The Rephaim: Burn Part 14

'So, Jude and I cut ourselves, let our blood drop to the ground, and you say the magic words-that's it?'

Dani nods. 'Your blood needs to mix first.'

'Okay. You have your phone?'

'Uh huh.'

'And you'll ring Jason if anything happens to us?'

'Yes Mom,' she says.

'Get his number up on your screen, now. Just in case.' If anything happens to Dani, I'll never forgive myself.

She pulls out her phone.

'And hide out of sight. What about behind that tree over there?' I point to an evergreen with a trunk as wide as Zak's shoulders.

She thinks about it for a moment. Nods. And then she throws her arms around my waist, taking me by surprise. 'Good luck.'

'You too,' I whisper, holding her tight.

She hugs Jude. He smooths her hair, smiles down at her. 'Thank you,' he says.

We wait until she's out of sight and then Jude and I face each other, swords in hand. My heart knocks a steady beat against my ribs, my breathing quicker now. I spin my katana. Even in the cold, my palm is tacky against the leather hilt. This is it. If Dani's right, we're moments away from freeing the Fallen. Moments away from Semyaza. From our father.

Jude taps his blade against his calf. 'How do you want to do this?' His eyes are sharp, focused.

'Palms?' I hold mine out.

'Okay.' He blows out his breath. 'There's no undoing this once it's done.'

I nod, look away. Withstand a momentary blast of panic.

I don't want to do it.

I can't do it.

What if the Garrison turns up? What if they don't?

What if Nathaniel's right about everything and we're about to spark a war?

What if- I meet Jude's eyes. He's scared too, but also... resolved. Whatever battle I'm having with myself, he's already had it and won. And suddenly I know. I'm with Jude. No matter what happens in this moment, we're in it together. It's enough.

I take another breath. 'Okay.'

He hesitates for a heartbeat and then scuffs a boot to clear the pine needles and dead leaves between us. 'I think we should stay on our feet.'

'Agreed.' Our blood will hit the dirt whether we're standing or kneeling. I don't want to be on my knees in front of the Fallen.

Jude lifts his sword and I do the same. We grip our blades near the hilt, carefully slice our left palms-not too deep. It stings. I grit my teeth. A muscle tics in Jude's jaw. He steps closer and we press our palms together. Jude's skin is already slick with blood. I feel my pulse beat against my brother's. Warmth spreads across my hand and blood trickles down my wrist and under my sleeve. I ignore it. The forest is silent except for the whisper of the breeze in the trees around us. No birds, no dogs, no distant hum of vehicles. We could be the only people on earth.

I concentrate on our hands. Blood gathers at the point where our wrists meet. Our blood. I glance towards the tree. Dani's well out of sight. Good. The first drop of blood falls. It spatters in the dirt without a sound. A second, right on top of it.

'Now,' I call out to Dani.

Immediately her voice rises up, strong and steady, reciting a language not of this world. I scan the forest behind Jude. He's focused on the s.p.a.ce behind me. We're as ready as we can be.

My heart is punching my ribs now. I barely feel the cut in my hand.

Our blood drips in the dirt.

Dani keeps reciting the incantation from her vision.

Nothing happens.

She speaks the words again. And again. I recognise sounds and phrasing, even if I have no idea what they mean. Jude and I stay perfectly still, hands clasped, swords raised. It might be for a minute. It might be five.

'How long is this supposed to take?' Jude calls out.

She doesn't break her rhythm to reply.

My stomach lurches violently. I have a split second of surprise-the Fallen feel like demons when they arrive-before Jude sucks in his breath and jerks back his hand. And then everything happens at once.

A Gatekeeper demon-Leon-materialises behind Jude.

White-hot pain explodes across the back of my head.

Leon buries his broadsword between Jude's ribs.

My legs buckle.

Something solid slams into my side. A boot.

Jude shouts my name. It comes out choked. Yelling for me to shift.

I hit the dirt, hard. The forest is wrong. Sideways, blurred. I can't tell the trees from the legs surrounding us. So many legs, demon legs. Not the Fallen.

A mountain lumbers closer, blocking out the light. Snarls. I squint. A h.e.l.lion. No-three h.e.l.lions. Wait. The first is...Iceland. It can't be...I need to shift. I need- Dani.

I panic, try to roll over to look for her. My head pounds. More blood. It's soaking into my shirt.

'No, no, no.' I hear Bel a moment before his boot smashes down on my thigh. The crack of shattering bone is impossibly loud. Shards of pain fork through my body. I scream, taste dirt again. Darkness rushes in. I fight it, struggling against the pull of oblivion.

I hear scuffling, grunting. Jude. Oh G.o.d. Where are the Fallen? Where's the Garrison? f.u.c.k, we're going to die.

Another kick, this time to my ribs. I grunt, try to curl into a ball. I reach for the void, can't get a grip. It's like the last time I was at Bel's mercy, but this time I'm not alone on an island beach. This time I brought my brother and an eleven-year-old girl.

Rough hands grab me by my hair, yank me up to my knees. My hands hang limp at my sides. Where's my sword?

My eyes flutter open. I try to bring the murky forest into focus, but it's too smudged. The throbbing behind my eyes is too much.

But then I see it. My brother, metres away, propped up on his knees too. Leon, fist clenched in Jude's hair. I try to focus on Jude's face, but it's beyond me. I can't feel my legs now. Or my broken ribs.

'You first.' The words seem to float down from the trees. Leon? 'Don't end it too quick.'

Fingers tighten in my hair, pulling at my scalp.

'Eyes open now, Judah. You don't want to miss it.'

For a long moment nothing happens. The seconds stretch out like soft toffee. And then Bel's fingers tighten in my hair and cold steel buries itself into the back of my neck.

Jude screams. Darkness swamps me.

I'm falling again. My head bounces when I hit the ground. It must still be attached.

I can't move. I taste mouldy leaves and blood. Feel the life draining out of me. Shadows flicker across a distant pinp.r.i.c.k of light. I'm deep below the surface, slowly suffocating.

And then the light grows, brightens. Comfort washes over me. Am I dead? I must be. And yet...

I hear swords clash and raised voices around me. m.u.f.fled, frantic. The sounds fade, or I do. When awareness next finds me, there's a hand pressed against my neck. A warm hand. Strong.

Voices, garbled. My heart lurches: one of those voices belongs to Jude. I try to open my eyes. Can't.

Try to move. Can't.

Try to speak...Nothing.

I'm paralysed. Numb. I focus on Jude's voice, try to pick out his words but they fade in and out. Does he sound hurt? Dying? I finally catch a fragment, his words laboured.

'...whatever you have to do.'

A finger strokes my neck. And then everything goes dark.

NOW.

WHO DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME?.

That last memory clings to me like seaweed. Persistent, abrasive.

I'm back on the beach near the headland. I sit and lean against a dune. Close my eyes to ground myself. Feel the soft sand between my fingers, the sea breeze on my skin. Taste salt. Remember where I am. It doesn't budge the knot in my stomach.

I'm a mess. I might not be able to speak to Jude or Rafa yet, but I need to talk to someone.

I call Mags.

'Timing,' she says, slightly breathless. She's still in Rome with Jason, Dani and Maria. I wanted them away from the Sanctuary when we confronted Nathaniel. 'We're about to leave. Where are you?'

The sound of her voice tethers me more firmly to here and now.

'Back in Pan Beach.'

'Thank G.o.d. Who's with you?'

She sounds the same. I feel the same listening to her. 'The Outcast crew, plus Malachi, Taya, Micah and Daisy. We brought Simon and the Butlers with us. '

'Were you hoping for more Rephaim?'

Gatekeepers are coming to tear Pan Beach apart: yeah, I'd hoped for more. But I don't want to scare her. 'It's enough.' I stare out at the horizon, spot a freighter far out at sea. From here it looks like a toy. I blot it out with my thumb. 'What are Dani and Maria doing?'

'They're coming with us. Maria's not happy-no surprise there-but she caved in. Jason's offered them his room. We're picking up clothes for them on the way.'

'Tell Jason to go to the resort when you get here.'

'How come?'

'Our place is crawling with Rephaim.'

'Oh, okay.' A pause, and then: 'Is that surf I can hear? Are you at the beach?'

'Yeah. I needed some air.' I don't tell her about the Immundi. I don't want to freak her out any more than she already is. 'How long will you be?'

She holds the phone away and speaks to Jason for a second. 'Not long. A few minutes maybe.'

'Can we talk when you get here? Alone?'

'Of course.' A pause. 'Babe, are you okay?'

'Yeah, sort of. I'll meet you out front of the resort in five.'

I disconnect and get to my feet. I dust sand from my pants, stretch my arms above my head. I feel stronger-physically stronger-than I have in a long time. I flex my fingers, shake out the tension.

There's no sign of Jude on the beach or in the water. Maybe he went after Rafa.

I head towards town. The boardwalk is crammed with women power-walking their prams, so I jog along the hard-packed sand at the water's edge. The Lotus Resort is at the other end of the esplanade, right on the beach. It's all white shutters, climbing jasmine and manicured date palms. Jason's kept a room here all week, even though he's spent most nights on my couch or Rafa's or-more recently-in Maggie's bed.

The Lotus is where the local seachange millionaires bring their city buddies for foie gras and French champagne. I've only set foot inside once. Maggie, Simon and I had drinks there one Friday night before Christmas, and we each blew a day's wages to share a bottle of Billecart-Salmon Elisabeth Rose. It was gone in half an hour and we couldn't afford anything else. We finished off the night on the beach with a six-pack of beer from Rick's Bar.

That's what I love about Pan Beach. The Lotus, Rick's Bar, and the blood-stained Imperial Hotel are all within three blocks of each other, all existing in their own orbits, ignoring the other. Pretending their reality is the only one. Why can't my worlds function like that?

I lived at the Sanctuary for a hundred and thirty-eight years, in Pan Beach less than a year. And yet this place, with its lush mountain, turquoise ocean and chilled vibe feels more like home than the monastery ever did. Is that connection real or a lingering side effect of my fake memories? I fell in love with this place when I thought I was a teenage backpacker with s.h.i.tty parents and a dead twin. When I was drowning in grief. Would I have reacted the same under different circ.u.mstances? Would I have become friends with Maggie? If I'd turned up as Gabe, would Maggie have wanted to share a house with me?

I'm fifty metres from the resort when I see Maggie half-jog onto the beach, peeling off the jumper she wore to Italy. She squints against the sun and holds up a hand to me. Her hair is tied back, two-tone blonde streaks shining in the sun. I veer towards her and slow to a walk. By the water, seagulls fight over an abandoned bucket of chips. Maggie scans my face when I get closer and stops a few paces away. She knows. She can see it.

'What's going on?'

I pause as if to catch my breath, but I can breathe fine. I'm checking if I really want to tell her. Because once this is out, I can't take it back. I tuck a stray hair behind my ear, shake out my legs to keep the blood circulating.

'Something happened in the shift, Mags. I remembered. I remember my old life.'