“You’re really playing that card?” Nash eyed me.
“I’m really playing that card.” I held his gaze, refusing to back down. “Look, there’s something rotten going on here—something way more complex than it appears. It’s going to need all the Chaos we’ve got to solve it. And I’ve got it in spades, so if I have to play my Ace of Spades, then I will.”
He grumbled under his breath, and it wasn’t the kind of language Grandpa ought to utter in the presence of sweet and lovely Melody.
“Besides,” I continued, going for broke, “I can find out more about Atlantean tradition and their loopholes if I’m out there. You know, read a few books, ask a few peeps what they think. People trust you, especially here, with that hair of yours. They’re more likely to spew their guts to me if I look like you. And your skillset is best served here, too. You’ve got a way with words, Nash. Kaya wouldn’t be foolish enough to tell me how to weasel my way out of our impending engagement, but you might be able to pry bits and pieces out of her, looking like me. The Nash personality combined with my good looks—a winning partnership. Though, you’ll have to use a bit more of that Calvert humor to make it realistic.”
“Someone’s been rehearsing this speech,” Luke remarked.
“Watch it, or I’ll make you switch places with me and drag Melody around Atlantis.” I leveled my gaze at him. “Would you prefer that?”
He scrunched up his face. “No…”
“Then hush up.” I focused back on Nash. “Please, Nash. I’m only asking for a few outings. Short ones, just to get me out of here once in a while. I’ll lose my whole bag of marbles if I’m cooped up in this room, waiting for Kaya to slap a ring on my finger. I don’t look good in jewelry, Nash. And I don’t do well in enclosed spaces.”
Nash rolled his eyes so hard I thought he might bust an optical nerve. “And you say I’m the one who’s got a way with words?”
“Does that mean you’ll do it?” I tried not to squeal with excitement.
“I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I didn’t, after that rousing speech.” He smiled grimly. “But I have one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Be careful with Ryann. I know you’ve likely got a thousand things bouncing around in that head of yours, and probably bouncing off the end of your tongue, too, but remember there’s another person inside Ryann. So be careful what you say, for all our sakes.” The smile faded from Nash’s lips, replaced by a stern expression. “Don’t make me regret saying yes.”
I nodded effusively. “I can do that. So… it’s a yes, then?”
“Well, you won’t be much good to us if you go full fruit-loop, so… yes, it’s a yes.” He stooped to ruffle Huntress’s fur. Her blue eyes stared up at him, as if they were having some kind of private Familiar to magical conversation. A bit rude, to be honest, like whispering in front of other people. But hey, if it bought me some time out of this gilded cage, they could do all the telepathy they wanted. “Plus, you’re right about one thing. To uncover Atlantis’s secrets, it’s going to take more than, as you so kindly put it, magic blood.”
I made an apologetic face. “No disrespect intended.”
“Hmm… there had better not be. You should respect your elders, which is why I’m adding another condition. Don’t you do anything weird with my image while you’re pretending to be me.”
He returned to standing and took a look around the room, no doubt picturing himself stuck in here. I had to hand it to him—he was being generous about this. Letting me borrow his form would mean staying here without Huntress, and without his plaid… the horror! That was a huge ask, and he was once again proving that he was one of the best people I’d ever met. He understood why I needed to do this with my own hands.
I jittered with anticipation. “I swear I won’t go leaving a trail of broken hearts or put you on Atlantis’s ‘Most Wanted’ list.”
“Then we’ll do it.” Nash looked to Melody. “If you can make that Ephemera and assure me it won’t leave me with my proverbial pants down, then I guess it’s fine by me.”
“Hey, you’ll keep your pants on while you’re using my image,” I teased. “Don’t you go leading Kaya on by flashing glimpses of these pert bum cheeks. I’m trying to keep the ring off my finger, remember? If she catches sight of that, you might as well strike up the ‘Wedding March’ right now.”
“You know what I mean.” He laughed, shaking his head as if I were a wayward grandson he just couldn’t help but love.
“We should probably get going then, since we’ve got a shopping list as long as my arm.” Melody came over and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a Winchester squeeze. “You hang in there, Finch. We’ll be back before you know it, with the best Ephemera you’ve ever seen!”
I hugged her back. “If anyone can make one…”
Luke cleared his throat. “If you could try not to crush Melody, that’d be great.”
“Huh?” I pulled away and noticed him shifting awkwardly.
“Nothing.” He shook his head, and Melody laughed softly. Yep, something had definitely changed between these two.
“Am I missing something?” I squinted at Melody, whose cheeks had gone scarlet. Like, a worrying shade, so bright it could bring planes in to land.
Nash came over and clapped me on the shoulder. “These two shared a… momentous occasion, while you were up here getting bossed around by the princess.”
“No! Seriously? And I missed it?” I grinned at the pair. “I don’t mean that in a creepy way. Lux provides enough voyeurism for the lot of us. But man, we’ve all been waiting for you two to get it together!”
Melody cast Luke a shy glance and reached for his hand, which he duly provided. “It was a long time coming.” She went all awkward but seemed to draw courage from Luke’s touch. “Anyway, that’s enough about us. We really do need to get going so I can put this Ephemera together. It’s not going to be a simple build, like clicking Legos together, and we don’t have any time to waste.”
“Go build that Ephemera,” I urged, still grinning. Finding out about them gave me a sliver of silver lining, in all this mess and mayhem. They’d managed to get their act together, and so could I. Once I was out of this room, I’d make things right with Ryann.
“What are you going to do while we’re gone?” Luke used an oh-so-serious voice to cover his embarrassment.
I shrugged. “Play the obedient fiancé and keep Kaya off the scent. We need to keep suspicion to a minimum, so I’ll probably make jokes, a little small talk, and throw in a few gripes here and there to keep it real. And make sure Erebus and Davin don’t wriggle their way in here, of course.”
Nash smiled. “If those two kill me while I’m you, Finch, I’ll tear you a new one.”
“Now that would be an impressive haunting.” I flashed him a mischievous grin, if only to hide the fear beneath. He was putting his neck on the line for me, and I’d be forever grateful. But if Erebus or Davin laid so much as a finger on him, then I’d sic Lux on their asses. Nash was one of us now, so I’d claw and scrape to the bitter end to protect him, same as the rest of my pals.
After all, he’d done the same for me.
After a few at-the-door goodbyes and a silent promise to return soon, the guard outside closed the door in my face, leaving me alone again. And what else could a guy do, on his own in a fancy prison, but pace some more? Only, this time, my pacing had determination. And hope. And the knowledge that when my friends came back, stage one of Finch’s revenge would finally begin.
Four
Finch
My friends had been gone all of five minutes when a thud came through the door, followed by a strained grunt. I froze, and my head did a 180-spin that would’ve made an owl jealous. I waited, holding my breath. It had to be Kaya… right? Not that she tended to knock before she entered.
My eyes zoomed in on the door handle as it turned slowly. The old horror movie cliché in live action. I couldn’t have taken a breath, even if I
’d wanted to. My heart hammered so loudly in my chest that I almost missed a soft click that pierced the tense silence. Someone was coming in. The door opened slowly.
I damn near screamed at the sight before me. Erebus stood in the hallway, his anaconda of an arm choking the royal guard who’d been posted outside. He was playing puppet master with the poor guy, evidently having used the guard’s hand to turn the handle and push the door open, due to the shielding spell that wanted to keep Erebus out. The guard stared at me with bulging eyes, his cheeks turning purple while the rest of him drained of color. Not hard to do, considering the Atlanteans were all milk-bottle pale. A few seconds later, Erebus dumped the poor guy on the floor, where he lay unconscious—a faint rise and fall of his chest reassured me that the guard wasn’t going to be ejected into the sea.
“Finally.” Erebus lunged toward the now open doorway, and I staggered back, yelping like a chihuahua facing off with a Saint Bernard.
I braced for an imminent fight to the death, but the moment Erebus hit the room’s threshold, his body bounced backward with a deeply satisfying wham that sent the Child of Chaos flying across the hallway. Glittering sparks cascaded down from the invisible shield that enveloped the doorway to the ground, where they fizzed and dissipated.
Erebus jumped up, his brow creased in confusion. He ran at the doorway again, only to pull up short as the melee of hexes and spells thrummed a warning.
“Having trouble there, Erebus?” I sounded bolder than I felt. Honestly, my insides were a wobbly, churning mass of anxiety. Kaya had protected this place with strong stuff, but Erebus was no weakling. Well, not usually. But in his human body, he had to be a little more cautious about where and how he threw his weight around.
“What sorcery is this?” Erebus glowered at me.
This was seriously weird. With the protective defenses more or less invisible, it looked like he could just wander in and skewer me on a whim. But he couldn’t. He just had to stand there and look angry, coming to the infuriating realization that he couldn’t get me.
You may be a royal pain in my ass, Kaya, but thank the friggin’ stars you built me my very own Fort Knox.
“Your ex’s sorcery, actually,” I replied, gaining a bit of courage from the fact that he was so near, and yet so far. “She thought you’d try something stupid. Looks like she was right.”
“Your time for self-congratulation will soon be over, Finch.” Erebus squared his shoulders, a vein throbbing in his forehead like a plump worm. “I promise, when you finally dare to leave this prison, you can expect a world of pain. I will finish what I started, as repayment for your insolence and betrayal. If you believe you can have her and get away with it, then you may think again.”
I edged nearer to the forcefield. “I’m going to say this one more time and hope it gets through that thick, pilfered skull of yours: I’m not interested in your girl. You know that.”
“Do I?” Erebus hissed. “Or has this been your scheme all along? Or Lux’s, perhaps? I should have known the moment you accepted a dance with her that you were up to something. That my cosmic partner had put you up to it!”
“I’m in love with Ryann, as you’ve spent the last Chaos-knows-how-long pointing out! I mean, come on, that’s been your favorite leverage since you first picked up on it. Are you just conveniently going to forget that now? And unlike you, I’m not looking for someone new. I want to be with her, nobody else.” He’d pushed my buttons, and now this nuclear missile was about to blow. “I’ve done nothing but try to get out of this suitor thing, but no one is listening! I don’t want to marry Kaya! She can marry you, she can marry Davin, she can marry a damn sponge, for all I care—as long as it’s not me!”
Erebus’s face twisted. “You have always been slow on the uptake, haven’t you? Even now, your pathetic brain is struggling to catch up.”
“What do you mean?” I demanded.
“This is not about you; this is about Kaya. It is nothing personal. Your feelings do not matter to me. Your protestations, your pleas, your desperately mortal relationships do not mean a single thing, nor do they have any power to sway my intent.” He began to explore the boundaries of the protective hexes, which made me nervous. “I do not know whether Kaya has done this simply to spite me, or if there is more to this endeavor. Either way, she is all I desire, all I have desired for the last fifty years. And now she has put you in my way, which is why you must be removed. Though perhaps I shall enjoy a smattering of torture first, as punishment for not telling me that my wife was watching my every move.”
“Hey, Lux didn’t exactly give me a choice!”
He gave the guard a petulant kick. “There you go again, making your protestations. Heed my words, Finch: they do not matter! What’s done is done, and you must die so that I may succeed.”
“Oh, spare me,” I snarled, totally done with this jumped-up puppet master. “You’re the one who’s slow on the uptake. Do you really think Kaya would be doing this if you still had a shot?”
“She is distracted, that is all.” He looked away, his neck muscles tensing.
“And you think killing me would win her over? You don’t think it’d piss her off even more? She’d know it was you—of course she’d friggin’ know, and it’d give her even less reason to trust you!” I raged, letting loose completely.
Erebus turned back and smirked. “Why do you think I am working with Davin? He will be the perfect scapegoat. Kaya knows the two of you have history, and once I explain everything to her, she will be convinced that Davin took you out of the running.”
“Just how many delusion pills do you take each morning, huh?” I edged closer to that protective threshold. “As we speak, Davin is probably thinking up a million ways to throw you under the bus. And he’s not the one with a history of deceit and betrayal in this city. Plus, he’s got Daddio’s favor, remember? You don’t have anyone’s, apart from an old crush that’s gone way, way, way sour.”
Erebus smoothed down one of his silky lapels. “I am not concerned with Davin, at present. I am no fool, regardless of what assumptions you comfort yourself with. Of course I know that wretch is up to something, but we are united in our efforts to see you removed. Once you are dealt with, we will return to the more familiar territory of plotting against one another.”
“You’re not listening! Chaos on a bike, every last one of you Children need your ears syringed!” I slammed a fist into the doorframe, which sent a shower of sparks flying. “You won’t have a leg to stand on if you kill me. Kaya will believe Davin over you. And you can bet your shiny meatsuit he’ll get to her before you.”
Erebus pretended to look at a vase of blue fronds. “I am prepared for Davin’s plans. You can bet your soon-to-be-expired meatsuit on that.”
His surety rattled me a bit. I wasn’t expecting him to suddenly go gooey-eyed and change his mind about killing me, but I hadn’t expected him to be so… ready for whatever Davin had in store. If both parties knew their truce had a shelf life, then it didn’t seem likely that I could bring either of them around to my way of thinking. In fact, they were probably eager to get this peace treaty over with as soon as possible so that they could go back to hating one another.
Frenemies, indeed…
“Well, I guess it’s good that your ‘rare jewel’ is looking out for me, isn’t it?” I swallowed my panic. “Are we still calling her that? I forget, with all the little pet names you’ve got for her.”
Erebus plucked a frond and crumbled the blue buds between his fingertips. “You should not rely on her protection. Davin and I will find a way to get to you. Next time, there will not be a forcefield in my way.”
“You’re forgetting something.” We were in the final round, and I was determined to win this game.
“And what might that be?” he drawled.
“Kaya isn’t the only one who’ll be colossally pissed if you kill me.” I released the sucker punch. “What would your darling wife say, after that warning she gave you? ‘Not a h
air on his head,’ if I remember rightly.”
Erebus chuckled, but it carried a twang of nerves. “I will deal with my wife after the fact. Our squabbles have always been cosmic in nature, so perhaps there will be an unexpected supernova in a distant galaxy somewhere. But she and I are bound by the laws of Chaos—she may not kill me directly, nor I her. So I am not overly perturbed.”
No, but she can shove you into the center of the earth, you slippery squid! I looked forward to that day, providing Lux didn’t get cold feet about the whole thing.
“Besides,” Erebus straightened, “I would rather ask forgiveness than permission, where Lux is concerned.”
“That mindset hasn’t worked out too well for you so far, though, has it?” I jabbed. “You didn’t ask for her permission to come down here, but she showed up anyway. Oh, and she’s intent on punishing you for that by watching you fail. I’d say you need a new approach.”
Erebus’s eyes glinted darkly. “She may have taken me by surprise, but now that I know she is here, she will find it very difficult to interfere with my plans. Indeed, she should have stayed hidden and allowed me to kill you.”
“Can’t say I agree with you on that,” I muttered.
His lips turned up in a cold smile. “I will reveal Lux’s presence in Atlantis, if that is what it takes to rid myself of you and focus Kaya’s attention on me once more.”
“Wouldn’t that risk Kaya’s safety? Lux can’t kill the princess, because of the old ‘Chaos rules’ chestnut, but that doesn’t mean she can’t hurt her if you push her too far.” I switched things up a little to try and get that nervous note back in Erebus’s voice. I didn’t like him confident. He was dangerous in that state.
Erebus didn’t waver. “If Lux tried to hurt Kaya, she would risk my wrath. And, as I mentioned, such things have cosmic consequences which, despite her vengeful words toward me, are not things she takes pleasure in. She dislikes disrupting the fabric of the universe, though I do not mind it.”
Harley Merlin 15: Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow Page 3