by Sienna Skyy
Bruce heard keening from beyond, off in the far distance. It was a sound like the coyote’s call in the Texas desert. The canteshrike turned from him and stepped toward the ledge.
“At least tell me where the four pillars are,” Bruce pleaded.
The canteshrike didn’t even pause. Her back still toward him, she shook her head and waved at the pillars where they stood. She raised her wings, hands lifted behind her like a swimmer preparing to tumble from the diving board.
“Wait!” Bruce said desperately. “It can’t be impossible! Enervata must have some kind of weakness.”
She turned and regarded him over her shoulder, shimmering hair flying in the wind. “Your lover exposes something else. His greatest enemy is himself.”
She arched her back and let herself fall down toward the violent waves. Bruce gasped and staggered back from sudden jarring vertigo as he watched her. The canteshrike swerved upward, shooting into the sky and back above the cliff.
And then she was gone.
30
TEXAS
JAMIE SAT WITH HER HANDS FOLDED under the clasp of soft, elderly fingers, and the small hospital chapel wrapped them with the glow of natural wood and colored glass.
The Auxilium still wore the bright lavender nurse’s uniform as she spoke. “Our Bruce has delved deep during this journey. The power he used against the fortune-teller came from within himself. Two weeks ago, that kind of battle would have killed him, as it would have killed anybody. But he’s grown so much and gained tremendous inner strength. It’s what he needed to do to prepare. Gloria has also prepared in a different way. She’s touched the darkest hearts with rays of light. So far, she’s managed to resist them. So far.”
Jamie bent her head to the Auxilium’s hands. “We have to get to her soon. But I had no idea we were even on the right track. I’ve tried so hard to reach you. We couldn’t tell where to go or what to look for.”
The Auxilium’s fingers smoothed Jamie’s hair. “We’ve been up against tremendous forces of evil. Much of what we sent to you was lost, though it looks like what trickled through was enough. You picked up the right people along the way.”
“But we haven’t found anything.”
“You found Charles and Shannon, and Bedelia and Emily.”
Jamie ran her thumb along the satin wood of the pew. “Yes, and I’m grateful to have them. But we still don’t know where to look for the Four Pillars of Humanity.”
The Auxilium smiled, and those kindly eyes sieved the anxiety from Jamie’s heart. She placed a hand under Jamie’s chin. “You do know where to look.”
“We do?”
“Yes. And that’s an important thing, because your greatest challenges still lie before you. I wish there was a way to make it easier and keep you safe. But you’ll have to face the worst possible dangers. The pillars are the difference.”
Jamie straightened, head raised. “We’ll do whatever we have to do. We all know what’s at stake.”
The Auxilium smiled softly. “We will help you in any way we can, but the future’s in your hands now.”
A look of deep concern and love formed on the Auxilium’s lips and it transferred renewed strength to Jamie’s heart. “You’d better get back to Bruce. But don’t wake him. He’ll be very drained. Let him come around on his own. He needs his strength.”
“Okay,” Jamie said. She kissed the woman’s cheek, tears dotting her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you for coming.”
The Auxilium touched her face, but then her gaze wandered and her eyes took on a shroud of worry. “Go watch over Bruce now. As you always have.”
Jamie gave the Auxilium’s hands one last squeeze and then left the warm wood of the chapel to go to the white hospital room.
Bruce lay in his bed, a pinch to his brow. Jamie watched him struggle through phases of a troubled sleep. It seemed as though something were wrong, though, something beyond a bad dream or restlessness. Bruce’s breath turned ragged, and his lips parted.
Should she wake him? The Auxilium had told her not to. But then Bruce’s breathing quieted again, and his breathing changed.
“I’ve been watching him.”
Jamie nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned and saw Emily emerge from a closet door in the cabinetry.
“My God, Emily, how’d you get here?”
Emily shrugged, braids grazing her thin shoulders and her olive green cap pulled over her head. She looked like a yearling gazelle, her legs impossibly long and thin for her little body, her posture awkward and bright with energy though her eyes seemed frightened.
“He said something about candy stripes.”
Jamie regarded Bruce. “I heard him say that, too. Maybe he saw you and thought that you were a candy striper.”
Emily shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. Do you think?” Her eyes darted away. “Do you think he’ll be . . .”
The words disappeared and Jamie saw tears filling Emily’s eyes. She reached a hand out and reeled Emily in, locking her tight under her arms. “Bruce is going to be fine. He just needs to rest.”
Emily nodded and sniffled, arms limp around Jamie’s neck, tears streaming silently.
Bruce opened his eyes and saw Emily sitting nearby with her head resting on Jamie’s shoulder. He smiled. “Hey, Tink.”
Emily and Jamie jumped. Bruce struggled to a sitting position, scratching a chin that had grown shaggy from not shaving.
Emily threw her arms around his neck, which caused him to chuff out a blast of air. The kid had a heck of a grip. Bruce’s hand came up and circled around Emily, rubbing her thin shoulder.
Emily pulled back. “Where does it hurt? Who’s the president? How many fingers am I holding up?
Bruce laughed. “Nowhere that can’t be fixed, no one that can’t be replaced, and three.”
Emily kissed him on the cheek and turned to beam at Jamie. “He’s good. I’ll go get the others.”
She bounded out of the room.
Jamie grabbed Bruce’s hands as the tears burst from her. “Oh my God, Bruce, I was getting worried. Something about the way you were sleeping . . .”
He squeezed her hands. “Tell you all about it later, Tink. I’m just so glad to see you sitting there. Your heart is keeping all of us afloat.”
She was sobbing now. “The Auxilium came to me and told me that we’re close to finding the pillars. We’re about to face the most dangerous part, but we’re going to get Gloria back.”
Bruce held her tightly. “I know, Tink, I know.”
“See, he’s awake!” Emily said, bounding in with Forte and Shannon.
Jamie reached for a tissue. “Where’s Bedelia?”
“She went for a walk,” Shannon said, seating herself on the edge of Bruce’s bed. “Man, it’s good to see you awake. You sure gave us a scare. When we all woke up, we couldn’t figure out what happened. We figured that Ichabod was no good when we saw all the kitty litter dusting over everything”
Forte clapped a hand on Bruce’s shoulder and sat next to Shannon. “The quest wouldn’t have been the same without you, man.”
Jamie still held Bruce’s hand. Emily tucked herself in under Jamie’s shoulder and looped an arm around her waist.
Emily grinned. “Look! We’re all in, like, a chain.”
“Well, Em, let’s close the chain then,” Shannon said as she reached across Bruce for Emily’s hand.
Emily’s fingers curled around Shannon’s and suddenly Bruce felt as though he’d been shot out of a cannon. He felt a surge, like an intense electrical charge. It let up a little and then rose again. With each wave, the room seemed to alternate between light and dim.
Bruce heard Emily gasp. Jamie’s fingers tightened in his hand.
And then Bruce saw something emerge from the waves of darkness. At first, all he saw were shapes, but then the shapes became faces.
A fat, red-headed man that grinned and turned into a monstrous, scaly thing.
Hordes of winged creatures, some of them hairy, some of them
beautiful, all of them evil.
Shannon screamed. Forte’s grip tightened on Bruce’s shoulder, and in the waves of light that passed, Bruce saw the others clinging tightly as well, eyes wide. Then another wave of darkness came.
A single face replaced the hordes. It had leathery skin and wiry hair down its spine that ended in a greasy tail. It peered from the balcony of a Manhattan penthouse. When he looked down onto the street, Bruce could see a curved driveway. How many apartment buildings in Manhattan had a driveway of any kind?
Suddenly the vision switched perspective again. He glared into the face of the leathery demon. Stared it down. Refused to relinquish his gaze. Until the demon roared, the world went dark, and Bruce felt himself spiraling through space.
For several long seconds, there was nothing but darkness. And then Bruce heard the sound of water lapping against a shore. He found himself back at the California beachfront where he’d encountered the canteshrike. However, where Enervata’s lieutenant once stood with him on the pillars overlooking the ocean now stood Jamie. And Forte. And Shannon. And Emily. They stood tall and utterly unbowed.
“Man, I look good,” Shannon said with a nervous chuckle. “Can I get an 11 x 14 of this picture?” Her voice didn’t come from the vision. It came from the hospital room.
The waves subsided and the room once again seemed ordinary. Shannon had a smile on her face but, like the others, she stared at him with round eyes.
“Whoa,” Forte said, “I haven’t experienced anything like that since I gave up, you know, artificial inspiration.”
“They’re you guys,” Bruce said softly.
They looked at him, confused.
Bruce pulled himself higher in his bed. He tipped his head toward each of his compatriots in turn. “One, two, three, four. You’re the four pillars.”
They looked at each other, stunned.
“Um, sorry, could you say that in human?” Shannon said.
“I should have figured this out earlier. It was you who helped me take down Ichabod. Each of you generated strength inside me. Different kinds. The kinds that you’re full of. The four pillars are what you carry inside of you.”
Shannon offered a wry smile. “Really? You mean the four pillars of humanity are bad hair, a weak stomach, flatulence, and grimy fingernails?”
Forte leaned his head onto Shannon’s. “Babe, the flatulence thing was supposed to be our secret, remember?”
Bruce patted Forte on the shoulder and the guitarist threw him an embarrassed gaze.
“I’m guessing that the four pillars are art,” Bruce said, still looking at Forte. He turned to Shannon. “Humor.” He smiled at Emily. “Compassion.” He reached out and squeezed Jamie’s hand. “And unconditional love.”
“That’s why that movie happened when we made our chain,” Emily said.
“That movie has some scary parts,” Forte said. “Do you think we could fast-forward past those?”
Bruce began to struggle from his bed. “I wish we could, but I’m afraid not. We have to get going now. Did you guys see that New York penthouse? Did you notice the driveway? I’ll bet there are no more than a handful of apartment buildings in the city with that driveway. We can probably figure out where Enervata lives by looking online. Where are my pants?”
“Hold on,” Jamie said, putting a hand to his arm. “You’re not recovered yet.”
“He looks pretty good to me. Welcome back, stranger.” Bedelia strode into the room and the others got up to give her access to Bruce.
She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. When she backed away, she smiled at him. But there was more than a hint of sadness in her eyes. Bruce wasn’t sure what had just happened. All he knew was that he wanted to hug Bedelia again.
“Hey, let’s do the chain thing with Bedelia and see if we get the crazy movie again,” Emily said brightly.
Bedelia wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulder. “That’s okay, honey, you can just tell me about the movie. I think we were looking for Bruce’s pants.”
“Got ’em,” Jamie said, handing them to Bruce. Bruce put them on absently while he continued to watch Emily and Bedelia. The girl wrapped her arms around Bedelia’s waist and said, “Love you, Bea.”
“Love you, too,” Bedelia said, kissing the top of the girl’s head. Bedelia caught Bruce’s gaze and saw the heaviness in her eyes. He wanted to ask her what was going on, but before he could say anything, Bedelia said, “Don’t we need to get moving?”
Everyone darted around the hospital room, gathering Bruce’s things. Bruce yanked the IV from his wrist, setting off a hospital alarm.
“That’ll expedite the checkout process,” Bedelia said. She looked at Bruce again and winked. “It’s time to get out of here.”
Bruce’s stomach coursed with a rush that spread all the way to his fingertips. Yes, it was time to get out of here and get back to New York. He not only knew where to find Gloria, but he had the weapons he needed to face the Macul.
And he was so very, very ready.
31
NEW YORK
“THE COMPANY KNOWS WHAT THEY HAVE. The van now takes a northeastern path.”
Enervata frowned, looking toward Hedon and then back to Isolde. “I thought they were going to California. What happened to the fortune-teller?”
“The young man Bruce had guessed his plans. He killed him with his own two hands.”
“Bruce killed him? He has managed to gather enough power to overcome one of our agents?”
Hedon shook his head. “Hard to understand the whole thing, isn’t it? Something that gives power to the realm of light might be the same thing that weakens the darkness, and vice versa.”
“You can corroborate what Isolde reports then, Hedon?”
“Aye. Inasmuch as one of my scouts did see the van back on the highway. They seem to be coming this way.”
Enervata simmered. “Listen carefully. I want them dead. All of them except Bruce.”
ARKANSAS
The no-nonsense highway motel squatted like a layered torte along the road, a blue swimming pool reflecting the stark blue sky. Shannon felt so tired she wanted to crawl from the parking lot to the hotel room. They’d been forced to stop because no one was left with enough gray matter to drive the van. Other than Emily, of course, who seemed lively but whose legs lacked the ability to reach the gas pedal.
“Wanna go for a skinny-dip?” Charles said, wiggling his brows as he swung their bags over his shoulder.
Shannon laughed, looking toward the far end of the property where the pool was. “Sure! And considering the pool’s fishbowl-public in broad daylight, we’ll get thrown in jail. The clink’s a great way to get out of those pesky quester duties.”
Charles gave her one of his ridiculous grins. “I’d cool off in the clink with you any day, babe.”
The others had already dispersed to their rooms. One of the doors opened and Emily emerged, heading toward the pool. She skipped around it, giving it careful inspection. Shannon watched her lay what looked like a fat hackberry leaf on the water’s surface. Even from the opposite side of the complex, they could hear the little girl chortle to herself.
“Anchors aweigh!”
Shannon shook her head. “Poor Emily. How long do you suppose it’s been since she’s had a chance to just go swimming?”
“I wish we weren’t so beat. I’d take you both swimming and show Em how to do motorboat songs à la Springsteen. You put your mouth right at the surface of the water and blow bubbles while you sing ‘Born to Run.’”
Shannon snorted. “Why Springsteen?”
“Cuz he’s the boss!”
She almost asked him why “Born to Run” as opposed to “Born in the USA,” or any other Springsteen song for that matter, but she wasn’t likely to sift through the Charlie-logic with her brain all fogged out from lack of sleep.
Shannon scanned the greenbelt. Beyond the Interstate exit where the hotel sat, plush green hills bounded into the horizon. She
sniffed the scent of woodland from the warm, wet air.
Charles followed her gaze as they strode the sidewalk toward their room. “Nice here, ain’t it, babe? It said this place is called Hot Springs. A place with that kind of name has to have somewhere around where we could go skinny-dipping.”
“Yeah, yeah, sounds fab. Except for the part about me having only enough energy to stagger into the shower and stumble to the bed.”
Charles nodded at her, his face bright but his eyes red. “Yeah, me too. It’s fun to think about, though.”
Shannon slid the card into the door lock and they slipped inside.
“First thing’s first. Gotta take out the old axe.” Charles swung his guitar case onto the bed. “You want out, puppy?”
He freed the guitar from its shell and leaned it against the wall between the window and door while the duffels of clothes still hung from his shoulder.
“There. Puppy’s safe.”
Shannon left Charles to revel in his tender moment while she readied herself for the shower. Off with the shirt; threw it on the bed. Skirt unbuttoned without even bothering to slide it off her hips. She let it fall off on its own as she marched toward the bathroom, and when it made its way to her ankles she stepped out of it without even breaking stride. Off with the underclothes. She turned on the bathwater, adjusted the temperature, and then switched it to the showerhead.
Then, and only then, did she take off her sandals and earrings. In she went.
And the shower felt so good! The shower curtain billowed inward from the air currents. She swatted it away and scrubbed off the road, the hospital, the insane worry—lathered it all up and sloughed it right off her skin, watching it swirl merrily down the drain.
She wondered what was waiting for them tomorrow, thinking of the terrifying visions they’d seen together. And then she pushed it all aside. Right now, she only wanted to wrap herself in the moment. If she was to face it all tomorrow, she needed her relaxation today. And this shower, humble though it was, offered respite.
“What’s going on in there?” she heard Charlie say from the other side of the curtain. And then his face popped in, grinning at her.