Текст книги "The Promise"

Автор книги: Jessica Sorensen

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Chapter 16

(Alex)

It was a sound that put hairs on end, raised bodies from the grave, warned people of their impending death. This was the second time I’d heard a Banshee’s cry and I wondered if each one shaved more and more time off my life.

I kept my knife out because I wasn’t sure how she’d be. Would she appear in her hag form? Or look like herself?

I heard the thumping of her footsteps coming down the stairs, and I shifted to the side, putting myself between Gemma and the stairway, just in case. When I saw the figure, long brown hair, bright green eyes, I guessed it was her. But the similarity in our eyes was so striking that I swear hers had to be fake, an illusion of my own mind.

Her hand trailed along the railing until she reached the bottom of the stairs. At first she looked angry, like I was nothing more than an intruder. But then she smiled, her lips opening to speak.

But the sound of her voice was nothing but a screech. Gemma and I flung our hands over our ears as my mother shook her head.

“Sorry.” Her voice was angelic. She motioned for us to put down our hands. “It’s a habit,” she explained.

I nodded and then she was hugging me tightly like I was still a child.

“You’re so grown up. I can’t believe it.”

Then her gaze darted over my shoulder, eyes lighting up. “And who’s this?” But she grew quiet, undoubtedly catching sight of Gemma’s eyes. It was always her eyes that gave her away.

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They were hauntingly beautiful.

“Oh my.” My mother opened her arms, leaning in to give Gemma a hug. Gemma looked uncomfortable with the situation. Her broken, emotionless, parentless past made her uneasy with affection. “I can’t believe you made it through. Although, with all the madness going on, I highly doubt it’s over yet.”

“You know about the mark?” I asked and then shook my head. “Of course you do. You’re a…

faerie.” Something occurred to me at that moment. What if she had the mark?

But it was like she could read my mind. She rolled up her sleeves and lifted her hair away from her neck. “All mark free. Even my Keeper’s mark’s gone now that I’ve died.”

“You’re lucky,” I muttered.

She frowned at me. “You need that for now. It’ll help you stay alive.” She was right, but it didn’t mean I liked it. “So we need your help with something,” I said, wanting to talk to her more, but knowing I was running out of time.

“I know you do,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for you to show up.” My grip constricted on my knife. “Then why didn’t you come looking for me.”

“I can’t leave this place,” she said, with sadness in her voice. “This is the place I was assigned to watch over.”

“So how are you going to help us?” I asked. “If you’re stuck here?”

“I’ll help you escape from here.”

I gazed around at the charcoal building. “Did this place burn down once?” 71

“No, this is death.” She said it matter-of-factly. “So I’m guessing you need to get to the Afterlife to see the queen.”

I nodded. “That would be the problem.”

“Well, it’s not going to be easy.” She sat down on the bottom step. “There are certain things required to enter the land of the dead without actually being dead.”

“What kind of things?” Gemma asked and I got the impression she already understood that these things were probably bad.

“The first thing,” my mother eyed her ring, “you already have.” Gemma twisted the ring. “And the second?”

“Is looking like you’re dead,” she said lightly.

Gemma winced. “Look like I’m dead.”

“Okay, how do we make it look like I’m dead?” I asked.

“Not you sweetie.” Her eyes settled on Gemma. “Her.”

“No freaking way.” My voice came out composed, but on the inside I felt like I’d swallowed a jar of needles.

“It has to be me,” Gemma said, just like she always did. In her eyes this was all her fault, even if she was trying to fix a mess my father and her father created.

“You don’t know that.” I stepped in front of her. “You just always assume it has to be you.” She shook her head, her hair going everywhere and I had to stop myself from brushing it back.

“No, I’ve seen it. I m dead in a coffin and Nicholas is waiting for me.” 72

“How long have you been hiding this?” I rubbed my hands across my face, wanting to yell at her and at the same time kiss her. I flexed my hands a few times, choking back the anger bursting in me. “Well, that still doesn’t mean it has to be you.”

“Yes it does,” my mother and her both said at the same time.

My mother stood to her feet, giving me a sympathetic look. “She has the ring, she has the ghost connection, and she’s the one who shifted the vision that led to this.” I started to speak, but she talked over me. “Now, I know it s not fair I know it’s not her fault. But that’s the way things are how life, works.”

“Okay, so what to do I need to do?” Gemma asked. “I mean, how do I look dead?”

“This is a stupid idea,” I interrupted, but they both blew me off.

“You’ll need to have a funeral. Helena needs to think you’re dead.” Gemma was nodding, like this plan didn’t bother her at all. “Okay, I can do that.”

“We need a different plan,” I said loudly. “One where she doesn’t have to die.”

“And we need a witch,” my mother kept going. “One that we can trust.” She turned to me, hopeful.

“Aislin’s marked, if that’s what you’re getting at,” I said flatly. “She can’t help us.”

“I might know someone. I’ll be right back.” Then she left, hurrying up the stairs.

I shook my head, irritated, and not understanding why it had to be Gemma, or why my mom was so determined it had to be done this way. I turned to Gemma, watching her squirm, trying to pretend she was calm.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “It has to be 73

me. It always had to be me.”

“No, it doesn’t.” I kept looking at her, letting the electricity get to her, hoping she d lose focus of her sacrificial plan. “Give me the ring and let me do it.” She hid her hand behind her back, as if I couldn’t just reach over and take it.

“Gemma, stop being stubborn.”

She looked infuriated. “I thought we’d gotten passed all this. That you understood I needed to make my own decisions.”

“This is different. This is death.” I turned her so we were face-to-face. “Please don’t do it.”

“I’ll come back,” she said, her voice softening. “I can’t die completely. Not without you.” Losing my cool, I slammed my fist into the wall. “Gemma, I swear to God, would you please just —”

“Alright,” my mother announced as she whisked down the stairs. “My witch is on board, but you two are going to have to go to her place and pick it up.”

“Pick up what?”

She neared the bottom step, the light of the moon shining through the window and for a second she looked like someone else, like someone I once saw. It was like she’d momentarily shifted out of focus, revealing her true identity.

When I blinked, she shifted back.

She was smiling. “The poison that will kill Gemma,” she replied calmly.

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Chapter 17

(Gemma)

Iwasn’t going to play courageous and pretend that I wasn’t scared out of my mind. The very idea of dying was enough, but adding poison to the mix had my heart racing a million times faster. But I couldn’t let him know. I had to play it cool, because he was freaking out. In fact, ever since his mother had made the announcement about the poison, he seemed a little off, walking silently with his eyebrows knitted together.

His mother gave him an address and sent us on our way. The house she was in had some sort of entrapment on it and she could only leave to collect souls. So it was just the two of us, which didn’t seem so bad at the moment.

We walked the snowy streets, underneath the light of the lampposts, snow falling, the silent air kissing our cheeks.

“Why do you think it so quiet here?” I asked as we turned a sharp right and headed down a road that sloped to a cluster of dark houses.

“I’m not sure.” He tucked his hands in his jean pockets. “But I don’t like it. It’s too quiet.”

“It is,” I agreed, watchfully peering at the houses settled with darkness. I wondered what was hiding in them. Were they watching us? “It’s just so different. I mean, in Afton there were vampire and faeries and witches everywhere. And here it’s just dead. Everything in the airport seemed normal.”

“They might have been in disguise or something… or maybe we weren’t looking hard enough.” He trailed off like he was just realized something. “Or maybe…” Then he snatched my hand and rushed us to the side of the street, running like a mad man. “We have to leave. Now.” I stumbled to keep up with him and bumped my knee into a garbage can. “Why? What’s 75

wrong?”

But he kept sprinting and dove behind a small brick house, hiding us in the shadows.

“What’s wrong?” I hissed as he extracted his knife.

“Gemma take us away from here,” he snapped, pacing left and right. “Now. We need to go.” But I shook my head. “Not until you tell me why you’re flipping out. Is this because of the poison? Because I’m going to do it you can’t stop me.”

“No, it’s because that wasn’t my mom,” he bit through his teeth furiously and kicked the wall of the house.

“But you —”

He covered my mouth. “Don’t you think it s strange? I mean, it was all so easy. We just walked up and there she was with all the information. And a plan.” I waited for him to remove his hand. “It’s strange, but I think you’re overreacting.”

“When the Banshee was coming downstairs,” he explained quickly. “I thought she looked like someone else but I couldn’t place who. I just realized who it was. It was the Banshee I met when I got the address for this place.”

“Okay…” I pressed my back against the house, blending into the shadows the best I could. “But why does that matter? I mean, she looked like your mom, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, but Banshees can change their looks,” he said. “They can transform into someone else.”

“So you don’t think that was your mother?” I asked. “But why would another Banshee do that?

It doesn’t make sense.”

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“I m not sure.” He lightly touched my arm. “But I think we need to leave until we know for sure. We can’t just go back and hope I’m not right. That’d be stupid.” I wasn’t sure if he was being honest, or just trying to stop me from taking the poison. “I think we should —”

Nearby, a set of garbage cans tumble over, rattling the air. A dog howled at the moon, bright and full, causing a sputtered of dogs to join in. We flinched and Alex whirled, knife swinging, ready to kill anyone who ventured to move in on us.

“Well, look at you two. Hiding out, like two frightened little kids.” Laylen’s tall, pale silhouette slid out from the shadows and into the light of the porch.

“Son of a,” Alex muttered, aiming the knife at Laylen.

A grin crept up on Laylen s face as he showed us his fangs. “I thought you’d be happy. I’m finally what you always saw me as, a killer.”

Alex began to speak, but a voice rose above his.

“Maybe he always saw you for what you were supposed to be.” Aislin appeared out of nowhere, golden hair sparkling in the moonlight. An eerie grin strained at her lips as she stroked Laylen s shoulder. “What we were both supposed to be.” Their forearms were marked with a triangle outlining a red, Greek-like symbol the Mark of Malefiscus. It stained their hands red and made them grin in a way that shot a shiver down my spine.

“Get us out of here,” Alex hissed, but I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off them. They were evil now and I knew they would hurt us. And where was Aleesa? She was marked too, the last time I’d seen her. Had they lost her?

“She’s fixated by me,” Laylen said, sweeping his hair back. “She’s remembering the bite and 77

how good it felt.”

I touch my neck, memories iridescent in my mind. “I think…”

“Gemma.” Alex put a hand under my chin, and the nick of his skin ripped me out of my daze.

“Get us out of here.”

This time I shut my eyes and pictured the first place that came to mind. We’d escaped there before. Viva Las Vegas. But something was stuck blocking me from going. I opened my eyes and caught Laylen and Aislin swapping knowing smiles.

“They have praesidium on them,” I whispered. “There’s nothing I can do. Unless we run.” Alex’s fighting face elevated to the challenge. He spun and within seconds, his body rammed into Laylen’s. They collided to the frost-bitten ground, turning into an enormous snowball rolling around as they threw punches and cracked knuckles at each other. My gaze zipped to Aislin, who was watching me with cruelty in her eyes.

“Sucks doesn’t it.” She twirled her hair around her finger carelessly as she took lazy steps toward me. “Feeling so vulnerable, yet you can’t do anything about it.” I got the feeling that this was much deeper than just the Mark of Malefiscus.

“I had to sit there and watch you bat your eyes at him like some kind of lovesick girl.” Her high-heeled boots clicked against the ice. “Watch the way he looked at you until it almost drove me mad.” She was right in front of me, our eyes locked, waiting for the right time to make the first move. “But those days are almost over. Soon you’ll be gone dead, rotting in the ground.”

She’s not herself. “Aislin, you don t have to do this. We’re friends.”

“Friends?” she whispered and then her hands ignited.

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Without hesitation, I attack, slamming into her and sending us to the ground. Her hands burnt out when they hit the snow. I landed on top of her, not sure what to do. This was Aislin, mark or no mark, and I didn’t want to hurt her. But then she got this look in her eyes, like she would do anything to hurt me. As her hand lifted, I smacked my knuckles hard into her cheek.

“Sorry,” I apologized like an idiot.

She laughed, throwing her head at me and flipping us to the side. My head smack the ground, spots of snow stinging my eyes. I reached for her coat pocket, knowing that was where the praesidium had to be. But she bit my hand and I let out a painful cry. More garbage cans toppled over as Alex and Laylen rolled farther away.

My distraction allowed her to bit me again, cutting my skin this time. And that was it. I’d had enough. I clocked her again, this time not holding back. While she was recovering, I tore her pocket open, the purple marble of praesidium bouncing onto the ice. She grabbed my hand as I reach for it. I slide my legs over, nudging it with my shoe, and watched as it barreled for Laylen and Alex.

Then I shoved away from Aislin, trying to get to Alex, so I could take us away from here. But Aislin grasped my ankle, flinging me back down to the ground. I braced myself against the ice, turning over in time to see a ball of light moving for me.

I didn’t think.

I just went.

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Chapter 18

(Gemma)

Somehow I made it away, landing on the checker boarded living room floor. But I wasn’t alone. A crazed Aislin was still gripping onto my leg, her eyes wide and murderous.

“I have to take you to him,” she said, dazed and rabid. “I have to take you to him.” Her nails dug into my arms.

“Adessa!” I screamed, praying the witch was home and wasn’t inked with the mark.

By the scared look on Aislin s face, I was guessing she didn’t. Aislin knew she was in trouble.

But the house was as still as a statue and she relaxed, her fear replaced by delight.

“Guess she’s not home.” Aislin leapt to her feet. “Duratus.” I scurried to my feet, but the giant ball of light hurtled into my chest. At first, I thought she’d taken my life like the last witch. But then my muscles went rigid and I lost all control of my body. I crumpled to the black and white tiled floor, my head clipping the corner of the apothecary table. My brain sung and my body throbbed.

Her fingers reached for my locket. “Guess it’s not working anymore, or maybe I m just too strong for sugilite.” She snapped the chain from my neck, coiling it around her finger. “It’s an immobilizing spell by the way.” Her clarification was unnecessary since I couldn’t move

“Sucks doesn’t it, not being the one in control.”

She smacked her lips together. “I’m not sure what to do with you.” She roamed around the room, running her fingers along the knickknacks on the shelf. She picked up a figurine of a woman with beautiful wings a Black Angel. She turned it in her hand. “You know I’m supposed to take you to my father. The mark’s begging me to. But I don’t know. I’d like to see you suffer a little before I do that.” She stared at the figurine with a spiteful look in her eyes I didn’t like.

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“I’ll be right back,” she said, like she had just created the most evil plan in the world. “Don’t go anywhere.” Then she grinned and with a swish of her hands, vanished in a cloud of smoke.

That was a new trick too, apparently being evil made her more powerful.

All I could do was wait there helplessly until she came back.

Adessa had a dripping faucet somewhere in the house. It was driving me crazy as I lay on the floor, wondering what on earth Aislin was going to return with. Even though she was working with the dark side, part of me hoped it wouldn’t be that bad. She was Aislin. But deep down, I knew it didn’t matter. She had been brainwashed by the most evil man I knew Stephan.

Finally, I heard a thump from inside the house. It was time to find out what Aislin was going to do to me.

But it wasn’t Aislin who entered the room.

Adessa’s golden cat-shaped eyes landed on me. “Gemma.”

I tried to nod, but my head was a numb useless lump.

“Why are you…” She glanced around as if she sensed something was wrong. Then she swept her long black hair out of her face and knelt down beside me. She inspected me over and then she yelled, “liberum.”

I was instantly free and jumped to my feet, wanting to get as far away from this place as possible. “We have to get out of here.”

“Why?” she asked. “Gemma, why are you here?”

I gave her a quick recap of all the stuff that had been happening.

“So Aislin has the mark, but she can remove the mark?” She ambled the room, her long navy 81

dress flowing the floor. “And you don t know where she went?” I shook my head, urging her toward the doorway. “That’s why we need to get out of here.” Adessa held up her hand. “We don’t need to go anywhere. We can fix this.” Suddenly, I feared she might be marked. My eyes took in her arms and neck, the places where it was most likely to be hidden. But her honey skin was mark free.

“Do you remember how she did it?” Adessa asked. “How Aislin removed the mark?”

“Kind of,” I said. “I mean, yeah, I think so.”

“Tell me and try to remember every little detail,” she said, taking a seat on the purple velvet sofa.

“She could come back any minute,” I warned. “We should go.” Adessa deliberated this and then stretched her hand, pointing to the ceiling. “Me tenebris et tueri nos.” A dark cloud rotated from her hand, casing the ceiling with a smoky sheet of black.

“There.” She dusted her hands off. “We have a few minutes. Now go ahead and try to explain it to me.”

My eyes were wide as I took a seat. “The first thing she did was go to the graveyard to summon some kind of witch spirit to give her more power. Then she created the spell. First, she cuts into the middle of the mark so that blood drips out.”

“To bleed out the evil.” Adessa nodded, understanding. “Yes, that makes sense.”

“Then she inserts some potion I think she called it Vitis vinifera, which is supposed to free them from the evil connection,” I said. “Then the last thing she does is chant some sort of spell… liberare vos ligaveris.” God, I hoped that was right.

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Adessa looked like it was making sense. She hopped to her feet, threw open the apothecary table, and it was filled with baggies of herbs. She took one out. “Does this look like the Vitis vinifera she used?”

The green crushed leaves did look familiar. “I think so. But it doesn’t matter if you have all the stuff. You need the power of that ghost flame woman.”

Adessa’s eyes were kind. “Has Laylen ever told you anything about me?” I wasn’t sure how she wanted me to answer. “Um… a little.”

“Well, did he ever mention how old I was?”

I shook my head, not daring to utter an age, afraid if I said something older, she d freak out like Sophia use to do. Thinking about my cold-hearted grandmother, sent a chill down my back. I hated thinking about the soulless years I spent with her. I remembered when Aislin finally broke down and told me Sophia and Marco were dead. She’d discovered this information when she’d been trying to locate Keepers with a Tracker Spell, only the spell had informed her they no longer existed, which meant they had to be dead. The Tracker Spell didn’t explain how they died though, but I knew that Stephan was probably behind it somehow. Just like he was behind most deaths.

Honestly, I’d had mixed feelings about their deaths. I was sad, but at the same time empty. I understood they’d been brainwashed during all those years of torture, yet the cold and harsh way they’d treated me was still a fresh wound. I’d spent much of my life being ignored by them as they let me sink into a lonely hole.

“I’m one-hundred and fifty-eight,” Adessa replied and I blinked out of my trance. “And do you know how I lived this long without aging?” I shook my head and she rose to her feet. “Because I’m powerful.”

I hated to break it to her, but if she was that powerful, she would have figured out her own spell. As if to prove me wrong, she flung her hands out to her side. Her head fell back, chin 83

tipped to the smoky ceiling. “Isabella, come to me!” A fire burst through the air and the flaming woman materialized, letting out a deafening wail. I covered my ears as Adessa chanted magic under her breath, finally settling the fire woman down.

“You’ve been hiding something from me Isabella,” Adessa warned. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

The fire woman hissed flames at Adessa s face.

“Don’t take that attitude with me,” Adessa said. “You’ve been lying to me for a very long time.” The flame woman tipped her head back and wailed.

“Stop sulking and hand it over.” Adessa stuck out her hand and the fire woman let out a huff, blowing a breath of smoke and fire into Adessa’s palm.

“Go now.” Adessa flexed her hand. “And don’t come back until you’re sorry for what you did.” The flame woman dissipated and Adessa turned, smiling. I was pretty sure my jaw was hanging to the floor.

“Now that that’s taken care of.” She shut the lid of the apothecary table. “I think I can make this work. But I’m going to need your help with something first something that’s very dangerous, but very important to me.”

“Okay,” I said, not surprised, because danger seemed to be my middle name. “Tell me what it is.”

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