by Jen L. Grey
As I push up from the floor back onto my feet, I grab some loose dirt from the ground. When the guy comes back at me with his sword raised, I throw it in his eyes.
“Agh!” He lowers the sword and rubs his eyes.
There is a growl coming from the side of the room. I spin around to find Becca lowering her body to the ground and using her weight as leverage to throw the guy who was holding her over her shoulder.
Heck yeah, that girl can kick some ass. An arm grabs me and spins me around. The thicker guy comes into my line of vision and the smell of sandpaper fills my nose.
“You fight dirty.” He shakes his head. “Do you not have any respect?”
“Look, I’m just trying to survive.” Isn’t that obvious? Hell, I wouldn’t be here otherwise.
“Too bad it was all in vain.” He moves his arms to my neck and begins to squeeze.
My body begins to scream and I can’t take in any oxygen. Shit, this is going to be the end and fast if I don’t figure a way out. I glance over at Becca, but the two guys I had incapacitated are now up and both have her in a tight hold.
The world begins to gray. Shit, I’m running out of time. There is one thing left to do. I search for my dark magic inside me, my reaper magic, and spin it like I had to for the last two souls I reaped.
It flares almost in desperation, almost as if it knows it’s my last saving grace. I reach out my hands and touch the guy’s chest. The sucking begins, and his eyes widen. Soon, his soul is separated from his body, and the hold on my neck slackens then is gone as he falls to the floor.
“Did you just kill him?” The thicker guy lets go of Becca and takes a step closer. His dark skin seems to pale a tad.
“I… I’m sorry.” The cold, foreign feeling is back inside me, but at least I’m alive. It will go away eventually.
“She’s a death bringer. She will kill us all. It doesn’t matter if she takes the crystal or not.” The guy who Becca had tossed on the ground rises as he clutches his arm. “We have to get out of here.”
The three of them grab their weapons and leave, not even glancing back.
“Well, that was anticlimactic.” Becca’s tone is light, but she’s staring at the dead body at my feet.
“Those things usually are.” I walk away from the body and head back to the crystal. I don’t want to make a big deal about the reaping. It’ll freak her out more than she already is.
“So, you think it can do what they said?” She walks up beside me and stares. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah, I actually do believe it can.” I felt it inside me, but I won’t tell her that. It’s even strange for me to admit. “But let’s get it and go. There is no telling if they’ll come back.”
I reach out, and right before I grab it, a swirl of greens and reds appears. I watch in fascination as it morphs into the witch. Oh, hell no. “Come to finish me off?”
She raises a hand. “No, I’m not here to harm you.” Her eyes flicker to the crystal and she walks toward it. “It’s magnificent.”
“What are you doing here?” I don’t want to fight with anyone else. I’m tired and just want to go home.
“That’s a fair question.” She laughs. “Your demon is holding my sister over my head so don’t worry. I can’t harm you, but I do want you to know what you’re up against.”
The council. That’s who I’m up against. “I know. You don’t have to tell me.”
“No, you don’t.” She grabs my hand and a cold shiver passes through me. “You have more enemies than one. Your friend is not who he seems.”
What the hell is she talking about? I have more enemies than the council. That can’t be true. “You’re lying.”
Becca stands so close our shoulders bump. “Don’t mess with her. She’s been through enough just now.”
“Oh, how cute.” The witch tilts her head. “Even his puppet is taking up for you.”
“Can we move this along?” I don’t want to be here any longer than we have to.
“Ask yourself this.” She flips her hair back and lifts her chin. “Whoever holds the crystal can control Earth’s elements on all the realms. They can cause natural disasters, famine, earthquakes. The world’s fate is in their hands. That’s why Damien wants it. He wants to end the world.”
“So, why are you helping me?” There has to be a catch. She just tried to freaking kill me.
“Because I don’t want that evil demon to win.” Her green eyes fill with rage. “He is going to kill my sister if I injure you because you’re the key to get what he wants. However, if you give it to him, we’re all dead.” She walks over to me and grabs my shoulder. “Do not let him win.” Then she vanishes from our sight.
I glance back at the crystal, at a loss as to what to do. The threats from earlier flash through my mind; the piece of Beth’s dress, the rock thrown through the glass, and the hung baby doll. If I don’t take this, my life, along with my parents’ lives, will be cut short. I can’t have that on my shoulders.
“We have to go.” Becca closes her eyes and creates the portal with her fingers once more. The purple swirling appears for us to walk through.
Ugh, we do have to go, but I’m not sure what to do about the crystal.
“They’re in here.” An angry tone rings through the room. “Be careful. The dark-haired one is a death bringer and the blonde one is a realm leaper.”
“We’ve got to go now.” Becca grabs my arm.
I resist just enough to grab the crystal. I can’t be the cause of my parents’ demise. But am I going to wind up destroying the whole world instead?
28
As we walk through the portal, the crystal weighs heavy in my hands. The power courses through me like before, but the burden sits hard on my shoulders. What am I going to do? I can’t let the demon have a piece of this crystal.
“Are you okay?” Becca’s hazel eyes are filled with concern, and she reaches for me before hesitating.
That’s a loaded question, one I’m not sure she wants the answer to. At this point, I don’t think anyone would want to open that can of worms. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just not sure if I made the right decision.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure you did either, but you had to in order to save your own self.” She glances around my room and takes in the mess. My furniture is out of place and clothes and papers are still strung everywhere. “We’ll figure something out. We still have to find three more things before it becomes an immediate problem, right?”
Who knows at this point? When I think I’m caught up, someone pulls the rug out from under me again and again. But I don’t want to worry her. She’s been through enough, and she’s human. At least, I think she’s still human. Can humans realm jump? “Good point.”
“All right, well, I’m going to get out of here.” She glances around and grabs a piece of paper and pen from the desk. After she scribbles down her number, she holds it out to me. “Here is my cell in case you need me again.”
I grab the piece of paper from her and stick it in my back pocket. “Thanks. I appreciate all your help.”
“Sorry. I’d hang around more, but this place gives me the creeps after being hidden here like I was.” She closes her eyes and makes another circle, but instead of it being a purple swirl, it’s a white one.
“Hey, why is that a different color?” I take a step closer, checking it out.
She shrugs. “I think it’s because I’m going to Damien’s place, and it’s in the same realm. I think it's only purple when I’m crossing realms.”
Huh, that’s interesting and makes sense I guess. “Oh, okay. Be safe and talk soon.”
After a moment, she hurries over to me and wraps me into a hug. “You be careful, too.” Then, she rushes back and walks through the portal.
That was unexpected, but a small smile spreads across my face. Maybe there is hope she and I can be friends when things cool off after all. I get she’s not Beth, but there is still something about her that draws me to her.
The crystal pulses in my hands, bringing my focus back to it. My power rotates inside me, syncing with the brown power flashing inside the crystal. The brown magic clashes on the outside of the shell as if it’s trying to get out and connect with my hands while the same thing happens inside me.
Is this what happens to everyone who handles it? It’s overwhelming and every one of my cells seem to spring to life. My hands begin to glow and the crystal warms in response. Shit, this can’t be good, but I can’t seem to put it down.
I need a distraction. I put the crystal on my bed and force myself to take a few steps back. All right, let’s clean. This place is awful.
First order of business is picking up everything on the floor. I bend and pick up all the various pictures and papers that have been scattered along the ground. Thank goodness the wind was isolated to the room and not my closet. That would have been an even bigger disaster.
Next, I work on straightening up the furniture; however, every few minutes, I turn to focus back on the crystal. It’s almost as if it’s calling to me. Each minute, it gets harder and harder to ignore. What the hell is wrong with me?
This isn’t working. I grab my phone and stare at it for a minute. I begin dialing Brad’s number, but right before hitting send, I delete it. No, I can’t get him more involved than he already is. There is one person I need to call. I take a deep breath and dial Charlie’s number, pressing send before I chicken out.
It rings once and my finger hovers over the end button. Why am I doing this? Yes, we called a truce, but I still can’t get past our past. It rings again, and right when I’m about to hang up, he picks up on the other line.
“Hello?” His tone is worried. “Christina, is that you?”
Huh? I expected anger, not concern. “Yeah, hey, it’s me.”
“Why’d you take off like that?” A door shuts in the background and he lets out a sigh. “I thought we were in this together.”
His words make my heart skip a beat. He’s always been hateful to me, and this is different. Maybe he doesn’t hate me after all. “I know, but Damien said I had to do it alone.” I glance out the window and cringe when I notice where the tree is burnt from the witch’s attack last night. “Hey, I need your help. Do you think you can come over?”
A car engine starts and something clicks. “I’m on my way.” Then the phone disconnects.
Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. He’s already in his car, so he should be here soon. My eyes zero back in on the crystal. The power is pulsing, almost as if it’s enticing me to it. What the hell. I almost feel as if I’m in Lord of the Rings. I’ve got to snap out of it.
I head into the bathroom and splash cool water on my face. When I look up, I almost don’t recognize the girl in the mirror. Yes, appearance-wise, I look the same, but there is something else to me. It’s almost as if there is something changing underneath that’s giving me an outwardly glow. It’s not visible to the naked eye but more of a magical change.
The doorbell rings and I startle. Holy crap. He’s coming in the front door. I jump up and grab the crystal and slide it under my pillow under my bed. Smooth. What am I, five? I go to grab it again, but there is a knock at my door.
“Christina?” My dad’s voice calls out. “You have a… um… visitor.”
There goes that idea. I force myself to step away and go open my door. I find my dad and Charlie standing there, side by side.
Dad’s staring at Charlie with his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed,
while Charlie’s focused on the door and tapping his foot on the ground.
“Thanks, Dad.” I grab Charlie’s arm and pull him inside. “I need to talk to him about something.” I shut the door behind us.
A smile spreads across Charlie’s face followed by a chuckle. “Want me all to yourself?”
“What?” Oh, dear God. Does he really think that? “No.” I cringe at how loud that came out.
Laughing, he raises up both hands. “Chill out. I was just teasing.”
“Stop it.” I cross my arms. “We don’t have time for that.”
“Okay, okay.” He glances around. “Where’s the fire?”
Who is this guy, and where did my serious Charlie go? And why did I say ‘my’? He’s not mine. I head over to my bed and lift my pillow. “Here.”
His face turns serious, losing all humor. “How the hell did you manage to get that?”
“When I reaped the third soul, I located it. It was in Bramble, another realm.” That’s pretty much the story. I’m sure he doesn’t want the gory details.
“You went to a different realm?” His eyes widen and he takes a step toward me. “How?”
“Becca. Apparently, she can now realm jump since I brought her back.” I shrug. I don’t want to make this a big deal and blow it out of proportion. “It’s a good thing or I don’t know how I would have gotten it.”
“Wait… this is what the council wanted you to get?” He points to the crystal lying there.
The crystal looks normal again and isn’t doing the weird power thing it was doing when it was alone with me. “Yes, and the demon.”
He grabs the pillow and throws it against the wall. “Of course, they both want it.” He spins to me. “Do you know what it is?”
At least, I can be thankful for the witch for one thing. “Sure do. Whoever holds it can control the Earth’s elements on all the realms.”
“And?” He raises an eyebrow.
Oh, there is an and? Dang it. I got nothing. “And can use it for good or evil?”
“Are you serious?” He rubs a hand over his forehead. “Are you eight? This isn’t some fairytale. There are four artifacts. If someone can find and possess all four, they can control all the elements in tandem or individually across all realms.”
“No, this can’t be happening.” My knees go weak. This is what the council wants. They want to control the realms. “That’s what the council wants me to find. All four artifacts.”
“Of course, they do, and we can’t let them.” He shakes his head. “They aren’t good, Christina. They don’t deserve that power.”
For the first time, someone else has spoken out what I’ve always thought about them. “I know.”
He blinks several times. “You do?”
“Yeah.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’m surprised you do.”
“Why’d you go without me?” He walks over to the crystal and inspects it.
“Well, I told Damien where the crystal was, and he told me that Becca could realm jump. So, he left to go get her. When he came back, he saved me from the witch that was attacking me, and Becca and I left immediately to get the crystal.” How do you summarize a nightmare into a few sentences? “Anyways, we went there, got it, and came right back. As soon as she left, I called you.”
“Wait, the demon helped you?” Charlie tenses.
“I guess you could call it that.” Who knows what to call it? I’m just over it.
“What did you have to promise him?” His tone is low and his breathing becomes short.
He’s always been smart. Too smart. He’s not going to like this answer, but he’s going to have to deal with it. “A piece of the crystal.”
“Are you out of your mind?” He turns the crystal in his hand.
“She was my only way to get to the realm.” Now, fighting with him is something I’m used to. “What was I supposed to do?”
“You’re supposed to wait for me.” His nostrils flair, and his knuckles turn white from how tight he’s holding the crystal. “This is my sister’s life you’re putting at risk.”
So that’s why he was worried about me earlier. It had nothing to do with me, but rather if I mess something up to keep Beth from coming back. For some reason, that burns deep, but I don’t have time to analyze why. “Don’t you know I wouldn’t put Beth at risk? She was like a sister to me.”
“Then why didn’t you take me?” His tone gets loud.
A loud knock at my door
interrupts our conversation. “Christina, everything all right in there?”
Charlie drops the crystal on the carpet and kicks it under the bed.
My dad opens the door, his forehead creased as he looks between me and Charlie. “It sounds like you guys are arguing. I could hear you all the way in the den.”
That’s great. I didn’t even realize we had gotten that loud. “Sorry, we were just disagreeing about something.”
“Obviously. I think it’s time you put Beth behind both of you.” Dad glares at Charlie.
“I will never put my sister behind me,” Charlie growls out.
“I think it’s time for you to go.” Dad raises an eyebrow at him and then turns to me. “And the council wants to see you first thing in the morning, so you better get some rest.”
“Okay, that sounds like a good idea.” Lying in bed sounds like the exact thing I need. “Sleep sounds good. Let me have one more minute with Charlie and he’ll be on his way.”
“One more minute, that’s all.” Dad scowls at Charlie one more time then shuts the door.
There is no way in hell I can give the council that crystal, especially if I know they’re planning to use it for something far bigger than I realized. I bend down and grab the crystal from under my bed. “You’re right. I can’t give them the crystal. I need you to take it and hide it.”
“Are you sure?” His tone is surprised.
I stand and turn to hand him the crystal. “Yes. You’re right. They can’t get their hands on these. Take it. Keep it safe. Don’t let me down.”
After a moment, he takes it from my hand and puts it his pocket. He reaches out and runs his fingertips down my arm. “I won’t let you down. Call me soon.” He then turns and leaves my room.
The council wants to see me tomorrow, and they are expecting the crystal. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but can I justify saving my life if at the end it might be subjecting more than just mine to that same exact fate?
