Wayward Hope

by L D Greenwood

  Chester had dropped his shield and drawn his glowing emerald sword. He stood between me and the young siekewa that was with Lakvas on my last visit to the village. I wanted to drag Chester back and pull him into my shield, but he was already moving to attack, his sword flashing in the dim light. The girl jumped away, almost floating as she sailed backwards out of his striking range. She threw another knife, and I shouted Chester’s name, moving forward.

  He blocked it with a surge of magic, and charged ahead, his feet finding footholds as he danced back into her space. She threw again, her expression sour in the face of Chester’s persistence, and her knife clattered to the cave floor at my feet. A few seconds later, there was no knife at all, and the color drained from my face. She could do what the collectors did with their cairns—she could make her magic solid.

  My blood ran cold. No matter how many she threw, she wouldn’t run out of knives until she exhausted herself. Considering the amount of magic I felt swirling around her, I doubted that would be anytime soon. I felt sick. I wanted to get her away from Chester, but I wasn’t sure how. They looked like they were dancing now, his blade flashing against the magic of her knives in the dim light of the cave. She seemed to be baiting him, but for what, I couldn’t quite tell. No matter which way she turned, though, he never let her get between us.

  You are stronger than him, Joy hissed at me. You can protect him!

  The siekewa raked across Chester’s chest with a knife. It wasn’t a deep blow, but blood spilled slowly from the wound as he jumped back defensively. I thought my heart would beat out of my chest as I instinctively moved forward.

  I saw movement to my left and turned to see Lakvas coming out of the door. He was intent on Chester and the girl, ignoring me. He raised his hand, black with magic, and threw a ball of power at Chester’s back.

  “No!” I shouted, reaching out to the power with my own. It burned like a red poker, but I didn’t let go until I had the magic floating in my palm. I closed Joy’s power around it, and she absorbed it safely.

  Ugh, this tastes nasty, she complained with a grimace.

  Lakvas wasn’t ignoring me now, his blue eyes dark and murderous. I scrambled back out of his reach, knowing that he could crush me with a single blow. Chester was still fighting the girl and I couldn’t help him without putting us both in the past of Lakvas’ attacks. If we were lucky, the other siekewa would stay in their homes and avoid the fight.

  “You are the one sending my deviants away,” he snarled, his voice like stone against stone.

  I grimaced, still backing away from his careful advance.

  “What’s it to you?” I replied, readying my power. The sapphire in my ring glinted in its setting, and Joy was coiled in the back of my mind, ready to strike if I couldn’t do it alone.

  “You’re going to warm my bed tonight,” he said, his thick lips splitting into a grin. I found myself at the back of the cave with no way to go but through him.

  I threw a chain of magic at him in answer, wrapping it around his neck and jerking him forward with Joy’s power as well as my own. Lakvas didn’t budge. Instead, he uttered a chilling, inhuman growl. It was all I could do to stand my ground and stay in the fight.

  “I like my women with teeth,” he said, lunging forward to grab me.

  I managed to step aside before he could get his big hands around my arm, but slipped on a loose rock. He caught my braid as I scrambled back to my feet, jerking me backwards. Without hesitation, Joy’s magic rippled through me, cutting my hair at the nape of my neck as the clip Chester had given me fell to the ground.

  Caught off balance by the sudden change in momentum, Lakvas almost fell backward and used his free arm to steady himself against the cave wall. I scrambled forward, frantically glancing toward Chester as I ran.

  My breath caught as I saw him, slick with blood and struggling to stand. The siekewa girl was standing over him with a raised knife ready to stab, sadistic glee shining in her wicked eyes. I wasn’t close enough, but I shoved with all my might and magic to push her off balance.

  The force of the blow sent her flying, and she slammed into the corner of a hidden nook with enough force to break bones. Unfortunately, she leapt to her feet, bones intact and a snarl on her face. I skidded to a halt next to Chester, propping him up with my shoulder. His face was a terrifying scarlet, and his eyes were unfocused.

  “Chester,” I hissed, hoping against hope that he was lucid enough to get us out of here.

  “Hi,” he whispered, faintly.

  I raised a shield in time for the girl’s knife to clatter against it, fear making my magic strong, but I didn’t know how to teleport us. I cursed myself for not learning how to do it sooner.

  “Can you get us out of here?”

  “Too weak,” he said. “Her knives…drained me of magic,” he whispered.

  Joy, hold the shield, I commanded, feeling her power flood through mine. Her bubble was so white that I couldn’t see Lakvas or the girl on the other side.

  I took Chester’s face in my hands and pressed my forehead against his, his sweat and blood slick against my skin, but I didn’t care. I concentrated on pouring my magic into him, giving him enough strength to teleport us somewhere safe. The moment he had enough power, the world vanished with a sickening twist. Joy’s bubble faded as she clung to my soul, trying not to get lost in the spell’s power.

  We landed hard, with none of Chester’s usual finesse. I hit the crystal-like cobblestones of Babylon, the collectors’ city with an ungraceful thud. My arm went numb where it hit the ground, but I managed to keep Chester relatively safe from further injury. I looked up to see several startled collectors moving toward us.

  “Help him,” I begged, holding a now unconscious Chester in my arms.

  “Let’s get him to the healer,” one said. He was a tall man, and he grabbed Chester under the arms. I moved to grab his feet, but another collector was already there, her golden hair falling around her face as she lifted.

  Chester moaned and reached out. Running alongside him with his burning fingers in mine, we made our way to the healer.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Voices woke me from a deep sleep while fingers running through my hair left me too relaxed to immediately move.

  Stay still, Joy whispered. They’re talking about you. I forced my breathing to slow. My head rested on Chester’s bed, my arm pressed against his hip. I took a deep breath in, Chester’s fingers still running through my hair, and smelled the sterile tang of hospital sheets.

  My heart softened slightly at Chester’s gentle touch. I could have lost him to my stupidity, and the thought made my throat want to close up.

  Rakshina’s voice cut through my emotions, her voice low but angry.

  “You are both idiots.” Her heels clicked lightly on the wooden floor as she paced. “I can’t believe you allowed her to go into that viper pit without back-up.”

  “I didn’t know how to talk her out of it! She’s not a child. She makes her own decisions,” Chester replied, low but adamant.

  “You could have just told her how you feel. She’d have forgotten all about Lakvas.”

  I forgot how to breathe. What did she mean by that? Joy scoffed at my unease with eavesdropping bleeding through our shared link.

  Don’t move. This is educational for both of us.

  It feels wrong, I whispered back.

  Then they shouldn’t talk about you as though you’re not here.

  “You know I can’t do that,” Chester replied, his hand twirling my hair around his fingers. It sent a wave of heat through my body, and I’d never been farther from sleep in my life.

  “If you don’t do it soon, Drekvic is going to win,” Rakshina hissed, her pace slowing with a scuff as she turned to face him. “He loves her. You need to tell her before he does or he’s going to take her away.”

  “If that’s what will make her happy, who am I to intrude?” Chester’s voice was gentle, holding none of the urgency or emotions t
hat Rakshina’s did.

  “It won’t be her choice,” she said, a hint of sadness in her tone.

  The door slammed open, hitting the wall with enough force to jerk me out of my pretend sleep. I stood up, already pulling on the reserve power in my sapphire ring as I turned. I wasn’t going to let anything hurt Chester again.

  Drekvic stalked into the room, his dark aura filling the small space with his fury. He didn’t say a word as he strode over and grabbed my wrist. The magic I’d been preparing fluttered away with his touch and he began dragging me out behind him.

  “Hey!” Rakshina shouted, stuttering forward. Drekvic’s withering look stopped her in her tracks and she grimaced. I had one chance to catch the worry in Chester’s brown eyes Drekvic pulled me into the hallway. He didn’t stop pulling on my arm until we were secluded in the healer’s office. One look at Drekvic’s face and she had scurried out of the room, saying something about giving us some privacy.

  Drekvic pushed me against the wall and put a hand on either side of my face, effectively trapping me in his gaze. His hazel eyes were piercing, his mouth set into a hard line.

  My pulse escalated, my shallow gasps the only sound in the room as he glared at me. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, as I tried to ignore Joy’s desire to kiss him. I didn’t think it would help diffuse the situation.

  “What part of partners is too difficult for you to understand?” His low voice was gravely, and he spat the words like he wanted to strangle me.

  “I couldn’t wait for Lakvas to send something else,” I said, annoyed that my voice sounded like a whine even to my own ears.

  “You stupid idiot,” he hissed, grabbing my face in his hands and leaning forward until his forehead touched mine. I closed my eyes, afraid to look at him for too long. Joy’s emotions bubbled inside my chest and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching up to grab his wrists with shaking hands.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my traitorous voice trembling. I kept my eyes closed, unable to meet his gaze.

  “I want to lock you in a basement and hide the key,” he whispered, his breath touching my cheek. He smelled sweet, a hint of lilies mixed with ash.

  His sniffle made me open my eyes,. Drekvic’s hands were trembling. Tears made slick tracks down his cheeks, and his mouth was open just a sliver as he took uneven breaths. I wanted to say something, but all my words fell before they could leave my lips.

  “When Samuel and Rakshina dragged me through the gates, I had no idea what happened to you. I wanted to kill Chester with my bare hands when I found out what you two were doing,” he said, his words catching in the back of his throat. His hands moved slowly from my face to my shoulders as he pulled me into his chest.

  “It’s not his fault,” I said, finding my voice at last, if only to defend Chester. “He said it was a bad idea.”

  “That’s why he’s not dead,” Drekvic replied, choking out a wry laugh. He still hadn’t opened his eyes and his hands were still shaking. “I just had to know you were safe. Ellie…” his words trailed off as he took a deep breath, his face in the crook of my neck. His face was wet against my skin.

  I wrapped my arms around Drekvic’s waist and buried my face in his shoulder, his arms enveloping me in a tight hug. I could feel his heartbeat against mine, and for a moment, something familiar fluttered in my chest, but it was gone before I could decide if it was my own emotion or Joy’s.

  “I don’t want to live without you,” he said, one hand drawing a circle against my shoulder blade.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I replied, hugging him tighter, hoping it would give him some sense of comfort.

  “Is that you or Joy talking?” he asked, ruefully.

  I flinched and pulled away, needing to see his face. His cheeks were still damp, but his expression was steady.

  “How do you know about that?” I asked, confused.

  He didn’t have a chance to answer as the door opened and Rakshina walked through, her hands on her hips. Drekvic drew away from me, closing himself off with crossed arms.

  “Ellie, let’s go,” she said, gesturing toward the door. Her eyes never left Drekvic. Despite saving his life, it looked like she was back to mistrusting him.

  Torn between grilling Drekvic about Joy and wanting to check on Chester, I hesitated. Drekvic had been hurting because of me. What kind of person did it make me if I left the room? I didn’t want him to be alone.

  “Ellie,” Rakshina urged, finally looking at me, her perfect eyebrows raised. “Chester was asking for you. I’ll wait here.”

  Chester’s name pulled me from the room despite my reservations. I’d have plenty of time to talk to Drekvic later.

  I need to know how he knows my feelings, Joy said, her thoughts troubled.

  Me too, I replied, twisting her cairn ring. I wondered if Drekvic had spoken his parents and vowed to find out what they might have told him.

  Chester was sitting up in the hospital bed, looking out the window at the collector’s city. The sun lit up the room, making his ivory skin glow with a warm light. I shut the door when I entered, and the noise made him turn to face me.

  His face lit up, and I couldn’t help the smile that echoed on my own. I moved quickly to the edge of the bed before he could get up and took the hand he held out to me. His aura was still dim, compacted tightly against him instead of filling the room.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling me toward him for a hug. He was warmer than before, easing some of my concern.

  “I should be asking you that,” I laughed, breathing in his clean scent. The healer had done a good job patching him up. I could only see faint lines on his skin where he’d been cut.

  I felt his laugh in the rumbling of his chest as he dropped his hands, releasing me from his embrace. I pulled away quickly, self-conscious but grateful.

  “You are okay, right?” I confirmed, sitting on the edge of the bed again.

  “Just a little tired,” he replied, studying me. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I replied, looking down at my rings. Joy was distracted, thinking of Drekvic, and her confusion didn’t help my mood.

  “You can talk to me; I won’t interrupt.”

  I laughed, closing my eyes and reaching up to touch my short hair. I still hadn’t seen it since Joy cut it to save me, but I hated having short hair, and hated not knowing what it looked like even more. When we arrived, I’d barely glanced at myself in the mirror as I washed the blood off.

  My lips parted and I took a deep breath, planning to brush off his offer, but I really wanted to talk to someone. Jana had always been my confidant, and while Joy understood how I felt, her viewpoint matched my own. I looked up, hesitant. Chester’s steady gaze met mine, his calm energy giving me the strength I needed to speak.

  “I was afraid you were going to die,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “I thought my decision might have killed you. I was so afraid for Rakshina and Drekvic that I didn’t keep things in perspective. I forgot that Lakvas had help when I made the decision to go to Hell. It was stupid and dangerous. I’m having a hard time handling everything running through my head at once.”

  I stood up, my body feeling charged as I started to pace at the end of the bed. I found myself gesturing with my hands, something I rarely did, but I couldn’t stop myself. Joy was cringing away from me, hiding as far as she could from my emotions. It was a nice sentiment, but we both knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference, so I said what we’d both been wondering.

  “Joy and I don’t always feel the same things. Is the goddess part of me supposed to feel that way? How would I even know? Fate can’t teach me how to balance the light and dark. Hope says he only might be able to. What if he can’t?”

  I ran a hand through my hair, irritated when it ended sooner than I was used to.

  “I stopped Drekvic, but what I’m worried about right now is so far beyond stopping one person. I thought I’d fixed it, but now everything seems even more messed up than be
fore!” My chest tightened as my voice rose to almost hysterical levels, but I couldn’t stop.

  Chester didn’t interrupt. I couldn’t look at his face.

  “I don’t know how to be a goddess! I feel like a total failure. All I wanted to do was fix the mess I made after saving my sister, but this…this is too much.” I looked down at my feet, one hand clamped over Joy’s cairn as I thought about throwing it at Hope’s face and running until I couldn’t run anymore.

  Joy trembled on the edge of my thoughts, an uncomfortable ball of pain and understanding. Her feelings for Drekvic were causing problems, but I couldn’t keep blaming her for that. If Drekvic’s touch was repugnant to me, I’d have pushed him away. Instead, I’d thrown myself at him when he kissed me. If the past months had taught me anything, it was that I needed to take responsibility for my actions. I couldn’t let this get the better of me.

  “Come here,” Chester said, softly, scooting to the edge of the bed to make room for me.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Ellie.” His voice was even, but I heard the stubbornness in it. “I said come here.”

  I couldn’t help the smile that touched the corner of my lips as I conceded, curling up on the bed and leaning into his chest. He started stroking my hair, just like he did when I first woke up.

  “I feel safe with you,” I whispered, closing my eyes and forgetting for a moment about everything going on around me.

  He tightened his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

  “You are safe with me,” he replied. “I can’t understand what it’s like to have another voice in my head, but I’m here for you if you ever need to vent. I promise.”

  “Thanks,” I whispered, closing my eyes.

  We fell silent then and sat until the healer came to check on Chester, Drekvic and Rakshina following in her wake.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  I found Fate in the garden behind the library. I was surprised to see her in the spirit world and not with Hope, but she was a restless woman. She was elbow-deep in dirt, transferring a blooming rose bush from a large pot. She looked up at me, a grin transforming her dirt-smudged face into someone I almost felt like I could talk to.