Death And Darkness

by E. A. Copen

  Samedi pressed his lips together and leaned back. “Well, it’s about time you found your spine.”

  I lowered my arms. “What?”

  “I said it’s about time. You’re Death, Lazarus. Death is the great equalizer for gods and men. All must face it eventually. Even me. But not today.” He pushed up on his cane and stood with a tired grunt. “I will release your sister’s soul. It is high time she found some peace.”

  He extended his hand, and a silver orb flashed into being in his palm. Lydia’s familiar presence filled the space around me, and my throat grew tight. This was her, or what was left of her.

  I swallowed. “How aware is she?”

  Baron Samedi leaned closer, the flicker of Lydia’s soul lighting up the white paint on his face. “We are long past her seven days, but her ghost is still tied to this place, this in-between. Still, it would take more power than you have to draw it out.”

  I reached for the soul and felt it quiver against my hand. “What really happened to her?”

  “Do you really want to know? Think carefully now. That knowledge will make very little difference for her now, but it may shatter you.”

  Lydia’s soul flickered. For so long, I had tortured myself with the need to know, the need for vengeance. Someone had used magic to kill her, an Archon, according to Samedi, but it wasn’t the Archon I had defeated. I still didn’t know why she had died, or who had benefitted from the death of one little girl. Whoever had murdered her should pay.

  If I knew, I would hunt her killer to the ends of the Earth. I’d destroy myself if that’s what it took to kill him, whoever he was. Yet even if I did, it wouldn’t bring Lydia back. The death of this one Archon would change nothing in the grand scheme of things. All it would do now was distract me from what was important, and that was taking care of Remy and Emma, fighting to keep them safe.

  All this time, I thought I wanted vengeance when what I really wanted was to make someone else hurt as bad as I had.

  “No,” I answered after a long moment. “I suppose I don’t.”

  The Baron tilted his hand so that Lydia’s soul floated into my palm.

  I held her in my hands as I should’ve all those years ago. “I’m sorry, Lydia. I wasn’t a very good big brother to you. But I’m going to do what I can now. I’m going to make sure you go where you’re supposed to, so you can be reborn. Maybe in your next life, you can forgive me.”

  “You’ll have to take her out of this tiny pocket of space,” Samedi said.

  I closed my hands around Lydia’s soul and gently tucked it into my pocket. “After this is all over, I’ll take her down to the river and release her there. I know the perfect place.”

  He grunted an affirmative. “Well then, you’d best be on your way. You’ve got a devil to kill.” Samedi waved his cane and opened a portal in front of the statue. “I would wish you luck, Lazarus, but then you don’t need luck. You’ve got magic on your side.”

  I almost thanked the Baron until I remembered how he’d blackmailed me into taking my position in the first place and then never bothered to help me out. On my way through the portal, I took a page out of Josiah’s book and gave him the finger.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  I sat up choking on a gasp and scrambled to my feet, fists up. The room around me was dark and unfamiliar, and there was a strange, half-naked man covered in blood smoking in the corner.

  No, wait. I knew him. That’s right. That was the asshole who’d forced my soul out of my body without warning.

  A little red man with bat wings swooped down in front of my face and chattered at me in a high-pitched voice. Bone Flake, Josiah’s imp.

  Josiah pulled the cigarette from his lips. “Christ, mate. You look even worse than when you went under.”

  I picked up his shirt and threw it at him. “Get cleaned up. We have to go to Jackson Square. That’s where the last door is.”

  “Jackson Square’ll be full of people at this hour,” he grumbled, shrugging the shirt on and buttoning it. “And crossing over isn’t going to be easy outside a luminal period. Souls travel best at dawn and dusk.”

  “Screw that. I want to go kick Morningstar’s ass in person.”

  He looked at me, wild-eyed. “You want to take your body down with you? Are you a moron? D’ya want him to kill you?”

  Bone Flake landed on my shoulder and decided that it was a good place to relieve himself. I flicked him off my shoulder, and he spun around, waving his fists and chattering at me. I responded by flipping him off and got an obscene gesture in return. Imps.

  I sighed. “He could just as easily kill me if I’m here. Morningstar could kill me at any time, yet he hasn’t even tried. He’s just hiding in She’ol with Nikki’s body and Emma’s soul. By now, he knows I’m coming. Why hasn’t he tried to stop me?”

  Josiah stopped buttoning his shirt. “Christ, it’s a fuckin’ setup. He wants you to come.”

  I nodded. “It’s a trap. He’ll have something planned. I need to do something drastic, something he’d never plan on in a million years. Showing up in my body is just part one of the plan.”

  “What’s the rest?” Josiah scooped up Bone Flake and deposited him back in the jar, much to Bone Flake’s anger.

  The little imp promptly urinated all over the jar and then pounded on the jar, shrieking.

  “It’s your own fault, mate,” Josiah said, screwing on the lid. “You’ll just have to live with your decision. Bet you won’t go and do it again, will ya?”

  A new idea dawned as I watched him drop the imp into his bag. “You got any holy water in that bag?”

  “Course I do. Wouldn’t be a very good exorcist if I didn’t. What’re you thinking?”

  I smiled to myself. “We need to swing by my place first.”

  “You’re joking.” Josiah lifted the plastic gun I’d just handed him and frowned at the neon pink reservoir. “You want me to march into Hell and use a squirt gun full of holy water as a weapon?”

  I grabbed the gun and pointed it away from my face. “That’s not just a squirt gun. It’s a Super Squirter limited edition Flowmaster Five Thousand. I ruled the block with that thing.”

  He gave the squirt gun a doubtful look. “Mate, come on. I have an image to maintain. I can’t be seen with a hot pink Super Sprayer Two Thousand.”

  “Super Squirter Flowmaster Five Thousand,” I corrected with a raised finger. “And why do you care? They’re demons. Besides, they’re functional, they spray up to thirty feet, and best of all no one is going to be expecting that.”

  Josiah made a face. “So why do you get the blue and green one and I get stuck with puke yellow and Barbie pink?”

  “Because they’re my squirt guns! I get to pick first, and I pick blue and green.” I slid on a pair of sunglasses and offered him another pair.

  He rolled his eyes and waved them off and grumbled, “It’s like working with a twelve-year-old.”

  I reached for the squirt gun. “Well fine, if you don’t want it—”

  Josiah jerked it out of reach. “I never said that. But while we’re stocking up for our grand entry, I have something for you as well.” He carefully put the gun down on my bed next to his bag and went digging.

  “Something more useful than that angel fire? Because I gotta say, that’ll be hard to top. You saved my bacon, man.”

  “Yes, well…” He stood up, something small held between his finger and thumb. When he turned so that the light hit it just right, it created a prism that danced in the air. Josiah tossed it to me, and I caught it mid-air.

  “What the hell?” I lowered my hand and opened it. A glass twenty-sided die vibrated faintly with magic in my hand. “What’s it do?”

  “Don’t know, but I wouldn’t roll it anywhere near something you don’t intend to destroy. Figured you’d have more use for it than me. You seem like you’re into that kind of…thing. Got it from a friend of mine. Internet troll.”

  I squinted at Josiah. No matter how hard I tried,
I could never tell if he was being serious or making a joke. “Thanks, man.”

  Josiah grunted. “Thank me when it’s over. Are we clear on the plan then?”

  We’d talked about it on the way over. As far as plans went, it was simple but could get complicated quick if Morningstar played his cards right. I had to keep him away from Josiah at all costs. Sounded easy, until you considered Morningstar was waiting for us. Finding and freeing Emma was the primary goal, and the easiest way to do that would be to get him to take us to her, which meant delaying our execution.

  “Yeah,” I said, dropping the die into my pocket. “As long as you’re clear on how we’re going to handle the park.”

  He was right about one thing. Jackson Park was going to be crowded. It was a sunny morning. Joggers and tourists would be the least of our worries if he repeated the stunt with the frog. We’d get the cops called on us, and I couldn’t afford to get arrested for inciting a panic, animal cruelty, and unauthorized use of voodoo or whatever spell he chose.

  Josiah nodded. “Just keep the immediate area clear. I’ll release Bone Flake inside the circle I’m going to draw, and he’ll make sure no one disturbs our bodies. As long as no one snaps a photo or uses a mirror, we’ll be invisible until I break the spell.”

  With all the details ironed out, I called Nate’s to check in on Remy. She was out with Leah and Sarah, and Nate sounded sleepy, so I didn’t stay on the phone long. I thought about calling Pony, too, but decided I was just stalling and went to meet Josiah at the car.

  He stood outside it, smoking, while his chauffeur, Mike, read a tabloid. Neither said anything to me when I came out and locked the door behind me. They just got into the car. Josiah took the front, so I slid into the back, but only after double-checking that Josiah had Milly put up.

  The ride across town was tense and left me lost in my own thoughts. The last few days had been some of the hardest since I got out of prison, maybe ever. It was all about to be over one way or another, and that by itself was hard to believe. Reviewing everything I’d gone through to get that far, it all seemed impossible. If I ever sat down to tell anyone my story, they’d laugh and call me crazy.

  Emma won’t. I closed my eyes and imagined the skeptical smile she’d wear, but she’d never laugh at me. Even if she did, it’d be worth it just to hear her laugh. I didn’t realize just how much I’d miss her until she was gone.

  Mike pulled up alongside the public entrance to the park and turned around. “Good luck,” he said in a gruff voice.

  I blinked. It was the first time I had ever heard him speak, and somehow, the voice didn’t match the image. “Thanks.”

  Josiah opened the opposite door to collect his bag, and I got out mine.

  People who came out to Jackson Park mid-morning could be divided into just a few categories. You had your joggers, the young, fit twenty-somethings in sweats. As long as they kept their earbuds in, we didn’t have to worry about them. They wouldn’t stop for a body if they found one, despite what most crime dramas on TV would have you believe. Joggers lived in their own world.

  Then there were the tourists, always snapping pictures and gawking at everything like it was a novelty. While tourist money kept the city alive, they were a pain in the ass when it came to doing magic in public. Tourists always had a cell phone handy, and cell phones anymore were always connected. I didn’t want Josiah’s spell to go viral, so I’d had to come up with a plan, and that plan involved a couple of cheap plastic yard signs and a headset. I put the headset on and dropped the yard signs at strategic locations after writing on them: NO CELL PHONES. RECORDING IN PROGRESS.

  It worked well enough until we got to the statue and found a couple had commandeered the place for their wedding photos. I’d seen people arranging photos in front of the cathedral before, or with the carriages in the background, but in front of the Jackson statue? That was unusual. Guess they were big history buffs.

  Luckily, I had Loki’s card. I pulled it out of my pocket while Josiah walked around the monument to get started. He drew the attention of the photographer who chased after him, telling him to get out of the shots. Not that Josiah cared. Hey, as long as he kept them busy a moment.

  I pulled out the lighter I’d bummed earlier from Josiah and struck it. Here goes nothing. “Loki, Loki, Loki,” I said and put the flame to the card. It blazed to life so fast I had to drop it to keep from burning my fingers.

  “Lovely day for a rescue, isn’t it?” Loki said from behind me.

  I turned around and almost bumped right into a Valkyrie. She squinted, shifted her spear, and stared down her nose at me until I stepped back.

  Loki stood behind her in his dark suit. He’d shaved off his beard and trimmed his hair, which made him look ten years younger and more like he belonged on a fashion runway instead of an episode of Vikings.

  The god flashed me a smile and strolled forward. “So, this is it? The last door? A bit more public than I expected.” Loki’s eyes focused on the shouting match going on behind me.

  The groom had gotten in Josiah’s face for ruining the shoot. To Josiah’s credit, he hadn’t hit the guy. Yet. But I could see it was coming if someone didn’t step in.

  I pointed with a thumb. “Yeah, you think you could do something about all this? Maybe smooth talk them into moving their photoshoot or something?”

  “I could,” he said, adjusting his suit jacket, “but I’m not sure why I should.”

  “Because people are going to call the cops if this escalates, and I’m not the one with a dead body in my possession.” I gestured to the Valkyries behind him holding a litter covered by a sheet of fabric. It looked like they’d put a solid lid of some sort over the body and tossed the sheet on top, so it didn’t look body-shaped, but if the police showed up, they’d get a surprise if they lifted that up.

  Loki rolled his eyes and waved a hand. “Very well. I’ll help you clear the park.”

  He strolled forward casually and put a hand on the groom’s shoulder. Loki exchanged a few short words with him, and the guy thought better of taking the swing he’d been working up to. A few seconds later, the groom and cameraman visibly relaxed. They collected the confused bride and their equipment before leaving the square in a daze.

  The god gestured to his Valkyries, who filed out of line to spread around the center of the park, blocking entry. The two that held the liter advanced and placed it down gently on the concrete in front of the statue before stepping back.

  Part of me didn’t want to look. I still remembered holding Emma’s broken body in the arena apartments, feeling the warmth fading from her with every passing second. She wasn’t there. All that was left on Earth now was a shell, but that shell was the visual representation of the woman I knew. Her life was written on that shell.

  Yet if I didn’t look, I couldn’t verify that Loki had kept his word. I had to know. I had to see her.

  So, I swallowed the unease blossoming in my throat and let it sink into me like a brick. The feeling sprouted, growing into vines that invaded my veins and made me numb. Unsteady hands reached out, touched the veil covering her coffin and felt the cool press of glass beneath. With a shaky breath, I pushed the sheet aside.

  She slept inside on a soft bed, like a version of Snow White. Someone had stripped off her bloody clothes and put her in a loose-fitting white gown. All her injuries had been healed, leaving behind only faint scars.

  Loki stopped behind me. “Finding a healer skilled enough to work with her was a challenge, but I think you’ll find I’ve delivered everything I’ve promised.”

  I pressed my hands to the glass, watching the surface cloud under the warmth of my fingers. “I know what you’re doing, Loki.”

  “Oh, I very much doubt that.”

  I turned around to find him smiling at me. “I’m not going to let you get away with it. You think bribing me with all this help is going to keep me distracted and out of your way. Well, it didn’t work for Morningstar, and it’s not going to work fo
r you.”

  Loki’s smile widened. “Is that what you think?”

  I pushed away from Emma and stood in front of him, arms crossed. “I’m done being jerked around, Loki.”

  He met my eyes and tried to stare me down with a smile. I didn’t budge until he looked away.

  “That reminds me. You should meet your savior.” He turned his head to call over his shoulder. “Ms. Ryder? If you would be so kind?”

  Ryder? He couldn’t mean…

  Beth stepped out from behind some shrubs, hands folded in front of her, her face a mask.

  “But how did you… I called, and she hung up on me.”

  Beth pressed her lips together and said nothing as Loki put his arm around her.

  “She was reluctant at first, weren’t you, dear?” Loki patted her head. “But we came to an agreement. Everyone wants something, and when you want something, you have a weakness. Weaknesses can be exploited.”

  “Leave her alone.”

  It was one thing for Loki to jerk me around and another for him to go after the people only slightly connected to me. Beth had walked away because she wanted out of the supernatural world. She’d nearly given up magic altogether before I pulled her back into things, and it had been nothing but trouble for her ever since. I understood why she didn’t want to be part of what was happening, and I respected that, but Loki…Loki had crossed a line, bringing her into this, even if it had been to help me. When she refused, that should’ve been the end of it.

  “I’d love to,” said Loki, stepping away. “Unfortunately, new Horsemen often find themselves in need of strict guidance. The power of Famine can be especially difficult at first. It’s the hunger pains. They drive some people crazy.”

  A cold chill ran through me. Did he just say what I think he did?

  Loki had fixed the tournament so the power to name Famine would fall to him, though last time I’d seen him, he’d declined to state who he intended to name. I thought it would be one of his Valkyries.