Harley was giving as good as she got, sticking to the abilities of Volla Mazinov. Volla was known to spurn Esprits, thankfully, so we didn’t have to manufacture a fake one or make up a story about her losing it. Harley was skilled in her own right, using her powers without one. But that had to be making it ten times harder to control her super-strength Chaos.
I laughed as a tornado of Water came down on Kenneth’s head. He slipped and slid on the wet glass, falling on his ass like a circus clown. A howl of laughter went up from the crowd. Kenneth glared at them, but there wasn’t much he could do. He dragged himself up and tossed a flurry of hexes at Harley. His powers weren’t all that impressive. Pretty, yes. Fear-inducing, no. Then again, I knew what that smoke could do. And so did Harley. She was avoiding it like the plague.
My laughter died as I watched my sister in action. She was fearless and intimidating, even when wearing someone else’s face. Every move Kenneth made, she countered it. Every time he lunged at her, she was already prepared to dodge out of the way. It was like watching a dance. Soppy, much? I couldn’t help but admire her. All of her focus was on the fight. It never slipped, not once. And she was owning it. Even the crowd had fallen silent as they observed her. I bet even the real Volla Mazinov wasn’t half as good as this. God rest her soul. Polar bears—what a way to go.
It had only just occurred to me that this had to be deeply personal for Harley. She hated Kenneth Willow almost as much as I did. I’d done my fair share of bad, but I drew the line at killing kids. Kenneth had no line. She must have been seething. And she was definitely showing him what she was made of.
Before long, I noticed Kenneth begin to tire. Nothing obvious had happened, but that was the point. Harley had to be using her reverse Empathy on him. He kept looking around as if he thought someone was behind him. She had him running scared. He was weakening before my very eyes. If I’d thought Shinsuke’s blades were cool, this was cooler. Evidently, she was implanting terror in him, the kind that was sapping his will to fight and draining him of his energy. His eyes widened, and he ducked, even though Harley hadn’t done anything. Shaking, he looked back up at her.
“I won’t be defeated by a girl!” Kenneth searched his pockets for more hexes.
Harley smiled and lifted her hands. Water surged up from the nearby ocean and powered through the trees, taking out a few branches on the way. It gathered in a swirling vortex over Kenneth’s head. He was still searching frantically. Finally, he realized something was happening. Everything had gone way too quiet. The moment he looked up, Harley dunked the whole swirling pool onto his head. It hit him like an anvil, drowning him in a powerful deluge. The crowd gasped, their mouths hanging open.
Ah, poor Weeping Willow. I grinned with satisfaction. That little punk had gotten what was coming to him. I still wanted to murder him in his sleep, sure, but I could ease off on my vendetta for now. The time would come for all that. Kenneth wouldn’t escape me forever.
On her plinth, Naima clapped. She looked thoroughly amused. “Volla Mazinov is the winner!”
Kenneth lay on his back, coughing up water. His eyes rolled back into his head as he lolled there on the black glass. Harley had smashed this fight. And there wasn’t a neurotoxin in sight. Good job, Sis.
Somehow, we’d managed to pass the first trial without giving ourselves away. I glanced at the crowd to gauge their reactions. Immediately, my eye was drawn to Tess. Anyone’s eye would’ve been. She had smooth, ebony skin, hair buzzed right to the scalp, eyes like two pools of rich, rich caramel. Pools I wouldn’t have minded drowning in. More than that, she was sharp as all hell. Right now, she was smirking at the sight of an utterly humiliated Kenneth. My kind of girl.
I loathed Kenneth. Words couldn’t describe how much. I’d known him before he got taken in by the foster family where the Ryders recruited him. He’d kissed my ass, too. He’d wanted to join me and Katherine back then, but I’d said nothing to my mom. Until the Ryders found out about him, that is. Even then, I’d warned Katherine that he’d end up a gigantic liability. The little brownnose was unstable and spiteful at best, savage and downright dangerous at worst. He couldn’t think straight in any pressurized situations, especially if humiliated. He’d hold on to this particular grudge for a long time.
I’ve got my eye on you, twerp. I got the creeping feeling he’d try to come after Harley, once he’d coughed all the ocean water out of his lungs. I hoped he had a few decent chunks of seaweed in his throat, for good measure.
“You have gained the right to stay upon Eris Island, but only for the night,” Naima announced. “Your next trial begins at midnight. If you survive that, you may live until morning, when the third trial will take place.”
“You want to cast a bit more light on these trials, Naima?” I shot back, getting a giggle from the crowd.
She smirked. “Now where would be the fun in that?” She turned her attention to said crowd. “Tess, as you were unable to perform your duties, I must ask that you escort the Mazinovs to their temporary quarters.”
We get it, we’re only staying if we finish the trials. No need to keep hammering it home. I got up and gave Shinsuke another pat. He was out cold. Dusting myself off, I headed for the metal walkway off this glass disc and waited for Harley. She caught up with me a moment later, the two of us walking toward Tess. She’d made her way out of the crowd and come to fulfil her task, like a good little cultist.
“If you’d like to follow me,” she said in those sultry, honeyed tones that could get my head torn off. I was all for the praying mantis vibes.
“Lead the way.” I had to remember not to act like Finch. Otherwise, we’d never make it out of here alive.
Nineteen
Harley
“All good?” Finch asked as we followed Tess along a labyrinth of treetop walkways. We passed a bunch of those weird, orb-like treehouses, but apparently none of them were for us.
I nodded, panting. “Tired but good.”
“You were awesome out there,” he said, surprising me for the millionth time. Coming from him, I wasn’t sure whether to take it seriously.
I shrugged. “I did what I had to.” In all honesty, I was absolutely freaking ecstatic that I’d not only managed to maintain Volla’s persona, but I’d also successfully handed Kenneth’s ass to him on a silver, watery platter. I wished I could have hurt him a little more, but knocking him flat was the best I could do to punish him for everything he’d done, at least for now. “You weren’t too shabby yourself.”
“Ah, you know, couldn’t let us down.”
“No, really, you handled yourself well, considering… well, you know.” I didn’t want to say too much in front of Tess, in case she overheard us. This woman was definitely the one from Marie Laveau’s garden. I was glad her hands were burned. Serves her right.
A concerning realization hit me: there was no way we wouldn’t end up meeting Katherine at some point. What would I even say to her? I’d have to keep it cool and try my very hardest not to let my hatred show.
Walking in silence behind Tess, I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The settlement was basically a network of orbs in the trees, with all the amenities housed in larger structures shaped more like beehives. Ironic, with her being Queen Bee and all. Smoke billowed out of the beehives, and the heady smell of grilled food filled the air. My stomach rumbled involuntarily, reminding me that it had been a long time since I’d eaten.
I realized Katherine must have designed Eris Island to be a self-sustaining world, with oxygen pumped in from the trees and animals running around. There was fresh water from streams and pools and enough firewood to last for years. If they had to move quickly, there’d be no time to gather supplies from the outside world, and they didn’t need to. It was all here, carefully created by Katherine’s hand. Plus, the interdimensional pocket itself was run from the secret Bestiary that Finch had told me about, giving it the power to move if necessary. With that at her disposal, Katherine didn’t need to worry abou
t anything. She’d covered every possible base.
“So, this is where you’ll find the kitchens and the communal dining area. If you want anything to eat, just come up here and the chefs will make something for you. Mealtimes are more or less set, since we’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, but the chefs don’t mind rustling up an impromptu snack or two. Just don’t ask for a five-course, gourmet experience.” Tess led us toward one of the beehives and opened the door to let us in. Wooden tables were neatly arranged to one side, while a huge kitchen had been set up on the opposite side.
People were sitting at the tables, playing cards and eating cake. Evidently, they’d been excused from battle arena duties. They were dressed in ordinary clothes, not a red robe in sight, and, weirdest of all, they were laughing and chatting, as if they were at some twisted summer camp. They looked up as we entered, a few lifting a hand in greeting. Everywhere I looked, I saw smiling, happy faces.
This wasn’t the institutional, militant vision I’d seen in my head. These were seemingly ordinary people hanging out and enjoying themselves. And why wouldn’t they? They had everything they needed here. A place to live, food in their bellies, like-minded company.
“If you make it through the next two trials, you can make yourselves at home,” Tess said. “We can pretty much do whatever we want, as long as we continue to serve the cult faithfully.”
I frowned at her. “What does ‘whatever we want’ mean?”
She smiled. “Whatever makes you happy. For some, it’s cake. For others, it’s… well, whatever floats their boat, whatever stirs their coffee.” That didn’t exactly make it any clearer, but I sensed it wasn’t all peaches and cream in this place. It couldn’t be.
“Can I grab something before we go?” Finch asked Tess. His eyes were wide as saucers, fixed on the hot buffet.
“Sure, but be quick.”
“You want anything, Volla?” Finch asked, but it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.
“Oh… uh, yeah. Whatever you’re having.”
He hurried over and started scooping ladleful after ladleful of unknown food into two boxes, stabbing a wooden fork through each one and running back with a big grin on his face. The food really did smell good, and my mouth was salivating. With that, Tess led us out of the canteen and down another endless stretch of walkways, until we reached a small stone hut at ground level. I guessed we weren’t good enough to warrant one of the fancy orbs. Not yet, anyway.
“This is where you’ll be staying until Naima requests your presence for the second trial,” Tess explained, opening the door. The interior was actually pretty nice, with two freshly made beds and a small seating area around a fireplace.
“Nice. I like it.” Finch set the boxes of food down on the table and made to take his boots off, but Tess stopped him.
“You can leave your food here for now. There’s more I need to show you before you can get settled in.”
He pulled a face. “After what we’ve just been through? Don’t we get a break?”
“Do you want to be one of us or not?” Her tone cut through the room like a machete.
“I was just saying.” He got back up and headed out. I had to try hard not to let my fear get the better of me—his Finch personality was seeping through, and that could spell disaster.
Trudging along, we followed Tess. I had no idea where she was taking us. I just hoped we weren’t in for a nasty, unexpected surprise. I envisioned Naima suddenly launching the second trial at us before we’d even had time to rest. Fighting Kenneth had taken a lot out of me, and trying to keep up this persona was even tougher. The Shapeshifter energy was sapping more of my energy than I’d anticipated, but I had to make sure it didn’t slip. If it did, I’d never get it back, and I’d be stuck on Eris Island as myself, surrounded by the enemy.
“If you succeed in your trials, you’ll enter a world unlike any you’ve experienced before. Not just a world, but a community beyond your imagination,” Tess said as we walked. She sounded like she was advertising a resort vacation. Good old-fashioned brainwashing. “Here, we devote ourselves to Eris—to Katherine.”
“What do you get out of it?” I asked, feeding some Empathy into Tess. I wanted to feel what she was feeling. All I got back was an undercurrent of anxiety and a smattering of suspicion. It seemed as if she was trying to guard her emotions and was doing a pretty good job of it. Usually, when people guarded their emotions, I felt them even more. Not with Tess, though. She was a pro, apparently. I wondered if Katherine taught them how to suppress emotions, or if that just came with being a member of the cult—a blind, emotionless zombie.
“We give ourselves to her because she will forge a new world in which we are the ones to make the rules. She will become a goddess among mortals, and we’ll be the avenging angels at her side.” A smile turned up the corners of her lips. “With Eris, we will all take our rightful place as superior beings. And those who don’t follow will fall with the weak humans who would see us dead. They will discover what it’s like to be powerless. Either you’re for us or against us, and when the time comes, only those on our side will win.”
Someone’s been guzzling the Kool-Aid. Finch and I exchanged a look. Then again, he was probably used to this kind of talk. He’d spent long enough around it. Not too long ago, he’d been the one lapping up the propaganda.
“Sounds good,” I replied.
Finch nodded. “Yeah, world domination is right up our alley.”
Tess gave us a thin smile, and we kept on through the island. It seemed like a good moment to find out more about Electro-girl, since it was just the three of us. There had to be more to her than being a simple cultist, especially given how high she’d risen through the ranks.
“Where are you from, originally?” I asked.
“Atlanta,” she replied.
“Did you like it there?”
“It was okay.” She kept her gaze forward, giving nothing away. Her emotions were still guarded.
“Any brothers or sisters?”
She cleared her throat. “One. A twin, but she’s gone now.”
“Gone where?” I figured dumbing myself down might get her to open up more.
“She died.” Her voice sounded somewhat strained, as if she was struggling with the words.
“Sorry to hear that. Were you close?”
She sneered at me. “She was my twin. Of course we were close.”
“Oh, yeah. I suppose so.” I paused. “I’ve heard that when one twin is in pain, the other twin can feel it.”
“Yeah, I never used to believe that, but I do now.”
Finch cast me a concerned look, but I continued anyway. “Why’s that?”
“Because I felt it when she died. Right here.” Tess covered her heart with her bandaged hand. “I’ve never known pain like it.” She shook her head, as if she knew she’d said too much.
“Was she part of the cult, too?”
Tess whirled around. “What’s with all the questions, huh?”
I shrugged. “Just interested. I like getting to know people.”
“Well, stop. Until you’ve passed these trials, I don’t want to hear another question out of you, do you understand?” I’d clearly touched a nerve, one which made me see Tess in a slightly more human light. Already, she was staring at me with a glint of tears in her caramel eyes, pain etched on her face. She must have loved her sister a lot, and I doubted a scar like that went away quickly.
“I didn’t mean to cause any offense.” I put up my hands.
She sighed. “It’s fine. I just… I don’t like to talk about it, that’s all. Now, come on, I’ve still got a lot to show you.”
Half an hour later, we broke through the tree-line and found ourselves on a lookout. I didn’t recall walking up this high, but interdimensional bubbles could be manipulated to do just about anything the architect wanted. Looking at the ancient walls that stretched out below us, I realized where we were. We were standing on the wall of Fort Jefferson,
looking down into the empty center.
In the vast, hexagonal expanse below, I saw people. Some were chained to posts, left to bake in the hot sun. Others were slumped on the ground, battered and bleeding. A group in the corner were missing limbs, while one man was covered in runes that had been carved into his skin. He was crouched in the very center of the hexagon, his face turned to the sky, his arms raised.
Another cluster were covered in blisters, boils, and burns. One had plants growing out of him, the vines wrapping around his arms. Opposite sat a furtive group of people in various states of becoming animals, complete with tails, patches of fur, feline ears, and limbs shortened to become bestial legs.
“What is this place?” I could barely get the words out, praying Astrid had avoided capture.
“It’s our play arena,” Tess replied. “We bring in humans from the outside world—foolish tourists who want to visit Dry Tortugas. We bring them from elsewhere, too, so as not to arouse suspicion. Big cities, mostly, so they won’t be missed. So many humans go missing every day. What’s one more?”
“What do you do to them?” I tried to get Finch to look at me, but he’d dropped his gaze. Had he known about this?
Tess shrugged. “Whatever we want.”
I shuddered as discreetly as possible. There it was, the hidden meaning behind those words. Katherine had incorporated a mass arena of torture into her world, where the cult members could come and torment these humans in whatever way they pleased.
“Like spells and stuff?” Finch said, though he still couldn’t look at me.
“Yes, like spells and stuff, if that catches your fancy. Cult members come here to do all kinds of things: try out new hexes, learn more about the effects of magic on the human body. We toy with them as we see fit, and then we kill them, using spells we’d never normally dare to use. Weapons, too, to hone our physical skills. Sometimes, we get them to fight back, to make it more of a challenge. There’s nothing more invigorating than watching a human fight for their life, knowing they’ll never win. No harm, no foul. Everyone goes home happy.”
Harley Merlin 6: Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris Page 15
