I made my way down the street, doing my best to appear as non-creepy as possible while checking inside windows for signs of life. Most of the homes had their curtains drawn, and the few that didn't were vacant. I sighed. Looked like I would be on my own.
Gazing up to the overcast sky, I tried to spot something to help direct me to the main strip I knew. Sure enough, there in the sky at due east stood a tall pillar, a scaffold of white nearly blinding. I turned down various streets, making sure to keep the pillar in sight, watching it grow closer. As I got closer to the tall tower, I noticed the buildings began to lighten too, what little pigment of grey turning into a brilliant, dazzling white. People started appearing from thin air, chatting animatedly on freshly tailored lawns or walking down the street towards the same direction I was headed.
Flashbacks from the first time I had set foot in Charon washed over me, and it wasn't long before the my heart thumped painfully in my chest. The first time I had seen the buildings I had pinched myself, waiting for the dream to end.
A sharp jab in my gut reminded me this wasn't a dream, that I was very much awake and alive. My fingers gently pulled back a corner of my shirt, revealing a bigger wound that hadn't been there before. Inside my stomach twisted, nausea rolling over me as I spotted the splotches of yellow and green marring my skin. The wound was spreading, the tenderness now extending all the way up to under my chest. At this rate, I'd have a couple hours before it would kill me, tops.
Tugging my shirt back down and biting back a whimper, I continued forward. Familiar tawny cobblestones appeared under my feet, and before I knew it I had found the main street of Charon. I spotted an all-too familiar sign for a pub and ducked inside. If any place was going to help me in my search, a pub certainly would. Inside, purple and yellow banners for a performance decorated the walls, and I instantly recognized the model as the flamboyantly dressed man from the stage.
"They say his rendition is going to be the best in the last three-hundred years." I turned to see a girl standing next to me, pointing at the poster. At first glance, she looked completely average and human, until you looked in her eyes. Cats eye and icy blue, it was the only thing that gave away her inhuman genetics. The rest of her was normal, from the long elegant blonde hair and fair, pale skin. "Did you get a ticket?"
"I'm not much of a theater gal," I replied, looking back at the poster. Aside from the man standing up front, two people stood in the back, hands clasped together. Both had a display of elegant, white feathered wings. "What's it about?"
"Chant du Cygne? It's tragic, really, but we always consider it a comedy," said the girl. "It's about a pair of Nephilim that fall in love, but the one is slain by a demon before they can perform the bonding ritual."
My gut twisted, but I wasn't sure if it was from the demon poison spreading inside of me or the image of a demon slaying me that did it. "Why does the demon slay them? Why not let them exist elsewhere in their happiness?"
She laughed, but it was sad. "In this world, no one can be happy. It's always kill or be killed."
"Sounds about right." We stood in silence for about a minute, both gazing at the banner with minimal interest. If it hadn't been for the tick-tock of the clock reminding me that I was one step closer to dying, I wouldn't have bothered to move. "Say, you don't happen to know-"
"Where to find a cure for demon poison?" She finished my sentence without pause. I froze; how did she know what was wrong with me? Tapping her nose, he answered my unspoken question. "I can smell it. My guess is you got on the wrong side of something nasty, judging by the poison used."
"I'm going to ignore the level of creepiness that just happened and be straightforward. Where can I find a remedy for this?"
She shook her head, small tresses of her blonde hair swaying over her shoulders. "You won't be able to put the salve on yourself. Do you have anywhere to stay for the night?"
My mouth opened to say yes, until I remembered the bodies I had left behind in New York, let alone the Vens I had burned to a crisp. "I'll figure something out."
"So that's a no."
"Fine. No, I don't have somewhere to stay."
The girl nodded thoughtfully. "I have a small place close to the border, you're more than welcome to stay while the salve draws out the poison."
"That's okay, I'll be fine," I shook my head and turned for the door. My fingers had just wrapped around the knob when it opened from the outside, a familiar face with fair green skin and wild, unruly hair staring at me in shock.
"Essallie?" Serena asked, her eyes still as wide as saucers. Her fingers reached up to touch the blue blemish over part of her face, crimson nails resting lightly against her cheek. "I thought you had returned to the mortal realm."
I glanced over my shoulder to the girl with blonde hair, but she had already crossed the room to sit in a corner booth shrouded in the shadows. "I did," I answered distractedly at first, then fully turned back to look at Serena. "But some complications came up. Demons, dead bodies, you know."
"No, truthfully I don't."
Awkward pause. "Oh." Why did I think every supernatural being had to deal with wild bouts of murder and strife?
Serena let out a small laugh, shrugging her shoulders and stepping back in the same fluid move. "It was good to see you again, but I really must be going..."
So soon? But she just got here. A light bulb went off in my head. "Wait, do you have a minute? Maybe you could help me out."
She stunned me by shaking her head, caramel curls bouncing as she moved. "I'm sorry, I really do have to leave." Faster than I could react, she turned around and vanished, leaving me standing between the open door and pub entrance.
"Serena, wait!" I called after her, stumbling outside as a sudden spike of pain gripped at my insides. I doubled over in pain, biting my lower lip in a weak attempt not to scream. Through watery eyes I tried to spot her head among the crowds of people. Just at the end of a building, a mess of curls and green skin caught my eye.
I pulled myself up and raced through the throng of people, ignoring the blatant glares and snarky remarks as people bumped into me. People packed tighter, shutting me off from catching up to Serena. At this rate, I wasn't going to get to her.
An idea rooted in my brain. I acted on it before I could think it over, fire blazing over my knuckles in a blatant display of power. Those who had been standing before me stepped back, fear and horror mixed on their faces. I leapt through the parting crowd, hands in front. I wanted my message to be clear; get in my way and you were going to get burned.
With the fire on my hands, I cleared the path to where I had first spotted Serena easily, but she was already gone. My eyes scanned the thinning crowd, landing on the faint image of her ducking into the apothecary we had first met.
I was there in a second, flinging open the door to a startled couple hovering over a small purple bottle. Serena stood in the doorway, halfway through the curtains behind the main desk.
"Serena, wait," I started. The startled couple, the shop owner and her husband, came to stand in front of the desk, blocking Serena from view.
"You again," the woman I remembered as Lorena, spoke with a quiver. Opal eyes held a mix of resentment and fear. "Haven't you done enough?"
I pointed a emblazoned finger at her. "You're one to talk. Step aside and let me speak to Serena alone."
"Not a chance." She glanced over her shoulder at the willowy girl and gave a curt nod before turning back to me. A look of pain crossed Serena's face just as she vanished through the waves of fabric. "You're not going to bring another innocent into your crosshairs."
I felt my eyes practically bulge out of my head. Her, innocent? Was everyone drinking the poisoned party drink these days? "She's the one who told me about myself! There's nothing innocent about her. She knows more than you think, now get out of my way."
"Or what?" Lorena took a faint step toward me, lips pursed. "You'll silence me? Be the monster every person knows you are and destroy our way of life?" I
watched as a blade materialized in her hand, a silver dagger no more than six inches, the hilt covered in different engraved patterns. "You, filthy Nephilim, are a stain on this world. Your very inception is a blemish of corruption and disgust. Your kind only exists to cause us misery and pain with your rules and limitations."
"Lorena," her husband pitifully tried to calm her.
She cut him off. "No Bernard, I'm done playing these games! All Cassandra had to do was end her life before she gave birth to her little spawn of vermin! None of our lives would have fallen apart if she hadn't existed. Our family is gone because of her, frayed into nothing, and none of it can be woven back together as long as she exists!"
"So it's my fault I was born? Do you have any idea how messed up that sounds?" I asked her, incredulous.
"No. It's that wretch of a woman you call Mother's fault that you were born. The fault falls on you for not having died in New York when your time came!"
Shock rippled through me like an aftereffect of taking a bullet to the chest. For a moment it felt like I would never breathe again, just like Lorena wanted. I could stop, let my lips turn blue as every cell within me died. I could grant her the relief she so desperately wanted.
Too bad I wasn't suicidal. Or mental.
Bernard turned to fully face his wife, violet eyes brimming with tears. "Lorena, please, think about this." He held out a small photograph with a shaking hand. "The means will not get your desired end. We knew that from the start."
She gave him an icy, empty stare. "It's the only way. We have to turn her over. Otherwise..."
"You don't know that."
"I do, Bernard, you know I do." Lorena's shoulders dropped in misery. The posture of her body made it look like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. "I may be old, but I still carry the Sight just as I had when we first met. There is no other way out of this that doesn't involve turning her in."
Fear grabbed at my heart, forcing it into a pounding frenzy. The lights, both candle and electric, began to wildly flicker. "Lorena, listen to your husband," I said, hoping she was still able to reason. "Condemning a person to death won't save your family."
"Spoken like a true person who has no real family to speak of." Her hand with the dagger raised, pointing straight at my heart. "You have nothing to lose."
"I have everything to lose!" My voice cracked as I bit back the urge to screech. "Dysfunctional or not, I have a family, I have friends! I stand to lose them all if you sign me off because of some prejudice."
Deep down, I knew it was no use. Lorena would continue to barter for time by arguing with me, baiting me with the same jabs at my vanishing life. I thought of Abigail, and how heartbroken she'd be if I died before resolving our fight. I pictured Jayson, face obscured by shadows as he stood before three caskets, knowing he'd forever torture himself because he didn't come for me. Even Kayden meant something, no matter how little he meant to me in this moment. I wouldn't let her win, I couldn't let her win.
Fire shot from my fingertips, and Lorena screamed, stumbling into the desk behind her. She dropped the dagger and clutched her wrist against her chest. With my other free hand I flung my fire at the blade, turning it to ash within seconds.
"Bernard, do something-" she croaked out.
I shot Bernard a glare. "You do nothing, understand? All you're going to do is tell me where Serena left for, and I will leave. But lie to me, and what happened to the dagger will happen to your shop."
Bernard flinched, and for a moment I felt bad. I didn't enjoy looking heartless and cold; it only reinforced the black history Nephilim apparently had.
"Where is she, Bernard?"
He sighed, closing his eyes in sadness. "She has left for the back tunnels surrounding the market. You will find her in a small flower shop, purple roses outside."
I gave a short nod, passing by the two of them just as Lorena had snatched the photograph from her husband's hands, sobbing. Part of me wondered just what had happened to their beautiful family, and if the photo showed just how fallen apart things had become. The poison in my side reminded me I didn't have any more time to spare.
I passed through the curtain, revealing a thin and narrow hallway leading to a back exit door. Outside, sun glimmered on the horizon, warning me of the quickly approaching night. If nightfall came and I still had not found Serena... well, I didn't want to finish that thought.
Following Bernard's directions, I walked down several damp and dimly lit tunnels framed in discolored and aged cobblestone. Out of the corner of my eyes, silhouettes of cloaked figures loomed in the shadows, emanating a wave of fear strong enough to make my stomach roll. As soon as I spotted the hint of purple I picked up speed, nearly flinging myself inside the broom closet sized florist shop.
The contrast between outside and inside was like burning sun and pitch-black night; stunning, powerful bursts of colors covered every inch of the store, flowers of all shapes and sizes in full bloom. Tulips, daisies, roses, and more, each one intermingled with the next as they wrapped up posts and spread across the ceiling.
"Looks like someone found where the Hatter gets his colorful ideas," I whispered under my breath. Carefully I reached out and touched a silky petal of a elegantly blossomed orange rose, slowly running my fingertips over it. The smell of tangerines filled the air, small orange bubbles drifting from the ceiling like a misting confetti. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my whole life.
"Curious, isn't it?" A small voice said from across the room, and I looked up to see Serena staring back at me, her eyes full of discontent. In her hands she held a blue and white spotted lily, its petals spreading as wide as her palm. "To find so much beauty in such a negative space."
Setting the flower down, she ran her fingers over the edges of the petals before walking toward me. The flower shuddered for a moment, then sealed itself tightly. Serena came to stand in front of me, and for the first time today I could see that something had taken its toll on her; Dark, bruised circles ran under her red and puffy eyes; her springy curls were limp and lifeless; and her skin looked blotched and irritated. Like a pristine piece of china lost to the sea, Serena was weathered.
"Sometimes the most beautiful star in the sky hides behind the blackest night." I sighed and touched the orange rose again. A new cascade of bubbles danced around the air, flying around the two of us with glee. It was a sharp contrast to the way we both felt on the inside. "Serena, why did you run?"
"Because I cannot help you," she suddenly snapped. She glared at me bitterly, hands clenched to fists at her sides. "You shouldn't have come here. By staying here you are putting everyone in danger."
"How?" I threw my hands in the air, rolling my eyes at her cryptic statement. "Everyone keeps telling me I'm dooming people by being here, but no one exactly tells me why. Kind of hard to understand the warning signs if you don't speak the language."
"Who else has said this to you?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing myself to breathe evenly. Fire stirred inside my chest, and my palm gave off a dull ache. "The Queen, Bernard and Lorena-"
"No one should know about the situation aside from a select few."
"I'm sure Kayden warned me at some point, then there's the Vens that tried to capture me-"
"What?" Serena nearly shouted. She grabbed my upper arms and stared at me in sheer terror. "A Vens tried to capture you? Here, in Charon?"
I winced; her long nails were starting to dig into my skin. "No, back home in the mortal realm. That's why I came here- someone told me that I could find who hired the Vens. I have to stop them before they..." My throat turned to sandpaper, and I could feel the start of tears. "Before they kill everyone in my family."
She stared at me for a moment until my words sunk in. Her eyes casted downward, voice thick with sorrow and sympathy. Slowly she released her hands from my arms. "They traced your scent to your loved ones."
I nodded even though she couldn't see it. "The two who had raised me almost my
whole life." I swallowed painfully against my dry throat. "Please, Serena, help me. I can't let them find my brother, he's the last real piece of family I have left."
"You don't understand," she said, shaking her head solemnly. "It isn't that I do not want to help you, it's that I physically cannot."
"But you knew so much about before we had even met," I started.
She held up a hand, silencing me. "That was not my doing. Seventeen years ago, I met a prophet who told me that one day I would cross paths with a Nephilim who would be lost. Everything I have told you was what the prophet had told me."
I thought about it. A prophet using Serena as a messenger just to string me along with little information except on how I'd die. It sounded a lot like something Kayden would do, but I doubt he really knew about me because of how shocked he'd been when I exploded and revealed my wings. But if the prophet knew about me...
"But you said Leo was my Watcher," I said. "Did the prophet tell you that, too?"
She shook her head. "It was only a guess. The level of energy that came off both of you when paired together was incredible. A K-Vamp would have lasted off it for months."
"What the heck's a K-Vamp? You know what, never-mind." I shook my head. "We're getting off topic. Serena, I-" Pain shot up the side of my body, the force of it so intense that I collapsed to the ground. Hot bursts of pain like scalding knives attacked every inch of my skin, my insides felt like they would expel from my gut.
Almost immediately Serena dropped down to catch me, holding my head with one hand while the other restrained my flailing body. "Essallie, speak to me!"
The pain was too much for me. I tried to tell her it was too much, but all I could manage was a high-pitched scream. My body shivered and shook, bones cracking and popping with sharp force. It went on for what felt like hours, Serena stroking my cheek and bidding me to hush while I fitfully tried to claw at the source of my agonizing pain.
Obumbrate (The Illumine Series) Page 6
