"Help him!" Anj screamed.
His words seemed to go in one of Zach's ears and then right out the other. Instead of helping Zes, Zach lifted Anj from the ground and threw him over his shoulder with a supernatural strength. And he ran.
Anj squirmed under his hold. "No, let me go! What are you doing? We have to go back!"
"There's nothing we can do to help him right now. Do you want to both be taken?" Zach snapped.
"They're going to turn him to the Dark! It'll kill him! Put me down! They can take me instead!"
"You know they'll keep you both. Your powers are stronger together than apart." Zach glanced over his shoulder. No one was tailing him — no one except for Teague, who was following his father by way of an unseen force. He wasn't physically moving his body, but rather the images moved around him as if on a screen. And of course, no one could see Teague, so it didn't matter much anyway.
Zach slowed his pace and turned down another street, taking Anj to a parked car. He unlocked it with a push of a button before opening up the passenger door and shoving Anj inside. "Try to run away, and I'll break your legs."
"My wife will –"
"Be even more ticked off if I let you die." He grabbed Anj by the face and forced him to make eye contact. "I know you can't see me, but you can listen. There is nothing you can do to help your brother right now. If Lucien takes you, the whole world is done for. Zes doesn't know how to use his Fate powers."
"He doesn't have any," Anj seethed.
Zach shook his head. "Yes, he does. They've just been locked away. He was Lucien's contingency plan from the beginning if he couldn't get what he wanted from you. That monster has a backup plan for every backup plan. At least this way, we've bought some time to figure out how to get to the pool."
"Pool? What pool?"
"The one that makes people Divine. Once Lucien can be one of the gods, then he can take over the worlds of the physical realm, the magical realm, and the spiritual one. It's why he tried to kidnap Jewl and steal her magic. It's why he captured you and held you prisoner. It's why he's doing everything he's been doing. Do I need to keep spelling things out for you?" Zach shut the door and went around to the driver's side to get in as well. "Please trust me."
Anj blinked back tears. "I can't lose him."
The black tornado surrounded Teague again. Once more, he found himself in a new place. A pool of water was a few feet away. Zes stood in front of him. One by one, he lifted three fingers, his gaze locked on Teague's. They held eye contact for a few seconds before Zes' amber eyes shifted to focus on something behind Teague.
"Why are you doing this?" Anj asked. He was ten feet away, body tense and at the ready despite its shaking.
"Because I have to," Zes said, so calmly it was unnerving.
Anj closed his eyes, and when they opened again, they glowed with the distinct blue of his magic. "Lucien is a monster."
"At least he's told me the truth of who I am!"
"He's spinning it to make himself look good. Stop letting him brainwash you! Remember, how he ordered those demons to nearly kill you? Remember how he branded you and made you his and Cheyenne's slave? Why are you helping him?"
Zes laughed. "Slave, remember? But you know, I don't feel too badly about it. At least they think I'm useful. Worth something."
"You're worth everything to me," Anj pleaded. "Come on, we don't have to fight. Let's go home. We can go back to normal."
"No." Zes shook his head. "You lied to me. Why didn't you tell me about your precious gift to see the future?"
"Because I was only allowed to tell one person."
"And you didn't think it should be me? Not only are we brothers, but this affects me. This is the one thing that Dad gave me. He wanted me to take his place, not you. And you still did it anyway. Like always, you have to take everything that isn't yours and be the center of attention!"
"No, that isn't –"
"Shut up!" Zes screamed and the ground in the room began to quake, causing his brother to fall over. Zes' voice grew quieter, his dark eyes narrowing. "I will serve my mistress and do what she commands. At least she wants me."
Anj picked himself up from the ground, the shaking of his body growing even stronger. "You're not yourself. We can end this without any fighting."
Laughing, Zes's hands began to glow a bright golden color. "But it's more fun this way."
Out of nowhere, Anj ran through Teague, knocking Zes into the water.
Finally, the blue door appeared.
Desperate to leave his nightmare, Teague grabbed the doorknob and walked through, hoping he would wake up right away. On the other side, however, was Kale.
"This is going to happen," Teague whispered. "I can't stop anything."
"You can. You have three days to figure it out. Just be careful what you choose. Sometimes, no matter how much we might miss a person, keeping them alive isn't always the best answer," Kale said softly.
Shaking his head, Teague closed his eyes, determined to keep his emotions at bay. "The whole point of coming back was to save him and to save my family. We need him."
"And what if it comes down to choosing between him and your father? What then? And what about stopping Lucien? Everything you do will impact if the demon succeeds or not."
"He sees me as a threat for a reason," Teague said. "Otherwise he wouldn't have tried to kill me as soon as I came to the past."
Kale nodded. "Yes, you're right about that one. But you also have to have the guts to use the resources given to you."
"The black magic I have because I'm the heir to Hades..."
"Correct. Another word of caution, Denver said you could cast a resurrection spell, yes?"
Slowly, Teague nodded.
With a sigh, Kale averted his gaze. "He didn't tell you that one of the side effects is that the resurrected will become your slave, did he?"
"He...might not have known," Teague lied. He hated being so selfish as to stoop to such levels.
"Or he did and he just wanted to keep you in the dark over the matter." Kale put a hand on Teague's shoulder. "Think about what's best for everyone. If you choose to save your uncle from death, your father will probably die. You'll be trapped in the past with the guilt of your decision. If you choose to bring your uncle back to life, he may not be the same person you've grown to love. If you choose to let nature take its course..."
Then everything I've done here has been a waste of time. Even if I changed the journey, it still doesn't change the outcome. Why did I think it was possible to change the past? Why did I think this was a good idea? "I don't know what to do," Teague whispered.
"You have three days. I believe that's what Zes was trying to tell you. The timing seems right. Once all of these actions start to take their place, there will not be any more time left to think and make a decision. You need to know going in. Furthermore, there is another factor you'll have to weigh," Kale explained.
Teague lifted his gaze to the man. "What's that?"
"Your mother." He touched Teague's forehead. "It's time to wake up now."
Chapter Eighteen
Anj sat on his living room couch, his head in his hands. Seeing him in such distress was unique and frightening at the same time. Never before had Teague ever seen him as anything but in control. Anj tended not to get too expressive unless his limits were pushed. No matter how angry he'd gotten, he'd never gone over the edge. His brother's kidnapping pushed him too far.
Everyone was present in the apartment. Jewl was sitting next to her husband, doing what she could to keep him calm. Off by the balcony door was where Denver stood, gazing out the window. Mr. Thantos was in the kitchen, talking quietly with Zach while Teague stood awkwardly by the front door. Jewl had called him, demanding he come over, but he didn't feel as if he belonged with the rest of the group. If anything, he felt more unwanted than even Denver.
"Are you sure you're going to be able to handle this?" Denver asked. He was surprisingly gentle.
The g
rip Anj had on his hair tightened. "I have to go with you. There's no way I can stay behind and not do everything I can to help. If he's been bewitched, I can get through to him. I know it."
"I would not be so optimistic," Mr. Thantos said, entering the room.
"Good, I'm glad I didn't have to say it," Denver muttered.
Jewl shot him a glare. "So what are you saying? Everything is hopeless?"
"No," Mr. Thantos said. He stretched out his tattered wings and folded his arms in front of him. "But it will not be so easy. You must be prepared to do what is right for the rest of the world, and that may require a sacrifice you are not ready to give."
Anj raised his gaze to the angel, his eyes shining blue as his magic fueled them. "I know, and I'll do what I have to. But you can't stop me from going with you, from at least trying. Besides, without me, you're not going to know where they're heading in the first place."
"True," Denver said. "So that's our plan? We unite for the moment and pretend to be friends so we can do this? Obviously, I'm going after Chey. Get us to where they are, and then we'll each do our part of the job."
"Yes," Anj whispered. "We'll each do our part."
"I'll get my stuff," Jewl said.
Mr. Thantos shook his head. "Absolutely not, you will be nowhere near this battle."
Huffing, Jewl stood up, getting in the fallen angel's face. "Excuse me? This involves me too! My magic might not be awesome or powerful, but I can still hold my own in a fight. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't handle it!"
"I am aware," he said. He then carefully leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, it shocked her so much that her jaw dropped, and she sat back down. The angel's attention fixed onto Teague. "You will be staying behind with her. I do not want you near this battle, no matter what happens. You need to take care of her."
Teague wanted to protest, but when it came to Mr. Thantos, there was no point in bothering. When the angel had his mind made up, it was impossible to persuade him. Later on, after everyone left, Teague would just sneak away and follow them on his own. For the time being, he'd keep Jewl company. As soon as he was able, he'd find a way to help.
"We can discuss our plan in my quarters. I need to gather a few things," Mr. Thantos said.
Slowly, Anj stood from the couch, his body still shaking. As he did so, Jewl grabbed his arm, clinging to him for every second she could. There were words she wanted to say. Teague knew his mother. She always had an opinion to share. But she watched her husband leave for the front door, pure fear resonating in her eyes. Denver followed suit.
"The second I know where we're going, I'll tell you," Denver said quietly as he passed Teague. "You can meet me there later."
"Okay," Teague whispered. His gaze never left his mother. She's going to have a breakdown. The vacant stare, coupled with how tightly she clutched her chest were dead giveaways. He was about to move to the couch to comfort her when Anj walked back in.
Anj strode in, helped his wife up off of the couch, kissed her, and then whispered something in her ear. She lingered as she held him for a few moments longer. Invading on such a private moment had Teague feeling like a third wheel. It didn't last for long. As quickly as Anj entered, he left again.
The room was quiet as Teague let Jewl guide him. He wouldn't speak unless she wanted to. It was about the only thing he could do to not feel useless. The most he could do was move to her side.
"This isn't how I wanted to spend my weekend," Jewl muttered after the moment of silence had passed. She let out a sour laugh. "I can't wrap my mind around all of this. Zach being alive is mind-blowing enough, as it is. Now this? Everything with Lucien had to end eventually, but I never thought I'd have to be a part of it."
How do you think I feel? I'm not even born yet, and I'm involved. "You wanted to go after your aunt," he pointed out instead. "That's still pretty intense."
"Our aunt, and that is way different. I'm in control of that situation. This is out of my league, and I can't do anything. There's no way I can take on Aunt Eyde now, anyway."
Phew. "I know you hate that fact," he said quietly, wanting to appear sympathetic even though internally he might as well have been dancing with joy. Revenge plans never seemed to accomplish much. For the time being, her safety was guaranteed.
"She needs to pay. And Sonnet..." Jewl sighed. "What if I lose them both?"
And by them both, Teague figured out she meant her sister and Zes. There might be something I can do to save her sister for sure. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"I'll get your sister back to you safely," he said. "And then someday you can make your aunt pay for what she did. It's not today, or even soon necessarily, but you don't want to rush and do something rash to begin with. Being reckless is only going to make things harder."
"I can't do anything about Eyde now." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to be a mother. We talked about this, Anj and I. We agreed this wasn't going to happen so soon, and now..."
Teague blinked, and then mentally started to do the math. It's the right year, and right timing. Eight months from now is Cory and Alain's birthday. At least they're guaranteed to be around, even if I mess things up to the point of no return.
"I can make this right," he said. "Just give me a chance." What could it hurt to do something for her, too? At this point, there's not a whole lot more anyone can lose.
Jewl took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Wake me up when all of this is over?"
He drew her into a hug. "It's going to be okay." He almost believed it. This isn't over. Not yet. I still have my ace to play. But he was hoping it wasn't going to come to that.
Chapter Nineteen
Teague bit his lip as he waited for his call to be picked up. Come on, answer the phone.
"Yeah?" Zach answered. "Denver?"
"It's me, T."
"How did you get this number?"
Teague pinched the bridge of his nose. "I asked for it from your boss. Look, we don't have a lot of time to discuss this. Where are you?"
"I'm on my way to go help kick some demon butt."
"I see...I was going to ask you to do something else for me instead. For some reason, I didn't think you'd be a part of the grand mission."
"Oh?" Zach asked.
Exhaling slowly, Teague took a leap. "There's someone else who needs rescuing, too. Do you remember Sonnet?"
There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and for a moment Teague thought maybe they had disconnected. Zach cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, I remember her. I know she's still being forced to live with her evil aunt, but I'm not sure I'm the guy to go save her. Doing so would cause even more waves. For the time being, Eyde only wants to emotionally torture Jewl, but if she gets angry enough she might get some guts and do something worse. The woman is cocky enough to believe she could take on the wrath of the Divine if provoked enough."
"I have a bad feeling," Teague said quietly. "The more I think about it...Sonnet isn't there in the future. At first I thought it was because they just parted ways, but she was supposed to attend Vala this year. She told me that herself when Jewl and I...visited...her aunt." More like kidnapped and dragged there, but whatever. "Anyway, if there's a way to help her, too, I want to make it happen. She's part of my family, too. Denver defeated Lucien without your help in the original version of the future. I'm sure he can do it again now." He didn't mention that Zach wasn't alive in the future either. Perhaps I'm saving a third life.
More silence. Zach let out a heavy sigh. "You think she's in serious danger?"
"Yes, and I know it would mean everything to Jewl if she could have her sister with her. It'd be a great way of showing her you were back. She...she's going to need all of your support." Especially if I fail.
"I'm not sure I like this. I'll just be honest."
"Don't you have to do what I say?" Teague challenged. He wasn't sure how the rules worked with him being the heir to Hades, or ho
w much control that allowed him over Denver's subjects.
Zach laughed. "No, I don't. But you might be right. Does it have to happen today?"
"No, I guess not, but the sooner the better. It's going to take some time to get there, since you don't have any magical teleportation powers. I mean, you don't, right?" Teague didn't know what capabilities resurrected people were given.
"I can't teleport, so yeah, I'll have to find a way there. Can't make any promises, but I'll do what I can. Okay? Now don't you have somewhere else to be?"
Sighing, Teague blinked back a couple of tears. "Denver didn't send me the location of the pool. I've been waiting for hours. He has to be there by now. He promised to tell me."
"Because there's no way you're going to get there on your own. Your job is to stay behind with Jewl to keep her from freaking out. If you snuck out and joined us...er...him, then she'd demand to come with you."
"Wait, you said us. You're already there! Tell me where to go!" Teague clenched his fists. I can't believe I'm being left out! Denver knows why I'm here! They both do! Why did he have to get left behind? He pursed his lips together. "I just got Jewl to rest, so she's not going to be a problem now. So you can tell me!"
"No, there's no time. When you get here, everything will be done. I'm spending way too much time talking to you as it is. After I'm done here, I promise to go get Sonnet. Will that make you happy and get you to relax a little? As for you, get to the castle. That's the only place you'll be able to help."
"But –"
"Just do it."
The line went dead. Teague shoved the phone back into his pocket, screaming in frustration. And then it dawned on him. Denver wants me to use my dark magic. Did he set me up? Or did he just somehow know there was nothing we could do to help Zes? I guess I'll just have to listen to Zach. Good thing I have teleportation magic. Letting out a deep breath, he closed his eyes so he could focus completely on transporting himself to Hades' castle.
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