Link here to a general overview of the novel
Prologue, Chpt 1, Chpt 2, Chpt 3, Chpt 4, Chpt 5, Chpt 6, Chpt 7, Chpt 8, Chpt 9, Chpt 10, Chpt 11, Chpt 12, Chpt 13, Chpt 14, Chpt 15, Chpt 16, Chpt 17, Chpt 18, Chpt 19, Chpt 20, Chpt 21, Chpt 22, Chpt 23, Chpt 24, Chpt 25, Chpt 26, Chpt 27, Chpt 28, Chpt 29, Chpt 30, Chpt 31, Chpt 32
Chapter Thirty-three
Sebastian
About the time we emerge from the family room, another storm begins like the one I traveled through yesterday, the wind and drumming rain against the house creating a strange soundtrack to the energy inside. The guns come out again, and I’d be impressed at how smoothly Pike, Colleen, Freddie, Hanna and Deidre check and clean chambers and reload them with ammo if I still had any room left for surprise. Or believed our firepower made any difference in the face of Staltz weaponry.
Isolde offers to show me where Tuck’s sleeping to take a peek. I decline. It’s easier to do this without laying eyes on him.
“Hide him,” I tell her instead. If this goes sideways, maybe he can survive it. We talk about the options, and she exits to take care of moving him.
Daav rests his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sending a message to Johan with our plans. I’ll include information about Tuck and his location in the house in case they need to find him later.”
We check news sources as we can for updates on the disasters reported in Orreance and elsewhere, hoping they might give us a clue about Harkness, although the weather disrupts signals for some stretches.
Isolde returns as we finish our prep. Daav’s quizzing her on their father, his mannerisms, behaviors, eccentricities, recent decisions, patterns in military and police strategies. Everyone listens to the conversation as they work.
She updates everyone on magic suppressing technology she says has been under development.
“Locking anklet devices,” she’s saying.
“How do they work?” Daav asks.
“The devices emit a low level of static, admittedly a little bit of pain in the sensation. Our researchers found it’s enough to keep mages from accessing their magic, but won’t harm you or your companions. Or at least that was true of the last prototype I saw.”
“What about drugs?” I ask Daav and her. “They caused a shutdown of my Verse at the construction site. Is that something Harkness might do when he shows?” Wow, still carefully avoiding a direct reference to good ole Mom and Dad, Seb. Must have some of that fucked in the head stuff left to process.
Isolde considers the question. “Staltz has no Verse-related drugs developed specifically, but that’s a good thought. If he injects gas into the air when he enters, we’re helpless. Even without knowing our numbers he can incapacitate us.”
Colleen, Hanna, Freddie and I confer on options to defend ourselves from likely gaseous biological agents, and then I’m making a quick Verse trip to adjust receptors in lungs and brain to block the threat.
The tumbleweeds greet me with glee and scraping shards of strength, following me gladly into body after body of my friends. I wait for my energy to dip, but there’s plenty there. Good omen for the punch to Daav’s power? Sweet agony, yes.
It’s when I fall out of my Verse with no signs of fatigue, and greet Colleen’s pleased face that I’ve handled the lot of them on my own, that I ask her to take care of my receptors since I still don’t have the trick of adjusting my own body.
I glance at Freddie, checking that he’s not offended I’ve asked her. She’s the best med mage after me. But he shrugs and gives no particular reaction. Colleen does the job and I’m aware of bells ticking down to some unknown showtime with Harkness.
Daav describes to Isolde our latest experience with the Verse, and a retelling of his interaction with it back at the construction site, but then his voice drops low as he finishes the back and forth in a quiet, private exchange with her. Her response looks concerned and pointed and, while he appears doubtful, he’s listening. After a particularly deep frown crosses his face, she puts a hand to his chin, forcing it up to catch her eye. “Don’t be afraid,” I catch her telling him.
And we’re all trying to do it, inflate a bubble around ourselves and the air-laden fear pressing around us.
She launches into what sounds like a purposeful discussion of matter as both wave and particle and how it sounds like we witnessed the phenomenon with the Verse reactions. Is it a change of focus to get him out of the mood their last exchange set? Probably. But it’s also a geek out moment for both of them and Daav sits there nodding at her words about the science and lets the information wind its way into that gorgeous analytic mind of his.
And again as I watch them sit side by side, brother and sister, I’m itching to sculpt the two. A perfect duality, just like the one Isolde’s describing in physics. Science and magic. They’re both at the same time.
I let my muse wander, a barricade of my own against the oppressive air.
Ravel, taking a break, tunes his mandolin, lying back against Nuée as she runs fingers through his hair, pretending this is all normal although rigid body movements and frown lines on everyone’s faces scream all’s not well. Christopher is bringing out food from the kitchen and insisting we each eat something to keep up our energy. In between, Bethany and Esther break in with comments about likely travel time between Staltz and our location as they set up devices and screens for play, recording and transmission.
The tension is tightrope-taut in the room, because we have no real clue when Harkness will arrive. This newer storm could delay him. There’s no good way to predict, since we have none of the technology to scan for his approach, nor do we know how many people he’ll bring.
We’re counting on his mad ego, his need to see Daav squirm under his victory, and his true preference to save Isolde to keep him from out and out blowing us up without entering the place. The best we can do is take turns outside on the deck keeping watch, so we trade our limited foul weather gear between us for lookout shifts.
It’s after Daav comes in from a check that Isolde leans over, speaking quietly to him again. He mumbles back, “I know,” although I don’t hear what she’s said.
Then he walks over to where I’m considering charcoals and an old pad of paper I found with random art supplies in a closet and took out to put on the coffee table.
“Come on, I want to ask your opinion on something in private,” Daav says.
“Do you really need to do this now?” Pike asks.
I wave him off. “Don’t worry, he just wants a farewell kiss before the world ends. We won’t trigger anything that gets your pants tight this time.”
Pike glares. I laugh in delight.
Once again all eyes trail us out of the living room to the family room. If I gave a shit I’d develop a complex.
Daav closes the door behind us.
“Okay, what top secret intel do you need to–”
Before I finish, he’s slammed me back against said door, his lips on mine, devouring me and my words. The kiss is brutal, demanding, with teeth and intent. Oh, so cock-hardeningly delicious, and I forget my fucking name in the onslaught. I eat back at him after I get a chance to catch up to the situation, and he’s growling into the kiss with whatever breath is left him.
Then, in another head spinning shift, he pulls off and holds me at a distance by my upper arms.
I pant to drag in air and regain the ability to actually speak.
“Love…you…too…Prince. Is this…the cave man needing…to mark his claim… before the battle scene?”
“Shut up, no. I do have a question for you.”
How is he able to speak, the asshole?
I’m almost breathing normally again. “You just couldn’t help yourself, my beauty overcame you.” I bat my eyelashes.
“Incorrigible.”
“Always, but what’s the question? My dick prefers the distraction you’re giving, but our time is limited, sweetness.”
His brow furrows. “When we do this, if my power grows at my birthday and the tangles react as I expect and this goes right, there’s a chance we all lose access to our Verse permanently.”
“Oh.” The idea spreads over me like prickles on my skin. Then curdles my belly at the same time it lightens something else inside.
“Yeah,” he confirms. “I should explain–”
“Not necessary, Prince. I trust you. You need to do it anyway, there’s no alternative,” I say, with my resolve firming my legs after the floor drops out from the foundation of all I know.
He nods, accepting my words. “But do I tell everyone else before?”
“It’s a little late to broadcast a warning to the Conclave. Plus, they’d take out a hit on us to stop it.”
“I mean tell everyone here, our friends?”
“Because their entire lives will change?”
He nods. “It’s not that I expect a refusal from them to take part in this. I don’t think the magic will give them a choice and if the alternative is death, they’re not stupid enough to reject the plan. But will the news ahead of time make it harder or better in the aftermath?”
“Tell them.” The certainty is there, a flash from my gut that’s strong and clear.
“And what about you?” he asks.
“I’m team Daav, you know that, Prince.”
“You lose as much.”
“Not the important things.” And I press my lips back against his, but with a brush of a kiss this time.
“Okay. Let’s do this. We’re a bell out from midnight.”
“Hoping he delays until your birthday for the most quarter century bang?”
Daav grunts agreement. We both want the same, but you get what you get, and we’ll deal with it.
He continues. “We need the impact of the Verse to gain the advantage. I’m counting on the closing of access to happen after we get what we want.”
It’s a risk I now understand better. Timing will be everything.
With another touch of lips, we rejoin the crew.
Daav asks for their attention, and lays out the potential impact of our plan with the tangles.
The disappearance of magic.
The room falls silent. I’m holding my breath for their reaction.
“No more Verse, for anyone?” Nuée asks, breaking the quiet. Ravel sits up from her embrace.
“That’s what I believe,” Daav says.
“Are you sure?” Hanna asks.
“No. But either way, we’re doing this, and you deserved to know.”
Esther falls back in the chair on which she’s perched while adjusting settings on a computer. “Where does that leave Orreance? All this effort to help our people’s future and we’re left with nothing.”
“All this effort to save our world from self-destructing, save everyone’s lives,” Freddie interrupts.
Christopher scoffs. “To end up Staltz’s slaves because we lose all magic?”
“To have any chance at a future,” Colleen says.
She looks towards Freddie who nods in agreement with her. The look of gratitude on her face at his acknowledgment is hard to watch.
Isolde is up now, centering herself in front of our friends, using the courage I’ve come to know lives inside her to face these people; ones she’s been raised to see as enemies.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make Staltz your ally. To help level the field with trade, research, sharing new technologies.”
“Including gaining a chance to wield that power by helping us kill your father?” Pike asks.
She never flinches. “Yes, by killing my father. What do you think I’m doing here?”
Isolde shifts her gaze to her brother. Neither of them acknowledged that goal out loud until now, I realize. We’ve talked about saving Gil, saving Daav, saving the whole fucking world, but not what that means we need to do.
It’s a heavy, terrible statement and the twisted dark pain of it raises its head in the room. Pike has the grace to flash a look of guilt. Isolde’s anger, lingering underneath most of what she’s done tonight, is due respect. It needs time to find its real name–grief. Grief for what and whom is yet to be discovered.
Ravel’s put down his mandolin. “This isn’t just about Orreance. We’re scared shitless to lose our magic. It’s who we’ve been our entire lives.”
Silence again. Guess everyone’s trying to wrestle with that little truth, because Ravel’s right.
Deidre slaps her palms, rubs them together. “Well, that’s enough of that. Other options don’t exist. Let’s finish the set-up.”
“Deidre,” Hanna warns.
“What, child? You want us to sit here and quake in our shoes for a more appropriate amount of time and let Harkness show up to put us out of our misery? No, me neither. We’ve lost enough of us and I’m not planning to lose anyone else. Colleen, unless you have another secret stash of guns, these are ready.” Deidre taps the weapons on the table, and picks them up, handing them out to each of the group.
Face to face with our purpose, we all take one and return to finishing other tasks.
Isolde checks the safety on hers and tucks it in the holster at the back of her waist out of sight. Daav goes to her, and wraps his arms around her. She tenses, then relaxes into his hold.
Freddie goes over to Colleen, and speaks to her in a hushed tone. Her eyes sheen wet and she nods. He walks away.
Verse twist it, but this strikes me too much like final goodbyes. I like hellos a hell of a lot more. I put the gun down on the closest table, grab that drawing pad, and lean against the wall, sketching quickly after my latest inspiration. The muse visits me that way sometimes, like a winged swift diving down and into my hands with some unholy mission. It’s channeled energy from a repository of mystery I’ll never hope to understand. I stopped questioning a long time ago.
Daav’s by my side, looking over my shoulder as I move to block his view, pulling the paper to my chest.
“Do you mind?”
He brushes a thumb over my cheek. “You’re the damndest man. A last sketch before the fight?”
“We have art so that we might not die of reality,” I quip back.
“You’re inspirational.”
“Not me who said it, Nietzche.”
He chuckles. “Thank you, Angel. For doing this with me.”
I hold the pad even closer. “You still can’t get a look.”
“Don’t worry, you can share it with me after.”
My heart melts, his sea eyes and his sootlashed, gorgeous light the only thing I want to look at for forever.
I nod. “Sure, after.”
The thump of my heart beats clear, strong, slow. Again. Again. And his is beating right there with mine, like the ribs of our chests have spread open and these vital organs have climbed inside with one another, matching their pulse. The same song. The pause of this moment lasts forever.
Until another voice breaks that forever.
“Harkness is here.”