COME, THE DARK: (Forever Girl Series Book Two)

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “So you really were coming after me?” I ask.

  “We need you to fight this war with us.” His tone is distant.

  “Is that all?” I ask quietly.

  William turns to me slowly, and everything I feared I would see in his eyes is there: regret most of all. “That is all you are meant for here.”

  He’s right. And I knew this, planned this.

  I look at the dress he’s handed me. It’s one of Tess’, made of velvet, with long bell sleeves. I’ll have to keep my fingerless gloves to hide the birthmark on my wrist.

  It strikes me that I don’t need to hide my birthmark here as I had needed to in Salem, but I’ve revealed enough of myself. I’ve made myself more vulnerable than I ever should have allowed. I am better off not sharing anything about myself anymore.

  I take off my dress and go to crumple it up, but feel something round and hard. I check the pockets. Deep in one of them is the necklace William gave me with the large, round, wooden chip and engraved tree. I bite my lip, staring down at it. I know he cares, in his own way. I slip the necklace around my neck and quickly get changed.

  “Tess was supposed to stop you,” I say slowly. “Wasn’t she?”

  “She may have tried,” he says, shuffling quickly through the cabin to throw some last minute items in his pouch. “I haven’t seen her. The borders are locked up. I couldn’t get through. I was on my way back to get her, to bring her to help.”

  I scoff. “She wouldn’t have.”

  He shakes his head. “You don’t know that.”

  “Right,” I say. “Well, I don’t really know much of anything.”

  His focus slides down, centers on the necklace he gave me. Then he lifts his gaze back to my eyes, and his expression grows serious. Steady. “I wouldn’t have taken no for an answer.”

  “You know better, William. Neither you nor Tess can risk yourselves.”

  William busies himself preparing his own traveling pack. “All we ever do is risk ourselves, Cord. I wasn’t going to fail you, the way I’ve failed others.”

  “You said our lives are too important to make sacrifices. That we have to stay focused on what we are meant to do.”

  “I can’t be a coward in my efforts to be a hero,” he says. “Perhaps I am meant to sacrifice myself this time. You’ve shown me what it truly means to fight for what we believe in. And I believe in...I . . .”

  Say it. Say you believe in us.

  I narrow my eyes, lips pressed together, wondering if he can be as brave with his feelings for me as he is with risking his life.

  William shakes his head. “Nothing I have done has hurt our goals. We need you to help us fight this war.”

  “That’s not what you were going to say!”

  “Damn it, Cord! What do you want from me?”

  “The truth.”

  “You didn’t like the truth so much the last time you asked for it.”

  I tilt my chin up, though really I feel like storming out of this place.

  “I know you’re after some fairytale,” he says. “You think I can love you the way you need me to? Well, I can’t. I can never love anyone the way they deserve. Not so long as I am a slave to my nature.”

  “But you aren’t a slave to your nature. That was decades ago, and I’m not your father.”

  “Jesus Christ, Cordovae, you aren’t my shrink, either.”

  Shrink. I press my lips together. He’s travelled to other times before, outside of this one. Could he travel with me to mine?

  “You keep making this about me,” I say. “But it’s not. You’re afraid.”

  “You should be, too,” he mumbles. “Now drop it.”

  Why won’t he just admit he cares about me? He must, to have taken these risks and to have made these mistakes. I can’t be imagining it. We may have no future together, but I want to see it hurt him as much as it hurts me. I can never truly embrace how I feel about him until I’ve seen him just as torn, and at the same time, that is what tears me up inside as it is.

  Why do I care? Is it possible my emotions for him could compromise me returning to Anna? I can’t forget what is really important here. The lives that could be lost if he chooses me over his duty, or the repercussions if I let my feelings for him get in the way of my own goals.

  There’s nothing good to be gained. And yet, being with him...it’s healing. It heals me in all the ways the earth cannot. William and I are not meant to be, but my feelings for him keep spiraling like a rogue leaf caught on the wind. I can’t control what’s happening, and I’m terrified of what happens when I hit the ground.

  Do I love him? Is this why they call it falling in love?

  And, most importantly, what happens to the fallen?

  I don’t want to know. I need to escape before I find out.

  “Clearly I don’t know enough to be any help here,” I say, spreading my hands.

  William frowns. “You knew enough to save yourself.”

  “Only with help.”

  “Help?” His eyebrows dig deeper over his eyes, and he steps closer. “What do you mean? Who helped you, Cord?”

  I scowl, holding my ground. “Some woman I met. If it weren’t for her—”

  “What if she followed you, Cord? Did you think about that? That maybe she helped you live so she could follow you here?”

  “Yes,” I hiss. “I did think of that. She didn’t follow me, all right? And this location of yours obviously wasn’t as secure as you thought. I won’t let you blame that on me.”

  William exhales slowly, his expression softening, tension leaving his shoulders and his posture relaxing. “I apologize. Try to understand that it’s not only myself I’m worried about here.”

  I want to ask him who else he worries about. Me? Would he admit it if he did? Would it even matter?

  I grab up a pouch of supplies and pull aside the flap of our tent, staring out into the eerily still mountainside forest. “It’ll be getting light again soon,” I say. “We better go.”

  March 1692

  We travel in silence. Trudge through darkness. I thought the dandelion field I crossed earlier would have been the best location...until we reach our destination. The ground outside the small, tucked-away cabin is completely blanketed in sweet yellow blooms. It’s as though winter hasn’t touched this place at all. The air is pungent and the floral aroma stings my nose. It almost feels wrong to walk on the land here, each step crushing dozens of innocent flowers.

  When we arrive at the cabin, I see Tess through the window, her long, brunette braid tumbling down her back. She’s standing by the fire with a man, her petite fingers wrapped around his dark hand and her head leaning against his shoulder. Adrian. When we open the door, letting in a gust of cold air, her gothic dress flutters over her boots. Tess snaps her hand from Adrian and hurries to the kitchen, where she busies herself with a bowl of fresh herbs.

  William places his hand at the small of my back and sweeps his arm toward Tess’ fellow. “You remember Adrian. Adrian, Cord.”

  The man turns toward me. His large hands clasp behind his back, and he lifts his chin. “Pleasure to see you again, Cordovae.”

  I smile, trying to disguise my discomfort. I would prefer some time alone with Tess and William. “Are you and Tess—”

  “Friends?” he asks, the thin braids of his cocoa brown hair quivering in some undeterminable emotion. “For a long time now, we have been allies through this tragic division of our species.”

  Friends. Right. I can’t shake the bad feeling I get about this guy. Seeing a Cruor right now is the last thing I want, ally or not. I feel oddly protective over Tess as well.

  I step further into the cabin and set down my pouch. “So you’ll be here—”

  “Fighting along your side ‘til the end,” he says. His lips curl into what I imagine is meant to be a smile. “Though my presence is entirely welcomed here by at least some, I assure you.”

  I glance back to William, and he nods.

  “W
ell, if you don’t mind—”

  “You wish to speak with Tess and William in private?”

  I press my lips together, attempting to hold my tongue. It doesn’t do much good. “Yes. Although, you could let me finish—”

  “And yet it saves much valuable time to cut to the chase.” He takes a small bow, his chocolately eyes never leaving my own as he takes leave from the cabin.

  I spin toward William, and he looks at me, warmth coming from behind his thick lashes. “I’m not entirely fond of him, either,” he says, “but we need him.”

  “Isn’t he affected by the dandelion here?” I ask.

  William frowns. “It is not entirely impossible for a Cruor with the right connections to have some tolerance for it. We have given him some help, though I imagine he’s still not comfortable.”

  That makes two of us.

  Tess bustles into the room, and I drop the conversation. Whoever that man is, he is clearly the ‘someone’ William once told me Tess keeps company with. As it is, we have more pressing matters to discuss.

  Now that we are all together, I notice none of us are wearing our chime necklaces. Me, because I’d left mine behind before heading back into the town. I imagine they have theirs put away because, for now, we don’t want to attract any Morts.

  Tess hands us each a steaming cup of steeped herbs. “I returned here when I couldn’t find William.”

  He wasn’t far.

  “No matter,” I say. “I found him. But I don’t think we are really safe to stay here much longer.”

  Tess’ pear-green eyes settle on mine, and I see something there I’ve never seen before; I’m not sure if she’s happy to see me or if seeing me has just renewed her hope. “Glad to see you safe.”

  I feel the shift in dynamic between us, or perhaps there’s only been a change in myself. “I’m still not sure how I survived long enough to make it this far,” I say. “The Cruor had several opportunities to kill me before my escape.”

  William sets aside his cup and sits on a nearby crate. “They probably wanted to do worse than kill you.”

  “Just me then?” I ask. “There was another woman—a Strigoi—who got away, too. They killed her unborn child by making her shift, but left her alive.”

  “You’ll only drive yourself mad trying to understand them,” Tess says. “They don’t like the way Strigoi taste, and they don’t often kill unless they must—either to feed or to protect themselves. They get more enjoyment out of making people suffer. But you got away, that’s what matters.”

  “Is it?” I sigh heavily. “Two other women have been accused.”

  “Sarah Good and Tituba?” Tess asks. “They’re arrested now. And Sarah Osborne, too.”

  “You know them?” I ask, incredulous.

  Tess shakes her head. “We received word. Did you know them?”

  “No...but...”

  “But what?” Tess asks. “Now they are too busy with them to worry about you.”

  I open my mouth to defend how unjust that is, but something tells me Tess already knows. There aren’t many who care about justice as much as she.

  William runs the blade of his knife against a stone, sharpening it. “You never told me how you got caught in the first place. Didn’t heed our warnings would be my guess.”

  I narrow my eyes. “I did what I had to do. I though you of all people would understand.”

  He shrugs. I drink the rest of the herbal mixture. It’s gone cold.

  Tess takes the cup from my hand and sets it next to Williams, then takes my fingers in hers and leads me over to the fire. “What happened between you two?”

  I stare over at him, trying to ignore the anger and attraction and heartache.

  “Nothing,” I mumble.

  Tess squats beside me, one hand on my knee and the other resting on my shoulder. “Don’t mind him anyway. We all have our days.”

  I make an effort to relax my neck and shoulders. “Right. Well, I suppose we just don’t always see eye to eye.”

  “No one does,” she says. She’s so close I can smell the lemon and lavender on the soft golden glow of her skin. “I have not been so easy on you, either, but I hope you can understand why. This really isn’t the time to train new Ankou.”

  “I can handle myself, if only you two would tell me what to expect.” My tone is harsher than I intend.

  Tess pulls back. “I think we did a fair job preparing you. It’s a lot to take in.”

  “You did not tell me the monster I would become.”

  “Monster?”

  I scowl at her, then point to my mouth. “When I tried to save my friend, I ended up biting her. Like the Cruor, but worse. It worked, but my teeth got me caught.”

  “Your teeth?” Tess asks, her eyebrows rising. “Did they all turn to sharp points?”

  “What else?” I ask.

  Her whole face lights up. “How rare! I never would have thought to prepare you for that. But it doesn’t make you a monster. This is...it’s...wonderful!” She squeezes my leg and turns toward William. “Did you know she’s a Ferrum?”

  I close my eyes briefly. William makes some snorting sound. “Of course,” he says sarcastically. “She would be, wouldn’t she?”

  He sounds bitter about it.

  “I thought you would appreciate that,” Tess said. “Wasn’t your—”

  “Tess,” he says sharply, and she stops.

  “I just thought it might come in handy is all.”

  William scowls. “If she knew how to control it, maybe.”

  Tess settles beside me. “He’s just grumpy because...well, you know how he can get.”

  “What’s a Ferra?” I ask.

  “Ferrum. Really not so different from the Ankou,” she says. “They’re just more evolved. They can save a human that has already been possessed without the risks.”

  “I’ve done it without my teeth, too.”

  Tess shakes her head. “To a willing Mort?”

  I nod.

  Tess nods, too. “That’s different. We can all do that.”

  “I’ve also used compulsion magic to get them to possess on my order.”

  “Very good! Did you learn that while imprisoned? Just keep in mind that helps only with possession. You can’t use compulsion magic to undo the possession—that’s where Ankou nature comes from.”

  “Oh?” I’m trying to absorb these new details that will dictate not only my life, but the lives of many.

  “The Ferrum have a unique purpose, too,” Tess continues. “You can get the Mort out of a human, against the Mort’s will. Your bite will poison’s the host body with a substance that only affects Morts. They won’t stay in the host body after that. You can end the possession without risk of killing the body!”

  “Can we use that for anything other than getting ourselves caught?” I ask.

  Tess’ grin brightens even more. She’s...excitable. “So, did you learn anything else while locked away?”

  “I think there was a spirit elemental there, but they took her away.”

  “There are no spirit elementals yet,” Tess assures me, but after I explain the events, she purses her lips together and stares at the fire for a long time. “She would have to die first, before her time, to become one.”

  “How so?” I ask.

  “It hasn’t been proven, but there is a rumor that some Chibold claim the Universe said Forever Girls will be those reborn by our magic.”

  “Then it might not be long,” I say solemnly. “I couldn’t save her. The cell was encased in iron; I couldn’t travel or use most of my abilities for that matter. Once I escaped, I saw a woman weeping over her body during our escape, and I moved her.”

  “You what?” Tess’ smile turns to glowering. “Now is not the time to be traveling, Cord!”

  “I had to!” I ball my fists at my side. “It’s done now, and it was the right thing to do.”

  “I hope you’re right.” She shakes her head. “You still haven’t told us how you
escaped.”

  “The compulsion magic. I was able to control one of the Morts long enough to escape.”

  “Thank goodness,” she says.

  “This is bigger than I thought.” When Tess doesn’t respond, I add, “The Cruor are killing humans that are awaiting trial at the settlement.”

  Tess’ shoulders sag, and she walks to the cabin window, looking out toward where Adrian sits in the lingering darkness, his back against one of the trees that obscure our location. She’s distressed—the way she tugs her earlobe gives her away.

  “We’re aware,” she says. “You aren’t the only one who has been controlling the Morts. There are others...with the Maltorim.”

  “Others?”

  Tess still doesn’t look at me. “They are controlling the evilest of the Morts, using them to possess some of the humans in order to lure others. But that’s not all.”

  “Hmmm?”

  I think she must not hear me, because moments pass without a response.

  “What’s not all, Tess?”

  “Cord—” Her voice cracks. Slowly her gaze sweeps toward me, haunted. For the first time, I think I’m seeing Tess afraid.

  “Please, just tell me.”

  She takes a long shuddering sigh. “The Maltorim are using a form of...necromancy. They’re not just making the Morts possess the living, Cord. They’re also making them possess the dead.”

  March 1692

  I rock back on my feet. The Maltorim are using necromancy to compel the Morts to possess the dead? “How, Tess? Is that even possible? The Maltorim can’t do that! I thought they were mostly Cruor? Is it anything like what I did in the cell? The compulsion magic, maybe?”

  She twists her lips. “No, it can’t be that. Possessing the dead is very different from a spirit sharing a body with a living host. If they are performing this kind of magic, they must have help from an Ankou. That’s the only explanation. Cruor simply were never designed to perform such magic.”

  “Why would the Ankou help the Maltorim do that? It goes completely against our calling!”

  Tess scoffs. “Can’t you see, Cord? What is it humans say when they make mistakes? ‘I’m only human.’” She says this mockingly. “Well, if that’s true, we’re all only human.”