“…Marcus is scary.”
Asoft hum flooded the void they were trapped in, and Pierce raised an eyebrow, his camouflage engulfing his true visage in its entirety. The hum became a buzz, then a whispered scream, calling Caster to follow it.
“You hear it, don’t you?” Pierce’s words floated above the call of what he could only assume was the Underworld.
He was still stuck under the weight of his previous words. “How would Mark save us?”
“Your wolf is the only living thing that can journey to the Underworld unscathed.”
“…Marcus is scary.”
Mark’s voice, a tiny whisper drowning into the insistent scream calling to him from beyond the void, reached past his hearing as if he’d spoken into his mind.
He smiled. Marcus had always been scary, but it was Mark’s voice and its effect that brought him joy.
It chased the scream back into a hum, the Underworld’s call tolerable for now.
He closed his eyes and reached for Mark in his mind, begging him to keep talking.
The content of his words was lost in the relief they brought and his efforts to hold on to them.
“He speaks to you?” Pierce asked, and he opened his eyes. “That’s good. Let’s pray he keeps talking.”
On that, they could agree, but he knew better than to trust the demon. “Why did she trap you here?” He focused on the sound and effect of Mark’s voice, who continued to speak to him. The Underworld still called, but the hum was now a distant nuisance.
“That is between me and her.”
“Why should I help you? It is your power that she uses against me. Against those I love.” If Riley found a way, and Caster was certain he would, he would be here to rescue him, not the demon responsible for their misery.
“You’re right. It is my power, and I’m the only one who can subdue it, subdue her.”
Again, his tone was calm, too calm, but Caster had lived long enough to sense the underlying desperation in it. If he’d been stuck in this void for centuries, he’d be desperate too. “You know how to kill her.”
“Yes.” The lack of hesitation made him believable. Or was it a ruse? He was a demon after all.
“Tell me, and I’ll make sure you get out of here when they come for me.”
Pierce laughed, his many voices returning with his joy, the sound unsettling. It crawled over his skin, and he had to fight with every ounce of energy to resist the urge to turn away from it. “You assume you’ll have a choice.”
Caster held on to Mark’s words, drawing strength from the effect of his voice. “I’m the only one connected to the physical world. You need me.”
Pierce smiled, but there was a slight shift in his demeanor, a crack in the calm facade.
“I knew you’d be formidable.” Then he shook his head.
“I’m afraid my offer is non-negotiable. And while I continue to languish in this void, she will continue to tear your world apart.
” He shrugged, the calm facade returning with terrifying speed.
“You see, unlike the others who pass through this void, unlike you, the Underworld does not call to me. I have time. An eternity. Do you? Does your world?” He retreated to his corner, and Caster watched his darkness diminish the light in it.
His many voices returned. “I hope they come for you soon. You don’t have much time. ”
Caster could not stop the shiver running through him.
Riley was his only hope. One thing was certain.
If the call Mark’s voice had chased away returned, and he was dragged into the Underworld, he wouldn’t want him to look for him.
He knew precious little of the Underworld, except that it was not a place any living being wanted to visit.
But if the power he could sense from the demon was any indication, Ethel’s power would only continue to grow.
Would it be so bad to let Pierce out if his freedom meant the protection of his loved ones, of the world?
He kept a close eye on the demon as he retreated a few steps.
If there was one thing he could trust above all else, it was that Pierce wouldn’t harm him.
For someone so powerful, he seemed unable to break free of this prison without assistance, meaning he needed Caster.
He had the upper hand for now, but it was wise to keep his guard up, just in case.
He found a wall across from where Pierce’s darkness obscured his form and leaned against its solid mass, content to watch and listen for now. The distant hum of the Underworld’s call was there, but so was Mark’s voice.
He reached for the ancient magic that made him a vampire, gathered the clearest image of Mark he could muster, and breathed a sigh when his efforts proved fruitful. Mark’s voice grew clearer, the hum fading further away.
“…she is so sure you’re OK. Please tell me you are.”
“I am, baby. I’m right here.” He whispered, unsure Mark could even hear him, but needing to reassure him. His voice was clear, but so broken, and even knowing his efforts would be in vain, Caster’s desire to fight his way out of this void overwhelmed every fiber of his being.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried, but his helplessness, his despair, brought unwanted tears to his eyes. He wouldn’t let them fall. Mark needed him to remain strong, and he’d do his best to communicate that strength through whatever connection had brought his voice to him.
§
Mark gasped when Caster’s claws pierced his skin for a second time. He sat up, careful to maintain the connection. “You can hear me?”
Riley had said he could, but Mark had been talking to him for the better part of an hour with no indication that he was even aware or alive. Pain shot through his palm as Caster’s claws dug deeper, and he couldn’t hold back his joy, a smile drawing more tears to his stinging eyes.
“Oh, Goddess, thank you.” He reached for Caster’s other hand. “Are you OK? Where are you?”
He rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the dumb question.
It was clear Caster was unable to speak.
Unsure what to do, he held on to the connection Caster’s claws offered and continued to talk to him.
He told him of his childhood, stopping short of describing his less-than-loving relationship with his mother.
There was no need to add further despair to the moment.
He settled closer to Caster’s side, the warmth from his body chasing away some of his fear.
“I wish you’d say something.” His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since before the witch’s attack, and he smiled, imagining Caster commanding him to eat. “I am hungry, but I don’t want to move.”
Where was Riley? How much time did he need anyway? He was supposed to be the most powerful being on the planet.
His joy at Caster’s reaction to him faded back into the fear that he would lose him. What if this is all he was ever going to have? Caster had promised everything, forever. Was their forever destined to only last a day? Half a day?
“I love you!” The words flowing out of his mind, past his unguarded mouth, startled him enough that he lost the connection with Caster’s claws.
His breath caught, his heart stopped, only to start beating at twice its usual rate.
Fear, loud and true, filled the space in his mind as words he never thought he would say again echoed in the depths of his soul.
Their truth was undeniable, and as the initial shock passed, he wanted to voice his true feelings again, praying Caster could hear him. He wanted to shout those three words for the whole world to hear. He whispered them instead, his voice low, clogged by the fear that Caster couldn’t hear him.
At first, Caster’s response was a flutter of his hand, his claws digging deeper into his palm, but the flutter turned into sharp, precise movement, and Mark forgot all fear.
“I love you!” The fear, the hesitation, fled with each flutter of Caster’s fingers. “Please come back to me, so I can tell you.”
He wanted to jump out of bed, find Riley, and make him use his immense power to bring Caster back.
But that would mean leaving him, and he didn’t want to do that.
He closed his eyes, gathered the clearest image of Riley he could muster, and took a chance.
Are you almost ready? He’s responding to me.
The powerful witch’s presence in his mind space was too unsettling, stealing his breath. It was as if his power tried to rip his mind to shreds. He shut his eyes against the assault, wincing as his wolf jumped to attention, ready to fight the intrusion.
But a sudden, soothing calm replaced the tense threat, and he sighed his relief.
Sorry, you caught me off guard. Riley’s voice infiltrated the space in his mind, calming his wolf back to low-key alertness. Good. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Keep him connected to you. It will be easier that way.