A shiver went through Kallia at the thought of the Court of Mirrors, the ways in which her face fit the frame of one mirror or spanned the length of many sitting next to each other.
“What an irony.” Roth held his chin in a pensive grasp. “That what started with me would end with you.”
There was such certainty in his voice that it made Kallia light-headed for an abrupt second. A moment she desperately needed for the clarity. To remember what she’d already forgotten so quickly.
“No, I…” Her heart began racing. Maybe it had never stopped since the moment she sat down. “I can’t do it.”
The words hurt, burning in her throat.
But it was the truth.
Before, she had the power to perform. She had the power to do everything. To break and shatter in a single snap, to own the stage in just one step.
Now that power had gone so dark, she didn’t know if it would ever come back.
Roth watched her intently. “I understand if you’re scared,” he said gently. “You don’t have to make a decision—”
“No, I…” Kallia gritted her teeth to keep her jaw from trembling. “My power.”
That hollowness in her chest rang sharper. Absence, worse than any pain she’d known. The part Demarco played in it left her emptier, because even if he didn’t mean to, she wasn’t sure if she could forgive what he’d taken. Her anchor, her power.
When Kallia couldn’t trust her world and the people around her, at least she had her power. At least she’d known what she was capable of, and that would never change. Magic was her first love, after all. The first to give her fire and make her come alive.
If it was all gone for good, she didn’t know what she would do.
She wanted to leave.
She wanted her power.
She wanted too much, as she always did.
“Ah, yes.” Roth gave a solemn nod of understanding. “I see now, and I saw then. That Demarco fellow made off with some of your magic. I’m quite sorry for that.”
Kallia didn’t know how else to respond to that, other than a weak nod.
“He didn’t know, if that’s any consolation. The effects of the gate, I’m afraid,” Roth continued, unsmiling. “Magic turning on its head for some magicians, pulling from another.”
Another nod. There was no comfort in the explanation. What happened had happened, and that didn’t change what she was now: without what she needed to get what she wanted.
“Chin up, my dear. All is not lost, and you did nothing wrong,” he said, rising from his chair. “Power always returns, especially at the source.”
It still didn’t answer the question that had been weighing on the back of her mind all this time. “If it’s so difficult to leave this side, how did Jack get out?”
The flicker of hope on his face darkened at the name. The mood of the room, changed.
“I figured he would’ve told you already.” He laughed to himself a little as he walked around the desk. “Though I guess he’s not one for words, with how he’s kept you away. Away from me.”
The possession beneath his tone unsettled her.
Without warning, he gave a sudden clap of his hands thunderous enough to make her shoot up from her seat.
The walls that forged the study dissolved all around them, as though they had been nothing but sheer curtains all along. A dramatic reveal, even for the magicians still lounging across tables and couches on the other side. They perked up instantly for the new show, murmuring among themselves and gathering their drinks to catch a closer look.
First, Herald strode through to join Roth at his side.
Then Jack was dragged in by the arms, two devils still at his side, bringing him to center stage.
For once, he did not look up to meet Kallia’s gaze. He only stared down at the ground, as though he knew exactly what was coming.
“How was he?” Roth asked.
“Civil,” replied Herald.
For some reason, Roth appeared mildly surprised at that, before turning his steely gaze on Jack. “You really thought you could play your own games with me and win?” he tutted. “Is that what the true side taught you?”
When Jack gave no answer, Roth let out a laugh. “Not much for talk these days, I heard,” he said. “How cruel of you to keep so many secrets.”
He snapped his fingers.
In an instant, the two devils in the room somehow became five. Whether they split or others emerged into being, Kallia wasn’t sure. But their intent was clear from the predatory way they circled Jack.
Kallia’s heart raced. She wasn’t sure how to feel. Alarm, excitement, the two were entwined in her veins. “What are you going to do with him?”
“Whatever you’d like.” An arm drew over her shoulders. Roth, grinning cheerily, brought her closer as if showing off a new toy. “Any special requests?”
Kallia was reluctant to answer, bloodlust colliding with a stream of panic. “I thought no one could fight the devils.”
“I don’t normally set them on anyone. That would be a most unfair match,” he said with a seething gleam in his eye. “Though Jack is a rare case. And now that I have the chance, I can’t help but be curious.”
“About what?”
Roth’s eyes remained on the fight brewing before them. “How fast it would take to kill a monster.”
Of all things, fear iced Kallia’s breath. Before she could answer, Roth decided for her with another snap of his fingers.
Followed by the harsh rip of bones, the thud of a body.
And Jack’s head, rolling at her feet.
12
Beyond the gates stood a girl who looked familiar, even with her back turned. There was something about her height, the dark hair cascading past her shoulders. His heart pounded when he called out a name, but couldn’t hear it.
What was he saying?
Whatever name he called again and again, it couldn’t be her, for she didn’t turn. Almost like she couldn’t hear him, only kept walking into the forest until she disappeared within its shadows.
Daron rushed to follow, his steps slower than stone. When he finally managed to get through the gate, there was nothing but the darkness of trees surrounding him. Overhead, all around him. Everywhere.
He was so close. So, so close.
The name was back on the tip of his tongue like a melody, finally coming back to his ears.
Before the ground swallowed him whole, devouring his screams.
Daron awoke, gasping in breaths. As it had nearly every night. This one was the worst.
Kallia.
He remembered. Just like he remembered all the rest, all there and untouched. Such a devastating relief. He’d almost been too nervous to fall asleep, unsure if Aunt Cata would send the Patrons in secret to finish the job on her behalf sooner than she’d planned.
Not knowing when or how, only that it was inevitable, was the horror of it all.
He needed to warn the others. To get out of this city.
Under the dark curtains of the early morning sky, he walked out of the Prima to inquire about carriages out of Glorian, hoping he could pay one of the riders extra to keep one on reserve for when the time came. But when he arrived, the stables were barred off, no attendants present. Not even as he waited for over an hour, before giving up entirely when he noticed flocks of people making their way to the entry gates.
Only to discover they were flanked with half a dozen Patrons.
They stood at attention on each end of the gate, not at all perturbed by the passersby nearing them. Not even by Erasmus Rayne, whose face flushed with fury as he yelled in the face of one of them. “What do you mean we can’t leave—didn’t we just go through this already?”
“It’s only a precaution, sir,” one of the Patrons answered sternly. “Head Patron Edgard insists on a brief lockdown while she personally investigates the situation at hand further.”
“By Zarose, the show is already over!” Erasmus spat out a cold laugh, lo
oking around as if someone might groan with him. “What situation is there?”
“Oh, just the missing magicians, the hospitalized ones, and the terrible press every strange occurrence has wrought.” Canary sidled up beside him, smiling sweetly at the Patrons. “Did I get that right?”
The Patrons’ resounding silence seemed a good enough answer as any.
“Well in that case, this is quite the overreaction, if you ask me.” Erasmus was practically frothing at the mouth, looking out into the curious crowd gathered all around them. “Demarco!”
Before Daron could dissolve into the crowd, the proprietor clawed a hand onto him with a commiserating scowl. “Can you believe this inconvenience? We’ve got to make a brief stop in Deque next week to scope out another potential venue for another show. Do you think they even care one bit about the business of others?”
Daron doubted it. The last thing the Patrons could be bothered with was a showman frustrated over not getting his way.
“Speaking of, how is your dear aunt?” Erasmus murmured under his breath with the slippery rise of his brow. “Would you mind slipping in a good word for us to loosen the reins? For old times’ sake?”
The man was utterly shameless. Since the show’s end, it was the first time Erasmus had interacted with him. The scandal of a fraudulent judge was not in fashion to associate with, and his Conquering Circus agreed. Among them, only Canary could stand to look Daron in the eye whenever they passed in the streets. Always in a glare, nothing more.
Her acknowledgement now was a step up to civil indifference, at least. Still more preferable than Erasmus’s aggressive attentions.
Daron begrudgingly met the man’s waiting stare. “In case you haven’t noticed, Rayne, I’m not exempt from the lockdown, either.”
It felt like retaliation. Aunt Cata had known the first thing he would do was attempt to leave, sneak away while he still could.
Though maybe this was how they always handled such situations. Herding in everyone as soon as they could, right underneath Aunt Cata’s palm until she had everything sorted to her liking.
“Too true.” Erasmus clapped a hand over his shoulder. “After your past transgressions, I don’t think I’d want you on the loose, either.”
He laughed in jest, and it speared nausea down Daron’s gut.
“Don’t worry, Demarco, you don’t need to fear my ire. I understand your place better than you think. Yes, we’re in the industry of magic and entertainment, but ultimately, we’re in the business of selling dreams and lies.” Erasmus winked. “The better the salesman, the better chance of survival.”
The attempt at camaraderie didn’t soothe Daron in any way. If anything, it made him feel worse, to be placed on a greasy pedestal alongside this ringmaster.
On a scoff, Canary looked about ready to punch both of them in the faces. “Well, don’t you two make the brightest pair, then.” She shoved against Daron’s shoulder as she passed them to join the rest of the crowd.
“Don’t take it personally,” Erasmus said. “My girls have a hard time separating feelings from business. All those emotions, you know?”
All too eagerly, Daron withdrew from the proprietor’s grip with a forced grin before filing out of the grumbling crowd that had begun to disperse around the gate. Only when he was sure no one followed him did he dig into his jacket pocket for the note he’d felt Canary slip in there, bearing one instruction.
Meet us in the tents.
13
The roaring applause drowned out Kallia’s screams.
Laughter exploded. Fists rose high.
Endless shaken bottles popped, releasing the spray of fizz everywhere like glittering liquid confetti.
A few droplets hit her cheeks. She couldn’t move as more showered. All she could manage was shutting her eyes so tightly, every part of her shook.
His head was still lying there. Seared in her memory.
Jack.
The ringing intensified in the back of her head to a point of numbness.
Roth held her tight against him, his body rumbling with amusement deep within. Just being this close nauseated her, but she needed the anchor. He was all that kept her from falling over and retching out everything boiling in her throat.
She never wanted to open her eyes ever again.
“Is that really the best you can do?”
Kallia froze.
Impossible.
As she woke, the bile immediately returned.
The air had gone hot with bloodlust, smoke swirling with sweat. Dim lighting revealed the gathering around the ring of devils, even rowdier than before. Some watched on wide-eyed, while others hollered for death on drunken breaths.
In the center of it all, as if he’d been there all along, stood Jack.
“Well, that was disappointing.” Roth released a glum sigh of annoyance. “I thought that might leave a scar, at least.”
The cold dug into Kallia so hard, she couldn’t breathe.
She’d seen his head fall. Heard every wretched snap and thud of his body. When he dropped to the floor, the world had rejoiced.
What the fuck was happening?
She couldn’t even blink. The only other person in the room not cheering appeared to be Herald, standing on Roth’s other side. He kept shooting glances her way, far more entertained by her reaction than the show taking place. Once their gazes caught, he gave a knowing told-you-so waggle of his brow.
Before, when she’d run through the streets earlier, he told her she’d imagined it all. That she would keep imagining, and there was nothing to be done about it. Was that what this was? She’d chased Demarco in the crowd, only to watch Jack have his head ripped off as easily as a doll’s. Just a hallucination, completely normal.
Or had all of that been a lie, as well?
“No mercy!” Roth’s screams joined the other cutthroat calls in the audience. “Throw everything you’ve got at him!”
Kallia tore herself from the viselike grip of his arm. “What the hell is going on here?” Fury slammed in every breath. “What is this?”
Roth finally turned to her, his expression the picture of surprise. “You poor, poor dear. Such a shame how the deceptions never end with that one.”
His dismay rang false and struck a harsh chord in her. He was well aware how she’d been thrown in the dark too many times, but perhaps he didn’t care as he claimed. The man gloried more in the shock and savagery surrounding them, taking it all in. This was a show he’d long been waiting for.
“Let’s give it another round,” crowed Roth in a booming voice. “Again!”
Kallia cringed at the explosive cries of approval and delighted gasps as all heads turned to the center of the room. In unison, the devils assumed defensive stances around their quarry.
Jack rolled his eyes for a long moment before unbuttoning his jacket. It earned a few catcalls and whistles as he tossed it aside.
“By all means, let’s not displease the Dealer.” Ice rose in his tone while he folded back the sleeves of his shirt to his forearms. “No matter how many times he gets it wrong.”
Only Kallia could see how Roth tightened his fist by his side. “Everything must come to an end, Jack. Even you,” he said. “How I can’t wait to explore all of the creative ways it could take to find out just how…”
Jack scoffed. “You really think the end scares me?”
“You truly believe you’re indestructible?” A chilling promise lay in Roth’s smile, invigorated by the challenge in front of him. “Every magician has his weaknesses and every illusion carries flaws. A creature who’s of both is bound to have his downfall.”
The blood drained from Kallia’s face faster than she could stop it.
“Luckily, this creature feels perfectly fine.” The promise in Jack’s grin was just as chilling. “Though I can’t help but wonder why you aren’t fighting me yourself?”
The drop of silence froze everyone in the room and struck a nerve in Roth. His eye twitched, jaw clench
ed so sharply it almost appeared broken.
“Don’t forget that I made you, boy,” he seethed, lifting his hand. “Which means I can have you unmade just the same.”
At the snap of Roth’s fingers, the next round began.
The devils charged in a frontline of smoke, and Jack met them head-on. Shadows trailed from his feet like a blaze of black fire so impossibly fast, one would miss him in a blink.
One darkness against another, they collided. It was a miracle the floor hadn’t cracked beneath their feet from the violent impact shaking the room. Some magicians fell over, most screamed and jeered even louder.
Kallia remained completely still, composed, through every brutal slam of her heart to her chest.
Impossible, it drummed harder each time. Impossible, impossible, impossible.
An arm slithered around her shoulders with a conspiratorial squeeze. “What you’re seeing now, Kallia, is a battle of the ages no one has seen before. A true fight for supremacy between the monsters and the monstrous.” Roth spoke close to her ear. “The illusion versus the devils that made him.”
Her stomach dropped hard. And still, she showed nothing in her face.
Impossible.
She held onto the word, and it gnawed at every part of her. She searched all her memories of him, looking for some sign or moment. An answer.
Life at Hellfire House had been all just an act. Littered with cut scenes and grand props and ever-changing players, she saw the signs for what they were now. While Jack existed as the only constant in it all. The one real thing about that place, just as she was to him.
It’s impressive he even cares at all.
She glared hard into the fray at the center, expecting Jack to meet her halfway. A look, a sign, anything. He’d been so desperate to catch her attention earlier.
Now, he was fixed on the devils alone. As they raised a sinister wall of jagged black arrows, he vanished and reappeared all over the room. From behind the devil to the top of a table, sliding down the bar while the arrows turned and followed his every direction.
Without warning, they shot him down.
When Night Breaks Page 13
