Crux

by Julie Reece

  There are doers and watchers, little Bird. I can almost hear his voice repeating one of his favorite sayings as I’d hang back from some new challenge, doers and watchers.

  As I acknowledge my usual place in the second category, I swallow hard. I reach down and play with Fenris’s ear where he lays on my feet. I’m steadied by the action. “Lemme get this straight. The king guys are dead, right?”

  Jeff confirms with a nod.

  “But not really ’cuz their spirits live inside other people—”

  “Not inside.” He waves me off. “Their spirits are trapped in the curse Haddr swore at Gunnarr Blot on the battlefield,” Jeff says. “While they cannot possess the body of another, the king and his son, who falsely considers himself king, are shape shifters and can take any human, male form. They change their appearance every ten years, the son still seeking dominion over the father, even in his diminished form. He is immoral, evil, and wreaks havoc on the earth’s people in his quest to rule. If the Wielder fails as they have thus far, the curse is renewed.

  I heave a breath. Grey’s hand squeezes the arm that’s not busy petting my new dog. “Okay, and once the amulet’s power is broken, the kings’ spirits are basically poof, done, gone, finito, then?”

  “Yes. But until that time, innocent people are caught in the middle of their rivalry. The two are doomed to fight this battle until Alarr is destroyed and their spirits freed.”

  “Well, but … isn’t there some other heir that could go all ninja on these guys?”

  “I believe you are up to the task.” Jeff’s gaze locks onto mine. “I’ve been watching you, Birdie.”

  “That answer just earned you ten more points on your already very impressive creep-o-meter score.”

  Grey snickers. The tension in the room eases.

  “In case you haven’t noticed,” I say, “I’m a girl. A scrawny, wimpy, cowardly kind of girl. So I ask again, wouldn’t a big, tough guy bent on adventure and glory be better?”

  “Yes,” Jeff answers, “but you’re all I’ve got.”

  Ouch.

  “In the past, many faced your task alone. Not every Wielder is fortunate enough to enlist a Guardian. Your friend here seems perfectly suited as your second, doesn’t he?”

  “Oh, no you don’t. I—”

  “Can you not hear?” Jeff’s voice rises. He stops pacing.

  I swear the room gets darker, and I slink down in my chair. The tension ramps back up to ten.

  His brow furrows, nostrils expand, adding to his sudden menace. I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side. “Are you addled, girl? Can you not understand? Only a handful of heirs exist on the planet at any given time. While most refuse the task, others are too old or too young, sick or infirm. Haddr is here, in Atlanta, even now. You must choose for yourself—accept and train, or decline. Your refusal will break the bond, and you can walk away and never see me again.”

  Never see Jeff again? The thought makes me giddy, but what about those innocent people he talked about? Are they even my problem? As I question this, I know they are. If someone else had been available, Jeff would be asking him.

  “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day,” Jeff says. “You will come here on Friday and give me your answer.”

  “I don’t need to wait,” says Grey. “If she’s in, I’m in.”

  “No way,” I say. My body shakes with merging anger and fear, and I turn to face Grey. “This isn’t a video game. You saw me flying … or floating … or whatever. This is obviously real. I don’t want you to get hurt because you’re some kind of adrenaline junkie looking for a fix, Grey. You … you don’t even know me!”

  He straightens in his chair. “I know all I need to.”

  “No.” I shake my head. “I promise you, you don’t.”

  Jeff ignores us and pulls a bronze armband from his coat pocket. The metal is thick, finely wrought, and bears the same design as the amulet around my neck, but there’s no stone. “A Guardian swears an oath to protect the Wielder. He has no power apart from this armband, and the band no power apart from Alarr. If you accept, you will train until December twenty-first, the winter solstice, when we travel to the battle site and confront Haddr.”

  The blood in my veins slows and turns icy cold. “That soon?”

  Jeff nods. “Make no answer now, but consider carefully. Ms. Orin is quite right. The task is dangerous and has claimed many lives. You need intensive training, and there’s not much time. In fact, it’s never been undertaken with so few days to prepare.”

  Grey sends a glance my way before looking back to Jeff. “Can Birdie refuse my offer of Guardianship?”

  I stare hard at Grey, fury tightening my jaw and furrowing my brow. I’m livid—at myself. It’s my fault he knows about the quest. Selfishness took over, so I could pretend someone cared about what happened to me. Now I’m in over my head, and so is he, thanks to my stupidity.

  “No,” Jeff answers matter-of-factly. “Obviously, the situation improves if the two work well together. On the other hand, romance is forbidden between Guardian and Wielder. Emotion clouds judgment. Goals change on the battlefield. People die for each other instead of the quest, and the mission fails. It’s happened before.”

  I curse the tears welling behind my eyes, revealing a weakness I’d rather keep hidden. “Grey, please, I’m begging you, don’t do this.”

  Jeff crosses his arms, giving me a stern look.

  Grey reaches out and touches my face. His eyes warm as his thumb runs the line of my cheekbone.

  My heart twists in my chest when I think about his perfect life in danger, and that I’m responsible. I remember Shondra, and the tears fall. “I’m not … I can’t …” The words stick in my throat like shards of glass.

  He smiles at me with an expression of sheer confidence. “We can.”

  • • •

  I glance at the time on my cell phone: 6:30. Grey is picking me up any minute, and my nerves are screaming. I stand in the bathroom in my black, Prada techno dress and boots. I’ve been pretty frugal with Jeff’s money—except when it comes to clothes. The dress I’m wearing, for instance, Mrs. Darcy would so love this outfit.

  Arms outstretched, I move around like a horror movie zombie and worry my nervous sweating will stain this dress like the three others I’ve discarded on my bed. My legs look so skinny. Maybe it’s the tights. Too much black? I’m on the verge of taking them off when the doorbell rings.

  I pass my worthless dog stretched out on the sofa. Not a peep out of him. I’m still trying to figure out why Jeff suggested I keep him for protection as I open the door.

  Grey stands in the hall wearing dark jeans, a crisp white shirt, and navy corduroy jacket. Why wasn’t he born ugly or smelling bad? The fact he’s so hot just makes my decisions even harder.

  One side of Grey’s mouth pulls up. His eyelids lower slightly over smoldering eyes..

  I snap my mouth shut when I realize its hanging open.

  “Mmm, thanks, you look nice, too.”

  I hate you.

  “So, you ready?” He steps into the room and closes the door behind him. “There’s no rush. My mom said anytime after seven, so we have a few minutes.”

  “Hang on a sec. I just need to get my purse. You want to sit? I’ll be right back.” I disappear into the bathroom and throw a couple items in my clutch. Back in the living room, I stare down at my escort who lounges on the couch with my dog. “Grey, maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Truthfully, I feel like I’m crashing. I won’t exactly know anyone there. What if your parents think I’m a—”

  “How can you be crashing if I invited you?” He stops petting the dog and leans toward me. “And, why are you so freaked out? They’re not going to bite or anything.” He smiles. “Scud might, but let me worry about him. I’ll protect you. That’s my job now anyway, right?”

  “About that …”

  “What about that?” His look suggests I might be cheating him at cards.

  “Never mind, let’s talk
about it later.” I turn and head toward the bathroom again. I glance back over my shoulder and find he’s watching me. He shrugs and smiles. My cheeks light on fire as I face front and keep walking.

  “Was your family cool with you spending Thanksgiving with us?” he calls after me. “My mom goes all out for the holidays. We do the turkey and sides most people do, I guess. What about yours?”

  “Oh, holidays were always a little bit different,” I answer. “But I was all about the food, however it was served.”

  “Was?”

  “Oh, uh, yeah.” I wrap both arms around my waist. “I … I don’t have any family around anymore, remember? I told you.”

  “Oh, yeah, but I thought … You don’t want to talk about this do you?”

  “Not so much. Sorry. I’m not trying to go all Emo on you or, like …” I always get flustered talking about my childhood. People tend to react in two ways: pity or condescension.

  Grey rises and steps toward me. “Evasive?”

  “Yeah.” I sigh and stare at my shoes. “My dad’s name was Jon. He was killed in Afghanistan when I was eight. My mom, Lucee, died of cancer the year after. I moved a zillion times when I was little, living with different people. Sometimes life sucked, but I also learned a lot. I’m not feeling sorry for myself, since tons of kids had it worse.” Much worse.

  I can’t figure out why I’m telling him the truth. It occurs to me I’ve always been less guarded around Grey. Maybe it’s because he already knows about other, secret parts of my life, like the amulet and the guys that chased me, and he didn’t go blabbing about them.

  “In a lot of ways, I’m really lucky,” I say. “I just don’t have a bunch of, you know, stories.”

  Grey reaches for my right hand where it hangs at my side. I look up as he presses it against his chest and rubs my fingers with his thumb. “I bet that’s not true.”

  I ease my hand from his and head for the bathroom yet again. “Uh, so, how long has Kate been crushing on Scud?” I call behind me.

  “Caught that did you?”

  “Uh huh, sooo …”

  “A while I guess. Two years at least. I love the guy, but he’s a twelve-year-old. You know what I mean? He needs to grow up before he deserves Kate.”

  “Poor Kate, she’s amazing.”

  “You think so?”

  “I do. Scud’s an idiot if he can’t see that.”

  “Agreed. Hey, I’m glad you’re not one of those girls who’s always running late.” Sarcasm drips from his words.

  I stick my head around the corner of the bathroom door. “Yeah, it would suck if I made you late to save the world just because I can’t find my lip gloss. Some stellar partner I’d turn out to be.”

  “Hmm.” His face gets all serious and thoughtful. “I like the way your lip gloss looks and all that, but I have a feeling you’re not that kind of girl either, are you?”

  “No. I’m really not.” I smile. “And thanks for noticing.”

  9

  Grey escorts me through the door of his Victorian home near Little Five Points. I smile inwardly as I glance around the meticulously restored house. Oak floors, pale green walls with cream trim, and walnut antiques grace the entry. Painted gold pumpkins and red pomegranates decorate a bowl on the coffee table. White candles burn in silver candlesticks while classical music plays in the background.

  The place is so them, the Mathews’—perfect little sitcom, plastic family. Who would I be if I’d grown up here—Kate? Hey, that’d be cool.

  More than ever, I’m sure Grey will not be part of Jeff’s plan to destroy the amulet tucked away in my purse. Those jobs should be reserved for damaged goods, like me.

  A family portrait hangs over the stone fireplace in the living room with Mr. and Mrs. Mathews smiling their designer smiles. Grey and Kate display their beautiful, dark features, and another, older boy stands in the photo with them. The likeness is striking. He must be related, but I can’t recall ever hearing anyone mention another brother.

  Voices ring out in the back of the house, and nerves erupt in my stomach again. I try to decide what to say to Grey’s parents. Hello, remember me? I’m the pitiful, homeless girl you met on the street. Ha-ha. Yeah, well, I’m actually a descendant of a Viking Warrior and I’m taking your son away to release the souls of two Nordic kings, who wreak havoc on humanity in general, hope you don’t mind. Oh, yeah, and he might get killed. Pass the rolls?

  Great. They’re going to love me.

  “Birdie? Is that you?” Kate’s voice comes from overhead as Scud tromps down the steps with her struggling form thrown over his shoulder. I bet she’s absolutely loving that, I think wryly.

  “Put me down, you idiot,” Kate beats at his back in a way I know won’t hurt. Scud’s hands encircle her waist. He’s slow to release as he guides her feet to the floor. “We were playing twister,” she says to me, her voice breathless. “Things got a little carried away.”

  I let the obvious pun slide and smile.

  Scud takes a step toward me, arms lift for a hug, but as his eyes flash toward Grey, he drops his hands and punches me in the arm instead. “Looking good, Birdie.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “You guys, too.”

  Kate grabs my arm and tows me through the living room. “Mom! Birdie’s here.”

  I take a deep breath and start channeling Mrs. Dixon, trying to remember all her lessons on manners. Everyone has gathered in the kitchen, a big room with burgundy paint above sand-colored tile floors, granite counter tops, and stainless steel appliances.

  Through a doorway at the other end of the space waits the dining room. The table overflows with white bone china, crystal goblets and gold accents. An ice sculpture of an American flag stands on the buffet table, which I think is a bit over the top. Even Ms. Dixon wouldn’t approve, but who am I to say?

  “Birdie?” Mr. and Mrs. Mathews greet me in unison, both their eyebrows wing up, which tells me how truly awful I must have appeared the day we met.

  Sleeping in dumpsters will do that to a person.

  “We’re so pleased you’re joining us this evening,” says the pert Mrs. Mathews. “My goodness, aren’t we snazzy.”

  Wow. Snazzy? Really?

  “I hardly recognize you,” she goes on. “Your dress is lovely. I feel underdressed.”

  Crap. I’ve seen this reaction before. She’s trying too hard and can’t shake whatever preconceived ideas she’s formed about me. I scare her. I’m sure of it.

  “Thank you for inviting me.” I’m impressed with how calm I sound, considering the riot of nerves in my stomach. “I’m glad to see you again.”

  “And under much more pleasant circumstances,” says Mr. Mathews. “Welcome, Birdie. You remember our friends, Tom and Jess Bowen, and their son, Scud’s older brother, Dylan?”

  “Of course, hello.” I give them my best smile and shake hands with everyone, praying the clamminess won’t gross them out too much.

  “I think you met with Scud and Kate since our last meeting,” says Mrs. Mathews. “But come and meet the Bowen’s daughter, Isabel.”

  The group parts, and I step forward to greet the ivory skinned, green eyed, red haired super model girl. She’s the reincarnation of Helen of Troy, for crying out loud, and the single most attractive human being—other than Grey—I’ve ever seen in my life.

  Oh, c’mon, I can’t take another perfect—“Hi.”

  She eyes me up and down, pursing her lips. “Well, she’s not a thing like the starving little Dickens’ character you described. Prada?”

  “Isabel!” Her mother hisses.

  Oh, you’re going to be lots of fun.

  “Yes,” I answer, surprised how fast she identified my dress’ label. “I’m Birdie.”

  She turns from me, grabs a carrot stick off the counter and says, “I’m starving. When do we eat?” It appears not everyone here is fond of strays.

  “Thirty minutes,” says Mrs. Mathews. “You all visit a while longer.”

  Kate sti
cks an arm through mine and drags me out a set of French doors onto a back patio. “Sorry, Birdie. Izzy can be so … blunt. She’s a little high-strung but super-sweet once you get to know her.”

  Yeah, I’ll bet. “No big,” I shrug. “I’m not easily offended.”

  Kate’s shoulders relax, and she smiles before kissing me on the cheek. “You’re a sweetheart, aren’t you?”

  Sweetheart? That’s a first. It’s getting a little syrupy for my taste. “No. The reason you think so is because you are,” I say. “I think most people are kind of horrible compared to you, Kate.”

  She grins. “Hey, that’s not just me. Grey likes you, too.”

  I shake my head. “I’m his puppy.”

  Her brow scrunches beneath her frown. “His what?”

  “Never mind.” I glance out over the garden. The feathery lawn is cut short and barely moves in the breeze.

  Kate readjusts her silver bangles. “I hate that we’re at different points in school. Otherwise, we could take a class together.”

  “Me too.”

  Kate’s show of friendship tugs at my heart even as Shondra’s face lurks in my memory. What were her dreams before she was taken?

  “If you show me your schedule, we could try and figure something out. I’m not sure what I want to study, but at least I have a choice,” I say.

  “What do you mean? Who doesn’t—”

  “Katie, I need you, babes!” Scud’s voice bellows from inside.

  Kate rolls her eyes, but her smile deepens, and she shrugs. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  My feet carry me across the flagstone patio to the brick wall on the far side while I rub my arms against the star capped cold. No way will I be out here long in this frigid air.

  “Hey, I hear Izzy got a hold of you. You okay?”

  I turn and face Grey with a grin. “Are you kidding? She’s a lightweight.”

  “Yeah. Well, it’s a package deal. She comes with Dylan and Scud.”

  “Hmm.” I have bigger fish to fry than ‘Credit Card Barbie’. My gaze returns to the stars. The night is so beautiful, I can’t help wondering if I’ll be alive to admire a similar sky next Thanksgiving. The idea sounds melodramatic but, then again, maybe not.