Текст книги "Total Eclipse"

Автор книги: Rachel Caine

Соавторы: Rachel Caine
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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

I looked at David, and I saw the knowledge in his face, too. The wonder. And a little bit of fear. I reached for his hand, and he almost broke mine with the force and fierceness of his grip.

I felt shaky and on the verge of tears, and I didnt even know why, really, except that there was a sense to all of this of endings. Maybe endings without new beginnings.

Are we done? I finally said, and forced a cocky smile. Because theres world-saving to be done.

Right, Lewis said. There always is, isnt there? That part never changes. Hey, if its a boy, name him after me, will you?

You dont have to do this, I said. I could try

No. There comes a time when you have to realize that you cant save the world alone, Jo. You have to let someone else take a shot. And its my turn.

I took a deep breath, forced a smile, took one last look at the blackened sun in the red sky, and opened the door of the chapel. We got on with it.

Chapter Twelve

Imara was standing at the front of the chapel, silhouetted by the giant sweep of windows that displayed the eclipsed sun, the red sky, the dramatic drop of the canyons. It was the kind of view that would make anyone religious, Id always thought, but right now, all I could see was my daughter, standing motionless in front of all that glory, with sand whipping around her like a tornado. Her black hair was lifting on an invisible wind, and her eyes were just as dark, lid to lid, like a night sky flecked with exploding stars. She was . . . terrifying.

And angry.

Imara, David said, and walked down the aisle toward her. Im sorry, but we had to come. You know this place wont last much longer. Youll fall, and when you do, youll destroy. We can stop it, if youll help us.

She laughed. It was a wretched, despairing sound, and it lashed at our faces like slaps. I winced and wanted to turn away; I hated seeing her like this, so alien and far from the child Id known. All grown up, some part of my brain contributed helpfully. Parents never do understand their children.

Youre fools, she said. I tried to stop you. I tried to tell you, its useless.I dont want to see you hurt, dont you understand? I cant protect you!

Were not asking you to, sweetheart, I said. Please. I know you can hear her. Open yourself up, and let us talk through you. Im begging you, for the sake of the half of you that was once like me. Please.

Mom, it wont help, dont you get it? You think she doesnt know about humanity? About what it is, what its done? This is the reckoning. We all told you it would come. Imara was crying, black tears like oil that marred her perfect, pale face. If I open the connection, I cant shut it off. Ill be lost. Well all be lost.

Out there, canyons trembled, and rocks shifted, and I saw part of the cliff face opposite shear away and fall to the rocks below. Her perfect sanctuary couldnt hold. Shecouldnt hold.

None of us could.

Please, Lewis said, and stepped forward. Imaras black eyes focused on him, and I saw him falter, just a little, before he continued moving toward her. Please let her see me.

Shell destroy you, Imara said. Dont you know that?

Yes, he said. I know. Its the only chance we have. Im willing to take that risk.

Its not a risk. Its a certainty.

I took in a sharp breath, and Davids grip on my hand tightened, warning me not to interfere. Wed done what we could, and now, Lewis had shouldered the burden.

As Id known he would, from the beginning. This was what Lewis had been saving himself for all alongnot his survival, but to be sure that his death counted for something important.

Id thought, more than once, that he was a cold, manipulative bastard, and that was all true . . . but thiswas true, too. Hed sacrificed others, but hed done it because he knew, eventually, that hed stand here, in this place, and be the only one who could change the world.

My heart was breaking to pieces, but I understood.

Imara took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Behind her, the eclipsed sun exploded back into fiery, full life, burning brighter, brighter, until I had to shut my eyes and turn away from it.

When the light receded, I looked back, and met the eyes of Mother Earth.

They werent white. They were all the colors of the sea swirling together, deep blue and warm turquoise and milky jade green. They were so beautiful. So peaceful.

So utterly merciless.

Her gaze held me, and I felt drowned in a vast, astonishing warmth. But it wasnt acceptance. Everything in me was being emptied out, examined, and found wanting.

The warmth abruptly cut off, and I sank down to my knees, sobbing with longing to feel that again, bethat again. I thought Id touched her consciousness before, but it had been nothing like this, this power.Id never felt anything like it, and I knew that, like the screams of the Djinn, Id never be able to notfeel it, on some level. She had taken me, marked me, and discarded me.

Next to me, David slowly, gracefully, bent one knee, and I saw him stare fearlessly into her eyes. Imaras face took on a hint of a smile, and I felt the echoes of the warmth that cascaded into him, through him, waves of ecstasy that burned even as removed as I was from the experience. Only a Djinn could have withstood that, and even David finally bowed his head, trembling and shaking.

She fastened that deadly, warm, perfect gaze on Lewis, and I heard him let out a sound that was something between a sigh and a moan. His body went rigid, head thrown back, and light streamed from him in golden flickers and flows, cascading into Imara.

Into the Earth.

No, he said hoarsely, and with a huge effort, he stopped.He denied her.

I couldnt imagine how that was possible, but he did it.He advanced toward her, until they were no more than a foot apart, and Lewis said, You cant have me. Not like this. Not if you destroy my people.

The sea-blue eyes slowly blinked. Your people chose this, she said, and her voice was vast and bell-like, and the windows behind Imara shattered in a hail of glittering shards that fell away into the canyon. Wind whipped in, and I saw storms forming, black and furious. More of the canyon cliffs opposite fell away as the land rocked and shifted. The wooden pews in the chapel burst into white-hot flame and burned to ashes in seconds. They were warned.

Lewis was shaking now, and he fell to his knees in front of her, but his fists were clenched. No, he gritted out. Let them live. Let us live. You owe me this.

She laughed, and it was the harsh, ripping sound of claws, the whisper of feathers, the roar of lions. I was terrified, and so small, so very small before the power in this room.

The power that Lewis still resisted.

I owe you nothing, the Mother said. You owe me everything. And I will have it in payment for pain.

Thats what you want! Lewis shouted, and somehow his voice rang louder here, in this place, than hers. But I know what you need!

I had no idea how he could be doing this, talkingto herImara was the only one who could have made that connection, amplified his voice to a level where it could be heard and understood by something as enormous as Mother Earth. Only Imara could have enough humanity left in her to bridge that gap. The other Oracles couldnt; even the Djinn couldnt, without being destroyed.

My daughters birth, her death, her raising as an Oracleall of it was a plan. A plan so vast, so complex and I could only now see glimmers of it, and the beauty and tragedy of it choked me with tears. This wasnt the Mothers plan.

This was something greater, and more astonishing, and just for a moment, I glimpsed the hand of God.

Then what do I need? the Mother hissed, and I heard a multitude of snakes, felt the burn of venom in my arm again.

Lewis didnt hesitate, and I have no idea how much courage it took, how much fear he had to overcome.

He stepped intoher, kissing-close, and said, You need me.

For the first time, I felt Lewis unleash the full range of his Earth powers, and my God, it was like nothing Id ever felt before, from any Warden. It was pure, animal seduction, and it came from a place in him that Id never known existed. He wasnt surrendering to her. He was seducingher. I felt the overwhelming heat of it wash over me as a reflection, an echo, and I swayed on my knees and almost went down.

This was what made Lewis unique among Wardens. This was why hed been born in this age, so that he could stand here at this time, and do something no other human on Earth could do.

Remind the Earth that nature was more than tooth and claw, death and pain.

Hear me, Lewis said, his lips hovering just a fraction above hers, his body radiating that passion. We are part of you. Part of everything. Hear me.

He was swaying a little, side to side, and she swayed with him. It was a slow, hypnotic dance, and the sand whirling around my daughters body slowed its angry rotation, slipping and falling in a red rain to pool around her bare feet.

I hear you, she said, and it was Imaras voice, my voice, the Mothers voice, the echo of millions. And there was a kind of drugged wonder in it. I hear you.

Then feel me, Lewis said, and kissed her.

The light that exploded from them should have burned us alive, it was so purely white. Even with my eyes shut, my arms blocking the glare, I could see the two of them standing there together, swaying, merging, dancing.

David let out a sharp cry and got to his feetnot a cry of alarm, but one of triumph, of joy, of absolute relief.And all around him formed Djinn, the Djinn I had known, the ones I had never known, the ones whod been my mortal enemies. Venna came, and Rahel, dozens more, and more, and more until the chapel was full. Their eyes were burning not with white, but with a pure gold.

The light slowly died at the front of the chapel, and Imara and Lewis collapsed to the floor. She lay in a pale heap, hair covering her face, and as I watched the sand slip back over her in a whispering blanket, I knew she was still alive. Still an Oracle.

She opened her eyes, and sat up, staring down at herselfand at Lewis.

He wasnt moving.

I saw the grief move over her face, and she reached down and put her fingers on his cheek, very gently. She looked up at me, and I knew instantly that Lewis . . . Lewis was gone. The flesh that lay there was empty, the soul taken.

No, I whispered, and all the barriers inside me broke. Id witnessed something that had never been seen by any human beforenone whod ever livedand it had been shocking and moving and terrifying, but in the end, all I could feel was that Id lost him. Id lost Lewis.

Imara straightened his body, folded his arms, and stood over him. She looked out at the Djinn and said, Youre here to bear witness. Say his name.

Lewis, said a thunderous chorus of Djinn voices. Lewis. Lewis.

And a shining being misted into existence, more beautiful than anything Id ever imagined. Angels would weep to see him now, and it wasnt for several long heartbeats that I recognized his face, his body. It was Lewis, perfected, the way David had been perfected.

But Djinn Lewis shone with so much power that it couldnt be contained in him. The aetheric caught fire around him, and it was a white blaze of joy.

Every single DjinnNew Djinn, Oldall of them went to their knees.

I went, too, more because I didnt want to be the only one standing. Davids face was blank, his eyes very bright, as he said, Hes the Conduit. All of us, together again. One people, not two.

Lewis had replaced Jonathan, in ways that David and Ashan could not.

I slowly stood up again, and Lewiss attention fixed on me. His smile hadnt changed at all, really.

Hey, I said. Soabout humanity

Through me, she understands, Lewis told me. His voice made me shiver, because it was like him and yet somehow . . . not. The seductive power hed unleashed was still putting raw edges on him. The human race will survive. Better get your act together, though. Its a limited time offer.

I nodded, not sure what to say to him anymore. David stood up next to me, and slowly, one by one, the Djinn rose.

Right, Lewis said. The Djinn will help clear the damages, heal the sick and injured, rebuild alongside you. Were partners now. The way we should have been.

I cleared my throat. And the Wardens?

Going to take a lot of work to bring them back, Lewis said. His smile grew brighter. I cant think of anyone I trust more to make that happen, Jo. You, and your son.

Son.I put a hand over my stomach as my lips parted.

Lewis waved his hand, and the glass windows of the chapel filled in again. The Djinn had to shuffle around as wooden pews replaced piles of ashes. Creation, at the snap of his fingers.

Is she still awake? I asked.

For now, he said. Shell sleep soon. But I think youll find things much easier now.

The Djinn were disappearing now, heading off to their newly appointed tasks. Outside the window, the sky was a pure, perfect blue, with a few light clouds drifting high. A bald eagle swooped low, so close its wings almost brushed the glass, and I wondered if it was the same one wed left wrapped in Cassiels coat in Las Vegas.

I watched it soar away. When I looked back down, Djinn Lewis was gone, and his silent, empty shell was all that was left.

David took my hand. Time to go, he said.

I took in a deep breath. What about

Imara gave me a smile, and looked down. Lewiss body sank into the floor, into the stone beneath. I saw the fading whisper of it moving deep, deep into the Earth.

Gone.

Good journey, Mom, Imara said, and whispered into shadows and sand.

Behind us, the door of the chapel opened, and the priest blinked at us in surprise. Oh, hello, he said. The chapel isnt officially open yet, but if youd like to come back

Yes, David said. Well come back. But we have things to do.

We walked out, into bright sunlight, and descended the steps. I had no idea what wed do when we got to the bottomno car, no transportation of any kind. I didnt really feel like taking a bus.

Things to do, I repeated. Well go get the rebuilding started, round up the Wardens, recover the Djinn bottles and smash them. After that, though, its three days of spa, mud baths, and all-day massages. Anything Im forgetting?

Shopping, David said, straight-faced. And a bedroom with a locked door.

Mmmm, I said. Joy gurgled up in me like bubbles, and I found I was poised on the edge of giggles. Can we move that to first on the list?

Probably not. He smiled, and stopped on the steps to kiss me with all the passion and sweetness I could ever want. Thats an installment.

Id like to give you something on credit, too, but its a public space. And a church.

He laughed, and we skipped down the rest of the steps to the parking lot.

Sitting in the middle of the lot was a black 1970 Mustang Boss 429, gleaming like new. I stopped and threw David a questioning look. He tossed me the keys.

Next stop, Las Vegas.

And the world, beyond.

Epilogue

Mo-o-om!

I was in the middle of a pile of paperwork and a simultaneous conference call with Warden HQ, which had already gone on for two hours and was likely to go on for two more. I counted to ten, silently, and hit the mute button on my phone just as someone, of course, asked me for my opinion. Ah well. I always told them family came first. What is it? I called, with extreme patience.

I need you!

Do you need me right now?

Wellyeah, kind of!

That was when I smelled something burning, and the smoke alarms went off at the back of the house. I jumped up, scattering papers in a summertime paper blizzard as I dashed toward my son.

He was standing in the doorway saying, Mom, I didnt mean to; it wasnt my fault. . . .

Lewis Kevin Prince, get out of my way!

He knew that tone, at least, and, head down, shuffled aside so I could see the freaking bonfirethat was raging in the corner of his room. Those curtains were toast.

Again.

I called up my mad Fire skills and snuffed it out with only a little puff of smoke. It was worse than Id thoughtcarpet melted into a toxic cesspool in the corner, the paint done for, the aforementioned curtains gone from white to charred rags. It could have been worse. At least this time, hed kept it away from the closet, the computer, the game system, and his huge rack of books.

Our son was eight years old, and nobody in the entire history of the Wardens had shown this kind of crazy potential at this age. Potential for destruction, sure, but not with such an impressive amount of firepower. Literally.

I looked at the damage, sighed, and said, Lewis, Im going to have to get your dad for this.

He looked so gleeful for a second that I wondered if that had been his plan all along. Dad, home, with us. If it was, he was smart enough to look immediately angelic. Not hard for himhe was a gorgeous kid, with floppy straight dark hair and big blue eyes. He had his fathers features, though. In the pictures I had hanging up around the house, there was no doubt at all as to his parentage.

I really dont know where he got the stubbornness from, though. And the wild streak.

The front door slammed open, and a cheery voice yelled out, Get some clothes on, you, you hippies! Cherise. Good thing Id put the conference call on mute. Yikes, that would have greatly enhanced my standing in the Warden executive offices. Hey, are you burning a roast again? You really suck at this housekeeping thing, you know. Good thing I brought pizza and Bellinis.

Only in Cherises world did that combination make sense. I loved Cherises world.

Aunt Cher! Lewis quickly abandoned the disaster of his bedroom and pelted out toward the living room. Did you bring it? Did you?

I followed him, because standing there in contemplation of the wreckage was just not helping. Cherise wasnt alone; holding the pizza box was Tommy, whose shy smile always delighted melike Lewis, hed grown up to be a beautiful boy, and with far better manners (from Cherise! Who knew?). Lewis ran up to him and took the pizza, which made Tommy frown a little in anxiety and trail him toward the kitchen. Dont eat any yet! I heard Tommy say sternly. We need to wait for our moms!

I could just imagine what Lewis would say to that. Lewis, listen to Tommy!

Yeah, right. Poor Tommy.

Cherise put her purse downPrada, very niceand added her designer sunglasses to the pile. She looked summer-hot, and life was definitely being good to her these days. Shed started up a personal stylist business, and was now all the rage among the Miami elite, with a rising number of Hollywood clients as well. So, she said. Im assuming the fires out?

Dont worry, you wont smudge anything.

Damn straight. She flopped on the couch, put her sandaled feet up on the coffee table, and folded her hands over her trim stomach, which the sundress left bare. Youre not bailing on us, are you?

I flopped down next to her and stretched out my legs. Mine were longer and better toned, thanks to running around after my hyperactive hamster of a son. Cherises had a better tan. I have a conference call.

When?

I gestured vaguely toward the open door of the office, where people were still mumbling on the phone line without me. Forever, apparently.

Come on, its a holiday! You work every holiday. Be a do-bee, not a dont-bee.

Ive got beer in the fridge, dont I?

You could be drinking that beer at the beach. Followed by a really swell dinner with your friends. Im here to make sure you go.

I sighed. It was Memorial Day, and Memorial Day had a special meaning now for the Wardens. We didnt officially have ceremonieshadnt since the first yearbut all of us thought of Memorial Day as the day we honored our fallen friends and comrades. And we gathered, wherever we were, to break bread together and just . . . be glad we were still alive.

Over the past eight years, a lot had changed. The destruction wrought during Mother Earths brief, angry wakening had changed the face of a lot of communities around the world . . . and utterly obliterated a few. From the ashes, people rebuilt, and they rebuilt well. The remaining Wardens had helped, too. Finally, eight years out, the trauma was starting to lessen, but it would never really fade. Not for any of us.

I made a decision, and popped my head in the kitchen. As usual, Lewis had persuaded Tommy that they didnt reallyneed to wait for permission to start on the pizza. I shook my head and said, Go ahead, boys. Eat up. It just means you cant go swimming for thirty minutes.

Mom! Lewis promptly said, and looked very disappointed. Thats not even true. It doesnt matter if you eat.

Its true today, buster, because youve had half the pizza in about five minutes and you need to stop. Now go get your beach stuff.

He and Tommy dashed off toward Lewiss bedroom, still clutching their last pieces of pizza. I sighed and closed up the box and put it away in the fridge, retrieved a six-pack of bottled beer, and added it to my always-ready beach bag.

Then I went into the office, unmuted the call, and said, Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention?

The voices fell silent. Twenty Wardens, all waiting for me to say something profound.

Go enjoy your holiday, I said. Well pick this back up tomorrow. It can wait.

Nobody argued. There was noticeably more good cheer in their voices as they signed off.

Cherise had brought her cara sedan, nota Mommy-van; even if she eventually had a dozen kids, I didnt think shed ever go to that extreme. It was a brand-new Ergani, the sleek electric one, and she seemed to like it. I missed the feel of the engine, but I had to admit that hers was more planet-friendly.

We spent a few blissful hours at the beach, sipping our beer and watching our kids play. As the sun began to sink toward the western horizon, we packed up, whistled for Lewis and Tommy to drop whatever arcane thing they were doing with shells and sticks, and piled back into the car, tired and happy.

Cherise drove us to the restaurant where we always seemed to congregate for these types of events: Fuego. It was full to capacity in the dining room, with benches of people sitting outside admiring the sunset and waiting for tables, but Cherise strolled right up to the desk and said, Warden party.

Right this way, said the flawlessly decked-out greeter, and led us past all the mildly resentful people to a private dining room along the side of the building.

It was already full, which confused meId just been on a long-distance conference call with most of these people, and yet here they were, in Miami. Marion Bearheart in particular looked smug. She was sitting near the end of the table in her gleaming wheelchair, resplendent in black leather and Navajo turquoise. She inclined her silver and black head toward memore silver than black, these daysand smiled a warm welcome at all of us.

Other friends were at the table, too. Peter, the new head of Weather operations; Anjali, who was over Fire; Carl, fresh from getting his hands dirty with Earth powers; a few others, too.

How . . . ?

We had help, Marion said, and nodded farther down the table, where a very small blond girl sat kicking her feet in a chair too big for her. Venna inclined her head gravely. On the other side of the table, so did Rahel, with an absolutely enigmatic smile that still managed to be terrifying.

And at the end of the table, standing, was David.

Lewis ran to him immediately, and David whirled him around and picked him up in a close embrace, then immediately let him slide down when Lewis started to wiggle. I didnt go to him immediately; I loved seeing the two of them together.

Cherise shoved me from behind, pointedly. Well, go on, jump the hottie, or Im all over that!

Mom! Tommy protested. Thats disgusting.

I know, kiddo. She kissed the top of his head and shooed him off to join Lewis in picking out seats where they could cause the most mayhem possible. David reseated them next to him, which was very smart.

I walked over to my husband, no longer leader of the Djinn, and stepped into his warm, sweet embrace. I rested my head against his neck, touched my lips to his ear, and whispered, Thank you.

Youre welcome, he said. Lewis says hello. Hes renovating Jonathans house. I think he likes the challenge.

I had to laugh. Lewis wouldlike trying to knock out walls in an eternal structure. Maybe hed manage to put some paint down, though.

Hungry? he asked me.

Starving, I whispered back. Lets go home and do something about that. A whole lot.

Later, he laughed, and did terribly provocative things just by drawing his fingers lazily up my back. I shivered in total delight. I promise you, youll get your fill.

And you?

Never, he said, and tipped my chin up so I could meet his eyes. You know that. Now stop flirting and sit.

As if it had been myfault. Hardly.

The servers were already circulating, putting out trays of appetizers and pouring wine and other drinks, and we were all sitting down together, human and Djinn. It hadnt seemed possible, just a few years ago; some of the Djinn had wanted me dead for bringing back the ability of humans to claim them.

Lewis had simply broken the ability. No more claiming. And now, no more reason for us to hateother than the normal reasons people always seemed to come up with.

Sitting down to a meal with them still felt . . . ground-breaking, somehow.

I kicked it off by picking up the glass the server filled up with red next to me, lifted it, and said, To Lewis.

Everyone looked up, and one by one, they lifted their glasses in response, and drank.

To humans, Venna said, when I was about to sit down. I looked up, startled, to find her smiling. You may learn something yet.

With my hand in Davids, I looked around, and I couldnt help but think we already had.

There was always tomorrow to worry about, but for now, I was focusing on tonight. And so I lifted my glass, inclined my head, and toasted the human raceflawed, fallible, crazy, and wrongheaded as it usually was.

We all did. Just this once.