The Gateway Trilogy: Complete Series: (Books 1-3)

by Christina Garner

  I was about to turn around—if I left now I could make it back without having to run the whole way to avoid Cole’s notice—when a sound whipped my head back around.

  Thousands of screaming Birds swarmed above Cole. He flung fireballs into the mass and slammed them into the ground dozens at a time, but it did nothing to slow their attack—there were just too many. He was on his knees now, huddled and covering his head.

  I scanned the landscape and saw that the others had reached Aryn and his soldiers. One of the girls—the youngest—was firing arrows into the swarm above Cole. Her aim was true, but it wasn’t helping. The others dragged her away.

  Why aren’t they—

  But I knew. With Cole too occupied fending off the Birds, the Dahraks were advancing again, and Cole had probably ordered them to leave him behind if necessary.

  But he hadn’t ordered me.

  I closed my eyes and did my best to block out all distraction—the shrieking Birds, the churning river, even Cole’s screams of pain. Hurry up, Ember. Cole didn’t have much time.

  Light bloomed in my mind’s eye and I hurtled into it. Open, center… Screw it. I didn’t have time to go through the motions Cole had been teaching me. I didn’t know if they’d work anyway, since he never let me actually practice. I didn’t reach, I seized.

  Power flooded through me, threatening to burn me to ash right where I stood. A sound, pure and terrible, rose up from my belly and burst from my lips. I opened my eyes and saw…everything. It was as though I’d grown a thousand eyes. I knew what was happening with Cole, with the soldiers as they carried Aryn across the open expanse and toward the mountain. For a split-second, I’d have even sworn I could see Taren standing over a dead body.

  I flicked my hand and the Birds attacking Cole didn’t just scatter, they erupted. Feathers and guts rained down on Cole, who stared at me with wide eyes.

  Ember, no—

  This was the only way to save you. I won’t lead them me back to the Oasis.

  He continued to protest, but I muted him to a low buzz and started on the Dahraks. I fanned the flames that engulfed some of them, sending sparks that caught on the Dahraks nearest to them. It created a terrible, beautiful fire, and I became fascinated by the light.

  Until Cole grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.

  “Ember, enough! Stop it.”

  I blinked, and the power was gone. I sagged in his grip, though it was a wonder he could stand. Rivulets of blood ran from his scalp and arms.

  “I could have killed them all,” I said, half furious, half crying. “I could have killed them all, and then—”

  “And then nothing,” he said. “There are always more demons.”

  The others had reached us and looked at me with disbelief.

  “That was you?” Sarah said, her eyes wide. “Nice job. We needed you.”

  “No, we didn’t,” Cole said, his eyes blazing. “Now we need to cover our tracks.”

  “Cover them from who? They’re almost all dead.”

  But then I saw. In the distance, a black mass of Dahraks, as wide as the landscape allowed, moved toward us. From the south came more Birds, a dense cloud of them, that undulated and shrieked. Below them came the Snakes.

  There were always more demons.

  14

  We ran, the soldiers skilled with levitation, dropping boulders to block our path from the onslaught of demons.

  You had no business interfering.

  Cole’s angry words in my mind almost caused me to trip. I regained my footing and kept running.

  I think you mean ‘thank you.’

  Thank you? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The danger you’ve put us in?

  I know that without my help, you’d be on a ledge being pecked to death by Birds.

  I had it handled.

  “Incoming!”

  I looked back to see Birds—smaller than most, which must have been how they’d made it through the tiny gaps between boulders—diving straight at us.

  Cole took care of them; I didn’t dare touch the Chasm. Doing so would lead the demons right to us, even in the crisscrossing maze of tunnels.

  More followed, and finally all of the soldiers worked together to completely seal off the tunnel.

  “How long will that hold?” I said as we raced on.

  “Until the Dahraks rip it apart,” Cole said.

  “I don’t think they saw us,” Sarah said. “They know we entered the mountain, but not where. I looked inside one and—”

  “You did what?” Cole had stopped cold and spun to face the soldier.

  “It’s OK, I was careful,” she said. “It didn’t know I was there. You know I’m good with—”

  “What I know is that you broke protocol in one of the worst ways possible,” Cole barked.

  “You can…see inside the Dahraks?” I said. True, I’d seen through the eyes of the Root back in L.A., but it had had some intelligence. Dahraks were monsters. An image of a Dahrak who’d looked at me with almost knowing eyes during the battle at the Italian Gateway floated behind my eyes.

  Sarah answered, “Yes, but we never do, because—”

  A warning look passed from Cole to Sarah, who looked down, abashed.

  “We never do because it’s dangerous,” Cole said. “And we will discuss your insubordination when we get back home. But since you’ve already done it, tell me what you learned.”

  “They saw us rescue the others, of course,” she said, excited at having important information. “But the path we used to enter the mountain was shielded from view. For all they know, we’re in the tunnel that leads south and extends half the length of the mountain range, or the one that winds around the base.”

  “It will take them weeks to explore both of those,” Aryn said, his expression tight with pain. He’d been set on the ground when we’d stopped, and for the first time I got a look at his injuries. Dried blood crusted the bandages on his legs, and where there weren’t bandages, there were blisters.

  “Let’s just get back,” Cole said. “I’ll figure it out then.”

  He started moving, and the rest of us followed. I wondered if they were contemplating the same thing I was. What good was a few weeks of safety, if we still had nowhere to go?

  15

  We were greeted by cheers upon our return. The last remaining flowers had been plucked from each bush and weaved into crowns worn by the youngest girls. And Sadah—she was the only one whose husband was returning, so she wore her circlet of flowers along with an infectious smile.

  "Husband, you're late for dinner," Sadah said, smiling, hands on her hips. "And look at you—you're filthy!"

  "I am sorry, wife. It's been a long day," Aryn said, doing his best to smile through terrible pain.

  A pallet was waiting for him, and the soldiers lowered him onto it. A young girl brought over a basket with herbs and other makings for a poultice and set it next to Sadah as she knelt by Aryn.

  "This will sting, my love," she said as she pulled dripping strips of cloth from a bowl of liquid.

  "It already does," Aryn said, stroking her cheek.

  They shared a moment with all of us watching. I'd come to love that about the people here. There was little shame or embarrassment. Sharing thoughts created an intimacy we didn't have on my side of the Gateway.

  Sadah leaned forward and kissed him. As she did, she laid the first cloth on the worst of his wounds. His gasp was muffled by her lips, pressing firmly into his.

  It was one of the most touching things I'd ever seen.

  Before I'd jumped, I'd thought I was going to save these people, but the more time that passed, the more I knew how deluded that was. Sure, I'd helped save some lives, but unless we reached Gretchen, we weren't going anywhere. How soon until the Oasis was discovered? Or stopped producing what little crops it did yield?

  "Celebrate," Cole said, handing me a small cup of what passed for wine in these parts. When people were lucky to live past twenty-five, I gues
s they tended not to worry about drinking ages.

  Cole’s wounds had been tended, and luckily they weren’t as serious as I’d first thought. All but one was superficial, only needing to be cleaned. A bandage covered the one on his shoulder.

  I looked into Cole's eyes, and there was something behind them other than celebration, or even lingering anger. He knew what I knew—we were on borrowed time. Before I could say anything, I heard his voice in my mind.

  Let them have this. Reality is for tomorrow.

  He tapped his cup to mine and smiled before returning to the merriment.

  The remaining men were tended to—none had escaped the river unscathed. Each had burns and bites, though none as bad as Aryn’s. I'd had my two sips of wine—most of it was reserved for the returning soldiers who needed it the most—and felt my smile become more genuine.

  A boy and a girl began beating on drums, and the center of the cavern filled with dancers.

  Sadah came running up then, her eyes shining, and placed her crown of flowers on my head. She hugged me tightly, and, for the hundredth time in a few hours, thanked me.

  I took Cole's advice and just said, "I'm glad I could help.”

  Watching as the small band of people that were all that remained of what was once the most powerful race in existence, as they laughed, danced, and tended wounds—all at the same time—was inspiring. They were one people. And I was going to save them. A little voice in the back of my head told me so. My hips began to sway.

  "How much have you had to drink?" Cole said, eying me up and down.

  "Two sips," I said with a laugh. "Can't I just be happy? Reality is for tomorrow, remember?"

  "Training is tomorrow, too," he said, clearly not believing I was sober. "So don't overdo it."

  His frown made me laugh, and I took the crown of flowers from my head and placed it on his. He reached to yank it off, but I held his arm and sent, Please, just one night of not being miserable. Let me have this.

  Then I kissed his cheek and pulled him into the throng of dancers. It was then that I realized that Daemons could be embarrassed—Cole's cheeks turned bright red when one of the girls put her hands on his hips and began moving them side to side. The look he gave me said that I was going to pay for this, which only made me happier. Do your worst, I thought to myself. I didn't have much left to lose.

  The night wound down too soon and I found myself wanting to keep dancing.

  "Are you feeling all right?" Cole said as the last of the revelers made their way to their beds.

  "I feel better than I have since I got here," I said. "Come on, dance with me a little more. We don't need music; I can hum."

  I twirled and held out my hand for him to join me, but he just looked at me, troubled.

  "Go to bed," he said. "You need some rest."

  He couldn't have been more wrong. My entire body felt like a live wire—sleep was the last thing on my mind. Instead of going to bed, I went for a run.

  I ran a loop around the tree-lined ridge, which took hours. By the time I made it back to my small corner of the cavern, all was quiet as I crept into my blankets. But who could sleep? This is what it feels like, I thought. To be Daemon. To be tapping into my full potential. I felt unstoppable—almost desiring to fight the Root demons. All at once, for all I cared. If everyone here felt this way, the demons were no match for us.

  Now adept at starting fires, I lit a small one, just for light. Knowing I liked to draw, Sadah had given me a small piece of coal, and I fished it out of the sack that held all my (demon world)ly goods. Without thought, I started sketching on the wall. My strokes were quick, sure. When I began, I wasn’t sure what I was going to draw, but that didn’t stop me from drawing with confidence.

  “That’s beautiful,” Sadah said, startling me. I turned to see her with a cup of tea.

  I was surprised until I saw that others were up and about as well. That, coupled with the feel of my clothes slick with sweat and sticking to me, clued me in that it was morning.

  “Did you get up early to draw?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, unsure why I wanted to hide the fact that I’d pulled an all-nighter. No doubt Cole would have nagged me about it.

  Sadah held the cup out for me to take, and though I had no need for tea—I was surprisingly alert for someone who’d been awake twenty-four hours—I took it and gave her my thanks.

  I practically skipped to my training session with Cole. I was glad we were doing something physical that morning—sitting still to meditate would have been torture.

  The quarterstaff felt like an extension of myself. It spun in my hands, filling my vision with an almost hypnotic effect. Cole circled me, stalking like a lion, his practice sword at the ready.

  Spin, whack!

  I struck out, knocking the blade from his hand, to his shock. He recovered quickly; a diving roll and the wooden blade was back in his hand.

  Cole lunged and I dodged him with a sidestep.

  “You’ll have to do better than that,” I taunted.

  What had come over me? I didn’t know, but I liked it.

  A low sweep of my staff knocked Cole from his feet. He sprang back up, new respect in his eyes.

  “Very good, Em,” he said, grinning.

  “Thanks,” I said, then tried to knock him to his feet again. This time he jumped, avoiding the blow.

  He lunged, but it was sloppy and I easily sidestepped the blade.

  “Are you taking it easy on me?” I said.

  “A little,” he said, ducking to avoid a swing of my weapon.

  “Well, don’t,” I said, thrusting the butt of the quarterstaff into his gut.

  “Mmpf.” He caught his breath and said, “All right, then.”

  His movements quickened, his spins and thrusts almost a blur. He was winning, but I was holding my own better than I ever had. Within moments, I was in Cole’s clutches, his practice blade to my throat.

  “Enough,” he said, dropping the wooden weapon. “Take a break.”

  I spun from his clutches and struck a blow to his side. “I’m not tired.”

  I danced back, giving him a moment to retrieve his blade, but he didn’t. “Well, I am,” he said. “We’ll go again tomorrow.”

  “OK, princess,” I said, leaning on my staff. “If you can’t handle it...”

  Heat flashed in Cole’s eyes and he snatched the sword from the ground. It whooshed through the air as he spun it.

  “Trust me,” he said, taking his ready stance. “There isn’t anything you have that I can’t handle.”

  My lips twitched up in a smirk. “That’s what they all say.”

  He seemed taken aback by my suggestiveness, but it didn’t stop him. If anything it propelled him onward, striking blow after blow. They began to feel good, and I knew I’d wear each bruise as a badge of honor.

  Again, I found myself with Cole’s blade to my throat, this time my own weapon lay several feet away.

  “Finally ready to give?” he asked. His breath heavy in my ear, his forehead glistening with sweat.

  I weighed my options. I really did not want to give in. Not yet—I was having too much fun. Wasn’t it Cole who had been riding me to train harder?

  This time, instead of spinning away from Cole, I turned toward him, enough that my lips met his. They were softer than I would have guessed and so warm. His eyes widened in surprise and his sword clattered to the ground. I jumped back, did a diving somersault, and grabbed my quarterstaff.

  Instead of retrieving his own blade, he just stared at me.

  “Come on,” I urged. “Let’s go.”

  But he just continued to look at me until he turned and walked away, shaking his head.

  “What?” I called to him. “All’s fair in love and war, right?” But he kept his stride. “Come on, don’t be such a baby. Haven’t you ever been kissed before?”

  The light was fading, casting the Oasis in a deepening maroon. We’d been practicing all day, yet I felt completely re
freshed.

  Screw him, I thought. I felt too phenomenal to let Cole bring me down. I dropped my quarterstaff and went for another run.

  When I’d finished my loop around the ridge line, I came back to finish my drawing on the cave wall. Again, I only realized I’d been up all night when dawn broke and the Oasis began to hum with activity.

  The morning light, reddish orange and ominous as ever, had an iridescent quality. In fact, everything seemed a bit brighter. I liked these new and improved Daemon eyes of mine.

  I changed my shirt—I had exactly two, the one I’d come with and one of Sadah’s—and tied it in a knot, revealing my stomach. It was more toned than it ever had been, why not let everyone enjoy it?

  I bounded to the practice area where I always met Cole, but it wasn’t him waiting for me when I arrived.

  “Hey, Jasen,” I said. “What’s up? Where’s Cole?”

  “Patrolling,” Jasen said. “Said he needed to get out of the compound for a while.”

  Before I could wonder if his sudden need for space was because of me, Jasen let out a low whistle.

  “Did Cole do that to you?” he said, incredulous.

  I looked down at my arms, and the generous strip of exposed belly. I was covered in bruises.

  “Guess so,” I said with a shrug. “It’s no big deal; they don’t even hurt.”

  “I, um…won’t be doing that,” he said. “The most I’ll give you is a tap.”

  “Suit yourself,” I said, brandishing my quarterstaff. “But I’m not making the same promise.”

  True to his word, Jasen never hurt me, except when his blade struck an already bruised rib. He didn’t get off quite that easy, although the more we fought, the less damage I did. After a few hours, I realized that my earlier feeling that I would never again need sleep had been very wrong. It was barely midday, and all I could think about was laying atop my blanket and sleeping for a week. OK, so accessing my Daemon-ness didn’t make me a total superhero—I’d need to learn to pace myself. When I could barely lift my staff, Jasen called off our session and told me to get some rest. I felt like a weakling as I dropped my weapon and trudged up to the cave, but I was grateful for the respite just the same.