Endure

by M. R. Merrick

  I tried to push away all the voices at once, but there were too many of them. I couldn’t narrow down where each one came from.

  He is weak.

  We need to act now, before it’s too late.

  If one of us can break in, we can stop all of this!

  “Shut up!” I gritted my teeth and my focus wavered. I reached out with that invisible hand and searched the darkness around my soul. One at a time I pushed those closest to it away. The voices began to fade, but I could hear their faint whispers in the distant shadows. I felt overwhelmed, like there was too much for me to keep it contained. Emotions and magic wanted to burst out of me, but I swallowed them back down. I couldn’t hand it all by myself and thankfully, I didn’t have to. Not when I had all these people around me willing to help. Not while I had her.

  ******

  I stepped into one of the converted bedrooms. Cots lined the far wall and with the Shifters gone, it was near empty. Rayna sat on the edge of a cot, sharpening the blades on her whip.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said.

  “I just needed to get away from everyone for a minute.”

  “Do you want me to leave?” she asked, almost sounding disappointed.

  “Gods no.” I kneeled in front of her, taking her whip and sharpening stone and setting them on the floor. “You’re not everybody. I came in here looking for you.”

  “You did? What’s going on?” A look of concern washed over her face.

  I grabbed both her hands in mine. Her cat eyes looked vibrant, and staring into them made me feel better. “I needed to be close to you. Everything feels so…heavy right now.”

  Rayna pulled her hand from mine and ran it through my hair. She leaned forward and kissed the top of my head. It was enough to send a jolt of magic through my body that made me shudder. My muscles relaxed against her touch and I leaned into her.

  “We’ve both had different roles in this lately,” she said. “But that’s over. We know where we have to go now and we’re doing it together.”

  “Can you believe it was only a few months ago we were rolling across the street trying to kill one another?”

  Rayna laughed. “I wasn’t trying to kill you. I was defending myself against an arrogant hunter. Although I admit it did feel pretty good to punch that hunter in the face.”

  “At least it felt good for one of us.” I laughed, and it seemed a strange thing to come out given our circumstances. “It feels like that hunter was a lifetime ago.”

  “You’re not the same person that you were then. None of us are. How could we be?”

  “And now I’m going to change again.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You read it yourself—I am the soul piece. And it only makes sense that what Drake said is true. If finishing this rite means I become a demigod, what does that mean for me?” I searched Rayna’s face but it didn’t hold the answers I hoped it would.

  “Maybe nothing will change. Maybe it will just bind the souls to yours, giving you even more power to use against Riley.”

  “Regardless, something will change. I’ll become immortal, Rayna. I won’t age, I won’t die, I’ll just be forced to exist forever, while everything around me changes.” The words sounded as empty and distant as they made me feel. Was that my future: to watch everything around me wither and die while I stood still in an ever-aging world?

  “Hey,” Rayna’s hand touched my chin, tilting it up. “Let’s fight one battle at a time, okay?”

  The thought of eternity revolved in my mind, then the reality that we were leaving tomorrow hit me. Tomorrow we’d start what I could only hope would be the beginning of the end of this fight. That meant this was the last moment we’d get to be together in peace. I shook the thought of eternity away and cupped Rayna’s face in my hand. Her skin was hot to the touch and soft beneath my fingers. She smelled of something sweet and I leaned forward, taking in the scent before I kissed her. Rayna moved back on the cot, gripped my shirt, and pulled me with her. Our lips pressed into one another, our tongues dancing in between. Both our elements hummed beneath the surface, desperate to reach out and cling to one another, and I didn’t try to hold them back.

  I crawled on top of her, and fingers ran through my hair, gripping it tight and pulling my lips against hers. Rayna’s hands slid down my body, nails dragging against my skin. A chill ruptured through me when Rayna gripped my shirt, pulling it over my head. Her hands moved back down my sides, resting on my hips. She pulled me against her and my lips pulled away from hers, moving along her neck. When I came back to her lips, she stared at me, and I could see she realized it too—this might be the last quiet moment we would have together. As of tomorrow we were going back to the Underworld, fighting gods know what and facing challenges we couldn’t fathom. Until this fight was over and we’d stopped Riley, this was our time together. There was an unspoken understanding between us. We both knew what we were facing in the coming weeks, we knew what we felt inside, and we both embraced it.

  Rayna’s element reached out to me, dragging me deeper into her grasp. I didn’t fight it, I didn’t hesitate, and I didn’t pull back. I didn’t want to. Rayna was home for me. No matter what happened or how dark things became, she would be all I’d need. It didn’t matter where we went or what we fought, we’d be together. I didn’t say it just then, but I felt it. That was the moment I knew I loved her.

  Chapter 17

  Rayna’s head rested on my chest and by her deep breathing, I knew she was asleep. Strands of her hair ran over my body and across my neck, and I slid my fingers back and forth through them. Those three words stood still inside my mind as I stared up at the ceiling. They didn’t scare me—they inspired me, and a spark of happiness revolved in my soul, mixed with feelings I didn’t remember having felt before. The voices were gone, quiet and numbed somewhere in the depths of my body and for the first time in years, I felt at peace. I didn’t care what happened tomorrow, or a week from now. This moment mattered, and knowing it might be the only time I had it made me savor every second of it.

  Relaxation settled over me and the warehouse seemed incredibly silent. Normally that would make me nervous, but I didn’t let it. I allowed myself this moment of quiet harmony and as it consumed each inch of my body, it sucked me into what I hoped would be an amazing dream…it wasn’t.

  ******

  A vast lake of purple rippled in front of me. The air tasted sweet, like a foreign fruit. Red and blue grass swayed in the wind and clouds of dirt whipped around my face. The crumbled volcano sat in the center of the lake, waves crashing against its bank. Dark stone covered the mountain, a result of the molten lava that once broiled down the sides. The mountain’s newly formed shell was liquid that had frozen in motion, disappearing beneath the surface of the water. Lines swirled over the rocky surface, tiny bubbles having formed in the rock that would shatter if touched. Water sloshed back and forth over the edges, tiny white caps forming as waves clapped together.

  I stood on the far bank, staring at the aisle of land that led to the mountain. At one point there had been an entrance to a cave there where all of this had begun. Rayna’s blood had broken the barrier between Earth and the other dimensions, and it was her blood that opened Riley to Ithreal’s blessing.

  I shuddered at the memory of Rayna lying on the ground. Clouds had twisted in the sky, lightning had struck the earth, water had crashed against the shore, and wind had cut across our faces. Lava had rolled down the edge of the mountain with deadly silence, and my elements had churned inside me in a way I’d never known before. Fire and water battled one another and I screamed, opening myself to a storm of emotions and magic I’d never thought possible. I had put everything I had into saving Rayna and bringing her back, and when she had gasped her first breath, I cried in relief.

  It was then that Marcus had come stumbling from the cave’s entrance, moments before it collapsed. My mother’s body draped limply over his arms, and no matter what power
I called, there was no saving her. Her last pulse of life had vanished somewhere inside the cave, stolen from my father, Riley Williams.

  “Ask, and you shall receive.” The voice was not what I’d come to recognize as my father’s. It was deeper with a harsh rasp and it carried the edge of something demonic.

  My elements were already charging, a rampaging force ready to be unleashed. I faced him and released a vengeful wrath. A stream of flame tore from my palms. It scorched the air, but as it moved to reach him, he vanished. The fire scalded the air and faded to smoke as I pulled the element back.

  Riley reappeared beside me. “It’s hardly worth your wasted energy, son.” The demonic voice unnerved me and I backed away.

  This was a dream and I had my shields up, yet he was here. How was that possible?

  “You are in a state of bliss, Chase. You’ve let your shields fall and by thinking my name, you have summoned me.”

  I didn’t respond. I reached out with an invisible hand and searched the world around me. Summoned or not, if I could find his energy, I could eject him from my mind.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, son. I have nearly everything I need now. I thought perhaps we could talk.”

  “Don’t call me ‘son.’” I wanted to sound angry, but my voice came out in a whisper. Riley’s presence was intense and powerful. Energy rolled off his skin, sending shivers through my body.

  His blond hair had grown and it was no longer neatly trimmed around his ears. It sat loose and messy, dangling in his face, although not long enough to tuck behind his ears. The crystal blue eyes that were once vibrant against his skin were black. There was no white, only darkness, and it seemed to spill over onto the edges of his face. Dark lines cracked away from his eyes and rippled across his temples, reminding me of a vampire who’d unleashed his demon. Wisps of energy pooled from his back; arms of magic reaching out and snapping at the wind like black flames fighting to keep themselves alive.

  “Like it or not, you are my blood. You are my son.” Riley stepped forward and I backed away.

  “Maybe once, but not now. Whatever is inside you doesn’t live within me.”

  “And whose choice was that? I offered you this. I practically handed you a throne and endless power. You could destroy your enemies with a single blow…or a twist of your hands.” A devious smirk pulled at the edge of his mouth and the memory of him breaking Willy’s neck played through my mind.

  Anger rocked my body, the surge of fire dancing at my fingertips, but I didn’t unleash it. I pulled it back, taking the power and the anger with it. I couldn’t fight Riley. Not yet. I wasn’t strong enough—I wasn’t ready.

  “That cat really has got your tongue, hasn’t she? The Chase I know wouldn’t let a moment like that blow by.”

  “I’m not the Chase you know…not anymore. And you’re not the father I knew. You’re a monster, a demon, a murderer.”

  Riley laughed and it was a deep, honest laugh. “What do you think we were doing all those years? Do you think all those demons I killed were evil? Of course not. But they were demons.” He chuckled again and clasped his hands behind his back. He stepped toward the lake and grass folded beneath his feet. “I must admit, Serephina does nice work. And I’m not talking about this dimension. You’ve grown stronger since we met. You’re… something different, and yet familiar to me…like something from my past that I do not recognize…or perhaps Ithreal’s? It seems with his soul pieces come memories. Memories of another time.” He didn’t move forward, but Riley leaned in, sniffing the air. “Yes…something I once knew.”

  “You’ll get a reminder soon, I’m sure,” I stepped back, still searching my mind. I could feel his power like a pulsing beat, but each time I neared, it vanished, reappearing in the distance.

  “I would have thought by now you’d have come to realize you cannot win. You’ve played your hand, Chase, but it came up short. There is no shame in this. It was never in your fate to win.”

  “This fight is far from over, Riley.”

  “‘Riley,’ ‘Riley,’” he said, a deep growl vibrating with his words. “I am your father and you will address me so!”

  “My father died a long time ago, consumed by an evil far greater than even he could defeat.”

  Riley’s glare was cold and distant, his forehead creasing. For a moment I thought I’d actually hurt his feelings. One could only hope.

  “I am very much here and alive, son. I have chosen a path unwalked by many, and for that, I am judged. This was to be expected. But when you see…when you truly see what I can accomplish, your views will change. Then you’ll be begging me for attention like you did as a child.”

  “I won’t live to see that happen. I’ll die stopping you if I have to.”

  Riley smiled. “I’m fairly certain you won’t…if I recall, Drake informed you of your current…situation. You’ve started on a path that ends in immortality, and there is no way for you to stop it now. You become a demigod, or you succumb to one of the many forces inside you greater than yourself.” Riley shrugged. “Either way, you will live and therefore help me.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh, and the sound seemed to catch Riley off guard. “You have it inside your head I’m going to give in to you, that there is some outcome or fate that will leave me no choice but to join you. That will never happen. Besides, last I heard, you don’t even know why I’m needed.”

  “You’re the soul piece and the ritual must be completed on earth. As long as you’re alive, I can proceed as planned. And you’re not about to let yourself go, are you?” Riley grinned. “This was not your fate. This was the fate you created for yourself when you entered the sanctuary and received the Mark. You are not the ‘chosen one,’ you are simply the one lucky enough to survive Serephina’s test. And now we’re here, two peas in a pod, both out to bind the souls inside us. We’re more alike than you think.”

  I homed in on Riley’s energy, trying to prepare for it to vanish and reappear. My eyes were locked with his, the wind gusting around us.

  “You’ve done nothing but take from me,” I said. “First you took the father I knew, then you took my childhood, then my life when you exiled me from the Circle. After that it was my mother, and then my best friend. The only thing we have in common is the coming end. Where you die, and I’m the one who kills you.”

  “There will be death, that much is certain, but it will not be my life succumbing to your rage. In fact, given the path you seem firm on pursuing, it will be you who is held responsible for your friends’ lives. You and Rayna have no choice but to be a part of this. The others, however, well, their deaths are on your hands.”

  “Don’t say her name.”

  “One day soon, I hope you learn just how pitiful your threats sound. She is going to aid me, Chase. She will cooperate and live, or she will cooperate and die. Whether that death is at my hands or her own has yet to be seen.” Riley sighed. “Your choices form your destiny, and right now, you are destined to be alone. Should you go to war with me, I will wipe out everything you have ever known.” Riley stepped forward, and this time I didn’t back away. “You think I have taken from you now? If you continue to oppose me, you will learn true loss. You will live eternity knowing you killed them: Marcus, Tiki, Rayna, even that little bird. They will all suffer the same fate as your stuttering friend. I will strike the final blow, but it is you who will force my hand.”

  Rage welled up inside me and as hard as I tried, this time I wasn’t able to contain it. I screamed and let the fire wrap around him. The black wall I had come to expect enveloped his body and swallowed my flame, but I didn’t stop. I pushed harder and focused on the heat until white flames flared around him. The shadows that draped over Riley screamed against the bright energy and a wisp of power branched away, taking on the form of a massive hammer. Before I could deflect it, the arm struck me down and pinned me to the earth. It was enough to smother the element I’d unleashed, but not enough to break my focus. I found Riley’s energy
and wrapped that invisible hand around it.

  “No!” Riley yelled, struggling against my grip. “We are not done!” His shield peeled away and arms of magic swelled behind him, each taking on the shape of a different weapon. They arched back and Riley launched them forward all at once. I pushed his energy away with all the force I could summon, and then it broke.

  Riley and his power vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving me on the ground with a twinge of pain on my chest. The skin had already darkened in a large rectangular patch from where the hammer had struck me.

  I had to force myself to slow my breathing and focus on getting home. My own mind was a battlefield. I wasn’t ready to face Riley, or the fateful course I might have started my friends on. All my attention had to be on the Protector’s rite and knowing that I hadn’t forced anybody into this. My friends stood beside me because they believed in me. No matter what my enemies told me, deep down inside I didn’t feel doubt or the knowledge that we couldn’t win. I felt an intense desire to succeed, and the belief that we could.

  ******

  Before my eyes were open, I felt the warmth of Rayna’s hand on my chest. But the relaxing calm that should’ve come with it had been overtaken by pain. I winced and pushed her hand away.

  I sat up on my elbows, heaving breaths coming from my lips. Streams of sweat had beaded down my face and dripped down my neck. A sheer gloss covered my body, and my chest had the beginnings of a bruise.

  “Are you okay?” Rayna wrapped herself in a blanket, holding it up with a single hand while the other idled over my skin. Her hair was messy and her eyes wide with panic.

  “I’m fine…I think.” I shook away the last bit of sleep that clung to my mind. “It was just a dream.”

  “That doesn’t look like just a dream.” Her hand touched the edge of the forming bruise and I winced. “That looks like Riley found a new way in.”

  “No,” I said, starting to catch my breath. “Not a new way. I just let my shields down, that’s all.”