Dakar head swiveled, shocked. The teenager balanced on crutches beside Khyan.
Dakar growled, “You fuckers been hiding out in the bushes? Just watching?”
“The little midget put some sort of freeze spell on me. He wouldn’t let me help,” said Khyan. “I won’t forget this, Cy. If I lose them again when I know I could’ve prevented this and possibly killed that fucking daemon, I’ll kill you.”
Cy said, “Don’t expect Dr. Kira to show up. I’m pretty sure Ashor won’t let her leave his sight for a while. They’re back in New Orleans.”
“Why would you let this happen?” Dakar narrowed his gaze at Cy, furious at his apparent laissez-faire.
Cy addressed Shay. “You’re up, Shay. Only you can break this curse, and now is your chance. I think Djoser expects you to die, which is good. That is—”
Khyan fisted Cy’s shirtfront and pulled him close. “What the hell is
good
about that? Any of this?”
“Dying is what Djoser wants on some deep level. That means right now is their best bet to end this curse. Shay, did Dakar tell you my theory?”
“What theory?”
Cy pushed at Khyan’s grip. “Let. Go. You want me to help them or you willing to watch them die right now?”
Shay coughed.
“Let him go,” Dakar ordered.
Khyan released. “You better know what the hell you’re doing or—”
Cy rushed to say, “I know, I know. This backfires and you’ll kill me. Like I haven’t heard that before.” He rolled his eyes heavenward and then spoke to Shay. “I think Djoser said the words to release you from the curse, but didn’t mean them. Apep will only lift this curse when Djoser feels that his revenge has been doled out. Based on his little good-bye salute, we can only hope he thinks vengeance is complete. But even if Apep releases you both, Dakar complicated your curse by soul-locking him. That, unfortunately, I think has to be undone by a god.
“Now it is up to you, Shay. You must pray to a god…do a death prayer-wish, but pray wisely. You may remember some aspects of living in ancient times, but you were not particularly scholarly. In this life you’ve studied the gods extensively. I trust you to know what to do, to whom you should pray, to—”
“What am I supposed to do?” Shay sucked inward, struggling for air. Then she wheezed out, “Quit being cryptic. What are you talking about? I was barely able to find out about magi in my research.”
Frustration pounded in her brain. What would she ask of the gods? What did she want most? She wanted this curse to be over. For the pain to stop. And for both of them to finally die and be at peace, not get reincarn-ed to start this over again. That meant asking…she nodded at Cy.
She entreated Osiris in a silent prayer.
Osiris, the benevolent, upon my dying breath I ask that you please allow both Dakar and myself to pass into your realm.
She screwed her eyes closed and pleaded,
Please. Let us be granted final peace and end this curse. If you refuse me entry because I have hurt him so many times, then please, take him.
A flash of eye-numbing light surrounded them.
“What did you do?” Dakar asked softly.
“I entreated a god.”
“Which one?” Khyan asked, his fear evident as he scanned the area.
“Osiris.”
“Oh, shit.” Khyan hit the ground, kneeling.
Cy executed an awkward kneel-sit. Both had gazes directed at the dirty asphalt. Dakar didn’t release her but bowed his head.
A tall humanoid being wearing a long white robe adorned with a gold
wesekh
around his neck slowly turned toward them. A blue and white pointy headdress that had to be half a foot high hid his hair. Gold eyes settled on her. “Your entry unto my land is denied. At this time.”
Shay wanted to let loose a loud
why not!
but the rational part of her brain pointed out Osiris didn’t need to do a personal visit to say that. He could’ve just ignored her request. The god sent her a condescending grin. Oh my. He could probably read her thoughts.
Osiris’s voice was smooth and calming, but not reassuring. “You cannot enter until you have lived your purpose.”
Dakar’s head shot up.
Osiris spoke to him. “Until you have served this realm to your full capacity. You did not deserve penance in the Middle Realm, Dakarai. Ma’at was wrong to send you there. But did you not notice when in that land of forsaken souls that you alone of all the creatures relegated there could stand upon the road that leads to my kingdom? You could have traveled its path and knocked at my doors.”
“Would you have granted me entry?”
“We shall never know.” He waved a hand over Shay. All her pain disappeared.
She pulled up her shirt to discover the wounds were healed.
“Now go and prove to me why granting you both life was a wise judgment.” His interest turned. “Cyrus. You did well.”
“Thank you. I hoped she would call upon you…that you would answer.” He paused and added, “It has been a long time.”
A tragic sadness projected from the being. “I am sorry for the pain inflicted upon you in this life in your mortal form. So young. Too young for such…trial.”
Cy lunged forward and hugged him. The god enveloped him.
Shay stared, shocked. A side glance found both Dakar and Khyan could catch flies with the low level to which their jaws dropped. All head bowing was long forgotten.
Cy released and hopped away, catching himself on his crutches before he fell. He whispered, “Did you cause the train crash?”
“My anger may have gotten the better of me over your guardians. All that have hurt you will be punished.”
“All those other people on the train died because of me?”
“Each was granted entry unto my world and no longer suffers. Many will enter new lives soon. Except the two designated the responsibility of your care. They are in the Middle Realm and might be allowed into a higher level of purgatory in a few years.”
“And you opened the channel to my
senariai
. Can you make me age faster? Being stuck in this—” He waved at himself. “—and with memory…is frustrating.”
“You must progress a normal life. Even if I could make you age, she would not.”
“But someone hurts her.”
“Everyone is forced to endure challenges. Do not forget you cannot be initiated until you find your totem.”
“Oh, right. Any hints on its whereabouts?”
Osiris waved at Shay. “I have provided you with the only human in this time capable of offering you that aid.”
“Me?” Shay squeaked out.
“Thank you,” Cy said cordially with bowed head.
Osiris disappeared.
Cy met the others’ curious stares. “I absolutely refuse to attend grade school in the States. I’ll take online classes or something, but if anyone so much as hints of sending me to a local school, I’ll kill ’em.”
Khyan laughed. “Had not even considered that. Well, now we’ll never know if Osiris helped you two for Cy or because of that destiny crap he spewed.”
“What was that?” Shay asked. “How are you on a hugging basis with the god Osiris?”
Cy smiled. “He’s my dad. Bit of a hands-on kind of father when I was in my first life. He taught me many spells. But I haven’t seen him in a very long time. So, what do you know about my totem?”
Excitement blossomed in her chest. Her hunt wasn’t over. “Was it a ring?”
Cy nodded. “Do you know where it is?”
“I was close. Need more time. A few months or a year, maybe. And, please, don’t discount education. You might like college.”
“Is it truly over this time, Cy?” asked Dakar.
Cy muttered a spell. His hand hovered above Dakar for a few moments. “Yes. I detect no residual dark magik. I think it’s done.”
Dakar lifted Shay’s hand and kissed the top, his expression serious.
She said softly, “You think we really have longer than two weeks this time?”
“We will see.”
“You’re right. We will see. We need to—”
Khyan interrupted while scrolling on his smart phone. “Ashor ordered us to deal with a daemon in Canada.” He looked up. “Well, Dakar and myself. I guess you two get to come along for the ride.”
Cy snorted. “But stay in the car. Right?”
“Hell, yes,” Khyan declared.
“We’re not going until we retrieve my cat,” Shay announced.
****
Seven hours later, Shay shifted in the front seat of a rented SUV. Her leg popped up-and-down with restless energy while she stared through the early post-dawn glow at the closed cathedral door in Nova Scotia. Dakar and Khyan had disappeared minutes ago into the church. She estimated the cathedral’s stonework to be circa late 1800s, but the spectacular stained glass much newer.
“I want to watch,” she announced.
“Don’t you dare,” Cy declared. “You stay here. Dakar will have a bloody heart attack. You already being this close to a daemon again made him practically apoplectic.”
“You think you can stop me?” She opened the back door and glanced to her side.
“Please, Shay. If you distract them or that thing comes after you…you can die now. For real. And he’ll die.”
“But I’ve got a
bochnori.
So, if I die I’ll remember. I’ve lived under a death threat for a long time, and you know what I’ve decided?”
“Oh boy,” Cy groaned.
“Life is for living. And I want to see him. In there. In action.”
“Just promise me not to do anything crazy like I heard you did before that landed you in the hospital.”
“Will you promise to take care of Tasure, if something happens to me?”
“That little furrball hissed at me when I tried to pet him on the plane. I don’t think he likes me.”
“He doesn’t like anyone. Barely tolerates me.”
“Fine. I’ll feed him and…whatever.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and hopped out of the car, running for the front door.
Of course, it was locked. She slid around to a side door that had a much simpler lock, and plucked the barrette from her hair. Within a minute, she had its metal contorted and unlocked the door. Piece of cake.
She slipped into the narthex and hugged her arms against the chilly draft. The overpowering smell of human sewage induced an instant gag. She held a hand against her mouth and swallowed hard.
With a peek around the corner, she watched Dakar stride after Khyan saying, “I absolutely refuse to do blind-rabbit. Why can’t we just do one the normal way and be done with it? I’ve got much better things to do than linger on this.”
“Got a boner that needs attending?”
“You bet your ass I do and a beautiful redhead waiting for me. So, let’s get this done fast.”
“What’s the fun in that?”
She tripped on something soft, but caught herself before she fell. Khyan’s jacket and tactical vest lay discarded at her feet. At the moment, Khyan looked to be stripping his T-shirt…and tying it on his head?
Khyan threw Dakar his blade. “I’ll do it bare handed and you do the blade work.”
“No.” Dakar tossed Khyan’s blade back.
Khyan shrugged and dropped the beautiful metalwork onto the floor. He yelled, “Helloooo! Where are you?” He twirled and laughed a haunting, straight-up psychotic laugh.
Dakar unleashed a string of curses and whirled when the daemon took form immediately behind him. Her heart lodged in her throat when Dakar dodged the talons intent on his neck. One struck his shoulder, ripping through leather and cloth.
Oh gods, don’t die,
she thought.
Dakar launched a bushwhacker knife into the daemon’s right eye, skewering the beast to a wood column. It howled and clawed at the knife.
Dakar spun to pin her with wide-eyed fury.
Get out of here. Please.
Khyan picked at his nails as if bored out of his skull, and calmly said, “That was pitiful. Now you need to blind its other eye.” He glanced up to see why Dakar wasn’t moving. “Oh hey, Shay. I thought you might tag along.”
Dakar stalked to Khyan and planted a right fist nose-crunch that knocked Khyan onto his ass. “I am fed up with this bullshit. I refuse to watch you try to kill yourself like this until your
senariai
reappears. You want to play these games, then you better find a different fight partner. Clothe yourself and leave. I am done with your immaturity.”
Khyan dissolved into a fit of laughter and rolled on the floor.
The daemon dislodged the knife from its eye socket with a wet slurp. Dakar flicked on a butane lighter and fanned flames to consume the daemon. The daemon ran at him like a baked Alaska with legs. He remained still until the daemon was within a few feet, and then dropped to a kneel. The daemon tripped over him, unable to halt its momentum, and landed on its side. Dakar rammed his scimitar into the flaming creature, mid-chest.
The daemon twisted its legs around Dakar, knocking him to the ground, and trapped him. He ducked its talons and wriggled to get free, managing to free one hand. He stabbed its leg, which did little more than make it madder. A nail swiped his cheek.
Khyan calmly yanked the blade from the daemon’s chest and sliced its neck. It dissolved into a mist and disappeared. “That was not blinded rabbit.”
Dakar sat up and examined his shoulder, which gushed red. “I call that baked bunny.” He cracked a smile and shook his head. “I hate you.”
“You’re welcome. I couldn’t let the bastard rip off your head in front of Shay.”
“I had it under control.”
Shay stared, horrified by the blood covering Dakar. And dripping onto the floor. He was going to die right now, right in front of her, and she hadn’t gotten a chance to tell him she forgave him. She understood this proud, courageous, and selfless warrior who would give his last breath for those he loved. He might be stubborn and wrong a lot of the time, especially about leaving her, but he did what he believed best for those he loved.
She marched up to Khyan and slapped him. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you tell you hurt him when you did that? Here I was starting to like you a little bit, but after that idiocy, you just slid backward into the asshole territory.”
Dakar stood, and smiled at Khyan’s shock.
She glided in front of Dakar. “Oh God, baby. Your shoulder. And your face.”
Gruffly Dakar said, “I’ll heal.”
Shay stalked back to Khyan and ripped off the T-shirt tied around his head. She pressed it against Dakar’s cheek, noting the bleeding there had already stopped.