by Lola StVil
“Now,” she says. “And that’s an order.”
The team reluctantly files out of the room.
“Bitch,” Langston hisses under her breath as she leaves.
If Atlas hears her, she doesn’t react.
We all stand in a group outside of Regal’s door. It’s evident none of them are willing to go further than that, and I hope Sadie can fix him quickly because I don’t think they’ll stay put long.
“What the hell is happening here? We only let them keep Regal here so he could gain control of his powers again, and now this? What did they do to him?” Saudia says, the pain in her voice unmistakable.
“Don’t worry. Whatever happened, I’m sure Sadie will be able to fix it,” Atlas reassures her.
Saudia mutters something under her breath. I can’t be sure, but I think it’s something along the lines of “you would say that.” I frown.
“What was that?” Atlas says.
I wonder how much of it she heard. Judging by the fact she doesn’t look ready to strangle Saudia I’m figuring not much of it, but she has to know it wasn’t complimentary.
“Forget it,” Saudia says with a glare.
Tracey puts her hand on Saudia’s elbow.
“Come on. Let’s get some air. I’m sure someone will come for us if anything changes,” she says quietly. “Before you say something you might regret.”
Saudia shakes Tracey’s hand off her elbow.
“I won’t regret it. She needs to hear this, and no one else is going to say it,” Saudia snaps.
“Saudia—” Tracey starts.
“No,” Atlas interrupts. “Let her speak. I’d like to hear it. Saudia, what do you have to say?”
“I’m just wondering if this whole thing was a mistake. When you first came to us, you were kind of out of control, but there was something about you. I kind of liked your fighting spirit, and I gave you a chance when no one else would. Somewhere along the line, I came to love you like a best friend, but now I’m not so sure that was a good idea. You’ve screwed up big time, Atlas. Look at everything that’s happened since you came along. I think maybe you’re not cut out to be a leader,” Saudia says.
I watch Atlas. She tries to keep her face neutral, but I can see the comment stings. To her credit, she doesn’t fly off the handle. Instead, she tries to reason with Saudia.
“I get that, Saudia. I do. I ask myself every day if I’m the right choice to lead this team. But whether we like it or not, that’s the way it is. So that’s what I do. And I hate what’s happened to Remy and Regal as much as you do. I know I haven’t known them as long as you have, but I loved them too. We’ve been through so much together, and I have no intention of letting Quinn get away with any of this,” Atlas says.
Saudia gives her a sad smile.
“Well that’s great, Atlas,” she says bitterly. “But you know what would have been better? Keeping your damn hands off other people’s boyfriends.”
Saudia storms off before Atlas can respond. Atlas stands there, watching her retreat, her jaw clenched and her fists balled.
“She didn’t mean that,” Tracey says awkwardly.
“Yeah, she did,” Atlas says.
Tracey shifts uncomfortably under Atlas’s stare.
“I’ll go take care of her,” she says eventually and hurries after Saudia.
“We are not doing this in a hallway,” Atlas announces.
She strides away in long, determined strides. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to follow her or not, but I do. It’s either that or find Saudia and snap her neck for hurting Atlas that way. The others follow too, although a little more reluctantly than I did. We follow Atlas into the waiting room.
“So,” Atlas says, turning to face Perry and Langston the second the door closes behind us.
I move away from the others and take a seat. Atlas knows I don’t feel that way about her, and I’m afraid of what I’ll do if the rest of them react the same way.
“Do you two both feel that way as well? Do you all think that it’s reasonable to act the way Quinn has because someone kissed her boyfriend?” Atlas demands.
Langston looks down at the ground, her toe scuffing at the tiles. Perry looks around the room, anywhere but at Atlas.
“I’m sorry, is the décor in here that interesting?” Atlas snaps.
Perry finally forces his eyes towards her.
“Maybe Quinn’s reaction was a little extreme,” he admits sheepishly.
“A little extreme? You think?” Atlas snaps.
She sighs, and suddenly the anger is gone, and instead, she looks smaller somehow. They’re breaking her, and there’s nothing I can do about it because it doesn’t matter what I say now, Atlas will only ever hear “it’s your fault.”
“I get it,” she says quietly, her voice pained. “I’m sorry you think this is my fault. Maybe it is. But Regal and I never meant to kiss. We didn’t plan to hurt anyone. It just happened. I know that sounds like a copout, but it’s true. It was wrong, and it shouldn’t have happened. But it did, and we can’t take it back. But you must see that Quinn’s reaction is more than a little bit extreme. Maybe I deserve your scorn, and I certainly deserve Quinn’s. But what did Remy do to deserve to die? She was Quinn’s friend, and Quinn killed her to make a point. She didn’t deserve to die, and although Regal made a mistake, he doesn’t deserve to die, either. Can we at least agree on that much?”
Langston and Perry nod their heads.
“Good. So, can we dial the hatred down a notch for the time being and concentrate on finding Quinn and putting a stop to this?” Atlas says.
Langston and Perry nod again as the door opens and Tracey and Saudia enter. Saudia is clutching Tracey’s hand so tightly I can see the skin of her knuckles pulling so much it looks like it might split open at any moment.
Saudia and Atlas exchange uneasy glances, although neither of them says anything.
“Look, we can all go to superhero therapy later and work out our feelings, but right now, all that matters is Regal,” Perry says.
I stand up and go to Atlas’s side.
“Perry is right,” I say. “It doesn’t matter if we all want to hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya’ or not, we have to focus on what’s important here.”
I surprise myself by agreeing with Perry. It’s never happened before. But then again, he’s never said anything sensible before.
“Look, I shouldn’t have said what I said,” Saudia mutters.
Atlas waves her hand.
“Forget it. If that’s how you feel, it needed to be said, but it’s not important now,” she says. “The good thing is, Sadie got here in time to help Regal,” she adds, mostly to herself.
“Yeah. Regal is strong and capable, and we’re all standing out here talking about him as though he’s already dead. And we’re arguing like a group of schoolgirls about a dumb kiss,” Langston scolds the team.
I don’t bother to remind her that she was involved in that as much as anyone else.
The door opens, and Sadie walks in looking grim.
“What happened?” Atlas demands.
“He was poisoned,” Sadie says.
“But, he’s okay, though? I mean, he’s not…dead, right?” Saudia asks.
Sadie replies, “No, but he will be in three hours.”
The second the words are out of Sadie’s mouth I vow to myself that I won’t let it happen. Remy’s death is already on Atlas’s conscience even though it wasn’t her fault. I won’t allow another death to burden her.
“How do we stop that from happening? There has to be a way to save Regal,” I demand.
I can feel the eyes of the team on me. Everyone except Atlas turns to stare in my direction, their shocked expressions from Sadie’s bombshell still on their faces. Was I really so bad that me not wanting to see Regal dead comes as that much of a shock to them?
“What? I don’t want him to die,” I say.
“Looks like the tin man found his heart after all,” Perr
y says.
I glare at him.
“Enough already, how did Regal get poisoned?”
“I’m not sure yet. There a few different ways it could have happened, and we’ll find the answer, but first, we need to concentrate on finding a cure,” Sadie answers with concern.
“You mean you don’t know how to fix him?” Langston demands.
“I know how to fix him, but it’s not going to be easy,” Sadie says.
“Nothing ever is,” Atlas sighs.
“The poison used on Regal is a very potent mixture called The Hydra Hold,” Sadie says.
“Oh shit,” Saudia whispers.
“Wait, what the hell is Hydro Hold?” Atlas asks.
“Not hydro, hydra,” I say. “It’s a poison made from the tentacles of a Hydra.”
“A charming three-headed sea creature; it takes some balls to get Hydra poison. While one head is saying hello, another one is biting you in half,” Perry adds.
“Wonderful, so what do we need for the cure?” Atlas asks.
“Let me guess. We have to go and grab a baby Hydra or something,” Perry puts in.
Okay, he’s back to irritating.
“No,” Sadie says, shaking her head. “The cure is a mixture called Mute. I have everything I need to make it except one thing. A drop of Valkyrie blood.”
“And let me guess. A Valkyrie is some evil, bloodsucking monster that wants to eat us for breakfast?” Atlas asks.
Sadie shakes her head.
“Actually no. Valkyries are the Warrior Angels of the Gods of Valhalla. Their purpose is taking the souls of warriors who have died in battle to Valhalla. They’re tough, but they aren’t prone to attack for no reason. If you can convince them Regal deserves to live, they’ll give you what you need. Just don’t rile them, because they don’t suffer fools gladly,” Sadie explains.
Perry opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, but he stops himself and rubs one hand over his face.
“The problem is they’re pretty hard to find, and we have less than three hours,” Sadie adds.
Atlas nods her head and turns to the team.
“We have to find these Valkyries,” she says. “And quickly. Any ideas?”
“I’ve heard some rumors that a group of them tend to hang around the Mayan ruins in Mexico,” Tracey says.
Atlas nods.
“Good. Saudia, Langston, go with her.”
The three of them rush away.
Atlas opens her mouth to speak, but Perry gets in first.
“You two go off and look for them too. I’ll stay here and help Sadie,” he says. “You know, in case whoever poisoned Regal comes back.”
I want to point out that Sadie stands a much better chance against Quinn, or anyone else for that matter, than Perry does, but I bite my tongue.
“That won’t be necessary. I can handle things here. You go with Kane and Atlas. The most important thing is getting that blood,” Sadie says.
Okay, she found a politer way of saying he’s useless than I did.
“Come on,” I say, walking out of the waiting room. “I know a place to start.”
Atlas and Perry follow me out of the Tamlo.
“Where are we going? Europe? Asia? Australia?”
I glance across at her. Her voice is manic, and her face is pale. I’m not about to draw attention to that in front of Perry. I shake my head.
“No. A bar about five minutes from here,” I say.
“A bar?” she repeats. “So, Valkyries like to get drunk in between saving warriors’ souls?”
“Something like that,” I reply as we start walking left.
“I think I’m going to like Valkyries,” Perry says.
“So,” Atlas says, almost to herself, “we go to this bar, find a Valkyrie, and convince her that Regal deserves to live. That shouldn’t be too hard, because, well, he does deserve to live. And surely the Valkyries won’t want the Keysu and Arken to win, so they’ll give us the blood to get one up on Quinn. And then we can save Regal. And that’s good. Right?”
We’re almost at the bar. I can see it on the next block. Atlas can’t go in there like that. She’s trying to act all official, running through the task we have to complete, but she’s talking a mile a minute, and it’s obvious she’s spiraling.
“Hey,” I say to Perry. “Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure. You two lovebirds take all the time you need. It’s not like anyone’s life is on the line or anything. Oh, wait…”
I glare at him, and he holds his hands up.
“Okay, okay, I’m going. To be honest, I’m relieved to have an extra few minutes on this side of the bar door,” he says.
I frown. Something is off with Perry. He doesn’t want to go into that bar for some reason, and as annoying as he is, he’s loyal. He doesn’t want Regal to die, so there has to be a good reason he’s happy to be stalling. I can’t fathom what it could be, and I don’t have time to dwell on it right now. Right now, my only concern is Atlas.
I take Atlas’s arm and lead her into an alleyway.
“Not now, Kane. We have to go in there and find a Valkyrie. You know what’s at stake here,” she says, but she makes no effort to shake her arm loose or to stop me from leading her into the alleyway.
Once we’re deep enough back in the alleyway that we’re almost invisible from the street, the tall buildings either side of us shielding us, I stop and turn to face Atlas.
I put my hands on her shoulders and look deep into her eyes.
“Talk to me,” I say.
She shakes her head slightly.
“We don’t have time for this. I’m fine. Really,” she says.
“The tears glistening in your eyes tell me a different story,” I say gently.
“You want to know what’s wrong?” she says.
I nod.
“I’m scared, Kane. I’m scared that the team is right. That I’ve ruined everything with one stupid kiss that shouldn’t have happened, and didn’t even mean anything,” she blurts out.
I know it’s stupid, but I feel a warm glow when she says the kiss didn’t mean anything.
“I’ve turned Quinn into a killing machine, and she’s going to kill us all, one by one,” she says.
I don’t know if what I’m about to say next is going to make things better or make them worse. It could go either way, but I have to find a way to make her see this isn’t her fault.
“Atlas, you kissed Quinn’s boyfriend, so she turned into a murderous lunatic. You see that’s not normal, right? Fuck, you killed Langston’s boyfriend and all she did was slap you around,” I say.
Atlas’s eyes open wide and her mouth drops open. And then it happens. She chokes out a laugh. She presses her hand to her mouth as the laugh keeps coming.
“I shouldn’t be laughing. It’s not funny. But when you put it that way…wow. Quinn is seriously unhinged,” she says.
She’s still laughing, but I can hear the edge of hysteria in it. That’s good. She has to let it all out so she can get her head on straight. Her laugh trails off, and she looks me in the eye.
“What if I’m the undoing of the team? What if I’m not strong enough to keep everyone together and finish what we started?” she says.
All the pretense has gone. She stands before me, vulnerable, her emotions clear to see. And it breaks the heart I don’t have to see her there like that. To know what the Shadow world has done to her.
And it puzzles me that she can’t see what I see when I look at her. How can she not see how strong she is? She pulled me back from the edge of a place so dark I could never have come back from it. And now I have to do the same for her.
“Close your eyes,” I say.
She looks confused, but she does as I say.
“Go to your happy place. Where are you?” I ask.
“Paris,” she replies without hesitation.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
She smiles a little bit.
“I’
m with you. We’re hand in hand, and we’re walking towards the Eiffel Tower,” she says.
I take her hand in mine and rub my thumb across the back of it.
“We’re eating macaroons,” I add. “The sun is shining, and we’re laughing. We’re just like all the other tourists. Happy. In love. You turn to look at me, and when you look into my eyes, you know I’ll be right here, by your side, forever,” I say.
“You will?” she asks quietly.
“I will,” I confirm.
I lean down and kiss her forehead and pull her against me, holding her tightly in my arms. She loops her arms around my waist.
“I’ll always be by your side, Atlas. And whenever you feel weak, or like you’re losing control, I want you to think of us, in Paris, happy. I want you to remember that you are the light in my world. You are stronger than the darkness that surrounds me. And you are stronger than you know,” I say into her hair.
She steps out of my arms and nods.
“Thank you,” she says.
Her voice is back to normal, the hysteria gone. She looks more like herself again too. The spots of color on her cheeks have faded to her natural color, and she doesn’t have that manic look about her anymore.
I grin.
“And you have to admit all of this is more interesting than sitting home watching Netflix and eating popcorn,” I say.
She laughs.
“If you say so.”
“You ready?” I ask her.
“Yeah. Let’s do it,” she replies.
We walk back towards the street. I can’t help but give her a sideways glance. She strides along, ready to fight the world, her head held high. Her eyes no longer shine with unshed tears. Now they shine with her inner strength and determination.
I still can’t believe how strong she is. How resilient. She has this never-ending drive to see things through. To do the right thing. She has no problem putting her life on the line for her team and for humanity—a bunch of people she’s never even met.
Most Shadows would have given up by now, but not Atlas. I have a feeling this is her just getting started.
“I was starting to think you two had eloped.” Perry grins when we walk back out onto the street.
“Maybe next week, after I’ve had my hair done,” Atlas fires back.
