Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Harley Merlin, #6)

“You were awesome out there,” he said, surprising me for the millionth time. Coming from him, I wasn’t sure whether to take it seriously.

I shrugged. “I did what I had to.” In all honesty, I was absolutely freaking ecstatic that I’d not only managed to maintain Volla’s persona, but I’d also successfully handed Kenneth’s ass to him on a silver, watery platter. I wished I could have hurt him a little more, but knocking him flat was the best I could do to punish him for everything he’d done, at least for now. “You weren’t too shabby yourself.”

“Ah, you know, couldn’t let us down.”

“No, really, you handled yourself well, considering… well, you know.” I didn’t want to say too much in front of Tess, in case she overheard us. This woman was definitely the one from Marie Laveau’s garden. I was glad her hands were burned. Serves her right.

A concerning realization hit me: there was no way we wouldn’t end up meeting Katherine at some point. What would I even say to her? I’d have to keep it cool and try my very hardest not to let my hatred show.

Walking in silence behind Tess, I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The settlement was basically a network of orbs in the trees, with all the amenities housed in larger structures shaped more like beehives. Ironic, with her being Queen Bee and all. Smoke billowed out of the beehives, and the heady smell of grilled food filled the air. My stomach rumbled involuntarily, reminding me that it had been a long time since I’d eaten.

I realized Katherine must have designed Eris Island to be a self-sustaining world, with oxygen pumped in from the trees and animals running around. There was fresh water from streams and pools and enough firewood to last for years. If they had to move quickly, there’d be no time to gather supplies from the outside world, and they didn’t need to. It was all here, carefully created by Katherine’s hand. Plus, the interdimensional pocket itself was run from the secret Bestiary that Finch had told me about, giving it the power to move if necessary. With that at her disposal, Katherine didn’t need to worry about anything. She’d covered every possible base.

“So, this is where you’ll find the kitchens and the communal dining area. If you want anything to eat, just come up here and the chefs will make something for you. Mealtimes are more or less set, since we’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, but the chefs don’t mind rustling up an impromptu snack or two. Just don’t ask for a five-course, gourmet experience.” Tess led us toward one of the beehives and opened the door to let us in. Wooden tables were neatly arranged to one side, while a huge kitchen had been set up on the opposite side.

People were sitting at the tables, playing cards and eating cake. Evidently, they’d been excused from battle arena duties. They were dressed in ordinary clothes, not a red robe in sight, and, weirdest of all, they were laughing and chatting, as if they were at some twisted summer camp. They looked up as we entered, a few lifting a hand in greeting. Everywhere I looked, I saw smiling, happy faces.

This wasn’t the institutional, militant vision I’d seen in my head. These were seemingly ordinary people hanging out and enjoying themselves. And why wouldn’t they? They had everything they needed here. A place to live, food in their bellies, like-minded company.

“If you make it through the next two trials, you can make yourselves at home,” Tess said. “We can pretty much do whatever we want, as long as we continue to serve the cult faithfully.”

I frowned at her. “What does ‘whatever we want’ mean?”

She smiled. “Whatever makes you happy. For some, it’s cake. For others, it’s… well, whatever floats their boat, whatever stirs their coffee.” That didn’t exactly make it any clearer, but I sensed it wasn’t all peaches and cream in this place. It couldn’t be.

“Can I grab something before we go?” Finch asked Tess. His eyes were wide as saucers, fixed on the hot buffet.

“Sure, but be quick.”

“You want anything, Volla?” Finch asked, but it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

“Oh… uh, yeah. Whatever you’re having.”

He hurried over and started scooping ladleful after ladleful of unknown food into two boxes, stabbing a wooden fork through each one and running back with a big grin on his face. The food really did smell good, and my mouth was salivating. With that, Tess led us out of the canteen and down another endless stretch of walkways, until we reached a small stone hut at ground level. I guessed we weren’t good enough to warrant one of the fancy orbs. Not yet, anyway.

“This is where you’ll be staying until Naima requests your presence for the second trial,” Tess explained, opening the door. The interior was actually pretty nice, with two freshly made beds and a small seating area around a fireplace.

“Nice. I like it.” Finch set the boxes of food down on the table and made to take his boots off, but Tess stopped him.

“You can leave your food here for now. There’s more I need to show you before you can get settled in.”

He pulled a face. “After what we’ve just been through? Don’t we get a break?”

“Do you want to be one of us or not?” Her tone cut through the room like a machete.

“I was just saying.” He got back up and headed out. I had to try hard not to let my fear get the better of me—his Finch personality was seeping through, and that could spell disaster.

Trudging along, we followed Tess. I had no idea where she was taking us. I just hoped we weren’t in for a nasty, unexpected surprise. I envisioned Naima suddenly launching the second trial at us before we’d even had time to rest. Fighting Kenneth had taken a lot out of me, and trying to keep up this persona was even tougher. The Shapeshifter energy was sapping more of my energy than I’d anticipated, but I had to make sure it didn’t slip. If it did, I’d never get it back, and I’d be stuck on Eris Island as myself, surrounded by the enemy.

“If you succeed in your trials, you’ll enter a world unlike any you’ve experienced before. Not just a world, but a community beyond your imagination,” Tess said as we walked. She sounded like she was advertising a resort vacation. Good old-fashioned brainwashing. “Here, we devote ourselves to Eris—to Katherine.”

“What do you get out of it?” I asked, feeding some Empathy into Tess. I wanted to feel what she was feeling. All I got back was an undercurrent of anxiety and a smattering of suspicion. It seemed as if she was trying to guard her emotions and was doing a pretty good job of it. Usually, when people guarded their emotions, I felt them even more. Not with Tess, though. She was a pro, apparently. I wondered if Katherine taught them how to suppress emotions, or if that just came with being a member of the cult—a blind, emotionless zombie.

“We give ourselves to her because she will forge a new world in which we are the ones to make the rules. She will become a goddess among mortals, and we’ll be the avenging angels at her side.” A smile turned up the corners of her lips. “With Eris, we will all take our rightful place as superior beings. And those who don’t follow will fall with the weak humans who would see us dead. They will discover what it’s like to be powerless. Either you’re for us or against us, and when the time comes, only those on our side will win.”

Someone’s been guzzling the Kool-Aid. Finch and I exchanged a look. Then again, he was probably used to this kind of talk. He’d spent long enough around it. Not too long ago, he’d been the one lapping up the propaganda.

“Sounds good,” I replied.

Finch nodded. “Yeah, world domination is right up our alley.”

Tess gave us a thin smile, and we kept on through the island. It seemed like a good moment to find out more about Electro-girl, since it was just the three of us. There had to be more to her than being a simple cultist, especially given how high she’d risen through the ranks.

“Where are you from, originally?” I asked.

“Atlanta,” she replied.

“Did you like it there?”