“What do you mean?” Samantha asked.
“We were walking down the street in New Orleans,” Marie said. “And a woman came out of a house, walked right up to us. She was this big black woman, but her voice was so gentle. She looked me dead in the eye and said ‘Did the cold scare you that much? Damnation will scare you more, but even with the ring of God’s covenant on your finger you cannot escape it. Your babe can.’ And then she turned back around and went to sit on the porch.” She sighed. “Diego came to remind me of my debt three days later.”
Samantha nodded, staring at Marie in quiet awe. She’d only ever seen pictures of her mother and here she was. “What did you do?”
Marie laughed. “Denied everything. Ignored him. Pretended like nothing was happening.”
“Did he get mad?”
“He just said it made his job easier.” Marie looked back at Samantha. “And then I remembered what the in-betweener said. I was Damned no matter what I did. But you…you didn’t have to be.” She looked at her hands and Samantha noticed a scar on her ring finger. “So I started studying the occult. I gathered information. I contacted in-betweeners I could find, asking what I could do. Most of them said I had no hope, you were already dead to me and I might as well live with it.” She shook her head. “But then I realized the woman in New Orleans gave me everything I needed.”
“How?” Samantha asked.
“I was Damned no matter what. I knew I couldn’t beat him but with the ring your father gave me, of great value and blessed in marriage… I could lock us up. And so I did. Diego gave us three days together, and I cherished every last moment of my humanity. When it was time, I put you aside and Damned myself, then took Diego’s soul and locked us both in.”
“Touching story, truly, Marie,” someone growled from behind Samantha.
She jumped and turned around, backing toward Marie. A Damned leaned against the darkness as if it were a wall.
Diego was huge, standing a head above Eli. He had the same bleached-ivory cast to his skin as all the Damned, but his horns were large, spiral structures with vicious points, nearly two feet long. He tapped his curved talons against his sizable bicep as he leered at Samantha. “So this is your daughter, Marie. Doesn’t look like any reason for a medicine woman to waste her time.”
“Because you’re such an excellent judge of power, Diego,” Marie murmured. “Where are you again?”
Diego chuckled, and the vibrations of his voice crawled across Samantha’s skin like shivering worms. “I told you. Someone is going to notice the disproportion your trick has caused. Judging by your daughter’s choice in fuckbuddies–”
“Must you be so crass?” Marie snarled, glaring at him. “This is my daughter.”
Diego roared with laughter. “Says the bitch who offered to sleep with me for a hot meal? Don’t make me laugh, Marie! You are Damned, and there is no such thing as a decent person among us!” He swung around, leaned down and met Samantha’s gaze. “What? Not going to insist your friend is the exception to the rule?”
Samantha worked her mouth, trying not to rise to the bait. It was hard. But she knew if she leaped to Eli’s defense, she would only be falling into his word trap. “Geeze, Mom. His breath smells terrible. How do you live with this guy?”
Marie pushed between them, glaring up at Diego with sparkling eyes. “Samantha, I think you should go, now. Diego has a few manners to learn.”
“The pendulum hasn’t swung into your favor yet,” Diego snapped, reached out and shoved Marie. Marie’s shoulder rocked, but otherwise she did not budge. “The souls are still equal.”
Samantha stared between them. What did they mean, pendulums, equal souls?
“And they always will be,” Marie said. “That’s why they call it an eternal ring, Diego.” She drew her hand back. “Samantha. Go.”
Samantha didn’t waste any time, and zipped back to the outside world as quickly as she could with the echoes of Marie and Diego’s battle in her ears.
* * * *
Francis checked his phone. “Eli. You don’t have a lot of time. Investigation’s been opened.”
Eli grimaced as he watched Samantha sleep, exhausted from the maelstrom of emotion speaking to her mother had induced. “She needs to get a handle on her powers.”
“I don’t know if she can,” Francis said softly. “Think about it. The only time she’s managed to use any soul power, she’s been in grave danger and mentally unstable. You’ve stabilized her mind, and so far, other than latent sensitivity, she hasn’t exhibited any power.”
“Then how can she work with the souls?” Eli asked.
Francis frowned in thought. “Right now all of those powers are going into Marie and Diego’s fight. Convention makes it pretty simple. If Samantha kills them, she’ll get the full control.”
“Kill her own mother?” Eli asked in a strangled whisper.
“If they are sharing the souls as Marie suggested,” Francis said, lounging in a chair, “then, yes. Killing one would only make the other more able to access the souls they’ve been locked up with. Killing both will ensure Samantha is the sole beneficiary.”
“How long do you think we have?”
“Twelve hours,” Francis said. “They told me to be on call with Hammy.”
“Shit,” Eli breathed. “You’d better get going if they want you to start at the city.”
“And you two should probably get running again,” Francis said. “You don’t want this showdown to happen at the Super 8.”
“I’ll wake her up in an hour.” Eli said, rubbing his temples.
* * * *
“So, to get proper control of the power, I have to kill Diego.” Samantha stared at her hands. “And Mom.”
Eli nodded. “Yeah. Right now you’ve got sort of…half a grasp on things. When you busted us out of Cyrene’s apartment, you were pretty much running on one of those superhuman phenomenons. You know the kind of thing that lets mothers lift cars off their children?”
“Yeah,” Samantha said faintly. “What if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll stay like this,” Eli replied. He took her hand. “If you could I’d let you stay like this. But the investigation into Cyrene’s claims against you are starting, and it won’t be long ’til she’s on us.” He squeezed her hand. “They’ll call Francis in to track us, and he’ll have to do it. To give us the best chance, you need to have full power.”
“But why do I have to kill them?” She asked softly. “Diego…sure. But Mom?”
“When a Damned kills another Damned, they receive all the bonded souls. Your mother and Diego are sharing the souls from being in that ring. Even if you only killed Diego, Marie’s hold on the souls would remain.”
“But if they share the souls, I’d be sharing with her. That wouldn’t be so bad, right?”
Eli looked at her face. She needed hope. She couldn’t just find her mother and then kill her. As he looked in her eyes, pressing at the bond they shared to try and decide what to say to make her see, there was a shift. He listened intently to the voice speaking into the empty infinity between Samantha and the souls she carried.
“Let me handle it, Eli.”
He frowned. Marie. “Maybe you can work it out with her,” he said. “I’m betting we have about four hours before we need to find a place to show down.”
She peered into his face. “Eli, aren’t you worried? You’re talking about having a show down with hell like it’s no big thing.”
“I’ve got faith in you, Samantha,” he said, kissing her fingers. “Once the path is clear, the choice is easy to make. You’ve cleared the path, now there’s just the choice.”
“I still don’t understand how you’re like this,” she said.
“I’ll tell you when it’s over,” he replied. “You rest. I’m going to get our things together so we can get out fast once it’s over.”
“Will I go crazy again?” she asked, grasping his shirt before he could leave her.
He smiled.
“No. I think, between me and Marie you’ll be okay.”
She sighed, looking at the white band of skin where the ring had been for so long. “Mom…”
* * * *
Diego loomed over her the moment she returned to her mind, his gigantic frame almost closing in over her, obscuring the soul stars with his ivory bulk. “Hello, scrap,” he growled, grinning. His teeth glinted, so dark red they were black against his lips. “I’m afraid your mother is elsewhere.”
“That’s fine,” she said. “I wanted you anyway.”
“Is that so?” Diego asked with a laugh. “So that sneak of a demon isn’t enough for you? Aren’t you insatiable?”
Samantha sneered. “Real original. Insult a woman’s sexuality first.”
“If weakness exists in my enemies, why would I not exploit it?” Diego asked. He reached out with one massive hand to grab at her, but it was a lazy swing, and Samantha skipped back from it. How was she going to beat this guy anyway? Remember the wards, how your perception of exact reality simply happened. How it felt to trap me with nothing more than the force of your will. That’s all it ever is. A battle of wills.
She took a breath. She didn’t know how to use any weapons, and Diego was so big she didn’t think he’d be brought down by a sword or a gun anyway. But how did one bring down a giant like him? Briefly she remembered the tale of David and Goliath, but discarded the notion. She couldn’t swing a slingshot; she had no idea how.
Diego lunged forward to try and grab her again, and she dodged, lashed out with a palm and smacked his arm as it passed her. She was almost shocked she managed to touch him at all. It was like something out of a weird kung fu movie and she’d just acted out of instinct.
But the line of thought gave her an idea. If it was about will and belief then she could do anything, couldn’t she? She could jump fifteen feet in the air, summon a sword, hell, fight with super powers! Just to test the theory, she ducked and ran back. Funny, her classmates had called her a nerd for reading all those sci-fi books. As she imagined it, so it was. An energy sword as blue as her favorite character’s. Samantha only had a moment to stare in disbelief, wishing she could hop online and post a one hundred and forty character fan-girly squee, before Diego growled. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, girl?”
Samantha paused, looked up, grinned. “I’m about to start kicking your ass.”
She stepped forward and thrust the beam sword at him, but Diego just raised an eyebrow and held up his arm. The sword stopped dead with the familiar crackle and hissing. Samantha banished it immediately and fell back. Probably shouldn’t be so cocky, she thought to herself.
Diego laughed and took a deep breath, snarling as he charged her. Back to crazy kung fu it was. Samantha leaped out of the way. Bull fighters, she recalled, and the ancient practice of bull jumping. She grabbed Diego’s horns and executed a flip, landing on two feet as Diego turned on a hair-pin. Damn, it was good to give physics the finger, she thought, and created an Indiana-Jones-style whip edged in razors.
But as she swung the new weapon in, Diego ignored the blades, caught it and pulled Samantha off balance before charging in again.
“You aren’t smart enough for this, Mortal,” he snarled, and barreled into her before Samantha could think of anything to do. Diego lifted her up into the air with his arms, one hand around her neck, choked and shook her as he laughed. “It was a cute attempt,” he said, “Really. And that you’ve survived this much is truly impressive. However,” he paused, then growled. “Shit.”
Samantha’s eyes were starting to cloud over, but she still saw the blur of white and brown as Marie Parker streaked in and knocked Diego backward. Diego dropped Samantha to the ground. She gasped for air as Marie and Diego squared off, and then began to fight.
Suddenly, Samantha realized what was wrong with her approach. Marie and Diego used no weapons, and didn’t even attempt to block or stop an attack. Neither strategized, a simple match of mind against mind, will against will. They collided like asteroids, with no finesse, only power. They screamed, and Samantha flinched in memory. Had they done this for twenty five years?
“Samantha!” her mother screamed, shattering Samantha’s awe as she watched them fight. “Samantha, listen! The seer in New Orleans said something else.”
Marie knocked Diego aside, ducked a fist and went to her daughter, cupping Samantha’s face and smiling. “She said if I could face down the long dark of the Damned, I could rest with you.”
Samantha stared up into her mother’s swirling eyes, shaking her head softly. “Mom…”
“You are my daughter. We’re going to challenge the world order. Together.” Diego rose to his feet again, his eyes red with fury. “Do you understand, Samantha?”
“What do you think she can do?” Diego shouted.
Marie stepped in, landed a deep scratch across Diego’s chest. She didn’t move back, but lifted her arms out as if in welcome. Diego reared back, releasing a great roar as he thrusthis clawed hand forward and buried deep in Marie’s chest. Marie smiled as blood trickled from her mouth. “Right the balance,” she rasped. “Samantha!”
Diego stared at Marie in perplexed, suspicious shock. Samantha knew it was her chance. She approached from behind his massive shoulders, laying a hand on his bare back. Before, it had not worked because she was trying to fight him like a Damned. She was no more a Damned than she was a potato. Eli had called her an in-betweener, and as her mother challenged Diego, it was her place to challenge hell. If she was going to do that…it was time to discard the anger and the bestial fighting. Diego and Marie were already a part of her, weren’t they? She just needed to accept them.
Samantha smiled. “Time to go, Diego. You’re mine.”
The Damned arched and gasped, a cry of pain ripping from his lips. Samantha watched in curiosity as his body began to destroy itself, dissolving beneath her fingers. Before he could turn, Diego collapsed. His hand came free of Marie as he slid to Samantha’s feet.
Marie looked up, smiling. “Now, Samantha. Me.”
Samantha nodded and reached out to her mother, going to her knees as Marie collapsed. “What am I supposed to be doing, Mom?”
Marie smiled. “Righting the balance. Saving us. You’ll find Diego among the souls later,” she whispered, and her eyes shimmered with tears. “And me. You’re not one of the Damned or the Angels, Samantha. You’re a mortal who saves. Don’t forget.”
“What does that mean?”
Marie smiled. “Whatever you want it to,” she said. “Because you’re an in-betweener. You aren’t beholden to anyone but yourself. Just like I wanted for you.”
“Should…should I tell Dad anything?”
“No, no,” Marie said. “He’s probably better off without knowing. If it comes up though, I suppose…I did love him.”
“Okay.” Samantha took a deep breath, blinking away tears. “’Bye, Mom.”
“Not goodbye,” Marie said. “Thank you.”
Gently, Samantha kissed her mother’s forehead, releasing her from life, releasing her from the fight and her debts. It was shockingly simple, as if she were merely wiping dust off a smooth surface, and Marie faded away beneath her hands. She stood, taking a breath. Maybe she’d never be able to fight like a Damned…but if this was her fate, then so be it. She listened to the souls around her, all clamoring to talk to her again, this time not in pain or horror, but joy and welcome. Samantha stared around, trying to find the new stars in the inky blackness around her. There were two, winking blue and yellow. Samantha smiled faintly.
“Time to go back,” she said, and opened her eyes.
* * * *
Eli looked down at his phone as he watched a practically comatose Samantha. Francis would let them know. Eli knew he would. He couldn’t help but be worried, not for their sake, but for his friend’s. If Francis was caught, if they realized where he’d been for the last two days...
Francis was more than a good information giver. He was a friend, an
d a good man. Eli folded his hands together, and went back to watching Samantha. Not a peep. It had been two hours already. He wondered whether her mind was suffering a slow down. Sometimes these meditations took much longer to the outside world than the performer realized, time passing much more quickly without than within.
The jangle of his phone about took him out of his chair, and Eli struggled with the screen to see the message as quickly as possible. From Francis. He pushed the View button and caught his breath.
SHE’S COMING.
Eli stared. Cyrene. Who else? He looked at Samantha. How much longer? He couldn’t move Samantha, but he worried. Cyrene would have the benefit of hell hounds and much faster transport than Francis. They had maybe four hours.
Still, it was another forty-five minutes before Samantha shifted and opened her eyes, gasping faintly. “Eli?”
“Here,” he said, and grasped her hands. She was shaking.
“Done,” she said. “I don’t feel so great, though.”
He stroked her hair, nodding. “Diego and Marie were another barrier between you and the multitudes. It’s gone now.”
She nodded and slowly made to sit up. Eli helped her, waiting until they were certain she wouldn’t faint before placing her shoes beside the bed. “Francis texted. Cyrene is coming.”
Samantha paled. “I don’t think I can fight her.” She looked at her shaking hands. “I’m not going crazy but…”
“I know,” Eli said. “That’s why we’re running. We can probably put it off for a few days so you can recover.”
Samantha nodded and shakily rose. Eli looked her over and cursed himself. Supporting her was hardly more than carrying a paperback book around to him, but she was going through more than soul influx. Her mother, her life, her future had all just been decided. She needed him. He strode over, took her in his arms and gave her a deep kiss. She responded like a flower to water, sliding her arms around his neck. When he finally pulled back, she leaned into his shoulder. “Thanks,” she whispered. “I needed that.”
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