important right now. Focus.
“Then we have lost already.” Halston ran both hands through his hair. Koa knew that meant he was worried. His brain was already trying to calculate a solution. He was lost to them for now. He would not speak until he thought of a solution.
Koa put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. “Who is he?”
The Oracle shrugged. “The Bringer of Death.”
Koa raised an eyebrow. “Sounds a bit dramatic…” Koa hid her rising apprehension. Such a title, said by the Oracle, must be serious.
“Well, he the creator of the ‘new world’ vampires. Before him, nephilim were only in the Netherworld. He the reason we have vampires in the human world. He also the one who ordered your father killed.”
Koa frowned. “Bund killed my father, who are you talking about?” Koa felt her skin tighten.
“Bund is general. He not the commander in chief. He not a king. The king… he is free. You should be afraid of him. Humans all over should hide their children from Bund, and lock their doors to keep Greggan out. They are a terrible pair. I’m thirsty.” The Oracle smacked her lips together. “Want some tea?”
Koa sat frozen. She couldn’t speak. She shook her head to the Oracle’s question. The Oracle shrugged and came to her feet. She walked back to her kitchen. Koa heard cabinets opening and being slammed shut. She heard dishes clanking together.
Koa nudged Halston. “Is she talking about who I think she is? Is it really the king of the Netherworld?”
Halston groaned. He rubbed his temples. “No, Koa, there isn’t just one king of all the Netherworld, just like there isn’t one king for all of the human world. Greggan is but one, though he is one of the worst that we could dare to face.”
Koa grabbed his arm. “He’s the reason my father was killed? He’s the one who sent Bund to murder him?”
Halston shrugged his shoulder to his ear and made a face. “Well, yes. Well, not necessarily. Sure he sent the order, but there’s a little more to the story.”
Koa shook him. “Tell me, then!”
The Oracle returned with a platter of tea cups and a tea pot. She set the tray on the table that was covered in dust and poured Koa a cup.
She simply sat there, staring off as the Oracle handed her the cup of tea. Koa didn’t have the energy to protest. There were too many thoughts in her head. She absentmindedly drank a sip and frowned.
It’s cold, she thought, but didn’t dare say it.
“The only way to solve this problem is to send the girl back.” The Oracle spoke directly to Halston.
Halston shook his head. “I cannot let her go there. You know that.” He stood and reached for Koa. “Let’s go.”
Koa took his hand.
The lights in the room turned blue and everything in the room seemed to glow. “Sit down.”
Both Koa and Halston froze. The Oracle’s voice took on a dangerous tone. Halston gave Koa’s hand a reassuring squeeze and sat back down. Koa looked around and felt a cold chill sweep through the room. She held her breath and looked at the Oracle.
The Oracle’s face seemed to be shrouded in darkness and shadows. It was eerie. Her bifocals turned black and hid her eyes.
“I want peace in my world. My link knows the only way is to return the girl to her proper place.”
“Your link has his motives.”
“Do not speak,” she hissed. She was on her feet and towering over them. The Oracle was a small woman, but somehow Koa felt intimidated and looked away from the dark glasses.
She gripped Halston's hand as fear crept into her. She wished she knew more about what was happening.
“They will keep coming after her, until you return her.” She waved a hand in the dark and Koa gasped. Mists swirled around before them. White swirls of air that danced in the dark revealed a tall gate of some sort. Koa felt her heart pound. She had seen this gate before. It was the Gate to the Netherworld, the portal that some of the nephilim had escaped from.
“You are smart, Halston. Smarter than the men of this world. Clever and resourceful. Use your skill to find a way around this bargain. Give them what they want, and get what you want.” She leaned forward. “Find an ally… outthink your enemies.”
Koa watched Halston’s face. He was on the same track as the Oracle. “An ally? Do you think he will help us, after everything?”
The Oracle shrugged and sat back down. “One way to find out.”
The lights returned to normal and they were surprised to see that the Oracle was sleeping. Her little snores filled the room. Halston pulled Koa up and put a finger to his lips.
She nodded. They quickly and quietly walked out of the den. They left the tiny flat, and Halston didn’t stop when they were outside. He hurried with Koa in tow until they were at the car.
He held her door open. “Get in.”
They drove off much quicker than when they arrived. Koa looked out the window. She was already formulating a plan of her own. She couldn’t trust Halston to give her the freedom to search for answers, so she would have to do it without him.
If he wanted to keep secrets from her, then she would do the same. She knew of a nephilim clan that would definitely have answers. She
just didn’t know if they’d give them to her without a fight.
Koa sighed and gave Halston a sidelong glance. She was tempted to tell him her plan, but that spark of doubt nagged at her once more. She shook her head and looked out the window at the dark streets. Soft rain began to fall.
I guess I’ll just have to find out on my own.
7
HALSTON DROPPED KOA OFF at the safe house. She would be occupied with paperwork that would last her for at least a couple of hours. He hoped that was enough time for him to execute his plan. Now, he stood before Koa’s new cottage with the passenger door open… for Raven. She ran from the house, jumped over the gate and scurried into the front seat.
Halston closed the door and looked around. No one was around. The night was dark and quiet. He walked around to his side and got in.
“Where is Koa?” Raven asked.
Halston knew that would be her first question. She was a good mother to the girl. He wished she didn’t have to get cursed.
“At the safe house. I gave her enough paperwork to keep her busy for a while.”
Raven curled into the leather seat and looked at him with big green eyes. “Well, you know Koa…”
Halston shrugged a shoulder. “Yes, I do. I thought the same thing, but she has no idea what I have planned.”
“You better hope she doesn’t. My daughter can be more than a bit headstrong at times. I still worry about her as much as I did when she was a toddler.”
Halston smirked. “Who are you telling? I learned that the day I met her.”
“So, it’s true then, Bund is looking for Koa?”
Halston’s face turned serious. He nodded. “Yes.” He tightened his grip on the leather steering wheel.
“Do you think he means to kill her?”
“No,” Halston said. “If there is one thing we can depend on, it’s the fact that Bund will do anything for payment.” He gave Raven a look. “And Greggan pays very well.”
Raven shivered. “Too bad it’s not money Bund wants.”
Halston thought of all the children’s bodies he’d seen sprawled around London. They had been mutilated, gutted, bled, and left in artistic poses, as if to taunt Halston. Bund had a particular taste for little girls. Halston’s stomach turned at the thought of what that foul creature had done to the poor children before he killed them.