by M. R. Polish
No. I needed to calm down. She was a grown woman who had magic. She’s tough. She killed Nicholas. I just needed to have faith in her.
My gut twisted. Letting go of control was hard. I was a Guardian, and it was my job to protect the ones I loved. But, so was she.
“Ian, listen to me. I’ve lived here for a very long time. I know what’s out there, and I know that right now is not the time to go traipsing through a city of souls.” Davin clanked his glass with mine. “We’ll find her.”
Tipping my head back, I downed the sweet yet strong drink. “Dregan, can you hear Luna yet?”
“Not yet. I’ve heard some other wolves who’ve passed on with their Guardian, but no one has seen or heard Luna, yet.” Staying in spirit form, his voice entered to my head crisp and clear.
I watched Davin twirl his drink. With any luck he’d not ask about my silence as I talked to Dregan. “Luna hid herself from Jarak when Es ran away before we found the witches tomb. Do you think she could be doing the same thing?”
“Doubt it. Although maybe compulsorily she could be blocking us.”
Setting the glass down on the edge of the polished wood, I turned my back to Davin. “Great. Thanks for that. You don’t think Julie’s strong enough to force her silence do you?”
“Stronger than a spirit wolf? No. But don’t worry. I can still feel her so at least we know they are alive.”
I shook my head. “That’s not enough. I want Es home.”
Pulling up my foot, I took another step. The ground made a slurping sound as my boot sunk into the soggy earth. Walking wasn’t easy as every step I had to tug my leg free from the sticky soil.
Clouds of gnats and mosquitoes swarmed around, buzzing in my ear. Swatting them away was useless.
Fog wafted from the land, leaving an eerie backdrop. Not that I was scared. But, I could completely respect the feel of it.
I pushed back a bare low-hanging branch so I could squeeze past. “What are we looking for out here? Why would Es be in the middle of a swamp in the Underworld?”
“It’s not her I’m seeking in this hellhole.” Davin swat at another bug. “I seek the Queen of the Watchers.”
“The what?” And why in the world didn’t he tell me before that we weren’t looking for Es?
He cast a glance over his shoulder at me before ducking under another branch. “The Queen of the Watchers. Her name is Raya, and she would know if Esmerelda is here.”
“How will she know? What is a Watcher?” A mosquito buzzed in my ear, and I couldn’t stop myself from slapping it. Damn.
Stopping, I held my hand up and concentrated on the tiny pests. The vibration of their wings quit humming in the air as they dropped to the ground. An entire mass of insects covered the sloppy mud like a royal carpet spread out before us.
Davin chuckled. “You know why I didn’t do that?”
There was a sense of satisfaction as I stepped on a clump of the bugs. “I don’t care.”
“You should. Raya likes her little pests, and she is not the nicest to those who kill them.” Gesturing with his head, he nodded up ahead. “She shouldn’t be much farther.”
I couldn’t see how killing off a few thousand blood sucking insects could be bad. I’ve killed more blood suckers of another form for years and it’s never come back to haunt me. “You never answered my questions. How will this Raya chick know if Es is here or not? What in the hell is a Watcher? And, because I’m playing twenty questions, how can she use the mosquitoes against me?”
“A Watcher is one of the things I was telling you about last night. They hide in the shadows and in the darkest parts of night. They watch other souls, and get a feel for their worst fears. Then, they make them come true. A Watcher knows every spirit that walks in this world.” He cleared his throat. “That’s why Raya will know. And as for your little bug friends, well, if they bother you so much you can bet that when you are at your worst, Raya will send a plague to make it worse on you.”
Great. So glad he told me before we left the living world. “But you’re the Death Keeper. Doesn’t your magic cancel out hers?”
He shook his head. “No. We all have a character to play in life, and mine is making deals and getting souls to fill this world, for her. I bet you didn’t know I worked for a girl.” He chuckled. “And, while my power is great, it cannot over power hers, just as she can’t conquer mine. Her magic is more trickery than real, but it plays on the mind as if it were factual. You know that hour in the middle of the night when the world seems to stop and you can feel something different in the air?”
“Yeah.” I’ve been awake many nights while searching for Esmerelda and felt eyes on me. Or heard the clock strike midnight and the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Davin stopped. “It’s called the Witching Hour, and Raya is in charge that hour. Whatever your imagination can conjure, she can make happen. It’s not just here either. The living world is subject to nightmares that play out their fears.” He took off again, without waiting for me.
“Dregan,” I whispered in my head. I could feel him, but needed to hear the sound of his voice. Next to losing Es, losing him was my greatest fear.
“Don’t worry, I’m still here, and we’ll find Es.”
Taking a step toward Davin, his hand played across my chest, stopping me. “Why’d you do that?”
“Shhh.” He held a finger up to his mouth, before turning away. “Raya,” he said, speaking out into the marsh. “I’m here on a personal matter. I was hoping you’d be so kind as to help us.”
A cackle split the air, and the land around us shifted, altering the trees and thick mud into stone walls and marble flooring.
“A personal favor? You know that’s not what I do.” A woman’s gravelly voice resonated off the walls.
Davin cautiously took a step forward. “I know, but perhaps this time you might change your mind. You see, there is someone I am looking for, but she is not dead. She has been brought here alive.”
The woman laughed. “Well, give it time. She’ll be dead soon.”
“No! I need to find her, please help.” Davin glared at me. Speaking out of turn might not have been the wisest choice, but hearing how she talked about Es dying killed a part of me. The very same part that gave a rat’s ass about manners and waiting for Davin to plead for help. Es was my life, not his. No one could want to find her more than me.
“So it seems you’ve brought another living soul to our world. This is becoming a habit for you as of late. Speaking of, how is Ms. Ailaina?” Her tone raised an octave, making her almost screechy.
Davin’s jaw clenched. “Ailaina is quite well, thank you. And it’s not a concern of yours who I bring to this world. I might bring you souls to torture, but it’s their choice to make the deal. It doesn’t mean you have a say over what I do. Respectfully, I am asking for your help.”
I didn’t know how he remained so calm. The red in his eyes burst to life with flickers of flames, but his actions showed a reserved and well trained man.
“Fine, since you’re all about deals, and I’m all about souls, why don’t we make a deal? The information on this girl you want, for the soul of the one who sent her here. And I don’t care if the spirit is dead or alive.” A dark shadow crossed the floor. “Do we have a deal?”
Davin’s nostrils flared. “Julie’s soul was already yours.”
She laughed. “Maybe, but not until she died. I want her here within two days or I won’t tell you were your precious Esmerelda is.”
“I didn’t tell you who I searched for. Since you know her name, then I assume you know about her whereabouts. Can you tell us how she is?” Davin glanced over at me, a flash of hope washed over his face before frustration replaced it.
She raised her voice. “I won’t say anything until we have a deal and you keep your end of the bargain.”
“Why is Julie so important that you don’t want to wait for her to die?” I asked.
A woman with long black hair rus
hed up to me. The long black dress she wore dragged the ground behind her. Her face got close enough that I could feel her breath on my skin. Black lines streaked up her neck. But it was her black, hollow, soulless eyes that held me captive. “Foolish man. You know nothing of her. She used a powerful spell once a long time ago. I think you’re familiar with it. She used it on your brother. That spell wasn’t hers to use. It was mine. You see, she only saw that spell once it was late enough for me to cross through to the living world and plant it in her book. But, every spell that dark has a price to pay. And I’ve just decided it was time to pay up.”
“If I promise to bring her to this world you’ll help me find Es?” I asked, barely breathing. My heart jumped into my throat.
“Of course.” She sneered before turning to Davin. “Do we have a deal?”
He reached out, taking her hand in his. “One soul, dead or alive.”
Ten
Esmerelda
T raipsing through the grove of trees with Jarak was surreal. While we laughed and talked, the pain of his death and the void his absence left in my life was temporarily hid. How many times had I wished I could see him one more time? My dreams were different. He was never really there for those.
It was so unfair that I could bring witches back to life, but I couldn’t revive him. My mom spent hours on the phone with me, reminding me how Moriah held herself and the others in a death-like state and not true death, was the only explanation of why I couldn’t bring him back that she gave.
The dead condition of this new world began to turn, and green leaves sprouted from the trees as I walked by. It wasn’t hard to think back to another time when something familiar happened. The first day that Meadow’s magic shield fell, and my magic was able to show itself.
That was such a long time ago, yet not long at all. It seemed like yesterday that I sat watching the roses bloom on Meadow’s casket. But that was back when I thought she was my mom, and she was supposed to be dead.
Stopping, I squatted down, touching one of the new saplings sprouting from the ground. My touch sent it into a rapid growth, shooting small leaves from the tiny branches. Luna licked my hand as she too investigated. Standing back up, the fully mature tree next to me began filling out with wide green leaves.
“How are you doing that?” Luke placed a hand on the knotted trunk of the elm tree, looking up into the branches that lifted and spread out with new foliage.
His tag-along presence was annoying, but I wasn’t sure how far I could push him away. What kind of a fuse did his anger have? I didn’t know him enough to judge any of that. He already had the creepy factor going for him.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not something I try to do. It just seems like whenever I’m around something dying, my magic tries to bring it back.”
His eyes snapped to me. “Yes, but these weren’t dying, they were dead.”
Luna growled. “There’s something odd about him. Be careful, Es. I don’t think you should tell him anything.”
A short nod was the only response I gave her, hoping no one noticed the small gesture.
Jarak wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Does it matter how she did it?”
Not sure if Maztic told Jarak the same thing or not, but I was grateful he didn’t say anything either.
“No, not really. I was just curious.” Luke took a step back, his arm falling to his side.
The glare Luke sent Jarak sent chills to my fingertips, and the small leaf I held instantly froze. Well, that was new.
The tension from the single heated look warmed my skin. I tried my best to smile at Luke. “So, it was nice to meet you and all, but I think Jarak and I have a lot of catching up to do. Maybe we’ll see you around?”
Luke snapped his attention my way. The color in his eyes shifted, like rainbow chrome. “Trying to get rid of me? After I helped you?”
Luna stood with hackles raised, prancing on her front paws.
My breath wanted to stop in my throat. I’d never seen eyes do that before. “Luke, I’m sorry. I just thought that you probably had somewhere else to be besides wandering all over the Underworld with us.”
“What if I told you that I was the Watcher assigned to you? You can’t get rid of me.” He stepped closer.
I wanted to step back, but held my ground. “Watcher? But you helped me. Why would you do that if you were sent to terrify me?”
“I saw that you weren’t like us. You aren’t dead.” A sheen of light glossed over his eyes once more as he smiled. “And, you have magic. Powerful magic.”
Don’t show fear. Don’t show fear. Hide it so he can’t sense it. “So? What does that have to do with you helping me?”
Jarak tightened his hold around me. Maztic bared his teeth, matching Luna’s anger next to me.
Luke smirked. “Because I think you can help me, and you can’t do that if you’re stuck crying in the dark.”
“I don’t know how to help you. I don’t even know what you want. I’m sorry.” I didn’t even know how to help myself. But I had a feeling that didn’t matter to Luke. Whatever he wanted help with, he was certain I could help. And that was a new fear I had to hide as well.
His posture stiffened. “I need you to break my deal. I want to live again.”
“You made a deal?” Jarak dropped his arm from my waist only to rub his forehead.
“I did. When you make a deal with the Death Keeper, it’s for your soul. Only, it’s not always for him. It’s for Raya. I didn’t know that then though.” He curled his lip. “Unless you are lucky like your friend here. It must be nice not to be bound to the Queen of the Watchers in lieu of making a deal. I will never have peace until I’m free. For eternity I am bound to her beck and call as one of her Watchers.”
Where had I heard that name before? Somewhere in my suppressed memories that name stuck out, but I couldn’t place it. “Luke, I can’t break a deal. Surely you know that.” I wasn’t sure there was anything that could break a contract with the Death Keeper. But I was certain that if there was a way, I didn’t have what it would take.
The trees dropped their new leaves, shriveling back up to their previous dead state. Another wolf howled in the distance, and both Luna and Maztic’s ears stood up.
Luke brought his finger up to point at me, shaking it hard, ignoring the sound of the wolves. “I think you’re lying. You brought the trees back to life. They’ve been dead for so many years, and yet here they are blooming in front of us.”
I tossed my arms in the air. “A tree, maybe. But not a person. If that was the case I’d have brought Jarak back a long time ago.”
Luke sneered. “I still think you’re lying. You probably didn’t bring him back because it would be too awkward for you since you’re in love with his brother. You didn’t want an elephant in the room.”
“That’s not true!” How dare he say that? I would have brought Jarak back if I could have.
Luke chortled. “Tsk. Tsk. I told you not to let your fear show.”
I heard him, but his eyes weren’t on me, they were on Jarak. Was it my fear or Jarak’s? My heart plummeted thinking that Jarak was afraid that I left him in death because I didn’t want him around, or that he’d just be in mine and Ian’s way. “Jarak, don’t listen to him. If I could have saved you, or brought you back, I would have. I promise.”
It was too late. Luke’s words already were burning into both of our subconscious’. Of course I would have saved Jarak. Wouldn’t I? Jarak wasn’t an elephant in the room with me and Ian. He didn’t think he was. Did he?
Luke’s words teased my guilt. Oh my heck, what if Jarak didn’t believe me?
“You’re right,” Luke said. “You do have a lot of catching up to do. I’ll let you two talk. But I’ll be watching.” With his last word, he vanished into the air.
I turned to Jarak. “Don’t believe him.”
He pulled me in for a hug. “I know,” he said, muffled in my hair. But he wasn’t convincing.
We s
tayed that way for another minute. Letting him go was hard. It seemed like we were always parting.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
Jarak brushed it off with his thumb. “Don’t cry. We’ll find a way to get you home. And if I know my brother, I know he won’t rest until he finds a way to save you from this fate.”
But the truth behind my tears wasn’t just being stuck in this world. They were for what Luke said, and for losing Jarak—again. I knew it would happen. It was inevitable.
I sucked in a long breath as I mulled over Jarak’s words. Wait. He was right. Ian wouldn’t stop until I was out of here. “The only way Ian can get to me here is if he dies or makes a deal.” My eyes widened. “Jarak,” I grasped his shirt, “he can’t make a deal.” He just couldn’t.
He gripped my hands. “It’s okay, he won’t.”
Staring into his eyes—eyes that reminded me of his brother’s, only Jarak’s were a darker cerulean—I tried to search for answers. Answers I desperately needed. “How do you know that?”
He smiled. “Like I said, I know my brother. And so do you. You know he won’t chance fate if it means risking his future with you.”
“But what if the only future we have is dead?” I let go of his shirt and swung my arms out gesturing to our surroundings. “Literally!”
“Es, calm down. You aren’t dead, and Ian’s not either.” He squatted down and gave Maztic a good rub on his head.
I needed to get a grip. I was strong, and if I could go up against and kill Nicholas, then this should be a walk in the park. “You’re right. I need to figure out how to get through this.” Watching him, I realized Luna was no longer with me. “Wait. Have you seen Luna?”
“Luna? Where are you?” I searched for our link in my head, but it was vague. Only a slight tug let me know she was still there—somewhere.
“Es?” Her voice was strained, confused.
Reaching down, I stopped Jarak’s hand. “Luna isn’t here, and she doesn’t sound right.”
