Resonance

by T. G. Ayer

  Evie was biting the inside of her lip as the feeling inside her continued to build, power and anxiety ready to explode within her body. And suddenly, the air within the cell began to vibrate, appearing to turn into liquid, as though the ether around her had turned to water.

  Evie kicked hard at the cuffs strapping her ankles to the legs of the ancient chair.

  Was the ward around the estate in danger? or was it the protective field erected around the dungeons to keep the prisoners inside? Even so, why would anyone

  tamper with the wards?

  It had certainly appeared to Evie that she was some sort of patsy, that someone wanted her head on a platter that they were only too happy to serve it. But now, with the air around her thickening and her ears filled with a bubbling rumble she paused for a second to wonder if someone wanted her dead.

  A cool sensation began to burrow into Evies skin and her eyes widened. The sensation of the cold pressure felt like she’d been wrapped in a wet blanket. Her first thought was that she'd just been immersed in a pool of water.

  Oh, holy hell’s bells.

  The air within the stone cell had turned to water? Was that even possible?

  Evie shook her head. Of course it was possible. The Brotherhood were fastidious about ensuring the magical wards protecting the estate were always fully charged. It stood to reason that they would give the spells securing the dungeons equal treatment.

  So, it was possible that wards around the dungeons had been nulled by a powerful enough spell. Then any mage worth his salt could turn the air into water. For what reason, Evie couldn’t yet fathom.

  Now, cool moisture began to seep further and further into Evie's body, making its way through clothing and skin, burrowing deeper into her flesh until it reached bone. And she shuddered. She wasn't feeling cold, in the basic meaning of the word, but rather she sensed the sinister nature of the spell that swirled within her cell.

  And then Evie shook her head. What in God's name was she doing? Calling for help should have been the first thing she thought of. Evie took a deep breath, bringing the power of her angelic blood to boost her vocal cords, and then she screamed, "Help! Guards!"

  And then Evie stiffened, shock dousing her with an even icier reality.

  The scream that left her mouth wasn’t the high-pitched, resonating boom of an angel’s roar. No, her scream was garbled, dampened as though Evie was submerged inside a pool of water.

  No! Evie shook her head, her peripherals catching movement that made her want to gasp. From the corner of her eye she spotted strands of her hair hovering around her, rising from her head as though gravity had disappeared.

  The rest of her garments remained stuck to her skin, her seated position allowing even her leather coat very little room even to flutter as though in a sluggish breeze.

  No wonder she hadn't noticed what had been happening around her. There was nothing else within the cell that would have given her a hint that the air was filled with water.

  No, not filled. The air in the cell had been transformed into water, probably as a means to drown Evie where she sat, tied to the ancient chair.

  Was this the reason she'd been returned to the chair and then belted fast to the arms and legs? So some mage could fill the room with water and drown her before she could defend herself against murdering someone. Whoever they were--she still hadn’t been told.

  Had this been the reason for the gargoyles strange eye-contact? Had he been attempting to warn her? She’d felt no malice in his expression, no anger, no venom, no triumph either. So it made more sense that he’d been trying to tell her to watch her back.

  A lot of help that had been.

  Chapter 4

  Evie scolded herself for being ungrateful. The gargoyle’s intentions had been honorable, if he’d really intended to warn her. She ought to be grateful because at least she’d remained alert and on guard instead of relaxing and figuring things out too late.

  Now, the only thing she had left was to stay on guard, to try and remain alive long enough for the next patrol to come by. Surely someone would notice something soon. Like water flowing out of her cell, maybe?

  Evie studied the room around her, blinking and shaking her head to get the floating strands of hair out of her face.

  How was the water remaining within the cell instead of leaking through the gaps and channels within the stone walls? Then Evie wanted to laugh at herself. What a stupid thought considering she was undoubtedly dealing with a magical spell.

  Evie felt the scream building and wanted so badly to let it loose. And she did.

  Fury ripped through her and she roared as loud as she was able. She wasn't so sure why she'd screamed, but she'd at least been able to vent some of her fury while doing it. Did it have something to do with the energy created by the markings? The heat generated by the movement of the dark slithering shadows had been somewhat dampened by the coldness of the magical water-air, but the searing heat was slowly increasing in power.

  That burgeoning energy ran through her veins at top speed, infusing her blood as it spread throughout her limbs and torso and mind, filling her body in entirety.

  Filled with a new sense of confidence, Evie shifted her gaze and scanned the room. As she moved her head, her nostrils widened, bubbles popping out of her nose and floating above her in a little cluster and kept rising until they hit the stone ceiling.

  Evie stiffened now, shock tightening her chest. She was breathing. She was breathing in water? Like a mermaid or something?

  Things were just getting stranger and stranger.

  Nephilim were well able to survive long periods without oxygen, to her knowledge up to twelve hours. But at some point she’d taken a lungful of the air-water around her. Or had the magic turned the air already in her lungs into water?

  Whatever the case, one big question flashed neon lights at her. How was she still conscious?

  She should have drowned by now, drowning being the natural progression from a lungful of water. She should have fallen unconscious by now.

  Of course, only to awaken later when she’d been removed from the water. The deprivation of oxygen wouldn’t have injured Evie, but the water filling her lungs would have tricked her human physiology into passing out the way humans would after breathing water.

  Whoever had attempted to drown Evie was either too ignorant to know that nephilim can survive most situations where deprivation of sufficient oxygen would kill a human. Or was it that she was underestimating her attackers?

  They may have wanted to incapacitate her, or perhaps to create a situation in which they could abduct her without anyone around them overhearing the theft of the current occupant of the Greylock dungeons.

  Whatever was happening, Evie wasn't about to remain in the cell for too much longer. Whoever wanted her incapacitated would be here for her very soon. And she had no way to defend herself, not when she was bound hand and foot by Angel Bonds.

  Time continued to tick by at a snail’s pace as Evie struggled against her bonds, hoping that perhaps a good soaking in magically rendered water would cancel out the angelic power of the bands.

  But she knew she was wasting her time.

  Given that members of her species were known to lose their marbles every so often, the Masters of the Irin owed it to themselves and the Brotherhood, as well as the other warrior species working alongside the nephilim, to know all methods of controlling all the spawn of the angels. One of which were the Angel Bonds currently wrapped around Evie’s wrists.

  Which meant Evie was going nowhere fast.

  It was said that the splicing of human genes with those of angelic beings wasn't at all a perfect comingling of DNA. Yes, the combination had created nephilim, but gargoyles, who were considered less powerful, more brutish and a few rungs down on the genetic ladder from nephilim, were the second best of the half-breed spawn of angels and humans.

  Which would explain the age-old war.

  And yet the guard had tried to help Evie?
Things were getting stranger and stranger.

  Another stream of bubbles escaped Evie’s nose and she shook her head. As she moved, the water encasing her began to ripple as though an earthquake, or some other seismic event, was sending waves of energy through the block of water, creating invisible currents within the contained cell.

  Water moved fast past Evie's cheek, a current that she hoped meant the end of the strange spell was coming soon. The marks beneath her skin continued to swim along the surface of her forearm, moving faster and faster and at the same time generating a pulsing energy which began to ripple through Evie’s body.

  She couldn't see the movements of the markings as the sleeves of her shirt were pulled all the way down to her wrists where the cuffs now held them in place. Evie had to send up a small prayer of thanks that her captors hadn't stripped her or searched her body for weapons. Was that respect or had someone secretly helped her? The way the gargoyle guard had tried to send her a message?

  Evie pushed away the thoughts and focused on the Marks of Hades which were twisting their way around her forearm, even faster now. Her arms pulsed strangely, as though a low vibration was moving through her body, one which gave her a sense of déjà vu.

  Perhaps because this resonance was similar to the energies Evie had experienced during the Ascension Ceremony she'd received the Markings on her skin, but unfamiliar enough to make her worried.

  And a little afraid.

  Evie sighed and steadied herself. It was probably about time she faced her fears. Just because she was now also King of the Underworld, it didn't mean she was immune to fear.

  Patrick had often counseled her to respect her fear, to listen when fear tapped on her shoulder. Because without fear, one became reckless. The only problem was, her guardian’s advice didn’t fit perfectly into her current situation. Fear wasn’t doing very much for her when it came to coming up with a smart escape plan.

  And sitting in her chair, bound by angelic script and powerful magical spells, vulnerable to any attack, Evie could do nothing to protect herself. Her only choice was to wait until those responsible for the attack of the killer pool of water showed their faces and told her what they wanted.

  Or ended her life.

  Evie swallowed hard as energy pulsed harder through her body. Her skin fairly boiled now, sending the water nearest her body spinning in tiny eddies. She watched them with half her attention while keeping an eye on the door.

  She was looking in the wrong direction, of course.

  In the corner of the cell to the right of the cell door, Evie spotted a blotch of darkness begin to come together. Water swirled in a spiral, shadows grew thicker and darker, and someone began to take shape.

  Evie was able to see who the person was, but a second awareness, something instinctive again, told her that she should recognize this energy. As though the person now appearing in her cell was someone she’d met previously. And that whoever they were, they represented danger.

  Evie stilled her movements, hoping the heated water around her body would not come to the attention of her new visitor. She kept her head facing forward although she was all too aware that someone stood watching her from the corner of the cell.

  Evie kept her breathing low as she paid attention to the writhing shadow, as a memory flickered in her mind, of a visit to Marcellus' office, of a shade, of a dark presence in the Master’s office that Evie knew shouldn't have been there in the first place. Why had she not given it more of her attention?

  Evie gritted her teeth against her self-judgement. A whole lot of craziness had taken place over the last few months. She'd seen the shade in the Marcellus’ office before she'd figured out he was after the Seals of Hades. She’d meant to brief the Brotherhood on the details of Marcellus' betrayal, which would have included the presence of the shade in his office.

  But nothing had gone to plan.

  Now the shadow which had lurked in the darkness within Marcellus’ office, was swirling around inside the liquid air of her cell. And Evie could do nothing but wait to see what its next move would be.

  The energy in her markings had continued to simmer beneath her skin, and Evie's heart began to race despite her effort to control the rapid thudding. She forced herself to take slow breaths and to use part of her awareness to probe the markings, some instinct suggesting maybe they would tell her what was wrong.

  When had the black script embedded within her skin become like pets or children to her? Evie had the weirdest feeling that the markings knew something and that they wanted to tell her. Would direct contact with the markings help convey any information?

  And, right now, Evie didn't want to question how she knew these things. Problem was, she couldn’t even reach her markings in order to touch them. Not unless the black script slid down her hand to the skin of her fingers.

  And the shadow in the corner may see the movement.

  Evie didn't dare reveal the power she possessed. She shouldn't even be Hades, so who knew what the ramifications would be if the wrong people found out what she now was. And this creature definitely fell into the category of ‘wrong people.’

  Barry had been worried enough to warn her to be careful. Julian too had been concerned about what it would mean for Evie to return to the EarthWorld. But she'd had no choice. Her sisters were waiting to be saved from the Control.

  Then, with a sudden speed, the shadow in the corner grew darker and stronger, almost as though fuelled by some urgency, that perhaps he knew the guards would come by soon.

  Or maybe this shadow creature was losing hold of its power.

  Warmth touched Evie’s cheek and fear flickered through her. Initially the watery air around her had been icy cold, as though the melting air had wanted to convey its dark origins. But now the water was heated by the power of her markings.

  Chapter 5

  The hot water spelled danger for Evie.

  The shade would soon feel it. He’d grown solid instead of leaving instantly, so he wasn’t onto her yet. But it was only a matter of time before he did.

  And now he was solid and his very presence sent chills up and down Evie’s spine. She wanted to shudder but such a reaction would have let him know she'd seen him. He glided closer to Evie and she forced herself not to blink as she took in the form and shape of him.

  Evie suspected he didn't have a real idea as to why the water was heating up.

  He didn't have much time left anyway.

  He'd be confused, no doubt.

  She wasn't certain why he'd bothered to take on a humanoid form because whatever this creature was, his natural body could never have been human.

  There was an ancient darkness about him, like something you'd imagine you'd find on something evil which had lived within the blackest tunnels of the earth way, before intelligent life had taken root in any of the realms of the DarkWorld.

  Evie struggled to take a slow breath without revealing her horror at the sight of this creature. He'd shrouded himself in a dark grey-brown skin that resembled the partially rotted remains of a carcass long forgotten.

  Here and there, darkness ebbed and flowed from rips and cuts, a strange ruby-shade bubbling from the wounds and then ebbing away. He’d clothed his torso and hips in a shroud of tattered fabric the color of old blood mixed with molasses.

  The shade’s presence brought bile to Evie's throat and she had to force the feeling away as she watched him blink eyes similar to a human's--though only in shape. The color between his lids was darker than darkness, shadows swirling and swimming, blackness etched in reds and browns.

  Evie should have felt like she were staring into the depths of nothing but all she felt was a deep dark fear that twisted and curled within her, all the way to her toes.

  She wanted to surge from the chair and vomit up her food, a sickness taking deep hold of her senses. But she held back the compulsion and sat still. He was after her, so he’d know how nephilim worked. He’d know she’d be excellent at holding her breath.


  Or would he suspect something was up, considering the water around her was now warm?

  He took another step toward Evie, hand raised, arms and fingers undulating like a musical conductor as he directed his magic. And just when Evie had begun to hope that perhaps he'd missed the temperature change entirely, the creature’s eyes widened.

  Such a humanoid reaction, to show one's emotions in one’s eyes.

  And in such soulless eyes too.

  Evie had to admit that watching his reaction was the strangest thing she'd ever seen, and the most comical. Like watching a movie starring aliens with giant eyes trying to look surprised or shocked.

  Evie had to stop the silly thoughts flittering through her head and focus on the thing in front of her. Energy now spun through the water toward her and she knew he was angered or frustrated that his magic had been thwarted.

  He still had no way of knowing how it had happened, so perhaps she could still feign ignorance. The shadow took another step closer and Evie wanted to wriggle her nostrils.

  A cloying scent entered Evie’s nose and she tried to figure out if she simply inhaling normal air and the magic around her made it feel as though the odor was melding with her body, or was the smell traveling into her nostrils physically, taken there by the water around her as she inhaled it into her lungs. She felt strangely grossed out by the thought that there were particles of this creature which had currently gotten inside her body.

  Evie wanted to sneeze, her brain telling her there was something inside her that needed to be expelled. But she retained control. It was unusual for her to panic in this way and she was a little concerned.

  She had to figure out how to read the messages which her marks seem so desperate to tell her. She had to touch them, that much she knew, and with her eyes downcast, she studied her hands.

  Even though the Angel Bonds held her prisoner, she didn’t believe for a second they could hold back her power as Hades. So were the cuffs even capable of truly holding Evie prisoner?