by Amy Braun
“Are you sure? I was sailing pretty wildly.”
“It’s okay,” she assured. “It was kinda fun.”
I grinned. “Glad to hear it. Maybe I’ll do it on purpose next time.”
Abby giggled, summer green eyes sparkling. Claire’s did the same when she was consumed by a project, or was intensely arguing a point.
I turned away from Abby and rubbed my chest, wishing I could shift the pain from it.
“You didn’t find it, did you?”
I dropped my hand. There was no point in trying to soothe the ache. Abby’s crushed voice just made it worse.
“No,” I told her honestly.
Abby and I sat in heavy silence. She sniffled quietly beside me. I gripped my kneecaps and stared at the floor.
“I’m trying to remember what Riley showed me,” Abby said after a long, long time.
When I looked at her again, she was shuffling closer and opening her book of constellations. But I wasn’t seeing stars. Dark, uneven circles were scrawled on the page. A jagged black shape spread across the middle of the pages, as if sketched by an angry fist.
“That’s what it looks like,” Abby continued. “The Breach.”
I stared at the drawing, wishing it would tell me where it was. How I could find it. Which direction to turn the ship. How to rescue the girl I loved without losing my crew in the process.
All I saw were scribbles.
“Did he tell you where it was?” I hedged, though I knew the answer. “Did he tell you exactly where the Breach was?”
Abby sucked in her lower lip. I could see her struggling to find an answer, to lie and keep up the search for her sister. Like me, she would rather scour the skies day and night, looking for any trace of the Breach or Claire. But Abby was a scared little girl. She wasn’t a fighter. She didn’t know how to operate an airship or work on the engines. She just wanted her big sister back.
The Vesper probably implanted the image of the Breach into Abby’s mind to scare her. He’d tortured her with nightmares of what she would become unless Claire surrendered, likely showing her the Breach to let her know the bleakness that waited for her in another world.
Now she was cured of the Vesper, and trapped in a different nightmare.
Abby made a choked, hiccupping sound. A hopeless noise.
I gently pried the notebook from her little fingers and set it on the blanket. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to my side. Abby didn’t need further invitation, throwing her arms around my ribs and squeezing with all her strength. Her tears soaked my shirt. I rubbed her back, like I’d done for Micah so many times whenever Davin scared him. My older brother took pleasure in tormenting anyone he thought below him.
And now he had Claire. She was tough, but Davin’s greatest joy came from breaking someone strong.
“I’m scared, Sawyer,” Abby sobbed into my chest. Her tiny fists balled my shirt. She trembled violently. “I’m scared she won’t come home. He… he’s going to hurt her, I know it, worse than he hurt me, he’s going to––”
I pushed back from Abby. I couldn’t handle the details right now.
But I wasn’t going to lie.
“Claire is tough, Stargazer. Tougher than me. Smarter, too. She’ll survive. And I’m going to get her back. I swear it, Abigail.”
Tears stained the little girl’s cheeks and still brimmed in her eyes, yet her sobs had quieted. She stopped shaking. She believed me.
I just wished I believed in myself.
Sort yourself out. Act like a leader.
Gemma’s words vibrated through my skull, and as Abby cuddled next to me for comfort, I knew she was right. If I was going go through with this crazy mission and save the stubborn, feisty engineer that captured my heart, I had to stop moping. I had to think of a way to outsmart my enemies.
Riley, my newest and traitorous former crewmate. Davin, the cruel man-turned-Hellion who shared my blood. The Vesper, a nightmare King with harrowing power.
I had to outsmart them. Then I had to kill them.
Chapter 2
Claire
The Vesper did his best to gild my cage.
My chambers in the Dark Spire stretched at least one hundred feet in each direction. In the right of the room was an open bedroom with a canopied four-poster bed made of cold iron and draped with thin black curtains. Sheets that looked like puddles of oil shimmered on a mattress big enough to drown me. Next to it was a marble sink and black clawfoot tub. Behind it was a towering dresser filled with black work suits. I didn’t know where the Vesper got the items––it wasn’t like Hellions cared about hygiene––and I wasn’t going to ask. I’d been here for a month, pretending to be their obedient little slave. At least I wasn’t naked and stuck in the dungeons.
Yet. I was mostly safe, as long as I played by the rules and did my job.
On the left side of the room was my workstation. Metal crates, flat steel tables, and tool cabinets circled the two half constructed towers of the Palisade the Vesper wanted me to create for him. Right now, they were skeletal structures of thin piping, wire, and electric couplings. A sleek generator hummed quietly in the corner, powering the construction lights and dim lamps of the room.
I stared at the Palisade towers, which I’d been creating from memory. The only Palisade I’d ever come across was the one my parents created to open the rift between my world and this one. A tool they later used to fight the Hellions, and nearly kill them all.
Nearly, since the Vesper and some of his ships had survived, and crossed the Breach for revenge.
The last I saw, the original Palisade was lying half broken in the remnants of an old warship, too damaged to be of use again. I could have fixed it––my mother’s journal would have helped provide clues about the Palisade’s construction and how it could be used to close the Breach––but I left the journal in my coat. With my sister.
Whoops.
No doubt she’d found it by now, and would be working with Sawyer, Gemma, and Nash to do… something. I sighed and scrubbed a hand over my face. The foot long chains around my shackled wrists rattled annoyingly. I glared at them.
They were the reason I couldn’t attempt a daring escape. A constant reminder that despite the haunting, gothic beauty of my lodgings, I was a prisoner. I would remain that way, until the Vesper was finished using me.
I swallowed, rubbing the bruises on my neck. They were fading, but it was just a matter of time before I completed my other job for him.
A flash of light came from my right. I tried not to follow its path, but I couldn’t help it.
Between the bedroom and the workstation was a window made of thick, pristine glass. Beyond it was a jarring landscape of tall mountains that stabbed the sky like upturned claws. Thunderclouds rolled in violent passion with smoke from erupting volcanoes. Lighting burst behind the clouds in subdued gunfire flashes. Ash drifted and swirled in the air in a wild, black snowstorm.
I didn’t think many people had seen Hell before. They should count themselves lucky. Compared to this, the cracked white stone and tumbling ruin of Westraven was paradise.
It was also home, a place I would do anything to see again.
The door rumbled open behind me. Another problem with my escape– the door was heavy, bolted graphtium that only opened one way. I didn’t have the lock-picking skills that Gemma had, and whenever I said I had to use a blowtorch, Hellion guards surrounded me.
The door opened, and their general stalked toward me.
Davin Kendric had been a nightmare when he was human. I was a child when he was at the height of his bloodthirsty escapades, but I heard the stories. A man who smiled as he flayed other men alive. Who wouldn’t stop raping a woman until she literally begged for death. Who would set entire merchant crews on fire just to mock them as they burned.
Davin had been the one to suggest the Wanderer Clan follow the expedition to search for new lands to occupy. He was probably the one who fired the first shot that started the
brutal battle in Hellnore a decade ago.
But Davin didn’t die. He was twisted by the Vesper into a creature far more monstrous.
Davin Kendric stood tall in the black jumpsuit all Hellions wore, the buttons on the left breast of the uniform shining like blood drops. A heavy cutlass was strapped to his waist next to a wickedly serrated knife. Black claws curled around the hilts of each. I suppose he thought it made him look more respectable.
There was little humanity left on Davin’s face. His flesh was pale and thin, dark veins visible beneath his skin. Greasy black hair was tied at the nape of his neck. The lecherous grin on his face revealed sharp teeth, matching the cruelty in his solid crimson eyes.
But even with his monstrous traits, I recognized the shape of his face. The slight bend in his nose. The shape of his eyes. Traits that reminded me of Sawyer.
I hated him for it. But I was too afraid of Davin to fight him. It would be just what he wanted.
“Morning, darling,” he crooned, sauntering in my direction.
I forced myself not to move. Beneath my chest, my heart raced with fear. I balled my fists so they wouldn’t shake.
“Hope you’re not lazing around.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It’s not easy to work with these,” I snapped, jerking the chains up.
Davin chuckled. He didn’t stop walking. I wouldn’t move, but I wanted to scream. Davin’s gory eyes flicked to the chains, then went lower to my chest. The work suit was buttoned up to my collar, but I felt exposed under his gaze.
“Guess you haven’t been working up a sweat yet.” He raised his eyes and showed me his teeth. “We can change that later, you know.”
I grimaced, then replayed his words. “Later?”
“Yeah,” Davin said. He raised his hand and curled a strand of my blonde hair around his claw. The edges of his finger brushed my jaw. He was cold as death.
“Boss says it’s feeding time.”
I’d already been given my rations––brick-hard bread, watery broth, and a strip of meat I didn’t want to think about––so he wasn’t talking about feeding me. He was talking about…
My breath hitched and my already rapid pulse kicked up a notch. Davin smiled. I knew he could smell my fear.
“Relax, darling,” he taunted. His eyes found the bruises on my neck. “You’re getting used to it. You probably like it by now.”
A sharp bite of pain crossed my jaw. I gasped, unprepared for the cut. I stepped back, swiping my hand along my chin. It came away bloody.
Davin chuckled and licked my blood from his claw. He held my gaze and moaned with pleasure. A chill swept down my spine.
“You taste good, Claire. Bet my brother is jealous he can’t taste your sweetness.”
I shuddered. “Leave Sawyer out of this,” I warned, in a pathetically weak voice.
“Oh, I plan to,” Davin said, moving for me again. “I’m not good at sharing. But I’m not worried about my little brother. Because I know he won’t be able to find you. Even if he could, he wouldn’t live long enough to rescue you. I won’t let him.”
I tried to keep my emotions in control. I had seen Davin fight Sawyer before. It never ended well for Sawyer.
“But don’t waste time worrying about him,” the twisted Hellion droned on. “You’ll get used to it here. And if you don’t,” he shrugged, “at least I’ll have something to amuse myself with.”
Davin’s hand shot out like lightning. He grabbed the chain between my bonds and yanked me close. I pushed against him, but it was like trying to move a fortress with my bare hands. As fast as he grabbed me, Davin unlocked my shackles. I didn’t even see him use a key. He shoved me hard, knocking me back until my spine hit the cold glass window.
“Time to get changed, darling.” Davin strolled to the bed and flopped onto it. He reclined casually and folded his hands over his stomach. “Hope you don’t mind me watching.”
I turned for the cabinet, praying he didn’t see the embarrassment flushing to my cheeks. He’d done this every day since I’d been given clothes. Stayed with me in my room to make sure I didn’t attempt escape, and to watch me change.
I picked out a new tunic then hid behind the cabinet door to block his view. From where I stood now, he would only be able to see my elbow and part of my hip. I hoped.
I lifted off my tunic glanced down. I could see the bones of my ribs now. I’d lost too much weight.
“Tease,” Davin taunted. “That’s okay, though. I’ll wait. Probably.”
I quickly put on the new tunic. This one was tighter around my too thin torso, wide around the shoulders, and low in the chest. It gave perfect access to my entire neck.
When I turned out from behind the cabinet, Davin was in front of me. I jumped and his blood-red gaze was fixated on my chest. Instinctively, I moved my arms up to block his view. Davin snorted and grabbed my wrists. He kept them down as he re-clasped the shackles to my wrists. It forced him to press against me. I turned away, scared by the way he leered.
Once my wrists were tightly locked into place, Davin roughly gripped my elbow and pushed me across the room.
“It’s a shame about the new clothes, darling,” he purred in my ear.
When he didn’t elaborate, I threw him a look over my shoulder. His grin was wicked.
“His Majesty isn’t happy. I have a feeling that shirt will be a lot redder by the time he’s done.”
***
Dark Spire was as alien to me as everything else in Hellnore. It was a floating fortress in the heart of Hellnore that looked like a slice of jagged obsidian. The craggy castle was made up of a sixteen levels, each one narrower than the one below it. The dungeons were at the very bottom, buried under the boiling soil. Above them were the boiler rooms. Supply rooms and hangars for skiffs layered the next dozen. Over the highest one was my room, which took up half the level. The rest of the floor was nothing more than polished black obsidian, a dark, slick stone that matched the walls. Braziers covered in thick, steel nets sent shudders of light along the black rock. The only sound was the tiny click of my boots and Davin’s heavy stomp behind me.
In the right corner of the room was a spiraling staircase made of black glass. My heart pounded as I got closer to it. I swallowed my fear and gripped the icy railing. I held my head high and stalked up the steps, telling myself that I’d done this over thirty times now. It was part of my arrangement with the Vesper. It might not hurt as much.
My sweaty palms slicked the railing.
At the top of the stairs was a massive set of dual doors. Closed, they looked like some sort of demonic mural. Violent slashes and zigzagging lines wove together in a torn spider web. Some of the lines were painted red, and almost looked like streams of fresh blood when light shone on them. The light came from the braziers set on either side of the thirty foot doors. In front of the flames were two grim-faced Hellion guards.
They were dressed in the same jumpsuit that Davin wore and didn’t have their needle-tipped masks on. They held no weapons. Their claws and teeth were as powerful and deadly as any blade.
Despite looking like him, these Hellions weren’t semi-human creations like Davin. They were created by the Vesper and could only speak their own barbarous tongue. Davin used his brutality and wiles to ascend their ranks, and spoke their harsh language fluently.
