by Jen Ponce
“Because I’ve stripped you of your power, your friends. I’ve taken everything from you. What’s left but pain and fear? Or giving me what I want.”
I threw up a bubble, tried thickening it, but the words kept repeating themselves in my head, echoing there, clinging to the inside of my skull like black mold, toxic and spreading.
“Devany, calm down. Deep breaths.”
I barely heard Ty and certainly couldn’t figure out how to slow my breathing. Spots formed before my eyes and I found myself with my head pressed between my knees. He’d done this before, long ago, though I couldn’t remember why. That tie to the past helped, though it still took me way too long to calm myself down. My heart pounded hard in my chest, hard enough I swore Ty could hear it too. His hand was on my back, his magic spreading through me, not just healing but calming.
Dear lord. I was really trapped, wasn’t I? I was going to have to have sex with him enough to get pregnant and in front of Tesseray, Nex, Kali, Gaius … anyone who bothered stopping by.
I stole a glance at the water. I had to get in it, had to meet with the fleshcrawler king to see what we could do to get out of here, but I was reluctant to try to reach it. I liked my arms.
How had the bastard scared me so thoroughly? Ashamed, I wrapped my arms around my knees and tucked my head inside the circle I’d made. ‘I’m so sorry Krosh.’
Across from us, Gaius laughed.
CHAPTER NINE
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. I paced—well away from Gaius and the water—and Ty scratched at the stone flooring, his fingernails bloody, though I didn’t dare look at them too long or I would give into the fear and beg him to fuck me and get it over with. I didn’t want Gaius to win, but I was losing hope that there was a way to get around it.
I didn’t even feel safe in my head anymore, not with Gaius in there. My head felt itchy and over full.
I paused in my pacing. What about my control room? Could he get in there?
I stole a glance at him, but he was reading again, a slight smile on his assholey face. I sat and dropped down into the place I’d created to control my magic so long ago. It wasn’t a real place and I didn’t really need it anymore. Most of the things I used my magic for I knew how to do without having some sort of representation of it in my head, but I was desperate and hoped my subconscious would help me out.
I sat in the pilot’s seat, where I’d first learned to use my magic as a weapon and put my hands around the fighter jet control stick, my thumb hovering over the big red button in the middle. Its paint had worn off from use, which was weird to see since this was just a figment of my imagination. First thing I did was hunt for a sound muffler, something to keep Gaius from invading my brain. The walls were cloudy and almost transparent, which was odd. Effect of the runes Gaius was using to control us? What would solidify my walls again? What kind of contraption could I come up with to access my magic again?
There was a slider to my right, a black metal square near the bottom of a silver track. At the very bottom, it read, “Total access,” at the top, “Zero access.”
I tried moving the slider, but it seemed rusted in place, red stains inside the track that I hadn’t seen when I was sitting down. I put both palms on it and shoved as hard as I could, but my palms scraped against it, leaving them bloody and raw.
This was ridiculous. It was my head, my imagination. He couldn’t control anything here and yet I couldn’t move the damned switch.
I stood staring at it for a long moment, then decided I needed oil. I walked around the room looking for it and saw a black feather appear in midair and float lazily to the floor.
My raven self, reminding me it was here.
Could it help me if I changed? Would I be able too?
If I changed, would the rune magic recognize me? Or the Originator wards?
“Be still,” I whispered to my raven self. “You can help me in a bit.” I saw another feather appear further along the tight space of the control room next to a metal cabinet I didn’t remember. Behind the flimsy doors were a variety of sprays, rags, tools, and one can of oil, conveniently marked, “Oil.”
I grabbed the can and made my way back to the slider and its rusty track, coating it with the oil. When it was well and truly coated in oil and I’d given it time to ooze into all the crevices and crannies, I put my bruised and bloody palms on it again and pushed. It let off a god-awful screech and moved maybe an inch. The walls darkened a hair. I stripped off my shirt and folded into a pad that I put on top of the button so I could push harder without pain.
Another screech, another inch.
Panting, I stretched out my neck and danced around a bit on my feet, hoping to distract myself from the pain in my palms. “Come on, Dev. Another push or two should do it.” With a grunt of pain, I laid into the slider hard. It took a lot more than a push or two, but I managed to get the damned thing to the very top. Almost immediately it started sliding back down.
Cursing, I stomped back to the cabinet and sorted through it to find something to jam into the track. An old crowbar sat in the back and I grabbed it. When I got back to the slider, it was halfway down, squealing madly. I jammed the crowbar under it and pushed again, sweat beading up on my skin, blood running in rivulets down my forearms. My muscles shook, my feet braced as I shoved and shoved and shoved.
When it hit the top again, I slammed the bar into the track.
The walls were opaque.
I collapsed out of my control room and saw that my palms were bleeding. What the hell?
“What did you do?”
“Ejected him from my control room,” I said, glaring over at Gaius. He wasn’t happy, not at all, but reclaiming my inner sanctum had given me a small shot of courage. I flipped him off. He launched himself at us and I slammed down a bubble that actually held when he hit it. “He’s pissed.”
Ty chuckled weakly, the laugh sounding nothing like him. “He’ll break through.”
“Not if we work together. Not if we figure out how to beat him together. You hear me? Don’t give up now.”
“You were going to, earlier. You were thinking about begging me to—”
I covered his mouth with my finger. “No. We won this round.” I believed it, too, until Gaius shredded my magic like wet toilet paper and dragged me to my feet.
He shook me hard, shook me so much my teeth rattled together. No, that wasn’t right. They cracked against each other like fragile ceramics. Pain shot through my jaw, through my neck. Tytan charged but he was sent flying across the room and all the while Gaius shook me. “Don’t try to block me out, you awful thing. Do you hear me?” He tossed me to the ground and crossed to Tytan. The sounds he made were awful. The sounds Ty made were worse.
Head ringing, neck aching, I tried to get up but everything from my shoulders up was on fire. I reached out and pulled myself along the stone floor, trying to get to the pool and under the water before he found me but as soon as my fingers hit the water, Gaius had me. I sobbed, unable to hold back the tears. “Stop it. Stop.”
He didn’t listen to me, just positioned me so that I could see Ty.
“Which arm should I take off? Left, or right?”
“Stop,” I said, not liking the terror and weakness in my voice. “Please stop.”
“Hmm. I’m not familiar with the, ‘Stop,’ or ‘Please,’ arms. I think I’ll take the left.” He reached down and grabbed my wrist.
“No!” Ty roared between bloody teeth. “Leave her be.”
Gaius tipped his head. “What do I want, Tytan? What is it?”
Ty cursed. Gaius pulled. I screamed.
“We’ll do it,” we both yelled. My shoulder popped and there was a sickening ripping sound that made gorge rise in my throat.
“We’ll do it,” I said again, crying as the pressure eased.
Gaius tsked. “Do you promise? Because I don’t believe you, lying piece that you are.”
“Promise,” I said.
The Originat
or kicked Ty several times and went back to my arm before Ty conceded. “Good. Get to it. Now.”
I couldn’t even move without being blinded by pain and said so, sort of, between gasps and mewls of agony. Gaius sighed long and lustily before yanking Ty closer. “Do your thing to each other then and then do the other thing to each other. I’m getting tired of you both. No wonder Ravana went insane.”
Ty’s magic was barely there. Mine didn’t want to respond either, not with my concentration shot along with my neck and shoulder. It took a lot longer than it ever had because of the damage in my deep tissue. Ty’s strength grew the longer he held me, his eyes on mine with a quiet intensity. He mouthed one word, that was it, and I gave the slightest shake of my head. If I did what he asked, Gaius would kill him. If I slipped down into that murky water, Gaius would kill him. If I took Ty with me, the fleshcrawlers would rend him limb from limb.
Having sex would save our lives. And it was just a physical act. No big deal.
I shut my eyes, tears still slipping unchecked down my cheek to puddle on the stone beneath me. I sank into my control room and flipped a random switch without even looking at it. Ty appeared before me, looking whole, not the bloodied mess he was lying beside me in the real.
He looked around in wonder then his gaze came back to mine. “This is how you figured it out.”
“Yeah. The People gave it to me in a Dream. Or, at least, they helped me find it inside me.” I laid a hand on the slider, still held in place by the crowbar. “We need to just give him what he wants, to stall him.”
“If we give him what he wants, he will be unstoppable.”
“If we don’t, he’ll kill us. At least this way we’ll have a chance to stall him. And there might be something in here to keep me from giving me what he wants.” I was pretty certain if I could magically toss people into walls and turn into a raven, I could prevent myself from getting pregnant.
Ty shook his head. “I won’t. Not like this. Never like this.”
“What choice do we have?”
“An easy one. You change and fly out.” I was shaking my head, but he grabbed hold of my arms and moved closer. “Get out, Devany. I know you can figure out a way to save me.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“Not if you take my soul.”
I swallowed. Ty without a soul would be a force to reckon with, but I would never forgive myself if Gaius sniffed him out inside me and stole it.
“He won’t steal it. He can’t. You’ll lock it up in here nice and tight where he can’t get to it.”
It made an awful kind of sense. I wondered if I could lock up my own soul inside me too, so that I was the cold, passionless killer I’d been when Amara had ripped mine from me.
“He can’t kill me if I don’t have it. Hurt me, sure, but kill me?” He grinned. “And the pain won’t be so bad without the damned thing.”
“Are you sure about this? Really sure?”
“I trust you to keep it safe for me until this is over.”
I nodded and reached for him, teasing the shining core of him free of his body with care. It coiled round and round my hand and forearm like a shining snake. He changed, subtly, as his soul drained from him, becoming more predatory, calmer, cooler.
I wanted that too.
I walked around my little control room until I found the safe set down in the floor. Perfect. I pressed my hand on the lid, but it didn’t open. Frowning, I tried again. Nothing. Then Ty knelt and put his hand there too and the door disengaged with an electric hum. I let his soul pour down into that space deep within me.
When I had his soul locked down tight, Ty nodded in satisfaction and rose. “I’ll distract him, you change and get the hell out if you’re able. If not, dive for the water. Got it?”
“Are you sure about this? He will hurt you.”
I saw the old Ty on his face and in his lazy smile. “He can try.” He vanished and I took a moment before I followed suit. I still had my soul, still could be hurt and feel it most acutely, and I had to fortify myself before facing Gaius again. I hoped Ty was right and he could distract the old Originator. Gaius had caught us out at every turn and despite Ty’s warning not to elevate him as an evil genius, I had, willingly or not.
Several deep breaths later, I refocused my attention outside myself. Tytan was beside me, laying more casually than he had before I’d taken his soul. He tipped his head toward me and raised his brows.
“Let me heal you the rest of the way before we do this,” I whispered, holding his hand to give him magic. He fed me back his own and the pain in my shoulder finally eased. He accessed his magic faster without his soul. Why was that? I would think that having compassion and empathy would ease the process, not hinder it.
“It will be all right, Devany. We’ll gain our freedom and end this soon.”
“I hope so.” I wasn’t feeling quite as positive as Ty was, so I let his confidence infuse me. “We have to.”
He squeezed my hand. “Ready?”
No, but I nodded yes anyway and watched him stand and stretch.
“That doesn’t look like the kind of action I’m expecting,” Gaius said.
“That’s because we aren’t going to give you what you want after all.” Ty moved, casually, so that he was standing in front of me. “We talked and decided we didn’t want to help you.”
Gaius didn’t bother to answer. He attacked and Ty met him halfway. As they grappled—such a paltry word for what was happening—I turned, yanking my raven self to the forefront. My wings burst free and I gave them a huge flap so that I could launch myself into the air. I circled round and round our prison, the half not blocked by Ty’s rune magic. I was almost to the top when I heard Ty scream. I looked down to see Gaius ripping at his stomach.
I was so close to freedom and I knew Ty wouldn’t die from Gaius’ assault, but I couldn’t go without helping him. I knew better, but I couldn’t ignore the pain in his voice. I dove down, intending not to get hit, only to divert Gaius’ attention for just enough time for Ty to gain the upper hand.
I sped by Gaius’ face, cawing as I did. He startled back and took a swing at me—missing by a long shot. Ha!
“Get the hell out of here, Devany,” Ty said, grunting when Gaius caught him on the chin with a right hook. “Go!”
I squawked at him and rose higher again, determined to gain my freedom and ignore the fight below me. I flew ever higher, my wings straining as I pumped them, my eyes on the opening. I tensed as I neared the magic that kept Originators at bay, but my bird form sailed through without trouble. I was out!
I landed on the floor outside the prison. Nex was there, and Kali. “Get ropes. Get him out. He should be able to leave because he is still a Skriven. The trap is just for Originators. Hear me? Go!” I didn’t watch to see what Kali did, just turned to see what was happening below.
“Do you think I will let you have him back?” Gaius mocked. “Do you think you’ve won?”
“I think I’m up here and you’re down there.”
He didn’t answer, merely spun Ty around and ripped his arm free of his body.
“No!” I screamed as blood gouted from the hole left behind. “Tytan!” God, Kali, where were you with that rope?
“Limb from limb and then I will bash in his brains. And he’ll live, oh I know you took his soul, but he won’t be whole for a long, long time.” Gaius leaned in and bit Ty on the collarbone. Ty swung at him with his remaining arm, but it was easily parried by the Originator, who threw him to the ground and jumped on him.
I knew I shouldn’t, knew Ty wouldn’t die but oh god, how could anyone survive that? And I had no doubt Gaius would do exactly as he said. To Tesseray, I asked, “How long would it take for a Skriven or Originator to become whole again after such an assault?”
The grey Originator shrugged. “Centuries, I’d imagine.”
I threw myself back into the prison, changing into my bird form as I did. I dive-bombed Gaius, raking him with my claws. He trie
d to grab me but I flew away, higher than he could reach.
“Go, Devany,” Ty shouted, his voice hoarse with pain. “Go!”
Not yet, I thought, and dove again.
My luck ran out.
Gaius caught me by my wing and threw me into a wall. The pain forced the change and I was back in my body, reeling from my abrupt meeting with stone. I was only just pushing myself to my feet when he caught me up by my hair. I kicked out at him, catching him in the knee. It didn’t seem to faze him. He pulled me upright and grasped my head between both his hands. “You came back for him? Came back for him but wouldn’t fuck him? You are a dreadfully stupid woman, aren’t you?”
I shoved my hand in his gut and let loose with all the power I could muster. The scream that came from him was all about pain. I felt exactly a second’s worth of triumph before he snapped my neck and threw me into the fleshcrawler pool.
Black water covered me and I …
CHAPTER TEN
“No!” The word tore from his throat, the pain from watching Gaius kill Devany worse than anything that came from his severed arm. He pulled himself to the edge of the pool, intent on going after her, to at least save her from being consumed by the damnable fleshcrawlers, but Gaius wouldn’t even allow him that.
Ty flipped to his back and kicked out, letting red rage consume him. He kicked out at Gaius, kicked hard enough to hyper-extend the Originator’s knee, knocking him back a step or two, enough that he was able to wrench his foot from Gaius’ grip. He rolled to his feet, unused to the way his body moved without his arm. He felt unbalanced, light-headed.
An abyss raged inside him, an emptiness he’d never experienced before in all his life.
He tackled Gaius, putting one hand firmly at his throat, slamming his knee into the monster’s groin. Gaius was not affected by the attack, did not grunt in pain, just bared his teeth and snapped at Tytan like a mad dog.
