Ballad of Blood

by Amy Sumida

  “Where else?” Ramses countered. “It's not like she'll be there; she's out killing Blooders.”

  “Lovely.” Torin grimaced.

  “My apologies for being uncouth.” Ramses bowed. “But, the lady is not home; we'll be fine.”

  We made it out of the garden and onto a ridiculously clean street—that was also ridiculously crowded. I was shocked by the number of people wandering about; not because of their presence but for the lack of its results. There was none of the noise associated with such a crowd. These people walked quietly, spoke quietly, and even coughed quietly. When we passed by them, they'd nod to us in greeting; nothing verbal. Sleek vehicles rolled by on the streets with just low hums of sound to mark their passage. The only things making noise on Aaru were the fauna and us.

  But Shani had been right; as long as we kept our mouths shut, we blended in. The Aarun were as cosmopolitan a race as humans were. There was no clear majority in ethnicity or style. Skin tones ranged from deepest sienna to palest white, and clothing from conservative to ostentatious. Hair colors ran the rainbow, and so did eye color. This was clearly a race of world travelers, and I don't mean their own world.

  “Wow,” I whispered as we passed a woman with her dark hair done up in Marie Antoinette curls.

  The lady sashayed into a mansion topped with spiraling towers, and I looked from it to the surrounding buildings. All of the architecture was just as varied as the people; with several styles that would have looked at home on Earth, but even more that were clearly alien. Alien; I had never felt the word so keenly before. I thought of Beneathers as supernaturals, not aliens. But technically, they were all from other planets, and that made them aliens. That made me an alien. Did it matter that I was born on Earth? It must have because I didn't feel alien. This was alien; this odd world that couldn't decide what it wanted to be, and its even odder people who were completely fine with it.

  “You've got to be kidding me,” I muttered as we stopped before an Egyptian temple in all its shining glory.

  It was what the temples in Egypt must have originally looked like; stone edifices of soaring columns, polished floors, and massive statuary. Everything was painted in garish colors, and swaths of perfumed silk were hung from the ceiling; adding to the vibrant display with their jewel-toned dyes. Statues of Isis, at least a hundred feet tall, stood to either side of the main steps.

  “Yeah; it's hard to miss. Gods.” Shani rolled her eyes. “They don't even know how absurd they are.”

  Ramses opened a golden gate that was shaped like a pair of folded wings. We followed him across a courtyard split by a channel of water full of floating, lotus blossoms. The narrow water feature ran in a straight line from the gate to the base of the steps; forcing us to split up and go around it. Our party regrouped on the steps and walked up to the front door, but I paused to eye the Isis statues before joining them. If the woman was anything like the art; she was an arrogant bitch. But there I went; judging from appearances again. Isis could have a case of RBF—resting bitch face—and be a lovely lady who just happens to enjoy turning Blooders into soulless zombies in her spare time.

  “Are we just going to walk in the front door?” Gage asked.

  “I don't know.” Shani shrugged. “I've never broken into one of their houses before.”

  “Great.” I rolled my eyes.

  “We just need to grab one thing, right?” Shani asked. “If we have to, we can bust in a window, snatch something, and run.”

  She started to reach for the door handle, and I was about to say something to stop her, but I was too late. A zap of magic sent Shani sliding across the porch.

  “Yeah.” I sighed. “I didn't think it was going to be that easy.”

  “Well, that woke me up,” Shani said as she got to her feet. “That's a 'No' to just walking in the front door.”

  Ramses went to see if Shani was all right, while Torin strode forward. He eyed the door as if he could see the magic protecting it. Then Torin held out his hand and closed his eyes. The biggest talent of Onyx was its ability to ground magic. Give Torin enough time, and he could drain anything of its power.

  For Isis' lock, all he needed was thirty seconds.

  “There,” Torin declared as he opened the door. “Shall we?”

  “Nicely done, King Torin,” Shani declared.

  Torin bowed his acceptance of the compliment and then stepped inside. As soon as he crossed the threshold, a shrieking siren started to blare.

  “Grab something and run!” Shani shouted.

  Chapter Twenty

  All of us snatched up whatever item was closest and then ran out the door. The street was filling with confused Aaruns; staring at Isis' house in utter confusion; as if they'd never heard an alarm before. Then they saw the items we carried, and a realization hit. They tried to hit us back with strong bursts of magic.

  We were a strong group, but we weren't strong enough to fight off an entire city of gods. So, we ran.

  Gage and Torin took the lead like a couple of quarterbacks and barreled through anyone who dared to step in our way. Shouting and screaming began as Aaruns crashed into each other and tumbled into piles. The buzz and hum of magic filled the air while the heat of its passing warmed my skin. The Aaruns may have been unfamiliar with the concept of interlopers, but they were quick to defend their world, and that defense was top notch.

  “Unfamiliar,” I whispered.

  The word sparked a memory, and the perfect song popped into my mind. I didn't have to ask Kyanite; the sound of playing children instantly echoed around us with a haunting tone. The Aaruns paused; looking around in shock as the laughter of ghost-children swept into a bell-like melody, and then was consumed by a jagged guitar.

  “Unfamiliar” by The Birthday Massacre was one of those songs that were hard to interpret, but it felt to me as if the singer was being pulled down by her past; the present becoming something she couldn't recognize anymore. At its core, I sensed oppression—a paralyzing fear—and that's what I needed. That and a certain line that came later in the song and could be used as a last resort.

  The spell burst from my lungs and flung itself out like a berserker; bashing into the crowd that was attempting to stop us from reaching the pyramid. Waves of paralyzing magic washed over the Aaruns and froze them in place. But there were so many of them, and we were moving forward rapidly. Every few steps brought more Aaruns who were unaffected by my song, and I had to push out more of the magic. But my song held strong, and we were making good headway. The rest of my group blocked any incoming attacks as I turned the nearby Aaruns into statues.

  The Aaruns started to get frantic; panicked by the invasion and the possibility that we might achieve the impossible and make it past them. Their sense of security would be shattered, I'm sure. The Aaruns doubled their efforts, and some of their magic started to make its way through our defenses. Ramses stumbled after taking a hit to his leg, but Shani shifted into a sphinx to carry him.

  Shani was magnificent in sphinx form; her sleek lioness body flowed seamlessly up into human shoulders, and her hair flowed wildly about her like a mane. Her features had gone fierce, and her eyes rounded a bit, but other than that, her face was the same; it was just her lower regions that had changed.

  On her back, Ramses shifted his hands into paws and lashed out at anyone who got close enough for him to reach. Declan adjusted course to run alongside Shani and cast illusions around them; sending Aaruns shrieking away in fright. Manifestations would require more of his concentration, so he stuck to images of monsters. I saw Chupacabra, Gowrows, and even a basilisk; all the creatures we'd recently wrangled and sent home to Torr-Chathair. I was glad their memory could help us instead of just haunt us.

  With Torin and Gage in front of me, that left me alone. I didn't think anything of it; I was fine on my own. I kept singing, and Aaruns fell back from me without ever getting the chance to send some magic my way. But then we made it to the garden surrounding the Pearl Pyramid.

&nbs
p; Some Aaruns had run ahead to lay in wait among the flower beds. I sang on, oblivious to the trap; sending waves of powerful, paralyzing sound out over our pursuers. The men in front were busy clearing our path, Shani was carrying Ramses, Ramses only had his claws, and Declan was using illusions; that left me with the heaviest hitting magic. I was clearly the target that needed to be taken out, and I was unguarded; all offense and no defense.

  A group of Aaruns charged me with torpedo-like intent just as we neared the entrance to the Pyramid. Gage saw them coming and swung back toward me while Torin continued to clear our path with magic and brute strength. My magic froze most of the Aaruns headed my way, but one man made it through and flung his hand at me with a triumphant smile.

  “Elaria!” Gage shouted and dove for me.

  Gage slammed into me like a truck, and we both went crashing to the ground; gravel biting into my arms as his weight crushed me. Gage grunted and rolled with me, then he pushed up and got us on our feet in one slick movement. The man who had struck at me was preparing for another attack, and I used my last resort against him. It was a line that was normally spoken in a sweet, nostalgic way, about someone touching you deeply, but I used it in its literal form and stopped the Aarun's heart. I forced it to be still.

  The man dropped to his knees; a hand clutching his chest as his eyes went wide. I couldn't spare a second look for him, though; Gage was stumbling, and I needed to help him into the pyramid. We all raced down the stairs, and Shani transformed back into her human form to work the controls of the transporter. In seconds, light was pouring up from a shaft in the center of the room... and Aaruns were pouring into the chamber after us.

  “Go!” Shani shrieked.

  We leapt into the light.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Close the gate!” Ramses shouted as soon as we were through.

  Shani ran to the controls and began to push buttons rapidly. The light of the portal went out, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Then Shani shifted a hand into a paw and slashed at the controls. They exploded into sparks before a zipping sound fizzled out.

  “That won't stop them for long,” Shani said. “They can work the gate from their side. We have to get out of here.”

  “Okay,” Gage mumbled and fell to his knees.

  “Gage!” I shouted and knelt beside him.

  I frantically scanned his body and found a blackened spot on his back. When I lifted up his ruined shirt, I revealed a charred mark on his skin with black lines spreading out from it. It almost looked like blood poisoning.

  “No,” Shani whispered. “It's a death curse.”

  “A what?” I growled.

  “Aarun magic.” Ramses groaned as he held his wounded leg. “I'm so sorry; there is no cure. It will kill anything; even an immortal. Make your goodbyes.”

  “What?!” I shrieked.

  “What the fuck happened over there?” Banning snarled.

  “We have to move.” Shani was crying. “I'm sorry, but you'll have to say goodbye in the van.”

  “No,” I whispered.

  “Hey,” Gage took my hand. “You're going to be okay, sweetheart. You've got lots of love to support you. It's better that it be me than you.”

  Gage moaned his way to his feet, and Torin rushed forward to help him. There was pain pulsing through my chest; the RS spell feeling the echoes of the death curse. I gasped as my other consorts made similar sounds of discomfort. Gage's death was going to hurt in so many ways.

  “Banning, grab Elaria!” Torin shouted; jarring both Banning and me out of our shock.

  Banning hurried over and took my hand. We followed the men up the long—painfully long—passage and out into the Egyptian night. Shani and Ramses were shouting at everyone; getting them into the vans as quickly as possible. A sense of panic surrounded us, but I couldn't feel anything but a freezing disbelief. This wasn't happening; this couldn't happen.

  We got into a van and sped away from the pyramid just as a few Aaruns came running out. They glared after us as we drove to safety—a few sending magic streaking after us—but my focus was on my griffin. I was on the floor of the van with Gage in my lap. Gage's hand was in mine, and his hazel eyes were staring at me steadily. A single tear seeped out of one eye and dripped down his cheek.

  “I'm sorry I have to leave you, Ellie,” he whispered. “We were supposed to have forever.”

  That broke the shock paralyzing me. I started to cry brokenly, and then I sniffed and said, “No. Fuck no; I'm not letting you go without a fight.”

  You got it, darling, Kyanite said gently in response to a request I had barely formed.

  The raindrop tempo of “Come Alive” by Rachel Taylor filled the van, and my consorts pressed in around us with hopeful expressions. The beat fluttered up into a crescendo, and I started to sing to Gage about how he had changed my life—how he had saved it—and that was exactly what I was going to do for him. My soul poured into the song with my magic, and everything I had in me—every ounce of power I could collect—flowed into Gage. I wove my spell around the way he had heroically come into my life and rescued me. I had been on the verge of death, and this man revived me with his love. I knew I could do the same for him.

  The song was lighthearted—a woman celebrating the love of her life—but tears poured down my cheeks as I sang it. Because Gage was still fading. He smiled softly and lifted a hand to my cheek; gratitude filling his eyes along with acceptance. He was making his goodbye, and he looked content to be sung into death by me. But I shook my head and pushed on.

  My voice broke, and I sang in choking gasps, but I kept going. My tears were falling on Gage's cheeks, but he was too weak to lift his hand and brush them away. He just gazed at my face peacefully as I fought for his life. What was the sense of gaining all this power if I couldn't save Gage? Please; let it be enough to heal him.

  The RS flared to life suddenly, and power poured in from Banning, Torin, and Declan. The new surge of energy brightened inside my mind until I was blinded to all but Gage. His face consumed my vision, and then it was only his eyes. The green in them sparked, and then the gold until they glowed with power; with life.

  Suddenly, Gage sat up and inhaled deeply; exhaling on a roar. Waves of power vibrated off his skin and through the van. The event startled our driver, and we came to a screeching halt. But I barely noticed the van stopping; Gage's arms were around me, and they were strong again. He clasped me to him tightly and lowered his face into the curve of my neck. I could feel his whole body trembling through the release of my spell, and then he collapsed against me. We held each other and wept; the other men closing around us; to lay supportive hands on us with expressions of relief.

  “You did it,” Gage whispered as he eased back. He stared at me with wonder. “You sang me back to life, Ellie.”

  “I had some help,” I glanced at the other men, and they smiled.

  “Thanks, guys,” Gage murmured.

  “Don't you ever get cursed again,” I growled.

  “I'll try my best not to.” Gage chuckled as he pulled me against his chest.

  I laid my head against Gage's strong heartbeat and finally let myself relax. Then I frowned and looked down; I was clutching something.

  “What the hell is this?” I whispered as I lifted my hand.

  I had totally forgotten the reason we had gone to Aaru in the first place.

  “Is this underwear?” I gaped at a scrap of silk. “Who the hell leaves their panties by the front door?”

  The van filled with laughter; stronger for the relief that fueled it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Could someone please tell me why Shani is naked?” Gio asked as the van started moving again.

  Shani looked down at herself and grimaced. “I forgot that I shifted.”

  “I would be honored if you'd wear my coat,” Gio shrugged out of his coat and handed it to Shani.

  “Thank you,” she said as she slipped into it. To me, she added, “There's nothing
quite like a blooder who's stuck in the past.”

  “I am not stuck there,” Gio protested. “I've simply brought the best pieces of it forward with me. Chivalry, honor, and eloquence are important.”

  “Well said.” Banning nodded. “I feel like that with Elaria sometimes. She's the best piece of my past.”

  “Can't you yahoos give me one single day with our lady after I nearly died?” Gage huffed before kissing my forehead. “Do you have to get all romantic with her now?”

  “Sorry,” Banning mumbled. Then in a steadier voice, he asked, “But can someone tell me what the hell happened on Aaru?”

  “Isis had a security system,” I said.

  “A security system?” Banning asked dryly.

  “Yep,” Gage said. “We broke into her house and then had to book it outta there with an entire Aarun city chasing us.

  “Ramses was injured, and then Elaria was nearly hit by a death curse,” Torin added with a look that started as softly relieved as he looked at me and then shifted to deeply grateful when he transferred his stare to Gage. “Gage leapt in front of the spell and took it instead.”

  “You heroic asshole,” I muttered.

  “Why am I an asshole?” Gage asked in shock.

  “Because you are,” I huffed.

  “I love you too,” Gage said and chuckled.

  “There; you get to be the romantic one.” Banning waved a hand at Gage and grimaced. “Good luck with that.”

  “If I had been hit, you could have healed me.” I finally realized why Gage was an asshole. “Your claw, remember? But we didn't know that I could heal you.”

  “You can do anything,” Gage said grandly.

  See? The griffin knows you're special, Kyanite said smugly. You think you healed him because the others aided you, but that's not entirely true, my love.

  I ignored Kyanite to growl at Gage, “Gage; you were ready to die; you didn't know that I could save you. Hell; I didn't know that I could save you.”