by Nia Night
I didn’t realize I’d backed up a step until I ran into Ibrahim. If he was going to comment on the collision, I didn’t know, because my eyes were locked on Callum.
He looked just as he had the last time I’d seen him; wearing nothing but an old t-shirt and boxers, throat sliced open, another bloody wound on the left side of his chest. As I stared, his mouth pulled up into a terrible grin, and a bit of black blood leaked down his chin.
When he began to move toward me, I reached for a chain that was not there. I slipped one of the daggers Ibrahim had lent me out of my pocket, but this only made Callum’s awful grin grow wider. After all, what good was a blade against someone who was already dead?
“Someone you knew?” Ibrahim asked, drawing me out of the cloud of horror that seemed to have descended around me.
All I could manage was a nod of my head.
That was when the next Mark appeared. A female that I only remembered for the brutal way I’d taken her out. She’d been human, but she’d fought back more fiercely than would most supernaturals, had forced me to drown her in the water of her own bathtub. I’d left her hotel room that evening pissed that my clothes had gotten soaked, annoyed at the inconvenience.
I didn’t remember her name, but I’d never forget the way her hazel eyes had bulged, face going blue as water filled her lungs. Never forget how her bowels and bladder had evacuated as she’d finally ended her struggle, the way I’d twisted my lips in disgust as I’d stared down at her lifeless, naked body.
Fuck me. I couldn’t find it in me to run from them. I didn’t deserve reprieve.
Just as Bella had promised, more spirits gathered. I recognized another. And another. And another. I’d stopped counting my kills years ago, but I remembered them now.
My companions and I still stood on the train platform, and it was the fear in Vida’s voice that snapped me out of my stupor. “We should move quickly,” she said, eyeing the vengeful spirits heading our way.
I blinked, and Callum was standing in front of me, his face less than a foot from my own. My fire magic erupted on instinct, creating a wall of flame between the ghost and me.
The bastard stepped through it as though it were nothing but air.
In the next heartbeat I was surrounded, unable to see through the crowd of spirits encircling me. Their anger was palpable, something I could feel on my skin, taste on my tongue. Several sets of hands reached for me, some tugging at my clothes, others grasping at my throat. It didn’t feel like the touch of a living person. These grasps were cold and hungry, and with each I was transferred a sense of discontent and grievance. Terrible memories flashed through my head on a reel I was powerless to stop. So much anger and pain and violence.
I began to shake, to drown. This was where I would meet my end, in a sea of souls whom I’d sent to early afterlives.
Then, through the tiny cracks between the crowd of angry spirits, darkness began to seep in. At first, I thought it was death, come for me at last, but I realized that this darkness was somehow familiar. It wove through the ghosts like a black river, seeping around them until it reached me.
My first instinct was to recoil, but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to run. When the darkness wrapped around me, cocooning me in its powerful grasp, the spirits were forced back.
Suddenly, I could breathe again, could see beyond the walls of despair they’d constructed between me and the world. The spirits began to dissipate, fleeing from the darkness the way light flees from the night. I realized belatedly what the darkness was, who it belonged to. Even as I blinked up into eyes as black as the last ring of hell, I couldn’t quite catch up in my mind.
Ibrahim stood beside me, the child standing beside him. The dark magic that had scared away the spirits seeped out of him, inky power that created a barrier around the three of us. As my head cleared, I cursed in my mind.
This would make the third time the Demon had saved my ass, and from the look on his face, he seemed about as pleased about it as I was.
“Are you okay?” Vida asked, taking my hand once more and giving it a squeeze. “You’re as white as a ghost.”
I had to swallow twice before I could answer, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin despite the fact that I still felt unsteady on my feet. “I’m fine,” I gritted out. “Let’s just get that flower and get the hells out of here.”
As we headed in the direction of the hill of flowers Vida had pointed out in the distance, I looked over at Ibrahim. I didn’t know why the two words were so hard to speak, but they were.
“Thank you,” I said.
The Demon looked as surprised to hear this as I was to speak it. His black eyes met mine and his lips pressed together. He nodded.
With Ibrahim’s magic as a shield around us, the spirits kept their distance. I would not admit it, but I was impressed with how powerful he was to be able to keep the shield in place the entire time.
I kept my gaze forward, because the spirits of the people I’d killed lingered at the edges. They moved with the speed of wraiths, slipping through the shadows and around the buildings, peering out with vengeance in their dead gazes.
We moved as quickly as we could manage, as silently as the spirits who ruled this realm. I noticed that Ibrahim was keeping a keen eye on our surroundings, and I had no doubt who he was looking for. He’d told me that he was on a mission to figure out who had killed his brother, and why. What would he do if we ran into his brother while here, and it turned out that I was the Sister who’d carried out the hit? Would he try to kill me on the spot?
Just as I was wondering this, Ibrahim paused in his tracks, his posture going rigid. I followed his eyes to see what had caused the reaction, and knew in an instant who the spirit standing across the street was.
The two shared the same dark hair and eyes, the same tall, strong build. Handsome in an unassuming sort of way, with an intelligent countenance. If the dead Demon on the other side of the street was not Ibrahim’s brother, then I was a flouncing fairy.
Vida and I glanced at each other, and I knew enough about the child by now to know that she was aware of the situation. As selfish as it may have been, I’d been hoping that Ibrahim would not find Idris while we were here. From the way Vida shifted on her feet, I had a feeling she’d been hoping the same.
We stood in silent observation as the two males approached one another. When they embraced, I almost glanced away because of the intimacy of the moment. I’d never had a sibling, but one need not have had one to see the love that ran between the two, even in death. For the first time since I’d met the Demon, I felt some sympathy toward him. I may not know what it was like to have a sibling, but I knew well what it was like to feel alone. I knew what it was like to be an orphan, and from what Ibrahim had told me, he was an orphan indeed.
When a tear escaped Ibrahim’s eye, I did look away, exchanging another look with Vida. We were not close enough to hear what the two were saying, what exchanges were taking place. When Idris looked at me over Ibrahim’s shoulder, drawing Ibrahim’s eyes to me as well, my stomach twisted.
Idris’s dark eyes narrowed as he took me in, clearly aware that I was a Sister—had been a Sister. He said something to his brother, and I could do nothing but wait to hear the verdict, preparing myself for a fight I wasn’t entirely sure I could win.
As much as I may not like him, with his arrogant and dismissive attitude, there was no denying that Ibrahim was powerful. Even a former Sister would have a hard time taking down a Demon King.
The two continued their huddled exchange, and though I could see more spirits gathering around the edges of Ibrahim’s protective shield, I did not interrupt them. If I’d been given a chance to speak to my mother one more time, I would bite the head off of whoever dared interrupt.
And there was a subject I’d been avoiding since arriving here. My mother. Where had she gone after death? Would she come to me if she were able? Would she recognize me, what I’d become? I was no longer the sweet, innocent child she
’d known. Actually, I didn’t know what I was anymore.
Ibrahim and Idris shared a final embrace, and with a lingering look at me, Idris disappeared from sight. Ibrahim returned to us, swiping at his face and resuming an indifferent expression with what I assumed was great effort. Vida and I held our breath as we waited for the verdict, but the Demon only turned on his heels and began heading for the hill with the flowers once more.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s find the flower and get out of here.”
Vida and I followed after, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to know if his brother had told him who’d done the deed, which Sister would soon have a Demon King after their head.
“Did he answer your question?” I asked.
Ibrahim stiffened, and for a moment, I didn’t think he was going to answer. Then, he said, “It wasn’t you.”
“Who was it?” Vida asked gently, and I got the feeling that if the question hadn’t come from the child, he really would not have answered.
“Raidyn,” Ibrahim said. “He said the Sister who killed him goes by the name of Raidyn.”
I didn’t know what expression was on my face, but Ibrahim’s eyes narrowed. “You know her,” he said. It was not a question.
“The Sisterhood is a pretty exclusive organization,” I answered. “The name sounds familiar.”
This, of course, was an evasion of the truth. There may not have been any love lost between Raidyn and I, and I may no longer be a Sister, but I just couldn’t bring myself to throw her under the bus.
Ibrahim snorted as if he expected no less. I held his dark gaze, and from the murderous look lurking behind it, I could honestly say that I didn’t envy Raidyn her position.
If Ibrahim caught up to her, one hell of a battle would ensue. I just hoped I wouldn’t be around to witness.
We reached the hill at last, pausing as we took in the green grass and sea of red flowers sprouting in between.
“How to we know which one is the one we need?” Vida asked.
I nodded my head toward a flower that stood out from the others, as white as snow amongst all the green and red.
“Something tells me it’s that one,” I said.
20
Stepping back through the third Veil was like emerging from a deep lake that I hadn’t realized I’d been drowning in, like taking a full breath of air when my lungs had been short of capacity for too long.
From the looks on my companions’ faces, I knew I was not alone in the feeling. Bella had told us when we were ready to cross back over, all we need do is make our way back to the Tenebris and pass back through the doors into the lobby. She would maintain a portal there for us when we arrived.
Sure enough, this did the trick, and we found the Sorceress waiting for us upon arrival. Bella took in our expressions and her lips pressed into a thin line, but she made no comment.
“Did you–” she began, but didn’t finish as her eyes settled on the flower in my hands.
I held the white bloom out to her, and she took it with no small amount of reverence.
“Give me a few hours to prepare,” she said. She handed me a slip of paper. “And then meet me here.” Glancing at Vida with a kind smile, she added, “All of you.”
Our eyes followed the Sorceress as she strode out of the hotel and disappeared from sight.
“I’ve had food sent down to the room,” Ibrahim said. “Go ahead and I’ll be back before it’s time for the spell.”
He was already striding away, and the child and I didn’t question where he was going. I had no doubt that it was to track down a certain Sister. Despite the fact that I’d never really liked her, I felt a twinge of concern for Raidyn. What were the odds that the Sister who’d taken out Ibrahim’s brother was stationed in the very city we now found ourselves in? At some point, the two would likely collide, and Gods help them both when they did.
I had no plans to be around for it. Once the spell was in place, I’d decided I would take the child and find somewhere low key to settle down. I’d stashed the saved money I’d collected in a good spot in the middle of the country before going to break into the Academy. Though the business of killing may not be morally sound, it paid damn well. That would be the first stop after the spell was complete. Following that, I’d earned and saved enough over the years that the child and I could go anywhere in the world, really. I still hadn’t completely come to terms with the fact that I was now the guardian of a minor, in varying capacities, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a plan.
Get the spell, then the money, then disappear. It sounded as good a plan as any.
Vida and I boarded the elevator in the rear of the lobby and rode down in silence. When we reached Ibrahim’s quarters, we sat together at the table. I was pleased to see that Ibrahim had spoken true about the food. There was fried chicken and macaroni, mashed potatoes and seasoned green beans. The silence between the child and I continued as we fixed plates and ate.
Alongside the table was the steep cliffside that looked out over the realm, all those flickering flames shimmering like stars in a burning sky. Though the place had an undeniably heavy feel to it, and reeked of Ibrahim’s particular kind of dark magic, I had to admit it had its charms.
“Are you going to leave me?” Vida asked, pulling my attention from the dark realm beyond.
I looked at the child sitting across from me, slightly jarred by the question. The manner in which she said the words was poised and inflectionless, as if she were prepared not to react no matter what answer I offered. Her face had become familiar to me in the time we’d spent together, her perfectly round nose and big brown eyes, rosebud lips and reserved demeanor. Her curly brown hair was still bound in two braids, but looked as though the style would need to be redone to keep from further unraveling.
It struck me as it had before how easily the child had gone along with everything that had taken place thus far, how she seemed so beyond her years in personality. I’d never spent much time around children, but from what I understood, most of them at Vida’s age were annoying little buttwipes. Innocent, yes, but annoying, nonetheless.
I supposed this was a major stroke of luck in both of our favors for various reasons.
“No,” I said. “I’m not going to leave you, Vida. I’ll be your guardian… I guess I already am.”
Though her pretty face didn’t shift in expression, I didn’t miss the way her shoulders relaxed a fraction. She took a bite of a drumstick and nodded. “What’s the plan, then? After the spell, I mean.”
I released a low breath. “I’ve got quite a bit of money stashed away,” I said. “So once we grab that, we could go anywhere, really. Got any place in mind?”
“Really?” she asked, and from the way she said this I knew that she’d never been asked where she would like to go before. I got the feeling she’d had little choice in much of the decisions that were made for her. I supposed that was both the blessing and plague of childhood.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “Really,” I said.
Vida’s chin tucked a quarter inch as she looked up at me beneath long, dark lashes. “I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower,” she said, speaking the words softly, as if this were one of the secrets she’d long kept tucked in her heart.
“Paris?” I said. “That could be cool. I do love me some pastries.”
“Really?” Vida asked again, eyes lighting up with hope.
I chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t see why not. I’ve always wanted to travel the world, and it’s probably a good idea to stay on the move for a while. We’ll have to be smart, but it could work.”
Her chin tucked a little lower as she tried to hide her smile, a habit of hers when she was pleased but trying to contain it. I wondered not for the first time about all the things Vida must have been through to make her the way she was, how much danger and disappointment she must have already faced in her short lifetime just by being one of the seven keys. I supposed there would be time to learn
all the answers to those questions, seeing as how we’d be stuck with each other for a while.
“And Ibrahim?” she asked. “He’s not going to come with us, is he?”
I sighed, seeing that the child had taken a liking to the Demon, though the Gods only knew why. Before I could answer, a voice spoke from near the elevator.
“I have some business to handle after we get the spell,” Ibrahim said gently, gliding over to offer the child a smile. “But I’m sure our paths will cross again.”
Those dark eyes hardened as he looked up at me. “I need to talk to you,” the Demon said. “Now.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond before striding toward a sectioned off area on the other side of the space as though he just expected me to follow.
I stayed where I was a moment, debating whether or not to just keep my ass seated. Vida shot me a sympathetic look that was the only reason I ended up getting up and following Ibrahim. I didn’t know anything about raising a child, but I knew arguing in front of them wasn’t exactly healthy, and from the look the Demon had given me, we were certainly about to have an argument.
The sectioned off area was a large bedroom, decorated in the same depressing and black and gray décor as the rest of the place. I looked longingly at the big bed in the center, trying to remember the last time I’d had a full night’s sleep in an actual bed. Other than that, there was a writing desk, a bookshelf, and another opening that looked out over the realm. It was by this opening that the Demon stood, hands shoved in the pockets of his black slacks.
“Raidyn, the Sister who killed my brother, is stationed here in the city,” Ibrahim said, turning toward me with narrowed black eyes. “Did you know?”
It took me a second too long to answer.
