A cry broke from my lips, my hand flew up to his face, my fist slammed deep into his parted mouth, the stone breaking off his front teeth like crystalized sugar candy. He fell to the side, landing on his back. The moment my fingers left the stone, air bolted into my lungs, logic returned, and I scrambled away from the doctor.
He tugged the stone out of his mouth, ignoring the chunks of teeth crumbling down like falling rock. A smile turned up his face, showing off his jagged, bloody mouth.
“It’s mine,” he slurred, staring at the stone in his hand with a fevered longing. “All fae will die at my hand, from an object they created.” Fear pushed me back into a table, hiding from his crazed laughter, like a mad doctor.
What if the stone had double-crossed me? What if I just handed the most powerful weapon on any planet to the most insane man?
Rapava climbed to his feet, swinging around to me, his arm outstretched, holding the stone. “Finally, the power to end their race is mine. I will be the most feared and respected man in the world. It is all mine,” he spat through his missing teeth, sounding like a drunk chipmunk.
I saw him shudder, and I climbed back onto my feet.
“No.” I shook my head. “It is all the stone’s. You still have no power without the fae.”
Now, I shouted in my head, hoping the stone could hear me.
His form went rigid, then a scream tore from his mouth, a shrill, horrible wailing as though he was being gutted alive.
“That’s for all of those you tortured, tested, and killed,” I seethed.
His eyes went wide, his body dropping to the floor, convulsing like a dying fish.
I walked over and looked down on him. “Know this, you will not be remembered, or feared, or worshipped. You did not save the race or lead us in any way. The government will bury you and what happened here so deep in the archives, it will be like you never existed. I will make certain nothing here will survive. You did nothing but fail. Even with me. I only stand before you because of a fae. His power saved me. Not you. You are nothing but a pathetic hack.”
His gaze met mine for a moment, clarity and fear boring deep, before his eyes went glassy. A muffled moan rolled from his chest. His skin started to sink and shrivel against his bones, as if a vacuum sucked out his insides. He flopped and wiggled as noises and blood erupted out of his throat. His tall frame seemed to shrink before my eyes. In his right hand he still clung to the stone. I knew it would not let him go until it took every bit of life from him.
Rapava lifted his skeleton-like arm, skin hanging loosely, flapping around. He reached for me and screeched, sending chills down the back of my neck. I jumped back, his fingers clawing at my boots.
The stone sucked him dry, bleeding him of energy and essence. A shrill moan came from him as he tried to drag his body to me.
“I’m only doing what you did, doctor. Killing one to save the masses.”
Then a burst of heat shot from his mouth, his eyeballs melting into gooey puddles on the floor, leaving his sockets bare. The stench of burned flesh and hair filled my nose, making me heave. A strangled cry ruptured from my throat as his head fell forward and landed on my shoe. I kicked away from him; the spot my boot hit crumbled into a lump.
He was dead. Really dead.
Only the shell of the man remained, burned and shriveled beyond recognition like a thousand-year-old mummy, with the bones of his right hand still clasping the stone.
“Oh. My. God.” One hand went to my mouth, the other to my stomach. This was what the stone was truly capable of. What it would have done eventually to me.
“Wow. He looks like charred troll nuts,” Sprig exclaimed. I looked over at Sprig. He stood on the table, staring at Rapava, his face scrunched up in disgust. “Or barbequed bat.”
“I thought sprites were vegetarian?”
“We don’t talk about that winter.” He shook his head. “Did you know pretty much anything tastes good with honey?”
I turned my head back to Rapava. “Not everything.”
“Dicks and assholes only work with honey when—”
“Sprig,” I cut him off, clutching my stomach harder. Where he was going with that I didn’t want to know, but it wasn’t what made me feel ill.
The stone summoned me over. My feet moved back to the crispy body.
I did what you asked of me, Zoey. Now it is your turn to fulfill your promise. The stone’s words curled around, pulling me to it. Take me. The moment I am with you we can show this world what you are capable of. All those who hurt you…all those who thought you’d amount to nothing.
I squatted next to Rapava’s clutched hand, my attention locked on the gray object.
Zoey…
My hand quaked as I reached for it. No, Zoey, it will destroy you! But I didn’t stop.
A tiny body came into my view and slapped my hand.
“Bhean, stop!”
Ignore the sub-fae. He is nothing. You and I will create greatness. Go beyond anything you ever imagined. It will be all yours. The money, the recognition, the power.
My fingers reached out again.
“Bhean,” Sprig’s voice pleaded. He crawled up on my outreached hand, getting into my eyeline. “Don’t listen to it. You are stronger than a piece of rock. Don’t let it take you away from me. Don’t leave me, Bhean…please.” His huge, wide eyes, full of desperation and love, were like a rope around my heart.
“Sprig,” I whispered. “I can’t fight it.”
“Yes, you can! Do it for the Viking, Leanbh, the new fair lady Bebinn, me, even the dumb-ass pirate.”
You promised! You are fae now. You cannot back out on an oath. The stone sizzled, pressure slid into my head, and pulsed angrily against my temples.
I never prom—said any oath, I replied.
Yes, you did! You said you’d be mine. If I killed this human, it would be us. You said yes.
I said yes, that you can have me the moment I take you back. I tried to roll my hand into a fist, but my muscles ignored me. If I don’t touch you, there is nothing you can do.
Silence followed my statement, but I could feel anger rippling off the stone’s surface like heat. Then a slam of power shot inside me and I gasped. Stop fighting me, Zoey. You and I are meant to be.
“Noooo,” I hissed, struggling the overwhelming need to touch the stone, to hold it in my hand, to cradle it.
“Bhean, fight it!” Sprig jumped down, moving in front of Rapava’s hand.
I shut my lids, my teeth sawing into my lip as nausea rolled from my stomach up my esophagus. My will was strong, but the stone pushed against me. Once again, I felt myself slipping. I was going to lose.
A knock sounded across the room, jolting my eyes open. I glanced over my shoulder. Annabeth’s hand was plastered against the glass, her eyes wide and full of hope. Her stare bore into me. This teenage girl, her brain latched to a patchwork ape, trapped in a tank, looked so strong. She showed no sadness or fear…just a belief. In me.
I looked back at Sprig, his wide eyes full of the same confidence in me. I reached deep, grappling for every bit of strength I had.
NO! I screamed in my head, forcing my hand back. I curled it around my waist. You will not have me. Ever.
I released a deep anguished cry and pushed against the stone’s power till I felt it crackle. Then it snapped, throwing me back on my butt. There was a moment of silence. Every ounce of magic dissipated from the room. Was that it? Did I actually beat it at its own game?
Of course, deep down, I knew better. The quiet before the storm.
A rumble started shaking the ground beneath our feet. Fury spiked the air, stabbing into me like a million pins. Magic filled back into the room, claiming ownership of the air. The hair on my arms stood up as energy drilled into the space, streaming down to a certain spot, like the rock was pulling life to it. The sound of glass tubes clattered on the table, the floor rattling harder. The lights swung, and my ears popped with pressure. My lungs ached from lack of air. My insides wa
nted to explode under the density.
You think you can betray me, little girl? I am more powerful than you can possibly imagine. I own you. I always will. Every time you look at your hand it will be a reminder. I will always be there, the stone seethed.
Pain slashed over my palm, burning so hot it felt like it was set on fire. A shrill, guttural scream ripped from my throat as lines began to form under the pooling blood. Agony shredded my throat as I wailed. Holding my hand in horror, I watched the cuts connect and create some kind of symbol. Magic curled inside the wounds, scorching the skin to heal around the cuts. Tears and sweat dripped down my face, acid slick in my throat. Red liquid filled my palm, disguising what it was. Right then it didn’t matter. The stone had marked me, entrenching into my skin and making me connected to it. Forever.
I could have given you everything, Zoey. Now I will take it! Including your friends. Say goodbye to your little sub-fae mutant.
My mouth opened to scream for Sprig when a sonic explosion blasted through the room, like an atomic bomb.
BOOM!
My body went up in the air.
A scream. Shattering glass. Metal ripping.
Bones crunched as I slammed into the wall and dropped. I went into shock, not able to contain any more pain, and let myself go. Where I felt nothing. Saw nothing. Heard nothing.
TWENTY-NINE
My lids opened to murkiness. Only the soft glow from the exit signs lit the room. Hissing and crackling popped around the dark space. Debris covered my body. Stabs of pain fizzed through my nerves, my bones cracking as I tried to move from under the wreckage.
“Sprig?” I pushed off the fragments and ignored the throbbing covering every inch of my body, especially my hand, which pulsated and beat with the rhythm of my accelerated heart. I pushed aside the unbearable agony in my worry for my friend. “Sprig?” Panic gurgled in my throat as I stood up searching blindly for him.
A spark sizzled above my head, a chunk of the ceiling fell to the floor with a crash. Shit. This place was crumbling. If we didn’t get out of here soon, we would be buried with it, eight stories below.
“Sprig, where are you, buddy? Please be okay, please be okay,” I chanted as I climbed over rubble, stinging my hand. I found a cloth and knotted it around the wound, guarding it a little from being directly touched.
Liquid hissed out of the cracks in the tanks, cascading onto the floor. A quick glance showed me a few of the incubators had broken, letting the specimens slip out.
I felt a touch of sadness. It wasn’t their fault they were monsters, but still, they were. Their creator’s dreams would die along with them.
Seeing a few still trapped in their chamber, I realized their end would come fast. The explosion cut off the electrical power.
No electricity. No air.
Holy shit.
“Annabeth!” I stumbled, heading for the blonde girl in the tank. Through the darkness I could see her eyes wide, her fingers tearing at the window. The monkey bobbed lifelessly up and down in the liquid next to her.
There was only a slight cut across her window leaking water out slowly. She would die way before the water would drain. With a strangled cry, I banged my fist against the cylinder, to no avail. I searched around for anything I could use to break the plastic. The ceiling sprinkled down chunks on my head that grew larger and larger. I picked up a broken plastic office chair, throwing it against the barrier. The chair bounced off, only cracking the split farther across the window.
Shit! I got this far and she was going to drown.
A groan of metal came from overhead only upping my panic. Annabeth’s fingers stopped clawing at the window as her lids flickered.
“No! Stay with me,” I screamed. I picked up the chair again, and using the wheels, I bashed the glass over and over.
Crack! Swoosh!
Water pounded into me, shoving me backward as the glass split. Her limp frame drifted on the current, sliding her out of the prison along with her companion. The force separated them and ripped the electrodes from her temple.
“Annabeth!” I pushed my way to her, diving to my knees.
No air came in or out of her lungs.
“No!” I cried, pumping at her chest.
One. Two. Three.
Three breaths.
One. Two. Three.
Three breaths.
I continued to repeat the cycle, feeling only an empty shell below me.
“Come on, Annabeth!” The pain in my chest stole the air from my lungs. My hand thrust harder against her ribs. I could feel hot tears spilling down my face. A bit of the ceiling crashed next to us, stirring a tormented cry from me. “I can’t lose you now. Please.”
One. Two. Three.
She remained lifeless.
“No! I won’t allow you to die!” Shaking her, her body flopped around like a doll. A zap of electricity struck overhead, raining down sparks. “No. Nononononono…don’t leave me.” I leaned my head on her chest, anguish strangling my throat.
She was gone.
Dead.
Sounds of the room fell down around me and echoed as they smashed, the hiss of voltage in the wiring. Water from the ceiling and tanks inched up my legs. Despair struck me so harshly I couldn’t control the sobs storming in my heart.
I had tried so hard and still failed her. Her life was not supposed to be like this. Anger at myself for not protecting her, for not saving her roared up my spine like a bear.
The room glowed with another spark, blazing close to my head. I sat back, my head falling back, fury raging, I let out a bellow. Guttural, raw pain thundered from me. My fists came down in primal anger, hitting Annabeth’s chest.
Her eyes burst open, water heaved from her lungs, and sprayed out of her mouth in a violent surge onto the floor.
“Oh my god! Annabeth!” I screamed, grabbing for her, rotating her on her side.
More water hurled from her mouth, her body curled as she convulsed and coughed up the liquid in her chest. A whimper of happiness raced over my tongue, my hand drumming on her back, getting the last of the water out. Coughing meant air was getting to her lungs. My heart thumped in my chest with emotion. She’s alive. My hand continued to rub and pat her until the shuddering and vomiting stopped.
Finally, after her body relaxed and her breathing took on a more regular pattern, she turned up to look at me, her voice weak. “You came for me.”
“Of course I did. I promised you. I wouldn’t leave you.” Tears rolled down my face.
Her finely boned hand set on top of mine. “Thank you.” Her eyes drifted closed.
Another spark flamed along the darkened ceiling. Drops of water hit my head. Electricity and water were an exceptionally bad combo. Of course. Nothing could be easy. The pipes in the ceiling above had burst. The water would only weaken the already fragile structure.
“Hey.” I nudged her. “You’re going to have to be strong a little longer. We have to get out of here.”
Annabeth nodded and sat up, her face wrinkling as another set of coughs caused her lungs to spasm.
“Sprig?” I called out while helping Annabeth to her feet. Please be okay. I can’t handle him being hurt…or worse. She put her arm around my shoulders, stumbling, trying to keep up as I wound through the room. Water was already a few inches deep as a continuous stream poured from the tanks and ceiling.
If I could only jump.
“Sprig!” I bellowed, tripping over medical equipment and fixtures. I moved closer to where I had fought Dr. Rapava. Through the dim security lights I could make out a furry figure wearing a honey-pot backpack curled on a piece of broken furniture. In his hand he held the stone.
“Oh my god.” I leaned Annabeth against a table and raced to him, my knees slicing as I crawled over a twisted chunk of metal. Careful not to touch the stone, I snatched up my friend in my arms, cuddling him.
The anger off the stone thumped into my skin. I could feel the power and fury bashing around the tiny thing. It was powerf
ul, but it still had its limits. It couldn’t win against a human/fae hybrid.
“Sprig, buddy, please wake up.” I stroked his head. Nothing. “Please. I can’t be without you.”
He didn’t respond.
“Sprig, please wake up.” Tears burned down my face, my fingers shaking as I tried to feel for his heartbeat. “Don’t leave me. You aren’t allowed to leave me.” My hand pressed against his chest, and I felt it lift slightly. A thankful cry discharged from my mouth.
His eyes stayed shut, but a frown pulled down his lips.
“Sprig?” I chirped excitedly.
“I think it’s pretty clear I’m not talking to you right now.” He blinked a lid open. “Neither is Pam. She is really pissed.”
“Oh thank god.” A relieved chuckle exploded from me.
He poked my bra. “If any of the gods are listening, tell them to fill that holder with endless packets of sweet nectar.”
Annabeth came to my side, her eyes huge. I forgot she had yet to meet my crazy, narcoleptic, talking sprite-monkey.
“Did he just talk?”
“Why does everyone think I’m stupid?” He picked up his head, staring at Annabeth. “Yes. Sprite. Talks.”
The floor above moaned and dropped more portions down on us. “Sorry, your introduction is going to have to wait.” I stared up, taking a step toward the exit.
“Turtle taco shells.” Sprig wormed out of my tight hold. “We gotta go, Bhean.” I nodded in compliance.
“Sprig, grab the stone and put it in my pocket, please.”
“No, Bhean. The Viking asked me to hold it.” Sprig waggled his head. “Plus, he said if I carried it, he’d take me back to Izel’s. And he added churros and Inca soda for dessert.”
“No wonder you didn’t tell me.” I laughed. “Bribery at its finest.”
“And for post-dessert he said I could watch my soap and have honey-covered mangos.”
From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) Page 33
