She turns around, startled. “She’s in the parlor having her tea. I’ll let her know you’re—”
I rush out of the kitchen and over to where Anastasia is sitting on a couch sipping from a gilded cup. She sets it down and looks at me expectantly.
“So it is time,” she murmurs. “You are finally ready.” She stands and walks toward the sweeping staircase, then turns to me with a cryptic smile. I hesitate, unsure what to do.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Follow me.”
She leads me up to the third floor, down a narrow hallway, and into a tiny, barren chamber. This part of the house was definitely not on the ‘grand tour’ last time, and I can see why. It’s completely out of place in a palace as wondrous and beautiful as this is… as if this plain room had been forgotten all together.
“This is the most powerful and magical spot for miles around,” Anastasia says proudly. “Only this room can handle the type of magic we need to perform.”
I glance around, wondering if she’s seeing something I’m not. This room is about as exciting as a janitor’s closet, but without all the cool brooms and mop buckets. “If you say so,” I mumble as my stomach ties itself into knots.
She smiles again. “Oh, I do. Come now, let’s get started. We don’t have a lot of time. I need you to finish before Lucky shows up, otherwise the spell won’t work.”
I look around again. Is this really the room I’m going to die in? Somehow, though, it feels strangely fitting. No fancy farewell. No luxurious send off. Just a simple, boring elimination. As if I never existed.
I gulp, and turn to Anastasia. “What exactly is going to happen?” My heart starts beating faster.
She looks at me with those strange, sparkly eyes. “If all goes as planned, your humanity will be removed. Liora will disappear, leaving only Lucky. The demion will have possession of the body day and night.”
I nod. “And everyone will be safe?” I whisper.
Anastasia shrugs. “That is not a promise I can make. I can only assist you on your journey here. The rest is up to fate to decide.”
A tear slides down my face. “So, basically I’m going to die now. This is it. No more me.”
Suddenly her eyes fill with compassion. “You don’t have to do this. No one is making you.”
I wipe at my cheek and nod. “Yes, I do. I do.”
She reaches out and takes my hand. “Don’t worry, dear. Once we begin, the whole thing will be over in a few seconds.” She walks over to a wooden chest in the corner, takes out eight tall, white pillar candles and places them in a circle on the floor.
A few seconds. That’s how long it will take to extinguish years of experiences, feelings, and memories – the span of a few seconds.
“Now sit down here in the middle of the circle. Take several deep breaths and try to relax.”
Relax. Ha. That’s a good one. I’m about to erase my whole existence and she wants me to pretend I’m at a yoga class or something.
I do as I’m told, letting my arms fall slack and taking deep breaths. But my heart is racing faster and faster with each passing moment.
It’ll be just like going to sleep… I try telling myself.
Anastasia goes back to get something else from the chest, then walks over to me and holds out her hand. In it is a shiny gold dagger with a ruby hilt and silver blade.
I catch my breath as my heart starts to pound. “What’s that?” I whisper.
She looks me in the eye. “You know. And you know what you must do. I will say the incantation and tell you when it’s time.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be as easy as having her say a few simple words and mix up a potion. No, my death requires much more than that.
It requires my sacrifice.
I nod. My hand trembles as I take the dagger and grasp it tight. I focus on taking steady, controlled breaths, as images flash through my mind. Tatiana. Kayla. Michael. Kieron. Corrine. Bones. Vincent.
Another tear slides unchecked down my cheek. Anastasia steps away, and suddenly the room pitches into complete darkness.
“Are you ready?” she asks.
“Yes.”
The candles around me light up spontaneously, casting the room in an eerie glow. Anastasia has changed – she looks much older, with sharper, more defined features.
She starts to chant, and the candles float up off the ground, spinning in a slow circle around me. Her hair billows in undulating waves around her head. I’ve never been more terrified in my whole life. Her chanting comes louder and faster, and the candles spin in a dizzying whirl.
Suddenly, their flames shoot high into the air.
“Now!” Anastasia commands.
Without another thought I lift the dagger high, and with all my strength, I plunge it deep into my heart.
Chapter 34. Lucky
I open my eyes, and it takes me a moment to realize that I’m sitting on the grass on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I’m no longer a chained up prisoner of the Belith.
I’m at Anastasia’s. I’m leaning against Vincent.
And I’m alive.
“We’re out? How?”
He gives me a guarded look. “You don’t remember anything?”
I shake my head. “Of course not. I was asleep. All I have are some weird fractured dream memories.”
“Like what?”
I take a deep breath. “Well… that Liora had all these new powers or something. There was a big fight, and she was doing all kinds of wild things.” I frown, then chuckle. “And Adessia was a flying snake.”
He nods. “And?” He looks at me intently. “Do you remember anything else?”
I concentrate as hard as I can, but nothing clear comes to mind. “Just vague images of fighting and seeing Liora do a bunch of insane things I know she can’t do.” I look up at him, confused. “But that was just some crazy dream, right?”
He slowly shakes his head.
I stare at him. “But how?” I whisper.
“Guess she had some help.” He clears his throat. “How do you feel? Do you feel any… different?”
I think for a moment and shrug. “I dunno. I mean, I’m glad to be out of there, obviously. How is everyone else? Kieron? Corrine? Demetri?”
“Demetri and Corrine are just fine. Kieron… he decided to return with the Legionare.”
“The Legionare! What? Why?”
He raises his eyebrows and sighs. “Believe it or not, they were helpful in saving our skins back there. Well, a group of them at least. Some soldiers from Kieron’s old unit. After we beat the Belith and were free, Kieron felt it was his duty to go back with them, especially because they’ve suffered so many losses lately. He can be a valuable asset to them—”
“But they’re my enemy!”
Vincent shakes his head. “No, no they’re not. Unfortunately Abbaton did some atrocious acts, but he’s dead now. He’s been replaced. We need the Legionare to protect us and our way of life. To protect Thiberoux, all its kingdoms, and our Core Powers. Kieron felt he’d be more useful there than here.”
I let out a deep sigh. I remember our talk, and suspect that a sense of duty isn’t the only thing that motivated Kieron to leave. And even though I know it’s for the best, I’m still sad to see him go.
“I thought he was going to hang around and watch over Liora,” I mumble.
Vincent turns his head and looks out at the water. “I promised him I’d do that,” he says softly.
After several moments of silence, he speaks again. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“About how I feel?”
He nods.
“I guess right now I feel a weird mix of things.” I shrug.
“Like what?”
“Well, relief that we’re free and safe from the Belith, of course. Sadness, like something’s missing. Something important. But I assume that’s because Kieron left. Right now, though… I feel mostly happiness, I guess.”
“Happiness?”
I nod and pick at some blades of grass. “Being by you makes me happy. I like waking up this way, and even if you were with Liora first it’s okay, I don’t mind.”
He takes a deep breath and looks at me. “Do you remember anything else?”
“Did something happen that I should know about?”
He raises an eyebrow and cocks his head. “You’re going to have to tell me.”
I stare at him, confused. “Look, I don’t know anything. I remember a big fight, but I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. Because there’s no way that some of the stuff I’m remembering actually happened. I don’t even know how I ended up here next to you. Not that I’m complaining,” I add with a chuckle.
Vincent rests his hand on mine and takes a deep breath. “Well, then. I suppose I should fill you in.”
********
Several minutes later, I’m still trying to digest what Vincent is telling me.
“Liora killed them? After all this time, it winds up being her who wastes the Amazèa?”
He slowly shakes his head. “I’ve seen a lot in my day, but I’ve never seen anything like that. She was practically inventing new powers as she went along. Anastasia and Tatiana helped by way of a tandem spell, but still… she kicked some major butt.”
A part of me is angry that I didn’t get the satisfaction of killing the Amazèa myself. All I’ve wanted to do every single day for the past five years is hunt down and destroy those treacherous monsters, and Liora did it? I can’t help feeling a bit pissed off that she stole that chance from me. But I also have to admit that if she hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have lived to have another chance anyway. Apparently, the fact that I’m even still alive is only because of her.
“What is she?” I whisper.
Vincent stares at me with an intensity that almost scares me. “Don’t you know?”
I shake my head. “Know what?”
“She is you. She has always been you. And you are her.”
I shake my head again. “Maybe at one time, but not anymore. Not now.”
“Now more than ever.”
“What does that even mean? I’m the same as always.”
“Are you sure? Are you sure nothing has changed?”
“Well, obviously Liora has some newfound wicked powers. Guess she’s the Betty Badass in the family now.”
He pauses and takes my hand. “No, like she’s not there anymore.”
“What do you mean, not there?”
“She’s gone. She did Anastasia’s spell. Killing the Amazèa changed nothing. The curse still remained. So she did the spell to remove her humanity and leave only you. She was sitting beside me, and just before the sun went down she left and went to the mansion. I was still sitting here when she… you… whoever, returned a few minutes later and sat down beside me.”
I frown. “But if that was me, wouldn’t I remember walking out? I don’t remember any of that. Maybe she didn’t do the spell after all.”
He shakes his head. “No, she must have. When she came back, it’s like she was different. There, but not there. She just sat down quietly and leaned up against me. And a few moments later you woke up.”
I’m still confused. “Well, I don’t know what she did, but I know she’s still here inside of me. Liora hasn’t gone anywhere. I can guarantee you that.”
“You mean you have her memories?”
I shake my head. “No, I mean nothing has changed. She is there. I feel her presence just as strongly as I do every night. Sleeping, yes, but she is very much still alive. So whatever spell she said she was going to do, either she didn’t do it, or it didn’t work.”
Vincent considers this a moment, then shakes his head again. “I dunno. She was hell-bent on going through with it. I don’t see her backing out. So maybe it didn’t work.”
But now as I think about it, something makes me believe that Liora did try the spell. I seem to feel a certain residual determination and resignation from her, as if she had accepted that she was a liability and knew the only solution was to sacrifice herself.
So... The Amazèa are dead, Anastasia is obviously a very powerful witch, and Liora was willing to make the sacrifice.
Why didn’t it work?
I stare out at the churning sea, wondering what it all means. For so long I was convinced that killing the Amazèa would change things. We both were. But obviously it hasn’t. Liora and I are still split, and that means we are still in danger. As long as she can handle the Boumeaux and enter Thiberoux she’ll be a huge target for the Light-angels. We’ll never be safe, even from other demons who wish to harm her to get to me.
Suddenly, a horrible thought flashes through my mind – one too terrible to even consider.
No… that can’t be…
“Lucky, what is it? Are you okay?”
I jump to my feet and shake my head, frantic to escape my thoughts.
Vincent gets up and puts his hand on my arm. “Lucky, what is it?” he asks again. “What’s wrong?”
I stop and look at him. I can’t even answer – afraid that merely speaking the crazy possibility will somehow make it true.
Because it can’t be right.
Yet somehow, deep inside, I know it is.
Oh, Hell. How could I have been so blind?
“Lucky, what is it? Tell me!” I hear the concern in Vincent’s voice, and my eyes fill with tears.
My lips quiver as I take a deep breath.
“It’s me,” I whisper.
“What? What’s you?”
I stare at him, my eyes wide. “It’s me. I’m the one who has to go. I’m the cause of all of this…”
He frowns and takes my hand. “What are you talking about?”
I take another deep breath. Then I pull my hand away and walk toward the edge of the cliff. I stare out at the eternal abyss as the truth sinks in, deeper and deeper. Everything is clear now. It all makes sense. My blinders are finally off, and I realize just how wrong I’ve been.
Vincent comes and stands beside me.
“It’s me.” I say the words so quietly I can barely hear them myself. “I’m the curse. It’s my existence that is causing all this turmoil and has thrown everything off balance. Think about it. Liora is only in danger because of me. Of who and what I am. As a normal human girl she faces no threat from Light-angels. Zero. And very little from other demons. Certainly less than she does now.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying—” My voice breaks again, and I have to take another deep breath to steady myself. “I’m saying that I’ve been looking at this all wrong. I kept thinking that she was the weak one, the one that made my life so unbearable. But in reality, I’m the one doing it to her… and I’m worse, because I put everyone else in danger too. Kayla and Michael—”
A sob escapes my throat, and Vincent gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“—They died because of me. The Amazèa had come for me that day. I’d used my powers and they must’ve been in the area and sensed it. I fought them off at first, but knew I couldn’t beat them. So I ran and hid to save myself, and they killed Kayla and Michael instead. That’s why they died. That’s why the split happened.”
Vincent shakes his head, his mouth firm. “Well, that may explain why you had the curse in the first place, but it doesn’t explain why you think you have to go away now. Why you’re the cause of these problems—”
“Don’t you see? My being a demon is what gets us in trouble. If I go, and Liora is just a regular human girl, then this all ends. Demons are only after me, and as a normal human she’ll be useless to the Light-angels. If the demon in her dies… if I die… then these problems go away. Otherwise… otherwise we’ll be in this purgatory of constant danger forever, or until we and everyone else we love dies. I am the reason for all this suffering, not Liora. And only I can end it.”
Vincent stares at me. He doesn’t argue, or tell me I’m totally wrong, or point out
a different solution. He just looks at me quietly. And his silence breaks my heart.
“I’ve been alive for a long, long time,” he finally whispers. “And I’ve seen a lot of crazy, unbelievable things. I thought nothing could really shock or surprise me anymore, and that I had a lot of things figured out. But are you trying to say that you, as a demon, are considering possibly sacrificing your entire existence for the sake of others? For humans?”
I stare at him without blinking, then shake my head. “No, I’m not saying I’m going to possibly give up my existence in this world…”
I reach out and pull him to me, and surprise him by pressing my lips on his in a fiery, passionate kiss. He quickly recovers and returns in kind. His mouth melts against mine, and he runs his hands through my hair as I press my body closer to his. Then I break away and look him in the eyes.
“…I’m saying that I definitely am.”
I turn and run across the lawn before he can stop me, and before I can stop myself. And I hit Anastasia’s magical barrier full force. The electrical energy sends me flying backwards.
“Come out, Witch!” I scream as loud as I can. I struggle to stand, but my legs feel short-circuited and wobbly. So I stay seated on the cool grass and yell again, “Come out, Witch! Come and do what you’ve always wanted to do! Get rid of me once and for all!”
A moment later Anastasia appears, as if from thin air. One moment she’s not there, the next she’s standing by the rose bushes several feet away staring at me.
“What do you want, demon child?” Her voice carries across the night air.
“Did Liora really do the spell? The one to make her humanity disappear and leave only me?”
“Yes, she did.”
“So why didn’t it work? Why is she still here?”
“Only you can know the answer. And you do know the answer.”
“Because it’s me… I’m the one who has to die, right? It’s me who needs to make the ultimate sacrifice. All this time… she’s the one with the powers, the strength, the courage… I’m the liability, the weak one who throws everything into chaos and puts everyone’s life in peril, right?”