by Holly Hook
"Why are you bothering her?" I asked. "She doesn't even like me."
Mom was silent. I could smell the salt of her tears. Were they tears of regret or of terror?
Would things be different between us if I freed her?
"You have ten seconds, Alyssa. Wait too long, and you lose your mother. I can always find another person to test you with if I have to push her over. Janine, for instance."
He would. The truth was in his eyes.
I faced Trish and she nodded. Thoreau kept his hand on the back of Mom's chair, mouthing the numbers as he counted.
Trish's eyes turned bloodshot and thirsty. It was time to fight. Rage pumped through me and I wanted nothing more than to kill Thoreau and Leon both.
We both charged at the same time.
Thoreau dodged to the side, leaving Mom alone at the edge of the pit. I almost ran into her but I seized the back of her chair, pulling her back. She screamed through the cloth gag. I lifted the chair with her in tow and she screamed again, a terrified sound I would never forget--and I tossed her and the chair back away from the pit. She landed near the wall of the cave and fell to her side with the chair, heels facing me. Her eyes were hazel and terrified, her hair disheveled. She was the same mother I remembered from my old life, the one I had held hands with in that crayon wall art.
But at the sight of me with my sword in hand, she closed her eyes.
I stood next to the pit now. The gray-black expanse of the underworld stretched out, miles below, as wind whistled and beckoned me down.
Thoreau had backed away to stand by the side of the pit. Trish charged him, rage-filled, teeth bared, but he caught her by the neck and lifted her up. The doctor made a gagging sound as the mayor lifted her higher...higher...and turned to hold her over the underworld.
"Trish!" I shouted, frozen.
"So you're one of Russell Fox's children as well," Thoreau said to her. "He was a favorite servant of mine. He had a special love for doctors and nurses."
Trish tried to say something. If Thoreau let go, she would plummet miles to the ocean of dust.
I charged, sword raised, leaping over the side of the pit while Trish clawed at Thoreau's arms, drawing blood with her sharp fingernails. It smelled of raw sewage, then wood smoke, then sewage again. Thoreau/Leon had eaten a cheeseburger recently. My stomach rumbled.
I crashed into Thoreau so hard that all three of us flew back towards the wall on the side of the pit. Mom screamed through her gag again. She could see the fight. She might be screaming for my safety or my death. The cuts on Thoreau's arms oozed blackish red blood. It was midway between human and demon now. Leon was here, too.
Trish scrambled free of Thoreau as he landed against the wall. She grasped at her throat for a second before eyeing the cuts on Thoreau's arm. Her eyes remained very red. She was hungry.
The more Leon came through, the less the mayor stunk.
Thoreau peeled himself from the wall. "Attack me," he ordered, spreading his arms. More blood stained the sleeves of his suit. "Both of you. Attack."
He knew how to get to me. I saw Mom out of the corner of my eye, her wide, terrified gaze right on me as she lay on her side, unable to do anything more than lift her head.
I raised my sword. I had stabbed the mayor before. I could do it again, but I hesitated for a second. It was long enough for Leon to come through more strongly. Thoreau's face wrinkled and his eyes flashed to that of a War Mage, blue with the angry magenta flecks. Wood smoke replaced sewage and cologne. The air heated like he was about to unleash his power on us. Leon glared at me and Trish took a step back in shock. But then Thoreau came back full force, shoving Leon back and snarling at Trish. I knew what was going to happen. He would push her off the edge.
"Leon!" I shouted. "Help us."
Leon returned, pushing the darkness in Thoreau's eyes away. The Elder War Mage turned his hate on me. "You destroyed my honor," he snarled with that voice like raspy leaves. He was now an old man in Thoreau's suit. He was in control. He raised one arthritic arm and a magenta glow gathered around his hand. Mom screamed again. I stabbed, but Leon dodged to the side and my blade impaled only air.
Trish bit into his neck from behind.
Drops of blood splattered and the cheeseburger smell got stronger. I wanted to jump in and join her. No. Mom was watching. The magic around Leon's hands died. He struggled against Trish's grasp, but then Leon's eyes darkened and his blood took on a sewage smell again. Thoreau was returning. Trish gagged and released him and the mayor staggered, fully in control, right next to the underworld's opening.
Mom screamed again. She couldn't take this.
The air heated and I realized this was the real heat, not the War Magic type. Thoreau was about to unleash his fire. It would destroy both Trish and my mother. His eyes filled with the flames as he trained his hatred on Trish, then me.
I charged.
Stabbed.
My blade shot through the mayor's body and came out the other side, dripping with black blood. I drew it out and stabbed again. I was stronger than before. When I'd first fought him his chest had been like stone. More things than one had changed inside of me.
Thoreau's eyes widened as I held him there with my weapon. He reached up and felt for the handle of the sword, but Trish attacked again, clawing at the back of his neck. More demon blood splattered, some landing on me. The air grew hotter. I backed up, very close to the pit, and Trish motioned for me to take Thoreau closer to it. He needed to fall. It was the only way we'd be rid of him for a while.
Flames erupted around his body and his skin reddened. Encased in a fiery aura, he forced Trish to back away as the fire crept up the blade of my sword...surrounded my hands...wrapped around my arms...I couldn't feel the pain since the fire couldn't hurt me. Mom was screaming again and again. She wouldn't stop. She had lost all sanity. The heat built. He would release it through the cave, burning everyone but me and him alive.
"Leon!" I shouted, staring right into Thoreau's eyes and trying to ignore his reddening skin, the black wings ripping out of his suit, flapping and fanning the flames. "Leon! You have to help us." Who was I pleading to? Leon hated me. He was almost as bad as this demon. "Remember our deal!"
The flames crept towards my face. They roared and strengthened like a bonfire. Thoreau trembled and in one show of strength, Leon came through, changing his features back to the shade of skin and glaring at me with those hateful eyes. The fire died, leaving the air cool. Human blood spurted out around the sword now and the Elder War Mage's face contorted in pain. His hate was keeping him alive.
"I will regain my pride," he said, but not before Trish made a terrifying growl and grabbed him around the neck, pulling him back.
I retracted my sword. A flower of blood expanded on the front of Thoreau's suit, which was too big and rumpled around Leon's body. I rushed over to Mom, who closed her eyes and trembled as I approached. I leaned down, took my bloody sword, and sawed it across the ropes that kept her bound. "I'm getting you out of here," I said, my heart shattering. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm the same Alyssa I was before that horrible night. Mom! Open your eyes."
At last, she did.
I realized too late that one of my colored contacts had fallen out. It bounced off my shirt and rolled down to the pit, where it plunged over the edge and into the underworld. She could see one of my reddish eyes, something that I didn't even want to look at. Mom turned her gaze away for a second as I sawed off two lengths of rope. Then she turned her gaze back to me. "Alyssa?" she asked as if seeing me for the first time.
"It's me," I said, full of emotion as I continued to work on the ropes. "We're getting you out of here. Don't look at what Trish is doing."
I could hear the sounds of Trish sucking more of Leon's blood. The air was heating up again, this time with War Magic, but the heat sputtered. The Elder War Mage was having trouble keeping control. Trish was trying to drain his strength before he could unleash his power. But then Thoreau roared and the
feeling of War Magic dropped away. I heard the mayor hit Trish. She went flying back into the wall, landing not far from me.
The final rope dropped off Mom. "We have to go," I said, extending my hand.
She took it.
I helped her up, shocked at how much older she looked than I remembered. It had been years, after all. Mom and I ran for the upper caverns, bolting up the slanted stone. Trish followed. Escape would be harder than coming down. I pulled Mom along as Trish joined me and left Thoreau roaring below us. The sewage smell was worse than ever. Leon's injury had gone to the mayor.
"Go!" Trish shouted. "I'm behind you."
I ran so fast that Mom shouted out in pain. She was warm. The arm I held had hugged me long ago.
"Alyssa," she managed. "You came for me."
"I won't leave you," I said. The stone lightened. Mom jumped over a protrusion on the floor. She could see in here, too. The green glow got fainter and the despair less heavy. We were leaving the edge of the Underworld. We were going to get out of here. I was going to show Mom that--
"Watch out!" Trish shouted before I noticed.
The ground shook, forcing me and Mom to a stop. Trish crashed into the back of us as a crack appeared across the floor. Heat blasted out and against my face. A red hand--the demon mayor's--rose from the crack, which widened and spewed a deadly orange glow. Thoreau popped his face up and there was now nothing human left in it. He was full demon baron now, complete with horns and dancing flames that shot through the crack. Trish backed away. I let go of Mom and she did the same.
The heat intensified. Thoreau kept that aura of fire around him, preventing Trish from getting closer, but I felt no pain. The black blood on my sword reflected fire as I raised it. Thoreau was blocking our escape. A wall of fire rose from the crack now, blocking the way forward. It rose higher...higher...even as black blood dribbled from Thoreau's neck where Trish had bitten Leon. The mayor smiled as he stepped out from the still-widening crack and stared me down with those black coals that he called eyes.
"Alyssa," he said with a smile, showing two rows of pointed, yellow teeth. "It looks like I can't give you a passing grade." The flames formed a wall behind him. Neither Mom nor Trish would be able to go through. Only I could.
"I thought this was Death's test?" I asked. "Isn't it up to her?"
Thoreau just chuckled with that deep voice. There was no way past him. My sword wouldn't be enough to stop the flames. There was no way to get him to stop except for...no. Mom would see it. She would go over the edge. I'd never get her back.
But I had to do it.
Trish couldn't get this close to the flames.
"Hey, Leon," I said. "I still have to tell everyone in the Underground about your new circumstance. I bet you love working with Thoreau. You're both the slimiest people I've ever met. I can't decide between you who's worse. At least Thoreau has an excuse for being slimy. He's a demon. You don't have one. I think I'll tell all the Elders that you like to be buddies with demons and half-demons. That will go over well in the War Mage community--"
Leon came roaring back. The mayor's skin lightened and the Elder War Mage stood in his place, the wound in his stomach still bleeding but healing. The one on his neck was closing. It was either Allunna's influence or Thoreau's. I had the feeling Leon couldn't be killed easily.
But he and Thoreau were sharing blood. If I drained one, I drained the strength of the other.
"Alyssa," Mom said. It was a plea for me to not do it, to not expose her to this.
I understood right then what my real test was--what kind of death I had to accept.
I steeled myself as Leon raised his hands, hot purple War Magic raging to life around them.
"I'm not Normal," I yelled to Mom without looking back. "If you don't like that, that's your problem."
I lunged at Leon. He threw his War Magic, but I dodged as an intense hunger swept over me.
Cheeseburgers...
I bit Leon right on the other side of his neck.
He smelled too much like Xavier, so much that I was sure I was feeding on him for a moment. The War Mage blood was far more intoxicating than I could imagine, spreading through my body, filling me with incredible strength. I couldn't stop. Leon clawed at me but dropped his hands. The old man was getting weak. The flames of Thoreau danced around me, lowering, not hurting me but keeping Trish back. Leon trembled in my grasp, growing weaker right along with the flames, which sputtered and sank back into the crack between his feet. Thoreau was weakening too like I hoped. The flames were dying, allowing passage.
Trish yelled at my mother to jump.
They both did and ran ahead while I continued the horrible act that would drive a wedge between us forever. Leon cried out in pain and begged me to stop. His pulse raced and his heart skipped a beat.
Then he thrashed.
His blood took on the taste of sewage and I swallowed some before I realized what was happening. Thoreau was back.
I let go and the demon mayor stood there, shaking, rubbing on his neck and looking around like he was disoriented. He smiled at me, giving me a sly grin like he knew something that I didn't.
Trish and Mom were running further up the spiral cave. I heard both of them thundering up the steps to the house.
The flames had died. I had drained Thoreau somewhat but his smile told me that without Xavier back, I couldn't kill him.
And given that his wounds were all closing, I believed it.
So instead of attacking again, I ran.
I ran, trying to dismiss the terrible taste in my mouth and the awful feeling of dread in my belly. It was no use. I felt stronger but it remained like nothing would ever wash it away.
The stairs were old and cracked. I climbed up them like a spider, into the house that was lighter inside now. The sun was coming up. Trish and I had to go. I focused on that to get my mind off the demon blood, but as soon as I reached the house's kitchen, I blinked and green stars exploded behind my eyelids like a million supernovas.
I collapsed. "Trish!" I shouted, unable to open my eyes.
I dimly felt the floor hit me as the green intensified, spreading through the universe, blocking out even the darkness beyond. There was nothing but the glow of death remaining, even as Trish called my name.
Alone.
Mom was already gone, having run outside without looking back. Her footfalls vanished as she screamed for help. Help that wasn't me.
Trish's hand slapped my shoulder but I barely felt that, too. I felt her arms go under me, lifting me up, telling me that I would be all right as she carried me through the green expanse of death that had filled every fiber of my being.
Chapter Sixteen
"Alyssa."
My eyelids fluttered. I had been floating through the green glow for an eternity. Millennia had passed while I wandered aimlessly through a universe full of eerie death.
But at last, I could open my eyes.
The green vanished. I felt as if I were waking from a long dream and I wasn't sure where I was at first. Xavier was lying next to me, his eyes open and his full color as amazing as ever. He propped himself up on one arm, lying on his side, facing me on a bed of straw. The dried blood and the musty smells of Thorne's training room surrounded me right along with Xavier's wood smoke scent.
"Xavier?" I asked. The last I'd seen him, he had been unconscious and suffering.
"I feel better," he said with a sly grin. Trish was standing right behind him, a look of complete relief on her face. The red in her eyes was less intense. "Whatever you had to do, you did it. You passed Death's test, didn't you?"
So he had been listening more than I thought, even in his horrible state. Now he was lying here, better. Much better. In fact, Xavier had a brighter glow than I'd ever seen him with. Until now, I hadn't realized how much the Shadow Sickness was affecting him.
"The answer is obvious," I said. "You're not in a pit of despair anymore."
"I felt like I wasn't in this world," Xavier s
aid. He looked at everyone standing around us. "It was getting worse. I was in a world of dust and this strange green sky. I knew I was close to turning. But all of a sudden, that world started shaking and I opened my eyes here, feeling much better. I haven't felt this way since before Lisa got turned."
"You don't know how glad I am," I said, matching his pose so that we faced each other.
I eyed the rest of the room. Thorne. Trish. Elsina and Liliana. Even Janine was still here. Her phone rang with the ringtone that said it was her mother: the Wicked Witch of the West's theme. She had been gone for a long time, then. It was obvious from the lack of everyone tackling Xavier with hugs that he had been awake and better for much longer than I had. I wondered if anyone had hugged me while I was lying here, trapped in that infinite green glow. A new magic. Death's magic. Trish had carried me here while I was gone--almost lovingly. The memories were faint, but they were there. The feel of the straw floor. Janine wrapping her arms around me and begging me to wake. Thorne telling everyone to back off and Xavier asking what was wrong with me. Now I was back and shock had overtaken the room.
"You were mentally in Death's underworld," I said. "We'll talk about it later." I got up. I felt okay even though I had a slight upset stomach from accidentally ingesting some of Thoreau's blood. I hadn't actually been out for too long. Plenty of strength coursed through me. I had done the most terrible thing I could have done in front of Mom. I had fed in front of her. It was the same as waving and saying goodbye to her and Normal life for good. I had finished the tear between me and her.
Mom sure wasn't here, I noticed. I sniffed but the scent of a fudge sundae was nowhere. It was like a fading dream.
It was the test that Death wanted me to pass.
I had to accept that my Normal life was gone. It was all I had to do and now a piece of Death had awoken inside of me.
I turned to Trish. "What happened to my mother?" Mom might be utterly terrified of me now after witnessing what I'd done, but I had to know. I still didn't want anything bad to happen to her.