Chapter Twenty

Driving in a modern vehicle with my sister’s dead body in the back seat and Ashe curled around her wasn’t a scenario I could have ever pictured happening, and yet it was my reality.

The skies had opened up and rain pounded down. Periodically, lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky, and I couldn’t help but feel as though only nature itself could express the emotions I was feeling.

There weren’t enough tears I could cry, enough screams I could release, enough words I could say that came close to how I felt about everything that had happened today.

But a raging thunderstorm was close enough.

I kept my emotions tied down as tightly as I could so I could manage the drive without swerving off the road.

When we got to the small cemetery in downtown Manhattan, the thunderstorm had blown past, and Ashe carried Kinari on her back.

It was late and the cemetery gates were locked, but I used my Shaper magic on the wrought iron and pushed the gate open. Ashe and I walked side by side, my hand holding Kinari steady, my throat growing tight the closer we got to her resting place.

Once there, hidden under the shadows of the trees, I held Kinari in my arms while Ashe dug until she’d cleared the dirt off her coffin.

I’d chosen coffins for Ma and Kinari that reflected their magic.

I’d wanted to Shape their coffins myself, but because I was eager for Choplim’s head, there hadn’t been time. These were the work of another Shaper, though, and thus still looked as pristine as the day I’d first buried them. Ma’s was a light wood carved all over with tools that aligned with her Shaper magic over textiles. Kinari’s was a darker wood carved with flowers, trees, vines, and magic-era creatures. The lining was dark green.

I tried not to have a complete breakdown once I found myself having to lay my sister’s body to rest a second time. It was a struggle to find myself here again. Two lifetimes had yielded me the same pain, and I hated that.

I put her down long enough to open the coffin. It was a small blessing that the Temporals hadn’t smashed it through when they had come for her bones, but I would never forgive them for what they’d done.

With Ashe’s help, we got Kinari back into her coffin.

I spent some time settling her clothes and hair. It wasn’t much, but I put a braid going from one side of her head to the other, which was something I used to do often when our father had been teaching me how to braid and she’d been a toddler with enough hair for one good plait. She used to croon at herself in the mirror after I’d done it, and I’d make an even bigger deal out of it by adding a bow or some beads.

I tucked the end of the braid behind her ear, my hand lingering on her cold cheek.

Ashe threw her head back and howled sorrowfully.

I folded Kinari’s arms over her chest, spent a few more moments staring at her face, then gently closed the lid and climbed out.

Ashe filled the grave in, and I felt deflated, like all the fight had drained from me.

After she was done, I sat cross-legged between her grave and our mother’s, Ashe beside me, licking tears from my cheeks.

“Thank you, Ki,” I whispered. “That was the bravest thing anyone could do. I’m really proud of you.” I took a shuddering breath, a tremble going through my body. Ashe whined softly. She’d rested her head on my thigh, and I stroked my fingers through her damp fur. She released a soft, woeful howl. My own grief was deeply intense, but because of our bond, I felt Ashe’s, too, and she mine, and there was no way I could describe how it felt to hold both our pain. Ashe was rarely over the top with demonstrating her emotions, but even though she was mostly quiet right now, she was as heartbroken as I was. I could feel it. Her grief was tangled with mine, a knot of pain inside our chests that felt as though spikes lanced our hearts with every breath we took.

I recalled that Ashe was alive because of Kinari. Her injuries would have killed her when she was a pup had Kinari not been able to help her.

“Do you remember how you and Ki used to wash in the tub together, even though Ma said not to, until you got too big, broke it, and Ma quarreled with you?” Ashe whuffed softly. “Then I Shaped a bigger tub and Ma said I wasn’t actually helping.” I smiled sadly at the memory. “And how you went to school with her every day for a week when some classmates were teasing her and refused to move from beside her desk until her teacher assured us they would address the teasing. Never happened again.” I sighed, my throat tight. I wiped a hand across my nose. “You were Kinari’s before you were mine.” I leaned forward and gently touched my forehead to the top of Ashe’s head before sitting up again. “We’ll see her again, on the other side.” I lay my hand on top of the freshly churned soil.

“I’ll keep fighting, Ki, even though I feel like giving up. You sacrificed yourself for Gideon, to keep my new family going, and I won’t let that be in vain. I’m going to make sure I come out of the Auraxa Reiv standing, no matter what.”

I wanted to stay longer, but once we got past tomorrow night without the Majimorta released into the world again, I could come visit as much as I wanted. I’d bring fresh flowers and tell them both how everything had gone down.

Ashe and I headed back to the Jeep just as the skies opened up again.

…

I was holding myself together with a thread of a prayer and a scrap of hope by the time I walked into my apartment. I wanted to collapse, black out and forget this day had ever happened. My eyes landed on Callan as the door clicked shut behind me, and the look on his face, full of concern and understanding, cracked my heart a little bit more. He walked over to me and I wanted to resist letting him see me so broken, but I stayed where I was until he reached me and wrapped me in a hug. Ashe and I were soaked, and I protested, but Callan said he didn’t care.

A smidge of tension eased as I sunk into his embrace for a few moments, feeling more helpless than I’d felt in a long time. I wasn’t used to leaning on the strength of others, but I needed Callan right now.

The thought scared me, reminding me that in both my lifetimes I had gone it mostly alone, with just Ashe at my side. I didn’t get attached to people, didn’t let myself rely on anyone. But I wasn’t so alone anymore, and I needed to start acknowledging that.

I pulled away and glanced at Ashe. Her forelegs were mud-stained from digging Kinari’s grave, and her fur was soaked and would soon become a matted mess. I sighed.

“I can take care of Ashe.” I turned to see Toji coming up to us. He had freshened up and changed into basketball shorts and a black T-Shirt. His hair was brushed back from his face.

I was glad to see a flush back in his complexion. He’d been so ashen when we’d come back from the community.

“You don’t have to,” I said. “She’s…big.”

He smiled. “I think I can manage. I now understand why you renovated the guest bathroom and put in that huge standing shower. Let me know where you keep her grooming supplies.” He glanced at Ashe. “I mean, if it’s okay with you? I know you never quite warmed up to me.”

Ashe licked his cheek, and I felt a little heart squeeze.

“She never had a great love for anything to do with Diviners,” I said. “She must have sensed it about you, hence her cool demeanor.”

“Would have saved us a lot of time if she could talk, huh?” Toji said. I had to agree.

“Where’s Gideon?” Anxiety wound through me. I felt like I needed to see him again to really believe he’d been brought back.

“Resting,” Toji said, face sobering. “He might be up soon.”

“How’s he been?” After he’d been revived, I’d stayed long enough to give him a long hug, then left with Ashe, trusting Toji and Callan to bring him up to speed.

I’d wanted nothing more than to stay and hold Gideon and ugly cry on him. But I’d also wanted to lay Kinari back to rest and didn’t want Gideon to be faced with her lifeless body while he learned what she’d done to bring him back.

“His heart is hurting because of Kinari’s sacrifice,” Toji said.

“I’ll talk to him when he’s ready. This won’t be easy for any of us, but it was Kinari’s choice. And we also need a plan of action for tomorrow. Maybe we can get past that first, then book a group therapy session.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Toji said with a sad smile.

“Ashe’s grooming supplies are on the bottom shelf of the linen closet. There’s also a heavy-duty blow dryer I use to help her fur dry. She gets terribly matted if it’s left to air dry.”

“Got it,” Toji said. Ashe led the way, and he followed her down the hallway.

“I decided we could use a break from takeout, so I grabbed a few things from the grocery down the block and made dinner,” Callan said. “Nothing fancy, just a baked pasta dish with sausage and peppers. I also picked up wine, ice cream, and an entire cake.”

“Gotta love a man who knows what a dire situation calls for,” I said, grinning. “And you can cook? I might keep you.”

He smiled and headed back to the kitchen while I went to my bedroom to shower and change.

I came back out in a tank top and shorts, my hair in two French braids. Callan had set the table and I was about to make a beeline for it when I saw Gideon coming down the hallway. He’d showered as well and changed into loose sweatpants and a Legend of Zelda T-shirt. When he saw me, he stopped, his eyes widening before sorrow overtook his expression and he looked away.

I went over and drew him into my arms, hugging him tightly, feeling as though a knot in my chest finally eased.

He was warm; I could feel the thump of his heart and the rhythm of his pulse under my cheek. Tears fell as the image of his bloody body flashed through my mind. My arms tightened around him, as did his around me. I pulled back and stared at him.

“You’re really alive.” I felt like I had to say it, let the words carry on the air, sink into the universe, and take hold as the truth.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” he said, which made a sound between a laugh and a sob escape me. I lightly touched my hand to his chest that hours ago had been shredded by a Jigori’s claws. He put his hand over mine.

“I’m all one piece again. Thanks to…” He looked away, his face somber and pained. “I don’t even know where to begin,” he said, voice low. “Penn…” He sighed. “Why did you let Kinari…”

“I didn’t let her,” I cut in. “Kinari made her choice and I honored it even though it broke my heart. I won’t act like it was easy to let her go. But it also wasn’t easy looking at your lifeless body and knowing it was because I brought you into a dangerous situation…”

“No,” he cut me off and finally met my eyes. “You tried to talk me out of it. We both knew I was a liability, but I was too stubborn. I should have listened and stayed behind. If I had, Kinari would…” Tears welled in his eyes. “It’s my fault.”

I didn’t want him to harbor that blame, but I knew no matter what I said, he’d carry it with him.

“You went because you wanted to be with Toji, and I understood and respected that. I would have done the same thing. And Kinari made the choice she made not only to bring you back, but because continuing to live would mean suffering for her.”

“But…” His shoulders slumped, his face still looking pained.

“Her soul wasn’t brought back,” I said. “And the only way she might survive would be to not use her magic. But no number of years with me and Ashe would make up for feeling like a shadow of herself, knowing that her magic could destroy her.”

“If I hadn’t died—” he began.

“Even if you hadn’t died, it would have been best to lay her to rest again,” I said. It wasn’t easy to accept that truth, but it was true, nevertheless. “So please, don’t think it’s your fault she’s gone again. No matter what, she could not have stayed.” I held his gaze. “It so happens that she was able to give us the best possible gift before she went. Do you understand?”

Tears slipped down his cheeks, but he nodded. “I understand,” he said softly. “And I can’t tell her, or you, thank you enough.” He sighed. “This will take some getting used to, especially knowing that this time was taken from others who can never get it back, but I promise I will make the most of these sixty-seven years.”

“You don’t have to make any ‘live life to the fullest’ promises,” I said. “Just live and be happy.” It wouldn’t be an easy road for Gideon to walk but I hoped he would be able to reconcile everything that happened and not carry a burden of guilt for the rest of his life. Kinari wouldn’t have wanted that, and despite my own pain over losing her, I didn’t want Gideon to suffer any more than he had to.

“Then there’s the matter of my soul…” His brow creased.

“We’ll figure it out, I promise.” I tried to sound reassuring even though I had no clue how we would decipher getting Gideon’s soul back from the Afterlife or mitigate any issues that arose because he was without it.

He blew out a breath. “Okay. That can be tomorrow’s big problem.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Wait till my mother hears I died and came back to life.”

I stood statue still and my eyes slowly widened. I didn’t fear much, but the wrath of Gideon’s Guyanese mother was on the list. He saw my expression and chuckled.

“I won’t tell my folks, don’t worry. Because they’ll have the skin off my back, too. For having the audacity to die in the first place.”

“Phew,” I said, wiping my forehead dramatically. I was glad to not only avoid a tongue lashing but to save them the heartache of ever knowing what happened to Gideon.

Ashe came up behind him and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. I could feel her happiness about Gideon being alive again alongside my own. Gideon turned around and gave her a hug and scratched behind her ear. I looked her over and whistled.

“Impressive,” I said. She was dry, smelled good, and her fur was beautifully brushed. There wasn’t a knot in sight. Toji’s hair was damp, though, and he was wearing different clothes. I knew very well that grooming Ashe called for self-grooming afterward. “Toji, you’re hired. Let me know your rates.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have done such a good job,” Toji said, smiling.

“Food’s getting cold,” Callan called. He was setting the last dish down on the dining table. Ashe diverted to her full food bowl while we headed to the table and dug into dinner, wine, and dessert.

“Saying this is giving me a feeling of déjà vu, but we need a plan to stop the Necromajin before they can use Penn’s years,” Gideon said.

We’d eaten our fill and tidied up and were sitting around the coffee table.

Callan and I sat on one sofa, Toji and Gideon on the other, Ashe stretched out on the floor on the other side of the table. Luce had flown out from my room and made herself comfortable on Ashe.

“With the Temporals, we at least knew where they were, so we could bring the fight to them. But now they’re…” I hesitated and glanced at Callan. I hadn’t yet fully explained what happened during the fight. A pained looked came across his face.

“Did my father die?” he asked. I took his hand, squeezing it.

“Yes. I’m so sorry.” He’d never be able to talk to his father and try to get closure. He’d lost both his parents in horrific ways, and I knew how much that could mess you up.

Callan took a deep breath and looked away, lowering his head. It hurt to see him fighting with his emotions like that. What could I say? What solace could I offer him when I also felt like a raw open wound spewing grief everywhere?

“He, more than the other two, was starting to accept that opening the nexus points wasn’t a good idea,” I said. “And he tried to protect Gideon, Toji, and Kinari by shielding them in a time pocket. He…he was brave.” It didn’t feel like enough that that was all I could say to him of his father’s last moments, but I hoped it helped.

“I’ll never get to confront him about any of it,” Callan said, still looking at the ground. “First my mother, now…” He closed his eyes again, taking another shuddering breath. Then he looked up and his expression was still pained, but also resolute. “I need to lock this down for now. Let’s focus on making sure we make it through tomorrow.”

“All right,” I said, squeezing his hand one more time before letting go. I looked at the others. “So, the Temporal leaders have been waylaid, but the rest of the magic users are still down there. There are other Temporals there, so my assumption is that they’ll keep the time pockets stable while they regroup. For the time being, they aren’t the biggest threat anymore, especially since they no longer have my Chronsphere. The Necromajin is who we have to focus on.”

“And we have no idea where they are,” Toji said.

“But it’s safe to say that they want to use the Chronsphere the same way the Temporals did,” I said. “To open the nexus points tomorrow night under the full alignment of the Auraxa Reiv. They need magic to survive and if they open the nexus points, magic they will get.”

“And the Majimorta,” Callan added.

“Right,” I said. “So if we can figure out where the nexus points are, we’ll at least know where we need to be tomorrow to stop them from fucking us all over.”

“But what do we do then?” Gideon ventured. “How exactly do we stop them?” He once again had a pad and pen in his hands.

“Well, we have one Temporal, one Shaper, one Circoux, and one apprentice descendant who can work with Mortalstones.” I paused. “And we have one Cephi.”

“And three hundred years ago it took all the Diviners in the world to lock the Majimorta away,” Callan said. “And then three centuries worth of Cephis from the descendant families to continue purifying it. And that still hasn’t been enough to destroy it…”

“So, all in all our odds are…” Gideon scribbled something on the pad, then held it up for us to see. “Trash,” he finished.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. “Let’s break it down and focus on one thing at a time. We have twenty-four hours to figure out where the nexus points are.”

Toji suddenly sat up straight. “We might not need more than a few minutes, though.”

I watched him as he headed down the hall to the guest room he and Gideon were occupying. Within seconds, he came back with a few folded pieces of paper. My eyebrows rose when I saw that they were maps. He knelt down in front of the coffee table, opened one of them, and the rest of us leaned close.

“Chiharu left me with a number of things I would have had if I had grown up with my birth family,” he said. “And one of the maps shows the location of the nexus points. She said it’s been hard to keep up with the location, since modern development changes so much. And with the family members who could become Cephis being hunted, there’s been no reason for anyone to go to the nexus points for a few generations.”

“Of course your family would have nexus maps,” I said, my excitement growing. “You’d need to know where to go to feed the Cephi to it.” I knelt on the floor as well, as did Callan and Gideon.

“This looks like it.” Callan pointed to a location at the left side of the map. It showed a large circle surrounded by four small circles. A line connected each of the smaller circles to the one in the center. “I’m betting the largest circle is the Diviner nexus, and the others are for Shaper, Conjurer, Tamer, and Temporal.”

“Correct, as Chiharu told me,” Toji said. “But this is a magic-era map; we need to figure out where the nexus points would lie on a present-day map.”

“Look. This cube represents the Killipsion statue that’s in Kiabi Park, just like on the Cillari Stone map Penn and I found.” Gideon pointed to the cube, then to the corresponding one on the map key that labeled it as the Killipsion Statue. He then moved his hand to an oblong that was close to the statue. “And here’s the Cillari Stone. The two lakes in Kiabi Park are also here.”

He was right, and I gave him a high five.

“Okay, so we gotta pinpoint where the nexus points are in relation to Kiabi Park,” Callan said.

“We need a present-day map,” Gideon said. “All of mine are at my store.”

“I don’t have any, but we can put the internet and a few sheaths of paper to use.” I booted up my laptop, and using Google maps and some enlarging in Photoshop, we printed out portions of a map that contained Kiabi Park and the rest of the five boroughs.

We then taped the papers together and moved the maps to the dining table, to the brighter overhead light. Once we slipped the magic-era map under the modern one, we spent a few minutes positioning both Killipsion statues so they lined up perfectly.

“All right, where are those nexus points?” Gideon moved his finger to the nexus points on the magic-era map, and when his finger stopped and I bent closer to see the location, I really wasn’t sure which one of us released the shocked gasp I heard.

The nexus points aligned perfectly with Varian’s magic-era museum.

“Varian is the Necromajin,” I said.

I got up and paced back and forth as the revelation settled on me.

A revelation I was kicking myself for not realizing before.

All his talk about working with police forces across the world to find the magic users who’d jumped through time was a front. I’d accepted him at face value and been made a fool. Damn it.

Anger surged through me and I wanted nothing more than to grab the Gladius, hop on Ashe, and let him know exactly how I felt about his deception and his deadly schemes.

“It looks damning,” Gideon said, frowning. “But are you sure…”

“It has to be him. When I went to ask him for the Mortalstones and told him I’d found the community, he didn’t seem pleased that I wouldn’t tell him where. He never wanted to help them. He wanted to eat their magic.”

“And when they tried to come above ground, his Jigori hunted them,” Callan said. “But he couldn’t track them in the time pockets.”

“So he had me do it.” I stopped pacing and shook my head. “He’s probably had his Jigori tracking me, waiting for me to go back. Once there, it would have been nothing for them to eat away the time warp and the time pockets. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.” I looked around at everyone. “I led them to slaughter the Temporals and all the others down there who got hurt or worse. To Gideon and Marcai…”

“We’re done with the blame game, right?” Gideon crossed his arms. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“You were being played from both sides,” Callan said. “By the Temporals and Varian.”

“And now your life is at stake.” Toji’s voice was colored with frustration. “We have to make sure Varian doesn’t use that Chronsphere.”

That was an understatement. I was going to make Varian pay with a pound of flesh and then some for everything he’d done.

“He’s the reason the Diviner descendants have been killed,” I said, turning to Toji.

“He hunted them,” Toji said, anger plain on his face. His hand was balled into a fist on the table and Gideon put his hand over it. “He…killed my parents.”

“My mother, too.” Callan’s voice was laced with dark emotions. “And my father…”

I couldn’t imagine what it was like for him and Toji to grapple with the knowledge that Varian was behind the deaths of their parents. The same thirst for vengeance I had for Varian was reflected in their eyes, too.

“That bastard.” I felt as though I could rip his head off with my bare hands. It wouldn’t bring back any of the people whose blood was on his hands, but they were owed his blood in return.

“How is there a Necromajin around, though?” Gideon asked. “The community I can understand, with the Temporals jumping through time. Did they bring Varian with them?”

“I have no idea where Varian originates from, but it’s hardly what I’m most concerned about. If he opens the nexus points, he gets magic to feed off of, and the Majimorta to control. He’ll simultaneously revive magic and give himself a veritable buffet.”

“Which brings us back to the second big part of this equation,” Gideon said. “We figured out where the nexus points are, but how’s our ragtag little crew supposed to stop him?”

That was the huge question looming over all our heads.

I’d been trying to work my way back to a calmer headspace because rash decisions and actions would do us no favors when the odds were stacked against us. We needed a plan that would give us a shot at bringing Varian down.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly, shoving my anger down. There’d be plenty of time to unleash it once I faced Varian. Until then, I had to think clearly and strategize.

“Our only options are to get the upper hand on Varian before he uses the Chronsphere, or to purify the Majimorta once it’s released,” Callan said. “And we have no resources for option two. One Cephi, one Divine sword, and one apprentice descendant won’t cut it.”

“I know.” I growled in frustration. “We could sniff Varian out right now, but we’d be going up against his Jigori. After what happened in the community, I don’t like our odds.”

“So, what can we do?” Toji asked.

“I wish I could go back in time and kick my own ass for not connecting the dots sooner,” I said. “I cannot believe history is repeating itself. The Auraxa Reiv is aligning and a Necromajin is up to no good.”

“Hell, if you’re wishing to go back in time, you might as well wish to go back and stop the first disaster from happening,” Gideon said, shaking his head.

I stopped and stared at him as his words made an idea dawn on me. “Go back in time,” I repeated.

“You’ve thought of something?” Callan asked.

“Yes, but it hinges on your answer to my question.”

Callan raised an eyebrow. “Okay, what’s the question?”

“Do you have the ability to send me back in time? All the way to the magic-era?”

Now both his brows were up and his eyes widened. “Under normal circumstances, no, but under the Auraxa Reiv…it would be possible. I could feasibly open a portal that would send you back decades or even further, but without an anchor, you’d have no control where you end up. You could get stuck a hundred years in the past with no way to get back.”

“I don’t see how that solves our problem, unless you’re planning to skedaddle and let the rest of us crash and burn,” Gideon said.

“You know me so well. Save myself and best of luck to the rest of you.” I headed over to the coffee table and came back with Mixuné’s card box. “How’s this for an anchor?”

Callan was slowly nodding, looking from me to the box. “Yes. With an anchor from the magic-era and the power of the Auraxa Reiv, I could send you back to Mixuné.” His eyes narrowed. “What exactly is your plan, though? You could bring her through, but one Diviner won’t be enough to purify the Majimorta.”

“I know. I have something else in mind.” I huffed out a breath and squared my shoulders. “None of you are going to like my plan.”

“Which is what?” Gideon asked hesitantly.

“We need to let Varian use my Chronsphere to open the nexus points.”