“Look, why don’t we work with what we’ve got for now and worry about the rest later? We know how to break the spell Davin put on you, so let’s fix that first.” I fumbled uncomfortably.
Erebus gave a small nod. “How do we break it?”
“First, we need to find a tattoo that’s on you.” I gestured at him vaguely. “It won’t be somewhere obvious, or you’d have noticed it yourself by now. With that in mind, you’ll need someone to find it for you. Me, probably, since there’s nobody else here.” I hoped it was in pale ink; otherwise, it was going to be a nightmare to find on his impossibly dark skin.
“Very well.” Erebus lifted his hands to unbutton his shirt, but I quickly stopped him.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. How about we check the places I can see before you start stripping?” A shirtless Child of Chaos wasn’t something I wanted to see. Chiseled or not.
He paused, mid-unbutton. “As you prefer.”
“Turn around,” I instructed, remembering that Davin had said the mark was “on the back of…” something. Gingerly, I pulled down the edge of his collar and scoured the back of his neck for any sign of a tattoo. There, where his head joined his shoulders, I noticed a faint scar. It was tiny but vaguely shaped like that caduceus thing. Wings, check. A stick, check. Twisty, snaky things, check. But on a truly minuscule scale. The only reason I spotted it was because Erebus didn’t have a single flaw on him, so a scar stood out a mile.
“Any success?” he asked.
I held out my hand. “I think we’ve got a winner, but I’m going to need a knife.”
“Why would you need a knife?” Erebus whirled, suspicion in his eyes.
“Relax, man. I have to cut a line through this tattoo thingy, and it should restore your power. I’m not planning on slicing your throat while you’re not looking.”
Erebus grumbled under his breath. “You had best not be up to something, Finch.”
“I’m not!” I protested. “Oh, actually, I have a knife. This won’t hurt a bit. Probably.” Taking out my Esprit and transforming it into a switchblade, I dragged the edge across the scar until black goop started to ooze out. Like blood, but darker and more unnerving. It slicked right over the scar and made me feel a bit sick.
“Do you feel better?” I waited for the usual cinematic display that came with breaking powerful spells. Instead, the tattoo sparked faintly, and the lines disintegrated like threads set on fire, burning away to nothing. A subtle end to a subtle spell. No bells and whistles to speak of, which was probably for the best. If there’d been an explosion, it might’ve brought people to investigate.
He closed his eyes, then opened them a moment later. “Yes… I can sense my Chaos again. It is within my reach.” A few coils of black smoke wisped up from his shoulders, as if to prove a point. The Prince of Darkness was back in business, but I couldn’t take any satisfaction in it.
“Can we go back to Lux and Kaya for a second?” I asked anxiously. “They’re both pissed at you, right? I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it, but I might be able to help. What did Lux see, exactly? Are we talking a hug, or a kiss, or was it a bit more… biblical?”
Erebus grimaced. “We were locked in an embrace when Lux approached. That’s all you need to know. I had to take her to one side to speak with her, in case she attempted to injure Kaya further, in the emotional sense.” Erebus couldn’t look me in the eyes. This wasn’t the kind of thing we talked about. Ever. And boy, did I wish it’d stayed that way.
A thought struck me. A bad one. “Will Kaya try to kick Lux out of Ryann’s body? Ryann might die if that happens!”
The severity of the situation hit me like a stampede of elephants. Sure, Lux had taken over other people’s bodies before and then relinquished them without problems. But Lux had been in Ryann’s body for a whole lot longer than those other hosts. I’d heard the tales about Bellerophon crumbling to dust in agony after Erebus had been kicked out by Lux, and he’d been a friggin’ magical! Ryann was human. What if the effects were worse? The idea of Ryann dying was… beyond my comprehension. It would crush me to dust, too.
Erebus, in a surprising act of kindness, put his hand on my shoulder. “I know Kaya, though she would never admit it. She is fond of you and your friends. Fonder than she is of me, at present. Moreover, Kaya will not hurt your friends while she is intent on keeping you on her side.” He took his hand away sharply. “However, if you were married and under the effects of the love spell… after that, I cannot say what she might do. The circumstances may change, and Ryann could well find herself in danger.”
I focused on what I could control instead of what I couldn’t. “We have three days before this wedding, and I still don’t plan on walking down the aisle. So what can we do to help you fix this mess? You say you know Kaya—what might win her back and unravel this legend that she’s obsessed with?”
Erebus stared at the ground once again, to where a blue daisy protruded through the planks of the pier. “At this stage, it is not about winning her back, and I highly doubt she would listen to anything I said about the legend of the Luminary. She would think I was trying to trick her.”
“Then what do we do next?” I urged.
Erebus stayed silent for a while, until I could almost hear the cogs shifting in his skull. His eyes lifted and he looked around, seemingly taking in the view of the pond and the ghostly fish that swam beneath the surface. Right now, it was probably the only place in Atlantis that wasn’t getting the wedding treatment.
He sighed heavily before speaking. “It is beautiful here, isn’t it?” he mused, mostly to himself.
“It’s not bad.” I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of agreeing, even if this was pretty much the most normal, peaceful place I’d found in Atlantis. Slowly, I resumed my perch on the edge of the pier and swung my legs again. “How come you asked me to meet you here, anyway, and not somewhere closer to the palace? You’re not trying to woo me, are you? I know I’m a descendant of the Primus Anglicus and all, and you’re upset about Kaya finding out about your wife and wrecking your baby plans, but I’m missing one vital part. No womb at the inn, so to speak.”
Erebus chuckled. “You would not be my first choice of Merlin.”
My mouth dropped open. “Hey, keep your mitts off my sister! If you can’t fix this with Kaya, don’t you dare go pawing at Harley. Not that she can’t handle herself.” A sudden thought made me nauseous. “You used to look at her weird, when you first met her. Please don’t tell me that’s why.”
“I contemplated it,” he replied, with an amused smirk. “But, as I already told you, my partner must be willing. And I have enough sense to know your sister never would be, so I did not pursue the matter. Although, I would have been a far finer choice of husband than that specimen she is in love with.”
I wrinkled my nose. “No offense, but I’d take Wade over you as a brother-in-law any day of the week.”
“No doubt she feels the same.” Erebus smoothed down his lapels. “As for why I brought you here—nobody comes here anymore, not after Queen Verity’s ban on fishing for sport. These Sylph fish are now a protected species.”
“Did you just say—?” He didn’t let me finish.
“Yes, I said Sylph fish. The irony is not lost on me.” He peered into the water, where a pair of the ethereal creatures danced beneath the surface. “Especially as this was once Kaya’s favorite place to meet me privately. We would sit exactly where you are sitting and talk for hours. I suppose I felt nostalgic.”
I lifted a finger. “I think you mean Kaya and Bellerophon’s favorite place.”
“Do not say his name.” Erebus’s expression darkened. “I regret what happened to him. He did not deserve it, but nor do I deserve the punishment I received from Kaya because of his tragic death.”
“You blame the wife?” I realized I was pushing my luck, but he merely sighed.
“We are both to blame. Her expulsion spell and my presence in Bellerophon’s body created a collisi
on of Chaos that never should have come to pass. His mortal form could not withstand the impact,” he explained solemnly. “After being ejected from here, I received a reprimand for causing the accidental death of a mortal, though it could have been far worse had I not been able to plead my case to the other Children. Had I been charged with murder, I would not be here now.”
“Shame,” I said pointedly.
Erebus glanced down at me. “I know you do not mean that, for I would not have been able to offer my services to kill Katherine and save that sister of yours, either.”
“That’s what’s known among mortals as a catch-22.” I swung my legs more vigorously, kicking up a spray of water that sent the Sylph fish scattering. “So now that you’ve got me in your date spot, why don’t we keep on topic? Namely, what we’re going to do about Kaya and Lux, now that you’ve got your power back. I’ve got a better understanding of why Kaya wants to marry me, but it’s still not happening. No way. You need to make her listen and convince her that this legend stuff is nonsense.”
Erebus finally sat beside me on the pier’s edge. “She will not even let me near her.”
“And that means you’re ready to just give up? Look, you said you’d ended up in an embrace with her, so I’d say you were well on your way to success. You need to try and claw your way back to that, in any way you can!” I played my trump card. “Come on, this isn’t you. Can you honestly say you’re willing to stop now and watch her end up with me?”
“No,” he murmured sullenly.
“Then let’s come up with a plan! Let’s work together and iron this out.”
“Work together?” He couldn’t look me in the eye. This had to be majorly humbling for him, to contemplate voluntarily joining forces with me again.
“Yes, work together. As long as you’re not planning to stab me in the back, like you were planning to do with Davin, that is.” I’d never found out what Erebus had had in store for his former servant, but I knew he’d definitely had thoughts on the subject.
Erebus sighed. “You have shown me more loyalty than he ever did. You broke the seal that he placed upon me.” He paused. “Thank you for that, by the way. I realize I did not express my gratitude.”
I shrugged. “You’ve been a Child of Chaos so long, you probably forgot those words even existed.”
“I do mean it, though. Thank you.” Today must’ve been my lucky day, getting two thank yous when I’d expected zero.
“Glad to hear it. See, you need me, and I need you. We can make this work for both of us, if we do it together. So help me, even if it’s just to help yourself,” I continued. Despite our contract, if he wanted this to work, we had to be partners, not superior and minion. It had become glaringly obvious that we weren’t exactly master and servant anymore. The tides had turned, and so had the tables.
“I’ve had enough of these games,” I went on. “I’m tired, and I just want to go home, and be with Ryann, and set my friends free. You’ve put me through enough as it is, and so has this place, so let this be the last line we draw in the sand together.” I couldn’t resist. “After this is finished, you have to let me go. You’ll hopefully have what you want, so you won’t need me anymore.”
Erebus’s expression shifted to one of contemplation. “Do you truly believe that you have paid a good enough price for the execution of Katherine Shipton?”
“By the time this is over, I’ll have paid you back with friggin’ interest!” I exclaimed. “I’ve already shown I’m willing to help, as long as you keep things fair. I went to Davin and found out what he put on you, and I broke it.”
His black eyes glittered with cold amusement. “Don’t forget, Finch, you are still indentured to me. It is your duty to help me.”
“But wouldn’t you prefer someone willing?” I shot back. The iciness melted from his eyes, leaving a momentary hint of confusion. “I’m not asking for much, only what was promised in Elysium.” I was about to say more about how this could benefit him, when my words died on my lips.
A cracking branch went off like a gunshot, making me whirl around mid-sentence. Apollo burst out of the tree line behind us and ran along the pier, his chest puffed, sword raised in accusation. But he wasn’t looking at me.
“You!” Apollo raged, steel glinting in the pond’s reflection. “Have you not done enough? Are you not content with the mayhem you have already wrought?”
“Excuse me?” Erebus got to his feet and faced off against the royal advisor.
“Do not play the fool, Erebus. I have just come from the physician. She discovered residue in my brain of a powerful magical signature which rendered me unconscious and stole time away from me!” Apollo edged nearer. “You knocked me out and took my place, using my form as you used Bellerophon’s fifty years ago. You tricked the king himself by pretending to be me and speaking with him privately! Do not lie—it could only have been you!”
Well… this is awkward. I looked between the two of them. Poor Apollo had it way wrong. He wasn’t aware of my Mimicry skills, so to him, I was Nash Calvert. Though, he must’ve been wondering what Nash was doing, talking to Erebus out here in seclusion. Cahoots, cahoots, cahoots… like an owl with a bad cough.
“Is that so?” Erebus sneered, and my heart lurched.
I had no idea how this conversation would end. But Erebus had a notoriously short fuse, and he looked about ready to blow…
Thirty-Three
Finch
“Have you any proof to accompany your accusation?” Erebus sneered at the sword in Apollo’s hand. “Or are you content in your hypocrisy?”
Apollo scoffed. “Did you hear me? The physician found residual traces of powerful, mind-altering magic. Who would be low and despicable enough to use such spells upon a sleeping, vulnerable person? I shall tell you—a Child of Chaos in sore need of a moral compass, that is who!”
“Maybe we could stop the sword-waving and talk about this rationally?” I gave my two cents, only to have it soundly ignored.
“Stay out of this!” they chorused. I should have felt guilty for causing this mess, since I was that low and despicable spellcaster, but who was I to stand in the way of Apollo trying to take Erebus down a peg or two? Plus, this was my opportunity to gauge how powerful Erebus was now, without that dampening spell on him.
“You have attempted to manipulate us too many times, Erebus. To slither your way in like a serpent, to bend the ear of the king—that, I cannot allow to go unpunished!” Apollo hunched into the starting position of a skilled fencer, one hand behind his back. I’d never understood that. In a real battle, both hands were definitely necessary, and you didn’t get points for looking debonair.
Erebus stood taller. “How dare you speak to me in such a vulgar manner! You are naught but a bowing and scraping servant of the crown, not fit to lick my boots.”
“I am twice the man you will ever be. You are the one not fit to lick my boots!” Apollo shot back. This was getting weird, at least in terms of their trash talk. They definitely needed to work on that.
“You wretch!” A vein twitched in Erebus’s thick neck. It would never not be strange, seeing a Child of Chaos with a bona fide circulatory system.
“No wonder Kaya chose another over you. How could she look upon such a vile creature and feel anything but repulsion?” Ooh, low blow. I grimaced. The royal advisor could’ve said almost anything else without turning this into an all-out brawl… but he just had to mention Kaya’s name. The one thing guaranteed to set Erebus off like a bottle rocket.
As soon as I thought it, Erebus lunged for Apollo. No magic, just physical prowess. Maybe he was afraid to use his newly regained power so soon, or maybe he was still afraid that too much Chaos would get him hoofed out. He ducked right under the blade in a Matrix-esque feat of flexibility and twisted behind the startled royal advisor. But Apollo was no slowpoke. Erebus went for a headlock, but the advisor dropped to his knees and performed an insane forward flip. He turned back on himself, sword still in hand. All
they’d done, with some creative acrobatics, was change places on the once-peaceful pier.
“You should leave this city, now that your pursuit of Kaya’s hand has come to an end. She no longer wants you here, and nor does anyone else!” Apollo spat. “Be gone, and I will spare you. Stay, and you leave me no choice but to skewer you!”
“As if I would leave her for vultures like you.” Erebus’s chest heaved with angry breaths.
They charged each other again, colliding in a tangle of limbs and grunts. Apollo somersaulted backward, brandishing his blade in a series of whirls and swipes that hypnotized me. Honestly, I didn’t really know what to do but stay seated and hope they wore each other out. It wasn’t as if Erebus could actually kill Apollo… right? Then again, he’d broken Chaos rules before and been slapped on the wrist. Maybe if he stayed in Atlantis, he wouldn’t have to face any consequences.
That wasn’t a very comforting thought. If that was the case, then all Chaos rules and bets would be off.
Apollo darted forward and dragged his blade along Erebus’s forearm. A hit—a palpable hit! as old Shakespeare would’ve said. Erebus wrenched his arm back, taking a second to assess the damage. His fancy suit sleeve had torn, but only a small scratch had snagged the skin beneath. I shuddered as a trickle of dark, near black, blood glistened. Too many Katherine flashbacks. But it wasn’t enough to send Erebus packing. Apollo would’ve had to crosshatch him to smithereens to break open his body and get him expelled from Atlantis.
“Will you be honest?” Apollo eyed the blackness on his blade and began to pace the width of the pier.
“About what?” Erebus balled his hands into fists.
Apollo’s cheeks reddened with anger. “That you once again resorted to deceitful tactics!”
“Why would I waste my breath, when it appears you have already made up your mind?” Erebus ran at Apollo. A moment before he crashed into his opponent, he leapt and sailed over Apollo’s head. For a Child of Chaos without his full arsenal of power, he wasn’t too shabby.
Harley Merlin 15: Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow Page 27