by Sarra Cannon
She poured her power into it until it burned so hot the red flames turned almost white with heat. When she was sure it was as hot as she could make it, she pulled back and rolled it toward the building, turning it faster and faster. As it rolled, it grew taller, too, until it was maybe seven or eight stories high and so hot, it melted a hole in the asphalt.
With a push, she shoved the ring into the building, expanding the flame until it consumed the first fifteen to twenty floors in a brilliant white light that made the air surrounding it wave.
The witch breathed in, and then, with a final upward thrust, sent the flames toward the rooftop and waited.
The fifth would have two choices.
Burn or flee.
And by now, the buildings surrounding him had no place left for him to land. She’d sent rotters up there in large swarms to fill every available inch of space.
She had him now, she was sure of it.
When he jumped from the rooftop, he was nothing more than a speck, really. A small sphere of air, covered in frost to protect them from the flames.
As he grew closer, though, the witch’s heart raced and she could hardly keep herself from laughing with excitement.
He’d fallen right into her hands, and there was no one here to save him now.
She stepped forward, conjuring more white-hot flames as she moved, sending them out in every direction in order to box him in as he landed on a cushioned bed of compressed air.
Her mouth went dry in anticipation as she sent a final wave of fire rushing toward the sphere.
But as the ice encasing the sphere melted and the two figures inside appeared, the witch dropped her hands to her side in surprise, taken aback by the innocence of it all.
She’d never expected this, and for just a moment, the shock brought her to her senses.
The fifth was just a child, his dark eyes tugging at a piece of her soul she’d locked away a long time ago.
I can’t hurt a child, she thought.
The voice that responded was not her own, but it was in her mind.
The voice of the Dark One.
You can, and you will. He is only a child in this lifetime. He is more ancient and cunning than you could imagine.
As the Dark One spoke, the witch could feel her trying to regain control.
How could she have been so easily manipulated? She hadn’t even been in control of her own mind these past few days.
The Dark One had somehow taken her over, forcing her thoughts toward loyalty and revenge. Toward hatred and power, at whatever cost necessary.
But this.
This was too much to ask.
She could not hurt this child.
Infect him now, the Dark One said with a hiss. End him now, or I swear you will suffer worse than before. I’ll make you suffer for lifetimes, if I have to. You belong to me, witch. You have since the moment you stepped through that portal to this world.
A tear fell down her cheek as she struggled to hold back the Dark One’s control.
My name is Lily, she said, placing both palms against her temples, forcing the Dark One out of her head.
With a deep breath, she reached out to the one person she knew she could count on to hear.
Forty-Eight
Karmen
The fight against Lily and her minions was unrelenting, and Karmen wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out. She was convinced the only reason she’d made it this far was because of how close they were to David’s energy.
She kept hoping they’d see him descend from the sky any minute now, but Parrish had said she’d had contact with him and told him to stay put until they got through this horde.
Karmen had managed to tap into the minds of four additional super zombies so far, bringing her total to six. She didn’t think she could handle more than that right now. Not at this level of exhaustion. She was afraid taking even one more into her control would make her lose all of them.
Besides, she was also still having to cast her fire magic and hold as many of the regular zombies back as best she could, so their whole group wasn’t overrun.
She had actually tried tapping into Lily’s mind again, just to mess with her and try to distract her from the fight, but each time she focused on the woman inside the flames just ahead, she got no response. Only a strange type of static, as if she was tuned to the wrong station or something.
But then suddenly, out of nowhere, Lily’s voice sounded in Karmen’s brain, as if she’d tapped into the earbuds Crash had given them.
It was so clear and distinct, Karmen actually wondered if everyone could hear her, too.
“Karmen, I don’t have much time. I need you to listen to me,” Lily said.
She shook her head, unable to pair the desperate tone of Lily’s voice with the confident witch at the end of the street sending a nonstop barrage of rotters their way.
How about you let up on the attack and we can have a nice, little chat, then?
“I know the woman you’re fighting looks like me, but she’s just a decoy,” Lily said. “I sent her to distract you so that I could capture the fifth and Parrish’s sister. They’re here with me now, and the Dark One wants me to kill the boy.”
Karmen wasn’t sure how to react. She couldn’t get her mind around what she was hearing. Was this some kind of trap?
“You have to listen to me,” Lily said, her voice filled with pain and sorrow so deep it resonated inside Karmen’s heart in ways she wasn’t expecting. “I don’t have much time before she takes my mind again, and I’m afraid this time, I won’t ever recover. You have to send Parrish. Tell her if she ever wants to see her sister alive again, she has to come now.”
Karmen stood still in the middle of the battle there on 79th Street, knowing she had one of the most important decisions of her life to make right now.
Did she send Parrish away and risk sending her into a trap? Or did she ignore Lily and keep fighting, possibly only to risk Zoe and David’s lives if she was telling the truth?
In the end, it wasn’t a decision she could make on her own.
“Guys, we have a problem,” she said. “Pull tight to me for a second.”
“We’re kind of in the middle of something here,” Parrish said, sending another blast of flames toward the horde.
“Zoe’s possibly going to die if you don’t listen to me right now,” Karmen said, knowing that if that didn’t stop Parrish in her tracks, nothing would. “Now, come to me.”
The others let off whatever magic they’d had building up, and then ran toward her. Karmen connected all six of her new pets in a web of thought and sent a single directive out to all of them.
Circle around us and protect us, no matter what.
Her pets did as they were told, closing the gaps so that their small group of four could huddle inside.
“What’s going on?” Crash asked.
Karmen explained Lily’s message as quickly as she could.
“I can’t make this call on my own, but from the tone of her voice, I don’t think we have much time,” Karmen said. “She made it sound like the Dark One has had control of her mind this whole time.”
“And you believe her?” Noah asked.
Karmen bit her lip. “I do. I know it’s crazy, and it’s a huge risk. But yeah. I think she sounded sincere.”
“We can’t trust her,” Parrish said, but there was panic in her expression.
One wrong choice, and her sister could be lost to her forever. Karmen didn’t want to be the one responsible for that.
Crash grabbed Parrish’s arm, his eyes wide.
“Go,” he said, the absolute certainty in his voice drawing out goosebumps on Karmen’s flesh. “I dreamed all of this, the night after the hospital. Us fighting Lily, and then Lily capturing your sister and David. I didn’t tell you, because I thought it meant we were going to lose. I thought it meant we died at Lily’s hand and then she captured the others. I never even dreamed of the possibility that she could be in two
places at once.”
“Go,” Noah said. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Parrish didn’t hesitate.
She reached inside the collar of her shirt and grabbed hold of the fatalis stone. She placed her thumb on the spiral symbol as a glowing purple light formed around her entire body.
“Come find me,” she said.
Then, with a flash, she disappeared.
Forty-Nine
Parrish
Parrish disappeared into a darkness so complete, she saw and felt nothing.
When she emerged from that darkness, her feet landed on a sidewalk several blocks away. The jarring change nearly took her breath away. She blinked through watery eyes and sucked in a breath as the face of the friend who’d betrayed them all just a few short days ago came into view.
She had no idea how she’d known to touch the symbol, or how she’d teleported herself to his location, but she could feel the surge of power at her back.
One glance behind her brought fresh tears to her eyes. Zoe and David huddled together near the ground, a tower of flames burning across the street behind them. Zoe’s eyes widened, and Parrish wanted nothing more than to grab her sister in her arms and kiss her face, but there was still one final battle to fight.
She straightened and pulled her sword from its sheath, the twin flames of fire and ice dancing across the blade.
“I won’t let you hurt her,” she said, expecting a fight or a trick of some kind.
Instead, Lily fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
“I was so afraid you wouldn’t come,” she said. “You have to hurry before she takes control. I can’t hold her back much longer.”
Confused, Parrish stared ahead, unsure what Lily wanted her to do.
“I hope you can understand,” Lily said, pressing her fingertips hard against her temples. “This is not what I wanted. This isn’t who I am, but the second I stepped into this world, she was here in my head. Telling me what to do. I couldn’t stop myself.”
Lily cried out in pain, and Parrish took a step back, unsure what to do next.
“All I ever wanted was to be loved, the way you love Zoe,” Lily continued. “I wanted my life to matter to someone.”
Lily doubled over, as if in agony.
“I’m so sorry, Parrish,” she said through gritted teeth. “I can’t hold her back. You have to do it quickly.”
Parrish shook her head, not wanting it to end like this. If Lily was telling the truth, none of this was her fault. She’d been manipulated by the Dark One’s power this whole time.
It all made sense, though. The way she’d told her about the Dark One’s plans, let her know Zoe was still alive, given her the stone. The way she’s saved Zoe’s life today, when she could have killed both her and David with a flick of her wrist just now.
Everything Lily had done was because of the Dark One.
“There has to be a way to save you,” Parrish said. “If we can get Karmen over here, maybe she could shield your mind the way she shielded Crash’s dreams. We can still fix this.”
Lily’s mouth opened in surprise, and she lifted her eyes to meet Parrish’s.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for giving me a name and for being my friend. It has meant more to me than you will ever know. But I’m out of time, Parrish. Please, let me do this one thing to make my life meaningful. Let me die while I’m still here to remember.”
Parrish shook her head. She didn’t want to kill her. Not like this.
But Lily cried out again, and this time, as she looked up, her eyes took on the hint of a glow. A dark, purple glow Parrish recognized from the rotter she’d faced back at the compound.
The Dark One was taking over, and there was no time to stop her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
She plunged her sword deep into Lily’s chest, putting an end to her life.
Fifty
Parrish
“Parrish, is that really you?”
Parrish turned and ran toward her sister, her legs nearly giving out from exhaustion but her heart pushing her forward.
“Zoe,” she screamed, stretching out her arms.
Zoe’s face was dirty and stained with tears. Her clothes streaked with blood.
But it was her. It was really her.
Parrish fell to her knees and gathered her baby sister in her arms, sobs shaking her body. After all this time, she had finally found her.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” she said, running her hand down the back of Zoe’s hair and kissing her forehead. “I missed you so much. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Zoe said, smiling through her tears.
“I was so scared you didn’t know just how much you meant to me,” Parrish said. “I never got the chance to let you know how much I loved you when you left.”
Zoe shook her head. “I’ve always known,” she said. “I was so scared, though, Parrish. I can hardly remember how scared. I thought I was going to die up there in that room.”
She scratched at her arm, and Parrish stood, looking her sister over to make sure she was really okay. It had seemed so impossible that this moment would ever come, and now that it was here, it didn’t feel real.
“Are you okay?” Parrish asked. “You’re not hurt?”
She just wanted to hold her sister close and never let go. She was never going to let this little girl out of her sight again. To see that she was here and she really was okay made all of the struggle worth it.
“David took care of me,” Zoe said, reaching for Parrish’s hand. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to him.”
Parrish smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes.
David was even younger than Parrish had realized. Smaller than Zoe, he couldn’t have been older than eight or nine years old, but his eyes held the wisdom of his years.
“Hi, David,” she said.
The boy looked up at her and smiled. “Hi,” he said. His voice was as clear in her head as if he’d spoken out loud. “I’ve missed you.”
He glanced around, frowning at Lily’s lifeless body and shaking his head.
“Where are the others?”
Parrish gasped. She’d forgotten they were still back there fighting that horde and the decoy zombie.
“We need to get back to them,” she said. “Here, take my hand.”
They both grabbed onto her, and she used the fatalis stone again to teleport the group back to the fight.
“Hell, yes,” Crash shouted when they appeared.
Hell, yes, was right.
The moment Parrish touched down, her entire body lit up with power, as if someone had finally turned on the lights in a dark room. If they thought they’d known power before this, it was nothing compared to what it was now that the five of them were together.
“Welcome back, old friend,” Noah said, nodding at David.
“We’ve missed you,” Karmen said.
Parrish lifted her sword into the air and smiled at the zombie horde that remained.
This wouldn’t take long.
“Shall we?” she asked. “Zoe, stay by me. Everyone else? Let’s end this.”
Fifty-One
Zoe
“Where do we go from here?”
Parrish grabbed Zoe’s hand and pulled her close, making Zoe want to cry in relief. She still could hardly believe her sister had come all this way to save her.
All those nights alone in the hotel room, she’d dreamed of this day, but she’d never really thought it was possible.
“We should find a safe place inside to talk through our next moves,” Crash said, looking up toward the darkening sky as the sun began its descent. “We don’t have much daylight left, and we’re all too exhausted to keep fighting tonight.”
“Noah’s bleeding,” Zoe said.
“She’s right. Those bird women really did a number on you, huh?” Parrish ran a finger across Noah’s cheek, and from the look of tenderness he gave her, Zoe was pret
ty sure her sister’s secret crush wasn’t such a big secret anymore.
She hid a smile against her shoulder, not wanting Parrish to see her blush.
“Besides, I’m anxious to get inside somewhere and make sure Zoe’s okay.”
Zoe frowned. “I’m fine now,” she said.
“Well, I want to be sure for myself,” Parrish said, squeezing her hand.
“What’s a good spot?” Noah asked, looking to David for his opinion.
The boy pointed to the building across the street.
Apartments. Rest. Then, when we’re feeling ready, we’ll go to the island together.
“Do you know where it is?” Parrish asked.
“What island?” Zoe asked, though she had some faint memory of an island.
Didn’t she?
David smiled.
Not much time now, he said. I will lead you all there soon.
The warmth of excitement spread up Zoe’s cheeks. Yes, there was something exciting about this island, even if she couldn’t quite remember what it was. Some part of her had been looking forward to that for a long time.
Together, their group settled in an apartment close to the first floor, and Karmen whistled as they entered the foyer.
“Well, we’re sure getting our fair share of luxury this week,” she said. “What do you think a place like this goes for?”
“Nothing, anymore,” Crash said, and Karmen slapped his arm playfully.
“You know what I mean.”
“Ten million?” Parrish said with a shrug. “I honestly have no idea, but if it’s safe, it’s priceless. Let’s check the place for stragglers and block the doors.”
Zoe sat on the couch as the others checked the apartment and set up their computers and other tech. Karmen had this huge zombie man with her that she kept calling Beast, and when he stomped through the house, the floor shook.
He scared Zoe a little bit, but Karmen kept telling her she was in control of him.
