by K M Martinez
Then Cori's sword clattered to the ground, and she was beside Mel, pushing into the barrier as well.
“O’Shea…” Wershall tsked. “I expected more from you than to be carrying on with this traitor.”
“You and I have different opinions on what makes a traitor,” said Cori.
“Idiots,” Wershall spat.
He strode back toward the seven figures who were reciting the spell. Their voices were getting louder, stronger. Even so, Mel could barely hear them over the beating of her own heart pounding in her ears. The pain was excruciating, pooling in the back of her head, where her brain met her spine, but she didn’t relent. She pushed through the pain, pushed through the invisible barrier.
And then Cori, screaming, broke through.
She pulled a long knife from her tunic and stabbed the nearest figure in black. Screams followed, and for a moment the spell broke off. But the others quickly resumed the chant, one less voice among them.
Mel knew Cori was fighting a hopeless battle. She couldn’t defeat Wershall; he had the Mistress’s powers coursing through his body. Her only hope was to defeat the spellcasters.
And Mel couldn’t help. She pushed and pushed, the pain a physical thing in her mind, but still was stuck on the wrong side of the barrier. Her vision started to blur, and darkness beckoned. Somewhere nearby, Cori screamed in agony. Screamed for help.
Where are you when I need you? Mel raged, calling for the beast. Where are you?
Then all at once, the heat she’d been missing was back in her blood, flowing through her veins. The pain disappeared…
… and the barrier fell away.
****
She fell heavily onto the platform. Directly in front of her, a man was holding a red-haired woman on the floor, his meaty hands around her neck.
She recognized the woman’s scent. She knew her. But the man… he didn’t smell familiar. He smelled… tainted. His soul even more so.
When he saw her, his eyes widened.
“No,” he said. He scrambled to his feet, letting the red-haired woman go. “It can’t be.”
The red-haired woman coughed a few times. “Meet the Descendant of Lasade Kale,” she said. “Have fun trying to drain her.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
All was quiet as she surveyed the scene. In addition to the tainted man and the red-haired woman, there was a wide-eyed woman, her hands bound, and four figures inching away from her in fear. Four more bodies lay on the ground, their life draining out of them.
She charged at the tainted man. She knew he was the biggest threat.
He met her charge. As she leapt, so did he, and they met in a clash of bodies. He was strong, very strong—but not nearly as strong as her. She struck him with her hands and feet, kicking at his legs and body. He tried to block her blows and strike back with his own, but even the few that managed to land only made her angrier, more vicious.
Then he grabbed her by her neck, and threw her. Her back struck the giant globe, but she merely slid down, landed on her feet, and charged him again. Like a dog that is beaten, but that just keeps coming back, biting back… until one day it bites and tears out the throat.
The man was tiring. The wounds he inflicted on her disappeared within seconds, while those she gave him still gaped across his chest, legs, and arms. When she clawed at his face, mutilating his eyes and nose, she felt a deep-seated pleasure at the sight of red painting the side of his head.
He stumbled from her, grasping at his face, leaving a trail of red. She followed, wishing she could burn him. Wishing she could burn them all.
Traitors.
Ronkei.
But she couldn’t. She did not yet have the fire to burn.
So she grabbed him by his head. She sensed the energy shift around her, then ripped the stone from his hand.
His one remaining eye looked up at her in fear.
She felt the heat spread to her face. She opened her mouth, felt her jaw stretch… and dove into his neck, teeth clamping down on his throat. Warm blood splashed over her tongue. She could taste the taint, could feel the memories flood her brain. And just like that—she knew everything about him.
She tore her mouth away in disgust. She hated Ronkei, and this one tasted especially disgusting. Again she wished she could burn him. That way she could take his memories and not have to taste his tainted human blood.
She watched the life leave him.
Only when the last spark of light had left his eye did she turn to the others.
The other Ronkei were dead. Only the two women now stood before her, one looking at her with pride, her weapon bloodied, the other with fear in her eyes, using her arms to hold herself together.
And behind them was the Orb.
She walked over to it; laid a hand on the crystal. It felt whole. Strong.
****
As she walked up the long hallway, she sensed the two women behind her. From up ahead, she smelled blood, heard light murmuring. The red-haired woman rushed in front of her. More blood, more screams, and then silence.
She continued forward, the scared woman following slowly behind her. They stepped into a room of blood and death. A door on the opposite side featured a carving of a sun. She walked over to it and placed her hand upon it.
The scared woman’s eyes went wide. “Did you kill all of these people?”
“Some of them,” said the other woman. “I had help.”
“Jesus.”
“They deserved it.”
“I’m not saying they didn’t.” Then, quietly: “Is she okay? She’s not speaking.”
“I don’t think she speaks when she’s that way.”
“Will she come back to herself?”
“Of course.”
The door’s carving began to glow. The yellow light expanded until it encompassed the entire doorway. Bright and welcoming.
She stepped into it without hesitation.
****
Mel collapsed onto her knees, gasping. Her whole body cramped, and sweat poured from her skin. She put her forehead to the cold stone, closed her eyes, and took deep breaths. Her bones ached, especially those in her jaw. The taste of blood was thick in her mouth, and she spat onto the floor, but the wetness stayed stuck on her lips. She felt like she was going to be ill.
She sensed someone behind her, but didn’t have the energy to see who it was. Gentle hands fell on her shoulders.
“Mel? Mel, you’re shaking.”
The voice was strained with concern. Cori’s voice. Cori’s hands. Wrapping around her and pulling her up.
“Charlotte, help me,” she said.
Charlotte.
And then her cousin was there, helping Mel lie on her back. Mel tried to speak, but the pain allowed her to do nothing but clench her teeth.
“I think she’s having a reaction again,” said Charlotte. “We need to get her to the Sun Room.”
Mel’s eyes flitted to the gate—no, the door—she’d come through. It still glowed brightly, giving light to the darkness. She knew this place. Knew the carvings on the walls. Knew there were six other doors she couldn’t quite make out, doors much like the one she’d just crossed through, but featuring other carvings, dedicated to other clans. She was in the lower levels, where all her clan’s secrets were held.
She was one of those secrets.
She was home.
****
When they reached the Sun Room, Cori and Charlotte gently laid her down on the cold stone.
“I’m going to get your grandmother,” Cori said. “Stay with her.”
Mel was left alone with her cousin. She could hardly believe Charlotte was here, in the flesh. Her face was lined with dirt, and she had a few bruises on her neck, but otherwise she appeared unharmed.
Charlotte’s brown eyes stared past Mel’s shoulder. “Mel,” she said, “I can’t see. I’m just gonna light the lamp. I’m not going anywhere.”
Then her cousin scrambled toward the corner, and a second l
ater, the room was lit.
Mel shut her eyes against the new brightness, wrapped her arms around herself, and turned to her side. The pain was expanding, bending her muscles and grinding her bones. When would the intensity let up? Hours? How long had it taken before? She couldn’t remember. All she remembered was waking up to Gabe’s face.
She felt a cool cloth on her forehead and heard a soft murmuring she couldn’t quite distinguish, but the intent was clear. She focused on the lilt of the voice, felt the hand in her hair, and breathed. Breathed through the cramping and the twisting of bone.
Gradually the grip on her spine released, and she let out a sigh of relief. Then her muscles loosened, and all she felt was a dull ache and a deep exhaustion that pushed her toward slumber.
“Charlotte,” Mel said, fighting to keep her eyes open.
“I’m right here,” her cousin said.
Mel looked at her, sat up a bit. “Don’t ever compete again.”
Charlotte laughed. If at the end it tapered to a sob, Mel didn’t mention it. And when Charlotte pulled Mel up into a hug, arms squeezing too tight, Mel didn’t mind.
“I knew you would come for me,” Charlotte said.
Mel rested her chin on Charlotte’s shoulder. “You’re my family. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you either,” Charlotte said, her voice cracking.
“Would you get me some water?”
Charlotte laughed again, this time releasing the tension. She got up, wiping her eyes, and moved toward the supplies Charlotte and Grandma Mari had brought with them days before. Mel watched her cousin toss things about looking for the elusive water.
“Mess, mess. Who made all this mess?” Charlotte said. “Grandma and I had it so organized.”
“Boys.”
They both laughed again.
After a moment, Charlotte yelped with success and thrust two water bottles in the air. She opened the first and gave it to Mel, then sat down and opened the other for herself. Mel took a small drink. Sleep weighed heavy on her eyelids, trying to pull her down, but she stubbornly resisted. She was too tired to be elated at being back safe with Charlotte, but she was too grateful and relieved to want this moment to end. They’d made it. Lived to fight another day.
And there would be fighting. Given what she’d learned from Wershall’s memories, there would be war. She would have to tell her grandmother everything. She would have to tell the O’Sheas. They would need all the friends they could get. The Kales would not win this war alone.
Mel would also need to make peace with the beast—her monster. As much as she disliked it, it was very much a part of herself. A necessity. She knew that now. She would need to learn more about it. She would have to learn how to bring it out into the light of this world. In Inter Spatium Abyssus, her monster was just under the surface, waiting to rip through her skin, but here in this world, the heat in her chest was so much weaker. Except when it was so strong that she couldn’t control it, and it only brought her pain.
“What’s this?”
Mel followed Charlotte’s gaze. Her cousin was looking at something on the floor, already reaching.
“Wait! Charlotte, no!”
It was too late. Charlotte had wrapped her hand around Wershall’s stone. Her eyes went wide, then rolled back into her head. She collapsed and started foaming at the mouth. She convulsed so hard Mel thought her spine would break.
Mel rushed to her. She turned Charlotte on her side and tried to rip the stone from her hand. It wouldn’t budge.
“Charlotte, let go of the stone!” she screamed.
Mel felt fear and helplessness seep into her heart. With tears streaming down her face and her breath catching in her throat, she pulled Charlotte close and held her through her seizure. She sensed the darkness in the stone. Sensed the maliciousness. She tried to remember the words from Old Tongue, but her mouth stumbled, and her mind drew a blank. All she could do was hold on.
Long moments passed. “You’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay,” she said over and over, knowing that her cousin wasn’t. Knowing it was a lie.
Finally she heard footsteps tearing down the hallway, and within seconds people were pouring into the room. Justine and Drew Wiley, Tío Luce and Tío Jorge, the O’Sheas and so many more. But she only had eyes for the one person who pushed through and knelt on the other side of Charlotte.
“Help her,” she said brokenly to her grandmother.
Grandma Mari already had her hands on Charlotte. Was already opening her tunic and drawing glyphs on her head and chest. Chanting in Old Tongue.
“Let her work,” said Cori in Mel’s ear.
Mel let Cori drag her away. Let her sit and pull Mel to her chest while Grandma Mari tried to save Charlotte’s soul.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mel covered her eyes and yawned so wide her jaw cracked, which did nothing for her aching head. She wiped at tired eyes and leaned her head back on the chair. The library’s AC kicked on, sending cool air against her skin.
Her grandmother had done everything she could for Charlotte. The chants and glyphs had stopped her cousin’s convulsing, and hopefully her pain as well. They weren’t sure about that though, because although Charlotte was still alive, she had slipped into a deep coma—one that Grandma Mari wasn’t sure she’d wake up from. Mel had nearly broken down and sobbed on the floor when her grandmother delivered that news, but instead she gathered what little strength she had and assisted with carrying Charlotte to a bedroom on the second floor. That’s where her cousin now lay, unconscious and fighting for her life.
Mel had sat with her cousin for a while with Grandma Mari and Tío Luce, and Grandma Mari told her about what had happened on this side of the gate. After the gate closed, Clan Kale rallied and killed every Malum that had crossed over, with the assistance of Clans Ferus and Mayme, and one person from Clan Janso. Mel decided that had to be Smitty. But unfortunately, many lives were lost, including those of Sapientis Rudolph Kelser and Zhu Li.
Grandma Mari also told her of the growing fear and anger among many of the descendants; they needed someone to blame both for what happened in the clearing and in the arena.
Mel then related her experiences in Inter Spatium Abyssus. She told her grandmother everything: the Mistress, the Malum, Cori and her wolf, Mel and her beast, the killing of the Eighth Clan, and the battle with Sapienti Wershall.
Her grandmother listened quietly, and afterward held Mel’s hand. “I’m so proud of you,” she said.
Mel nodded, but the words didn’t hit home.
After a time, Mel left Charlotte’s side to go seek out her brothers and Thrash. Grandma Mari had said they were helping with the dead. But she was stopped in the hallway by Cori, who said that under no circumstances should Mel go outside. Tempers were hot. People didn’t need to see her.
“They blame me?” Mel had said angrily.
“Some.”
Cori had led her to the library. Mel wanted to scream at her, but a part of her also liked the way Cori handled her. And Mel was utterly exhausted. She felt no triumph at having completed the impossible; everything she’d done was soured by Charlotte’s condition. She was furious with herself for not taking care of the stone when she had the chance.
Cori tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault, but Mel knew it was. She’d had the stone in her hand as she crossed the door. And then, when her body relaxed and the pain went away, she let it fall from her hand. She was too focused on the relief of being alive and with Charlotte, that she didn’t even realize it had rolled out in the open. Rolled out there for her cousin to touch. Goddammit!
“It’s not your fault,” Cori said one more time before leaving to retrieve Gabe and Victor.
So now Mel waited with a heavy heart, staring at the ceiling, wishing this night would end.
When her brothers arrived, they looked as miserable as she felt. Gabe’s eyes were red, and tears streamed down his face. Vi
ctor was stoic as always, but she knew her brother, could see the hurt there. Mel rose from her chair, and he pulled her in for a hug. She felt Gabe’s arms wrap around her as well.
“Cori told us what happened,” Victor said.
Thank God for that. Mel didn’t want to talk about it again.
“You killed Wershall?” Gabe asked.
Mel just nodded against a shoulder.
“Good,” Gabe said.
Mel pulled away and dried her face. Behind her brothers were the Wileys, Killian O’Shea, and Siva Reddy, along with Cori. They hung back, giving the Kales space.
“Where’s Thrash?” Mel asked.
“He and Smitty went to go see Charlotte,” said Gabe.
“Hopefully he can convince Tío Luce to let Tía Alice see her,” Victor said. He saw Mel’s confused look and explained, “Tío Luce locked Tía Alice up after she went to the police. The cops have been crawling around here for the past few days.”
Mel was stunned. For a moment, she said nothing. Then: “Is this who we are now?”
“What else should we have done?” Victor asked.
Mel turned away. She didn’t have an answer. They were in uncharted territory, or at least territory that hadn’t been traversed in centuries. What should they have done? What should they do now?
They had plenty Friends of Kale in the area. They’d kept those relationships going, just in case. The sheriff and his staff, for a start. They would need to start making contact with the others in the region, just in case. And their clansmen who didn’t attend the Agora. It’s definitely time to call Nico and the twins.
She turned back to Victor. “Anton?” she asked.
“In the Safe Room. Tied up.”
“Good.” Mel sat back down. “I wish to speak to him.”
“Mel,” said Gabe, “we can talk about this later. You should rest.”
“Maybe even bathe,” Victor added. “You’ve got blood all over you. You smell like a butcher.”
Mel froze, then the tension left her body. I’ve got to stop blaming myself. Got to put the blame where it belongs. She shook her head vehemently and pretended not to hear the snort from Cori.
