Soul Oath

by Juliana Haygert

  I stared at her.

  Was she really just five years old? Sometimes I believed she was closer to ten than the boys were.

  With a loud huff, she marched out of my bedroom.

  I picked up Pinky from the floor and gave a step toward the door but stopped myself. Going after her now would only cause her to yell at me more. She needed to calm down, and then I would try to talk to her, try to explain to her why I had to go. I just hoped she would listen to me with the maturity of a ten-year-old girl.

  “She’s going to be all right,” my mom said, appearing at the door.

  I offered her a small smile. “I know. It’s just hard. This is hard for me too, and she’s making it harder.”

  “If it’s hard, why are you going?”

  “Mom, I already told you why, and you agreed.”

  “The logical part of my brain agreed, not the emotional one.” With a sad grin, she sat on my bed. “You’re the one she looks up to, and I think she can’t imagine not seeing you everyday.”

  Tears burned behind my eyes. “The truth is, I can’t imagine not seeing all of you everyday either.”

  Mom patted the bed beside her. “Don’t break down now.” I sat beside her, and she put an arm around my shoulder. “You’re strong, determined, and I’m proud of you. Even if you tell me you don’t want to go anymore because you’ll miss us, I’ll kick you out of here and ship you to New York”—I chuckled—“because I won’t let you waste this opportunity. Something like this won’t come knocking at your door again. You must grab it with both hands and feet and teeth, and you can’t let go.” She kissed my cheek. “I know you’re going to make me even prouder of you, if that’s possible.”

  Only a mom would know exactly what to say and what a daughter needed to hear. I wiped a tear away and turned to her, winding my arms around her.

  Something heavy fell on us, and then Nicole’s small arms embraced Mom and me.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, burying her head on my shoulder. “I don’t want you to go because I love you.”

  I pulled her close to me. “I love you too, Nikkie.”

  I hugged her tight, wishing I could protect her and care for her—for them—forever.

  A tug on my arms suddenly erased the memory from my mind, and I opened my eyes.

  I was back in my cell, but I wasn’t hanging from my wrists anymore. I was lying on the cold floor, metal shackles around my arms, linked by a chain screwed to the wall in front of me.

  Another tug jerked me forward, and I groaned as my arms scratched the rough floor.

  Omi knelt before me.

  Omi … the red explosion … my family …

  Panic swept through me, and a dull pain squeezed my heart. It had all been a dream, right? Oh, God, it had to be a nightmare. I looked at my clothes and arms. I was covered in blood—not only my blood.

  A sob shook me, and I closed my eyes willing the pain, the hurt, the mourning to consume me, to destroy me, to kill me.

  If I had any strength left, if each of my nerves and muscles and senses didn’t protest in pain, both physically and mentally, I would have jumped at Omi’s throat. I didn’t care that he was a god and couldn’t die, not without a Black Thorn. All I cared about was hurting him, hurting him as much as he and Imha had hurt me.

  Omi shook the chains, trying to lift me up.

  “She is as good as dead now,” Imha said from somewhere. “After what you did, she really won’t talk.”

  Omi shot up and turned to where I thought Imha was. “What? Now the fault is mine? She wasn’t talking before, and we would have killed them either way.”

  Oh God, I felt sick.

  “But she didn’t know that!” Imha said, her tone chilling the cell, chilling me.

  “What will you do with her now?”

  Imha didn’t answer right away. “Use her to lure Ceris to us.”

  13

  Even when I tried, I couldn’t keep track of time. I wasn’t sure how many hours—or days—went by while I remained on that dirty floor, going in and out of consciousness, praying to whatever god would listen to me to take my life and let me be with my family.

  Oh God, my family.

  I closed my eyes, unable to stop the image from bursting in my mind. Nicole, Teddie, Tommy, Mom, and Dad around me, their blood smeared across my clothes, arms, and face.

  I shuddered as new tears sprung from my eyes. By now, I should be completely dry from crying so much, but there was nothing else I could do. My throat was too raw for screaming to be an option anymore. Yet I did want to scream.

  The single torch in my cell went out, and I welcomed the darkness, hoping death waited for me behind it. However, my hope faded when a woman came in carrying a new torch and a plate. She wore brown robes and a veil over her head. She looked like a servant, but there was something else about her.

  She turned and her eyes met mine.

  Cheryl. As in … Cheryl.

  My stomach turned as I quickly realized it was Ceris disguised as Cheryl. Her skin wasn’t as pale, her long white-blond hair was now in a neat yellow-blond bob, and her blue eyes were silver.

  “Quick,” she whispered, dropping down before me. “We don’t have much time until they find the real servant locked in a closet.”

  I scooted away from her, pressing my back to the wall.

  She put a hand over the shackles. Pink light shone from her palms, and the shackles fell to the ground. I sighed in relief, shocked by how much the damn things weighed and how quickly I was getting used to it.

  She stood and offered me her hand. “Come on.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her outstretched arm. “But you hate me.”

  “I don’t …” She sighed. “I don’t hate you. Besides, this isn’t for me. I’m doing this for Levi.”

  Of course.

  The door opened and I froze.

  Keisha popped in her head. “What’s taking you so long?”

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice raspy.

  She looked different with her long dark hair in a ponytail and black clothes—leather armor like clothes, combat boots, and lots of weapons.

  “We can talk about that later. Right now, we have to move.”

  I let my body fall slack on the floor. “I don’t want to go.”

  Ceris—or Cheryl—grabbed my shoulders. “I don’t care. I’m taking you.”

  I slapped her hand away, and she slapped me hard on the cheek. My face whipped to the side. Stars exploded against my vision, and pain burst on my cheek.

  “Bitch!” I yelled, pressing my hand over my throbbing skin.

  “Did that wake you up? Because you looked like you were under some kind of self-pity spell.”

  I glared at her. “You’re seriously sick.”

  She shrugged. “Sick, but alive.”

  Alive. Unlike my family.

  I shrunk into myself. “I don’t care about my life.”

  “Well, unfortunately, I do.” She gripped my arms and pulled me toward her until my nose was an inch from hers. “Your parents would be really disappointed in you right now.”

  I pushed her away. “Don’t you dare talk about my parents.” New tears choked me. “It’s your fault. You put me in this situation. You chose me to play this game. If you had never messed with my life, they would still be alive.”

  She sighed. “Can we please discuss this someplace else? We really need to go.”

  Holding a long sword, Keisha knelt beside me. “Nadine, please come with us.”

  I looked into her chocolate eyes. Confidence and strength rolled off her in waves. I wished I were like her. Maybe my family would be alive if I had been strong, if I had known how to fight, if I had been determined enough.

  Still alive …

  I closed my eyes as a new sob rolled through me.

  Ceris was right. My family would be disappointed in me. They would want me to escape and live, even if I didn’t feel like it. I couldn’t imagine a life, even if for only
one day, without them, but they would have wanted me to go on. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. For now, I would honor my family and leave, but only because it was better than the alternative of curling up here and waiting for Imha to come play with me whenever it pleased her. The last thing I wanted was to be her toy. I would rather she killed me and be done with it.

  I leaned against the wall, cringing when my muscles pulled and my injuries protested. I used the wall to support myself and stood.

  Keisha grabbed my wrist. “Let’s go.”

  A wave of dizziness assaulted me after the first step, and Ceris hooked her arm around my waist. All my nerves screamed for me to push her away, but I couldn’t afford it. Not right now.

  “How did you two get here?” I asked.

  A slow smile appeared over Ceris’s features. “One of the servants is enchanted to report to me. She told me Imha is planning on using you to lure me here tomorrow.”

  “Why tomorrow?”

  “Imha’s joke for Thanksgiving.”

  Tomorrow was Thanksgiving. Already? And my family wouldn’t be here to celebrate with me.

  A pain like a knife twisting in my gut ripped through me, and I took a deep breath.

  “She’s sicker than you,” I muttered.

  Ceris laughed, and it sounded almost as evil as Imha. “So we hurried things and came today.”

  Besides her evil laugh, her words made her sound as if she cared, which I knew for a fact she didn’t.

  Keisha opened the door and peeked out. “It’s clear.”

  Millions of questions whirled in my mind. How was Keisha with Ceris? Where were Victor and Micah? I still didn’t know how exactly Ceris and Keisha got in here without being seen, being sensed.

  One question clouded my mind. “How long has it been since I was taken?”

  “Six days,” Keisha answered, ushering us out of the cell.

  The corridor was clear, if we didn’t count the three dead demons on the floor. Their reek filled my nostrils, and the gooey, green blood oozed from their wounds. I pressed a hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up.

  Down here it didn’t look like the Greek building I had been in before. It looked more like a medieval dungeon with gray stone walls and steps and torches lighting the corridors.

  Keisha stopped before the stairs and turned to us, gripping her sword tight. “Things are about to get crazy.”

  I held her arm as she was about to turn back. “Wait. What is the plan?”

  “To get away from here.”

  I looked at Ceris. “Can’t you just poof us out of here?”

  “Not here,” Ceris said. “We have to step out of the protective circle, and then I can poof us.”

  “Okay,” Keisha said, sounding annoyed. “Are we ready?”

  I took a deep breath, and pain rippled through my wounds. “Not really, but what choice do I have?”

  We rushed up the stairs and paused before a wide, heavy wooden door. Keisha put her finger over her lips before poising her sword.

  She flung the door open and stabbed the first demon before it could turn. The second growled and swiped its claw toward her. Keisha parried it with her sword, cutting its flesh. Then, as it pulled the other arm back to land a new blow, Keisha whirled around, gaining momentum with her sword and cutting the demon’s throat. The creature fell on the ground, making guttural sounds.

  Keisha stepped over the body and pulled out her bow and an arrow as more demons appeared at the end of the corridor.

  She hit three in the forehead, and Ceris took out two more with her pink bolts. The others were too close, and Keisha let go of the bow and pulled out her sword again.

  A wave of demons rushed toward us, but Keisha didn’t seem affected. She actually met them halfway, brandishing her sword with elegance. She was like fire, forcing them apart, cutting a path through the gore.

  If I forgot the fact that she was killing demons and we were trying to escape, it was kind of enchanting. It was as if she was dancing with her weapons, and she was a hell of a dancer.

  “She’s a hero,” Ceris said.

  I stilled. “What?”

  “You know, like Achilles and Hercules.”

  That information took a minute to process through my brain. “Are you telling me she’s the daughter of one of you and a human?”

  Oh, God.

  “No. That’s Grecian and Roman legend. The real version is different.” She stared at me, probably enjoying this too much. “Heroes are created, chosen really, by the Fates in times of need. They chose Keisha and gave her special abilities like her knowledge of fighting, her strategy skills, her faster healing, and her increased strength, agility, and stamina.”

  “Oh.”

  “Are you two coming?” Keisha spoke up from the middle of the corridor, one of her hands on her waist and her lips pressed thin.

  I looked around. A dozen demons lay dead at our feet, and I did my best not to throw up.

  Ceris and I skirted around the bodies—I held my breath so the stench wouldn’t make me puke—and met Keisha in the corner.

  “So, there’s the exit.” Keisha pointed to the door on the other side of an empty medium-sized room. “If I’m correct, the outside will be swarming with demons. I’ll do everything I can to hold them back, but we can’t stop moving or they will overrun us.”

  “Moving where?” I asked.

  “To the right,” she said. “There’s a path between two buildings, a hill, then a wall. We cross the wall, and Ceris can poof us out of here.” She put emphasis on the word poof, and Ceris rolled her eyes. “Ready?”

  It was my turn to roll my eyes. “Do you have to ask?”

  “Here.” Keisha threw me a dagger.

  I caught it, glad my hand closed around the hilt, not the blade. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  She shrugged and ran. Ceris and I followed her, and we sprinted across the room just as the doors burst open and the first wave of demons emerged.

  “Oh, God.”

  Ceris raised her hand and flung pink bolts at them, and Keisha engaged them in battle.

  “Don’t stop moving!” Keisha yelled, pushing through the demons.

  Ugh, easy to say.

  Ceris brought up a pink shield before us and pushed a few demons back. We made it through the doors, and I inhaled deeply. The air wasn’t fresh, but it was crisper than in the dungeons.

  A new wave of demons came crushing down on us. Ceris tugged me, and we ran to the right. Each step brought pain shooting through my wounds, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.

  We were running along the path between two Persian-style buildings when right in the middle of it Ceris gasped and faltered. “I can feel Imha and Omi. They are coming.”

  Her hold on me tightened, and she rushed our steps.

  More demons came barreling down from both buildings, snarling, their talons ready.

  Keisha ushered us past her. “Go!”

  Ceris didn’t hesitate. But I did. “No!” I tried fighting Ceris, but she used magic to make me come with her. “She can’t take them all.”

  “It’s her choice.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  She didn’t answer.

  I whipped my head to the side, but my wound pulled and I cried out. Disheartened, I focused on the sound of the swords clashing and the grunts of fallen demons. The sound never really lessened. I hoped Keisha was able to keep up with us.

  We reached the hill. Ceris rushed down, dragging me along, but each hurried step was more unsure than the next, and soon we were sliding down the hill. Ceris lost her hold on me as we toppled into a roll. I raised my arms to protect my face, and my side scratched against a stone.

  More wounds. More hurt. More exhaustion.

  I stopped rolling and lay on the grass, trying to catch my breath and remember what we were doing. I blinked several times at the dark sky. The clouds closed in on me—thick, dirty, and suffocating.

  Then the shrieks echoed t
hrough the darkness and vibrated over my skin.

  I shuddered and pushed up on my elbows. The Akuma were coming at us. Fast.

  Ceris was on her knees about twenty feet from me. We both looked up the hill where Keisha landed blows on the Ornek, as she slowly retreated. However, she couldn’t contain them all. Some sensed Ceris’s aura and bypassed Keisha.

  “No!” Keisha screamed, running down the hill after them.

  There were too many. Dozens on the ground. Dozens in the sky.

  We would never make it.

  Keisha would never make it.

  “Come on.” Ceris grabbed my arm and tugged me back. She dragged me to the wall. “Climb.”

  My muscles locked, and my gaze was glued to Keisha as she hurried down in large, graceful jumps, landing blows left and right, like a warrior on a battlefield.

  Ceris tightened her grip around my wrists, letting her long nails graze my skin painfully. “Climb!”

  When I didn’t move, she used magic to hurl me over the wall. It wasn’t too tall, only about five feet. I fell face-first on the other side, but I used my hands to break the fall.

  She climbed over next, but stayed on top of the wall. “Come on!” she called.

  I watched her, my eyes narrowed. There was a moment when I thought Ceris didn’t care if Keisha made it or not, but now she was waiting for the girl.

  “Oh, by the Everlast,” Ceris muttered.

  I opened my mouth to ask what happened, but words failed me when I saw what she meant. Omi and Imha were on the path between the buildings, gliding on black clouds in our direction.

  Miserable, painful cold took hold of me, and I gasped. Suddenly, there was no air in the world.

  “Seize them!” Imha shouted.

  Growls, roars, and heavy footfalls filled the darkness.

  “Keisha! Now!” Ceris extended her arm.

  I couldn’t see what was happening on the other side of the wall, but the noises weren’t good. Grunts, growls, shrieks, yells, thuds, clashing, and things I couldn’t identify.

  I stepped on a loose stone and looked up the wall. Like a ninja, Keisha hurled herself in the air, flipped, and landed on her knees by the wall. She clasped Ceris’s hand. A demon threw itself at her and weighed her down on the opposite side. I propped myself up on the wall and grabbed her other arm.