“Where am I?” she wondered.
Memories bubbled to the surface. An intruder. A pale mask. A man who could become smoke. A mirror. A city. Dino. Faye.
“Afterlife!” She shot from the bed and crashed onto a cold and unforgiving concrete floor. Her arms trembled, barely able to hold her weight. Amber rolled onto her back and stared at the obnoxiously bright bulb.
The rest of her memory crystallized despite her throbbing head. They thought her some kind of monster, some freak that would kill or maim at a moment’s notice. “I’m not a monster,” she whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m not.”
Amber released her nose and flexed her hand before the light. During that burst of rage, she’d flung Dino clear across Faye’s office, a full grown man like he was light as a baseball. It was easy, and it felt good. That last part unnerved her. She wasn’t violent. She didn’t like it. And yet, in the moment she had savored it.
“What’s happening to me?” She clenched her fist and dropped her arm with a low sigh. “Toby, you brought me here. I know you did. Why? Do you need my help? Tell me. Just tell me, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”
She closed her eyes and concentrated despite the annoying buzz. Bone Man wanted her dead. Faye wanted her caged and used as bait for some thief. Dino? She didn’t care what he wanted. Hopefully, she’d never see him again.
“I’m alone. Completely alone. This sucks,” she sighed.
Amber clenched the metal frame of her cot, shooting to her feet. “No. Pull yourself together, Amber. You’re not a victim, not when Toby needs you. Screw this archduke and this Fool’s Errand. We’re getting the hell out of here.”
Dust swirled in trails around her feet as she crossed the room and came to the steel door, the single thing in the room interrupting the rows of cinderblock walling her inside. “Hey! Hey!”
She beat the door until her hand ached, listening to the klunk-klunk echo on the other side. “Let me out! I haven’t done anything! I demand to see my lawyer. I should get a lawyer, right? Hello? Hello!”
After what seemed like hours without a reply, Amber stopped screaming at the steel door. She clutched her aching hand and walked toward the back wall. “Get your shit together, Amber. Don’t let them see you be weak. Be strong. Toby needs you, and you need to get the hell out of this place. Why’d you even bring me here, Toby? What’s wrong?”
“He didn’t bring you here. I did.”
Amber yelped, her hand slapping against her chest. She twisted around, backing up to the wall as Dino waltzed through the open door. It clunked shut behind him, leaving them both to stare at one another amidst the low buzzing of the light bulb.
In his hand he held a bag. He threw that on the table and smiled. “I brought you some clothes. Your pajamas don’t seem appropriate for the city. These have more of the Afterlife flair.”
Amber glared at the bag, then at him. “Why should I do anything you want? Why should I trust a kidnapper and a thief?”
“Gosh, you make me sound like such a rogue.”
“Liar. I forgot liar. Thief, kidnapper, and liar. The first two? Whatever. But you gave me your word and you broke it. You threw me to your nutcase boss when you said you’d keep me safe.”
“Technically this cell is keeping you safe.”
“It’s a prison. I’m a prisoner. I don’t know if you were aware, but someone held against their will doesn’t feel safe.”
“I promised to keep you safe, not to make you feel safe. That’s an important distinction.”
Her cheeks reddened. She dug her nails into her fists and took a deep breath. “Don’t try and get me on a technicality. I trusted you. I never will again. I promise you that much.”
Dino exhaled, raising his hands in surrender. “Look, I should’ve filled you in more about Faye and the kind of person she is, but it wasn’t like we had a lot of time to think of something. She knew about you as soon as we walked out of Old City, and she believes you’re linked to the relic thief. It might not seem like it now, but Amber, I’m not your enemy. I only want what’s best for you.”
“Funny how often I hear that. Also funny how often my well-being neatly lines up with what people want for themselves. So tell me, what’s best for me since I clearly don’t know it?”
“We need to find out about your curse—or should I say curses? When you threw me across Faye’s room—thanks for that, by the way—”
“You deserved it,” she cut in. “Want to see if I can do it again?”
He threw his hands higher and backed away. “Nope! And maybe I did deserve it, but what you did didn’t come from the poltergeist curse. What you did came from the wraith curse. You’ve got more than one power in you, and we need to find out why and what it’s doing to you.”
Some of Amber’s anger cooled. She frowned, stepping back. “What do you mean what it’s doing to me?”
“Mortals shouldn’t carry curses, Amber. They’re for us, not you, and even then we only get one. It could be changing you.” He took a breath and approached her, slowly lowering his hands. “It might be doing something good, or it might be doing something very, very bad. If you really did come into contact with a relic, then I doubt in the long run all this power won’t carry a heavy price.”
Amber swallowed and stared into the dark pools of his eyes. “You’re just lying to me, trying to get me to do what you want. I’m not stupid.”
“You’re not even convincing yourself with that number. You know something isn’t right. I can see it.”
Amber glared at the man. Dino’s dark hair fell across his brow, shadowing eyes that looked at the world but also held something from it. But how could she ever trust him? Why should she in the first place? She hardly knew this man. The memory of his expressionless face when he handed her to Faye like a bone to a dog flashed through her, and if she thought he had any decency in him, that memory quickly dispelled the idea.
“Then what do you think we should do?” she asked.
He scratched the back of his neck and stepped closer. “Look, we got off on the wrong foot. You want to find somebody. Faye wants to find the relic thief. There might be some overlap.”
“It was Toby, I know it! He’s the relic thief. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Maybe, but remember the curses? Any half-competent doppelganger could’ve impersonated your brother just to get you to do what they want. It might be Toby. It might be someone else. Don’t you think it’s smarter we work together to figure it out? You need someone who knows the city, who can protect you from Bone Man and the archduke. We need the relic thief. It’s a win-win.”
“And what’re you going to do when we find him?”
Dino shrugged. “I honestly have no clue. Faye doesn’t want him dead, though. She’s not in the business of dusting souls who can be useful. Trust me.”
“Oh, that’s hilarious,” Amber said.
He winced. “Oh, right.” After an awkward laugh, he blew a puff of air through his lips. “Listen, there’s no reason we both can’t get what we want out of this.”
“Like I said, it’s funny how what’s best for me always turns out to be best for others.” She looked to the side, then forced her gaze back to his. “Maybe we can help each other, but I’m not going to be a prisoner. If I want out of this room, I’ll walk out.”
“I don’t know….”
“Then no deal.”
“Fine, fine! I’ll pull some strings. We’re not without friends in the city. I think I might be able to manage a place for you that’s not in the sewers.”
“Good,” Amber said, nodding sharply.
Dino lifted a finger. “But there are some conditions.”
“And what’re they?” she asked.
“Don’t go running around the city without me. There’re more forces vying for power in Afterlife than us and the archduke. Anyone finds out about a mortal who can use curses and you’ll find yourself with a thousand bounties on your head and an enemy aro
und every corner.”
“Easy enough. I’ll stay put unless you’re with me.”
“And don’t. Trust. Anyone.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I kind of learned that lesson already, thanks. And don’t think you getting me some room will make me trust you again. That ship’s sailed.”
“Maybe you can’t trust me. Maybe you shouldn’t. Not every lie is evil, and not every truth is harmless. I’m not the villain you think I am, Amber.”
“Right.”
He offered her his hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Amber stared at his hand for a long moment. Something about this deal came too easily. And he was right. Not every lie was evil, and not every truth harmless. Somehow, the words made her trust him less. “I’m only helping you to get to Toby. I know I’m alone here, lost, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid. I’ve been alone before. I’m used to it. I’ll do what it takes to find him, and if you get in my way, I’ll do what it takes to get you out of it.”
Dino puckered his lips. They spread into a smile as he glanced at his outstretched hand and back to her. “You’ve got fire. I like that.” He extended his hand a little closer. “Do we have that deal? Please?”
“We have a deal.” Amber wiped her sweaty palm on her thigh and took his hand. For now, they did have a deal. But she didn’t owe him much of anything and cared to keep her promise about as much as he cared to keep his, and she knew he was standing before her thinking the exact same.
There they were, two people who repulsed each other, smiling, shaking hands over a lie and knowing it.
I hate this guy, she thought.
“You know, you’re not so bad,” he said.
Amber plastered on her own smile and forced a laugh. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
“I’ll let you change. You look starved; we’ll go grab a bite, okay?”
“Great! I am pretty hungry. Just give me a second.”
He nodded and tapped the door. The guards opened it for him, and Dino slipped into the hallway beyond.
Amber changed, slipping into a sleeveless white dress that ended at the knee. She tied a thin black belt high above the waist and put on a charcoal trench coat with oversized cuffs and collar. Camel boots came next, the leather creaking as she pulled them up her leg and wriggled her toes to break them in. The boots smelled fresh, and she wondered absentmindedly how the dead made leather.
Now dressed, Amber pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail. “Here we go.” She blew a puff of air and turned to the door. “Dino? I’m ready.”
The door creaked open, and he stepped inside. Dino bit his lip, his gaze darting up and down. “Whoa, well now, you look like a proper lady of Afterlife.”
“It feels silly. Like a costume.”
“Costumes are just clothes you aren’t comfortable wearing yet.”
“Did you get that on the back of a fortune cookie? What’re my lotto numbers?”
He chuckled and motioned down the hall, and together, they walked through a cramped corridor of cinder blocks, steel doors, and intermittent lights. Every so often, they passed one of Faye’s fools who eyed them with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.
Dino leaned to her ear and whispered in a whiskey-soaked breath, “Word’s already gotten out about the stranger I found from Old City.”
They passed a couple chatting at an intersection. When they saw Dino, they saluted. He nodded and ushered Amber around the corner. “So tell me about how you got cursed,” he said. “Maybe we can glean some clues from your story and figure out our next step.”
Amber rubbed the spot of skin where the serpent bit her, shaking her head. “Everything changed when I found the box on Toby’s grave. There was a snake inside it, and it bit me. I don’t remember much, just drowning and then a dark room.”
She shivered as memories of those two burning eyes in the shadows resurfaced. “I thought it was all a dream or a hallucination or something.”
“I think that theory might’ve been a little off, all things considered.”
“I could feel the snake in that room with me, but it wasn’t just a snake, it was a woman. She spoke to me. She told me we’d do things together. And….”
Amber paused, envisioning those two enormous eyes. There was so much joy there, but also rage. Blind, consuming rage.
“And what?” Dino asked.
“She said she was free.” Amber opened her eyes. She wiped her arms like they were dirty and shivered. “Then I woke up.”
Dino’s stare was locked on her as they reached a stairwell curling up a rusted pillar. As Dino led Amber up, he cradled his chin with knitted brows. “Interesting. Sounds like a relic really was used on you. No wonder Bone Man wanted you so badly. He probably smelled it on you, sensed it or something.”
“What do you think it means?”
He shrugged and dropped his hand. “Afterlife’s the only city here, and it’s a big one, but there’s something beyond our borders, something, well, different. We call it the Deep, but that’s not really a good name for it because it doesn’t do it justice.”
“And what’s the Deep have to do with me?”
“Every soul hears the Deep’s call at some point. Usually, we can ignore it. Sometimes, we don’t. It changes us, pulls us to it. We can explore it, find things left behind by the most ancient souls or formed somewhere deep within the grey sands, but there’s always a price. No one ever returns from the Deep unchanged. It always leaves a scar. Some say the Deep is God. And others, The Devil. No one knows for sure.”
“And you think that’s where that box came from? That Toby took it from the Deep and brought it to me? But why?”
“No idea, but something was stolen from the archduke’s palace by a thief no one knows, and we suspect it was a very powerful relic. I was trailing Bone Man in hopes of finding the thief when the mirror pulled me through and I found you instead.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out. Their footfalls echoed on the hallway as they approached another door.
“Your ramblings about your brother sounded silly at first,” he said. “But I’ll admit at least part of your theory might have merit. Do you remember what your brother looked like when he gave you the relic?”
“Well, I never technically saw him, but I knew it was him. I heard him. I felt him. It was him. He must’ve used the mirror same as you and brought me the box.”
Dino opened the door to an alley filled with the muffled song and shout of crowded city streets. Guards in plainclothes nodded as they passed, one tipping his hat and winking at Amber.
“The mirror might have brought him to you,” Dino said, “but it didn’t actually summon your brother. Think of the mirror like a doorway. You can speak through it, but the sound won’t travel very far. You need something else to carry a voice, something made especially for it. Is there anything you can think of that might’ve done the trick? Maybe something special, something of yours or your brother’s?”
“Mom got rid of most of Toby’s things after he died. I kept a few pictures that I liked, but nothing that I haven’t touched or talked to for hours already.” She paused at the intersection to a bustling street, pinching her coat collar. “Wait….”
Dino’s eyes brightened, and he leaned closer. “What is it?”
“I did find this necklace. It was agate, and the man told me it could speak with the dead. Even Ms. Flannery’s books said it had something to do with spirits. I wore it to my brother’s grave, but it didn’t work. At least, I didn’t think it worked because nothing happened.”
“Agate does have a certain appeal to spirits, if what the fortunetellers say is true. Let me see it.” He held his hand out and waggled his fingers. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back.”
Amber’s hand went to her neck, gracing the spot where it would have rested had she been wearing it. “It’s at my house still. I left it on the counter.”
“Great.” Dino checked the sidewalk before pulling Amber into
the flow of traffic with him. “The one thing that might help us, and I’m sure Bone Man already has it.”
“Well, I’m sorry for not packing a bag just before a freak tried to ram a sword through my chest and I was kidnapped by a ghost. Next time I’ll be sure to set a reminder.”
“I was only trying to—” Dino groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I don’t want to get in to this again. Is there anything else you can tell me about that necklace? Anything at all?”
Amber resisted the urge to flip him the bird. Instead, she flashed a plastic smile and glared at the road as she thought. “The woman who owned the necklace had a weird name. I do remember that. She died years ago, though, but maybe if this is the City of Souls we can find her and she can help?”
“It’s as good a lead as any. Ah, my favorite café.” Dino grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into a small café that swelled with the hot aroma of fresh-baked bread. “What’s her name?”
Amber wrested her arm from his grip and rubbed her wrist. “Don’t pull me around. I know how to keep up.”
He raised his hands and took a seat. She joined him, her stomach rumbling as she inhaled another sweet whiff of bread-laden air.
“Marina was her fist name. The last was something different. Arsha … Arshakuni?” Amber’s eyes lit up, and she slapped the table. “Marina Arshakuni! That’s it.”
“Great, then we’ve got a place to start.”
“Where do we go first?”
Dino smiled at the waiter as the portly man placed two porcelain teacups on the table alongside a kettle with a steamy tongue trailing from its spout. Once Dino thanked the server and ordered a few buttered croissants, he began pouring her a glass of dark tea. “One thing the dead do well is keep records. I suppose when you live an entire life only to forget it once you die, you want to make sure who you are in the life after is remembered. Getting your name recorded in the census is probably the oldest law in the city. Every new soul who shows up here is recorded by a Census Master. If Marina Arshakuni came through the gates, a Census Master will have the record.”
“Then they’ll know about my brother, too!”
Afterlife (Second Eden #1) Page 15
