by G. Bailey
Neritous doesn’t even knock, he just lets himself in. “I do hope you survive this,” he claims, his eyes running over me in a way I don’t like. It’s like I’m his possession and he is seeing how much he can sell me for. “Follow me, or I will force you.”
I don’t respond to him other than sliding on my high heels that go with the dress. I hate that they are beautiful and I want to keep them. The silver heels are hidden completely under my dress as I head through the door and across the clearing. I see Dominic at a table, and his eyes fill with tears when he sees me. I have to look away before he makes me cry, and I clear my throat.
I only have to live through touching the soul of the goddess of life. One of the most powerful goddesses in the entire world.
No pressure.
Fecking hell, I can’t breathe. The closer we get to the door, the more it feels like I’m going to pass out, and I dig my nails into my palms to keep myself awake. Neritous unlocks the door, and I follow him in, coming face to face with the sphere and the cube inside of it. My nerves only get worse when I feel the power, feel the call to it and all the destruction it no doubt promises.
I gulp as Neritous shoves his hand into my back, pushing me to the edge of the sphere.
“I will kill you when this is all over. You realise that?” I breathlessly state the words, a promise I fully intend to keep. “For the pain you put my mother through, for all the lies you have spoken, and for the karma you are very much in need of. I know why I haven’t been given a karma job since your name appeared on my hand...it is because you are alive. Death is your karma, and it is my job to deliver it to you.”
“I have escaped karma my entire life. You will be no different,” he responds to me. “Now take the power we both know calls to you. Stalling will not save you.”
I scream as he shoves me into the sphere, and it instantly starts to attack me. Waves of magic, feeling like actual waves in the sea, slam into every part of my body with intense hits. I feel like I’m drowning as I take a step forward, and then another, and then one more until I sense I’m near the cube. I open my eyes, and even that hurts as the magic still tries to hurt me, and see the cube right in front of my hands.
“I’m sorry,” I manage to whisper as I place my hands on either side of the cube, and it explodes. The cube changes into a liquid form, the green liquid shimmering as it spins around my hands before sinking into my skin. Green tree root tattoo-like marks appear on my hands and wrists, going up my arms, and I look down as they meet in the middle of my chest, making a small tree with several roots that look like a Celtic knot. I scream as the power suddenly hits me like a bullet to the chest, and I gasp in pain.
Protect my son. This is my gift for you alone, Karma Kismet, a kind sounding woman’s voice invades my mind, smothering me in a sense of safety before disappearing. My power has always been there, under my skin, protecting me, but this is nothing like that. The sphere disappears as I fall to my knees, holding onto my chest like I can stop the power with just my hands.
“You did it.” Neritous’s voice is a whisper. “My child did this.”
“I may be your daughter by blood, but I am not yours in any sense. Neither is this power,” I exclaim, forcing myself to stand and turn around to face him. He doesn’t seem remotely interested in my threat as he looks at me. The wall behind him suddenly blasts into pieces, and I’m frozen as the dust settles. Neritous runs for me as I reach my hand out for the man I know is stepping through the dust. I’d know him anywhere.
“Storm!” I scream just as Neritous makes us disappear, and I can’t stop him.
Chapter 7
I push Neritous away the second we appear, stumbling back only to hear the loud sound of cars passing by. I turn around to see I’m on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which I have always wanted to see. It’s not gold, instead it is red, and it’s far bigger than I ever would have thought possible. We are directly in the middle of the sweeping bridge, and the cars pass us like we aren’t here.
Maybe men with cloaks and women in princess ball gowns are normal for San Francisco.
“Karma!” Ruby shouts as a man I don’t know, a thug with a bald head and a massive body drags her by her arm to Neritous’s side. She cries out for me, but I can’t do anything. He could kill her in seconds.
Neritous grabs Ruby and places her in front of him, his hands on her shoulders. She tries to fight, but he grips her shoulders harder, making it clear she can’t move.
“Go kill anyone you find at the warehouse. Try to go for the rest of my children first,” Neritous commands.
“No!” I scream, but it’s too late, he has just disappeared in front of me. Green magic, looking like electricity, flickers around my body, and it spits across the floor in the middle of us. My anger makes it worse until Neritous pulls a dagger out of his jacket and places it against Ruby’s neck right in front of me. I stop, pulling the magic back as my hands drop to my sides. Ruby looks terrified, and I feel sick.
“Using a child to fight me? What kind of man are you?” I growl. “I can answer that for you, by the way: a fecking coward.”
He doesn’t show me any emotion or reaction to my outburst; he looks bored instead. “Unleash your power on the city, or I will kill her. This is a test, and you will pass or she dies.”
“What will happen to the city and the people in it?” I question, but the sickness in my throat lets me know the answer far quicker than he does.
“For those who survive, they will have magic, their souls changed,” he answers. “You have the goddess of life’s powers in your soul now, Karma. You are going to change them all.”
“Changing you from human to a higher god didn’t work so well for Storm’s mother. You are a monster,” I reply.
“Do as I ask,” he dryly responds, like I’m wasting his time. I meet Ruby’s eyes, and I know I have to do this. He will kill her and so many more, and by then, I would be so weak he could control me.
This was his plan all along. Letting me get close to Ruby was the plan because he knows I won’t refuse him.
By saving her, I’m condemning thousands. How will I ever be able to live with myself after this?
The answer is simple. I won’t.
“Ruby—” My voice catches on a sob. “Close your eyes and don’t open them no matter what. I need you to do that for me. Please, Ruby.”
I shamelessly beg her because no child should see a city destroyed, and it’s the last good thing I will be able to do. She slowly closes her eyes, and the relief I feel is short-lived, soon replaced with dread and fear. And so much guilt it hurts.
I turn to the city and walk to the edge of the red barrier and lift my hands in the air. The power pushes against me all the time, and when I set it free, it blasts out of my body like a bird flying for the first time. I feel my feet leave the ground, the warmth of the power surrounding my body, and as I open my eyes, I watch my power crash into the city in a green wave. The high-rises are burnt away like dust and replaced with forests, tall mountains in the middle of them and so much green it hurts to see. The wave doesn’t stop for miles, never tiring me, even as I try to pull it back. With a fight, I manage to stop the waves leaving my hands, and I collapse to the dirty sidewalk, my cheek pressed into the gravel.
Ruby’s cries are the only thing that I manage to hold onto as I crawl to my feet. Neritous watches the city with wonder and something akin to love in his cold eyes.
“Let her go, you promised me,” I spit out, and he shoves her towards me, removing the dagger as he continues to watch the city. She runs as fast as she can to me, just as a car spins off the main path, directly at her. “Ruby!” I scream as the car hits her, knocking her over the edge of the bridge and into the air. For a second, the world slows down as Ruby screams and falls in the air, and I can’t use this new power to save her. Without needing to think about it, I run and climb up the barrier of the bridge and jump off the side. The fall seems longer than it likely is, and it’s seconds befo
re I crash into the cold water, going far deeper than I wanted to. I search the water for Ruby, spinning around as I pick up my necklace. I place the water charm into my mouth, letting the power wash over me and give me the ability to breathe underwater for a few minutes. I swim around until I see her red hair and immediately head straight to her. I’m inches away when the water changes around me, turning into a whirlwind and sucking me down further to the bed. I can’t even scream as it takes me.
Chapter 8
Coughing up water, I dig my hands into the sand as I focus on trying to breathe. A tiny hand pats my back, and soon I suck in a deep breath. I turn my head to the side as Ruby hugs me, soaking wet in the blue dress she was wearing when she fell into the river. I hug her tightly as I sit up, wondering if I’m dreaming or more likely, dead. We are on a sweeping beach that I don’t recognise at all, and it’s warm, borderline hot, as the sun dries our clothes. My ball gown is torn in many places, and my heels are gone. I’m sure the tiara got lost in the water too, but none of that matters; I actually think we are alive. I remember the whirlwind of water, and then everything is dark after that.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, and she nods.
“Water goddess saved us and healed me from the car,” she explains to me, still coughing on the water a little bit.
“My name is Heaven, and yes, I am a water goddess,” a silky woman’s voice replies to Ruby, and I turn to see a woman sitting a few feet away in the waves. Her skin shines in the sun, covered in scales, and a white, mostly see-through lace dress flows from her neck. Her white hair looks so soft as it falls down her back, and her blue eyes remind me of the sea as she meets my gaze. “You are Karma Kismet, correct?”
“How do you know that?”
“A friend of yours sent word to the world. They are looking for you, and I recognised you in the water. I felt I must save your life, even when I witnessed what you did to my home city,” she responds, and I can tell she does not like me. Guilt burns in my chest as I try to block out what I did, desperately trying to make myself not break down right now. “I am taking this as payment.” Heaven holds up the tiara, and I nod, happy for her to have it.
“Thank you,” I whisper to her.
“You can thank our friend.” She nods her head behind me, and I turn to see Seth walking right for me. Ruby climbs off my lap as I nudge her, standing to my feet and running to him without a care in the world if he even wants me anymore. Seth has a white shirt on, a few buttons loose, and it is tucked into his classic black trousers. His sleeves are rolled up, and his blond hair is slightly messier, making him look almost like Killian. We crash into each other, and he holds me tightly, fixing my soul with his embrace. His lips press against the side of my head as I breathe in how he smells like home. He kisses the side of my cheek and then finally my lips, taking them in a sweeping embrace.
Gods, I’ve missed kissing Seth.
“Ewww.” Ruby breaks up our moment with her protest, and Seth chuckles, leaning back, his face soft.
“You okay?” he asks, and I shake my head, because that is the best answer I have. Ruby comes to my side and offers Seth her hand.
“Which one of Karma’s boyfriends are you? She told me about three,” she bluntly asks, and I want to die in a hole of embarrassment.
Seth coughs out an amused laugh. “Seth, god of justice to your rescue, kid.”
“I’m not a kid, I’m Ruby. Karma’s sister,” she says, her hands on her hips to prove her point. I smile at her, not able to help it, and Seth shakes her tiny hand.
“Nice to meet you, Ruby,” he tells her as Heaven walks over to us, still standing near the waves.
“Seth, it has been too long,” Heaven murmurs. They look at each other with fondness, and I can’t help the jealousy that burns in my chest as Seth thanks her.
“We should be leaving,” Seth eventually suggests. “We aren’t safe out here for long.”
“Thank you for saving me and my sister. I owe you more than a tiara,” I tell Heaven, and she ponders on it.
“Promise me you will never return to my city. If you break this promise, I will drown you with my people,” she asks, narrowing her eyes on me.
“Heaven, why would you—”
“I promise,” I tell her, interrupting Seth. I don’t want him to know what I did, but there will be no hiding it soon. The world will soon have to know what I did. They will have to know how bad the powers under my skin really are. Heaven waves us goodbye before running into the sea and disappearing from view.
“Are you going to tell me what has happened?” Seth asks me, and I shake my head.
“Please just take me home, Seth,” I whisper to him. Without another word, he wraps me in his arms, holds onto Ruby, and takes us home.
Chapter 9
Gold dust sprinkles the floor near our feet, and as I slowly look up, I see my home I have longed to see for so long. The house I grew up in, the home my family lives in and somewhere I’ve dreamed of coming back to for what seems like a long time. I never expected to have the chance again to see the white picket fence or smell the flowers from the potted plants lining the path.
“Where are we?” Ruby asks us as Seth drops his hand from her shoulder. His gold eyes stay fixed on me like he is waiting for me to fall apart so he can be there to catch me. “And do they have food? I’m really hungry.”
Despite everything, I smile. “I’m sure Seth can take you to the kitchen. I will find everyone and let them know I’m back. This is my home. We can’t take you to your home until we know whether you’ll be safe there.”
“Karma...,” Seth gently whispers, but Ruby tugs his hand, dragging him away from me and leaving me alone just like I need right now. The front door looks too daunting, because I know once I see Storm and Killian and my family, I will break down. The guilt is like a locked box in my head, and I’m scared the lid is going to pop open at any minute. I stumble back, tears stinging the corner of my eyes as I walk around the side of the house and through the garden gate.
“Karmmaaa.” Michael’s goat voice makes me jump out of my skin, green energy burning the grass under my feet.
“Michael,” I whisper, looking over at him as his head rests on the gate nearby me. Seeing Michael is a little easier than Storm and Killian and my family. I calm my beating heart down before stepping closer and rubbing the top of his head in the way he likes.
“Different,” he tells me. Fecking understatement. I softly smile at him before kissing the top of his head. He goes back to his food without a care in the world, and I make my way to the back door. My grasp freezes on the door handle, and I stare at my shaky hand for a long time. The vines curve around my palm, reminding me of the marks running up my arms and the power that goes with it. If I were a better, stronger person, I would walk away and hide from my family. I’m only putting them in danger by being here.
But I need them. I need to see Storm and Killian, even if our relationship is nothing but rocky. Turning the handle, I step into my home and shut it quietly behind me. I walk down the corridor, running my fingertips over the edges of the many photo frames on the wall before getting to the living room door, which is slightly ajar. I stare in to see all my family on the couches, Storm leaning against the back of the sofa facing the TV, and Killian is pacing behind him. Something on the TV is capturing all their attention, and it’s very clear...it’s me. Green magic surrounds my body in waves as I hover in the air, destroying the city. The green magic mixes with my dress, making it look on fire, and my red hair is brighter than ever.
I look like a goddess for the first time in my life, and I hate myself for that moment. For what I did.
“Karma,” Storm’s shocked voice drifts to me just before I’m in his arms, pressed against his chest. “Karma, fuck. I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Karma!” My family all exclaim my name and rush at me. My mum pulls me from Storm’s arms, and I’m passed around my family for hugs until I can’t think straight. Pey kisses the
top of my head before resting his hands on my shoulders as he pulls back.
“Mads is here, locked up with magic cancelling handcuffs as she...,” he drifts off, and pain flashes in his eyes.
“I know,” I whisper, thankful that she is safe, hurt that she still doesn’t remember.
“Give her to me,” Killian demands, and Pey lets me go almost instantly. Killian offers me his hand, and I don’t think about it as I take it, letting him tug me to him. His lips descend on mine, passionately telling me everything on his mind without a word. I missed him too. I was worried too.
I’m fecking scared. He breaks the kiss, not letting me go but turning us to see my family. Storm rests by the door, his purple eyes watching us with relief, not jealousy like I expected.
“Did you see a boy named Dominic?” I ask him. “At the warehouse. Young kid with white hair.”
“Yes, he ran out the door the second it fell. Everyone else, except for Kit, is dead there,” he tells me. I should be sad that two of my half-brothers are dead and one is running away in a city somewhere, but I’m not. When this is over, and it’s safe, I will find Dominic and look after him myself. He shouldn’t be on his own.
Ruby runs into the room, a cake bar and banana in her hands, and comes to a halt in the middle of us, followed by Seth. Storm and Seth nod at each other before Seth sees the TV news, which is still playing but silent. Now he will know what I’ve done.
“They have a goat in the garden. Is it the talking one, Karma?” she asks me.
“Who is this?” mum asks, flicking her eyes between Ruby and me.
“My half-sister, Ruby. It’s not safe for her to go home, yet. Can she stay?” I ask.
“Family is always welcome. Why don’t we go and see Michael the goat? He always makes everyone laugh, and I can tell you some stories of how mischievous he can be,” mum asks, holding a hand out for Ruby. She looks to me, and I nod before she takes my mum’s hand. Once mum and Ruby leave, the room becomes thick with the unsaid words.