Demon and the Fox - 24. Everything Burns

Nick had agreed to stay for one drink. One drink.

They were now soaking up their fifth.

Cyan and Nick, that is. Koda wasn’t drinking much. He just danced with his new friend the Goth girl. Labeling Koda as a bad dancer would have been a euphemism, but apparently Goth girl didn’t mind teaching him how to dance. Or how to kiss.

Nick leaned with Cyan against a counter overlooking a wide glassless window. This crazy world was spread out before their eyes. Nick could see a vast cemetery in the distance. A piece of flat land with countless tombstones between two dark forests. A cemetery for demons.

The drinks in their hands were a dark orange shade. But it didn’t taste like orange. It tasted like other fruits Nick could not identify, and maybe spicy brown rum. It didn’t matter, anyway. The taste wasn’t bad, and the color was pretty; it was like a sunset in his glass. The fast-paced beat of the music sounded better than ever, and Nick felt a little light-headed.

“I should really take you back to Raven,” said Nick for perhaps the thousandth time. But he wasn’t putting in much effort to make that happen.

Dark Angels and Reapers came and went around them, snatching colorful drinks from the counter, and then going back to the dance floor. Nick liked the subtle brightness of the place, with the shimmering ceiling and red flames dancing like ribbons in each corner.

“Why’re you in such a rush, mate?” Cyan tilted his head. He looked a little bit drunk.

“Raven said if I brought you back to him unharmed, he’d make me a Dark Angel.”

Cyan’s eyes went wide, and he held onto the counter to regain his balance.

“He can’t make you a DA.”

“Yes he can.” Nick sipped his drink.

“No,” Cyan insisted.

“What’s your problem? I saved you, didn’t I? I even turned his dog back into a human.”

Nick looked over his shoulder and saw Koda in the middle of the dance floor. His fingers were tangled in his dance partner’s platinum locks. He kept stepping on her feet. But she was kissing him anyway.

“No, I meant,” Cyan said, “you can’t be a DA if you haven’t even been a Reaper yet.”

“I won that stupid tournament, didn’t I?” Nick protested. He drank more of the orange stuff. It was addictive.

Cyan did likewise. Then, “Yes, but you’ve not ventured back in the normal world. Have not killed anyone. Have not guided anyone to the afterlife. You know, Reaper stuff.”

“Reaper stuff?” Nick eyed Cyan up and down, considering the calf-high lace up boots, tight black clothes, fingerless gloves, black nail polish. “I thought you guys just dressed emo and carried a scythe for show.”

“Ha. Very funny.”

“I’m serious,” Nick said. “I’ve never seen you do anything,” he waved his hands about, “reapery.”

Cyan looked offended. “I do repeary things all the time.”

Nick arched an eyebrow at him.

“I killed Devin Cook with my scythe,” Cyan offered, before taking one more sip of his drink.

They had to speak loudly to hear each other over the music. Right now it was electronic mixed with symphonic metal. It was interesting, actually. Nick envied the dancers a bit.

“So that’s how he died. Why’d you do it?” Nick asked.

“Do I need a reason?” said Cyan, making Nick laugh. But then Cyan added, more seriously, “Actually, Devin was stalking Sasha. I knew he wouldn’t stop.”

Something caught in Nick’s throat. He moved out of the way when someone reached for one of the orange drinks, then inched back closer to Cyan. A soft wind came in through the window, stirring their hair. The sky was like black waves rippling for infinity.

“Thank you for, um,” Nick cleared his throat, looking down in his half-empty glass, “looking after Sasha, when I wasn’t there.”

“Nicky I’m sorry for what I did. I need you to know that.”

Their gazes met. Cyan’s pale blue eyes flicked away first.

Nick sighed. “It’s fine. It’s not awkward. Well, yes, it is, but… Look. You slept with my boyfriend. I’ll just sleep with Raven and we’ll call it even.”

Cyan’s expression was a mix of confusion and horror. Nick laughed. He wanted to drink, but he was laughing too hard, so he just put the glass down on the counter.

“Your face, man,” Nick smiled. “I’m joking, you English moron. I don’t want to sleep with Raven.” Ugh. The thought made him lose his smile. Now, that would be weird. Nick nudged Cyan’s shoulder with his, and added, “We’re cool, all right? Kind of.”

“Kind of?” Cyan echoed.

“Yeah. Tell you what. Help me get my life back, and all is forgiven.”

Cyan smiled, and raised his glass. “Let’s drink to that. Cheers, mate.”

“Your glass is empty, Cy.”

He hurriedly switched it for a full one, and beamed at Nick. But Nick took the drink from him and put it away.

“No more drinking.”

“But I said cheers, mate. We’ve got to drink now, it’s the law.”

Cyan was trying to reach for it, but Nick was standing in his way. He didn’t know if Raven’s definition of ‘unharmed’ included Cyan not being drunk out of his mind, but Nick didn’t really want to risk it.

A loud thump broke through their banter then, like something heavy falling to the floor. Everyone was startled, and looked toward the middle of the dance floor, where the noise had come from. Even the dancers stopped moving and stared. But Nick couldn’t see anything.

Koda was rushing to their side.

“Hey,” Nick called, “where’s your friend?”

“She said her feet were bleeding,” Koda explained, “and she left.”

Nick didn’t have time to make fun of him. He followed everyone’s gaze toward the middle of the room as they heard a rather ominous sound. Tic, tic, tic.

And Nick saw what had fallen to the floor. Everyone was stepping away from it now. Three small brown cylinders were attached together with red wires and there was a numeric timer. It was like something out of a comic.

Someone tried to grab it—probably with the intent to throw it right out a window—but it seemed impossible, like it had somehow glued itself to the floor when it landed.

Everyone started panicking at the same time. Dark Angels rushed to the windows. In one swift movement, Cyan jumped up on the window ledge. The back of his shirt ripped as his wings spread out in two golden blazes. Cyan threw off what remained of his shirt and made to grab Nick—

“Wait!” Nick shouted. “Koda—”

“I can’t carry the both of you!” Cyan shouted back.

He was trying to get Nick to climb on the window ledge with him, but Nick was twisting himself away, wanting to grab Koda’s arm.

People were screaming. The ones who didn’t have wings were throwing themselves toward the stairs in the corner. Some thought better of it, stayed into place and took the time to teleport.

“Nicky, come on.” Cyan urged him.

“But—” he started to protest.

Then he saw Jun leaping onto the window from outside. The wind blew in her long black hair, which meshed into her massive dark wings. She extended a hand, and Koda took it. She locked eyes with Nick.

“I got it,” she said.

Tic, tic. The countdown stopped.

The screams were drowned by the deep, earsplitting blast of the detonation. It resonated in the air and absorbed every other sound. Nick’s stomach lurched as he felt himself falling with Cyan. Waves of fire engulfed what had been the dance floor. A flame almost licked Cyan’s golden feathers but they made it out in time.

Cyan’s wings eased their descent. Nick’s ears ringed with a strident buzz, and he thought that surely he had become deaf. As they flew down pieces of the tower fell apart and were propelled in the air like projectiles; there hadn’t been just one bomb. Several others banged one after the other throughout the tower. Nick’s painful ears couldn’t hear anything anymore but the explosions resonated and vibrated, and he could see the destructive fire and the smoke, thick and dark. The entire tower was crumbling into pieces. Dark Angels flew away like a horde of birds fleeing a plummeting tree.

Jun and Cyan landed at the same time, bringing Koda and Nick to safety. They stood between two stripes of murky water, on the snowy path that led to the black crystalline tower—though little remained of it now. The four of them watched helplessly as the tower burned to the ground. The buzzing in Nick’s ears had diminished, and with a wince he heard the earth-shattering crash of the tower collapsing on itself.

Other survivors came to join them. They all just stared. No more party tower. It had happened so fast. No one said a word.

Until Cyan asked Jun a question. “How did you know to come?”

Her dark eyes glowed red as she looked at the huge burning pile of junk that used to be the tower. She rubbed the bracelet at her wrist. It started to turn a shimmering blue.

“Raven sent me to find you guys. I found out you’d escaped from Louis already, but I stuck around and spied on some of Louis’s friends.” She kept rubbing the bracelet as her kohl-lined eyes flicked to Cyan. “I heard Louis was retaliating for what you did to his weapons.”

Nick’s heart sank.

“By busting Raven’s tower?” Cyan raked a hand through his tangled hair. “No, that’s completely mental. Bloody Hell. Fuck.”

Nick didn’t think he had ever heard Cyan curse like that before.

Cyan’s golden wings disappeared into his back, leaving two red marks, and he fell to his knees. He looked cold and small.

Nick looked at Jun’s blue bracelet. “Are you calling for Raven right now?”

She nodded, her jaw set.

The ruins of the tower were still burning strong. The smoke rose high up in the air. They stood something like one hundred feet away, but the air all around them still felt suffocating.

Behind them, the other surviving demons suddenly dispersed, like something had frightened them. When Nick turned back around, he understood why.

On the path, three people had appeared. They leaped out of a cloud of smoke and walked toward Nick and his friends. Louis in his suit and tie, serious and curt. And flanking his sides, both with smirks on their faces, Lucas and Devin. Lucas had a bandage around his torso, but he didn’t seem to be in pain at all. And Devin wore a leather strap belt with that dagger attached to his hip; the one that had grazed Nick’s shoulder and poisoned him. Nick recognized the dagger, and he felt himself shrink inside. But he held his ground, and hardened his gaze to keep the uneasiness from showing; he didn’t want to give Devin the satisfaction.

When Louis was close enough for them to hear his voice, he said, “I’m so sorry. It’s a tragedy.” He waved a hand. “I was never particularly fond of the place myself, but I heard a lot of people liked it.”

With the fire still burning wildly behind them, and the smoke reaching high up in the black sky, they looked like three knights of the apocalypse.

Cyan clambered to his feet. “Raven won’t be happy about this.”

“You’ve gone too far, Louis,” Jun added.

Louis adjusted his tie as he shared a glance with Lucas.

“You’re right. I should be ashamed.”

But Louis’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, and Lucas let out a laugh. Devin was smiling, too. They all looked pretty delighted with themselves.

Nick’s fingers reached up to touch his sword’s hilt. He didn’t unsheathe it, but he was ready.

“You don’t understand.” Jun’s voice was so calm that Louis seemed to falter a bit. “You’ve gone too far. Raven will kill you.”

Louis spread his arms. “Then where is he? I don’t see him anywhere.”

Nick couldn’t help himself anymore. He stepped forward, with Koda sticking close to him.

“If Raven won’t do it,” Nick said, freeing his black steel blade, “I will.”

Lucas and Devin laughed. They were good at that. Nick wanted to wipe those smirks off their faces.

But then a thin film of black smoke disrupted the air next to Jun and someone new arrived. Raven, of course. No wings. Just those black pants and blazer Nick had seen him in earlier. Raven’s wrist bore the same blue bracelet Jun had. The bracelets stopped glowing, and Raven stepped forward, leveling up with Nick and Koda on the narrow white path.

“That won’t be necessary, Nicholas,” said Raven.

“Ah,” Louis said, “the man in the flesh. Well,” he shrugged one shoulder, “so to speak. You know what I mean.”

Raven’s expression was unreadable as he took in the sight of his fallen tower. But his dark blue eyes were colder than ice.

“If you wished for my attention,” Raven said, “you have it.”

“How lovely,” Louis retorted.

But Raven wasn’t done. “However, you should be careful what you wish for.”

 

***

 

The wind carried the smoke and stung Nick’s eyes. He blinked it away and watched as Devin laughed.

“Ouh, we’re scared.”

Louis glared at Devin, and Devin went quiet.

Lucas spoke next. “What are you gonna do, Raven? Fight us? You want to fight your opponent in the campaign? How would that look if you killed Louis before the election? What would your precious Higher Demons think of you?”

Louis stood still, joining his hands together. He looked like he had nothing more to say. He exchanged a sideways glance with Lucas, then they brought their attention back to Raven.

The corner of Raven’s lips twitched into an almost imperceptible smirk. Nick held his breath.

“There isn’t going to be,” Raven said, “an election.”

For a moment no one said a thing. Jun and Cyan were stirring slowly, moving to flank Raven’s sides, the same way Lucas and Devin stood with Louis between them.

Devin broke the silence bluntly. “What do you mean there isn’t going to be an election?” He glanced over at Lucas when no one answered him. His strong brow furrowed over black eyes. “What does he mean there isn’t going to be—”

Louis put up a hand, his palm facing Devin—talk-to-the-hand style. Devin shut his mouth.

“It’s over, Louis,” said Raven.

The fire still burned strong where the tower had stood. Louis loosened his tie, like he was too hot.

“You’re wrong. The people haven’t even voted yet. The lower demons, everyone, they haven’t—”

Raven cut him off midstream. “The Higher Demons have accepted my plan for the distribution of territories,” he stated.

Standing next to him, Jun smiled, her dark gaze strong and proud. “About time.” She put up a fist against her hip. Her long black locks blew wildly in the wind. “You’re done, Louis.”

“But the people—” Louis tried.

“This is Hell.” Raven’s face was the portrait of impatience. “What did you expect? Some kind of democracy? That doesn’t even work in the real world. Why would it work here?”

Nick had to admit Raven had a point there.

“It certainly did not work,” Raven added, “the first time you tried it.”

“That was different!” Louis pointed at nothing in particular with his index finger. “It was working. Malachy had to come and get mixed up with everything. He’s the only reason my plans failed the first time. One psychotic, deranged Dark Angel who didn’t want a leader. Malachy reveled in chaos. He disagreed with me. He—”

This time, it was Cyan who interrupted Louis. “Malachy killed you in front of all your fans. Yes, we know. Don’t sugarcoat it for yourself, darling.”

Louis ignored him. “I care about the people. You just care about yourself and the higher ups.” Louis pressed a hand to his chest. “I want to make things better for everyone, not just a select few.”

“Make things better?” Raven glowered. “Louis, people died in that tower because of you.”

“Oh, please. Your friends. Reapers. Dark Angels. All sucking up to you. You don’t care about anyone else!” Louis shook his head. “I want a more equal society. To take care of people even after they get here. What’s the point of guiding souls if we just dump them here to relive their worst fears for the rest of eternity?”

There was a silence. Raven and Louis had stepped toward one another while they bantered, and now their two groups stood only some ten feet apart on the snowy path. The dark water that licked the edges of the path was eerily calm. And it seemed the fire was starting to taper off.

“This is Hell, Louis,” Raven said again. He sounded tired. “People come here because they deserve it.”

Louis bounced right back. “Do they? Is that really what you think? After all this time? Did you deserve it, Nathaniel?”

Nick saw Cyan flinch. And Raven blanched. Clearly Louis had hit a nerve there, though Nick didn’t know if it was because of what Louis had said, or because he had used the name Nathaniel, which, Nick assumed, was Raven’s real name.

Raven wasn’t saying anything, but if glares could kill, then Louis would have been struck on the spot.

Louis didn’t seem afraid, though. He went on, “You think you’re so much better than us, don’t you? You think you’re better than everyone else.”

Nick didn’t know what to think as he looked into Louis’s intense brown eyes. They were aflame with an undeniable passion, making Nick believe that Louis meant every single thing he was saying. Was Louis really that bad if he wanted to make things better? To take care of people more?

Raven didn’t seem to care about all that, though. He slid out a short white sword from his blazer’s inside pocket and flaunted it high in the air. It was a fine, pure-white steel blade with a single emerald gem encrusted in the hilt. A sudden wind rose, making Raven’s move even more dramatic. Nick took Koda’s arm and they stepped back together. Jun and Cyan stayed with Raven, but they seemed uneasy.

It was nothing compared to Lucas and Louis, though. They were panicking. Devin just looked confused.

“What is it?” Devin asked. “What is he gonna do with that?”

Louis ignored him. He raised a careful hand. “Raven, wait.”

Raven was done talking, though. Instead he cut the inside of his palm, staining his white blade red. Then Raven brought the blade down in a flash, stabbing the ground.

“No!” Lucas shouted. He grabbed Louis, and made to run away. But it was already too late.

A blood-red line ran across the snow, from where Raven had driven his blade in the path, and all the way around Louis, Lucas and Devin. The red circle closed around them and when they tried to get away, they just fell back in its center. They were trapped.

Nick’s eyes widened.

Koda leaned closer to him. “This is a portal,” he explained quietly. “I’m pretty sure he’s casting them off to Purgatory.”

“Raven,” Louis was protesting once more, “don’t do this.”

Nick looked up. Raven had drawn back his short sword, but only so that he could cut his other palm, gathering more drops of blood on the white blade. And he was getting ready to strike the path with his sword once again.

“Hey, wait.” Nick was the one to speak up this time, his heart hammering.

Cyan and Jun looked back at him questioningly. Raven didn’t, but he stood very still. Nick assumed he was listening.

“Don’t send them to Purgatory,” Nick said. “We need to get Shay out first. We can’t just—”

Raven cut him off. “Don’t worry. Those three aren’t going as guards. I am sending them directly to the Fires.”

Nick shuddered. The Fires. Just thinking about it conjured up images of mutilated corpse upon mutilated corpse, being sent to burn, and Nick felt dizzy.

“You can’t do that!” Louis was shouting.

Lucas seemed to be staring at Cyan, but Cyan looked away.

“I can,” Raven said, “and you should have thought of that before burning my tower.”

He stabbed the ground with his white blade for a second time, and there was a low, resonating sound. For a moment Nick thought his ears were buzzing again, like right after the explosion. The red portal got smaller and smaller, until it touched Lucas and Devin’s boots, and they were sucked in. They just disappeared into the portal, like a crack had suddenly opened up in the ground underneath them. And Louis was the last to go, his expression one of pure anguish.

Raven pulled his sword out of the snow, and the buzzing sound stopped so abruptly that Nick wondered if he had imagined it. The blood-red portal vanished, like it was turning white and melting into the snow.

Cyan was very pale, and it looked like it was taking him all he had not to collapse.

“It’s over,” said Jun quietly. She made to touch Raven’s shoulder, but then she seemed to think better of it and her hand went up to scratch her wild black hair instead.

Raven wasn’t looking at her. He probably hadn’t even notice what she just did—or didn’t do. He produced a handkerchief from his blazer and proceeded to wipe his blade clean.

Something was bothering Nick. Well, many things. But there was one in particular he couldn’t shake off right now. Raven had mentioned the Fires. And Nick couldn’t stop thinking about Shay now. What if Shay got sent to the Fires? Nick had promised to himself to get Shay out of there, but what if it was too late? Or what if it would be too late soon?

“Even if those three don’t torture Shay,” Nick said, “Liv and Lance are still—”

“Stop worrying about Shay, Nicholas.” Raven’s boots left heavy prints in the snow as he turned to look at him. He was still wiping his blade. His palms seemed to have stopped bleeding. “He can take care of himself.”

Nick felt a pang. Why wouldn’t anyone listen? Shay had been in pretty bad shape when Nick had left him behind.

Raven added, “Besides, I’ve been thinking. The leader of the Angels put him there. She must’ve had her reasons.” His argument sounded pretty final. He looked up at Nick. “Don’t you have more important things to worry about? You brought Cyan back like I asked you. I don’t know how you did it, and the consequences are,” Raven looked over his shoulder at the tower’s wreckage, “annoying. But no matter. A deal’s a deal. And I’m eternally grateful for Koda being in human form, of course. It was getting rather silly.”

Koda glanced down, looking sheepish.

“I’ll make you a Dark Angel,” Raven announced, and Nick’s heart leaped. “Malachy was able to perform human possession while being a DA,” said Raven. “I don’t see why you couldn’t. It’s worth a shot, anyway.”

Nick swallowed. “Yeah.”

Whatever had been troubling Cyan, he snapped out of it.

“You can’t make him a DA. He hasn’t even been a Reaper yet. He hasn’t even been back on Earth.”

“Shut up, Cy,” Nick hissed. This was his chance.

Raven raked a hand through his black hair. “I’ll do it anyway. This is what he wants, and he’s been really aggravating about it, too.”

Nick’s heart was beating ridiculously fast. It was quite a paradox to feel this alive when he was supposed to be dead. If Raven could make him powerful enough to get his body back, then everything would be okay again—or at least Nick could hope it would be. And hope was everything.

Raven brandished his white sword. The emerald in the hilt shimmered in the darkness.

“Turn around,” Raven demanded.

Despite his desire to become more powerful, Nick hesitated to obey. His gaze lingered on the short white sword. He failed to see how being struck by such a blade would help in any way.

Cyan stepped between them then.

“Raven.” Cyan lashed out. And for a moment Nick was irritated, thinking that Cyan wanted to stop Raven from making him a Dark Angel again. But Cyan said, “What the Hell do you think you’re doing with that sword? Are you trying to kill him? Heaven’s sake, Raven. This is not like you.”

Upon hearing this, Raven stepped back, like he was losing his balance. But he gathered himself, and slid his blade back inside his blazer.

“I’m sorry about that,” said Raven.

Then, he took out a different one. A gothic silver and red dagger with inscriptions and Celtic symbols carved along the blade.

Jun arched an eyebrow at this. “How many daggers do you keep in there?”

Raven ignored her. His dark blue gaze flicked to Nick again.

“Turn around. And take off your shirt.”

He nodded, shrugged off his shirt and tossed it to the ground with his sword. But before Nick turned around, he saw that this new dagger was starting to glow red. Nick’s eyes widened as flames slowly started to take form and lick the blade as Raven held it up.

“Guys,” Nick said, “I think I actually liked the other sword better.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cyan retorted, “he almost used the wrong blade on you. This is the proper one.” That said, Cyan stepped away to give them some space.

“Raven hasn’t slept in a while,” Jun explained.

Not exactly reassuring.

Cyan, Jun and Koda were standing in a sort of circle around them. Everything was silent. The wind was feeble. The water flanking the path was so still that it looked as if it had turned to ice. And beyond, the fire had died completely. Only remnants of smoke curled up from the ashes. What was left of the tower was reduced to a large pile of junk littering the snow.

Raven’s eyes gleamed red as his dagger was alit with a dark fire.

“I won’t ask a third time. It’s now or never, Nicholas. Do you want this or not?”

Nick started to turn around, but he asked one last question. “Will this really make me more powerful?”

For a second no one answered. Then Jun sighed, her hands at her hips.

“Yes,” she said. “Teleportation will be faster. Your movements more fluid. It’ll be easier to appear in the human world, for longer periods of time—though I suppose you’ve not tried that yet, so you won’t be able to tell the difference. Still, those are all skills you’ll desperately need if you ever want to defeat Malachy…” She sounded unsure, though.

Unsure, Nick thought, that I’ll ever be able to defeat Malachy, even with Dark Angel powers.

Raven didn’t look like he was going to wait much longer. So Nick took a leap of faith, and turned his back on him. He clenched his fists, and squeezed his eyes shut. At this point, he was no stranger to pain, but it was even worst when he expected it and waited to be slashed with some fiery—

“What color do you want your wings?” Raven asked.

Nick’s eyes snapped open.

“He’s joking, right?”

Cyan answered that. “Actually, no. He is not.”

“You think I care about that?” Nick let out a shaky breath. “I just want my human life back. I’m not planning on being a Dark Angel very long.”

“What color, Nick.” Raven insisted.

“I already told you. I don’t care. Surprise me. Whatever.”

“Very well.”

Raven got ready. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Nick braced himself once more. He was so tense he thought his body would shatter in pieces like an ice sculpture when Raven brought down his blade.

Instead he felt a sharp stinging sensation across his back as Raven’s dagger slashed deep into his skin, twice. Nick heard a blood curdling scream before realizing it was him doing the screaming. He fell to his knees, breathing hard. His back was on fire; Nick was afraid to ask his friends if his back was literally on fire, but it sure as Hell felt like it.

There was a tingling sensation where the skin had been split open, so intense that it was painful, and Nick nearly passed out. He forced his eyes open, his hands fisting the snow. It wasn’t even cold. Weird.

If the snow had been cold, Nick might have considered rolling around in it to ease the pain. Tough luck.

“Well,” Raven said, “not that I wouldn’t enjoy staying and admiring the ruins of my fallen tower with you gentlemen, but, I wouldn’t.”

Nick looked over his shoulder. Raven’s dagger wasn’t on fire anymore, or glowing red. It was back to a dull metallic color and Raven was using yet another handkerchief to wipe it clean. Nick could also confirm to himself that his back wasn’t, in fact, on fire. Which was good. But his skin still felt raw and aflame with a searing pain. Nick’s arms were trembling.

“Besides,” Raven continued, “I’ve got a meeting.”

“You’ve always got a bloody meeting,” said Cyan. He made to help Nick to his feet, but Nick waved him off.

It hurt too much. Nick was perfectly fine on the ground, for now. Unmoving. If you didn’t count the uncontrollable trembling; Nick shuddered violently as he felt warm blood trickle from his back. Dark red drops licked his sides before splattering the white path.

“Is that it?” Nick choked out. “All you did was cut me open.”

“This dagger linked us.” As he spoke, Raven slid the red dagger back inside his blazer. “However brief it touched you and I both at the same time, it did what it had to do. You were marked by my fire.”

Nick wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was in too much pain to think clearly.

Raven started to teleport. The air around him thickened, turned to smoke.

“Jun, Koda, are you coming?” Raven asked, his tone urgent.

Nick couldn’t see much. He grabbed handfuls of that weird, powdery snow that didn’t feel cold and didn’t melt. He fisted it like it was the only thing he could hold onto. The pain was rippling through him, like dark waves starting from the slashes in his back and engulfing everything else in their wake. It hurt so much that Nick suddenly had the gut-wrenching feeling that he would never be okay again, never heal from this. It seemed impossible.

He fought to remain conscious.

“We’ll be right behind you,” he heard Jun say.

Raven disappeared. Their group fell quiet for a moment. Nick’s labored breathing seemed to be the only sound, his blood on the path the only splash of color amidst this landscape of snowy grounds and black rivers.

Koda’s voice was hesitant as it broke the silence. “Is he going to be okay?”

“I’m fine,” Nick breathed without looking at them. Then he clenched his jaw to bite back a pained groan. He was trembling so much. He was too cold and too hot at the same time.

“Cyan will take care of him.” Jun sounded like she was trying to reassure Koda and herself at the same time. “Let’s go to Raven’s office. We should really find you some shoes.”

Nick could see Koda’s bare feet from the corner of his eye, and he tried to laugh, but it came out sounding more like a cough.

“You guys take care, all right?” Nick told them.

He could see that Jun was stepping closer to Koda. They were getting ready to teleport as well.

But Cyan held them back. “Wait. Raven was acting weird just now. What’s going on?”

Nick didn’t turn to look at them. He was paralyzed by the stinging, overwhelming tingle spreading across his back. But he forced himself to listen, because he was curious.

“I don’t care if he’s the bloody leader of Hell now,” Cyan was saying, “he’s still my friend. Don’t you think I have a right to know what’s going on with him?”

Jun’s answer was sharp. “I’m his partner. I have to go. There are a lot of things to take care of.”

“Yes, Jun, thank you,” Cyan said, “I know he chose you as his partner, and not me. You’re not obligated to keep reminding me all the bloody time.”

“I’ve got to go.”

“Jun, please.”

Nick’s ears pricked as Jun seemed to hesitate.

“The meeting he’s in right now,” she said, “it’s with Rebecca.”

There was a pause. Then: “Oh.”

Cyan said nothing else.

Jun and Koda teleported, shadows and darkness enveloping them slowly. A cold breeze swept the air and Nick shivered and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was alone with Cyan.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, mate.”

Cyan put one knee down next to him. Nick looked up into pale blue eyes. They looked tired, and concerned. Long tangled hair spilled over Cyan’s bare shoulder.

“Who the Hell is Rebecca?” Nick asked in a strangled voice.

Cyan frowned. “How are you not passed out right now?”

Nick felt a spasm of pain rip through him. “I don’t know. Who’s Rebecca?”

Cyan looked down. “Only the… the one person Raven has yearned to meet his entire existence…”

But Nick couldn’t pay attention anymore. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were closed, or if too many spots of black flecked his vision. The pain had become too intense to be ignored, like someone was drilling holes through his back. Nick let out a strangled cry as he collapsed to the ground, sinking into the puddle of his own blood.

“Whatever. H-Help me get to the real world.” Nick’s thoughts were all confused. “Let’s find Sasha… Let’s—”

A burning sensation spread from his back and across his entire body, and Nick couldn’t see anything but black. His senses were going numb.

He was only aware of Cyan holding his shoulder.

“It’s going to be all right, mate. You just need to rest. It’s okay,” Cyan insisted, “you can sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

That was the last thing Nick heard before a blissful numbness took over his body and washed away the pain, and everything faded to nothingness.