Flux Flame (A Flame Moon Novel

by K. J. Jackson

“Swear it.”

  “I do. I swear it.”

  His hands went down to her body and he pulled her into him. He buried his face onto the top of her head. “Don’t make me regret it, Char. Please don’t make me regret it.”

  ~~~

  Aiden leaned on the railing, and Skye moved behind her husband, sliding her arms around his chest.

  He was still heaving. She went to her tiptoes to get her chin on his shoulder. “You know in your soul I need to be here, Aiden. You just don’t want it to be so.”

  “I know no such thing.” His hands tightened on the brass railing, threatening to bend this portion as well.

  Skye’s hand went down along his left arm, and she gently pried his fingers loose, then slipped in front of him, her back against the railing. Her palms on his chest, she looked up at him, emanating calm, even though the churning pit in her stomach threatened to turn her into a crumbling mess.

  “Ever since the flame moon appeared, Aiden, this is what we’ve been training for. This is what you’ve been preparing me for. Another half-breed, with the power to move the bowels of the earth? This is it. This exactly where I am supposed to be. This is exactly what I’m supposed to stop. What we are supposed to stop.”

  His hand had gone back to the railing, and Skye could feel his arm muscles pulsating on either side of her. He was fighting this all internally, and she feared her words weren’t making it through to his logic.

  He cursed silently to himself, then pinned her with his eyes. “I haven’t done enough—I haven’t taught you enough. I don’t know if you’re ready.”

  She gave a wry smile. “Well, of course I’m not ready. But you know what? I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. Give me a hundred years and I won’t be ready. Because I don’t know what the hell I am doing. But you do. And I trust that. So ready be-dammed.”

  “Ready be-dammed?” The repeated words sent his eyes to the stars. “You want me to willingly take you into this battle, when there’s so much more you need to know to protect yourself?”

  “Oh no you don’t. Don’t you dare lose faith in all that you have taught me. And don’t lose faith in who I am and what I can handle. That’s not fair to either of us for you to want to duck out of this now.”

  “This isn’t going to be easy, Skye. You have no idea what they’re capable of.”

  She held in a laugh. “Easy? Tell me, since I landed on that mountain of yours, when has my life ever been easy? It’s been a bitch. But you know what? I wouldn’t trade away a second of it. All of it. Even all of the shit we’ve been through since the fire. What I became. I became it for a reason, and this is why. I believe that down to my toes.”

  “And this—” she pointed over her shoulder with her thumb at the vast, dark ocean. “What we’re facing—it was never supposed to be easy. It was never supposed to be conveniently timed. But here it is. So we do what we’ve been doing for a year, now, we deal with it. I’m not going to shy away from this battle, and I’m not going to let you make me shy away from it.”

  He stared down at her for a long while, and Skye could feel his muscles loosen.

  “Aiden, I have earned the right to be by your side. Through hell, if necessary. I have earned this.”

  At that, he smiled at her. A smile that beamed of pride, overshadowing the raging doubt that darkened his blue eyes.

  “So it’s on?” he asked.

  “Hell yea, it’s on.” She smiled back at him, covering her own apprehension at what was to come.

  “Fine. Then you give me these moments. You stay right here in my arms.”

  “Gladly.”

  She turned around to face the ocean, one hand on the railing for stability, and he wrapped his arms around her, molding her body into his. They watched the glimmering chop of the water for minutes, relishing the beauty that the bright moon created over the sweeping ocean.

  “Do they really think this will make them into gods again?” Skye broke the silence. “Who will believe it—worship them as gods? Aren’t we too smart as a society for that?”

  Aiden paused, and she could feel him pondering the question. His arms tightened around her body before he answered. “Homer made it happen once, and all it took was some exciting tales and pretty poetry. Socrates believed in some of the gods. Was he dumb? Thousands in his time and before him did as well. Were they all dumb?”

  “No. Not at all. But with what we know today, with science, with today’s technology.”

  “Yes, but where did all that science and technology really come from? Imagination. Mankind has imagination in spades going for them. But then you add fear to imagination, and all bets are off. Those two things combine in the mind, and it’s a potent mix, a downfall. Clowns under beds. Monsters in the closet. Wind blowing in a dark forest. Annihilation by meteor. Ouija boards. Too often, we like to believe our imaginations instead of the reality in front of us. All it takes is one to believe, to truly, unequivocally believe, and then spread it like a virus. So is it such a stretch that this would work? Obliterate the western coast of the United States, then move in with more fear. Fear will motivate people like nothing else.”

  Skye leaned her head back onto his chest to look up at the stars. “Okay, point made when you mentioned clowns under the bed. I sure don’t let my toes slip under our bed in the dark.”

  Aiden laughed. “And how old are you?”

  “Old enough, but I don’t think that particular fear is going away anytime soon.” Skye sighed, and then looked back up over her shoulder at her husband. “We really have to stop them, don’t we?”

  “Yes.”

  It was a one word answer, and the most desperate word Skye had ever heard him speak.

  ~~~

  The engines on the boat cut off a few minutes later. Their momentum continued to let them drift silently forward through the waves, and Skye and Aiden made their way to the front deck.

  Horace was already huddled there with Triaten and Charlotte. They were all pointing off into the distance and in deep discussion.

  “So what are we looking at?” Aiden asked as he and Skye lined up with the rest along the front railing.

  “Those are the coordinates,” Horace said as he pointed out into the distance.

  Charlotte handed a pair of binoculars to Aiden. He scanned the dark horizon in the direction they were pointing, and grunted. He handed the binoculars to Skye.

  She took them, wondering what scene she was going to be greeted with. Her eyesight in the dark had improved a hundred-fold over the last year, but she knew it was still not as good as Aiden’s.

  But her dark sight was not a problem as she scanned the waves, searching for whatever Aiden had grunted at. She quickly stumbled across a set of boats, fishing boats, it looked like.

  There were four of them, and they were all tethered in the back by cables attached to a huge, circular platform. The boats were all in motion, tugging away from the middle platform as if to keep it steady in the waves.

  The longer Skye watched the scene, she realized the movement of the boats was circular around the platform, the whole of it slowly spinning. She could see some people standing around the platform’s outer edges, guarding, it appeared, and some more people in the middle of the platform.

  She trained the binoculars on the boats. All four looked heavily guarded. She could see the flashes of swords periodically in the moonlight. She pulled the binoculars from her face.

  “Thoughts?” Aiden asked to the group in general.

  “We weren’t sure what was out here, and I guess I didn’t expect that,” Triaten said. “Did you see how all the boats are pulling in the same direction? They look to be stabilizing against a rotating force in the middle.”

  “Something that could probably turn into a whirlpool from what I saw,” Charlotte said as Triaten stepped away from the railing, and she slid in front of him so she could see Aiden and Skye.

  “How many jet skis are down there?” Aiden asked.

  “Two jet skis, one rubbe
r dinghy,” Horace said.

  “Right. So I’m thinking we blow up two of the boats, opposite each other, with the jet skis,” Triaten said as he took the binoculars from Skye and watched the scene over Charlotte’s head. “Then we attack the remaining two, working our way to the center platform. Are you coming on board, Skye?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Being in the water, can you handle it?” Triaten asked.

  Skye was honest, per usual. “I can. I’m not happy about it, but I can stomach it.”

  “Good.” With a nod, Triaten dropped the binoculars to his side and he looked at Skye. “You and Aiden take one of the jet skis, Horace and I will take the other. Char is going to stay out of the fray, and can man the dinghy.”

  “You’re staying out of it?” Aiden’s surprised eyes swung to Charlotte. “Good, but how in the world did Triaten convince you of that?”

  “Believe me, I would love to be in the initial fray, and I am in—in a second if necessary—but I’m staying out of it for the baby. Let’s face it. You guys are the best of the best, and you can handle it. Plus, I am all in if needed, and an unexpected force is always a nice surprise.”

  “Well then,” Aiden said, “we’ll do our best to make sure you do stay out of it.”

  Charlotte tilted her head. “Please do.”

  “So we clear the outer boats and get to that middle platform,” Triaten said. “That has to be where they have the half-breed. I couldn’t see from here, but it’s already clear something is happening with the half-breed in there—in these waters, those boats wouldn’t be circling like that unless there was a driving force in the middle.”

  “We need to move on this now.” Horace was clearly impatient.

  “Wait, before we go.” Aiden stopped them. “There’s something Skye has to hear, because she hasn’t seen it before.”

  Quizzical, Skye looked at Aiden.

  “What we’re dealing with, Skye, it doesn’t have honor, and it doesn’t know bounds. You have seen evil, I know. But not like this. This is pure evil. Evil for no other reason than evil exists, so you can’t adhere to what you know, what is honorable. We’re not dealing with honor anymore. We need to fight as dirty as we possibly can.”

  “You?” Skye scoffed at Aiden. “You can’t be anything but honorable.”

  Aiden and Triaten exchanged looks, and a pained smile crossed Aiden’s face. He looked down at Skye. “It was long before you knew me, but it was who I was for a long time—I have a long history of skirting on the outer bounds of honor.”

  Skye glanced at Triaten for verification. “True?”

  Triaten answered with a curt nod. “True.”

  Aiden waited until he had Skye’s eyes again. “Whatever happens, this is what you need to know. It’s hard to manipulate someone when they’re unpredictable. So become unpredictable. When all else fails, become unpredictable, lose your honor.”

  Skye nodded at him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Good.” Aiden looked at the tight circle around him. “We go?”

  “We go.” Said by all, solemnly, and in unison.

  { Chapter 24 }

  After dropping Skye and Horace to tread water by their respective boats, Triaten and Aiden lined up the jet skis, laden with explosives. Simultaneously, they sent them into the opposite-placed boats, and the dual explosions lit the night air with spectacular shards of burning wood.

  After treading water while he set-up the jet ski, Skye had to swim hard against the pull of the water to the fishing boat. She rode the blast of waves from the explosions by gripping a rope hanging off the bow of the fishing boat. By the time Aiden reached her, the water had been warmed enough by the explosions that she wasn’t shivering.

  His hand wrapped around the rope above her fingers. “Did any of the shrapnel hit you?”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “Good.” He glanced up at the edge of the boat through the dark wet hair that hung across his brow.

  The sounds of crackling and sizzling wood, along with shouting from above, were loud enough that he didn’t need to whisper. “Okay, you need to be ready for anything up there. Anything. I mean it. Anything. There are speeders, and ones that can create fire—and wind and water are always forces that can come out of nowhere and clock you. Close your mind, lots of them can read thoughts. Be ready for brutal strength coming at you, your squirreliness is your best defense against that. There’s not a lot of room up there, that should be in your favor. Keep your thrusts and swings tight. Your core. Keep it protected. And I’m sure a few can control animals, I don’t see any, but keep your feet about you in case a pelican dive bombs you. There—”

  Skye put her hand across his mouth and stifled a nervous laugh at the pelican warning. He really was going to cover any eventuality. “Aiden, stop. You’ve taught me everything I need to know. Trust that.”

  Aiden nodded, and her hand left his face.

  “Wait. The most important thing.”

  Skye smiled. “Stay alive. I know. Stay alive.”

  His free hand went into the thick of her wet ponytail, and he pulled her toward him. His lips met hers hard in a salt-water kiss. “Stay alive. No matter what.”

  “You too.”

  “Alright. You ready for this?”

  “After you.”

  Stealthily, and without even an extra puff of breath, Aiden free-climbed the rope, hand over hand, and disappeared over the top edge of the deck. Skye could hear metal clashing metal before she was a quarter of the way up the rope.

  For all the times in the barn that she swore at Aiden for making her climb ropes, she was suddenly grateful that she at least knew how to shimmy up a rope. Her hands slipped on the wet weathered rope, but she made it the short distance and was able to grasp the edge of the boat without falling completely back into the water.

  She got her foot up over the railing, and yanked her body up, rolling over the edge and thudding hard into the deck on her side. The shot of pain was insignificant against avoiding the hatchet that was now embedded into the boat side right where she had just been.

  Skye swung a leg, knocking the feet out from the Malefic that had just tried to hatchet her. She pulled and propped her sword under his fall, and killed her first Malefic before her feet found the deck. The euphoric jolt through her bloodstream was instant, but instead of fighting it, Skye willingly let it flow through her body, harnessing its energy. It did not overtake her. It did not destroy her. Leander had taught her well.

  She smiled as she sprung.

  Upright, with feet solid, she saw Aiden fly past the narrow side passage in front of her, and although she knew anything was possible from him, it looked like he had already cleared half the boat. Good thing she was so slow going up the rope.

  She stepped forward, then froze for a moment, jaw dropping when she saw the unhinged brutality her husband let loose on the Malefics. She had never seen anything so magnificent in its horror. No wonder his mind was tortured by his mastery of death. No wonder bits of his soul were lost to his own actions.

  But even as Skye watched the carnage, she realized at the base level, the necessity of it. She also recognized that this, this was the feared self Aiden had never wanted her to witness.

  It was clear why he never wanted to unleash himself like this again. Mustique, Africa, all of those fights had been mere trifles to him. Nothing compared the butchery in front of her. Limbs flew. Blood didn’t just splatter, it slammed in vicious arcs through the air. There existed no patience with foes. No mercy.

  Skye unfroze the instant her sight was taken from her, as her eyes were blasted by a gust of wind and salt water. Cringing against the pellets needling her face, she threw her right forearm over her forehead just to see, searching for who pelted her with wind.

  Refusing to be sent backward, she ran straight against the wall of wind, scurrying along the edge of the wheelhouse to the wide deck in the back. In front of her, Aiden engaged six Malefics, and she was about to join him, when
she was slammed to the deck from above. With her limited view, she hadn’t seen the Malefic waiting on the high bridge to jump down on her.

  She wriggled, smothered under the Malefic that had to be three times her weight. Every time she fought a limb free, a mass of body re-engulfed her, pinning her down. At least he couldn’t kill her if he was too busy suffocating her.

  Skye struggled, still trying to find a way out from under the mass, then stilled. Best to play possum. He shifted on her, and it gave her what she needed, for a thick swath of his leg landed on her face. She opened her mouth wide, sucking in the flesh, then bit as hard as she could. Skin tore as he screamed and tried to free himself, but Skye didn’t loosen her jaw. She ground her teeth down, even as her body was lifted from the deck as he tried to shove her away.

  Her sword had been knocked free when he landed on her, but now she could reach the dagger at her waist. She pulled it and sunk it into him, not caring where, just that she caused pain and confusion. The Malefic tried to free himself from her teeth, hitting her head, but Skye didn’t let go. She twisted the knife in his flesh, and an even higher pitched squeal was the reward.

  He punched at her head with all his might, and Skye could feel the chunk of flesh tear from his body. He fell away from her, landing on his back with feet trying to push off, but only skidding on the wet deck. Skye scrambled on top of him, sending her dagger into his heart. She spit the chunk of flesh out of her mouth, and it landed on his face as he slumped flat to the deck.

  She didn’t have time to be grossed-out by the blood in her mouth, for a shock like nothing she had ever felt invaded her body, crumbling her to her knees, pulverizing her muscles from the inside.

  She glanced desperately in front of her. Aiden still had the deck of Malefics handled, for the most part, but she could see even his blood was flying. A shot of worry at the sight flitted through her mind, but then she realized she had to take on whatever had just turned her muscles into jelly.

  She looked over her shoulder up at the bridge, only to see a bruiser of a female, looking down on her, laughing. And then a bright streak of electricity shot out of the Malefic’s hand, sinking into Skye’s belly. She blacked out before she hit the deck.