Twisted Sister of Mine (Overworld Chronicles)

by John Corwin

  I watched Zagg for a moment before realizing he was done reading. "Um, so Moore was gonna have kids?"

  "How very odd," Bella said, fingers resting thoughtfully on her chin. "Didn't Moore die childless?"

  Zagg nodded. "He died not long after this. There is no record of him having adopted a child."

  I shrugged. "Maybe he did and kept it a secret," I said. "It doesn't matter. The Lady of the Pond knows the name of the guardian."

  "She might know the name," Shelton said. "Don't get your hopes up."

  "Fine." I headed toward the stairs. "I'm going to have a talk with her."

  "Lead the way," Shelton said.

  Bella, Shelton, and I made our way topside, taking back hallways to avoid students the best we could. Knowing Bigglesworth was dead was certainly a heavy weight off my back, but I wasn't about to let my guard down.

  I reached the gates to the Fairy Garden, took a deep breath, and headed toward the pond with a confident stride. Shelton and Bella stayed back to cover my retreat, should one be necessary.

  The Lady of the Pond and her annoying boyfriend leapt from the aforementioned body of water to greet me.

  "You are persistent," the woman said. "And do not listen to the wisdom of women."

  "I want to listen to your wisdom," I replied, and then shot a glare at her man, as if daring him to question the truth of that.

  "He speaks the truth," the man said.

  "It's a good thing your lady here isn't the truth detector," I told him. "Because you'd probably be in trouble all the time."

  The woman laughed. Her man gave me a surly look and cracked his knuckles.

  "I do not need his abilities to divine the truth of what he says," the lady said. "I also know I have no need to worry about him. He is ever honest when he tarries with the dryads of the woods. But he is male, and nature demands he spread his seed."

  I waved my hands, and grimace. "Gross. That's way TMI." The last thing I wanted to imagine was this guy—oh never mind. "What I came here to ask is in regard to Ezzek Moore."

  The lady's eyes went from smiling, to granite. "Then we have nothing to discuss."

  "The infernal name," I said. "I need it, or everyone here will die."

  "He speaks the truth," the man said in his rumbling voice.

  I rolled my eyes, but refrained from commenting on how annoying he was. "There's a demon guarding the arch with the Cyrinthian Rune in it. The arch is ready to explode by the end of the week, and it'll take this entire place with it."

  The man opened his mouth to speak, but the lady interrupted. "That you know of these things is very troubling." She made a motion, and trees sprouted from the ground in a tight circle around us. "Very troubling."

  I backed away, eyes searching the circle, but the trees were too thick to break without manifesting into demon form, packed too tightly squeeze through, and too tall to jump. "Does that mean you're going to have to kill me?"

  She stared at me for a long moment, as if trying to search me out. "My dear friend, Ezzek, told me any person other than the child must never possess this information. I do not wish to kill you, but I will hold you prisoner."

  "That didn't work out so well last time," I reminded her.

  "We will hold you beneath the waters," she said, looking at the black waters of the pond.

  I thought of being dragged into those depths and gulped. I'd sprout demon claws and climb over these trees if I had to before I'd allow her to take me in the pond. Besides, I just knew she and her man probably peed in the water all the time. "I know you two spoke of children," I said, grasping at straws. "He didn't like them. He knew he was going to have a child someday though, even if she wasn't biologically his."

  The lady tilted her head and regarded me for a moment. "How do you know these things?"

  I took a calming breath before I spoke. "Ezzek is dead. Whatever plans he had for the rune perished with him. I'm trying to save lives by temporarily freeing the rune, but I promise to put it right back. Unfortunately, there's a demon guardian there, and I need its name so it won't bite my head off."

  "He speaks the truth," the man said, still frowning at me, most likely about my earlier comment.

  Some people just can't handle the truth.

  The lady looked from the man to me, eyes uncertain. "The intended one is female. You are not her. I made a promise I cannot break, young man."

  Could she mean Ivy? I couldn't let Jeremiah use her to get the rune. "How do you know it's a female child? Did Ezzek specifically tell you that the only person you could give this information to would be a girl?"

  She remained silent for a moment before answering. "No. He expected a female, but his promise only stated that the child would give me a sign."

  "What kind of sign?"

  "He told me I would know it when I saw it."

  I groaned. "That's stupid! The fate of the world hinges on this rune, and he decides to be all enigmatic?"

  "He speaks the truth," the man said, his voice calm.

  The woman looked at him, and laughed. "I told Ezzek he was being rather foolish, but he always did have a flair for the dramatic."

  "Maybe it's sign enough that I know about the rune, and that I'm telling you the truth regarding my intentions." I sighed. "Because I got nothing else, really."

  "I am truly sorry," the Lady said. "But it is not enough."

  Men with bark for skin burst from the ground all around me. They looked angry, probably for the debacle I'd caused with their women. Before I could react, they gripped me. Dragged me toward the water. I struggled, but collectively, they were stronger than me.

  "No!" I shouted. "You have to listen to me! You have to—" My legs turned to jelly as intense cold swept from one and down the other. I felt ice tendrils crawling up my waist. The bark men seemed to sense something was off, and dropped me, disgust in their faces. I pulled up my shirt and watched in horror as the veins blackened and pulsed.

  "What is this?" the lady said in alarm.

  I tried to speak, but agony tore through me like frostbite. I felt consciousness fading, and with it, control. My demon half took the chance and surged for freedom. Skull-splitting pain erupted on my forehead as horns sprouted.

  "No!" I cried out.

  The cold surged again, creeping from my lower body, toward my stomach, and grasping for my chest. The faintest whisper of cold seemed to sear the bottom of my heart. And then a burst of fire radiated out from my core. I heard a scream tear from my throat as the heat and the cold ravaged my senses until my consciousness dangled by a thread. I heaved a breath, and saw blood dribbled on the ground beneath me. Fire burned through my shoulders, and I screamed again. The world blinked black for an instant, and all sensation faded. I heard my panting breaths. Felt the pounding of my heart. My lower body burned with cold. Somehow, I stood.

  The lady and her man stared at me, mouths hanging open. I pressed a hand to my head, and felt the curving horns. My hands and skin seemed normal, however.

  "What's wrong?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit slurred. "You've seen me manifest before."

  "This is the sign," the lady said, eyes wide with wonder. She motioned at the pond, and a sheet of water rose like a giant mirror.

  I looked at the shimmering image for a long moment before realizing it was me. Ebony horns curled upward from my head, even though my skin remained a normal pink hue. I suddenly knew they weren't the cause of her wonder. Ultraviolet flames billowed behind me, dark light smoking off them like frozen mist. I flinched with surprise, and the flames unfurled from my back. The darkly burning shapes on my back weren't flames.

  They were wings.

  Chapter 43

  Wings? I have wings?

  "Ah!" I shouted, spinning in circles like a dog chasing its tail so I could see the wings without the aid of a mirror. I felt them burning deep in my shoulder blades, like hot knives. And yet, the pain didn't reach agonizing levels. Maybe it was because I was so used to pain by now, thanks to the vampling curse do
minating my lower half, or maybe I was just in shock. As if growing horns wasn't painful enough, I now had to deal with wings stabbing through my back.

  "You must be the one," the lady said.

  I stopped chasing my wings, and looked at her. "I am so done with this crap." Pulling at the waistband of my jeans, I watched as black veins writhed through my waist. Lifting my shirt revealed the full extent of the curse. A single dark talon speared through my abdomen straight toward the left side of my chest where my heart pumped furiously. I didn't have much longer. For all I knew, this week might be my last.

  A loud poof startled me, and my wings vanished, leaving behind dark smoky smudges in the air.

  The lady took my hands, and smiled. "You are the one. True, you are not a female." She looked me up and down as she said this, smiling. "But my old friend could not have known such a thing so far in advance." She leaned toward me, her lips brushing my ear, and whispered a word. Even though the word was filled with consonants, sounding like the noise someone would make after a steamroller just ran over their foot, the demonic part of me understood it on the first try, burning it into my mind.

  More than just a word, it evoked an image in my head—a symbol that was neither Cyrinthian, nor human in origin. The symbol bore an uncanny resemblance to the symbol in the floor beneath the eye demon. I knew without a doubt if I uncovered the rest of that rune, it would look identical.

  "Thank you," I said, my voice a whisper. "I will try to make things right before"—I suddenly had a terrible premonition—"before the end."

  "He speaks the truth," the man said, and gripped my forearm, pressing my hand to his forearm. "May the peace of the world go with you."

  The pain in my lower body receded, leaving behind a delicious numbness. It felt so wonderful, I almost twirled like a little princess in a fairy tale and pranced around from the sheer joy of not feeling pain. The huge trees around me abruptly uprooted, and lumbered into the forest to join their brethren, while dozens of dryads sang and danced after them.

  "I have only removed the pain," the man said. "Not cured the curse."

  The Lady of the Pond kissed my cheek. "You will do well."

  Shelton and Bella stood twenty yards away, eyes wide as the giant trees strolled away. Bella's staff glowed purple, while a sun-like inferno spun atop Shelton's. I was glad they'd held their fire. Things could have gotten ugly.

  I turned from the two pond people without another word, offered a weak smile to my friends, and we departed.

  "So, what happened in there?" Shelton asked as I gave purpose to my stride to get back to the arch.

  "I don't know, exactly," I said, savoring the pain-free movement of my legs, and the absence of the ever-present cold ache below my waistline. "I had an episode."

  "An episode?" Bella said, keeping stride despite her short legs, and regarding me with narrowed eyes. "You're moving differently."

  "The man did something to me. Helped me, I guess."

  Bella's brow furrowed. "Helped you? How?"

  "What happened?" Shelton said again. "Saying you had an episode doesn't explain jack."

  I stopped. Bella skidded to a halt, Shelton beside her. "Maybe I should explain it to everyone all at once." I gave them my best pleading look. "Okay?"

  They looked at each other, worry obvious in their eyes. As one, they turned back to me and nodded. We proceeded without conversation toward the university and the Burrows, though I could sense Bella's worry. I wasn't sure if it was due to my incubus super powers, or just a gut feeling. I didn't want to worry them, but I also didn't feel like explaining everything twenty times.

  We passed the east garden, entered the hallways, and proceeded down the stairwell when a faint noise caught my ears. Bella seemed to hear it too. We turned, and saw a flicker of blonde hair pull back behind the turn in the landing. A blue eye peeked around the corner followed by a sigh. Vallaena stepped out, face placid, and not an ounce of shame to show for stalking us.

  "When you missed your lessons, I waited, and saw you pass the garden without stopping." She arched an eyebrow. "Naturally, I was curious, since you all have such determined looks on your faces."

  I was fishing in my mind for some excuse, when the stomping of feet up the stairs caused us all to turn and look as MacLean, Cinder, and Zagg, faces worried—well, except for Cinder—rushing up the stairs.

  "Justin!" Zagg said, breathing hard. "We can't get back into the chamber. There's a shield blocking it—a powerful one. We must have tripped a ward."

  "Impossible," Shelton said. "Bella and I went over every square inch of that place and didn't see any other wards."

  "What do you mean you can't get through?" I said.

  "We tried blasting it down. We tried blasting the walls, but it's like the shield forms a bubble around the area." Zagg shook his head. "What are we going to do?"

  "Who the bloody hell is that?" MacLean said, pointing up the stairs at Vallaena. "She's a fair sight on the eyes, that one is." He gave her a toothy smile, and flourished a bow.

  "Oh, for crying out loud," I said, having completely forgotten our unwanted guest in the confusion.

  "I do not blame you for your secrecy," Vallaena said, a smirk plain on her face. "But it appears I know enough that it would do no harm to tell me more."

  "Actually, you know next to nothing," I said. "I'm sorry, but I don't trust you farther than I can throw you."

  "As I recall, you threw me quite a distance during practice the other day." Another smirk.

  I groaned. "Everybody back to the house."

  "I am coming as well," Vallaena said.

  "I'd be happy to escort you, lass," MacLean said, still grinning.

  The Daemas regarded him with a haughty look. "I can manage on my own."

  "You're not coming to the house," I told my dear aunt.

  She turned her gaze on me. "And you will stop me forcefully?"

  I sank to the stairs, ran my hands through my hair. I had the demon name. All I had to do was get in there and speak it, and we could secure the rune. Victory was so close I could taste it. This shield was no coincidence. It had Daelissa or one of her cohorts written all over it. But why? If they knew where the rune was, why hadn't they tried to take it? Did they know about the guardian? What if Jeremiah really had ears in the mansion?

  Too many questions. Too many problems. Too little time.

  I didn't know if Vallaena would complicate matters, but I knew without a doubt she'd eventually find out about the rune by hook or by crook. At the moment, I just didn't have an ounce of fight left in me. I just wanted to curl up in bed next to Elyssa and forget all about this mess.

  But I couldn't.

  My legs pushed me to my feet. Despite the strange lack of sensation, I had no trouble controlling them. I mustered some willpower and headed up the stairs. My gaggle of friends followed me, mumbling to themselves. I heard Zagg asking Bella if I was okay. I heard her tell him I was under a lot of stress. I almost turned around and told them I was crazy—or nearly so. I no longer felt qualified to lead them into whatever the hell lay ahead.

  I called Elyssa, and told her I was about to deliver a major briefing. She and Meghan showed up about the time the rest of us reached the mansion. In the meeting room, I dropped into a seat at the far end of the table, and waited, slumped and defeated. Only minutes ago, I'd been so happy. So confident. How were we going to get through that damned shield?

  Once everyone was situated, including Vallaena, I told them about my encounter with the Lady of the Pond. Mention of my wings drew gasps from all corners of the room. When I pulled up my shirt and showed them the reach of the vampling curse, Bella broke into tears. Vallaena's lips curled, though whether from disgust or fear, I couldn't tell.

  Elyssa went pale, her finger tracing the line up my chest.

  I spoke before she could, addressing everyone. "So, I guess what this all means is nothing," I said. "I have the word to get us past the guardian, but the new shield is going to keep us from
getting in."

  Shelton and Bella traded looks. Zagg consulted with Cinder. MacLean stared at Vallaena who pointedly ignored him and glared at me.

  Zagg turned from Cinder and gave me a shake of his head. "The new shield is tethered somewhere inside the chamber. I've been thinking about it, and there's no possible way someone could have just thrown it up in an instant. The enchantment evidently was already in place and just waiting for someone to trigger it."

  "There were no wards," Shelton said. "We would have found them."

  "It didn't have to be a ward," Zagg replied. "Just an enchantment that needed a word of activation."

  "By whom?" I asked. "Ezzek Moore and his gang are dead."

  Zagg's eyes flared for an instant, and he flicked his gaze to MacLean. "By the Illuminati." He bolted upright. "You were there. You showed up just minutes before it appeared."

  MacLean shoved his chair back and rose. "That's a load of rubbish. If that was the bloody case, why didn't I do it sooner?"

  "It's the only answer," Shelton said, adding his two cents. "The freaking Illuminati."

  "I didn't do it!" MacLean shouted. "Why would I want to keep us from fixing the bloody thing if it could destroy all of Queens Gate?"

  "Wait," I said, holding up a hand. All eyes turned to me. "Will that shield protect the rest of us when the rune goes nuclear?" A spark of hope smoldered in my heart.

  Zagg shook his head. "I don't think so. If anything, it might compress the blast and cause it to be even bigger."

  "Bigger?" I said, shaking my head in confusion. "How's that?"