Scarlet Night (Limited Edition) (28 page)

Serena frowned and froze at the words. Her mind had been wracked for the last few days and she had locked hersel
f away from the others and delaying every attempt to leave, hoping that Zane would come back. But there still had been no sign of him. In that time, however, she had come to terms over Devon’s “death” and decided that mourning wasn’t doing her any good; especially since she’d been mourning his death for
years
now. Just because a shadow of his personality had lingered and clung to her didn’t mean that she had to waste her life trying to find a way to reverse the irreversible. No matter what they would’ve done—no matter what sort of body they could’ve obtained for him—it still wouldn’t have changed that he
was
dead and that she should’ve let him go—figuratively
and
literally—all those years ago.

Mourning and regret and doing nothing were something she had gotten very good at, and in all that time she’d been miserable and alone and achieved nothing.

It was time to stop waiting and hoping the world would fix itself around her.

It was time to take action.

She looked over at the others and nodded, “You’re right.” she sighed at the confession, “Every day we wait is another day closer to whatever Keith’s got planned, and it doesn’t do us
or
Zane any good to wait.”

They stared at her for a moment, startled by her revelation but nevertheless relieved to see her come to her senses.

“I just…” she shook her head and looked at Zoey with pleading eyes. Zane had left her alone, and in his absence she was the one everyone looked to for guidance. She had unwillingly become their leader despite knowing nothing of ruling. “I can’t do it alone.”

Zoey gave her nod, seeming to know exactly what was troubling her, and Serena wondered if she was reading her thoughts.
“It’s okay, Serena. I know this a lot to take on, but we’re with you and able to help every step of the way.”

Serena smile
d and stood up, nodding, “Right. Then I guess we’re doing this. No time like the present, right?”

“Damn straight!” Isaac smirked, slamming a fist into his palm, “I was getting a little stir-crazy in this hole!”

Zoey beamed at his excitement, obviously just as eager to be free of the lifeless, monochromatic abyss they’d condemned themselves to.

Serena smiled. Maybe she
could
do this. After all, she’d always refused to follow the orders of others, so why not be the one issuing the orders? She looked around, watching as everybody prepared; watching her clan prepare.

Her
clan.

She smirked at the sound of it.

Though many had died and their headquarters had been destroyed, the Clan of Vail lived on and, despite Keith’s plot to dismantle it and get its once proud followers executed in the process, she
would
lead them.

And she
would
win.

“
Isaac! Round up everybody and make sure they understand the situation; anybody who wants out won’t have the option later. Keith knows where we are and he’ll think that gives him power! He’s trying to motivate a response—something he can use as leverage with The Council to get things moving—and I’m sure he’ll jump at the chance as soon as it presents itself. Everybody who chooses to fight with us should do what they need to prepare, I want to be ready to do this by tomorrow.” She turned and faced Zoey, nodding to her friend as she fell into a comfortable place as their leader, “I need you to send him a message. If you project a psychic invitation to discuss the peaceful surrender of the clan then he’ll be waiting like a kid at Christmas!”

“Surrender?” Isaac glared at her, “What are you saying?”

Serena smirked, “Not a gambler, are you?”

“A bluff?” Zoey frowned, “You’re going to lie to get him out in the open?”

Isaac shook his head, “Isn’t that a little underhanded? If he’s looking to provide The Council with evidence that we’ve gone rogue won’t that work to his advantage?”

“Short of killing him I don’t think we can do much more to incriminate ourselves.” Serena frowned, “He’s made very sure to paint an ugly picture of us, and bitching and moaning won’t
make us look any prettier. He knows we’ve suffered a massive loss and he knows we’re scared, and, in his mind, all we have left is a ‘fight-or-flight’ option; either we take him on and prove him right, or we give him what he wants and try to flee from a global force. He’ll only come out from whatever rock he’s hiding under if he thinks he stands to gain from it, and we’re gonna use that for our advantage. I’m through playing fair, and tomorrow I’m showing Keith that he’s not the only one that can fight dirty!”

The others nodded and smiled, obviously strengthened by her wo
rds and set about their tasks. Serena let out a heavy breath that she’d been holding during her entire speech and thanked Zane for giving her the strength to move forward with her life.

Retreating back to the room, she began raiding the dressers and closet—containing a mismatched assortment of clothes in random styles and sizes for whoever might have needed them—and snatched up a black, sleeveless
top that barely fit around her chest and a pair of black leather pants that looked like something stolen from the set of a bad 80s movie. Deciding that it was the best she could hope for—and, in all fairness, she
could
make that shit work!—she set the outfit aside with her boots.

When there was nothing left to distract her from planning, she sighed
and began to strategize. Keith had always been stronger than her. Even as kids she had never been able to match his speed or reflexes, and his auric control had always been spot-on where she had been forced to teach herself to direct her own aura through motions and lessons she’d learned from archery. And now…

She frowned and shook her head, not allowing herself to finish a thought that would only justify quitting.

Strength and speed weren’t what would define this battle, anyway. Neither of them stood to gain anything in killing the other, outside of a warrant for their execution, and that shifted the nature of
how
they would fight.

The goal—for either side—was to incapacitate the other long enough for The Council to intervene.

And therein lay the second dilemma,
how
to get The Council’s attention and lure them in to see Keith for who he really was.

She needed to play off her strengths; what she could do better than even Keith.

Then, as the solution dawned on her, she couldn’t help but laugh.

With or without Zane,
this
was going to be epic.

Zane frowned as he continued
through the mountainous terrain towards the caverns that the Taroe tribe that had cursed him once occupied, hoping that there might be some clue to his freedom in the remains. It had taken a lot of time and a lot of money to get him to that spot, and if he’d come all this way to find a dead end he didn’t know what he’d do. He sighed, assuring himself that they’d be there as he continued pulling himself up the mountain; remembering the last time he’d been in this place.

Finally, he reached the
hollowed-out entrance on the side of the slope and he groaned and heaved as the beast began to struggle. It didn’t want to be there any more than he did. Being here was certain death for one, if not both, of them. The Taroe’s magic surrounding the mountain sensed what was coming and made an effort to keep him out, and though it was a powerful spell and fighting it proved strenuous on his body, he was able to push through.

As he crossed the barrier’s limit the spell released him and he fell forward as its grip on him vanished. Hitting the cave floor with a pained grunt, h
e started to pull himself up and found himself staring at a pair of ankles. Lifting his eyes towards the owner, he was both relieved and terrified to find a Taroe woman with long, red hair and bright green eyes that bore into him. Her tattoos—following the same tribal style of his own—were pale-white and contrasted against her dark skin.

“Looking for something
,
Maledictus
?” she sneered.

“You?” He g
lared and shot to his feet, keeping his eyes on her, “Tell me there’s a cure to these… these fucking things!” He gestured to his tattoos.

“
A cure? For the tattoos; for the
curse
?” she scoffed, “Wouldn’t be much of a curse if there were,” she sneered, “And, like all tattoos, they’re
permanent
!” She frowned as she watched him, her eyes almost searching him for something he couldn’t name.

“Bullshit! Any other tattoos can be removed! Plenty have done it before! But
these
”—he slapped at the design on his arm and glared—“won’t go away! I’ve been to
countless
places—traveled the fucking globe—to find somebody with a laser strong enough to burn your accursed ink from my skin, and
every
time I’d return home with them just as dark and crisp as the day you
fucks
put it in me!”

“Then why come to us now,
Maledictus
?”

Zane glared, “That’s
not
my name!”

She chuckled, “That’s funny, because it’s written all over you!”

“That’s not funny!” he snapped at her, taking another step.

“Then I am glad,” she sneered, not budging an inch, “that I was not
trying
to be!”

He growled and tried to step
around her. If she wouldn’t help him then he’d find the answers on his own. There had to be something that could undo his situation!

Anything!

She stepped to the side to block his efforts, “I’ve given you your answer,
Maledictus
! You earned those marks and the effects they have on you! You should feel honored!” she glared, “Nobody before you has
ever
worn the mark of
Maledictus
! You must be very proud of yourself! You’ve sealed your fate! Now leave!” she turned away from him.

“
So why are you here? This tribe was destroyed years ago!” He narrowed his eyes and smirked, “I make a point of celebrating the anniversary of its destruction every year!”

“Perhaps I’m here to pay my condolences! You see,
Maledictus
, there
are
those who prefer to learn from the past and honor the lessons it offers us!” She sighed, “And what about you? Why come to a dead land looking for a cure you weren’t even certain existed? Are you
really
so alone that you had nobody worth staying for?”

He clenched
his teeth and looked away.

She nodded, smirking at him, “I see. You’ve come here not because you
are
alone, but because you are
not
alone! Can it be? Can
Maledictus
, a walking Apocalypse,
truly
change what it is simply because it
feels
for one of those suffering from its wrath?”

“It isn’t like that!” he glared, “It’s not
me
that’s a threat to her!”

“Oh?” she raised an eyebrow, “And what makes her immune to the rage of
Maledictus
?”

He shook his head, “I… I don’t know. She just is! It won’t attack her! Hell, even its rage vanishes around her!”

Her eyes narrowed to slits, “You lie!
Maledictus
would never change its ways for anything or anyone!”

“Yea, I was pretty sure of that too, sweetheart!” Zane rolled his eyes, “I’ve been ready to wake up to find
everybody
dead—I’ve been
expecting
it!—so do you think that having my reality turned upside-down is a picnic for me?”

“Who are they? What are they to you?” she demanded, taking a step closer.

Zane stepped back, startled by her outburst, “I don’t know! Some chick! My old mentor’s daughter!” he shook his head, “But even her old man couldn’t sway the damn thing! There’s no reason she should!”