Ash Addict

by Al K. Line

  The table slammed down, then the ledger. Then ink and quill appeared. Death didn't even bother with a chair before he quickly crossed out my name. I swear he chuckled. Then it was all gone, racing skyward.

  With that, Death spun his infinite scythe, cutting through the air.

  I gasped as I clutched my heart, blood sticky like honey on my fingers as I lay prone in a clearing in a forest with Ivan's face looming. He looked disappointed to see me return.

  I whispered as Ivan leaned closer.

  "I'm gonna kill you." I grabbed his throat with every intention of squeezing the life out of him, however long it took.

  Murder in Mind

  "What?" I snapped, as Ivan mumbled something unintelligible.

  Ivan slapped down hard with his fists onto my forearms, breaking my hold, and said, "I had no choice. I'm sorry."

  "Sorry!? Are you out of your mind? You bastard! You stabbed me. Actually killed me. After all we've been through." I clambered unsteadily to my feet, scowling at the mess my shirt was in. I poked a hole through the soaked material, just to check my flesh was healed.

  "It's the ashes, they have to be destroyed," Ivan whined, sounding like a petulant child.

  "And that was your answer? You tricked me. All this time, you knew. You planned this. I can't believe it." I couldn't. Such a betrayal hurt. Ivan and I may have had our difference but this was cold-blooded.

  "This was the only way."

  "I can think of hundreds of alternatives. You could have sent them off into the Nolands somewhere. You could have thrown them in a bloody volcano. You could have buried them so deep nobody would ever find them. Hell, you could have scattered them to the four corners of the earth. How long would it take for it all to coalesces if you did that?"

  "The earth's round, Arthur."

  "Don't get facetious. I know it's fucking round. You... you utter bastard." I pulled Wand from my pocket and he flared into angry life.

  "What a git," Wand hissed.

  "I know. He killed me thinking I'd somehow let Death deal with the ashes. Guess you missed all that."

  "I heard. I couldn't move or do anything, but I heard it all."

  "Good, then you know that something fishy is going on. How did they make a deal?"

  "He had an intermediary. Had to. But this contract business, what's it all about?"

  "I wish I knew."

  "I think you should ask him," said Wand. "And you know Sasha must have been involved, right? Ivan must have been dealing with her to know it could work."

  "I know, and it breaks my heart."

  "Finished talking to your stick?" asked Ivan, studying me closely.

  "Yeah, but I haven't finished with you. What did you do?"

  "I can't tell you. I was sworn to secrecy."

  "By Sasha, right?" How could she betray me like this? She is my faery godmother, meant to look out for me, keep me safe, not do deals with vampires and Death behind my back.

  "Like I said, I can't tell you."

  "Ivan, if you don't talk right now, I swear I will kill you. I don't care if you are Vicky's brother, or the most powerful man in the country. If you don't explain what you arranged and who you dealt with, all of it, then I'll kill you. Do you understand me?"

  Ivan shook his head sadly. "I wish I could, I really do, but I can't. It's not just that I won't, that I made a promise, but I physically can't break the promise I made."

  "So it's definitely faery then. You what, got in touch with Sasha and she told you something?"

  "Not quite. I delved deep after finding out about your contract. With Death."

  "What is this bloody contract?"

  "Like I said, I—"

  "Yeah, yeah, you can't say. You better tell me what you can, or you're history."

  "I'd like to see you try," said Ivan, defensive. "I can't be killed easily. You wouldn't, we're friends."

  "Friends? Ha! You stabbed me in the heart and betrayed me. You could have done something different. How long have you been planning this for?"

  "Since the addicts arrived and caused trouble."

  I tried to think about it, but it made no sense. "No, that's a lie. You may have decided to put the plan into action then, but you already had the idea, had already made the arrangements."

  "Maybe, maybe not. Can't say."

  "If you say that one more time, I swear I'll rip your head clean off your shoulders. You had this as what, a backup plan? For if you needed to destroy the ashes? You could use me somehow, get me to take them to Death and in exchange for something I know I won't like, he'd let Mikalus pass over to the other side, cross his name out of the ledger?"

  "So it's true, that really is how it works?" he asked, intrigued.

  "None of your bloody business. But," I said, smiling, "you'll find out soon enough."

  There was nothing for it, I had to kill him.

  Goodbye, Old Friend

  I relaxed my shoulders, let some of the stress and anger fall away, centered myself and called forth my will from the pit of my stomach. I felt it flow out and gather momentum as it sped down my arm and powered-up Wand. Sigils flared bright orange, the air hissed and crackled as atoms vibrated in unfamiliar patterns, and then I snapped Wand down so he pointed directly at Ivan. "Say goodbye, you traitor." I let rip.

  Wand exploded into volatile life, blasting out a fearsome arc of blood-red magic that burned the air as it shot straight for its mark. Ivan was ready, and he dodged, but not fast enough. He came to a standstill several feet away, his right shoulder burned badly, the clothes smoking, the flesh bubbling, bone visible.

  Again, I blasted, the spread of the magic wider this time. Ivan dodged but moved right into the line of fire.

  He screamed as searing magic engulfed him for a brief moment before the power died, leaving more of his suit destroyed. His jacket fell away, nothing but burned rags, his white shirt a mess of scorch marks and melted skin.

  "Arthur, let's talk about this. I'm sorry, but you know the risk Mikalus poses. I had to do something. You would have been fine. I was guaranteed your safety, I swear. You wouldn't have been dead, not really. Not permanently anyway."

  "I don't care. I'm one life down now thanks to you, and what if I don't have any more chances? That's on you. You betrayed me, you swapped me to rectify a mistake you made. You should own your mistakes, not pass them on like an old toy you no longer want."

  My anger built as I thought of what he'd done. This could be it, I could be out of extra lives. Worse, he'd duped me, used me to get the ashes then was willing to let me die and fulfill whatever bargain had been made. He toyed with my life, my future, and all because he'd screwed up. It was unforgivable and there was no way he could stay alive now. I'd snuff him out and that was all there was to it.

  "Forgive me. Maybe I was wrong. I should have found another way, but this was the only path I could be certain of. Ensure he was gone for good. Death would have taken care of him, there was no comeback from that. Nobody could reach him on the other side and it would finally be over."

  "You betrayed a friend. You cheated, lied, and deceived. You had this plan as backup and all the while acted like you were my friend. It's unforgivable."

  "Please, you can forgive me. I knew you would be all right, I swear. Arthur?" Ivan held his arms out, palms up, pleading for forgiveness.

  I had none to give, and as his flesh repaired itself, I screamed in anger and frustration as Wand spat terrible revenge in the form of a Hat special.

  The moment the disparate tiny dots of pure emptiness, death incarnate, left Wand's tip, I regretted it, but it was too late, there was nothing I could do. Even as I rushed forward, a surge of energy that propelled me almost as fast as the magic that would surely be the end of Ivan, his flesh was chewed through. And I do mean through.

  Minuscule black dots comprised of an absence everything began to devour him, expanding as they did so. They grew on his chest, on his arms and legs, and one found its way onto his cheek where it had already burrowed
deep.

  "Sorry, I got carried away," I stammered, then I grabbed him by the shoulders and checked him over.

  "Will I die?" Ivan grimaced with the pain as unstoppable magic continued its journey.

  "Probably, yeah."

  "Your bedside manner is atrocious." Ivan gasped as the hole in his cheek enlarged; I could see his teeth through it.

  "I know. Turn sideways, like this." I grabbed his head and angled him. "It'll burrow right through and out the other cheek rather than into your head. If it gets to your brain then you're definitely a goner. Stay still," I warned, as I searched for more.

  The hole in his chest was off-center, aimed right at the heart. The other injuries would hurt, but those on his legs weren't life-threatening, and same for his arms. No, it was the torso and head that could, and still might, be the end of my treacherous vampire ex-amigo.

  "Relax while I move your body, just go with it."

  "Relax? Haha." Ivan hissed in agony as the magic dissolved the inner lining of his cheek, shot through the gap in his mouth, and continued onto the other cheek.

  "Just move your body how I tell you." I adjusted his torso, turned him sideways a little, and said, "Stand there, do not move. I think it'll come out across your chest and scrape a deep groove now, and your arms and legs will just have to deal with whatever happens to them. But you'll live. You don't deserve it, but you'll live. Do not move. It'll take a while, it slows as it goes deeper, then speeds up on shallower flesh. If you move, it will chew you up from the inside out," I warned.

  "Thank you," Ivan whispered, trying to talk without moving his mouth or tongue. "And I am sorry."

  "Not as sorry as I am. You betrayed me. It hurts, dude, more than I imagined. Goodbye, Ivan, do not contact me again. See Vicky and the girls at their house, you are not welcome at mine any longer."

  "You're leaving? You're leaving me here as I get eaten alive?"

  "I told you, stay still, maybe for an hour or so, and you'll be fine. Okay, not fine, but you'll recover because you're a vampire, so by the time it exits your system you'll be as good as new."

  "What if the addicts find me?"

  "Then you're in serious shit. Goodbye."

  I turned and walked away. We were done.

  Some Me Time

  Fuming, I stumbled around in the woods, scratching my face on low branches, tripping over the holes I'd avoided on the way in, getting dirty and more annoyed by the second. The more I got whipped by the stupid trees, the angrier I got. By the time I finally found the car, I was ready to blast it to dust.

  But I refrained, because I didn't fancy walking, so I got in, started the engine, then sat and tried to relax a little. Of all the things Ivan could have done, of all the many ways I saw this playing out, I had to admit, that was the last thing I'd expected.

  It was betrayal on an unimaginable scale. Truly epic.

  He'd taken my life with malice and forethought. And for what? Because he had this twisted idea that I could hand over Mikalus to Death and that would be that? Actually, it seemed like that part of the plan was sound, that Death was keen to do the honors, but what came after didn't seem too enticing. And what did come after? What was the deal made? How could they do it without me? Who made it?

  Nothing made any sense. Had Ivan and Sasha conspired with Death? Made arrangements behind my back? How could they? Maybe Sasha had access to the grumpy old dude, but Ivan didn't. And when had all this taken place? How far back did this treachery go? It could be months and months. Ivan could have arranged all this the moment he'd understood the depth of his screw-up.

  I guess that was why he was so keen to rescue me from Cerberus. So he could lead me on a wild goose chase then send me on my way to limbo?

  Ugh, my head hurt thinking about it, but I had to. I had to get answers, needed to know. This was my life we were talking about here. My future. I had a right to know what was in store for me, or what I'd narrowly missed at any rate.

  I didn't exactly class Ivan as a close buddy, but I believed we had an understanding, and if nothing else then at least respect as men of honor and integrity. Men true to the Code, who abided by the rules our rather unorthodox life was governed by out of choice. Without them we were no better than common criminals. Maybe we were no better. Maybe we were worse.

  What had he done? What had he agreed to? How could I find out? I could go back and ask him, threaten to destroy him bit by bit, let him be eaten up without a chance of recovery, but I got the feeling Ivan would deny me answers just on principle. Never let the torturer win. Maybe he'd tell me, but I'd have to sully myself to get the answers because he certainly hadn't volunteered them so far. Ah, yes, almost forgot, he would have told me, tried to explain, but he couldn't. The promise he'd made, the pact he'd signed, prevented him from explaining.

  My brain was addled and I couldn't think straight, but I shouldn't forget such important details. Ivan had made a pact with a faery, and there was only one who could give him the information he needed. Sasha.

  Goddamn! My faery godmother, who I loved, cherished, worshiped, and adored, had sold me out to the bloody vampires.

  Mind made up, I buckled up and drove away. Leaving Ivan to his fate with his damn ashes. Tasius and crew would catch up with us soon enough, I was sure of that, and I intended to get answers before this ended one way or another. I knew my business with Ivan wasn't complete, and I'd be mixed up in whatever came next, but for now I had to take care of some personal business.

  This was me time, yet however angry I was my pulse raced at the thought of confronting Sasha and accusing her of conspiring to have me murdered so I could take on a mysterious mantle Death was keen to pass on.

  I emptied my mind, let all the anger and disappointment drift by, and zoned out as I drove through the night back to the city and whatever answers awaited me.

  Familiar Surroundings

  I made it to the city crash-pad without incident, a small miracle, then parked several streets away. Coming here was a bad idea, but I didn't know where else to go and didn't think the addicts knew I had this place. They'd only just arrived so their intel would be very limited. Cerberus maybe, make that probably, knew of it, but they had their hands full so I should be okay.

  Nonetheless, I was careful as I walked the deserted streets. Empty takeaway cartons, Styrofoam cups, and all manner of consumer detritus littered the streets. I sighed at the familiar sight. This had been a nice area, still was, but the cancer was spreading more rapidly than ever now. Less of the city was being maintained properly as the focus became the rich communities. The slide into slum had begun in earnest. It was inevitable. Soon the entire city would be nothing but a wasteland dotted with gated compounds, mocking the less fortunate.

  I moved silently, wary of watching eyes, but there was nobody, at least nobody I saw, so I was all good.

  Like a weight had lifted off my shoulders, I opened the door and stepped over the threshold, pleased to find the wards still in place and holding up perfectly. Junk mail littered the mat inside the door, so I gathered it up and dumped it on the coffee table in the living room. Then I entered the kitchen, switched the kettle on and stared, empty of mind, into nothingness until it clicked off, jolting me back to reality. I made a coffee and took it into the living room, my heart hammering in my chest as I anticipated what came next.

  Realizing how thirsty and exhausted I was, I gulped the scalding coffee then prepared myself. There wasn't much to do to be honest, but I had a pee, splashed cold water on my face, and generally tried to find excuses.

  Why should I be nervous? This wasn't on me. For once, I had nothing to do with the problem. I wasn't to blame. I had been the one who was used, and I deserved to know. I had the bloody right to know.

  I sat on the sofa, leaning forward nervously, palms on my knees, and I called out, "Sasha? Faery godmother, where are you? I need you."

  I waited. Nothing.

  "Sasha, it's Arthur," I shouted. "I need you."

  Still nothing.<
br />
  "Sasha!" I screamed, my heart breaking at the thought of her betrayal.

  Faery dust fell, my heart fluttered, anticipating the impossible beauty that would soon stand before me, and the air shimmered.

  I shivered. How do you go about accusing a faery of conspiring to murder you without it coming across badly?

  Eek. Here she came.

  Faery Fight

  I kept the scowl on my face as Sasha appeared. A vision in a silver dress tighter than her skin. Faery dust drifted from her golden locks, shimmered across her exposed flesh like moonlight on still waters, and I got a familiar tingle in regions that ought not to react at such a time.

  Her figure was beyond perfect, every man's, and woman's, dream come true. My mood lightened and my heart softened as I looked up into her beautiful face. Her lips were juicier than ripe plums, so kissable you had to fight hard to remain in control, her twinkling eyes dominated, deep pools of steaming promise, and yet, through it all, it was the inner Sasha that made my knees tremble. She was fae, meaning she was ruthless and unforgiving of her enemies, but she'd do anything for the ones she loved, would tear apart reality itself, rip through the Nolands to keep you safe.

  So why had she done this?

  "My love? What ails you?"

  "What ails me?" I hissed. "I'll tell you what ails me. I just had a very interesting conversation with Death, who, I might add, was very pleased to see me. Said something about a deal made, maybe with Ivan and someone who helped him get access. A deal concerning me, my future, Mikalus' ashes, and, oh, there was something about a contract."

  "No need to concern yourself, my love, nothing to worry about at all." Sasha crossed one solid thigh in front of the other, her ridiculously high heels making her calves contract into tight bunches, ankles so small they belonged to a woman half her size.

  "Nothing to worry about!?" I shouted, exploding from the sofa and getting right up in her face. "Nothing to worry about? You betrayed me. You and Ivan both. You made a deal and he fucking stabbed me through the heart. Do you know how that feels, to be tricked by the ones you thought you could trust? Deceived by someone you love?"