Weary to the bone, I went to the window and looked out, knowing this might be my last bit of time as me. When the love spell hit, who knew what would happen to my sanity? I’d been through so many iterations of Finch, and I’d really started to like this one. He had a lot going for him. He’d found love for the first time in a long while; he’d made friends; he had a sister who genuinely thought a lot of him. What would I become after the wedding? A zombie? Worse than a zombie?
I love you, Ryann. No matter what happens, please know that I love you. Anything I say or do when I’m under that spell will be a lie… I wished I could’ve spoken to her one last time before this day came to pass. I wished I could’ve said those three words to the only person with whom I meant them. But that wish had been snatched away from me, along with my freedom and my free will. By the end of today, I’d have a nutcase for a bride, who genuinely thought world domination was the way to get world peace.
“And I don’t friggin’ want it, or her, or any of this.” I slammed my fist into the wall and felt a shiver of pain shoot up my arm. I didn’t care. At least I could still feel something.
Drawing my hand back, my little finger throbbed where it’d made awkward impact. I glanced at it, noticing the ruby ring that wrapped around it. Kaya had given it back to me after we’d been released from the prison, just after our arrival. Apparently, she’d found nothing shifty about it. And why would she? It was an inert piece of jewelry, given to me by a Child of Chaos who’d lost his otherworld. For her, ironically.
I wonder… I’d had no reason to even think about it before. It wasn’t as if it served much of a purpose. It only delivered a person to Tartarus and then back again, landing them in the same place they’d started, so it hadn’t been a viable escape route. And I had no idea whether it still worked, since Erebus had been booted out. But… what if it did still work? I wasn’t about to abandon ship and leave everyone here by running away to Tartarus. But I didn’t need to. I just needed to get a message out—a message to Harley, to tell her what was going on, in the hopes that she’d be able to find a way here and get us out of this mess. Especially if I wouldn’t even have my own mind after the wedding, so I’d probably lack the motivation to keep trying.
And the djinn could get a message to Raffe and Kadar, who could then pass it on to my sister. They were already set on a mission to find the djinn that gave the resurrection amulet to Davin, so the Tartarus djinn might even have seen them recently. I wasn’t going to go out on a limb and say they’d be there if I managed to get to Tartarus, but at least I had a concrete avenue of hope, at this eleventh hour.
Here goes nothing. I closed my eyes and pressed the ruby, whispering “Tartarus” and hoping this didn’t count as Chaos use. And also hoping that I wouldn’t get stuck in the otherworld with no way back.
My body unraveled, particle by particle, sucking me through a portal the way it had done countless times before. If I’d had a whole heart, at that moment, instead of wispy bits of atoms, it might’ve leapt. I was definitely going somewhere, but who knew if I’d hit some kind of barrier. The way Erebus had when he’d tried to get back in.
I reappeared a few seconds later, half expecting the snap and snarl of Purge beasts lurking in perpetual shadow. Instead, I stood in warm light—not sunlight, since this otherworld didn’t have a sun—but I’d gotten used to fake sunshine in recent weeks. Ahead of me stretched a blossoming city of strange houses, seemingly made of black, molten glass, similar to the stuff that’d been used to make the floor of the Bestiary. There were gardens, too, and cultivated parks with glistening ponds and flowers growing like there was no tomorrow. All of it set within a rolling desert landscape, emulating some kind of oasis.
The only thing that let me know it was definitely Tartarus was the rising incline of Mount Sisyphus in the near distance, with the ruins at the top now completely visible in the bright daylight. I guessed they were part and parcel of this otherworld; something that even the djinn couldn’t get rid of, as they’d rebuilt this place according to their own design.
Unnervingly, small flashes of fiery light bobbed inside the volcanic glass houses, half revealing the creatures that resided within.
“Hello?” I called out, as loudly as I could. I had no time to waste.
No sooner had I spoken than a swarm of smoky, fiery entities rushed out of the houses and surrounded me. Some of the djinn were in the form I was used to, with solid bodies of scarlet skin, red eyes, and smoke rolling away from them. Others floated in less solid forms, just masses of smoke. A few more looked entirely human, and strikingly beautiful at that… if you could ignore the goat legs they stood on. One of them was absolutely massive, towering over me and everything around us, while a couple of them hovered in the air above me—a winged, aerial assault team, if I got a little fighty.
“Who dares to set foot in the djinn world?” A seven-foot djinn approached and folded his arms across his enormous red chest.
“I’m Finch Merlin. I’m a friend of Raffe and Kadar,” I said quickly. “And I’ve come to ask for your help.”
The djinn frowned. “I am Abdhi, the chosen leader of this world. Chosen by the Storyteller herself.”
I nodded effusively. “Right, Abdhi! I’ve heard of you! Raffe told me about you. You were stuck in a lamp, working for the coven director in Dubai, and you were supposed to lead Raffe and Santana to the Storyteller. Then, you staged a coup against Erebus—kudos for that, by the way—and gained your freedom. All of you. Right?” The words tumbled out. I needed to get them on my side as fast as possible because I couldn’t risk getting trapped here.
“Kadar and Raffe have mentioned there being a second Merlin,” Abdhi replied. “And we had the pleasure of meeting Harley Merlin a few weeks ago. She said that you were in some trouble, and they intended to aid you. Is that why you have come? Did our previous assistance not prove useful?”
“I don’t know about any of that,” I admitted. “The truth is, right now, I’m trapped in Atlantis. Erebus dragged me there, and I can’t escape. You were all able to sever your ties with him when you broke free, but I didn’t have the same luxury. I’m still his slave. But he doesn’t know that I’m here, and he hasn’t sent me here!” I hastened to add. “I’m here because I need you to get a message to my sister, either through Kadar or some other way. My life and the lives of my friends depend on it.”
“Atlantis?” Abdhi’s red eyes widened. “Could it be? Could he have finally…”
“Finally?” I probed. I had to get them to realize I wasn’t pulling their leg, and I wasn’t here on a mission from their former overlord.
Abdhi’s expression hardened. “Succeeded in his scheme to gain a child.”
“He’s not at that point just yet, but that’s why he took us to Atlantis. That’s why he took on the human form that starved you all of your Chaos, in fact. But things didn’t work out the way he wanted, and now I’m being forced to marry their princess in a few hours’ time, instead of him. Plus, their princess, who’ll soon be queen, is going to raise Atlantis to the surface and take over the magical world. They’re going to put some kind of spell on me which will make me think I’m in love with her, so I won’t want to stop their world domination from happening anymore. Which is bad, in case that wasn’t obvious. That’s why I need you to get a message to my sister. She needs to gather everyone she can and get everyone prepared for Atlantis rising, if she can’t break us out beforehand!” My voice rose an octave.
“You seem to be in quite the predicament.” Abdhi’s smoke rolled off his huge shoulders. “And if you are a friend of Raffe and Kadar, then we must do all we can to aid you, especially if this will affect them, being of the mortal world. Although, I should warn you, I do not think it possible to do so within the next few hours, which means we cannot help you avert this marriage. It will take us time to send the message, now that our hivemind is diminished and Kadar is not attached to it.”
“That’s fine,” I blurted out. It wasn’t, but I
’d take what I could get if it meant eventual escape and not having Atlantis rise and take over the world. “I just need that message to reach my sister, so she can decide what to do from there.”
“What should we tell her?” Abdhi asked.
“Tell her everything I’ve told you, including the marriage bit and the love spell bit, and tell her that it’ll probably rise somewhere near South Georgia Island, close to Antarctica. Tell her to find a man named Mr. Abara, if she can, and ask him to draw her a map to pinpoint the location.” I hoped my old friend might’ve passed the trials of becoming a mapmaker by now, after Etienne Biset gave him a second shot. “Failing that, tell her to go to Etienne Biset and the Mapmakers’ Monastery directly and demand that Etienne help. Explain to her that we’re running out of time, so she needs to be quick about it.”
Abdhi nodded. “We will do this for you, Finch Merlin, as you have not been as fortunate as us. We know what it is like to endure the servitude of Erebus, and it seems you have suffered more than most. Let this be our gift to you, as you have not been granted the same liberty that we now enjoy.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much!” I almost bent down and kissed his feet. This was the hope I’d been waiting for, and it smarted of irony that I’d found it in Erebus’s old stomping grounds. He might’ve fallen down a wallowing hole of unhelpfulness, but his djinn had proven, once again, why they were his best creations. And man, was I glad they’d staged their coup. Otherwise, I would’ve been monumentally screwed, with no hope at all.
“Is there anything else we can do?” Abdhi gestured to the djinn that flanked him.
“Not right now, but… if we happen to need a little djinn heft, should Atlantis manage to rise, maybe you could think about giving us a hand to defeat them?” I figured I might as well make the most of this trip, since I’d have no inclination to come back once I was under the love spell’s influence.
Abdhi bowed his head. “We cannot make any promises, but we will consider it.”
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.” I paused. “Oh, and I… uh… love what you’ve done with the place. You’ve got no idea how nice it is not to have to come here and run through a sea of snapping, starving Purge beasts.”
Abdhi chuckled, a big, booming sort of laugh. “I like to think we are more civilized than the former inhabitants. Erebus included.”
I liked the cut of his jib. “I should be getting back in case someone notices I’ve vanished. Please, get that message to my sister as quickly as you can. Everything depends on it. The whole magical world depends on it.”
“You may trust in us, Finch. We will ensure the message reaches the necessary parties.”
“Thank you. I keep saying it, but I mean it. Thank you!” I put my fingertips on the ruby ring. With one last, grateful smile at the big djinn, I pressed the jewel. Once again, my body disintegrated, zipping back the way it had come through a portal of Erebus’s design.
A few moments later, I reappeared in Kaya’s bedchamber. I took a second to check there was no one in here to witness what had happened. No guards, no Kaya, no unexpected visitors. But I was alone again, and a brief fumble around my neck let me know that the cuff was still in place. No reason for anyone to get suspicious. Oh no, none at all.
I did it… I got the message out. But it reaching Harley was entirely in the djinns’ hands now. And I had to believe that I’d put my faith in the right beasties.
With adrenaline pumping in my veins and my breath coming in short, panicked gasps, I walked up to the window and peered out to try and calm myself down. Fixing my gaze on the distant prison, I thought of my friends, and of Ryann. Like Abdhi had said, I wouldn’t be able to avert this wedding. And that sucked, big time. It was hard to look at the grand scheme of things, and the knowledge that I’d—maybe—averted disaster with Atlantis rising, when the small picture affected me so much. All I could do was wait for the hangman now. Dramatic, perhaps, but it seemed fitting. I had no idea when the guards would take me to my wedding. If only this waiting could actually kill me, at least I’d have a way out, while knowing that I’d put measures in place for the magical world to defend themselves.
No, you can’t think like that, I told myself. I had to be here to stop Kaya. Somehow. Some way. I still had time to put measures in place for myself, too, and while I had time, there was always something I could do. I’d just proven that.
Hurrying to the desk on the far side of the bedroom, I picked up a quill and scribbled a note. A reminder, for when the love spell had me under its control. The mind was a powerful thing, and if I had something that gave it a little push, then maybe all wouldn’t be lost.
I stared down at the words I’d written, praying they’d be enough to jostle my memory when the right moment came: You love Ryann. You’ve been forced into this. You don’t love Kaya. She’s not who you think she is. Kaya will destroy the world. Contact Harley, at any cost, and stop the upcoming war. You have to.
Tearing off the note and folding it up, I slipped it into the waistband of my boxers. No matter who came to get me, it wasn’t as if they would strip me down… right? Still, there was an element of the ridiculous in putting something that might save me, and the world, into my undercrackers. Then again, this whole thing was ridiculous. So maybe it was exactly what the occasion called for.
Thirty-Seven
Finch
Just shy of midday, the guards finally came. They shoved me unceremoniously into my wedding clothes and dragged a comb through my hair, pushing me this way and that until I was presentable for matrimony. One of them even dabbed some vile-smelling lotion under my eyes, which made the bags all but vanish—the kind of aesthetic wizardry that would’ve sold for millions on the surface.
Fortunately, they hadn’t stripped me down, meaning my note stayed safe where I’d put it. I didn’t know if it’d help in the long run, and with the djinn sending out a message, it might not have mattered, but it made me feel the tiniest bit calmer to have it there, close by. The last vestige of who I was and what this Finch wanted to achieve. Plus, if it did jog my memory, I figured it was better to take the bullets out of the gun and stop Atlantis from rising altogether, than fire at the bulletproof vest of defense that the djinn were hopefully working on right now.
Primped and preened and thoroughly miserable, I was hauled out of the bedroom with the neck Cuff still around my throat—ruining the image of the handsome, willing groom. The guards marched me through the palace to a waiting carriage, drawn by savage-looking Kelpies. For the second time, I remembered Tatyana riding through the Battle of Elysium on one of the death horses. Now, more than ever, the sight of one proved poignant. A bad omen for this marriage, and a bad omen for the future of the world.
Remember who you are. Don’t let them make you forget. Hold on. My mind had been through so much in my life, with the gremlins running rampant for most of it. I prayed it wouldn’t let me down now.
“Stop dragging your feet!” A sharp prod with a spear forced me to stagger up into the carriage. But they didn’t plan on letting me travel solo. Three guards came in after me, making for a clown-car of a journey to the cathedral. Only then did they undo the Cuff around my neck. I guessed they thought it was safe, now that they had me surrounded.
The entire way, I contemplated busting open the door and making a break for it. Without the Cuff, I had Chaos at my disposal again. Sure, these suckers were hard as nails, but desperation and adrenaline could do a lot in a tight spot. Twice, I came so close to lifting my palms and hurling a blast of Air at my escort, but one thing stopped me. Even if I managed to fight my way out and break free of the bubble—both of which were nearly impossible—my friends and the woman I loved would still be trapped here. It was the same issue I’d had with just fleeing to Tartarus and staying there. And I had no idea what would happen to them if I just up and abandoned them to Kaya’s wrath.
They might drown, if Kaya’s right about me being this legendary hero that will raise Atlantis… Without a spell th
at could somehow transport them to the surface, they’d have to face the Bestiary’s failure and whatever came after. Melody might have been able to wrangle some other kind of spell from that mind palace of hers, but it would take time to find one that could work. Plus, they’d need time to prepare it, too. Time we were fresh out of. And if Kaya just buried them in that prison, it wasn’t as though they’d have a bunch of resources at their beck and call.
The facts were these: I was stuck, my friends were stuck, and nobody was wriggling off this hook. And my sister wasn’t coming to save the day. There wasn’t time for that.
Gripping the edge of the carriage seat, I watched Atlantis roll by the window. Well-wishers already lined the streets, ready to celebrate our return to the palace as a married couple. I sank back, unable to look at them without feeling sick.
Once upon a time, this submerged world had seemed beautiful and enchanting—straight out of a myth. Now, I felt nothing but fear and hatred. I didn’t want to rule over this place. I didn’t want to rule over anything. If I’d wanted that, I’d have stayed at my mother’s side and helped her become Eris. At the end of the day, what was the difference between being a tyrant’s son and a tyrant’s husband, aside from the obvious? No Oedipus complex here, thank you very much.
At least I’m still clinging to my sense of humor, eh? I jolted forward, almost careening headfirst into the crotch of the guard opposite. The carriage had come to a sudden standstill in the grand square before the cathedral. Regaining my balance, I sat up straight. This was it. This was actually happening. My brain couldn’t even comprehend it. It still felt like a big cosmic joke.
The carriage door wrenched open to reveal King Ovid in all his grandeur—flowing silver-and-blue silks and a fresh crown of twisting metal in the shape of seaweed. Apollo and a cluster of royal guards flanked him, in similarly special suits of armor. The metal plating had been souped-up, adorned with etchings of two figures surrounded by seahorses and serpents and krakens. Presumably, the bride and groom.
Harley Merlin 15: Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow Page 30