Chapter 47 Rui
Rui
. . . he is waiting beneath the stairway to heaven . . .
There was only one place in the city that fit that description: the new office tower at Outram. And the only thing beneath it was the old subway station. Nikai had picked a strange meeting place, but maybe he had his reasons.
The shuttle off the island came quickly, and soon Rui was on her way into the city. She had studied the network of subterranean
tracks once when she got curious about the underground magic community. An easier way to Outram would be to take the train
to the stop after and backtrack on foot, but the faster way was going through the tunnel itself. Nikai was waiting for her
with news of the vessel—news that could help her fulfill the end of the bargain with Ten. She wasn’t going to keep him waiting.
Rui sprinted to the subway gantry and slipped into the train as the doors were closing. It emptied out at the next stop. Stroke
of luck. No one to witness what she was about to do.
She made her way to the door between compartments, waiting anxiously as the train rumbled on for the next few stops. As it
curved between stations, she pried the door open and jumped. Dusting herself off, she crept northward alongside the tracks.
Gradually, her eyes adjusted to the orange light cast from occasional lamps attached to the graffitied walls.
There. A fork in the path ahead.
The stench of sewage was strong, and the old tracks damp. Water from small puddles splashed beneath her boots, wetting the
hem of her jeans. Rats and other creatures scurried out of her way as she crashed through, not bothering to hide her presence.
Something caught her eye. She shone her phone light at the scratched-up metal sign hammered to the wall. She was almost there.
Another left turn and Rui found herself at the abandoned station. Built in a time when subway trains had fewer cars, the platform was shorter than what she was used to and there was no barrier between the tracks and the platform. Panting, she heaved herself up from the tracks.
“Nikai?” she shouted. “I’m here!”
The place was in a state of disrepair. Dirty scuffed-up floors, tiles falling off in places to reveal concrete, mildewed ceilings
dripping with runoff . . . But the electricity was still running, and half the lights were flickering.
Rui peered into the broken windows of the stationmaster’s office. There was nothing but old cabinets and machinery and what
looked like a decades-old burger wrapper.
There was no sign of the Reaper.
“Nikai?” Her voice echoed. Did Seven send her to the wrong place, or had Rui misunderstood her instructions?
Something red edged into her vision.
Rui looked up.
A tall, slender figure was moving gracefully toward her. But in that grace, something darker lived.
“Nice to see you again, Rui,” said Ten. His flaxen hair had lost its shine, and his robes were dull, the edges colorless the
way Seven’s skin was earlier. “I see my little sister led you here. Well done. Is she not lovely?”
Rui shrank back instinctively. “I thought I was meeting Nikai.”
“I’m afraid he’s unavailable right now.” Ten pulled a sad face. “And is this how you greet an old friend?”
“You’re not my friend.”
“And you would be wise to remember that, rude little mortal. How long has it been since we met? I do not pay attention to
how time passes in the mortal realm, especially when I have been so busy.”
It was best to be upfront. “I haven’t found your brother yet,” Rui said, trying to calm her racing heart. “But Nikai found
the vessel, didn’t he? If he tells me, it’ll help me with my search for Four’s soul.”
“Nikai this, Nikai that . . .” Ten shook his head, feigning disappointment. “Did you forget your deal is with me?”
“No,” Rui stammered.
“Good.” Ten bared his teeth. “Because I have come to collect.”
“But I just told you I haven’t found—”
“Hush. He’s here.”
“Who?”
“Someone waiting to make a dramatic entrance, as one does in these situations.” Ten clapped. “Come on! Do not keep us waiting.”
Rui spotted shadows shifting at the far end of the tunnel. A few silhouettes were coming forward.
Human-shaped.
Gooseflesh sprouted on her arms when she sensed them for what they were. This was a trap. Ten must be punishing her for not
fulfilling her end of the deal. Death seemed extreme, but he was a petty god from the underworld. Anger overcame her fear.
Of all the ways he could have killed her, she couldn’t believe he chose this.
“You can kill me yourself,” she said. “No need to get them to do your dirty work.”
“You misunderstand me, Rui,” Ten scolded, a hand to his chest as if she’d wounded him deeply. “Our contract binds us, remember?
I am not here to kill you; I am here to deliver a gift.”
The Hybrids walked out of the shadows, climbing up from the tracks onto the platform. There were five of them, a ragtag-looking
bunch. Rui was struck by how young they looked.
A sixth figure came forward into the light and pulled himself up next to them.
Numbness pooled in Rui’s legs. Time buckled and warped. Pressure in her ears built up, and it felt like her head would explode.
Her mother’s murderer was standing right in front of her.
Not a test, not a simulation. Just as real as she was.
“You’re all grown up now, but I know you,” said the Hybrid Revenant. “The little girl who got away. The little girl who gave me this.”
He raised his shirt to reveal an ugly scar running across his chest.
Rui remembered him.
She remembered the cruel curve of his smile, his hypnotic voice, the way he held her attention like a snake charmer, except
he was the serpent.
But she didn’t remember giving him that wound.
Every cell in her body was screaming to kill him now. Her hands itched for her swords. But without her magic, the steel on
her weapons would only make the Hybrid bleed. It would not destroy him.
Quickly, she calculated the distance between them, turning slightly so the length of her coat hid her hand. Her fingers found
the soft pouch dangling from her belt, and she filled her palm with its contents.
The Hybrid was eyeing her hungrily. “Are you sure I can’t have some of her yangqi?” he asked Ten. “A little sip for old times’
sake?”
“Mind your manners, Feng,” Ten said. “Besides, you are here for a different reason.” He turned to Rui. “One condition has
been fulfilled. I have brought you your mother’s murderer. Now, we have other things to—”
“Wait a minute, what’s he going on about?” Feng interrupted, glancing nervously at the other Hybrids.
The five stayed silent, their expressions blank. But Rui noticed they were now blocking Feng’s path if he wanted to leave.
Or escape.
Clearly, Ten had struck more than one deal. What had he promised the Hybrids in return for surrendering their comrade?
Ten sighed. “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted—”
Rui flung her hand up.
Tiny coins shot in the air.
All eyes focused on the shiny balls of light.
Rui slid forward. Swept her leg across, catching Feng’s ankle. He stumbled. She rammed into his chest, knocking him off the
platform.
The Hybrid slammed onto the tracks below. Foul-smelling water splattered everywhere. She heard Ten’s squeals of disgust, punctuated by small blasts of qi bombs exploding. Shrapnel filled with yangqi pierced the Hybrids’ flesh. Screams echoed.
But Rui was focused on only one thing.
She jumped onto the tracks, knifing a knee into Feng’s sternum, pinning him down on the dirt. With a snarl, she caught his
throat and squeezed. His jaw opened—just enough—and she shoved a handful of fizzling coins in, forcing him to swallow.
Rui didn’t know if the qi bombs would kill him. But his life was in her hands, and as she looked into his once-arrogant eyes,
now filled with fear, she let herself enjoy the moment—however brief.
“Enough of this!” Ten raised a hand.
A force threw Rui off. She hit the wall. A broken tile sliced her forehead. Blood ran down her face. Dazed, she saw Feng spitting
the crimson coins onto the ground.
“You little bitch—” Feng wheezed, clutching his chest.
Rui laughed hysterically. A few qi bombs must’ve gone off inside of Feng. He was shaking uncontrollably and the skin on his
throat was splotchy purple.
But he wasn’t dead. Not at all. She would kill him with her bare hands if she had to.
She hurled herself at Feng.
Ten moved his fingers almost lazily.
This time, the force caught Rui in midair, flinging her back onto the platform. She landed on her side. Pain exploded in her
shoulders and neck. Black spots appeared in her vision. She tried to stand, but she only got to her knees before collapsing.
“Stay down, Rui,” Ten said. “I do not wish to hurt you more than I must. All I ask from you is a bit of patience. You will
have your revenge.”
“We should kill the brat,” said a Hybrid in a green bomber jacket. She was about Surin’s age, with dark hair piled on top
of her head in a ponytail. Her forehead and neck had been burned a painful red by the qi bombs.
The other Hybrids growled in agreement, each showing varying degrees of damage.
Feng hissed, “She’s mine.”
“Know your place, fool,” Ten said calmly. “She is nobody’s. I tire of you and your nonsense, human.” He spat the last word
like an insult.
Rui tried to focus, her breath ragged. Why did Ten call the Hybrid human? Feng wasn’t—
Twisting his wrist, Ten clawed his fingers into a fist.
Lifted by an unseen force, Feng rose in the air. His limbs dangled helplessly as he yelled, “Put me down!”
“As you wish.” Ten dropped his arm, and Feng came crashing onto the platform at the King’s feet. Ten gripped his face, sharp
nails piercing skin. “I would kill you for your insolence, but your life belongs to the girl.”
Ten let go.
Feng covered his eyes, emitting a high-pitched shriek that went on and on as he writhed on the ground. What terrible visions
was Ten putting in his mind? Feng shook for a few more moments before going still. His eyes were open and vacant, a look of
utter fear frozen on his face. He was living whatever nightmare Ten had trapped him in.
Green Jacket gasped, taking a step forward as if to help her comrade. But Ten threw her a warning glare. “Do not forget about
our agreement.”
Green Jacket paled, and she stayed where she was. The rest of the Hybrids exchanged uneasy looks. Rui had a feeling they’d
gotten more than they’d bargained for.
“We’ll fulfill our end of the deal and complete our task,” said Green Jacket. “We won’t get in your way, Your Majesty.” She
motioned. “Bring the rest out.”
The other Hybrids scattered onto the tracks and into the dark.
Rui focused on Green Jacket. Could this Hybrid be their leader?
She seemed competent, but Rui had a feeling there was more to their hierarchy.
Green Jacket had reacted to Ten’s torture of Feng; she had wanted to help her comrade.
She couldn’t be the mastermind of this scheme.
Someone else—someone who wasn’t here—was leading the pack.
Rui promised herself that if she survived this, she would track down the real brains behind the Hybrids and make them pay.
As Rui slumped against the dirty walls of the station, thinking of how she could end Feng’s life for good, a peculiar change
was coming over the Tenth King. He paced back and forth, smoothing out his low ponytail, neatening his robes. Rui sensed his
anticipation. But she couldn’t think of anyone Ten would care to impress.
There was movement in the tunnel. Footsteps. Low grunts. Three of the Hybrids reappeared, each with a body slung over their
shoulders. They dropped the bodies unceremoniously onto the tracks. Normies. They were unconscious, not dead. Why were they
here?
The last Hybrid was wrestling a young man with a hood over his head who was very much not unconscious. The Hybrid caught an
elbow to the jaw, and he snarled and hunched over. Something violet began to grow from his spine. But a look from Green Jacket,
and the Hybrid straightened, his violet spikes receding.
The other Hybrids went to help him. Together, they threw the young man to the ground, where he lay, catching his breath.
“Free him,” Ten commanded.
Green Jacket didn’t look happy, but she yanked the young man up anyway and untied his hands. She pulled off the hood and removed
the gag from his mouth, giving him a vicious kick in the back.
The young man stumbled into the light. Barely able to walk, he fell hard to his knees onto the train tracks.
He looked up, and Rui found herself staring into eyes, blue like the hottest part of a flame.