Phantom Eyes

by Scott Tracey

  Lucien and Grace could spot a coup when they saw one. The identical looks of fury and calculation vanished from both of their faces, replaced by determination and understanding.

  “I will bury you here,” Grace snarled. Her voice ripped through my body like an electric shock.

  “Nice girlfriend you’ve got there, Thorpe.” Drew had one hand around Jade, bracing her weight. His return seemed to have struck her a bit harder than everything else she’d just witnessed.

  “Time to go,” I shouted. I threw as many spells up for cover as I could think of.

  And now came the difficult part.

  Grace and Lucien on their own were intimidating. Grace and Lucien with a common enemy? Near on apocalyptic.

  Within seconds, I was battered by so much magic and demonic fury that I could barely see past the haze of darkness obscuring my vision. I felt the others moving behind me, felt them hustling for the portal that would get them out of here. I just had to keep Grace and Lucien distracted long enough for them to get through.

  “Your fate belongs to me!” Grace shouted, and the shiver up my spine reminded me of the contract I’d signed with her. I’d fulfilled my terms. I gave her a sacrifice, a wellspring, and she’d given me power.

  “I’m a minor,” I shouted back, shrugging off the pit in my stomach. “Sue me.”

  Slammed down to my knees before I knew it, the warring forces inside of me were nearly washed away. Still, Grace and Lucien battered at the defenses I’d thrown up, and hammered through every obstacle I’d put in their way. Stop fighting us, the voices whispered. It’s time. You know it is at hand. Your reckoning. Their destruction.

  Come with us. Become what you have always meant to be.

  When they crossed through—one, then two, then a third—I felt it. But there was a dissonance where the fourth should have been.

  The demon and the Widow were almost through. Lucien needed escape, and Grace couldn’t let me leave. With Drew restored, her pass through the lighthouse had been revoked. I was her only escape. If the portal shut, Grace would do as much to keep Lucien from leaving as she would try to escape herself.

  Someone dragged me backwards. No, I wanted to yell. I had to stay. Had to make sure they couldn’t escape again. I just needed a minute to catch my breath!

  But the portal swallowed me up before I could even find my voice.

  It took precious seconds for my head to clear, for the smell of freezing air and headstones to assail my nose. To remind me of the real world.

  “Braden!” Shouting in my ears, shrill and panicked. It worked better than smelling salts, catapulting me back into consciousness. I leapt to my feet. I had to go back before one of them escaped. I had to close the portal from the other side. It was the only way.

  Trey grabbed me around the waist. Riley was there, standing at my side, the one who’d screamed my name. She was still screaming.

  “Listen to me!” She grabbed me by the arm, her hands wiry but hard like steel. I could feel the magic raging on the other side of the portal, growing closer by the moment. “You can lock the door,” Riley insisted. “Just like Grace. From this side. But it has to be balanced.”

  The battle had changed, again, and they were once again at each other’s throats. As needs changed, the nature of the fight kept shifting. Now what would it be? Lucien, trying to escape, and Grace, trying to prevent it?

  “There are two of them,” I said to myself. “I can’t make up for both of them. It won’t balance.”

  Behind Trey, Riley and Jade whispered to each other.

  Grace had bound herself to the lighthouse in order to bind Lucien to the town. But could it work in reverse? Could I bind myself to the town, in order to keep them in the lighthouse?

  “He can’t.” And now it was Jade who was interjecting herself into the debate, wearing the same stubborn look on her face. “Grace is a woman. If you want balance, you need one, too.”

  “No,” I said, sharper than I’d ever spoken to her before, “If they’re bound in the lighthouse, we’re bound in the town. I won’t do that to you.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll go back through. I’ll stop them.”

  “And what if you don’t? What if Lucien escapes? Or Grace? You think she won’t tear this town apart?” Drew jumped in front of me, blocking the path to the portal. “Trap them together for the rest of time and call it a day. That bitch doesn’t get a happy ending. Neither of them do.”

  “My life’s not over if I have to grow old in Belle Dam,” she said, glancing over at Drew and Riley.

  “Ever since I’ve known you, all you’ve talked about is how much you want to leave,” I growled. “New York, Paris, wherever. You don’t care as long as it’s as far from Belle Dam as it can possibly get.”

  “Plans change,” she said. And it wasn’t like she touched her stomach, or did anything at all to indicate it, but I knew what Jade was thinking. I knew having a kid would change things for her.

  “I can’t ask you do to this,” I said, my resolve crumbling.

  “Come on,” she said, linking her hand in mine and pulling me towards the portal. “I’ll let you buy me one of those BFF necklaces afterwards.”

  I’d used a lot of magic tonight. Mere remnants of my own remained. The demonic power swelled inside of me. My chest grew cold. I stepped out of myself and turned around, looking at my physical shell in earnest. I was never really impressed with the way I looked. From the outside in, though, I could see a little of that strength that I’d always seen in Jason and John, the Thorpe tenacity that had gotten me this far. I reached into my chest, my real chest, and pulled out the nest of vipers that had made its home in there. Brilliantly hued and pleasing to the eye, they were gorgeous things, but still full of venom and death.

  I shoved the demonic power, the wellspring power, into the portal, holding it in the space where the two worlds met. Maybe I’d snatched it from Grace’s mind, or maybe it was instinct the way Trey had drawn on magic to protect me.

  My eyes burned, leaking. A final demon slithered from its hiding spot under my ribs, drawn out of me. Sucked into the portal and swallowed whole.

  My essence combined with a fluttering of crystal petals that drifted out of Jade’s body, forming the center of the portal. A keyhole took shape. And as Jade and I bound ourselves into the ball of energy that had once been a demon’s majesty, a lock snapped shut in my head. The portal vanished, my vision blurred, and the next thing I knew, my heart was an alien thing thudding my chest.

  The path to the lighthouse closed. Grace and Lucien were trapped together, just as Jade and I would be trapped together.

  The sun rose over Belle Dam.

  thirty-eight

  “So what happens to them now?”

  Drew stood at the spot where the portal had been. Dawn had come during our absence, and it peeked through the forest to scatter sunlight around like an offering.

  “They’re trapped together,” I said, dusting off my pants. The jacket was ruined, probably the shirt, too. Definitely the pants. Not that I cared about any of that. “Hopefully they spend it torturing each other every day.”

  Riley nodded, her expression pensive. “Let’s hope.”

  I ended up in the grass near the path, sitting cross-legged with my head in my hands. For whatever reason, none of us were in a hurry to leave. We loitered in the cemetery. For my part, I couldn’t quite believe that it was over. Maybe the others stayed because I did. Or maybe they had their own reasons.

  Trey sat down in front of me, mimicking my pose. “Your eyes are green again, you know.”

  That was news to me. I could still feel a coil of energy in my belly. My magic was drained, but it was still there. Maybe not as strong as before, I wouldn’t know that until I’d gotten some rest and tested myself further.

  “No, that’s not right.” The next thing I knew, Jade was crouched right next to me, almost spilling over into my lap. “Look at me,” she commanded, lifting my head by the chin. “They’re more … aquamari
ne. Riley?”

  “More like blue. Like those flowers?” She struggled with the word before her face lit up. “Forget-me-nots.”

  “No way, you’re all wrong,” Drew said, crowding in between both of the girls, slinging an arm around each of them. “They’re definitely green. Like limestone.”

  “So that’s two votes for green, and two votes for blue,” I said, climbing to my feet. “I think that means I need a tie-breaker.”

  Trey linked his hand with mine. “What are you thinking?”

  “I think it’s time I go home. I want to make sure my dad’s okay.”

  He gave me a funny look as the others started walking away.

  “What?”

  Trey shook his head. “I’ve just never heard you call him your dad before.”

  My feelings on Jason were complicated, but not that hard to understand. Especially now that I knew I’d have time to see how things went. “I think it’s about time.”

  Jason hemmed and hawed longer than he had any right to before finally deciding to go with blue-green. A chorus of groans met his selection.

  Drew left to take Riley back to the hospital. She’d never been properly discharged, and someone with an actual medical degree was better qualified to make that decision than I was. She hugged me before she left. Drew gave me a flinty look, but he slugged me on the shoulder before he left. We might not be okay yet, but there was hope.

  Jade hesitated by the door. I knew what they were doing. Trying to give me some privacy so I could deal with Jason one on one. I appreciated it, but I was still nervous.

  “So are you going to mind if we stay neighbors for a while?” she asked, biting down on her lower lip. The first thing she’d done upon coming back to the house was to disappear, only to return a few minutes later with her face clean of makeup and changed out of her prom dress and into yoga pants and a tee shirt.

  “Neighbors?”

  “I … kind of never went home—after that night, I stayed here. And then you were gone, and I think Jason was lonely, and so he never kicked me out and I’m getting used to it except your maid hates me—”

  “—she hates everyone,” I said, interrupting her. “And I mean … I don’t care. As long as Jason doesn’t.”

  “It’s fine for now, Jade,” Jason said kindly. “Until you decide what you want to do, at least.”

  If you decide to go home, was what he meant. Both of us knew it. Jade made a face, but she didn’t say anything. I didn’t know how she was going to deal with her mother from here on out. Catherine had her monstrous moments, but she also loved her kids. Even I knew that. But I couldn’t make Jade’s decisions for her any more than she could make mine.

  “Maybe just for a couple of months,” Jade agreed. “Just … until I figure some things out.”

  “And Gentry, you’re welcome, too, of course,” Jason added. “Although we’re going to have a very long and serious talk about appropriate behavior under this roof.”

  Oh my god, kill me now. I could feel the flush rising in my cheeks, and I had to turn away.

  “I’m okay,” Trey chuckled. “I’ve been staying at the cabin. I’ll probably stay there for a while. But thanks.”

  My father nodded. After that, Trey and Jade headed for the door, and Trey shot me a pointed look before he closed the door behind him.

  “So I run a boarding house now, I suppose.” Jason was being far too easygoing about everything. I kept silent, trying to wait him out. To see how he really felt. The last time we’d talked, I’d taken a lot of his autonomy away.

  “I don’t have to stay here, if you don’t want … ” my voice faltered, and I couldn’t finish the thought. The idea that Jason might push me out the door had me paralyzed, my throat locked up like a bank vault.

  “You’re my son,” Jason said quickly, his face screwed up in worry. “You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.”

  I let that go before I started talking about feelings, or something equally as embarrassing. “Have you talked to Catherine?”

  Jason grimaced and shook his head. “Not since that night. But … she’ll come around. I think. Eventually. Though I don’t know how we’ll ever work together.”

  I patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll figure out a way.”

  He cleared his throat. “And you’re sure you’re alright?”

  “I think so.” I took a deep breath. “I think I’m less than I was when I first got here, but still more than I was after the funeral. My eyes are weaker.” My fingers tangled with the bottom hem of my shirt, all to keep them occupied. And then. “I can’t undo what I did to you. Just in case you were wondering.”

  Jason put his hands on my shoulders. “I asked if you were alright, Braden.”

  “Yeah,” I said, braving a smile. “Yeah, I’m good.” I could say it and mean it. That was something new.

  “I’m not saying we have to do a picnic lunch for everyone in town, but we should do something. There’s room for another festival in Belle Dam. We should commemorate the end of the feud.” Riley’s idealism had returned with a vengeance, and now she was on a quest for proper holiday recognition.

  “I don’t know if the feud’s over yet. Might still be a while,” Drew offered. “We still don’t know how the town’s going to react.”

  Only time would tell if we’d made enough of a difference, but I knew one thing for sure. The feud wasn’t something to celebrate, nor was the ending of it. I certainly didn’t want to be a hero. Let Belle Dam have its Widow and her legends about treasures and keys. Let me just have my life, on my own terms.

  “Maybe we should start small,” Trey suggested. “Maybe something with charity work. Get people to sign up to help beautify the city.”

  “Or help rebuild the harbor docks,” Jade added, with pointed fingers. I sighed. Jason and I had a long talk about how expensive boats were and how many people I’d harmed by destroying all the boats in the harbor. I was pretty sure I was grounded. Or at least I would be, once Jason figured out that he was allowed to do that.

  The sensation of feathers tickling against my gut started, the first time in days. It was brief, only a moment or two, but it was enough to get my attention. I left Jade and the others behind, and hurried up the street that had first led me into Belle Dam months ago.

  Back then, I’d gotten off a bus and walked all the way to Helen’s Diner before I figured out what I was doing. But now I was looking for something more than answers.

  I wanted to see the boundary line for myself, the line I could no longer cross. But now that I was there, and I saw the girl standing on the other side of it, I changed my mind.

  “Long time no see,” I said.

  Elle inclined her head. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a leather jacket and jeans. There was a large duffel bag at her feet.

  “So you got out. And now … this is goodbye?” My magic still hadn’t returned, but if Elle had come looking for a fight she wouldn’t be hiding beyond the town line. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Elle escaping. A little piece of me hoped she’d been trapped in the lighthouse with the others.

  “I made a bad call,” she said simply. “You can’t blame a girl for trying to make it in this world.”

  “‘Trying to make it?’ Your boss wanted to become a monster, and you helped.”

  “And you showed me the light, darling.”

  I could hear the others approaching in the distance. “Don’t ever come back here,” I said. “I mean it.”

  “Don’t worry, doll face. I’m not equipped to deal in your leagues.” Then the smile, the brilliant megawatt smile that had probably gotten her everything she’d ever wanted in life. “Yet.”

  She picked up the bag and flashed me a wink. “Was it worth it?” I asked. “What you did to Carmen?”

  “Take care of yourself, superstar,” Elle said before she vanished. Just … there one moment, gone the next.

  I took a deep breath, pushed her from my mind, and reached out.
I wanted to feel the boundary with my hands. To know what it was like. Though the air was clear, and there was nothing to deter me, I reached out and pressed against a wall I couldn’t cross. It warmed and cooled in alternating currents.

  I could feel a vision building, and I opened myself up to it. It was like the very first vision, the one that had set me on the path to Belle Dam, just a slide show of images one after another. Birds flying free of the city. A rare smile from Jason. Shovels turning over dirt, not for a grave, but for a ceremony. The lighthouse—the real one, not the one from my nightmares. Gentry and Jade, Riley and Drew, and faces I didn’t know yet. Words exchanged on the dock, and a handshake. A child, a murder, and a ring; but only one of them was mine. A sign growing closer. Now Leaving Belle Dam, and underneath it, an addendum. A City of Vision.

  The images faded, and I pulled my hand away from the boundary. Trey came up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. He smelled like sandalwood and coffee.

  “You owe me a real first date,” I said, leaning up to kiss the side of his cheek.

  Trey fought a smile. “I’ve had some thoughts.”

  I looked out into the distance of a world I’d never get to see, and the world I had wrapped all around me. Belle Dam could have broken me until there was nothing left, but somehow I’d survived.

  “Your uncle would be proud of you,” Trey whispered in my ear.

  Yeah, he would, I realized.

  I was going to be alright. Definitely not today, and probably not tomorrow. But eventually. I’d find a way to make this life work. My world might have shrunk overnight, but it would be okay. This was a destiny I’d chosen for myself.

  I savored the view of life beyond the city for just a minute before I turned away. There was enough of a world for me inside the lines of Belle Dam. I could be happy here.

  Trey kissed my neck and then pulled away. “Come on, I’ll let you take me to Helen’s. You can buy me pancakes.”

  I turned back to the city, shedding my melancholy. I smiled. “After you.”