by Cecily White
“Jack,” I screamed, loud enough to reach the atrium. “Dane, help.”
“Move or die.” My wolfy friend’s growl surfaced from behind the guards. I couldn’t see him, but I could tell he was near the door, probably being shoved out with everyone else.
“Get Jack,” I yelled. “I need him.”
Beneath my hands, Luc continued to gasp.
If it came to it, I would break out the full channel and save him. Screw Akira and Annabelle and Lenaeus. Jack and I would deal with the fallout later. And if that meant all three of us fleeing to the stupid Nether, so be it. I prayed it wouldn’t come to that, but I had to admit, this wasn’t looking good. Even in the past few seconds, the thread connecting us had grown thinner, and my chest burned cold fire with every millimeter his soul slipped away.
“You’re going to be okay.” I stroked his forehead. “Salve.”
Soft light skittered over my fingers, reaching into Luc’s wound. His hands curled into fists at his sides, and his eyes cast wildly around the room. Maybe I hadn’t figured everything out yet—how to satisfy this stupid prophecy and still keep him alive—but I had no intention of giving up now.
“Jack,” I yelled. “Dane. Get over here.”
I tried not to shiver at the electric pulse that shot through my skin as Jack pushed his way through the line of guards, hacking them back with each step.
“Holy hell.” Dane skidded to a halt next to Luc’s twitchy body. “He can’t die here.”
“Do I look like I don’t know that?” I snapped. “I need ideas.”
“Ideas?”
“For an exit.” Jack smacked down the last guard with the flat edge of his sword, sending him sprawling to the ground. Arianna and Annabelle had already disappeared, along with Lenaeus and the other Immortals. “We’ve got to get out of here. Preferably before Akira comes back.”
Dane lifted Luc’s head into his lap and put pressure on the wound at his chest. “What are you waiting for? Open a portal.”
“I can’t.”
“She has to heal him first or he’ll die in transit,” Jack said. “As soon as she does that, the Council will know. They’ll stop the portal.”
“So heal him. You could make the jump, even with Akira interfering,” Dane said. “Your mom did.”
“And how did that turn out?”
Dane squinted at me. “Didn’t her bondmate die or something?”
“Or something.” Jack dropped his defensive stance long enough to look at me. It was the first time either of us had acknowledged the potential damage we were facing, and it left an ache inside me.
I dreaded the next words but knew I had to ask. “Where’s Hansen? She can shield for us.”
“She’s outside.” Katie busted through the parlor door, breathless, as the guards bolted it behind her. I didn’t know what she’d done to get into the main hall, but I pitied the guard she’d done it to. “Hansen says she won’t help. Any channeling of angelblood powers violates the Synod’s decree, blah, blah, blah. She’s a nitwit.”
“Seriously,” I said. “By the way, hey! What are you doing here?”
Katie grinned. “Your dad sent me. He and Blake are setting up an exit point with Mattie, just in case you do manage to swing this.”
“And if I don’t?”
My friend shrugged. “Blake refused to discuss that possibility. He thinks you’re that good.”
Well, that was reassuring. At least someone thought I had a shot.
“Katie,” I said, pushing a bit more healing energy into Luc, “what is pax paritur bello? Did Dad mention it?”
“No clue,” she said. “Sounds like an exit locus code, but it’s not one of ours.”
Which meant Tyrannus wasn’t working for my dad. But if not the Society, and not the Guardians, then who?
Lisa.
I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally searching for Luc’s soul. It was still there, under the chaos, all green and drifty.
The more I thought about this, the more I realized there were no options. If Annabelle knew what she was talking about, then Arianna must have been spying on me through the stupid pendant the whole time. She obviously knew about the prophecy. Who knew what else she’d overheard?
Ugh, I dreaded even thinking about it.
Willies aside, this meant Arianna and the Council had been in cahoots for a while, since obviously none of them wanted to give up their claim on the Crossworlds, either. It wasn’t that surprising. All you had to do was listen to the contempt Akira had when she talked about the human sector and it was obvious how unappealing the idea of becoming human must be to her. She must have been working for years to keep this prophecy unfulfilled. That was probably why she tried to kill Luc and his dad so many years ago. And why she had ordered me put to death last fall. And why she hid the fact that Immortals were angelblood.
“You guys, we need to go,” I said. “Right now.”
Dane looked at me quizzically. “Huh?”
“Akira wants us dead,” I said. “She wants to kill the prophecy. The only reason we’re still here is because they think I’m drugged with Otrava. Akira knows I can’t channel my way out of a paper bag with Otrava in my system.” I wiggled my fingers uselessly. “That’s what this whole media circus has been about all along—tying me and Luc together publicly and making us both look like incompetent idiots. In fact, I don’t even think they care which one of us died first tonight—me or Luc, it doesn’t matter. As long as one of us is gone, the prophecy can’t be fulfilled. Lisa said Arianna and the Council were up to something. I’d bet my breakfast this is it.”
“Given how you feel about breakfast,” Dane noted, “that’s saying something.”
Katie lowered her sword to the ground with a clink. “You talked to Lisa? Is she okay?”
“She’s stellar. But can we maybe do the gossip thing later?”
“Good point,” she said. “Carry on.”
“Anyway,” I said, back on track, “I think we’ve got minutes. Maybe seconds.”
“Until?”
Jack jumped in to explain. “As soon as the guests finish their cocktails, the Council and Synod will be back to kill Amelie for treason. Maybe the rest of us, too. Katie and Dane, set up a shield.” His jaw tightened as his gaze flickered to the ground. “Ami, don’t channel. Use your bond thread with Luc, but try not to let it multiply. If he dies, I need you not to go with him. I can’t lose you.”
That fluttery feeling simmered in my chest. “Likewise.”
“Good,” he said. “Katie, give me your phone.”
My friend hesitated only a second before digging around in her back pocket. It must have been hard for her not to start asking questions. The fact that she didn’t indicated how much she trusted Jack.
“Here,” she said.
I glanced at Luc. His heart had stopped sputtering, and his breathing had stabilized, but he was still unconscious. It was the best I could do only using bond magic. Anything more would bring Elder Akira running.
“We have to do something,” I whispered to Jack.
“We will. Call Lisa.”
“Jackson—”
“I swear, I’m not going to hurt her. But apart from you, she’s the smartest criminal I know. We need her help.”
It took me a second to realize he was right, but as soon as I did, it seemed obvious. That girl had spent her entire lifetime bailing me out of dire situations. If anyone would have ideas, it would be Lisa.
As quickly as I could, I punched in the number she’d made me memorize that morning and handed the phone back to Jack.
“Danger hotline,” she answered on the third ring. “How can we save you today?”
“Lisa, it’s Jackson Smith-Hailey. I need a portal out of Luc’s mansion to the Nether. Can Ami do it?”
“Jackson?” She paused. “Why are you on Katie’s cell? And why are you calling me?”
“Ask me that in an hour,” he said. “If we’re alive, I’ll happily answer. Right now, I need
an entry point to the Nether and an exit plan once the cracks start to seal. I assume you know what’s happening. We need to make sure it happens without your sister dying.”
“Wow,” she said. “Ami was right. You do have a sexy voice when you give orders.”
I fought the urge to grab the phone from him and slam it against the ground. Repeatedly.
“Give it,” I said, snatching the phone. “Lisa, dear, let me remind you that if I die, you die, too. So if I were you, I’d quit screwing around and start racking my brains for an answer.”
She stayed quiet for a moment as it sank in.
“Take your time,” I snapped. “Not like anyone’s dying here.”
I heard her click her tongue the way she does when she’s thinking really hard. “Okay, put Jack back on the line.” The phone went back to him just in time for me to hear her say, “Jackson, get out of earshot from Ami, would you? She’s not going to like this.”
“Give me a second.”
I glared at him as he walked to the other side of the room and cupped his hand over the receiver. Outside the door, laughter bubbled around what sounded like a flock of chattering geese. It made it impossible to eavesdrop. It also meant we were running out of time.
Jack stayed mostly quiet on the phone, staring at the ground and making the occasional affirmative noise. By the time he came back, he had a stern yet resolved look on his face.
“I’m guessing we’re not running off to the Bahamas?” I said.
“Go sniff the curtains,” he ordered. “Or if there’s any upholstery, stick your face in that. Lisa says you have to open a rift without channeling. After the first wave of evil comes out, jump into the backflow.”
“That doesn’t sound safe.”
“It’s far from safe,” he admitted. “But it’ll get us into the Nether without absorbing taint. Once you’re through, spill Luc’s blood on the Nether plane, then use the exit locus code Tyrannus gave you to jump back. The cracks will start sealing fast, so you’ll only have one shot at it. And the drain is going to be incredible, but I can do Watcher duty for you.” He paused. “You should make it back.”
I didn’t love the pause or the dire look on his face, but I was hardly in a position to complain. “What about Luc?” I asked.
Nobody spoke.
It’s funny how some questions get answered just as loudly and completely without words as they do with words. This was clearly one of them.
“That’s not acceptable,” I said. “I’m a Wraithmaker. I can bring him back.”
Dane stepped forward. “Amelie, he knows this is going to happen. He ordered us not to let you try.”
“He knows I don’t follow orders.”
“But I do.” Jack squeezed his eyes shut for a pained moment. “Amelie, this is his destiny, his choice. Let him make it. Your job is to ride the rift into the Nether, spill Luc’s blood, and channel yourself back. That’s all. Do you understand me?”
“Jack, I won’t—”
“Stop,” he ordered, clearly flustered. “Stop trying to save everyone, Amelie. We spend our time defending people’s right to live, but it doesn’t end there. People can make their own choices. I am telling you—begging you—to just finish this prophecy and get yourself home safely. No matter what happens to Luc, or to anyone else.” He put his hands on either side of my face and kissed me on the forehead. “Amelie Bennett, I love you more than you’ll ever know. And right now, I need you to promise me you’ll end this. Just end it and channel home. Please.”
I stared at the ceiling and tried not to cry, my hands knotted into his shirt.
This might have been destiny, but it definitely wasn’t fair. Like, at all. The problem was, every second I spent questioning it put my friends more at risk and made it that much less likely any of us would survive. And the bottom line was, I needed Jack to survive.
“Ami,” Katie said. “You’ve got to go.”
“I know.”
I gathered my self-restraint and looked around. Dust motes still orbited the chandelier like fairy dust, all feathery and barbed—the kind of things that could easily host a party in your nasal passages. Plus, the pollen count had been high this winter, and moist air meant mildew, right?
My nose began to itch.
“Hurry,” Katie said as the noises grew louder outside. She threw up a shield just as the doors started rattling—partygoers trying to get back in. “We’re out of time.”
I reached a hand to Jack’s and called up our remaining bond threads. They were fewer than before, but no weaker. With the other hand, I fanned air at my face, inhaling deeply.
Dane’s eyes widened as the plan registered. “Duck and cover.”
“Ah-choo!”
Dane barely had time to hurl himself over Katie’s body before my face exploded and the atmosphere went epic. It was a good thing he’d covered her, too, because unlike last time, the rift didn’t open near the ceiling. It opened on the floor, right where Katie had been standing.
Dane and my friend scrambled to safety as the floor slashed open and the room bled darkness.
“Amelie,” Katie shouted, her hands still shielding the doors, “I thought the objective was not to die.”
“If you can do better, go for it.”
Granted, I’d made a concerted effort to direct the energy this time, but no way had I imagined anything this sudden. It looked like one of those underwater sinkholes, where one second the world is placid, then the next, gone.
I watched as a gaping black saw mark ripped across the floor, exploding everything in its wake. Wood splintered from the floor, dirt and furniture thrown back from the blast. Instinctively, I grabbed Luc under the arms and dragged him back a few feet before his feet could get swallowed by anything demonic.
And, wow, the demonic stuff came.
There was nothing subtle about it this time—no wings or claws or oily feathers. Those things you could at least fight with swords. What spilled out of this rift was far darker than anything I’d seen before, like frozen black mist slicked with acid.
“Jack,” I screamed over the howling vortex beneath our feet. “I can’t start shielding until after we’re through. Katie, cover us from here.”
“I’m trying.”
“Through?” Dane looked at me like I’d gone mental. “You’re kidding, right?”
I ignored him. It wasn’t like we had a ton of choices, and if we were going to survive this, I needed to stay focused.
“Ah-choo. Ah—”
“Quit that.” Jack clamped a hand over my mouth as the rift yawned wider.
It was creeptastic in the extreme. Just like at the dinner party, evil poured into the room, vibrating the crown molding and splintering furniture. It coated the walls until they looked like they’d been sprayed with melted tar through a pressure washer.
Katie had scooted backward into a corner and covered her head with one arm, the other still outstretched, channeling. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she yelled.
“It’s a horrible idea,” I hollered back. “You want to come with?”
“No.”
Careful not to break any ribs, Jack tossed Luc over his shoulder and grabbed my hand. Dane unsheathed his sword just as the double doors began to open.
“Go,” he said.
The good news was that we didn’t have to do much to enter the rift. The floor had grown slick with black goo, and space kept collapsing around us. It would have taken more effort to get away from it than it did to just stand still and let the void take us.
I felt the air shift as soon as we crossed out of the mortal plane. It scraped at my body like icy sandpaper, inside and out.
“Salve. Protorum,” I shouted once we were through, and the shields clacked into place around us.
Just in time, too.
I’d been prepared for something more like a portal—mild sensation, but with a vague awareness of movement. Portals always left me disoriented and, usually, a bit sick. But no matter how bad I�
�d thought that was, I longed for it now.
The rift crushed us.
If crossing to the Nether with Lisa had been like entering a room through a door, this was smashing your way in through a cinder block wall. Even with the shields up, it was like being kicked to death by a flock of cyborg kangaroos.
It occurred to me briefly that I should throw a closure spell out the mouth of it, to help Katie keep the demon goo from swallowing Luc’s house. But frankly, I didn’t think I could. Atoms collapsed and the world twisted, and every inch of me shrieked in pain. I swear my skin peeled off with the sheer force of it. Then, as quickly as it started, it—
—stopped.
Everything stopped.
No sound, no light, no sensation. I can’t even say it was a feeling of floating, because that would have been something. But it wasn’t. The closest thing to it I’d ever experienced was when someone dropped a perceptual vortex on my placement test last year. Except then I had been able to sense Jack, so it wasn’t as scary.
“Hello?” I called. “Anyone?”
In answer, I felt something warm against my arm. Moments later, it firmed into a grip, and the unmistakable feel of someone’s body coalesced next to mine. The rest came online pretty quickly—dark hair, slim build, shirt coated in blood.
“Luc,” I said. “Where’s Jack?”
“He’s here,” Luc replied, his voice ragged. “Give it a minute.”
At first, I thought a minute seemed optimistic, but he was right. Every blink seemed to bring more details—gray sky, chalky dust beneath me, miles and miles of empty landscape no matter which direction I turned. I didn’t remember falling—or landing, for that matter—but I knew something painful must have happened. My whole body ached like flu season, and my hair was coated with ash. Luc knelt beside me, also shaken, but at least upright.
“You’re healed,” I said. “That’s good. Unless we’re dead. Are we dead?”
“For the moment, no.” Luc coughed. “But I’m not getting too attached to that condition.”
I took a breath and tried to sit up—definitely a mistake. The sun sat low above the horizon, which made sense since, in the mortal plane, it would have been the middle of the night. We probably had a couple of hours before night fell here.