18. VENGEANCE

Chapter eighteen

VENGEANCE

A scuffle against stone tore me from my fever dream.

"Hello?"

I waited, listening intently. One second, then another, and my shoulders sagged. Rats, most likely, ready to descend upon me and pick my bones clean, which would be a blessing honestly, sparing me months of my body eating itself from the inside out. Already my gums throbbed from thirst, so let them come and free me from the torture of my own failure. Adding insult to injury, a violent cough rose up, tar catching in my throat. My pact with Death: also a failure. Kim was in danger, and I could do nothing about it but die slowly.

Another shuffle in the distance stirred me, this one heavier. I squinted, searching. "Hello? Anybody there?"

Silence gave way to rapid footsteps, and a glimmer of light flashed down the tunnel, here then gone. My pulse clapped in my ears. Was I hallucinating? Had hysteria set in so soon? The steady, relentless drips about the cave resumed. Right, I'd lost my damn mind; I'd cracked, shattered, and— Heavy thumps drew nearer; the light suddenly returned.

"Your Highness! There you are," a man called.

My stomach jumped. Not just any man… "Adari? How did you find me?"

Magic hissed from his fingertips like a roaring torch as he stepped around me, busying himself with my shackles.

"Your magic is hard to miss." He snickered. "Stunning, really: the thick burgundy of it. Unique, but a tad forceful if I may say. It nearly choked me out in my sleep before leading me here to you. I apologize for my delay, but these tunnels are quite vast."

"I—" My words caught in my throat. "Thank you for coming for me."

"Thank the Goddess. Her gifted sight is the sole reason I was able to find this place. She has a fondness for you, you know."

"Well, she has a funny way of showing it."

"What can you do? The Old Gods are, at the very least, cynical in their approach. But I would never have found you without her help."

I offered up a silent apology for my lack of faith.

Lend me your favor one last time, Fate. Don't let me be too late.

The chains clinked a second later, and my wrists fell free like an answered prayer. I folded my dislocated arm into my lap, massaging the deep cuts in my wrists left behind by my bindings. My knees shook as I pushed to stand, the adrenaline coursing through my veins lending me strength.

"Kim?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"We must hurry. The ceremony is about to begin."

There was still a chance then, however small. My teeth gnashed as Adari wrapped my good arm over his shoulder, and we started down the twisty tunnels.

I'm coming, baby. Hold on a little longer.

We wound this way and that, around and down and up, following the guiding mist of Kimber's and my blood pact magic. Its fleeting trail solidified its intent: the time had come to deliver on my promise to kill Death.

Rickety scaffolding caught my eye as we stepped out into the cloudy night. The moon peeked through in disrupted bursts, illuminating the mouth of the mine behind us. What a vile but clever place to hide your enemy, considering nobody would simply wander into a dilapidated cave. Far too dangerous.

Thank the Gods Adari had.

With each step, his light burrowed into me, gently stitching bits of broken flesh and bone together inside me like a spider weaving silk. "You're healing me?"

"The best I can, yes. But when this is over, I bid you to return to me. There are some things that cannot be mended so quickly."

My curiosity piqued; I marveled at the luminescent tendrils dancing beneath my skin. How? Just…how? Healing magic stemmed from Elysium. The only way Adari could possess such abilities was divine favor. To be born of the realm of eternal night, and yet possess both Death's and Fate's strengths was nothing short of miraculous. Gratitude rushed through me, and my spine straightened as the worst aches receded. This man—this stranger who owed me nothing—he'd saved my life.

And now, I'd use it to save another.

We rounded over the hill leading into the castle courtyard, and I gripped Adari's shirt collar, peering through the garden gates at the lamenting scene. Kim stood on the alter, Death at her side arguing with Nasheesh. I removed my arm from Adari's shoulder.

"Find Suri. Tell her I am here and to keep a watchful eye."

"Yes, Your Highness." He bowed and disappeared around the courtyard wall.

And so it began: the start of the end.

I cracked my neck, heading through the arched, rose-covered gates. My power flowed freely, ready to release the wrath I'd swallowed down like bitter chocolate sticking in my throat. I would reclaim what was mine. I swore on my mother's grave: Malachi would be fucking buried six feet under this night, even if it meant I went with him.

Kimber was an absolute vision of power and vengeance, scythes clutched in her hands. I steadied my breath. I'd made it in time. I dragged myself around the backmost chairs, and my steps faltered. Malachi's shadows coiled around Kim's ankles, slithering up her legs.

"Do you agree to this union?" Death asked. "To binding your soul to the court of power and sharing your rule with Malachi Avarti?"

My spine stiffened, mouth turning to sandpaper. Avarti? As in… Nasheesh Avarti?

You've got to be fucking kidding me! While I'd known they were in this together, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what they aimed to gain by their alliance, but now it made perfect sense. The advisor had been pulling the strings the entire time. Vying for his son to take the crown. My crown. My bride! I picked up the pace, my knees giving out every other step. But I persisted.

"Speak up," Malachi hissed.

"Don't you dare order me," Kim seethed in response.

I cleared the backmost chairs, heads turning towards me with hushed gasps. The whispers spread like wildfire, each one granting me more confidence.

That's right. I'm back, bitches.

"Princess, you must answer," Death prodded.

"I—I…" Kimber stumbled. "Well, I—"

"I object!" I boomed from the center aisle. "It is my right, and mine alone, to stand by the queen's side."

To my astonishment, I believed my own words.

Every eye fell on me, but the only ones I saw were hers. My vision tunneled straight to her smile which pinned me in place. She ran to me, blatant relief washing over her as she prodded my face in fear I might evaporate into thin air at any second. Her gentle touch settled in my bones like a healing tonic.

"You came back," she whispered.

I cupped her cheek in my palm. "I'll always come for you."

She hiked my arm over her shoulder to steady my swaying steps.

Nasheesh shot up from his seat and laced his shaky hands together. "Sire, this is blasphemous; the ceremony has already begun!"

"What is blasphemous," I snarled, "are the lengths you went to keep me from being here today, Nasheesh Avarti. Tell them: how you sought me out in the dead of night, stole me away, and saw to my torture by your own hand."

Voices from the crowd tangled together in a mess of objections and questions. I honed in on Cadagon who offered me a half grin. It was gone in a flash, but that small gesture confirmed my suspicions. I'd fleshed out the one who'd bound him to secrecy, and now we could end him for good. To think, the one who'd forced him into a blood pact was the very same man who stood at his side pretending to have the king's best interest in mind while secretly puppeteering his every move. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

Death addressed his people. "Calm yourselves. Malachi Avarti, step down."

"I—I had no knowledge of this," Malachi lied through his teeth.

With a snap, Death sealed his lips, and armed guards stood at attention for their orders.

"Guards, see that these traitors remain firmly planted in their seats without any further disruptions. I want them to see their own failing firsthand before they lose their sights completely." Cadagon turned to Kim and me. "Lyvias, Kimberly, please take your rightful places."

Death continued the ceremony as I drank Kim in, and my rapid pulse calmed. Her irises flamed anew, stealing the air from my lungs as sparks flashed in her shadows like embers twisted in a violent wind. My gods , she was radiant. This image of her—glistening black gown hugging her curves in all the right places—would stay with me forever. Gravity no longer cemented me to this plane: she did. A wave of pride swept through my chest.

Queen of Anathema, at last.

"Royal heirs," Cadagon boomed, "take one another's hands and repeat after me. ‘Bound in blood and rite, I will lead my people through eternal night.'"

Kim's shadows nipped at my fingertips, and we repeated what was asked.

"Together," I mouthed.

She nodded, returning my silent encouragement.

Death raised his hands to the masses. "Once again, we come to a pact in blood."

Kimber sliced her palm open—the scent of her blood making my head spin—before setting the blade's edge on my own. Pinpricks crawled up my spine in time with the fresh incision, and the invisible cord tethered between us drew our hands together. Our blood sank and swam in the other's veins, the most unusual euphoria spreading through me. Finally, our magic returned united, bursting over us like a supernova, and the residual, starry mist swept about her hair. To anyone else, it was simply the wind playing with the strands of her ashen hair, but I knew better. Our pact was about to be fulfilled, and the bond we'd made knew it. Grew ravenous.

"By night and balance bestowed to me by Fate herself, I deem this marriage bound," Cadagon called. "Both of you take a knee."

His gaze never strayed from mine—locked on with obvious intent—and he removed a charred-bone crown from an ornate box. Everything he wanted to say but couldn't lay in one final, silent exchange. His finger tapped the bone halo. The singe marks…they were by design. He knew. Knew what I'd done to take down Malachi. How I'd almost succeeded. A challenge flickered in his weathered stare: Finish this. I offered him a pained smile, and he settled the crown atop my head.

Gods, don't let me fail him.

He nodded before turning to his beloved daughter. Pure pride and adoration showed on his face as he removed his crown, placed it on Kim's head, and whispered something for her ears alone. I wondered then if she saw it: the deep love he had for her. The deals he'd made in her name. Wondered if, maybe, her last seconds with her father could be ones worth cherishing and not ones that'd mar her soul with regret.

I battled my mind, the urge to tell Kim everything dropping like a brick in my stomach. If I told her before the deed was done, before unchangeable actions were put in play, I could spare her the guilt. The shame. But Death's attention flickered to me in warning.

You made a promise, boy. His words slithered across my skull.

Though it killed me inside, I had to deliver if I wanted to ensure the sacrifices he'd made were worth it in the end. I heaved a breath. His legacy would live on.

"Now rise, Queen and King of Anathema," Cadagon said, "and seal your nightly union with a kiss, like your forefathers and mothers before you."

My heart swelled. I peeled back Kim's veil with shaky hands, took her in my arms, and sealed our union with a deep kiss.

My best friend. My queen. My home.

Let her see you. Death's words waded through my mind again. The real you, Copernicus Talonborn.

He was right: the time had come, no matter the consequences. I stepped back—my arms loosely circled around her hips—and bit back a scream as my body rearranged into my true form. Into me. Though quicker than other transitions, the shift locked my jaw nonetheless. Muscles shredded and reformed, ligaments clicked together, and bone shifted. The final rib locked in place in time with my shoulder—the reconnecting joint making me hiss—and I held my breath. This was it. No more hiding. No more secrets. Right then and there, the most important person in my life would either accept me or strike me down.

In tandem with the crowd's gasps, Kimber's eyes opened, and her face tangled in an imperceptible expression.

She swallowed hard. "Cooper?"

"My Queen." I bowed.

She snatched my sleeve, pulling me close, a million questions written on her face. Time slowed as I awaited her decision. The ensuing chaos of the courts dissipated around us as Death's booming orders bought us time.

"What is happening?" she asked, tears pooling in her wide eyes. "How are you here? How…just, how? Was…was it you all along?"

Before I could get a word in, she dove into my arms, pressing her face to my chest. I sighed, and relief washed over me. She saw me the same as she always had. I wanted to spend forever there: in her arms, telling her the things I'd been damned to keep quiet. To explain how and why and when. But the guest's objections grew louder and Death's voice sterner. Our reunion —sweet and painful in the same breath—would have to wait. I squeezed Kim tight.

"Almost," I finally whispered in her hair. Her honey scent drifted over me as I kissed her forehead. "I'll tell you everything, Kim. I promise. But you have to trust me right now. End this madness, Lady Death. You're the only one who can. I'll be waiting when the ashes settle."

She followed my sight line to Cadagon and shifted on her feet. She knew what came next. What we'd sworn ourselves to.

"I don't know if I can do this," she muttered.

Hell, I didn't know if I could either, but the wheels were already in motion: the characters cast, the plot laid out, the ending at our fingertips. Though my conviction wavered, for her I would do what I'd always done. I'd put on a brave face, swallow my fears, and get shit done.

"Together?" I asked, and rubbed my thumb along her jaw.

A wicked grin splayed across her face as she squeezed the scythe in her grasp.

"Together."

I wrapped my hand around hers, closed my eyes, and drove the blade to the hilt in Cadagon's chest. I dropped my hold immediately, bile crawling up my throat. The air of peace emanating from him only turned my gut more. Because me? I felt no peace. I ached, burning up inside. I'd delivered on my promise like I said I would.

And it wasn't fucking fair.

My nails cut half-moon shapes in my palms; the fresh slice from the ceremony reopened. I studied the droplets rolling down my forearm to distance myself from the brutal scene. Death choked on his own blood as his shadows took firm hold of my leg. Even actively dying, he made sure I knew he harbored no ill will—showing me he didn't want me to hurt—but I still did. Promising to deliver his death was one thing, but I never agreed to watch him suffer.

I counted the seconds until his magic fizzled in his veins, abandoning him for its new host. Kim welcomed it wearily. Her stance faltered slightly; but when her birthright sank into her bloodstream, flowed under her skin, and took root, she softened. She looked upon her father with pity as his body went still.

Goodbye, old man. May you rest among the stars.

My head hung in the wake of his loss, a knot forming in my throat. Life had never played fair in Anathema, but this…this was something altogether unjust: to care and serve and love as he had only to die at the hands of the one who had inspired such affections in him. My mind raced—threatening to undo me—until Kimber's fingers feathered around my jaw. Right. We had to be strong. Our kingdom needed us.

We turned to face the insanity unfolding among the crowd. In mere seconds, the guests bristled with the onset of a riot. Talk of treason and assassination abounded.

"I warned you about her!" Duke Jarlin pointed his skeletal finger. "I warned you all that she was not fit to lead, but no! You wouldn't consider my words as truth, and now look."

Baneful swells leached from him, slinking towards Kim with deathly intent, but her power rose to meet his challenge. Her shadows permeated the scene and slunk about in intoxicating geometric patterns, sharpening to daggers. I tilted my head. Strange: how they appeared to possess life and intention of their own. One motion from Lady Death, and they descended on Jarlin, turning him to ash in a blink. Goosebumps prickled my forearms.

My hand found its home in Kim's. "You are absolutely terrifying, my Queen."

Hellbent on revenge, she ordered the guests to return to their homes. I chuckled. Oh, Malachi and Nasheesh had no idea what fresh hell was coming their way.

"Guards," she snapped, "take the new king and find the advisor's son by any means necessary, but return him alive. I'd like to have the joy of ending his life myself."

I kissed her cheek. "Give him hell."

With a wink, she evaporated into pure shadow.

The guards flanked me as I entered the castle courtyard. Their armor clinked in time with their synchronized steps, unnerving me. I cleared my throat and scoured for any trace of magic Malachi might have left behind, but with the recent departure of so many people, it was impossible. The sheer number of magical trails—their potency intensified by fear—made me dizzy. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Where would Malachi go? Where would he hide? Somewhere few would see him, where he could fly under the radar and disappear—

A silhouette flitted past in my peripheral towards the cemetery, a second figure following a step behind. Gotcha, sucker. I walked to the pointed, iron gate, and my fingers latched onto the rough metal as I searched. A scream rang out from the foggy smattering of tombstones. But not Malachi's.

"Suri…"

I made my decision in an instant. New crown heavy atop my head, I summoned the guard captain. "Split up and search the courts. Malachi will be looking for a way to escape. We cannot let him slip from this realm."

I whirled around at the sound of a second blood-curdling cry. Another familiar voice. Duchess Nova.

"Would you like me to accompany you, Highness?"

I shook my head. "No. I need all available eyes on the hunt."

"Yes, Sire."

The guards divided and disappeared down the walkway towards the arching paths. With them gone, there would be no witnesses to the destruction I was about to inflict on the disease of a woman. Nobody to question my ruthlessness or judge it.

I climbed the mounting hill with wide, steady steps. Halfway up, I spotted Suri near the top, pinned face down under Nova's boot. The duchess held Suri's hair in a tight grip, her neck arching under the strain. Oh, hell no. I started towards them, the reality of my recent beating slowing my pace.

"You weak, vile thing!" Nova sneered. "Not even I could make a diamond out of a lump of useless coal like you!"

"Shut your mouth!" Suri slammed her head back into Nova's chin.

Nice one! Got her!

Nova stumbled back, and Suri took her to the ground in a fury of fists and wrath. They tumbled over one another, but with a sinister smile, Nova dug her fingertips into Suri's eyes. Cheap fucking move. My friend cried out, clutching her face.

"Oh, Suri, you should know your place by now." Nova towered over her. "Right there, in the dirt at my feet."

"Conniving bitch!" Suri yelled.

"The elite do not play fair with peasant trash. It is simply beneath us. You are beneath me ."

Careful not to alert the duchess, I rounded the nearest tombstone, positioned myself, and kicked out Nova's knee. Twisting her arms behind her back, I forced her to kneel. "It is you who is beneath her ."

"Please! Please spare me, my King! I—"

"Spare you?" I chuckled. "You mean like you spared all those innocent women and children from a life of servitude at the hands of your pig colleagues? Not a chance."

"They forced me." Nova panicked. "I would never—"

Suri slapped her across the face. "Liar! I witnessed the evil you wielded time and time again."

"My friend," I said with a smirk, "would you like to do the honors?"

"With gods-damned pleasure."

Her tinctured and demonic magics tangled in her fingertips, and she took Nova's face in her hands.

"Look at me," Suri demanded.

Duchess Nova thrashed to free herself from our holds, but to no avail.

"I said, ‘Look at me'!" Suri ripped Nova's chin up and unsheathed a dagger from her waistband, tracing its sharp tip across Nova's collarbone, splitting the flesh wide open. "This is for Lana." The blade trailed down Nova's arm; a river of red and screams released under its edge. "For every person whose soul you crushed under your heel." Suri slashed across the duchess's breasts, fatty tissue spilling out. "For every innocent you tried to destroy."

Without remorse, she buried the knife in Nova's throat.

"Fate," Nova choked out as the blood at the edges of her lips trailed down her neck. "Help…me."

Suri leaned into her face. "Fate has abandoned you. You are completely and utterly alone."

Nova's lip quivered as Suri drove the dagger in farther, and the once proud duchess lurched forward, the life draining from her eyes. Dead. Where she belonged. I let her body crash to the ground like discarded trash and collected Suri in my arms.

"You do not know how long I've wanted to do that," she sobbed against my chest.

"She's gone. You're safe."

Suri's blade clanged at our feet. I held her tight, rubbing small circles between her shoulders as she wept. Her mission was complete. Those she'd fought so hard for—herself included—were finally free.

A sudden jerk tugged at my center. My vision blurred, layering into two somehow: here and somewhere else at the same time. The flash of a longsword ghosted past. A clang of metal clashed in my ears. I shook my head and tried to clear it away when Kimber's blood-covered hands came into view like they were my own. The knot in my center yanked again.

Fuck.

I didn't question it. Kimber needed me. Now. I could sense it in my bones, my teeth, my skin, my blood. No, not mine anymore: ours.

"I have to go." I picked up Suri's blade and started towards the gate with hurried steps.

"Where?" Suri called after me.

"To find my wife."