by Vivi Anna
She nodded. "Yes. His father was said to be an incubus that visited his mother in the night and impregnated her with his demon seed."
Trevor nearly choked on his cookie. I patted him on the back. "Okay, so what we really want to know is how did he die? Was he killed?"
She looked from me to Trevor then back again. "What did you say you wanted this information for?"
"A school paper. On Celtic mythology." I took a sip of milk and smiled at her over the rim.
"He was put into a deep sleep," she continued.
"By some magical sword?"
She nodded. "Yes. It was enchanted by Nivaine, Merlin's apprentice and the object of his desire. He taught her all his secrets and she betrayed him by using his power against him."
"What happened to the sword?" Trevor asked.
"No one knows. In some versions it was given to the Lady of the Lake, another says the blade shattered after it pierced Merlin's body and the pieces were scattered all over the world."
"Do you think there are pieces of it around still?" I picked up the cookie and shoved the entire thing into my mouth.
Morgana leaned back in her chair regarding us strangely. "You do realize that these are just stories? Myths. They aren't real. They are basically allegories about the state of society at the time."
I nodded. "Of course. It's just the way you tell it, it seems so real."
That seemed to please her and she went back to smiling pleasantly. "Anything else, dears? I have another appointment soon."
"Just one more thing." I slid Trevor's phone across the table. "Do you recognize any of these symbols?"
She took the phone and looked at the first sigil, which was the triskele. "Yes, that's the Celtic symbol for the three worlds, the triumvirate if you like, or the holy trinity." She flicked through the others and her brow wrinkled as she narrowed her eyes. She glanced up at us. "Where did you get these?"
"Do you recognize something?"
She turned the phone around to show me one picture on the screen. "This is a very old marking. It's the only symbol that was ever found that pointed to the slight possibility that Merlin was in fact a real person. It's Druidic and means Satanspawn. Merlin Satanspawn was one of many names attributed to him."
Trevor and I shared a look. He knew exactly what I did. That Merlin had been real and Thane was his descendant.
"Now, can you tell me where you got these pictures?"
I took the phone and handed it back to Trevor. We both stood. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Morgana. Our paper is going to rock."
As we walked past her chair, she reached out and touched my hand. The contact was brief but it was obviously enough for her to figure some shit out. The first being we were lying to her, and the second that we weren't one hundred perfect human.
She snatched her hand back and cradled it as if she'd been burnt. Her eyes were wide, maybe a bit frightened, definitely shocked, when she met my gaze. "Be careful, Shadowrider. He can still hurt you."
"Who?" I demanded. "Who can hurt me?"
She shook her head. "I can't see his face, but he's there waiting for you in the shadows."
"Oh great, thanks."
Her words threw me for a loop and Trevor had to steer me out of her house and back onto the street.
"What the hell was that about?" he asked as we walked.
I shook my head, still a bit shaken by her vision. "She must've sensed I wasn't fully human."
"She was a bit of a freakshow."
If I hadn't been too freaked out, I might've laughed at that. Trevor calling her a freakshow when either one of us would have fit right nicely into a traveling carnival with bearded ladies and lizard men.
"Do you think she was talking about Thane? About him hurting me?"
Trevor grabbed my hand in his. "I won't let him hurt you anymore."
I nodded, and we continued to walk in silence for a few blocks to catch the trolley back to the hotel. I was still absorbing everything Morgana had told us. I was more than certain that we had the answer to our problem. Just not how to put it all together.
"You think there's a piece of the sword in that box, don't you?"
I looked at him. "Don't you?"
"I still don't know what to think.
"Merlin's symbol is on that box. It can't be a coincidence."
He nodded. "How do we get the box and open it?"
"One of us has to sneak into his room and take it."
He sighed, scrubbing at the stubble peppering his chin. "They have one last gig tonight."
"Good, then while you're at the club, I'll slide through the shadow-way to Thane's room and open the box and take whatever's inside and be back all before they get off stage."
"And if there is a piece of that sword inside?"
"Then we stab them in their sleep."
He halted and turned me toward him. "I won't let you do that Salem. I'll do it. I don't want you to have to live with something like that."
I squeezed his hand, and then pulled him into a hug. "It's going to work. It has to."
He sought my mouth and kissed me. It was soft and gentle and made my knees weak. He kissed me again, then rested his forehead against mine. "You're one of a kind, Salem."
"So are you."
We started walking again, hand in hand. Before we got to the trolley stop, Trevor tugged me a stop.
"I don't want to go back yet. Let's go do something fun."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Let's go be tourists for a few hours."
I smiled. "Cool. Can we go up into the needle?"
"Sure."
"Can we ride the monorail?" I jumped up and down excited.
He laughed. "We could ride it twice."
"Awesome!" I started to run, pulling him with me.
And for half the day we played at being tourists. We played at being two normal teenagers looking for some fun instead of two cambion runaways planning to murder four demon goth rockers.
Trevor and I headed to the community center where the all ages gig was going to be. When I was younger, I loved that bands would play at places where I could attend. And just like those bands, Malice had a pretty sizeable young audience. Once this would've pleased me to no end, but now I just wanted to scream to the crowd to ‘get out', to delete all Malice songs from their iPods and phones. Parents hide your little rockers because the demons are coming to town to suck out their souls.
Going through the motions, we helped set up the stage and sound equipment. I tied the wires and carried the speakers and followed instructions. All the while, I couldn't think of anything else but finding the piece of sword and sliding it into Thane and the others to end this nightmare.
On our break, we went and sat outside on the baseball diamond bleachers nearby. Trevor had snagged a couple of bottles of water and two bags of potato chips. For a few minutes we drank and ate in silence. It wasn't a comfortable silence, it was full of questions and answers and uneasy resolve.
"I don't like you going."
"I know." I wiped my fingers on my jeans. "But you were the one that started this. Making me practice going on my own. And it totally makes sense that it's me and not you."
"I know all that, but I still don't like it."
"Are you worried that I won't get it or that I might get hurt?"
I hated the uncertain whine, the desperation in my voice, but it was there nonetheless. I was worried that Trevor only cared about the end game—getting revenge for his sister—and not about me. I was afraid of being a means to an end. I wanted to be the end. The prize at the finish line.
He looked at me, then reached across the metal bleacher set and grabbed my hand. "I'm worried about you. You are what's important."
Was it cheesy that my heart thumped a little harder and a hot wave swept into my belly?
"I'll be fine. It's a quick zip through the shadows to the hotel, then back again. What could possibly go wrong?"
"I don't even want to know." He shuffle
d closer to me and leaned into my face.
I met him halfway and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was simple at first. Lip on lip. A little sigh. A little heat. Then Trevor cupped my face with his hand, tilting me up to him. I sighed again, and he slid his tongue in.
Then it was all hot and fiery and explosive. We meshed and I could taste the water droplets on his tongue and the flavor that was all him. Dark. Dangerous. Delectable.
I fisted my hands into his t-shirt, pulling him closer. A hunger I didn't know existed clawed through me. I had to feast on him. Only he would satisfy me. Only he could sate my ripping and tearing need.
Darkness swirled around me, clouding my vision. I was drawn into it. It called to me. I had to heed its call. Trevor was the only thing that darkness wanted, what it craved. And I was going to give him over...
Then everything flashed white, and I was staring into Trevor's flushed face. He was breathing hard, his hands squeezing my shoulders. He'd been pushing me away.
Realization dawned on me and I sunk into myself.
"I did it again, didn't I?"
He gave me a small smile. "I was able to pull you back before you took anything vital."
"I'm sorry," I murmured.
"One day we'll figure out how to do this without one of us ending up in a coma."
I let out a deep sigh. "God, I hope so."
Slowly, carefully, he leaned forward and kissed me again. It was quick and chaste and I guess it would have to do until I could get myself under control. I would love to be able to make out with my boyfriend without killing him.
"Let's get back. The band should be here by now."
We jumped down from the bleachers and made our way back to the center to wait it out.
For the next hour, I did everything I could to avoid being near Thane, Devon and the others. It proved difficult because there weren't many places to hide in the community center. Then around every corner it seemed Devon lurked in wait. Thankfully, she didn't do more than stab me with eye daggers and growl menacingly in her throat.
When they finally went out on stage, I nearly cheered with pom poms and everything. I now had roughly forty minutes to retrieve the box and get back. I figured that was plenty of time.
The second they started the set and the bass vibrated through the speakers, Trevor and I snuck into and locked ourselves in the dressing room bathroom. It was small, dirty and smelled liked mold but at least there were an assortment of shadows to choose from.
"Remember to stay on the path." Trevor gave me his serious look.
"I know. I know."
He hugged me close and murmured into my ear. "If anything goes wrong, just come back to me. We can try again."
"You know this is our last chance."
He sighed. "I know. I was just trying to be optimistic."
I smiled, then kissed him on the cheek, lingering a little to drink him in. "I'll be back in a jiff."
He nodded, then backed up giving me room.
I took in three quick breaths, blew them out, shook out my hands, and then stepped into the largest, darkest shadow on the floor.
Within seconds, I dissolved into it. Like sugar in water.
Chapter 28
Darkness consumed me. Despite that I still had a sense of solid space under my feet and in front of me. It was like instinct now to follow the path. I had a picture of Thane's room in my mind and that was where I was heading.
Keeping my head straight, focusing on what was in front of me, I put one foot in front of the other. The tunnel was tight. It was like being forced through a tube of toothpaste. I just went with the flow trying not to think about it too much. Because that would be a huge mistake and would most likely make me immobile.
I kept walking sure I was just about there. Something pulled at me. Forcing me forward. It was a bit like being sucked through a cold, dark straw. The pulling feeling intensified. It was impossible to stop now even if I wanted to. But I didn't panic. It was what was supposed to happen.
Right before being sucked upward, I saw something to my right. It flashed and shone like a beacon. Then it was gone as I materialized out of a shadow along one wall of Thane's hotel room.
I stumbled forward, banging my knee on the coffee table. "Ow. Damnit." I rubbed at it trying to soothe the sting from radiating up my thigh. It did anyway.
The last place I'd seen his green bag was near the bed so I crossed the room. But it wasn't where I'd last seen it. Spinning around, I searched the room for it. At first glance I couldn't see it anywhere.
I flung open the closet door. It was empty save for a few wire hangers and the dry clean bag for housekeeping. I dashed to the bed, dropped to the floor, and looked under it. Nothing except a few dust bunnies.
My heart was thudding. Panic was starting to take root.
I rushed to the bathroom. It too was empty except for the dirty towels on the floor. There were no toiletries on the counter. No toothbrush. No razor. Nothing that said this room was still occupied.
A sinking feeling was filling me as I came out of the bathroom and really surveyed the rest of the room. The bed was unmade, pillows tossed here and there. Empty beer cans littered the table. But there was no evidence that anyone planned to return to the room. Thane had taken his bags with him. They were planning to split right after the gig.
I pulled at my hair in frustration. "I can't believe this. We are so screwed."
I found the same shadow and stepped back into it with a clear image of the center bathroom in my mind. This time I ran through the dark, hands out to the sides. My fingertips skimmed the walls keeping me grounded so to speak. I had to make sure I was still on the path.
The pulling sensation on my chest returned and I knew I was close to being back. But then that gleam came again. To my left this time. It was brighter, as if sensing my presence. As if signaling me with an SOS.
This time, I couldn't ignore it. I didn't want to. So I did the unthinkable, the one thing Trevor kept drilling into my head, and stepped off the path. The second I did that another path formed under my feet. It led me towards the light.
I took maybe ten steps before the path opened up and I walked into a cavernous like room. It was still black around me but the glow from the center cast a green essence outwards just touching the edges of the dark. I stepped into that green glow and followed it to its originator.
Floating about three feet above the ground was a rectangular box. It was the size and shape of an adult coffin. A clear see-through coffin, that looked like it was made from glass.
I reached out and touched it. My fingers slid along its cool smooth surface. It was like polished ice. Running my hand along its side, I peered into it.
My heart lurched up into my throat nearly choking me. The small hairs on the back of my neck stirred. It was as if a spider had crawled its way up my spine.
"No freaking way."
Awestruck, I leaned down and came almost nose to nose with Merlin the magician.
If it wasn't for the thin ice barrier I would've touched him. He looked like a wax figure in a museum. Completely froze in time. His skin was shiny, luminescent really. The green glow seemed to resonate directly from him.
He was bald with a dark intricate tattoo on his skull. His eyes were closed, his mouth slack as if in a deep peaceful sleep. He had on a dark blue tunic, stitched with symbols all over it. The same symbols I'd seen etched into that wooden box. It also looked like he was wearing a robe, in the same color and with the same designs.
His slim hands were folded on his chest and clasped between them was the handle of a long silver broad sword. The blade was inlaid with the same markings I'd seen before.
This was the enchanted sword that had sent Merlin into a coma. This was the sword we needed. It just had to be. But how did I get it?
Backing up a little, I looked the ice coffin over. Maybe there was a way to open it. Then I saw it, down the side, almost at the bottom. A lock. Obviously, I needed a key. Now I knew without a doubt
what was in Thane's box. And there was no way I could get to it.
Dejected, I slapped the top of the coffin with my hand. "Damn it."
The sword was within my grasp and I was incapable of doing anything about it. Thane and the others were going to win. They were going to get away with destroying both my and Trevor's lives. I couldn't let that happen. Not now. Not ever.
I dropped to my knees to inspect the lock. Maybe I could pick it. Reaching into my hoodie pocket, I pulled out a small screwdriver, a left over tool from working on sound equipment. Trevor had given it to me to hold onto for him, just in case. This was a huge just in case.
Lock picking was probably a lesson in patience and finesse, but I possessed neither of these qualities. So jabbing the tip of the screwdriver into the lock and jiggling it around was just going to have to work for me. I didn't have time for anything fancy.
After a few minutes of futile poking and agitating, I realized the lock wasn't going to open. Exasperated, I stood and glared at it, willing it to open. I wouldn't let some fancy locking mechanism best me. There was too much at stake. It wasn't just about me either. Trevor was counting on me. I couldn't let him down. I wouldn't.
As I took a step back, anger and frustration surged through me making my hands shake. Anger that Thane was going to get away with hurting me, with killing so many girls. Frustrated that I was so close to retribution I could taste it on my tongue like sweet grainy sugar.
Without thinking, I kicked at the lock. The coffin didn't even move. So, I kicked at it again. And again. And again. Until I was booting it over and over alternating between my left and right feet. Chips of ice scattered on the ground with each blow. The tinkling sound of the pieces hitting the solid floor echoed all around. It was so loud in my ears I was sure it would wake the dead. Or Merlin, in this case.
Curious, I stopped kicking and approached the coffin. Ice shards crunched under my boot heels. I peered down into the magician's face. It was still slack. No life stirred in his pale waxy features.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I glanced back down to the lock. My heart skipped a beat or two as I noticed the metal clasp was twisted and busted up. I'd broken it. I couldn't believe it.
