Ruined by Shadows

by Lola StVil

  Carla nods. Langston huffs, but she doesn’t argue. She knows as well as I do that we’ll need all the help we can get going into the Land of Lost Souls.

  “What about me?” Rachel asks.

  “You’re welcome to come with us, but why would you want to?” I ask. “It’ll be dangerous, and you don’t really know any of us.”

  “I know Carla, and if she’s up for this, then Kane is obviously worth saving,” she says.

  “He is,” I agree. “Okay, the whole team plus Carla and Rachel. Sadie, Pest, I need you guys back here learning everything you can about what’s to come with the final part of our mission. Okay?”

  Sadie won’t meet my eye, but she nods. Pest looks relieved, which I kind of expected.

  “Sadie, why did you stop extracting our blood?” I ask.

  “Because there’s a problem,” Pest answers for her. “Rachel and I didn’t find anything about the new Keysu. I’ll look into that for you while you’re gone as well as how the final task will go down. I realized after you all left that I don’t actually know where the entryway to the Land of Lost Souls is, so we went to find information on that instead.”

  “And?” I press him.

  “And no one knows. The gate only reveals itself to those who have lost all hope. And Marianna.”

  “Who the hell is Marianna?” I demand.

  “She’s a powerful witch who has managed to place a tracking spell on the gate. She can find it at any time. Word is she’ll help you, for the right price.”

  He hands me a piece of paper with an address written on it.

  “Why is it we risk our necks every day to save the fucking world and no one in it will help us without there being some sort of fucking condition?” I shout.

  “Yeah, you haven’t heard what I want yet,” Rachel says.

  I turn towards her.

  “And what might that be?” I demand.

  She shakes her head and laughs. “I’m kidding, Atlas. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit.”

  Great. She’s a female version of Perry, and one class clown is one too many. I try not to smile.

  Rachel goes on.

  “I already told you why I’m doing this, and that was the truth. The problem is, most of the people who can help you are powerful, and the powerful people crave more power, so they use their services to gain it. And those who would help you freely generally aren’t useful enough to do it. Except for Carla and me, of course, but we’re special, so we are generous enough to help you out for free. Or at least at a heavily discounted rate.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “Sadie, I do need to ask a favor, privately,” she says with what sounds like worry.

  “Whatever. Let’s just go and see Marianna and sell our souls. Perry, you and I will go. The rest of you stay here, get your blood taken, and get prepped to leave because whatever the price is, I’m paying it.”

  “Atlas, don’t make promises you might not be able to keep,” Sadie says quietly.

  “Oh, I’m keeping it,” I say. “Not everyone bails as soon as things look dangerous.”

  “That’s not fair,” Sadie says.

  “And this is?” I retort.

  I turn to Perry.

  “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “Where do we have to go to? Outer Mongolia? The furthest reaches of Russia? The moon?” Perry asks.

  I grin despite myself. “The apartment block two blocks down,” I say.

  “That’s convenient,” Perry says. “It’s almost like she knew this was coming and moved closer to us.”

  “Maybe she did. Maybe her tracker tells her who is coming and going from the Land of Lost Souls. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out we’d find out about Kane going there and want in.”

  We fall silent as we walk, each of us debating the consequences of a powerful witch like Marianna making herself purposely accessible to us.

  “Atlas, why do I get the feeling you’re mad at me?” Perry says, abruptly breaking our silence as we reach the halfway point between the loft and Marianna’s building.

  Okay, so he wasn’t thinking what I was thinking at all.

  “I have no idea why you have the feeling you have,” I say.

  Dammit. I thought I was hiding it better than that. I have no intention of getting in the middle of Perry’s relationship drama.

  “Hmm, let me see. Maybe because you obviously are mad at me judging by that response,” he says. “Talk to me, Atlas. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “Fine,” I sigh. “I know it’s none of my business, but I saw what Langston saw back at the convent. You could have saved her, but you chose Carla. I’m not going to take sides, but I get why Langston is upset.”

  “I love Langston with all of my heart, Atlas. And I wasn’t joking when I said the thought of losing her kills me. I don’t know what I’d do without her. But I’m just not sure if it’s enough, because whatever I do, she always thinks the worst of me, and she always thinks I’m against her.”

  “Well, you did choose to save Carla over her,” I remind him gently. “And when she asked you about it, instead of reassuring her, you lied about why you’d done it.”

  “Yeah, I lied, because if I’d have told her the truth, she’d have had a fit. Like worse than she did.”

  “So tell me,” I say. “Make me understand.”

  “I wanted to save Langston more than anything, but I knew she’d figure it out and live to see another day. Atlas, if I’d gone to her, she would have been furious. She would have given me a big lecture about how she doesn’t need me to save her. She’s fiercely independent, and she can be upset all she wants now, but we both know that if I’d saved her, we’d be over now.”

  “What are you talking about?” I say.

  “Langston has made it quite clear to me that I fuck things up, and she doesn’t need my help in battle or anywhere else. That she was perfectly capable of handling her own shit before I came along, and that she’s still perfectly capable of handling it now that I’m with her. So I respected her wishes. And apparently, that was wrong too.”

  It’s a bit clearer why he didn’t save her now. He knew if he did, she’d never forgive him. Or at least that’s what he thought.

  “You know, Perry, sometimes people push you away when they need you the most because they’re afraid of getting hurt. She wants you to fight for her, Perry, to show her that you’re there for her no matter how hard she makes it. She needs to know that when it gets tough, you won’t bail.”

  “If you really think that, you don’t know Langston,” he says.

  I don’t have time to explain to him that I do know her—that I’ve been there and done the same thing—because we’ve reached the apartment block. Only it’s not an apartment block; it’s a huge house. Perry and I look at each other, and I double-check the address.

  “It’s definitely the right building,” I say.

  Perry shrugs. He reaches out and presses the doorbell. The door opens in seconds. A woman in her thirties answers the door and smiles at us.

  “Ah, Seeker, I’ve been expecting you. Do come in,” she says.

  She stands back, and I enter, followed by Perry.

  Marianna closes the door behind us. I take a subtle look at her. She’s actually older than I first thought, but she carries herself like a much younger woman, and her green-streaked hair gives her a youthful appearance.

  “Right this way,” Marianna says. “Come on through, and then we’ll talk about what I want in exchange for what I know.”

  We follow her along a bare hallway. She pushes open a door and steps back, gesturing for us to enter. I step in and freeze.

  I’m in a large room. This too is bare. Except for the cages that line the walls. Inside of each cage is a person.

  I take a step back when I see the scene before me. I whirl, ready to run from the room and never look back. I’ll find another way to get the location of the gate. My situation is getting more hopeless by the second, so maybe soon eno
ugh I’ll be a candidate to enter the Land of Lost Souls as a permanent resident, and it will reveal its location to me.

  I slam into Perry, who pales as he too spots the cages. He also turns around, but we’re too late. Somehow, the door is closed, and Marianna is in the center of the room. Perry reaches out for the handle of the door. I almost tell him not to bother. It’s not going to be open, but I don’t say anything. I have to be sure. Perry rattles the door, and of course, it doesn’t open.

  “What the…?” I say.

  Marianna smiles.

  “What, you think a witch powerful enough to warrant a visit from the Last Seeker isn’t powerful enough to silently lock a door and move across a room without being seen?” she asks.

  Okay, she has a point there.

  “Open the door right now,” I demand, trying to sound a whole lot braver than I feel.

  “I don’t think so,” Marianna says. “You entered of your own free will, and you will leave when I say so. Either by agreeing to pay my price or in a body bag. And the body bag option will take a long time judging by how young you both look.”

  I start to raise my palms. Marianna raises an eyebrow.

  “Honey, don’t insult me by even trying it. You know it’s not going to work. Have some dignity.”

  Again she has a point, and I lower my palms.

  “What do you want with us?” I demand.

  “I didn’t want anything with you. You came to me, remember? Just like everyone you see in these cages. See, I don’t pluck people off the streets or lure them in. I don’t have to. They seek me out.”

  “So, you’re saying we’re going into a cage?” I say.

  Marianna shrugs.

  “That depends on what happens next. You see, for every person in one of these cages, there are thousands of people who took the deal I offered them and got what they wanted. Which will you be?”

  “I suppose that depends on your price,” I say.

  That’s not true. I’ll do whatever she says. If she demands one of my kidneys, then it’s hers for the taking.

  “Well, why not tell me exactly what you want from me, and I’ll name the price.”

  “I want to know where to find the entrance to the Land of Lost Souls,” I say.

  I know she already knows what I want. She said it herself: she was expecting me. But I’ll humor her. If she wants to humiliate me a bit before she gives me her price, I can live with that.

  “And?” Marianna prompts me.

  “And what? That’s it,” I say.

  She sighs. “There is so much you don’t know, Seeker. You will need a glamour, and not just a normal one, one that will—”

  “Mask my soul,” I finish for her. “I do know, and I have it.”

  “And what about getting Kane out? That’s why you’re doing this, isn’t it? You’ll need—”

  “A Pearl potion. I know. And to make it, I’ll need the venom of an Erinyes snake. I know that as well, and it’s already taken care of. All I need from you is the location of the gate.”

  Marianna smiles a more genuine smile this time.

  “You know, I underestimated you, Seeker. Maybe there’s hope for the world after all.”

  “You mean you’re not rooting for Arken?” I say, the surprise clear in my voice.

  “Just because I am powerful doesn’t mean I am evil. Why would I want demons to swarm the earth and suck out what’s good? Without good people, the world would end in a matter of months. And as an immortal, that doesn’t do much for me, does it?”

  “I guess not,” I reply. “So will you help us? With the location?”

  “What makes you think I can do that?” she asks.

  The overly sweet smile is back now. She’s playing games with us, and quite frankly, I’m getting tired of it.

  “You knew to expect me. I know you have a tracker spell on the gate. Let’s just cut the shit, huh?”

  Suddenly, I realize something. Every person in every cage is focused on me, their eyes begging me to help them. And yet not one of them is making any sound.

  “Why aren’t they shouting for help?” I blurt out.

  “What?” Marianna says, not expecting the question any more than I was until it was out.

  I have got to get this mouth of mine under control before something I blurt out gets one of us killed.

  “The prisoners. They’re not making any sound at all. Why not?”

  “Oh, I’ve got them on mute. Just think of it like a TV. I can mute them and unmute them at will. Watch.”

  She flicks her wrist towards the row of cages on her left. Instantly, the air is full of cries for mercy, for rescue, for hope. It lasts only a few seconds before Marianna flicks her wrist again, but it’s a few seconds that I know will stay with me long after this whole thing is over. It was the sound of pure desperation, of people who are already beyond hope but who are nonetheless not giving up trying. It’s heartbreaking to hear.

  “See why I do it now?” she asks.

  I nod slowly.

  “Damn, it’s annoying.”

  “I was going to say heartbreaking,” I say.

  “Whatever. It’s just semantics, isn’t it?”

  I roll my eyes, and she laughs.

  “Arken had no idea what he was taking on with you. Okay, let’s get down to business. I’ll give you access to my tracker spell so you can find the gate.”

  She points to one of the cages. A terrified looking man cowers in the cage. He shrinks back even further when she aims her finger at him, but she doesn’t do anything. She is just getting my attention on him.

  “In return, you take him with you. To the Land of Lost Souls. And you leave him there.”

  The man’s eyes open to almost comical proportions and he shakes his head violently. His mouth opens in a silent scream, only it’s not silent, just muted.

  “What? Why?” I demand.

  “Because that’s my price. Take it or leave it.”

  I said I would do whatever it took, that I would pay any price. But the thought of doing what she’s asking to another human being feels wrong on so many levels that my brain is screaming. There must be another way.

  “There’s no other way of finding that entrance, Seeker,” Marianna says as though she’s read my mind. “So you have to make a choice. Your boyfriend or a stranger.”

  I can’t do it.

  I have to do it.

  I can’t do it.

  I have to do it.

  I glance across at Perry, who shakes his head.

  “Atlas, no; you can’t do that. You just… can’t.”

  “What will it be, Seeker?” Marianna asks.

  I have to do it. I’m going to tell her I’ll do it.

  “No fucking way,” I say.

  Dammit. That’s not what I wanted to say. Once again, my mouth is running of its own free will, regardless of what I want it to say or not say.

  Marianna shrugs. “As you wish,” she says.

  She throws both of her arms into the air at once. The door to an empty cage slams open, and suddenly, Perry is gone from beside me. I know where he’ll be, and I don’t want to look, but I have to.

  I force myself to look at the empty cage. The door is closed now, and Perry grips the bars of it, his face a mask of terror.

  “Atlas, help me.”

  I read his lips because he’s begging for my help, but no sound is coming out of his mouth.

  I hear an angry roar filling the room, and it’s only when I start to run towards Marianna that I realize the noise is coming from me. I might not be able to use magic on her—I know I would be no match for her that way—but there’s nothing to stop me from killing her with my bare hands. I am so fucking livid right now I could kill an elephant with my bare hands, so Marianna won’t be a huge deal.

  My outstretched hands reach her throat, but they close on thin air, and I hear a laugh behind me. I spin to find Marianna there.

  “Now, now, Seeker. Who’s giving in to their dark side now?�
��

  I run at her again, and again she moves just as I reach her.

  “We can play this game all night if you want to.”

  I take another run at her. I know I won’t catch her, but the anger at being duped spurs me on to try again. She doesn’t even bother traversing the room this time; she just moves back a couple of paces. Her laughter echoes through the room.

  “Too slow.” She laughs.

  After another three botched attempts, my anger begins to fade, giving way to a heavy dread inside of me. I stop running at her.

  “That’s it. I’m done,” I say. “Just put me in a cage and be done with it.”

  “I’m not going to put you in a cage, Atlas,” Marianna says.

  I frown. Partly because she knows my real name, although that shouldn’t really surprise me at this point, but mostly because unless I’ve misunderstood something, she’s saying she’s letting me walk away.

  “Why not?” I can’t help but ask.

  Marianna tuts.

  “It’s like she wants me to,” she mutters to herself.

  “Because like I told you earlier, it doesn’t suit me at all to have Arken win this thing. I am letting you go because you’re the only one who stands a chance of stopping him. It’s a slim chance, but it’s there.”

  “So Perry and I can just walk out of here right now?” I say warily.

  “Oh no, Seeker. Just you. He’s the payoff for you throwing my generous offer back in my face.”

  “How is taking an innocent man to the Land of Lost Souls a generous offer?” I ask.

  “How do you know he’s an innocent man? What’s to say he hasn’t killed someone?”

  “Has he?” I demand.

  Marianna shakes her head.

  “No, you were right. He’s innocent, but don’t make assumptions. If you ever do get to the Land of Lost Souls, things aren’t always what they seem, and it will pay to question everything.”

  Great, she’s giving me advice now.

  “You want to know why he came to me? His girlfriend had incurable cancer. He thought he was willing to pay whatever price I gave him. The price I gave him was his stepdaughter’s heart. And here he is. He chose her. Who will you choose, Seeker?”