by HD Smith
Mab smiled. “You’re getting more clever. I don’t think you would have made such a bargain before.”
“Well, you learn a few things once you realize the big three want a piece of your ass.”
She chuckled.
“Do we have a deal?”
“If you return the Name Caller and my son, then I will owe you a favor.”
“That you will repay at the time of my choosing.”
“Yes,” she hissed, “that I will repay at the time of your choosing, but, my son must be alive when you return him. No agreement exists if he is dead.”
I wasn’t exactly sure the bond we shared would let me live if he died, but those terms were acceptable. “Agreed,” I said.
With an unnervingly wicked grin, she nodded. “Then we have deal.”
Chapter 27
I turned to leave.
“Not so fast, Claire.”
What now? I faced Mab.
Her eyes flared white with power. “You’ll never succeed on your own.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still the best shot.”
“You misunderstand me, child. I simply mean you must have help to succeed.”
“Okay,” I said warily.
“Calm yourself, Claire. You just need something extra.”
Extra?
She looked toward the archway that led to the blood vault, held out her hand, and said, “Harry.”
A minute later an unmarked vial materialized in her outstretched palm.
She clearly knew more about the way that room worked than I did. I would have been buried under Harry vials with that command. The one she held was similar to the four I’d seen with no markers, but this couldn’t have been the same vial I’d found. It was only two-thirds full, but all the vials I’d seen were unused. Mab studied the contents for a moment, as if she too were surprised by something.
I really hoped she wasn’t about to perform a ritual that involved me drinking any blood. That was a bit of extra I could do without.
Before I could ask why she needed Harry’s blood, Mab threw her will at me, pinning me to the wall. “This isn’t usually how it’s done, but desperate times and all. Do stay clear of Harry. He would not be amused.”
“What?” I said, realizing what she was about to do. “Are you crazy?”
Mab chuckled, and not in a completely sane person way.
She began chanting and the vial rose from her hand. It opened, allowing the contents to swirl out into the air between us. I knew what she was going to do. She’d done it last spring with her own blood when she marked me.
Before I could close my eyes and leave my body to avoid the pain, the blood split into two ribbons, wrapping around my wrist and searing each arm with liquid fire. She pushed it into me with her will, etching Harry’s blood around the marks on each arm.
A surge of power ripped through me the moment Harry’s blood completed its path. I sensed it fusing with my blood and connecting with the marks of the others. I gasped as the energy overtook me and arched my body up, suspending me above the floor.
The air around my body was thick, holding me aloft as the force at my core was unleashed.
Wisps of power formed around me. The crackle of raw magic spiked with each heartbeat as my strength increased exponentially. I could no longer hear Mab’s chant. The swarm of raw potential crashed like waves on a beach as it rolled off me, seeping into the stones of the museum.
I watched as the power engulfed the walls, restoring the damage Mab caused. The remnants of the glass case disintegrated into dust, then vanished. I decided not to witness how it chose to absorb the curator, but I felt his energy return to me as his body was tidied up.
In a flash, I saw everything in the museum. I knew what every room held, and that more than one secret was hidden within these walls.
The energy was so raw and alive, it thrummed through me like a live wire. I felt the power of all realms within me. I wasn’t just connected to the fourth realm anymore.
Mab gasped, as I turned my eyes to hers.
If I didn’t know better I’d say there was fear in her eyes, but Mab doesn’t do fear.
Covered in wisps of energy, my feet touched the ground, flooding me with untamed power. The force within me rolled over my skin, circling in my palms like orbs of hellfire. I was alive with magic.
I was magic.
Chapter 28
“Calm down, Claire,” Mab said, in a voice so smooth and velvety that it purred off her tongue.
I breathed in the spell of her words, sealing them in a geode before they could have their intended affect. I laughed at her attempt to calm me. She was nothing now compared to me, and she knew it.
I looked down at the white hot spheres of energy roiling in each palm.
“We have a deal,” she said, trying to remain unaffected as she stared down the beast she’d just created.
I laughed at her, drunk on the power she’d forced on me. I twirled around, sucking in every magical spark in the air. The museum was rich and decadent. It tasted like warm honey and dark chocolate. I could rule the world with this power.
I stopped twirling, sending the hellfire careening into room. I heard Mab yelp as my head started pounding. I tried to shake it off.
I wanted more. Nothing would stop me. I had to have it all.
I fell to my knees when a cold noose wrapped around my neck. I gasped for air as the icy metal against my skin pulled me back to clarity. I stared up at Mab, who was still watching me cautiously.
“You’ll do well to keep that on, I think,” she said, touching her empty collarbone.
The red and silver pendant she’d been wearing was gone. I reached for the chain, confirming the pendant was now around my neck.
I licked my dry lips. “What’s this for?”
“Oh, I’m fairly sure it’s quite obvious, unless you’d like to remain the mindless power whore you were a few moments ago.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Don’t remove it, or you’ll likely destroy the world.”
My arms thrummed with power, but the wisps of energy had receded. I had a wicked headache, like the worst hangover of all time. Of course, there was a small part of me that wanted to rip off this pendant and kill them all—okay, pendant stays on.
“What did you do to me exactly?” I asked, still breathless. I was wired like I might blow at any moment, but somehow the necklace was helping to hold it at bay.
“I gave you what you needed to win. But you must avoid Harry. Leave both of my brothers out of this.”
I snarled at her, and I swear she flinched. “That’s not part of the deal. The bargain has been struck, it will not be changed.”
She laughed. “My brothers will kill you on sight if they learn of your condition, but by all means go to them, Claire, and doom us all.”
I rolled my eyes, but part of me knew she was right. The power I had coursing through me was danger personified. Neither of them would let me live with it.
She straightened, as if knowing I’d conceded. Smiling, she said, “When this is done. I’ll enjoy ripping that blood out of you.”
“You can certainly try.” The muscles in my eyes constricted. I wasn’t certain, but I suspected they now glowed with the metallic green of my fallen realm.
She stepped back as I rose to my feet. “You have no idea what you’re about to walk into. I only gave you this advantage because if you fail we will all be destroyed. But make no mistake, you will not keep it.”
My eyes flared as my temper seethed. A strong wave of energy washed over me, flowing off like ripples in a pond. The power was clawing at my core to be released.
“You must remain calm,” Mab purred. This time I let her words engulf me, relaxing the tension in my body. The waves stopped and the power receded.
“What if I can’t control it?”
“You must.”
I swallowed, trying to keep the rage at my core tamped down. Walking around the room, I took several deep breaths in and out as
if the act of breathing alone could calm me. I touched the pendant at my neck. A cool swell of energy coated my body, pushing back the prickly rush of power nestled deep within.
I breathed a sigh of relief and realized Mab was talking.
“Please try to pay attention,” she said.
I rolled my eyes.
“You must complete your task before she turns sixteen.”
I stretched out my neck to ease my knotted muscles. “Which is?”
“Twelve hours.”
I snapped to attention, releasing the pendant. “Raven said days away.”
“Raven knew nothing about the museum. Time inside here doesn’t stand still, growth simply slows to an almost negligible trickle.”
“Will she know this? Or does she think she has days to wait?”
“She’ll know.”
I instinctively looked at my watch, only to remember that it was gone. The lines of Cinnamon’s now defunct timer caught my eye. “Exactly twelve hours?”
“Give or take a minute.”
I needed to keep track of the deadline, no matter what. To do that, I needed something tied to Raven’s internal clock. I considered the lines on my wrist, but I had no clue how to make something similar happen. It wasn’t like the power came with an instruction manual.
Mab cleared her throat. “Can I help?” she asked, almost sounding sincere.
I held out my wrist. “Reset the clock. Tie it to Raven.”
She stared down at the three lines for a moment. “Interesting. Let’s see what I can do.”
With a Cheshire cat grin, she grabbed my wrist. I refused to flinch as her magic raked across my skin. Mab held on a second longer, searing my wrist with her power.
“Enough,” I barked, wrenching my arm away and sluicing off a wave of energy that caused Mab to stumble back a step.
She straightened, pretending the spark of my power hadn’t almost knocked her on her ass.
The three lines were white, with only a small portion of the first line filled in with blood—the opposite way Cinnamon had used it.
“Four hours each?” I confirmed.
She nodded. “Plus a little something extra at the one hour mark.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“We can’t have you missing the deadline,” she cajoled.
White wisps of power curled around my wrists as another wave of energy rolled off me.
She took a step back. “Don’t let me keep you, dear.”
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“Anyone she has enthralled is forever under her spell. Don’t be tricked into thinking otherwise.”
Chapter 29
“You’re a hard woman to find.” Quaid said as I stepped through the museum exit.
I was surprised to see him here on the Fallen side of the museum. “How did you find me?” I asked.
“I have my ways,” he replied.
“Cute. Mab’s inside. Should I get her for you?” A crackle of energy formed at my wrists. I strained to keep the wave of power from building.
He smirked. “Good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor, along with your humanity.”
I gave up trying to hide the power when I felt it dripping from the tips of my fingers. It was obvious Quaid had already noticed. Shaking my hands, the energy sluiced off me into the stones at my feet.
Quaid raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and attempted to step past him.
He grabbed my arm. “I have orders to bring you back.”
A tendril of power wound up my arm and curled around his wrist like a snake. I laughed as he ripped his hand free, releasing me.
“Sorry big boy, my dance card’s full.”
He squeezed his hand as if trying to ease the pain or regain feeling. Quaid’s face was almost comically shocked. “You shouldn’t have been able to do that.”
“Jealous?”
His lip curled, smirking at me. “You know I’m The Boss’s untouchable, right?” When I remained tight-lipped, he continued. “Harry and Mab’s spells can’t touch me. Your power shouldn’t have been able to either. So that means you’ve got the power of four in you—and there’s no way Harry would give you that kind of juice. It was Mab wasn’t it? But why the hell would she do something that stupid?”
Shrugging, I said, “Why don’t you ask her? I’ve got to go.”
He raised a questioning brow. “You’re going back with me. You and Harry need to talk.”
It was my turn to smirk. He wouldn’t get my cooperation on a good day, much less a day when I could wipe the floor with him. “I’m not going anywhere with you, and if you try to make me you’ll regret it.”
He reached out to grab me again. My body erupted with wisps of crackling energy. They lapped out at him, forcing him to step back.
“You tell Harry and The Boss I’ll see them in twelve hours. That should give them enough time to discuss Mab’s treasonous behavior. If I’m not back by then, they should plan for the worst, but it won’t be me they’ll be running from.”
“You can’t control the power,” Quaid said. “Come back with me and let Harry take care of it now before it’s too late.”
I laughed. “Do you honestly think Mab would give me something this big if she didn’t think I needed it? This isn’t a game. The Name Caller has returned, and she has Thanos. If I don’t return them in twelve hours, it won’t matter if I can’t control it, because I’ll be dead.”
“Mab’s son has returned? And he is with the Name Caller?”
“Yeah, the one that’s supposed to be dead. That’s what Harry and The Boss need to know. Leave my extra abilities out for now.”
“You can’t get near her. She’ll—”
“She can’t control me. I’m immune to her power. I know the stakes. The royals are the ones that need to stay as far away from her as possible. Mab is here, they should join her.”
I stepped forward. He held out his hand, blocking me.
“Would you prefer I throw you through the jungle and knock you unconscious, or would you rather let me pass?”
“Harry won’t let you keep the power. He’ll hunt you down the moment he knows.”
“Then don’t tell him. I’ll return in twelve hours. He can sort it all out then.”
Quaid’s lips tightened. He looked me up and down, as if assessing my strengths.
“Half a day isn’t going to matter. Harry doesn’t have to know yet—The Boss either. Just tell them about the Name Caller.”
“What about this?” he asked, holding up his burned wrist.
“Cooking accident?” I suggested. “Whatever you think The Boss will believe.”
He looked down at the red mark on his skin. Reluctantly, he stepped aside. “Twelve hours. Not a minute more.”
~#~
My heels sunk into the sand as I walked onto the beach. I looked down at my attire. It had to go. I wasn’t about to embark on my quest for Thanos in strappy sandals and a flowing dress.
As if the power had been waiting for an outlet, it flared, leaving me clothed in my favorite jeans and t-shirt. I touched the cool pendant at my neck. It thrummed as if it were absorbing my excess energy.
Following Cinnamon’s instructions, I drew a circle in the sand. “Return,” I said, and the wind started howling.
I was dropped on the sandy shore of the fourth realm. Another wave of power rolled off me, sinking deep into the earth. I immediately felt it return to me, bringing new sensations and a renewed awareness of the realm. I breathed in deep—one with this place—and knew I wasn’t here alone.
Chapter 30
The realm buzzed with new life and many souls. I was connected to this place like no other. The power within roiled at my core, but it didn’t surface. A steady flow passed between me and the earth, creating a loop of energy that helped me control it.
I closed my eyes and slipped outside my body. I soared high above, looking down on the realm as if it were a map. There were at least a hundred dots now—the souls I
sensed. More appeared every second. They kept coming, one after the other. At first I thought my dot was the only solid green in the mix, but then I noticed another. Several dots near the coast, including the other green one, started moving toward me.
I opened my eyes in time to see the first wave of new arrivals coming down the path. I could feel them, just as I had originally sensed Thanos. Their connections weren’t as strong, and the larger number made pinpointing one in particular more difficult, but not impossible.
The crowd was anxious as if unsure of my intent. How did they know me? Could they feel me in a similar way as I did them?
A man stepped out from the middle of the group—Omar, the other green dot I realized, although all things considered, I wasn’t surprised. I’d never been able to sense his origin before, but now I knew he was one of the fallen.
He dropped to one knee in front of me and bowed his head. “My queen, you have finally returned.”
I rolled my eyes. He knew I wasn’t the queen.
His short, fat, and balding appearance hadn’t changed. He’d always reminded me of a high school chemistry teacher. The only thing missing today was his clip-on tie.
He pushed his horn-rimmed glasses farther up his nose as he lifted his head to look at me. I caught a glimpse of metallic green flash across his eyes—the same shine I saw on non-veiled otherworldly people all the time, but something I’d never seen him reveal before. Of course, now there was no reason to hide the truth.
The others followed Omar’s lead, dropping to one knee and bowing their heads. “Long live the queen,” someone shouted from the crowd. Others called out similar sentiments.
I reached down and grabbed Omar by the arm, pulling him up with ease. Whispering, I said, “I need to get to Purgatory, and while all this is really cute, I don’t have time to deal with it right now.”
Omar turned to face the crowd. He clapped his hands to get their attention. In a formal tone he announced, “The queen is busy and must attend to matters of state. Everyone return to your work.”