Dread Nemesis of Mine

chapter 33

I tucked Nightliss back into bed. Kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for all you've done."

She nodded, her eyelids drooping as she tried to speak. Sleep claimed her before she could say another word.

A shout of victory went up from outside. I raced around the cabin and toward the shed as Cinder, covered from head to toe in dirt, emerged from the doorway. A couple of Templars patted him on the back. Cinder smiled awkwardly, and I had to admit his attempt didn't look nearly as frightening as the first time, though one Templar jumped back when he saw it.

"They're through," Elyssa said, taking me to the door and pointing up a long sloping tunnel. Some forty feet in, a patch of daylight slanted in. "Looks like the earth simply swallowed it up centuries ago, so there's no direct access to the surface. Your golem kept digging up at a slant until he found the top."

"Did anyone make sure it's the right place?" I asked.

"Yeah, they sent up a scout. He confirmed it's in the graveyard."

"Awesome! When do we move out?"

"My father is coordinating with Christian on the best way to move in the troops. Either way, it'll take a while to move so many people through in single file."

"We'd better go through first," I said.

Elyssa crossed her arms. "You're not planning on anything rash are you? Maximus might be wounded, but he's far from done."

"No, but I don't want to be stuck waiting behind hundreds of Templars either."

"Hmm. Good point." She winked and walked back toward the cabin, leaving me alone.

Beck Andrews sauntered over from the group of Templars, an amused look on his chiseled face. He looked like a male model, and seemed to dress accordingly, with fashionably tortured jeans and an untucked, button-up shirt. "Dude, where do you find these people?" He jabbed a thumb at Cinder. "You're like a traveling circus."

I felt anger stir inside me at the sight of him, remembering how he'd prematurely led Thomas Borathen to us, after we'd captured Vadaemos Slade, just to get brownie points. Apparently, I hadn't completely forgiven him yet. "That's funny, Beck. You're like a travelling douche yourself."

He laughed. "Aw, c'mon. Don't tell me you still have hard feelings—"

I got in his face so fast, I didn't even remember crossing the distance. My leg throbbed with pulsing cold. "If I had hard feelings, you'd be a puddle of red mush right now." I felt a cruel smile spread across my lips. "Luckily, I'm a forgiving guy."

For once, Beck actually looked a bit scared, wide-eyed and back on his heels. "Crap, dude, I'm sorry, okay?" He took a step back. "I shouldn't have done it, I see that now."

"Oh, really? I wonder how all the Templars who died that day feel about it." The cold anger inside me swelled like an alien presence, choking my heart with thorny vines. "I wonder how Elyssa's dead brother feels about it."

His face went white, and his mouth hung open. "I—I didn't think—"

"That's right, you didn't think."

Beck's eyes flicked to the ground. "Do you know how hard it is to make a name for yourself when your father is a screw-up? How everyone talks about the screw-up's kid behind his back? How nobody gives you a fair shake just because of who your dad is?" He blew out a ragged breath. "My dad didn't get transferred because I kissed Elyssa. I only wish it was that simple. No, you see, Commander Borathen didn't want my dad because he sucked at his job. I just wanted to prove myself to the Commander. To show that I was better than that."

The comment about his father struck me hard, reminded me of the prejudices I'd suffered because of my lineage. I forced down the irrational anger boiling in my chest. Forced myself to ignore the cold ache in my leg. Then I took a deep calming breath. "And you thought hogging the glory would do that."

"Yeah, I did." His shoulders sagged. "But you're right. Because I called the Commander, all those Templars died. Jack died." He looked me in the eye, his face screwed up in pain. "I'm responsible for their deaths."

Now, I was the one who felt bad. Beck was no more to blame for those deaths than I was, but I'd wanted to hurt him. Mission successful, jackass. "Look, Beck, you're a special kind of a*shole, but even I don't really blame you for those deaths. Daelissa freed Vadaemos. If it hadn't been for the extra Templars Thomas brought along, the rest of us might not have survived the hellhound attacks that followed." I shrugged. "In a way, you might have saved the rest of us."

His gaze seemed to focus on something in his mind before he looked back at me. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yeah. Much as I hate to admit it, I do. Just don't let it go to your head, okay? It's already big enough."

A wistful smile crept over his lips. "I'll try."

Elyssa called my name. I looked at her over my shoulder and turned back to Beck. "Well, I gotta go get ready. Are you going to Atlanta?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I've got to do cleanup here." He held out a hand. "Good luck."

I resisted the urge to say something snarky, and gave his hand a firm shake. "Just try not to be a douche in the future, okay?"

He laughed. "I'll do my best."

I turned, and Elyssa motioned me to the cabin. It was time to get ready.

Bella, Adam, Meghan, and Katie were ready in ten minutes. Elyssa and I grabbed our bags and met them while Thomas and Christian lined up the troops.

Thomas grabbed my arm and took me aside before we went through the door. "The Arcanes at The Ranch added an extra charm to our Nightingale armor that should keep Maximus's cursed bullets from penetrating."

"Really? That's great news," I said.

"Except it'll take a week to upgrade all the armor." Thomas glanced back at the milling troops. "I've authorized you and Elyssa for the upgrade."

"What about the rest of my team?"

His jaw tightened for an instant. "Your team?" He seemed to struggle internally for a moment before continuing. "I know my orders have never stopped you before. I expect you'll continue to leap before looking no matter what I say." His expression softened. "Mr. Slade, I would appreciate it as a father if you thought twice before taking my daughter in harm's way."

My mouth went slack at his sudden change in tone. "Sir, I can assure you there is nothing on this earth I value more than Elyssa. You think I'm hard to control? Elyssa makes me look like a puppy on a leash."

A smile broke through his grim façade. "That's one thing we can agree on." He pulled out a phone and tapped in a message. "I've authorized your…team for upgrades. Good luck." He turned and went back to Christian, talking to him as if our conversation had never taken place.

I rejoined Elyssa at the door.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Uh, you know. He wished us good luck and all that jazz." I hurried through the door.

Elyssa tugged on my arm. "How about you tell me what he really said before I jerk your arm out of the socket?"

I looked up the ramp where the rest of our group was already exiting and sighed. "He told me the Arcanes figured out how to block the cursed bullets and are upgrading the Nightingale armor. He wants me to make sure we all grab a set before embarking on anything crazy."

"Figures," she said, her lips curving into a pleased smile. "Overprotective to the core."

"And you're eating it up."

She pinched her brow. "After years of him treating me like nothing more than a tool to be honed and shaped for the Templars? Hell yeah. It's about time he started treating me like a daughter."

I squeezed her hand and walked up the ramp toward daylight. "All my life I thought I had the perfect family." My heart sagged. "And in the space of a month, the fantasy shattered. My mom left me to be with Ivy and her family. My dad is marrying a succubus. My sister thinks I'm evil." I forced a smile and looked at Elyssa. "Your family was never close. Your dad sounds like he's always been the commander in chief of the family while the rest of you were trained like monkeys. But now you have a chance. Maybe you'll get the great family after all."

Elyssa stopped and pressed a hand to my cheek. "Oh, Justin, I'm sorry. Even if my family hasn't always been the greatest, I grew up with great brothers." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Jack and Michael were always there for me when my parents weren't." She opened her eyes, wiped a tear away. "We have each other now. We have our own future to make."

I kissed her softly on the lips and smiled. "I know, babe. I just wish—I wish we could have it all. Great families. Huge gatherings for the holidays. No insane angels threatening to invade the world."

She laughed. "One step at a time, honey boo-bear." She pecked me on the nose and we resumed our climb into the light.

We emerged in an area devoid of graves. I looked around the area and spotted Jack's grave in the distance. The large Conroy headstone loomed not far behind it. This insane roller coaster ride had started here. My sister had contacted me here. Deep down, a question still burned in my guts.

Had Ivy been the one to lie about Maximus kidnapping her? Had she sent me into Maximus's ambush?

Another figure emerged from the tunnel. Cinder, still filthy, approached. "I hope it is okay for me to come with you, Justin."

I nodded. "Until the bitter end, buddy."

He tilted his head. "Buddy? Does this mean you consider me a friend?"

A wince almost crossed my face before I stiffened my expression. This man—this thing was a golem. It wasn't even alive. And here I was acting like it was just one of the gang. It wasn't a friend. It wasn't an enemy. It was just a construct of metal and fake flesh, nothing more.

Katie stepped forward and took Cinder's hand. "You're my friend. You kept me safe after we busted out of Maximus's place. You dug that tunnel all the way from one end of the planet to the other so we could get here."

Bella took his other hand. "You were created a slave to serve the purpose of an evil master. Somehow, you've thrown off those chains and taken control of your own destiny, Cinder. You may also call me friend."

They were right. I knew it. More importantly, I felt it. This being had no choice in his creation, no choice in who or what he was. What mattered was what he did now, and as far as I was concerned, he was doing the right thing. I patted him on the shoulder, and nodded. "Yes, Cinder. You're my friend."

Elyssa raised an eyebrow, but apparently wasn't quite ready to give the golem a friendship bracelet just yet.

Cinder nodded solemnly, though he probably didn't know any other way to nod. "I am grateful for the friendship you have entrusted me with, Katie, Bella, and Justin. If it is within my abilities, I will not let you down."

Templars began emerging from the tunnel in single file. People at a nearby funeral looked our way, confusion plain on their faces as more and more figures poured from the tunnel.

We made our way to the cemetery exit where a convoy of Templar vehicles waited. I surveyed the nearby streets and buildings, body tensed in anticipation of a fireball and a horde of vampires. Even when nothing happened, I didn't relax until the driver pulled onto the road and headed out. The others looked tense as well, crowded as we were into the back of a large SUV.

"Well, I guess Daelissa doesn't know about our new mode of transport," Bella said, offering a smile.

"My father asked us to hand over the key and the map," Elyssa said.

Alarmed looks met her statement.

"Obviously, I told him no."

"And he didn't argue?" I asked, surprised.

"Oh, he argued, alright. But I told him Nightliss made it clear Justin was supposed to use them."

My forehead went tight. "She didn't say that."

Elyssa grinned. "I know that. But he doesn't."

"Elyssa," Bella said in a scolding tone. "Lying to your father is not nice."

"Oh, give me a break," Elyssa said, rolling her eyes. "After all he's done to me, he deserved it."

Bella's eyes twinkled. "I have the feeling this is just the beginning of your revenge on that poor man."

I checked my phone. It was three in the afternoon the week before Christmas. I could hardly believe how little it felt like the holidays to me. Everyone else would be doing last-minute shopping and preparing to put on the ugliest sweater in their wardrobe for a special visit to a relative. I wondered if the Conroys or the Slades celebrated Christmas. It was almost laughable to think of demon spawn or my evil grandparents putting up a tree and festive lights in their yards.

I chuckled as another thought occurred to me.

"What is it?" Elyssa asked, nudging me in the ribs.

"Every time this year, me, Harry, and Mark used to get together for a huge sci-fi marathon. We'd drink tons of hot chocolate and eat obscene amounts of candy."

Elyssa's mouth twisted sideways. "Do I even want to know what you watched?"

"Now that I think about it, all that make-believe stuff on T.V. seems pretty normal compared to my reality."

She laughed.

I shook my head. "It was so stupid, in retrospect, but I guess I kinda miss it."

"You miss your nerd friends, and running around with a foam sword?" Elyssa said, a smirk still on her face.

I nodded. "Remember the time you joined us and kicked ass?"

"You were into LARPing?" Adam said from behind.

"What in the world is a LARP?" Meghan asked.

Now they were into my area of expertise. "Live action role playing." I turned my head to face them. "We dressed up like fantasy creatures and beat the crap out of each other with foam swords and shields."

Adam nodded. "I used to LARP myself, back before my parents…" He looked out the window. "It was fun just being a kid. Not a care in the world."

My childhood was so far back in the rear-view mirror, it wasn't even funny.

The SUV pulled up a long driveway and stopped at The Ranch. I stepped outside and looked at the horses grazing in the pastures nearby. I briefly wondered if they bred unicorns here, too. Of course, it was all a cover to give the Templars a base of operations in a sprawling metropolis. My childhood home wasn't far from here—or at least what was left of it. Since the day hellhounds had chased me from it, I hadn't returned to see.

Katie tugged on my arm when we got out. "Justin, will you do me a huge favor and contact Ash and Nyte?"

I grimaced at the thought of my Goth friends. Besides Elyssa, they'd been the only other people at high school who'd taken me in after all my troubles had started. Katie had been one of those troubles. I'd crushed so hard on her I'd lost sight of everything else, and managed to alienate my friends and everyone else in school to the point where nobody else would have anything to do with me, not even Andy Dudowitz. Nathan Spelman and his gang of bullies had made things worse, once shoving Ash down a row of bleachers.

Now they needed me, and I hadn't done a thing to help. They had no idea what they were getting into with Maximus.

"Yeah, I'll call them right now," I said.

Nyte answered on the first ring. "Justin, oh my god, dude, where have you been?"

"Uh, travelling a lot."

Nyte chuckled. "You're never going to believe what Ash and I have been up to. Where we've been, man."

Another voice came on the phone. "Justin, it's Ash! We thought you were dead after that bus plowed into you, but the cops never found a body or anything. Are you okay?"

I smiled at hearing their voices, feeling a flood of relief. "I'm fine. In fact, I'm with Elyssa right now." I tried to think of a way to gauge their knowledge, though, from what Katie had said, they probably knew all about the Overworld. "Why don't we grab a bite to eat tonight?" I knew for a fact I wasn't ready to ram through Maximus's front door just yet. Besides, if Ash and Nyte really were considering joining him, maybe they'd have valuable intel. I could fill them in on how big a douche Maximus was and maybe come up with a plan of attack all at the same time.

"Definitely," Ash said. "We have a huge surprise for you."

A wave of dread filled me at the prospect.

We arranged to meet at a pizza place near my old house and ended the call.

"Thanks, Justin," Katie said. "Is it okay if I come, too?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

We swung by the armory and grabbed the upgraded Nightingale armor and supplies before heading into the main house. Elyssa had someone give Cinder his own private room and a new set of clothes, along with the stern order to shower.

"We'll be back later," Adam said as he and Meghan went outside to a waiting car, the tailpipe steaming in the cold air. "I just want to take a nap in my own bed."

The rest of us grabbed seats in the kitchen while I made hot chocolate.

"I do so love this time of year in this part of the world," Bella said. "The weather just doesn't feel right in the south for Christmas."

Harry Shelton walked through the kitchen door, wearing his standard leather duster, jeans, and cowboy boots.

"Harry!" Bella said, meeting him halfway with a hug, and a kiss to both cheeks. "It is good to see you again, dear."

Shelton's face flushed bright red. "Yeah, yeah, darlin'. Good to see you, too."

She laughed. "Don't be embarrassed."

"I'm not—" he huffed out a breath. "Oh, whatever." He walked over to the counter. "You got any coffee brewing?"

I gave him an exasperated look. "Good to see you, too, Shelton."

"Glad you made it out of there alive, kiddo."

"I'm glad you made it out alive," I said, resisting the urge to pelt him with questions.

Shelton grabbed a mug and sniffed at the dark liquid in the decanter on the industrial coffee machine. Shrugged and poured a cup.

"It's fresh," Elyssa said.

He took a sip and grimaced. "Weak." He sat on a stool and looked at us, his eyes settling on Katie. "What's she doing here?"

"Polite as the last time we met," Katie said, crossing her arms and staring him down. "If you can't afford etiquette school, I'd be willing to work two jobs to support you."

Shelton laughed. "You're not the scared little girl I remember."

"She helped rescue me from Maximus," I said. "I think we've all done some growing up in the past few days."

"Amen to that," Elyssa said, before taking a sip of hot chocolate. "You can add my father to that list."

"Sounds like I've missed out on a lot," Shelton said.

"You have no idea." Bella grabbed her own mug. "I emailed you a couple of times to fill you in, but I think I did something wrong."

"Heaven help this poor woman with technology," Shelton said, a grin spreading on his face. "You typed everything in all caps for one thing. And your email ended in the middle of a sentence."

"Yes, I somehow deleted part of the email and couldn't figure out how to get it back, so I sent it to you, hoping the program would recover my missing text." Bella shrugged. "I suppose it didn't work as I'd hoped."

I took in the perplexed look on the petite Arcane's face and burst into laughter. It didn't take long for the others to join in. After the laughter died down, we took turns giving Shelton the detailed story. By the time we finished, it was almost six and all the hot chocolate was gone. Shelton, I noticed, didn't say a word about his abrupt departure, or what problems he'd encountered during his brief stint in Colombia.

"We need to get ready if we're meeting Nyte and Ash," Elyssa said.

Shelton stood. "I'm headed back to my place. I say we meet there to plan the next move."

"I'll go with you, Harry," Bella said. "Assuming you haven't kicked me out of the guest bedroom."

"Nah, sweetheart, the bed's still unmade and your underwear is still all over the floor where you left it."

Her face went scarlet. "I—but I picked up all my underwear before I left!"

He laughed. "Oh man, you are too easy."

She slapped him on the shoulder. "You are so mean sometimes."

I looked at the two of them, thinking back to Bella's questions about Shelton. Did she really like him? Bella really was a sweetheart, at least as far as I knew, but she'd need some heavy duty magic to make Shelton behave.

Shelton's face grew serious as he looked back at me. "You've made some impressive gains in the magic department. A few tweaks, and you'll be casting spells like a pro." He stood back and gauged me. "What do you think, Bella, six and a half feet?"

Bella looked me up and down. "I think it would be perfect."

"What would?" I asked, confused.

Shelton clapped me on the shoulder. "I think it's time we got you a staff. You're ready for the big leagues now."