“Go around!” Trey cried from the other side. “Ip is leading us to the water supply.”
Ronnee grinned at Kimberly like a little kid and limped up the hill. She came up from behind and together they squirmed through a collapsed building that led them to a large courtyard. On the other side of the courtyard, they saw the others running toward a gaping hole in the side of the mountain. Trey waved at them with one hand, holding Ip in the other.
They ran across the courtyard, the sky above completely black. Sensing the danger, Kimberly looked up. One of the towers had cracked along one side, shearing in half. The top was falling down on top of them now.
Powerful hands clamped across her waist.
“Bye, Kimberly.” Those two words were so full of emotion, Kimberly was stunned into silence.
“What… wait!” Powerful muscles bulged as he lifted her up. He spun around once, gaining momentum. He threw her hard and high. Her arms spun wildly as the ground beneath her approached. Something scraped her back, knocking her further away. Kimberly landed on the ground, falling free of danger.
Ronnee wasn’t so lucky. Tons of rubble crashed down on his bulky form, burying him underneath. This time, there was no room for survival.
Kimberly stared, frozen. Ronnee had just saved her life and died, all in a couple of seconds. It was heroism at its finest, but up close, it didn’t resemble anything brave or noble to be found in a storybook. Instead, she felt a cold spot in her heart crack open and break. She sank to her knees.
A hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked her to her feet. Trey was there beside her, anger in his face.
He didn’t have to say anything. It would be a cliché if he did.
Kimberly’s legs moved beneath her again as she ran for the opening. The sky was darkening again, the rest of the tower finally falling free. The opening in the mountain was like a huge mouth, hungry for their presence. They ran inside as the world behind them came to a close, covered in darkness.
* * *
Nathan watched his son’s handiwork as the Golden City, so alive and vibrant only days ago, fell apart at the seams. He grinned, tapping taloned fingers on his teeth as he watched the excitement below. Behind him, his mother waited patiently, letting him savor the view.
Over the next hour, the Golden City collapsed on itself, burying a millennia old legacy beneath stone and earth. As the last of the towers fell, the glow of the city died, leaving nothing more than a giant grave behind.
“What now?” his mother asked. “I very much doubt she survived.”
“Oh, she survived.” He turned and smiled. “I can feel that spark of darkness in her. It is growing now, even as we speak.”
His mother shook her head. “I thought you were past this?”
“This is something different. I tried to awaken her once before, but it didn’t work. Now though…” He sighed. “She has so much potential.”
“You don’t need her.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” He laughed. “But I really do enjoy making her miserable.”
His mother laughed too. For them, that was reason enough.
Losses
Kimberly couldn’t stop crying. It embarrassed her that the others could sit in uneasy silence while she bawled like a child. She had sobbed so hard that she now had the hiccups. The others were ignoring her. They knew that nothing they said would help.
Helena was mostly recovered from her ordeal. Being attacked by the shadow men, she had temporarily lost her wits. Even still, she couldn’t get warm and shivered uncontrollably. They had run as far back into the cave as possible, following water pipes to the edges of an underground water source. They had listened as the world outside continued to crumble, all the while hoping there would be another way out.
Serra was already pacing in circles, trying to detect air currents. Trey had sheathed his blade and stared ahead into the darkness, brooding. It was impossible to tell what he was feeling; his face looked like it was carved from stone.
Kimberly’s tears faded away, her tear ducts exhausted. She sniffled a few more times. Some hero I’m turning into, she thought. I must look pretty impressive—hunched over, eyes puffy, snot on my face. And all while in my favorite suit of enchanted armor.
Frustrated, she looked to Ip for guidance. The little fox lay by her side, sound asleep. She petted his head, right in that soft spot between his ears. Somehow, it made her feel a little better.
“We should camp here for the night.” Trey walked to the edge of the underwater lake that the city had used as a water supply. “We’re all tired and we need to swim across tomorrow, maybe find a way out.”
Helena unrolled a large cloak and crawled inside. Her body still shook from the chill of the undead. Trey would get no arguments from her. Serra, who didn’t sleep, sat on the edge of the water, gazing outward. Kimberly debated sleep as well, but Trey sat down next to her.
She didn’t know what to expect from him. When he turned to look into her eyes, she flinched. Her body tensed, waiting for the accusation.
“Nobody blames you. People die.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Her shoulders relaxed. “This is something I hoped you would never have to learn for yourself.”
“The only reason we even came here was because of me.” Kimberly stroked Ip’s face, careful not to wake him. “If not for me, he would still be alive.”
“Maybe. If not for you, he may have died days ago, instead. We can never truly know. You should waste no time wondering.”
“Captain.” It was Serra, calling from the water’s edge. “I can smell the forest.”
“That is good news.” Trey rose and stretched. “Let me know what you discover.” He walked over to Helena’s prone form and lay down next to her, wrapping her up tight in his own cloak. Kimberly watched his face, trying to recognize the look on it.
“He thinks of us as his children.” Serra had moved next to Kimberly without a sound. “If he does not lay blame on you, then neither shall I. However,” she said as she held up a taloned hand, “you will have to forgive me if I tear off your father’s head when I first meet him.”
“He’s not my father anymore. He barely was when he was human.” Kimberly looked at the sword on her hip. “I hope you forgive me if I kill him first.”
“We’ll see.” Serra smiled then, the grin of a demon. She scooted away, back to the water’s edge. Kimberly gazed at the small campfire they had set up. She felt like a part of her would never be warm again.
* * *
They stayed in the mountain for two days. Serra was able to catch some fish from the lake, just enough to supplement what little food they carried.
Helena was sick for most of it. While caring for Helena, Kimberly became aware of just how fragile and human the woman seemed. Serra was a half-breed; the magic in her blood protected her from many things. Kimberly knew that Willow’s magic would keep her from ever getting sick. She was willing to bet Trey’s sword did the same. It reminded her of how vulnerable she used to feel around her family. Back on Earth. This was her family now. Being unable to help Helena in any real way made her feel guilty, and more than a little helpless.
The last night they were there, under the mountain, Kimberly came to terms with who she was and what she must do. Thinking of her father, she knew she would hunt him down. Billy had likely been crushed in the city. Once she was sure the two of them were gone, her new life could finally begin. Crawling underneath her cloak, she stared out into the darkness and scratched at her face. Turning over, she could see Helena breathing deeply in her sleep. The fire was warm on her back. Yawning, she held Ip close and fell asleep.
* * *
Serra squatted at the water’s edge, dipping her finger in the surface just enough to make a single ripple. She watched the water bead up and roll down her skin, leaving her finger dry. She found it fascinating how even water seemed to reject her existence.
She sensed movement and turned to watch Trey sit down nex
t to her.
“Something is on your mind,” he said.
“Yes.” Serra nodded back at the camp. “Are you still sure she should be traveling with us?
Trey’s eyes narrowed, dangerously. “She is one of us now. Ronnee’s death is hard for us all. I will have nobody suggest her presence is unwelcome.”
“You misunderstand me, Captain.” She dipped her whole hand in the water. “I don’t mean to say that Kimberly should leave for our good. I think she should leave for her own.” She pulled her hand out of the lake and examined it.
“What do you mean?” Trey’s tone softened.
“She is still a child. I don’t care what she looks like. All of this is harder on her than we can understand. I mean to say that we should have taken her someplace safe, let her grow up like a normal girl, learn to use the sword over time. Let her be who she was meant to be, not who she must become. Instead, we drag her into danger; force her to kill in self-defense. I just love seeing the grief on her face, knowing it’s because she watched a friend die.” Serra hissed and slapped the water.
“Easy, easy.” Trey grabbed Serra’s hand and held it in his own. “You’re right. We did do all of these things to her. We can’t change what’s happened to her. Or to you.” Serra turned her face away from him, afraid he might see the tears in her eyes.
Serra stared across the lake, every detail visible to her eyes in the darkness. When Trey released her hand, she pretended to scratch her face. When the moisture had been wiped from her cheeks, she looked at him again.
“That isn’t all. She’s changing because of this.”
“It’s the sword’s magic.”
“Not all of it.” Serra looked back at the sleeping forms. “Sit with me until the fire dies; I will show you.”
Trey looked puzzled, but he did as she asked. They both waited for a long while; the fire had been built well. As it died down to just the embers, Serra reached into that darker part of herself, opening up her senses even further.
“Watch her face.”
Kimberly slept soundly, Ip curled into a ball by her side. Serra felt the surge of magic building in the girl, knowing if Trey blinked he could miss it. She pointed at Kimberly.
“Now,” Serra whispered. Kimberly shifted slightly, sighing in her sleep. As she moved, her eyes opened just enough that the purple light within lit the small area by her face.
Trey’s body tensed at Serra’s side. “How long has this been happening?”
“It started a couple of days ago. I could feel her magic, shifting like the tides. I wasn’t certain the first time I saw it, but have seen it several times since. It’s like something powerful is building up inside of her, threatening to burst out. And ever since we came here, it’s gotten much worse.”
“Halston was a mage; it is likely she inherited magic of her own.”
“Perhaps.” Serra waved a hand in dismissal. “I just thought you should know. Go get some sleep.”
Trey chuckled and followed her orders, curling up between Helena and Kimberly in the darkness. Serra looked out onto the lake again, silent in her rumination.
Behind her, she could feel Kimberly’s magic ebb and flow. It was hard to ignore.
* * *
Billy dug himself out of the rubble. He had been crushed underneath the falling towers, his body breaking apart into individual pieces again. He hated how it felt, that sense of being distorted. It reminded him of that crazy place between awake and dreaming.
The jackass with the sword had killed Zane. The brothers’ connection in the old world, a world he was forgetting already, had been strong. Here, with their powers unleashed, it had been something special. They had been able to see through each other’s eyes, speak each other’s thoughts. It gave Billy a thrill to feel so connected to his sibling, a sibling who had always been the leader.
He had felt it when Zane died. As Zane disintegrated, the sensation of being showered in fire and broken glass had filled Billy’s essence with pain he had never felt.
The light of day hurt his eyes, eyes that burned like angry coals. The dark woman, the one who said she was their grandmother, had told them about the dark magic, the stuff that had changed them. It had become part of their father when he was born.
She also explained how the magic was no longer intact. When he and Zane had been born, it was split between the two of them, a magic mutation of their father’s own power.
Kimberly had it, too. That compulsion of their father’s, the one that made him hunt her down, was a distortion of that need to control. Had he laid hands on her, he would have unlocked the magic inside, transforming her into one of them, making her obedient.
That’s why they had needed to kill so many. It controlled their father’s urges, made him listen to reason. He obeyed Death’s sweet song and had subsequently released the twins to do as they pleased with the Golden City. Zane had wasted no time draining the place dry of life, while Billy had been content to run amok, destroying as much life and property as he could before Zane beat him to it.
He had always listened to Zane, and now Zane was dead. Billy blamed his sister for the deed, and knew the only way to get even was to find her and kill her. He clenched his giant metal fists together in anticipation.
She possessed the same darkness inside that he did. It made it so much easier to track her.
* * *
Trey had found a couple of maintenance boats along the water’s edge shortly after they fled the falling city. Putting them to good use, they rowed out over the water. Trey and Helena paddled one boat and Kimberly and Serra rode in the other with Ip. Being in near-pitch-darkness for two days, Serra’s features were slowly losing the soft edges of humanity. She hated how far she had shifted, missing those moments of human weakness that reminded her of who she was.
Serra led the way with powerful strokes of her oars. Sniffing the air constantly, they rowed for what felt like hours. They searched along the rocky outcrops of the opposite shore for the opening that they all hoped was there. Serra kept catching just faint whiffs of their destination, enough to frustrate and excite her.
Eventually, Kimberly said she could smell something too. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and savored it. Serra saw the strange pulse of light flutter from beneath Kimberly’s eyelids, but said nothing.
She had sensed the magic in the girl early on, but never thought it would have become like this. This close to Kimberly, Serra was able to sense what was happening inside her. Two very different kinds of magic were building in strength, each trying to consume the other. One was a magic that felt like springtime and fireworks, reminding Serra of her childhood. The other was a magic of shadows and demons, the same kind of magic that flowed through Serra’s blood.
Serra had been lucky. Growing up, she had lived with an extremely loving family, until the change. She easily could have become a dark thing that hunted the weak. Instead, she learned to control that darker, chaotic side within, refusing to become the monster the Brotherhood considered her. Even now, while her body struggled to remain human, her mind was completely her own.
She hoped Kimberly’s inner struggle would end similarly. She seemed like a sweet girl, and it would be a shame if they had to hunt her down someday.
Ip barked from Kimberly’s lap and wagged his tail. He smelled it, too. Maneuvering the boats, they saw the thin glow of daylight between cracks in the wall. A hidden pathway was visible as they pulled the boats up and disembarked.
“Should we wait until nightfall?” Kimberly asked. “What if they’re waiting for us?”
“I doubt they could track us through a mountain,” Serra answered. “Besides, it would be good to get warm and dry under the sun.”
“I can’t wait to feel the light on my face again.” Helena said, struggling to stand. Trey helped her up the rocks, concern on his face.
They began to crawl up and over the sharp rocks, squeezing through tight openings. The ground was muddy in spots from water that dripped
through cracks in the mountain. Everybody, including Ip, was soon covered in filth.
They followed the light until they stepped out into the open. Rain drizzled down on them from dark clouds through the forest canopy. The storm was almost past; the sun was already out. Light streamed down in patches around them.
Serra stepped into a patch of light and steam rose from her skin. The sharp angles of her face softened as bones and muscle realigned. She tossed her short, black hair back and grinned at the others.
Helena, too, walked forward into the light. Serra could see the look of relief on her face as the sunlight kissed her skin. Holding her arms to her chest, she had a strangely beatific look on her face. To Serra, she looked just like an angel.
Stepping out of the light, Serra felt her senses come alive in alarm. A shadow dropped down from above, landing in front of Helena. Helena stared at the monster of metal and magic, her mouth open in surprise.
It was Billy.
* * *
His fists came out and closed over the blonde’s head. Billy squeezed, locking his fingers together, until he felt something give underneath his metal palms. Fluid and goo ran between the plates of his hand and he giggled. It was like crushing a bloody peanut.
Shouting and screaming filled the air as he let go, the ruined mess of Helena’s skull hitting the ground with a squish. Serra was upon him first, but the sun had already weakened her. He grabbed her by the throat and leg, using her as a projectile to knock down the guy who had killed Zane.
Ip was next. Bursting into flame, he dove forward. Billy sidestepped, launching a devastating uppercut. He caught the fox square in the chest, knocking him out of view. Billy’s laugh echoed from somewhere deep inside. He was having so much fun!
His sister was the only one left. She stood before him, her face pale and her eyes dangerously wide. He pointed a finger at her and approached, his huge feet crushing pebbles and twigs as he moved.
“I’m gonna get you, Worm.” Billy pounded his fists together for emphasis.
Kimberly growled then, a deep visceral noise. Her violet pupils narrowed, giving them a feline appearance. Her body shook as she raised her sword to the side, bathing it in blue fire. He could feel the darkness in his sister building, a primal thing that had decided it was not very happy with him.