“Tat… I love you. You know I do. But you’re talking crazy. If that were true, don’t you think I would’ve gotten rid of this stupid god-awful curse by now? You think I like being like this? It’s hell! I even killed the Amazèa with my own two hands and it didn’t do anything! The curse still stands. So I know for a fact – I can’t undo it!”
“Then you won’t.”
I try to keep my frustration in check. Sometimes she talks in riddles I don’t quite understand. It used to irritate me to no end, but now I accept it as just her way. She tells me what she can and leaves the rest for me to figure out. It’s a weird dance and one that I don’t always appreciate. But I’ve gotten used to it. And now she’s gotten it into her head that I can do anything I want.
Well, she’s wrong. Obviously.
“It’s nearing transition time. You should probably leave before Lucky arrives. I think it’s best for her to wake at my sister’s to avoid a scene or unnecessary upset.”
I sniff quietly and wipe my eyes. I want more time here… more time with Tatiana. What if it’s the last time I’ll see her?
But I know I must go.
I wrap my arms around her in a gentle embrace. “I miss you every single day, do you know that? I don’t care that it’s only been a few weeks. My life isn’t as good without you in it.”
“I will always be here for you.”
I nod and give her a kiss on her velvety cheek. “I’m going now, but I’ll be back. One day soon this will all be over, and I’ll be here where I belong.” Somehow, some way…
She nods. “I have no doubt.”
Corrine and I stand and walk over to Vincent. He takes our hands in his, and Demetri rests his hand on Vincent’s shoulder.
The last thing I see is Tatiana’s bittersweet smile as she wipes her tears.
Chapter 33. Liora
In a flash we’re standing on the cliffs just outside Anastasia’s guesthouse. The sun is low on the horizon, but not as low as it was at Tatiana’s. At least I’d bought myself a little time by traveling west a few time zones.
Vincent lets go of Corrine and me and turns toward the ocean. He’s been so quiet through all this, and I’m dying to know what’s going on in his head.
“I’m going to go on in and get cleaned up,” Corrine says.
“Yeah, me too,” Demetri agrees. They both hesitate a moment, then head on toward the house.
Considering nearly every inch of me is covered with dried blood and dirt, I should probably go do the same. But instead I walk over to Vincent and we stand for several long moments in silence, watching the water roll endlessly onto the sandy white shore.
“I want to thank you for everything you did,” I finally say. “For coming to our rescue… helping us.”
He shakes his head, still staring out at the churning ocean. “You don’t have to thank me. What you did… it was nothing short of amazing. It was awesome. I’m just happy I was able to help out some, and I wasn’t too late.”
“Some? I would’ve been in really deep trouble if you hadn’t shown up when you did, you know.”
He gives a small grin and peeks down at me from the corner of his eye. My heart jumps, and I quickly look away. Now is not the time to have second thoughts, or to be weak in any way. If I think too much about what I’m giving up… even the possibility of the promise I see when I look in his eyes… I may lose the courage to go through with my plan. And I must go through with it.
I must.
I must do it for the sake of everyone I love. I may be strong now, but soon I’ll be the same weak and vulnerable human I always was. And both the demons and the Light-angels will never stop until they get what they want. Sure, the Amazèa are dead now and the Belith have been destroyed. But there will always be more enemies. That’s the nature of Lucky’s world. As long as I’m alive, everyone I love will be in danger.
For them to live, I must die.
This isn’t just about Lucky and me. It’s bigger than us. It always has been. I was just too blind to see it.
“I have to go now,” I say quietly.
Vincent clenches his jaw again. “You’re going to do that spell, aren’t you.”
“I have to.”
He shakes his head. “No… this isn’t right. It can’t be.”
I look at him earnestly. “If you know some other way, please say it… I promise I’m all ears.”
He turns slowly, and his eyes search mine. My God, how can someone see right into my soul like that?
“Please…” I can’t look at him.
“You’re leaving me?” he asks.
“I’m not sure what will happen.” My voice is low. “But, yes, I think so. The spell is designed to eliminate my human side. Me.”
He swallows hard. “Is there any way I can change your mind?”
I shake my head. “Please don’t make this harder than it already is. I can’t allow myself to think of everything I’ll miss.”
Vincent’s eyes flash darkly. “I’m sorry, but I at least need you to know what you’re giving up.”
His kiss silences my protest… soft, delicate, but with a longing that’s undeniable. My head swims as his warmth floods through me, and our kisses become more passionate. We stand on the cliffs, locked in our embrace… neither wanting to stop, neither wanting to let go.
Eventually I pull away, and he grabs my arm.
“Don’t leave me. Please. You can’t.” His soft brown eyes plead with mine.
“I have to.”
“You belong here,” he whispers. “You belong with me.”
I just shake my head. God, how I wish that were true. But I know it’s impossible.
Vincent is quiet for several long moments.
“The world will be a much darker place without you in it.”
I smile sadly. “Maybe a part of me will live on somehow.”
“I hope so. I really hope so.”
I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his chest. Together we watch the sun slowly descend toward the horizon.
Finally, I disengage from his embrace and pull back to look at him one last time.
Then I turn and run as fast as I can to the mansion.
********
I barge though the kitchen door out of breath. “Where’s Anastasia? I need her now!” I nearly shout at the chubby, black-haired woman standing at the sink.
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 dagger with a ruby hilt and silver blade.
I catch my breath and 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.”