Thrall (42 page)

Someone opened the emergency exit doors to my right. Crisp dawn light flooded inside.

“
Go home!
” Again, the call rang out. The Guardsmen watched, stunned, as the Thrall turned and headed toward the exits. In their wake, a dozen more Thrall lay unmoving on the ground.

I stared. It was Karayan standing by the doors, watching the Thrall trickle away into the dawn. Karayan had just saved all our lives.

Lucas slipped out of the hallway and stood by my side. He watched the retreating Thrall. “That’s it? They just go home?” he asked. I looked at him and saw the pain in his eyes.

Karayan turned her green eyes on us, solemn.

It was Gretchen who answered. “They’ll return to the lives they remember. But the core of who they used to be is gone. Without Ais, they’ll slowly fade away. What she took from them - whether you think of it as the soul or the will to survive - it doesn’t grow back. In a few years, they’ll all be dead.”

Thane pushed through to the front of the crowd. Karayan’s eyes met his. He took another step toward her. Karayan flinched, and her wings wrapped tightly around her.

“Wait.” Thane couldn’t see that she hadn’t moved, or the look of pain that laid siege to her face as she watched him. “Karayan?”

Instead of answering, Karayan looked at me. I saw the confusion clear in her eyes. She turned and ran out the doors. I watched her until she had disappeared from view. I risked a glance back at Thane. He was studying me. My expression told him everything he needed to know. She was gone. Thane turned away from me abruptly.

“We need to clear out,” Marx said. The Guardsmen regrouped. In moments they’d gathered their scattered weapons and were helping the two wounded men out into the dawn light.

Dad scrutinized my shoulder, eyes creased with worry. “You should sit down. Let me bring the truck around. That shoulder doesn’t look good.”

“I’m okay, Dad.” I winced as my shoulder throbbed in protest.

“Tell that to the EMT. We’re going to the hospital.”

“Probably not a bad idea.” The ground seemed to shift, but Dad caught me before I fell.

“What happened?” I heard Dad’s voice, hushed and intense. He wasn’t speaking to me. Ais had done a real number on him. He didn’t remember anything past opening the office door.

“Ais got her with my dagger.” Gretchen’s voice answered, nearby. “But she did it, Murphy. She killed the demon with Semangelof’s sword.” Jubilation filled her voice. “That Wall’s not coming down anytime soon.”

“That’s my girl.” Dad guided me outside. The cold air felt good on my shoulder. It revived me a little. Dad helped me sit on a step. Lucas lowered himself next to me.

Gretchen studied us, lips tight. “Make that two for the hospital.”

Dad nodded. “Stay here. We’ll bring the truck around.”

Gretchen and Dad headed into the parking lot. Lucas and I had a few moments alone together. He laid his left hand on the step between us, palm facing up, and gave me a small smile. I took his hand with my right hand, and our fingers twined together.

Lucas turned to look at me. I was struck by how calm he seemed. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about those dreams.”

Even with the pain in my shoulder and the exhaustion of the fight, I felt a smile bloom on my face. I didn’t fight it. “And what dreams are you talking about, exactly?”

“Well, if you’re having trouble remembering... maybe we should try another one.”

Hale’s truck pulled up. Dad left the engine running as he got out and opened the door closest to us. Gretchen was tossing weapons and gear into the back to clear the seat for us.

“Maybe we should,” I said. Lucas’ return smile was warm enough to drive everything else away.

Epilogue

Snow blanketed the Coronado Prep campus, gleaming brilliantly under a full moon. It muted the winter night, dialing down nocturnal sounds to a whisper. Though it was freezing outside, there was no wind to slip greedy fingers of ice up our sleeves or swirl snow around our ankles. Christmas had come and gone, and school would start again on Monday. As far as the administration knew, Lucas and I had been in a car accident. The ‘accident’ was responsible for our injuries, and bought us all of winter break to study for our exams. Cassie’s voice had filled with empathy and concern when I’d called to tell her the cover story. Royal had listened as I stumbled through the same version, but his succinct ‘yuh-huh’ made clear he wasn’t buying it. And yet, he seemed to realize I wasn’t ready to talk about what had really happened, and didn’t push me for the truth.

Cassie and Royal met us in the parking lot. They looked relaxed and happy. Tonight was New Year’s Eve, and we were back on campus for the postponed Winter Ball. Dressed in our finery, we turned together and walked toward the gym. As we got closer, we could make out the roiling rhythm thumping inside the building. Lucas opened the door for me with his good arm and I gave him a warm smile. There were a few new rules in place for us at home. The Guard had finally realized that they couldn’t keep Lucas and me apart. So instead, they made us promise to keep all the physical stuff to our dreams, aside from holding hands or the occasional hug. When Lucas protested – I had kept the Lilitu storm at bay the last time we’d kissed, after all – Gretchen told him that the alternative was for the two of them to join another unit in another city. And so we both agreed to follow the rules. I know Gretchen keeps a close eye on Lucas, watching him carefully for any signs that we’ve gone too far. Dreams aren’t as nice as reality – not by a long shot – but they’ll have to do for now.

As we entered the gym, the music washed over us, along with the heat generated by five hundred dancing high school kids. The Raven had been closed as police were called to investigate the scene. They found twelve bodies. It was considered the worst crime in the city in a decade. The Guard bitterly assured me there was no hope of the police stumbling onto the truth. Ais might be gone, but there were other Lilitu about that would make sure their secret was protected.

Sure enough, days after our fight, the newspapers were filled with the story of a cult of young men, a dozen of whom had taken their own lives at the Raven Club on Winter Solstice. This story explained in convincing detail what had happened to the missing men. Most returned to their previous lives. A few were even coming forward with stories about their days in the cult - gut-wrenching stories about drugs and psychological abuse that explained why all the returned men seemed like shadows of their former selves. The police department instituted an emergency cult awareness program, and life in the city continued with no one the wiser about what had really happened the night of the Solstice.

People believe what they want to believe.

Dina and Alex, the soldier who’d died on Hale’s lawn, were buried in a simple ceremony out in the mountains. Ais and her daughters were burned, and their bones pounded to dust. Their ashes had been left in a small hole that Marx’s team had dug by the side of the road on their way out of town this morning. Only Matt had stayed behind.

Last night, before they packed for the journey, they’d thrown a party like none I’d ever seen. Hale had enlisted five soldiers to dig a massive fire pit in the backyard. We’d burned a small mountain of wood, trusting the flames to keep the frost at bay. The soldiers of the Guard had finally let loose, cheering the end of Ais, mourning the loss of Dina and Alex, and - to Lucas’ immense amusement - outdoing themselves trying to christen me with the perfect nickname. When the hyperbole got too ridiculous, someone hoisted me off my perch on Hale’s back porch, and I found myself paraded around the bonfire until Dad ran over and convinced the soldiers (drunk on whiskey and success) that I was still recovering from my wounds.

After that, things settled down a little. Hale and Marx had moved through the crowd, talking with their teams and sharing a drink here and there. There was an undercurrent to the celebration; everyone present now knew Ais’ prediction. The Ancients were reawakening. The Lilitu were still massing for another war. And while we may have reinforced the gates for a little while longer, no one believed we’d seen the last of this war.

Lucas and I had watched most of the party from the shelter of the porch, leaning against each other. His wounds had been much more extensive than mine. Ais’ talons had wreaked havoc on his shoulder, and he’d been in surgery for close to twelve hours as his doctors fought to mend muscle and tendon. His arm would be in the sling that kept it immobilized across his middle for months. My wound had been cleaner, and the trauma much easier for the surgeons to repair, though I was also ordered into a sling for a few weeks.

But, stepping into the warmth of the gym, I didn’t mind. We were alive, and we had won the battle, if not the war.

Lucas held my right hand snugly in his left. “You look amazing.”

I smiled. I’d had neither the opportunity nor the desire to shop for something new, and so I was wearing the black floor-length dress I’d worn to Winter Ball last year. But over it, I wore the gorgeous green velvet coat Cassie had made for me. In an act of kindness that had surprised and gratified me, Gretchen had taken the coat and had it cleaned and repaired by an expert tailor in town. It looked as good as new, and Cassie couldn’t have been more thrilled when she arrived with Royal and saw me wearing it. Royal was dressed in a black tux with tails, and he knew exactly how good he looked. Cassie had tied her hair up in a simple French twist for the dance. She’d abandoned the fun and crazy hairstyles since everything with Parker had happened. I worried that some deeply hidden part of her self-confidence might never fully recover. She was wearing the same gown she’d made for Homecoming, but she’d added an elaborate boned jacket of the same shimmering material, making the whole thing look vaguely Victorian.

When I complimented her on the jacket, she blushed. “I had so much fun making yours, I wanted to try another one.”

We walked through the halls to the main gym, and I spotted Missy taking cash for the last-minute tickets to the dance. She waved us over. After the Raven had been closed, Missy had almost had a nervous breakdown. When I’d recovered from surgery, I’d made a simple video and posted it online, explaining the situation for our classmates. I told them even if it was at the gym, we’d have an amazing time together. I reminded those who knew her of how awesome Carrie is, and the importance of diabetes research. Missy had been flooded with ticket requests a few hours later.

I paused by Missy at the ticket table. “How’s it going?”

“We’ve already made more than I’d hoped,” she said, beaming. “Thank you again, Braedyn. I owe you one.”

Amber, sitting next to her, eyed me with a tight little smile. It was strangely unnerving.

I dragged my eyes back to Missy’s beaming face. “My pleasure. It’s for a good cause.”

Lucas, sensing Amber’s hostility, guided me on. In moments we were stepping into the main gym. I had to hand it to Missy, the gym looked amazing. Silvery white curtains lined the bleachers, complete with great sweeping folds of fabric that screened the basketball hoops at either end. The gym itself was dark, but some kind of light was trained upwards, swirling tiny pinpricks of light across the ceiling. It made it seem as if the stars above us were dancing. I felt Royal stiffen beside me.

Parker had seen us come in. He rose out of a chair against one curtained wall, his eyes fixed on Cassie. Royal took her hand and swept her onto the dance floor before Parker had a chance to approach her. Parker’s eyes turned to me. Lucas saw the determination in my face and tensed. I walked over to Parker. He looked better. Stronger. His black hair shone with a healthy gloss again, and his eyes were clear.

“Cassie looks good,” Parker said.

“She’s doing better,” I said. “But your being around her won’t help. Let her go.” I caught Parker’s eye. “
Let her go.
” Parker nodded, numbly, and sank back into his chair.

Lucas’ jaw clenched when he heard
the call,
but when I looked back at him, he forced himself to smile. I saw Amber watching from across the room. She turned away quickly.

The music shifted to a slow song and about half the dancers cleared the floor, making more room for the couples. Lucas and I made an awkward dance pair in our slings. I curled my good arm around his neck and he pulled me close with his. We were still dancing when the clock struck midnight. Lucas held my eyes in his steady gaze. Our lips hovered a breathless inch apart as white and silver balloons cascaded down around us. Laughing couples kissed and cheered, ushering in the New Year. With great effort, Lucas and I pulled away from one another, before one of us broke our word. We retreated from the dance floor in silence.

We found Royal and Cassie by the drinks, where Royal had been entertaining Cassie with details about the elaborate vacation his father had taken him on over Christmas.

“This is his way of making up for being mostly invisible the rest of the year,” he said. “Because what problem doesn’t a villa in the Swiss Alps solve, when you really get down to it?”

I squeezed Royal’s shoulder with faux compassion. “The trials of the uber-rich.”

“Still. I’m glad to be back.”

I saw Amber, standing at the edge of one silver curtain a few feet away. Watching me. There it was again, that unsettling little smile. When she was sure she’d caught my eye, she turned and slipped behind the curtain.

With a twisting sensation in my stomach, I pulled away from my friends. “I’ll be right back.” They looked surprised when I headed toward the curtain. Amber waited for me in the darkness beyond, leaning against the post supporting the basketball hoop.

“At first I thought that old guy in Parker’s hospital room was crazy,” Amber said. “We were in the psych ward, after all. But after I had some time to think about it, I started wondering.” She held up a small hardback book. It looked old. The cloth cover was stained and dusty. “So I did a little research. The librarians at the University are super helpful. And they’ve got this killer mythology collection. All kinds of crazy stuff about Mesopotamia.” I could see Amber’s triumph in the dim light. “I know what you are, Lilitu.”