Instead, the cell vanished, and the world plunged into total darkness. I tried to pick out a flash of light or a speck of… something, in the pitch black, but it stretched in every direction, seemingly endless. I didn’t even know if Nash was still with me. His brain had probably disintegrated into atoms, same as mine. I just hoped they’d get put back together on the other side, in Gaia’s otherworld.
Suddenly, I became aware of a pulling sensation. Dragging might’ve been a better description. The darkness around me began to twist and melt, and my astral form rocketed forward. Faint shimmers appeared and stretched as my subconscious powered through the eternal shadow, like stars being sucked in by a black hole. But I had no time to gauge what those lights might’ve been. Were they stars? Was I somewhere in the universe, far from home? No idea.
My astral form jolted to an abrupt halt, as though some kid spinning a globe had grabbed it to make it stop. Color and life and deafening noise erupted from the darkness, a new world sliding in around me. I blinked a few times, my eyelids feeling unusually heavy and solid.
I was standing at the end of a stone walkway that led to a roaring waterfall. Tumbling cascades of gaudy flowers dangled from rocky outcrops that poked out of the frothy water, and exotic birds with rainbow feathers flew over the precipice. A few white doves nested on the stone, their coos drowned out by the crashing water, which thundered straight past the walkway and down to a crystal-clear pool below. I didn’t look down for too long. If I slipped, it’d be a fatal fall. Although, could I die in this astral form? Or in an otherworld, for that matter? I’d never tested the theory in Tartarus, but I’d seen plenty of people die in Gaia’s otherworld during her fight with Katherine.
So… where am I? It didn’t look like the otherworld I remembered from back then. Unless this was just a small corner of that restored realm.
“Tell me that Gaia is a better person than her sister.” Nash appeared beside me, rubbing his head. He looked solid. I gave him a quick pinch, just to be sure, and he smacked my hand away. He felt solid, too, but my mind knew the difference. It could still feel my mortal body, all the way back in its Atlantean cell. In fact, this felt weirdly similar to the map-making experience. During that time, my head had drifted off to all kinds of places, and my body had stayed behind in Melody’s creepy study, with my old chum Mary watching over me in equally creepy fashion.
“Gaia’s one of the good ones,” I assured him.
“High praise indeed.” The waterfall parted like a set of liquid curtains, and the Child of Chaos made her grand entrance. Thankfully, fully clothed. She wore a flowing gown of wildflowers and gilded leaves, with a circlet of golden vines and vivid feathers adorning her fiery red hair. Her dress gave the impression of having grown from her skin, a natural part of her. And not a single bit of it had gotten wet. Wizardry at its finest.
She breezed up to us, and I fought the urge to sprint forward and hug her. Man, she looked so much like Harley that it actually hurt. She’d done some growing up since I’d last seen her. Now she looked a bit older than the real Harley—a window into my sister’s future. I wondered why she’d kept this form so long when she could’ve changed it. But in all honesty, it felt so good to see my sister’s face again, even if it wasn’t really her.
“I had hoped that our paths would cross again, Finch Merlin.” Gaia smiled so brightly she almost blinded me. “It is an honor to host you in my realm and to see you standing where your sister once stood.”
The cat had my tongue. “Uh… thank you for not booting us out.”
“I would never ‘boot out’ one of my own.” Her emerald gaze—the only difference between her and my sister—turned to Nash. Her face crumpled, and her hand covered her mouth, those green eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Nash… my poor lost soul. How cruel the magical world has been to you. I feel your pain as though it were my own, sending torrents of anguish into the ether.”
Nash fumbled awkwardly. “I’ve had my share of hardships.”
“No, no, it is more than that. The horrors you have seen.” The tears fell in crystalline drops that turned to diamonds at her feet. “Your mother and father—murdered before your very eyes. Your mother, drained by hunters, and your father forced to watch before his own death. And you, a boy of twelve, hiding in the closet, seeing things no child should. It is no wonder you chose to dedicate your life to protecting others, but that only brought more sorrow, didn’t it? The ghosts linger in your eyes. I see them, almost as real as you are.”
What? I gaped at him. I’d known that he’d seen things, but I’d presumed they were all war-related, from his time as a soldier. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have given a second thought to taking his magic off his hands. Who would want anything to do with Sanguine abilities if they’d seen first-hand what people would do for them? And Gaia hadn’t even mentioned all the hunters who’d come after Nash himself.
I realized that I’d be the one dealing with all that if Gaia transferred the Chaos to me, but I found I didn’t care. Nash had suffered under the weight of it for way too long. What sort of friend would I be if I didn’t take the load off him? After all, I was the one who’d coaxed him out of his hermit life. I owed him this.
Nash cleared his throat. “I hope that means you understand why I’ve come here. I don’t want you thinking I’m ungrateful, since you’re the one who gave me my abilities in the first place.” His breath hitched. “It’s just… I’m so tired, Gaia. Power comes at a high price. I know that, but it’s gotten too steep. I just want peace and quiet with my Huntress.”
“I am eternally sorry, Nash. I had hoped that she would be enough to heal the wounds inflicted upon you and encourage you to endure.” Gaia wiped a tear from her cheek. “That was my intent. I see now that I was mistaken. It could never have been enough. I watch over those who suffer with a constant eye and do what I can to aid them, but sometimes it is not enough.”
Nash’s head shot up. “You sent Huntress to me?”
“A gift, to balance a curse.” She nodded slowly. “Did you not think it odd that you found a husky in the midst of a desert?”
“I… I suppose so, but I just thought she’d run away from somewhere.” Nash looked like his head was about to explode. See, this was why I liked Gaia. She didn’t play stupid games with people’s lives, and she never got involved in family squabbles. She stayed in her lane and did what was in her power to help those in need.
Lux, you could take a page out of her book! If all the Children of Chaos had been like Gaia, the world would’ve been a much better place.
“I can’t believe this.” Nash’s mouth hung open. “I… I don’t know how to thank you. She did save my life, more times than I can count. And she did heal most of those wounds, but it gets harder to keep standing back up when the hits don’t stop coming.”
Gaia moved closer and touched Nash’s cheek. “I understand, sweet Nash. And you need not fear me thinking you are ungrateful. You have persevered beyond the ordinary limits of human fortitude. I ask no more of you. I only regret that those I have gifted have chosen to use their power for ill, seeking that which does not belong to them, from Sanguines such as yourself. It is why I have removed so many abilities from existence. And I offer you this promise now, in good faith: I shall never grant Sanguine power to another. Only those still living will possess it, and when they are gone, that ability will go with them.”
Nash balled his hands to fists. His eyes scrunched up, and he turned his gaze upward, like he was trying not to cry. “Thank you, Gaia. I’m not good with words, so I can’t explain how much this means to me… but it does mean a lot. Knowing that no other kid will have to go through what I went through, growing up with hunters always on their tail. It means… everything.”
“I should have removed it after the hunters first appeared, but I hoped it might ebb over time. I have faith in humanity, but I see that it was misplaced in this case.” Gaia brushed a tear from Nash’s cheek. “I only wish I could avoid giving it to you,
Finch, but I do not make the rules. I merely abide by them.”
“It’s okay.” I smiled at her. “I’ve made my choice, and I’m willing to accept the consequences.”
She drew her hand away from Nash and came to me. “It warms my heart to see the man you have become. You are another whom I have watched from afar. My faith in you was certainly not misplaced.” She took my hands in hers, and I fought the urge to cry, too. Mainly because this was like talking to my sister, only with an angelic voice. I missed Harley so much. “Even in your darkest moments, you are a light to others. Never allow that to go out, dear Finch. Never.”
I chuckled nervously. “I’m trying not to.”
“I wish there was more I could do to aid you with Atlantis. My sister informed me of what is taking place, and it appalls me. As you know, we are not permitted to intervene, and that is the most frustrating part of being what I am.” Gaia lowered her gaze, clenching my hands tight.
“Lux told you?” Nash interjected, with a surprised Pikachu face.
Gaia lifted her head and nodded. “She exchanged information with me while delivering you here. She is equally frustrated that she cannot do more, though she is far better situated to assist than I am. All I can do is make this transference and hope that it helps in some small way to readjust the balance that is threatening to tip.”
“Then… we should get it done,” I said firmly. Nice as this otherworld was, we couldn’t stay too long. Then again, I wasn’t sure how time worked in this place.
Gaia gave a half-curtsey. “Is this your final decision, Nash? You must speak now, for it cannot be undone once the transference is made.”
Nash straightened, like the soldier he’d always be. “It’s my final decision.”
“I should reassure you, in case you did not know already—surrendering your Chaos will not upset the link between you and Huntress. I will leave that intact. It is the least I can do after all my foolish gift has inflicted upon you.” Gaia kept hold of one of my hands and reached for one of Nash’s. “Now, let us begin, for this is the last time I shall transfer the Sanguine Chaos to anyone.”
“Do what you have to do,” Nash replied. He bowed his head, and I did the same, since it felt like a reverent moment. But that didn’t stop me from casting a side glance at him to see how this thing was going to go down.
Green light pulsed down Gaia’s arm and into Nash’s astral body. He didn’t even flinch as it coursed through him, illuminating the entire circulatory system beneath his skin. I observed, entranced, as the light began to make its way back to Gaia. Only, instead of green, it had turned a vibrant, sparking red. I followed its path to where it stopped in Gaia’s chest and burned in one huge ball of raw energy. She tilted her head back and heaved in a deep breath before pushing the red glow down her opposite arm to me.
I waited for the pain to hit. These things were never painless. But… it didn’t come. I watched the red light race down my veins, visible under my skin, and felt a weird prickly sensation. The current flowed through every blood vessel until my whole body burned with fierce red light. Still, no pain. I’d chalk that up as a win.
Finally, with a loud sigh that disturbed the doves in their nests, she pulled her hands away and broke the link between the three of us. The glow faded away to nothing. My veins resumed their formerly hidden state, and the crackling, prickly sensation disappeared. I kept waiting for agony or at least a bit of stomach churning, but I felt… bizarrely normal.
“Is it done?” Nash peered out of one eye.
Gaia folded her hands before her. “It is done, sweet Nash. I have taken away your curse, and I hope that it will prove to be more of a gift to you, dear Finch.” She offered a glowing smile to Nash. “May you go forth and find the peace you have sought all your life, and finally have the opportunity to put your ghosts to rest. And please, accept my apologies again for all that has been done to you.”
Nash did what I hadn’t dared. He swept forward and pulled Gaia into a bear hug. “Thank you, Gaia. I keep saying it, but I mean it. Thank you.”
Gaia laughed and embraced Nash in return. “As you have served and protected, it is my duty to serve and protect those who are my responsibility, wherever I may. You have earned this.”
“Should I be feeling something?” I hated to break up their moment, but this felt way too easy. Then again, I was dealing with Gaia, not Lux or Erebus. Gaia didn’t attach a hefty price tag to everything she did.
“No.” Gaia pulled away from Nash. “I have been granting Chaos for so long that I am able to enact the procedure, even in this scenario, without causing discomfort or transitional disturbance. You may find that you experience moments of sudden energy, akin to adrenaline. If any rejection should happen, you will experience a Purge, but it will not be detrimental to you. I would not offer you a gift that could kill you.” She must’ve realized what she’d said because she added a hasty addendum. “Not deliberately.”
“How about you?” I looked at Nash. “Do you feel anything?”
He nodded, beaming from ear to ear. “Free.”
“No weirdness?” I pressed. I remembered the gut-wrenching hollowness that I had felt when Katherine took our Chaos away. How could he act like everything was A-Okay?
He shrugged. “It feels good. Different. An emptiness where my Chaos used to be, sure, but I can deal with that if it means no one ever hunts me down again. That’s worth a little weirdness, I’d say.” He closed the gap between us and threw his arms around me. I’d never seen him so huggy, but this was a big day for him. “Thank you, Finch. You have no idea what this means to me.”
I hugged him back, getting into the spirit of celebration. “Ah, I think I do.”
“You do?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It means you can breathe again.”
And that was worth enduring any side effects that came my way. Now that I had friends, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for them. Besides, Gaia was right—he’d earned this, and then some.
Twenty-Six
Finch
Nash and I crash-landed back in Atlantis with a heavy thud of reality, leaving the whimsical world of Gaia far behind. Melody jumped up the moment we snapped out of it, after we were rammed unceremoniously back into our physical bodies.
“How did it go?” She eyed us both, as if searching for visible signs of the transference.
Nash smiled. “She did it.”
“She did?” Melody clapped excitedly, but my eyes instantly went to Ryann. She lay curled up on the ground again, sleeping soundly. I guessed that Lux had gone back into hiding after we’d lured her out for a bit. Either that or she was being sneaky.
“How do you feel?” Melody grabbed my face and started examining me, lifting up my eyelids to check for signs of… who knows. Side effects. Hidden Children. A big neon sign that said Sanguine.
I batted her away as gently as possible. “I feel oddly fine. A bit… fuzzy, but that’s about it.”
“What about you?” She lunged at Nash to play another round of Dr. Winchester, but he was faster. He ducked away and made a show of patting himself down.
“I’m fine. A few strange sensations that will take some getting used to, but it’s all good.” Huntress padded over to her not-so-magical and nosed him, scrambling into his lap and panting happily. They both went quiet, descending into private conversation. I guessed Gaia had meant it—there didn’t appear to be any change to their relationship.
I tapped my knuckle on the cell wall. “Well, it’s not all good. We’re still stuck in prison with a world of trouble brewing outside.” Gaia’s otherworld had been a bright blip in an otherwise gloomy future. All the Sanguine abilities in the world couldn’t fix that.
Melody jabbed an irritated finger at the two Atlanteans across the way. “And they still aren’t helping. Believe me, I tried every persuasion tactic in the book, and they keep refusing to listen and repeating the same old hogwash about not helping the likes of us. The stubbornest mules I’ve ever come across, an
d we know Kaya.”
“We can hear you,” Thebian muttered.
“Good, at least you’re listening!” Melody fired back in angry-chipmunk mode. “Honestly, tell me, because I’m eager to know—what do you think you can achieve on your own?”
Thebian shrugged. “Keeping our dignity and honor intact.”
You really shouldn’t have said that. It took one look at Melody to know that this firecracker was about to go off. She puffed out her chest and stormed over to them, leaving Nash and me gawking after her.
“That’s the last time you’re going to open your mouth and disrespect us. We may be surface dwellers, which you obviously find abhorrent, but I’d rather be a surface dweller than an Atlantean who sits back and does nothing for the sake of blind loyalty.” Her hands waved wildly, and Apollo had the decency to look ashamed. “Speaking of which, who are you loyal to? Kaya? Well, newsflash, you pair of amoebas, we’re on the same side! If you work with us to escape this fishbowl, then we can run and save your precious queen! We’re not asking for your help so we can just scoot off back to the surface and leave you to it. How would we even do that? It’s not like there’s a freaking door! If there was, do you think we’d have hung around this long? Honest to Chaos, for being the supposed ‘elite’ of Atlantis, you two are the dumbest lumps I’ve ever seen!”
I clapped my hand over my mouth to stop a snort of laughter. Beside me, Nash had buried his face in Huntress’s fur, his shoulders shaking. The Atlanteans sat speechless, the whites of their eyes showing fear of this tiny dynamo who’d just handed their asses to them on a silver platter.
Harley Merlin 16: Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie Page 23