The Victorious Redemption Complete Series Boxed Set, page 117
She jabbed with both hands.
Ten claws penetrated the beast’s side. Jasmine stretched her arms wide, pulling apart the strange, rubbery, slimy matter that created the creature’s body.
The creature bellowed a painful screech, forcing the humans to clap their hands to their ears and the wolves to howl. It flashed eight unblinking eyes at Jasmine, its beak snapping inches from her own face.
“I spy with my little eye,” Jasmine muttered before swiping her blood-slick claws across the monster’s face. She felt each eye pop beneath her wrath, and the creature gave one final shriek before it crumpled. Tentacles fell around the beast until all that was left was a messy pile of flesh lying in the muddied water.
Jasmine stepped back, wiping the worst of the creature’s innards from her face. The wolves ringed the monster, looking at each other in turn, checking for wounded. Though a few wolves had received blows and cuts from the creature, Jasmine was thankful to see that none had suffered any lasting injury.
“Holy shit,” Delilah gasped. She had shifted back to man-skin and stood naked beside Jasmine.
Kendrick flanked Jasmine’s other side, his clothes discarded, wounds on his shoulder knitting themselves together. “Holy shit, indeed. What the hell is that thing?”
The beast looked even more absurd in death. They looked at Qadir for confirmation.
“I don’t know,” Qadir replied. “It’s an abomination and further evidence of the depths of depravity into which your father has sunken.”
“Was it…?” Jasmine started.
“Human?” Qadir finished.
Jasmine nodded.
“No,” Qadir confirmed, using a stick to raise a limp limb. “I don’t think so. Though, it’s hard to say without seeing the documents of its creation. Whatever it is, it tells us one thing: we need to advance with great caution. Who knows if more of these are ahead of us or if your father is connected in some way to know that we have destroyed his guard.”
“You mean like the Queen?” Jasmine asked.
A flicker of discomfort flashed behind Qadir’s eyes. “Indeed.”
Delilah shuffled closer to Jasmine. “What do we do?”
Jasmine looked from the beast to the tunnel, her active imagination firing with thoughts and concerns of dozens more of these beasts residing within the tunnels. She scanned over the pack, finding all eyes fixed on her, waiting for instruction. She steeled herself. “We continue as planned. There is no Plan B. This ends today.”
She made her way toward the tunnel entrance. Firing up the flashlight on her cell phone, she went inside, her pack and her friends following in tow.
They hardly spoke as they entered the darkness, and it didn’t take long before the fading light of the moon was gone when they rounded a curve and were swallowed by the shadows. The way ahead was slow and arduous, and each sound brought to mind further atrocities, the pack bristling at each drip from the tunnel ceiling and each rumble of something exploding in the distance. Jasmine wondered what was happening above them and what delights her father had concocted to present to her comrades. In the depths of the underground, her radio was useless, and she received no more updates from her army. This made her more nervous than she dared to admit.
They reached a T in the canal and turned due west. Qadir sped up, creating more of a gap between himself and the pack, and Jasmine worked to catch up with him. With each step forward, they gained confidence that perhaps her father had only created one monstrosity to protect the canal opening, and that would be all they would face.
In the shaking light of Jasmine’s cell phone, she caught Qadir scratching the back of his neck more regularly. She studied him curiously, wondering what was going on. When she noticed something shift beneath his skin, she called him out on what she had suspected but hoped wasn’t true.
“She’s gotten to you, hasn’t she?” Jasmine asked softly, her lips barely moving. Behind her, Delilah and Kendrick chatted to each other, their confidence in an empty way ahead growing with each step.
Qadir’s lips thinned, looking as if he was about to argue, then deciding better against it. “Sorry, Jasmine. It was the only way. She requested it for an insurance policy and threatened to pull out of the operation. I had no choice.”
Jasmine’s cheeks flushed with warmth, irritation growing at the deceptiveness of the Queen. “So, she’s aware of everything happening right now? She’s inside you.”
Qadir nodded, frowning. “Well, not everything.”
“What do you mean?” Jasmine asked.
Qadir considered his response. “I can almost sense when she’s communicating with her creatures. There’s an…electricity. But it’s been absent ever since the battle began. My guess is that she is far too preoccupied with her current engagement to worry about us and what we’re up to, though that may change when she senses that we’ve found Tylindale.”
He glanced back at the others, then moved closer to Jasmine, speaking conspiratorially. “You cannot trust her, Jasmine.”
“Oh, I know,” Jasmine returned. “The moment this is all over, I know she’s going to be a problem. You can’t trust a word she says.”
“You have to deal with her fast,” Qadir returned. “There’s no sense in destroying your father only to leave room for another megalomaniac to take over. Promise me you’ll deal with her.”
Jasmine frowned. “Of course. Why are you speaking like this?”
Qadir fixed his gaze doggedly ahead as they came up to a curve in the tunnel. The walls built of large bricks had turned green from moss.
“Qadir, what aren’t you telling me?” Jasmine insisted.
Qadir narrowed his eyes. “Only what you already know, deep down.”
“Which is?” Jasmine pressed.
“You cannot defeat your father,” Qadir returned, not meeting Jasmine’s gaze.
“I—” Jasmine started.
“You do not have the power or the knowledge,” Qadir continued, speaking faster to prevent Jasmine’s interruptions. “To destroy a necromancer, you need a necromancer. I believe that I have that power to unravel your father’s regime.”
Jasmine opened her mouth to interject.
“The move will be dangerous,” Qadir continued. “Combining the powers you witnessed on the bluff to destroy the circle of peers, detonating stolen souls but on a magnitude that has never been seen before in our practice. The force of it should break whatever bonds tie your father to immortality, and in the process…” His voice trailed away.
Jasmine’s lip quivered. “Qadir…You’re not saying.”
“The effort will likely kill me,” Qadir stated matter-of-factly.
They walked in silence for a moment, Jasmine hoping and praying that Delilah and Kendrick and the pack couldn’t hear them.
“You can’t,” Jasmine stated softly.
Qadir turned to meet her gaze. She saw steel determination in his eyes and in the lines of worry and age and concern etched deeply in his skin. “I must.”
“There has to be another way,” Jasmine returned.
“I do not see one,” Qadir replied.
“The artifacts?” Jasmine insisted. “The Queen? Anything but…”
“There is nothing,” Qadir replied sharply, whirling on Jasmine. He glanced at the others, who were startled by the sudden exclamation. He turned back ahead, walking faster.
Jasmine waved placating hands to the pack and jogged to rejoin Qadir. For a moment, Jasmine could think of nothing to say.
“Qadir…” she started, hoping that would lead to her next words.
Qadir didn’t let Jasmine finish. “Just promise me that you’ll take care of the Queen, Jasmine. Promise me that, at least.”
Jasmine met his gaze in earnest. She could tell she could not talk him out of what was to come.
She nodded. “But…how?”
Qadir turned left again, and the air smelled lighter as they drew closer to the fortress. Jasmine couldn’t guess how much further they had to go, but she guessed it wasn’t far.
“There’s an artifact,” Qadir informed Jasmine. “A coin that your father keeps on him at all times. Simple and silver, to the naked eye, it seems like only a mere trinket, a quarter that has no real-world value.”
Jasmine thought back to all the times she had encountered her father. “I’ve never seen it.”
“Because it is a prized possession,” Qadir informed. “The coin is imbued with a powerful spell, able to affect anyone who touches it for a limited period.”
“What does it do?” Jasmine asked.
Qadir answered, “Whoever touches the coin will be imbued with properties of the undead until the next sunrise. For all intents and purposes, the affected will become a revenant, a walker of the dead, unaffected by that which affects the mortal soul. This can be a very useful tool and weapon for one who studies the dead, and your father has made great use of it over the years. When you can, get the Queen to touch it. You’ll know what to do when the time is right.”
Jasmine shook her head. “There’s so much I don’t know.”
Qadir paused, turning to Jasmine. He held her by her shoulders, a wry smile appearing on his face. “And you’ll have so much time to learn it, Jasmine.”
The pack paused behind them. Delilah and Kendrick kept their distance, watching the pair curiously.
Qadir continued. “You’ve got so much potential, my friend. After this is all over, it will be you who carries the torch and continues the legacy. I’ve never met anyone quite like you, and I have encountered many, many people in my lifetime. You are a gift, and you should share that with the world. When this is all over…” He paused, contemplating his words. “When this is all over, you will do amazing things.”
The world melted away, Jasmine no longer standing in a tunnel with the pack watching, but instead stood with Qadir in a quiet street outside of the Nest. In the glow of the streetlamp, his form melted away until he was the Qadir she had first met, clean-shaven with a youthful vigor in his eyes. She smiled, and he smiled back, the wrinkles and lines of concern fading away. She could have stood like that forever, friend with friend, lost in a moment that belonged to the past, were it not for…
“Sorry to break this moment,” Kendrick interjected, raising a finger. “But I believe we’ve got more pressing matters than this lovey-dovey moment.”
Jasmine broke from her reverie, wiping away a small tear from her eye. “Lovey-dovey?” she questioned.
Delilah rolled her eyes.
Kendrick continued, “Qadir, not to be that guy, but how much further have we got to go?”
Qadir smiled, motioning to a nearby wall where, for the first time, they noticed the faded outline of a large door camouflaged against the mossy brickwork. “We’re here.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jasmine brushed away the moss from the handle, fingers gripping around the cool steel. She tested the door, pulling against it until it broke free of its moorings, the plant life and rust cracking and sprinkling to the ground. Beyond the doorway was a cellar, abandoned and damp.
Jasmine pressed a finger to her lips and led the way inside.
They filed in quietly, Jasmine exploring the space with her claws drawn. The cellar was filled with old wooden crates and shredded packaging, all of their contents emptied of anything valuable. A single wire traipsed along the wall to a naked bulb that hung from the ceiling. Nearby, a rickety set of wooden stairs led up to the main level.
Jasmine drew Qadir, Kendrick, and Delilah closer to her. The rest of the wolves pressed in close, hoping to eavesdrop on anything shared.
“Hell breaks loose when we climb those stairs,” Jasmine informed them. “We move fast. We act quickly. We stick to the plan.”
“Got it,” Delilah confirmed.
Kendrick addressed the wolves softly. “We go left out the door. The front door should be directly in front of us. Break fast, get to the gate, open it up, understood?”
The wolves nodded.
Delilah met Jasmine’s gaze. “And you?”
Jasmine inhaled deeply. “I go for the heart of the hive.” She exchanged a look with Qadir. “We go for the heart of the hive.”
Qadir gave a curt nod.
Jasmine’s stomach clenched. She wasn’t sure if she was fully ready for this moment, but she was going to find out.
Something exploded outside. Down here, they could just make out the cries and struggles of the fight taking place outside the gate.
“Let’s get to it,” Jasmine stated, placing her hand in the center of the group.
Kendrick and Delilah placed their hands on top of Jasmine’s. Qadir was last, hesitant at first, then resting atop the pile.
“One life,” Jasmine commented.
“Not for you,” Kendrick replied.
Without warning, Delilah hugged Jasmine tightly. Hot tears rose to Jasmine’s eyes which she fought back, gently releasing herself from Delilah’s hold. “Not now,” Jasmine warned. “I need all my focus on my father.”
Delilah’s eyes shimmered. “See you on the other side, dead pup.”
Jasmine nodded. “See you on the other side.”
They climbed to the top of the stairs, Jasmine pressing her ear against the wood. While they could make out the sound of the battle on the fringes of the property, nothing suggested that anyone was nearby.
Jasmine held up three fingers. She counted to zero.
They broke out of the cellar.
Jasmine burst through the door and was met with an impressive, open hallway. To her left was the main door, as expected. Delilah, Kendrick, and the Ghost Throats careened to the doorway, breaking it open and heading to the gates. From afar, Jasmine saw a mass of the Queen’s creatures engaged in a fierce battle with specters, revenants, and a host of abominable creatures.
“Jasmine, now,” Qadir commanded, racing ahead of Jasmine to turn right and run toward the place they knew the main chamber of the fortress to be. Jasmine allowed one longing glance at the shape of Delilah shifting into hell-hide before she chased after Qadir. Within seconds she overtook him, her own speed unbeatable by the necromancer.
The hallway was made of gray stone, with oil portraits of unknown figures and former tenants hanging on the walls. Long, threadbare rugs took the flooring, and the curtains were moth-eaten and in need of repair. Dust and the forgotten smell of time filled Jasmine’s nostrils as she followed the internal map she had drawn in her mind, finally coming to a stop in front of a set of large, wooden double doors.
Qadir caught up, breathless but determined. Jasmine waited for his nod, then shoved the doors open.
The room was enormous, looking more like the throne room of a palace than a room in a large country manor. The stench of death and rot filled the room. Jasmine drank in the sights and gained her bearings before she saw her father sitting stoically on a large throne, one leg crossed over the other, offering a warm smile. Half a dozen spectral guardians surrounded him, tall creatures dressed in the ceremonial uniform of the dead.
“Jasmine,” he crooned. “I wondered when we’d be seeing you. I suppose that chaos outside is your doing?”
Jasmine took a few steps toward him. “Funny. I figured you’d have more protection inside. People to ensure that I couldn’t reach you and rip out your throat.”
Tylindale seemed unbothered. “And Qadir! My old friend… How nice to see you again. It’s been far too long. I see you’ve realized how tough it is out there without your former tutor. Have you come to see what I’ve been working on? I have so much to show you.”
Jasmine’s skin crawled. She didn’t like this setup. It felt too easy. Where were the leagues of warriors? Where were the traps and the spells designed to slow Jasmine and Qadir down? How large was Tylindale’s ego that he couldn’t be bothered to set anything against Jasmine?
“It’s over,” Jasmine stated, moving in front of Qadir. “Your reign of terror ends now, Father. Step down or die.”
Now Tylindale exploded with laughter. The dark aura surrounding him like a cloud flared and grew larger, almost swallowing his whole being. Jasmine didn’t know what would happen if she drew near his aura, but she knew it wouldn’t be good.
“You, kill me?” Tylindale mocked. “Oh, Jasmine, I thought I raised you better than that.”
“You never raised me,” Jasmine shot back. “You were nothing to me. All you ever were was a memory, a shadow of what a father should be. You’re a figure of a broken life, a fractured memory of a girl that never existed. This…” She pulled the carved wolf from her pocket and held it up to her father. “This is all that my father was. A broken, wooden toy. No good for anyone or anything. A totem of pain and heartache and broken promises.” She hurled it on the ground in the center of the room. The wooden figure clattered and then fell still.
Her father stared at the wolf, his cocky demeanor fading. Nostalgia flickered across his face, a sadness at Jasmine’s words. She could tell that he was affected and hoped that perhaps he might see the error of his ways, Jasmine giving the bastard one final chance at redemption.
For a moment, it seemed she had gotten through to him. Then, darkness fell across his face.
“What need do I have for a measly trinket?” Tylindale asked. “That gift was from the man you speak of, but that man is no longer here. I do not care for how my actions may impact one child of mine, for the world is my child now. All its people are my children. I will save them, Jasmine. Each and every single one. I will give them the gift that I’ve given you.”
“The curse!” Jasmine corrected. “You never gave me a choice. You never gave me an option. All that I am, this freak of nature, it’s unnatural. You can’t do this to people. You can’t!”
“A curse?” Tylindale shook his head. “Oh, please, Jasmine. To live forever is the greatest gift imaginable. I’ve even brought your old friend around to my way of thinking, haven’t I, Laughlin?”
Jasmine’s brow creased. A door at the side of the room opened, and a mammoth figure emerged. At first, Jasmine didn’t recognize him, but when he stepped into the candlelight, Jasmine could make out his gray skin and icy demeanor.
