by Lee French
Mouth curling into a feral snarl, Kurt yanked on the thing he held. His arm and shoulder muscles bulged. Whatever he pulled out, it struggled to remain.
Something inside Drew ripped. He had no words to describe the pain wracking his entire body. Nothing had ever hurt this much, not even the car accident that took his parents and gave him broken bones, or his recovery from it. He opened his mouth. A breathy, whispered screech fell out.
With a heaving wrench, Kurt pulled more of the silver out. An arm wearing a plaid flannel appeared. Drew understood. He thought about everything Kay had done that he didn’t like and wondered if he ought to let Kurt take it. Kay had dominated him, shoved him in a corner, tried to make him kill Claire, and thrown him into a world he had no understanding of or preparation for. Kay’s presence had changed his life.
His new witch powers, though, gave him a responsibility. He could fight ghosts and creatures twisted by magic. Did all witches turn out good? Probably not. Case in point—Iulia. Someone needed to stand up to them, and he’d be drawn into any fight if Claire joined it. With Kay on his side, he stood a better chance of survival.
Getting Kay had happened against his wishes. But after only a few days of being possessed, despite how much he hated that it had happened, he already relied on Kay. He already needed Kay. He already wanted Kay’s help.
Without Kay, he couldn’t have helped with the attack on the Palace. If Justin had survived, he would’ve had to bring Claire’s body to him, and Drew would’ve had to react in front of the man he still didn’t forgive. Except he needed to. Claire was right, but more importantly, Drew knew better.
“Kay is mine,” Drew growled. Every word rasped. He had no strength left in his body, so he spat in Kurt’s face. The gob of spittle hit Kurt’s cheek, making him flinch. In that moment of distraction, Kay’s arm retreated an inch back inside Drew’s body. “Go to hell. You’re not real.”
Then he jumped because Enion’s claw slammed through Kurt’s chest. The dragon tossed Kurt aside.
Drew gave Enion a weak smile. “Thanks.”
Enion twitched his nose. He put both foreclaws on the sword and jerked it out of Drew’s body. Drew fell to the floor.
Kay groaned inside his head. “Let’s not do that again.”
“Yeah.”
At a clash of metal on metal, Drew and Enion both turned to see Claire facing off against her father’s Phasm. Drew wanted to help, but lifting his arm took too much effort and made him ache everywhere. Enion dashed off without him.
“Thanks,” Kay said.
“For what?”
“Deciding not to let him win. I get it. You might have survived. You picked the team over that chance.”
Drew grinned. “Team. We’re a team.” He breathed deeply as the pain receded. To the side, Claire and Enion danced with the Phasm. Even though Enion’s breath didn’t affect ghosts, fire singed it. Like the other fake Knights, distraction took the Phasm’s edge away and Claire slashed it in half.
“Drew, are you okay? The way is clear! We need to move on before it comes up with something else?” Slashes in her clothes healed over as she stood at the threshold of victory. She was a warrior goddess, a queen and champion rolled into one.
“You’re getting ridiculous. She’s a dead girl, not a fantasy pinup princess.”
Using the wall for support, Drew chuckled. “Shut up, Kay.”
“I see how it’s going to be.”
Drew cringed against the last vestiges of his unseen wounds and forced himself to jog to Claire and Enion. “I’m fine. Kurt tried to tear Kay off my soul but he failed, thanks to Enion. I’m about tapped out, though, so I hope there’s nothing else to fight.”
“Never say things like that out loud,” Claire snapped. She shoved the door open.
“I’m with her on that one,” Kay said.
They ran through the door and into the tunnel. Iulia stood at the doorway, holding the locket in the node. Claire charged her, apparently forgetting she’d returned to mist. Drew followed. At the moment when the hilt of Claire’s dagger smacked Iulia’s arm, Drew plowed into her back. Drew and Iulia tumbled to the ground. Claire wrapped her fingers around Iulia’s hand and wrenched the locket away.
“What are you doing?” Iulia shrieked. She wrestled with Drew, throwing knees and elbows at him as they rolled on the ground.
“Stopping you.” Drew grunted as she hit him in the neck and inner thigh. He focused on avoiding her blows. Vaguely, he registered Enion leaping over them to reach Claire, who’d been sucked into the node.
“Fight back, you idiot! Before she remembers to use magic!”
He’d picked up and crushed ants, and he knew how to do it again. But no matter what he thought of Iulia, he couldn’t kill her. Not with a knife, and not with magic. Even though she’d lived more than long enough, and seemed to have no compunctions about killing him, he couldn’t bring himself to harm a fellow human being on purpose. Besides, he had no idea how to fight.
“Claire!”
Kay snorted. “You don’t need Claire, you need to smash Iulia’s face in.”
Iulia kneed him in the privates. He yelped and curled up. Unseen force lifted his body and slammed him against the wall. Lifting his head as Kay healed him, he saw Iulia’s eyes glowing with pure, white light.
She faced him with a snarl. “Foolish boy. Settle down and let me work.”
Not sure how to fight back against the magical assault, Drew focused on breathing and keeping Iulia distracted. In the right moment, Enion or Claire could rescue him. He checked for each and saw Enion standing over Claire in the node, thrumming, wild power flickering around them. Claire’s face showed anguish.
Neither would come to his aid. He prayed for help to whatever would listen. Nothing answered him. He had to do whatever he could on his own. To his last breath, he had to oppose Iulia. Somehow.
“You lied to us,” Drew spat. “You’re just making the Palace all over again, this time with Claire at the center.”
Iulia laughed at him. “You’re such an idiot.”
“I’m uncomfortable about agreeing with her,” Kay murmured.
“Claire won’t be the heart of the new order.” Iulia leaned in, putting her nose-to-nose with Drew. “I will. Claire’s locket, sprite, bloodbound guardian, and soul are everything I needed to make this happen. It all fell into place even better than I could have planned. I never thought Caius would kill her, and I didn’t realize that would help me so much until I saw her soul.
“Thank you, Drew. Because the moment you agreed to become her guardian, you made all of this possible. I’d like to offer you the chance to see how it all turns out, but I’m fairly certain you won’t survive any of it. Share your final moments with Claire. Because you haven’t stopped me, or even hampered me much.”
Kay whimpered.
Iulia twisted her arm and threw him into the node.
Chapter 30
Claire
The moment she touched the locket, fire poured into Claire’s fingers. Burning raced through her hand, up her arm, and to her heart. It seared the symbol on her chest and made it glow. Red-tinted, golden light grew from the swirls and dots. She gasped for breaths she didn’t need to take, needing some way to vent the agony filling her from the inside out.
Enion sat on his haunches, offering her shelter. He grimaced, but Claire could barely see past her own agony to guess why. “Don’t understand,” he mewled.
“I’m burning up,” Claire whispered. As she spoke the words, she realized the horrifying scope of their truth. The locket—and whatever Iulia did to it—was destroying her. She tried to drop the locket. Her fingers refused to obey.
She looked up in time to see Drew flailing through the air, his eyes screwed shut and his mouth open in a silent scream. He hit her and they thumped into Enion together. For a moment, Claire lay helpless, tangled with Drew at Enion’s feet. Then she realized he’d hit her, not flown through her.
“Enion,” she wheezed, �
�drag us out.”
Her dragon shoved the pair forward until they hit an invisible barrier at the doorway. He scraped a claw through the space to no avail.
Iulia stood on the other side with her hands both out, palms open and facing the node. “Tsk. No leaving the node, children.”
Enion slammed a shoulder against the barrier. He roared at it and at Iulia. Drew seemed paralyzed.
They had no options. Nothing and no one would save them. Justin didn’t know where they were, and even if he did, she doubted he could stop Iulia. The same held true for Avery. A flight of dragons might have been useful. Anne might have been able to distract or disrupt Iulia. But they hadn’t brought Anne. They hadn’t even consulted with Anne.
Iulia had won. By lying to them. By telling them what they wanted to hear. By being smarter and more experienced.
Claire touched her dragon’s foreclaw to calm him. “It’s okay, Enion. It’s going to be okay.” She took Drew’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry.”
She looked up at Iulia, determined not to let the woman she’d once rescued and pitied see her defeated. Movement caught Claire’s eye over Iulia’s shoulder. Something silvery ghosted up behind her. Claire figured it had to be part of Iulia’s working, a sign she neared the end.
Until it wrapped around her from behind and Iulia’s eyes widened. She screamed. The mist engulfed her, cutting off the sound. Enion, leaning against the barrier, fell through the doorway. Claire and Drew fell with him. The stupid ghost that had been following Drew around and bore an uncanny resemblance to an angrier, older Justin had saved them.
The ghost snapped both hands out and gripped Claire and Drew’s wrists. Their world flashed white, then they stood in that stupid kitchen again. This time, she had Drew, Kay, and Iulia along with her. She checked for Enion, but he wasn’t there.
White-hot ripples of fire writhed around Drew’s body. Kay’s eyes glowed silver. Iulia struggled with the not-quite-Justin, trying to get her wrist out of his grasp. Claire checked her own hands and found she still held both the locket and her dagger. She could fight a ghost with this dagger.
“I’m not on your side,” Claire growled at Iulia as she rushed the man.
“We’re not dead,” Drew said, sounding surprised by the fact.
“Focus,” Kay snapped. “Me ghost, you Iulia.”
Claire slammed her shoulder into the man’s side, forcing him to stagger a step. He thumped a large fist into her back. She stomped his knee and stabbed him in the stomach. Every time she’d ever stabbed a ghost with her dagger before, it had been destroyed. This one, though, bled silver without dissipating.
“Your dagger isn’t made for this,” Iulia growled. She tried and failed to raise her head.
Kay threw himself at the Not-Justin. Drew raised a hand. Iulia’s head slammed into the kitchen counter. Not-Justin shoved Claire aside. Claire fell against the fridge with a grunt and struggled to stay on her feet. The fridge door swung open and beer bottles fell out. One cracked open and sprayed beer at Claire’s face.
Claire sputtered and shoved herself away from the beer fountain. “What are you talking about, Iulia? This is exactly what it’s made for!”
Kay hung on Not-Justin’s back with his arms wrapped around its neck. Drew swept his arm aside. Iulia flew at the wall and hit with a groan. Not-Justin growled and grabbed Kay’s arms. He wrenched Kay over his head and smashed him into the floor. Claire slashed her dagger at Not-Justin’s back, opening a second wound and spritzing her arm with thick, silver ooze.
Not-Justin sneered. “Boys and women,” he spat. His voice rang deeper than Justin’s, but had the same Portland-area lilt.
“Call off your dog and I’ll answer,” Iulia said.
“Is that what you think I am?” Drew snapped. He released Iulia. From his scowl and gesture, he intended to do something worse.
Iulia raised a hand. Blue and white sparks exploded between them. Where the sparks landed, tiny streaks of black erupted. The two witches faced each other, their faces contorted in effort. Claire shut them out. Those two would keep each other busy. She and Kay had to deal with Not-Justin.
She saw no difference between this ghost and Kurt, other than Kurt had been a Phasm. The distinction meant nothing to her. As far as she knew, ‘Phasm’ was a fancy word for ghost that the Knights used for unknown reasons. Maybe it had some extra meaning, but no one had bothered to explain it to her.
Claire helped Kay to his feet while also ducking a swing by Not-Justin. “How do we defeat it?”
“By killing it a lot.” Kay spun mist into a shield and used it to deflect Not-Justin’s next blow.
In the opening he left, Claire kicked Not-Justin in the groin. He didn’t react like a normal man. Instead, he stumbled a step backward, then rushed them both. All three fell to the ground, with Claire and Kay pinned by Not-Justin’s considerable bulk.
Cringing against the heavy weight forcing out the breath she didn’t need but couldn’t stop sucking in, Claire groaned. “Do something useful,” she managed say between wheezes.
Kay grunted. “You first.”
Not-Justin opened his mouth wide, showing his crooked, yellowed teeth. When it should have stopped, it kept opening into a gaping maw big enough to bite Claire’s head off.
Mist billowed between them while Kay swore. The fog muffled cartoonish chomping noises made by Not-Justin. Claire squirmed. Not-Justin’s body pinned down Claire’s dagger hand. Her other hand, the one stuck to the locket, flailed in empty air. She braced that hand against his side and wriggled until she freed a foot. That gave her no new options.
“Where are we, anyway? Whose kitchen is this?”
“It’s mine,” Not-Justin said with a dark chuckle. “My lousy, good-for-nothing wife made me breakfast, lunch, and dinner here.”
“You sound like a swell fella.” Kay raised his hand to show Claire he also had one free. “A real cake-eater.”
Claire wrinkled her nose. Maybe this man had pulled some aspects of Justin from her memories, like everything else metaphysical seemed to be able to do. “This doesn’t look anything like Justin’s kitchen.”
Not-Justin punched a hand through the mist to wrap his fingers around Claire’s neck. He rose to his knees and wrenched her to the side. Holding her in a vise-like grip, he dragged her close. “Did that ungrateful brat send you?”
The choice of words struck Claire. His grip on her neck made speaking a challenge, but she rasped, “You’re Justin’s father?”
Kay jumped onto his back again. This time, he grabbed Not-Justin’s thick neck with his hands and squeezed.
Not-Justin tried to hold Claire’s neck and get a grip on some part of Kay at the same time. Kay wriggled and squirmed, using mist to block Not-Justin’s hand while keeping his grip tight. Claire raised her dagger and sliced Not-Justin’s arm. He dropped her.
Behind her, Drew growled. Claire whirled to see him and Iulia still pouring power at each other. Sparks flew, lighting every surface on fire. The wallpaper curled as it burned. A plastic tumbler of amber liquid sizzled. Flames danced in a puddle on the cheap, crappy table. While she watched, the fire jumped to the counter.
“I got him,” Kay said, still holding Not-Justin by the neck. Not-Justin’s efforts to dislodge Kay grew weaker.
Claire nodded and weighed her options. She could get the three of them out. The idea of killing Iulia, even to stop her from trying this again, left a bitter taste in Claire’s mouth. Diving in to distract Iulia was out of the question at this point. With every second that passed, the flames grew. Worse, she had no idea what would happen if a spark hit her.
The duel felt like Drew’s fight. He needed to win on his own. But he wouldn’t. The flames wreathing him had dimmed. His time inside the node hadn’t killed him, it just gave him extra power to work with, and that power faded as he poured it at Iulia. Something needed to turn the tide for him.
Claire scanned the room and wound up with her gaze on her dagger. Whatever it could or co
uldn’t do in this weird demesne, it still had a sharp point and Iulia still had a body. Her need to save Drew overrode her disdain for killing. She hurled the dagger at Iulia’s chest.
Claire had so little experience throwing knives that the blade flipped end over end and smashed through the sparks to hit Iulia hilt-first. It still hit. Iulia staggered back a step as the dagger ripped her dress and fell to the floor. The shower of sparks surged toward Iulia and engulfed her.
Drew’s eyes popped wide open and he slashed both hands to the side. “No! I’m sorry!”
Iulia flew to the side with bright, orange flames covering her body and charring her flesh. Screaming in pain, she hit Claire on her way across the room and managed to curl a fist in Claire’s hair. Together, they hit Not-Justin and landed in a heap. The fire spread to Claire, burning her from the outside with the same intensity the node had burned her from the inside.
She saw Kay jump onto the countertop, getting himself clear. Drew watched in horror. His mouth hung open as he hesitated to reach through the flames to rescue her. Claire punched Iulia in the face with the hand holding the locket. Iulia let go. Free of her grasp, Claire threw her body out of the fire.
The kitchen dissolved. Everything went black.
Chapter 31
Drew
Drew fell to the floor of the tunnel with Iulia’s smoking body in her damned white dress. He lurched to his feet, checking for the ghost and Claire.
“Do not turn your back on Iulia!”
Kay’s shout forced him to admit he saw no misty shapes, silvery or colored. He saw no sign of Enion, either. Drew pounced on Iulia with his eyes already burning. He’d lost Claire twice in three days. This time, he knew he’d never get her back. Her soul had burned and it was his fault. As he pinned Iulia’s hands over her head and covered her legs with his own, he stared into Claire’s face on this monstrous, evil woman and wanted to break her neck. No, it wasn’t his fault—it was hers.
Iulia’s eyes fluttered and she groaned. “Not your best idea.” Her voice sounded wrong. She lacked her usual elegant, crisp accent.