Renhala (43 page)

Chapter 54

Jealous

The guests at table three are held back against their will by various suddenly-armed guests, the only one missing is Ladimer. My mom stares at Amber, oblivious to the hyena-faced creature tightly gripping both her arms.

Amber turns her anger upon me once more, her face twisted and ugly as she cries and shouts at me. “Kailey, always screwing things up for me! Kailey, always number one! Kailey with the long legs. Kailey with the cool mom. What good did I ever get in this life? Nothing—until
he
came along.”

Her hand points not toward Russell, but toward Devoten
, master of infatuation. I inhale deeply and reach my feeler out to grasp her true feelings beyond the sudden lunacy, but keep hitting the bubble around her, bouncing off like a trampoline.

“He
’s evil, Amber!” I shout. I can’t even begin to grasp what is happening right now, but know I must do something, possibly before karma steps in.

“No! He
’s shown me true love. He saw the power hidden deep inside me—something nobody
ever
acknowledged!” The bubble around her vibrates. “He helped me grow and transform into this.” She holds her arms up toward her iridescent bubble shield.

I examine
it. “This is how you wore the necklace I gave you,” I blubber, pointing to the bubble. The corners of her mouth turn up in a malicious grin. “The only reason why bad things happened to you was not because
we
doubted you,” I say. “It was because
you
doubted you. You never gave the real Amber a chance—the Amber I know and love. All those years—all those moments of trouble—who was there for you? Me,” I look to my mom and say, “and her!”  

Devoten approaches us in his black-hooded cloak, looking as sinister as ever. “We finally get to converse, face to face, Kailey. You are so pretty.” His voice is thick and mysterious, but not enough to divert me from gripping my weapon tighter, for what surrounds him is the horrid and foul mass of energy I previously witnessed. It
’s pure hatred, but in a falsely subdued shell. It’s sudo-abominor, preparing to unleash its rage, given the perfect moment. I know not to reach toward it, because it may swallow me up forever.

Amber
’s energy is reflective of her feelings, and I hear it ticking like a time bomb. “My love, tell Kailey of our plans,” she rambles.

He raises his hand toward her mouth, and her face turns beet red.

“But—”

“Shut up! I am speaking with Kailey
. This is not about you right now.”

I look at her, and her eyes do
not leave Devoten’s face. Knowing Amber as long as I have, I know she’s contemplating whether she should take the suggestion or break his arm. Her force field shudders a bit. Then she sits down in the chair to her left and says nothing, tears welling up in her eyes.

The noise behind me tells me someone has broken their bonds, then I feel her. It
’s my mom, rushing toward us.

“Devoten!” she spit
s as she approaches. “She’s such an innocent little thing. What did you do to her?”

“Nice to see you,
Quicksilver
. You really want to know the details? Is this out of simple curiosity,” He smiles as his voice changes, becoming heavier as he talks to my mom, moving just a bit closer to her, “or maybe
jealousy
?” 

“Don
’t move any closer to me,” she warns, pulling out her long blade, “and remember, your ‘power’ is useless against me.”

“Fi
ne. Always so difficult,” he remarks. “The story is as follows: Amber noticed me one day near their work,” he looks to me and Amber, “and began openly flirting for the last seat on the bus as we both boarded. Isn’t that right?” Amber nods, tears dripping from her eyes. “She never even knew she was using her power as I watched her in action, enclosing both me and herself in one of these bubbles, closing out a beautiful, but threatening high-heeled, tight, business-suited female with beautiful deep brown curls who also wanted that last bus seat.” My mind wanders to moments with Amber, realizing she never exhibited signs of competition with other females, ever. “So,” says Devoten, breaking me from my thoughts, “I realized her talent—one evidently developed over her
formidable
years of dating, because who would actually make a conscious decision to hook up with such emotional baggage—could be an asset to me. She was such an easy target!”

Amber
’s past admirers and relationships stream through my mind as I realize she was subconsciously holding the degenerates near, probably making them feel an indescribable sense of safety in her bubble—perhaps developing a false notion of bonding between them. If I only spent more time with her since my assault. Perhaps as karmelean, I could have ripped the layers of Amber apart, revealing her powers.

Amber
’s lower jaw hangs down, almost resting on her feet.

“Oh, and the best part,” says Devoten, laughing to himself, “is how that ninny,” he points to Russell, “was the perfect decoy! You all thought Amber was busy with him. Ha! His gift proved detrimental to his own well-being—attaching himself permanently to someone openly unfaithful. How pathetically stupid, but then again, he fell prey to her powers just as all the others did. And how would I know that he wouldn
’t get her pregnant first?”

We all look to Russell,
who is supporting himself against the wall.

Soon, I hear Gunthreon—who has also escaped those holding him—approaching, speaking to those he passes. As he passes me, he says, “Kailey, disregard any suggestions of Devoten
’s.”

Devoten
’s gaze meets Gunthreon’s, and just as I begin to fear a battle between the two of them, Russell suddenly starts making rather odd movements, first covering his eyes, then his mouth, then his ears. He keeps repeating it, and increasing speed, eventually moving so fast I can barely see what he’s doing.

“He
’s breaking down,” murmurs Gunthreon, moving to help his grandson. “Russell, sit and meditate. Relax. Take deep breaths.” Russell sits on the ground, with his eyes closed as Gunthreon holds him tightly, rocking.

Meanwhile, my mom stands between me and Devoten. “She
’s beautiful, Dena May,” he says to her, with soft emotion. I feel the horror of his energy, still swirling around him, but a bit slower. A loud sigh escapes my mom’s mouth. Both she and Devoten stare at me as I feel an odd sensation coming from each of them: small slithering tendrils of energy, one from each. I close my eyes and feel the two tendrils reaching for each other, yearning to touch. I then interrupt by placing my own energy between them since I don’t want his touching my mom’s. But to my surprise, her energy pushes me away.

“Resembles
both her parents you know,” rambles Devoten. “And she’s strong, I can feel her power.” After their two energies touch and twirl around together, I feel my mom’s retract, rushing back toward her body.

“Devoten—Kailey.” She is formally introducing us. “Kailey—your father.”

A single word escapes both my and Amber’s lips: “What?” Then Devoten’s cloak falls, and I see an older version of the face I spied in Gunthreon’s magical mirror. Spotting my ring on the ground, he picks it up, allowing it to sizzle in his hand as it burns his skin. He then slides it onto his finger, his jaw clenching from the pain.

“
See! Ruining my whole life!” cries Amber. “No wonder he’s always been so interested in you!”

Anger appears across Devoten’s face. “I found this one—,” he says, pointing to Amber, “—while watching
our daughter
grow up. After I conceived my plan to rule Renhala—and eventually the shitty realm you live in—Amber was a convenience.” He smirks as Amber’s shoulders drop.

“Rule Renhala?” cackle
s my mom. “And Abscondia?” She laughs heartily as Devoten stares her down.

“Yes.
You and Kailey can still be a part of something wonderful. Change your ways Dena May. Just imagine what we’d be capable of, together, as a...family.” I hear Amber inhale deeply, and hold it for what seems an eternity. My mom frowns. “Or would you rather just stand back and watch everyone die as my creatures, once fully unleashed in Abscondia, eat them alive? I can protect you, and Kailey.”

My mom looks upset as she and Amber continue watching Devoten
’s face, and his each and every movement. My mom begins shaking her head slowly, back and forth.

Not liking my mom’s answer, he says,
“I stood too long in the shadows. It’s my turn to shine. My turn to rule. My turn to play God!
Bring it in!”
he yells loudly.

The giant metal box from my secret, unprovoked, travels to Devoten, is wheeled in, along with a life
size statue of the lovely woman from my pendant. Dr. Speck, in a lab coat, follows the statue, then Tartarin, who prods him like a cow with some sort of long, metal tube. Tartarin limps from his injury from our little bathroom brawl, when I stuck my spade in his leg.
“Now, bring in the cauldron!”
Devoten screams. A gigantic cauldron, holding an enormous amount of molten metal, is wheeled in and placed beside the box.

Dr. Martine makes his way toward the box, looking very worried. The box begins steaming profusely, and he yells to Devoten that they need Mortimer.

Then Mortimer is dragged in by his feet by two creatures similar to the one that assaulted me—half man, half grotesquely-green and slimy monster. I freeze. Mortimer’s head and arms are cut with deep slashes, and he seems to be unconscious. Twin Zoe hands Tartarin her glass of water, and he sloshes it across Mortimer’s face. Zoe explodes with laughter as Mortimer wakes screaming and pawing at the air. As Zoe laughs, I scan the crowd—mostly female—spotting each grin Zoe provokes. It is then I feel it—the duality of the females’ energies—on extreme measures—with an unmatched quickness in their ability to change. One second they mimic Devoten’s swirling dark energy, the next they are something entirely different, from complacent to happy, but not one iota of regret exists in any of their energies. They are all enjoying themselves
,
and hoping to be recognized for their part in Devoten’s plan—to perhaps rule by his side. Each of their faces slowly begins transforming—an Amber nose here, a Dena May smile there, and several heads of flowing red hair. They are transforming into what they see as their chance at Devoten’s attention.
They are pixies.

I then notice a
greble walking to the falling framework around the hall door, placing a sticky piece of slate to the wall. On it is a roughly drawn symbol.
They are closing the entry. And Ladimer is outside.
I try working my way slowly to the piece of slate.

Devoten turns to Amber. “
I still need you, honey,” he coos. “Remember your part.” Her face contorts, and then transforms to one of pure fascination as she looks into her lover’s eyes—infatuated with him and whatever plan he has discussed with her.

“This is messed up,” I prattle
, as a meeple comes between me and the doorway.
I have to be dreaming.
As I watch Tartarin antagonize Mortimer, I suddenly realize the full extent of Amber’s betrayal. Anger turns my own face into something twisted and perverse as I turn from my mission at the door. “You have been the one feeding them information...and you let that monster into my apartment building!” I yell. “Someone had to show him it before he could travel, and you used the...key I gave you.” Amber snickers under her breath, and her eyes will not meet mine. A sudden thought hits me like a line-drive fastball: “Did you let
it
in my apartment, too? That day?” I stare at Amber, and my energy attempts to coax her bubble to open—somewhere. “Did you have a part in my blood shed? A part in the day my throat was ripped open? A part in the day I almost lost my sanity?
Did you
?!” I yell, as her smirk disappears, replaced by something sad.

“Amber, please say you didn
’t,” mutters my mom, hoping.

“I had no idea how far
...” Amber says as her bubble quivers and a small hole, the size of a pinhead, opens. I thrust my energy in and she shakes and trembles as it rushes at her, inflicting pain as it searches for an answer. In her pain, I find my answer hiding deep—the small amount of regret she holds from her actions. I withdraw, not wanting to touch any part of her, any longer. “I’m sorry,” she says, under her breath.

Without even looking at Conner, I sense his reaction to Amber and her admission of guilt. As I look to his face, his expression changes into one of empathetic pain—not pity, but a true hurt from deep within, at the Judas kiss given to me by my once beloved and trusted best friend. He shares my pain and I instantly feel connected to him.  

Tartarin laughs and announces, “You have me to thank for that, Kailey! I gave those orders to Amber. Why would I waste my own precious time? I thought it would be much more pleasurable if I had your own best friend betray you in the worst way possible.” Devoten turns his body, suddenly hearing Tartarin’s boasting. His face reflects a burning hate and I feel his energy heating up like lava. I send my feeler in and feel his surprise as Tartarin rants. “She even handpicked your assaulter!” exclaims Tartarin, happy with his taunting. “Good choice I must say. Too bad he’s dead. But anyways,” Tartarin says.