The Eternal Tomb (19 page)

Have to
, said Nathan.
Someday we'll come back
.…

The quiet house in the desert faded from sight.

Chapter 16

The Triad of Finity

OLIVER LOOKED AROUND TO
find them in, of all places, Dean's living room. It was still predawn in the northern latitudes, the sky purple.

“This is good,” Sebastian observed. “It's not the first place Half-Light would check, so we should have a little time before they find us.”

Tammy nearly collapsed at the sight of them all, but then recovered and set to work furiously scooping out leftovers and even offing one of the chickens with what was becoming expert efficiency. The sound of the cleaver woke Kyle, Elizabeth, and Mitch, who all crowded into the living room as well.

“No way,” said Kyle, spying Phlox and Sebastian, who sat stiffly on a love seat, their backs straight. “
Real
vampires! Can you guys do the cool stuff that
he
can't?”

“Thanks,” Oliver groaned.

“Kyle David!” Tammy scolded as she handed small juice glasses to Phlox and Sebastian. “Sorry I don't have any … um, people blood,” said Tammy apologetically.

“This will be fine,” said Sebastian, and then managed to add, “You're a very gracious host.”

Dean, Oliver, and Emalie shared a smile.

There was a knock at the door. Dean opened it to find Aunt Kathleen. She rushed in, embracing Margaret. “Oh, dear, it's so good to see you again.”

Oliver, the message
, said Nathan, from the corner.

Oliver glanced at him, feeling the loss of no longer being joined together. “Oh, yeah.” Oliver removed the amethyst box carefully from his pocket. He opened it to find another still firefly. Nathan pinched himself, and put the drop of glowing white on the insect. It buzzed to life, shimmering green and hovering above his hand, captivating the room.

Oliver
, said Selene's ghostly voice,
if you get this message, then the Anointment has been successful, and the chance to undo your prophecy as I instructed has passed.… But, though the road will now be harder, the Architects have built another safeguard into the universe, as a means of protecting the Gate
.

There exist three elements, known as the Triad of Finity. They are most cleverly hidden. If you possess the Triad when Illisius summons you and Emalie to the Gate, then you will have a chance to resist opening it. Find the Triad, Oliver. You will know it when it appears before you. Be well
…

The firefly went dark and fell to the floor, where it lay still.

The room was silent. Finally, Dean spoke up. “Sounds like we have our next assignment.” Another quiet moment passed. “Okay…sounds like we need kidney pie and ice cream first.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Margaret,” said Tammy, nodding toward the door.

Margaret's eyes grew wide, immediately leaking tears. She got up and opened the door. Cole stood outside, his eyes wet as well. They rushed into each other's arms. “I'm so sorry,” Margaret said into his shoulder. “I'll explain everything.” She turned back. “Emalie, come out here.”

Emalie, watching her parents' reunion with tear-filled awe, got up and joined them. The Watkins moved out onto the porch, closing the door behind them.

Oliver looked to Phlox and Sebastian, wondering worriedly what their reaction would be to the message from Selene. They had saved him, had learned of his soul, his human parents, all in such a short time. How would they take all this?

Sebastian met his gaze. “We'll have to go to great lengths,” he said grimly, “to hide this plan from Half-Light.”

Oliver couldn't hide his surprise.

Sebastian went on, businesslike. “You are more important than ever to Half-Light. The Anointment was a success, albeit not what they planned for. Which means that there cannot be another attempt at the prophecy. You and Emalie are truly Half-Light's last hope to open the Gate.”

“And the world's last hope to keep it closed,” said Aunt Kathleen.

“Half-Light will keep a tighter reign on us than ever,” said Phlox. “It will be difficult to deceive them.”

“But,” said Oliver, “we can try? You guys are okay with…ending the prophecy?”

Sebastian took Phlox's hand. “Myrandah is going to be in her glory about this,” he murmured to her.

Phlox sighed. “And I'll have to double my efforts against global warming, if in fact we won't be leaving this world.” She smiled at Oliver.

Oliver looked at them, his parents, and smiled, too.

“Ice cream time,” said Dean, returning with an armful of bowls, along with a plate of maroon-colored pie for himself.

“I have a blood sauce,” said Tammy, getting up and heading for the kitchen, “but it's only pig.”

“Do you have any dark chocolate?” Phlox asked, getting up to join her. “That, with some cayenne and the venom sac of a pit viper, makes an excellent topping.”

“I—I don't have any viper sac thingies,” said Tammy, “but I have the rest.”

“That will do,” said Phlox. “I'll show you the best method for combining them.”

Oliver watched, amazed, and tried to share another incredulous smile with Dean, but Dean was gazing at the front door, where Emalie stood, Margaret and Cole behind her.

Emalie's eyes were red and puffy, her expression tragic. Margaret and Cole didn't look happy, either.

“Hey,” said Dean, “what's up?”

“I'm sorry, everyone,” said Margaret, glancing uncomfortably around the room, “but we have to be going.”

“Oh, heading home so soon?” asked Tammy, hurrying back into the room with Phlox.

“We're … not heading home, exactly,” said Margaret. Emalie turned and pushed through them, storming out of sight. “Emalie…” Margaret called after her.

“Come on,” said Dean, passing Oliver. The two ducked around Margaret and Cole, out the door.

They found Emalie on the roof, face in her hands, sobbing. The early morning sky had brightened, but luckily a layer of low clouds kept the light gloomy.

“What is it?” asked Dean. He and Oliver sat on either side of her.

“We're leaving,” Emalie muttered into her hands.

“Leaving for where?” asked Oliver nervously.

“We're going to Arcana.”

“Arcana?” Dean asked. “Didn't that place burn down, like, over a hundred years ago?”

“Yes,” said Emalie.

Oliver remembered that photo in Fortuna, and felt his insides dropping away. “She's taking you back in time.”

“It's the only way to keep her safe.” Margaret had appeared on the roof, using the same trick of levitating that Emalie knew.

“I'll be safe here!” Emalie shouted, glaring at her.

“No,” said Margaret softly, “you won't.”

“But,” Oliver tried desperately, “you heard Selene, we have to go to the Gate together—”

“Emalie is not going to
survive
to go to the Gate with you if she stays here,” said Margaret. “Her powers are beyond anyone's understanding. We need to figure out how she melded with Bane's demon, and what it means that she was Anointed, and we need to do it somewhere safe.”

Oliver saw the sense in what Margaret was saying. And he remembered Emalie at the Ball, with her dead skin, and how strange and dangerous she had acted with a demon inside. “But—” he began anyway.

“Look, I know you both mean well,” Margaret said to Oliver and Dean. “But things have changed. Every powerful being in the universe will have felt tonight's Anointment. There are those who will want to control Emalie's power. It's an old story for the Orani. Who's going to protect her when the powerful come for her?”

“We could,” said Oliver.

“I'm sorry,” said Margaret. “She's already been in enough danger with you.”

Oliver didn't argue that point.

“I did fine,” Emalie huffed.

“Emalie,” said Margaret sternly. She looked to Oliver again. “We'll keep in touch with your parents about our progress.”

Oliver tried to think of some other argument for making her stay, but then realized that Dean had not been protesting. And neither had Emalie, despite her tears. Knowing her, if she really didn't want something, she'd fight much harder than this to avoid it.

“How long?” Oliver asked simply.

“I don't know,” said Margaret. “As long as it takes.”

“Margie,” Cole called from below. “Kathleen left. She's meeting us at the house.”

“Okay,” said Margaret. “Emalie, take a minute.” She blinked out of sight.

“Emalie…” Oliver began.

“She's right,” said Emalie, lifting her face from her hands.

Oliver tried to think of something to say, but what? He felt a small tickle on his hand, and looked down to see Emalie's creeping into his. She squeezed his hand so tightly …

Then stood up. “No big good-byes,” she said, staring at the ground. “See ya, cousin.”

Dean stood and they hugged. “We'll miss you, Em,” he said quietly. “Don't be gone long.”

Emalie pulled away, fresh tears falling. “You bet.”

Oliver stood, shivering, almost falling over. He took a hesitant step toward her—

But Emalie backed away. She fiddled in her bag and pulled out her camera, the one Oliver had given her. She aimed it at him, doing her best to twist the lens with shaking fingers.

“But—” Oliver began. Had she forgotten that he would just appear blurry in a photograph?

“Sshh.” She twisted the focus and snapped the shutter. When she lowered the camera, her eyes were overflowing. “I know what you look like.”

“Emalie,” Margaret called urgently from below. “We need to go, now.”

Oliver tried to make his voice work, but it wouldn't.

Emalie nodded to herself. “Bye, guys,” she whispered. She turned to go—

Then darted back and kissed Oliver on the lips.

Afterward, Oliver would replay the moment a million times in his head and wonder, why did he just stand there like an idiot? Why didn't he kiss her back? Why didn't he throw his arms around her and hug her so tight that her scent would seep into his skin and never, ever leave? Why didn't he tell her that she needed to stay,
he
needed her to stay more than he'd ever needed anything before—

But in the moment, it was all he could do to keep track of who he was and where he was standing. Oliver felt like a bolt of lightning had struck him in the chest, only it stayed impaled there, and as Emalie pulled away, turning her tear-streaked face and starting down the roof, Oliver felt like the bolt was being ripped back out of him, each sharp edge tearing him open further, making a wound that would never heal.
Don't…go…

Emalie flashed a final, sad smile in their direction, and winked out of sight.

“Bye,” said Oliver weakly.

There was no reply in the night.

“Come on,” said Dean, slapping his shoulder and pointing toward the lightening sky. “You'll see her again.”

Oliver was glad that Dean hadn't bothered to lie and say anything like,
it will be okay,
because this was not okay. And yet…

“I know,” said Oliver. Dean was right. He would see Emalie again. Not because of some prophecy, or Gate.

But simply because he
had
to.

Chapter 17

Hope

OLIVER NOCTURNE HAD BEEN
having trouble sleeping, which was why he heard the intruder.

Hey
, it called weakly.

Oliver dropped his video game and quietly opened his coffin, glad to be distracted from the thoughts that plagued him. He'd always had trouble sleeping around his birthday and Christmas, both of which were coming up. This year wasn't worse than ever, but it wasn't any better, either.

He slipped upstairs, silent except for the persistent light clinking of metal that now followed him everywhere he went. He passed the kitchen, climbing to the steel door above, and paused. He reached up into the boards and unplugged the closed-circuit cameras, which now fed directly to Half-Light, then opened the door. He ducked around the broken, rusted refrigerator, and crossed the room, past the grimy bathtub, to where an old mattress lay on the floor, just beyond the reach of gray daylight through the broken windows.

Sitting on it, back against the wall, legs stretched out, was Oliver's ghostly white soul.

Hey
, said Oliver, sitting down beside Nathan. He felt the calming, warm presence beside him, the prickle of sparks falling on his skin, but he longed for that sense of completion, of empty corners being filled inside him as he'd felt when they joined at his human parents' house. Still, this was better than nothing.

Anything on the Triad?
Nathan asked.

Nothing. Selene said it would come to me, but
—

Then it will.

I don't want to wait.

I know.

Oliver leaned his head back against the wall.

She'll come back
, Nathan said a moment later.

Oliver pictured Emalie on the roof…and hated himself for letting her go.
Maybe
.

Soon, in Nathan's comforting glow, he drifted off to sleep.

He awoke to find evening streetlight filtering through the windows. Nathan was gone. His visits were short, to keep Half-Light from finding him. Oliver shuffled back to the door, reattached the cameras, and headed downstairs toward his coffin.

“Oliver.”

He turned to find Phlox and Sebastian sitting at the kitchen island, sipping coffee.

“Couldn't sleep?” Phlox asked.

“No,” Oliver said.

“Well then.” Phlox reached to the counter. “Have some frosting.” She slid a crystal bowl of whipped fudge frosting to the empty seat at the island.