Meredith’s watching me again as if she’s gauging if I have the gall to go through with this, and it feels like everyone’s eyes are on me. Clara’s, Bael’s, Mack’s… all those who continue to doubt whether I can handle this alone.
I can.
“We should get moving,” I say, gathering my bag.
Jaxen stretches, and then stands, turning his earpiece on to check in. Katie, Jezi, and Derek look up from their bowls at me.
Meredith pours herself a bowl. “If you don’t mind me asking, just what are your plans for the Exanimator?”
“I do mind,” I say a little more harshly than I want to. I don’t backtrack. I’m tired of explaining myself.
She doesn’t seem offended. “I only ask because I know how it works.” She holds up her hands, magic floating in her palms. Her eyes cast down to them, watching the glowing colors. “I used it and all.”
“That’s something to brag about,” I bite through my teeth. I suddenly wish she would go back to wanting silence. “What’s your sudden interest in helping?”
She flicks a glance over her shoulder at Katie, who’s busy stuffing her face, and then looks back at me. It’s there in her eyes. She wants to help Katie.
“Sterling says our army has the upper hand. They’re closing in on the Exanimator. If we’re going to move, we need to go now,” Jaxen says, picking his bag up from the floor.
“And Gavin and Weldon?” Evangeline asks as Lukah stirs.
Jaxen’s silence says it all. “Pack everything up and eat what you can. We move in ten minutes.” He turns back to me, kisses my cheek, and then grabs us two bowls of soup.
“I heard rumors about you long before I was locked up,” Meredith says as she does away with the cauldron.
I swallow a large sip of the soup, the liquid hitting my empty stomach with a hard thud. “You and everyone else.”
She talks over me. “Oh, I can assure you, the rumors we heard on this side of the war were entirely different than the rumors that were heard by your people, who were trying to coddle themselves with a fairy-tale savior who was never going to happen.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, like they say, there are two sides to every story. I intend to make my side the side that counts.”
“Do you?” she says, smirking at me.
My gaze levels on her.
“Ignore her, Faye,” Jaxen says, putting his bag on. “She’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”
Meredith’s head cocks to the side. “You mean you’re not the slightest bit interested in hearing what my side is?”
“Not really,” I huff out as the rest of our dwindling, fatigued group packs up.
“I’m going to tell you anyway,” she says, stepping around Jezi to get closer to me. “It was foretold that a Primeval chosen by the Divine would rise up. They would have the power to awaken the true leader of the Darkyn Coven, and they would be responsible for the end of days as we know it. There was nothing in the story about a machine exploding or the fall of a Coven.”
“He won’t be awake for long,” I say, my stomach twisting from her words.
“So you are going to wake him then.”
I glare at her, trying not to let her words sway what I’ve come to accept.
But she said the machine wouldn’t explode, I think to myself.
“And just how do you plan to stop him, Everlasting?”
I can’t answer her, because I don’t exactly know how, and she’s smirking again, like she backed me right into the corner she wanted me in. I feel like an unsupervised pot boiling over. Feel the steam shooting from my ears as the pressure of everything finally capsizes my self-control.
“Did you suddenly grow a backbone or something?”
She seems a little surprised and continues leaving no trace that we were here. When I think I’ve finally got her to stop talking, her voice slices through the silence. “I might. Or I might not have. You did save my niece’s ass, didn’t you?”
Katie’s face pinches into a scowl.
I stare at Meredith for a moment, going back through everything that led to this moment. Trying to find some small grain of understanding that will explain just who this person is standing in front of me, but all I come up with is more questions. Why was she removed from the Darkyns and locked up? Does she really even care about Katie, or is it a show?
And then I think about the Lost Crows and Sterling, and about all the other prejudices we create based on the small facts we gather about people.
One fact doesn’t equal a whole person.
I finish packing my weapons and summoning whatever else I’ll need before heavily sighing. “I don’t understand you.”
“That’s the beauty of light and dark working together. It never makes sense.”
And with that, she heads out of our small dwelling and into another tunnel.
“WE’RE NOT TOO FAR NOW. Have you tried to reach out to your partner again?” Meredith asks as she leads us out of the network of muggy tunnels lit only by the light in our palms.
A pit of anguish raids my stomach. “I’m still not getting through to him.”
She doesn’t say anything this time. Clearing her throat, she keeps walking ahead because there really isn’t anything she can say. The reality is we’re in hell. If I haven’t heard from him by now, then something’s wrong. All we can do is keep moving. Fulfill our end of the mission.
Meredith stops and looks at Jaxen. “We’re coming up to another hole we have to crawl through. On the other side will be the cellblock where the prisoners are kept. Once we’re on that side, all bets are off. There’s no telling who’s patrolling or what we will encounter.”
He nods and turns to the rest of the group, doing his best to fill Gavin’s shoes. “There’s been a quick change in plans.”
Questions form on everyone’s face.
“When we cross through this tunnel, we’ll be looking for Weldon’s partner. Her name is Claire.”
“And what does she look like?” Derek asks mid-yawn, dark circles under his eyes.
Jaxen shifts his weight. “I don’t know… she’s Clara’s twin,” he says, voice flat. “Once we have her, I’ll relay the information to Mack. With his go-ahead, we’ll head to the Exanimator.” He turns to Meredith. “If things go wrong, we need a back-up plan. Where can we hide should something happen?”
“Here,” she says, pointing to where we’re standing. “It’s the only hidden area within miles of the cellblock.”
“Okay,” Jaxen says, chewing on his cheek in thought, “it’s not a solid plan, but it’s better than nothing.” He pauses. “If we’re split up for whatever reason and you don’t have anywhere to hide, use your ring. Mack’s already assured me they have Elites nearby on standby. We aren’t far from the actual war that is taking place. The bombs are in place, ready for when Mourdyn wakes.”
“I sure hope Mack’s spell works against his voice,” Katie says, fixing her ponytail.
“If he lives long enough to speak,” Evangeline says, looking at me with full confidence.
My fingers dig into my palms.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll follow you,” Jaxen says to Meredith before taking my hand.
“We can’t forget the amulet,” I say as an uneasy buzzing feeling picks at the back of my head.
Meredith stops and turns, her back to the wall in front of us. “We need him for the key to her cell, don’t we? Wherever Claire is, I’m sure our keeper is too.” She turns away from me and drops into a crouch. “We enter here.”
“Go,” Jaxen says, pointing for me to follow.
I make a move to crouch with her, but then freeze up when blinding pain cracks through my body like white, hot lightning. I brace the wall as searing pain shoots through my mind and clouds my vision.
I hear Jaxen and Katie call out to me, but I can’t see them. My eyes aren’t my own anymore. I see the Exanimator, only I’m inside it. Sharp, electric pain courses through my body as I scream out. Only, it isn’
t my screams I hear.
It’s Weldon’s.
As soon as the pain ends, I open my eyes, finding Jaxen standing in front of me, holding my shoulders, his eyes clouded with worry.
“What is it? What did you see?”
“Weldon,” I grit through my teeth, the pain still scratching at the back of my mind. “He’s in the Exanimator.”
My eyes go dark again as I scream out against another shock of pain.
“Faye!” Weldon shouts as he struggles inside the straps, trying to break free.
“Weldon!” I push through, my teeth gritting against the unending pain.
Clara’s face appears in his line of vision, a mirthless smirk painting her lips.
“This will continue until you turn yourself in, Middleton. You have one hour. I don’t think he can outlast this torture any longer than that.”
“Bitch! Don’t listen to her, Fa—” Weldon shouts, but then the machine is flipped back on and the pain is never ending. It feels like my soul being torn from my body. Like every vein and muscle is being picked away by tweezers until I’m numb and can’t feel anything anymore. Nothing but darkness.
When I open my eyes again, Jaxen has me sprawled across his lap, rubbing the hair from my face, begging me to wake up. Meredith hovers over top of him, purple magic floating from her palms and onto my head. Her eyes are shut and her mouth moves rapidly, chanting dark magic.
I sit up, slowly, and then feel the world tilt over itself as bile rushes up my throat. Jaxen helps me up, and then patiently waits as I spew out what little is in my stomach.
When I catch my breath, my thoughts are tripping over themselves to get out. “I have to go to him. She’ll continue to torture him until I turn myself in. If I don’t, he dies!” I rush out, my eyes falling onto my ring.
“Who?” Jaxen asks, his face leeched of color.
“Weldon,” I say, searching for strength in his deep green eyes.
He closes them. Curses under his breath. “If she has Weldon, that means she has Gavin too.” He looks up at his mother. “I told him to go. I told him not to give up.”
Meredith stomps her foot. “Damn it!”
“You can still save Claire,” I say, looking up at her from over my shoulder.
She stares up at the ceiling, her hands on her hips, and then peers at me. “And then what? She won’t leave this place until he’s safe. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
I struggle to my feet, sucking in deep breaths, wishing my stomach didn’t feel like a rocky sea.
“Let’s just… let’s keep moving.” She drops back down and disappears through the hole, leaving me wondering what I should do.
I turn to our group. “We have to move quickly. We get Claire and the amulet, and we head for straight for the Exanimator, just like Clara said.”
I’m speaking without thinking, rushing out ideas, because the silence that follows nearly knocks me down. Derek looks caught between running and staying true to the mission. Katie’s practically shaking, and Jezi looks like she’s ready to murder someone.
“If you want to turn back, now’s the time to press your ring,” I say, looking them all in the eyes. “From here on out, nothing is certain. Clara’s at the machine. We don’t know what kind of ambush she has for us. No matter what, I have to get into that machine. I have to put an end to this once and for all.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Evangeline says, clarity in her gaze.
“Me either,” Lukah adds, his smile long gone.
I look to Jezi, who says, “Even though we aren’t bonded anymore, you’re still my partner.”
I hug her, grateful for the full circle our relationship has made.
“Kat,” I say, turning to her. “You should push it. I don’t know what will happen once I get in that machine. I might not have power to share with you anymore.”
She jumps into my arms, holding me tight. “I would never leave you, Faye. Thelma and Louise, remember?”
I’m trying not to cry. Trying so hard not to think about how I’m an hour from a future I can’t predict.
Jaxen touches my waist. His eyes are so tortured, but he’s doing his best to hide it. To remain strong for the both of us. “We have to move,” he says.
I nod, drop to a crouch, and then disappear into the tunnel.
SCREAMS OF PAIN SPLIT MY ears.
We emerge through a hole into a dingy, unoccupied cell carved out of the earth. The door to the cell is wide open. Mud clings to our feet and ankles. There’s a cloud of putrid, rotting flesh odor that immediately assaults our noses from the intense heat. I try to cover my nose, but it’s so overwhelming that we’re all gagging. All toppled over, trying to catch a steady breath.
“Stay back against the wall,” Meredith orders in a clipped whisper.
We press ourselves against the cool, sodden earth, hiding within the shadows, trying not to gag. Katie has the inside of her elbow pressed against her face as she tries to contain a gagging cough. I rub her back, trying to help her through it and keep my own reflex to gag under control.
A moment later, Meredith whispers, “Here.” She pulls a vial from inside her robe, the smell not seeming to bother her. “It will ease the smell.”
We pass it around, taking small sips and thanking her for the relief.
A guttural scream bounces off the walls around us. “No! Don’t take me. Please! I don’t want to be tortured anymore.” It’s a female, feet away from where we hover in the shadows.
We all tense up as her screams claw at the walls and wrap around our hearts. “Jaxen,” I say, searching his eyes.
“We can’t, Faye. We have to stick to the plan.”
“Please!” the girl cries louder, harder, as a tall, stout demon hidden by a black cloak smothered in blood passes our cell and stops in front of the girl’s. His form seems to be followed by shadows like a black fog around him. Just looking at him freezes me up. Reawakens every nightmare I’ve ever had.
I think I’m going to throw up. I think I might ruin everything by running out of this cell and dropping that demon as if he were nothing. I think a million different things as my heart climbs into my throat and hides, temporarily shutting off my emotions.
“That’s him,” Meredith whispers, her skin leeched of color. “That was my keeper.”
“We should stop him and get the amulet! Maybe that’s Claire,” I whisper back, heart thundering.
Her eyes widen. “No!” she says, grabbing my arm before I can move. “That’s not Claire’s screams. No,” she says, a little more calm this time. “We wait. When he leaves, we find Claire, and then wait for him to return.”
“She’s right. We should wait,” Jezi encourages from the corner of the shadow. “We have to save Claire. For Weldon.” There’s a flicker of pain in her eyes I can’t ignore. This isn’t easy for her. Not by a long shot.
“Please!” the girl screams again.
I turn back. Try not to panic when we hear a scuffle, and then the demon emerges, dragging the unconscious girl by the feet to somewhere I hope I’ll never have to see.
Seconds are picked off by our questioning gazes. Silence becomes an all-new monster we have to fight. I’m running the pads of my fingers over my thumb, trying to keep sane within the awful screams ricocheting around us.
“Now!” Meredith says, running to the front of the cell. We follow in line, Jaxen going before me, and Jezi and the rest falling behind. She peers left, and then right. “The coast is clear.”
We tiptoe out. Stay right on top of each other as we make our way down the corridor of cells. I tell myself not to look into them, but my eyes and my head have decided not to listen. Incessant, tireless groans of pain emerge from within each cage. The light’s so dim that I can only see an inch in, if that. I jump when one of the prisoners rushes the bars, fingers wrapped tight around the cold steel.
“Please!” the man says, his face covered in thick blisters. “Please, help me!”
I force my head to turn away. Clutc
h tight to the hilt of my flux.
“Claire!” Meredith harshly whispers. Her voice is lost amongst the moans, cries, and periodic manic laughter. “Claire!” she whispers again, a little louder this time.
It takes a second, but then we hear, “Mere?”
Meredith’s already gone, heading in the direction of Claire’s voice as her feet smack through the mud, kicking it up into the air. We rush after her, and I push out waves of volation, checking for any demons heading our way. Still unable to tell due to the static in the air.
“Claire!” Meredith says when she stops in front of a cell. She drops to her knees, hands reaching through the bars.
We pile around her, keeping our back to the cell and our eyes on the hallways. Katie stares straight ahead into another empty cell, lips quivering despite her chin held high in the air. I want to hug her. Want to tell her not to worry about Meredith’s unwavering cold shoulder, but now is not the time for feelings. Not when we’re exposed, without a key to the cell, and without the amulet.
“You came back!” Claire says. It’s a knee-jerk reaction when I look over my shoulder. The voice is like a knife slicing down my spine. Like every painful memory I’ve ever lived through being dumped out in front of me to view again. She looks nothing like Clara, but she sounds almost exactly like her. They must be paternal twins. Her face is sharply angled. Her hair is matted with blood and dirt against her face. The only bit of color that stands out amongst the mud she’s been rolled in is her stormy grey eyes.
Meredith covers Claire’s hands with her own. “Of course I did.”
Claire looks past Meredith at all of us. “Weldon?”
Meredith’s head drops, and then she curses. “Not exactly.”
Claire let’s go of her hands. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Clara has him,” I say, unable to stop myself.
Claire’s lips curl. “She’s never liked him, and she takes any and every opportunity to remind me of it. To punish me for not joining with her in this ludicrous cause of hers.” She curses, and then stands. In the dim light, I notice small scars covering her cheeks and arms. Like sharp blades had been dragged across her skin. She catches me looking and says, “They torture any and every way they can. Especially Clara.”