Chapter 24

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

The glass shattered, ashes churning up into the air like they were propelled by an unseen flame. The tendrils in my hand squeezed, and I held on with the last ounce of strength I had left. The darkness surrounding me rippled out like I had thrown a stone across the surface. I felt the Goddess put a hand on my shoulder.

Zane's ashes moved like a living painting, swirling and crashing together before solidifying into one final brushstroke. A vapor began to pour from it, a black cloud exhaling from the ashes like smoke out of the maw of a dragon. It crawled across the floor and slithered like a snake, lifting up into the form of a man with glowing red eyes as it found its prey.

The shadow descended on Hei like a ghost, wrapping her in a headlock as its body found its physical form. Zane snarled, skin ashen and too pale, eyes fully red and starved since his necromancer was so close to dying.

Hei tried to scream a command but her throat was sealed from Zane's grip, her blade spinning to try and slash at his legs. The blade nicked him, and ichor fell from the cut.

He was dying. Fading quickly.

But we weren't dead yet.

Zane inhaled through his teeth, his colorless lips and gaunt features making him look like a ghoul that had just crawled from the grave. When he roared out his command, his voice was twisted and broken, but deadly firm in its conviction.

"Don't you dare die, hunter. We're not done yet." He set his jaw and turned toward the sealed stone door, unlatching the lock with a low, growling, " Pulvis et umbra sumus ."

Hei slammed her elbow back into Zane forcing him to buckle, landing a solid blow to his temple with the hilt of the scythe. She swung the blade up to lop off his head when three very fantastic shots punched through her torso and shoulder, igniting into a series of tiny fires from the holes they made.

Sias cracked off a few more rounds as he rushed from the newly opened door, golden pistols exploding with rounds as he forced her backwards with his shots. Malphie lunged from the door, jumping off the altar to try and snap his jaws around her neck but caught the scythe's handle instead. She used it as a barrier between herself and his jaws, screaming as more immolation bullets tore into her skin.

Austin circled from the other side, rushing to aid me while Sias kept the insane Thrall busy. Horror crumpled his face when he saw me, the severity of my injuries freezing him in mid kneel.

"Dallas…Saint's Light…"

"Zane," I managed, heart struggling to beat. "Blood."

Austin rushed to Zane and got him up, looping his arm over his shoulders to help drag him to my side. Zane was shriveling before my eyes, his mass shrinking against bone like he was being mummified in real time. His palm rested on my brow as he sank his fangs into his wrist and tore, oily, black blood dripped in coagulated crystals from the wound.

"Drink," Zane coaxed. "Please, my love. Please hang on."

My vision had failed when he spoke, my heart giving one last, tired beat right as the thick blood slid across my tongue.

I started to fall into the void, dipping backwards into the darkness to see the cracked seal Hei had created. She hadn't been able to get the door to open by invitation, but that hadn't stopped her from trying to force her way in.

The door was broken. Barely hanging on. One more solid push from the unnatural Thrall wielding the Goddess's key would fling the door wide open.

I felt my heart surge back to life, felt my body light up as Zane's blood ripped me from the void's embrace. My first gasp after death burned my throat and made me gag, but it had nothing on the absolute nightmare that was feeling my cleaved body heal itself.

"What the hell is happening?" Austin demanded as he watched me flop around from the healing process. "Why the hell are you laughing ?!"

"It tickles so bad!" I managed through my giggling agony. "Oh my God, just kill me again! I hate this!"

Malphie yelped as Hei sent him flying into some of the catacombs, his body bouncing off a stone crypt. She roared, eyes flaring in anger and terrifying oni magic, and turned her gaze up to her waiting horde of grunt vampires.

"Kill them! Leave the necromancer for me!"

The grunts snapped to life and began to move, a surge of magic starting to bombard against our magic blockers like an unnatural storm.

"Oh no!" I whined through my giggles. "Sh-she broke the kill switch!"

"Fuck," Austin hissed, taking a few shots at the grunts as they began to scramble down the sides of the catacombs. "Our blockers aren't going to hold long."

"This is so bad!" I laughed, scrubbing my eyes free of tears to find Zane. He wasn't a mummy anymore, didn't look like a ghoul that had crawled from a grave, but he did look pale and weak from how close to death we had gotten. I reached up and brushed his hair back, regaining enough control over my snickering to take a measured breath.

"Zane," I said, swallowing. "You look like shit."

"Likewise." He smiled weakly and pulled me upright. "I don't think I'm going to be much help, hunter. I don't think I can stand."

"It's okay. Stay down." I kissed his lips before standing, knees a little wobbly.

"Deploy the kill switch, Dallas!" Sias screamed as he shot down a few grunts, switching to another weapon when one of his golden pistols ran out.

"We don't have it!" I told him, snatching a gun off Austin and taking down two more. A push of heavy compulsion magic nearly had me turning my aim to Austin, and I had to shake my head to fight against it. Austin swung his gun to Sias before forcing his arm up to shoot at the ceiling, sweat beading on his brow.

"Dallas, my blocker is failing," Austin admitted, voice strained from the effort.

"Run, hunter. Maybe I can pull them to me…" Zane was saying, trying to get to his feet but was too weak to stand. "Please, run. Get Sias and run."

"No. No ." I took a few more shots, keeping myself between the horde and Zane. Austin flanked Zane's other side and reloaded, shaking his head as more magic pulled at him.

"Dallas, if I shoot you, know it's mostly because of the compulsion and charm magic, not because you're an asshole." Austin fired a few more shots, his aim getting worse. "But you are a bit of an asshole for dragging me into this."

"Love you too," I told him, my mind starting to swirl. "For what it's worth, I think you and Marthas would be good for each other. Sorry I was weird about it."

"Shut up," he said, sounding tired. "But thank you."

We turned at the same time, pointing our guns at each other's head, pulled to turn on each other by the overwhelming need to obey the magic surrounding us by the grunts. Our hands shook, faces twisted into a desperate resolve as we fought against the pull.

"I wish…you weren't…a good shot right now…" I hissed.

"Yeah." He ground his molars, hand flexing around the gun. "You're kind of fucked."

The magic gripping me slipped, surged back with the force of a sledgehammer, then fell away again like someone had cut the power completely. Austin and I both immediately pulled our guns away from each other and turned our attention back to the grunts.

They had stopped in their tracks, some still climbing down the walls while others staggered forward and fell to their sides. They twitched and hissed, eyes flickering like the wiring had gone bad.

"Sias," Zane breathed, pushing my hip. "Go. Get to him."

I moved as Hei realized at the same time what was happening. Sias had his hands out, the inky stains present when he used his dark magic had twisted his elegant hands into sharp claws that curved like hooks. His horns had twisted up and branched out like thorns, the gold melting into the cracks at the tips. Black ichor poured from his second set of eyes which were blown wide, rimmed in gold and white.

The hold he had over the grunts was powerful, his void touched charm magic twisting him as much as it controlled them. He fell to one knee, his hands starting to shake as he fought to keep control.

It was a temporary hold, and one I was terrified might change him for good. I had to make it fucking count.

"Austin, take them out while they're fish in a barrel!" I screamed as I rushed for Sias, trying to close the gap before Hei could get to him.

Hei charged him, scythe swung back to sever the problem getting in the way of her goals. I wasn't going to let this psycho hurt Sias, or get her damn hands on Zane. If she wanted a fight, she was going to have to go through me.

No one was going to hurt my boyfriends, especially not some backstabbing blowhard that used to sling overpriced supplements.

I was out of weapons, out of ideas, and had just a few minutes before everything went to shit. I was literally a one-armed man with the luck of a broke gambler, fueled by the overwhelming need to keep everyone I loved safe so I could get back to my fish.

And save the world, I guess.

Hei hit the ground as I tackled her like a raging bull, my shoulder connecting to her ribs and lifting her off the ground a few inches. I felt something pop, and it stung like I had just aggressively hugged a wall, but the grunt of pain she made was absolutely worth it. Her big fist landed on my back a few times, her knee crashing up like a tidal wave to knock my organs around as I scrambled to get the upper hand.

She nearly threw me off her more than once, her sheer might almost enough to use me like training weights as we grappled. I took two sharp blows to the ribs, another to the jaw that cracked a molar free, but I managed to use my knee to pin one tree-trunk arm to the ground so I could land a few good hits myself.

"That's for Zane! And for hurting Malphie! And for stealing my damn scythe! And for stabbing a one-armed man!"

Her face was made of something stronger than iron, my knuckles breaking skin but hardly knocking her senseless like I had hoped.

"Hunter!" Zane called out, snapping my attention to him. He was holding Sias on the ground as he convulsed, the grunts around us starting to snap back awake as Sias lost control.

"Dallas, do something!" Austin called out. "My blocker is fucking dead!"

"Get to them!" I begged Austin, pointing to Zane and Sias. "Please, keep the grunts off them as long as you can!"

Austin rushed to them, his feet trying to trip over themselves as the bio-magic from the grunts started leaking out from Sias's hold. Zane shut his eyes and whispered a prayer I couldn't hear as he tried to keep Sias from knocking his head into the floor.

Hei laughed as I panted, desperate to get to Sias and Zane to keep them safe, horrified that Austin was losing the battle. My momentary distraction was all she needed to regain her strength, my hold on her failing as she wrenched an arm free to slam a row of sharp knuckles into my jaw. My surroundings spiraled clockwise as I pitched to the side, too dizzy to immediately jump to my feet again.

Hei rose like a mountain, unfolding her shoulders, blade spinning in her grip as she moved like a landslide to the ritual circle. The floor cracked from the middle of the blood painted circle, spreading out like a web dancing in the light of the far fire. The door was shattered, bits falling away as the veil between realms began to thin.

Hei had done it.

She had won.

The Goddess's throne was just ahead, and I had no cards left to play.

"They're going to die because of you." She grinned, teeth stained in blood. "You were never meant to have this scythe, you damn fool. You aren't her chosen, her champion . You were just a stepping stone to my ascension, and I will make sure all of your souls are ripped into pieces when I have control of the void."

The scythe caught the light as she gripped it, the blade throwing back the glow of the fae fire. It reminded me of the moon gleaming off its surface the night I kissed Zane, the night I realized the damn thing had been in my chest the whole time. It had been part of me for so long, waiting to be unleashed when the time was right.

When I was ready to be a necromancer worthy of wielding it.

That scythe was mine .

My chest warmed with the memory of the moonlight, the kiss, the release of doubt and fear of allowing myself to be something more than the scared kid running from his past. I was never afraid of death, but I sure as hell had been afraid of living.

Not anymore.

There was a knock against my sternum as the handle of the scythe began to turn, the sections twisting and aligning despite Hei's grip. Her face pinched, confusion furrowed her brows as the scythe jumped in her grasp.

"What the hell is happening?" she hissed through her fangs, her glowing heart starting to hammer against her chest. It pulsed in the undeniable beat of fear, each thump blinking faster than the last.

I grinned as the handle clicked into place.

"I'm taking my scythe back."

The reunion between myself and the Goddess's key was a dramatic one, as to be expected. Hei's fingers lost control of the wild weapon as it flung itself into me, knocking me back across the floor as it slammed into my chest. It was a lovely, familiar sight to see the handle sticking out from my chest again, and the soundtrack of Hei screaming as the cracked door sealed shut again made it all the sweeter.

I didn't have time to savor the moment, nor whine too much about it kicking my ass in front of everyone, because there was still the pesky matter of the swarm of grunts trying to kill us and a Thrall who wanted me dead.

I rose to my feet and grabbed the handle, yanking the scythe free of my chest and spinning the blade in my grip. The connection I had to the blade was instant, the surge of power from the Goddess healing all my fractures and easing the bruises left behind from our fight.

I rolled my shoulders and popped my neck, smiling at Hei.

"Ha," I teased. "Mommy likes me best."

Hei being the sore loser she was, stormed toward me with her head down, fists balled and ready to clobber me into the dirt.

"You piece of trash . You interloper! I'll crush your bones under my heel!"

Zane gave a sharp whistle to get her attention before he delivered a brutal haymaker to her temple, sending her crashing to the ground in a dizzy mess. My vampire was back to full strength, body no longer withered from the drain of my death or his blood loss, eyes fiery and fangs bright, bared and ready for a fight.

"On your feet," Zane spat at the woman. "I'll show you how a true Thrall fights."

Hei may not have been a true Thrall, but she was bloodthirsty enough to be feared. She barreled into Zane with everything she had, her blows punctuated with the roars of crushed dreams. Her oni magic made her appear to be flaming with white hot fire pouring from her mouth, a fire breathing dragon clashing against the renewed Thrall.

Zane blocked her attacks and knocked her back with a few of his own, their strength warring storms raging among the audience of the dead.

Austin's gunfire slowed as he retreated back to me, exhausted and slick with sweat and vampire blood. The grunts that had been staggering toward us had regained their fluid movement again, moving with unnatural grace and poise as they swarmed the lower level of the catacombs. My grip on the scythe eased when I noticed their eyes had turned a placid gold instead of melting molten red.

They descended upon their old master, grabbing her arms and legs as she tried to keep swinging at Zane. She tore through a few of them, knocking them down with a few swings as they latched on, but her waning strength was eventually toppled at the sheer number of bodies pinning her down.

Sias came to my side, horns back to their normal, dark spiral with his fingers dipped in ink, no longer hooked claws. His main set of eyes were pastel purple and calm, the second set glittering gold.

"They're mine now," he purred. "I won't keep them like I did Malphaslanexus, of course. Not in the market of keeping more than one vampire."

Said void hound returned to his master's side, limping a little from the fight but otherwise unharmed. His butt wagged as Sias placed a hand on his big, skeletal head.

"I heard that," Zane called over the dogpiled Hei. "I'm not kept , Sias."

"Not yet." Sias tossed him a wink with one of his lower eyes.

It was hot. I was into it on a spiritual level with full plans on demanding Sias expand on that statement and also wink at me with his cool void eyes.

For the time being, because it was the responsible thing to do (scary, right?) I moved to stand before the power-hungry monster that had tried to kill us and upend the balance between life and death.

Hei was on her knees, the grunts holding her arms to the side with enough pressure on her shoulders to force her into a deep bow.

"You little bastard…" Hei was hissing from the ground, blood dripping from her lips. "You ruined decades of planning, of ass kissing that horrible woman. You ruined my ascension to godhood."

"Yeah, I'm not sorry about that," I said. "You're kind of an asshole."

"You're short-sighted," she spat, tired and downtrodden. "You could have been a God. Instead, you're just her lap dog, her pet."

"No, I'm his pet," I pointed to Sias with my blade, then motioned to Zane. "And I'm his hunter. I know what I am and who I belong to, and I'm going to go home to the people that I love, and my cute as hell fish. But before I do that, I'm going to send you to explain yourself to the Goddess. I think she'll be very happy to see you."

Hei lifted her chin, her magic falling away so I could see the soul deep exhaustion behind the false vampire magic.

"I'm ready to face her. Make it swift and don't miss."

I owed Hei nothing, not a goddamn thing after the pain and anguish she put me through, but I did as she asked. My blade sang through the air as I freed her head from her neck in one slice, the Goddess's key ending her reign as a false Thrall. Her body fell into ash so fine it disappeared into smoke, leaving nothing behind for a proper burial. The Goddess would not allow even her physical form to stay behind.

Left in the wake of her disintegration was the device used to create her, a silicone band housing the brilliant magic that had given her a false vampire life. Where Florence had been was a matching contraption, binding them together in death.

There was nothing left of Florence Pierce either. Gone forever with her cruel, horrible Thrall.

I relaxed my grip on the scythe, inhaling as the weapon found its home back in my chest again. It wasn't as painful and dramatic as the reunion, but it did rock me back on my heels a bit when it wormed its way back into its resting place against my heart.

I fell into Zane's arms as he moved to my side, resting my head on his shoulder as Sias curled himself around me and squeezed. Zane held us both, pulling us tight so he could savor the victory. The chill of the tomb was replaced by the warmth of my men, their hearts beating in time with my own for a few, blissful moments. My world was amber and tobacco, grave roses and rain, all traces of death and dust forgotten.

"That really sucked," I said into Zane's shoulder, making him laugh.

"Understatement, but yeah."

"We need a proper vacation, gentlemen. Something with goddamn sunshine. Maybe a beach, and definitely alcohol. So much alcohol," Sias exhaled, chin on my shoulder.

"Amen," I agreed, burrowing deeper into Zane's arms for a few more seconds before forcing myself to peel away. I grabbed Austin by the arm and pulled him into a tight hug, surprised that he didn't shove me away. I got a full three seconds of brotherly bonding before he released me and gave my chest a solid pat.

"That's super fucked by the way." Austin nodded to my chest. "I could have gone a lifetime without seeing a scythe absorb into your chest. I'm going to have more nightmares, so thanks for that."

"Oh, you're so welcome. If you want some extra trauma, I can make out with Zane and make it pop out again. Where are you going? Austin, did you want to see it come out?" I cackled as he flipped me off over his shoulder, walking toward the stone door we came in through.

I turned my attention back to the grunt vampires lingering by where Hei had died.

"What do we do with the grunts?" I asked as I grabbed the devices left behind from the two evil bastards.

Sias hummed in thought. "I think I'll have them walk out into the sun, what do you think?"

"Solid plan." I smiled at him. "Make them do something funny first, like a coordinated dance."

The grunts lifted to their feet with Sias's silent command, shuffling in a single file line by the stone door like people milling in front of a shop waiting for it to open. I gave Sias my best puppy dog eyes and he rolled his, making the entire army of vicious vampire grunts give a polite bow.

I snorted a laugh. "Nice."

Funus was waiting for us through the stone door, having been set aside to stay safe from the battle beyond the Thrall's sanctuary. His eyes flared the color of sunshine when he saw us, his voice a sobbing mess of emotion.

"Oh, thank the Goddess! I felt the door cracking, felt everything shake and I thought everything was lost. I thought you were gone."

I scooped him up and hugged him to my chest, squeezing him for my benefit since he couldn't feel it.

"I'm glad to see you too, Funus. Let's go home, yeah? Barns is going to be very happy to see you."

"See us , acolyte—or, should I say, champion . You have the Goddess's key again; I can feel it within you. Well done, child." His eyes somehow warmed, flickering in the way that let me know he was smiling.

I couldn't help but be a little proud at that, like the way kids are proud when their grandpa tells them their drawing looks nice. It meant the world to me that the old skull thought I did a good job, and I hoped that I would be able to pay him back for everything he had done for me. And for Barns.

We made our way back up the insane stairs, and even though I had just defeated a badass Thrall hell bent on becoming a death deity, my fear of the dark hadn't diminished. It was a little embarrassing to have kicked that much ass and still need to hold my boyfriend's hand because it was scary.

Kind of dulled the moment, not gonna lie. I made them promise not to bring up that I kinda wimped out at the home stretch.

None of them agreed.

I loved them so much.

When we arrived at the iron door at the very end of our harrowing journey, I knocked three times like I'd promised to warn Barnaby not to set off the wards. Zane cracked the door and I peeked out, worried about Barnaby's natural tendency to overreact in the face of danger.

"Barns?" I called out, yelping as I dodged a rock clanking off the side of the door. "What the hell?!"

"Show yourself!" Barns called from an impossible distance. "I am armed! I-I have weapons! Many weapons!"

"It's me! It's Dallas!" I waved my good hand out the door and cussed as he nailed my palm with a rock. "Stop throwing fucking rocks!"

"I said show yourself!" the shrill idiot demanded.

"I can't if you're throwing rocks, you idiot!"

"I'll give you until the count of five! One!" Another rock pinged off the side of the door. "Two!"

"He's going to set off the wards," Austin warned. "And probably cause a rockslide and trap us in here."

"If I die in here because of that little shit, I'm going to haunt him so hard," I growled, shifting Funus around in my arms. "Sorry, Funus, this is going to get a little invasive."

"What do you—oh. Well," Funus sputtered as I looped my fingers into the massive cranial hole at the base of his skull. It was awkward for both of us, and I reminded him it was his stupid boyfriend's fault.

Barnaby had made me stick my fingers into my proud grandpa's head hole and I'd never forgive him for that.

I held Funus out of the door for Barnaby to see, hoping that would be the white flag needed to free us from the tomb.

"Funus!" Barnaby cried. "Dallas, is that you?"

I shoved the door open to cuss him out properly, having to yell across the damn cemetery as he raced over a hill.

"Why rocks!?" I yelled even as he hugged me.

"I broke the trigger for the wards when I was running away," he confessed, holding me tight and pulling Funus to his chest as well. "I tripped and it fell in mud so I had to go with plan B."

"Plan B was rocks ?!" I hugged him tight. "You're an idiot and I love you so much."

"I know. I love you too." Barnaby exhaled, kissing Funus on the head before letting me go. "Please can we leave? I want to—OOH MY GOD." He pulled some rocks from his pocket and craned his arm back to release them on the grunts leaving the tomb, only stopping when I grabbed his arm.

"It's fine! Sias is controlling them."

"They cannot come with us!" Barnaby shrieked at Sias, even as the grunts were bursting into flames from the late afternoon sun. The cloudy skies had parted just enough to allow the lesser vampires to combust, their ashes drifting off with the humid air. It was a beautiful sight to watch.

I hoped it would be the last thing I remembered about the Silent Steps, because nothing was going to make me come back to this place again. Hei was gone, the door was sealed, the key was back in my possession and I planned on keeping it that way.

At least until the next ambitious jerk decided to test the barriers between life and death, or make a play for the Goddess's throne again.

Hopefully that wouldn't be for another lifetime or two, because I had other plans.