The Liberator

28 The Scroll

Later that night—after we’ve all discussed the test ad nauseum and then slunk off to bed—I prepare myself to sneak out.

Charlie is asleep next to me, her bottom lip working like she’s having a conversation with herself. I want to lean down and kiss that chubby lip, but I know it’ll wake her. And then I’ll want to kiss other areas on her body, too.

So instead, I slip out from beneath the covers and pull on jeans and a T-shirt. The lounge area is vacant when I step through our doorway, and so is the hallway outside it. We don’t have a clock in our part of the house, and my phone is dearly departed, so I’m not sure what time it is, but it feels like just after midnight.

All the hallways look different from one another, which helps me to remember which ones I’ve already been down. But it does nothing to tell me where this scroll is. For all I know, it could be in Kraven’s bedroom, beneath his pillow.

Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Still, I have to take the chance that I can find this thing. From what I understand, there are no words on it. But something tells me I have to try. The sirens are going after Charlie and Aspen, and this is the only clue I have that may provide me answers to protect them both.

After what feels like two hours of creeping through the warped mansion and dodging staff members who soundlessly patrol the area, I’m no closer to finding the scroll. But I have decided this would be a nice place to hide a body, or maybe do a haunted house. It’s creepy as shit in here.

I stop and lean against a wall, thinking. Roaming around the place isn’t helping. This is something I’m going to have to puzzle through to get anywhere. So I ask myself, what is the safest room in the house?

My first response is to say with Kraven. That’s what he’d say. But if the place was designed specifically to protect those inside it, wouldn’t the middle be safest?

That’s tornado speak.

And it leads me directly to my target, the great room.

Adrenaline courses through me as I kick off the wall. I pass through seven rooms and travel down four hallways before I make it there. Once I’ve arrived, I do the only thing I can think of: I scour the place. I look everywhere for a hiding spot, including beneath the long dining table, but don’t find anything.

When I’ve all but given up, and I’m about to cave into the temptation to rejoin Charlie in bed, I gaze up. The rafters are empty. But then I remember that when Valery brought us into the Hive for the first time, we ascended a flight of stairs, which means there’s a level beneath this one. I sweep my eyes across the floor.

I see something.

It’s just a square of wood that’s grain doesn’t match the rest, but I’ll take it. Kneeling down near the spot, skull belt buckle digging into my stomach, I run my fingers along the edges until I find a place to slip a nail under. The board moves a centimeter. An inch.

And then it’s gliding open, far enough so that I can peer inside. There’s a light down there, but I can’t make out anything else. As a chill runs over my body, I lower myself into the basement-type area. I drop to the floor with an echoing thud and then pull myself upright.

The area isn’t big, maybe fifteen feet by fifteen feet. Hardwood floors cover the ground, just like in the great room. And all along the perimeter is warped wallpaper that doesn’t match—orange and yellow flowers along one side, and damask on another. A single light buzzes overhead, shining down on a small black box.

I approach the box slowly, holding my breath. My heart jackhammers in my chest because even though I’m a big dude who’s fought his fair share of demons, I don’t particularly enjoy being trapped like this.

I focus on Charlie. I think about how she probably looks in bed right now, a little bowling ball on the edge of the mattress, making room for my long limbs. I bet she’s talking to herself extra hard right now.

The thought brings a smile to my face as I come to stand in front of the box. The box that isn’t underground. Because I’m not underground.

“What are you hiding?” I ask it as I squat down.

I slide my hands along the edges, searching for a way to open it. Disappointment eats away at me when I find a keyhole near the back. Of course it’d be protected by a lock. But I’m not about to leave without searching the area. When I don’t find the key after twenty minutes, I move to Plan B.

Holding the box in one hand, I hurl it at the wall.

It shatters open.

“Damn straight,” I tell it in a whisper, even though I’m not sure why I’m whispering, because if I was going to wake someone up, it’s already done.

I scramble forward and then freeze. Beneath the box’s carcass is a sheet of gold paper curled into a tight roll. I lick my lips, imagine what I’ll do if it doesn’t reveal anything—I’ve already broken everything there is to break—and then reach down to grab it.

It unfolds easily. At first I don’t see anything. It’s blank, just like I knew it’d be.

But then I turn it over.

There are words. But only a few of them.

Whoever is able to read this is the Secret Carrier. Keep this knowledge hidden in your heart until the time is right.

Be patient.

The Secret Carrier. My top lip curls up, because what am I—five years old? But on the inside I’m dancing my ass off. Me! I’m the Secret Carrier! I don’t know what the hell that means, but it’s probably up there with Trelvator Girl. Maybe even bigger.

I knew my ass was special.

No one can read the words except the kings, they said.

Guess what that makes me? Pow!

I drop the scroll to the floor, because my chest is three times as big as it was a moment ago. I need more space to be so awesome. There isn’t time in my busy schedule to be holding scrolls. Maybe someone should hold it for me. I’m the Secret Carrier, after all.

Reaching overhead to the space I dropped down through, I start to pull myself up. I’ll let whoever finds this think there was a break-in, because I’m not ready to let on that I can read the scroll. Maybe I never will. Because that’s what it said, right? Be patient.

As I’m about to wiggle up through the hole, something catches my eye. It’s a fold in the wallpaper that looks off. I mean, everything looks off. But this appears to be done intentionally.

I let my arms drop and move toward the corner. Then I reach up and pull back the paper. It comes away easily. I have to squint to see, because the only light is on the other side of the room, whereas this spot is dark as sin.

As the paper peels back, the area brightens. A little at first, and then brighter and brighter until I’m shading my eyes instead of squinting.

Something flutters to the floor.

A scroll—the real scroll.

I bite the inside of my cheek, then snatch it off the ground. The paper feels weightless in my hand, like if I let go, it’d fly away instead of float back down. I flip it over. Then I flip it again.

Nothing.

It doesn’t say a damn thing.

My pride deflates like a limp penis.

…

At seven a.m. the next morning, I’m about as pleasant as a freshly castrated bull.

The first scroll was a decoy, set up to drive the reader into silence and to make them stop searching for the real thing. But the other one, that was real. Too bad it didn’t say dick. After realizing I wasn’t going to find anything out, I’d replaced the real scroll and returned to bed.

And now I can’t wait to get to Kraven. Because I haven’t forgotten what he said last night: “They are out there.” Which means Charlie is too close to harm. Way too close. I have to get her soul back soon, but it’s a delicate balancing act. The longer I stay at the Hive, the more I learn how to survive on my quest. And I have to survive. At least long enough to hand her soul off to Valery or Kraven or whoever can turn it in.

On the other hand, every minute I waste here is another minute I’m taking a risk. A risk that they will find a way in here and get to her. Then they’ll have everything. Her soul. Her body.

And then what?

Is she gone forever?

I can’t think about that. Because I have a plan and I need to focus. Ever since I arrived at the Hive, things have been in Kraven’s control. But that’s about change.

When Valery arrives, I’m ready for her.

“I’ll be the only one attending training today,” I announce.

“Whaaa?” Blue stands up, his mouth stuffed with a flaky crescent.

I don’t take my eyes off Red. “I mean it, Valery. Take me to Kraven. Just me.” I square my shoulders, raise my chin, and wait.

She must realize I’m serious, because she nods. Conversation explodes behind me as I follow her out, but I just close the door and keep moving. I don’t have time to explain.

When we get to the training room, I ask Valery to leave. Her mouth pulls into a half smile, like she’s somehow proud that I’m making demands. I don’t understand this in the least, but I accept it.

She turns to go, and a few minutes later, Kraven saunters in. He’s wearing white pants and a white sleeveless shirt. There’s a green belt cinched around his waist, and I’m a bit thrown off because I thought Miami was allergic to color.

“We need to talk,” I say.

Kraven inspects the training room. “Where is the other liberator? Sector two training starts today.”

I lose my focus for a moment. “So, we passed the defense portion?”

Kraven opens his arms as if to say, you’re still here, aren’t you?

A smile hangs stupidly from my face. Then I shake it off, remembering why I wanted to speak to Miami alone. I straighten my spine until I can’t stand any taller. I may need a chiropractor after this. “I know the Hive is surrounded.”

“It’s hardly surrounded.”

“So you admit it.” I jab a finger in his direction. “They’re out there.”

“There’s nothing to admit. You already knew.”

I bring a hand to my hair and pull, trying to think this through. “Are they sirens?”

Kraven nods.

“You know about them,” I say. It isn’t a question.

“Valery told me. They’re soulless, you know. They were collected the moment they agreed to work for demons, even if they didn’t really know who they were partnering with. It’s what they agreed to do that matters.”

“The collectors have Charlie’s soul. We don’t have it.” I’m sure he’s already aware, but I need to hear him say it.

His gaze turns to the glass wall, to the ocean beyond it. “I know.”

“I’m going to get it back.” I close the distance between us so that we’re an arm’s length apart. “I don’t have time for this training sectors crap. You need to show me how to break into hell, steal her soul back, and return with it.”

His raises an eyebrow at hearing my plan, which for him is the equivalent of tearing off his clothes and running around buck naked screaming, “Oh, man! Oh, crap! You just blew my effing mind!”

“You’re going to go after her soul?” he clarifies.

I shrug like I do this crap every day. “Yep, I’ll take a tank full of weapons and blow them all to pieces if I have to.”

“You will do no such thing,” Kraven snaps. “Weapons were born of sin, and you will not use them. If you do, I can guarantee you won’t be wearing a cuff any longer.”

This certainly screws with my plan, but on the off chance I make it back, I’m going to need my dargon to keep kicking. I hold up my hands. “All right, don’t get your panties in a wad. No weapons. I’ll just use these guns.”

I show him my biceps.

Kraven ignores me and rubs a hand along his jaw. “Your current assignment is very important. You can’t abandon that mission.”

“Her name is Aspen, Cyborg. And I’ll liberate her soul as soon as I return. Hell, I may not even have to work that hard. Girl’s turning a corner, I think.” I pause. “Do you know why Aspen is so important to the dude upstairs? You must not, since you aren’t training her.”

“We have protocol. The sectors are placed in a certain order for a reason,” Kraven says, following his own train of thought. Nothing new to see here, guys. “You won’t survive in hell without the training.”

“Tell me you can teach me something valuable, and fast, or I’ll leave tonight.”

Kraven snaps his teeth together. “I can teach you things, but you have to commit to the timeline. Three days for each sector, five sectors remaining. I need two weeks. You need two weeks. And that’s without adding on Amplification, which you’d probably want to—”

“That’s too much time,” I growl. “Try again.”

“I need two weeks, or I can’t—”

I hold up my hand and, amazingly, he stops talking. Our eyes meet. “We’re done here.”

Every nerve in my body pulses as I stride toward the exit.

“Wait,” Kraven says.

I keep moving.

“Wait!” he yells.

I’m almost gone when he breaks.

“I’ll show you,” he whispers. “I’ll show you how to summon your wings.”

With my face still turned away from him, I smile. That is exactly what I was waiting for.

DESCENT

“Demons exist whether you believe in them or not.”

—Emily Rose