The raised voices of arguing Watchers faded to white noise as my whirring thoughts clicked together, puzzle pieces slotting and fitting in place. The walls closed in on me in warped focus.
Jed with his black hair regrowth. It should have been blond, like the genetic anomaly in all other Players. Jed with his missing abilities. He said he was too insignificant for a large star-map, and we’d never fully checked. Now I realized, it was all so convenient. Coldness trickled down my spine when I thought of Jed being outside the cave, minutes after we’d chased the dark presence away. Oh, he had abilities all right, he was only hiding them. It was Jed all along, but I had been blind-sighted because he was my friend.
The same friend whose lips curved in a secret smile, just for me, moments before blackness erupted out of him and the room disappeared into darkness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“WHAT THE HELL was that?” Cash shouted, rushing to me as the shadows in the room dissipated, along with any trace of Jed.
I ran to the spot Jed had sat in and groped the air, flailing, trying hopelessly to catch any sense that he was still there.
“It was the presence,” Marc said, coming over.
“Where’s Jed?” Cash asked, seeing my panic. “Was he taken?”
I shook my head wildly. “It was him, Cash. He was the traitor.”
“Jed?”
“Who’s Jed,” someone said behind me the same time as another voice chimed in, “Did he just teleport?”
“He’s gone, so I guess he did.” My voice came out in through a daze. I still couldn’t believe it. My mind groped for a reason my logic was wrong, but it had been there, right in front of my eyes. That smile. That connection. He knew I’d figured it out, and he smiled.
“Are you telling me that someone else can travel through the in-between?” Jacine asked. “Marc? Is that possible?”
“Well,” Marc replied, “Sephie, I get, but this other bloke… I have no idea who he is? What Ludus was he from?”
“Australian,” Cash said.
“What House?”
“Ah.” Cash pinched the bridge between his nose as he tried to think. “I don’t remember. He always said he was too insignificant to come from a major House.”
“So, nobody knows who the bleedin’ hell this man is, or where he’s from?”
“You’re the Gamekeeper!” Jacine threw up her hands. “You tell us.”
“I transport the souls. I don’t catalog them and record them!”
“Guys, guys. Please.” I waved my hands in a downward motion. “Let’s just calm down a moment. He’s gone. He’s the traitor. That means he’s not listening.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh gods, he was in my castle!” Jacine cried. “The refuge is compromised.”
Marc strolled over to Jacine and wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders. “Don’t worry, pet, we know what to look for now. We’ll find the kid.”
“The kid,” Cash said suddenly, frowning. I thought maybe he disagreed with the term because Jed wasn’t that young. He wasn’t old either, maybe in his thirties, but I supposed next to Marc, most people were young. Cash continued to pace, eyes flicking to and fro as he calculated. Then he stopped and caught my eyes. “I think I know who he is.”
Instead of revealing his thoughts, he cursed. Then he swore some more and slammed his fists on the table.
The only one not cowered by his sudden outburst, I crossed the room to place a steady hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, sweat beaded his forehead. “It’s Alkiemon. Your son.”
“What?”
“The bloody prince,” Marc said.
“Think about it,” Cash continued. “If I survived that day, it’s not a far stretch to imagine he did too. That dark, slippery essence he can detach from his body, it’s eerily similar to what a witch can do, right? He had the first black serum oozing through is veins, but he had too much control. I don’t think Urser meant for him to attack the first settlement when he did. Since then, Urser has spent years perfecting the serum so he’s got full control of any new darkling he creates. Jed—Alkiemon is the prince, and now he’s evolved into something else. He’s helping Urser finish his original plan: To create an army to take over the Empire.”
I sat down hard on a chair. This was way above my pay grade.
“We need to involve the governing authority at the Empire,” I said finally. “Surely there’s more people who can help. It wasn’t all me, was it?”
“They can’t help until the gate is open. And besides, nothing’s changed,” Cash said. “We knew we had a traitor who had inside knowledge. So we’re no worse off than before.”
“That’s right,” Marc added. “I’m still going to exterminate all of them.”
Cash shot him a jaded look. “I meant that we can use the knowledge the prince gained against him. For starters, what can we do to up the ante on what we’ve already planned? How can we surprise him?”
We were all silent for a few minutes, letting his question gestate.
Then I thought of something. “The vaccine. Can it be adapted for human use?” I thought of James and his infection. “Urser has used humans before, he could do it again.”
“Yes,” Jesop said. “I can adapt it for humans. But how would we get it to all of them in time?”
“I could help with that,” Cato said.
Everyone in the room gave him a curious look.
“The water supply,” he elaborated. “Thurstan and I can use our abilities to spread the vaccine exponentially—even carry it to the air if we need.”
“Great. When Jesop creates a big enough batch, you two do that. Unless anyone has a problem with that?” I asked.
I caught Cash’s eyes, expecting him to have something to say, but he was already looking at me with a small knowing smile. “Good thinking.”
A little warmth bloomed in my chest and I smiled back, but then Cash’s mood darkened and I knew I wouldn’t like the next words out of his mouth. “There’s another way we can surprise Urser,” he said. “I’ll travel with you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.
“Lena,” Cash looked at her. “Being soulmates means I’m connected with Roo, right? Do you think it’s enough to get me through the in-between?”
Lena appeared thoughtful for a minute. “In theory, it’s possible. If that Jed truly is the prince, and he’s developed the ability to travel through the in-between, then perhaps that ability has been in his genetics and passed down from the queen. Considering you’re the queen’s soulmate and her blood was used to convert you, yes … it’s possible, but not a certainty.”
“But I stole that ability off Marc, didn’t I? Accidentally, I mean. It wasn’t on purpose.”
“If you took that ability from me, love, it happened long ago—perhaps even when we were children,” Marc added. “We grew up as neighbors and best friends. We spent a lot of time together. While you were always able to travel with me, you’ve never been able to do it until now. I think it evolved in you.”
“So it’s settled, then.” Cash clapped and rubbed his hands together. “We’ll all get vaccinated, then head to the gate. The rest of you can follow the traditional way, by plane.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” I held up my hand, heart thumping wildly. “We haven’t settled anything. What happens if you die while traveling?”
“Should we at least test the theory?” I asked. “Lena?”
“I don’t think testing would make a difference. It’s either going to work, or it won’t. If you want to take a risk, it won’t matter if you make a short trip, or a long trip,” she replied.
“That’s right,” Marc added. “Your atoms either entangle, or they don’t.”
“I don’t think that will happen.” He looked me in the eye. “I have faith you will keep me safe.”
The niggling feeling in my gut didn’t agree with him.
A few minutes later I followed Cash into the medical laboratory in t
he castle basement. He’d arrived first and flicked on the lights to illuminate the cold, stone room. Equipment had been cleaned, sterilized and neatly put away for the day and a station had been set up near the plastic covered recliner that had a rack of vials on a metal table, ready with syringes. Lena and Jesop had obviously expected everyone to agree to the vaccinations.
“Right, I’ll go first, shall I?” Cash removed his jacket, folded it neatly, and then handed it to a wide-eyed me. I took it on reflex.
Lena and Jesop were still to enter the room, so it was just me and my misguided fiancé.
“Cash, you can’t come with me through the in-between.”
“I’ve thought about it, Roo, and it’s something he won’t expect. Neither of them will.”
“But…”
His gaze turned fierce. “You expect me to let you be bait without me?”
My mouth hung open.
“That’s what you were planning to do, wasn’t it? Be bait, let Marc somehow swoop in from the side? Well, I got news for you, Urser knows everything about you. He knows everything about Marc. But he won’t see me coming. My re-emergence in this body wasn’t in his master plan.”
“Neither was mine!”
Cash sighed heavily. “The last thing Jed—Alk—”
“Don’t say his name!” I said, cutting him off. “He’ll know we’re talking about him.”
“Good. He should know we’ve figured it out. We’ve already said it a few times, anyway.” A sharp, harsh laugh escaped him. “You know it was me saying that to you once, long ago: Don’t say his name. And you didn’t care. Looks like our roles are reversed.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked lost in thought for a moment, then refocused on me. “Just before the disaster that ended your experiment, all those years ago, I was lecturing you about your recalcitrant son. I was worried about his unstable behavior, and you told me there was nothing to worry about. You loved him, even then, despite his bratty attitude. You had faith that all he needed to get over his father’s death was some time on this planet, surrounded by the new marvels you’d created. I should have trusted my instincts, but instead, I let you placate me. I won’t let you go without me, Roo.”
I lost all energy and sidled up to him in the chair. I climbed on and slotted myself between his big body and the side of the plastic recliner. It was a snug fit and I ended up more on top of him than not. My hand curled around his middle. “Cash, I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” His big hand landed around my neck and he squeezed gently. “My soul was split into three. You brought me back together. You can keep me in one piece. I know you can.”
“I’m only beginning to understand the complexities of the in-between. What if your soul gets lost again? What then?”
“Then you’ll have to come and find me.”
Lena, Jesop, Jacine and Marc all entered at that point.
“You lovebirds want a minute?” Marc said.
I cleared my throat and slid onto the floor. A breath of silence passed. Cash rolled up his sleeve and presented his forearm to Jesop. “I’m ready.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
AFTER WE VACCINATED, we sat and waited a few minutes in case adverse effects presented. Cash, Marc and myself ended in the kitchen to wait out the time. I was still hungry, and wasn’t the only one. We hashed out our plan over scones and coffee—well, Marc had tea. We’d meet at Marc’s cabin, which was close enough to the gate that we could ride his bike and survey the situation before flashing into the thick of things. The risk that something happened on the teleport journey was too big to arrive dead on into battle. Plus the humidity meant Marc’s illusion-construct ability was glitchy, and who knew what mine would be like, so we all needed to clothe ourselves and he had supplies there.
Once we were done planning, we received one last check from Lena and made our way to the front courtyard. The icy cold bit into my face and drilled down to my bones—it would be a stark contrast to the stifling weather we were heading into. We didn’t bother dressing in warm clothing because it would all be left behind.
Cash was strong, he would survive this.
But maybe being strong has nothing to do with it. Maybe we weren’t as similar as I thought. That little doubt sitting on my shoulder wouldn’t shut up. Yes, Cash and I had been cut from the same cloth in these new bodies, and it had rescued both of us, but we were also different, and I remembered little of what made me so knowledgeable in the past. What if I wasn’t strong enough to contain him? I watched him stomp his feet, and blow on his hands to ward off the frostbite. Through his T-shirt and jeans, the angles of his lean body and musculature were the picture of perfect health. The perfect specimen to live a long, fruitful life. Unless I fucked up.
An ache twisted in my chest with the very real possibility of a life without him. I couldn’t accept that. I needed him with every buzzing molecule of my being. If he didn’t turn up on the other end of the ride… a lump formed in my throat.
“You ready?” Cash’s deep, masculine voice snapped me back to attention. He placed a steady palm on my shoulder. Under the overcast sky, his blue and brown eyes looked the same shade of gray. They were constantly changing color, but they were always filled with emotion when he looked at me. And now was no exception. I’d given so much of myself to him, and relied so much on his steady guidance, that I was afraid of who’d I’d become without him by my side.
“Stop it,” he said and dipped to catch my fallen gaze. “We’re doing this. It’s going to be fine.”
I made a string of stifled sounds and scrubbed my face, wanting to speak the reply that hung unsaid in the air, But what if it’s not?
Cash notched his finger under my chin and kissed me. White electricity zinged down our connection and I sank into him, melting in the cold air. He let me feel everything he was in a wave of emotion through his essence. It flowed into me, unfurling warmth like a hot drink. When his lips left mine, I felt bereft but better at the same time.
He shifted a stray hair from my face. “Just follow your instincts. Whatever happens, I know you’ll find me.”
I nodded and then glanced at Marc. “So, explain to me again what you did when you first took me through the in-between?”
Marc came to stand next to us, seemingly impervious to the cold. “Right, kids.” He placed a palm on both Cash and my shoulders. “I brought you in close, like this”—Marc drew us against his long body, like a hug—“Cozy, isn’t it?”
“And then?” Cash prompted gruffly.
“Right. And then I expanded my aura to fully contain both of us and made sure not to let go. Do you think I should carry all of us?”
“No,” Cash replied. “Lena said you’re too different than me. It has to be Roo.”
I took a deep breath. I could do this.
“Ah, Marc. You can let us go.” I raised a brow at his snug contact.
“Sorry, just enjoying the one and only three-way I’ll ever have with you two.” He sighed dramatically and stepped away.
I chuckled and even Cash gave a short laugh. It released the tension gripping our minds.
“Right, give it a go, love. Encompass him. I’ll watch to make sure you’re all over him, yeah?”
“How is it everything you say has a dirty double meaning?” I said.
“Me?” He looked shocked. “You're the one with the mind in the gutter.”
I released my energy from the confines of my body and let it flow around us. I’d never done this exact thing before, so it was all theory, and that’s what scared me. Just keep letting it out, coat Cash until he was as much a part of me as I was with him. Marc circled us with a wary eye, scrutinizing the air around us.
“Looks good to me,” he said, “but I can’t tell if the hunter’s aura is contained. It’s invisible. I can see his body is enveloped, but I’m afraid I don’t know how accurate that is.”
I exhaled sharply and my energy snapped back into me. “So we might be missing th
e mark? We can’t do this then. I’m sorry, Cash, but I’m not willing to risk your life on a maybe.”
“Blood,” Lena said, from behind us.
I twisted to find Jacine guiding Lena down the steps of the castle to meet us at the courtyard. When they reached our side, Lena elaborated. “Blood is your connection. You’re linked on a biological and metaphysical level that only you truly understand. You’re the one who made the soul-link in the first place, and even if you can’t remember it, you’ve got that instinct still inside you. It drives you every time you use your power. How have you linked with Cash in the past?” Lena asked.
“Well…” I thought for a moment. “We’ve done our mentor-progeny ritual via the blood bond. I also used a blood connection to pull Tommy’s soul into Cash… oh!” I gave Cash a coy look. “We kiss.”
Cash returned my look with a flick of the eyebrows.
“Well, that’s my suggestion,” Lena continued. “Connect with him, any which way you can, then make sure you hold onto him with every atom of your being.”
“Sure. Easy,” I murmured. “What can go wrong?” Only annihilation and entanglement of every particle in our bodies.
Jacine disengaged from Lena and crossed the short distance to Marc. She spoke quietly and I couldn’t hear her words, but their body language said enough. He gave her his full attention, and bent down when she reached up to cup his cheek. I averted my gaze to Cash who had a tiny smile quirking his lips. He’d heard what was said.
“Alright, then,” Marc called out to us. “I’ll see you at the cabin.”
With that, he vanished and all the particles of dust, construct, and sand that had collected on his body showered to the ground.
I stared at that small pile with foreboding.
“Let’s do this.” Cash took my hand in his.
Jacine and Lena retreated to the steps to watch us from a distance.
“Okay, hold your palm up,” I said and Cash showed me his hand. I used my power to sliced both our hands and hold the wound open. Then we joined hands in a grownup version of a childish pact. “I want you with me until we arrive at our destination.”
Game Over (Game of Gods Book 4) Page 25