Chasing Before (33 page)

Brady shakes his head. “No, he wanted her to weaken first.”

I skirt around Autumn’s limp body and offer my hand to Emilia. She takes my wrist, and I help her sit up. She slumps backward into the brimstone bars. Not ideal, but I don’t have time to move her. I pull the skep charm out of my pocket and dangle it in front of her face. “Do you know what this is?”

“An obol,” she answers. Her gaze darts back and forth between Autumn and me. She’s scared. “To travel to Earth and back using the regulated portals from Areas One and Three.”

I shove the obol back into my pocket. “Can it open other portals?”

“What other portals? Those are the only two back to Earth.” Her pained, panicked expression doesn’t change. It’s possible that my dorm room has a portal that no one is aware of. Maybe it also leads back to Earth. Or maybe that burst of energy I created is something else entirely. It doesn’t seem as though Emilia knows. Either that or she’s too frightened to tell me.

Brady cuts in. “We’re all alone down here. We have to fetch help or get out.”

“If the Morati come after us, it’s to our advantage to fight them here.”

“But two against . . .” He trails off. We don’t know how many Morati there are.

We need backup. But who? We can’t call Julian to come down here into the brimstone, and besides, after the revelation of Autumn’s memory, I don’t know what to think about him anymore. He was working with Cash to drive me mad enough to commit suicide, but he claimed everything he did was to protect me. Anyone in our seraphim guard class could be Morati. That leaves Neil and Libby. But what can they do? Enhance our mood while the Morati slaughter us? “Who do you trust?”

“You.”

“Sweet, but not helping.”

“Nate.”

My eyes bug out. “Nate? Are you serious?” After his threat to throw Neil and me down the hellhole, even though he claimed later it wasn’t serious, he’s the last
person I’d trust. “Though, I guess he does hate Autumn.”

He shrugs. He’s at as much of a loss as I am.

“Okay, go,” I say.

Brady dashes for the stairs, and his feet pound into the stone as he ascends. He pauses long enough to yell, “Good luck.”

Autumn is still out, but I don’t turn my back to her. I crouch next to Emilia, ready to defend her from Autumn.

Emilia’s eyes are closed and crusted with yellow. I slap her cheek, and she looks over at me in a stupor.

“Who else in our seraphim guard training is Morati?”

“What?” She doubles over and vomits yellow onto her shirt, barely missing my shoes.

Damn it. It’s too late. She won’t even be able to crawl out of here now. I pound my fist into the floor, and my hand screams in pain.

Autumn laughs. She’s awake. I spring up, positioning myself halfway between her and Emilia, my knees slightly bent. I will kick her ass if I have to.

“I was eavesdropping on you when you thought I was unconscious.” She lifts herself casually onto her elbows. “You know why Nate hates me?”

Like I care about that now.

“Because I was the captain of the seraphim guard team that beat the crap out of the demon hunter team in last year’s softball tournament,” Autumn says. “What a petty idiot.”

So that’s why Nate threatened to kill Neil and me. To get back at Autumn for a freaking softball tournament.
Unbelievable. But Nate is not my top concern.

“You’re a traitor.” I’m still trying to fathom how I could have been wrong about her all this time. And how she was able to trick everyone else for so long, even Furukama.

“Speaking of traitors”—Autumn stands up and inches closer to me—“it was Julian’s idea to kill me in your bed. I had to be killed to come straight to Level Three and prepare everything here for Cash, for when he came through the mainframe.”

I don’t believe Julian would do that. But then, I can’t believe Autumn is standing in front of me now with a murderous gleam in her eye either. “Why would you let yourself be killed?”

“I’d do anything for Cash. Because Cash would do anything for me. Everyone thought it was over when you crashed the system in Level Two, but it was only a distraction so that the Morati could come through. Soon the war will really begin.”

Even though she’s obviously demented, she might have some of the answers I seek too. If I can keep her talking until Brady gets back, I might have a chance to beat her. My temple throbs. The brimstone headache is coming on.

“Why did the Morati steal my memories?” I ask. “And why did they return some of them?”

“To manipulate you. And it worked, didn’t it? You would do anything for those globes I delivered to your room. It’s truly pathetic how weak you are.”

I can’t stop the shame from exploding red across my
face. I let my obsession color all my decisions and played right into whatever the Morati’s plans are for me—and they must have a plan, because otherwise they would have disposed of me right away. I was so blind. “But they’re not manipulating you, right?”

Autumn only smirks knowingly. “You don’t want to face the truth about how selfish you are. I don’t blame you.”

Like Eli taught me to do in Level Two, I summon all my rage and frustration and concentrate it into a blast of energy that I hurl straight at her chest.
That’s for lying to me.

She flies across the room and pounds into the opposite wall. I charge at her and swing my fist into her stomach.
That’s for conspiring against me.

When she doubles over, I bring my knee up, catching her in the chin.
That’s for taunting me.

The force of impact throws her head back, and her feet slide out from under her. She falls onto her back with a moan.

As I prepare to kick her in the side, her moan fills me with guilt. Maybe I’m enjoying this too much. My foot connects with her rib cage, but she grabs on to my ankle and hurls me into the corner. I hit the wall shoulder-first, the impact reverberating though my body.

Before I can react, she comes at me and punches me in the abdomen, making me double over. While I’m clutching my stomach, she decks me in the mouth and then the bridge of my nose, snapping the cartilage. “Oh, look. You still believe you can bleed. How sad.”

The pain is excruciating, and I concentrate everything
I have into shutting it down. I reach up and touch my split lip, healing it as I do. My nose continues to gush blood until I clamp it with my thumb and forefinger.

She slams into me, knocking me to the floor. I throw out my arm to break my fall, and my bone crunches. I scream, letting go of my nose to cradle my elbow.

Autumn bends over me. “It’s too bad Neil will never know what happened to you.”

I’m desperate enough now to call Julian. I reach out for Julian’s brain waves and try to send an SOS. But my signal is fuzzy. The brimstone must be causing interference.

“Getting some static?” Autumn raises her eyebrows. “I’ve blocked all your signals.” She digs her fingernails into my biceps and begins to pull me toward the pit. Emilia groans loudly, and Autumn turns at the sound.

While Autumn’s distracted, I pull together my energy again to form a concentrated blast, and aim for her torso. Her nails scrape my skin as she’s blown back. I make a break for the stairs and put out another call to Julian.

Autumn crashes past me, throwing me off balance and into the bars of Julian’s former cell. “You’re not going anywhere but down,” she screams. She turns and lunges at me, her hands forming claws in front of her, but I jump to the side and she bangs into the bars chin-first and her eyes roll wildly in her sockets.

As I continue to retreat toward the stairs, I shoot more energy blasts at her, but they hardly faze her. I’m getting weaker. It wasn’t such a good idea to stay down
here after all. She darts around me and blocks my exit.

“Wait,” I say. I’m almost completely tapped out, and I need time to recover my strength. “I want to ask you something.”

Autumn shakes her head. “No questions.” She places her hand almost tenderly on my forehead. “Should I stun you before I throw you into the pit? That would be the best-friend thing to do.”

I step out of her reach and try to run around her, but she catches me easily and carts me over to the hole.

Autumn yanks me up by my shirt. “But then again, you were a sucky best friend.” She prepares to pitch me over the railing, and I scream.

“Don’t,” a male voice commands. I perk up, hoping against all hopes that someone—anyone—has come to my rescue.

As the new arrival nears, I deflate completely. It’s Cash, and he’s grinning ear to ear. “Thanks, Autumn, dear. Let me do the honors, won’t you?”

thirty-six

CASH SAUNTERS OVER to us, flanked by the twins from seraphim guard class, Ira and Ian. They are all dressed in dark suits with white oxford shirts and pale pink ties, like groomsmen at a wedding. As usual Cash’s hair is slicked back and his teeth are so white, they practically glow. In fact, now that they no longer need to hide their Morati essence from me, their bodies shine with an otherworldly light that brightens every corner of the dank chamber.

“She’s all yours.” Autumn shoves me over to him.

As soon as I’m out of her grasp, I break into a run. If I can get up the steps, I have a chance. But I haven’t made it five feet before the twins block my path like a brick wall.

“Leaving so soon?” Cash asks.

I turn toward Cash and Autumn, pressing my back against the twins. I expect Cash and Autumn to come for me, to stalk me like predators after prey. Instead both are facing the pit, peering into it. Cash has his arm around Autumn, and they stand as though they could be tourists enjoying the view.

Cash runs his hand down Autumn’s spine. He whispers something into her ear, and she smiles. Then he calmly reaches out and backhands her. She falls, and as her cheekbone smashes into his foot, her pupils contract and the hazel of her irises reappears. The crazed look is gone, replaced by confusion.

Cash kicks her off his foot. “Hey, Autumn. I think it’s time we broke up.”

She lies still for three beats, and then rage ignites her face. She springs up and slaps Cash so hard that he stumbles back onto the railing. “Break up?” she shouts hysterically. “I let you murder me for
this
?”

Cash calmly reaches out and mind stuns her. She shakes like she’s been hit with high voltage, and Cash catches her in his arms. He carries her over to Emilia and dumps her onto the ground, as if he doesn’t have use for either of them any longer.

Cash approaches me, offering his hand. I take it automatically, as if compelled, and he gently pulls me toward him, like he’s asking me to dance. “I’m sorry about that. I got here as quickly as I could.”

“W-why?” He stunned Autumn, but he didn’t kill her, or she would’ve disappeared.

“You know why.” Cash’s voice is low. Hypnotizing. “You’ve felt the truth inside you for some time now. You’re one of us. You can join us.”

“Because I’m part angel?”

“So Julian told you.” Cash chuckles. “At least he’s good for something.”

“Autumn said you kept me alive only because you wanted to use me.”

Cash’s face darkens. “Autumn is a fool. Her envy stunted her reasoning skills and made her easy to control. You are worth ten thousand of her.”

I raise my eyebrow. “I saw her memory. You wanted me to commit suicide! Don’t pretend that you’re my friend now.”

He reaches for the knot of his tie and loosens it. Tiny pearls of golden sweat form at his hairline and trickle down his face. “Your suicide would have brought you to Level Two much sooner, but you weren’t very cooperative. Everything we did then was for a reason. As is everything we’ve done now.”

I take a step back. “Like bombing innocent people.”

“Only the first bombing, the one that took out the records room, was operationally imperative. The second bombing and killing the healers were meant to destabilize Level Three. The rest of the destruction was your handiwork, wasn’t it? We laced your memories with water from the Styx, the river that flows between all levels, in the hopes that you would open portals when you viewed them.”

“But how could viewing memories cause destruction or open portals?”

Cash sighs, like he’s disappointed that he has to spell it out for me. “We think you are the first ever human-Morati hybrid. And somehow that gives you the power to open portals to other levels. The obol that you wear around your neck is the catalyst for you to be able to use your ability. At first the portals you opened were so unstable that they caused isolated destruction of whatever place you last spoke about. But your seraphim guard training taught you control and concentration so that you can open stable portals.”

Unease creeps up my spine. “How do you know all this?”

“We’re connected, you and I. Even more so after your residence in our Level Two mainframe.”

“In your pursuit of opening portals, you stood back and let all those people die.” Good and bad may have shades of gray, but it’s clear that this is evil. “And because you hoped I would open a portal for you, you stole my memories?” If my memories were important enough for the Morati to steal and to dole out to me like a trail of breadcrumbs, then those memories must have some greater purpose. They must contain some greater truth.

“Join our fight against the injustice we Morati were dealt, and you can know everything.”

I take another step back. “I will never join you. Never.”

Cash makes a fist, and for a moment I think he’s going to punch me. But then he twists his arm so that his palm is facing upward. As he opens his hand, a white memory globe grows until it’s the size of the ones I viewed in my room. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, and there’s nothing I want more than this.
My arm rises unbidden, and my fingers stretch toward it with yearning.

But I snatch my arm back. I won’t give in.

Cash extends the memory globe farther in my direction. “This one globe holds the key to restoring all your memories and to getting the answers you seek.”

The only way to discover the full extent of the Morati’s plan for me is to agree to become a part of that plan. I can’t do it. No amount of knowledge is worth giving up my soul and selling out mankind.