by Tara Brown
He is about to argue, but she shakes her head, “I have found the horsemen. I need your help.”
He looks back over at me and nods, “Okay.” I don’t like the look I see in his eyes. He looks at Constantine, “You keep her safe.”
He nods once.
I look at Mona, “I’ll fly you, and he can do his weird vanishing there.”
She smiles, “This is the right choice, trust me. I can feel it.”
Three
The gate comes when we least expect it. We have sat in the same spot by the stream for a day and a half. Mona has run out of her packed food, and Constantine has been eyeing her jugular up like it’s nobody’s business. I’m hungry in a way that can’t be helped. I push away the desire to suck Mona of every last drop. When I am lost in a thought about ending this all by any means necessary the gate materializes.
It looks the way it did in the dream. My feet walk before I’m actually ready. Mona grabs my hand, and I swear I’m in a fairytale. We get inside and look back as Constantine walks through. He closes his eyes and swallows hard as his feet cross the boundaries. He smiles wide, “Well, that’s that then, isn’t it?”
I laugh, “What?”
“A vampire has never entered the gates before.” His eyes twinkle, he’s always so cryptic. “We have too much sex, too much killing, and a general lack of a soul.” He winks at me, “But I am not a regular vampire.” He steps to me, “Let’s hurry.”
We cross the grassy field to the village. A woman in white walks towards us, the one from the dream walk. Her eyes lift and a fearful look crosses her face; we see her realize that we shouldn’t be there. We are not fae. She stops dead in her tracks, “How?”
I smile, “I’m the daughter of Lillith. I need to see her. She has summoned me.”
The woman looks around quickly, panicked. “You brought it right to them, after all these years and after all her hard work… You brought it right to them?”
I shake my head, “What?”
She sighs, “The weapon against the angels.”
I look at Constantine. He looks pissed. “What weapon?”
“The light of the world.”
He gives me a sideways look, “Where is it?”
Mona’s jaw drops, “Oh God, is it inside of her?”
My jaw joins hers on the floor. I shake my head, “That can’t be right. I have only death and badness in me. Not to mention, a bunch of other girls. There’s no way.”
The woman shakes her head, “You must leave now! Back to the gates before they see you.”
Constantine steps towards her, “Why are you helping us?”
Her bright-blue eyes flash, “Not everyone wants the world put back the way it was before God changed everything. Not all of us believe in genocide.”
Mona looks at me, “What do you want to do?”
My jaw sets in typical Rayne stubbornness, “I want to free her. She is expecting me. She wouldn’t have called me here unless there was no other way.”
The woman smiles, “You know she is captive here?”
I nod, “We suspected. That or she was in league with my father.”
“She would never help him, not ever.”
Constantine gives me another look, “We need to turn back. This could be a trap. I don’t know enough about the light. I assumed…”
I snap at him, “We all did. My mom and Fitz both thought it. Everyone thought it was in her—Lillith.”
Constantine laughs, “And all this time, those Van Helsings have had you in their grasp, forever seeking the light for his holy pain in the ass.” His laugh makes us all laugh. I’ve never seen him so free.
I scowl, “Don’t talk about God like that.” I don’t even know why I’m defending him. The guy has never done me any favors.
Constantine scoffs, “Not God—Michael. God would have nothing to do with this.” He starts to laugh harder. He bends forward, almost taking a knee.
The woman in white laughs, “The garden takes your cares. You are like a child again. The effect will wear off.”
I shake my head, “I don’t want it to. Look at him. He’s free.”
She speaks over Constantine’s howling, “You have to flee, sin eater. They will kill you and steal your light. They will use it and send everything with a soul back to heaven. It’s the reset button. The fae will take back the world, the fae and the witches and the creatures.”
I shake my head, “I have to kill Lillith first. The gate may never show itself to me again. I have to use this chance. We only got through because the nixie helped us.”
She bows subtly, “Please reconsider.”
I squeeze Mona’s hand, “Sorry.” I look at Mona, “Can you take my friend back though? She’s human.”
Mona scowls, “I’m staying.” She gives Constantine, who is still laughing, a look. “Maybe we should send him back though. He’s a mess.”
Constantine grabs my other hand, but doesn’t stop snickering. “Let’s go do this. I need to get out of here. I’m cramping up.”
I smile at the woman, “Thank you.”
She shakes her head, “Don’t thank me, I should force you from the garden. But I too desire her free, I suppose. Go around the town. Avoid the people. Take the back steps and avoid eyes. Yours are obvious.”
We walk to the village but stay on the outskirts. Constantine looks around as we sneak about the dense forest. “When I say fly, Rayne, you fly as hard as you can. You fly hard for the gates and kill your mother just outside of them. They cannot keep you here without a bargain. No matter what, do not deal with the fae.” He’s back to being crabby and serious. I’m actually relieved. His constant laughing was weird.
He whispers, “We will not have an argument about this. You will make me a promise on this now, or I will carry you like a child back to the gates.”
I can’t reach my fear of this place, but I know I’m terrified so I nod, “Okay.”
He stops me, looking into my eyes, “Do you promise me that you will do whatever it takes to end Lillith outside of the gates?”
I nod, “I do. How do we kill her with no weapons in here? Can you bite the fae?”
He laughs, but it’s his usual bitter one. “No.” He looks around, “They must have weapons somewhere. We don’t need to worry about killing the fae. They won’t fight us. They’ll use cunning. Besides silver is the only thing that can kill them. We only need a knife to kill Lillith. You separate that head from the shoulders, just outside of the gate. That’s the plan.”
I look at Mona, “You should go to the gate or hide.”
She shakes her head, “I have a bad feeling that I have to stay with you.”
Constantine sighs, pulling us towards the castle. I look at the town below us when we get to the other side of the castle “Why do they hate us?”
Constantine leans in, “They don’t hate. They’re perfect, they don’t have negative emotions. They can be worried or cautious but they don’t hate or even dislike. They are not fighters. Why do you think they have never defeated the humans? They have never fought them. They would win in a heartbeat, but they do not resort to violence.”
Mona narrows her gaze, “How is Lillith here then?”
He raises his eyebrows, “They’re cunning as hell and evil as the day is long, as long as their purpose is noble. Noble to them means serves their purpose. They are not to be trifled with. At all. They are the only creature, beyond Lucifer and God himself, that can trade your soul in a bargain. I would bet Lillith bargained hers away to be protected from Lucifer.”
We climb the steps to the crystal palace and my heart is in my throat. Mona leads us to the top floor. Constantine looks around uneasily, and Mona looks like she has tears in her eyes. I can’t feel anything, but I am scared. I know I am. The girls inside of me are silent.
When we get into the large throne room, my mouth is dry and my heart is beating out of control. She is where she was the last time, speaking to the man, only he isn’t himself. He is somet
hing else altogether. He is stunningly beautiful. The kind of beauty that makes me forget who I am. Lillith’s back stiffens and she turns. The man’s lips curl into a sexy smile. I moan a little. Mona grips me, “Who is that?”
I swallow hard, shaking my head, “I don’t know. In the dream world she was talking to a man who had the blue veins.”
She wrinkles her nose, “He was hideous. I remember.”
“That’s him.” Constantine says.
She shakes her head, “He is beautiful.”
Constantine leans in, whispering so softly I can barely hear him. “Try to keep remembering him as the man from the dream. I have a bad feeling about him in particular.”
I frown, “Why?”
He gives me a disturbed look, “When I saw him, I felt movement.”
I scowl, “What?”
He nods at his pants, “Movement, growth, attraction.”
I make a face, “What the hell? Why? Ewwww. Dude.”
Mona laughs nervously, “I think I misheard you.”
He shakes his head, “You did not. If I’m attracted to a bloke, we have an issue. That’s never really rung my bell, if you get my drift. He probably doesn’t even know he is the bait.”
The room isn’t silent but it’s quiet. The few scattered people talking in small clusters watch us but continue to speak to the people around them.
My mother smiles at me, “What a surprise.” I can see that it is not. She walks to us, desperate to look controlled, but I can see the panic in her eyes. I barely register her being there. The man next to her is all I see. His blue eyes meet mine and I am lost. He smiles, so I smile. He looks down, bashfully, so I do too. His smile turns to a lip bite, I bite mine. I bite so hard I blink as if leaving a trance. Constantine nudges me, “Easy tiger.”
Mona is a forgone conclusion on whether or not he can have her. She is entranced, fully. She looks up at him through her lashes, and I see him do something I don’t think he expected to do. He seems genuinely surprised at his reaction to her. He is stopped in his tracks. Instant jealousy fills me, but my mother catches my eyes again.
When I look at her, I feel nothing. I want so badly to run to her or kiss her or cry, but I am silent inside.
Her eyes fill with tears, “You misheard me, I suspect.” She glances at the beautiful man. I notice he doesn’t move or blink or do a single thing. He stares. It’s creepy. He is as lost in Mona as she is in him. I look at my mother and realize she has a sly smile creeping across her lips.
She ignores the man and looks back at me and Constantine, “You must go. Do it and go.”
I shake my head, “I have one question.”
She nods once. I look around the room at the people watching us. They don’t speak. They stand there like a Jane Austen movie, watching us in gowns and jewels. If it weren’t for the rustic furnishings and throne, I would swear we were in one of those rooms where you gossip and do a turn about the room.
“How did you get pregnant with me and where was I born?”
Her eyes sparkle, “I left the garden, met with Lucifer. I’m sure you, being a succubus of sorts, have figured out how babies are made. I came back here and gave birth to you. You were born in the garden, but you have a complicated soul. So I had to take you away. I took you to the orphanage and got the nixie to find the right witch.”
I look about the room. Constantine whispers, “How does one lose their head in a place like this?”
Lillith laughs softly, “They do not. The sharpest thing here is the wit.” She winks at Constantine, “I’m sure you know this already, but you brought your weapons with you.”
The mention of weapons makes the others in the room nervous. They look shocked at Lillith’s wording. Silence falls upon everyone as a woman comes from the back of the room, from an arched doorway. She is dressed over-the-top fancy, like Marie Antoinette but worse. Her blonde hair actually looks like a cake with pink flowers all through it. My mother’s face draws in. She whispers, “Do it now.”
I frown, “What?” What does she want? Does she think I’m psychic?
I see something dawn on Constantine’s face, but the woman comes towards us with a soft smile. My mother points, “This is the high priestess, Faranelle.”
She looks down her long, creamy nose at me. Her pale skin and sparkling blue eyes are an amazing contrast. The fae are so beautiful. I see what Constantine was talking about. I have only ever been attracted to guys—okay and Mona’s glossy lips, but this woman makes me feel something I have never felt before.
Constantine becomes something I have also never seen before. He drops to his knee, “Milady.” He is humble suddenly.
She smiles at him, “You may rise, Lord Basarab. You owe me no fealty.”
He shakes his head, “And yet, you inspire it in me.”
She blushes and I see my mother is again confused at the behavior of the lady as she was the man. Mona and Constantine have an effect on them both, just as they do on Mona and Constantine. The four of them have a moment.
The lady tears her gaze from Constantine as he stands. Her eyes dart to me, “You must be Rayne.”
I nod.
“You have come to aid us in our quest to end the angels reign over the world?”
I nod. I don’t know why.
She smiles, “Excellent.” She looks at Lillith, “You have kept your side of the agreement. Our covenant is fulfilled.”
My mother smiles at me, “Thank you, milady.”
I have a bad feeling. It’s just there suddenly. Liana and Ezara flash an image into my mind. It is the face Lillith is making now. It was the same then. She is leaving me here. She has betrayed me, and I don’t know how to stop her. I could jump at her and punch her in the face, but I don’t have enough anger.
I look at Constantine. He is entranced in the lady still. That’s just great. Perfect timing for him to become a smitten schoolboy. At least he’s occupying the lady.
My mother smiles, “Rayne, do it now. Do what you have come here for.”
I scowl, “You have to come with me, out of the gates.” She nods towards the priestess. I shake my head, “What?” I look at the lady, “I need to take Lillith from the gates to end this.”
The lady ignores me, she is lost in Constantine.
Suddenly, the man with no eyes from the dream, walks from the back of the room. He limps a bit, but I can see his eyes are white, as they were in the dream. He puts a finger to his lips, “They cannot see me, child. Just you.”
I don’t move. He whispers loudly, “The weapon is not what you think it is. The one who is your enemy is not the one you think it is. You must hurry.”
I nod once and flash a look at my mother. She gives me an expectant nod toward the lady again. I have no idea how I’m supposed to know anything she is hinting at. The man with the white eyes smiles at me, “Love is a weapon; did you know that, Rayne? Sacrifice of love is the ultimate weapon.”
I feel like we are frozen in time. The room is still. The eyes of everyone are upon me. The lady priestess is lost in Constantine and Mona and the beautiful man are swooning at each other.
The man with the white eyes gives me a look, “Sacrifice your love and kill her.”
I look at my mother, “Will you leave with me?”
She gives me a desperate look before shaking her head. “I have to find forgiveness, Rayne.”
From my father? Of course. She has a plan. She looks at the priestess, “Will you excuse me, milady?”
The priestess nods once, still not taking her eyes from Constantine. Lillith looks at me, there is something in her eyes. She seems like she regrets her choice or the fact she never filled me in on the decision she is making. “Good luck, Rayne.” She turns and leaves the room.
I’m confused and want to run after her, but I don’t know what to do.
I grab Constantine’s hand. He looks at me like he has come out of a trance. “What happened?”
I shake my head, “She left. We have to go.”
<
br /> The priestess looks confused, “She is free to go, of course. You must stay.”
“I thought she was here, hiding from Lucifer.”
She frowns, “Did no one tell you your role in all of this?”
I shake my head, “I eat the sin and save the world, it’s pretty simple.”
She laughs, “No child, you free the Earth from the humans who are trying to kill her. Lillith had the light but when she gave birth to you, the light left her. It went into you. We didn’t know it would do that.”
I sigh and look at Constantine. He shakes his head, “That’s not possible.”
The priestess smiles at him, “She is the weapon that was made. She was forged to save us, forged by God to help us from his mistake.”
The man with the white eyes whispers again, “Pull the dagger, Rayne. Kill her.”
I scowl at him, “I have no dagger.” I wish he would shut up.
The priestess smiles, not realizing I am not talking to her. “Of course not, we will wait for the humans to suffer through the last horseman, and then we shall take you to the place you were birthed the first time.”
The man with the white eyes shouts at me, making me jump. “PULL THE DAGGER, RAYNE!”
I look at Constantine and suddenly I see it. The dagger. Of course.
He looks at me, trying hard not to look at the lady. I bite my lip, “Do you love me?”
Constantine nods, “More than anything.”
“Pull your name from my heart.”
He looks disgusted, “What?”
“Ellie, the dagger you put in Ellie.”
The lady scowls, “What is an Ellie?”
I smile at her, trying to stay patient when I am ready to run after my mother. “I am an Ellie. Once upon a time, I was called Ellie. I loved a man with my whole heart and I gave it to him. Then I was born again, I fell in love with another man, and I gave him my whole heart, not knowing it belonged to another man from another life. To save the world, I had to give up the first man and sacrifice my love for him. Sacrifice is the only way to save the world.”
