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“Unlock me Marisa,” Christian commands as Kieran flails and chokes.
Sprinting toward the table, I grab the rusted object, hoping this key is the one that works. It’s my only hope. My fingers tremble as adrenaline ripples through me. The key slips from my fingers and below the table. Crouching to the ground, I see a tangle of limbs tumbling into the room. Shooting up, I insert the key to one of the locks, it doesn’t budge.
“I’m going to kill you when this is done.” I turn back to Kieran, his eyes flicker to mine. Blood now pooling in his mouth.
Christian’s apparition moves to pin him on the ground. Brothers. Of course they are.
I try the next lock, then locks attached to his feet. It doesn’t work.
“You think I’d allow my greatest accomplishment to escape so freely?” Kieran spits, anger now flashing across his ocean eyes.
My heart sinks, just a fraction.
“I’m a little offended. I still don’t know why you had to bury me at the bottom of your dead body effluent pond.” Snarling, I think of another way to free Christian.
The demons answer my prayers. One I recognize from the night at the fair scrambles over, loping in easy movements. She pulls the tubes from Christian’s chest, causing his projection to fizzle, releasing the hold on Kieran. Anticipating his rush toward me, I skirt around the table and am greeted with a straggle of demons that surge behind me.
They don’t attack me.
“None of you have any idea, do you?” Kieran’s voice is a mere gurgle.
The demon beside me easily breaks through the shackles and releases Christian, but he doesn’t stir.
Intently, I wait for signs of life, for the twitch of a muscle. I know he’s alive. I watch his soul, standing there on the other side of the table beside his brother. One being restrained by the demons he’s created, the other a shell of his past self. Two broken halves of whatever mess their parentage has caused. I press a hand to his chest, covering the new scars, his hand automatically shoots up and grabs ahold of mine. His eyes flutter open, greeting with the familiar warmth of his copper eyes.
“Good investigation, huh partner?” He groans. In the middle of the ruckus, I hadn’t noticed Kieran being restrained by the jagged demon horde.
I couldn’t decipher their motivations for helping me. I want to ask. Their broken bones and cracked mandibles bereft of tongues and teeth tell me otherwise.
One particular demon turns around and stares at me intently.
What do you want us to do with him?
Her voice is clear in my mind.
“I can hear you,” I say.
You’ve always been able to hear and see us.
“I meant I can hear you…here,” I remark, pointing to my head.
A wet sound I can only accept as a laugh gurgles from the flap of muscle below her mouth.
“What are you going to do with him?”
Whatever you want us to do with him.
“Secure him in the Great Room, I’ll think of a suitable punishment. We need to free the bodies in the chambers.”
What if they don’t return to the living?
“The Limina is a place for souls to move on, right? If they don’t wake up, take them with you.”
The gate won’t hold forever, we won’t be able to help, there are far worse than in its depths.
“It’s okay, you’ve done enough. May your soul rest.”
She bows, and I turn to Christian. His eyes are now shut tight, a new crease blooming between his brow.
