by J. C. Hart
"What are you doing with that?" Sam asked, her voice catching.
"What you've asked, so just let me get on with it." Anahera turned to Kyle and her face crumpled. "If there was another way, I'd keep you for always. I don't care what you say, or what she says, you belong with me." She kissed Kyle on the cheek, and then she plunged the knife into his hand.
Kyle screamed, the sound tearing a hole through Sam. She grabbed Anahera's arm, tried to pull her backwards but the other woman didn't budge, only glared at her.
"This is how it's done. If you want him free then let me go." She hissed the words out and then faced Kyle again.
Sam stumbled backwards, torn between wanting to intervene, and her curiosity at the situation. Kyle's scream had ebbed to a low groan. His eyes were closed, his face scrunched up as Anahera drew the blade from his hand and cut herself before smearing the two wounds together.
"Look at me, Kyle. Open your eyes." Anahera's voice was firm, absolute. Kyle's eyes flashed open, his gaze locking with Anahera's. Sam might as well not have existed. The air felt like it was being pulled taut, and she took a breath, not sure if she'd get another.
Kyle's mouth fell open and Anahera’s did the same, a thick mist coming out on her exhalation. It was blue and gold and it shimmered in the air, twisting and turning. Kyle emitted a low groan, a stream of red and black leaving his mouth, thick like oil rather than the mist from Anahera.
Sam clenched her hands into fists when the two souls met, her nails digging into the flesh of her palm. The souls mingled and it looked like Anahera's might devour Kyle's, but then they separated again, returning to their rightful owners.
Kyle slumped against the couch, his hands coming to his face to feel his skin, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm all here," he said in wonder. "I'm me again." And then he groaned, doubling over. Sam wanted to rush to his side, but Anahera blocked the way.
"You were always you, Kyle. I made you more than you were," Anahera said, her voice sad. "You'll feel the full weight of your life now, the aches in your body." She swayed slightly, then straightened. “Everything.”
Sam swallowed hard; it seemed her gamble had been right. Losing Kyle's soul had taken more than it had given back. Anahera was weakened until she took another, and Sam was going to make sure that never happened.
"Now, our deal." Anahera turned away from Kyle, seemingly dismissing him from her mind. She yawned and turned for the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. "Let's get this over with, and then you can give me your soul and we'll see what happens." Anahera tipped the glass back, drank it all down, wiping her mouth with her hand as she turned back to the lounge.
Sam had been waiting for this, she stepped forward, past Kyle so that he was no longer in the way. "Let Kyle go, and then we'll get on with it."
"No." Anahera shook her head. She crossed the room in a few steps, coming up close to Sam again. "I can smell how much you want him gone from here and it's not happening." She poked one long finger into Sam's shoulder, making her step backwards, pushing her until she was in the middle of the room. "Get on with it, or I'll cut him up a little more. Besides, he can carry the body."
Sam bit her lower lip but nodded, giving one last glance to Kyle before focusing on Anahera. "Let's go then."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Of course everything would lead back to Rover's Bend. The only thing that surprised Sam was that they hadn't picked up on it before now—hadn't realized that this was the resting place of Hine-nui-te-pō, that she had been lending her gentle assistance to everything that had happened here. Sam breathed in, a sense of wonder filling her. Who knew what else there was in the world that could still surprise her?
Kyle gently laid Tū's body down by the river where Anahera stood waiting. "This is it?" she asked. "It doesn't look like much."
"Trust me, this is the place. Great things have happened here," Sam said, thinking back to Alyssa's transformation, and before that to when Melody had finally embraced her magic and ended the threat that Robbie presented. "Can't you feel your sister here?"
"Sister?" Anahera frowned.
Sam nodded gently, edging closer to her. "Hine-nui-te-pō is also the daughter of Tū. You didn't know that?"
Anahera shrugged. "He didn't talk much about family. Not in a good way. But if she is his child, that means she'll be more inclined to help me, don't you think?"
Sam nodded again, not wanting to be the one to tell Anahera that there was no love lost between her sister and father. "I've called some friends to come and help us too."
"No," Anahera said forcefully. "This was our deal, you and me."
"I said I'd help, and the best way to help was to call my friends. I know you don't trust me, but if you want this..."
"I do. Stop questioning that," Anahera snapped the words out. "Unzip him, Kyle. We'll cleanse his body while we wait for these 'friends' of your girlfriend."
Sam ignored Anahera’s words, and said, "Brandon is a skilled necromancer, and Alyssa is the child of the earth goddess, whose connection will surely be intertwined with Hine-nui-te-pō's."
Anahera didn't comment. Her focus seemed to have switched back to Tū. Sam felt at a loose end now that they were here. She needed to wait for the others to arrive, but she wasn't exactly sure how to stall Anahera—the woman certainly liked things done her own way.
"Come and help, Samantha. He's your uncle, and maybe he'll spare you if you've respected his body," Anahera called.
"Helping him return to life won't be enough?"
"Humour me." Anahera's smile was cool as she dropped to her knees, helping Kyle to remove the body from the bag.
"Are you sure that he can be regenerated?" Sam asked. She couldn't help herself. When she reached under his body to help pull him free she could feel the skin tear underneath the fabric of Tū's clothes.
"Just shut up!" Anahera snapped. "Shut up, and don't speak until your friends arrive."
Sam pushed her lips together, her eyes darting to Kyle. He shook his head in warning then focused on the body. Sam had to do the same. As they lifted him into the water she slipped, ending up on her knees, cradling Tū's head. She swallowed the bile that shot up her throat and breathed deep through her mouth, trying to stop the shivers that had overtaken her body. She had to focus. To stay calm, in control of at least herself because it was quite clear now that she had no idea what the outcome was going to be.
"Sam?" It was Alyssa, her voice coming from the edge of the treeline.
Sam dared not stand, so she looked up and caught her friends gaze, a wan smile crossing her lips. "Hey, thanks for coming. Don't do anything rash, please? Just hear me out." Her voice shook slightly. "I know it looks like a mess, but just trust me. It's going to be okay."
She just wished she really believed that herself. How the hell was this going to be okay? The bag slung across Alyssa's back meant that she'd brought all the gear to boost the boundary, but was it going to be enough? And there had been no sign yet that Moana was in place, ready to whisk Tū and Anahera from the Bay as soon as everything was done. Her stomach turned, the smell from Tū's body making everything worse.
She had to trust. Trust herself, and Kyle, and her friends and the gods that they protected.
Sam went back to cleaning Tū's hair as Alyssa and Brandon approached cautiously. They didn't say anything, just stood and watched the strange trio in the river.
"Enough," Anahera snapped. "He's clean." She stood, leaving Kyle and Sam to manoeuvre the body from the water and onto a white blanket she'd laid on the ground. They stepped back, watching as Ana gently patted her father dry before swaddling him in the blanket. When she was done she stood and assessed her work before nodding and moving to Kyle's side. The knife she'd used earlier reappeared in her hand. She held it casually, but the threat was clear. "Now get on with it. Anything goes wrong and he dies."
"Can't you just let him go?" Sam asked. She just wanted Kyle away from this, safe, because she couldn't take it if anything
happened to him.
"Insurance, Sam. I'm sure you know about that."
Sam sighed, trying to give Kyle a reassuring smile. His eyes widened and her heart warmed. He had faith in her, even if she didn't. She could do this, for him, for them. For the Bay.
Samantha approached Alyssa and Brandon.
"What the fuck have you gotten us into?" Alyssa whispered, she glanced at Anahera and Tū then back at Sam. "I thought we were trying to protect the Bay from Tū, not bring him back to life."
"I think...I think that right now the two things might be combined. Just trust me, okay? I know it looks bad. If there had been any other way... I just couldn't let her hurt Kyle. I needed to get his soul back, and this was the trade. I’ll make it right."
Brandon reached out and squeezed Sam's hand. "We trust you. Tell us what you need."
Sam took a deep breath, and then turned so that she included Anahera. "This is the resting place of Hine-nui-te-pō. It's our best chance of opening the door to the underworld and bringing Tū back to the realm of the living. Brandon, if you were to have a goddess, she’d be it, so I need your help contacting her. Alyssa I want you to have your mother on standby, these are her children, her grandchildren who are at stake, and I'll draw down the power of my father to help reanimate Tū when his soul has been returned from the underworld. Okay?"
Alyssa choked out a strangled laugh. "No worries. Just another average day in the Bay right?"
Brandon shook his head, but then small grin appeared. "Alyssa, you never cease to amaze me."
"Enough!" Anahera said, her voice cutting through the clearing. "Just get on with it. I've waited long enough."
Alyssa moved first, creating a circle around them and invoking the gods as she did. Sam could feel the power rise within the space, her chest constricted, both fear and excitement threatening to overwhelm her. She just wished she could hold Kyle's hand, let him know that she would protect him no matter what.
Instead, she gripped Brandon's. Their powers were both tied to death and spirit, she only wished Jake was there to enhance things, but she hadn't wanted to risk pushing Anahera too far out of her comfort zone. Bare essentials.
Alyssa moved to the centre of the circle and spoke, "Mother, I call to you. Stand with us and guide us. Help us to connect to your grandchild Hine-nui-te-pō. Light the way to the underworld so that we may help Tū find peace."
"I don't want peace, I want him back," Anahera muttered.
"Don't you think being back will give him a sense of peace? Just let me do my thing," Alyssa hissed, though she glanced at Sam and rolled her eyes ever so slightly.
If it hadn't been so serious, Sam would have laughed. Instead she closed her eyes, took a breath, and reached into space for that thread that connected her to her father. Help me. Lend me your power. If we can make this work we can keep everyone safe.
I am here.
Thank you. She nodded, opening her eyes to find the sky had darkened, blotting out the clouds, thick mist had formed in the clearing and swirled around them.
"What the..." Brandon’s voice trailed off.
"You walk here, on my hallowed ground with a need in your hearts," a disembodied voice spoke. "But it is not your choice who lives or dies."
"Sister," Anahera called. She sounded more confident than she had a right to be. "Show yourself."
Hine-nui-te-pō stepped from the mists, a shroud of darkness covered her body, created a cowl over her face. "Do not call me sister. We might share a father, but we share little else."
"Don't you love him enough to set him free from death? I've kept his body, I've searched for years to find a way to bring it you, to call him back from the lands of the dead."
Hine-nui-te-pō laughed. "For the child of a god you are very human. What makes you think he wants to return? What makes you think that I'll allow it? You know nothing of our history, clearly."
"But I need him. I want him back."
“You are a selfish little human.” Hine-nui-te-pō laughed. "Isn't it true that you were the one who took his life?"
Anahera's shoulders slumped. "It was an accident. One I've been trying to rectify for over a decade. I've worked hard, I've bled. I've tried to carry out his legacy to say sorry, and it should be enough. It's enough."
"Father?" Hine-nui-te-pō turned slightly, and then a shadow form of Tū stepped from the mists. "What do you want?"
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Anahera. It wasn't until I left my mortal form behind that I remembered who I was, what it is to be a god. I don't want the life you want for me. I don't want life at all." He said nothing more, just turned and disappeared.
"NO! Father! Come back!" Anahera raced towards the mists, but Hine-nui-te-pō blocked her.
"You cannot enter. Not unless you're willing to part with your life."
"No, I need him back. I deserve this. I worked hard and this isn't fair!" She spun on her heel and locked her furious gaze on Sam. "You knew. You knew all along. You just wanted to hurt me, to get my hopes up and then smash them. It wasn’t bad enough that you stole Kyle, you wanted to steal my father as well."
Sam raised her hands as if she could keep the woman at bay. She glanced around, imploring Brandon and Alyssa to stay out of it. "No! I swear, Ana—"
"We are DONE." Anahera’s grip on the knife tightened until her knuckles were white, her jaw was rigid and Sam could almost hear the grind of her teeth.
"Ana, drop the knife," Kyle said. He held his hands out, took a shaky step forward.
"Stay out of this, Kyle," Anahera snarled. "Your soul-mate thought she could trick me and she has to pay. She's a liar."
"It wasn't a lie, Anahera, I swear. I didn't know that he would choose this, how could I?" Sam made herself as small as she could, but there was nowhere to disappear to.
Anahera laughed, the sound like a strangled cat, and then she lunged, knife held high. Sam froze as everything slipped into slow motion. Kyle leapt at Anahera, knocking her off course and sending them tumbling.
The blade still found a home though, only it was in Kyle's chest instead of Sam's.
Anahera's mouth gaped open and closed like a fish out of water, her grip loosening on the knife as Kyle fell to the ground.
Sam let out a scream as she dropped to her knees and cradled his head in her lap. Anahera hovered over his body, her fingers twitching. She looked at Sam, shaking her head, eyes wide.
"I never meant... I can't... I don't know what to do. I'm so sorry Kyle, I'm so sorry. I never meant to do this, I didn't... I don't. Do I take it out?" Tears were streaming down her face, and she looked more real, more authentic, than at any other time.
"No," Sam said, sniffing back her own tears. She had to keep it together. “Stay away from him. Stay away from me.”
"Sam," Kyle whispered. "You okay?"
She couldn’t focus on anything but him, though she could see the others in the background. Brandon was holding Alyssa back, and Moana had appeared from the water, but was stuck on the other side of the circle. "I'm fine, Kyle. Hang in there. I'm going to help."
"Don't. Don't leave me. I'm so glad I met you. You made me whole. Literally." He laughed, but it turned into a cough making blood trickle from the wound. His hands found the hilt and he tugged at it.
"No! What are you doing?" She pressed her hand on his, stopping him from doing any more damage. "You'll die."
"I am dying. Sam..." His eyes fluttered closed. "Make sure this means something."
"No. I won't let you. I can't do this. Rehua! Rehua!" She screamed the words louder, but she was too distressed, she couldn't find the thread that bound them together. She closed her eyes and focused all her magic into her hands, felt the heat radiate but Kyle just groaned louder.
"It won't help," Anahera said. She was standing there, watching, her face pale, her voice flat. "The blade was coated with something to make the soul transfer easier."
"Don't just stand there, do something!" Sam sobbed. Kyle was getting paler by the second, his b
reathing shallow now. She pressed her lips against his forehead, wished that she could will him better. Her magic had never been terribly useful, and now it was all but useless because of Anahera.
"I never meant for this to happen. I didn't think..." Her face crumpled, revealing her for what she really was—a broken woman full of misdirected anger.
Sam looked up at the goddess of the underworld, pleading in her eyes. "Help him."
Hine-nui-te-pō's voice was tinged with sadness. "If he falters, I'll look after him, I promise. I'll keep him safe until you can be reunited."
"I don't want to be reunited, I've barely known him. I can't lose him, I can't. He doesn't deserve this."
Anahera whispered something, and Sam's attention snapped to her.
"What did you say?"
"A life for a life." Anahera nodded slowly, her shoulders moving back, her pose gaining confidence. "Take my life for his. I'll join my father, and maybe...maybe this can make up for all the things I made Kyle do." She looked at Sam then. "You're right. He doesn't deserve this. I'm sorry."
And then she turned to face the goddess of death, offering her a hand. Hine-nui-te-pō shook her head.
“First you have to die.”
Anahera shook her head. Her eyes were wide, she looked so young just then. “Will it hurt?”
Sam didn’t want to hear any more, couldn’t bear to waste any time. She bent down and kissed Kyle on the cheek before drawing the knife from his chest and striding towards Anahera. Her hand shook, but she knew this had to be done.
“Sam, it doesn’t have to be you,” Alyssa called.
She could sense the two of them had moved closer, but she knew they were wrong. She had to end this, and now. “Thanks, but I’ve got this. Come on, Ana.”
The other woman didn’t move though. Sam moved forwards, her legs shaky, her hands already covered in blood. Ana just stood there, her eyes locked on the blade in Sam’s hands.
“Do you know what to do?” Ana asked, her voice a whisper.
“No, but I’ll make sure it gets done.”
Anahera reached out and placed her hand on top of Sam’s, turning so that her back was against Sam’s chest, a strangely intimate embrace. Sam kept her grip firm, but she let Anahera guide the blade to rest against her neck.