by Sarra Cannon
In seconds, she had no memory of the pain at all, and everything inside her was back to love.
For a moment, some part of her wanted to fight against it, recognizing deep down that whatever magic the Dark One had cast on her was taking her over, erasing her emotions or maybe poisoning her.
The same way the Dark One had taken over all these humans.
With her new perspective, the witch had a greater sense now of how that power worked. It was an exchange of sorts.
The virus had worked like a siphon, draining the life-power of every infected human and transferring it to the Dark One. In return, as her powers grew, she reversed the process, letting a small trickle of her own power flow back into these dead humans.
The magic not only allowed the necromancer to control them. It also allowed her to see through them. To be them. To connect them up like a hive mind in order to increase her power even more.
It was chilling and elegant. Why wouldn’t the witch want to be a part of that exchange? She was lucky to be included in the Dark One’s plans, even if it meant losing a piece of herself along the way.
No one in the Council of Fire had ever displayed an ounce of power this great when the witch was growing up. They pretended to know so much, but compared to the power witnessed here, they were nothing.
What would it be like to re-enter that world as the top ally of the most powerful necromancer to ever live?
The women of the Council would throw themselves at her feet and tremble when she spoke. They would beg to be commanded by her and mourn for the way they had treated her.
But I will never be loved.
That tender part beneath the surface—the part that still belonged to her own soul—wanted to weep at the thought of never being loved. It made her stop for a moment, wondering where in the world she’d just been headed.
But then a voice whispered inside her mind.
What good is love? Another way to make you weak and vulnerable. Another chance for someone to hurt you. Isn’t it more powerful to be feared? To be followed?
The witch closed her eyes, listening to the voice that sounded like her own but did not belong to her. The sound seemed to wrap itself around her doubt and squeeze it out of existence.
She felt every drop of resistance evaporate, and suddenly her mission was clear to her once again.
Yes, I want to be feared. Powerful.
All she’d ever wanted was respect and a chance to prove her power, and she’d almost ruined it all. She’d almost given it up, and for what? Friendship?
The witch gathered flames on her fingertips and watched them dance. Her power had grown since her time inside the ice. A gift from the Dark One?
Always. Her entire life was a gift at this point.
And all she had to do to keep it was one final task.
Find the girl and, if possible, kill the fifth.
In a city with infinite places to hide, that might have been impossible for some. But the witch was a tracker. It was her business to find things.
She brought her fingertips together, forming a single flame between them, then focused her mind on the image of that spiral symbol she’d seen on the window of the Four Seasons.
Zoe, a normal human girl, might be difficult to find, but she was with the fifth now, and he’d been using his magic.
She tuned into his power, like tuning into a specific frequency.
When she caught the edge of it, she leaned in, pouring more of her energy into the search.
For now, she could only sense the slight pull. It had been too many hours since he’d used magic, but the residue of it was still out there. And it wouldn't be long before he cast again.
He wouldn't be able to help himself.
And bit by bit, the witch would inch closer to him until both he and the girl belonged to her.
The witch crouched low to the ground, opened her palm, and blew over the top of the flame in her hand. The fire jumped to the blacktop and travelled forward like an arrow before it turned north on second avenue.
She smiled.
This was going to be a piece of cake.
Seventeen
Parrish
By the time the sun had set, the last of the rotters had been killed and hauled away.
Parrish did one last walk around the entire compound to make sure they hadn’t missed one or failed to see a spot in the fence or metal sheets that had been compromised.
The entire compound was lucky to still be standing, and Parrish had half a mind to leave tonight just so they didn’t risk bringing on another attack before dawn.
She had no doubt the Dark One only zerged this place because of them. Coming here had put the whole community at risk, but to be honest, she wasn’t sure she had the energy to leave even if they needed to.
She’d never been so exhausted in her life.
And her fatigue wasn’t just physical. She was tired to her core in every way. Tired of trying to figure out why they’d been given these powers. Tired of worrying about Zoe and how they were going to save her and the entire world at the same time.
Tired of being slapped in the face by new information that didn’t fully make sense.
Her brain was constantly working, putting pieces of the puzzle together, but never quite seeing the entire picture.
The Dark One could have killed her today, but she didn’t. She said she’d once loved Parrish like a daughter.
Was that true?
Why couldn’t she remember any of that?
She found it hard to believe she’d ever been close to someone so evil and terrible. Maybe the Dark One was just trying to mess with her mind.
If so, it worked.
Parrish couldn’t get the whole encounter out of her head, but she didn’t have time to keep going over and over it. They needed to make a plan for how they were going to get to New York.
“We need to be heading toward the coast by noon at the absolute latest,” Parrish said when she got back to the room.
She collapsed on the bed beside Noah, and he motioned for her to rest her legs across his lap. When she did, he massaged her sore calves, and she could have sworn he must have put some of his healing power into his hands.
She felt better instantly, and she was so grateful he seemed to be feeling okay. Finding him passed out on the floor had nearly scared her to death. How he’d recovered so quickly, she still didn’t fully understand.
But none of them understood their powers, did they? The Dark One sure seemed to know what she was doing, but the group in this room was clueless with a capital C. How they’d made it this far was a miracle.
“I know you want to leave early, but we can’t push ourselves past our limit, either,” Crash said. “I don’t know about you all, but every part of my body hurts. Unless lover boy over there wants to give us all massages tonight, I’m going to need some rest before we can even dream about Manhattan.”
Noah patted the bed beside him. “You’re next,” he said, giving Crash a wink.
To Parrish’s surprise, though, Karmen was the one who got up and started massaging Crash’s shoulders. That was quite a change in attitude from even just a few days ago. Something was definitely brewing there, and Parrish wished she could remember everything about who they used to be before all of this. Had they all been close in the world they came from?
Had they loved each other?
Her hand reached for the fatalis stone hanging around her neck. When they’d gotten back into the compound earlier, she’d wrapped it with a piece of leather and decided to wear it closer to her heart. It was her only link to Zoe now, and she wanted it where it would rest against her skin at all times.
This stone was also the key to the island. To their memories.
They needed to get to Zoe and the fifth, and then they had to get to that island. It was obvious the Dark One didn’t want them to go there, so it had to be important.
“We’ll just have to play it by ear and see how it goes,” Crash said. “It’
s totally possible we’ll get to the water in just a few hours, if we can find our way through the traffic and we don’t run into much trouble along the way.”
“Can we please get some food before we start speculating about tomorrow’s trip?” Karmen said, clutching her stomach. “As much as I love hearing you both talk endlessly about things we can’t control, I am starving.”
“Wait,” Parrish said, clutching the fatalis stone in her hand. “We have to try to contact Zoe and the fifth. I don’t fully understand how or why they can talk to us through this stone, but we need to make some kind of plan. Figure out exactly where they are and how we’re going to get to them.”
“Can’t we do that after we eat?” Karmen asked, pouting. “They’re probably just sitting around some New York apartment, doing nothing. They can wait.”
Parrish gave her a look, and Karmen rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, they all moved to the floor and sat down the same way they had the other night when they’d first heard the boy’s voice.
They touched hands, but nothing happened.
“Zoe? Can you hear me?” she asked out loud. “Is anyone there?”
They all waited quietly, but again, there was no answer.
“Anyone else feel like we’re in middle school trying to do a seance at a Halloween party or something?” Karmen asked, laughing.
Parrish had to admit, Karmen was right.
Well, she didn’t have to admit it out loud, but yeah. It was a strange feeling to try to be contacting someone they’d never actually met through a stone none of them understood how to use. They still didn’t even know the fifth’s name.
They kept trying to make contact for ten minutes or so, but everyone else seemed to be losing patience.
Noah was the one who finally convinced her to try again later.
“We’ll figure it out,” he said. “But you heard them both earlier today when we weren’t sitting around like this, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I was holding onto the stone when I heard their voices in my head.”
“So we don’t necessarily need to be touching each other or sitting together,” Crash said. “Maybe it has something to do with what the fifth is doing where he is.”
“Maybe,” Parrish said. She just wished there were some better answers to what was really going on with them.
“Maybe he can reach out to you as long as you’re touching the stone,” Noah said. “You should keep it somewhere it’s always touching your skin.”
“Put it in your bra,” Karmen said. “Plenty of room in there.”
Parrish kicked her friend’s foot.
“That’s why I wrapped it with this piece of leather. So I can wear it like a necklace,” she said.
“I bet as long as you’re touching it in some way, he can contact you when he needs to,” Noah said. “When he does, we can all sit down and come up with a plan to find them and bring them out of the city. Sound good?”
“Sounds good to me,” Karmen said, standing. “Now, can we please get some food?”
“Let’s go,” Parrish said, tucking the cool purple stone inside her shirt and standing to join the others. “We can work out our plans when we get back tonight before bed.”
They left the small room they all shared and headed toward the dining hall.
“It’s going to take some time to get the bikes and everything, too,” Parrish said as they walked, anxiety already making her stomach ill.
There were so many pieces that needed to come together quickly in order for this to work. But they’d made it this far. Zoe and the fifth were still alive, despite the Dark One’s power.
All they could do was keep moving forward with hope, facing each challenge as it came.
“I already have an idea where we can get some bikes,” Crash said. “There’s a dealership only about fifteen miles from here, and I think we can get there easily in the Humvee in the morning. If we have the energy to load up a few things tonight, maybe we can be out of here by nine.”
“Sounds good to me, I—”
Parrish was cut off by the sound of applause as they entered the mess hall. Everyone was on their feet, cheering.
Parrish’s face grew warm, and she ducked slightly behind Noah. She didn’t know how to react or respond to this kind of attention. Zoe had gotten all the attention growing up, and though Parrish had resented her sister for that, she realized now she never really wanted the applause.
All she’d really wanted back then was for her parents to love her just as she was.
Besides, the praise and applause made her feel guilty. The rotters never would have come here like that if it hadn’t been for them.
She wasn’t going to complain, though. These people had been through a lot today, and it was a miracle no one had died. Parrish still wasn’t sure how they’d managed to pull that off, but she was so grateful.
Kaya came over to say a few words and then showed them to a special table near the front that had been decorated with a beautiful tablecloth and a basket of fresh flowers.
But it wasn’t the decor that had Parrish’s mouth watering. The table was loaded up with foods she hadn’t seen, smelled, or tasted in what felt like an eternity. Steak, baked potatoes, pizza, fresh vegetables, fruit, and a bowl of actual ice cream and cake for dessert.
Her shyness suddenly disappeared as she saw the spread.
She couldn’t believe it.
Food like this was worth more than gold these days. She’d assumed this kind of feast was extinct forever.
“Looks like you guys have been holding out on us this whole time,” Crash said with a wink.
Everyone around them laughed, easing the tension a bit.
“This is too much,” she said to Tank and Kaya as they came around to the front of the table. “We don’t deserve all this. You should give it to the kids or something.”
“Go ahead, have a seat everyone, and settle down to eat,” Tank said.
He turned to the group of teens and put his arm around his wife.
“We’re more than happy to offer this to you,” Kaya said. “We save this food in the freezer for all our groups that go out on dangerous missions like what you all did yesterday, so don’t go worrying that this was just for you.”
Parrish smiled and sat down. Kaya had a way about her that made everyone feel welcome and safe. Tank was a lucky guy.
“The entire compound is going to benefit from what your group brought to us this morning, and I know we wouldn’t have survived the attack this afternoon if it hadn’t been for the four of you.” Tank leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “I still don’t understand exactly what you did out there, but after the dead started walking around eating people, I stopped questioning things so much.”
“Thank you for this,” Noah said, sitting down across from her and motioning for everyone else to join them. “I haven’t seen food that looks this good in a long time. I feel bad eating it in front of everyone else.”
“They’re used to it,” Kaya said with a laugh, and several people around them chuckled in agreement. “Like I said, we serve this to everyone who goes out on big missions. We won’t be able to do it forever, but as long as we are able, we’ll do what we can to say thank you to those who go out of their way for the rest of us.”
“I don’t know how to thank you for what you’ve done,” Cheryl said. She stepped forward, one hand on her belly.
“How’s Stephen feeling?” Noah asked.
“It’s a miracle how far he’s come in just a few hours,” she said. “This morning, I honestly didn’t think he was going to make it, and now, he’s sitting up and talking. He even asked if he could walk here himself to say thank you, but we told him he wasn't allowed to get out of bed just yet. He said he’s feeling better than he has in a long time. If you guys hadn’t gotten back when you did, I don’t know what I would have done.”
She wiped tears from her face.
Parrish and Noah exchanged glances across the table.
No one here would ever know just what they had done for Stephen and his family. And at least now they knew Noah wasn’t quite as invincible as they originally thought.
“We were glad to do it,” Noah said.
“Are you sure you won’t stay?” Cheryl asked. “We could really use your help keeping this place running.”
Parrish shook her head.
“We can’t stay,” she said. “But if we are able to find my sister and bring her out of the city, we’ll do our best to come back. At least for a little while.”
“You’re always welcome here,” Tank said, but a slight cough and a strange look toward his wife told Parrish that maybe he didn’t entirely mean that.
There was no doubt the attack earlier had shaken everyone up. They were doing their best to act normal, but Parrish could tell they had questions they were afraid to ask.
She couldn’t blame them, really.
“Okay, you guys, let’s leave them in peace to enjoy their meal before their ice cream melts,” Kaya said.
“Was I not supposed to eat that first?” Crash asked, looking up from his empty dessert bowl.
Parrish pressed her lips together to hide a smile. She wanted to eat hers, too, but she couldn’t stop looking at that gooey slice of pizza.
She actually moaned as she took her first, glorious bite.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you,” she said.
“Did you just speak words of love to your pizza?” Karmen asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, I did,” Parrish said, laughing. “Me and pizza go way back.”
Karmen smiled and shook her head.
“You’re crazy,” she said, taking a bite of a ripe strawberry. “But oh my gosh, that’s good.”
They ate together, laughing and joking as they enjoyed the amazing food, and when they were done, they thanked everyone and said their goodbyes.
Many people tried to convince them to stay, and Parrish nodded and told them that she hoped they’d be back soon. She knew they wouldn’t, though. They had a bigger role to play in the days ahead, and she had a feeling it would cost them all their lives before it was over.