Across The Divide

by Stacey Marie Brown

  “What are we doing here? How?” I tried to sit up.

  “Take it easy.” Amara helped me sit up. “You’ve been unconscious for a long time.”

  “How long?”

  “Nine days.” Aggravation flavored her words.

  “Nine days?”

  “Almost ten. But who’s counting.” She crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair. “I guess with them hunting us it’s for the best, but it sure is great to be stuck with another one of your ex-lovers. Fun.”

  “How did we get here?”

  “She brought you.” A voice came from the other side of the tiny room. Elthia stood at the base of the stairs. I hadn’t heard her come down. Her blonde dreads were woven in a loose side braid, laced with a colorful head scarf. She wore cream-colored baggy hemp pants and a flowery loose tank, which showed off the ink lines vining and flowering up one of her hands to her shoulder. Fabric braided bracelets decorated the other wrist.

  Elthia held a bowl in one hand and a cloth in the other. Her bare feet padded noiselessly over to the foot of the bed. “You were conscious enough to get to my front door but no farther. I will not tell you how we got you downstairs. How’s your head?” She dipped the cloth into the bowl, wetting it.

  “Hurts less than the rest of me.” I pushed myself higher against the wall. The single bed was far too small for my frame.

  “This is the second time you’ve appeared at my door, close to death.” Elthia shook her head. “You were in a lot less trouble when you were with me.”

  “And probably bored as fuck,” Amara mumbled, but clear enough we all heard her.

  Elthia took in a deep breath. She lowered her lashes, holding the air in her lungs for a few beats before letting it go. Her lids opened and she rolled back her shoulders. I could tell she was trying to control her anger. She liked serenity and tranquility in her life, meditating and working with herbs for new healing potions. She was exactly what I needed at that time in my life, but Amara was not far from the truth. It wasn’t long before I became restless and needed to move on. Elthia’s roots were embedded here, and she was happy with that. I never would have been. One of the many reasons we didn’t work.

  “We were on a boat... how did…?” I trailed off, remembering the last moments of the night before I blacked out. I had been shot and stabbed. I glanced at my bare torso. Gauze was tapped across my shoulder and stomach. The skin was red, bruised, and torn, but the pain was manageable. Probably because of whatever painkillers Elthia was giving me.

  “I knew we didn’t have much time before Vadik would be sending out a search squad of helicopters and other boats. We took his boat to the other side of the lake and dumped it, stealing a car.”

  Pays to be a thief sometimes.

  “How did you move me?”

  “You stayed conscious enough to get from the boat to the car. I drove here. Got you in and dumped the car in Salmon Bay.”

  I didn’t recall any of this. “How did you know to bring me here?” I asked, knowing I’d never mentioned Elthia to her. We never talked about our pasts.

  She scoffed. “Like I didn’t know everything about your past. Before I actually met you, I did all my research, from learning how you like your coffee, to what type of bourbon you like, to everyone you ever slept with. Elthia stood out because she was the only one in centuries you spent more than a few weeks with.” She leaned forward in the chair.

  I expected every revelation of Amara’s true character to irritate me, but she really couldn’t help her nature. Did it make me trust or believe her? No. But I was past anger with her. And she did get me away from Vadik.

  My father.

  I shook my head, pushing the thought far from my mind. Someday I would have to confront him about my mother. She took her own life because of him, for me.

  “If I know about her,” Amara nodded at Elthia, “Vadik probably does too. We’ve been lucky, but we need to get going.”

  “Amara…?” I wanted to ask her what she knew about Vadik, how long she had known I was his son, but nothing came out.

  “We’ll talk later.” She glared over her shoulder at Elthia. “When we’re alone.”

  I sighed and nodded. It wasn’t information I wanted anyone else to know.

  “You said I’ve been out for nine days? If he knew where we were, he would have come by now.”

  Amara wrinkled her nose. “She put some rancid-smelling herb around the house the first night. Says it blocks people from entering.”

  “It only keeps them out,” Elthia stated. “The last time I had to go out to get something, I noticed my house was being watched. You are no longer safe. They are only waiting for my protection spells to wane.”

  Once again I was putting Elthia in danger being here.

  “Amara, can you give me and Elthia a moment?”

  Amara pressed her lips together unhappily before she slid out of the chair. “I need to take a shower anyway. The herbs here seep into your pores. I smell like a spice rack.” She glided up the stairs. A few moments later the bathroom door slammed shut.

  “She’s lovely.” Elthia faked a sweet smile.

  “Yeah,” I chuckled.

  “Ryker, what are you doing?” Elthia slipped into the vacated seat, setting the bowl on the table beside me.

  “Trying to survive.”

  “No, with her.” Elthia pulled one leg on the chair with her. “Her aura is dark. She only knows lies.”

  “She’s a con artist. It’s who she is.”

  “You deserve better than her.”

  “Don’t make me out as some great guy. You always did that. I’m a swindler too, no better.”

  “You don’t fool me. I can see you. You want more.” Her head tilted to the side. “You have changed since I’ve last seen you. You’ve lost something but are no longer searching.” Elthia always had this way of seeing past your façade, sometimes in a creepy, unsettling way. “Where is the human, Ryker? The girl, Zoey?”

  Hearing her name was like a dagger to my gut. Killkillkill. I turned my gaze to the unlit fireplace.

  “Ryker.” She shifted, creaking the chair.

  “I know.” I shifted my gaze on her. “We’ll go.”

  Her caramel-colored eyes drifted to her foot propped on the chair. “I am sorry, but I can’t keep—”

  “El,” I stopped her. “I. Know.” It was not fair of me to keep using her. We were no longer together, and I would never feel toward her what she wanted.

  Her mouth pinched together and she bobbed her head in an abrupt nod. “All right.” She shot out of the chair and grabbed the bowl on the table. “Let me go mix you a healing remedy to take with you. You are not healing like I hoped.” She whipped around and moved toward the stairs. She paused. “I loved you, you know. Still do. But I need to move on.”

  “You deserve way better than me.”

  She snorted. “I know I do.” She took a step up the stairs. “Find Zoey, Ryker. She is the reason you are no longer searching and may be your only chance to find the peace you long for.” I thought how wrong she was, but before I could respond, she ran up the stairs, leaving me alone with the truth of her words.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  An hour later, after a shower, a huge dose of medication, and more of the awful healing crap Elthia forced down my throat, I was feeling stronger. Good enough to move to my next location. The urge to locate Zoey, to know she was all right, was temporarily overpowering my need to kill her. I had to keep my mind clear and not give in to the craving.

  Elthia had clothes I’d left behind when I lived with her, as if she hoped any day I would return to her. It pained me when she pulled out the pair of boots she bought me when we were still together. I never really liked or wore them.

  “I should have cleansed you from my life a long time ago.” She stood from the far recess of the closet that held my leftovers and walked to the door. She leaned against the doorjamb, watching me pull on the boots. “I guess I always hoped one day you would w
ant to settle down, and I would be the one chosen.”

  I kept my focus on lacing my boots.

  “But I see the truth now. I actually saw it the moment you brought her here.” She folded her arms with an exhale. I knew she meant Zoey. “Even then, the future was with her.”

  I sat up, putting my attention on the woman in front of me. Elthia was beautiful, amazing in every way. She just wasn’t the one for me.

  I never thought I would find someone I wanted to be with. Amara was the closest I’d gotten to a mutual understanding, but I never was in love with her.

  Now everything had changed.

  “I’m sorry, El.”

  She pinched her lips together and nodded. “It’s okay. You can’t pick who you love, right?”

  Isn’t that the truth? I stood and collected her in my arms, hugging her tight. I sensed once I walked out the door, things would be different. For her sake, I hoped so.

  “Ryker, come on,” Amara yelled from the kitchen, breaking the moment.

  Elthia pulled back. “I will not miss her.”

  I snorted.

  “Seriously, Ryker. Watch her. She’s not to be trusted.”

  Don’t I know it. I nodded and kissed her gently on her forehead, then turned and walked out of the room.

  “You are taking forever.” Amara had pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She wore dark skinny jeans and a black top with brand-new boots. A dark, sleek leather messenger bag was slung over her shoulder. I didn’t even have to guess that all the stuff was stolen. And from an overpriced store. Amara’s taste was exorbitant. Even a simple outfit had to be designer. She always tried to get me to dress in nicer stuff, but no matter how many expensive jeans she stole for me, it never worked. Wasn’t me.

  We both looked like cat burglars. Black head to toe.

  I had scarcely slung my axe on my back, trying to avoid my freshly bandaged shoulder, when a blaze of light blasted through the kitchen window. The force of the explosion tore me off my feet, throwing me against the wall. Glass sprayed down like water from a broken hydrant.

  My ears rang with a high-pitched buzzing, but I quickly scanned the room. Amara lay not far from me, her hand grasping her head, blood oozing through her fingers.

  “Amara!” I scrambled up, crawling over to her, dodging the debris. Fire caught the drying herbs hanging above the table, wolfing them in a gulp and spitting out a spray of flames.

  “Ryker!” Elthia screamed from the hallway as she ran toward us.

  Another blast hit the side of the house, causing the foundation to shake and Elthia to stumble into the stove.

  “Amara?”

  “I’m fine.” She drew her hand away from her head; it was stained with red.

  She would heal, and right now I had to get us out of here.

  “I thought this place was protected?” I hollered at Elthia, the blaze catching the beams of the roof, crackling as it ate its way across the ceiling.

  “Herbs and spells aren’t foolproof.” Elthia crouched, crawling over to me. “But I was careful about keeping it active and potent. I am sorry. They must have found a hole.”

  It was my fault. I brought this danger to her door.

  Boom! Another fireball hurled through the broken window. I grabbed Elthia and Amara, covering them with my body as much as I could. Fire roared, nibbling at the furniture, old books, and spices.

  “Back window.” I tugged on both of them. Elthia’s place was a little cottage. The only escape routes were the front door and the back window. Or so I thought.

  “No.” Elthia shook her head. “This way.”

  She spun toward the stairs leading down to her secret room.

  “What are you doing?” I yelled, the flames growing a louder voice.

  “Follow me,” she said over her shoulder and continued down.

  I looked back at Amara. Her face held the same doubt. But what was our choice? The front door was on fire, and we couldn’t crawl out the back window. They’d have this place surrounded.

  Sweat trickled into my eyes and smoke clogged my lungs.

  “Fuck,” I roared before following Elthia below. Amara stayed close behind me as we crawled on our hands and knees, keeping low to avoid the smoke and flames. I motioned for Amara to go down the stairs before me.

  A blast from the back window hurled her down the flight of stairs, and she crashed to the ground. Flames ignited along the hall, billowing with rage toward me. I grabbed the trap door, flinging it on top of me, closing us off from the upstairs, making me glad we didn’t try the back window.

  I climbed down the steps. The room had no windows or doors except the trap door. I felt like I was following Elthia into a death trap.

  Amara stood, brushing herself off. “Great. We’re stuck here like rats. Now we’re going to burn to death. Fae can die from fire, you know?”

  Elthia ignored her and ran for a closet in the corner.

  “I built this after you left.” She pulled things off the shelves, then slid them out. “I knew you hated this place and its lack of escapes.” She threw the last shelf to the side. The heat and sound of the fire pushed down on us. “I was going to surprise you when you came back. You never did.”

  A strange pattering sound tapped above us, like rain pelting a metal roof.

  “What the…?” Amara wiped at her face, then looked up. Drops of water leaked from the gaping floorboards over us.

  “Shit.” A heavy drop splatted on my shoulder. Vadik’s men were stifling the fire so they could enter. They burned the spell away, now they could cross the threshold.

  A rush of water pounded against the ceiling and created a downpour that squeezed through the floor and pelted us. Voices hollered soon after. They were coming in for us.

  I hurried across the small space, water rolling down my face. Elthia pushed on the back wall of the closet. With two heaves the false back popped open, revealing a tunnel.

  “Holy shit.” Amara stood next to me, her ponytail already dripping down her shirt. “I change my mind. I like her.”

  “Don’t be offended, but I still don’t like you,” Elthia retaliated.

  “None taken.”

  Footsteps pounded on the floor above our heads as more liquid rained down on us.

  “Find them,” a man shouted. “Remember, bring him back alive. Kill her... and whoever else has been helping them.”

  It was all the incentive I needed. I pushed Amara forward, rushing us to the opening.

  I heard the trap door rattle, squeaking open. “Down here.”

  My adrenaline pumped in my ears. Boot treads rumbled down the stairs. I grabbed the closet door and shut it to give us an extra moment before they determined why there were shelves on the floor. My eyes didn’t adjust to the blackness like they normally did, but I could distinguish enough. I swung the false opening closed.

  “Run,” I shouted when I turned around.

  And they did.

  We all understood we didn’t have the luxury of time.

  Elthia led us out of a manhole a distance from her home. When I pushed the cover off, the moonlight shone in the clear night. We were silent as we reached the surface wet, singed, and in shock. I glanced at the smoke billowing in the distance.

  Elthia stood next to me, her shoulders slumped as she watched her house literally go up in smoke. No matter what, she could never go back. Because of me she had lost her home, all her notes, potions, books, and memories.

  “I am sorry,” I muttered. The words sounded hollow and pathetic on my tongue, but I didn’t know what else to say.

  She nodded and looked away. “When I said I wanted to cleanse you from my life, I didn’t think to this extreme.” No humor sounded in her voice.

  “Guys, we are still being followed.” Amara bounced impatiently behind us. Her sensitivity to Elthia’s loss was zilch. Amara never had anything that meant anything, besides herself.

  Sadly, I related. Except now, there was a girl and a monkey-sprite calling me home.
/>   “Go,” Elthia ordered me.

  “El, I’m not going to leave you here.”

  “Yes, you are. It’s you two they want.” She heaved out air, placing her hands on her hips. “I’m gonna disappear for a while.”

  “El—”

  “Move.” A burst of anger coiled from her, her gaze flashing to me. “Run before they find you.”

  I felt a nerve in my jaw twitch.

  Her face softened. “Seriously, Ryker, go. I’m going to be all right. You know I will.”

  It took me another moment. I could see Amara dancing around in my periphery, ready to go.

  Finally, I nodded.

  Elthia bit her bottom lip, but a strength encompassed her expression. She turned and walked away.

  I knew this was goodbye, I could see her letting me go with every step she took away from me. I was happy for her. She deserved happiness.

  Amara and I ran into the darkness of the city. The streetlights were off, but as we jogged I could see by the lights coming from some houses a few places had electricity. We crossed the bridge from Fremont back into Queen Anne. We weaved our way through the neighborhoods, hoping to lose ourselves and cause our tracks to be hard to pick up.

  Wanting to stay out of the main downtown and Belltown, where the fae storm had caused the most damage, I steered us to Magnolia, hoping to find a vacated house there. It wasn’t hard. We found a studio apartment close to the rail tracks. It wasn’t big and only had one bed, but neither of us cared. It was only for one night. The painkillers Elthia gave me were wearing off. Pain, exhaustion, and hunger caused my muscles to shake.

  “Sit down.” Amara pointed to a chair. “I’ll start a fire and see what there is in the cupboard to eat.”