Rival Demons
by
Sarra Cannon
Published by Dead River Books
To Kris
For all the bedtime stories
told to your little sister in the dark.
You taught me how to imagine.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2012 by Sarra Cannon Bittmann
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Find Sarra Cannon on the web!
www.twitter.com/sarramaria
www.goodreads.com/sarra_cannon
www.facebook.com/sarracannon
Cover design by Robin Ludwig Design, Inc.
www.rldprint.com
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the fans of the Peachville High Demons series for your patience and support during all the tough times.
Thank you to my amazing husband, George, who always loves me no matter what and is my partner in every way.
I can't ever say thank you enough to my wonderful critique group. Alok, Erica, and Jenn, you are the very best. You make me a better writer. Thank you so much for all you do.
I also wanted to thank my friends Cynthia and Jenn for all the weekly writing dates. You kept me motivated! Let's keep it going.
Finally, a special thank you to the Indelibles. We are already making our mark. I am so happy to have found you all.
Peachville High Demons Series:
Beautiful Demons
Inner Demons
Bitter Demons
Shadow Demons
Rival Demons
Table of Contents
The Closest Thing I have Left To A Family
The Bitter Taste of Unsaid Words
The Information You Are Seeking
The Green Brought Out His Eyes
Trying to Make Sense of The Scene
The Kind of Girl That Rebels Against The System
This Is What The Order of Shadows Does
A Whole New Life
I lifted my eyes to a foreign sun, inhaling the fresh scent of flowers as warmth seeped into my skin. I wanted to throw my tired arms into the air and twirl around like a little child.
I'm alive!
Jackson's warm hand entwined with mine, and I smiled. He had come for me. Standing there in the ritual room, I had believed I was dead. But the moment I saw his face and felt him pulling me through the portal, a whole new life opened up to me.
He took me into his arms. I leaned against him, my legs weak. I hadn't eaten in days and my wrists and ankles were raw from the Order's iron shackles. Still, my heart swelled with love and gratitude.
Behind us, Lea shouted for help.
I turned to get my first real look at the scene. The blue light of the portal radiated out from a wide circle of black roses. Through the blinding light, I could just make out the Peachville ritual room on the other side. A black, inky darkness began to spread along the right side of the light, like an eclipse.
That's when I noticed Lea standing beside the portal, a silver sword grasped in her hand. She swung the blade toward the black roses, severing them from their stems with furious precision.
"Come on," she yelled. "I need help. If we don't move fast enough, they'll regrow."
Mary Anne fell to her knees before the portal, wincing as her injured leg hit the rocky ground. She pulled a tiny dagger from her belt and began cutting the roses one-by-one.
Jackson sprung into action, grabbing another sword from a large duffel bag on the ground at our feet.
Disoriented, I watched as they worked to close the portal. With each severed rose, more of the blue light darkened to black. A strange fog began to ooze from the opening in the portal, moving across the area with startling speed. A vicious wind roared around us as the fog grew thicker. The swirling vortex blew me backward like a tornado. I struggled against it, throwing myself onto the ground and crawling toward the circle of black roses.
Frantic, I began pulling the roses from their stems, not even caring as thorns sliced into my palm. Black petals flew all around us as we worked, but just as Lea reached the last handful of black roses, something broke through from the Peachville side.
The figures moved so fast, I could only make out two streaks of orange, moving like flames across the fog. I screamed as one streak collided with Jackson, sending him straight to the ground.
I scrambled toward him, then froze as my eyes adjusted and the figure on his back came into clear view.
A tiger. And not just any tiger. One of the shape-shifting twins who had come after me in the field when the Order of Shadows first captured me. One of the tigers who had stood outside my cell at Shadowford for the last week, making sure I would never go free.
Some Kind of Nightmare
The orange and black tiger bared its sharp teeth, lowering them toward Jackson's throat.
Forgetting my exhaustion, I lunged toward them. I wrapped my arms around the tiger's middle and tumbled over the top of it, wrenching it away from Jackson's body. The entire left side of my body hit the rocks at full speed, and I cried out. The tiger, unhurt, straightened itself and hissed at me.
I felt like I had entered some kind of nightmare. Time moved slowly and the tiger leapt toward me, vicious claws extended. Instinctively, I threw my arms up to shield my face, but before the tiger could reach me, a stream of black energy raced toward it, slamming into her with such force that by the time she hit the ground, she was in human form again.
I looked over my shoulder at Jackson. He stood tall, his chest heaving with each breath. Black smoke flowed from his hand to the auburn-haired girl, holding her to the ground.
I stood, every muscle in my body protesting. "She has a twin," I said, looking all around us. All I could see was the dark fog that surrounded the entire area around the portal. From where we stood, I couldn't even make out where Lea was. All I could see was the faintest blue of the portal's light somewhere to our left.
"I know," he said. "I'm sure they came through together, those two are inseparable."
Panic coursed through me. "What about Mary Anne? We have to find her." I took two steps toward the portal, bracing myself against the fierce wind. "Mary Anne," I screamed.
No one answered.
I knew Lea was capable of taking care of herself, but against one of the twins, Mary Anne would be in serious danger. We had to find her.
When I turned back to Jackson, he had wrapped his black energy tightly around the first twin. She was bound in smoke-like chains, struggling hard against them but getting nowhere.
"Will those things hold her?"
Jackson nodded. "For a little while," he said.
"Then come on," I said, gripping his arm. "We have to find the others."
We ran toward the portal's light.
Lea sliced at the black roses with her sword, but before she could clear them all, the ones at the beginning had begun to grow back. Frustration twisted her features. "I can't get the portal to seal," she said. "These damn roses are growing back too fast."
"Keep working," Jackson said, searching for his lost sword. "We can't let anyone else come through."
I swayed on my feet, my head spinning. I thought of the days of no food, laying on the hard wooden floor of Shadowford's attic, waiting for death. Please tell me I hadn't escaped that only to end up right back where I started.
Through the bright light of the portal, I could see another one of Priestess Winter's servants preparing to enter the shadow world. Even in my exhaustion, I understood what it would mean if more of the Order broke through this barrier and dragged me back through. In Peachville, I was a dead girl.
I couldn't let them win. I wanted to live.
I had to find a way to keep the witch from coming through. My aching muscles protested as I lifted my arms to cast. I wasn't sure it would work, but I thought of the shield Zara had taught me to use. What if that shield could work like a barrier? It might give us the extra time we needed to put a more permanent seal on the portal.
I summoned every drop of energy I could find and concentrated on creating the shield. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it long, but I hoped it would give them enough time to destroy the circle of roses.
Just as my shield went up, I heard a loud roar behind us.
I couldn't hold my concentration and the shield dropped. I cursed and bit back tears.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the second tiger twin pounce toward Jackson. This twin's coat was similar to her sister's but was colored with orange and white instead of black.
"I've got this one," Jackson said, fury and hatred in his eyes. "You help Lea."
I turned back to the portal just as the tiger dove forward. It took a lot of willpower not to look back to see what was happening. I had to just trust that Jackson knew what he was doing. For now, it seemed to just be these two twins who had broken through to the demon world. If Lea couldn't seal this portal, we would all die. We couldn't fight off an entire coven of witches, especially if Priestess Winter was one of them.
I had to find a way to connect to my true power. I lowered my weary body to the ground and sat criss-cross against the cold obsidian rock. I steadied my breathing and let all of the noise around me fade away. In my mind, I pictured one of my mother's cherished white roses. Finally connecting to the energy inside of me, I tried again to create a barrier against the witch's attacks.
And this time, it worked.
A Dark Power
Spells blasted into my shield, leaving the taste of dark magic on my tongue.
On the Peachville side, the witches worked to bring down the barrier I had created. My strength wavered, but I forced myself to hold on. Just a few more seconds. My body screamed as my energy slipped away. I wanted to sob. I wanted to give up.
I wanted to lay down and sleep for a hundred years.
But more than any of that, I wanted to survive.
I exhaled, feeling the last of my power slide through my fingertips. When I thought I couldn't give more, the portal shifted, sealing with a sucking noise. A deafening silence settled on us as the wind stopped.
Beside me, Lea leaned over, trying to catch her breath. Black petals and stems were strewn across the ground in every direction. She had finally managed to close the portal, and for the first time since I'd met her, I actually wanted to hug her.
But we weren't out of danger yet. The twins were still on the shadow world side. I turned to find Jackson and Mary Anne as the fog cleared.
Jackson had the white tiger pinned to the ground and she quickly shifted back to her human form.
Her dark green eyes practically glowed as she snarled up at me. "You'll never be able to hide from us," she said. "The Order won't stop until you're dead. All you're going to do is get your friends killed right along with you."
"That's a chance we're willing to take," Jackson said, wrapping a smoky black ribbon around the girl's mouth.
"Let her go," someone shouted. A flash of movement off to our right caught my eye as the other twin shifted into her orange tiger form, lunging toward Jackson with such speed I didn't have time to do anything but watch.
Her claws scraped Jackson's arm, streaks of blood staining his t-shirt. He cried out and let go of his hold on the first twin as she shifted into her white-tiger form. Both tigers now moved with incredible speed, circling me in an instant.
I tried to run, but they kept me trapped between them.
Lea laughed, and I jerked my head toward her. Seriously? With Jackson injured, me trapped, and Mary Anne nowhere to be found? How could she be laughing at a time like this?
Apparently, the twins were wondering the same thing. The orange tiger stopped circling and turned to stare at Lea. "You think it's funny that your precious Prima is going to die?"
"No, actually, I was just wondering what you think you plan to do with her now that you've got her surrounded," Lea said, smiling and raising an eyebrow. "In case you didn't notice, I sealed the portal. Trust me, there's no way anyone's going in or out of that thing for a while. How exactly are you planning to get Harper back to Peachville?"
The white twin growled low and bared her pointed teeth at me.
"We'll kill her here and now," the orange twin said.
"You won't kill her," Lea said. "If the Order simply wanted her dead, they would have killed her a long time ago. No, the Order has gone to a lot of trouble to keep her alive so they could transfer her essence to a new Prima. Don't ask me why. For some reason, her essence is special to them. You need her alive so they can complete their ritual."
The white twin shifted into human form and grabbed my arm so hard, I knew it would leave a bruise. I tried to pull away, but the events of the past few weeks had finally caught up with me. I had no strength left. Only anger.
"You underestimate the power of the witches on the other side of that portal," the twin said. "They will break through soon, and when they do, all of you will die. Including Harper. Only her death will happen in the ritual room while yours will happen instantly."
"The Order doesn't have the upper hand in this world," Jackson said. I'd never seen such rage in his eyes before. Blood dripped from his shoulder, but he barely seemed to even notice. "Nothing they can do will open that portal for at least another few hours. Do you really think you'll still be alive by then?"
As they argued, I scanned the area, searching for Mary Anne. She had to be here somewhere. Maybe she had gotten scared and run off to hide? But where? Around us, the black rock seemed to stretch on for miles. Far in the distance, I could see some type of forest, but there was no way she would have been able to see that in the fog.
No, she had to be close.
Then, I caught sight of a small form collapsed against the rocks about fifty feet away. My stomach twisted. Oh God. It was her. And she wasn't moving.
Tears burned my eyes. They spilled down my face and soaked into the fabric of my dirty white ritual dress.
"See?" the orange twin said, amused by my tears. "Even Harper knows there is no hope now. Open the portal and maybe we can convince the Order to let you live."
"What did you do to her?" I asked, my voice a whisper. I had meant to put more sound behind it, but I was breathless and scared. I tried again. "What did you do to Mary Anne?"
At first, the twins both stared at me, as if they had no idea what I was talking about. Then, the white twin followed my gaze over to where Mary Anne lay motionless against the rocks. She stifled a laugh.
"Oh, her?" she said. "The little bird tried to peck my eyes out. I had to put her in her place."
Rage boiled up within me, searing my skin. Mary Anne had risked everything to save me. More than once. She didn't deserve this, and it was all my fault. She'd come here to keep me safe. How could I have let this happen?
Deep inside, a dark power burned through me like liquid fire. I acted on instinct, knowing only anger. They needed to pay for what they had done.
I burned like a fever, my flesh becoming like hot coals. The white twin let go of me and stepped back, staring at her blistering hand in horror and confusion. Slowly, I lifted both of my hands upward. The ground beneath us rumbled and all around, pieces of black rock rose into the air. The force of my hatred consumed me. It seemed to rip me apart, splintering me into a million little pieces. I wasn't myself. I was something dark and furious. Anger rolled through me, consuming me. In my mind, all I could see was Mary Anne's unmoving body. All I wanted was revenge.
I focused all of my anger on the white twin. Without even thinking, I summoned the crushing weight of all those rocks on her.
The rocks flew through the air at lightning speeds. Before anyone could react, the white twin was crushed and buried between a mound of rock six feet high.
The sister threw herself onto the pile, screaming and clawing at the rocks. When I realized what I had done, I lowered my hands and fell to my knees. I had killed someone.
The strength drained from my body, leaving only an empty shell.
I struggled to stay upright, but suddenly, I was falling down, down into a sea of never-ending blackness.
The last thing I heard before I slipped out of consciousness was the sound of Jackson calling my name.
For Forever
A fire roared nearby, sending shadows dancing across my eyelids.
My eyes fluttered open, protested against the light, then closed again. I moaned, my body aching against the hard rock.
A warm hand touched my cheek.
Jackson.
I didn't even have to open my eyes to know it was him. His hands were slightly rough and smelled of evergreens and firewood. I smiled, my dry lips cracking painfully.
"How long have I been asleep?" I asked. My throat was sore.
"Almost two days," he said.
That woke me up. My eyes flew open in surprise, and I struggled to sit up.
"Whoa, take it easy," Jackson said, his arm slipping around my back. "You've been through so much in the past couple weeks."
Every muscle in my body protested as I came to a sitting position. Ouch. I guess lying on a cold stone floor for two days straight hadn't helped the situation. To be honest, it wasn't much better than the torture room they'd held me in at Shadowford. At least here my hands weren't shackled. I rubbed my wrists absently. They were still sore and bruised from the chains the Order had kept me in.
Then, I remembered.
The twins. Mary Anne.
I teetered backward, my stomach turning. Jackson's strong arm held me up.
"Thanks," I said, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I looked around the dimly lit cave. "Is Mary Anne..."
Jackson motioned toward the back corner of the cave, and relief filled me as Mary Anne came into view. She was lying down, but there was no mistaking the rise and fall of her chest with each breath.
"She's going to be okay," Jackson said. "She has a pretty mean scratch across her face and a bite on her side, but she's going to be okay. A few scrapes and bruises, but she'll heal. Like you."
Would I heal? I stared down at my tattered and bloodied dress. Yes, the wounds on the outside would heal, but I had killed someone out of hatred and anger. That was going to take some time to deal with.
"The twins?" I asked, my voice cracking.
Jackson reached into a black backpack and pulled out a large bottle of water. "Here," he said. "Drink this."
I stared down at the backpack. Had he brought that with him through the portal? I hadn't noticed it before.
The water was lukewarm, but beautiful. It slid down my sore throat like rain on a barren field, healing all the cracked parts. By the time I finally came up for air, there was only a small sip of water left in the bottle.
"Thanks," I said.
"Do you want some food?" he asked, avoiding my eyes. He rummaged through the backpack instead.
My stomach growled at the thought. I was empty. A shell.
But I wanted to know the truth about what happened. About all of it.
"Just tell me," I said. "Did I kill her?"
Jackson paused, his head hung low. The fire crackled. "You can't blame yourself for what happened," he said. "She was going to take you back to the Order. You had no choice."
I shook my head, the tears coming now. "That isn't true. You guys weren't going to let her take me back," I said. "I don't know what got into me. When I saw Mary Anne there on the ground, I just snapped. I never meant to kill her, I swear I didn't."
Jackson wiped away a tear as it slid down my cheek. "I know you didn't," he said. "She wasn't a good person, Harper. She was evil, just like the rest of them. And if she'd had the chance, she would have killed us all."
I knew what he was saying was true, but it didn't make me feel any better. The power I'd used to move those rocks had come from a deep dark place, and I never wanted to go there again. I'd completely lost control.
"What about the other one?"
Jackson sighed. "When you collapsed, all I cared about was getting you to safety," he said. "The other twin was out of her mind, screaming and pulling on the heavy rocks. I knew once she saw her sister's dead body, she would come after you. And I had a feeling she wouldn't care about the Order's rules."
"So you just left her there?" I asked.
He nodded. "I don't even think she noticed we'd gone," he said. "I scooped you up and Lea grabbed Mary Anne, then we came here."
I studied our surroundings again. We were in some kind of cave. Behind Jackson, there was a small opening, and I could see Lea sitting at the entrance keeping guard. A warm fire blazed in the center of the room. The walls were made of the same black rock we'd seen on the ground near the portal, so I guessed we were still somewhat close to where we started.
"Where are we?"
"We're on the coast, a couple of miles from where the portal to Peachville opens," he said. "We couldn't risk taking you too far with both of you injured. Lea and I know this place from when we were kids. We'll be safe here for a little while."
I put my hand on his knee and his eyes flickered toward the entrance. Toward Lea. Awkwardly, he shifted away. "I'm really glad to see you awake."
"Awake and very hungry," I said with a nervous laugh. I had a feeling I still didn't understand everything that was happening here. Why had he moved away from me?
Jackson reached into his backpack and handed me some crackers. "Take it slow," he said. "You haven't eaten in a while and if you eat too fast, it's just going to make you sick."
I looked at the bag of crackers in my hand. Then, I lifted my head and studied the rest of the cave. Several blankets were laid out like sleeping bags. Lea's duffel bag full of swords lay toward the back of the space. The food, the water, the supplies. How long had they been preparing for this trip to the shadow world?
I took a bite and chewed slowly, questions swirling in my brain.
"What exactly happened back there? In Peachville?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"
I shook my head, trying to find the right words. "I mean, one second I thought I was going to die and the next you were there, pulling me through the portal. Was that planned? Or just some rash decision?"
"After the Order took you away, we searched for you," he said. "We thought they might take you to the headquarters for the Order, but we couldn't find you anywhere. No one had heard or seen anything. Then one day at school, Mrs. King pulled Mary Anne to the side and warned her that the Order had locked you away on the third floor of Shadowford. They had the room heavily guarded at all times. We tried to find a way inside, but they placed a strong seal against the door inside Shadowford and there was no way in. Luckily, Mary Anne overheard Mrs. Shadowford talking to the priestess about their plan to take you to the ritual room and transfer the line."
I nodded, listening. I tried not to let him see that my hands were shaking.
"That's when we knew the ritual was our best chance," he said. "We knew that if we rescued you and tried to run, the Order would find us eventually. You weren't safe in the human world. Here, though, we would have the upper hand. We knew we could find a way to keep you safe here."
"So what's our plan?" I asked. "Now that we're here? Do you think they'll send anyone else through after us?"
Jackson took out a bag of chocolate and popped a few pieces into his mouth. "We're pretty well hidden where we are right now. I don't know if they've broken through the portal just yet, but you can bet they'll have someone looking for us. If not one of the witches from their side, someone on this side for sure."
I frowned. "This side?"
"Yeah, they have lots of servants on this side, both demon and witch," he said. "If I had to guess, I would think they'll be sending hunters after us."
"What are hunters?"
"Witches who have been here for over a hundred years," he said. "They're the ones who decide which demons are taken to be slaves in your world."
"So they're humans?" I asked, confused. "How do they live so long?"
"They were human at some point," Jackson said. "But I wouldn't really call them that anymore. They've performed dark magic for so long, they've been corrupted by it. Plus, time is different here in the shadow world. Humans who are bound to demon energies will live a lot longer here. And the hunters, sometimes they're bonded to more than one demon."
I shuddered. More than one demon? That had to make them both extremely powerful and extremely evil. I didn't like the sound of someone like that hunting me in a strange world.
"How long do you think we'll stay here?" I asked.
Jackson looked toward the mouth of the cave, his gaze lingering on Lea. "Another day or two, max," he said.
I leaned back against the wall of the cave and ate a few more crackers. We would probably have to stay out of Peachville for a long time. At least until we could figure out a way to either defeat the Order or free Aerden. But at least we'd be back in the human world soon.
"Then what?" I asked, hoping he'd already come up with some kind of brilliant plan for getting back without the Order finding us.
"Then we're heading to a place called the Underground," he said. "We'll be safe there as long as we can convince them to let us in."
"Why wouldn't they?"
Jackson shifted uncomfortably. "The demons in the Underground aren't exactly fans of most humans considering most of the humans they've ever known were members of the Order," he said. He looked at Lea again. "I'm sure we'll be able to get in though. Lea has some pretty serious connections in this world."
I paused. "Wait, so this place isn't back home?" I asked. "It's here in the shadow world?"
Jackson's shoulders slumped and he bit his lip. "Harper," he said, pausing as if to find the right words. "You can't go back home. I thought you understood that."
I stopped mid-chew. What was he talking about? I studied his face, trying to make sense of it. Then, my hands began to tremble. "For how long?"
It took him a long time to answer, and when he did, it cut me straight to the core.
"For forever."
How Can You Be So Sure?
Had I heard him right? There was no way he expected me to live in the shadow world for the rest of my life. That was ridiculous. I must have misunderstood.
"What do you mean forever?"
"I mean you can never go back there, Harper," he said. "The Order of Shadows is too powerful. They'll find you no matter how far we run."
"So we find a way to fight." I pulled my knees up close to my chest. Despite the fire, I was shivering. "And what about Aerden? Do you just plan to leave him over there all alone? Eventually I will die, you know. Even here. Then what?"
Jackson closed his eyes, his jaw clenched as if trying to keep himself from saying something.
"I won't just sit back and let them win, Jackson."
His left hand balled into a tight fist. "You're not listening to me," he said. "They'll kill you. Or did you forget everything that happened a few days ago? If we hadn't shown up and brought you here, they would have killed you."
"But you did show up," I said. "Alone, I might not have a chance, but if we all stick together-"
"We barely made it out of there alive," Jackson said. "We didn't even have the power to fight them all. They're too strong. All I did was freeze them just long enough for us to pull you through the portal. If we had stayed to fight, we'd all be dead right now."
"Maybe so," I said, practically shouting at him. "But it was four of us against a few dozen of them."
Toward the back of the cave, Mary Anne shifted and moaned. I took a deep breath and lowered my voice.
"What if we built an army?" I asked. "If we find enough witches and demons to fight with us, we could win with sheer numbers."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" he asked. "Every time we get a coven of witches on our side in the human world, the Order kills them all without hesitation. And here in the demon world? There's a handful of rebels, but most demons are under the rule of the King of the North who would rather ignore the Order's entire existence while our citizens are stolen out from under us."
"Maybe we could talk to the king. Reason with him. Tell him what we've seen the Order doing to the demons. Maybe he just doesn't understand."
"The king isn't going to listen to a human," Lea said, taking me by surprise.
I hadn't heard her move from her spot at the mouth of the cave. She stood next to the fire and nudged a log with the tip of her boot, sending sparks up into the air.
"Then maybe he'll listen to you and Jackson," I said.
"We are the last demons he would listen to," she said. "Besides, he isn't going to change his mind about the Order. He's a coward when it comes to fighting them."
"How can you be so sure?" I said, lifting my chin defiantly.
Lea laughed and shook her head.
"Because he's my father."
Rivals
"You're a princess?"
"You say that like it's so hard to believe," Lea said with a sly smile.
In her leather pants and tight corset top, she didn't look like any princess I had ever imagined. Plus, she didn't exactly seem refined and regal. She was definitely more biker chick than royalty. Of course, I had no idea what royalty even meant in the shadow world. Maybe their princesses were supposed to be tough and snarky and difficult in every way.
"Close your mouth," she said. "You look like an idiot."
I hadn't even realized I had my mouth open. I shut it quickly, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I'm just surprised I guess."
"Don't be," she said. "My father didn't think I was good princess material either. I was a constant disappointment to him and my mother both."
"Is that why you left?" I glanced from her to Jackson. I had a feeling I knew why she left, but I wanted to hear her say it.
She shrugged and sat down. "Partly, I guess." She looked down at her boots. "And partly because Jackson had gone. Aerden was my friend too, you know. We all grew up together. And my father? Well, he refused to help after Aerden went missing. He was too scared of what the Order might do to his kingdom if he invaded their territory."
I bit my lip. She'd gone because of Jackson, not his brother. I felt pretty certain of that. "So your father is the king of the entire shadow world?"
"No," she said. "The world is divided into two kingdoms. The north and the south. My father is the King of the North."
"And what about the King of the South?" I asked. "Would he be willing to help us?"
Jackson and Lea exchanged silent looks.
"What?" I hated it when they did that. It always made me feel like they were keeping things from me. Or maybe what really bothered me is that they were obviously sharing in something I couldn't be a part of.
"Forget about the entire Southern Kingdom," Jackson said. "They won't help us."
His answer wasn't good enough for me. I knew he wasn't telling me the whole truth. "Why not?" I pushed.
"Because the two kingdoms are rivals," Lea said. "Enemies of the worst kind. If anyone so much as crosses the border between lands, the king has them thrown into his dungeons to rot. Wars have been fought in the lands between the kingdoms, leaving nothing but ghosts and monsters. Even if we wanted to, we'd never make it there alive."
I swallowed nervously. The way Lea's voice cracked a bit when she said ghosts terrified me. If it was something she was this obviously afraid of, it was something I wanted no part of.
"Does the Order take demons from their side of the shadow world too, then? Or is it just the north?"
Another look passed between Jackson and Lea. I wanted to confront them about it, but I was so tired of being angry.
"We don't know," Jackson said. "I would assume so, yes. But there's been no communication between the two sides for a very long time. The Southern Kingdom is completely separate from us, as if they were a part of a completely different world."
"I never came across any demons in the human world who were from the south," Lea said. "But that's not saying much, especially since I couldn't find a way to communicate directly with any of the demons who were already slaves. It was rare to find a free demon like Jackson or myself."
"So it's possible that the Kingdom of the South would want to fight against the Order," I said. "Even if it meant pairing up with some of the demons in the north for a little while."
Lea rolled her eyes. "You don't know what you're saying," she said. "This rivalry is ancient. There is a hatred so strong between my father and the King of the South that nothing, not even a common enemy, could bring them together."
Frustrated, I leaned back against the wall of the cave. How would she know if no one had ever tried? If no one had talked to the demons in the south for more than a hundred years, how could they possibly know what was going on over there?
"It's complicated," Jackson said. "Don't forget that demons are immortal in this world. We don't pass into the Afterworld unless we choose to here, or unless our lives are wrongfully taken from us."
"Immortal means forever," Lea said. "And trust me when I say that forever is an awfully long time when it comes to holding a grudge."
I had so many more questions, but I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. Besides, it seemed like each answer just led me to another question. And since we weren't leaving this world any time soon, I figured I had time to ask more questions later.
"I'm going to lay back down," I said. I curled up close to the warm fire and willed my mind to stop spinning.
Lea got up and walked back toward her post at the cave's entrance.
Jackson leaned over me and placed a warm kiss against my forehead. "When Mary Anne wakes up, we'll try to get on the road," he said. He placed a blanket over me, and I pulled it close. "Get some sleep. I'll be up front guarding the entrance to the cave if you wake up and need anything, okay?"
I nodded, then closed my eyes and fell fast asleep.
Shattered
A gentle nudge woke me the next morning. The fire had long since gone out, but a shimmer of light gleamed in from the mouth of the cave. I yawned and looked up, surprised to see worry on Jackson's face.
"What is it?" I whispered. "What's wrong?"
His eyes darkened, but he forced a smile. "I want to show you something."
I pushed the blanket from my body and sat up, wincing as my bones cracked and my muscles protested. I wondered how long it would take before I started to feel normal again.
I still wore the white ritual dress the Order had put me in on the day they intended to sacrifice my life. It was stained with blood and dirt and a long tear ran up the side. I could only hope Jackson wanted to show me a fresh pair of clothes and a place to take a shower.
Mary Anne and Lea both slept toward the back of the cave, and we were careful not to disturb them.
My feet ached against the rocks at the cave's entrance. No shoes. I frowned down at my dirty feet, pale against the craggy black rock. This was going to be a problem.
Jackson wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to my ear. "Look," he whispered.
I had been so busy looking at the ground, I hadn't even noticed the shadow world beyond the cave. When I lifted my eyes, the beauty of the place took my breath away.
The sky shone in silvers, blues and pinks that shimmered against the water of an endless ocean. I knew we had been hiding out in a cave, but for some reason, I hadn't noticed the sound of the water crashing against the rocks below. All that stood between us and the ocean was a small ledge about ten feet wide that ran a winding path up and down on either side.
"It's beautiful," I said, wishing I had stronger words.
In some ways, it was like earth, but it was also different. The colors were brighter and more alive. More shimmery and full of motion. And somehow everything just felt... bigger.
Daring to look down, I stepped carefully onto the rocky path and leaned out over the edge. The side of the cliff was steep and cut almost a straight line down to the water. If I had to guess, I would say it was at least two hundred feet down. Still holding on to Jackson, I turned and looked up, shocked to see the top of the cliff was almost just as far away.
"How did you even find this place?"
He smiled. "Aerden and I found this cave when we were really young. We used to explore all over the place back then. Besides, it's not quite as scary when you can fly."
I laughed. He had a point.
"So this is close to where you grew up?" I turned back toward the water and sat down on a smooth black rock at the edge of the cave.
Jackson sat down next to me, but when I moved to take his hand, he pulled away.
"Relatively close," he said, acting like nothing had happened. "We're close enough that we could get there before nightfall if we walked it. But Lea and I wanted to make sure we were far enough away that we could avoid being detected by the Sentinels."
"Sentinels?" I asked. I tried to keep the conversation going, but I couldn't help but feel something was off with him.
"The king's guards, I guess you could call them," he said. "They're supposed to patrol the countryside and protect all of the towns, but they really only protect the king and his council. When we first came through the portal, we were trying to avoid casting any magic, hoping they would never know we'd come through. After the tigers came after you, though, we had no choice."
"What's wrong with magic?" I asked, not understanding.
"Our magic leaves a signature here," he said. "Something others can trace, even from great distances."
I stared out over the water, speechless as a second sun rose, sending a blast of lavender-colored light across the silvery clouds. There was so much to learn about the shadow world and how things ran here. I had so many questions, I knew there was no way to get them all answered this morning. I chose my questions carefully.
"How come Lea doesn't want to see her father?" I asked. "Wouldn't we be safer in the city if we had the Sentinels to protect us?"
"It's complicated," he said. "When Lea left to come to the human world, she was in direct disobedience to her father's orders. The king doesn't take well to being disobeyed."
"You're saying he would hurt her if he knew she was home?"
"No." He bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Maybe? He would definitely punish her, probably lock her away for a while and never let her leave again. For her, that would be the same as torture."
"So why even risk coming back here?" I asked softly. I knew she hadn't come back because she cared about me. It was obvious Lea didn't give a crap about me. In fact, I was pretty sure she hated me. So why risk everything?
"Because I asked her to," Jackson said.
His words were simple, but to me they cut like a knife. All he had to do was ask and she was willing to risk her entire life's work? Leave her best friends behind in the human world? Ever since Jackson had first introduced me to Lea, I knew there was more to their story than just an old friendship. Now, with him acting weird and pulling away from me, I wondered just how much there was between them.
I wanted to ask, but I was too afraid to find out the answer.
"Thank you," I said finally. "For coming to get me. You saved my life back there."
Hesitating, he took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing my skin softly. "I was so scared when they took you away from us. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you."
The feel of his lips against my skin felt amazing, but I was confused. What was really going on between us? I turned to meet his eyes.
The sadness that crossed his eyes twisted my gut. "They held you captive for eight days," he said. "Those were the worst eight days of my life. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again. I'm so sorry, Harper. I told you I would keep you safe, and I just let them take you."
I scooted closer to him on the rock and put my arms around him. He stiffened, then slowly returned my embrace, hugging me tight.
"It wasn't your fault," I said. "I never should have gone wandering around in that field. I never should have left the camp. I got too confident that we were okay after all that traveling. I completely underestimated the Order." I looked down at my tattered dress. "I won't let that happen again."
Footsteps sounded behind us, and Jackson pulled away as if I'd burned him.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Lea asked, tension in her voice.
Jackson sighed, then excused himself.
Together, they walked back into the cave, whispering too low for me to hear. Lea seemed to be lecturing him about something, and whatever it was, Jackson wasn't happy about it. A dark feeling came over me when Jackson returned, his expression tight.
His jaw tensed and he began to fidget. "Harper, there's something else I brought you out here to talk about."
The seriousness in his voice made my insides twist. I shifted on the rock, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
"We're leaving today to go to this place I was telling you about earlier," he said. "The Underground."
"Okay," I said, waiting for the bomb to drop.
"I just thought it would be good for you to understand how things work down there," he said. "As far as rules and magic and politics."
I cleared my throat, finding it difficult to swallow.
He rubbed his palms against his jeans. "There are some rules I'm going to need you to follow."
He pulled a small vial from the pocket of his jeans. The liquid inside glowed deep purple.
"What's that?"
"Joost made potions for you and Mary Anne before we left the human world. They will make you see all the demons down here as if they were human. It will also make you hear everything in English rather than the demon language. He thought it would help make your transition here smoother."
"That was nice of him," I said, taking the vial from Jackson and uncorking it. "How long will it last?"
"For as long as you're here in the shadow world," he said.
I stared down at the liquid. Part of me was curious to see the demon world exactly as it was. I'd seen Aerden's true form a couple of times before and even though it was different, he hadn't really scared me. Still, an entire city of demons speaking in a foreign language might get to be a bit overwhelming. Especially if they all were staring at me like they hated me.
I took a deep breath, then emptied the vial into my mouth and swallowed. Surprisingly, it tasted sweet.
"What else?" I asked. The first part hadn't really been a rule, I noticed, but I let him continue.
"We can't cast any magic until we get down there," he said. "It's too easy to track."
I nodded. No magic. Easy enough as long as we weren't being attacked.
"You said it was just until we got to the Underground though, right?" I asked. "Can we do magic once we get down there?"
"Yes, they are so deep under the surface and buried under a special stone that blocks the trace from being seen or felt by anyone up on the top," he said. "Once we get down there, magic use will be fine. Still, you'll want to play it very low key, okay? It will be very important that you listen to me and do what I tell you."
I chewed on my inner lip. I had never been one to respond well to the phrase 'do what I tell you'. But I would try to behave.
"What else?" I asked, suddenly feeling that the worst was yet to come.
He looked up, staring out across the ocean. His knee jerked up and down. There was still something he was nervous about having to tell me.
"Just say it," I said, my stomach full of butterflies. "How bad can it be?"
Jackson ran his fingers along his forehead, then finally met my eyes. "You know how I feel about you, right?"
Ouch. That was never a good start to a conversation. "Yes," I said, a tremble in my voice.
"Once we leave this cave, we can't let anyone know we have any sort of relationship beyond the fact that you're connected with my brother."
I swallowed, but felt a lump of worry stick in my throat. Was he breaking up with me?
"It's forbidden for shadow demons to have romantic relationships with humans," he said. "The way my people see it, that's how we got into this mess with the Order in the first place. Friendships are tolerated when the human is sympathetic to our cause, but never more than that."
I tried to breathe, but despite the open air, I suddenly felt very claustrophobic. I couldn't find my voice.
Jackson stood up and stared out at the water, his body tense. "It's not like I wanted things to be this way," he said, finally turning toward me. "But we don't have any choice. The Underground is the only place where I can guarantee that you'll be safe."
Safe. And completely alone. It was obvious he and Lea had already discussed this, which only hurt me more. The idea of staying down there forever was bad enough when I thought we were going to be together. But the thought of never kissing him again or feeling his arms around me? Or worse - watching him fall in love with Lea? What kind of life was that going to be?
"I won't go," I said. He couldn't make me go somewhere I didn't want to go.
Jackson's face grew red. "Yes you will," he said. "I won't sit back and let the Order take you away from me again."
I stood, scowling. "No, but you'll willingly take yourself away from me in the name of safety. How is that any different?"
"At least this way I can watch over you," he said. "You'll be alive and safe."
"And completely miserable?" I shook my head. "That's not the life I want."
"You'd rather have no life then?" he shouted. "Don't be stupid, Harper."
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I swiped at them. "I don't understand why we can't just keep running," I said. "If you really love me, why wouldn't you do everything you could to be with me? There has to be someplace else where we could hide. The mountains. Somewhere out there on the ocean. This can't be the only choice."
Jackson put both hands on my shoulders and held me tight. "Harper, don't you know that I would give anything to be with you?" he said. There were tears in his green eyes for the first time. "Believe me, if I thought there was any chance we could run from the Order, I would run until the end of time. But they would find us. They would kill us both. The Underground is our only chance. It's the only place you'll be safe."
I pulled away and leaned against the side of the cliff. This couldn't be happening.
"Harper, please." Jackson stood behind me, the warmth of his body against my back. He leaned his forehead against the back of my head, but despite his closeness, I could already feel a deep well growing between us. "Please."
Tears streamed down my face. There was no winning this argument. He had already made up his mind.
"Okay," I said. My heart shattered deep inside my chest. "I'll go."
I didn't want to look at him. I just wanted to stare out at the ocean and let the sorrow crash over me like a wave.
But Jackson pulled me closer. "Harper, look at me."
I met his clear green eyes as he leaned in to kiss me one last time.
Our lips were wet with salty tears, and for a moment, I thought I might drown in them. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close as if he were my life-raft. The kiss deepened and he pulled me tighter, both of us desperate for it to never end.
But eventually, all things must come to an end.
The Closest Thing I have Left To A Family
Back inside the cave, I sat beside Mary Anne and waited for her to wake up.
Jackson and Lea moved toward the entrance to discuss plans for the journey to the Underground, but I wanted to be as far away from them as possible right now. Inside, my heart was breaking. How could Jackson do this to me? How could he sweep me away to this place, give me hope of a better future, then take it all away? It wasn't fair.
I couldn't imagine a life where I would be standing next to him, yet forbidden to touch him.
I would go to his Underground. Get my strength back. Learn to take control of my own magic so that someday I would be able to leave and fight the Order on my own. There was no way I could stay there for the rest of my life.
Beside me, Mary Anne shifted and moaned. I leaned over her and felt her forehead. Her fever seemed to have passed, but her skin was still deathly pale except for the red scratch across her cheek.
Jackson was hoping to leave this afternoon, but I wasn't so sure she'd be ready to travel.
Her eyes opened slowly and she squinted up at me. "Harper?"
"Hey," I said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got bit by a tiger," she said. She laughed, then winced and grabbed her side. "There's something I never thought I'd say."
I shook my head and felt the guilt tear through me. "I'm so sorry," I said. "I got you into this mess."
Mary Anne placed her hand on mine. "It's not your fault," she said. "I came here of my own free will."
I paused. "Why did you come?" I said it softly, not wanting her to think she wasn't wanted. I just didn't understand why she risked her life to come save me.
She held both hands out to me so I could help her move into a sitting position. It took her a few seconds to get herself upright, but when she did, the color started to return to her cheeks. "You're the closest thing I have left to a family," she said simply. "I wasn't about to let them hurt you. Besides, eventually the Order would have figured out that I was the one who told Jackson where to find you. I don't think they would have liked me too much at that point."
I raised an eyebrow. "You have a point there."
"So what are those two up to over there all secret-like?" She nodded toward Jackson and Lea at the cave's entrance.
I turned to look at them, an instant pang biting into my heart. Lea was a demon and therefore, completely fair game for him. He said his feelings for me wouldn't change, but who knew what might happen after years of being in the Underground? And the two of them already had a past I didn't understand.
I did my best to shake it off. "They're planning our trip to the Underground."
Mary Anne grabbed a bottle of water and just nodded. Apparently, the Underground was not news to her. They must have talked about their plan before they left our world.
"What do you know about it?" I asked. "The Underground?"
She shrugged and swallowed. "Not much, I guess. Just that it's deep under the surface and that magic can't be tracked down there. Some kind of shield blocks it from the upper world," she said. "Jackson said we'd be safe there for as long as we needed to stay. I just hope they let us in."
"Did he tell you that they don't like humans?"
"Yeah," she said. "But only because they've never really known any humans that weren't a part of the Order. I think they'll warm up to us pretty quickly. Especially after they hear about what we've done to fight back against the Order."
I nodded, but I was worried. What if we'd just traded one miserable life for another?