by E Hall
Lea says, “How did Ivan initiate you?”
I shake my head. “He didn’t make me do anything. But you know what the others were saying about their normal, I’m afraid we’ll never have that again.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
I tuck a piece of Lea’s hair behind her ear.
“But I’m not sure I want normal. I want you.” I dip my head as Lea lifts onto her toes.
Again, we kiss.
No, we may never get normal, but I’ll take this forever.
Chapter 27
Leajka
After Soren got his tattoo, we met Heather. It was like an interlude, marking the time before and after. Interesting that he chose the word free. Our freedom hinges on whatever happens next.
When we leave, there’s debate about whether we should all travel to Borea or if some of us should stay here.
When I speak, my voice is faint and is a contrast to the power knit into my shadow. “My sights are set on Glandias. I want to find her and lead her falsely, making her expose the whereabouts of the stones.” And destroy her in the process.
“We don’t know where she went,” Callen says.
Kiki takes my hand. “I can find her.”
Soren argues against Kiki dreamweaving because of what could be lost.
“Our options are we start there or we go to the vampire palace in the Southlands,” I say.
Callen rubs his chin. “I’ve been privy to meetings and reports about the status of things there. Dropping in blind may not be wise.”
“What other choice do we have?” Val asks.
“I’m going to try to locate Glandias through her dreams. If that doesn’t work, we’ll go to Borea,” Kiki says, making a decision.
Only Soren argues.
It’s twilight as we head back to the penthouse. The scent of one of my favorite pizza spots in Brooklyn wafts out the good stuff. I’ve never been able to walk by at this time of day and not grab a slice. Unfortunately, since the rending of my shadow, I have no appetite.
The others pop in for some sustenance while Tyrren and I wait in front. I’ve always felt like an outsider, except with him.
He grips my hand as we lean against the brick wall. “Don’t hate me for being Captain Obvious, but life took a weird turn, huh?” he says.
The old me would’ve laughed. “Definitely weird. But also it feels inevitable somehow.”
He bites his lip when he looks at me. Suddenly, I’m not sure if we’re talking about the current supernatural state of affairs or us.
A group of surly guys walk toward us, taking up the sidewalk, jostling and joking. I have a strange sense of nostalgia. That used to be my life—hanging out with Tyrren and a crowd of rowdy vampires. I glance over my shoulder at my sisters and the guys through the window. This is my life. I have melancholy that I can’t shake. No surprise since my light was extinguished. Strangely, I feel less rageful. Mostly, I feel numb.
One of the guys bumps into me. His eyes land on mine and linger.
Tyrren tilts his head as if to say move along, buddy.
The guy’s lip curls up at the corner.
The scent of rotting trash replaces the garlic, cheese, and dough from the pizza parlor.
The hair on the back of my neck lifts. “Tyrren, life isn’t much weirder than the night we went on the joyride in the Lamborghini.”
He stiffens beside me, picking up on what I mean.
Disguised as a human, I hold the demon’s gaze steady in mine. “Sorry, you’re too late. My shadow has already been rended.” As soon as the last word is out of my mouth, I kick the demon-guy clear across the sidewalk. He slams into a parking meter.
The others close in on us. There are four of them. We’ll have to keep them away from Kiki and Lea, leaving four of us to fight.
The door to the pizza shop swings open. Without hesitating, Val swings and punches the demon in the face. “Get away from my sister.”
“I don’t have a shadow so—” I start.
“All the same, they better learn some respect.”
Tyrren Hulks-Out and tears the head from the one who approached me. He holds it aloft and the demon morphs into a slimy, ribbed slug-like creature.
Callen jogs forward and says, “Tyrren, I’ll have to teach you how to play punchball sometime. You set this up perfectly.” At that, he wails the thing across the street.
Without swords or talismans, we do our best to fend off the other two.
“Where’s Fire Eater when you need it?” I ask.
“Heather ordered us to leave our swords at home.” Val grunts. “Last time I listen to her.”
Kiki and Soren come out carrying plates with pizza. Kiki’s drops to the ground.
“Don’t worry, we have it under control,” Val says.
Kiki shakes her head and then points upward.
In the middle of the road is a giant, two-headed, lizard-like demon beast.
“What is that?” I whisper.
“Looks kind of like Godzilla if it had two heads, was drooling red slime, had fire in its eyes, and twisted sword-like claws at the ends of its six arms,” Tyrren sums up.
Callen lets out a low sigh. “That is a Grunder. Must’ve been from the demon dudes.”
“Dude. I think that’s my favorite Terra word,” Soren says.
“Should we know what a Grunder is?” I ask.
“All you need to know is that we need to slay it. If it’s not stopped, it’ll multiply.”
“Okay, what do we do?” I ask, thinking of how Emeric duplicated himself.
Callen grimaces. “What we don’t do is more important. Don’t spill any of its blood.”
“Emeric did exactly that,” I say, quickly telling them what happened.
“Where did it come from?” Kiki asks.
“I don’t have time to give you a crash course on Borean beasts. It’s demon spawned. Glandias, or whoever is behind the increase in demons in the city and their posing as humans, has advanced quickly. We have to drown the thing,” Callen says.
“Okay, the river isn’t far from here. Maybe nine blocks,” I say, pointing.
The creature stalks closer, its sights set on us. The twisty, sharp claws wave in the air. Its teeth are jagged and drip with red goop.
Police sirens wail in the distance.
“Too risky to go to the river,” Callen says.
“Do you have a better idea?” Val asks.
“It’s going to mess up Terra if we stay here. We have to drive it to Borea.” Callen angles himself between the beast and Val.
“You think we can defeat it there?” I ask.
“The Southlands are already in ruin. If we can use the rune of passage portal, I think we have a shot.”
“Wait. What if the three of us ensnare it with magic and then go to Borea.”
“Good thinking,” Callen says.
Val, Kiki, and I surround the thing on three sides.
“I’ve never contained a demon-spawned monster before,” Val says.
Kiki and I turn to her. At the same time, we say, “Me neither.”
All at once, our magic blasts forward, causing the Grunder to writhe and spit.
The goo lands on Callen and he dodges out of the way while yelling. “Soren, use the portal of passage mirror to get us back to Borea.”
“But won’t we land in Brendsondl Castle since that’s where we left?” he asks.
“Better there than here. There are enough fae we can take the thing down.”
“What if we land on Gerda?” Kiki’s magic is ice-blue like snow in sunshine.
Callen chortles.
Soren says, “She’s experienced worse.”
“Not funny, guys,” Val replies.
With every passing moment, my crimson magic, edged gray, gets stronger. I have to focus on not going on a warpath. This is the part of the shadow combined with being unseelie, drawing me to chaos and destruction. I fight it and the demon monster.
“We should get
a move on, guys,” Tyrren says. “I guarantee the press and police are on their way. They don’t know about the no-Grunder-bloodshed rule and will likely take aim and fire.”
“Right,” Soren says, pulling out a shiny object. He traces his finger over a rune symbol like the one on the bracelet that I gave Tyrren. “Everyone has to link up.”
Callen grips Val and Kiki’s hands, Tyrren grabs ahold of me and Kiki, and Soren extends his hand to grip my arm.
I expect the strange free fall like when Glandias transported us from RIP Jr but nothing happens. “Uh, that thing isn’t working,” I say.
Soren holds what looks like a shard of mirror and hardly capable of transporting six people plus a demon beast through space and time.
He stares at it, turns it over, and traces it again. Nothing.
“Come on, man, do something,” Tyrren urges.
A ripple of dread runs through me. The creature uses what feels like grim magic, trying to break our bonds against it. Kiki strains while Val looks positively reckless with power.
Sirens get closer with every passing moment.
“Callen, did you say a Grunder or a grunter?” Soren asks.
“Grunder, grunter, it’s basically the same thing.” Callen shrugs.
Soren pats his pocket. “I originally wanted the book because it was Hedda’s but then lost it in a wager. I made Scriv give it back because I imagined Kiki and I would have kids someday.”
“That’s great. Congratulations. Now, we need to do something,” I growl.
“This reminds me of the movie Ghostbusters. What do you think would happen if we cross the streams?” Kiki asks.
Tyrren stifles a laugh. “I don’t know how it works with fae magic, but in the movie, things got a lot worse before they got better.”
“Looks that way here too.” I groan.
“Soren, is that thing going to work?” Val asks.
He shakes his head and flips through the book he just took out of his pocket. “Oeten the Devourer and his pet Grunter. I always thought it was a fairytale.”
“Unfortunately, this is real life,” I grind out, keeping my magic in possession of the beast.
“In the story, they go on an adventure to another realm...here.” Soren flips the pages.
“Not the best moment for storytime, Soren.” Val’s brow wrinkles with concentration.
Sweat shines on Kiki’s forehead.
“Guys, this book is a portal.” Soren studies it.
“Oeten the Devourer laid siege to the Southlands,” Callen says. “I remember the story. Do you think Emeric found the monster and was planning on using it against the nats in Terra?”
“When we fought, he duplicated and he wanted my shadow for himself. Maybe he took some of the Grunder’s grim magic for himself too?”
Soren traces the rune on the last page of the book. He presses his palm flush and all at once, the street disappears in a whorl as gray as me. I spin and spin but don’t get dizzy. Forceful energy shunts me forward in one big push.
I land hard on rocky soil. Large plumes of dust obscure the sun for a moment. Then it clears, glowing a faint, eerie red. The splotch that I was accustomed to in Terra is bigger here.
Kiki’s ice-blue magic lights up nearby, followed by Val, illuminating the Grunder. I cast my magic and it too is darker, less crimson.
“Where’s the sea?” Val shouts.
Callen coughs as the dust settles. “Should be to the north.”
“Soren, the compass is in my pocket,” Kiki says as she keeps her magic trained on the beast.
He clicks it open and leads us in that direction. It’s incredibly hard work as the three of us keep hold of the thing and move it at the same time. On more than one occasion, we falter and it lashes out with its sharp claws. Val tucks back, losing her hold.
Kiki and I fight to keep it until she thrusts out another blast of magic.
“Where’s a mage when you need one?” Callen grumbles.
“Yeah, Timolian, if you can hear us, we could use your help,” Soren shouts.
“You still have that Holdr Horn?” Callen asks.
“Yeah, but I don’t think this is the moment. We have to trust the girls. They’ve got this.”
It’s slow going but the briny scent of the sea soon fills the air. Only, instead of a sandy beach, steep cliffs drop to a raging ocean below.
“Whoa,” Callen says. “Not the blue-green shores of Hesperia, that’s for sure.”
“It’s like the Grand Canyon with only one side and filled with water,” Tyrren exclaims.
“Angry water,” Kiki mumbles.
The waves are several stories tall and could probably take out most of the buildings in Brooklyn.
When we get the Grunder to the edge, its energy shifts, resisting us as though it knows we’re going to push it over. It lashes its claws and gnashes its teeth.
Kiki bites hers together. “Did this just get harder?”
“Exponentially,” I say.
Val concentrates, casting magic full stream.
We all try to move it over the edge, but it doesn’t budge.
“Guys, we have a problem,” Kiki shouts over the crashing waves. “We can’t get it over the edge.”
Tyrren’s eyebrow arches as though he already realized. “You two are shifters, right?” He points at Soren and Callen.
They both nod.
“The three of you can fly?”
Kiki, Val, and I nod.
“I’ve never summoned my wings though.” I’m drained and feel like I’m fading fast.
“There’s no time like the present.” Tyrren claps his hands together.
“What are you suggesting?” I ask.
“Callen shifts into a wolf. The Grunder chases him over the edge.” Tyrren demonstrates with his hands.
Callen’s eyes widen with horror. “Not a fan of that plan.”
“But the raven and three fae catch him midair while the Grunder goes splash.” Tyrren throws his hands up.
The three of us look at each other.
Kiki is pale.
“I’m afraid it’s that or lose this battle,” Val says, pushing her magic out with all of her might.
Callen and Soren shift in a magnificent show of fur and feathers.
Kiki and Val’s wings shimmer like snow in the sunshine.
I summon my wings, feeling a peculiar prickling sensation along my back. When they burst forth, Tyrren’s mouth falls open.
I glance up at a pair of dull gray wings.
“Wow,” he says, stepping closer. “That was amazing.”
If my cheeks could tint, they would.
“You up for this?” he asks.
I nod, but even if I wasn’t, there’s no time to ponder the pros and cons.
Kiki and Val have dropped their magic. The Grunder slices the air with its arms and begins to lumber toward us. Callen, in wolf form, runs laps around the Grunder. The beast’s gaze follows him and he moves in an awkward circle like a cat chasing a spinning toy.
I hold my breath as Callen jumps over the ledge.
Val shouts, “No.”
The beast teeters, losings its balance. I thrust my crimson-gray magic to push it over the side.
With wings spread, Kiki and Val drop along with Soren, not wasting a moment. I rush to the edge and leap, fluttering my wings, getting used to the way they move and feel.
Val and Soren have a hold on wolf-Callen and Kiki moves in to help.
All at once, my wings dissolve like snow on a warm day. They’re gone and my stomach flips with dread as the crashing waves and rugged rocks at the base of the cliff get closer.
Chapter 28
Tyrren
When Lea disappeared over the edge of the cliff, she had wings. Now, she doesn’t. The Grunder is nearly to the water and she’s right behind it. Her legs and arms pedal wildly. I watch in horror.
I’m reminded of Ivan’s initiation. This time I’m ready to jump, but what would I do? Go for a swim in the
water that swallows Lea? There’s no way I’d get down there in time to save her.
I shout, trying to get Val, Kiki, and Soren’s attention, but the rushing water is so loud, I doubt they can hear me.
The Grunder splashes, sending up a spray so high, it reaches the others. Lea is right behind them about to crash into the sea.
I close my eyes. I’m going to jump. If I can find her, I can bring her to the surface. I have no idea how we’ll get to land, but I’ll figure something out...if I can find her amidst the storming sea.
I open my eyes, ready to dive over the edge when I meet Lea’s gaze. I blink, confused. Overjoyed.
Val and Kiki hold their sister close, having rescued her.
They land on the rocky ground. Soren, in raven form and as big as the wolf, heaves Callen over the edge.
Callen shifts but remains on his back and catches his breath. “I’ve done a lot of dumb things, but that was definitely the scariest.”
Val laughs. “I expected you to say asking me to marry you and be your queen was the scariest.”
He winks. “Nah, I knew you’d say yes.”
At that, she leaps on him and they play-wrestle for a moment before embracing.
Soren is human again, closes his eyes, and hugs Kiki.
I wrap my arms around Lea. “I’m never letting you go,” I say.
She leans into me and then sputters, “You’ll have to because you’re kind of crushing me.”
I release her a little. “Oh, right. Vampire strength.”
Val peers over the edge. “Grunder is gone.”
“I didn’t properly notice before because we were preoccupied, but this place...” Callen turns in a slow circle, stopping when he’s facing away from the water.
We all turn around.
“Good job getting us here, by the way, I guess,” Kiki tells Soren.
“It’s like perpetual bloody twilight,” I say.
“It is a vampire dominion, but are you hungry?” Lea asks me.
“I mean the blotch on the sun.”
“Fae lived here too though. Court of Fire and Iron. Anyway, it should be brighter, hotter,” Callen starts. “Something is wrong. It’s like the sky is going to swallow the sun.”
Soren’s tone is grim when he says, “That means the shadows are increasing.”
