Amber Smoke

by Kristin Cast

  “The Mortal Realm is in need of better craftsmen,” he mumbled, picking up the door and resting it against the wall.

  “Eva, are you here?” he shouted. Muddy footprints followed him as he sped through the house, searching each room for the Oracle.

  “Why did you not listen?” He balled his fist and thumped it against the kitchen wall. The phone fell off the receiver and drywall dust floated to the floor. Alek picked up the phone. The battery swung from colorful cords, and he stuffed them back into the base. He flipped it over and stared at the call button. “Bridget.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out the crinkled gum wrapper she’d given him the night before. He punched in the numbers and held his breath as it rang.

  “Who is this and why are you in my house?” she snapped.

  “It is where I left Eva,” he explained.

  “Alek?” she asked, her voice softer.

  He nodded before realizing she couldn’t see him. “Yes, I’m in need of your assistance.”

  “I can’t really talk to you right now,” she whispered.

  “I have nowhere else to turn. You’re the only one who can help me.”

  “Hang on.” The background noises faded and she spoke again. “Sorry, I got arrested earlier today and now my parents are all over me. I think they would’ve been happier if I got a DUI.”

  Alek’s stomach dropped. “Did they take Eva?”

  “No, I was brilliant and created a diversion so she could get away. But the police are looking for both of you, and they’re not going to stop anytime soon. They’re convinced you guys had something to do with that murdered girl.”

  “It’s not important to me what they think. I must find Eva before they do. Do you know where she is?” He paced around the kitchen, ready to run as soon as he found out her location.

  “It’s not like we had a what-will-you-do-if-the-cops-try-to-arrest-you conversation before they actually tried to arrest her.”

  “Think,” he barked the command. “You know her better than anyone else. Where would she go?”

  “Okay, you don’t have to be so rude about it.”

  The line went silent, and Alek took the phone away from his ear to look at it. “Bridget?”

  “I’m thinking, jeeze.” She sounded small, and he pressed the phone back to his cheek. “Mohawk Park maybe?”

  “Mohawk Park,” he repeated. “Are you asking me if she’s there?”

  “No, that’s my best guess. I mean, we weren’t too far from it, and we literally went hiking there like every weekend growing up.”

  Alek ignored her and pressed on to his next question. “How do I get there?”

  “Stay on the main road running next to the property, and you’ll run right into it in about ten miles.”

  “Thank you, Bridget.”

  “And, Alek, when you find her, stay gone.”

  He dropped the phone on the counter and bolted out the front door.

  • • •

  Alek barreled down the road. The storm dissipated, leaving gray wisps lazily floating in the sky. Wind dried his shirt and blew the dirt from his body. Visions of a dying Tartarus and a crumbling Mortal Realm fueled his speed and blinded him to the blur of the street.

  A force strong and fast clipped his leg and flipped him in the air like a ragdoll. He landed on his feet and quickly crumpled to the pavement. Pain swelled in his leg and tore its claws through his torso. Squealing tires sounded around him as traffic swerved to miss his limp, bleeding body.

  A petite woman rushed up and crouched next to him. “Don’t move. Don’t move,” she said, gently patting his trembling shoulder.

  “I must get to her.” He tried to pull himself up, but his limbs remained motionless and unresponsive.

  “Stay still. Don’t try to move. It can only make things worse. Can you tell me your name?” Her voice was calm and comforting, unlike the hushed gasps and chatter from the small audience forming around them.

  “Alek,” he said between wracking coughs.

  “Alex, my name is Nina. I’m a police officer. I’ve called the paramedics. They’ll be here very soon,” she reassured.

  “Police?” he gurgled.

  “Save your strength. You’re going to be okay.”

  “I came back too soon,” he said, scanning his body internally for any remaining bits of power.

  “That doesn’t matter now. You’ll be fine. Just focus on my voice.”

  “I need…Mohawk Park,” he managed to say between coughs and gasps for air.

  “You’re only a few feet away from one of the entrances. Is your family hiking? Or is someone else in there who we should call?” she asked.

  He clenched his talisman and felt power surge through his body. “Eva,” he whispered.

  “Eva, is that the name of your girlfriend? Do you want me to send someone to try and get ahold of her?”

  The ambulance whined in the distance, and Alek forced himself to his feet. He cried out as pain stabbed his left leg.

  The officer stood and blocked his path to the park. Her neon pink yoga pants had strawberry-colored stains on the knees from his blood. “The ambulance is almost here. You have to lie back down. You’ve been in a serious accident. You were clipped by a car. I don’t even know how you’re standing right now.”

  “Get out of my way,” he growled through clenched teeth.

  “You look so familiar.” Her eyes widened with realization, and she backed up slowly.

  Blood streamed down his leg and joined the pool of crimson on the pavement. “Move!” His lip curled with a snarl as he hunched over and pressed his blood-soaked jeans into the wound.

  “Think about your next move before you make it. M…my children are in the car,” she stammered, glancing back at the small heads curiously gawking out of rolled down windows.

  “Then stand down, and I will give them nothing to fuel their nightmares.”

  She stepped to the side and stared at the concrete. “Just go.”

  Ambulance sirens blared closer as Alek hobbled into the woods.

  The commotion behind him faded as he ventured deeper into the park. Mud camouflaged the paths, and he skated across the ground more than walked. His injured leg stayed useless and bent while the toe of his shoe dug a trench in the sludge.

  “Eva!” he shouted, propelling himself forward by lurching from tree to tree. Bloody handprints and syrupy-red splatters added to the trail behind him. “Eva!” he called again. “Can you hear me?”

  A calming wave washed over him, dulling his pain, and swirling his vision. “Oracle,” he muttered, stretching his arms out in front of him. The trees seemed to lurch back as he reached for them, and he tumbled to his hands and knees. His fingers disappeared in the mud, and he struggled against the suction to free them. His arms shook, and he let his body slump inches from the ground.

  “Alek.” Her voice fluttered to him like a whisper in a dream.

  “I will not die today,” he snarled, clenching his fists and pushing off the mushy ground and up to his feet. He bared his teeth and grunted. “I will reach her. Ten more paces.”

  His hands and feet felt cold and clammy, and the edge of his vision darkened. “Ten more paces,” he repeated.

  “Eva!” A thin layer of sweat coated his body, and his breathing quickened and became shallower. “Up that hill. Only ten more paces.”

  His foot slipped in the sludge, and he collapsed to his back on the ground. His body felt tired and empty. He stared at the sky as he let himself sink into the mud.

  “Oracle, where are you?”

  Thirty-Two

  Eva’s headache lifted with the rain. The excruciating pain vanished and left in its place panic and fear. Scared of anyone who might see her, she didn’t dare leave the safety of the small cave. Instead, she focused on meaningless tasks to keep from shattering into a million frightened, blubbering pieces. She dug at drying layers of muck to uncover her pants and shoes. Her body ached, and her hands felt raw and tight. They shook with f
atigue and pain as she plucked thorns from her fingers and palms.

  “I should have never left the house. Why did I think they wouldn’t find me?” Eva rested her head on her knees and rocked back and forth. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her damp, dirty sweat pants.

  “Eva.” Her ears perked and she stared out the den’s wide opening. Her ragged breathing and the soft patter of water echoed around her. She straightened and crawled to the mouth of the cave. Her hands and knees throbbed as she stretched her neck to listen. “Eva. Can you hear me?”

  “Alek?” She launched out of the hole and slid on her back down the embankment. Mud sucked the shoes off her heels, and they slapped against the soles of her feet as she ran toward his voice.

  “Alek!” she yelled, pumping her arms wildly as she navigated over the uneven terrain. Tears of relief streaked her face, and she pushed through her misty vision.

  “I’m here, Alek.” She fell to her knees beside him. His shredded jeans revealed a deep gash in his thigh. She ripped the cord from her hoodie and passed it under his heavy leg. “This is going to hurt.” She tied it into a knot and yanked on the ends.

  Alek made a fist in the mud and howled in pain. “Is this what it’s like to be mortal? I did not realize it would be such agony.” His mouth hung open, and he breathed in shallow bursts.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?” Before he could answer, she lifted his tattered shirt. Scrapes marred his flesh, and she passed a careful hand over his torso. “You’re pale. You’ve lost a lot of blood,” she said, noticing how dark her skin appeared in comparison to his. “I thought you were like me and couldn’t get hurt. How did this happen?”

  His swallow was audible as he turned his neck to face her. “I had to find you. To protect you.”

  She took off the hoodie, rolled it into a ball, and gently placed it under his head. “You didn’t need to come back for me.”

  He winced as a shudder passed through his body. “I believe my body is failing me.”

  Eva grabbed his hand and held it tightly between hers. “Don’t worry about me. I have a place to hide. Go back home. You’ll die if you stay here.”

  “My talisman. I drained it to get to you. There is no way back.”

  Her eyes welled up with tears. “Why would you do that?”

  “Without you, our worlds are lost.”

  “But I can’t help anyone on my own.” Tears dripped onto her hands, and she released her exhale slowly to calm her shaking voice.

  “I only saved you and returned so soon to reverse the curse, but I have failed. I am sorry,” he whispered.

  “No, you haven’t failed,” she said with a sob. “Everything will be okay. You’ll be okay.” She leaned over him and rested her head against his chest. “I don’t know how to do this on my own. Don’t leave me,” she wept.

  “You are strong. You must fight.”

  The amber light from his talisman flooded her vision, and Eva lifted her head. “I thought you drained all of its energy.”

  “Magic.” He smiled weakly and closed his eyes.

  “Alek, please. You can’t leave me.” She brushed the hair back from his forehead and slid her hand to his cheek. “I need you.”

  She pressed her lips against his and let the tears stream down her face.

  • • •

  “What do you mean you let the suspect go?” Schilling’s jaw set, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I had no choice. There were too many people around,” the female officer explained, picking crusts of blood off her hands.

  “Judging by that huge puddle of blood over there,” Schilling gestured to the dark slick staining the concrete behind them, “I can’t believe he posed that much of a threat.”

  “Ease up, Schilling,” James said, leaning into him. “We’re here now. He couldn’t have gone far.”

  “And you didn’t see him. It was like something jump-started him. I don’t know if it was shock, or what, but he was up and prepared to do whatever he had to in order to get into the park,” she explained.

  “Thanks for filling us in,” James said, as he watched Schilling walk away mumbling under his breath. “And don’t let my partner get to you. He’s like that with everyone.”

  He jogged over to where Schilling stood staring at the trees. “Think we should split up?”

  He grunted. “Be better than waiting for those jackasses in tactical.”

  “I grew up hiking through here. Up ahead a little ways, there’s a fork in the trail. You go right, I go left?” James took his gun from its holster and clicked off the safety.

  Schilling removed his and did the same. “If you find him, don’t approach. Radio in your location and wait for backup. And keep your eyes open. There have been a few calls from people who’ve spotted mountain lions out here this year. The last thing we need is one of those nasty fuckers sneaking up derailing everything.” He lifted his gun and they noiselessly proceeded into the park.

  • • •

  Eva’s soft lips molded to his. She felt warm and inviting, like his first walk in the sun, and Alek surrendered to her comfort. Heat wafted from his talisman and mixed with the newly cleansed breeze. Warm air encircled them as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his chest. Eva’s heartbeat echoed through Alek like fireworks. He parted his lips and hungrily deepened the kiss.

  Pain was a distant memory. His body tingled, and the heat from his crystal increased. The mushy ground vibrated beneath his back and rich gold light flooded his vision.

  “Eva,” he whispered, his breath mingling with hers. “Thank you.”

  The warm breeze shifted and strengthened. Its force kicked up leaves and debris from the ground and knocked Eva backward. Orange light flashed through the trees like fire. Large flashbulbs of light rippled in her vision, and she blinked through them, blindly searching the mud for his body.

  “Eva? Where’s Alek?”

  She spun around. Dirt caked her hands and streaked her wide-eyed face. “Did you see that? That light. He was here. Right here. And now he’s gone.” Tears spilled out of the corners of her eyes.

  James lowered his gun and studied her bloody clothes. “I heard you say his name. Where did he go?”

  “I don’t know where he went.” She sucked back her sobs and stood. “I have to find him. You have to help me.”

  “Don’t come any closer,” he instructed, holding his hand out in front of his torso.

  She took a few small steps forward. Pressure crept into her chest, a power inching its way in. “I know you think I did all these bad things, but I’m not guilty of any of them.”

  He lifted his gun so it was even with her heart. “Eva, stay there. Don’t come any closer.”

  Her voice caught in her throat. “W…Why are you pointing that at me? I haven’t done anything.”

  “I said, don’t come any closer.” His grip tightened, and he clenched his teeth.

  “Detective, please just give me a chance to explain,” she pleaded. The pressure intensified, and Eva took shallow breaths against its heaviness.

  James lightly smoothed his finger over the trigger. “I will shoot you, Eva. Don’t think I won’t.”

  The weight in her chest felt pinned to an invisible string tugging her back. She forced her body away from its pull. Twigs snapped under her feet as she shuffled closer to James. “Detective, listen to me.” Pressure forced the air from her chest and clutched her heart. It tore through her, dragging her backward.

  A crack like gunfire roared through Mohawk Park. A stink of smoke singed the air.

  James lowered his pistol. “Eva?”

  Epilogue

  Amber light burst into the cave, spreading like smoke, stretching its warm rays through every alcove and fissure. Its otherworldly glow brushed recesses that had remained untouched for years. In those crevices awoke a resting wickedness. Each malevolent fleck spun to life. They hovered together and let the wind carry them from the cavern. The small specks of b
lack drifted with the breeze. They stretched their sluggish bodies, relearning what it meant to be one, what it meant to be whole after decades of sleep.

  • • •

  Tyson sprinted down the familiar Mohawk Park trail. His feet pounded the ground in perfect rhythm. Blood surged through his legs, and he smiled, admiring his body’s power.

  “Damn gnats,” he mumbled, taking a deep breath and fanning the air in front of his face. Whispers spun around him as he inhaled. “Hello?” he said, pulling one of his ear buds out. “Anyone out there?” He jogged in place and studied the still woods around him. “Huh.” He shrugged and poked the ear bud back in his ear.

  He prodded at the volume button on his phone, and continued his poor attempt at rapping as he jogged along the muddy trail. “When you come up from the bottom, duh duh duh duh duh duh chosen. Yeah.”

  He bobbed and weaved, ducking shots from his invisible opponent and landing others. He reached the end of his route and threw his hands up in the air. And the new UFC champion is Tyson Andrews. The crowd goes wild. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted in hushed tones. “Ahhhhhh! Tyson we love you!” He continued his mini celebration as he shuffled to the parking lot.

  He shook out his extremities and did a few light stretches before removing the headphones and slinging the cord over his shoulder. “And what was the time for today?” Velcro scratched and popped as he removed the iPhone armband from around his bicep. He opened his running app and scanned his stats. “Not good, Tyson. Not good. Has to be all the mud. And those gnats. I hate those fuckers. Lost a good two minutes on them alone.” He popped open his gas tank and fished around for his keys. Faint whispers swirled around him again, and he paused before opening the trunk.

  “Hello?” He turned and looked around the empty parking lot. Dryness itched the back of his throat, and he stifled a cough. “Fucking gnats.”