A Dome of Blood

by Bella Forrest

  “Once we’re out, and the colosseum is crashing down on Ta’Zan, the seven hundred and forty-two fae will have the go-ahead to enter Strava’s atmosphere,” Rose continued.

  “We have to match each other’s moves here,” Ben replied, scratching his stubbled chin. “A one-minute delay could screw us all.”

  “Hey, we’ll just have to make sure we have everyone in check before we even cast the bilocation spell,” Corrine said. “We’ve all been trained for complex and last-minute missions. We can do this!”

  She sounded energetic and determined, but, deep down, I knew she was terrified. Not so much for herself and Ibrahim, but for Kailani. She was the apple of their eyes, their single most precious bloodline continued. Corrine, however, was also a bit at peace whenever she looked at Hunter. She knew they were in a relationship, and she liked seeing them together.

  “We’ve done crazy crap before,” Hunter replied, giving Corrine and Ibrahim a sheepish smile. “At least, this time around, it’s well-planned crap.”

  We all placed our hopes in Hunter, in the end. The white wolf seemed to be the only one who could rein Kailani in whenever she unwillingly slipped into Word-mode. If anyone could stop her from releasing another uncontrolled but deadly pulse, it was him.

  “I’ll give it everything I’ve got,” Kailani added. “I’ll do my best to keep my Word glitches under control, too.”

  “I’ve got you covered,” Hunter whispered in her ear, barely loud enough for me to hear it.

  “I guess we’re putting our faith in Perfects to get us through this, huh?” Lucas chimed in, wearing a crooked smirk. He was no fan of the species, but he did understand why we were so keen to rescue Douma and Raphael—and why Dmitri had fallen so hopelessly in love with Douma, too.

  “They haven’t failed us so far,” Rose replied. “Douma, Raphael, Araquiel… Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena… They’re more than we could’ve possibly asked for in the middle of this fresh hell. I trust them, and I know they won’t betray us.”

  “And I trust your judgment,” Lucas said. Rose’s uncle was a peculiar character—a reformed baddie who’d wreaked quite the havoc in his heyday. But he was also a brilliant strategist who understood our situation and was able to recognize an opportunity or an ally when he saw one. Most importantly, he trusted us, the so-called next generation, to carry the mission to its very end, and to save the entire universe.

  I, for one, wanted everyone to live through this. I wanted us to win. I wanted Ta’Zan dead and the Perfects liberated from their poisonous doctrine. I wished for the Perfects, the Faulties, and the Draenir to share this planet in complete harmony, so I could run away with Nevis. So Kailani could get a shot at an actual relationship with Hunter. So that Vesta and Zeriel could one day rule over the lagoon together.

  So Rose and Ben would see Caleb and River again. So we can all get back to our lives. To freedom and love…

  Kailani

  Lumi and I had already described my blackouts to my grandparents. They knew about the frequency with which they occurred and what happened around me while I was out, but I couldn’t tell them about what I saw and experienced during these episodes. My oath to the Word compelled me to keep all that to myself.

  The entire dome had been warned to get down in case I showed signs of another devastating pulse during one such episode.

  Grandma Corrine and Grandpa Ibrahim quietly listened to everything I had to say, after getting over the earlier, initial shock. The others in our crew could hear us, too, since we were all clumped together inside the diamond dome, but no one interfered or offered an opinion. Not that one was needed.

  Hunter stayed close, silent but always with his ears open, occasionally exchanging glances with my grandparents. The more I watched him, the more I loved him. If it weren’t for Hunter, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far.

  “Maybe your next apprentice will get a better environment to develop this connection to the Word,” Corrine grumbled, frowning at Lumi.

  I wasn’t sure if she was angry or not. Grandma had a way of masking her emotions when she spoke. Lumi nodded slowly in return.

  “I would’ve given anything to change what’s already happened, but I can’t. I’m sorry,” Lumi said.

  “We cannot change the past,” Grandpa replied, giving Grandma a gentle shoulder squeeze. “Kale is with us now, and that’s what matters. Whatever comes next, we’ll all deal with it, like a family.”

  Corrine smiled, then looked at Hunter. “That includes you, too, wolf-boy,” she said.

  “Tha-Thank you… I guess,” Hunter murmured, blinking rapidly and blushing. I stifled a giggle, then leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder for a brief moment. My way of saying that I wanted him by my side, now more than ever.

  “I was expecting an I-told-you-so speech from you, Grandma.” I sighed. “After all, you did warn me not to get into this.”

  “Do you regret it?” she asked, her eyebrow gracefully arched.

  I shook my head. “I’m scared, but no. As complicated as it may seem, this bond with the Word feels amazing.”

  “Had it not been for your swamp witch magic, you probably wouldn’t have been out there for so long,” Grandma replied. “For better or worse, the Word got you through all this. Let’s just make sure it doesn’t kill you in the end, okay?”

  “To be honest, no form of magic is ever truly safe. Not even the one we’re born with,” Grandpa said, resting his elbows on his knees. “We’ll have to work with what we have, and make sure no one else gets hurt in the process.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” I murmured. “I already killed four Draenir who didn’t… really didn’t deserve it.”

  Hunter held me close. “You know the circumstances of that incident. They just weren’t fast enough. We know better now. We can prepare for it, if it happens again. I’m here, Kale, and I will make sure we come out of it alive.”

  Grandma chuckled, her tone loaded with bitterness. “That’s sweet of you to say that, but let’s not fool ourselves. You’re just a werewolf, and Kale is a witch with too much power on her hands. Like my darling husband said, we’ll do our best with what we’ve got, but let’s keep a healthy dose of realism around, just in case.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, fighting back tears. It tore me apart on the inside to know I could do it again. I had enough blood on my hands already.

  “Oh, honey… I’ve been around for long enough, and I’ve seen plenty. You’re hoping your blackouts won’t hurt anyone else, but we have to be prepared for the worst. If or when that happens, you’ll have to face it, and you’ll have to live with it,” Grandma said, her gaze softening on me. “That doesn’t mean you should let the guilt eat away at you. On the contrary, you have to take it all in, learn from it, and take control over this bond of yours with the Word. Take control of it, Kale, accept and acknowledge it, and do something with it. I’ve already made my peace with that. You should, too.”

  I was surprised to hear her talk like this. Grandma Corrine was usually adorably overprotective, and whenever I made a decision without involving her, she didn’t shy away from giving me a piece of her mind. In a way, I’d grown up with three moms—the one who’d given birth, Grandma Mona, and Grandma Corrine. They’d all been around, nearby and nurturing me over the years, teaching me and reprimanding me, when I got out of line.

  “I think the most important aspect of Kale’s blackouts is for her to take control once she goes under,” Lumi said, then looked at me. “It might sound crazy or impossible, but everything you’re going through happens in your subconscious. Your spirit never leaves your body, and every interaction you have with the Word is in your mind. Therefore, it’s on your turf.”

  “Lumi is right,” Grandma replied. “The next time you go under, take control. Figure out what it is you want from the Word, what you want to do with the powers it gives you… and own it!”

  “If your will is strong, then every molecule around y
ou will fall in line,” Grandpa Ibrahim added, smiling gently. “Remember, you’re not just a creature who’s taking up swamp witch magic. You’re a natural-born witch, Kale. That, alone, gives you an edge that no one else has.”

  Grandpa had a point. Lumi had said the same thing, too. I did have an advantage here, and I was letting my fear get the better of me. The Word had accepted this bond between us; otherwise, I never would’ve been able to use any of the magic it had given me. I had to take control. I had to get my crap together. I’d been so consumed by my fear of losing control that I’d nearly forgotten the great things that the Word had already given me.

  “You two look amazing together,” Grandma Corrine said, changing the subject as she wiggled her eyebrows at Hunter and me.

  It was my turn to feel my face burn up. “Grandma…” I mumbled.

  “What? You two are so obviously head over heels with each other!” Grandma said. “I’m just surprised it took you so long!”

  Hunter chuckled. “We were both blind to one another, I guess. But at least one thing was always certain. We’ve loved each other in more than one way, for years.”

  “And now you’re taking it further,” Grandpa replied, grinning. “Does your mother know, Kale?”

  I shrugged. “Um. We didn’t really get to talk about that.”

  “Oh, she’ll be thrilled,” Grandma said. “She won’t see it coming, though. For years she’s said there was no way in hell her little witch and Aiden’s wolf pup would ever get together.”

  “Aiden’s what now?” Aiden chimed in, clearly amused.

  I sensed nothing but love coming from him and Kailyn. They were already used to Hunter and me hanging out all the time, since we’d practically grown up together. In fact, they seemed less surprised than Hunter and I were, when we first told each other about how we felt. They’d probably seen it coming.

  “Wolf pup. I said wolf pup,” Grandma replied.

  “That’s a full-grown wolf you’re looking at, sweetheart. One hell of a man, and an even greater wolf. Kailyn and I raised quite a warrior!” Aiden said, beaming with pride.

  “He’ll always be a pup to me,” Grandma grumbled. “Just like Kale will always be the little curly thing that held on to my leg whenever I walked out of the sanctuary. I refuse to let the passage of time change that for me.”

  “Aww. Grandma Corrine is getting emotional,” Hunter replied, stifling a laugh.

  “You’ll see what it feels like when you get to my age,” Grandma said.

  “You don’t look a day past twenty-five, honey. I don’t think you’re getting the right message across,” Ibrahim said, also struggling not to laugh.

  “Yeah, but I feel at least two or three centuries old on the inside,” Grandma said.

  Lumi cleared her throat. “Let’s all get past this Strava mess and see how old we feel then.”

  And just like that, the fleeting moment of humor went away, as the harsh reality set itself back in, heavier and more uncomfortable than before. We had a way of laughing in the face of danger and misery, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a high spirit for more than a minute or two.

  “It’s all in the hands of our Perfect friends,” Kailyn said, wearing a sad smile. “All we can do now is wait. Our resolve is in here, somewhere. We just need to find it, hold on to it, and never let it go.”

  “Mom’s right,” Hunter replied. “We’re all here together. And we’re getting out of here together. We’ve got too much to lose, and I have some dates to go on with Kale. Can’t do jack squat if we’re stuck in this place.”

  His words warmed me up on the inside. I locked my arms around his torso and held him close, taking deep breaths and nearly getting drunk on his natural scent. His words rang true in my heart. We were all together again, though not under the circumstances I would’ve hoped for.

  Even so, it was up to us to change these circumstances and end this debacle, once and for all. For the time being, our success, our shot at freedom, was in the hands of our Perfect and Faulty friends. I couldn’t help but think about them, wondering where they were and what they were doing. Araquiel, Herakles, Nathaniel, Uriel, Deena, and Angelica were basically our last—our one and only—hope. If they failed, we were all done for.

  Douma

  We were collared and placed in separate glass boxes, but kept in the same room. At least we could talk to each other as we waited for Ta’Zan to eventually come around and gloat. It was in his nature, especially since both Raphael and I were physically superior to him. Ta’Zan had always taken pleasure in keeping us under control, and I knew it bugged him to see Raphael and me exhibiting free will. Under this illusion of victory, Ta’Zan was bound to show up. He hadn’t had the last word just yet.

  The room we were kept in was dark, the diamond walls covered in a thin, smoky film designed to block out the natural light. White beams were mounted on the ceiling, casting a cold glow and giving me the sense that I was in some kind of animal exhibition—and I was one of the prime specimens on display.

  There were computer screens and a plethora of medical tools and devices mounted on one table, and I knew they were all meant for us. I recognized the tens of feet of slim cables. Ta’Zan used those to read brainwaves and vital signs, connecting the body to his computer screen.

  “Well, at least we’re together,” Raphael quipped, clearly not as affected by our circumstances as I was.

  I’d hoped that we’d be imprisoned in the diamond dome along with the outsiders. I’d done enough damage to be deemed an ‘enemy,’ like them, even after he’d reset me. But Ta’Zan wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily, and I hated being away from Dmitri like this. It made our plan a bit more complicated, and we’d already been dealing with several unknowns. It was just another bump in the road, but one I’d partially expected. I was now facing two possible outcomes, if the outsiders escaped: either they came to get us, too, or they left us behind.

  Personally, I would’ve left us behind because it would help the group more than lingering around to get us. But the pain in my heart told me that wasn’t the scenario I was truly hoping for. Dmitri would never leave this place without me—that much I knew for sure.

  “I wonder what they’re doing in there,” Raphael added, noticing my silence.

  “They… You mean Rose and Ben?” I asked, my voice low.

  “Mm-hm. They’ve brought each other up to speed by now. Despite being stuck in the dome, I’m pretty sure they’re all happy to see each other.”

  “It’s worthless if they don’t get out of there,” I said.

  “We should’ve been in there, with them,” he replied. “But Ta’Zan doesn’t want us fraternizing with his enemy, not even after we’ve already betrayed them. I kind of knew he’d do something like this.”

  “Yeah, me too. What do we do, then? We can’t stay here,” I murmured. “The collars aren’t enough to keep us down.”

  “But these glass boxes certainly are,” Raphael said, then banged his fist against the glass wall. It didn’t even budge or hum. No matter how hard he hit it, the glass’s molecular structure would never allow us to leave, unless programmed by Ta’Zan. Or Amal and Amane. They probably knew their way around this stuff. “We can’t walk out on our own.”

  “We have to find a way,” I said. “We can’t be here when the explosive charges go off. You remember the blueprints of this place, right? You know where Araquiel is planting the bombs.”

  Raphael nodded. “We’re smack in the middle of a hotspot. It won’t kill us.”

  “But it’ll tear us to shreds. By the time we recover, we’ll be back in a glass box, with no means of escaping. Besides, Ta’Zan is looking forward to cutting our heads off and indoctrinating us again. I can’t have that. I can’t lose myself like that. I won’t!”

  “Hey, hey… Take it easy,” Raphael said, softening his tone. “I know what you’re going through. I understand the fear of losing your memories, your personality. Everything that make
s you who you are. I get it. But you can’t let it cloud your judgment.”

  I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my long, black hair. My own head felt heavy, and a crackling node was forming between my shoulder blades—the burning need to spread my wings and take flight. An anxiety attack was just around the corner, unless I found a way out of this place. Raphael was right, though. I couldn’t cave in like this. Dmitri and his family, his friends… they needed me.

  “Remember, Amal and Amane are with him. They won’t let us rot in here,” Raphael added. “They need us. They all need us.”

  I couldn’t help but smile, leaning against the glass. “Or is it maybe that we need them, Raphael?”

  He stilled, his eyes wide with the realization. “You’re right,” he muttered. “How… How did we get to this point, Douma?”

  I took a deep breath, going over everything I remembered, from the moment I’d first seen Dmitri, Elonora, and their crew. They’d stumbled into one of the first colosseums, thinking that they’d find their people there. Kallisto had led them to us, hoping it would grant her safe passage back to Ta’Zan. How young we were then… Just a few weeks ago.

  How it had all changed! Even before they removed my memory chip, I’d developed a soft spot for Dmitri. But I didn’t have the heart to betray Ta’Zan. When I woke up, remembering nothing, the first thing I saw was Dmitri smiling at me. The sweet feeling of familiarity, the mild knot in my chest. I was already falling for him.

  “We met them,” I whispered. “We met them, we understood them… and they changed us. They showed us a different way of life, and we could no longer bring ourselves to go back to the old way. They didn’t do anything, specifically, other than be themselves.”

  Raphael chuckled. “Yeah, Elonora’s quite the whip.”

  “She’s out of your league,” I shot back.

  “Had it not been for Nevis, I might’ve had a chance,” he groaned, crossing his arms and pouting like a little kid. It was one of the things I liked most about Raphael. He’d developed a strong and colorful personality from the very beginning. No wonder he’d butted heads with Ta’Zan. Out of all the Perfects created, Raphael would always be the one who rebelled without a memory wipe.