Chapter 52
Horatio
The silence following the screams was the loudest thing Horatio had ever heard.
Ashes floated like snowfall, each glowing flake dimming to gray. Fragments of green light winked out from all directions as the sigil faded back into his chest, but he knew the prophecy wasn’t finished with him yet.
Where Anole had stood was now a mound of ash. Horatio was reminded of Pompeii, and imagined inside those ashes was a perfect cavity of Anole’s body, frozen in surrender.
Gunner pressed against Horatio’s left side. His warmth drove away some of the shock. “The jail cells are gone. Not sure how.”
The words woke the room. Dagger sprinted to Juno. Komodo dropped beside Dragon’s body. Sugar followed, voice rising.
“His leg twitched. I think he’s alive. Help me roll him over.”
Once they had him on his back, Sugar checked Dragon’s pulse and declared it steady. Horatio was stunned. He’d watched the man take a bullet to the chest, but his orange jumpsuit showed no blood, bullet holes, or gunpowder.
Komodo patted his brother’s face and urged him to open his eyes, exhaling in pure relief when he did. “Praise to the gods.”
“I thought you’d rather I was dead, brother,” Dragon said, voice weak. “Anole told me of the lies he’d spread—that I was a traitor who ran from battle.”
“I never believed it. Only death could have stopped you.”
“Or betrayal.” Dragon stared at the mound of ashes. “But justice has been served, I suppose. Even so, I will miss him.”
“As will I.” Komodo and Sugar helped Dragon to his feet.
Grief hung heavy all around, taking Horatio back to the day his sister Penny died. His parents had coped by erasing her: photos, yearbooks, every trace—gone. He wondered if they’d hidden all of him away, too.
“We should find something for the remains.” Gunner clutched his pendant.
Horatio wrapped him in his arms and held him tight without saying a word. A collective silence followed as they stood in the moment, feeling its weight.
A wavering pulse of static erupted from somewhere unseen. Juno crouched beside a heap of debris and lifted a rectangular metal box, cracked down the middle. Soft blue light leaked from the split, flashing in time with the sound.
“This is what Anole forced me to build,” he said. “I called it the mage heart.”
“Can I see that?” Seven cradled it like a treasure, fingers tracing the surface. “This is crazy, but it feels... alive."
“It is. My greatest and worst invention. I tried to program in a fail safe, so that I could still use my magic, but that didn’t work. It kept us trapped here.”
“Looks broken,” Snake muttered. “That means we can portal—” He pointed to the ash pile that had been Anole. “Bloody hell! He’s not dead either.”
The mound shifted. Anole emerged. He struggled to his feet, coughing and covered in soot. When his father shouted his name, he turned in disbelief. “No! I killed you.”
“Another failure, son.” Dragon shook his head. “Your fate is Sauria’s now.”
Anole backed away until he bumped into a wall. “Impossible. My plan was foolproof.” He sank onto his haunches, hands rubbing at his face.
“If it was foolproof, even you couldn’t have arsed it up, mate,” Snake said.
Komodo chuckled. “Indeed.” After mopping his face with a handkerchief, he thrust out a hand to Horatio. “I can never thank you enough.”
He shook the scaled hand. “Wasn’t really me, though.” Horatio put a palm to his chest. The sigil still tingled against his hand.
“Modesty is only a virtue when it’s not taken too far.” Dragon gave Horatio a slight bow. “You have Sauria’s gratitude. And its debt.”
“Take us off the most-wanted list and we’re square,” Horatio said.
“Only the king has the authority for that. But if your names come up, maybe I will look the other way.” Komodo reached inside his jacket and produced a pair of handcuffs. “We’ll take the prisoner with us, if that’s satisfactory?”
Snake grabbed Anole by his collar and hoisted him to his feet. “Looks like you got a second chance at life, son. Try not to fuck it up.”
Anole sobbed through a laundry list of lame excuses. Flanked by his father and uncle, he cried even louder when a portal cracked into view. Through the circle, Horatio could see a place that reminded him of Arizona, all red rock cliffs and blaring sunlight.
Komodo gave them a crisp salute. “Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure.”
Grinning, Snake returned the gesture. “And if we come up on your radar?”
“I saw nothing.”
Juno stood by Dragon’s side and took his hand. “I will miss our… talks.”
He winked at Juno with his one good eye. “I will, too, tiny friend.”
When the gateway closed behind them, Dagger made a face. “Tell me you did not fuck big scaly guy, Juno.”
“Needed the power.” Juno sat cross-legged on the floor. “You have many questions. I have many answers.”
They sat in a half-circle around Juno. Dagger sat close and held his brother’s hand.
“How did you get stuck down here, Juno?” Seven asked.
“Meridian hired me to work on his security system. After a week, he came to me with the master key and a scroll, so scared he could barely talk. Said he needed me to capture a murderer named Horatio Slice. I triple-checked his coordinates before I programmed the key. But instead of landing in one of these very cells—”
“I ended up in Merona Prison. With Snake,” Horatio said.
“Meridian fired me on the spot and stormed off. I came down here and checked again, but I did not make a mistake.”
Gunner rubbed his pendant. “The same thing happened when I brought Horatio back to Earth. It shouldn’t have worked. I used the coordinates for Madison Square Garden. I even waited until the precise moment he got sucked through the portal.”
“But I was in Environ. You’re right, Gun, it shouldn’t have worked. So why did it?”
“I’ve had time to think about this,” Juno said. “Only one conclusion makes sense. The master key can think for itself.”
Seven paled. “And so can Gunner’s machine.”
Juno nodded. “Yes.”
“No way,” Gunner mumbled. “How could I have invented something that, I mean—” He rubbed his forehead. “You know what, I’m just going to accept that it happened.”
“We did witness two people come back from the dead today,” Sugar said. “Suspending our disbelief is probably best.”
Gunner smiled. “I’ve had to do that about a lot of things out here.”
“Juno, you haven’t told us how you came to be locked up down here, but I’m assuming it was Meridian,” Seven said.
“No. He just fired me. On my way out of the castle, Anole grabbed me and held a rag over my face. When I woke up again, I was locked in that cell. Anole kept me a secret from Meridian so he could use my hacking skills and pretend they were his. He stood over my shoulder and watched every keystroke, to make sure I didn’t slip in any secret messages.
Then one day, Tegu left his tablet down here.
" Juno grinned. “And never got it back.”
“So that’s how you managed your trickier maneuvers. The sonic boom you created was fucking amazing.” Seven was practically drooling.
Dagger cuddled closer to his brother. “My Juno very smart. He learn your language much faster than me, too.”
Juno kissed the top of Dagger’s head. “Only because language is one of my specialties. You are just as intelligent as I am.”
“But you bigger and prettier than me.”
“How many years are there between your births, lads?” Snake asked.
“We not born,” Dagger said. “We hatched from same egg.”
Horatio’s mouth dropped open.
“It is strange to others, but normal where we come from. Special plants grow in the moonlight. Flowers turn into eggs that have a baby inside. My egg had an extra baby.” Juno paused to kiss Dagger’s forehead.
“He was as big as my thumb when born. The elders did not think he would live, but my brother has more strength than most.”
Horatio’s head throbbed. Dagger hatched from a fucking egg. Then again, his best friend was a vampire. He crossed his ankles. “The prophecy makes it sound like I’m supposed to kill Meridian. But, after all I’ve learned today, he’s not the monster I thought he was.”
“He did kidnap you, Horatio. And held Sugar prisoner,” Snake said.
“But are those grounds for execution?” Sugar asked.
“I don’t think so.” Horatio rested his head on top of Gunner’s. “But does the prophecy?”
Juno sat up taller. “What makes you think you need to kill him?”
“It says I’ll slay Meridian with my tool, which we assumed meant guitar.”
“Ah. I see.” Juno tented his fingers. “The nuances of ancient Vixenese can be misconstrued by amateurs. For example, the word ‘amonte’ can mean slay, but it can also mean peak or pinnacle.”
“So Horatio can throw Meridian off the top of a mountain?” Snake asked. “A bit cruel, but, if that’s what the prophecy wants.” He pursed his lips.
“Any other words for ‘madness’?” Gunner asked.
Juno nodded. “Yes. Pain or suffering. No others.”
Horatio groaned. “Can’t you just tell me what to do, Juno?”
“The seer who wrote the prophecy chose you on purpose. You, and only you, can be trusted to make the right decision.” Juno patted Horatio’s knee. “And you will.” He slumped against his brother, eyes heavy.
“My Juno needs to go home and restore his magic.”
“Will you be returning to the ship, Dagger?” Snake asked.
“Depends. Can Juno be pirate, too?”
“I have always dreamed of being a pirate. The adventure. The sexy men.” Juno smiled at Seven. “Very, very sexy men.”
Seven shot Snake the puppy-dog eyes. “They can bunk with me.”
“Great,” Snake growled. “Now I’ll have four of you dicking around with my ship.”
“That good, because I have great idea for optional energy source, very powerful.” Dagger rubbed his hands together.
“We already have wind and solar. What else exists?” Snake asked.
“Sex power.” Dagger stood and made a portal. “Come on, brother.”
Juno gave the remains of the mage heart to Seven and whispered something in his ear. “You really think we can do that?” Seven asked.
“Together, we can do lots of things.” Juno winked, took Dagger’s hand, and followed him through the portal.
“Sex power? Was he pulling my dick just now, or do you suppose they can really do that?” Snake asked.
“I wouldn’t bet against either of those chaos fairies,” Seven said. He looked at Horatio. “You look stressed. Want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know where to start.”
“What’s your gut telling you?” Gunner asked.
“That killing him isn’t the answer.”
Ormond peeked out from under the cot. “What about me?”
Sugar waved his hand. “I’ve already killed you once. Someone else can have a turn.”
“Do you think you deserve to die?” Snake asked.
“Yes.” Ormond whimpered. “I suppose.”
“Good. I’ve just the thing.” Snake reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He smiled at Sugar. “Please stand, darling.”
“Why? What are you doing?” Sugar hissed. He stood tall, arms crossed, frown deep.
“Something I should have done years ago.” Snake knelt at Sugar’s feet.
Sugar groaned.
Horatio grabbed Gunner’s hand.
Seven bit into a knuckle.
“Sugar Constantine, despite my decades of stupidity and assholery, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“You motherfucker.” A smile slowly lit up Sugar’s face. “Yes.”
Snake slid a large ring on Sugar’s finger. “Did you have to scare me like that?”
“Of course.”
“Show us the ring!” Seven shrieked.
Sugar held out his hand. The center stone was a six-carat round-cut emerald surrounded by rubies—the most bling Horatio had ever seen in his life.
“Holy shit, if the sun hits that at the right angle, you could burn down a forest.” Horatio patted Snake on the back. “Nice work.”
“Only the best for Sugar. Martine’s nephew handpicked the emerald from hundreds to perfectly match his eyes. And those aren’t rubies. They’re cut from a petrified dragon’s heart.”
Seven whistled. “How the fuck did you find one of those?”
“I’ve had one tucked in the treasury for decades. Family heirloom.” Snake beamed. “From my Ravenbourne side.”
“My mother’s going to birth a litter of kittens when she sees this.” Sugar gave Snake a long French kiss. “I love you so fucking much, vampire.”
“I love you more.”
Gunner let out an adorable sob. “I’m so happy for you guys. Seriously, this is beautiful. I’m a mess.”
“A hot mess,” Horatio muttered. He wiped a smudge of eyeliner off Gunner’s face and wondered if he should start looking at rings.
Snake glanced toward Ormond. “You dead, mate?”
“Destroyed.”
“Good.” Snake made a portal. “Get your sorry ass back to Turk. But if you ever cross my line of sight again, I’ll make a coat rack out of your spine while you’re still wearing it.”
Ormond teetered his way to the portal, half of his face wet with tears. He paused and looked back at Sugar. “Are you happy?”
“Deliriously happy. I have everything I’ve ever wanted and more.”
“If he ever—”
“Get. The. Fuck. Out.” Sugar pointed to the gateway.
“He almost left skid marks,” Gunner said.
“Looks like there’s one thing left on our agenda.” Horatio picked up his guitar. “Let’s go end the king’s madness. Or pain. Or suffering.”
He groaned again.