by Laken Cane
Rune blew out a soft breath. “Yeah. That’s pretty much it.”
“Kill the witch,” Cree said. She’d crept up behind them, her shuttered gaze on Owen. “Kill the witch and rule Skyll, Rune. Restore order. The torture will stop. Skyll will be as it should be.”
They stared at her, and she shrugged. “I’ve been here a long, long time.” And finally, there was a spark of anger in her eyes.
Rune met Strad’s stare. He shrugged. “You stay, I stay.”
Lex said nothing.
Rune backed away. “We have work to do.” She gestured at the unconscious Owen. “Put him back where you found him. Someone will be along to care for him.”
“They might not,” Lex said, shocked. “What if no one comes?”
Rune shrugged. “Then he’ll die. At least he’ll be out of his misery. Put him down, Strad.”
But Strad didn’t move. “Did he hurt you?”
She crossed her arms, then uncrossed them. “No. He betrayed us. You were right all along. The black-haired baby…” She ground her teeth and clenched her fists so hard her nails bloodied her palms. “He let an innocent baby be sent into this hellish place. And he’s the one who released the rotting sickness. He’s a fucking…”
But she didn’t know exactly what Owen Five was.
“Rune,” Strad said, gently. “I’m not leaving him here.”
“He’s been tortured,” Lex said, stricken. “He’s been blinded.”
“Lex—”
“We’re not leaving him,” Lex shouted, furious. “He’s got no eyes, Rune!”
For the first time since they’d met, Lex stared at Rune with disgust.
And maybe just a tiny gleam of contempt.
Rune had to fight not to look away. “Bring him then,” she snarled, her voice hoarse. “But keep him the fuck away from me.”
Then she grabbed his hat from the ground, slapped it against her thigh, and whistled for the troublemaking Grim.
She’d find the witch, and she’d worry about Owen Five later.
She ignored the fact that deep, deep down, she was a just little bit relieved.
Chapter Forty-Four
Mother Skyll didn’t lead her to Damascus, and neither did Grim. Shiv Crow did.
He circled overhead, cawing occasionally, making sure she was on the right path.
“You are gathering a menagerie,” Lex said, panting slightly, despite the fact that they were walking.
“Do you need to rest?” Rune wasn’t ready to explain to them where the crow had come from.
“Nope.”
The berserker traded Cree for Owen, who was so much worse than even the bird. He had yet to awaken. Cree walked along behind him, slowing them down, but there was no help for it.
They kept an eye out for a safe place to stow both their injured friends, but hadn’t found anyplace satisfactory.
Cree had offered to care for Owen until they took care of business and returned. She didn’t seem to doubt that they would.
“Who exactly is Brasque Dray?” Strad asked.
“He’s the lord of Flesh Shimmer.” She took a breath. “You’ll have to meet him. I met another of the shimmer lords. Nikolai Czar, lord of the Death Shimmer. He’s a vampire.”
His stare was sharp. “The man Fie mentioned.” He hesitated, afraid to ask.
“I should have told you already. Fie’s alive. She’s leading the Army of Death and Darkness. They belong to Nikolai. Now that’s he’s free…” She shrugged. “I guess he’ll find them or they’ll find him.”
Unless Fie was dead—but she wasn’t going to say that.
“There’s a lot I don’t know,” she added.
“There,” Lex said, pointing. “Up ahead. A cabin. I’ll go check it out.”
Rune tucked Owen’s hat under her arm and pulled the shotgun strap over her head. She cradled the gun, almost hoping she’d have a reason to use it. “I’ll come with you.”
The berserker nodded, surprising her. She’d grown used to him arguing. But he had his hands full with Owen and Cree, and the cabin was within sight should they need him.
She jogged along with Lex in silence. Grim trotted just ahead of both of them, leading the way, his tail high, ears up.
He didn’t bark or growl a warning, and Rune didn’t feel any threats coming from inside the house.
Grim circled twice and sat down in the dirt at the front door, then lowered himself to his belly and quietly surveyed the area.
“There’s nothing inside,” Rune said. “He’s too relaxed.”
Lex nodded. “Let’s go in and see if it’s fit shelter for those two.”
Rune pushed the door open and stepped inside, Lex at her back. The room was dark, but with the two small windows and the door open, there was enough light to see by.
The one-room cabin looked like it might have been a stopping place for hunters caught out too late or too far from home. There was a cot in the corner, some dry firewood against the wall beside the fireplace, and a few mismatched dishes.
Strad came through the doorway and Cree hurried past him—as much as she could hurry—and turned back the spread on the cot.
After he’d settled Owen beneath the covers, he left Cree to tend him and walked to Rune. “Good place to leave them. I’ll build a fire.”
“I’ll find some water,” Rune said, grabbing a bucket. She placed the hat on Owen’s covered abdomen. “There any supplies in the pantry?”
Lex was rummaging around inside the freestanding cabinet. “There are some potatoes, old but edible, some dry beans, two turnips, onions with green things growing out of them, what looks like a bag of flour, and a bucket of…what is that?”
Strad peered into the can. “Lard.”
“Lard?”
He grinned. “Yup.”
It took them less than a half hour to get the fire going, water bucket filled, and to be assured by Cree that she could easily make a pot of soup for them to eat.
Or for her to eat, if Owen stayed unconscious.
“Wonder why he’s not waking up,” Lex murmured, staring down at the nearly unrecognizable cowboy. “He looks…he looks so bad.”
“You should have seen him when I first took him from Dray. He’s healed a lot since then.” Uncomfortable, she fiddled with her gun. “I fed him.” She shot a quick look at Strad. “Before I lost my monster. I’d have fed you by now if I could have.”
He grinned. “I’m good, sweetheart.”
She stared, drinking in the sight of him, letting the realization that he was really there sink in.
She’d half-forgotten how big he was, how his dark hair streamed over his muscles, how the look in his eyes could be hard or soft depending on whether or not he was looking at her…
“Strad,” she said. That was all, but it made him stride across the room and pull her into his arms.
She leaned into him, holding his big body close to hers.
But when he would have kissed her, she automatically turned her face away. Hadn’t even known she was going to. Just…
“Can’t,” she whispered. “Not here.”
She’d thought she’d do whatever she wanted, have whomever she chose. But the only one she could think about was Z.
Once upon a time he’d had to watch as she’d taken other men. She’d rejected him and his love, and she had taken other fucking men.
She had hurt him, so very, very much.
She wouldn’t do it again. Not in his world.
Strad’s frown was fleeting. “Rune?”
“Go,” Cree said. “You’re delaying the inevitable. The sooner you defeat the witch, the better.” But she watched only Strad.
She wasn’t wrong.
Rune nodded and squeezed Strad once before releasing him. “Let’s go.”
They closed the door, listening as Cree locked it behind them, but Rune frowned and pushed her palm against her stake scars.
“What is it?” Strad asked.
“I’m not sure. I have a
bad feeling about the two of them.” She knelt beside Grim and buried her fingers in the thick fur behind his ears. “Grim. Guard them for me.”
His tongue came out as he panted, but he never took his stare from hers. A stare eerily like Sorrow’s.
“Will you guard them?” she asked.
He got up and went to the door, then looked back at her.
“He wants inside,” Lex said.
Strad rapped his knuckles against the door. “Open the door, Cree.”
She opened it. “What’s wrong?”
“Grim is going to stay with you. He’ll protect you,” Rune said. “Feed him some of that stew.”
The big dog slipped inside, and Rune’s gut eased. “She’ll be safe now.”
“And Owen,” Lex said.
“I don’t care about Owen.”
Lex studied her for a few tense seconds. “Right. You don’t care about Owen.” But her eyebrows were nearly lost in her hairline.
“He poisoned you, Lex. Nearly killed you.”
“Maybe it was something he had to do.”
Rune clenched her fists. “God, Lex! Murdering a world of Others was something he had to do? What the hell?”
“Did he explain why?”
“He said it was to bring me here to destroy the fucking witch before she killed the worlds.”
Lex nodded. “He’s one of us, Rune. We’ve all done stupid, selfish shit. We’ve all done things we thought we had to do. We’ve all kept secrets. And we’ve all done things for the…” She shrugged, then smiled. “For the greater good. Can you tell me Owen had only evil intentions for anything he did? Can you tell me you truly don’t trust him not to hurt you?”
“He let the baby be taken.”
“That baby has its own destiny, Rune. The baby is not yours.”
“I don’t know who you are,” Rune murmured, shocked and not a little hurt.
“Yeah,” Lex argued, “you do. I’m Lex, I’m a demon, and I’m one of yours. And I can tell you right now that I would release worse poison than rot upon the world of Others if I thought for one fucking second it would decimate the evil that is my mother. So Owen’s intentions to bring you to Skyll to kill the witch? Yeah. I can totally understand that.”
Rune and Lex stared at each other until finally, Strad spoke.
“We’ve all done things we need forgiveness for. If Owen lives and regains his strength, he and I will fight again for what he has done. And I may kill him again. Now let’s go find the witch and…” He shrugged. “Then we’ll see.”
Shiv Crow lifted off from the roof, cawing loudly, startling them all.
He was leading the way.
He was leading the way to doom.
Maybe her doom, maybe the witch’s.
“I have a sister,” she said as they walked. She needed to tell them—they’d understand how important it was. She had family, a beginning. She knew who she was.
“A sister,” Lex said. “What? How?”
“The witch was one of my makers. You’ve probably figured that out by now.” She couldn’t for the life of her say she was the witch’s daughter. Not to them. Admitting the witch was her maker was hard enough.
Neither Lex nor Strad said a word.
“The witch has a daughter. Her name is Snow. She’s on our side—the witch doesn’t see her as a threat.”
“You’ve found a sister.” Lex reached over to squeeze her hand. “I’m so happy for you, Rune.”
Rune nodded. It felt good to get it out. “I don’t know where she is now.”
“We’ll find her,” Strad said. “If that’s what you want.”
She sighed, then nodded. “And after the witch, we need to visit Brasque Dray. For one reason, he has Owen’s eyes. Apparently Owen can…reattach them or some shit. It’s fucked up.”
“That is fucked up,” Lex agreed, shuddering.
“What’s the other reason?” Strad shifted his spear from one hand to the other and kept his eye out for threats. If he hadn’t, he would have surely seen the discomfort in her face.
When she didn’t speak for a long minute, he glanced at her. “Rune?”
But she couldn’t tell him. Not then. Knowing Matthew was the hand of Flesh, that he was there, alive, would distract the berserker. And distractions could get him killed.
“We’ll talk about it after the witch,” she decided.
Lex stumbled suddenly, fell to her knees, then struggled to her feet. She knocked the berserker’s hand away when he offered it to her.
“Get away from me, motherfucker.”
“Lex,” Rune said, shocked. “What the fuck?”
The berserker looked shaken.
He did not look surprised.
Rune narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?”
Lex leaned over, put her hands on her knees, and began to retch.
“Fuck me,” Rune said, going to her. “She’s still sick?”
He gestured helplessly. “I think the rot ate away half her brain cells and they’re trying to regenerate. She changes sometimes. Becomes that.”
Lex straightened slowly and glared at both of them. “That,” she mocked. “That.” And there was the darkest hatred Rune had ever seen in her eyes.
She stepped back and didn’t even try to mask the cold fear clutching her heart. “Lex?”
The berserker took Rune’s arm and pulled her to his side. “She’ll be okay. It takes her a minute.”
And just like that, Lex was back. “Shit,” she said, and began to cry like a child. Noisy, messy sobs that broke Rune’s heart.
“What is it?” Rune wrapped her arms around Lex. “What is it?”
She’d known something was wrong the moment she’d seen Lex. Something terrible.
Lex finally pushed away from Rune and wiped her eyes. “We have to kill the witch. I have to make it that far.”
“You’re…are you saying you’re dying?” Rune noticed her hands were shaking and stuck them in her pockets.
“Maybe,” Lex said, tiredly. “I should have told you something before you left.” She looked at Strad. “And I should have told you before you brought me here.”
Rune shuddered. “Tell us now, Lex.”
Lex continued walking, so they walked with her. There was nothing to do but walk and listen.
The girl was silent for so long that Rune thought maybe she’d changed her mind. Maybe she wasn’t going to say a word.
But at last, Lex began to talk.
“My mother is inside me, fighting to take over. I’m terrified I’m going to lose.” She looked at Rune, finally, taking in Rune’s dismayed, disbelieving expression.
She nodded. “I’m possessed by Karin-fucking-Love.” She laughed, but her laughter was anguished and resigned. “How’s that for fucked up?”
Chapter Forty-Five
Rune was horrified. She had no idea what to say.
There’d be no comforting Lex with Karin Love taking up residence in her body.
Karin had started terrorizing Lex from the moment the little Other had been born, and she had yet to stop.
It was unimaginable.
Strad’s face was like stone, his eyes chips of ice. “We’ll get her out of you.”
“How?” Lex cried. “How?”
“Somehow.”
“I should have killed myself. That would have gotten rid of the fucking monstrous bitch. I should have killed myself. But I was afraid.” She put her knuckles to her mouth. “I don’t want to leave the twins. I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want to die.”
“She has you beat in the evil department,” Rune said, finally, “but you’re stronger than she is. You’ve had to be. Kick her ass out of there, baby.”
“I’ve tried. The only thing I can manage is to stomp her back down when she rises up like she just did. She wants something, and when she gets it, she’ll leave.”
“What does she want?”
“She wants a body to replace mine. She wants to stay here, in Skyll.”
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“Any particular body?”
Lex pressed her lips together. “The witch’s,” she whispered, at last.
Rune gave a shout of surprised laughter. “She’s insane. Karin, if you can hear me, you do not want to fuck with Damascus.”
And she had to stop and catch her breath when she realized the thought of Karin Love trying to conquer the witch made her angry and jealous.
I’m the one who’s insane.
Strad, quiet and thoughtful, looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. “Lex, I’m going to have a talk with Rune where the thing inside you can’t hear. Walk on ahead. We’ll be right behind you.”
Lex nodded and walked away, her shoulders slumped.
Rune closed her eyes for a long minute. After Lex was out of earshot, she and Strad began to talk.
“Any ideas?” she asked him.
“We need to get her into a different body. After that, we’ll do whatever we need to do, but getting her out of Lex is priority.”
“Lex wanted to kill her.”
“Lex won’t have to deal with that. If we can get Karin to leave her, someone else is going to kill Karin Love.”
“The witch.”
He nodded. “Let’s hope she doesn’t discover Karin is here to possess her before Karin leaves Lex.”
“Yeah. She’d kill them both.”
They both fell into silence, thinking.
Suddenly Rune put a hand on his arm, pulling him to a stop. “I have an idea.”
“Lex,” he called. “Take a rest.”
She looked around, then sat down on a blackened tree stump to wait for them.
“Tell me,” he said.
“I doubt Karin has ever seen Damascus. I know a woman who would play the part. I just have to find her.”
“Where is she, and why would she agree to die?”
“She’s already dying,” Rune said. “She’d be happy to help us. The bigger the task the happier she’d be. And this is pretty fucking big.”
He nodded. “Where is she?”
“She was fighting in the battle by the hill. If she’s not dead, she’ll probably still be there.”
“We’ll wait here,” he said. “Run. Bring her back.”
She looked away. “I can’t run.”
