by Jaymin Eve
“How do we find the book, then?” Ilia asked, exasperation tinging her tone. “There’s got to be ten thousand books in here. I’m guessing we don’t have time to go through them one by one.”
Mab fluttered closer, coming to rest on Asher’s shoulders. Disloyal little fairy already loved him. The two of them hit it off in their thirty-second introduction. “If you describe it to me, I might be able to help,” she said snootily in her powerful little voice.
Connor cleared his throat, withering under Mab’s angry stare. She hated Connor. “It’s written by the mother of all. The writing glows gold and can only be read by a god.” He met my gaze. “Or demigod.”
I immediately wanted to read this book. Just to see if Connor was right.
Unfortunately, Mab didn’t shoot up in the air with a triumphant expression on her face. She looked confused, blinking as her eyes went hazy. I could almost see the gears turning in her brilliant mind as she ran through the catalogue of books in this library.
“Maybe,” she finally murmured before flying off Asher’s shoulder. “Maybe it’s in the section I can’t access.”
Hello? What section?
“You’ve never mentioned it to us,” I said, trying not to accuse the most powerful fairy queen of something, but also a tad annoyed that she’d kept that information to herself.
She didn’t take offense. “You know when you need to know. That’s mostly how information works. Until this moment, you didn’t need that section.”
Uh-huh, right. More obscure fairy speak.
With no time to waste, we filed after her as she crossed the library to a far shelf. I’d been over that shelf multiple times, and while it wasn’t impossible that I’d missed a book, the probability was low. When she reached the shelf, Mab reached forward and gently stroked her finger along one spine. The book started to shake, rattling the books next to it. Mab then flew up to the higher shelf and did the same thing with another book up there. Over and over she did this, stroking the spines of certain books, setting them to shake and rattle.
I watched with fascination, waiting to see what was going to happen next. I might go to a magic school, but this shit was straight out of my library fantasies. If this shelf rotated into a secret hidden stairway, I’d probably scream in happiness.
Mab flew back. I counted eleven books shaking. “How did you know to do that?” I whispered.
Mab tilted her head at me, gossamer wings moving so fast I couldn’t see them. “I felt power from these particular books, so I experimented. Pulling the books out, reading them, placing them all together. It took me years to unlock the code.”
Asher shifted closer, his eyes locked on the shelf that was trembling even harder, other books falling to the floor until only the eleven remained.
“What’s the code?” he asked.
Mab’s voice was filled with power. “Read the spines. Read the letters.”
We all moved closer, and I finally noticed that instead of an author name or title, there was only a single Atlantean symbol on the base of the spine. I hadn’t seen that before.
“What are the letters?” I asked.
Axl stepped up, and followed the spines, murmuring each letter as he went.
“Hellbringer,” Larissa breathed, putting the letters together first. “It spells Hellbringer.”
Mab smiled. “It does, and when you add one final letter…” She flew down and retrieved a book from the floor, slotting it back onto the shelf. “…I believe we will have the final piece to the puzzle.”
The moment it touched the shelf and Mab ran her power down the spine, the shelf spun. Oh my gods, it’s happening. It’s really happening!
“What was the final letter?” I heard Ilia ask.
“S,” Mab said softly. “Hellbringers. It’s time for their return.”
Half of us in the room gasped. I hadn’t forgotten what I’d read in that book. The shelf started to slow its rapid spin, and when it finally stopped, there was just a single golden book perched in the shelf. Along the spine was the letters combined: Hellbringers.
“Yes.” Mab clapped her hands together. “Finally found the last piece.” She looked at me. “The three of you together. I’ve never felt that before. I believe you’ll be the key to everything.”
Three? I looked at Asher and Connor. She had to mean us.
“We’re the Hellbringers?” I asked, not sure what I meant by that.
Mab shook her head. “Now that … that I don’t know. But you’re definitely part of something much larger than the world we know. Only time will tell what your role is.”
Ah, yes, that old “time will tell” caper. Since the book was sitting right in front of us, I decided to worry about my role in it all later. Asher moved forward as I reached for it, like he was going to stop me, but I got there first. Yanking it up, I tried to ignore the zap of power from the book itself. My hand instantly went numb, but feeling returned in a few seconds.
There was nothing on the shimmery gold cover. I wondered what it was made of. It almost looked metallic, but it was soft. Flipping open the first page, I held it out to Ilia. “Can you read this, girl?”
She leaned forward, red curls bouncing as she moved her head around, looking from all different angles. “Nope. There’s nothing there.”
Winner, winner.
“I don’t see anything either,” Asher said.
Fuck.
Pulling the book around again, I searched the page but there was nothing. I flipped to the next page. Nothing. And the next page.
I was just about to throw the freaking thing across the room when I decided to take a deep breath and keep flicking through the pages. Each blank one had me feeling more despondent. When I reached the very middle, a glow caught my eye. The page was shimmering, and as I held it there, script wrote across the page.
“Can you all see this?” I whispered; my eyes locked on the flowing, unfamiliar writing.
“No,” Ilia said.
“Yes,” Asher and Connor both said.
“I can see it too,” I said, voice still soft, “but the words are not written in English.”
“It’s also not Atlantean,” Asher added.
Mab fluttered closer. “If you’re all as powerful as I’m reading in your energy, you only have to use your power to understand it. There’s no language you don’t know. Not anymore.”
The heat at my center sprang to life, like it wanted to figure out exactly what Mab meant. The words swirled on the page, the gold almost blinding, but as I blinked a few times, it started to become understandable. It wasn’t like it was now written in English, but somehow … I did understand it.
If there is one truth that all who wield power should learn, it’s that time is their enemy. Eventually time will catch up to you. With age. Or if not age, then with power. No one stays the most powerful forever.
Checks and balances are what keeps the world turning.
The gods rule today.
But their balance is coming.
The Hellbringers. In a realm beyond this one. Waiting for their freedom. It will take those born of two worlds. Those with ties to more than one race. Those who have a bond beyond life and death.
They will return the balance.
The Mother and the Father of all.
The demons that bind them.
The freedom of all.
Atlantis is our gateway, and it will always hold the secrets.
The stairs are long and narrow. The path is short and windy. The end is near when the breath of frost brushes down spines and souls.
Tap three times. Bleed for the cause. Open the doorway. Destroy the gods.
I read it. I read it again and again. Finally I read it out loud for everyone to hear, and Axl jotted it down in his notebook so that we had a copy of it. “What does it mean, though?”
“What do you think it means?” Ilia asked. “You’re one of the smartest supes I know. You came here, with your pink hair and naivety about our world, and you
flourished. Where most of us would have crashed, you’ve soared. Your instincts are spot-on. So what is your gut telling you?”
I swallowed hard and read the words again. “I think we were born to destroy the gods. Only that doesn’t make sense, because our parents are gods, so why would they do that?”
“Maybe they only wanted us to destroy one particular god?” Asher murmured.
My head shot up, and our eyes met. “The mother of all?” I breathed.
He nodded. “Yes. I think that’s why Galindra was so hell-bent on stopping your parents. She’s protecting her mother.”
Some of it made sense; other parts were still completely unknown. “So the mother of all sank Atlantis, trying to stop us from being born. Only there was no way to stop it once the tides were set in motion.” I mused, still working it out in my head. “And the key to it all is in Atlantis.”
“The fates figured it out,” Asher said softly.
I jerked my head toward him. “Figured what out?”
“The only way to stop the gods,” he said, shaking his head. “Our bond is beyond this world, and I think it’s because we are meant to save it. We were born enemies, Maddi, our parents set to pit us against each other, but powers beyond them made sure it was never going to be that easy.”
I swallowed roughly. Could that be true? Had the mate bond between Asher and me been deliberately designed to overcome our genetics and power? Were we the only hope against our bio-parents? I had no idea how I felt about that sort of manipulation, but it was really too late to worry about. Asher was in my heart now, and if the last year taught me anything, it was that nothing was breaking our bond.
Connor cleared his throat, changing the subject. “We have to get back to Atlantis. Now. We have to figure out what this doorway down the stairs is—if it’s that literal in its meaning. This is where we’ll figure out how to stop the gods.”
It was clear that while Connor had heard about a mythical book with information on how to stop or contain the gods, he hadn’t expected it to be this book. And we hadn’t really learned much from it, but we all agreed … we needed to get to Atlantis.
Deciding to check the rest of the book, I flipped all the way to the end, but there was nothing else written there. “It will tell you when you need to know,” Mab said in her sage tone. “I believe this.”
She was probably right about that, so I slipped the book into my satchel, wanting to keep it close.
“We should go,” Asher said, his arm wrapping around me as I was hauled into his side. I felt a little better, just breathing him in. “I’m ready to get my life back. Which means we need to confront our parents, take them down, and put this entire thing to rest.”
Yeah, that was a great plan, but I knew it was easier said than done. All we had were some cryptic words. Cryptic words and enough determination to fill the ocean.
We just had to hope it was enough.
44
Princeps Jones and Louis were waiting for us outside the library. I wasn’t actually surprised to see them there. Louis always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else when it came to these things. “Are you ready to head to Atlantis?” he asked us, power rumbling around him.
No. Nope. No fucking way.
“Yep. Let’s get this over with.”
My phone chimed in my pocket then, but I ignored it. Everyone I cared about was here anyway, so it was either a wrong number or…
Yeah, no time to worry about it now. Whoever had been sending me those messages was about the last thing on my mind today.
Today I was heading to Atlantis to fight some gods.
Good times.
Louis grinned at me like he’d just heard the full array of my half-panicked thoughts, but he didn’t comment. He just opened the step-through. “Tee went across with the Compasses,” he said softly as I moved closer. “But we just found out that we’re pregnant, so I’m trying to convince her that she should be back in Stratford, where it’s marginally safer.”
His confession gave me pause—this was the first time I truly felt that Louis considered me a friend. A friend he wanted to share his happy news with. Letting the others step through before me, I wrapped my arms around the sorcerer.
“Congratulations!” I said with emotion, feeling heat in my eyes. He was one of the best, scariest, more wonderful supes I knew. He’d be the most loving and formidable father ever. “I’m so happy for you.”
I pulled back, wiping at my eyes, and noticed that Asher was still standing at the step-through. He didn’t look angry, but his expression was shuttered, his eyes unreadable but thankfully still green.
“Thank you,” Louis said, and I could hear the absolute joy in his voice. “I never … I didn’t believe this was in the cards for me. But … shit, apparently I didn’t piss off the fates too badly.” He didn’t swear often, and my lips twitched. “Any suggestions on how to get Tee out of the line of fire?” he asked.
Asher made an amused, rumbling sound, and Louis tilted his head toward him. “If your Tee is anything like Maddi, the more you try to protect her, the more she’ll go out of her way to prove she doesn’t need it.”
Louis and Asher shared a commiserating sort of smile. “Yeah, that’s about accurate. And the thing is, just like your Maddi”—my heart skipped a beat at hearing that—“Tee can completely look after herself. She might be more powerful than me. But…” The purple in his eyes turned midnight dark. “I can’t live without her, and the world will cease to exist if she is taken from me. So I’m protecting more than just my heart and soul, more than just our mate bond. I’m protecting everyone in the entire world.”
Asher’s harsh, beautiful face softened. “I understand,” he murmured, barely above a whisper. “I understand more than I wish I did.”
My heart was thundering in my chest. I struggled to get the air in and out. Everything felt thick and heavy, like emotions were almost visible in the air. Unable to handle it any longer, I spun on my heel and rushed through the step-through. Asher caught me just before I crossed the barrier and I gasped as his lips slammed into mine.
That gasp turned into an aching sob as his tongue swept across mine, demanding entry, demanding everything.
I gave it to him, and by the time he was done, I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. Eh, fuck it, who needed legs anyway.
Asher chuckled. “You don’t need them, I’ll carry you.”
My head jerked back. “Did you just hear my thoughts?”
He paused, blinking at me. “You didn’t say that out loud?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so, but…”
With a shrug, I wiggled to get down, and Asher dropped me to my feet. Louis was still standing in the same spot—he never left until everyone was through his step-throughs—but he was staring off into the distance, allowing us some privacy.
“We should go now,” I said. My body ached, but there was no time for that sort of fun.
Asher and Louis made no move, and I knew I had to go first, so muttering about chauvinistic men I stepped through the doorway, and as energy encased me I tried to shed some of the tensions and frustration in my body. I couldn’t be distracted here. Not if we wanted to make it out alive.
On the other side, the Atlanteans were pacing. Rone was shouting while Larissa pointedly looked in another direction. Those two were on the outs, and I wondered how long it would be before Rone combusted. He wasn’t a fan of the silent treatment.
Jesse cursed loudly when I moved toward him, then wrapped me up tightly. “Fuck, sweetheart, why are you always trying to put me in an early grave?”
I laughed, loudly, because he sounded so exasperated. “Sorry. Louis and I got chatting for a second.”
Jesse snorted. “Yeah, sure, it was Louis that held you up.”
His eyes jerked up over my head as Asher stepped through, and I had to fight not to run to him. Ugh. I had it so damn bad. My heart clenched at the memory of losing Asher, and for a second I couldn’t breathe.
Somehow I managed to lock it back down, because there was no time for PTSD to get its claws in me. Eventually, I would have to deal with the trauma that came with Asher’s “death.” Just not today.
Jesse released me—for his own safety, judging by the look on Asher’s face—and I looked around at our surroundings. “Shit,” I murmured. We were at the gates that I’d entered with Connor. His eyes met mine from where he was standing near the golden statues and I gasped as I finally noticed that the base was now filled with water and moving. The figures danced across the flowing water, jets spouting out around them as they smoothly glided. “It’s beautiful,” I said, moving to Connor. My heart was beating hard, and I felt that tugging sensation in my gut that always came from being in close proximity to this place. “Everything feels lighter now,” I noted, having no sensation of quicksand dragging me down like last time.
Connor nodded. “The spell is gone. The stasis has been lifted.”
I swallowed hard. “Are the Atlanteans alive?”
He shrugged. “We won’t know until we explore.”
My emotions were a mess, had been for most of this year, and I really didn’t know how I felt about the possibility that everyone from original Atlantis had perished with the spell. Asher, Connor, and I survived, but we were not normal supes. We’d been in stasis for ten thousand years, freed somehow fifteen to twenty years ago—still needed to figure out how—and were now about to find out if the rest of our people were gone or not.
I moved away from Connor, because he was not the person I wanted at my side when we made this discovery. I’d started this crazy journey with five Atlanteans, and we would uncover this next part together. I held both hands out. Asher took one; Calen took the other. Jesse, Axl—head buried in his notebook—and Rone stepped closer. With my family surrounding me, we walked into Atlantis.
“Where are all the supes that were on the boats? And Tee and Jessa?” I asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the unnatural silence.