Ablaze (Indestructible Trilogy Book 2) (30 page)

“Really, now?” Cas lunges forward, and Nolan barely dodges, stumbling. He lets his weapon hand drop, his dagger glowing with a series of patterns I’ve only seen once before.

There’s no mistaking it. He definitely has Nolan’s weapon. It’s supposed to be impossible for anyone else to use a Pyro’s weapon. Right?

“Wait!” Nolan gasps. “It’s my sword. It has my blood. Only I can use it.”

“Sure it is,” says Cas. “You Fiordans have a thing for messing with blood and genetics, don’t you? Nolan’s dead, and even if he wasn’t, he’d never come here. He’d be in the fight, or he’d be running away.”

“That’s what I’m doing. Running away.”

Cas steps forward and presses the blade to his throat. Nolan raises his arms in surrender, but keeps hold of the weapon. If it’s his true blade, he won’t be able to let go of it.

“Honestly,” Nolan chokes. “It’s me. I’m on your side!”

“You’re dead,” says Cas, without emotion.

“I thought I died,” says Nolan. “But I woke up here. They took me into their city, healed me. I’m Transcendent now.”

“You’re doomed,” says Cas, flatly. “Don’t you know what Transcendent blood does? It kills you slowly.”

“They gave me
their
blood,” says Nolan.

“As if,” says Cas. “And that makes you our enemy by default.”

“Jared is our enemy,” says Nolan quickly. “We can work something out.”

“He’s dead,” says Cas, and I stare at him.

“He is?” I’m betraying my own ignorance here, but I haven’t a clue what happened when we crossed over the divide.

“He’s not here,” says Cas. “So he fell into the divide.”

But that means Murray’s…

It’s Nolan’s turn to look stunned. “You—you what? Jared? For real? You killed him?”

“If he lives,” says Cas, “then we have bigger things to worry about than your lies.”

“Not him,” Nolan counters. “The Fiordans are amassing their armies. Even Jared won’t be able to stand up to them, not on his own. You know the real reason he has spies over here? He thought the other Pyros survived.”

Cas makes a choked noise. For the first time since I’ve known him, he appears lost for words.

I’ve no idea what Nolan’s talking about. “Other Pyros? You mean Murray…” My heart twists at the thought of the others. Poppy. Tyler. Val. Did they make it out?
Please. Please let them be alive.

“She doesn’t know?” Nolan’s mouth twists. “I suppose I can’t say I’m surprised by this point.”

“Enough of your bullshit, Fiordan,” I snap.

“I’m not,” Nolan retaliates, “but they’ll be back. The only reason they haven’t found you already is because their army’s marching that way.” He points to the left, over the horizon. I squint, at first unable to see anything unusual. A hazy pattern becomes visible. Like hills.

No. Not hills. Giants.

Ice slides down my spine. “No way,” I whisper, Nolan’s treachery forgotten. “There must be…”

“Thousands,” says Nolan. “The Fiordans don’t normally come this close to the divide. Energy blasts tend to take them unawares.”

“Where did you come from, then?” I ask, no longer caring about fighting him. Right now, all I want to do is make sure that army never makes it over the divide.

Never makes it to Earth.

“Over there.” He points across the divide, and a jolt of shock goes through me. The other side isn’t Earth, not anymore. It’s more wasteland, more of this broken world. And there’s a vague line of shapes on the horizon to the left, like… buildings. “I got out because they’re mobilising their army,” he adds quickly. “They’re abandoning all their posts.”

“More’s the pity,” says Cas, coldly. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” And once again, his blade finds Nolan’s neck.

“I can give you the cure,” Nolan chokes. “The cure for what’s killing her.”

“You’re a liar.”

“It’s true. And it’s true Jared thought the others survived. The Fiordans don’t know that. I never told them. I pretended to work for them because I had no choice, then slipped away when they left the city.”

“Bullshit,” says Cas.

“Why do you think he’d risk his neck here? He wasn’t just stealing Fiordan technology. He was having his spies watching out for the rest of his army. You know how many died.”

“Enough,” Cas snapped. “Murray declared them dead, isn’t that enough for you?”

“Murray… knows the Fiordans?” I ask, totally confused.

“No,” says Nolan. “Murray had no idea what his brother was really doing over here. I guess I thought you two would have found out at Jared’s place, unless he destroyed his research, or…” He trails off.

“Finish your sentences or I’ll do it for you,” says Cas.

“Murray doesn’t know Jared’s plans,” Nolan says quickly. “At least, I don’t think he did. It was one of Jared’s fiends that brought me over here. The Fiordans caught us and killed the fiends for serving Jared. They were going to kill me, but figured they’d pay Jared back for capturing and corrupting their fiends.”

“If it’s true, they wouldn’t have kept you alive,” says Cas evenly.

“Maybe not. But there are only a few of them left. The Fiordans were too busy building their army to pay much attention to me once they’d injected their blood in me.”

“So Jared was spying on them?” I ask, still feeling like I’m missing something.

“No. Well, he tried, but his fiends usually don’t come back if they try to go near the Fiordans’ places. It’s like I said. He thinks there are surviving Pyros here.”

“What the hell do you mean?” I cut in. “Pyros? Did you mean Fiordans?”

Cas shakes his head tightly. “What he means isn’t possible,” he says. “There were… others, in the original war with the Fiordans. They died, all of them did, when the divide closed. Like I said—we lost half our army.”

“Jared thinks they lived.” Nolan stumbles back. “Don’t you think I’d tell the truth with a freaking knife pointed at my throat?”

“I don’t think you’d tell the truth if you had less than a minute to live,” says Cas smoothly. “Which you don’t, as it happens.”

“Wait,” I say quickly. “I’m not saying I believe him, but I find it a little hard to believe that we’ve lasted this long here without being trampled by an army, if they really are invading Earth again.”

“They’re mobilising,” says Nolan. “The last war scattered the forces, and the Fiordans have been rebuilding the past two years. But now they have…”

A choked noise escapes him, blood spraying the ground. For a second, I think Cas stabbed him.

Then I see the figure climbing out of the divide. At first, only its head and hands are visible.

One hand is clawed. The head is burned beyond recognition, a hairless mess of red and black. But horrifyingly familiar.

“Jared,” I whisper. “No way. He survived…”

But does that mean Murray…?

Nolan slumps forward. Cas stares at Jared with more horror in his expression than I’ve ever seen.

“You fell,” he says.

“I can’t die,” says Jared. Half his face has melted off, and his teeth gleam between the gaps in a ghastly grin. I want to run for my life. But I can’t move, not even to raise my weapon.

“I’ve tolerated the pair of you for too long,” Jared hisses.

And he raises his hands. I’m thrown back, head over heels. A gasping sounds in my ears, but it’s not me. I raise my head and see Cas has collapsed, writhing in pain. Damn. Even falling to pieces, Jared managed to activate the tattoo.

“It’s time to end this, Leah,” says Jared. “My fool brother thought he could best me, but he was mistaken. You’re the Transcendent, Leah, and I want you to join me of your own will.”

“You’re mad.” And he is, more than ever before. Not just because half his face is falling off, but because of his uneven tone, shaking hands, unsteady steps. I’m pretty sure the only reason he’s kept hold of his weapon is because it’s melded to his hand. The Transcendent blade.

“Perhaps.”

And he pushes outwards with his hands, sending me falling into the dirt again. Crap. He might be mad, but he’s using his Transcendent powers, and Cas isn’t getting up any time soon.

So be it.

I roll to my feet, my own weapon outstretched. It’s time for revenge on the man who tormented me, who tortured Cas, who was responsible for the sick experiments and God knows, he’s as much to blame for what happened to Earth as the fiends are.

That’s more than reason enough to finish him off for good.

Last time I was here, I used my Transcendent powers to close the bridge. Even now, they wait under my skin, flaring to life as I push him back. He’s close to the edge, but the hit doesn’t do any damage to him.

“I’m Transcendent, Leah,” he says.

“You’re a bastard,” I counter, advancing on him. “You’re a cowardly, sick bastard who as good as destroyed our world. You deserve to die alone out here on this dead planet.” I scream the last part, as I clear the last distance and leap at him.

This time, he doesn’t hit back with an energy blast, but raises his blade to meet mine with a resounding clang. Though he looks like he can barely stand, my cut doesn’t knock him any closer to the edge.

But he’s close enough.

I send a burst of fire up my right arm, through the connection to my dagger, and the air goes up in flames.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

For an instant, or maybe minutes, we’re suspended, blade on blade, neither giving ground. Sweat drips down my forehead, my arms ache, but I’ve never felt more alive.

Fear flashes in Jared’s eyes.

At last.

I scream, driving my knife downwards, and feel his give way.

“Give it up, Jared,” I hear myself saying, but the words are muffled by the crackle of flames in my ears. I think Jared’s screaming, too. But everything’s blurred, like through smoke.

Like a vision.

Not now!

I focus on the fire, but it wavers and sputters. The smell of burning might be coming from far away, not right in front of me.

Jared’s blade whips down and I’m forced to jump back, shattering the illusion. But he’s nowhere near as fast as a Transcendent ought to be, even with the ugly claws sprouting from his hands, the wings hanging limp at his sides.

A fresh wave of anger crashes over me and I launch into an attack. What right does this pitiful man have to decide if my friends live or die?

I strike again and again. Blood spurts from small cuts on his arms. He raises the sword one final time, and my knife crashes into it like an avalanche. White light flares up all around me, but it goes through Jared in a worse way. I can see through his skin, see the veins pulse bright white, as he staggers, falling, his weapon cracking to pieces in his hand.

Gasping for breath, hanging onto the last threads of sanity, I drive the blade into his heart.

He shatters, like a boulder dropped from on high, breaking to pieces on the pockmarked, barren ground.

I stare, the image of Jared imprinted on my eyelids. But he’s gone. Dead.

The world blurs out.

A hand rests on my shoulder, and I make a feeble lunge with my dagger. But it’s Cas.

“Leah. He’s dead.”

“I know.” I stagger back, somehow not caring that I’m leaning against him.

“We have to go.”

“I know,” I say again, mechanically. Then something snaps into place. “Nolan?”

“Not moving,” says Cas. “Leave him here. We need to find a way out.”

“The bridge.”
Think, Leah.
“That’s how I got out last time. But it’s gone.”

“Last time,” he repeats. “There’s always a last time. Murray… he’s probably dead.” He says this matter-of-fact-ly. But I’m not fooled.

“Cas, it wasn’t your fault,” I say. “If you hadn’t—Jared would have killed everyone, started another war. You’ve ended that.”

You’re free,
I think, and with that, it all slams on me at once. Murray’s dead, but so is Jared. His tattoo bindings don’t work anymore, on Cas or anyone else.

Cas doesn’t have to answer to him anymore.

Tears are running down my cheeks before I’m aware of it. I sway again, overwhelmed.

“Leah—dammit, Leah.” He shakes his head, grabbing my arm to steady me. “We need to get back. Do you remember where the bridge was? It’s not safe to cross over here, not now that bomb’s probably destroyed Jared’s lab.”

Even though he’s nowhere near as snappish as he used to be, those words are more than enough to jolt me out of my trance, and I furiously wipe the tears away. I point, hesitantly, though I’m not at all sure from this side. Assuming the two worlds run parallel, we need to walk alongside the divide.

Nothing to do but walk. At least we have the advantage of Transcendent speed, because God help us if we run into the army.

Worse, shadows are prickling at the edges of my vision again. If I pass out now, we’re finished. Unless Cas finds a way back. He must do.