by Lola StVil
I fire again, hitting him in the other side of his rib cage. I’m going to enjoy this. Talon goes down, and I stand over him.
“Where the fuck is she, Talon?”
“I can’t tell you that, Kane. All I can tell you is that she’s alive and the Damler mask will stop Sadie’s magic working to locate her. If you truly love her, then you’ll find her, but admit it. That sounds like a lot of hard work, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t you rather go back to the way things were?”
“No,” I say simply.
I raise my palms, ready to end him. Before I can fire, I hear a voice in my head. Her voice.
“Don’t do it, Kane. Remember, he’s just a pawn in Arken’s game.”
It would be so easy to give in and kill Talon. To let the darkness back in and stop myself from feeling the torment of knowing Atlas is gone. But I won’t do it. I can’t let myself go back. Not while she’s alive. Because she believes in me and I couldn’t think of a worse fate than letting her down.
I force myself to swallow down the contempt I feel for Talon, and instead of firing at him, I bend down and help him to his feet. He grins at me.
“Look, I get it, Talon, okay. You don’t want to be alone, so you’ll go to any lengths to get me back by your side. But I need you to hear me once and for all. I’m not like that anymore, and I never will be.”
“But…” he starts.
His insistence is going to drive me back to anger again, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to fight it again.
“No buts. That’s the way it is now, Talon. Now go, before I do something I might regret.”
“You know if you kill me, Atlas will never forgive you,” he taunts me.
I turn and walk away from him without another word. Away from him and away from my old life. And deep down, beneath the worry and the anger, I feel something else. A spark of hope.
Atlas is alive, and I’ll do whatever it takes to find her.
I head back to the loft, and I’m pleased to see Tracey is gone. I don’t ask where they sent her; I really don’t care. All I care about now is finding Atlas, and now that Talon has told me what enchantment he used to hide her location, it’s only a matter of having Sadie break it and then we will know where she is.
Everyone is gathered in the living room; even Saudia is back out of her room. She looks pale and withdrawn, but before I can ask her if she’s okay, she’s asking about Atlas.
“Did you find out where she is?” Saudia demands.
“No. But I know how we can find her now. Sadie, Talon used a Damler mask, that’s why your locator spell didn’t work. So we just need to…”
I trail off when I see the way Pest is looking at me.
“What is it?” I demand.
“You did say a Damler mask, right?”
I nod.
“Oh shit. This is bad, Kane. This is really bad.”
I wave my hand at him impatiently, waiting for him to go on.
“I should have seen it when Sadie’s locator spell failed to work. Especially with the button.”
“What’s the button got to do with it?”
“The Damler mask is tethered to an earthly object, one which must be left at the location the person being concealed came from. I’d be willing to bet if we go look through Atlas’s wardrobe, nothing will be missing a button.”
I feel immense relief at that part. It means Talon was telling the truth. He didn’t strip her. I can’t think of a worse fate than being violated, and at least she’s been spared that much.
“Kane?” Pest says, and I realize he has asked me something. He sees my blank look. “You do still have the button, right?”
I nod and pull it out of my pocket to show it to him.
“Good. Keep that button safe at all times. It’s very important.”
I push it back down into my pocket.
“So it’s not as bad as you thought then, huh? Now we have the button?”
“Oh, it’s every bit as bad as I thought. The button is a very small part of the solution. Breaking the Damler mask enchantment is no simple thing.”
He stops again, and I can feel my frustration with him rising. Perry jumps in before I can yell at him for stalling.
“For fuck’s sake, Pest, get to the point, will you?”
Pest frowns at him and then turns his attention back to me.
“To break the enchantment, you need a powerful witch or warlock.” He looks over at Sadie and smiles. “We have that. But we’ll also need a tail hair from a Black Unicorn.”
Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad. A unicorn is a gentle creature that will usually allow a hair to be taken when it’s for the good of an innocent. And I have no doubt that a unicorn will be happy to help the last Seeker. Pest sees the look of relief on my face, and he goes on.
“A Black Unicorn isn’t just a unicorn that’s black, Kane. It’s a whole different species. It’s a Hell creature. It has piercing red eyes that can paralyze a person and it breathes Hellfire from its nostrils. It feeds on the souls of innocents.”
Wonderful. I sit down heavily and sigh. It doesn’t matter how dangerous this creature is; I’m getting the hair.
“And where will we find one?” I ask.
“That’s the thing. They’re extinct,” Langston says in a quiet voice.
“What?” I burst out. “No. They can’t just be extinct. I’m not going to give up on her. They must still be around in Hell, even if they’re not in this realm. I’ll go to Hell if that’s what it takes, and I’ll get that damn hair.”
“Calm down, Kane,” Sadie cautions me.
How the fuck can I be calm after what Pest just told me?
“They’re not quite extinct,” Pest says.
I feel some of the stress ebbing away from me. I’d have gone to Hell and back for Atlas, no questions asked, but the thought of it filled me with dread, and if we can find one here, that will be much easier to deal with.
“There is one known Black Unicorn left on Earth. It’s on the Isle of Shamala.”
“What? I’ve never heard of it,” Regal says.
The rest of the team agrees. I haven’t heard of it either. Pest explains again.
“The Isle of Shamala is off the coast of North Korea. The island isn’t on any official maps and to all intents and purposes, it doesn’t exist. The North Koreans wanted a secluded, off-the-grid place to develop their weaponry. They used the island for a couple of years, but eventually, they had to retreat. The official story is the radiation they pumped into the air made the island too dangerous for humans to bear. The truth was somewhat darker.
“The isle didn’t exist until the leader of North Korea at the time decided he wanted such a place and he made a deal with a demon to get the isle built. The demon neglected to tell him that a place born of dark magic will be inherently dark. That’s what they could feel. That’s what made the atmosphere feel like poison. It was nothing to do with the radiation. I mean I’m sure that didn’t help, but they would have had protection from that. What they could feel was the oppression of the darkness hanging over the place.
“As you know, darkness attracts its own kind, and within weeks of the isle being abandoned, it was taken over by Hell creatures. Many brave souls have gone to the isle in the name of science, to study the effects of the so-called radiation. None have made it back. The government has declared it a no-go area now.
“They even tried to blow it up. They dropped a bomb on it big enough to wipe out the whole state of New York. When the smoke cleared, there wasn’t as much as a dent in that island. It is mostly forgotten to the human world now, although I’m sure the occasional sailor finds himself there. Over the years, many of our kind have attempted to cross the Isle of Shamala in search of the elusive Black Unicorn, and none have lived to tell the tale.”
“How do you know all this?” Regal asks.
“A friend of mine had a similar problem some years ago when his wife was taken and concealed from him using a Damler mask. He came to me f
or help, and I did research. Lots of it. He went to the Isle of Shamala, and he didn’t come back.”
Langston shudders.
“I wonder what happened to his wife.”
“She came back a couple of months after he disappeared. She’d learned of his disappearance and saw her chance to get rich. She had never been taken by anyone. She used the enchantment herself so he couldn’t find her. She left him for another man. I don’t think she thought he’d be brave enough to attempt to get the hair.”
“How awful,” Langston breathes.
I roll my eyes. We’re getting sidetracked.
“Yeah. Boohoo. Pest, how do I get there?”
“No,” Saudia says, giving me a pointed look. “How do we get there?”
I smile my thanks to her and the rest of the team as they all nod in agreement with her statement. It’s hard to remember sometimes, but they really have accepted me as one of their own, and they have my back now.
“It’s a no-teleport zone for obvious reasons. You’ll have to teleport to the mainland and take a boat across the sea. It’s not far off from the mainland. Maybe a half hour or so.”
“And how will we persuade someone to do that if the island is off-limits?” Perry asks.
“I don’t think that will be the problem,” I say.
“Oh,” is all Perry says back.
“Tell us everything you know about the island,” Saudia says to Pest.
“First, you will face a swarm of Banacores. Hundreds of the things colonized there. They live in relative peace with other creatures, but if you disturb them, you’re toast. And there’s no way through the island without disturbing them. They like to stay close to the water, so they have territory all along the shoreline.”
“Banacores as in flying squirrels?” Langston says.
Pest nods.
“Yes. But don’t underestimate them just because they’re small and furry. Remember that they squirt potent acid from their pores. The kind that can cut you to the bone within minutes.”
“I can give you all a mixture that will slow down the process, but it will only buy you a couple of extra minutes, so be very careful,” Sadie interrupts.
“After you get through the territory of the Banacores, you’ll have to cross the Arna Strip. I couldn’t find out much about that, except the ground beneath you and the air around you will be lethal. In what way I have no clue,” Pest goes on. “Just stay alert and have each other’s backs, and I have no doubt you’ll all be fine. And then comes the dangerous part.”
He pauses for dramatic effect.
“The lair of the Black Unicorn. You’ll have to find a way to distract it or kill it. I wouldn’t advise trying to kill it. Just get in, get the hair, and get out.”
“You make it sound easy,” Perry comments. “Maybe we should wait here, and you should go.”
Pest’s face pales.
“Umm, I’m not so sure that’s the best use of my skill set,” he stutters.
“Relax,” Perry says. “I was just messing with you, Pest.”
I throw Perry a dirty look, and he rolls his eyes.
“Everyone just needs to chill around here. If we’re all marching into certain death, we might as well do it with a smile on our faces.”
“Wait, there’s more,” Pest says. “Once you get the hair, come back as quickly as you can. It needs to be potent.”
He stops, but I can see by his torn expression that what he just said wasn’t really what he wanted to tell us. I nod at him, and he glances at Sadie, then at me, and then back at Sadie.
“The person who does the locator spell will be in grave danger. From the moment the spell is cast, you will go into a coma, Sadie,” Pest explains.
He turns his attention back to me.
“There will be a one-hour window to find Atlas and bring her back here. If the person who was masked, the object used to tether the enchantment, and the person who does the locator spell aren’t united within the hour, then Sadie won’t wake up from the coma. Ever.”
“Who wants to stay behind?” I ask.
“None of us do, Kane. How many times do we have to tell you that we’re all in this together?” Regal says.
“I know that. But someone needs to stay behind to help Pest and Sadie find a witch or warlock powerful enough to break the enchantment and who is also willing to help us,” I say.
“Umm Kane, I know you’re hardly my biggest fan right now, but you have never before doubted my magic. I can do the spell, and you know it,” Sadie says.
“Yeah, well I’m not willing to risk losing you too,” I say awkwardly.
Sadie steps towards me and gently touches my arm. She smiles, and I see tears shining in her eyes. They do nothing to make me feel any less awkward.
“Look it’s not a big deal, Sadie,” I say.
“Well, it is to me. But Kane, I’m doing the spell,” she says.
I open my mouth to protest, and she cuts me off.
“Atlas is like a daughter to me. I’m not going to stand by and have her be taken from us. I know the risks, and I’m willing to take them for her. Besides, I have complete faith in you and the team. I know you’ll find her and get her back here in time. And then everything will be fine.”
I’m still not totally convinced.
“Kane, what if we find someone and they turn out to have some sort of loyalty to Talon or Arken? We can’t risk it,” she presses on.
Now she has me.
“Okay. Thanks, Sadie,” I say quietly.
There is a weird atmosphere in the room now, and I feel like I’m suffocating. I remember when I didn’t care about anyone or anything. I never picked up on any of this weirdness, and even now, that total unawareness is something I kind of miss.
“Everyone, get ready. We’re leaving in five minutes,” I say. “Sadie, you said you had a mixture for us?”
She nods.
“Yes. Regal, get your healing mixtures restocked and situated and then I’ll show you how it works.”
Pest puts his hand on my arm.
“Kane, can we talk for a second before you go?”
“Sure,” I say.
I’m on edge, just wanting to get away, and talking to Pest will be a welcome distraction while I wait for the others to get ready. It’s mostly Regal. He needs to gather his potions and mixtures, and I can’t demand we leave without them. They could be the difference between us getting back off the Isle of Shamala alive or not.
“What I said earlier about me going to the island not really being a good idea…”
“Pest, it’s fine. Perry was just being Perry. No one expects you to come with us. And you’re right. Your time is best spent here doing intel. See if you can find a less dangerous way for the locator spell to happen.”
He nods.
“I will. But I just wanted you to know that if it hadn’t been a joke, I would have come with you all.”
“I know,” I say.
I really think he would have. He’d have been a complete liability, and we’d have spent all of our time watching out for him, but he would have done it. And that means a lot to me.
“There’s something else,” Pest says.
I wait for the bombshell.
“The team, Sadie, me. Everyone wants to help you, Kane. I know that’s hard for you to believe at times, but you have to let them all in.”
“I have,” I say.
“No,” Pest says, shaking his head. “You have to let them all the way in, I mean. Trust them to be there. Stop assuming you’re still a lone wolf, because you’re not. And stop acting shocked when the team is there for you. It gets old quick always having someone doubt your loyalty.”
I know he’s talking about the team, but I know he’s also talking about himself to an extent. I’m seized by a sudden, ridiculous urge to hug him. I fight the urge, and thankfully it passes quickly.
“I’ll try, but it’s hard. I’m so used to you being the only person who was ever loyal to me,” I say.
Regal is back, and Sadie hands him a large bottle filled with smoke.
“When you reach the isle, each of you must inhale from the bottle. You’ll feel an urge to cough. Resist it, or the mixture will be rendered useless. You have to hold the smoke in for ten seconds. Once you have done that, you can cough then if you still need to. The Banacore’s acid can burn you to the bone in around three seconds. This mixture will give you about five minutes. Don’t use it until you reach the isle as it only works for around ten minutes, so don’t mess around. Get through the territory of the Banacores as quickly as you can.”
She hands Regal another bottle, this one smaller. It contains a red liquid that swirls and dances like flames.
“This will reverse the damage done by the Banacores. It’s a single dose, and it’s all I have. Use it wisely, Regal. I know it’s your instinct to heal any pain and suffering, but use this only in a life-and-death situation. If you use it to take away a burn that’s merely causing pain, you might regret it and lose someone. Do you understand?”
He nods. Sadie turns to me and holds out a small bag. I take it and peer inside. It’s filled with money.
“Use that to buy passage to the island. No one will argue with you borrowing their boat for that price.”
“Thanks,” I say.
I would have had no issues taking a boat by force, but I think renting one will sit a whole lot easier with the team.
“Good luck, guys. And make sure you all come back, okay?” Sadie says.
“Sure thing,” Perry says. “We’ll be hungry when we get back, so you might want to start working on lunch. It’s already been a hella long day with the time differences, and I don’t think it’s right that returning heroes should have to make their own grilled cheese.”
Sadie laughs and gives him a playful shove.
“Get out of here. If you make it back in one piece, I might just kill you myself.”
Perry laughs and walks away shaking his head.
“It was worth a shot,” he says.
I jump off the boat, and Regal throws the rope to shore. I quickly tie the boat off on a sturdy rock. The others begin clambering ashore. Sadie was right. It was easy to get a boat to use for the day for the money. Two boat owners were actually arguing over who would get to give us the boat.
