by Rachel Xu
Lily wasn't sure what she was looking at.
A six-foot tall vat stood in the center of the closet-like room. It was stainless steel like the ones in the basement but was completely entangled in thick, black, ropey vines.
Ian entered the room, followed by Mike.
Dark circles rimmed Ian's eyes and his hair was askew. Lily reached for him but a sharp pain in her neck brought her to a halt as Kurik turned to face his brother and tightened his grip on the dagger.
“Where is it?” he said through clenched teeth, body quivering.
“Where's what?”
“Don't play stupid with me—you're killing time. Where is the skeech that wove this web?”
“Behind the vat.”
Kurik lowered the dagger but his arm around her chest tightened and she struggled to take in a full breath of air.
He pushed her forward and halfway around the vat where a giant spider came into view. Dozens of glassy eyes protruded from a wide, flat head; a pair of pincers above and below a fanged mouth. Lily stifled a scream, then exhaled in relief.
It was on its side with eight legs tucked against its belly.
It was dead.
“No—” Kurik wailed in an otherworldly voice. “What have you done!”
Ian crossed his arms over his chest. “I killed it.”
“But only the skeech can dissolve its own web,” he hissed, digging his fingers into Lily's tricep until she grimaced. She jabbed her elbow into his side but he didn't flinch. She might as well have poked him with a feather.
“Why don't you just cut through it?” Mike suggested. “I have an ax in the workroom.”
“Are you daft? A skeech's web is indestructible. The only way through is to dissolve it was the acid stored in the sacs in its head. Why of course!” Kurik jerked Lily to the insect's side and pushed the head over with his boot, revealing the back of the skull.
Someone had cut a hole out of it, leaving nothing but an empty cavity.
“You fool—” Kurik screamed at Ian. “If there's no way for me to get into this vat, then I no longer have any reason to keep you or Lily alive.” He yanked her head back and poked the dagger into her neck, breath hot against her throat.
“Wait-wait,”—Ian held his palms out in front of himself in a calming motion—“there's another way to do it.”
Kurik grunted in response.
“There's a plant that contains an acid that can dissolve the web.”
“Let me guess, back in Alvernia? Not going to happen. I don't believe you.”
“No, there's one here. I brought a variety of seeds with me from father's palace when I left. A seed for the Jubaka plant was one of them.”
A long pause. The room was suffocating and dark.
“Where is this Jubaka plant.”
“North-east of my workshop, in the center of the swamp.”
“You're lying . . . ”
“I swear, I am not. I wouldn't risk Lily's life like that.” His eyes were wide; and she thought, sincere. “If you just follow me,” he said, “I'll show you.”
“It's a trap. I wouldn't even make it to your tree without being ambushed. Or if I did get to the Jubaka, no doubt some new and equally absurd task will await me there before I can extract the acid. It's a wild goose chase—”
“No, the acid is easy to remove. I promise.” His voice was strained.
“I don't believe you—Lily dies.”
“No—” he cried, rushing toward them.
A shot rang out as warm blood splattered Lily's face.
She screamed, expecting Ian to fall to the ground. Instead, the dagger slipped from her throat as Kurik staggered away, clutching his hand in agony.
Ian was there in an instant, wrenching her to his side. She searched the room, wildly, heart pounding, expecting Mike to shoot again. Hadn't he aimed at Ian and missed?
But it wasn't Mike.
Hannah stood in the door frame with a rifle aimed at Kurik.
Mike ducked past her and vanished in the room beyond.
Ian pulled Lily with him to Hannah's side. “We have to get out of here—now.”
Kurik lunged toward them then, his face contorted. She fired again but he darted to the side. Ian grabbed Hannah's arm and pulled both her and Lily out of the room and down the short hallway. “Run for it,” he shouted when they reached the archway. “I'll slow him down.”
Kurik rushed toward them. “Now—ladies—now,” Hannah shouted.
The sheet draped over the piano pulled off as a trio of angels leaped out from beneath it.
“Orealas,” Kurik said with a gasp. He darted to the closest window, throwing himself through the curtains and the glass. Hundreds of glimmering pieces crashed to the floor as his boots disappeared from view.
Ian went to the window, peering out as rain splattered the room on a gust of wind.
Lily hurried to his side. “Is he dead?” she asked, looking down through the opening. There was nothing but shards of glass on the ground below, two stories down.
“He's heading for the forest, for the Jubaka plant.”
“It's real?”
“Yes.” He took her hand and moved them away from the window.
“Who cares if he's after some silly plant,” Hannah said hotly, her braid hanging over her shoulder and apron untied. “I'm just glad he's out of our house.” She clucked her tongue and approached Ian in booted feet. “Oh, my poor boy—what have they done to your face?”
“I'm all right, Hannah. It's just a scar.” He wrapped the little old woman in his arms, kissing the top of her head.
“I'm so glad to see you again,” she said. “I thought I'd lost you forever.” She stepped back and gave him a once over, balancing the rifle on her shoulder. “But I wasn't going to walk away without a fight.”
He chuckled and rubbed his forehead. “You sure saved our—”
“—mind your language,” she scolded, waggling a finger.
“How'd you learn to shoot like that?” he asked, nodding at the rifle. “I'm impressed.”
“Auguste used to take me out back to shoot targets, don't you remember? Said I needed to learn to defend myself against the wolves.” She looked toward the broken window, frowning.
“Oh yes, the wolves . . . Right.”
Lily stared at the trio of angels who were standing back demurely, recognizing them instantly as the angel statues from the pool room. Their skin, hair and robes were golden; plummy wings folded neatly behind their backs. The one in the middle had an ethereal beauty distinct from the others. She noticed Lily's glance and smiled.
“I'm so glad you made it out of the baths alive,” the angel said with a voice like a dove. “Kurik nearly got you, but he didn't fight back when I intervened. I didn't know it was Kurik, unfortunately, or I would have informed Ian.”
Lily's breath caught in her throat. “You're the angel who rescued me?” Her cheeks warmed. “I'm so sorry for jabbing you with my elbow. I . . . I thought you were attacking me.”
The angel smiled in response and Lily's tense, aching muscles relaxed ever-so-slightly.
“I'm not an angel as you call me, however. We're known as Orealas. Our mothers were Serena's handmaidens.”
“Speaking of which,” Ian cut in, “did anyone see where Mike went? For all we know, he could be lying in wait in the next room, though my guess is he's hightailed it out of here.” He reached for Hannah's rifle, saying, “May I?” and she passed it to him. “I've got to go after Kurik—the sooner the better.”
Lily went to him and touched his forearm, searching his dark eyes with earnest. “I'm coming with you.”
He agreed. “Hannah, stay with the Orealas—they'll protect you from Mike and anything else.”
Chapter 27
Ian opened the back door of the mansion a crack and peered out into the yard. The sky was slate and the rain showed no sign of letting up. A low fog was spreading across the greenswar
d, obscuring the outline of the forest.
Taking Lily by the hand, he pushed his way through the door and they moved across the lawn, staying low to the ground. When they reached the trail, the heavy-duty gnarled branches served as an umbrella, reducing the rain to a drizzle. It was icy cold and Lily began to shiver; she was wearing a zippered jacket and jeans, her hair wet and flat against her cheeks.
“Where's the swamp?” she whispered.
“About a fifteen-minute jaunt from the workshop.” He stopped, turning to face her and pulling her closer to his side. “But there's something I have to warn you about—”
“—did you hear that?” She interrupted, eyes widening.
“What?” He shot a glance to his right, where she was gesturing.
“I heard something moving.” Her voice was barely a whisper now.
He glanced in the direction again, scanning the thicket. “Can't be Kurik,” he said in a hushed tone. “He's way ahead of us.”
A branch snapped in the foggy distance.
Ian's back went rigid. Putting a finger to his lips, he motioned for Lily to follow him. Keeping down, he went to a rotund log on the opposite side of the trail and ducked in behind it, pulling Lily all the way down beside him, their cheeks to the wet forest bed. They looked out at the trail from a gap beneath the log.
More twigs snapped, closer now, and a creature appeared in the gloom before them, fog swirling around multiple insect-like legs. From the middle of a bulbous torso rose a head with an elongated skull. Its six eyes were ablaze like fireflies.
Ian kept a protective arm over Lily's back.
The creature moved closer to their side of the trail, flicking its eyes in the direction of their hiding place. Had it seen them? Caught their scent?
Seconds passed, an entire minute, rain dampening their backs, and the creature started off again, disappearing into the fog. They waited until the footsteps had faded to nothing and until several minutes of silence had passed after that.
“What was that?” Lily whispered, her face only inches away from his own. He fought the urge to move a strand of hair away from her cheek.
“A Leerk,” he said with an exhale. “One of Morack's mindless soldiers.” He stood up and Lily followed suit, brushing wet leaves and muck from her jeans. “I don't know what it's doing here though,” he said in an undertone, senses on high alert. “I thought I'd captured all the creatures Auguste let through . . . unless—” His pulse quickened, sudden dread constricting his throat. “Lily, where is the key to the trunk, the one you took from Bogart's cage—do you still have it?”
“I . . . I hid it in my dresser but—” She frowned. “When I went for my car keys, the bedroom was ransacked . . . ”
“Mike,” they said in tandem.
“The trunk has been opened then,” he said gravely, moving around the log and back onto the path. “The inner key has been missing since Auguste's death—Kurik must have taken it. We'll have to be extra cautious. There's no way of knowing how many Leerks have been released—and who knows what else.”
They hurried to Ian's tree, keeping an eye on all directions.
“I hope I never see Alvernia,” Lily said in a whisper. “It sounds like a horrid place.”
“It was beautiful before Morack took over.”
“Do you have any good memories there?”
“No.”
“Then why do you want to save it? Why didn't you just destroy the trunk and be done with it?”
He considered this a moment, but didn't slow his pace. “My mother used to tell me stories whenever she had a chance to talk to me. Of a great ocean filled with sea people who lived in an underwater city. There were also spectral creatures of all colors, that drifted on the winds, and humanoids on land. Unicorn populations covered the hillside like sand. Then there was the singing forest. The trees lit up indigo at night, making a humming sound that was the most wonderful melody you've ever heard . . . ”
The fog was growing denser but the rain was letting off. The air was chill and piquant with decaying leaves.
“Tell me more, Ian.”
He glanced her way, gaze lingering on eyes, her face. He looked away.
They reached the workshop and went around it. “She also told me about great chambers of precious jewels, tended to by thousands of fairies. I've never seen them myself but it's probably where Auguste acquired his fortune and the ones he gave me for the tree.” He lowered his voice from an undertone to a whisper, tucking his head down to speak into Lily's ear as they trudged through the forest. “Once Morack is defeated, the creatures of Alvernia will be free again and Alvernia can return to its original state of beauty—”
Ian froze in his tracks, grabbing Lily securely by the wrist and pushing her behind him, shielding her.
Someone or something was approaching through the gloom ahead and it was too late to hide.
A silhouette appeared.
Lily's legs were like Jello. She let out a rush of breath. “Varkis, thank goodness.”
Varkis approached nonchalant. He'd likely caught their scent long before they saw him, and already knew they were coming.
“Man, am I glad to see you,” Ian said, letting go of Lily. “We've got trouble.”
“Tell me about it—” Varkis lowered his voice. “Had a near brush with a Leerk a couple hours ago.” His gray fur glistened and dried blood formed a trail down one forearm. “I've informed the others.”
“Either Kurik or Mike have the trunk keys. I'm afraid this place'll be crawling in no time, if it isn't already.”
Varkis narrowed his amber eyes, lips rolling back in a growl. “Speaking of which . . . where is Kurik?”
“Heading to the swamp. He's after the Jubaka tree. We have to stop him.”
“Count me in. I'd love a chance to sink my claws into him.”
Ian was visibly relieved. His cheek was smeared with mud and his shirt wet and clinging. “Great,” he said, smacking Varkis' upper arm and moving around him, heading in the direction the Anubis had just come from.
“Once again,” gruffed the dog man, puffing out his chest, “I come to your rescue.”
Ian laughed and shook his head.
Lily fell into step beside Varkis.
“How're you holding up?” he asked.
“I'm surviving,” she said, moving a tree branch away from her face. “Trying to keep my sanity. Might need a straight jacket if things keep up.” She crooked a smile.
“I'm sure Ian's strong loving arms are the only straight jacket you need.” He let out a bark of a laugh.
“Shut-it,” Ian said, glaring over his shoulder at them. “Want the whole forest to know we're here? Keep it down, man.”
They walked in silence for a while, keeping a vigilant watch on all sides.
“Do you look like your father, Ian?” she whispered impulsively, quickening her stride until she was beside him.
“Not really.” He flicked her a distracted glance, maneuvering around tree trunks and pushing aside branches. “I suppress those features. There's a darkness in me.” His voice was low and gruff. “If I give in to it, I begin to change, to look more like him—like you saw in the vat room. It takes a lot of self-control to stay this way.”
“Must be hard to fight an inner battle like that . . . ”
He gave her a contemplative look. “Everyone does really. For me it just happens to be physically obvious.”
She nodded. “So, tell me about my grandmother then. Serena. How'd she acquire magical powers?”
“She wasn't human.”
Lily's breath caught in her throat and she nearly tripped over a log. “Then what am I?”
“Oh, you're part human,” he said. “Auguste was human.”
Lily's heartbeat drummed in her ears and she began to sweat, despite the dampness and cold. “But what else am I.”
“If you take after your grandmother then . . . well, then you'd be . . . you'd be part
shape shifter.”
She gasped.
“But she only ever took human form, as far as I know. Nobody knows what her true form was.”
“If my bloodline is diluted, do I even have the power to kill Morack?”
“As long as her blood runs through your veins, I have no doubt of it.”
His voice wavered slightly in the middle, as though he lacked conviction. Her throat tightened.
Varkis pushed his way in-between them. “Lighten up on the heavy talk,” he grumbled. “We're nearly to the swamp and can't be distracted. It's time to get stealthy.”
She and Ian nodded their agreement and took the next half mile at a quick and cautious pace, finally coming to a dead stop at the edge of bog land.
The rain had completely ceased and a mist swirled around them.
A bog stretched out ahead of them. Dead trees reached upward from the murk at odd angles, casting spindly shadows over the oily surface. Floating weeds shifted positions as gaseous bubbles rose to the surface and burst around them.
Ian turned to Varkis who was standing with hairy gray arms crossed over his chest, feet spread wide.
“What do you think?” he asked. The last thing he wanted to do was enter the swamp, but Kurik had given him no other choice.
“I think it wasn't a smart idea to come with you after all,” the dog man responded.
“Come on. Seriously.”
“Who said I wasn't being serious?”
Lily was standing between them, one hand on her hip as she squinted up at the sky. Dusk was fast approaching.
Ian ran a hand down his face and took a deep breath, nearly choking on the stench of the water. “Well. . . . Let's get this over with then.” He stepped into the cold goop, weed-muck sucking at his foot.
He took another step forward and sunk down, slimy vegetation and dank water swirling about his knees.
“Come on guys,” he glanced over his shoulder. “We have to get to the Jubaka and get out of this swamp before nightfall or we won't live to see morning!”
Varkis harrumphed. “This swamp gets deep fast, you do realize. We're going to have to swim a lot of the way and it's going to be freezing.”