Endure (17 page)

Rayna and Grams were crowded around a small table in a back room. Rayna was in the middle, her eyes intense and focused on the book. Marcus cleared his throat as he entered the room, hands clasped behind his back. A circle of unlit candles surrounded their table and the room was silent. Rayna remained fixated on the book, but the others seemed focused on her.

After a long moment of feeling out of place, Grams finally looked up and grunted. “Can’t you see the kitty is reading? We’re busy. What do you want?”

Marcus looked down at the blank pages and raised his eyebrows. “Reading?”

Rayna’s intensity broke and she looked up. Dark red strands of hair were mixed with the black and falling in her face. She pulled them back with her hand and smiled. “These pages aren’t blank.”

Marcus and I looked at one another then back down at the book. It was open and thick pieces of blank parchment were on both sides of the page. Marcus reached forward, flipping a few blank pages to the left and then the right. “Are we missing something?”

“Yes!” Rayna nearly jumped out of her seat, moving around the table. She turned the book to face them, running her hands over the seemingly empty pages. “We all were.”

“I think you need to be a little more specific,” I said.

Rayna shook her head and the recently pulled back hair fell forward, framing her face. “Of course, I’m sorry, but this is exciting. I can read them. These pages aren’t blank to me.”

“But you’ve looked at this book before and—”

“Yes, but I was looking for the spell I thought would take you to the gods, before you tried the ring. I had seen there was a blank section in the middle, but I didn’t focus on it. When we opened it today, the pages were still blank. It drove me crazy, so I thought I’d reach out to the Fade. Maybe I could summon a spirit or something that would be able to help. Some of the spirits there are ancient, so someone had to know something, right?”

“So you found one who told you the blank pages were not actually blank?” Marcus asked, trying to follow her train of thought.

“Not exactly. I put the book in the center and we set up all the candles, but as soon as I started to channel the Fade, the words started to appear. My magic activated the book somehow.”

“But the pages are still blank,” I said.

“Only to you. Well, to everyone except me.”

“So what do they say?” I asked.

“I haven’t read all of them yet, but so far it talks about the Protector’s duty to fight for the gods. It essentially says you’re their champion, defender of the Otherworld. And here,” she pointed to the bottom of the second page, “it says if Ithreal’s essence is invoked, the only true way to stop him is the way it all began.”

“The way it began…” I trailed off. “At your old house? Or at the tree? Or possibly the volcano in Drakar?”

Rayna shrugged. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t go into more detail about it.”

“Is there anything in there that is actually helpful?” I asked. “Anything specific?”

“No,” Grams grumbled. “I told you they were assholes.” Grams pointed to the ceiling again. Eric walked into the room then and Grams gave him a look that would turn Medusa to stone. “Get the hell out!” I expected an argument or some kind of rebuttal, but Eric turned around in stride and left the room without a word.

There was an ounce of happiness that sprouted inside me seeing Eric walk away from that, but I fought back the smile. “Rayna?”

“I haven’t finished reading. Give me a second.” Rayna’s fingers ran left to right over the next few pages. “It repeats the words on the scroll and talks about the gods coming together to bless the Protector. That could mean the gods that exist now, or the gods’ souls you’ve already invoked.” Rayna turned over the page and scanned it for a moment. “It does say that Serephina’s soul piece is the key to Ithreal’s true form being released from his prison.”

“Elyas is the soul from the soul piece, but we don’t know what object the soul piece
is
. How can we possibly protect it?”

Rayna focused on the page, ignoring more questions from Grams and Marcus. I moved closer and whispered, “Rayna?”

She didn’t respond at first, and finally the questions died down. We all stood, awaiting her response. When she lifted herself from the book, her face had paled. Her eyes were distant and she turned to face me.

“What is it?” I asked. “What does it say?”

Rayna swallowed and it looked like it hurt. The confusion that distorted her features didn’t match the words she spoke. “According to the book, we already have Serephina’s soul piece for Earth.”

“What?” Marcus asked. “How is that possible? The scroll?”

She shook her head and lowered her gaze. The silence and anticipation was killing me.

“Rayna, what the hell is going on?” I asked.

Looking up at me, her green eyes narrowed. “It says the soul piece is you.”

Chapter 15

“What are you talking about?” I asked. “I’m the Protector, I can’t be the soul piece.”

Rayna fidgeted with her fingers and shrugged. “According to these pages, the Protector
is
the soul piece.”

“Are you sure?” Marcus asked, looking over her shoulder at the book, as if he could double-check what she was saying.

“I’m sure,” she responded.

“So what does that mean?” I asked.

“It means if you die, the goddess herself is weakened. Oh, and you can kiss our world goodbye too,” Grams said. “If the soul piece is destroyed, so is the world it powers.”

“But I’m human. I mean, I’m a hunter, but I’m still mortal. I can’t live forever. They know I’ll die eventually, and at this rate, not likely of old age. The gods wouldn’t bless someone to save all the worlds, only to have that person be responsible for destroying one.”

Rayna seemed to regain her foothold in reality and looked back over the last page. “I don’t know what to tell you guys. ‘The Protector, guardian of the Otherworld and champion of the gods, will be the vessel of Serephina’s soul piece. With the gods’ faith in his hands, The Protector shall bare the fate of Earth,
The 11th Dimension
.’ That’s what it says, word for word.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said.

“Of course it doesn’t,” Grams said. “If you listened to me the first time, those guys are ass—”

“We get it, okay?” Rayna snapped.

“Let’s all calm down here,” Marcus said, putting his hands in front of him as though that could defuse the situation. “There has to be an explanation.”

“That is the explanation,” Rayna said. “That’s why sometimes Chase can hear her voice. It’s like the other souls inside him. The difference is he’s a vessel for Serephina’s soul piece, so Elyas isn’t trying to take over his soul…she’s just a part of it. Apparently when they burned the Mark into you, there was more to it than just a tattoo.”

My thoughts were reeling, trying to comprehend what she’d told me. The Protector was supposed to keep all the dimensions and the creatures in them safe. He was supposed to prevent Ithreal from breaking free of his prison, be the champion of the gods and protect the Otherworld, and to top it all off, be responsible for the fate of Earth and its goddess? That didn’t sound right. That was too much for one person.

“I’m with Marcus, there has to be a different explanation,” I said.

Nobody had a response for me, although I could feel the bitter retort Grams wanted to interject. Though I think she knew as well as I did it wouldn’t help.

“Maybe when we complete the Protector’s rite we’ll have more answers,” Grams said.

“Yeah, maybe,” I whispered.

“Or maybe someone in Drakar can help us,” Rayna offered. “Or maybe Silas. Grayson still hasn’t come back, but his people are the Callers or Keepers or something, right? They know about the Protector.”

“I don’t even understand why he left in the first place,” I said.

“He needed to speak to the Callers of his people,” Marcus said. “We tried to deter him, but he would not hear us out. He was sure they could aid us.”

“Why would he go back? They were horrible to him. He was safe with us…” I sighed, realizing that wasn’t true and it wasn’t important. I couldn’t worry about Grayson right now. I had to focus on getting to Drakar. Even though part of me didn’t want to go, I knew the souls inside me would peck away until they’d driven me beyond the brink of madness. I could feel them moving and hear them whispering in the back of my mind. They would push and prod until one of them broke in and took me over, and then I’d be gone, succumbing to their power. For a moment, I almost welcomed the idea.

“Chase?” Marcus stepped forward.

“I just…need a few minutes.” I didn’t look up to see his face, or anyone’s for that matter. I needed to get away.

The air bit my skin as I walked out the door. Gravel dust flew into the air and even with a jacket, the wind cut through me. I didn’t let it stop me; I just kept walking. I had no destination in mind, but I needed the cold to keep me grounded. I couldn’t be still, not right now.

How could the gods do this? How could they invest so much in one person? First it was to keep Ithreal’s essence where it belonged, in his unfinished hell. But now we find out it’s Serephina’s life and the fate of our world too? If I died, people didn’t just lose their freedom and fall under Ithreal’s rule. If I died, Serephina would be weakened, and without a soul piece to power our dimensions…it would be destroyed.

I stopped, finding myself farther from the warehouse than I had expected. The gravel settled beneath my feet and the frost that covered the ground made the grass a wash of white—all of it but one section that had a grayish hue. When I glanced at the warehouse and realized where I was standing, a pang twisted in my stomach. My chest tightened and I took a few deep breaths.

My eyes shut and the cold air rolled over my face. I stood exactly where Willy had died. My stomach turned and I felt nauseous. I dropped to my knees and acid rose in my throat, but I forced myself to swallow it back down. The gray wash of grass made me realize somewhere deep inside I had thought the gods would be there for us. Regardless of their riddles or oaths, if push came to shove the gods would fall from the Otherworld to fight. But now, knowing they put the fate of our world in a body that would eventually die, it seemed like they
wanted
us to lose. They wanted us to die in this fight just like Willy had. I had tried to regain my footing in this battle and I tried to be strong, for Marcus, and Rayna, for Willy…but this was too much. Were we doomed to fail?

“Suddenly that golden light you placed them in has grown a little darker, hasn’t it?” Drake’s voice came from behind me.

Although it startled me, I didn’t move. My eyes were focused on the ashy frost and I knew I didn’t have to defend myself. He was just here, again, to twist the blade a little deeper.

I shook my head. “You just love the way your voice makes my blood boil, and the way your face makes fire jump through my veins. You have no respect for my hatred of you, do you?”

“On the contrary, I’m here to curb those feelings. I want to help you understand. I want to show you your hatred is misplaced.”

“You…Riley…you’ve taken everything from me. How could you possibly hope to redirect my rage?” I climbed to my feet, taking deep breaths to keep myself from shaking. The fire crackled, biting its way through my veins like molten lava, but I kept it contained.

Drake lowered his gaze, and I thought the expression on his face was his way of feigning a look of sympathy. “We have taken much from you, yes, and I wish it didn’t have to be that way. I truly do.”

“Go away,” I said, walking back toward the warehouse. I had hoped he’d listen, but I knew better. His feet kicked the small stones across the road and he walked in stride with me.

“You feel the pressure the gods have bestowed on you, but you’re not going to die, Chase. Your world is not going to be destroyed.”

I closed my eyes, ignoring the discomfort of walking in the darkness, but I hoped it could make him go away.

Drake’s hand reached out to my arm and my eyes shot open. I tore it out of his grasp and a stream of fire followed, red flames cutting across the air. The flames vanished in wisps of black smoke that rose upward and I pulled the element back. “Don’t touch me.”

He stepped back. “I’m only trying to comfort you and show you don’t have to fear this burden the gods have placed on you.”

“Comfort me? What the hell is your problem? We’re going to win and I’m going to kill you. Don’t you get that? I’m not afraid.” I knew that wasn’t true, but I thought if I said it out loud, maybe I would believe it.

Drake sighed. “And still with the idle threats. I should be frustrated with you, but how can I? There is so little you know, but so much you’re not ready to hear.”

“Then you can be on your way.” I started walking again and I shouldn’t have stopped, but when Drake told me to wait, something inside made me to listen. I wanted to know what he had to tell me.

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve been here, Chase. How many times I’ve tried to accomplish this, only to have it fall apart. I thought perhaps I was the one missing a piece of the puzzle, when in reality I didn’t have the
right
piece. I didn’t have you: your strength, your will, your relentless determination.”