Nightborne (The Bexley Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  “Hey-o!”

  “Cheezus, Bexley!” Pidd the startleable commandeers my elbow and yanks me into a crouch.

  Meanwhile, Kinley the fawnable takes me into a warm embrace. Bexley the First likes it and nuzzles in deeper. The rest of us still feel a bit awkward around him.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I hush, gently wiggling from my boyfriend’s clutch. “I talked to Erron, and we deffo can’t stay here.”

  “Gee, you think?” says Pidd.

  “I do. I DO think that, Pidd. Thank you for confirming. I’ll tell you the deets once we’re out of this clusterfudge.”

  The way out is met with little resistance. Erron seems to have wrangled his subordinates with his false cries of danger. Once clear of enemy earshot, I recount to my wards the tellings of the amber leader.

  “So basically we’re on our own?” Pidd says back in the bathroom of the towering skyscraper.

  “What if I talked to them?” says Kinley. “I still have friends here—friends who know me enough to know the rumors aren’t true.”

  “Erron doesn’t seem to think that’ll work.” I hop down from the counter. “At least not right now. They aren’t all against us, mind you, but there’s a big enough group of them to make it unsafe for us here. Smart of Ellie to stow away Kray and Cello. An easy enough way to turn the whole damn coterie against us.”

  Pidd’s only response is a string of obscenities. He needs to get some new curse words. Mix it up a bit. All of this fuming is losing its impact.

  Kinley frowns at the mirror, green eyes plagued. Rejection? He catches me staring at him and adjusts his glasses. “So what’s in there?” He motions to the brown paper package from Erron.

  “Not sure yet.” I give it a shake. “But you know me, I love presents. Let’s find somewhere safe to open it.”

  Pidd interrupts his grumbling for a question. “Isn’t there some other coterie we can go to? Somewhere we can at least hide out? Maybe get some food?”

  “One: No. There are other coteries, but no others within this region. And two: Eat this.” I toss him one of the lighted beads required for our sustenance.

  His mouth lights up when the bead pops against his teeth.

  It isn’t the only thing to light up.

  We’ve dillydallied too long. From the other side of the mirror comes the lavender glow of someone else portaling through.

  3

  Alaska

  Frantic, Kinley and I spring into action, drawing a turquoise X over the opening, but it’s too late. The stranger’s head has already breached.

  “Come on!” I take Pidd’s wrist and slingshot him towards the bathroom door.

  Some people have bad luck. Such as a young woman, dressed in a fancy dotted blouse, entering the bathroom at that exact moment. She releases a look of horror as the nugget is hurled into her. While her brain fights to block out the magick occurring before her, her body can’t ignore the very real fact that there is a boy in the ladies’ room—one that looks the pervert type, too.

  Meanwhile, Kinley and I make busy scampering away from the mirror as the stranger’s shoulders press through the glass.

  “MOVE, PIDD!” I push him from behind. Pidd discards the confused mortal out of the way and escapes the bathroom, me in tow, followed by—

  No one.

  Kinley, the mortal and the lavender stranger remain in the bathroom.

  I start down the hall with Pidd, glancing back in expectation of my beau, but when he doesn’t emerge after running the length of the hall, I prepare my fingertips for battle. Blazed in a funnel of blue, I dash back into the bathroom. The mortal—now powdering her nose—doesn’t notice me.

  Meanwhile, Kinley stands beside a petite girl with sharp bangs, a button nose and dark, lovely eyes—one who happens to have her arms flung around his neck and her lips pressed to his cheek.

  “B-Bex!” Kinley pushes the girl’s arms to her sides. “Th-this is my friend, Alaska.” He wipes his cheek against his shoulder. “One of Erron’s wards. We took lessons together way back when. She’s on our side, too!”

  Oh really? Just like that? Inviting a newcomer into our group? Do Pidd and I get a vote?

  “Right!” The pretty girl pipes. “I am! S-sorry, I just haven’t seen Kinley in so long. I got a little carried away.”

  Bexley the First urges me to be jealous over the embrace. But the rest of me doesn’t really care that much. Maybe I’ve matured.

  Instead of jealous, though, I am wary. My fingertips spark with energy. Just in case. Just in case this delicate organism is hiding a secret set of fangs.

  “You can trust her, B,” says Kinley. “She wants to help.” He nods to me earnestly as if to transfer all of his trust in this stranger over to me.

  You sure, K?

  Again he nods.

  Our lack of magick usage is acceptable to a mortal’s worldview, and it allows the one powdering her nose to notice Kinley. She shoots him a judgmental look for being in a zone designated for those identifying as woman. Alaska hurries to draw a lavender zigzag in the air. The mortal’s eyes unfocus and she returns her attention to her own reflection.

  “Don’t be silly.” I waft at the air. “This guy’s pretty huggable. Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m the amazing Bexley Lightborne—you’ve probably heard of me and my many feats, none of which come to mind at the moment—but we should probably get the eff out of here before any more surprises pop through that mirror, don’t you think?”

  The others are in agreement.

  Pidd awaits us on the other side of the hall, pouncing forward with fingers lit at the sight of us.

  “Easy there, Pidd-o.” I pinch out his light like a candle’s flame. “Just us. This is Alaska, one of Kindler’s friends from way back when. She’s on our side now.”

  Alaska wrinkles her nose and gives Pidd a darling little wave.

  His eyes stay locked on hers an abnormally long time, even after introductions are given; and when he finally breaks contact, the corner of his mouth is curved.

  Yes, Pidd. She’s very cute. Can we go now?

  Annoying.

  I walk from them heavier than anticipated. Kinley misinterprets. “B?” He trots to my side. “You okay? About before…”

  “What? No, I’m fine. Getting worked up over a kiss? That doesn’t sound like me.”

  “That sounds exactly like you.”

  Maybe. But I’m fine. Guess there are more important things to worry about, with the world in jeopardy and all.

  Kinley slips his hand to my waist and pulls me against him in the reception room. “I would be angry if I saw you in that position,” he coos darkly.

  For the first time all day, I notice the way his dark eyelashes frame his eyes. The way his collar lies along his neck. The way his shirt rests against his lean body.

  “You will be punished later,” Bexley the First flirts back, taking him by the chin.

  “Belgh.” Pidd makes a puking noise low enough that only Kinley and I can hear. “Bexley the unsexly,” he says.

  I put up a finger. “It’s okay, Pidd. Someday you’ll hit puberty.” I boop his nose with my fingertip, to which he scowls.

  There. I feel better.

  Meanwhile, Alaska is several steps ahead, trying to hail a cab.

  We’ve made it outside without any further pursuers. Good. And if Alaska ends up being a spy, the light of three turquoises is well enough to squash out one lousy lavender.

  “Where now?” says Pidd.

  “Erron suggested a place we might hide out—a facility in Yggdress that was once used for training familiars, back before this region was built up by mortals.”

  “Familiars?” says Pidd.

  “Animal companions infused with light,” I tell him, reciting what I read that day in the coterie library. “They were used in a time when cities were smaller. The modern mortal realm isn’t ideal for them, so they’re rare nowadays.”

  A yellow cab with a scraped front bumper finally takes notice of us. With the longest kneespan, Kinley takes the front while we other three file into the back.

  Pidd doesn’t put up a fight when told to sit in the middle. His motives are irritatingly transparent as he angles his body slightly in Alaska’s direction and makes small talk unbecoming of a nugget.

  Alaska feeds the cabdriver the address before joining in conversation, though hers is much larger than small talk.

  “So.” She pokes her head around Pidd, directing her attention on me.

  “So?”

  “You’re IT,” she says, eager as hell.

  “If by IT you mean the badass protagonist of this journ—”

  “I mean the Wilted,” she cuts me off.

  That forbidden word hangs there a moment. I am hesitant to take the bait. A word that jaded could determine friend or foe in an instant, much like so many mortal words that distinguish the baddies from the goodies. And to most of the lightborne world, we three rogues are the baddies. After what happened in the coterie, I’ve learned not to throw words that contaminated around so loosely.

  But Kinley catches my eye through the side mirror and nods.

  A ward of Erron is a friend of us, yes?

  “You’re the one that will save the tree?” prods sweet Alaska, weary of my delayed answer. Pidd, on the other hand, hasn’t made any sort of protest at her frame strewed across his.

  “Technically, any three of us could become it now,” I say slowly, eye still caught on Kinley. “They’ve inherited the power through our lightstream.” I give our chain a jiggle, though Alaska can’t see it.

  “I didn’t know that!” she says, excited, making Pidd jolt. Alaska settles back in her place. “Well then, have you decided who will become the Wilted?”

  No. Because the others don’t know the whole truth.

  “I should do it,” I blurt. “It’s my responsibility. The other two wouldn’t even have the potential if it weren’t for me.”

  It’s the first time I’ve said it aloud. And I wouldn’t have said it, had I not been pressed.

  But I have a point.

  And now that I’ve said it, I realize it’s been gnawing at the back of my tongue ever since Aiden told me the truth.

  ‘Consequently, it will claim the life of whoever moves it… Once I knew the truth, I vowed that that life would never be yours.’

  The city moves past, unaware of the magickal beings zipping through it. Unaware of the unseen world and the things that plague us, more important than a missed mortgage payment or a broken heart.

  “No, Bex. I’ll do it.” Even without knowing the sacrifice part, Kinley speaks up. “I’ve already gone sullen once and lived to tell the tale. I don’t want to put you through all of that. Especially when you’re supporting two wards now. I’ve already decided I’ll do it.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a great idea,” Alaska chimes in. “If the power belongs to Bexley, there’s a possibility it might be diluted going through you or… Pidd, was it?”

  I roll my eyes at his lovelost gaze.

  Alaska continues, “I think the most pertinent chance you have in moving the tree is to let Bexley do it. At least with her we know she’ll have the full strength of the Wilted.”

  Hm. This newcomer is quite astute. And she has no problem voicing her opinion as though she’s been with us all along, using words like ‘we.’

  “Of course—” She lets out a shy giggle. “Those are my thoughts; not Erron’s. He didn’t say anything about you two one way or the other.” She nods at either of my wards.

  “I didn’t think of it that way,” says Kinley, expression forlorn.

  Neither did I.

  And now it seems my fate is sealed.

  The taxi driver assumes we are talking about a video game or fantasy show. He remains silent, except to mutter at a rusted truck that cuts him off on the freeway. From that point, the rest of us remain silent too.

  So it seems I won’t be outrunning my destiny anytime soon.

  So it seems I’ll have to force myself to be a more altruistic person.

  So it seems Aiden won’t get his dying wish.

  I open my mouth once or twice in an attempt to say something witty, but nothing comes out. The facility Alaska spoke of is in the opposite direction of our home, which is for the best. Any distance between us and the Wielder is good distance.

  The world of the mortals flashes past the gritty cab windows, through downtown and uptown, until the shadows out the right-hand window stretch long. Those shadows are flat and gray compared to those born of Nocturne. Lifeless and deathless, all they can do is stretch.

  Eventually, I remember Erron’s package tucked in my jacket. As he said, there is map written in a long, scrolling language. Now that I have my memory back, I recognize this writing. An ancient text used during the light wars.

  “What is it?” Pidd’s voice is quiet, for Alaska appears to be dozing off. He leans over the parchment, shoulder pressed to mine.

  “It looks like a map of Yggdress,” I observe. “And Erron said he ‘marked it appropriately,’ but I don’t see any markings, do you?”

  Pidd places a finger to the map. “There’s a smudge here.”

  I squint and lean in. So does Pidd. The light chain between us is warm. The particles of the air bash against one another.

  Suddenly, I am aware of how loud my breath is. Do I breathe abnormally loud for a girl? How have I never noticed before?

  Pondering this, I stop breathing altogether.

  But after a moment I understand that I must breathe, and I begin to panic.

  Meanwhile, Pidd has been observing me with a foul expression. “What is wrong with you?”

  Unable to stand it, I let out a loud, heaving breath, waking Alaska and causing both Kinley and that taxi driver to look back in concern.

  “Asthma?” I say.

  “Whatever,” says Pidd. “What else have you got in there?” He prods at the package on my lap.

  The space between his arm hairs and mine is warm, infused by the clashing particles of the air. His hair smells like cucumber—the complimentary shampoo from last night’s hotel.

  “Why are you so close to me right now?” I say.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, you’re like, really close right now.” I lean away from him.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” With a huff he throws up his hood and returns his attention to Alaska, asking her if she likes photography.

  I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s a weird day. Kinley has turned down the sun visor, if only to get a better look at me through the mirror. I shrug at him.

  Of the remaining contents is the silver book, pair to the golden one already in my pack, along with a canister of light pearls and a small gear on a chain.

  At last we turn off the freeway, into a ritzy suburb. “Here’s good,” Alaska deems after a time.

  The cabbie tells us our fare expectantly.

  Right. This part.

  “Unfortunately, we have no money,” I tell him. “But look at this!” I open my palm and blow him a kiss, and the imprint of my lips travels at him, forming into a butterfly at the end. His eyes unfocus as it lands on his nose. We make our escape.

  “Poor guy,” says Pidd.

  “Yes, but we’ve given him something priceless. An experience.”

  “Not that he’ll remember it,” mutters Kinley.

  Alaska leads us to a park, deserted all but for a pair of skateboarding kids. At the center stands a broken fountain shaped like a spitting cherub. Despite the fanciness of the neighborhood, the fountain appears neglected, for the water within holds a green tint and is spotted with fallen leaves.

  “Ugh. In here?” I lean over the edge.

  Alaska nods. “Regrettably. Do you want me to go first?” She pulls up her sleeves in preparation.

  “One sec.” I pull Kinley aside. “We are absolutely certain this isn’t a trap, right? For instance, if we send her through first, she won’t be joining a group of our enemies sneakily lying in wait, right? And if we let her in last, she won’t seal us into a prison cell waiting on the other side?”

  Kinley shakes his head. “Not a chance. But to be safe, I’ll go first.”

  With his backpack secured to his shoulders, he crouches near the backside of the cherub, placing his hands flat atop the water. An upturned beetle floats by like a miniature canoe.

  Splash!

  Kinley disappears deeper than the bottom of the fountain, all but his right hand, which remains above the water. After a moment, it gives a thumbs-up before disappearing into the murk.

  Pidd takes this as his invitation, splashing gracelessly through the portal. Again I stall, waiting for one of them to reemerge in case of trap.

  But the water doesn’t stir.

  It seems our lady newcomer’s word is true.

  “Well then—” I clutch my luggage to my chest.

  “Will you wait a moment?” Alaska chews her lip. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Here it is. The bombshell. The trap. The reveal of Alaska’s true nature.

  At least that’s what I expect. After my dealings with Ellie, I’ve learned not to trust petite, unassuming women.

  Sure enough, the lovely girl pools a small helping of lavender into her palm. The gray sky overhead is a backdrop of dreariness. The air is crisp. And I myself am rolling my fingertips, mustering energy to combat hers.

  “Aiden and I were both wards of Erron,” she says, staring into her palm. “He was like a brother to me, and you… you…”

  Were responsible for his death.

  “You were his most treasured one,” she finishes, tearfully.

  At once, I drop the rolled light between my fingertips. “Uh… what?”

  “When I heard what had happened to him, I vowed to do everything in my power to avenge his death. Aiden and I learned the truth long ago from our waker. I know it is the Wielder that ended my brother’s life, and I know that you are the true savior of light.” She looks up, eyes moist and determined, and holds forth her hand, lit with lavender. “Use me, Mistress Wilted. I am your servant!”

  Servant?

  She bows her head forward in reverence. “I will not let his death be for naught. I vow to defeat the Wielder and help you move the tree.”