Curses and Ash

by Tiffany Daune

  Halen followed. When she stepped off the last rung, her sneaker skidded in something sludgy. Asair hooked his arm under hers before she fell. “Gotcha.” He smiled, holding her close. His heartbeat raced beneath her fingertips and she flattened her palm on his chest. Quinn’s heart—Asair’s soul. It was bizarre, staring at a stranger, and yet, knowing the boy beneath the skin so intimately.

  “Thanks.” She glanced up. She couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but she felt he was smiling back at her.

  “Anytime.”

  When Dax stepped off the rung, Asair shifted away from her.

  “Where to now?” She scanned the darkness, inhaling through her mouth only.

  “We need to ride in.” Dax turned on a flashlight, waving it in her direction.

  “Ride in—on what?” She shielded her eyes with the back of her hand.

  He waved the light to her right. She turned to find two motorbikes standing side by side; the handle bars were rusted, the seats gnawed. A rat scurried off when Dax aimed his flashlight at the gas can on the ground.

  Halen hugged herself. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Hold this.” Dax handed her the flashlight and he grabbed a gas can. “The tunnels run under streets and all the way to the middle of the ocean.” He started to fill one tank.

  “Why didn’t we swim in then?” Ezra shifted from side to side, his gaze just as jittery as before, darting between Dax and the street above.

  “We can’t be out in the open.” Dax handed the gas can to Asair. “I’m sure the Hunters will be keeping an eye on the water—the shifters too.”

  “I don’t know about this.” Ezra glanced back up the ladder.

  “We need to touch base with Huron; see if there’s been any progress on finding a way to open the portal to Etlis.” Asair set the gas can down and screwed the cap back on the bike.

  “What if there isn’t a way?” Ezra asked. “Have you thought of that?”

  “Then this is the safest place for us,” Dax said. “We can’t stay up there any longer.”

  “I’m not going any farther.” Ezra stepped forward. “The Hunters will kill her.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dax turned to face him.

  “They have Tage.” His voice rang loud throughout the tunnels.

  Oh, crap. Halen directed the beam of light, hoping to blind Ezra, but he lunged, ripping at Dax’s throat.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Dax swatted him to the ground. Dax was twice his size in muscle, but Ezra punched and kicked with the vial in his fist.

  “Stop!” Halen shouted.

  “You know I can’t do that.” He shook his head furiously.

  Dax tried to pin his flailing limbs, but it was no use.

  She thrust her hand outward, directing her magick toward Ezra.

  His arms stretched open, but his fingers tightened around the vial.

  Asair was at her side. “Careful, don’t break the glass.”

  Dax grabbed Ezra’s wrists, but when he pried his fingers open, Ezra kneed him in the gut. He slammed the vial against the concrete.

  “No!” Asair shoved Halen against the wall, thrusting his body over her. The flashlight fell from her grasp, spinning the light around the tunnel walls until stopping on Ezra and the broken vial.

  Dax leaped up, ducking beneath the ladder.

  A frigid wind rushed through the tunnel, howling as the breeze swept up the smoky soul. The smoke spread over Ezra. He scooted back, but the dark cloud swarmed him.

  Halen fought, shoving against Asair’s chest. “We have to help him!”

  “We can’t go near him.”

  Ezra’s body jerked with violent convulsions. His eyes rolled back in his head as his spine arched.

  Dax emerged from beneath the ladder with a rock in his fist. He raised it, ready to strike.

  “What are you doing?” Halen’s cry cut the air.

  “Otho marked me. He can’t live in Ezra.”

  Asair moved so quickly; one second he was beside her, and in the next, he grasped Dax by the arm. “His soul is immortal. If you kill Ezra, Otho will find another host. And I’m not volunteering for that, my friend.”

  “He’s right! We don’t know how to capture a soul,” Halen said.

  Dax dropped the rock.

  Ezra’s body flopped, his limbs splayed.

  Asair stepped in front of Halen. “Leave him.”

  “No. We can’t leave Ezra. This isn’t right.” She pushed against his shoulder.

  Dax walked to the motorbike. “Halen, when Otho marked me, he did it so I would lead him to you. The last person he saw before he turned to stone was you. Who do you think he'll go after once he’s in a new body? We have to get out of here before Ezra comes to.”

  “Listen to him.” Asair guided her toward the second bike. “There’s nothing you can do for your friend. He made his choice.”

  Halen sidestepped around Asair and ran to Ezra’s side. She knelt by his trembling body. “You lovesick moron. Why did you go and do this?”

  “Halen, come on!” Dax hopped on the bike and turned the ignition.

  “Give me a second.” She competed with the roar of the engine.

  Bowing her head, she removed her leather necklace. She held the stone Tasar had given her for a moment, before slipping the necklace around his neck. “I’ll never forget you.” She placed her hand on his chest and then kissed his forehead.

  “We have to go,” Asair shouted.

  Her feet wouldn’t move.

  He dragged her, to his bike. “We have to leave him.” He met her gaze.

  “Get on!” Dax shouted.

  Without glancing back, she hopped on the back of Asair’s motorbike. She pressed her cheek to his jacket. No more death, she repeated as the bike sped away from her friend. No more.

  SHE WISHED ASAIR could read her thoughts once more, so he could hear all the questions nagging her mind, the most pressing being the lack of an immortal soul to bind the spell and what would happen to Ezra.

  She wrapped her arms tighter around Asair’s waist. She tried counting the minutes, to distract her mind, but she had lost track after twenty. Fear and doubt shadowed her as they drove farther into the darkness.

  Dax’s motorbike sputtered.

  Asair slowed down. He pulled alongside Dax.

  “Out of gas!” Dax motioned to the tank.

  Asair turned off his motorbike, the high beam still lighting the tunnel.

  Halen hopped off and stretched. “How long have we been riding?”

  “A few hours.” Dax wedged his boot under the kickstand and propped the bike up. “We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.” He left the key in the ignition, striding away.

  “It’s not that much farther.” Asair nodded toward the tunnel before them.

  Water seeped through the concrete and in some places rushed through fissures, as if the tunnel might cave in at any moment.

  “We’re beneath the ocean?” She glanced up.

  “We are indeed.” Asair followed Dax. “The aqueducts were built, so the Tari shifters and humans had a way in.”

  “How much time did you spend here?” she asked.

  “I trained in the aqueducts with my father. He was paranoid on the surface, so he made me come here if I wanted to see him.”

  Halen couldn’t believe how easily Asair spoke of Quinn’s past as if it were his own.

  “Dax trained here as well,” Asair said.

  “But the Elosians didn’t know about Dax.” She thought the mention of his name would make him turn, but he kept walking. She couldn’t imagine how he was continuing on with grief pressing his heart. Without Asair’s gift, she’d be crushed.

  “Dax’s mother had him assigned to the liquibrium lines. The job gets you to the surface and a great alibi for being away.”

  Dax slowed his pace as they approached a dead end. A light affixed in a steel cage flickered above. Dax turned off his flashlight. Before them was a square door big eno
ugh for an elephant to pass through, the rusted hinges the size of a man’s forearm. Water dripped along the tarnished spoked wheel and when Dax gripped the rim, his hand slipped. He tried again, grabbing the wheel with both hands and turned it counterclockwise. The wheel squealed with protest, budging only a few inches. “A little help here.” He glanced back at Asair.

  Asair gripped a spoke and together they tugged, but the wheel shifted only a few more inches.

  Halen rolled her eyes. With a flick of her wrist, the rusted metal spun like a roulette wheel. Dax and Asair jumped back as the door opened with a creaky moan.

  “I had it.” Dax shot her an annoyed glare.

  “I just wanted to help.”

  “Every time you use magick, I have to give up more bone marrow.” His tone was still thick with resentment.

  “I didn’t think it was a problem.” She raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t that your job?”

  His jaw swung open, as if about to lay into her, when Asair clapped him on the back. “Door’s open—let’s go.” He shoved Dax forward and then waved for Halen to follow.

  She stepped over the wide rim and peered through to the other side. A familiar hum drifted in the distance. They walked several paces, when Dax stopped. The hum rose with a high-pitched squeal.

  “Invisible shield.” Asair grabbed her sleeve. “Step back unless you want to be paralyzed for the next hour.”

  “Yeah, I already know how that feels.” Halen smiled between gritted teeth. “Dax already showed me how the barrier works—by letting me experience it firsthand.”

  “It was for your own good.” Dax ran his fingers along the concrete wall. He pulled loose an oval stone, the color of amethyst; even in the dim light, it shone. He placed the faceted stone between two small pillars of quartz. The stone hung midair and the hum died.

  “You let her get shocked by a barrier?” Asair balled his hands to fists.

  “We didn’t know the extent of her powers.” Dax shrugged.

  “You could have warned her not to run at the thing.”

  “I don’t think she would have listened.” His tone was flat.

  “I’ve had enough of you.” Halen wedged in front of Asair, facing Dax. “You can’t blame me for everything that happens. Why don’t you have a good long look in the mirror because—”

  “Hey, enough of this lover’s quarrel.” Asair squeezed her shoulder hard, pulling her to his side.

  “This is not a good road to travel.” Asair looked to Dax. “You and Nat went at it and look where it got us. You’ve both been through a lot, now would be the time to stop blaming one another and work together. We still have to get Etlis open.”

  Halen stepped on Asair’s foot. He needed to shut up. She didn’t want to make up with Dax. His mood was intolerable, but she liked it that way. It made it easier to fight the bond.

  “You’re right.” Dax shook his head, a blond lock of hair falling over his eye. “Halen, I’m sorry. I know you’re in pain too.” He held out his hand. “We need each other right now.”

  She glanced at Asair, who was giving her some kind of weird eyes. She didn’t get what he was trying to tell her and right now she didn’t care.

  Dax turned his dimple switch on. “We’ll get through this.”

  Asair placed her hand with Dax’s and her sparks awakened. What the heck? Why was he throwing her back into the storm? How could he, when he knew the effect Dax had on her?

  “There’s the Tari spirit,” Asair said. She shot him an alarmed glare, but he paid her no attention and took off walking.

  Dax squeezed Halen’s hand and she worked a plastic smile onto her face.

  “Please forgive me—I’ve been such a jerk. We’re both grieving. When this is over, we should have a funeral for our parents. It will help us heal.” He kissed the top of her head, her stupid sparks igniting with his touch.

  The part of her that wanted to break his bones faded when she met his tear-filled gaze. He wasn’t the only jerk; she was the one cheating grief, while he suffered. “A funeral is a good idea.”

  He stepped back. “Let’s go find your dad—seeing him will help.” He tugged her forward, walking.

  Her chest caved. She had almost forgotten she would have to see Huron. He wanted to protect the water stone. She feared he wouldn’t give it up so easy.

  As if sensing her apprehension, Dax stopped. “You need to give him a chance. He’s been like a father to me. He’s the only family we have.”

  You have. She had Natalie. That is, if her sister didn’t kill her first.

  “Are you two coming?” Asair’s voice echoed through the tunnel.

  When Dax dropped her hand, her sparks fizzled, freeing her from the connection. Her head cleared as he stepped away. She shook out the last few sparks trailing her fingers, hating herself for letting him tap her strength—if she wanted the truth—she could never touch him again.

  BRIGHT LIGHTS BORED through the darkness as the tunnel opened to a vast cavern filled with a whirl of activity. Halen buzzed with nervous energy as she took in her surroundings. A pond occupied the center of the cavern; along one side, in a semicircle, a panel of monitors stretched up to the ceiling and expanded the width of an entire wall. The monitors flashed with images of fire rings, riots in the streets, weather broadcasts, satellite imagery, and firefighters battling the flaming waters. Halen recognized the silver spire of the Chrysler Building in New York City. The camera panned to its silver tip piercing the center of a newly formed fire ring. The top crumbled with the shattering cry of a dragon.

  A woman dressed in an Elosian corset and some sort of contraption affixed to her head turned when they entered. Halen’s breath caught as the woman made her way toward them. A clear mask, filled with water, covered the woman’s mouth and nose. A long hose attached to the side of the mask and ran up to the ceiling, joining dozens of similar tubes all threaded in neat rows. The tubes met along one wall and submerged in the pond. As the woman approached, the hose followed her along the channel. Bubbles of air slipped out her nose when she smiled.

  “Halen, this is Bethra. She’s Elosian,” Dax explained. “Salt water is pumped into her mask, so she can breathe for longer periods of time without having to return to the water.”

  The woman turned a grooved dial on the top right corner of her mask and the water drained. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Bethra’s voice emitted from a small speaker on the side of her mask. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “This place is incredible.” Halen glanced at the security cameras and Tari guards stationed at each tunnel. Stealing the stone would be harder than she anticipated.

  “We can see everything from here,” Bethra said. “Thanks to military technology.”

  “Human military?” Halen asked.

  Asair answered, “The Tari recruit most humans from the Special Forces.”

  An eagle soared above, drawing Halen’s attention. The bird glided past the monitors. “A shifter?”

  “You will find Elosians, Etlins, and humans all working together here,” Dax said.

  “And sirens.” Bethra flashed him a toothy smile.

  The bird swooped overhead, its expansive wings grazing Bethra. She peered up, annoyed, but when the bird screamed, she excused herself with a quick nod.

  “You start to learn their language, when you spend a lot of time with a shifter.” Asair’s gaze followed the eagle.

  “I’m going to find Huron.” Dax nodded to the opposite side of the cavern. “Will you be okay without me for a few minutes? Quinn will take good care of you.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Halen was thankful for his departure. She needed time with Asair. He was insane to think they take the stone and now that they didn’t have Otho’s soul…

  Dax disappeared down one of the tunnels. She counted six, including the one they had come through.

  “Which passage leads to the stone?” She leaned closer to Asair so as to not be overheard, but he didn’t answer. Following his gaze, she sp
otted a girl waving from the water, her dazzling smile set on Asair.

  “Nelia!” He waved back.

  Nelia hopped out of the pond and ran toward him. She draped her wet arms around Asair, and planted a big kiss on his lips. He lingered longer than he should have, at first kissing her gently and then forcefully as he lifted her off the ground, his hands groping her waist.

  What the heck was Asair doing? He wasn’t Quinn. This was cruel to play with Nelia’s heart. But as she glanced at the guards, this was exactly what he should be doing if they didn’t want to raise suspicion.

  He set Nelia down and dipped her slightly, leaving a trail of kisses along her neck. Her cheeks reddened when she noticed Halen. “I’m so sorry, but I haven’t seen this scoundrel in quite some time.” She righted herself and pushed away from him. “He never comes here anymore.” She smiled at Halen. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

  “I’m so happy you’re better.” Halen spotted a newly forming scar, which ran from Nelia’s neck down to her chest, disappearing beneath her swim skins. Her wrists and ankles were still raw with wounds from where Rania had bound her. Her cheek bruised to her ear. She was a fighter and a survivor; her battle wounds complemented her beauty. Nelia and Quinn were the perfect match, if only he were still Quinn.

  “Your dad saved me and brought me here to heal. If it wasn’t for Huron…” She paused, her gaze shifted to Asair. “I thought you were supposed to stay at the flat? I don’t know if Huron is going to like this.”

  “Our situation grew complicated,” Halen said.

  “Doesn’t it always,” Nelia sighed. She wrapped her arm around his waist. “I guess you can’t leave now.”

  “That’s right.” As he pulled her close, kissing her neck.

  Ugh. What the hell? Her jaw clenched as she fought the urge to rip him away from Nelia.

  “Where’s Dax?” Nelia looked up at him.

  “He’s gone to find Huron.” He pointed to the tunnel to her left.

  Nelia ran her hand through her damp hair. “He won’t be there. He hasn’t left the water stone since we arrived here. He’s so stubborn, he won’t even take a mask.” She nodded toward the pond. “We’ve had to carry him to the water a few times.”