Illusions: A Grace Murphy Novel

by Nicole Hamlett

  She grunted in agreement. "I'm happier healing than I am killing. But make no mistake, Grace. I excel at murder."

  "So I've heard," I reached across the space and laid a hand on her forearm and gave it a comforting squeeze. The twilight softened the hard planes of her face, giving her a soft, guileless look. My heart broke for her then. Nemesis had not led an easy nor quiet life.

  "We need to stop here for a few hours." Her tone was gruff, and despite my bumbling, I knew better than to push.

  Here was a small clearing within the trees. The forest was quiet, and the only sound was the rustling of the leaves high above our heads. If there was a breeze, we weren't feeling it down here.

  "How far away are we from the barrier?" Drew asked. Up until now, he'd been following quietly.

  "Very close. Maybe thirty minutes?"

  "If we're so close, then why are we stopping?" We were so damn close, why would we stop?

  Nemesis looked off into the distance and tilted her head, listening to the sounds surrounding us. "It's easier to cross the border of the spell at night. The perimeter is guarded heavily during the day."

  I scoffed. "You think it would be the opposite. Why not place guards at night when it's easier to cross?"

  The smile on her face sent shudders of fear through me. "Because the monsters come out of their burrows at night. They are more dangerous than the guards."

  Porkchop, who had been quiet up to this point in the story, clicked his teeth in agreement.

  "I've got stuff to make soup. This is as good of a place as any to eat."

  "I could go for some soup," Drew commented inanely.

  I threw him a sharp look and, sat down against another tree that had been stripped of its bark. I was really lucking out with these comfy trees. The smooth wood felt good against the sore muscles of my back. The pack had gotten progressively heavier the longer we walked. “Yeah, okay. I could go for a rest and something to eat.”

  “I am so surprised,” Drew drawled.

  “Shut up, you,” I muttered.

  It was full dark when I finished the last of Nemesis' soup, and I sighed in happiness at my full belly. The palace food had been great, but there hadn't been enough time to eat my fill before we were on the move again. More importantly, I could think when I wasn't hungry, and I was starting to come up with a half-way decent plan.

  I waved my spoon at Nemesis. Regardless of what I thought of the woman, she could make a damn good campfire soup, and I was going to thank her for it. "I just want to—" My words of gratitude were lost in the piercing screech that filled the quiet evening.

  "Itaa-ay-ee-ee-it-it-tatata!"

  "What the shi-" My head swiveled around, trying to find the source of Squeaker's panic attack. I couldn't see anything but him, barreling headfirst at me. He stopped suddenly and spun on his paws.

  "Son of A— Get down!" I screamed, hitting the deck and covering my head with my arms.

  Sizzling sounds whizzed past my ears, and I tried to push down the panic. I didn't - no - I couldn't get hit with another one of that animal's quills. It would kill me this time. A grunt and a crash sounded from where Nemesis had been sitting, and I raised my head. Before I could get a look, something hard and thick, slammed my face back into the dirt. Something that smelled both musty and musky at the same time, and it confused my hindbrain. Turning my head, so I didn't inhale soil, I opened my mouth and took a deep breath.

  "Drew!" I called out, panicked.

  "Busy!" he bellowed back.

  Growing up, I'd had a friend who'd been obsessed with snakes. As someone with a healthy fear of the reptiles, you can imagine that I didn't spend much time over at her house. The one night I did stay over, her cat had gotten into the reptile room and riled up the four snakes housed in their glass cages. The stench ranged between cloying and musky as they whipped themselves into a frenzy. That scent and those images stayed with me for years. I never stepped foot in that house again.

  And now, the panic raged inside me. I scrambled, clawed and screeched against the dirt, trying to escape whatever was holding me down. How had I not smelled this before?

  "Kukri, kukri, kukri!" I panted, desperately working to call in my weapon before the monster turned on me. We were close enough to the border that it materialized on the third try. I could have cried tears of relief at the familiar weight resting in my hand. I chopped and hacked at the limb weighing my head and shoulders down and popped up to my knees as soon as it moved.

  "Move Grace!" Nemesis swung a staff at the monster to catch its attention before it could strike at me.

  I blinked, trying to take in what was happening. Obviously, we were under attack, and it smelled like a godforsaken snake. But snakes didn't have fur. The monster was at least as long as a semi-trailer and thick as two of the trees surrounding us. Its sinuous body was covered in patches of matted fur and densely packed scales. It struck at Nemesis and then swiftly dodged her responding blow. It was so fast; I could hardly track its progress.

  Drew let out a war cry and leaped into the air, swinging his sword toward the head. The beast angled its body and struck with its powerful tail, swatting Drew out of the air. His head bounced off a trunk, and he went down without a sound. The monster seeing the accessible prey, struck, its jaw unhinged and fangs dripping with a viscous venom.

  "No!" I cried and stabbed down, trying to pin it to the ground. The Kukri isn't a long sword, but it's powerful. The metal slid off one of the thick scales and punched down into a patch covered with fur.

  The creature’s shriek exploded through my head, and I cowered, covering my ears with my forearms, trying to block out the sound.

  Porkchop roared in response and threw himself into the fight. He rolled over the lower half of the monster and impaled the thick, scaly hide with his flaming spikes. Smoke curled, and the skin started flaking as it smoldered. I called in the twin of my Kukri and dove in, hacking and carving at anything that was moving.

  "Watch it," I warned as the monster whipped its massive tail around, and struck with its fangs at the same time, trying to catch Nemesis off guard.

  She ducked and rolled over the middle. Porkchop, finally getting a clear shot; let loose a barrage of flaming spikes, the size of my forearm. The shrill squall of the creature's death throes pierced the night. Utterly frozen with terror, I watched it burn, its skin weeping the same green pus that I'd seen in my own wounds.

  I nearly peed my pants when Nemesis grabbed my arm and jerked me back as the massive tail slammed into the ground where I'd been standing.

  "Get your bag. We need to move now!"

  "Drew's unconscious. We can't leave him." Don't get me wrong. I wanted to run. I wanted to run all the way back to Earth, but my limbs remained stubbornly immobile.

  "You need to get your ass moving, Grace. We need to leave here right now before the guards arrive."

  "Guards?" I was confused. We hadn't seen any soldiers all day.

  "Did you think that thing was a wild creature?"

  "I'm on a different planet, Nemesis. What the hell do I know?"

  "Well it wasn't," she spat. "That's one of Hecate's splices. So, get-your-damn-bag."

  "I. Am. Not. Leaving. Drew." I growled.

  A soft nose nudged my arm. I looked at Porkchop who didn't seem any worse for wear. "I can't leave him here to be captured," I whispered to his solemn face.

  He let out a soft huff of breath and waddled over to where Drew still lay unconscious. He nudged the body and looked at me.

  "He will carry the load." Nemesis said, anger in her voice. "Drew’s going to slow us down, and now all of this will be for nothing."

  "All of what?" I zeroed in on her, angry that she'd even consider leaving my partner here.

  "The plans, the fight to take down Hecate. I cannot be captured. YOU cannot be captured. If she gets a hold of your power, we're all fucked, Grace. Fucked."

  "If we run into guards, we'll fight."

  "Hampered by an unconscious man who has b
een of little use since we left the village."

  "He was exhausted," I spat. "He'd just carried me for how long across who knows what kind of terrain. Give him a damned break!"

  "Arguing isn't going help either of you." Drew groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "I need to get a harder head."

  "Yes," I said shortly. "You do. Can you stand up?"

  "I think so."

  "Porkchop will help you. See if you can get your pack up on him."

  "Oh for the love of – I'll do it." Nemesis stomped over to Porkchop and slung the pack up on his back. The animal grunted and gave her a howl of protest at her rough treatment. She turned on him and hissed. Porkchop back up a few steps and shuddered.

  "Well that's not scary," I deadpanned.

  "Are you bleeding?" she asked Drew impatiently, ignoring me.

  "No."

  "Good, let's go."

  I passed by Porkchop and ran a hand down his snout in a soft caress. I didn't care what Drew said; he was coming home with me. I wasn't going to leave him here to be treated so poorly.

  "How much farther?" I kept both weapons on me, instead of flinging them into the nether. I didn't want to be in a situation where I couldn't call them back. But it was awkward, trying to gather my belongings while juggling two sharp swords.

  "You're going to cut yourself. Give them to me."

  I didn't hesitate; I just handed them over. It shouldn't have been possible, but she took my weapons, hoisted my pack up on my shoulder and then gave them right back. Later, I'd wonder what kind of power Nemesis had that she could keep my constructs tangible without me willing them into existence. Right now, I just wanted to get us to a safe place.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Porkchop stayed glued to my backside as we trudged through the rough forest terrain. If I stumbled, he was next to me, propping me up. If you'd asked me upon meeting him if I'd be grateful for his presence, I would have said no. But now, I was parting with him over my dead and desiccated corpse.

  Nemesis didn't know if there were others of his kind. He'd been placed on the trail a hundred years ago, with his mate to deter strangers from accessing the bolt hole that Drew and I had escaped through. After they'd killed his companion, nobody had bothered with him. That made me a little sad. He had to be incredibly lonely. No wonder he’d stuck to my backside like a burr. He wanted out of here just as much as I did.

  After Nemesis had given me that information, I'd politely turned to him and said, "You don't look a day over five. Really, you're aging so well." Porkchop had stopped on the trail, lifted his snout, and preened. This had made Nemesis snort like a piglet with laughter, and I found myself disliking her a little less. It's hard to hate someone that laughs so hard that they snort.

  In between gasps, she told me that he thanked me profusely and said that I was lovely as well, despite my lack of quills. I grinned at the memory.

  Hold on to those bright spots when they happen, because when the black cesspit of crap starts flying your way, at least you'll have those memories to get you through the darkness.

  As if catching my thoughts, Nemesis threw me a sharp glance and shook her head. “He’ll set Olympus aflame. I’d love to see Zeus’ face when you bring him through the Rift."

  I thought about it and chuckled. He'd be stymied alright.

  She continued, "But enough of that. Have you thought about how you'll get back into the palace?"

  That was a good question. Supposedly, once I was outside of the barrier, I'd regain my powers. That meant that I could teleport directly into the palace. Getting in was the easy part. Getting out was the challenge.

  "I'm calling in the troops. They're all much smarter than I am, and they'll come up with a better plan than 'get in, get out.'"

  "So humble. Unexpected from the warrior that killed my siblings."

  I tripped, startled by her sudden bluntness. "Listen, about that." I paused, unsure what to say.

  "Yes," she drawled. "About that."

  "You do realize that they'd terrorized my family and me. They'd convinced my sister to slit my son's throat. It's a miracle that he's still alive after that! It was either them or me." I stopped and caught her eye. "And it wasn't going to be me."

  "You have a son, then?"

  "I do. I thought you'd know."

  "I didn't. There is a reason I'm here and not on Earth."

  "And that is?"

  "I was tired of it all. I was sick of the intrigue, the power struggles… The obligations."

  "Hm. I've only been a part of this for a few years, and I'm already tired of it. I can only imagine what you must have felt."

  "I doubt it."

  "Well, I'm sorry about your brother and sister anyway." The last was murmured. I was only a little sorry. I'd felt nothing but relief as I'd held her sister's burning body in my hands, her ashes drifting on the wind.

  "Are you really?" she murmured.

  I sucked in my lip and thought for a moment. "Let me put it this way. I'm sorry if you are hurt by their loss. I'm not sorry that they are gone." I spared a thought to how she was getting this information about her family and me, but then put it out of my mind. I’d think about it later when I wasn’t running for my life.

  "Thank you for being honest." She continued through the trees without further comment, and I followed.

  Drew sidled up to me after that conversation and nudged me. "It seems that you're making friends."

  That startled me. Was I making friends with Nemesis? It seemed like such an unlikely outcome for us that I snorted. "I don't see a reason to be rude."

  "Mmhmm," he murmured.

  "Listen, I can't help but think something is going on here that is bigger than we're imagining. Not that Hecate draining power isn’t big. But it all just feels wrong."

  He nodded and glanced behind us. "We're being watched. It’s one of her skills. One of the reasons why she’s rarely defeated. If Hecate catches us, you, in particular, I don’t think we’ll survive it, Grace."

  "Why am I not surprised? Everything on this planet is out to kill me."

  Drew threw his arm around me and said, "Yes. Everything is about you, Grace." I could hear the smile in his voice, and I responded with a sniff.

  "Of course, it is."

  My body became stronger the closer we came to the edge of the boundary. The fatigue and burning pain of the poison running through my veins were no longer so overwhelming. I'd only received a few scrapes and bruises from the snake attack, so all-in-all, I wasn’t doing so bad. I knew that it would happen, but it was a profound relief to feel it. It wasn't long before my stomach piped up, protesting the lack of food. We’d just eaten, but it made sense that my body was trying to restore the balance. I’d burned a lot of energy healing.

  "Drew, did you bring anything more to eat, by chance?" I rubbed my belly and looked around for anything edible.

  "You're hungry again already?" Nemesis gave me a derisive snort that I tried not to take personally. But then she continued with, "I've heard this about you."

  "Heard what?" Were those berries poisonous? I took a step toward the bush and was quickly yanked backward.

  "Poisonous to the taste and touch. I've heard that you're ruled by your stomach. I couldn't believe it. Anyone who'd defeated my mother's schemes for this long couldn't be so -" She waved her hand around, searching for the word.

  "Couldn't be so what?" I asked thinking, Don't be sensitive Grace. Don't be sensitive. "A person needs to eat. You need fuel to run the machine." I sounded defensive - which I hated. Nobody takes defensive people seriously.

  "Basic," she finished.

  "Well, to be fair, Grace could be hypoglycemic." I threw Drew a grateful smile, appreciative of his defense.

  Nemesis snorted. "Right, because Atlanceans are genetically pre-disposed toward disease."

  "I'm not going to be offended," I grumbled.

  "Peasants live their lives for sustenance. Not great warriors."

  "I have no problem being a peas
ant," I replied nonchalantly. "As a matter of fact, I'd give anything for some simple bread and cheese. Something nice and sharp. Nothing moldy, though. Bleu Cheese grosses me out. So do mushrooms," I said as an afterthought. I'd been eyeing a cluster of mushrooms beneath the tree ahead of us.

  "Also, poisonous."

  "Oh, my gods! Everything on this planet IS trying to kill me!" Yes, I was getting whiney, but c'mon!

  Nemesis rolled her eyes and scoffed, "No, not everything. Given time, you'll learn."

  "Drama Queen," Drew said under his breath.

  "I hope to be off this godforsaken rock before then, thanks. Maybe Georgie will send something along."

  "We're almost there. Once we reach the boundary, we'll eat again."

  "Promises, promises. What about you? What are your plans?"

  "Plans for what?"

  "Don't play coy, Nemesis. I may be naive and tenderhearted, but I'm not entirely a fool. You must have something going on up there in that brain. Otherwise, you wouldn't be helping me. So, what is it? Going to sneak through the Rift and free your mother? Start a revolution? Rain destruction down upon Earth? What's your game?"

  "It can't be enough that I want to see this world free from Hecate's madness?"

  I stopped and studied her face. Not that I'd learn anything, but I wanted to get a read on my gut. I imagine that she did want to see this world free of the restrictions. She'd want access to her power at the very least. But I couldn't see her as this altruistic, and I said so.

  She scoffed of course. "You know nothing about me. Don't presume that you do. See over that rise?"

  She pointed to a small hill not two hundred yards ahead. "Yes?"

  "That's the boundary. There will likely be traps laid along the radius to catch any magic users fleeing Hecate's sphere."

  "How do we get around them?"

  "Must I do everything for you, Grace? Have you no survival instincts of your own?"

  "Oh, so now we're back to being pissy? I didn't know. Sorry, let me put my bitch face back on."