by Abby Dewsnup
“Steal from whom?” My voice was small as I say the words. “Who else could possibly rule over the High Prince?”
In unison, the hooded soldiers chuckled. I turned, staring each down as they continued to laugh. My question wasn’t funny, I wanted to spit out, but I couldn’t bring myself to say a word.
“The World Shaker owns the Light Districts now,” the bearded man finally said.
The World Shaker.
I could tell by the paleness in Roland’s face that the message was frightening. Between Jay’s silence, Roland’s shock, and my confusion, we didn’t say anything more as the doors to the mechanical worm swish open and admit us to its interior.
Inside, it smelled of mold and musty underground. I wrinkled my nose and followed Roland, who sat down without a word on the leather seats. I made eye contact as I did so, and he offered me a knowing, pointed look. The message was clear: there was nothing we could do but submit ourselves the High Prince. Something told me Roland wanted to know more about The World Shaker — whoever that was.
I sat down next to Jay, who was clutching his side with a grimace on an empty bench. I stared straight ahead until the worm began to lurch forward, which sent a pang of fear through me. One of the guards laughed again at my expression, which made my hands curl into fists at my side. I grew up with bullies, and I could tell that these guys were just as bad.
The hallway began to slide past the windows. The machine rattled, almost sending me sprawling out across the floor. I didn’t know what we were inside of, and the science and magic of it all was beyond me.
I didn’t like the way the hooded men sat and watched us with glittering eyes, their faces concealed in the shadow. I turned away from them and instead focused on Jay, who leaned against the window as he tried to muffle his gasps of pain.
I froze, my hand suspended momentarily between he and I. He’s a bad omen. The words were a sprouting frost across my heart, but I couldn’t bear to look at him in pain. Maybe I was some lovesick girl, but something inside me knew that Jay was safe. Death Bringer or not, Jay’s heart was golden. And that was all that truly mattered.
“Hey,” I whispered, edging closer to him. “Where are you hurt?”
Jay’s cut from the rocks had already stained the window a sickening shade of yellowish red. I gently unwrapped his hand from his torso, trying to hide my gasp of shock as his fingers pulled away wet with blood.
“I may have been stabbed,” Jay said, the ghost of a grin etched across his face.
Panic spooled inside me. I wasn’t sure when he had been wounded, but the cut was deep scarlet. A knife wound, possibly administered in the dark of the Glass Cages by a cruel High Guard.
I quickly scanned over their silent faces. Which man had intended to end Jay’s life? Shaking my head, I turned back to him.
“You’re going to be okay,” I whispered. “Do you hear me, Jay? The High Prince will help you.”
Despite the flinch of pain, Jay snorted in exasperation. “He doesn’t help anyone,” he rasped, his voice so edged with pain that it caused me to wince.
I wanted to tell him it wasn’t true. The High Prince, in all his sins, must be a Death Bringer, too. And maybe that would generate some sympathy from the evil man. Instead of speaking, I silently ripped off a piece of Jay’s shirt and pressed it against his side.
He groaned, closing his eyes for a split second against the glass window. “Why are you helping me?” He managed to ask.
“You know, back when we were escaping the Skysailor boat, I was going to leave all those people there to die. I saw you, with your annoying speech and sense of valor. You’re a hero; you’ve always been a hero. You’re the reason why we went back into the ship. It doesn’t matter to me if you’ve died before, Jay Kurtis. It matters to me that you are here right now, alive. And I’d like it to stay that way,” I said with a slight smile. “So if you could hold this against your side for a moment, that would be great.”
Jay used his free arm to hold the rag, his expression contorting in what I could imagine was raging pain. Despite the sting, his eyes softened. “I thought I would lose everything if you knew.”
I looked away. “You never take the easy way out, do you? Your only flaw is your keen taste for dramatics. I mean, waiting until we’re at the doors of death, literally, to tell me you’ve actually died before? Not the best way to do it.”
A pained smile crossed his face. “I want to tell you something before… before he... the High Prince gets the chance. I think you should know before then, it’s only fair.”
I furrowed my brow. “More secrets? What else could you possibly have to tell?”
“Roland figured it out long before either of us, he just — he just didn’t want to tell you.” Jay’s voice quivered. I knew he needed real medical attention, and fast. “We don’t know why you get the marks on your skin, but we know why I can power them.”
The vehicle shuddered again, and Jay slammed against the wall. He gasped, clutching his side with wet fingers. He closed his eyes as the nausea passed. “It’s.... It’s my fault and… and I didn’t even know I was doing it. Death — people like me, they often create… they often create —”
“They often create a Bond,” Roland interrupted, keeping his voice low. “It happens involuntarily to a Death Bringer. Don’t ask me why, because I have no idea. That’s why your Caves are being overrun with Stygian. The Stygian are a product of a Death Bringer — the World Shaker — and they’ve Bonded with your cave.”
“That doesn’t explain why Jay can —”
“I wasn’t finished,” Jay hissed. “Honestly, your ignorance is beyond me, Anya. You’re a Light Bringer, it’s evident in everything you do. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept.”
I stared at him. I knew a Light Bringer was something someone could become, much like a Death Bringer. All those years of Smuggling literal light through the Ridgeline certainly would warrant a Light Bringer act, but I never thought in a million years that I could ever do enough to become someone who metaphorically brings light to her people. An old lady I had once known as a child was a Light Bringer. She’d embroidered her belt with the sun and the neighbors treated her with respect. But the extent of her ability was beyond me.
“I’m not a Light Bringer,” I said slowly.
“A Light Bringer is the polar opposite of a Death Bringer. Your Cave friend here hadn’t Bonded with anyone before he met you. In all honesty, he hadn’t Bonded with anyone up until a few hours ago. You see, a Death Bringer is hyper sensitive to death and all that leads to it. Jay sensed it looming behind that stone door, didn’t you?” Roland asked him, looking bored as he spoke. “He Bonded with you in order to see the incoming death through your future.”
The vehicle came to a stop. We were above ground now, and outside the Blue Light District glistened in a spectacle of neon light. The High Guard forced us to our feet, interrupting the whispered conversation. Roland, noticing for the first time that Jay was injured, helped him up, tucking his shoulder beneath him as Jay stumbled. It wasn’t until we entered another shadowed hallway that I dared continue speaking.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“What I’m saying is that Jay felt your death, Anya. Here, in this building, you will die. The High Prince will stab you in the back, or other untimely acts from above. Through a Bond, the Death Bringer can take the other person’s injuries upon themselves. That’s why Jay’s head is bleeding — it was you who hit the rocks. That’s why he’s bleeding out, for it will be you who will be attacked in the near future. I imagine the first Death Bringer got the gift of the Bond from the Oracle Stones. It really is ancient stuff, I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it.”
Panic surged in my chest. “Jay’s going to die then,” I cried, my voice much too loud. Even though I was certain the High Guard heard every word of our conversation, their heads turned at my sudden outburst.
Roland chuckled. “No, not how it works. That’s w
hy Death Bringers are feared among commoners and revered amongst kings. A powerful person can force a Death Bringer to Bond to them as insurance, because the Bonded Death Bringer cannot die through Bond wounds. The wound isn’t real — it’s a figment of the future, of what could be. And they’ve changed the timeline. Jay has saved your life. And he’s hurt now, but come dawn, he’ll be fine.”
I shook my head. The world was spinning fast around me. I felt as if I was going to pass out. “You’re talking about time travel. Jay’s and my Bond is what creates the light within my skin, but he hadn’t Bonded with me before a few hours ago. How does that make sense for when we fought in Coppice? That was days ago.”
Roland waved a hand through the air. “Time isn’t real, not to a Death Bringer. Jay was brought back to life, and the minute he was, the clock stopped working for him. Your Bond worked in Coppice because he was going to Bond with you in the future. You’ve been his Bond since the day he came into un-life. And no, Anya. I don’t believe the Bond is what crafted your light symbols. I’m sure you’ll learn about those very soon.”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my beating heart. Whatever was ahead of us was meant to be my downfall. And Jay, the ghost boy of whom I wanted to weep for, had just saved my life through an ancient Bond he possessed after he was brought back to life. I could bet his parents took him to the Oracle Stones, and the price for coming back was the Bond. I owed him everything, and I hadn’t even gone in debt yet.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I asked.
Roland, despite his seriousness, couldn’t make eye contact with me. “Well, it’s kind of a personal thing you know? I thought it wasn’t important for you to know yet.”
If the situation was different, I would’ve laughed. Roland was embarrassed by the Bond and what it meant. Despite being a skilled Bounty Hunter (or perhaps because of it) he was terrible at emotions. “So now that you two have chosen to tell me all your secrets, we just need to figure out my light marks, don’t we?” I said.
I had a million questions, but it was in that precise moment that the head guard came to a stop before a rusted door. I finally took in my surroundings, realizing that the mechanical worm had sent us to the outskirts of the Blue Light District. A bunker embedded within the sea cliffs loomed overhead, looking desolate in the gathering storm clouds. The path beneath my feet was well worn, and there was no hint of life.
If Jay heard Roland‘s and my conversation, he didn’t say anything. He looked as if he was fighting to stay conscious, his eyes empty as he stared at the bunker. He’s injured for me, I thought, the idea of it enveloping my heart like the rising storm above. At least, I assumed he had. No one had exactly tried to stab me yet.
The rusted door creaked open. I sighed in exasperation as the High Guard jabbed me forward with the butt of his weapon. The men were stiffer now, more capable of cruelty. They must be in the presence of their master. The High Prince couldn’t be far away.
The bunker was small, but I assumed tunnels ran through the length of the mountain beneath us. I scanned the room, studying the shadows and rusting equipment. It was all another remnant of the time before, a time lost to us. A tattered red flag hung above the slit window.
I didn’t notice the man until he cleared his throat. He sat above us, one leg dangling from an overhanging pipe and the other propped up against his chest. His dark, tight-fitted clothes bled into the shadows, and it was only because of the gleam across his helmet that I knew he was real in place of a shadowed mirage. He wore black gloves and shoes. Even his pants were the darkest shade of the night. Not a single inch of skin was exposed to the daylight.
He turned his head, flicking aside the metal disc he was toying with. It landed on the cement floor with a loud clunk. His sleek helmet reminded me of the one I had seen a citizen wearing in the city when he had ridden off on the strange two-wheeled machine. I couldn’t see the citizen’s eyes beneath it then, and I couldn’t see this man’s eyes now.
Around us, the High Guardsmen were kneeling. I realized with a start that this leather-clad man was the fabled High Prince.
Only Jay, Roland, and I remained on our feet. A silence followed as the Prince pulled away from the wall and swung down onto the grimy floor, his feet echoing through the bunker. I bit my lip to keep from flinching as he drew near.
“This one is hurt,” he said as he stopped before Jay. His voice was deep and metallic. I had only been in this city for a day, but I was already recognizing the strange electricity beneath it. His voice was a product of such — a ruse to keep his identity secret.
“Jay needs help,” I said quickly, trying to keep the fear from my voice. “Please sir, if you are everything they say you are, you will help him.”
The High Prince’s head turned on my direction. I hadn’t seen the staff strapped across his back until he stepped into the light. It was silver and edged with blue, and as I watched a crackle of lightning spread across it. Aware of my own staff still protruding from the strap across my shirt, I felt extremely small in comparison.
“You reek of a Bond,” he said, his words upturning like a snake’s hiss. “And something more — something bright. Have my guards brought the sun into my city?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but in that instant the Prince yanked the staff free from his back, lightning coursing down the shaft. He rushed me quicker than I ever thought possible, the blade plunging deep into my side.
There is a moment of silence, a stinging sensation as the first millisecond of pain washed over me. I gasped, clasping the blade with trembling fingers. And then the sensation passed. He pulled his staff free, the gaping wound closing as fast as it had come.
Jay stumbled backward, pushing Roland away. “There it is,” he muttered. Despite the panic, Jay stood up a little straighter, a semblance of color returning to his cheeks.
“A Bond indeed,” the Prince said with the tilt of his head. “A Death Bringer, a glowing girl, and —” The Prince turned to Roland, who stood with his hands folded across his chest and a scowl across his face. “Oh,” was all the Prince said, his helmet revealing no emotion as he studied the former Blue Light Citizen. “It’s a wonder what my House can bring out of people. You enter yourselves and find me as an entirely different person. Entrancing.”
“We were brought in by force, with all due respect,” I said.
I grew aware of my clothes — the loose white shirt, tan pants tucked into high boots. My wood staff was ancient, and even the engravings across the shaft were different. The High Prince and I could not be more dissimilar, with his darkness and lighting. It was as if two worlds had met inside a rusted bunker above the sea.
I could hear the guards shuffling impatiently.
The High Prince was standing in front of me again, his helmet inches away from my face. A bead of sweat trickled down my temple as he studied me. “You fear my Glass Cages,” he said. He began to laugh, a loud, guffawing sound. “You fear my Glass Cages because you haven’t the faintest idea what you are, do you?”
I winced as he continued to laugh, looking anywhere but at my reflection in his shiny helmet. It was impossible to miss the way my arms are glowing, how the marks had begun to lace through my skin as my anger rose. “If you know so much, Prince, I take it you know why we’ve come to your city.”
The Prince retreated back to the shadows and swung up the rafters. He leaned back against the wall, his foot dangling once more from the protruding pipe. “You fear the Stygian Ghosts. Your Cave-Dwellers are being overrun. It’s an overused plot for a grander scheme in play.”
“What do you mean?” Jay asked, his voice stronger. He stood straighter, the blood on his shirt no longer leeching across the fabric.
“I’m the leader of a revolution, not a businessman. But I’ve found enough heart to make a bargain with you,” the Prince continued, “The Light Kingdom will do you no favors, but I see the sense in seeking them. In light of recent events, I am the only one in my city who can open the
passage into the Oracle Stones.”
The World Shaker. Whoever had gained control of the Blue Light District had closed off all access to the Stones. The High Prince’s voice seemed to shake as he said the words — even he was afraid of this new conqueror. Who could make a man as powerful as him tremble at the name?
“You don’t know who this World Shaker is, do you?” I asked.
The High Prince growled in his throat. “He wields power above mine — ancient magic. He changes his face everyday, I’m certain of it. And yet, he’s bleeding my city dry.”
I took a deep breath. “And he’s called a World Shaker because. . .?”
“The World Shaker is stuff of legends, much like a Solifeer. A spirit from the sky who descends upon wicked worlds and ends them. Many evil people have been called a World Shaker before,” Roland interrupted.
The High Prince ignored Roland. “Seek out the Light Kingdom, find the cure for the Stygian, but more importantly, ask for guidance against the World Shaker, my unseen enemy. Pass your knowledge onto me. And when you undergo the Creation from the Oracle, the Bounty Hunter must be the one to do it. That is my offer, and the only way I will open the entrance to the Stones.” The High Prince turned his head away, nearly invisible within the shadows.
I glanced at Roland, whose jaw was set in a straight line. “I accept your offer,” he said roughly. “If you uphold your end, we will return with knowledge on your World Shaker.”
“Roland, no. You don’t have to do this,” I said. “You weren’t even seeking the Light Kingdom to begin with. It should be me who is the sacrifice.”
Roland didn’t look at me as he said, “It’s the deal, Anya. There isn’t another way.”
“It’s done,” the High Prince said in his gravelly voice. “You will find the Oracle Stone passage open behind the Sol Tavern on the other side of town. My revolutionists pose as regular citizens, and anyone you encounter could be a spy. A word of warning, however. Though my men run secretly through my city, there are others who walk these streets. The Blue Light District is the land between the Light Kingdom and the Fringe. It is a great place to find an angel.”