by K. F. Breene
Silence descended, into which John said, “He’s rubbing his chin. Looks indecisive. I’d get ready to yank out his spirit, because it could go either way at this point.”
I held my breath. I’d trespassed and forced myself on a stranger who was just trying to protect his home. For that, I might need to rip out his soul to save myself and my friends. I was pretty sure I was the bad guy in this scenario—I’d started it.
The sweat on my brow turned chill, and a deep, thick silence filled Death Alley as we awaited the giant’s decision. I felt the Line pulsing power through my blood, preparing me to grab his soul at a moment’s notice. If this went tits up, it would come down to who was faster working with their magic. Could he pull the mountain down on top of us before I gained control of him?
The seconds ticked by. Minutes followed. Thane rolled his neck and then his big shoulders. He was preparing to change. He suspected this wouldn’t go our way.
Donovan, too, had braced himself, his eyes tight.
The pressure pressed down on me. Fear compelled me to talk.
“What kind of a life is this?” I asked, feeling the question in every fiber of my being. “It’s a beautiful view, but if you don’t have anyone to share it with, what’s the point? Would she want you to be living like this?”
“What did you say?” His voice was low and rough. Rocks wiggled in their spots. I’d struck a nerve. A very dangerous, possibly explosive nerve.
“He just stood up, and he’s pissed,” John yelled. “Watch yourself.”
The words tumbled out a lot faster now, my pulse racing. “You lost the love of your life. I can’t even begin to know what that would be like. But if someone took me from Kieran—which might happen, let’s be honest—I wouldn’t want him to hide away. I wouldn’t be able to stand it. I’d want him to kill the miserable sonuvabitch who killed me, that’s a given, but after that, I’d want him to live his life. I’d want him to be happy. Seeing you like this would probably kill her.”
A huge rock on the highest shelf rolled toward the edge, poised to shoot down and scatter all the rocks beneath it. If that thing let loose, all of us would go tumbling over the edge like bowling pins by the time I had his soul. He’d die, but so would we.
“I can ask her,” I said quickly, stepping forward into the sunlight. “I can call her to you and ask her.”
“What, and put her in one of those rotting corpses?” His voice boomed around us again, pinging off the walls. Fracturing. Coming together. Blasting me.
It had a physical force that made me step back.
“You are currently standing,” I yelled above the thunder rolling beneath my feet. “You have a homey little setup in there and a pile of bones deep inside, which is definitely the first sign of madness.”
“His fists are clenched,” John supplied.
“Your fists are clenched,” I repeated. “One of my spirit associates is in there with you right now. Has been for a while. Hold up two fingers, if you want.”
“It’s just one, and you can probably guess which one,” John said.
“Well, that’s not very nice. I can call her. Ask her whatever you want, and I’ll act as the go-between.”
“You’ll feed me lies.”
“Most people probably would, that’s true. But I have had this magic all my life, even if I didn’t always understand it. I’m used to doing this, to being a go-between. I can summon her. You’ll see for yourself. And if you don’t believe what I have to say, well then…we’re no better off than when we started.”
A great swell of fear and anger ripped through my middle. Kieran’s emotions drowned me, changing so fast that I couldn’t keep up—shock, surprise, love, rage, worry, rage—around and around they went, speeding up my heart.
“But we need to do this now,” I said, stepping forward again. “Kieran has just realized where I am, and he is not happy. We’re going to have a rage-filled Demigod on our hands in an hour or so.”
“He’s walking out,” John said.
I repeated his warning, and everyone behind me stepped forward, Thane and Donovan at my shoulders.
A man emerged, probably about six feet six, with broad shoulders, thick arms, and fists still balled at his sides. The sun shone on his shiny bald head, naturally tanned. His pecs pushed at his tattered and stained shirt, and his ripped and torn jeans were too desecrated to be stylish.
“I thought you’d be taller,” I blurted, then scrunched up my face and wished I could pull that comment back in. “Sorry. I just meant…everyone called you a giant. I was thinking…you know…” I lifted my hand, indicating someone incredibly enormous. “You’re just the usual tall, you know? Not giant.”
“Stop babbling,” Thane whispered. “You are on a very thin line. Watch your words.”
That was easy for him to say—he didn’t get nervous babbles.
“This Demigod you speak of…he doesn’t know you’re here?” the man asked.
“No. We figured you’d probably seen enough Demigods for a while. We didn’t want to show up with him and immediately sully the waters.”
“So you show up and grab the middle of my…” He brushed at his chest.
“Yes, well…desperate times, as they say.”
“You’re part of his first ring?” The man flexed, his cut muscles showing through the tears in his clothes.
“Is that like an inner circle?” I asked the area at large.
“Yes,” Donovan murmured.
“Oh. Well, the guys are.” I hooked a thumb at each of them. “I have a blood link with Kieran but didn’t do an oath. He offered me the link so I could be stronger, that’s all. A love token, kinda. Like the mark. Anyway, one of the spirits here is a past member of the inner circle who died in battle and now helps out in spirit form. The girls are just his employees. Oh, and the other spirits are kinda…along for the ride. They want to help.”
The man stared at me for a moment, silence stretching between us. I couldn’t read his flat expression.
“Are you thinking of her?” I asked. “If you are, then she hasn’t come. She might be across the Line, in which case I’ll need a memento of hers to call her back.”
“You are either an incredibly good actress, or wholly unprepared for the magical world,” he said.
“I…” I furrowed my brow, feeling like I was missing something. “Be that as it may, ahm…” I brushed the hair out of my face. “I can call her if you have something of hers.”
“I do.” The man turned, but before he could reach the dark area in the mountain, a petite figure in a limp, pale purple dress glided toward me, her expression filled with sorrow.
“I think she’s here,” I said, watching her flit around the rocks and fall in at his side.
He stopped and turned, not looking around for her spirit, as many would have. He was looking for the truth or lie in my face.
“Spirits are able to change their appearance,” I cautioned him, watching her stare up at his face with longing. “They often choose younger, better versions of themselves.” I described her appearance, including the nail polish that perfectly matched the sundress, which seemed dissonant on this cold mountaintop.
“Try again,” he barked.
“Well…I can’t, because that’s what she’s wearing. Hey, lady there. Chad, do me a favor and get her attention, would ya?”
Chad moved from his rock and waved his hand in front of her face. She blinked a few times before she finally glanced around her, seeing everyone as though for the first time.
“She’s been across the Line,” I said, stepping forward again to see her better. “That’s the look of someone at rest.” I narrowed my eyes at the man. “Bria, have you ever heard of a regular person capable of pulling someone from across the Line?”
“Yes. It’s very rare, but if the connection is strong enough, usually intense love, it can be done, usually by accident.”
The man continued to stare at me, but I could see the question in his eyes.
/> “First we’ll make sure that is her, and then we’ll talk about the situation at hand, yes?” I waved at the woman, attracting her gaze to me. “I can see you.”
She looked back, as if convinced I had to be talking to someone else. John nodded and pointed my way. “She can see us.”
“You can see me?” she asked, taking a longing step toward me. I grimaced.
“What?” the man asked, clearly unable to help himself.
“Oh, nothing,” I answered. “Don’t watch my expressions. I have a lot of bad habits. Usually when spirits realize I can see them, they are all over me. Then I feel obligated to help, and it’s a whole big thing. Anyway, lady, do you know this man?”
“You can hear me?” she asked.
“Yes, I can hear you. Do you know this man?”
“Of course I know him. Jerry Twindlebaumb. We were set to be married when…” Her face screwed up into a look of rage.
“Jerry Twindlebaumb?” I asked incredulously. “What kind of a giant’s name is Jerry Twindlebaumb?”
Donovan elbowed me.
“Sorry,” I said at the man’s glower.
“Anyone could find out my name and what she was wearing when she died,” he growled. “You’re not even good at the ruse, and now you will see what it is like to fly.”
The rumble deep beneath my feet was terrifying. His mask of cold rage was infinitely worse.
“Wait. Wait, my knight.” The woman stepped in front of Jerry, her hand out. “We must not haste today, for we’ll have nothing to occupy us tomorrow.”
Thane ripped off his shirt, his body enlarging, his breathing speeding up, his muscles popping out like on some exaggerated bodybuilder.
“Go,” he said, stepping forward to shield me. “Run. Now! I’ll keep him busy.”
“You’ll never get off this mountain,” I yelled as the lower rocks rolled free from their shelves.
Donovan flung up his hands, lifting the rocks into the air and shoving them toward the giant.
“At least Jack will have a friend to talk to besides you,” Thane said.
The rocks stopped in midair, hovering just before the giant as Jerry and Donovan waged a silent battle.
Bria ducked around me, then Thane, and flung a knife. It dug into Jerry’s shoulder. He didn’t even take a step back. If he felt it, it didn’t show through his emotionless mask.
Above the increasing roar of the mountain, and the thick grunting of Thane, I could hear the woman’s voice. Begging. Pleading.
“She says that you are so infinitely powerful, Jerry. She called you my love. But she urges you to take some time for reflection. For cool tranquility.” I readied my magic to grab his soul but lost focus when Red yanked me back, trying to get me moving.
“If I don’t talk him around, we all die,” I yelled, punching her in the spirit box to make her let go. “His woman is trying to get through to him. Keep the faith!” Red released her hand. “Jerry, earlier she told you to wait,” I yelled, trying to be heard above the noise. “She called you her knight. She said that we shouldn’t haste today because we’ll have nothing to occupy us tomorrow. Please, give me a chance. Let me ask her something—”
The rumble under my feet quieted. Jerry could turn his magic on and off at the drop of a hat.
Thane couldn’t.
A growl sliced through my body. Little spiders of fear skittered across my skin. The Berserker was coming, and his sole purpose had always been to destroy everything in his path, friends be damned.
“I’ll give you a chance,” Jerry said, but I was backing away.
His height now double mine, his body as wide as Death Alley, his muscles so enormous they were grotesque, Thane finished transitioning into his other form.
“A little late, Jerry.” Bria said his name like an accusation. “Thane is about to rip through your whole world.” She darted behind me. Donovan backed up, knowing that Thane in close quarters was no match for even him.
The rocks sailed back toward their respective shelves, Jerry’s peace offering. If only it hadn’t come too late. Thane reached up and slapped one at Jerry, sending him hurtling backward. The rocks that hadn’t yet made it back to the shelves fell, knocking into the sloping walls and starting to roll.
“Get out, get out, get out,” Donovan shouted, stepping in front of me.
Thane grabbed a rock in an enormous hand, palming it like a basketball. He threw it at the mouth of Death Alley with such force that it slammed into the top of the tunnel and made a large crater. Cracks spiderwebbed out. The rock exploded on impact.
“Damn it, Thane, calm down. He wants to talk,” I yelled, grabbing Thane’s spirit box.
Rocks fell into the canal, as Donovan had called it, bouncing as they hit the ground. Some hit off the others, propelling them in Thane’s direction.
He roared, the sound pinging within Death Alley, growing as it did so. The might of it slammed into me, nearly buckling my knees in fear. He kicked a rock, sending it careening at Jerry. He kicked another, sending it sailing into the side of the mountain, absolutely no aim. Others hit him, doing no damage.
“Fight back, Jerry, just don’t kill us all,” I yelled, clamping down harder on Thane’s spirit box.
“You brought a Berserker up here?” Jerry asked in disbelief over the din, his booming voice seeming small in comparison.
A magical red whip elongated from Thane’s hand.
“Get back. Everyone get back!” I pushed Donovan behind me as I backed up. The others filed out onto the ledge.
“Lost another cadaver,” Donovan said.
I ignored him. Animated cadavers wouldn’t do a damn thing against Thane.
“Calm down, Thane,” I yelled as he picked up a rock and smashed it against another.
“Should I loose the rest of the rocks?” Jerry yelled.
“No. I can handle this.” I ripped into Thane’s chest as he picked up another rock. This time he did aim, although luckily not at me. “Incoming, Jerry!”
Thane threw it with such speed that Jerry could barely catch it with his magic. The rock stopped inches from his face, and even from a distance, I could see his eyes grow as big as saucers. Thane roared again and turned, his whip cracking out, his manic, red-eyed stare fixed on me.
“Donovan,” I yelled, stabbing into Thane’s chest with my magic, ripping and tearing, trying to bring him to heal. “Keep that whip off me.”
I pushed forward so Donovan could step in. The magical whip buzzed as it flew out, cracking right by my head.
“Keep it off me!” I screamed.
Terror eating me alive, I reached into Thane’s chest and grabbed one of the prongs that docked his soul in place. With effort, I applied spirit and then power before crumbling it into dust.
The roar that shook my bones held equal parts pain and fear, an animal giving in to basic, primal injuries. I struck harder now. Faster.
His whip slashed out.
I didn’t react, trusting Donovan to protect me, knowing that if I relented in my attack, I’d have to start all over, seconds and minutes I didn’t have.
The whip stopped inches from my face. Donovan grunted behind me with the strain of holding it back.
Thane took a grudging step forward, against my battering him from the inside.
“Kill him,” Jerry yelled. A rock the size of a sink slammed into Thane’s back. Thane didn’t turn around, clearly recognizing I was the real threat.
“I will not kill him.” I reached in and crumbled another prong. If I destroyed any more of them, his soul might come loose during his transformation back into his normal form. “He will come back from this. Come on, Thane. Fight your way back to the surface. Regain control.”
The whip cracked out. The tip sliced my arm before Donovan could push it away. I gritted my teeth against the pain, still working.
Bria darted in around me. The whip cracked again, but she dodged it, lithe and graceful. She slid under Thane’s leg, popped up, and stabbed down.
&
nbsp; “Metal doesn’t pierce this form,” I said, having learned that from our first encounter.
“It isn’t metal; it’s a slab of rock with a wicked point.” Bria ducked a swing aimed at her head, Thane turning around clumsily in the small (for him) space. She crawled through his legs, barely dodging a kick, and used both hands to stab his humungous calf.
I wasted no time, knowing she was doing this solely as a distraction. Doubling down on my efforts, I applied pressure on another prong while repeatedly slicing through his soul box with as much power as I could muster. Over and over I kept at it, ignoring Thane’s tortured roars and the flying rocks, propelled not by Donovan or Jerry, who was huddled in the corner, but by the Berserker himself. He was smashing and slamming and kicking anything within reach. One sped toward my chest, big enough and fast enough to crush my ribs. Donovan grunted and the rock stopped, inches from me. I couldn’t help but flinch.
“Hurry, Lexi,” Donovan said, his voice pained. “I’m running out of steam.”
5
Alexis
By the time Thane dropped down to a knee, sweat was pouring off me, my limbs trembling from the effort. He shook his mangy head and groaned as his form reduced, slowly at first and then all at once. He lay down in human form, dirty from smashed rock dust, bloody from stab wounds and boulder battering, and clearly spent.
“Why couldn’t you have just chatted like a normal guy, Jerry?” Thane said, using Bria’s accusatory tone from earlier, looking up at the sky. His chest heaved.
“Yeah, Jerry, why do you always have to make things difficult?” Donovan added, leaning his forearm against the cracked wall in the small tunnel. “I’m going to be really put out if, after all this, we still die on this godforsaken mountain.”
I made my way through the rocks, catching a glimpse of all the spirits sitting with Harding up on the first shelf. The woman in the purple dress sat next to him, and they were holding hands, but I doubted Jerry would want to know about that.
“Show’s over, Jerry,” I said as he straightened slowly with wide eyes. “Time to chat. Do you have water or anything? I’m parched.”
