by Miles, D. L.
Zia felt like the space between them was too much, and worried that Iscah might notice it. So she moved closer, and Iscah moved back. “You have to?”
“My dad said that when I was born…that he could tell that I was too strong,” her lips quivered as she spoke, “and he didn’t want me to grow up with other Specters. So we ended up moving here from Castaliana, and he taught me how to hide my…power.”
Zia nodded. “You left pale blue dust,” she concluded, “even Mal isn’t that strong.”
“Mal?” Iscah questioned. “You mean Malachi Fel?”
“Yeah,” Zia crossed her arms. “I guess that means you’re even stronger than him.”
“I guess.” Iscah took another drink. “You’ve really changed, haven’t you? You actually called a Specter by their name. Malachi Fel no less.”
“I just…had my eyes opened,” Zia couldn’t help but look down at her left arm, feel the dull throbbing resonate through her bones. “It took a while…but I realized how childish I was being.”
“What made you change your mind?” Iscah sniffled, and actually moved over towards Zia.
The Ventori looked around her friend’s room a moment, taking in the warm sunlight that streamed through the window, the stuffed animals that she had won for Iscah at different fairs. Finally she said, “Donataen.” And silently she added, and Mal.
Iscah rested her head on Zia’s shoulder, and she mimicked the movement. As stressful as the day had been so far, she knew there was still more to come.
“Guess who I met today,” Zia said, changing to a lighter tone.
“Who?”
“Nari the Unseen,” she remembered the shining armour, “she was at the riot. I saw her arrest some people. She even asked my name.”
“Really?” Iscah managed a laugh. “You’re just meeting all the legends aren’t you? I bet that would make Hayden really jealous!”
Zia’s chest vibrated as she laughed, and suddenly Iscah shot upwards. “What was that?”
“A laugh?” Zia furrowed her brow.
“No, your heart skipped a beat,” Iscah pointed at her, “oh my God, you like Hayden! I knew it!”
“Shut up!” Zia ordered. “According to you I’ve always liked him! It doesn’t mean anything that we kissed!”
Iscah’s eyes grew wide, and she set her cup down, not even caring that the chocolate spilled over onto her floor. She squealed, “You kissed!”
Zia could feel her face turning red, thoughts of the willow tree invading her consciousness. Hopefully Aeryn would find her soon, and they would head down to Wraith.
“So are you dating now?” Iscah didn’t let the subject change. “How did it happen?”
Zia didn’t want to say that it had originally started at the party, while Iscah had been taken advantage of downstairs when she was upstairs kissing Hayden. So instead she told her about the “date” she had been on, when she and Hayden just drove around on his motorcycle. Iscah seemed better with this, and they were both avoiding talking about Win.
“I knew you guys would end up together, eventually,” Iscah smiled.
“End up together?” Zia repeated. “We just kissed, we aren’t together. That’s not what I’m worried about right now anyway…okay, it’s not on the top of the list.”
“What’s on the top?” Iscah furrowed her brow.
“You don’t need to be concerned with it,” Zia just shook her head. There was a piece of her that wanted Iscah to know, but she didn’t want to blurt everything out like she had to Hayden. So that was who she steered the conversation back to, even though she didn’t like it much.
Aeryn had the order for Achaicious by nightfall, and that order included Delmont. But he wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to go and get either of them while the moon was out, and he considered keeping the order to himself until the next morning. But there were other Ventori that would like to bring in those two, and Aeryn didn’t have much time before they all found out.
He made his way to Kehzia’s house, and she opened her front door immediately.
“Did you get it?” she asked, her voice quiet. She looked excited, and happy. It was strange, considering the circumstances, Aeryn thought. After everything she had discovered this week…happiness was the last emotion he thought she would have. Feeling protective, he wondered if Hayden Rider had anything to do with that happiness.
“I did,” Aeryn said, “and we’re bringing company.”
Mal appeared behind him, and the two nodded at each other. At that point Aeryn knew that she was over her hatred, or at least working through it well.
Chapter 26:
The wind rushed through her as she stood with Mal and Aeryn out front of Wraith. Looking up at its dark exterior she wondered how well the next moments would go. Would Achaicious come willingly? Would Delmont change? Were any of them going to die tonight?
“I’ll go around back, block off the exits,” Aeryn announced, taking Zia from her thoughts, “Mal, you go set up your spells; make sure nobody’s getting out unless we allow it.”
“Yes,” Mal disappeared, and Aeryn started moving.
“What about me?” Zia called after him, not being a fan of waiting. She had waited around far too often when she went out with Donataen, she wasn’t going to do it anymore.
“Wait for my signal,” he said over his shoulder, “and we’ll go in together.”
Aeryn vanished into the shadows, just like Mal had, leaving Zia to stand on her own out front. Knowing she was vulnerable in the open, she moved towards the trees on the edge of the grass; they weren’t much, but they were enough cover should anyone look outside from Wraith.
Her heart was pumping hard in her chest, and the cool air of the night wasn’t helping her stay calm. Scenarios began to run through her head, and she knew there wasn’t any point in trying to guess what would happen; Specter’s were too unpredictable. But she had Aeryn there, Rinehart the Unbreakable, and that was some comfort. Zia wondered if she should have tried to find the Realm Walker as well…but if she was Achaicious’ sister, why would she help?
Growing more impatient, Zia summoned her cobalt chain into her left hand, despite her injury. Maybe she should have at least mentioned that to Aeryn? No, she thought, I can handle it.
“You should know,” a silky voice came from Zia’s left, and she jumped backwards, revealing herself to the world, “that Delmont won’t do much good without his necklace.”
The Realm Walker, Machatta had rounded a tree nearby, and she stared down Zia with the same eyes as Achaicious; cold and calculating. Zia asked, “What?”
“Achaicious gave him a necklace,” Machatta explained with a roll of her eyes, “it gives him extra strength. Cut it off, and he’ll be just like any other werewolf.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Zia heard a click, and her eyes shifted towards Wraith.
Just before Machatta disappeared, Delmont came from the club, and she said, “Because he’s coming for your blood.”
Ash surrounded Zia now that the Realm Walker had left, and Delmont’s eyes were already upon her. His upper lip curled into a snarl, but it seemed more of a superior snort. Zia gripped her chain, and followed Delmont’s eyes to the sky.
Clouds cleared, and the moon came shining through. A laugh rumbled through Delmont, and he rolled his shoulders. Zia looked around, but found no sign of Aeryn or Mal; she was on her own.
“I bet you’ll taste sweeter than your brother,” Delmont roared at her, “I’ll be sure to take my time killing you!”
Her eyes narrowed at him, and it wasn’t the reaction he probably hoped for. She stepped forward, no longer caring if she was in the open; he was a werewolf, he had the advantage wherever they stood.
“I’m going to bring you into the Ark,” Zia shouted back, “and watch that little light in your eyes fade when you realize what awaits you in the catacombs!”
Delmont snarled again, and threw off his jacket. His change was beginning, and Zia didn’t have
long. She saw the small circular pendant around his neck, and decided she would try and stop him before he could finish his change.
Zia rushed at him, but there was too much distance between them. Delmont’s clothes ripped off as his limbs grew larger, his muscles convulsing into something bigger. His mouth and nose turned into a snout, hair coming through thick and brown; his ears curled back, and his eyes glowed yellow. By the time Zia got to where he stood, he was already gone, his legs kicked him upwards. She cursed at herself for not trying to attack sooner.
Zia spun around, trying to find where he had jumped to, trying to find a noise to track him. But there was silence all around her, and she screamed, “Coward!”
A growl came from behind her, and she turned towards the club in time to see Delmont falling towards her from the roof. She started running towards the trees, in hopes of some cover, as his claws narrowly missed her neck. She made it to the tree line when something hooked her jacket, and pulled her back under the streetlights.
Delmont threw her onto the road, and she landed on her left arm. The pain resonated through it, and she felt her chain digging into her skin. Behind her, claws clicked on the concrete, telling her of his approach. Rolling onto her back she whipped the chain at him, and managed to strike him on the eye.
His jaw opened and let out a scream, or at least the closest thing a werewolf could do to a scream. His eye was smoking, and he stumbled backwards as her chain retracted safely to her hand. While he was temporarily weakened, Zia realized she didn’t know what to do. Aeryn had the reduc-chains, not that they would fit on Delmont, and all she could do was kill him. But she didn’t want to kill him; she wanted him to suffer in the catacombs.
To start off, she decided she would get rid of his necklace. She jumped to her feet and ran at him again while his claws still covered one eye. Swiftly, she pulled out her dagger, her cobalt dagger, and slid it under the string that held the pendant as she dodged his arms. And in a moment the necklace was cut from him. Her feet landed on the ground behind him, necklace vanishing into the nearby grass.
He roared again, falling onto the pavement. His body began to shrink, no longer the gargantuan werewolf; he looked average now, more human. His arms no longer reached the ground if he stood straight, and his muscles were much smaller. Though even for a werewolf he was rather large.
Delmont turned his head and looked at Zia, sending his message clearly. He was telling her she hadn’t won yet, but she knew that.
“You can come peaceably,” she told him, breathing heavy as the adrenaline still pumped through her body, “or you can die. Understand that I’m being merciful here, after what you did to my family.” She pointed her dagger at him, trying to drive the point through.
“Merciful?” a laugh erupted from her left. She turned towards the club to find another man there, already taking off his jacket. “The catacombs don’t have mercy, Ventori, and neither does the pack.”
“Pack?” Zia breathed. She looked quickly to Delmont, and saw he had a small smile on his snout. “You have a pack?”
She hadn’t considered that. Werewolves rarely ran alone, but Delmont was always with Achaicious, Zia had assumed he didn’t have a pack. Wasn’t that something Aeryn or Mal should have mentioned?
“I should tell you now,” the man said, his eyes already starting to glow with the change, “I love to play with my food.”
And just as quickly as Delmont had, he changed. He was much smaller than Achaicious’ assistant, but he was quicker as he dashed towards Zia. She didn’t have time to think about her next move, and she started for the trees again. Her feet jumped onto the bench, and launched her over it. The werewolf contacted with it as well, his claws scraping across the wood; she glanced over her shoulder at him, and he growled.
Dagger in one hand, chain in another, Zia zigzagged through the trees in hopes of losing him. But he was fast, and just as she tried to round a tree he tackled her to the dirt, her dagger flying off into the shadows. His breath was hot against the back of her neck, and she felt his claws scraping against her jacket, cutting through to her skin. He licked the back of her neck, his tongue sliding down the back of her shirt as he tasted her. She let out a stifled scream as she tried to raise her injured arm to hit him, but the chain didn’t even touch him. She grunted as he tore into her skin, when he suddenly let out a whimper.
His weight was gone, and she quickly rolled over to see who had saved her, but she only found Delmont. His hand was sticking into the back of his former pack member, blood gushing over his arm. Calmly, Delmont set his free hand onto the man’s shoulder, and ripped his other hand from the back, along with a heart. The unnamed werewolf that had so quickly come to his rescue fell to the ground, dead. Delmont lazily tossed the heart there as well.
Zia knew why he did it; she was supposed to be his kill. His eyes fell on her, on the ground, back bleeding through her jacket even though the scratches weren’t deep.
Taking her chance while he watched her in silence, she swung the chain and let it wrap around his ankles. She yanked on it, and brought him down to her level. He howled as it burned him, and she slowly stood on steady legs. She said, “It’s kill or be killed, is that it? That’s how you want it?”
He snapped his jaws at her, and fumbled as he tried to break through the chains. But without the help of Achaicious, there was no way that was going to happen. Taking her time, Zia marched over to where her dagger had fallen and picked it up. She moved back to the screeching werewolf, his claws covered in blood, his comrade still bleeding out onto the grass.
“This was your choice,” she told him. Her dagger raised into the air, she brought it down to his shoulder and another howl came from him. Zia didn’t care if Aeryn or Mal heard it, or if they were trying to rush to her aid. Skin and fur sizzling, Delmont grew still as the dagger weakened him further.
Zia grabbed a nearby branch, it was heavy in her hands, and thick enough to get the job done. Just like the dagger, she held it over her head before bringing it down onto Delmont. Two more hits later, and he was unconscious, or dead. Either way, he wasn’t moving.
“Kehzia!” Aeryn cried as he ran through the trees. When he came upon the scene he froze, his eyes moving from Zia as she dropped the large branch, to the two werewolves at her feet. He asked, “What happened?”
“Delmont,” Zia pointed at one werewolf, “his random friend.” She pointed at the other. “Delmont killed him, I knocked out Delmont.”
Her breathing was beginning to even out, and slowly Aeryn walked over to her. She couldn’t feel anything in her arm or on her back, and she was grateful for it. But Aeryn didn’t seem as pleased. He knelt by Delmont and ripped the dagger from his shoulder.
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a pair of reduc-chains, and wrapped them around the werewolf’s wrists. In a fluid motion, Delmont changed back into his human form, and Zia could see him breathing as his chest moved up and down. Part of her was relieved that he was alive, and he was going to be properly punished for her brother’s murder.
“Next?” Zia questioned, wanting to get to Achaicious.
“Yeah,” Aeryn said, “Mal’s out front, go meet with him and I’ll take care of this.”
Zia must have taken a hit to the head, because she wavered a moment on her feet before obeying. There was no snarky response, and she didn’t question what he was going to do. She didn’t even ask for her dagger back. When she was safely out of sight, Aeryn looked down at the werewolf.
Delmont’s eyes had begun to open, and Aeryn wanted to make sure he saw his death coming.
“She might be merciful,” Aeryn whispered in the dark, “but I am not. This is for Donataen, and Cindel.”
His eyes were watering as he plunged the dagger into Delmont’s heart. After two years of searching, after two years of suffering over his mistake…this moment gave him no pleasure. Because in the end, it was his own fault that Donataen had been killed. He knew he hadn’t avenged Donataen’s murder, not y
et. That would only come with his own death.
Zia was beginning to feel dizzy when she made it out of the trees, but she told herself it was just the left over adrenaline. She spotted Mal standing near the bench, inspecting the long scrapes that covered it. When he heard her footsteps, he looked up.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, meeting her halfway.
“Just a scratch,” Zia held her hand up to stop him as he reached for her. His hands fell limply at his sides.
“Did my big bad assistant give you trouble?” Achaicious asked as he stepped out of the air. Mal flinched, and raised his hand for a spell when the other Caster waved at him. “Now, now, I don’t want any trouble.”
“We have an order for your arrest,” Zia said, surprised at how powerful she sounded, “come peaceably or face the consequences in the catacombs.”
Achaicious laughed, but it faded quickly. He said, “I’m sorry about Mr. Delmont, when I heard of an order being put out on me I didn’t know what to do. He thought he was helping when he attacked. I tried to stop him, but you know how hardheaded werewolves can be.”
His black coat billowed around him, and Zia could taste metal on the wind. Why was he being so civil? Something, if not everything, wasn’t right.
“What are you doing?” Zia narrowed her eyes at him, and tried to read them. But all she could see was arrogance, like he knew what was going to happen. Like he was going to be walking the streets in no time at all.
“I’m giving myself in,” Achaicious held his hands towards her, “I do hope you’ll put that in the report. They might go easier on me in the catacombs, then.”
Mal and Zia exchanged a glance, neither of them knowing what he was planning.
Chapter 27:
Achaicious drew the eyes of all the Ventori in the Ark, but so did Zia as she held one hand on his arm. He was acting much too smug, and it worried her. Shouldn’t he be more concerned with his punishment? Yes, he was only going down for selling spells to STRAYs, but he nodded at people as a greeting, and he was smiling. Zia didn’t think he should be allowed to smile.