“There has been no sign of the boy, no.”
“Look, I’m always game for a dramatic entrance, but that relentless wailing gives me a headache. Humans are so tiresome.” Katherine sneered. “They get snatched by one magical and they lose their minds. Just knock her out or something, and wake her up when lover-boy finally shows. Kudos for your quick thinking, by the way. This is precisely why I brought you back. I would’ve been so mad if I’d had to start over with a new lieutenant.”
“It is my duty and my pleasure to serve you, Eris.”
“And always so gracious.” Katherine sighed. “What would I do without you, Naima? On second thought, don’t answer that. My ego needs stroking, not bringing down. How are your ribs?”
Naima grimaced. “Getting better, Eris.”
“I guess that’s to be expected. Not everyone can just bounce back from being almost crushed to death. If you could do that, you’d be me.”
Naima reluctantly pulled Suri in. She collapsed on the ground as Naima let her go, sobbing into her hands. I realized that Naima must have improvised when she’d taken Suri. Would they have taken someone else, if they’d been there? Had Naima picked Suri out because I’d shown interest—because she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? I had way too many questions that’d probably never be answered. But it was clear that Katherine wanted me for something. To get me on her side, maybe? To bargain? This was her trap, and Suri was the unwilling piece of cheese. Does that mean I’ve walked right into it?
Anger bubbled inside me. How dare she do this. How dare she use an innocent human as her pawn to get to me.
Without my dad at my side for moral support, I had to admit things had gotten a bit scary. I was totally on my own. But I couldn’t back out now. I couldn’t just portal away and leave Suri. If I didn’t show, Katherine would just kill her because she wasn’t useful anymore. I couldn’t let her suffer because of me. Plus, there was Echidna to think of. I was too close to her not to try something. There was too much at stake.
The trouble was, Katherine was literally expecting me.
I glanced at Suri to give myself strength. Naima was prowling behind her, and Suri was shaking violently. It was like she didn’t dare look up at her attacker, out of sheer terror. I could hear her whimpering from here. She looked so lost and small, and I was the one who’d put her in this position. I was the one who’d put her in danger, when all she’d done was be kind to me. I was still wearing the rocket ship sticker.
“Incoming.” Katherine got out of her throne and paused beside the altar. Echidna was thrashing, a scream rising in her throat. Another monster baby was on its way. “At least you’ll leave a decent legacy, Echidna. These jars alone will power the island for months. Won’t that be nice, knowing you haven’t died in vain? So many people do, and it’s tragic, really. At least you’re being useful before I sacrifice you.”
Echidna was too far into giving birth to reply. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she let out a terrible scream. And, all the while, Katherine just stood there and watched her, with an amused smirk on her face. How could I get Suri and Echidna out of here without Katherine catching me? It seemed impossible. They were close, but not close enough.
Before I could think about it anymore, a huge black pearl erupted out of Echidna. My stomach churned. This wasn’t like a normal Purge. The pearl hovered in the air for a moment, then popped like a bubble. Black smoke billowed out. It started to take shape, looking like a gargoyle. Leaving Suri on the ground, Naima lunged over to the altar and plucked up a Mason jar. She caught the monster baby in it like she was pouring juice.
This is it. This is my shot.
Gathering Chaos into my palms, I opened a portal and slipped through, focusing intently on the island. It was a big enough target to land on without accidentally hitting the shiny water. Anywhere else, and I’d have been screwed. I jumped out, right next to Suri. But Katherine wasn’t standing by the altar anymore. Instead, she was right there, in front of my face. And she was smiling like she’d already won.
“Silly boy,” she purred. “Did you think I hadn’t seen you? Teenage boys are so predictable. Give them a damsel to save, and they come running.”
You idiot. The “taking his time” thing was yet another ruse. And I’d walked right into it.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to get here, actually,” Katherine went on. “You’re even more punctual than I’d hoped.” Naima moved to capture me, her claws out. “Not yet, Naima. We don’t have to rush this, and I don’t want you accidentally slashing the merchandise.”
Naima stepped back obediently. My mind raced. I had to outsmart this cow. She’d just played me for a fool, but I wasn’t giving up yet. Lethe was a tricky place. I could make that work to my advantage. I was close enough now, to both Echidna and Suri, to portal them out of here. I just had to be fast. Really fast.
“It’s literally like taking candy from a baby, only your human friend here is the lollipop.” Katherine chuckled. “Do you want to see that, Jacob? Do you want to see me take your candy from you? I could drop her in one of these pools, and she’d be lost forever. Or maybe a bit of good old-fashioned blunt trauma would work better? A slash across the throat? The red would look so very striking against all this white. Or, you could agree to join me, and this little human can walk free.”
So Suri is a bargaining chip? That was why they hadn’t just snatched me. Plus, they would’ve had to deal with me trying to portal away, at any opportunity. This way, Katherine clearly thought she’d found a reason for me to agree to join her.
I glanced at Echidna, who was recovering from her latest birth. I felt like I was back in the Asphodel Meadows, about to make the wrong decision again. It had been worth it that time, even though it had cost Quetzi his life. Isadora had lived. And I wanted Suri to live, too. That same impulse pushed through me.
I moved to open a portal, the bronze energy already in my hands.
“Pluma quasi lumen, quod in tabula rigida,” Katherine said, calm as anything.
My body seized up and I fell backward like a plank of wood, hitting the ground hard. Suri gasped, and tears trickled down her cheeks. She looked so afraid. At first, I was freaked out that Katherine might have used the same hex she’d used on Isadora, but I didn’t feel particularly bound to Katherine. Plus, I knew it couldn’t be that. Isadora had made Bellmore put the same anti-hex on me, after that incident. I guessed Katherine must have known that the jig would be up on that, because she’d definitely used something else. This just felt like a way of immobilizing me.
“Jacob? Jacob, what’s going on?” Suri whimpered. “I just want to go home. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not going to,” I promised.
Katherine snorted. “Big words, Jacob.”
“She has nothing to do with this. Just send her back. You don’t need her,” I shot back.
“I will, if you agree to join me. It’s a very simple exchange, Jakey.” Katherine leered down at me. “If you don’t, then she’s dying today. And you’re going to watch. Just so you know that you had every chance to save her, by saying those little words: ‘I agree, Eris.’ I might even let you hold her in your arms when I’m done, so you can feel the weight of your decision. Literally. Oh, it’s going to be so heartbreaking, like a Shakespearean tragedy. Romeo and Juliet, in the flesh. I can hardly wait. Only, you can change the story, if you want, but that’s up to you. Maybe Juliet doesn’t have to die. I always thought she was an idiot for stabbing herself anyway. Who does that over some boy? Why not change the ending, Jake? Come on, I know you want to.”
“Why are you doing this? Do you really want me to join you that bad?” I narrowed my eyes at her. “What’s the point? You don’t need a Portal Opener anymore. And why bring an innocent human into this?”
Katherine smiled. “Don’t you remember what I said in Tartarus?”
“You wouldn’t shut up, so it’s hard to pinpoint one thing.
”
She chuckled darkly. “I told Harley that she was going to watch everyone she loved die. I told her she’d suffer. And I want you to be here, with me, to witness you and your friends’ greatest failure to date. And, perhaps, if you choose right, she’ll hear of how you joined me. That’ll sting her more than if I just killed you outright. Not that I don’t have that in mind, if need be. I want you to see, with your own two eyes, that you failed… again. But it doesn’t have to be a total loss, if you decide to switch sides. You can turn that failure into a victory by joining the winning team, and you can save this creature in the same breath. What’s not to love?”
I knew what was coming next. I knew what she wanted me to see.
“Speaking of which, the girl,” Katherine added, “was just a stroke of serendipity. The perfect bait to lure a stupid teenage boy to me. So I’d have you right where I wanted you. Front row for the fourth ritual showdown.”
Nineteen
Jacob
Katherine’s spell had me stuck. I couldn’t move. Suri couldn’t, either.
“Bring them closer.” Katherine flashed Naima a wink. “But not too close.”
As she sauntered back to the altar, Naima did her bidding. She started with me, picking me up like I weighed nothing and carrying me over. She laid me down on the ground, giving me an up close and personal view of Echidna. I fought to turn my head as she went back for Suri, before placing her down next to me. She was close enough that my hand brushed hers. It wasn’t much, but it was the best I could do to bring her comfort.
“Jacob? What’s happening?” Suri whispered, her eyes wide with panic. “Do you know these people? What are they?”
“It’s a long story, but I’ll get you out. I promise.”
“I can’t die in this nightmare, Jacob. Please don’t let me die.”
“I won’t. I swear I won’t.”
Tears started to fall down her face again, her lip trembling. She squeezed her eyes shut as if she could make all of this disappear. I wanted to get her out right then and there, but this spell was doing a number on me. I could turn my head left to right, but the rest of me was like a block of concrete.
“Now then, what do you say we get this party started?” Katherine grinned. “It wouldn’t be right to have you die without an audience. Personally, I’d prefer an obedient crowd of admirers, but these two will have to do. And who knows, maybe our Portal Opening friend here will bow to me when all of this is over. Silver linings all around.”
Echidna writhed under her restraints. “You can’t kill me. I am more ancient than anything you’ve ever encountered.”
“You don’t have much of a choice, sweetheart.” Katherine rubbed her hands together and closed her eyes. She ignored Echidna’s howls as the Mother of Monsters fought to break out of the green ropes. Her voice deepened as she began the ritual. “Veniam ad vos bestias Matris sacrificare. Aemulator stare coram me sicut tu. Hic est donum Quarto requiritur ad cæremonias istas. Vide eius chaos meae tenetur, nisi qui in summa egestate huius meam.”
I had no idea what she was saying, but it didn’t sound good.
“You can’t even speak Latin properly,” Echidna sniped. “You’re more likely to turn me into a shrimp than complete your ritual.”
Katherine smiled. “My Latin is fine. Don’t worry, Chaos will understand.”
“Of course you would butcher an ancient tongue. You can barely speak in your own.”
“At least you’re keeping things entertaining. Most of my victims just cry and beg for their lives, the usual boring rigmarole.”
Echidna fought against her restraints. “You won’t see me beg for my life. You forget that my life is already running in the veins of every Purge beast I’ve ever birthed. Even if you kill me, I’ll be avenged.”
Katherine snickered. “I’m shaking in my Jimmy Choos. You think I can’t handle a couple of pesky Purge beasts? I handled you, didn’t I?”
“You got lucky.”
“Luck shouldn’t be sniffed at.” Katherine tutted. “And you’re clearly forgetting that I birthed my own Purge beast, one far stronger than anything you’ve come up with. Do your children have souls? No, they don’t. Mine does. So what does that say about you?”
“I think it says more about you, that you had to Purge your only companion.”
Katherine sucked air through her teeth. “Oof, low blow, Echidna.”
“You must have been a lonely child. I bet your parents despaired of you.”
“They did when I killed them.” Katherine grinned like the devil herself. “The shock was the best part. They really didn’t see it coming, even when I split them apart from the cells outward.”
“Parents always see the best in their children, even when they’re obvious psychopaths.”
“See, who needs therapy when I have you?” Katherine replied. “I bet you look at your big, ugly babies and think they’re the cutest damned things you’ve ever seen.”
“Ah, and some of my children became your only friends, too.”
That made Katherine pause. “Gargoyles are not friends, Echidna. They’re pets. Tools to be used.”
“But I bet they made you feel less alone, didn’t they?” Echidna was giving her best here. She wasn’t going to let Katherine kill her without making her feel like crap first.
“You’re starting to annoy me.” Katherine glared down at the Mother of Monsters.
Echidna smirked. “I wouldn’t want to make this easy.” She seemed resigned to her fate, but she wasn’t going down easily. She was older and wiser, by far. And, weirdly, she didn’t seem as evil as Katherine. That was something I never thought I’d say.
“At least you’ll be quiet soon.” Katherine reached into the folds of her gown and took a ceremonial knife out of… well, somewhere. “Ego autem dedi sanguinem vertuntur, industria sit fluxus in me.” As she lifted the blade above Echidna’s chest, the Mother of Monsters gave me a sideways glance.
“Tell Harley that our deal still stands,” she said. “Only, it’ll be my firstborn, Leviathan, who will collect what is owed. Naming Harley’s firstborn. Tell her that.”
Katherine sneered. “Don’t waste your breath. Once I’m done with Harley, there won’t be a speck of her left, let alone a viable womb. The only thing Leviathan will be doing is bowing to me, the new Child of Chaos. Eris herself.”
“You love talking about yourself in the third person, don’t—” Echidna never got to finish her witty retort. The blade came down, plunging into her heart. Black, oily blood oozed out of the wound and spread across her chest. She choked on it, splatters of the same substance bursting out of her mouth. As her eyes widened, her body flaked away in black strips. Each one turned to smoke as it hit the air, until there was nothing left of Echidna.
“What did you do to her?” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. I knew Purge beasts turned into smoke when they were killed, but I hadn’t expected the same thing to happen to Echidna. For some reason, I’d thought she’d be immune, or that she’d just keep her form.
Katherine smiled. “Impressive, right? It’s the blade. This baby is forged from alchemist fire and silver. One of the rarest blades in existence. Perfect for killing powerful monsters, and a steal at six easy installments.”
Seconds later, a bright tornado of silver light shot up from the altar. It tore open the blinding white sky, and tendrils came shivering back down. They crept outward like liquid hands and sank right into Katherine’s body. She threw her head back, and her eyes turned silver. Her whole body lit up as the energy filled her. I could see her actual veins beneath her skin, pulsing with pure Chaos. A few moments afterward, the gaping hole in the sky closed, and the last of the tornado pummeled into Katherine. Her body glowed with an internal light, her eyes flashing like mirrors. I knew what it meant. Katherine had completed the fourth ritual. Nobody had tried to stop her.
She staggered forward, into the altar. Hunched over, she dragged in air. Her fingers raked at the marble, the knife
clattering onto the surface. Clearly, the effects of the ritual were getting harder for her to swallow. The energy must have been immense. No matter how strong she was becoming, Chaos would always be that little bit stronger. Until she completed the rituals, at least.
“Oh, that feels good.” She stood back up and shivered.
“Are you well, Eris?” Naima made to step forward, but Katherine stopped her.
“I’m just peachy. More than peachy.” A smile stretched across her lips. She lifted her hands and watched, transfixed, as silver strands twisted around her fingers. “I wonder what I could do with this? Maybe all I have to do is snap my fingers, and you two will just—poof—evaporate.” She looked down at me. “What do you think? Should I kill you and your human pet with this if you don’t agree to join me, or should I keep you both around regardless, so you can witness my completion of the final ritual? Your abilities would still be useful, for sure, so I can be sure I have your power at hand for my future regime, to flow into others. I’m so close now. Can’t you smell it?”
“What?” I asked.
“The death of a Child of Chaos.” She licked her lips. “It’s like cinnamon sugar on hot cocoa. It’s like marshmallows on a campfire. It’s so sweet… and so addictive, and I can almost taste it on the tip of my tongue.” She swept her hands across me and Suri, releasing us from the paralyzing spell.
I sat up immediately and grasped for Suri, helping her to her feet before Katherine put another hex on us. She leaned into me, burying her face in my shoulder. I put my arm around her protectively. Her chest heaved as she sobbed, panic-stricken.
Katherine stepped toward us. “Now, what to do with you both? I’ve been procrastinating. It’s a bad habit I’m trying to kick. Maybe I’ll keep you as an unwilling assistant, portal boy. I’m strong enough now to take that power right out of you. Although, I’d prefer you to be willing. What do you say? One last chance to join me and save your girlfriend? Tick-tock, tick-tock…”
Harley Merlin 7: Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix Page 16