Reckoning

by Sonya Weiss

  Without her power, she would be easy to subdue. I gripped her around the waist, planning to toss her to one side. Plans. Funny thing about them. You make them, but the execution of them isn’t always guaranteed.

  Juliet fumbled for her thigh, gave a hard yank, then slid the royal dagger into my chest with a hard upper thrust, straight into my heart. I gasped as pain and shock coursed through me. She’d done it. She’d really betrayed me. How could the girl I love kill me? Her tears splashed onto my face, and she bowed her head, pressing her lips against mine.

  “Hang on,” she whispered.

  My heart stuttered. Once. Twice. Nothing.

  Chapter 25

  JULIET

  Mallen’s words rushed toward me. He’d said I would know the same agony as Shakespeare’s Juliet. In the second I witnessed Riley breathe his last breath, I knew Mallen was right. There were no words to describe the agony. I shattered into pieces, and the fragments burrowed into my soul. The strength I’d used to make myself keep going forward gave way as Riley’s worst fears came true. I betrayed him. I’d seen the disbelief on his face. I killed him. Oh my God. I killed him. “Forgive me,” I whispered as I forced myself to finish removing the pellets from my body. I could barely see through the tears, could barely breathe through the sobbing.

  “What have you done?” Adler screamed, snatching up one of the secret service agent’s guns.

  Agent Davis tripped him, then wrestled for control of the weapon. Henry used his power and hit Adler in the stomach, sending the younger Supernatural flying backward. Adler groaned, holding his stomach and cursing the day Henry was born.

  Wiping my eyes, I motioned for Nixie. “Okay, stick to the plan. I’ll take the president and grab the children. You heal Riley.”

  Nixie stood. Gone was the shy, crying Supernatural she’d been seconds ago. “Actually, there’s been a change of plans.” She clapped her hands, and Ide swept into the room.

  He walked up to Nixie and kissed her. Nixie slipped her arm around Ide’s waist and smirked at me. “Meet my boyfriend.”

  No. Nixie had to be on my side. I needed her. She had to heal Riley. Every second that passed meant his death could be permanent. “Nixie, he can’t be trusted. Ide is only using you,” I pleaded with her.

  She waved her hand. “Shut up, Queen of Nothing.” She tossed her hair back. “With all your power and your syrupy kindness, it must suck that I’m going to be the queen. I’m going to rule the world with Ide.”

  I glanced at Riley. He was pale and still. Please, hold on. I couldn’t draw in enough air to fill my lungs. Couldn’t think straight.

  Nixie’s eyes danced with glee when she looked at Ide. “She never figured it out.”

  “Figured what out?” I asked, reluctantly tearing my attention away from Riley.

  “It was easy to fool you. I was the mousy, gentle little soul next to your powerful one. I even fooled Riley. He’s the one who sent me to the base in case you were hurt again and needed me to heal you. So in love with you, the one who used his own dagger to kill him.”

  “You have to give Juliet credit, though. She’s noble and brave. Just like this guy.” Ide raised his hand and his power snaked from his palm, hitting Adler in the center of the forehead. Adler slumped over, dead.

  When Ide moved toward Henry, the older Supernatural waved his hand and upended the table, sending it flying toward Ide. When the table dropped, Henry had vanished.

  “We have a date,” Ide said, grabbing the president by the arm.

  “No!” She struggled.

  The national security advisor tried to rescue her and Ide killed him. When Agent Davis took a step forward, Ide said, “Really? You want to try your luck? You humans and your inability to understand how odds work never ceases to amaze me. I have all the power. You have none. See anything good in your future?”

  Agent Davis backed away. As a Ragespawn, he had the ability to kill Ide and for reasons I didn’t understand, he wouldn’t act.

  “Cowards. See what happens when you cross the king?” Nixie said with a pointed glance at the dead bodies around us.

  “Oh yeah. One more thing.” Ide turned around and fired a burst of his power at Nixie’s center. It sliced into her, traveling through her body into her spine, paralyzing her from the waist down. “Thanks for your help.”

  She fell to the floor as Ide headed to the door, dragging the screaming president with him. In the doorway, because he was cruel and liked to hurt others simply to cause suffering, he turned to fire what I knew would be a death shot at Nixie.

  “No!” I threw out a burst of power that drove back his. Ide blinked and a vein throbbed in his forehead. His face mottled and I thought he would continue to fight, but he didn’t. He ducked from the room. If I gave chase, I could catch him, but my priorities were Riley and my sister. Nixie could help. I turned to her. “Please.”

  “Even after everything I did, you still tried to save me,” Nixie said. “Why?”

  “Because I don’t believe you’re a bad Supernatural. You simply got sidetracked. Ide can be persuasive.”

  “I believed him. I thought he loved me. Don’t say I told you so,” Nixie begged. She dragged herself across the floor toward Riley. “Help me, please. Let my life end with doing good.”

  “Your life isn’t over.”

  “Yes, it is.” She put her hand over his chest and closed her eyes. Her energy hummed as she repaired the injury I’d caused. If only she could restore the emotional wounds as well.

  Riley’s pale face infused with color and his lips parted. He opened his eyes, blinked, and looked around, momentarily confused.

  I fell to my knees beside him. “Riley…” I reached for him, elated to see him breathing. The one I loved was alive. Everything was going to be okay now.

  He knocked my hands away. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” He rose, unsteady on his feet, then picked up the bloody dagger I’d plunged into him. He looked at it, then at me. “I don’t have time to deal with your actions at this moment. I have to stop Ide. But I swear on the crown when I’m through dealing with him I’m going to hunt you down. If it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure you die.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, and he hit me with a burst of his power, burning the side of my neck before I leaped away. I held my hand to the burned flesh. I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. I silently pleaded with my eyes, hoping he would pause long enough to the love in them.

  He walked to the door, gave me one last glance, then left.

  “Here. Let me.” Crying hard now, Nixie put her hand over the burned spot, healing the aching flesh with her power. “Go, and when today becomes part of your past, try not to despise me.”

  Putting her hand over her life force, she hit it with a bolt of her power, then dropped her head onto the floor, gone forever.

  I ran out of the room and headed for the Queen’s Bedroom. On the way down the hallway, Stone ran up to me. Then stopped. “I heard you stabbed Riley. You tried to kill him. What happened to you?”

  I shoved him back. “Riley went after Ide. He might need your help. Go!” I sped away, leaving him behind.

  At the door of the bedroom, Henry said, “The children will need to be quiet so we don’t attract attention as we escape.”

  I nodded and reached for the door handle. A bullet whizzed past us, and we both ducked.

  Agent Davis stood over the body of a Supernatural who would have killed us. “Let’s move.” He motioned for me to continue.

  I opened the door a crack and in the second it takes to inhale, I saw the wire tucked between the door and the frame.

  “Down!” Agent Davis screamed and threw himself at me, covering my body with his. Shrapnel peppered his back, digging in deep, and the agent cursed each hit.

  The smoke was thick and choking. Henry put a hand to his face, and it came away covered in blood.

  Two secret service agents ran up and Agent Davis barked, “Whose idea was this?”

  “The pres
ident’s, sir,” one of them answered.

  “She won’t have to worry about Ide killing her,” I said. “I’m going to do it myself.” I stepped into the room, expecting the children to rush toward me, throwing their arms around me, happy to finally be free. But Maxfield, Tobiah, and Annora stood across from each other and looked at me somberly. Then Maxfield moved to the left. Maisy was on the floor and blood pooled around her. Too much blood.

  “No, no, no.” I ran to her and slid to a stop on my knees, frantically running my hands over her body. When I ran my hand down her arms, her right one ended in a stump.

  “She heard Henry’s voice and put her hand on the doorknob,” Tobiah said.

  “Henry!”

  The older Supernatural staggered into the room and knelt beside me. He immediately grabbed the sheet from the bed and used his power to slice through it, making a wide strip. He tied it around Maisy’s wrist to stop the blood flow.

  Agent Davis crouched near me. “Go save the president. I’ll take care of your sister.”

  “Do you think I care about that human after what she did? Let her die!”

  Henry said, “Juliet…please. The fate all of us will suffer will be a hundred times worse than this.”

  Maisy’s eyelids fluttered and she opened her eyes. Tears leaked from the edges. “I don’t want to die.”

  “Me, either,” Maxfield whispered.

  “Okay.” I stood and jerked Agent Davis to his feet. “But I don’t trust you with the children. You’re coming with me.” Leaning down, I kissed Maisy. “Be strong, little one.” I walked out of the White House, hoping that when I came face to face with the woman responsible for maiming my sister and causing pain to others that I would have the strength not to kill her.

  RILEY

  Ide never made a move without posturing. Without crowing over his achievements and his brilliance. His pride worked in our favor. I plastered myself against the wall outside where Ide liked to show off what the NoG could do. I signaled for the other Supernaturals who’d infiltrated the castle with me. They were poised, waiting in hiding for the moment to kill Ide.

  “You cannot harm the president. We want to end the war, not escalate it. With her alive as our prisoner, the humans will lay down their weapons. Got it?”

  They all nodded.

  From my vantage point, I could see the Supernatural virus floating harmlessly in the air. For now. When it was created, the leaders had infused it with living alien DNA. It was the only virus in the world with the ability to think. If I didn’t shut it down, it would figure out how to break free from its hold and kill us all. It would be ironic if the humans and Supernaturals fought the war only to have the virus become the victor.

  Ide tapped the window housing the NoG. “This is what’s going to happen to you.”

  The president’s mouth tightened. “The virus should never have been created. This is an atrocity.”

  “Atrocity,” Ide mimicked her. “Fate is never an atrocity. You sealed your fate the moment you destroyed our planet.” He paced back and forth. “You know what really pisses me off? I don’t remember reading anything in any human media form that you ever apologized for that. I searched the archives.” He rubbed his chin, then stopped and regarded her with a look of hatred. “I hate Earth.”

  “Then feel free to leave.”

  Ide smiled at that. “I have to leave a legacy as you people would say. When other alien species talk about Earth, it’ll be in hushed tones, and they’ll remember with awe I was the one who achieved revenge.”

  “How will they remember if they’re all dead?” I asked, stepping into the room.

  Ide paused. “Well you certainly look healthy for someone who died.” His lips thinned. “Nixie. Knew I should have killed her outright.”

  “But you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to cause her suffering, could you?”

  Ide raised a shoulder in a shrug and looked around. “Since I know you didn’t come here alone in your effort to play hero, where are your troops?”

  The eight Supernaturals with me stepped into the room, and Ide laughed as he looked them over. Then he shook his head. “All right. I’m outnumbered. I guess you win, Brother.”

  His evil grin sent chills up my spine. “But just so you know, the NoG is already set to go off in ten minutes. I would tell you—”

  The president jerked her elbow up and caught Ide in the lips. He let out a howl, and the president ran like hell toward me. I pushed her behind me, and the other Supernaturals opened up to hide her.

  Ide reached for the wall and shoved a small button. “Why wait ten minutes?” His laughter filled the space. He waved us forward. “Come on. Gather around the glass and watch as it spills out of the confines and death comes for you.”

  “The NoG will fill the castle in seconds,” I said. None of us ran. There was no use. There was nowhere we could run to escape.

  As we watched, the door sealing in the Night of Grief opened and Agent Davis appeared. He motioned behind him, then used a rope to slowly lower Juliet into the depths.

  “No!” Ide beat his hand against the wall and yelled for the Guards. “Stop them!”

  The agent continued lowering Juliet until her feet were on the ground. The same blue energy I’d seen around her on the base surrounded her and the agent, protecting both of them from the virus. She closed her eyes and bowed her head in the same way I’d witnessed her do on the base. The Night of Grief reacted to the force of her power.

  Small black droplets of the deadly virus flung itself at her, trying to break through her power. Her power rose up in her defense, coating her with a fire that didn’t burn her. The heat and the force shook the walls of the castle with its intensity. Pieces of the rock wall housing the NoG fell, small at first, then in larger chunks all around her.

  “I underestimated her power,” Ide said in a sad tone.

  Fire exploded from beneath the rocks housing the NoG as if Juliet was calling forth the heat from the Earth’s core.

  “Oh my God,” one of the Supernaturals whispered as the fire rolled in waves of lava, greedily eating up the rocks, the ground, turning everything into ash.

  The Night of Grief rose in a ball toward the ceiling as if seeking escape. Juliet’s power sought the NoG, plunging fiery bursts of energy into the center of it. The NoG moved back and forth rapidly, trying to shake it off, then abruptly ruptured, splintering hundreds of times over before falling prey to the Earth’s heat.

  “She’ll never make it out of there alive,” the president said, running for the door.

  “Go after her!” I shouted at two of the Supernaturals.

  Ide, standing transfixed at the window, never moved to stop her or me.

  Stone burst into the room and dove for Ide. “This is for Chloe.”

  Ide spun around, bringing the heel of his hand up and with a sharp thrust, he broke Stone’s nose. Howling with rage, Stone shook it off and went after Ide again.

  Ide extended his hands and his power flew from his palms, catching Stone across the side. It lifted him, spun him around, and slammed him against the wall, pinning his arm behind him. The snapping of the shoulder bone echoed around us.

  Ide’s power darkened, casting shadows throughout the room as it greedily absorbed the light. Coldness blew across me.

  Ide saw the expression on my face and grinned. “Surprised, Brother?” He flicked his hand upward and created a whirling tornado of dark clouds. “I honed my skills by practicing the curses I found in the Untolds. Child’s play at first.” His lips curled back in a sneer. “The more I learned, the more I knew I’d discovered something that would own my soul, but I wasn’t afraid. I knew I needed its power if I were to rule the world.”

  “Ide, you can’t—”

  “Can’t what? Use the Untolds? Oh, but I can. Watch me.” He held his hands up and rocked the castle from side to side.

  The remaining Supernaturals with me shuffled backward, and Ide laughed when he saw their fear. “They won’t f
ight me, and your Torment Mark prevents you from striking me. I win again, Brother.”

  Behind him, Stone stood, his arm dangling uselessly at his side. I met his gaze and nodded, then yanked the royal dagger from my belt. I threw it across the room and Stone caught it.

  Stone plunged it deep into Ide’s heart, then yanked the handle upward with a hard thrust. “No. You lose.” He spit in Ide’s face. “Like I said. This is for Chloe.”

  Ide’s eyes widened, and he feebly clutched at the dagger. He gasped and blood bubbled from his lips. His mouth gaped and he hit his knees, staring at me with surprise. Then he slumped to the floor. Stone jerked the dagger from his body and wiped the blade on the royal robes. When it was clean, he handed it back to me. “I believe this belongs to the king.”

  I took it and raced from the room toward the NoG. When I reached the opening, the president slammed the door shut and hit the rock beside it, bringing down a massive wall of rock permanently sealing the entrance. No Supernatural power could budge the rock. Since the rock fed on the power of Supernaturals trapped in the Void, the wall was too strong. Juliet was now trapped in the portion of the Void housing the NoG.

  Despite what Juliet had done to me, her death brought me no satisfaction. The pain unleashed a tidal wave in my heart, nearly drowning me.

  I held myself together and looked around. “Where’s Agent Davis?”

  “I’m afraid he fell in.” She tried to arch her body away.

  I grabbed her arm and shoved my hand into her pocket, searching until I pulled out a Corresponder. The only way she could have this Supernatural device is if someone gave it to her. “What the hell is this?”

  She licked her lower lip. “Ide said he would end the war and the Supernaturals would leave Earth if I let myself be used as bait to lead Juliet to him. He wanted to kill her. He was afraid of her power.”

  The realization of how she’d maneuvered us like pieces on a chess board made me sick to my stomach. “You played us all against each other. The Tazavorn, the Ragespawn, and the humans. You’re responsible for countless deaths, human and Supernatural.” I motioned for a Guard. “Put her in chains and arrange an uplink to the humans’ news stations. We’ll announce her capture.”