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

Katherine on Instagram? There was a strange idea. I couldn’t imagine her posting snaps of her dinner, and hashtagging: #endoftheworld #blessed #cultlife. It made me want to laugh suddenly, but I pushed the giggle down. That was a sure way to get myself blown up.

“I’m thankful you two were there to intervene. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened. Tess’s treachery is not something I can forgive or forget.” She sighed, as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. “I view all the members here as my children. I suffer when one of them suffers. I feel their pain, as any mother would. Every word Tess said was like a barb in my heart. It’s unjust and untrue. All I want is to give these people their fair shot at a majestic life, free from the shackles of banality and human-run power. And yet, I’m spurned for it.”

Geez, you’d be the last on the list to win Mom of the Year.

“I mean to bring them peace and prosperity, but that comes at a price. It comes with blood and sweat and hard work. They would see it handed to them on a silver platter, but I’m not a believer in letting things come to me. I grab what I want by the balls and squeeze until I get it.”

Nice image. I shuddered discreetly, and Finch did too.

“Your job can’t come without its sacrifices, right?” he said, surprising me.

She nodded. “Exactly. I do what I have to do, in order to make this world a better place for my children.”

Don’t rise to it, Finch! I wanted to reach out and grab his hand, to forcibly pull him away from the trap he was edging toward. But if I’d done that, she would’ve known something was up. Instead, I had to sit there as the carrot dangled in front of him.

“What kind of sacrifices?” he pressed.

She shrugged. “All kinds. Sending teams into dangerous scenarios. Getting rid of people who’ve become weak. Severing ties to people who betray me. That sort of thing.”

“Like putting your son on the front line? He’s in Purgatory now, right?”

Oh, Finch…

Katherine sighed, and I could have sworn she’d managed to muster a tear. “Yes, he is, and not a day goes by that I don’t worry about him. He did so much for me, and I can’t get him out. I might take risks, but trying to break into Purgatory is too dangerous, even for me.”

Funny, since you sent Kenneth in there to kill Finch. I held the words in, even though I was dying to scream them in her face. I glanced at Finch, praying he wasn’t stupid enough to listen to her. He knew what she’d done. Surely, she didn’t still have any kind of hold on him?

“Are you going to punish us for being in the library?” I cut in, eager to get this over with.

She shook her head. “You did me a favor. I’ve got no reason to punish you. But, I should warn you, if I find you in there again, I won’t be so lenient. Two strikes are one more than I’m used to giving, though I can make an exception on this occasion.”

“So we’re free to go?” I almost heaved out a sigh of relief.

“You are.”

“Thank you, Eris. We won’t let you down.” I scraped back my chair and made to leave, and Finch followed. He seemed quieter than normal, his expression confused. I needed to get him out of here, pronto, before Katherine could weave any of her motherly magic on him. With us being so close to the finish line, I wasn’t about to take two steps back.

“Pieter?” Katherine’s voice sliced through the room. No… We were almost out of here.

Finch turned. “Yes, Eris?”

“Could you stay behind a moment? I’ve got some tasks for you. With Tess locked up, I need someone to take over her duties, and I can’t trust Kenneth to handle them. Would you mind? I’ll need to run through them with you.” She smiled sweetly, but I knew the devil lurked behind her innocent demeanor.

“Uh… sure.”

“Do you want me to stay and help?” I couldn’t leave here without Finch.

She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. It’s a one-man job, and two would be overkill. You can go.”

“Relax,” Finch whispered. “Just do your thing and I’ll meet you later. Look for the light and you’ll work it out.”

Look for the light? I remembered what he’d said about Lux and the secret entrance to the library, but he said he hadn’t figured it out himself, so how was I supposed to?

I really didn’t want to leave him here, but it wasn’t like I could stomp my feet until she relented. Reluctantly, I stepped out of the room, hearing Katherine’s words as the door closed behind me.

“You have a great future in this cult, for sure.”





Thirty-Five





Harley





The answer to Finch’s riddle hit me as soon I stepped out of the Hexagon and into the bright daylight. A titan loomed over me, crafted in the image of Nyx, the goddess of Darkness. If I was thinking along the right lines, then I had to look for the stone giant that represented Lux.

Keeping my wits about me, I wandered around the outer perimeter of the Hexagon, looking for Lux. I found her, ten minutes later, towering over the rainforest with a torch in one hand and a golden apple in the other. It couldn’t be a coincidence. The entrance to the library’s secret door had to be around here somewhere, if I’d gotten it right. I scoured the surrounding area, but everything was tangled in thick vines and mossy undergrowth. It didn’t look like anyone had come this way in a long time.

Remembering how overgrown the secret doorway into the Hexagon had been, I ventured toward the high wall and yanked at the creepers and vines growing there. Something in the plants irritated my skin, making me itch like nobody’s business. Giving up on the normal way of doing things, I cast a look over my shoulder to make sure nobody was watching and launched a stream of Fire at the vines. They withered within seconds, revealing a hidden door in the wall, which lay in the shadow of Lux.

The rusty lock crumbled away in my hands as I tugged the door half off its hinges and slipped inside. Realizing that someone might see what I’d done, I peered back out and sent up a couple of shrubs with my Earth ability, covering the crooked doorway from any prying eyes. I hurried through the dark tunnel beyond, using a ball of Fire to light my way.

The labyrinth of secret tunnels seemed to go on forever, the walls slick with moisture and changing from claustrophobically narrow to wide and echoey. My footsteps ricocheted all around me, giving the impression that I was being followed. My heart hammered in my chest, getting worse each time I turned around to check, convinced that someone was going to jump out at me. Now and again, I caught the shimmering wisp of some moving creature sliding through the solid walls and drifting across the damp ground behind me.

I whirled around as I felt cold breath on my neck, but nobody was there. In the distance, faint whispers echoed, muffled and unclear. The voices were all around me, and yet nowhere near, all at once.

Okay, this is creepy. I’d like to get off this ghost train now.

I damn near crapped my pants when a face suddenly swept up in front of me, illuminated for a split second by the glow of the fireball. It sputtered out in my terror. That moment in the pitch darkness was the longest moment of my life, my hands shaking violently as I fought to make another fireball. The voices got louder as I struggled, the feeling of cold breath snaking across every part of my skin, setting the fine hairs on end.

Come on, come on, come on. With a burst of light, a new fireball rested in my palms. I’d expected to see a horde of ghoulish faces. Instead, there was nothing but empty tunnel, stretching away into the distance. Steeling myself, I hurried along.

As I rounded a corner, a glowing figure appeared in front of me. I staggered back from the phantom, clutching at my chest, my breath ragged. The spirit paused for a moment, staring at me with hollow eyes. It was hard to make the man out clearly, but he seemed to be wearing an old uniform, his hair swept back in an old fashion, his entire demeanor giving off some serious 1800s vibes.