by Hanna Peach
“Bitch,” Phoenix hissed as blood oozed from her shoulder.
“You started it.”
They continued to struggle with each other through the air, their weapons frozen between them in a tense impasse.
Alyx chanced a glance forward. Up ahead was a section of cliff that had been separated from the mainland. A tower of rock rising up from the ocean. At the base of this rock, Alyx could see an arch appearing and disappearing as the waves rose up to kiss the roof of the arch. The second marker hung from under the top of the arch.
Alyx and Phoenix hurtled low towards it. They hit the water as it rose up to consume them. The knock of the waves jolted them slightly apart. Alyx managed to get a knee between them. She kicked out at Phoenix just before they went through the arch. A flurry of bubbles left Phoenix’s mouth as she broke away from Alyx. Then she hit against the rock above as Alyx went through the arch, grabbing the marker as she went. Phoenix didn’t follow her.
Alyx broke through the waves to the air on the other side. She wiped the water from her face just in time to see Pegasus dive into the water near the base of the cliffs up ahead. An arrow pointing down, drawn in purple chalk on the cliff, told her why. The third marker was underwater. Alyx dove into the water where Pegasus had disappeared.
Once she got under the first few meters of swirling, messy, frothy waves, the ocean became calmer, although a fast-moving current swept along the cliff face. Alyx could see Pegasus disappearing into a dark abyss, an underwater cave. Alyx frowned. No biggie. Just like the underwater maze in Michaelea, she reassured herself. Regardless, she unsheathed her sword. With her steel providing the extra courage she needed, Alyx swam in after Pegasus.
The cave would have been inky black after only a few meters if not for the globes marking the walls, a ghostly light emanating from around each one.
Alyx could see that the tunnel came to an end up ahead. Pegasus was feeling around the crags of the wall. There didn’t seem to be any markers that Alyx could see. Pegasus spun around, slashing out with his long blade. It nicked at Alyx as he waved it in an obvious command for her to back off. A wisp of blood colored the water before Alyx’s body sealed up the cut.
Alyx kicked back, raising her hand up, trying to calm the situation. She glanced around looking desperately for the third marker. If she could get it out without having to fight again, she would.
A dark movement below caught her eye. A shark was emerging up out of a large hole below them that she hadn’t noticed until now. It had been so dark down there she had just assumed there was nothing but a deep crease in the rocks.
As the shark moved out of the darkness, Alyx gulped at how huge this thing was. About twice the length of her body with a thick, powerful tail that was propelling it and all of its jagged teeth towards her.
Relax Alyx, she told herself as her heartbeat started to increase. Sharks don’t attack unless provoked, right?
Tell the shark that.
Alyx thrust her blade at the shark before it could clamp its teeth around her. The shark flinched in the water and swam aside. Alyx caught a glimpse of silver around the shark’s fins. A ring? Was that an Animale bracelet?
Alyx was able to get a better look as the shark turned and prepared to come at her again from another angle. It was an Animale bracelet. This shark must have been ordered to attack them as part of the course. Goodie.
The shark made a second attack at her. She slapped her blade at it, blunt-side out, managing to hit the shark on its nose before it turned away.
The shark, appearing to decide that Alyx was just too difficult to deal with, turned to Pegasus, who had pressed himself along the roof of the cavern and was frantically pulling himself along towards the cave’s exit. With a beat of its powerful tail, the shark was speeding towards the unsuspecting seraph. With his attention forward, Pegasus wouldn’t see the shark coming.
As the shark sailed over her, Alyx could see a purple X marking his pale belly. Seriously? The third marker was in there?
The shark was almost at Pegasus’s feet. Alyx drew upon the hidden WaterBearer bloodink at her ribs and shot a burst of Water from her palms, aiming backwards and rocketing her towards the shark.
At that moment, Pegasus turned his head. His mouth and eyes rounded in horror when he saw the approaching shark. He curled up his legs in a fetal position as the shark’s mouth began to snap at him. He wasn’t even going to fight?
Alyx slammed into the shark, knocking it out of Pegasus’s way, clinging onto it with both legs wrapping around where its tail and belly met. The shark began to snap at her. But he couldn’t get his mouth on her.
Alyx pulled back her dagger, aiming for where she thought the heart would be. Using a little of the Animale bloodink, she spoke. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this but...”
She heard the shark moan as if in pain. His wiggling became less intense. Belly. Ache. Eat bad fish.
Poor shark. He was just a pawn in this stupid race.
Alyx had an idea. “I can help. Hold still.”
Want to hold still. Can’t. Must. Attack. Must...
The Animale bracelet. She had to get it off. Alyx grabbed for the shark’s fin as he continued to thrash.
“I’m sorry. This is might hurt a little.”
Grabbing the silver ring, she cut a small slit in his fin so she could slip the ring out. The instant the ring was clear of his fin, the shark stopped snapping at Alyx.
The shark moaned again and rolled over as if it were a dog looking for a belly rub. Alyx pressed along the stomach, but she couldn’t feel anything out of place. Then again, what did she know about shark anatomy?
Alyx swam up to the mouth of the shark. It moaned and seemed to plead with his beady black eyes. Alyx felt her heart melt. Poor misunderstood creature. And the RaceKeeper wanted them to rip into its body – for what? A race? Alyx felt a sliver of disgust and threw the ring out into the water. For a moment, Alyx watched it sink into the gloom below.
Turning back to the shark she spoke, “I want you to open your mouth. I’m going to stick my hand in and try to pull out the bad fish, okay?”
Yes. Please. Get bad fish out.
“But you have to promise not to bite my arm off.”
Promise.
The shark’s mouth yawned open in front of her like a cavern edged in teeth that were as long as Alyx’s fingers. Holy hell. She could fit her whole frickin’ torso in there. Alyx bit her lip. Jesus, was that flesh stuck between two of his teeth? Was she goddamned crazy? The shark made a noise like a whimper.
“Okay. I’m going in.”
Slowly Alyx slipped her left hand into the shark’s mouth. Her fingers reached the flesh at the back of the mouth.
“Okay, going down the throat now. This may be uncomfortable.”
She felt her whole hand encased in warm, soft flesh as she pushed her arm in as far as it would stretch. But she still couldn’t feel the markers. She would have to go in deeper.
Alyx said a silent prayer and tucked her head in past the row of teeth as she pushed her arm in further.
There. At the ends of her fingers, she felt the wisp of what felt like fabric.
“Almost there.”
She stretched as far as she could and...she had them. Alyx pinched the markers tightly and slowly extracted herself from within the shark. The shark let out a contented type of groan and rubbed its head against Alyx’s side in gratitude.
Alyx tucked one of the markers into her belt then looked around. Pegasus was nowhere to be seen in the gloom of the tunnel. She squinted in the dark. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t out there somewhere. She let the other marker go and it began to drift to the cave floor.
Seeing the shark may do wonders in deterring Pegasus from a sneak attack, at least while they were in the water.
“Will you swim out with me to the water’s surface?”
Anything. The shark nudged Alyx with its side. Hold onto me.
Alyx grabbed onto his fin, and the shark pushed
powerfully through the water. They passed through the gloom of the cave into the deeper water. Alyx kept an eye out for Pegasus, but she couldn’t see him.
At the surface, the shark gave Alyx another soft nudge with his head, then turned and swam away.
Alyx pulled her body out of the water, out into the cool night air and began to fly along the cliffs again. One more marker to go.
Alyx kept one eye out for Pegasus as she flew along the cliffs, the other eye open for the last markers. The cliffs began to jut out from the land in a spit, light flashing from a tall white lighthouse at the end, circling its long white arm out to sea.
Wait. Alyx squinted. Something looked odd about the light that was being thrown out to the ocean. She waited for the light to flash around again. There. There was a rectangular gap in the light, a break, something hanging in the way.
The last markers. Alyx grinned and put on a burst of speed.
Alyx reached the lighthouse, a white pillar standing alone on this spit. She hung just under the level of the light’s rotation and made sure she didn’t look directly at the light when it came around. When it was clear, she looked up to the glass surrounding the top. There it was. A single purple flag. The last marker. She would have to time her fly up the final part of the lighthouse to avoid getting blinded.
Ready and go. Just as Alyx grabbed the last marker she realized something. A single purple marker. Pegasus must have taken the other marker. But he would need the third marker to finish. Her marker.
Alyx threw herself sideways into the air from the lighthouse just as a dark figure launched itself off the point. Alyx twisted so that her back was to the light coming around and unsheathed a dagger.
Pegasus missed her. He caught himself in the air and flew up to attack her again. In the distance, the light shining out to the sea showed two desperate shadows performing their bladed dance.
Still twisting in the air, Alyx turned her head to see where Pegasus had gone. She had to snap her head back to avoid the oncoming light. This gave Pegasus the chance he needed. Alyx felt a sharp pain in her ribs and a rough hand grabbing at her belt. She kicked back, managing to dislodge Pegasus from her side before he could touch her marker. She flew up out of the light and landed on top of the lighthouse.
Pegasus spun in the air. Finding her above him, he launched himself at her again. Alyx ducked at the last minute. Grabbing him by his shirt, she used his momentum to throw him over her and tip him headfirst down to the other side of the lighthouse just as the light swept around. He screamed. Alyx let go of him.
“My eyes!” Pegasus hovered in the air, hands to his face. “I’m blind! I’ll get you, you unsanctioned little...” He launched into a tirade of curse words.
Alyx took off from the lighthouse saying nothing back, ignoring the rush of anger that those words brought up in her. Alyx thought back to Symon, the seraph who raised her and trained her. Any fool can start a fight. It takes real courage to walk away from one.
“Here’s me walking away, Symon,” she said to the wind as she flew back along the cliffs.
Her best “revenge” would be to win. She would cross the finish line before Pegasus’s eyes had a chance to recover.
* * *
Alyx threw her pouch of winnings at the RaceKeeper’s feet. “Start talking.”
The RaceKeeper made no move towards the pouch. “There are four great stones left that the Darkened have not already acquired,” the RaceKeeper began. “Each of them has been removed from where they originally fell, collected by the mortals. Although I highly doubt they realize the significance of the Black Stone, these mortals seem to be drawn to it.”
“So where are these last four now?”
“The first stone fell in the year 600. This Black Stone was set into the foundations of the Kaaba by Muhammad himself. The Kaaba is a cube that sits at the center of the Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām or The Sacred Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The mortals worship it with millions of pilgrims visiting it every year.”
An Islamic mosque in Mecca.
The RaceKeeper continued, “There is a Black Stone meteor that fell over five hundred years ago in Peru, South America. It was worshiped by the Incas until the Spanish invaded and took it for themselves. It now stands in the Basilica Cathedral in Lima as the main crucifix at the altar.”
A cathedral in Lima.
“There was also a large piece of Black Stone that fell near Florence, Italy in the late 1400s. Have you heard of the mortal artist Michelangelo?”
“The artist who sculpted the marble statue of David?”
“The very one. He also did a lesser-known piece called the Three Archangels depicting Raphael, Michael and Gabriel. Not a very good likeness of any of them, may I add. That piece is made from Black Stone.”
“Where is it now?”
“In the Galleria dell’ Belle Arti in Florence, Italy.”
An art museum in Florence.
“And the last one?”
There was a pause; Alyx’s stomach began to fill with anxiety.
“The last one is the most secure. The most guarded of the four. I would not go after it if I were you.”
How could you get any more guarded than an art museum? “Where is it?”
The RaceKeeper sighed. “No. I didn’t think you’d listen to my warning. I have heard whispers that the largest piece of Black Stone to return to Earth sits somewhere in a monastery in the Hengduan Mountains of the Sichuan Province in China. That is all I know about that.”
A monastery in China. And that made four.
“Alyx,” the RaceKeeper called out as she turned to leave, “the monks are not to be trifled with.”
Chapter 22
The blond waif of a Darkened appeared at the door where Passar was waiting. Adere, her name was. She seemed to be a favorite of Samyara’s. She always seemed to be with him.
“The master will see you now,” she said.
Passar stepped through the door that she held open, taking care not to touch her flesh made green to his eyes by the scaly skin underneath.
Pretty girl. Too bad about the demon. Gotta cut out that demon. The voice in his head hissed at him. The voice that had been whispering since he allowed Adere to mark him with bloodink. Not that he had a choice.
The skin on Adere’s face began to split along the cheek and jaw as if an invisible knife was cutting her. Passar swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, her face was back to normal. Well, as normal as a girl looked with a demon face showing from underneath. It had just been another hallucination.
This bloodink that cursed his skin, wherever the demons had acquired it, was not distilled. The hallucinations were proof. He didn’t want to think about where or how they had acquired the blood. He had heard whispers of a black market for bloodink out here. His heart dropped. What had happened to the Seraphim whose blood he wore? No. He couldn’t think about it. He had made his decisions. He couldn’t go back.
Passar took two steps into the room. Adere brushed past him as she made her way back to where Samyara was reclined across a chaise. Passar flinched and Adere gave him a wink over her shoulder. She lowered herself onto a cushion by Samyara’s feet.
Passar could feel Samyara staring at him, studying him. It was irritating, like sand in his eyes. Samyara’s eyebrow flicked up in what appeared to be amusement.
“I like what you’ve done with your face,” Samyara sneered at him. Passar felt his neck flush. “Learn anything useful this time?”
Passar nodded. “Alyx just raced for The RaceKeeper under her old racing name, Bullet. She took on two competitors in a last minute race-change. It was highly unusual. She beat them, of course. Then she entered the RaceKeeper’s tent, stayed there for a while and left without her winnings.”
Samyara spun so that his legs flicked off the settee and landed on the floor. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees. “Really?”
“She must have arrived not long after you left. What a pity...if only you h
ad stayed another ten minutes...” Passar couldn’t help this little bit of goading. He was tied to this demon, but he didn’t have to like it.
“What was she doing there, I wonder? Did you think to find out?” Samyara narrowed his eyes at Passar as if daring him to return without finding out.
Passar nodded. “I visited the RaceKeeper after Alyx left.”
“And? Did he tell you what she was after?”
“We both know that the RaceKeeper’s only loyalty is to currency. I paid him enough and he talked.” Passar couldn’t help a curl of disgust to sour his expression. The RaceKeeper would sell his own child if the money was right. “Alyx was asking about Black Stone. She seemed to know that you had been there asking about it, and she wanted to know exactly what the RaceKeeper had told you.”
“Interesting.” Samyara tilted sideways to lean against the arm of the chaise. “So we know about the last four stones...and they know that we know. But they don’t know that we know that they know.”
“What do we do now?” Adere said, her eyes widening and focusing up at Samyara like a small child would at a parent.
“Excellent question, my dear,” said Samyara. He lifted his eyes up to Passar. Passar looked away and stared vacantly at the walnut side table at Samyara’s arm. “What do we do now?”
Passar’s gaze jolted back onto Samyara’s face. “You’re asking me?”
“You know the Guardian best. What would she do with the information she has acquired?”
Passar shifted. He felt the blood rising to his head. Somehow exposing Alyx’s character to Samyara seemed like a real betrayal to him. As if, despite what he had done, he hadn’t quite crossed the line...yet.
Samyara stared at him, expectant. “Well?”
“Well...” No turning back, remember? “She would act on it. She wouldn’t wait for you to make the first move. She would probably try to preempt it. She would try to steal the stones before you could.”
