by John Corwin
Bob nodded encouragingly. "I'm with you."
"If only we had a choice."
The men exchanged dejected looks before going their separate ways, one out the front door, and the other toward the kitchen. I presumed they were making their rounds.
Elyssa backed away, smoothly pushing herself from prone to standing with a single pushup. It looked cool, so I did the same, and nearly fell backward into a table with a vase. She caught my arm to steady me and gave me an admonishing look with a raised eyebrow, somehow managing an amused smirk at the same time. I didn't know how she stayed so calm.
As for the conversation, it was clear Kassus's men now had a healthy respect for my abilities. On the downside, it also meant they wouldn't be half-assed about trying to kill me. Being underestimated had its advantages.
We crept back to the last door on the left. It and the door at the end were the only two closed. In my mind, that meant they had to be occupied. Still, we'd followed protocol to the letter, clearing the open rooms because it would have really sucked if someone who was scared of closing their door at night saw us creeping past.
Elyssa touched the knob. Slowly twisted it. The latch made a click, which would have been faint to normal ears but sounded quite loud to me. She eased open the door. From the dim light of the chandelier in the central stairwell, I made out a pink wall. As the door opened further, the light fell onto a king-sized four-poster bed straight out of a fairy tale. Stuffed animals adorned the shelves. A huge fluffy dragon sat atop the bed. Pink and purple dominated.
Definitely Ivy's room.
Except Ivy wasn't there.
The bed looked as though someone had been in it, but unless she could turn herself invisible, or had hidden herself because she heard us coming in, I didn't think my sister was around. We went inside and closed the door anyway. Ivy had quite a bag of tricks, and we had to be sure the room was empty.
I turned on a lamp sitting on a table next to a stuffed bunny. The room was as large as the others we'd seen, but cluttered by comparison. A bookshelf sat against one wall, filled with fairy tale books and several classics by Mark Twain.
Elyssa's eyes went soft as she pulled a yellow book from the shelf and showed me the title: Being A Good Sister For Dummies.
I smiled. Maybe I needed the corollary book for brothers.
We spent the next few minutes combing the room but failed to turn up my sister. The windows in the room were closed, the locks engaged. I had little doubt window locks would prove much of an obstacle for Ivy, especially since she could presumably blink through a closed window so long as she had line of sight. Elyssa directed me out of the room, and eased the door closed behind us. She pointed toward the last door and gave two sharp shakes of her head.
Don't have to convince me.
Going into the master bedroom would be like hopping into an alligator pond with chicken strapped to our faces. Creeping back down the hallway, we made our way to the stairs. Elyssa made a fist, indicating I should remain. She flipped over the balustrade, hanging upside down by her legs so her head hung just below the ceiling on the first floor. She dropped, flipping and landing on her feet without a sound, thanks to the Nightingale armor. She vanished, returning a few seconds later, and gave me the signal to proceed.
Since I wasn't nearly as smooth as her, I hurried down the stairs, grateful for the stealth armor. White marble tiled the hallway below. The sound of shoes tapping on the hard floor reached our ears. Elyssa pressed her back to the wall behind a table in the middle of the hall. I flattened myself beside her. The footsteps drew closer. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my face. Whoever it was would only have to glance to the side to see us.
Then again, if it was one of the human guards, one dart should take care of them. Elyssa touched her collar. A black mask spread from her neck up, covering her head. I did the same with mine. The material was so light, I hardly noticed as it covered my face. Despite the outward appearance of a solid black mask, I could see through it as though nothing covered my eyes.
The footsteps stopped. I heard a man talking to himself in a low whisper. "Maude, I may be a battle mage, but you're the real magic in my life. Will you marry me?" The voice sounded like Bob's. "Good, but not good enough," he said after repeating it once more. A pause. "Maude, you set my loins on fire. I want to light you up for the rest of my life."
I wondered if Elyssa wore a grimace like the one I felt contorting my face. We had to knock this guy out if for no other reason than to prevent another atrocious marriage proposal escaping his mouth.
The footsteps resumed and faded. Elyssa peeked around the table. She blurred to the corner where another hallway intersected this one, and looked down it. She crooked her elbow at ninety degrees, holding up a fist. Her hand flicked open, fingers waggling forward, indicating I should follow. I was really starting to feel like a secret agent, if not an outright ninja with the way she led.
I poked my head around the corner and saw Bob standing a little way down the hall from us, looking into one of the ornate mirrors hanging on the wall. His lips moved, but I intentionally tuned him out to avoid a brain hemorrhage. Elyssa's head remained turned toward the man, though the mask prevented me from making out her expression. She finally pointed down the hallway we were in, apparently deciding not to put Bob out of our misery.
Maude, whoever you are, I feel bad for you, girl.
We slinked down the hall. Bob's partner abruptly walked around the corner. He had just enough time to make a frightened face before a silver dart sprouted from his neck. He fell into Elyssa's arms. She motioned toward a closed door a few feet down from us. I opened it to reveal a small library. A moment later, I found a closet inside the library and opened it. Elyssa deposited the man in a sitting position against the back wall of the closet, and concealed him with a dust cover I found on a shelf.
"How did we not hear him?" I whispered.
She inspected the man's shoes. "Rubber soles."
I wondered why Bob hadn't worn quieter shoes, but figured if his ideas for good marriage proposals were any indication, he wasn't the kind of guy who even thought about that sort of thing.
After creeping around the various hallways for a while, we found a door concealing stairs leading down into a lit area. Elyssa descended without hesitation. At the bottom, we found what looked like a gauntlet room—a practice area where Arcanes could cut loose without worry of killing anyone or damaging personal property. A couch sat against the wall near the stairs. I heard quiet sobbing and saw a petite figure lying on the cushions, face buried in a fluffy pink unicorn.
It was my sister, Ivy.
Chapter 34
I lowered my mask. Elyssa did the same, revealing a sad look. I paused, not wanting to frighten Ivy, mainly because I wanted to avoid the possibility of a deadly reaction on her part. Seeing no other option but to signal our presence, I said, "Ivy," in a hushed tone.
She bolted to her feet, showing a blotchy red face and wide tear-stained eyes. For a long moment she stood there, pink orbs of deadly energy coalesced in the palms of her hands. The energy whiffed out, and she ran to me, gripping me in a tight hug.
"Justin," she said, shuddering. "What are you doing here? I'm so happy to see you."
I hugged her back, feeling my shirt grow damp as she unloaded fresh tears into it. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"They took Mom away without even telling me," she sobbed. "They said they were moving her to a better place until Daelissa decided what to do with her."
I directed her back to the couch, and sat beside her. Elyssa remained near the staircase, acting as a sentry.
"Ivy, I have Mom," I said. "We rescued her."
Her blue eyes went wide, and a smile broke out on her face. "You did?" she said in a loud voice. She covered her mouth, face contrite, and lowered her voice. "You did? How?"
"I can't explain everything," I said. "But it was a lot of hard work, and very dangerous."
"I don't like the people Bigdaddy uses," s
he said, frowning. "He says they're necessary." Her forehead pinched into a confused look. "How did you find us? Did you sneak in here to tell me Mom was okay so I wouldn't worry?" She smiled and continued before I could get in a word edgewise. "You did, didn't you?" She hugged me again. "I love you, big brother."
"I love you too, Ivy," I said, feeling my eyes mist. "But, that's only part of the reason I came."
Ivy released me, big eyes looking into mine. "Oh?"
I nodded. "One of those men Jeremiah uses"—I refused to use the word "Bigdaddy" anymore—"his name is Maulin Kassus. Do you know him?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't know their names because Bigmomma won't let me near them, but I have seen a few of them."
I took out my phone and displayed an image of Kassus.
"Oh, I've seen him," she said, nodding. "He looks mean and acts like a real poop-head."
"He's a poop-head all right," I said with an involuntary grin. "Even though I rescued Mom, I have a huge problem."
"Did that man do something to Mom?" she asked.
"Sort of," I said. "He's the one who sealed the doors on her prison. It's diamond fiber, so I can't break in—"
"He blood-sealed her prison," Ivy said, her lips pressing tight together. "And you want his blood."
I repressed a shudder, thinking how that trailer would become Mom's coffin before much longer. "Yes, but I've had a lot of trouble getting it."
Her lips curled back into a snarl. "The next time he comes here, I'll get his blood."
I saw Elyssa grimace.
My little sister could be scary.
"The only problem is, he doesn't come here very much, and my grandparents won't let me out of the house." Ivy sighed. "I sneak out, but it's harder and harder to do it without them finding out."
"Why are you down here?" I asked.
"I didn't want them to hear my crying," she said. "It's kind of embarrassing, because Mom did something bad, and I guess I'm not supposed to be sad that Daelissa locked her away."
"Maybe you should tell them you don't like what they did to her," I said.
She shook her head. "Daelissa scares me. She's so strong."
"Why don't you come with us?" I said. "You can live with us, and once we rescue Mom—"
"You need me here to get Kassus's blood and save Mom," she said. "Afterward, I totally want to come live with you." Her eyes sparkled. "I'll miss my grandparents, but they've been acting so weird lately, I hate being around. I hate being told what to do all the time, and they still haven't taken me to the zoo!"
"We'll go to the zoo first thing," I said. Hesitated. "Look, we can find another way to get Kassus's blood if you really want to come now." I was definitely concerned for her if Daelissa got wind of our plans.
She shook her head vehemently. "No way, Justin. I got this."
"Where is Daelissa now?" I asked.
"I don't know. She came by a couple of weeks ago to give me some lessons and told me I would rule the world by her side." Ivy shrugged. "She says crazy things sometimes. Bigdaddy says it's because she hasn't been home in too long."
"It's because she's not a good person," I said.
Ivy nodded. "After she tried to kill all those Templar people and you, I started thinking you might be right about her. I mean, she might be just a little crazy now, but a visit back home would clear everything right up."
I sometimes marveled at Ivy's naiveté. Jeremiah and the others had done a good job preserving her innocence—or possibly ignorance—so they could better use her. I quelled a burst of righteous anger and forced a smile. "We can let her figure out how to get home all by herself. Speaking of which, what did Jeremiah do with the Cyrinthian Rune?"
"You mean the little orb we took from you a while back?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know what he did with it."
"Did he say anything about giving it to Daelissa?"
She shook her head. "Oh, no. Bigdaddy said we had to keep it a secret from her." Her lips quirked. "I think he doesn't like Daelissa as much as he pretends to."
"You're growing up. You're starting to think for yourself, and realizing not everything is what it seems." I hated to quote Underborn, but the assassin had a point. My sister had been brainwashed from birth. It was a testament to her inner strength that she was already starting to see through the lies. "Do you know what the rune does?"
She nodded. "It's supposed to open the Alabaster Arch back to Seraphina."
"Is that the name of the angel world?"
"Yep. At least that's what Daelissa calls it."
"Do you have a phone or any way for me to contact you?" I asked.
She produced a slim pink arcphone from within the folds of her blue dress. "I stole it. I'm not supposed to have it. Bigmomma say they rot people's brains and turn them to zombies."
"She might have a point," I said, thinking of how much time I spent idly looking at mine or playing puzzle games when I wasn't out preventing the apocalypse. "Give me the number." I punched it into my phone as she recited it. I considered telling her about the omniarch but didn't know if she might slip up and mention it to Jeremiah. Our best course would be to leave the way we came without her tagging along. Something else occurred to me. "I have powers similar to yours."
Her eyes brightened. "Like Seraphim?" She clapped her hands together and hopped once. "That's great, Justin. I don't like your demon side very well."
"Daemos aren't all bad," I said. "Do you have any idea how to control angel powers?" I gave her a brief version of my run-in with Darkwater and how I'd used the power without telling her about the kill shot on Victor.
Her forehead scrunched. "Well, you feel warm in the heart like you said, and then you channel it into forms."
"But how do you get the warm feeling?" I asked.
"Hmm." She looked up as if thinking. "I just pull on the aether around me and channel it through, or if I need a lot, I store it inside." She tapped her chest. "You can channel it out of your feet like this"—she levitated off the floor a few inches, then landed—"or collect it in your hands." Pink orbs blossomed in her palms, growing larger before shrinking. "If I don't use it, I just let it go, or absorb it, though you have to be careful or you can overheat your heart, and Daelissa said that could hurt me."
I focused on my heart. Heard it thumping in a steady beat. Tried to imagine aether flowing through it. As usual, nothing happened. "It doesn't seem to work like that for me."
She pursed her lips. Pressed a hand to my chest. "I can feel something in there. Feels like it's sputtering. Kinda like a candle in a breeze." She shrugged without removing her hand. "Daelissa said I was like that when I started to figure it out."
"When you first started channeling, did it just happen?" I asked.
She nodded. "Daelissa would hurt me sometimes." A sad look flashed across her face. "She said it was the only way to learn. One day, I got so mad when she hit me with a bolt, I felt a fire light up inside me, and I hit her back." She giggled. "I scorched the front of her dress."
"Sounds like what happened to you," Elyssa said, eyes glued to the stairwell.
"Let's see if this works," Ivy said. Light flashed between her hand and my chest.
Breath exploded from my lungs. I staggered backward. Heat flared in my chest, coursed down my arm, and an ultraviolet orb swirled malevolently in my palm. I cupped my hand before my face and marveled at the beautiful but deadly magic. I willed it to grow, pushing more heat from my chest into my hand. It whooshed and doubled in size. I flinched, lost my concentration, and the heat faded. The sphere flickered and puffed away into sparkling purple mist.
Ivy looked at me with wide-eyed wonder. "That was dark light."
"Is that a good thing?" I asked.
"Well, technically it's a little evil, but since I don't think you're evil anymore, it's probably okay."
I felt my eyebrows rise. "I thought you didn't like Darklings."
Ivy looked at the floor, pressing her bare toe into the carpet. "I think maybe they'
re not so bad. I kinda liked Nightliss."
Relief warmed me. She's thinking for herself. "Why is your magical energy pink?"
"Oh, I can change colors, but that doesn't mean anything, really." She held up a hand, displaying a white energy orb. "I can make it ultraviolet, but that doesn't mean it's dark light."
"What's the difference?"
A shrug. "I'm not sure. Daelissa just told me it was bad." She inspected my hand. "Can you do it again?"
I sighed. "No, the heat went away and I can't turn it back on."
"Want me to light it again?" She gave me a mischievous grin.
I backed away. "Uh, maybe not right now." Even though I really wanted my angel powers to work, now wasn't the time to knock myself silly trying to accomplish miracles.
Ivy reached up and patted my shoulder. "It's okay. You're not a failure."
"Thanks, sis." I couldn't hide the grin. It felt so good to know my sister didn't think I was evil anymore.
"We should probably go," Elyssa said. "We had to knock out a guard. It means Jeremiah will know someone was here."
"Where did you put him?" Ivy asked, concern stitching her brow.
"In a closet in the library."
"I can make him forget." My sister smirked. "I'm not very good at blanking, but since you just did it, it shouldn't be a problem. Can you put him somewhere else so he won't wonder why he's in a closet when he wakes up?"
"Yeah," I said. "Better do it now."
The three of us crept back upstairs to the library. Bob was nowhere to be seen, probably off perfecting his proposal, I hoped. We moved the unconscious man to a chair at a desk.
"I'll make him forget," she said. "You'd better go. And watch out for trolls in the yard." She grimaced. "They're gross."
I hugged my sister, and kissed her on the forehead. "Be careful when you get Kassus's blood," I said. "Please don't put yourself in danger."
"Don't worry about me," she said, flashing an innocent grin. "I can be devious."
How well I know that.
We crept back to the stairs. The foyer looked clear, so we went up the stairs, and made our way to the stairs leading up to the third floor. We straightened from our crouches, stretching, and happy to be almost out of this place as we walked toward the third-story hallway. I opened my mouth to say something when Elyssa's eyes went wide with horror. Her hand clamped over my mouth, and she stopped dead.
