Flawless//Broken (17 page)

The shaking stops. I start to fall in slow-motion, cradled by the invisible hand. When my feet touch the ground, I see my savior - a guy who looks like a younger version of Oliver, but much more handsome. His dark hair falls in his eyes, peacoat smart and crisp on his lean body. His eyes are the same shade of antarctic-ice blue, and in all respects, he looks like a bird of prey - sharp and vicious. He shoots me a quick look - something like a reassuring nod - and turns to Oliver, who’s now considerably calmer.

“I don’t need you to tell me how to handle my affairs, Vox.” Oliver snarls at the newcomer. Vox clears his throat.

“Father, it’s not solely your affair. The other Archdukes would be displeased to know you harmed her in any way,” His voice is like velvet in a midnight shadow. “And word of it
will
get back to them.”

Vox motions with his head to the other Mutus hanging around the carpeted area and gripping their silver daggers that look much like Darius’s. Some of them look more disturbed than others. Oliver’s face pales, but he quickly recovers.

“I was testing her Azoth,” Oliver says loudly. “And I’m happy to report she passed. We truly have Lalei with us again, brothers and sisters.”

A small cheer rises up. Vox leans in over my shoulder while his father’s back is turned to receive the applause.

“The Reaper rescued your friend,” He says. “He was coming to get you, but he doesn’t know my father’s power. He would’ve been crushed. I offered to come instead.”

“You’re - you’re not one of them?” I hiss, my hands and feet quaking. I can barely stand anymore - all my energy is gone, sapped by fear.

His mouth brushes my ear. “When I say run, you turn around and run.”

“Run where? This place is a maze.”

“Do you want to get out or not?”

I clench my fists. “Yes.”

“Then do as I say.”

He leans away from me, his eyes getting a far-off look, like he’s concentrating on a point in space I can’t see. The Mutus and homunculus alike are all staring at me, clear happiness written on their faces. Why are they so happy to see me? I’m a strong Azoth, but this is more than that. It’s like I’ve instilled…
hope
in them.

Oliver turns to face me, opens his mouth to say something, and then the world goes black.

Echoes of angry shouting resound, Oliver’s voice commanding someone to turn the lights back on, to find me and secure me. Vox’s voice whispers in my ear, his body so close I can feel his heat against my back.

“
Run
.”

I’ve never been afraid of the dark. But now, surrounded by Mutus and homunculi who’d love nothing more than to eat me or cage me, I’m terrified. My legs springboard me across the room, back the way I think the door is. I could be wrong. I could run into a wall, or a matson container, and I brace for it to happen. It has to. But it doesn’t. I keep running without hitting anything, the only thing I can see blackness and the only thing I can feel the wind around my rushing body. I’m either incredibly lucky, or suddenly in a new place entirely.

And then, light.

Bright, white morning light sears my vision. I blink away water, and I jump when a rough hand grabs my forearm.

“Let me go!” I scream.

“Mia, it’s me, it’s Lake,” Lake hisses. I blink more, red hair swimming into view. Another body rams into me in a tight hug, but I know from the hands and arms that it’s Ellie, and I feel all the tension in my muscles fade.

“Mia! Oh god, Mia! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

My eyes fully adjust, and I hug Ellie hard and smile at Lake.

“You did it. You really did it!”

He nods. “Thanks to you, and that creepy Vox guy. C’mon, we gotta get out of here before they see us.”

Lake leads us back to the portal, Ellie holding my hand tight the whole way. She’s quiet, and I’m too shocked to say much. Her apprehension at stepping onto the portal only lasts a second, and when she sees me smile reassuringly at her she relents. Lake speaks ‘bicallis’, and the world changes instantly - we’re back in the warm, musty haunted house. Only when we get out of it does Ellie speak.

“You’re going to tell me what’s going on when we get home, right?”

“Of course. It’s long overdue. I’m sorry. Because of me, you got -”

“It’s not your fault,” Lake insists, flagging down a taxi. “It was mine. I should’ve known they’d try to get to you through Ellie. I failed. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

His emerald eyes are uncharacteristically apologetic, and angry. Anger at himself, no doubt.

Ellie puts a hand on his shoulder. “Cut it out. You saved me. I owe you, me and Mia both do.” She turns to me as we get in the cab. “You guys aren’t really cousins, are you?”

“Busted,” Lake groans. “If you want, I can give her memorium -”

“No memorium. Ellie can handle the truth.”

Lake shrugs and goes to his motorcycle, following our cab. Ellie turns to me.

“What truth? The truth you guys are secretly involved in drug smuggling? Because that’s really the only logical conclusion I can draw, here.”

We wait until we’re home, safe from cab driver’s ears. Lake sits us both down and makes us hot tea with honey. Ellie demands rum in hers, and Lake laughs and pours me some, too.

And I begin to tell the story.

It feels surreal, telling Ellie something I only barely believe myself. I tell her everything, starting from that night we were attacked at the club. Alchemists, homunculus, all of it. I tell her all of it. Lake helps, explaining what the Reapers are, and who Darius is, what Alchemy really is. And finally, we explain the Mutus, and why they took her.

“That man Oliver,” Ellie murmurs. “He visited me when they first tied me up in the back. He knew, Mia. He knew about your dad.”

I flinch. Lake looks curiously at me.

“I know,” I whisper.

“How? How did he know?” Ellie presses.

“The Mutus have eyes and ears everywhere,” Lake offers.

“Especially on the police force,” I add. Lake shoots me a surprised glance.

“That’s right.”

Ellie watches me carefully with her soft, understanding eyes, then gets up and hugs me. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

My hands are shaking so hard I can barely hold my mug. I put it down and clutch at her like she’s a life raft, an anchor in a raging sea. I won’t cry. Not in front of Lake. Not in front of Ellie. I have to show her I’m better, now. Stronger. Sometime between Ellie hugging me and letting go, Lake’s disappeared. The window’s open, so I can only assume he changed into his Alt and left to give us privacy. It’s nice of him. Too nice. When I’ve calmed down, Ellie looks me in the eyes.

“I believe you,” She says. “It sounds crazy, but I saw what Oliver could do. He showed off plenty. And I saw the homunculi - they had the same hungry look the boy from the club did. If you’re really a strong Azoth - if you could help stop those nasty fuckers - then you have to do it.”

I nod, smiling wanly. “That’s what I decided, too.”

Ellie squeezes my hand, tears coming to her eyes.

“But you’ll - you’ll be in so much danger. You could get hurt, or…die, and I - I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

“You’ve been so helpful already. You helped that night with Dad, and helped me get away from it all. You’re the best. You always will be. But you don’t have to protect me all by yourself, anymore. It’s time for me to protect you.”

Ellie sob-laughs, and buries her head in my shoulder.

“I was so scared, Mia. They had daggers. They told me they’d kill me.”

I put my arms on her back, rubbing soothingly. “Me too. But I promise - I won’t let them get you again. I won’t let them get anyone else, ever again.”

The knock on the door lasts only a second before it flings open, the locks completely useless. Ellie yelps and I brace myself to punch at whoever rounds the corner, but Darius’ finely-chiseled features dark with rage stop me in my tracks. He immediately strides over to me with fierce purpose and holds both of my shoulders, looking me up and down intently.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m alright,” I steady my voice. “How did you -”

“Lake called me. Are you certain you’re unharmed?”

His hands move my chin softly, inspecting my face, and I shy away when his fingertips brush my scar.

“He just threw me around a bit, that’s all.”

Darius’s silence is deadly, and his eyes are more piercing than the sharpest sword. “He who?”

“Oliver. Oliver Rothschild.”

***

The name makes my blood race, my fists tighten. Oliver dared to take her. Her face is white and strained with exhaustion, her eyes duller than when I saw her last. He did something to her, disturbed the deep part of her soul that burns with golden fire. The firebird is dampened, worn but not defeated. Never defeated.

“Oliver and the Mutus believe you are holy,” I say finally. “They want you.”

“I kind of figured that,” She smirks. “You know, when they kidnapped my friend and called me their ‘bride’.”

“Lalei was the bride of the Deep One - their god. She had tremendous Azoth, as you do.”

“She was real?”

I nod. “For a time. She was a lovely woman, but when she saw what her Azoth could do in the hands of an alchemist, she was corrupted by the power. She started to believe herself the messenger of a ‘god’ she saw in her dreams. She was insane, but she was more charismatic than anyone I’ve ever met. She swayed alchemists to her side, and they bought her beliefs. Thus, the Mutus was formed.”

“But she died.”

I nod. “Over four hundred years ago. She told many prophecies - one of which was that she would be reborn around the turn of the millennium. Her followers would be able to know her by the strength of her Azoth.”

“So,” Mia looks up at me. “What you did - that Dark Repel alchemy that killed all those homunculi -”

“It only solidified their beliefs that you are Lalei,” I agree. “An error on my part.”

I pull the necklace from my pocket. The chain is silver, the color of moonlight on water with dozens of delicate filigree vines lacing around each other. The pendant is a blue rose carved from a single clear sapphire, silver leaves branching out from behind it. It glints in the moonlight, deep blue sparks of light flickering over her face as I hand it to her.

“Your weapon,” I say. “As long as you wear it, any homunculus that touches you will be instantly destroyed.”

Her silver eyes match the necklace as she takes it, her fingers brushing my palm in a way that makes my every muscle yearn for more. Her Azoth is no less sweet-smelling, wafting up from her exposed skin like a cloud of spiced honey and lilacs. I clear my throat and reapply my focus that always seems to scatter to pieces when she’s around.

“Oh god, what happened to your thumb?” She sucks in a breath. I hide my bandaged hand quickly behind my back.

“It’s nothing. A small sacrifice.”

“You sacrificed your
thumb
?”

“I’ve made another one,” I insist. “I will reattach it when I return home. Let us focus on the important things -”

“I’m sorry, is chopping off a body part to make me a necklace not important?” She snaps. “Why would you do that? It must’ve hurt -”

“In addition,” I interrupt her. “You can condense your Azoth and focus it through the pendant.”

She glares for a moment, sharp and angry. But I must be imagining it - anger at my pain is a mark of concern. And she holds no such tender affections for me. Not after how I’ve treated her.

“Which means?” She finally asks.

“I’m not entirely sure - this weapon is far beyond anything I’ve ever made before. I suggest you ask whichever alchemist you live with in the future to supply you with a training facility - something secure, where you won’t accidentally hurt someone as you experiment with it.”

She stares at the pendant, then up at me, with eyes both curious and - again, I must be wanting to see what isn’t there - forlorn.

“But if I put this on, that means you can’t -”

“I will be very careful,” I interrupt quickly. “Not to touch you. You have my word. Not that it will matter - you and I will see very little of each other after the showing.”

There’s a long silence in which we stare at each other, and though I’m perfectly composed I feel stricken sick on the inside - like something’s been taken from me forever. Something good and pure. But this is for the best. She must be protected at all costs.

Her pale throat swallows hard, and she opens her mouth to say something, but I’m faster.

“I’m glad you and your friend are unharmed. Be more careful from now on.”

“But -”

“I have much work to attend to. If you’ll excuse me.”

I bow towards her friend - a pretty girl, though completely Azoth-less, and with no such inner fire that Mia has. But her concern for Mia shines through her face.

I leave, as I have left many others before. Mia was my Azoth for a day - a single exhilarating, hope-filled day. She will soon be someone else’s, for a very long time. For the rest of her life. I look back once at her door, reach for the knob, and stop myself.

It is not my place to desire a woman, nor an Azoth. I would hurt both. I
have
hurt both.

Reeves waits downstairs in the car. The air is so much cooler inside, my heartbeat returning to a normal rhythm the farther I get from the scent of her.

“I am the devil, Reeves.”

He looks at me in the rearview mirror. I straighten my suit and stare out the window as the car pulls away and the city rushes by - a city full of people I’ve condemned to a life of danger and tragedy.

“I am the devil, and she was the angel.”

“Sir?” Reeves questions.

“You must never forget that,” I murmur. “Never forget that we desire exactly what we can never have.”

That night the hunger burns, hotter and darker than anything I’ve felt in decades. I lay tangled in my sheets, the silk suffocating as I stare at the ceiling. I close my eyes, conjuring up the scent of her. My mind obeys, losing itself in a haze of golden sweetness and the curve of her cheek. Just once can’t hurt. Just one fantasy in a hundred years, one moment of weakness, and then I’ll forget about her forever.