by Ching, G. P.
“Watch out,” Grace dodged in front of Malini, blade slicing through the scorpion’s stinger as it moved toward her head. The creature scampered back in pain, snapping its claws. Unfortunately, the spider wasn’t taking turns or playing fair. It dropped from the ceiling, fangs sinking into Grace’s shoulder.
“The spider. Kill the spider,” Malini ordered, drawing her sword with her left hand and stabbing the creature in the head.
It released Grace and tried to climb its web but was soon overwhelmed by the walking dead. As Grace toppled to the floor, shoulder swelling and mouth foaming, the scorpion attacked.
“Grace!” Malini yelled, thrusting at the snapping beast. The burn, a consequence of her healing power, had worked its way up the side of her neck and across half her chest. She forced herself to move through the pain. Recalling all she’d learned from Lillian, she thrust and parried until, with a painful surge of adrenaline, her blade sliced through one of the claws. The injury gave her enough time to realign her troops.
“Kill the scorpion,” she commanded, pointing a bony finger at the beast.
The mummies stopped immediately, changing direction to do as she asked. They pounded on the shell and tore off its legs. The scorpion’s last working pincer snapped around the one-armed mummy, crushing its abdomen. Malini doubled over in pain but didn’t release the strings to her puppets. With relief, she watched the scorpion shiver and then quit under the assault of the other two. Dead.
The crispy ache of the burn traveled down the back of her legs, but she could not release the mummies, not yet. “Dig. Jacob. Out,” she commanded, pointing to the mound of treasure that had swallowed her one and only true love.
The three did, casting aside gold goblets and coins, silver chains, and gemstones of all shapes and sizes. When they reached Jacob, Malini heard a sharp intake of breath and then her puppets freed him from the gripping, shredding riches. They released him at her feet, bloody and bruised but alive.
“Which way is out?” she rasped to the one-armed mummy, who pointed at his sarcophagus. Malini swallowed. Her eyesight was failing, but she thought she saw a flash of light behind the lid. “Good. Now lock yourselves inside those two.” She pointed to the other two sarcophagi, and watched the dead retreat. They closed themselves inside, magically sealing the opening.
Malini collapsed between Grace and Jacob, moaning in pain. On her back, she pulled her flesh glove over her right hand, knowing one touch might mean the death of one of her friends. Once she was done, she turned her burnt face toward Jacob and focused on her breath.
Beside her, he curled into the fetal position. One of his legs didn’t obey, hanging crooked and slightly behind the rest of his body. But his hands found his flask and soon Malini was doused with water, her skin easing at its touch. She placed her left hand on his cheek, healing his wounds at the same time he gave her what she needed to heal herself. This was their relationship. Symbiotic. Selfless. For a moment, she lost herself in it, closing her eyes and giving herself over to Jacob’s comfort.
“Grace,” she said, pulling her hand away. Jacob wasn’t completely healed, but seemed to understand her urgency. He nodded.
Malini reached for Grace. The Helper’s body was swollen to the point of being unrecognizable. White foam oozed from the side of her puffy lips, and her eyes were buried under an excess of edematous flesh. Malini might believe she were dead if she couldn’t hear the faintest heartbeat under it all. Parting Grace’s shirt collar, she placed her left hand directly over her heart, willing healing energy into her. She met resistance.
“There’s something wrong,” Malini said, trying harder. The heartbeat slowed beneath her fingers. “No, no, no.” She could feel the woman slipping away beneath her touch.
Jacob pulled the water back into his flask and crawled to Grace’s side, across from Malini. He turned Grace’s head and swept her mouth with his fingers. “Her tongue and throat are swollen shut. She’s not breathing.”
Malini shifted her hand to Grace’s swollen neck. She focused her power on opening the throat. “It’s not working,” she rasped.
A high-pitched wheeze echoed through the gold room. Grace coughed weakly and a plume of black ooze spewed from her mouth, narrowly missing Jacob.
“Watcher blood,” Jacob said.
“The bite must have been enchanted. This is sorcery. That’s why it’s so difficult to heal.” Malini redoubled her efforts, stretching out on the floor next to Grace as her tender skin began to burn again. Minutes passed.
“Malini?” Jacob rasped, breaking the silence.
“Yeah?”
“I just want this to be over.” His voice was barely audible.
“It’s just beginning,” she said sadly.
Thankfully, Grace sputtered, drawing deep, rumbling breaths. “Grace?” Malini shook her slightly. “She’s breathing but still unconscious.”
“Do you think we’ll survive this one?” Jacob asked, pain evident in his voice.
“I’m not sure.”
“If we do, will you marry me?”
Malini grinned, barely lifting her pounding head from the gold floor to see his face better. “Where’s my ring?”
Jacob pointed toward the stack of treasure where several jeweled rings poked from the pile.
“Cursed treasure, Jacob? Hardly appropriate.”
Lying back until his head hit the floor, Jacob smirked. “Let’s just shake on it, then.”
Malini laughed and offered him her gloved hand. He hooked his fingers into hers and squeezed. She moaned. The burn was traveling again, up the side of her face.
“More water?”
“Yes, Jacob. Please.”
He obliged.
* * * * *
Trapped inside the coffin, Bonnie screamed until her voice cracked with inescapable hoarseness. Nearly hysterical, she pounded on the lid until her fists bled. Her torturous fate seemed sealed until a blue light formed around the edges of her consciousness, quieting her screams. The lid lifted. As her eyes adjusted to the intense light, she saw him, her angel. Cord held out a hand to her, pulling her up into his arms. As the warmth of his touch permeated her skin, the illusion of age fell away. Her wrinkles smoothed. Her back straightened. The church and everyone in it was swept away by his light.
She focused on his sapphire eyes and gripped his shoulders ever tighter.
“You are okay, Bonnie Guillian. I’ve broken the illusion. You are healthy and alive.”
Bonnie heard the words he was saying, but it took her a full minute to understand. She glanced around, finding herself back in the mirrored maze, inside her own skin.
“What is this place?”
“Enchanted labyrinth. The mirrors show you your greatest fears.”
Bonnie closed her eyes and wept. “What did it show you?” she asked in lieu of reliving her own harrowing experience.
“I became a Watcher again and ate Hope. Thankfully, my angel energy showed the illusion for what it was.”
Only then did Bonnie notice the baby on his shoulder, looking blue and barely breathing.
“She’s worse.”
“Yes. We must hurry.”
Bonnie’s eyes darted right then left, but all she could see was her reflection, no way out. “How do we get out of here? How did you get to me?”
Cord’s eyes drifted to Hope. “Did you know there are different types of angels?”
“Uh, sure, I guess. Fallen ones and regular ones.”
Cord cocked his head to the side and smirked. “I mean different types of regular ones.”
“Not really.”
“There are nine different types. Gideon and Gabriel were messenger angels, but there are others. Seraphim never leave Heaven; they guard the throne of our Lord. Cherubim are also guards, but here on Earth.”
Bonnie nodded. “Two cherubim guarded Eden. I didn’t think of them as angels, but I guess they were.”
“And then there are archangels,” Cord said quickly. “Archangels guard
people, and they have a certain set of skills to do just that.” He lowered his chin and looked at her through his lashes.
“And you are?”
“I didn’t know what I was until I heard you scream.” Carefully, he handed Hope to Bonnie. “If you would hold her for a moment, I’ll show you what happened.”
She took the baby, tucking her sleeping form into the side of her neck.
Glowing brighter, Cord clapped his hands and became a supernova. She shielded her eyes and took a step back. A flaming sword erupted between his palms, burning purple and infusing the space with warmth. At the same time, he spread his wings, now blue with holy fire.
“I am an archangel, Bonnie. I was sent to protect you and Hope, and I will do so, even if it means my death.”
“Wow,” was all she could manage.
He gave a tight smile and turned toward the mirrors. “This labyrinth is constructed of sorcery, and if there is anything an archangel is good for, it is battling sorcery.” His sword sliced through the mirror that had trapped her, the mirror where she had seen her death. The walls of the maze came apart stitch by stitch as if someone had found a loose thread and was slowly unraveling the scene before her.
“Sam,” she called when her sister came into view. Ghost was standing next to her, looking dazed as the mirrors melted around him. Bonnie pulled her sister into a tight, one-armed hug and kissed her cheek. They were in the concourse of the United Center, in front of an abandoned burger booth.
Ghost raised an eyebrow at Cord’s flaming sword. “That’s a cool trick.” He turned a circle. “But you may want to be discreet.”
A gathering cheer rang out from within the stadium, ten thousand raving Watchers lapping up whatever milk Lucifer was throwing their way. Bonnie glanced up and down the concrete walkway lined with empty vendor booths. A small screen in the corner silently televised the show. Lucifer lifted a wine glass full of dark liquid. The Watchers cheered again.
“We’re in. Really in. We made it through the labyrinth,” Samantha whispered. “Do you think the others are still in there? Without Cord, how would they break through the sorcery?”
Bonnie opened her mouth to answer but was distracted when Hope coughed once, then twice, then gasped for air as her tiny body shook with the effort of clearing her lungs. “Cord, she needs you.” She turned to hand the baby over, but the angel wasn’t alone.
Levi, the member of the Wicked Brethren who had tried to kill her at the Quik N Smart, faced Cord with fists clenched and eyes blazing. “You shouldn’t be here. How did you escape my labyrinth?”
“You and your brothers aren’t as clever as you presume to be,” Cord said. He clapped his hands together, and the sword blazed to life.
Levi raised an eyebrow. “An archangel? You, Cord?” The demon laughed low and haughtily. “It won’t help you. Baby angels are all the same. Big swords and not a clue how to use them.” With a circle of his arms, Levi produced a weapon of his own, blazing orange with a black center that reminded Bonnie of an eye.
Angel rounded demon, and Levi’s blade flashed. Cord blocked the blow, but the power brought him to his knees. Bonnie gasped, reaching for her dagger. A hand clamped down on her shoulder. Ghost.
“No way.” With one hand on her elbow and the other on Samantha’s, Jesse tugged her behind the counter of the burger booth. “Hide here. This is going to get ugly.”
“We need to help him,” Bonnie whispered.
“No.” Ghost shook his head. “Our mission is to get you and Hope to that platform.”
Placing a hand on her forearm, Samantha nodded in agreement.
With Hope still struggling to breathe on her shoulder, Bonnie raised up on her knees to peek through the multicolored beer taps and nacho cheese dispenser. Cord was back on his feet. Levi’s red blade pummeled Cord’s purple one, pounding down again and again on the angel’s locked arms and bent knees. Sparks flew with each connection, raining gold and silver fire on the concrete.
“Jesse,” Bonnie whispered. “What if the other Soulkeepers are stuck somewhere in the labyrinth?”
Ghost broke apart and came back together. “What if they are, Bon? I’m not Cord. I can’t cut through the sorcery like he can.”
“But what if the other two teams are trapped?”
Grabbing Bonnie’s shoulder, Samantha gave her a little shake. “Stop worrying about everyone else. Malini is the Healer. She was probably the first one out of that damned thing. Trust in the plan. We’ve got enough trouble staying alive and doing our part.”
Chapter 26
Healer
“You can’t move it at all?” Malini said, the high pitch of her voice a hint of the stress within. She tried her best to conceal her mounting panic. Grace had enough to worry about without bringing Malini’s insecurities into it.
“No,” Grace said. “There’s no feeling from the shoulder down.” The older woman adjusted herself on her sit bones, wiping the last bits of black ooze from her face with her left hand. Her right was gray tinged and limp in her lap.
Malini lifted the dead hand again and tried to bombard Grace with healing energy, to no effect. “My power is telling me you’re healed. I’m sorry, Grace. Whatever this is, my power can’t touch it.”
“You can’t heal the dead,” Jacob said gravely. “What if Grace’s arm was dead before you started the healing?”
“Can that happen? Her arm is dead but not the rest of her?”
“I’m not a doctor, but maybe the spider’s venom killed the cells it was able to spread to. Dead.”
“But—”
Grace cut her off. “It doesn’t matter why. It just is. You two have to leave me here. I’m right handed. I can’t fight like this. I’ll be more of a liability than a help.”
“No,” Jacob and Malini said together. “We came in together, and we leave together.”
Grace pursed her lips, jaw tight and brow showing her age. She gave each of them a long, hard look, and then allowed her eyes to rest on her dead hand.
“None of us know where we are going to end up in this world.” She shook her curly red head. “Who would have thought a cattle rancher’s kid and timid Catholic school girl would end up here, battling giant scorpions and mummies.” Her green eyes flashed to the body of the dead spider. “I knew when I walked in the door I might never walk out.”
“Grace—”
She held up her good hand. “Stop. This is my decision. Leave me here. If you succeed in thwarting Lucifer, I might still be here when you return. And if you don’t? Well, none of us will have long to live anyway, will we?”
The full force of Grace’s stare drilled into Malini. Once again, the Healer was put in the position to choose: the life of one versus the lives of many. The labyrinth was deadly; Malini knew this for certain. The chance Grace would still be alive if they left her here was slim. Still, this was what the Soulkeepers were called to do. If they took her with them, she’d be vulnerable, easily captured and used as a bargaining chip, or worse, killed. Grace would never forgive herself if she became the reason for their mission’s failure.
“Okay,” Malini said.
“You can’t mean that,” Jacob said.
Malini placed a dagger in Grace’s left hand. “Use the short blade. It will be easier with your non-dominant hand.”
Grace nodded.
“You can’t be serious. We can’t just leave her here,” Jacob said again.
Malini grabbed Jacob’s shoulders and gave him a look that said just how serious she was. “Come on. We’re behind schedule.”
She gathered her fallen weapons, checked that her glove was on properly, and walked toward the sarcophagus the mummy showed her was the exit to the tomb. She paused when Jacob didn’t immediately follow. Knee-deep in treasure, her spine tingled with the instinct to move on. They were on borrowed time. “Jake.”
Jacob stared at Grace with his hands on his hips. She turned away, frowning. “Fine,” he said, dusting some invisible substance from his han
ds. “This is not on me.” He pushed past Malini and led the way through the passageway. Sure that his words had cut her to the quick, Malini followed.
The corridor was dark and became darker as the walkway descended. With fingers hitched to Jacob’s back, Malini’s other hand trailed along a rough-hewn wall that crumbled beneath her touch. She patted down her pockets and utility belt until she found the small flashlight she’d packed, her long tapered fingers pausing on the switch. Light was a powerful thing, and so she hesitated, worried turning it on would cause some sort of calamity.
Click. Jacob’s flashlight glowed to life.
“That was incredibly stupid,” Malini hissed.
“No more stupid than continuing to walk in the dark. What the hell is this place?”
“That’s the question of the day, isn’t it?” Malini snapped on her flashlight and pointed it at the wall. A million gems sparkled like diamonds. She moved her face closer to one, then pivoted to shine her light past Jacob, who was staring at something on the ceiling. A mine cart on a track marked the center of the cavern. The alternate wall glittered with the same gems. She walked to the cart and looked inside. Dozens of yellow, white, and amber gems glinted back at her.
“I think this is a diamond mine,” Malini said.
“Yeah?” Jacob swallowed hard, his pale face still staring at the ceiling.
“What are you looking at?” Malini returned to his side and followed the beam of light from his flashlight to the black ceiling of the cave. There were no sparkling gems in his beam. Instead, the top of the cavern seemed leathery and dead black.
“It’s moving,” Jacob said.
“What’s moving?”
“The ceiling.”
Malini squinted her eyes and pointed her light to join with Jacob’s. In the brightened beam, a piece of the ceiling shifted, and a set of reflective eyes blinked at her. “What is that thing?”
“Correction, what are those things?” Jacob asked. Dozens of yellow eyes and white flashing teeth were now focused on them.
