by Holly Hook
"I don't know if I can walk across that bridge," Xavier said, eyeing it with dread. I couldn't quite read his thoughts, but I could sense that he was directing his attention away from me.
A jet of fire shot up from the moat and lashed the black railing of the bridge. Xavier stopped, and I stumbled again. I saw his problem. The bridge didn't rise that high above the brimstone, and the air around it was warping with heat. The moat must be half a football field wide. My vision hadn't lied to me.
"That's a whole lot of nope," Xavier said.
"You have to use the bridge," Allunna told him. "Your best bet is to run across it once we get there. Don't expect Alyssa to have much use of her new powers yet. Or her wings, for that matter."
I flinched and lifted my head from Xavier's shoulder. My vision blurred for a second, making Allunna tilt. I still wasn't fully recovered. "I have--"
"Wings," Allunna repeated. She continued to walk at a brisk pace. "All Nobles have them."
"Don't talk to her about any of it," Xavier said. He glared at her. He was so angry that her spell wasn't working on him. In fact, he hadn't been all googly-eyed at her since we had gotten here.
The weight on my back remained. Allunna was right. I could feel that I had wings, large folded ones, and I was willing to bet they weren't the fluffy, cute kind. They must have torn through the back of Xavier's coat while I was unconscious. Without looking behind me, I tried to move them. It worked a little. It was the strangest feeling.
It also made this far more real. "Um..." Terror choked me, stealing my voice.
"Don't pay attention," Xavier said to me as we began to walk again.
"She has a right to know," Allunna said.
I couldn't take the suspense anymore. "Okay. Just how much did I inherit from Thoreau?" I asked. "I thought I was only supposed to become, you know, a quarter demon once I came here. Wings are a little more than I bargained for."
"Alyssa," Xavier warned.
The succubus whirled on me and continued to trek backward. A plume of lava erupted from the moat, raining molten rock on the red brick of the bridge. "I told you. The blood of Nobles does not work that way. You're not like Beatrix. Her father was a mere imp. Have you seen yourself? What do you think you are?"
"I don't know," I said, gripping Xavier's shoulder tighter. He tensed again. "Half demon, maybe?"
Allunna laughed in a way that made me feel both stupid and mortified. "Oh, no."
"Could you leave her alone?" Xavier yelled.
"A fifth? A third?" I asked.
"Try full demon," she said.
I felt like she'd kicked me in the stomach. "What? No!"
"That's what happens with Nobles," Allunna said as if she had seen this a million times. "Honestly, I don't understand you. You're freed from vampirism and you're complaining? You can tolerate sunlight now. Well, I'm not sure on that one, since you still have pieces of each Dark Council member in you. Just don't forget your glamour when you get back to the regular world. Oh, and you'll need something to hide your eyes since glamour doesn't take care of that. Some sunglasses, maybe."
"Are you kidding me?" I looked at Xavier. "She's joking, right?"
He said nothing. Instead, he grimaced and looked at the road ahead.
"That's awesome," I said, trying to grasp onto my sense of humor. It was the only thing keeping me from completely freaking out. "When do I get my pitchfork?"
Allunna smiled at me, then turned away. "We can probably find you one."
Xavier wasn't laughing. What was I doing? I couldn't make light of this situation. There was nothing funny here.
I was...I was...
I thought of how I must look.
My face.
My eyes.
I thought of Thoreau's, which were always black with dancing fire inside, even when he was in human form. I wanted to close my own and wake up back on the floor of George's house. I wanted nothing more than to be a vampire again. Anything was better than this. There was no such thing as a good demon. Everyone knew that. They were universally evil.
What had this done to me on the inside?
Allunna couldn't have cared less. "We still have a few miles to cover before we reach the castle. Faster, you two."
I removed my arm from around Xavier's shoulders. I wasn't going to subject him to me. This transformation was my punishment for killing people and Turning Janine. I should have seen it coming. Quickening my pace, I moved in front of Xavier, glad that I felt steady enough now to walk on my own.
"Alyssa!" he said, fumbling for my hand.
"Don't," I begged.
"I promised that I wouldn't let go of you."
I faced him, walking backward as Allunna had. "Are you serious? Look at me!"
Xavier turned his gaze away, but then he forced himself to face me.
"Let me hold your hand, Alyssa. Please." His anguish washed over me.
"I don't deserve it," I said.
"Alyssa!" Xavier lunged at me and grabbed my arms. "Stop calling yourself a monster. Do it for me."
I pushed him away. "It's a little bit late for that now."
The look that came over my battle partner's face would stay with me forever. I turned away. I was hardening inside like black, ropy lava.
Wasn't I supposed to only care about myself now?
Xavier hung back at first, then ran to catch up. He fanned himself with his shirt and said nothing, walking in silence beside me. He reached out to take my hand several times, but I pulled away. He had every right to be uncomfortable around me.
We drew much closer to the bridge. Allunna stopped. The air in front of us rippled with the immense heat, but I felt nothing. The brimstone moat seethed and churned. Flames danced and licked at the bottom of the bridge.
Allunna and I would be able to walk across this without problems. If Xavier couldn't cross fast enough, he might have some issues.
I thought of leaving him there and going ahead, but then I remembered.
If he died, I'd follow him into death. We'd probably both end up as Fire Wraiths, waiting for Thoreau and Death to pluck us out and resurrect us. After all, we had both killed people. Where else would we go?
"This heat!" Xavier shouted, fanning himself.
A wave of concern washed through the darkness within me. I wasn't sure if it was just for me or if any of it was for my battle partner. We were standing a hundred feet from the bridge, and the temperature from the moat was already getting to him. I wondered what it would be like for him in the middle of the bridge.
It was also a long way across.
There was no other way over, and it was my job to protect my battle partner. We remained linked. We would go over together.
I stood between Xavier and the moat. "We're going across," I said, facing him. "We'll run together. Don't stop for anything. Don't even breathe." I had the feeling that the air above the moat wasn't safe for him.
A tiny sliver of hope came over his face. He extended his hand.
I had to force myself to take it, even though I still kept my hand tucked inside the leather sleeve. Xavier had to survive. I couldn't feel the heat, but I was sure that the air on the bridge was hotter than the inside of an oven.
Allunna sighed. "You're wasting time."
Xavier counted to three and held his breath.
We ran.
I couldn't run as fast as before, but I still moved faster than a human. Xavier struggled to stay caught up. He groaned with the growing heat. We closed in on the start of the bridge. The red glow from the first two lanterns got brighter as if they could sense us coming. Brimstone roared and churned.
The brick sloped upwards, and the fiery river spread out on both sides of the bridge. We were crossing. Xavier seethed in pain. I felt nothing. An awful sticky sound came with each of his footfalls.
The soles of his boots were melting.
We weren't even halfway across.
Echoing voices exploded all around us as the river bubbled and rose. They were
male, female, human and inhuman.
"Grandfather killer."
"He's a shame to his family."
"A failure!"
"He couldn't even protect his sister."
"He let Lisa Elora down."
The voices all hammered Xavier. This place knew his torments.
He pumped his legs faster. The air rippled. The river continued to rise.
No. It wasn't the river. Hundreds of Fire Wraiths emerged from the river, rising towards the bridge. Transparent, burning ghosts of humans and demons and other creatures floated through the railing, blocking our way forward.
They all stared at Xavier. They wanted him.
"Don't stop!" I shouted. I drew my sword and charged. The Fire Wraiths weren't impressed. They drifted closer to us. There were so many of them.
Was that Stalin over there?
Xavier stopped. "It's too hot!"
His clothes were smoking. I stopped too and pulled him close.
The way back was blocked. They had us surrounded. I kept my grip on his arm, bringing him closer. I held my sword with my other hand, trying to will some War Magic into it, but my blade only reflected the Wraiths. Their bodies were fire. Xavier would burn alive trying to go through them.
My battle partner coughed on the fumes and grabbed his chest. His exposed skin broke out into blisters. "I'm going to die."
"Failure!"
"Shame!"
The roar of the moat combined with the voices was unbearable. The Wraiths all closed in. I turned in a circle, keeping my sword in front of me, but it did nothing to drive them back.
Something rose inside of me.
Pure confidence. A sense of incredible power.
These Wraiths were not going to take Xavier. I gripped my sword tighter and sucked in a breath.
"Leave him alone!"
My voice boomed and cut over the noise. A ripple surged through the Wraiths and the brimstone.
Silence fell. The Wraiths stopped their advance. A lone jet of fire shot up to our left and died out.
I kept my sword up and watched as they drifted back.
The ring around us widened. Every Wraith backed away like a dog with its tail between its legs. I watched as every single one floated back to the edge of the bridge. One by one, they dropped back to the river below, merging back with the brimstone and disappearing.
"Alyssa," Xavier managed, face falling on my shoulder. He was passing out.
"Hold on," I said. I put my sword back into my belt. Xavier slumped towards the brick, knees giving out. I caught him before he reached it, then tucked both my arms under his form. I hoped that my new body was strong enough to carry him.
It was. With Xavier in my arms, I ran across the rest of the bridge and into Thoreau's army base.
Chapter Eleven
There was still some distance between us and the barracks. It gave me room to carry Xavier as far from the molten river as I could. Open blisters remained on his skin. His hair was singed on the ends. He was unconscious. My mind went to heat stroke. His clothing had stopped smoking, but the damage might already be happening.
I couldn't let this kill me.
No. Us.
Survival was about us and not just about me. I was already becoming selfish.
I didn't stop until I had reached the side of a barracks. I set Xavier on the ground next to the brick building and a stack of plastic-wrapped crates that must have come from the other world. There were even--yikes--machine guns inside another open container. Thoreau was planning on arming his soldiers with more than supernatural abilities.
"Xavier!" I shouted, slapping him on the cheek. I balked at the sight of my hand and tucked it back inside the leather sleeve. "Wake up!"
He just coughed. I hoped that he was getting the brimstone fumes out of his lungs. My battle partner took a breath. His blisters began to close, but only because of my influence. I must still be able to heal quickly. Even with his blisters closing, I could sense that something was still very wrong. Xavier was no longer sweating. It was a bad sign.
I couldn't fix dehydration. Just wounds. Xavier needed water.
I got up and searched around. Thoreau must have some for his soldiers. They were asleep now, but they would need water once they woke. The crates near me only held weapons and beef jerky.
"What's going on now?" Allunna asked, coming up behind me.
I faced her. She glared at Xavier as if it was his fault that he passed out from the unbearable heat.
"He needs water!" I shouted. "Where were you? We could have used some help on the bridge."
Allunna sighed. "You did fine," she said. "You're the Noble, not me."
I'd had enough. I took a bold step closer and leaned close, glaring into Allunna's black eyes. If she said I was a Noble, I'd act like it. "Find him something to drink! I'm ordering you!"
The succubus stepped back in shock, lip quivering. "Yes," Allunna said, turning away.
She was afraid of me.
I had rank here.
Allunna vanished around the barracks. I sat down next to Xavier. Weakness washed over me. He was dragging me down with him. I grabbed his wrist and forced myself to face my hand as I took his pulse. It was fast and weak.
"Don't die on me," I managed. Fear swept through me.
Love.
For a moment, I felt like plain old Alyssa again. I wanted to kiss Xavier.
But I held back. There was every possibility that my battle partner would open his eyes as that was happening and see--
I reached up and ran my hand up my face.
My chin had become more prominent. My teeth, all pointed. My nose was a bit too flat and my cheekbones severe. I shuddered and closed my eyes, horror magnifying.
When I reached my forehead, my terror exploded.
I had horns.
They were short, but there was no denying it. I pulled my hand back as a wave of dizziness swept over me, a wave that had nothing to do with Xavier's condition. I wanted to crawl away and throw up. I had a face I no longer recognized.
Xavier probably did not want me kissing him.
The thought made the darkness sweep through my mind again.
"Will this work?" Allunna asked from behind me.
I turned my head, catching a glimpse of ugly, black, leathery wings. I stood up and turned, removing them from my view. The succubus held a six pack of Mountain Dew. Thoreau had supplied his troops with drinks after all. I was glad for the distraction.
"Yes," I said. I seized the Mountain Dew and went to work severing the plastic rings with my fingernails. A wave of weakness swept over me. Xavier's heat stroke was affecting me more. "Prop him up, and I'll make sure he drinks without choking."
It was easier said than done. Allunna held Xavier's upper body up and remained silent as I poured the first can of Mountain Dew down his throat, holding his chin up so he wouldn't choke. He coughed a couple of times. Half of it spilled onto his shirt and quickly evaporated, leaving a greenish stain. How hot was it here?
Xavier didn't blink until I had finished with the second can. "Am I dead?" he asked after swallowing.
It was an improvement. "No," I said.
He opened his eyes, focusing on me. "Alyssa?"
"It's me. As you might have noticed, I forgot to put on makeup this morning. Sorry for the sight."
"You saved my life," he managed. "Give me another can of that. It's the best warm Mountain Dew I've ever had."
I handed him a third can. "I'm not sure what happened at the bridge."
"You commanded those things," Xavier said. "That's what happened." He opened the can and took a swig. "I'm glad you still have your sense of humor."
"I try," I said, tucking my hands inside my sleeves again. I couldn't let Xavier's hope get too far. "Xavier, I'm not the same person I was."
"You're still Alyssa."
"I'm..." I forced out. "I'm not nice." I had saved Xavier to save myself. That had to be it. "I'm only keeping you safe because we're battle partners
."
"You were fine until Allunna told you the things I didn't want you to hear," Xavier said, more to her than to me. He sucked down the rest of the drink and looked at me in a silent plea. He didn't want my words to be true. It was wishful thinking. "I know how you are. You're always, well, demonizing yourself." He face-palmed.
"Fantastic choice of words. Get up," I said.
His face fell, but he managed to stand. I felt his attention shift from me to his surroundings. "We're in the army base," he said, looking around. "Our parents are here. We need to find them."
"Thoreau has Bound your parents," Allunna said. "It's no use trying to wake them up. They won't awaken until Thoreau begins to merge the worlds or until you break their contracts."
"I have to see them!" Xavier shouted. "Tell me which building they're in."
Allunna looked at me. It was my job to make the decisions now. There had just been a power shift between us.
I remembered the vision Thoreau had given us.
Unless something had changed, my father was in the same barracks as Xavier's parents.
"Show us," I ordered Allunna. I had to make sure he was still alive.
She bit her lip and waved us along. "We still need to hurry," she said. "Thoreau isn't in the Infernal yet, but I'll know when he arrives."
"How?" I asked.
She didn't answer me. We followed her down what turned out to be a very long row of barracks, all with massive stone doors. None of the buildings had windows, but all had crates of food and weapons lying next to them. Thoreau didn't want his soldiers to die before they reached the other world. It wouldn't do him a lot of good.
I wished that I had my sensitive hearing back. I wanted to know how many soldiers were here, sleeping on the rows of cots within the barracks. It was no use. Even if the barracks were only half full of kidnapped Abnormals, the army would be formidable. The ATC had taken thousands of Abnormals in over the years. I had the feeling most of them had wound up here. The rest had already allied with Thoreau or resisted with their lives. There had to be some Normals, too. Xavier's father was Normal.
At last, Allunna stopped near a barracks that was only two away from the base of Thoreau's castle. We were close to finding the Orb, but I couldn't leave without making sure that my father was still alive. I still cared about him. I couldn't believe it. The feeling was dulled and strained, but it was there. I held onto it. It was a trace of who I had been before.
