by Lyra Evans
A strange mix of sensations surged in Niko at once. The gentle serenity of compliance collided full-tilt with the panicked desperation to protect both himself and Cobalt. A radiating magic spread through him from the core of the Stone in his chest, and it mixed roughly with the warring impulses, and only his own force of will stopped him vomiting from the nauseating torrent. The end result, however, was that Niko did not immediately do as he was told.
“Give you what?” Niko asked, jerking his arms roughly away from the two slowly wakening victims to force the others around him to take hold instead. The two victims who could no longer hear seemed slightly dazed, very confused, and they fell into position behind Niko, vaguely aware it was what they were supposed to do. Vermillion took no notice of them, so focused was he on Niko and getting Cobalt’s Soul Stone.
“Give me Sincloud’s Soul Stone,” Vermillion Sang, his frustration increasing visibly. A vein in his temple began to protrude, and Niko smiled inwardly.
“Oh, that,” he said, the same weakened tornado of urges playing out inside him. “Cobalt doesn’t have a Soul Stone. He gave it away.”
“Then give me your—”
“I don’t have a Soul Stone. Obviously. I’m Fae,” Niko said, enjoying the way he was getting under Vermillion’s skin. He hadn’t had a chance to be this stubbornly annoying in a while, and he had to say, he missed it. Everything had been so serious since the case with Sade. At least he seemed to have found some of his sense of humour again. “And I notice you still haven’t told me exactly what you did with the Soul Stones you collected. Is it because you’re embarrassed? Like maybe you made it out to be this big difficult thing, but really it’s a pretty simple trick?” Niko made a face. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
“You have somehow managed to prove more aggravating than even Indigo was,” Vermillion said, pressing fingertips to his temple. “So I’ll favour you with the same fate he faced.” Vermillion reached up to his collar and pulled at the buttons of his shirt, opening the fabric, yanking it from where it was tucked into his pants, to slowly reveal his chest. Only it wasn’t his chest. Where Selkies had their Soul Stone, Vermillion had something too. At that precise spot was a yellow-orange stone in a vaguely pentagonal shape. But surrounding the Stone was a crevice connected to another Stone, and another, and another. The Stones made a patchwork of colour and shifting magic across his chest and stomach, almost like mythical armour carved of crystal. It was remarkable and horrifying. How many Stones he’d collected was unclear, but he’d been at this a while.
“This is—impossible—the blending of Soul Stones is not—it is sacrilege—how—” Cobalt bit out, unable to form full sentences in the face of what he was seeing. Niko didn’t know what to say either. Even without the deep-held beliefs instilled from childhood, Niko could tell it was wrong. The way the colours swirled within the confines of the Stones was off. Where Cobalt’s Stone was like staring straight into a nebula, a clear galactic body in its full glory, Vermillion’s chest piece was like a child splattering paint on wet paper. Colours bled and muddied together, a mishmash of things that should never be connected.
“Prince Indigo had a similar reaction,” Vermillion admitted. “Which I thought particularly amusing considering the Royal legacy he was to inherit.”
Cobalt shook his head. “What do you mean by that?”
Vermillion studied his own chest plate a moment. “Hmm? Oh, the King of the Court wears a similar piece of armour,” he said offhandedly, as though he hadn’t just dropped a world-shattering piece of information on Cobalt. “Why do you think King Celadon banished me once he found out what I was up to? He couldn’t risk me building Stone Armour to rival his own. I’d have too much power, and he would have no way of holding on to the crown.”
Revulsion poured from Cobalt’s every pore. “I don’t believe you! The King would never hide such a terrifying truth from the Court,” he said, but from Niko’s understanding of history—even limited to the Three Courts—that was the kind of lie monarchs were absolutely likely to tell. But as Cobalt and Vermillion argued back and forth, Niko stole the hearing of the other two Selkies holding him captive. He shot a look behind him to find the first two victims were staring in dumbstruck horror at Vermillion’s chest, the control he had over them broken enough for them to see the truth.
“Think about it, Sincloud,” Vermillion said. “Why should the Royal Funerals be closed affairs? Why not let the people mourn their monarchs publicly? Why would they keep the Reef ceremony private except to hide the fact that there is no Reef ceremony for Kings? You’re too naïve for a Royal Guard, Sincloud. You need to wake up.”
“If you’re trying to convert me to your cause—” Cobalt began, but Vermillion cut him off with a laugh.
“Convert you? I have no need of you beyond your Stone,” he said. “Though if you need more evidence, I wonder, how did you even know Indigo was dead?”
Niko stopped, the thought having crossed his own mind. Indigo’s body was found on the beach, close but not touching the water. He thought perhaps there was some kind of magical connection Selkies had to the Reef or to one another that allowed Cobalt the knowledge. But Cobalt had never explained. And now, faced with the question, Cobalt hesitated.
“The King informed me,” he said quietly, slowly. “But the Soul Stone doesn’t have—”
“Oh, but Stone Armour definitely does,” Vermillion said. “It’s got all sort of exciting new powers, once you connect certain Stones together. The King’s Armour is particularly powerful because his is made of the Stones of every monarch to come before him. Which is why my collecting Indigo’s Stone was such a boon. Allow me to show you one particular favourite of my new abilities.” And before anyone could react, Vermillion opened his mouth and Screeched.
The sound cut through Niko like a hundred million pins shearing him to the core and burrowing into his head. He felt himself screaming, his face contorted with pain, his eyes shut tight, but he could not hear his own cry. There were no thoughts or feelings beyond the pain of the sound Vermillion made. Everything was white and streaky behind his eyes, with nothing but the yearning for death existing beyond the sound.
And then it was over. It was what felt like an eternity later, ages and eons of the world having passed between when the Screech began and ended, and Niko was on the ground, curled in on himself with his hands over his ears. He blinked around, his ears echoing with the silence that played around them now, and he saw all the victims curled on the ground like him. Except for the four he’d freed from hearing. They were crouched on the ground, hands to their heads because the sound was so powerful, but they looked more confused than hurt.
As they slowly collected themselves, Niko reached surreptitiously to the victims around Cobalt and began making trades. Cobalt was heaving, his hands shaking slightly as he lowered them from his ears.
“So this is how you killed Indy? You screamed at him until the sound pierced through his chest and exploded his eardrums and destroyed him?” Cobalt spat, glaring at Vermillion and at Amber in turn. Niko only then noticed Amber had doubled over from the shriek as well, and just now righted herself, a little shaken by the aural assault. “How could you do this to your Prince? To your friend?” The last was directed at Amber more than Vermillion, and she had the nerve to hold her head high, straightening her dress.
“Indy was a friend once, sure,” she said. “But Vermillion is my Soul Mate. And he’s promised to make me more powerful than I ever could have become back in Azure’s Court. Even once Indy took over, I would just have been another Courtier. He could do as he wanted with all the power in his Stone Armour, pretending all the while that he was righteous and good. He was a hypocrite.”
Cobalt shook his head in disgust. “Indy loved you. He didn’t know about this—whatever this is. And he would never have kept it a secret if he found out. He believed in honesty and equality. He believed in taking care of his people. And you let him die, bloody and cold and far from home, then you thr
ew him out on the shore like driftwood.”
Amber held her haughty air, but there was a shift in her jaw and eyes that belied her guilt. She wasn’t entirely at ease with what had happened to Indigo, no matter what she said now. That, coupled with the insecurity Niko had overheard in her voice earlier in the dark room, gave Niko an in.
“You said he’s going to make you powerful,” Niko said, derailing the guilt-trip. “But you still gave him your Soul Stone.”
Amber looked at Niko as though for the first time. “He needs all the Stones he can get for his research,” she said.
“But he didn’t give you one to protect yourself, to keep you above the other Selkies he keeps captive,” Niko said, nodding to the Selkies around him that were slowly coming back to themselves. The newly deaf ones studied the goings on carefully, slowly shifting closer to Niko and Cobalt. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell some of them recognized Cobalt, but without being able to hear what was being said, they were somewhat at a loss to understand what was happening.
“She doesn’t need a Soul Stone to know she is superior to the others,” Vermillion shot.
Niko tilted his head side to side, as though weighing it out. “I mean, sure. But you sell her body to these psychos on a regular basis, just like you sell the others. So she’s not that much superior to them, is she?” And Niko shrugged. “And you say he’s your Soul Mate, but Soul Mates exchange Stones, don’t they? Or did I misunderstand something about Selkie culture?” He asked the last to Cobalt, and Cobalt, catching on to his plan, nodded.
“No, you’re entirely correct,” he said. “Soul Mates, traditionally, offer each other their Stones. For one Selkie to give a Stone without receiving one—well, it just doesn’t look very good.”
Amber’s face fell slightly. Vermillion’s mouth pulled into a snarl. “Silence! Your foolish ploys will not work here, and I grow tired of this exchange.”
“It just seems so one-sided,” Niko said quickly. “And given the size of the chest piece Vermillion is wearing, I’d say he’s been taking Stones from Selkies for a while. How many Soul Mates did he have before you, Amber, do you think? He can’t have collected this many Selkies at one time without you, right? Unless he had help in the past.” Niko threw his hands up, feigning humility to remove himself from the discussion. “Look, I could be wrong. But it just doesn’t add up to me.”
“And only so many Selkies have travelled to Maeve’s Court over the years,” Cobalt said. “We don’t even have records going back that far. Who knows how many Selkies he’s sold that line to.”
“He is my Soul Mate! I know it! I would know if he was lying!” she cried, her voice breaking from the strain of the fear.
“You would,” Cobalt said. “So tell me. Do you hear his Song in your heart? Do you feel it in the very particles of your body? Do you see flashes of the two of your together? Not just sex and carnal desires, but your future? Do you see the two of you entwined together at night, arm in arm, your fingertips pressed to his lips? Do you feel him when he’s not around? Can you tell when he’s struggling and offer support through your Stone, even if you aren’t in the same place? Does the very breath of him soothe your Soul?” Cobalt asked, and suddenly all of the strange experiences Niko had had since Cobalt arrived began fitting together. He felt the Stone in his chest glow with warmth and support, felt the particular note of Cobalt’s Song play in his heart, and he knew the images weren’t just afflicting him. Cobalt had seen them too. He’d seen them wrapped up in each other on Niko’s couch; he’d seen laughter in Niko’s heart.
Amber suddenly didn’t look so sure. And Niko knew she didn’t know those feelings. She didn’t know what it was to feel impossibly connected to Vermillion, to know where he was when she needed him, by virtue of Soul Stone alone. She didn’t know what it felt to have his Song in her chest, and the realization struck her more violently than a transport truck at full speed.
“Enough of this ridiculous—” Vermillion started, but Amber rounded on him.
“How many Selkies?” she asked, vibrating fury. “How many others have you claimed as Soul Kin?”
Cobalt didn’t waste his chance. He launched forward at Vermillion and Amber, clearly hoping to catch Vermillion off-guard while he was distracted by Amber’s anger. But he weighed out Amber’s value to Vermillion too high. Managing only to knock Amber aside, Cobalt crumpled on the ground under the onslaught of another of Vermillion’s Screeches. Niko clamped his hands over his ears, struggling to act through the pain, and traded his hearing for enhanced sight. Suddenly, the pain dulled to an aching throb, like the start of a migraine, and Niko could see exactly what effect Vermillion’s Screech had on the world around them. The sound came out in waves and undulations on the air, like ripples on water, only less even, less perfect.
Niko turned to the victims from whom he’d stolen hearing and gestured for them to run, to go. He made the shapes with his mouth, urging them away from the scene, but as they couldn’t hear him, it was difficult to do. They stared at him for a few long moments, seemingly still confused, before they started stumbling toward the exit. One of them, the one who had disarmed Cobalt earlier, dropped the gun on the ground before he ran. Niko nodded as they did, their eyes shooting glances back at him, looking for approval. Now they were back to their own free will, they might stand a better chance at survival.
The pain increased in Niko’s head bit by bit, and he could tell from the distortions on the air and the growing discomfort that this Screech was more powerful than the last. His eyes returned to Cobalt, who was shaking from the pain, his face wrought from the scream stretching his lips, but the distortions on the air from his sound were nothing compared to what came from Vermillion’s mouth. Even Amber curled and clutched at her head, tears streaking her makeup. And distantly, Niko wondered about everyone else in the sound stage. Surely they were hearing some of this. Had they all escaped? Were they leaving via the regular entrance now? Or was the stage somehow soundproofed to ensure they would continue mingling in their vapid, despicable way?
Finally, the distorted air cleared, and Niko blinked a few times, his enhanced vision making everything too vibrant, too sharp. Then Vermillion began to speak, and Niko could somehow tell what he was saying based on the rippling on the air.
“Enough delay,” Vermillion said, scanning the room with a look. He grimaced. “My merchandise seems to have run off, thanks to you. But I’ll have them back shortly, just as soon as I deal with you.” He glared down at Cobalt, who was shakily getting to his feet. There was the slightest drip of blood down his earlobe, and Niko hoped it was reparable damage. “You wanted to know how I killed Indigo, so I’ll show you.”
Niko saw it happening before it actually was. Vermillion opened his mouth, and Niko saw a tiny distortion on the air, a straight jet surrounded by ring waves, like watching a bullet fire in slow motion. But it wasn’t a bullet. And it was aimed directly at Cobalt’s chest.
With no time to think, Niko threw himself through the air at Cobalt, catching him at the arm. The momentum of his body knocked Cobalt out of the way and to the ground, but Niko himself couldn’t quite escape the path of the sound beam. An intense burning scraped across his arm, a friction like he’d never felt before, and Niko fell to the ground, hand whipping around to clutch at the wound.
When he opened his eyes and looked at his fingers, he found them dry. The surface of his skin was raw and red but hard and closed, the wound instantly cauterized by the sheer intensity of the friction from the sound beam. There was no blood. Niko looked up at Cobalt, who was scrambling back to his side. His expression was intense, full of concern and anger and horror all at once, but when he saw Niko was essentially all right, he offered Niko his hand to help him up.
Niko took Cobalt’s hand without hesitation, taking the opportunity to steal Cobalt’s hearing and intensify his sight instead. Then he dragged Cobalt aside again as another sound beam rocketed past. Cobalt shook his head, blinking wildly to acclimatize to his
new senses, but at least without hearing they were both more in control of themselves and less susceptible to damage. But where the sound beams missed them, they hit the walls and stacks of stored items around them. Close behind them, the stone wall exploded, as if struck by a small bomb. Boxes and stacks of skids snapped and broke, sending clouds of debris and dust around them.
“You can’t escape me, Sincloud,” Vermillion said, his words writing themselves on the air in ripples and waves. Cobalt seemed shocked that he could read these things but adapted quickly. “I’ll bring this whole place down on you if I have to. I killed Indigo for this and had Amber dump his body on the shore as a warning to Azure. I’m coming for him and for all the Court. A war is on the horizon, and his reckoning is coming, Sincloud. I’m too far into this to be stopped now! Not by a second rate assassin like you and your halfwit Fairy partner!”
Niko made to reach for the gun at his back, but a lightning-fast sound beam forced him to jump sideways as Cobalt tried to dodge forward and advance on Vermillion. The sound beams struck walls and doors, and finally, something knocked loose and disturbed the warding they’d placed around the area. Suddenly, there were other disturbances on the air—screams. Niko looked up through the dust and falling chunks of exploded props to see flashes of people yelling, struggling through the mess around them. It seemed the clients inside the sound stage had heard what was going on, to some degree.
People were everywhere, spilling out whatever door was closest to them. Some of them ran unintentionally into harm’s way, desperate to escape to safety and rushing through the track of a sound beam. Cement and wood and stone cracked and crumbled and exploded, striking people as they tried to get away. Everyone ran away from Vermillion and Cobalt and Niko—except one person.
Through the dust and rubble, Niko saw a very familiar man in a grey suit with carefully cropped hair edging tentatively toward Vermillion. Something yellowish glinted at his neck, and Niko realized it was a topaz necklace—a recording device. Niko saw the trails of the sound beams, and he ran at Harvey Kincaid, the reporter from TCNN, and knocked him down between two towering stacks of speakers and skids.