by Kristin Cast
Nine
Cal fought the restraints. Her flesh tore with each wild motion. “Off! Off!” she bellowed, unable to fit the word into a sentence.
Darnell flinched as he wrestled with Cal’s thrashing arms. “Calista, calm down and tell me what’s going on. I can’t help you if you continue to fight me.”
Terror knotted itself in her stomach as the realization that she was fighting for control of her body set in.
“Megan, ETA!” Darnell shouted toward the front of the rig.
“Less than two minutes,” the driver called over her shoulder.
Cal opened her mouth to scream for help, but no words left her throat. The battle had ended in defeat. She could no longer form coherent thoughts. Overlapping, fragmented voices took hold of her and unlocked a long buried, primal, animalistic section of her psyche.
You will not win. Mortals never win. We bring your species to its knees. We cannot remember much… yet. But we remember bodies. Perfect piles of bodies. Brought down by our creations. Our—the voices plaguing Cal’s thoughts paused, collectively searching their expanding vocabulary for an appropriate description—infections.
But we are broken. Pieces are missing. She is missing. We need more power, more strength, more energy to transport Her from Her prison. You are not the last, Calista. We will hunt again, and She will not stay caged for long. When we are whole, this realm will once again be enslaved to the Nosoi.
Cal surrendered to the wave of calm as the true Calista Rowland faded into nothing, digested by the infection boiling within her. Her appendages twitched with new life, and an unremitting buzzing coated the inside of her ears. Pain, fear, and joy no longer registered. She was of one emotion: rage.
Ten
Eva inspected the half-dollar-sized burn healing on her palm. “Did you see that?” She looked up at Maiden. “That spark? There’s some really horrible static electricity going on down here.”
“May I?” Maiden motioned toward Eva’s hand.
Eva extended her palm face up. “It happened in the room, too. Right after I woke up, and again in your closet. This time was definitely the worst though. Does that kind of thing happen a lot down here?”
Maiden shook her head and studied Eva’s hand. Concern wrinkled her forehead. She hastily led Eva to the door. “We must find Crone.”
Eva rubbed at her new pink skin. “Wait. Why? You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“Your wound is similar to those you sustained when you entered our realm.” Maiden made an abrupt turn and quickened her pace.
“From all the extra energy that was created,” Eva recited from memory.
“Yes, but this energy does not belong here.”
Eva lengthened her stride to keep up with Maiden. “If it doesn’t belong here, what is it doing zapping the crap out of my hands?”
“That is why we must locate my eldest sister. She is more experienced with such things and will know what to do.”
They again entered the large hall where Mother sat silently reading in the candlelight.
“Where is Crone?” Maiden asked brusquely. “I must locate her immediately.”
“I believe she has gone to the Galazoneri to use its waters to contact the Fates,” Mother said without looking up from her scroll. “Why the haste in finding her?”
“Eva, take Mother’s hand,” Maiden instructed.
Eva let her fingers hover above Mother’s palm. “I’m sorry if this hurts you,” she said, before squeezing her eyes shut and poking Mother with her index finger.
“And how might that cause me pain?” Mother asked.
Eva opened her eyes. “Huh. It’s gone. We don’t have to worry about the whole energy thing. It must have been some kind of coincidence. Three things don’t necessarily make a pattern, you know. And my hands.” She held them both out for Maiden to see. “They’re totally fine.” She clapped them together, and a firework of sparks shot out. Pain dug into her palms and face as orange embers landed on her cheeks. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Eva’s eyes went wide as she flapped her sizzling hands through the air. “What’s happening to me?” she cried.
“Go to Crone. Now!” Mother commanded, pushing Eva to follow in Maiden’s quickening footsteps.
“I touched Alek,” Eva puffed. “Will he be okay?”
“I will check on him. You follow Maiden. Quickly!”
Eva sucked back her tears and ran to catch up with the youngest Fury.
“Hurry,” Maiden shouted down the corridor, before vanishing into the dark hall that housed the Galazoneri.
Eva rushed through the opening, almost colliding with Maiden’s back.
“Crone,” Maiden called out, “I am sorry to have disturbed you, however, we are desperately in need of your advice. The energy—”
“I know, sister. I have felt it.” Crone’s gaze settled on Eva. “The energy you carry does not belong in this realm. Tartarus will not be able to shield itself against its effects much longer.”
“Okay, what does that mean?” Eva asked, fanning her throbbing hands.
“We must return you to the Mortal Realm, and quickly,” Crone said.
“But—but I can’t go back. Not yet. I don’t have anywhere to go.” Frosty white flashes shot spasmodically from Eva’s fingertips.
“You cannot stay. If you do, this energy will destroy you and everything within Tartarus,” Crone explained.
“You help heal people. Isn’t there some other way to stop what’s happening that doesn’t require me to go back home?”
“This is the only way to ensure your safety and the safety of Tartarus,” Maiden added.
“But what about Alek? How will I know when he wakes up? What happens if I need him?” Electricity crackled around her, lifting the hair on Eva’s arms.
“Here.” Maiden parted the top layer of her skirt to reveal a tiny pouch. She dug inside, pulled out a small stone, and dropped it into Eva’s palm. “Take this with you. Keep it safe.”
Eva examined the familiar soft pink crystal. “This is part of Alek’s talisman.”
“It was broken when he arrived,” Crone said.
“Through the middle and into two pieces,” Maiden added.
“It is as if the Gods willed it to be yours,” Crone said, before rushing to the Galazoneri’s rippling turquoise waters.
Currents of heat popped loudly around Eva. “Doesn’t he need it to get back to me?”
“You must take it,” Maiden called over the noise. “An Oracle cannot be separated from her warrior for too long without great consequence. This way, a piece of Alek is always with you.”
“And this.” Crone placed a small vial next to the broken crystal. “It is water from the Galazoneri.”
“Pour it out and place your fingers in the liquid. Think of us, of Tartarus, and it will make contact.” Maiden forced Eva’s fingers closed around the two items.
“You may only use it once. Do not waste the call,” Crone warned. “Now think of someplace within the Mortal Realm where you will be protected, and do not stray from the thought.”
Sparks flew out of Eva’s chest as Maiden and Crone placed their hands over her heart. “Good luck,” they said in unison.
• • •
Alek’s head shot off his pillow, and he gasped for air. His eyes wildly searched the dimly lit room.
You must not resist your warrior, just as she must not resist his heart. Pythia’s ominous laughter wafted through his head.
“Alek!” Mother burst through the doorway. “You are well?”
“Of course.” Alek regained his breath and continued. “Are you?” She smoothed out her dress and rolled her neck from side to side. “You look tense.”
“There was a problem with the Oracle, and I came to make sure you had not been harmed,” Mother explained.
“Eva is here? Is she okay?”
“I am sure she will be fine as soon as she returns to her realm. Tartarus is no place for a living mortal, no matter her gifts. If you
make haste, you might see her before she is sent back.”
Alek threw off the blankets and planted his feet on the floor. “No.” He paused short of standing. “You told me she will be fine, and that’s all that matters. I will see her again when I fight beside her.”
“There is something changed in you.” Mother grinned. “I am pleased to hear you have sorted out your priorities. Your clouded judgment was nearly your undoing.”
“I was protecting her, and I wanted….” He looked down at his bandaged leg and remembered their last moments in the woods. The shadow of her kiss lingered on his lips, and made his heart heavy with longing. “What I wanted does not matter. The fog has lifted. Now I see more clearly who I am and what my purpose is. I’m this realm’s warrior, and nothing will distract me from my goal.”
Eleven
Confusion had James driving the same tight grid for half an hour, blind to his surroundings. “This is so fucked,” he mumbled. “Eva, followed by this crazy stuff with the new case. One more thing, and I swear I’ll lose my shit.”
The streetlight switched from yellow to red, and he punched the gas, ignoring the squealing tires and angry honks from nearby motorists. “There has to be someone who knows what the fuck is going on. I can’t be the only person seeing this kind of stuff.”
He paused at a stop sign and checked the street for oncoming traffic. Draped in ivy, the sign for the Liberty Towers Condominiums had been just another green blur on his recent trips down Cherry Street. However, desperation now provided James with a possible solution to his problems.
He pulled into the visitor’s parking lot and turned off the car. A text from Schilling chimed on his phone. He ignored it on his short walk to the condo’s entrance. After stepping thorough the first set of glass doors, he waited in front of the second for whoever was manning the front desk to buzz him though to the office.
“Sign in, and I’ll give you a badge,” the aging security guard grumbled without looking up.
“I have my own.” James deepened his voice and set his badge on the counter, creasing his forehead like Schilling did anytime he spoke to anyone about anything. “Going up to the twentieth floor.” He pointed at the bank of elevators directly behind him.
The white-haired, big-gutted man lifted his eyebrows, and studied the badge before pushing it toward James with the end of his pen. “Go through the door after you hear it buzz. There’s no need to check out when you leave.” The metal door whirred, and the lock released.
“Appreciate it.” James rushed into the open elevator before he had the chance to change his mind. He pressed the button for the twentieth floor, and felt a sudden surge of doubt when it lit up.
“What are you doing, James?” He brushed a hand through his thick hair and let his calloused fingers massage the tension in his neck. “She’s not going to believe you, even if you can get her to talk. It’s not like your last meeting was very friendly.” The elevator opened, and he stood in the empty box, debating his next move. “What are you going to say? Eva disappeared like some kind of magic trick. Do you happen to know where she was hiding the trap door? Like that’s going to work.” The steel doors crept closed, and James sprang out of the elevator before they shut completely. “Shit.” He sighed. “Here goes rookie mistake number seventy-six.” He walked quickly to the end of the hall and paused in front of the door. His fist lingered in the knocking position for a few moments before he finally worked up the nerve.
“Coming!” Bridget shouted. Her bare feet pummeled the floor in short slaps. “Seriously?” Through the door, Bridget’s high-pitched voice sounded muffled and far away. “What do you want, Detective?”
“I have to ask you a couple questions. I probably shouldn’t be here, but—”
“That’s right you shouldn’t be here,” she interjected. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Not this time, anyway.”
“I know, Miss Falling. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Well, unless you’re looking for style advice on those disgusting khakis you’re so fond of, I suggest you leave before I call my lawyer, who happens to have your boss’s cell number. And, Miss Falling? Seriously? Are we in court?”
James stared into the peephole and let sincerity coat his words. “Bridget, you can trust me. Just let me in.”
“Trust you? Right. So you’re a comedian now? There’s no frickin’ way.”
James stared at the bright blue TARDIS welcome mat as he struggled to think of something to convince Bridget that he came in peace.
“You hear that?” she asked condescendingly. “That’s the sound of me ignoring you and scrolling through my contacts for my lawyer. I’m sure you’re breaking some kind of harassment law.”
“I’m not here to harass you. This is serious. I need your help, and that’s not something I ask for very often,” he said.
“Oh, boohoo,” she mocked. “I found the number. I’m calling.”
“Eva disappeared,” he blurted. “In the woods. She just vanished.”
“Of course she did. You were trying to arrest her for something she didn’t do. If you expected her to hold out her hands and wait for the cuffs, you’re dumber than I thought.”
“No, she disappeared right in front of me. She was there, and then, poof. She was gone. She vanished, like it was all some kind of elaborate trick.”
Bridget cracked open the door and peered out through the narrow space. “What do you mean, some kind of elaborate trick?”
“She was there, and then she wasn’t. She just disappeared into thin air. All that was left was this bright light and weird gold smoke,” he explained.
The receptionist’s voice chimed through Bridget’s phone, and she absentmindedly ended the call before opening the door all the way. “You can come in.” She turned and sauntered away from the door, her blonde ponytail brushing her shoulders as it swayed.
James hesitated in the doorway. “Wait, you believe me?”
“Isn’t that why you came here?” she asked.
“Well, yeah, but….” His words trailed off as he entered the condo and let the door shut behind him.
“But you didn’t think I actually would believe you?” She led him into the dining room. “You should probably sit.”
James pulled out one of the high-backed, zebra-print chairs as he watched Bridget collect two small glasses from the kitchen. “Do you know where she is, or how she pulled off that stunt?”
“Believe me, it wasn’t a stunt. But I don’t think we can really skip to the end like that.” She added a few ice cubes to each glass before returning to the table and setting them down.
“If that’s the end, how much more to the story is there?”
Bridget walked back into the kitchen and disappeared behind the open freezer door. “I have vodka, or—” bottles clinked together as she rifled through the freezer “—lookie there, more vodka. So, you want vodka?”
“I shouldn’t. I drove here, and this is police business. Or, it kind of is.”
She ignored him and uncapped a clear, frosty bottle. “It says on the label that they infuse it with real oranges, so it’s really just juice. Drunken juice.” She tipped the bottle.
“Salud.” She lifted her glass and took a long sip.
“Can we get back to what happened with your friend?” James asked, stifling his impatience.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” She lowered herself into the chair next to his. “All this is still new to me too, so I don’t really know where to start.”
“You said Eva’s disappearance is the end of the story. So, what’s the beginning? The event that set off everything else?”
“Well, I guess it would have to be when I went to visit Eva at the hospital. Before she woke up, everything was normal. Well, as normal as it can be when your friend’s been kidnapped, but at least no one had crazy super powers back then.”
James furrowed his brow. “Now someone has crazy super powers?”
“You’re skipping ahead a
gain.” Bridget wagged her finger.
“Well, if that’s part of your story, it sounds insane. I think this was a mistake.”
“Look guy, you came over here. So zip your lip and fucking relax.” She slid the glass closer to him. “When I get done, you’re definitely going to need that.”
• • •
James downed the clear liquid and sat in silence, nodding like a bobble head.
“You okay?” Bridget asked, refreshing James’s glass. Again. The bottle was now room temperature, but neither of them minded.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he stammered, and continued to nod.
“For shit’s sake.” She smiled coyly and grabbed his collar.
“You know you’re crazy, right?”
She yanked him to her. The sweet smell of oranges tickled his nose as she pressed her soft lips against his. Bridget parted her lips, and he slid his tongue to meet hers. It had been months since he’d let anyone get this close to him. He’d forgotten how good it felt. She pulled back and tilted her head away from his. “You snapped out of it yet?”
A grin crept onto his face. “What happens if I say no?” She pushed against his chest. He let the force knock him back into his chair. “But you do know you’re crazy, right?”
“You’re not the first cop I’ve kissed, and I’m pretty sure there’s not a law against it anyway.” She brought the glass to her lips and sipped slowly. Pink lip gloss left a plump, sparkly shadow on the rim.
“Definitely no law against that kiss. It was—nice.”
“Right back at ya, Detective.” She winked.
“The crazy I was talking about was your story. Different realms, an immortal warrior? It all sounds ridiculous.”
“I can definitely see how it sounds that way, but I’m telling you the truth. That is what you came here for.”