Afterworld

by Lynnette Lounsbury

  ‘No. When her minutes run out Eva will automatically return to the City. Deora has no power to keep her imprisoned.’

  ‘But if I take her through now, I might have time to . . .’ Dom trailed off.

  ‘No, you won’t, Dominic. If you go through the Judgement it is the end of this journey. You cannot go back. I do not believe you will be able to take the Arch through anyway, she is misguided in thinking the judges will be fooled into thinking your heart is hers.’

  ‘It will work, Dominic. Come with me.’ Deora’s voice was sweet again. She gestured towards the River, stepping closer to it and further from the Angel.

  ‘Tell me where she is first. Let me find her first and I promise I will take you through.’

  She sighed and shook her head, all the while smiling gently. ‘Oh, Dominic, you forget that I am far wiser than you. You cannot trick me. If I tell you where she is, you will waste your last minute trying to find her. I want to see the Awe. I can defeat all of you. You know I can. It will take time, you are many and strong, but you cannot hurt me and I can hurt you, deeply. And all of your minutes will run dry and I will still be here. Eventually I will find someone to take me through, or I will dismantle this place one brick at a—’

  The words were torn from her throat by a sudden attack from behind.

  The slimy, white hands of the Lost Souls grabbed at Deora’s feet and legs, pulling her to the ground. She fought them off, kicking and clawing, but there were dozens of them, a swarm that covered her and pulled her towards the water.

  ‘Help me, Dom,’ she screamed. ‘Help me and I will tell you . . . I will . . .’

  Dom leapt forward and reached for her hand, but he was too far away and too slow and the ghostly bodies were too desperate. They pulled her into the water and in a matter of moments there was not even a ripple on the surface. When Dom reached the water’s edge it changed, becoming the smooth, clear water that flicked gently back from his feet to allow him to pass. He called into the water desperately, ‘No, Deora, no, where is she?’

  ‘Dominic. Come back here. We will . . .’

  ‘I can help you, Dominic.’ He turned at the sound of Persephone’s voice. He had feared she would never wake. She was slowly rising to her feet, her white dress and veil unsullied by her violent fight with the Archangel. She was standing slightly behind Eduardo and he glanced back at her for the first time.

  ‘I can help you, I think, I know what she . . .’ Persephone noticed Eduardo for the first time and her voice caught in her throat. Her body crumpled slightly and it looked for a moment as though she would fall.

  ‘Aro,’ she breathed.

  Eduardo did fall. It was as though the energy was sucked from him and he dropped to his knees instantly, his eyes wide. Persephone pulled the veil from her head and her dark hair fell around her shoulders. She moved towards him quickly, but paused in front of the Angel. She lifted her hand to Eduardo’s face gently, but paused again. Overcoming his disbelief, Eduardo pulled her in, crushing her with his arms and folding his wings down over the top of her until nothing could be seen of either one of them.

  Even in his despair, Dom smiled. He didn’t know what else to do. The Nephilim appeared not to know what to do either. They were milling around and talking among themselves. They seemed excited. Kaide extracted herself from Satarial’s arms and moved towards Dom, holding him tight for a moment. ‘I thought that was it for us, but I see I’m not to be rid of my overachieving little bro yet.’ Her mirth subsided quickly as she noticed his face. ‘It’ll be okay. As far as I’ve seen, everything here always looks like it’s going straight to hell and then sorts itself out unexpectedly.’

  ‘Really? Sorts itself out? Like when I have to fight for my life again and again.’ Dom was sarcastic.

  She smirked. ‘Well, you keep winning. Surviving at least. Against opponents that should beat you to a pulp. So . . .’

  He nodded. ‘I guess. I don’t know what to do now, though. I only have a few hours left and Eva must have less.’

  ‘Well, if you can’t find her, just let the minutes run out and you’ll both go back to the City, I guess.’

  ‘What if she doesn’t? What if she goes through the Judgement thing? What if she doesn’t care what’s happened to me and goes through?’

  ‘Ah, there’s the doomsday boy I know and love.’ Kaide slapped him hard on the shoulder. ‘I saw how she looked at you. She loves you too. I think she loved you first. She won’t go anywhere without you.’

  ‘What if it takes that long?’ He gestured at the still frozen form of Eduardo, wings around Persephone.

  ‘Then it does. And that’s that. I’d wait for him.’ She looked at Satarial who was watching them bemusedly. ‘I think.’ She laughed.

  The Nephilim spoke immediately. ‘I have very good hearing, Kaide. Better than humans.’

  She grinned. ‘I know. Better than humans in so many . . .’

  ‘I do not want or need to hear any more of that thought.’ Dom put a hand to her mouth and shuddered.

  He remembered something. ‘Persephone. She said she could help, didn’t she?’ He walked quickly to Eduardo and coughed loudly.

  ‘Um, guys. Happy for you. Very happy. But you have all eternity now, so if you can help me find Eva, will you do that . . . soon, please.’

  Eduardo’s wings flicked back and the two stood there, still barely able to take their eyes off each other. ‘It’s Maya,’ she said. ‘And I can try. I know she is still here. And while I do not know where she is, I have an idea as to who does.’

  Dom sighed, ‘Yes, but Deora’s in the River for God only knows how long.’

  ‘I mean Anubis,’ Maya said calmly. ‘He will know.’

  ‘And why would he tell me?’

  ‘What does Anubis want, Dominic? More than bringing down the Awe or the Afterworld, or humanity. Aside from all of that. What does he really want?’

  Dom understood. ‘He wants out. He wants to be able to leave the Maze.’

  ‘Exactly. And if we were to offer that to him . . .’

  Dom’s shoulders slumped under the weight of the realisation. ‘I take his place. But I can’t make that decision for Eva. I can’t promise you she will want to take your place.’

  Eduardo put a hand on his shoulder. ‘You are a good human, Dom. Such a heart. You immediately assume we mean you. I will take Anubis’ place. And Maya will stay in her role as Guide. She is human, and if we leave she will have to complete the journey of a human soul. Which I cannot. We will not be together and may never be again. I cannot take that chance.’ He looked at Maya and smiled. ‘Surely it doesn’t need to be as dark in here.’

  ‘Is this your true intent?’ The voice was deep and it growled slightly. Anubis had slunk from the darkness to stand in the shadows nearby. It was clear he was still wary of the Nephilim who, hearing his voice, were again alert and ready to fight.

  Eduardo turned to him with amused distaste. ‘You were put here for a noble purpose, Anubis, but I see you have managed to destroy this as well.’

  The dark Angel growled at him. ‘I was put here as a punishment and I have served it out many millennia over.’

  ‘You were put here to learn a lesson. To learn about humanity. It does not appear that you have learned that lesson.’

  Maya put her hand on his arm and spoke gently. ‘It does seem, though, that Anubis has learned all he is going to from this . . . assignment. And yes, we are willing to stay, with Aro taking your place as Guardian of the Maze. Do you accept his offer?’

  Anubis visibly sagged with relief. ‘Yes. A thousand times, yes.’ His wings swung wide with a cracking sound and he seemed about to fly away when he caught himself and stopped. He walked towards Eduardo with his head bowed slightly.

  ‘Thank you. I am grateful.’ He met the other Angel’s eyes. ‘And do not think that I am . . . unaware . . . of my actions. I have learned something. Not everything you wished, I am sure. But plenty.’ He turned to Dominic. ‘She is free. But she is
deep in the Maze. She will need to find her own way out. I cannot help with that.’ Then he was gone, leaping into the darkness beyond the twilight that lit the shoreline.

  Dom turned instantly and ran for the opening to the Maze.

  ‘Wait. You don’t have enough time,’ Kaide called. Dom paused only for a moment. ‘I know.’

  14

  Dominic’s Hourglass

  127 Minutes

  He didn’t know where he was running. Just up any tunnel he found, turning where he came to an intersection. It was dark without a torch, the only light was cast by the few torches at lengthy intervals down the corridors and these barely gave him enough light to find his way to the next one. Without Anubis though, he hoped desperately the tricks of the Maze were somehow disabled. He had been tired from the fight with Deora, but the combination of the healing and the adrenaline had taken over and he didn’t slow at all. In fact it was more than adrenaline, it was nearly blind panic. If he did not find Eva, he would return to the City alone. He wouldn’t be in any danger with the Nephilim gone, though he imagined a new force of some sort would arise quickly enough. It was the nature of humans. But he would be alone. Throughout his journey through the Maze he had quietly clung to the thought that if the worst came and he never found Eva, at the very least he would have Eduardo waiting for him in the City. And Kaide. Now they were here and if he ran out of minutes, he would lose everything. Everyone.

  He rounded yet another corner and he skidded to a stop in front of a pile of rubble. The walls of the tunnel had fallen in on themselves, blocking the way entirely. There was still dust in the air so it was clear it had happened recently. Dom turned and ran in the opposite direction. A slight tremor shifted the ground beneath his feet. He stumbled and pushed off the nearest wall to gather his balance. A crack ripped up the wall beside him. It sounded like metal tearing. Dust fell from the low roof onto his head as he ran and he heard something heavy hit the ground behind him. A ripple ran through the floor again, this time much stronger. His heart sank. The tunnels were falling apart. They had been Anubis’ vision for the Maze and with his departure the place was levelling itself for Eduardo to prepare his own version. Dom ran on, leaping fallen stones and at times climbing piles of rubble, still unsure of where he was going. Finally he was stopped completely as the roof of the Maze peeled back and fell at his feet, blocking the path in front of him and revealing the dim light of the sky above. He leaned on his knees and panted, waiting for his mind to tell him what to do.

  There was a crashing roar behind him and he narrowly escaped more falling blocks of sandstone. The hieroglyphs that adorned every wall crisscrossed in a jagged display of surrealism and Dom knew he was trapped. There was no way forward or back. He remained motionless for a minute, hoping there would be some sign to direct him. Part of him waited for the Awe to appear, to save him, fix things. Surely after this long it wasn’t meant to end with his minutes dwindling away to nothing in a blocked, dark corridor. His hourglass read, 84 Minutes. Eva’s hourglass would have even fewer minutes.

  There was a low roaring hum as walls collapsed everywhere and he felt a soft, dry wind pick up above him, taking with it much of the dust and sand that the collapse had generated. Among the chaos, though, he heard a voice. Or he thought he did. It could have been in his mind. He concentrated so hard he stopped breathing, his heartbeat slowing so he could listen between beats. It was a voice. On the other side of the rubble. If it was Deora, it was a chance to get out of the corridor before his minutes ran out.

  ‘Hey!’ he yelled. ‘Hey! Who is it? I’m here.’ He waited again in total stillness.

  There was nothing, for a moment, and then a voice, muffled yet audible. Close.

  ‘Hello? Hey, I’m stuck here. Who’s that? Can you move any of these rocks?’

  Dom sank against the wall in relief and grinned wildly. ‘Eva! It’s me. It’s Dom.’

  ‘Dom! Oh, thank God. I thought . . . I thought . . . Can you move any of the rocks? I can’t get out.’

  ‘I’m stuck, too,’ he said. ‘But I’ll try to move them; at least then we can be stuck together.’

  He pulled at several of the smaller rocks and moved them aside, but at the base were several huge blocks of stone and he soon realised they were never going to be moved by a human. He sighed. ‘I don’t think I can, Eva. I’m sorry.’

  She was silent a moment. ‘I’ve been searching for you.’

  ‘I’ve been searching for you, too.’ He smiled as he sat down, his back against the block of stone between them. ‘How many minutes do you have left?’

  ‘Oh, you don’t want to know.’

  ‘Yes, I do.’ He laughed a little.

  ‘Twenty-nine.’

  ‘You’re right. I didn’t want to know that. I have,’ he checked again, ‘sixty-five. I guess it’s back to the City for us.’

  ‘I hope so, Dom. But I’ve already passed the Maze once, I don’t have any guarantees I will actually go back. I don’t know if it works that way.’

  ‘It will,’ Dom said. ‘It just will. Who will make me go to the Workhouse if you aren’t there?’

  ‘Eduardo will,’ she answered.

  ‘No. He is here, in the Maze.’

  ‘No! I don’t believe it. How did you convince him?’ It sounded to him as though Eva shifted, rose to her feet at the revelation.

  ‘I didn’t,’ Dom said. ‘It was Kaide. She brought the entire Nephilim clan into the Maze.’

  There was a moment of silence. ‘I believe that before I believe you got Eduardo in here.’

  ‘Well, you should believe, Eva!’ a loud voice boomed above them.

  Dom looked up at the sound of Eduardo’s voice and saw the Angel perched on the broken edge of the tunnel roof.

  ‘Can you see Eva?’ Dom called.

  In answer, Eduardo leaned down into the darkness on the other side of the rubble, pulling the girl up by her arm and placing her on the top stone. Dom whooped. The Angel then reached a wing down and curled it around Dom, preparing to lift him. As he did, another strong tremor hit the Maze and the pile of rubble behind Dom shifted slightly, sending the block of stone onto both Dom and the Angel’s wing. Eduardo roared as he fell, twisting in the air to slide his other wing underneath the stone and protect Dom from its full weight. The two of them lay awkwardly on the floor, Dom pinned but unhurt; Eduardo straining against the weight of the stone with one wing, the other holding himself steady against the floor. Dom slithered backwards out of the way until it was safe for Eduardo to pull his wing from underneath and let the stone fall in a mass of dust. Eduardo sat back nursing the injury.

  ‘Can you get out?’ Dom asked, concerned.

  ‘I can get out.’ Eduardo pulled himself to his full height and used his arms to easily climb to the top rim of the tunnel. ‘And I can get you out.’ He reached down and pulled Dom up to stand on his other side. ‘But I don’t know if I can fly you both to the River.’ He tried stretching his wing and winced. ‘I am not Superios. I can be injured here.’

  Dom wasn’t listening intently. He was looking around Eduardo at Eva. They were still unable to touch. The wall they stood on was narrow, barely a foot in width, and Eduardo was between them, but he smiled at her and she smiled back broadly.

  Reading her hourglass she sighed. ‘Sixteen minutes. We have to be at the Room of Judgement before it runs down.’

  ‘We can at least try,’ Dom said, his eyes searching the mass of tunnels ahead of him. Much of the roof had fallen in and the labyrinth beneath was visible in its tangled entirety, but there were enough patches intact to be a viable path. He leapt the width of the fallen tunnel and landed on the other side. ‘The River must be where the roof ends. There, where it gets darker. Run.’

  They ran, Eduardo in front, testing the stone and occasionally using his wings to boost him a little if it gave way. Dom grabbed Eva’s hand and they ran together, zigzagging to avoid the holes and following the path Eduardo made in front of them. It was not far, but there wer
e walls falling down on either side, in front and behind, and they had to leap over the dusty rubble several times just to stay on the top edge of the walls. When they finally reached the edge, Dom didn’t hesitate a second. He leapt off and tumbled into the stones, hitting his ribs hard. He didn’t care; rolling to his feet he turned to catch Eva only to find she had already jumped and was beside him. He looked up and down the beach quickly. There was no sign of anyone and Dom was torn; he needed to cross the River, but he wanted to see his sister before he left. The corner of the square Maze was a few hundred yards up the beach.

  ‘Time?’ he asked her.

  ‘Ten.’

  Eduardo called to them from further up the beach. ‘This way.’

  They ran again and Dom felt as though he had been running forever, his breath burning his lungs, and a constant fear burning the rest of him. The stones were loose and slowed them, but he and Eva pulled each other up when they stumbled and pulled each other on when they slowed. When they finally rounded the corner, there were several spectacles awaiting them. The entire far side of the Maze had collapsed and they could see through several layers of rubble back into the stone honeycomb. The Maze was all but collapsed. There was also a crowd of Nephilim on the beach.

  ‘Wow. I never really completely believed that . . . they are all here.’ She saw Satarial and ran to him. ‘Deora? What happened?’

  Satarial was standing with Kaide and she beamed when she saw her brother and Eva.

  The Nephilim turned up the corner of his mouth. ‘The Lost Souls have her. But I do not know for how long.’

  Dom spoke quickly. ‘We have to go. Eva has only a few minutes left. If we want to go through together it is now.’

  Kaide met his eyes. ‘So go. We were lucky to have this extra time anyway.’

  ‘And you? All of you?’ He gazed around at the throng.

  She shrugged. ‘I guess we have to find out how we can finish the Maze. We still have plenty of time.’ She glanced at Satarial’s hourglass. ‘A day. We will be fine. And I will go when Satarial has to leave.’