by M. R. Polish
“How? Why?” Es couldn’t possibly be there and still be alive. Could she? Stumbling back, I fell against the wall. “She’s not gone. She can’t be.”
I refused to believe that she wasn’t there. A gaping hole in my chest burned with the thought that she was gone.
Ailaina wrung her hands together. “I can still see her. Well, sort of. It’s more like small flickers, but it’s enough to know she’s alive.”
A very small part of me relaxed knowing she wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t enough. “Can you see Julie with her?”
Ailaina shook her head. “No. We don’t think they’re together. Julie isn’t stupid enough to go to the Underworld yet.”
I turned my attention to Davin. “Okay, so if she’s in the Underworld, you can just bring her back. Right? And what do you mean Julie won’t go there yet?”
“Ian, I can’t bring her back. I had a necklace enchanted with a counter-spell, but she didn’t wear it. It was spelled to send Julie wherever she was sending Es instead. I can’t break a deal but I can change it. But, now I have no idea where either one of them are. Even in the Underworld spirits can get lost. It could take us years to find Es.” His calm demeanor raised my anger. How could he be so at peace when this was basically his fault?
That’s right, this all happened because of a deal. His deal. I lunged at Davin, swinging my fist, landing it squarely on the side of his face. “You! You made a deal knowing Es would be killed!”
Davin touched the spot under his left eye where I hit, then hung his head. “You’re right. I did make a deal, but it was one that I wove many loop holes in. I didn’t want to hurt Es, but it’s my job as the Death Keeper to make deals. I’m sorry.”
Every inch of me yelled for Es. My body ached as it realized my other half wasn’t even in the same world anymore. It was like someone took a knife and cut out my soul.
Counting to three so I wouldn’t kill Davin, because he might be the only way I could get Es back, I ran my hands down my face. “What the hell? This is the second time you made a deal to kill her.”
Davin smirked. “And, as you recall, I’ve also helped save her. I think you can admit that I don’t want her dead. I changed the game and made a new deal with your brother to save her from Nicholas.”
Dregan growled. His hackles rose.
My chest constricted, and my throat threatened to close. For months I’d been fighting off the grief that at times wanted to consume me. Now was not the time to fall apart. “I don’t need to be reminded of what my brother did. His absence reminds me every day of that. The fact that you were standing in his place tonight at my wedding reminded me. I definitely don’t need you to bring up the deals that have been made to save Es.”
Standing there talking about the past wasted time—precious time I could use to find Es. “Okay, well, how do I get her back?”
Davin took Ailaina’s hand. “It depends.”
Dregan growled beside me. His patience matched mine.
One. Two. Three. Davin was lucky I needed him. “What do you mean it depends? What do I have to do?”
Davin held his head high, not breaking eye contact with me. “Make a deal.”
I snapped, wrapping my fingers around his neck. “A deal? A deal! No. You’re going to help me without any more deals!”
His nostrils flared, but he didn’t fight me. He just stared at me, his eyes fixed on mine.
Ailaina squealed. “Ian, let him go. I’ll make the deal for you!”
I shook my head, clenching my jaw. “No. No more deals.”
Ailaina’s eyes widened as she watched between Davin and me, but I wasn’t letting go. I couldn’t. Not until he told me how to get Es.
“Ian, please stop,” Ailaina pleaded.
Begrudgingly, I let go of Davin. He fixed his suit jacket and pretended that nothing happened.
“You’re lucky she’s here,” I said.
He chuckled. “Luck has nothing to do with it. You need me. If you hurt me, not that you could, your powers are no match for mine, then your chances of finding Es are slim to none, and even then, returning would be impossible. But you’re right, you making a deal is a bad idea. Trading places with her wouldn’t do either of you any good.”
Clenching and unclenching my fists, I made sure to keep them at my sides. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, that in order to find Es you’re going to need an escort, someone who knows their way around the Underworld. And there’s only one person who can leave that place alive. Me. If you don’t leave with me, then you can’t leave at all.”
I nodded. As much as I hated admitting he was right, I had to. I didn’t know my way there or back. I needed him.
But, there was still hope. As long as Es breathed there would always be hope.
Davin looked at Ailaina. “I’ll be back. Watch over the others. I’ll be in contact as soon as I can. Keep your eyes open for Julie, we don’t know how far she wants to take this deal.”
Tipping my head, I questioned Ailaina with my eyes. “Al, can you get a message to her?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. My connection with her is fading. I’ll try though.”
I placed a hand on both of her shoulders. “If you can, let her know I’m coming for her, and that I love her.”
Ailaina nodded, pursing her lips in a tight line. Dropping my hands, I backed away.
Davin gave her a sad grin before kissing her. “Until later,” he whispered.
Looking at me, he nodded. “Alright, but if we’re going together, you have to listen to me. It’s not like this world. The spirits will play tricks on your mind, and things aren’t as they seem. It’s easy to become lost, or even lose your mind. In the Underworld you are no longer immortal. Because you are entering a world of death, death is now a plausible fate. It’s not a world for the living. Do you understand?”
“I get it.” I understood a lot more than he was telling me. I understood that Es could die at any moment. “Let’s go.”
“Wait.” Davin placed a hand on my chest. “Your wolf, he is half spirit, so the world will call to him. I just want you to be prepared that it won’t be easy for him, and that you could lose him.”
“Not going to happen.” Inside the fear that his words produced pumped my heart faster.
“Don’t worry, you won’t lose me,” Dregan said.
Now I had to worry about losing not only Es, but Dregan too. And Luna. That meant Luna could be easily swayed to stay with the spirits as well. The weight of the Underworld pressed down on my shoulders.
“Can you talk to Luna? Can you warn her?” I asked Dregan mentally, not wanting Davin to hear my conversation.
“I can feel her, but not hear her. I’m not sure if she can hear me, but I’ll try. Luna is a part of me, too, even if she fights it. The bond is strong between us, as it is with you and Esmerelda. I just hope we can get to them before it’s too late.” Dregan stood and his form began to disappear into the night.
Dregan’s fear pounded into my head. He was right. We both had someone we loved taken from us.
Looking around once more, I couldn’t fathom what happened to the hotel workers who got caught in the fight. Davin must have one hell of a memory erase spell.
Davin stepped in front of me, obstructing my view. “We shouldn’t wait any longer. The sooner we find her, the better. If she becomes lost in the world, we might not ever get her back.”
That was something I couldn’t accept. I was going to get her back, there was no other option. At least not for me.
Eight
Esmerelda
U tter darkness consumed my surroundings.
Fear escalated to sheer panic, constricting my airways.
Since my time in Nicholas’s cell underground, I couldn’t even sleep with all the lights off. Darkness was my newest enemy.
A cold wind whipped past me, sending a chill over my body. At least, I prayed it was only a breeze and not some creepy spirit. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could handle
a ghost at that moment.
Squeezing my eyes shut, blocking out the darkness, I raised my hand. My palm warmed as I conjured a light spell. Peeking out of one eye, I took my chances to see what was around me.
A small orb lit by my magic hovered in front of me, illuminating the dirt walls.
Oh no.
It was just like Nicholas’s pit all over again.
Gasping, I sucked in a few quick breaths. I needed to calm down and find a way out of wherever I was. I can do this. I can do this.
“Who am I kidding? I can’t do this,” I said out loud.
My skin crawled with the anticipation of what lurked in the dark. The light of my orb only spread out a few feet around me, leaving uncharted territory to conceal the evil that prowled in the dark. The anxiety of the unknown pressed down on me.
Where was I? How much longer did I have before the horrible black spirits devoured my hope as they did in Spain?
“Let it go,” a man said from beyond the light. His voice echoed around me.
Spinning, I searched for whoever spoke. “Who are you? Where am I?”
“You have to let it go,” he said again.
“Let what go?” I didn’t have anything to drop, except for my light spell, but there was no way I was letting that go. I couldn’t bear to put myself into the utter dark. I needed the light.
“Your fear. You can’t let it out or it will consume you,” he growled.
Shrinking back, his deep snarl raised the hair on my arms. My fear? Whoever the man was, was part of my fear. The unknown. The dark. All of it together was my fear. How do I let it go?
I shook my head, taking a step back. “I can’t.”
“Fine, but you’re just making this harder on yourself. Whatever fear is keeping you from coming out in the light are the only bars in your prison.” A crunch of footsteps on gravel echoed off the walls.
“Wait!” I cried out. “Don’t leave me here!”
His footfalls stopped and he inhaled loudly. “Well, I’m not a fan of the dark either, but I’ll be damned if I stay in it for some girl in a wedding dress who may or may not be dead. I have my own horrors to ward off.”
“You can see me?” I twirled around again, squinting, trying to see past the light.
He chuckled. “Of course I can see you. You have a ball of light hovering next to you.”
It annoyed me that I couldn’t see him. Maybe the light blinded me from seeing him? “So you’re in the dark too? But you said you weren’t going to stay in it. Does that mean there’s a way out of wherever we are?”
“You are the one casting the darkness. As soon as you let go of your fear it will leave. There are Watchers here who thrive on making your worst nightmares come alive. If they sense your fright, they will make you live it.” A shift in his voice alarmed me. The dread that laced his tone made me believe him.
I’m not afraid of the dark. I’m not afraid of the dark. Chanting to myself didn’t help me feel stronger.
Shaking my hands out, I let out a long breath. Alright. I braced myself against the pending dark and then let go of my light spell.
Staring straight ahead, I didn’t dare let my eyes stray. Wait. That wasn’t going to help. It just showed more fear.
I’m not afraid of the dark.
Who was I kidding? I was terrified. My heart beat faster than I ever thought possible, and over the last year I’ve been through scarier moments.
Deep breath. It’s just dark. Nothing to be afraid of.
Except for the dark. There was no getting away from that fear.
Maybe, just maybe I could hide my fear? If the Watchers couldn’t see or sense what I was afraid of, then maybe I wouldn’t have to overcome everything at once?
That had to be it. Because everyone had a fear, even if it was buried deep in their subconscious.
“I’m not afraid,” I cried out, hoping my voice didn’t give me away. The Watchers or whoever the man talked about could hear me. I wanted them to hear me.
The dark faded letting light take over. The walls crumbled down around me. Gasping, I watched as a new world showed its face to me. A lifeless forest spread out for miles—and I was in the middle of it.
A man with blond hair stood near a dead tree. He leaned against the trunk with his arms folded. Pushing off the tree with his foot, he dropped his arms and slowly clapped. “Well, that took a little longer than I thought, but you did good.”
“Who are you? Where am I?” Heat radiated from the ground with wisps of steam wafting up through the low hanging rotting tree branches.
“Well, I am Luke, and you are in the Underworld.” He tipped his head. “So the rumor is true. You really aren’t dead, are you?”
The Underworld? Oh no. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I doubled over, dropping to my knees. The full skirt of my dress filled out around me. “No. This can’t be true. I’m not dead. I’m supposed to be getting married.” I glanced up at him. “What rumor?”
He gestured with his hands around him. “Word spreads quickly here. A new spirit arrives all the time, but the undead is rare. I’ve been here hundreds of years and it’s never happened since I died.”
Oh that can’t be good. “How’d I get here?”
Luke laughed. “I think you know the answer to that. What’d you do? Make a deal with the Death Keeper?”
A deal. My stomach twisted. “It wasn’t my deal.”
He walked over to me and held a hand out for me to take. “That’s bad luck, Toots.”
“Toots? Really?” Accepting his hand, I stood.
A distant growl echoed inside my mind. Luna. Oh thank goodness. I wasn’t alone. She was there.
“Luna. Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m here, Es. It’s just taking more out of me to be in anything other than my spirit form. It almost hurts.” Her voice was still distant in my head.
I shook my head. “Then don’t try. Just be here for me. Even if it’s only in my thoughts. Can you talk to Dregan or Ian? They need to know we’re okay.”
She growled. “I want to, but I can’t hear them. I don’t know if they can hear me, so I’ll keep trying. I swear if we get out of this, I’ll stop fighting the bond. I want more than anything to be with Dregan right now. I’m scared.”
“Me too.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “But, we’ll figure it out. Just stay close.”
“Are you okay? You seem lost in thought.” Luke touched my elbow, leading me forward.
“No, I’m not okay. Nothing about this is okay.” What a stupid question, ‘am I okay?’. Of course not! I was in the Underworld.
Ian. My soul pleaded for his connection. Just a small spark to reassure our bond was all I needed. But I heard nothing.
“Es, there’s another wolf.” Luna’s voice rose excitedly.
Another wolf? Maybe there was another Guardian close by?
A shimmer of silver formed Luna’s outline until her fur became tangible. Her eyes held mine, her ears perked straight up. “Do you hear him?”
Luke stepped back. “Whoa. I didn’t know you were a Guardian. And, I didn’t know the wolves could jump realms.”
“I can’t jump to a different realm, stupid man,” Luna said. “I’m stuck here as long as you’re here.”
I relayed what she said to Luke. “Besides. She wouldn’t leave me. She’s part of me.” A howl rode the breeze. “I heard it that time.” I said, more for Luna than myself.
Without hesitation Luna took off.
Running after her, I ran out of breath, making me slow down. “Luna, wait,” I called out to her.
But she didn’t. Her pace, while steady, outran me.
Darn animal stamina.
I let the pull of her spirit guide me to where she went. An excited thrill crawled up my chest. Whatever she’d found was worth the rush.
“Es, hurry,” she said excitedly, and not at all winded, as I was. .
Running wasn’t as easy in my wedding dress. Multiple branches caught the skirt an
d snagged it. Tiny rips and tears now made up the bottom.
Stopping, I pulled my hands down over my face and body. The dress disappeared and jeans with a white shirt took its place. Running would be so much easier with my boots compared to the heels I wore. “Luna, wait up. I’m coming.”
Taking back off, I found Luna waiting beside a fallen tree. Looking where she intently watched, I came up short. Frozen in place, all I could do was stare.
“Es, you look amazing.” Jarak’s deep voice captured my attention.
My heart raced. A little fearful this was another trick from Julie, I hesitated.
Luna nudged Maztic with her muzzle.
Was this real?
“What’s the matter, Es? I thought you’d be happy to see me.” He gave me a lopsided grin.
My feet didn’t carry me fast enough as I dashed over to him, wrapping my arms around him. He was there. Jarak was living in the Underworld.
Nine
Ian
T he fireplace inside Davin’s home blazed to life when we walked in the room. The pool table still sat in the middle with cue sticks leaning against the polished wood and red felt.
I could almost hear Es’s laugh as she played the game the last time we were there.
“We need to get back out there and look. I don’t understand why you brought us here. Es is out there somewhere.” I gestured to whatever lay behind the gray walls.
Last night felt like years ago. Searching the Underworld proved to be harder than I thought. No one we came across had seen Es, or even heard of her living presence entering their spirit world. But, Dregan could still feel Luna, so that gave me hope.
“We’re here because night is falling and even I know when to not be out in the dark. This isn’t just a paradise for spirits, but also a hell. The good are with the bad and evil is lurking behind every shadow.” Davin flicked his wrist and two glasses appeared on the edge of the pool table. He handed one to me. “You see, the vile and sinful souls can’t be seen in the light, because good rules the day.” He nodded with his head to the wall. “But at night, it’s a whole different world.”