She squinted her eyes and pressed her lips even tighter at her old teacher. “He said you’d say something like that.”
“Oh? Did he now?”
“Yeah, he said old people don’t do it anymore.”
His laughter died.
“Because you’re too old. And you forget stuff. Like how to do it.”
His expression hardened. “Who’s too old?”
“Sex is for young people. He said you’d just break a hip.” She performed a little hip thrust of her own to drive her point home.
A vein pulsed on Atlas’ forehead. “I think I just might break his hip when he gets back.”
She gave him a disapproving look. “Besides, I saw one of your dirty magazines.”
He shot up straight and tall, cleared his throat, and averted his gaze. “Those aren’t for your eyes.”
“Whatever…” Michelle picked up her wooden sword and took a fighting stance. “Dirty old man,” she whispered.
Atlas leaned in and cupped his ear. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” She hacked away at the dummy.
“That’s what I thought. I don’t need another backtalking teenager…” He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked past her. “Speak of the devil.”
She turned to see what he was looking at and spotted him. “Arthur!”
Arthur Clockworks was leaning against a white picket fence, the glare of the sun’s rays reflecting off his circular glasses and masking his eyes. He slid his golden pocket watch down his black pants’ pocket and peered up at her, a wide smile baring a full set of teeth spread across his cheeks. He wore a thin black tie over a mustard yellow collared shirt. His hair blond and shaped in the style of a medieval prince—hair that hung just above his jawline with straight bangs. He held the rope of a large sailor travel bag slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, little lioness,” said Arthur, adjusting his glasses. “Long time no see.”
Michelle dropped her wooden sword and ran up to him—leaping into his arms. She swung her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Arthur nearly toppled over, staggering a few paces. “Oof, you’ve gotten too big to carry, kiddo.” He let his bag fall and propped her up with his grip, supporting her weight.
When they first met, she was only half his age. Now, they were little more than a few years apart. But that didn’t matter. Arthur was back again and all was right in her world.
“What has Atlas been feeding you?” asked Arthur. “Unicorns or dragons?”
“Dragons,” she proclaimed.
“Makes sense.”
“I’ll be twelve soon. Are you going to stay for my birthday?”
“I dunno. I’ll have to check my schedule first.”
She hugged his neck with all her strength. “Promise.”
“Okay, okay,” he gasped out. “I promise. I’ll stay. Just don’t squeeze the life outta me.”
She gave out a gleeful squeal and loosened her grip.
Atlas folded his arms and frowned. “Her birthday won’t be for another month.”
Arthur put her down and gave her head a little rub, roughing up her hair. “Have you gotten taller too?”
“Yup. Pretty soon I’ll be bigger than Atlas.”
“Wow, does that mean you’ll start giving me piggyback rides?”
“Yup.”
Atlas’ frown deepened. “You can’t stay that long.”
“Did you bring me anything from the future?” asked Michelle.
Arthur reached into his bag. “From the past now, you mean. But yeah.” He pulled out a stuffed animal.
She snatched it up and gave it a squeeze. “A bear!”
“A magical teddy bear with fairy wings and a wand that grants wishes to good little girls,” noted Arthur.
She hugged him again and kissed his cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, princess.”
Atlas impatiently tapped his foot. “I thought we discussed this already, Arthur.”
Arthur continued to ignore him, not even giving the old warrior the courtesy of eye contact. “Hey, how’s the old geezer treating you?”
“He made me do extra laps this morning.” She glared back at Atlas.
Arthur laughed. “That big meanie. Would a chocolate bar make things all better?” He slipped out a candy bar wrapped in gold foil from his pocket.
“Yes!” She plucked it from his hand, peeled back the wrapper, and bit down. “You’re the best, Arthur,” she said with a mouthful of chocolate.
“I know.”
“Michelle, leave us!”
Atlas’ yell jolted Michelle and she cowered behind Arthur.
Arthur turned, bent down, and kissed her forehead. “Go eat your bar before he makes you run more laps.” He gave her a pat on the bottom and sent her off.
Michelle walked along the side of the fence, tapping her fingers across each post and counting. Ten was the distance she knew Atlas believed she would be safely out of earshot. She sat down in the grass, crisscrossed her legs, and slowly nibbled on her chocolate while she eavesdropped on their little ‘talk’ and stole a peek now and then.
Atlas was the first to speak—to lecture Arthur. As always. “We had a plan.”
“You had a plan,” Arthur corrected him, with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “I just got bored with it and decided to take a little vacation. No biggie.”
“No biggie? Every day you waste in the present is a day we can’t get back.”
“What are you talking about?” Arthur plopped down on a stack of hay nearby and leaned back against a post. “I’m a time traveler. I have all the time in the world.” The sarcastic fifteen-year-old crossed his legs and placed his hands back behind his head, to get more comfortable. “Besides, from my point of view, the present and the future is wherever I am right now.”
Atlas paced like a very unhappy tiger. “You still age like everyone else. Who knows how long this war will take. It’s up to you to carry on the struggle.”
He overacted a shrug. “It’s all fallen on my shoulders.”
“Yes.”
“What if I don’t want to carry that burden anymore?”
“There’s no one else. It must be you. You are the—”
“—The chosen one.” Arthur oozed with sarcasm now. “Yes, I know. I was there too. I heard them loud and clear. But they chose you too, y’know.”
“Yes, and I won’t be around forever.”
“Yet you waste your twilight years training a little girl.”
Atlas grabbed the hilt of his sword. “Maiden’s Soul chose her.”
Arthur scoffed. “Swords do the deciding for us now? And here I thought us higher primates were running the show.”
“She is to be the next Marauder.” He gestured to Michelle and she quickly looked the other way, adding a whistle for good measure. “And you must still be in your prime when she takes on the mantel.”
“Michelle’s just a kid, Atlas.” It was the young time traveler who raised his voice this time. “Stop filling her head with your delusions. The Maidens chose you and me. This is our fight, our burden, our struggle. Leave her out of it.”
“I won’t be around forever. Then who will be doing the killing for you?”
Arthur sat up straight with a heavy, melancholy sigh. “You forget, old teacher. I’ve already taken more lives than either of us can count.” He peered down at his own trembling hands. “Forgive me if I don’t want to add her name to the list.”
Atlas nodded to himself as the realization hit him. “You’ve grown too attached.”
“Attached?” He glared daggers at his old teacher.
“To me and her.” His expression grew solemn. “A warrior must be able to fight on, no matter how many comrades fall by the wayside.”
“There’s more to life than fighting.”
“Not for us.”
Arthur clawed at his head and let loose a laugh Michelle had never heard before. A sorrowful, maddening
laugh of a boy being crushed by a burden so heavy it was unfathomable. The weight of the universe was on his shoulders and, in that situation, the only sane thing he could do was to embrace insanity. “Y’know, I wish I was a bit more selfish.” He popped up to his feet and headed straight for her.
“What do you mean by that?”
Arthur ignored him and quickened his pace. “Would you like me to take you someplace nice for your birthday, Michelle?” He grabbed hold of the post behind her and leaned in until he practically towered over her.
She should have smiled then but the expression on his face was strange. “Sur—”
“Say, maybe I’ll take you back in time with me so we can live a happy, peaceful life. Before the shit hits the metaphorical fan. No more fighting, no more struggling, and definitely no more Atlas.” He fished his fingers under Michelle’s chin and lifted her face up to meet his gaze. “How’s that sound, kiddo?” The way he looked at her, for that fleeting moment, made her heart flutter and her cheeks flush bright red. “Just you and me.” But then his eyes saddened and his mouth twisted with spiteful contempt. “Screw the universe.”
“Arthur…” Atlas put his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Only for Arthur to knock the arm away with a quick swipe. “Relax, old man. I’m only joking. You remember those, right? Or has your humor fallen by the wayside too?” He hopped the fence and stormed off down the sloping field.
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t you mean when?” Arthur glanced back over his shoulder, waving his golden pocket watch.
Michelle shot up and climbed the fence. “Arthur, you promised,” she shouted out for him.
Arthur stopped mid-step and waited a beat. “Yeah, I guess I did. What kind of hero would I be if I time-skipped out on you?” He exchanged his watch for a deck of cards and nodded her over. “C’mon, I’ll show you another magic trick.”
She turned to Atlas with a puppy dog pout.
“Teenagers…” Atlas’ grumbling answer to her as he walked off.
She hopped down over the fence and ran to Arthur with a smile brighter than the sun itself.
Chapter Six
The tunnels below had been flooded from the rain, the water sloshing halfway up Michelle’s shins. The stench of rot and mildew hung in the stale air. The walls were coated with slimy algae and brown sludge that smeared when she pressed her palm against the arching bricks for support. Moonlight reflected off the black water in rare short flashes through dark clouds and missing bricks in the ceiling above. But she didn’t mind the darkness now. At least here, she could be alone with her thoughts. Inevitably, her mind drifted to…
“Michelle.”
“Goddamn it, Lefty, what?” She let her back fall against the wall and slumped down into the water. “Can’t you just let me die in peace?”
“We’re being followed.” Lefty’s snake eye lit up—basking her face in a green glow.
Michelle shrugged as she peered down at her distorted reflection in Lefty’s eye, marred with pale sunken cheeks and a pair of dark circles. She looked like the Grim Reaper herself. “And? I can’t use anymore magic.” She smiled grimly. “I really pushed it too far this time, didn’t I?”
“We’re not finished yet.” Lefty started to retch, wiggling and puffing out his cheeks. A bulge formed in his throat—Michelle’s wrist.
“What are you doing?”
Lefty regurgitated a small lumpy, meaty, slimy ball—offering it up on his tongue.
Michelle nearly gagged. “That’s disgusting.”
“It’s the heart of the Wraith we fought earlier,” Lefty said with a slur, his tongue bobbing on every word. “It still contains a piece of her aura. Eat it and it’ll give you enough energy to fight.”
Her whole face contorted with horror. “That’s disgusting.”
“What? We even kept it warm and moist for you.” He let it slowly slide off his tongue and plop into her right palm.
The slime-coated heart was as hot as fresh dog slobber and chewed up puppy chow and smelled ten times worse. “You’re disgusting,” she said with a whimper.
“Would you rather die?”
“Yes.”
“Michelle, this is no time for jokes.”
“Who’s joking?”
“Eat it.” He gave it a little nudge with his tongue like a dog would with his snout.
She pouted a frown. “No.”
“Eat it!”
“Nope.” She screwed her mouth shut.
“Open your mouth.”
“Not on your life,” she said through the tightest lips possible.
“The entire universe depends on you eating this delicious, meaty morsel.”
“The universe can burn.”
“We practically share the same body. Our juices are your juices.”
“Stop. Stop talking.” She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and an even longer exhale. “Fine, I’ll… I’ll… eeeee… eeeeeat it.” She gagged but held it together, maneuvering the sticky heart to the tips of her fingers. With a delicate pinch, she lifted it into the air and over her lips. Ever so slowly, she opened her mouth and lowered the heart inch by precious inch until finally—
“Wait,” Lefty screeched.
“What? Are you saying I don’t have to eat this? Please tell me that.”
“No, of course not.” Lefty reared up over the heart and stuck out his tongue. “There’s a gross little eyelash on it.” He picked at the tiny hair with his slimy tongue. “Come on… you little… almost… got it…”
Tears fell down Michelle’s cheeks as she watched Lefty French kiss the heart. “I hate you. I really, really frickin’ hate you.”
***
Michelle peeked out from behind the corner of a brick wall and spotted the android with the oversized metal fists lurking on the subway loading platform. The old lights overhead flickered on and off, giving her just enough visibility to scout the area and form her plan of attack.
“It’s alone,” she whispered. “Where’s the other one?”
“It’s here,” answered Lefty, mirroring her hushed volume. “And close. We can sense it.”
She gritted her teeth as she inched out more. Damn. I don’t see it anywhere. The station was large and empty, aside from a few rotting skeletons sprawled on the benches, with plenty of dark spots and corners hidden under the cover of shadows. If I go for an ambush now I might be the one who ends up getting ambushed. The tunnels and tracks were flooded from the rain and now the water had risen to her waist. Ahead, as the tunnels curved downward, the freezing water had pooled too high to tread. I could make a swim for it and avoid confrontation altogether. She peered over at the light-up map stand of the tunnel system next to the android. Her lips soured into a frown when she read the distance until the next station—three miles. And that’s if the tunnels haven’t collapsed. I could get myself drowned if this rain keeps up and I run out of air pockets.
“Michelle, it’s right behind us,” Lefty shouted a whisper.
She spun to meet her attacker, thrusting Maiden’s Soul forward. But only darkness greeted her—an empty tunnel filled with sloshing waters. She squinted hard. “I don’t see it…”
Then something caught her eye, a dark figure slithering toward her, just under the surface of the water, like a hungry crocodile.
She leaped back—instinctively shrouding herself with her cloak—as the prongs of the trident breached the water and speared her way. Her impenetrable cloak caught the first two prongs but the third slipped past and pierced her gut. She slashed the trident away, muffling a grunt of pain as she cupped her stomach. Bright hot blood drizzled out between the cracks of her fingers and dripped onto the rippling waves.
The android rose up from the depths and glared at her with glowing gray-blue eyes—yanking the trident back for another strike.
Michelle gripped her blood-soaked gut harder. “Now I’m pissed.” She held out her left hand and spread her palm flat. “Lefty. Blow!”
>
The android charged.
Lefty sucked in an enormous heap of breath—stumbling the android forward—his cheeks puffing and reddening. Once he filled his lungs to their limit he let loose a howling blast of air—sending the android flying down the tunnel.
Michelle blocked her nose with her forearm, the air around her now humid and foul. “Man, that’s nasty. How many rotting skunks did you eat?”
Lefty wheezed a labored sigh. “You’re welcome…”
A metal hand grabbed hold of the back of her hood and hoisted her up from the water and over the cement subway platform. She twisted to meet her attacker but the android sent her flying this time. She crash-landed on a bench, snapping it in two, and lost hold of her sword.
The android stalked her way, slamming its heavy fists together with an echoing thud.
Michelle scrambled to her feet in time to avoid a hard-right punch that cracked the cement floor like an eggshell. The robot swayed back and forth, fists up just under its eyes like a boxer’s gloves, jabbing away at her. She backpedaled, bobbing and weaving her head to dodge each fist speeding her way. Bricks shattered and red dust sprayed when a stray left landed against the wall just above her head. Ducking under its arm, she made a dash for open ground.
She snatched up her sword, spun around, and parried a combination of blows with a few strikes of her own. But even with Maiden’s Soul she was still being driven back, forced to stay on the defensive, a single mistake—a single punch would smash her skull like a watermelon dropped from the roof of a three-story building. When she spotted the other android, pulling itself out of the water and onto the platform, she got desperate. I only have enough strength left in me for one more magic trick. Better make it count. She swung her sword with all her might and shouted: “Lav—”
In a sudden burst of speed, the android caught her blade with its right hand and, with its left, grabbed hold of her throat—slamming her hard against a brick pillar.
“—ggrraakkk,” she gargled a cry. Her feet dangled and kicked in the air aimlessly.
The android squeezed, clapping her windpipe and cutting off her precious air. Its partner in crime stepped over, pulling out two beeping spheres from a couple of compartments in its chest. Two bombs counting down the last seconds of her life.
The Marauder Page 6
