The Dark Divide

by Jennifer Fallon

  ‘I can’t use magic to lift them until we get them onto your side of the rift,’ Delphine explained, ‘and my companion is with child. I don’t want her straining herself.’

  Chishihero nodded and stepped through the rift to the other side. The blonde woman kept watch as Delphine bent over one of the prone bodies and grabbed him by the shoulders. Chishihero took his legs and the two of them, with some difficulty, huffed and puffed and managed to lift the unconscious man from where he was lying in the other reality, to lay him on the ground just inside this one. Trása itched to get closer, but she remembered what happened the last time she crossed a rift in animal form.

  There was very little magic in the other realm, Trása guessed, because Delphine didn’t want to waste it lifting things. Once the first man was through, they went back to collect the other one, carrying him across the rift before dumping him, none too gently, beside the first.

  A moment later, Delphine pulled a long thin rod that appeared to be made from crystal out of her sleeve and pointed it at the rift. Lightning sizzled for a moment and then the rift crackled shut, leaving the three women in darkness with two unconscious — maybe even dead — men, dressed in clothes that nearly shocked Trása back into her own form.

  They were both wearing jeans. One of them was wearing running shoes with a Nike arrow on the side. Whoever they were, these men came from Rónán’s reality, or one very much like it.

  Trása’s hackles suddenly stood on end. Had she and Rónán made a terrible mistake? Instead of helping Wakiko with her complicated plan to save her daughters in return for a way through the rift, should they have just waited here and simply jumped through this rift when it opened?

  She’d suggested as much to Rónán not long after they first arrived. And she remembered him lecturing her about the dangers of jumping into an unknown realm. In fairness, he hadn’t expected the rift to be opened with so little fanfare. But would Rónán have been so quick with his lecture if he’d known one could buy Levis and Nikes in the world on the other side of the rift and that all they had to do to get to the rift was run past three women, a dog and a couple of apparently dead bodies?

  If Rónán was here now, could we have escaped?

  And if these women came from a realm depleted of magic, similar to the one Rónán had grown up in, how had Delphine managed to open a rift on a depleted world?

  That question opened up new possibilities for Trása, but she couldn’t act on them now. And certainly not while she was a dog.

  One of the men was groaning softly as he regained consciousness. So they weren’t dead, then. She padded over to them, sniffing them curiously. Who were they? And why had Delphine brought them here?

  Chishihero must have been wondering the same thing. ‘You brought guests?’ she asked Delphine.

  Trása gently nudged at the man on the left with her muzzle, just as the one on the right began to groan, too. She turned to look at him and realised the men were twins. Identical twins.

  ‘A last-minute change of plans,’ Delphine said, sliding her crystal wand into her sleeve and straightening her kimono. ‘This is Trephina,’ she added, pointing to the blonde. ‘She will be taking over from Ingrid.’

  ‘Not a moment too soon,’ Chishihero said to Delphine. Then she turned to Trephina. ‘Welcome to my realm, my lady. I trust you will be happy here.’

  ‘Just don’t point a camera at me,’ the young woman replied, although it was doubtful Chishihero knew what a camera was. She turned to Delphine and added, ‘If I never hear the words “work it, baby” ever again, it will be far too soon.’

  Delphine smiled briefly at that but didn’t comment. She turned and glanced at the men she had brought through the rift and realising they were starting to wake, she pulled out her crystal wand again and waved it over them, binding the two men with magical ties that almost caught Trása as well.

  ‘Who are they?’ Chishihero asked, as Trása leaped back with a snarl of alarm at how close she had come to being trapped in the bonds that held the men rigid. It wouldn’t matter if they woke now. They would not be able to move.

  ‘A problem,’ Delphine said with a frown, putting her wand away. ‘They are the sons of another sister like Ingrid, who took it upon herself to alter the destiny of her children. I had to bring them to maturity myself.’

  ‘They are Undivided?’ Chishihero gasped in astonishment.

  Trása was equally astonished, but all she could do was wag her tail. It was disturbing how hard it was to control the betraying body language of a dog. She had renewed admiration for Marcroy, being able to control himself in wolf form. Trása looked down at the two men with renewed interest. They weren’t just twins, she realised; if they were Undivided, that made them Rónán and Darragh’s eileféin.

  ‘Not officially, but they are the right bloodstock.’ Delphine smiled at her younger companion. ‘Trephina here carries our next set of Emperors or Empresses from their line, with luck.’

  ‘What are you going to do with them?’ Chishihero asked, looking worried. ‘Kill them?’

  Delphine paused but after a moment she shook her head. ‘I’d prefer not to, until we know for certain we have a set of Emperor twins from them. But I can’t risk leaving them here. They’ve been raised in a depleted realm, so they have no hint of what they might be capable of. There is far too much magic in this realm for me to leave an untrained pair of potential Undivideds here for very long, even if there are none left but the lesser Youkai to show them the way.’

  ‘Actually, my lady, there are Youkai here. They came through the rift several days ago.’

  Well, Trása thought, flopping down beside the captives. That’s blown it.

  ‘From where? Which realm?’

  ‘I couldn’t say,’ Chishihero said. ‘But they are the reason you were forced to come here and not through the rifuto stones in Nara. No sooner had I reported the arrival of the Youkai to the Konketsu in Nara, Wakiko was making plans to come here to visit them.’

  ‘No doubt she hopes to enlist their aid in defying me,’ Delphine said, looking mightily displeased. ‘And the Matrarchaí. Have you taken care of them yet?’

  Chishihero shook her head. ‘I’ve not had the opportunity, my lady, and the male, in particular, is far more powerful than I.’

  ‘Are you sure he is Youkai, and not just a magician from another realm?’

  ‘I have seen him wane, my lady. And create fire with a thought. He needs no tools or folding spells like the ori mahou to ply his craft.’

  ‘Then you did the right thing waiting for me. Faerie like that need to be handled correctly.’ Delphine frowned and then turned her attention to Trása. ‘Is the dog trained to stand guard?’

  ‘Of course, my lady.’

  The older woman nodded. ‘Then we will leave them here,’ she said. ‘We should be back by morning. I only plan to be in this reality for a few hours, even with these unexpected Youkai to deal with. If you trust the dog to guard them, they’ll be safe enough here until I return at dawn. I assume everybody is waiting for us?’

  Chishihero nodded. ‘They are,’ she said, and then she turned to her dog. ‘Kiba, stay!’ she commanded. ‘Stand guard.’

  Trása had no idea how Kiba normally reacted to such a command, so she stood tall, pushed her ears forward and curled her lip in a silent growl. It seemed to be enough for the distracted Konketsu magician. Besides, Chishihero had no interest in these prisoners. She was more interested in her own problems, and they began and ended with the two Youkai who had the temerity to fall into her realm.

  Her alert and attentive stance must have been enough like Kiba’s behaviour not to arouse Chishihero’s suspicions. Trása remained standing at guard as the women mounted their horses — no mean feat wearing a kimono — and turned their horses west for the Tanabe compound and the Empresses awaiting them there.

  CHAPTER 60

  Even though he knew he wasn’t really going to kill himself, Ren still felt the weight of expectation as he
walked up the long corridor of troops lining the path to the podium where the Empresses waited, along with the Lady Delphine, Chishihero and a tall, drop-dead gorgeous blonde who he supposed was the true envoy — the woman come to take the place of Wakiko, who no longer wanted anything to do with the Matrarchaí and the Matrarchaí’s plans for her children. There was no sign of Wakiko, but Ren didn’t worry about that. She had warned them Delphine would forbid her from attending the ceremony. She was around somewhere, no doubt, waiting in the wings to spirit her daughters out of the mêlée when the fun started.

  Troops from both clans lined the path, Tanabe on one side, Ikushima on the other. Both were armed to the teeth, which Ren thought an insane idea, even if it did play into his plans for this evening. Each of the samurai held a flaming torch, lighting the path to his doom, filling the cold, still air with the acrid smell of burning oil.

  The podium seemed a long way away.

  Trása and the lesser Youkai had taken care of Namito earlier, before she left to accompany Chishihero to the rift disguised as the mastiff, Kiba, and the rest of the Ikushima left the compound in the Empresses’ procession. Namito was magically bound and gagged, so he couldn’t escape and raise the alarm. It remained to be seen what the Daimyo would do later, when he realised he’d been duped, but that was something else Ren couldn’t afford to worry about now. He had a deal with Wakiko and a chance to learn how they opened rifts in this realm — not to mention a chance to thwart the plans of the Matrarchaí and what they would do to Teagan and Isleen, if Delphine unlocked the Comhroinn and gave the two little girls the benefit of her knowledge, memories and prejudices, particularly against the Youkai.

  Once Namito was taken care of, Ren spent quite some time — with Kazusa’s help — dressing in her brother’s ceremonial armour. At sunset he had ridden out of Shin Bungo at the head of the Ikushima column, his head held high. He was, after all, posing as Namito who was off to restore the family’s honour by disembowelling himself in a public spectacle that made Ren’s blood run cold, just thinking about it.

  Kazusa was the only member of the Ikushima clan who realised what was going on, and she had joined in the deception with enthusiasm. She was still young enough to question the mores of the adults around her, and willing to toss aside incomprehensible tradition when she could see the benefit. As Ren approached the podium, he caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye, standing with Aoi and Masuyo on the left of the dais, their faces stoic and implacable. They believed Namito’s sacrifice would restore their family fortunes and would do nothing to interfere with that process.

  Death before dishonour. Literally.

  Ren thought they were all insane. Every last one of them.

  Trása had come to check on him before she left, and to make sure he knew what he had to do. She was right to be worried. Delphine could not be defeated by mundane means. If it were that simple, Wakiko could have hired a ninja assassin to garrotte her as she stepped through the rift. Delphine needed to be defeated with magic, and only Ren — even Trása readily agreed — was strong enough to do it without the benefit of the folding magic the Konketsu used in this realm to wield their spells.

  As they’d explained what he had to do, Ren had tried not to let his doubts show. It was clear everyone was relying on him to save the day, so he wasn’t sure how to tell them he didn’t think he was the right person for the job — especially as he was the only person for the job. Wakiko kept insisting on that. It had to be Ren who faced down Delphine. She was too strong for anybody else in this realm. She had to be killed. Only someone like Ren, an Undivided who had survived the Lughnasadh power transfer, wielding a blade forged from airgead sídhe, was strong enough to take her down. Ren was surprised. Wakiko spoke as if it had happened before, but when he tried to question her, she changed the subject. She planned dealing with Chishihero and the replacement guardian for Isleen and Teagan that Delphine was bringing to this realm. The new envoy would not be a problem, Wakiko promised. She was human and, if need be, she could be eliminated by other humans.

  Trása had shooed Kazusa out and taken over tying the laces on Ren’s new armour. It felt strange wearing something so intricate, that on closer inspection turned out to be made from bamboo. Ren had tried on a suit of medieval armour once, when he was on location with Kiva. The historical consultant on set didn’t mind the questions of an inquisitive eleven-year-old boy. This Japanese armour was much lighter. It was easier to move in it too, which made sense given how fond the Japanese were of martial arts that required hand-to-hand fighting. Only the chest plate was made from a single, solid piece of metal embellished with the Ikushima family kamon, while the other vulnerable parts of the body, like the neck and the arms, were protected by scores of smaller pieces of metal tied together with blue and gold string, to match the Ikushima colours proudly hanging from the walls outside the compound.

  Had he been serious about committing Seppuku in front of the Empresses, the armour would come off, he would be allowed a last meal, and have one of his trusted samurai standing by to decapitate him, once he’d opened his belly. Of course, if everything went according to plan, things wouldn’t go that far. Ren needed to get close to Delphine. Once she was dead, he fully expected all hell to break loose.

  Trása stood back and admired her handiwork.

  ‘How do I look?’ Ren asked, picking up the kabuto and holding it by his side.

  She eyed him up and down for a moment and then nodded. ‘You’re taller than Namito, but you should pass muster if nobody looks too closely.’

  ‘I worry about plans that rely on nobody looking too closely.’

  Trása smiled and stepped closer to tie off one of the shoulder cords that had worked itself loose. ‘You’ll be fine,’ she said.

  ‘I’m not sure I can do this, Trása. I’ve never killed anybody before.’

  ‘Delphine is responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Youkai,’ she reminded him. ‘In this realm and plenty of others, besides. If that doesn’t help, think about this — if you don’t kill her, she will unlock the Comhroinn and that will not only give Teagan and Isleen the power to kill us, it will make them want to do it, too. I’m guessing it’ll be easier to kill one scary-evil old woman nobody in this realm really cares about than two doe-eyed little girls everyone worships as their divine rulers.’

  She was standing awfully close as she tied up the last of his armour. He was sure she was making perfectly good sense but it was hard to concentrate. Her hair smelled like summer — the same as it had that time in the old warehouse back in Dublin, when she’d been trying to set him up on a murder charge so he would be sent to gaol and kept out of harm’s way. It was a monstrous plan, really, but he’d softened his animosity toward her the past few weeks. He understood Trása better now. He’d seen how she cared for the lesser Youkai of this realm who so needed a protector. Trása desperately wanted to belong somewhere. She didn’t even seem to mind where. She was a mongrel caught between being sídhe and being human, and when the human world had rejected her, she turned to her Faerie family, and did whatever she must to win the approval of Marcroy Tarth, and through him, the rest of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Ren wasn’t sure that in her place he might not have done the exactly same thing. Maybe even worse.

  Trása had smiled up at him and then, just as he was wondering if he could get away with kissing those tantalisingly close lips, she rose up on her toes and kissed him on the mouth.

  Ren thought he might die. He slid his arms around her and pulled her closer. Just as he was thinking he might become lost in the taste of her, she yelped suddenly and pulled away from him.

  She looked up at him, rubbing her back with a rueful smile. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean … Your armour scratched me.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ he said, relieved she had a reason for jumping out of his embrace like she’d been burned. He’d been afraid she yelped like that when it occurred to her she was kissing Ren and not his brother.

  Trása smiled a
t him again, a little shyly, which Ren found odd. After all, she’d just kissed him like a long-lost lover. ‘You can do this, Ren.’

  He nodded and lifted Namito’s helmet onto his head. ‘Actually,’ he said, ‘I think I’d rather you kept calling me Rónán.’

  Eventually, sweating inside the armour despite the chilly evening air, his vision limited by the kabuto helmet, Rónán reached the podium, where he knelt and placed his forehead on the ground as Kazusa warned him he must. It was strange, but if he thought of himself as Rónán, he felt he had the courage to do this thing.

  Ren wouldn’t do it. Ren Kavanagh was the untested, cosseted and privileged son of a movie star — a private school boy with a credit card and a therapist. Rónán, on the other hand, was one half of the Undivided.

  Rónán, not Ren, was the one compelled to protect the Faerie.

  Rónán, not Ren, had the balls to kill someone when the occasion called for it.

  ‘You may rise,’ the Empresses said in unison.

  Rónán did as they commanded, keeping his head bowed. Although the kabuto covered most of his face, it wouldn’t hide it enough to fool anybody if they got a good look at him.

  He glanced up from the shadow of the helmet, fixing his eyes on Delphine. She looked vaguely familiar, but other than that — and her surprisingly modern blonde bob — she seemed unremarkable.

  And she was holding a protective magical shield around herself.

  It was strange that he could sense it. She wasn’t trying to hide it. Was it for his benefit? Or for the benefit of the Youkai visitors to this realm that Chishihero had undoubtedly already warned her about?

  It seemed she was expecting an attack.

  ‘The Tanabe are to be granted dominion over all the Ikushima lands,’ Isleen announced to the gathering, her small voice ringing out on the still night air. ‘The factory that makes fireworks will be relocated to somewhere more isolated, for the safety of our magical forests. The lands currently held by the Ikushima are hereby granted to the Tanabe clan, as a reward for their faithful service.’