by Leyton, Bisi
Getting up, he went to the closet and brought out a deep purple gown. “Put this on.”
“My clothes are fine.”
“Not a discussion.” He flung the outfit at her. “You are never to wear the colors of the Third Pillar again. Either wear this dress or go naked. I do not mind either way.”
She snatched the dress up, but she didn’t obey. “Can I be alone?”
“No,” he growled.
She forced a laugh and started to unbutton her top.
Not waiting, he ripped her top from the neckline to the waist, revealing her black underwear. “You can do this my way or yours. I prefer mine.” He backed her up against the wall.
“I’m doing what you asked.” She tried to cover her chest with her arms, but she was too voluptuous.
His eyes were fixed on her chest. She was beautiful.
“Happy? You think this makes you strong?” Wisteria fumed.
“Yes.” Take her now. What are we waiting for? Once we have had her, we will be ready to kill, the darkness insisted. We’ll get our first blood. He didn’t understand why he needed to be with Wisteria before having his first blood. Well, it didn’t matter anymore because very, very soon he’d take her.
She picked up the purple dress.
“Stop, let me look at you,” he said.
After shooting him a dirty look, she put purple dress over her head.
“You heard what I said.”
“Bach.” Pausing, she held onto the dress to shield herself from him. “Why is it so important I do what you want?” She asked calmly, but her bloodshot eyes showed her fear. “You don’t need my permission to do what you’re thinking.”
“You are right, I do not, but it pleases me that I can make you do want I need.” He moved toward her. “It is not like you do not want me here. You are in heat and you want me to make you a woman.” Taking the gown from her, he ran a hand up along her back. “Everything you said before about wanting that was true. Deep down, you know it.”
“You’re insane.”
“Admit it. You are more on fire for me now, than you have ever been. I am in your blood because of our bond. I am the only person you will ever want. Tell me I am wrong Peeka. Say you do not want to kiss me and have me take what is mine from you. Just say you do not want me.”
She slapped him. “S—sorry.” Her eyes widened as she backed away.
Bach laughed. “Good answer.”
She mumbled to herself as she slipped the new dress over her head.
“What were you about to say?” he demanded.
“I said, your darkness wouldn’t hurt me because if you did, you’d never forgive yourself.” She buttoned up the side of the dress.
“You think so?”
“Yes, I do. Why are you trying to make me want you after you kidnapped me? There’s no way in hell, I’ll ever do anything you want—”
“You are wearing the purple dress. That proves I can get you do what I want…when I want.”
“Being a Dy’obeth doesn’t make you better. You're weaker than ever. You’re nothing but a momma’s boy.”
“Oh?” He stepped forward.
“Nothing you’re doing is about what you want. You are her slave. You’re blindly following her even if it means destroying your bloodline and your happiness.” She inched back and stopped when her feet hit the bed. “Please—we can be happy again.” She stroked the side of his face. “Please try and remember who you are, remember what we had.”
“You need more than those tricks to trap me.” He removed her hands from his temples and saw the last of her purple light fade.
She’d tried to pulse him again.
“This isn’t you—”
“That Bach, the old Bach, was a milk-hearted person who stood by and allowed his mate to be attacked and failed to protect his child. No man would have allowed his bloodline to be defiled and destroyed by Terrans,” he admitted. Do not talk to her. Get this over with.
“Oleander, you blame yourself for what happened to her? Is that why you don’t let go of the darkness?” Wisteria gasped. “Your mother—”
“The perfection has made me more powerful than I ever was. No one will ever be able to touch what is mine—including you.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“When I eventually become High Father.” He placed a hand on her belly, “our children will rule this realm and—Terra.”
“My people will fight you.”
“With what? The fancy lights you think are pulses are useless against me. I will make sport of your people the same way they toyed with ours and ended Oleander’s life.” He seethed. “When we are done, no one human, Famila or Dy’obeth will ever get in my way.”
“You’re not the only person who lost her. I pray every day I could go back and change everything. Why couldn’t I see she was ours when I sensed you all the time? Why—why didn’t I figure it out? I would’ve taken her away from everything.” Tears poured down her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have told you about her death.”
Seeing her distressed was more evidence of his inadequacy as a protector. “That is why I need the darkness.” Any conflict or confusion he felt over embracing his Dy’obeth self was now gone.
*****
Bach let go of Wisteria’s neck and she dropped back on the bed. He stormed out, slamming the door behind him, causing the whole room to shake.
Shivering, she stood in disbelief, piecing together what had happened.
Even as his twisted self, he made her realize two truths. The first, she was devastated over Oleander’s death and felt as much guilt as he did over it. The second—a humiliating fact, she still wanted him. Part of her was tempted to let him have his way that was why she slapped him. You’re disgusting Wisteria, she chastised herself.
The door opened again and Frieda appeared with Lleo in her arms. “Hey.”
Wisteria sat back down on the bed.
“D’cara, you look like hell.” Frieda gasped. “You did it? You freed Bach.” Closing the door, she rushed over to hug Wisteria. “Great, with Lluc and Bach back. That means we’re definitely getting out of here. I thank God you, turned up. I’m thinking we go to Valhalla. If we lay low for a few months—” She stopped talking and looked down at Wisteria. “What happened?”
“It didn’t work.”
“It didn’t—because you didn’t get the chance to? He’ll be back. You can try again.”
“Frieda, I pulsed him, twice. He became angrier.”
“So—pulse him again.”
“I tried, but I can’t. I’ve used up all the power. It’s as if he doesn’t want to change.”
“Why?”
“Oleander’s death. He blames himself.”
“But Coia did it. Why didn’t you explain it to him?”
“I tried—but maybe I blame him too,” Wisteria confessed. “It was his fault Oleander died. If he hadn’t tried to take care of me when I became infected, he could’ve gone after her and saved her.” Wisteria felt hot tears drop from her face onto her lap. “I wasn’t important. She was.”
“That isn’t fair. He was a kid, like you. It was an impossible choice.”
“I know. We both were kids. He tried to put it right, I mean, he gave himself up to Coia to get her back, but he should’ve never let Oleander go in the first place.”
“But you would’ve died.”
“That would be better than going through this.”
“Oleander would never have been safe if she were alive. Coia, the Family, RZC, Red Phoenix or Felip would’ve used her somehow. Her life would’ve been worse than yours.”
“But she’d be here with her father.”
“Who is now a Dy’obeth?” Frieda sat down next to her.
“Maybe he wouldn’t have turned into a Dy’obeth if Oleander hadn’t died.”
“You’re wrong. Bach would have still given into his darkness if you died.” Lluc appeared at the door and glanced at Frieda. “I gave into the beadle pins because
of Frieda and Lleo. I had to fight the darkness. If you were not alive he’d be worse than our mother.”
“I’m so angry at him and myself because we failed her,” Wisteria whispered as the ground started to tremble beneath her.
“What’s going on?” Frieda lifted her feet onto the bed. “What’s she doing?”
“Like Bach, you have not been dealing with the guilt you feel about Oleander,” Lluc concluded.
“I don’t understand.” Wisteria lifted up her feet.
“Curious, you should not be able to do this when there is ninth metal here. Mother removed all of it.” He frowned.
Wisteria placed her feet back on the ground. It felt warm. “No, there’s Ninth Metal in this place. It’s buried deep down.” Getting up, she touched the floor.
“Like in the foundation?” Lluc asked.
“That would make sense. The First Pillar built Jarthan, so they would use it,” Frieda said.
“I’ve always been stronger when Ninth Metal is around. Come.” Getting up, Wisteria walked out.
Lluc and Frieda followed.
Glancing at the two Drones who stood guard at the end of the hall, she turned left and headed to Frieda’s quarters. When she did, the television screen shattered and the glass floated out in a circle in the middle of the room, taking the form of a threshold.
“You’re going back to Valhalla,” Wisteria told Frieda.
“You can control the thresholds now?” Lluc asked suspiciously. “I thought you did not know how.”
“I didn’t. I still don’t, but I know this going to take you to Valhalla. I guess I’m tapping into the Nucleus. Frieda, take your son. When this is over, I will bring you back, if that’s what you want.” Wisteria didn’t understand why knowing the Ninth Metal was there made her feel different suddenly.
“And you?” Frieda inquired.
“I’m going back to the Hall of Ages to get more prax for Bach,” Wisteria answered.
“Can you not pulse him again?” Lluc approached her.
“If we’re lucky, it’ll take months for me to be able to do that again. In the meantime, how do we contain him, so he won’t get prax?” Wisteria said.
He shook his head. “It will be almost impossible to imprison a Dy’obeth—unless you send him to Ajana.”
“No, we can’t send him to a hell dimension to be tortured forever.” Wisteria felt aghast at the idea.
“Wisteria, are you sure you can do this?” Frieda asked.
“If we hold off infecting the Dy’obeths then everyone is going to die. I’m not arguing about this, unless you have another idea,” Wisteria said.
“Coia won’t let that happen.” Frieda shook her head.
“She was a fool to think I would place my personal feelings over my people. I’m not like her—I’m human. Go now,” Wisteria ordered.
“What if she kills you?” Frieda asked.
“She will be fine. I promise nothing will happen to her,” he interjected. “And when this is over, I will come for you.”
“You’re not coming with us?” his wife exclaimed.
Lluc shook his head. “I need to do this. I have to try to make this right.”
Frieda frowned, nodded and kissed his lips. She handed the baby to Wisteria and hurried to the bed. Dragging out a pink suitcase, she took out a small bottle of lotion and tossed to Wisteria. “It’s made of bean vine. It won’t work against Dy’obeths, but it might come in handy against empirics.”
“Thanks.” Wisteria caught the bottle. “How do you know it doesn’t work against Dy’obeths?”
Wrinkling her nose, Frieda glanced at her husband as if to say she’d tried to use it on him. “Promise, you’ll come back.”
“He isn’t staying.” Wisteria turned to face the floating glass. “Lleo needs his father.”
“I cannot—” Lluc started.
In seconds, the threshold swept forward and enveloped Frieda, Lluc and Lleo.
Wisteria stood alone. Placing her trembling hands over her racing heart, she took deep breaths to calm herself.
It would be a quick trip back to the Hall of Ages and straight on to infect the very first Dy’obeth she came upon. Then, she’d wait for Bach to find her again and infect him. “All right Wisteria you can do this.” She told herself as the threshold flew toward her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nevena
Wisteria stepped out of the threshold into the darkened outer garden of the Hall of Ages. She was impressed she’d arrived in the right place. Unlike her previous trip, the garden’s lights didn’t automatically switch on. She ran to the entrance and placed a hand over the control orb. The door didn’t open, so she tried again.
Slowly, the door parted.
Moving into the empty corridor, she found everything in darkness with the exception of occasional flickers of light here and there. She touched one of Robinia’s icons and called, “Robinia.”
Nothing happened.
“Robinia!”
There was no sign of the avatar.
She inched toward the glass doors leading to the hall where she’d last seen Garfield. The doors opened after her fifth attempt. This looked bad.
The dim hall was still organized, but with no sign of Garfield or the sentries. When she entered, she tried another icon, but Robinia still didn’t appear. Then, she spotted tiny black stones scattered across the floor and Robinia’s broken torso tucked under a table.
“Robinia.” Wisteria dragged it out. “Answer me, what happened?”
The stone broke in her hands.
Where was Garfield? She dashed through the stacks back to the interior garden, hoping he’d gone somewhere they’d been together. He wasn’t in the garden, so she checked the vaults. All the doors were shut. Racing into the vault where she’d gotten the prax.
The box of prax remained untouched. Whatever happened hadn’t affected the vaults.
Opening the box, she picked up two vials and left the rest just in case. Closing the door, she was startled to see Felip standing there.
“Hello Wisteria.” His face was swollen and bruised from Lluc’s attack.
“Felip?” She paused. “You escaped?”
“You almost look glad to see me.”
“They didn’t kill you?”
“They tried to.” Walking up, he took her in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“How did you get back in here?”
“Bach left me out in the desert, so I managed to crawl back here. Robinia found me lying outside and brought me in.”
“She let you in?”
“I am surprised she did too.” He brushed her hair back. “Were you able to break Coia’s hold on Bach?”
“Where’s Garfield?” She moved away. “What’s going on here? It’s Alba isn’t it?”
Dejectedly, he nodded. “How did you figure that out?”
“She was never renewed or perfected? She acted like she’d lost her memories. If I freed her, she’d still remember everything that happened.”
“Are you sure? Is that what happened when you broke the perfection on Bach?”
No, it was because Lluc had remembered what he did when she broke the perfection’s hold over him. “What did Alba do?”
“Somehow, she broke Robinia.”
“How?”
“She was studying under her father who was the Lord of Jarthan. She understands more about how this place works than I thought.”
“What does she know?”
“We will stop her. At least we do not have to deal with the Dy’obeths since you’ve infected Bach.”
She nodded. “Where’s Garfield?”
“Safe, I will show you where he is hiding out.” Taking her hand, he led her through the dark passageways. “Once I have regenerated fully, I will stop Alba. After that, we should stay here until the infection has run its course.”
“Hide?”
“Survive.”
Stopping, she turned to him. “I’m glad you’re here.” She kis
sed him on the cheek.
“Me too. There is no other person I would rather spend the end of the world with.” Bewildered, he backed away and touched his cheek. “You poisoned me? Are you crazy?”
“You’re right. I did because if Alba was never renewed that means she’s been working with you all along.”
“No.” Struggling to breathe, Felip grasped for her as he collapsed.
“Where’s Garfield?” She squatted over him.
“I swear, I have told you everything. She has lost her mind. Peeka believe me—”
“Monkey girl, I’m right here,” Alba called from behind. “Do not move.”
A flash of blue light zapped past Wisteria’s ear.
“Felip, has Wisteria given you the prax?” Alba asked him.
“Wisteria has two,” he rasped. “But we do not need it. She has infected Bach.”
“Once a snake always a snake.” Wisteria moved away.
“Wisteria, I meant everything I said about how I feel about you, but we have to stop the Dy’obeths,” he explained weakly. “I love you, but this was important.”
Alba scoffed.
“I’d rather face Dy’obeths than ever believe anything you say,” Wisteria seethed.
“It does not matter now. Bach’s infected and—” Felip started
“The prax is in the vault,” Wisteria replied, “Where even you can’t get to it. So, you’re going to have to get the vial Coia took from me.”
“No, you said you used it on Bach.” His green eyes turned yellow. “You lied, you did not infect him.”
“Beloved, shall I kill her for you?” Alba’s hands glowed.
“You were supposed to infect him.” He lunged at Wisteria, but seemed too weak from the bean vine poison. “Why?”
Wisteria dashed away.
Alba cut her off. “I am sick and tired of you.” She reached for Wisteria, but jerked forward and turned back angrily.
Garfield stood behind Alba aiming his bow and arrow at her.
“You qwaynide. You cannot stop me. I am going to—” Alba slurred as Garfield shot her in the chest. “It is not going—” She slumped and dropped to her knees.
“How?” Wisteria wondered.
“Bean vine tipped arrows,” Garfield yelled. “That’s all I use now.”
