The Blood by D. J. MacHale
Coop gave her a wave.
Zoe returned the gesture with a slight, businesslike nod. "Did you find Ree?" Maggie asked.
Coop frowned and shook his head.
"Listen," he said, suddenly nervous. "I, uh, I've got some bad news, but before I tell everyone, I want you to promise me something."
"Sure. What?"
Coop ran his hands through his hair and stared at his Pumas.
"What's the matter?" Maggie asked innocently. "You're never at a loss for words."
"Yeah, well, I've never said something like this before." Maggie reached out and gently lifted his chin so she could look into his eyes.
"Just say it."
Coop took a deep breath and said, "Things are going to get nasty. There's no way I can predict where we'll end up once the dust settles. If it settles."
Maggie didn't interrupt but kept her eyes locked on his. "What I'm saying is, I don't want anything to happen to you."
She gave him a slight smile and said, "I don't want anything to happen to any of us."
"I know, me neither, but I feel as if I've just gotten to know you, and after all you've been through, it just doesn't seem right that you should have to risk your future when you're so close to getting out of the Black and—"
"How do you know I'm getting out?"
"I don't. Not really. But if anybody deserves to move on to a better place, it's you. You've paid your dues a couple times over and that's what gets you sprung, right?"
"I suppose," she said with a shrug.
"Well, that's what I think, so what I'm asking is that when things start to hit the fan, you do your best to stay out of it."
"And what if I want to be with you?" she asked.
Coop had an argument all ready, but in that moment, all he could think about was how much he cared for Maggie Salinger. He pulled her toward him and hugged her close.
"That's the last place you should be," he said.
The two stood together for a long moment. Coop pressed his cheek into her hair, sensing the vague sweet smell of freshly picked apples.
"Coop? Are you crying?"
Coop cleared his throat and pulled away from her. "Jeez, no! Give me a break. I'm just . . . I'm just . . . Look, I'm not one for being all sentimental. I'm just not."
Maggie smiled coyly, "I think you're doing just fine."
"Yeah, well, all I'm saying is that after all you've been through, you've earned a free pass out of this mess and I want you to keep your head down. Okay?"
Maggie reached up, wrapped her hands around his neck, and whispered, "I love you, too."
She leaned up to him and the two kissed. For a moment they were back on the Ferris wheel at Playland, where nothing else mattered but the two of them.
And Cooper was indeed crying.
"Coop!" Gramps yelled from his spot farther down the beach. "Jeez, come up for air and get over here!"
Maggie and Cooper pulled back from each other, laughing. "Awkward," Coop said, sniffing.
"I'm not promising anything, Coop," Maggie said. "But thank you for worrying about me."
Coop quickly wiped his eyes and said, "Let's go see what he's hollering about."
He held Maggie's hand and the two hurried along the shoreline toward his grandfather. Zoe left her station and they all joined together around the fire.
"The fishing here is pretty darn sweet," Gramps said with a sparkle in his eyes that Coop was glad to see had returned. "Alls I had to do was dip a net, and the critters practically jumped in, asking to be roasted."
Zoe and Maggie sat on opposite sides of Foley while Coop knelt in the sand, facing him.
"That is how I remember it, so that is how it is," Zoe said.
"And I've been picking some of the tastiest tomatoes and peppers I ever seen. Puts my garden to shame. Who's hungry?"
Nobody answered.
"Aww, c'mon," Foley cajoled. "We're all on borrowed time. Might as well enjoy ourselves."
"I'll eat," Maggie said diplomatically.
"That's my girl!" Foley exclaimed, and stripped off a flaky piece of white fish from the spit. He put it on a wide banana leaf along with a charred section of roasted red pepper and a juicy slice of tomato and handed it to her.
"Should be seasoned just right," he added. "I found all sorts of things up in Zoe's house."
Maggie sampled the food and smiled with appreciation.
Foley beamed. It struck Cooper that since the two had come to terms with their pasts, his grandfather was treating Maggie as if she too were a grandchild. It was one of the few positive results that came from their encounter with Damon the Butcher.
While they spoke of fish and vegetables, Zoe never took her eyes from Coop. She was searching for some hint as to what he may have learned since their escape from the Colosseum.
Coop didn't want to break the spell of the warm moment. It wasn't until he caught Zoe's questioning gaze that he finally gave in and allowed reality to return.
"I don't know how else to say this, so I'll just put it out there," he began. "Damon has the poleax."
All three erupted with stunned shouts of surprise and anger, none more so than Zoe. She sprang to her feet as if the news had sent a painful electric shock through her. She gripped the black sword in both hands, spun back to Coop, and through clenched teeth whispered one strained word.
"How?"
"Does it matter?" Coop answered.
"Too many souls have been lost trying to prevent this from happening," Zoe answered. "Including my father's. Yes, it matters."
Cooper didn't want to put it all onto Marsh's shoulders, but he didn't want to lie to Zoe either. She didn't deserve that.
"It wasn't any one thing," Coop said. "It was a series of events that started when Damon's tomb was discovered and the first crucible was broken. Once that happened, it was only a matter of time."
"But we defeated his army!" Zoe cried. "And the Rift was sealed!"
"Because the Watchers stepped in," Coop corrected. "Let's be honest here. The Guardians were noble and brave and all that, but they didn't beat Damon. The guy is too smart. And powerful. He was bound to find the poleax eventually."
"Where was it?" Maggie asked.
"Hidden in Ree Seaver's tomb," Coop answered with no emotion.
Foley whistled in awe. "So she was holding on to it the whole time . . . so to speak."
"No, Ree's body wasn't in her tomb. She went through the Rift, remember? And not that I want to pile it on, but you should know, once Damon got the poleax, the first thing he did was tear open another Rift."
Maggie and Foley looked to Zoe, waiting for her reaction.
This time she didn't respond with anger. It was as if the news had numbed her. She dropped down on her knees in the sand, unable to hold her own weight.
"It was all for nothing," she said, stunned. "He has won."
"Whoa, let's not go there," Coop cautioned. "This isn't over."
"What do you think he'll do now?" Maggie asked.
"He's going to assemble another army," Coop replied. "I think that's why he was in ancient Rome. He's pulling spirits from all over the Black, and from what I saw he won't have much trouble. That place is like a crossroads of the angry dead."
"And then what?" Foley asked.
"I don't know," Coop answered. "The guy is out to prove he can lead an army into battle and I think he's going to do just that . . . and march on the Light."
"Cripes," Foley said with dismay. "But he won't have the same abilities in the Light that he does here. Will he?"
"No, but even if he gets his ass kicked, blasting open the Morpheus Road and allowing spirits to travel freely between dimensions would be . . . would be . . ."
"It would be the end of the world," Foley said soberly. He dropped his portion of fish into the fire.
"Then we have lost," Zoe said with finality.
"No, we haven't," Coop corrected. "I think if there's any chance of stopping Damon, we've got to let him have his battl
"What?" Maggie said with surprise. "Why? I thought—"
"Not in the Light," Coop interrupted. "In the Black."
"I do not understand," Zoe said.
"If Damon can gather an army, so can we," Coop explained. "Many of the Guardians are out there. Most still have their weapons. Zoe, we've got to rally them. You said how many spirits have made sacrifices to protect the Rift and stop Damon? They're going to have to do it again. Start tripping through visions. Find them. Recruit more. Bring them here. We're going to have to fight again, and this time we've got to be a little smarter about it."
Foley said, "You're talking about destroying a whole lot of good spirits to do this."
"If Damon has his way, they're going to be destroyed anyway. At least this way we're fighting back."
Coop stood over Zoe and looked down at the young soldier who so recently saw her father's spirit destroyed battling the same forces that Cooper was asking them to face again.
"Will you do it?" Coop asked.
Zoe got to her feet and stood toe-to-toe with Coop. "Do you have to ask?"
Coop smiled.
"Where will we start?" Zoe asked.
"Not 'we,"' Coop said. "You. I'm going after Ree. The Guardians have already lost one leader. They can't lose both."
"Agreed," Zoe said, and held out her black sword. "Take this."
Cooper backed off. "No, thanks. Not my style."
"But how will you get past Damon to free her without one?" Zoe asked.
"I don't think I'll have to. Now that he has the poleax, he's written us off. He doesn't think we're a threat anymore. That's the biggest mistake he could make."
"Then, we will be safe, but you will not. Not if you seek Ree Seaver. Take the weapon."
Coop hesitated, then reached out and grabbed the black sword.
"Thank you," he said. "You'll get it back."
"What about us?" Foley asked.
"I want you and Maggie to stay here and wait for Zoe to come back. She'll need help organizing the Guardians."
Maggie approached Cooper and held his hands. "Can I say something?"
"Sure," Coop replied.
"We're going to stop him," she said with confidence. "I've never felt more sure about anything."
"Well, good," Coop said awkwardly. "That makes one of us."
"No, it makes all of us. We have faith in you because you did something that nobody else has ever done. You convinced the Watchers to intervene."
"Yeah, well, I don't think they'll do it again," Coop cautioned.
"Don't be so sure. They did it once because we were in the right, and we still are. We will triumph because I believe we are all part of the same living being, and living beings heal. We are going to heal. I truly believe that and I believe the Watchers will eventually help."
"Can I quote you on that?" Coop said with a nervous laugh.
"You can," Maggie said. "I'm only going to ask one thing of you."
"What's that?"
"Wherever you end up, I want to be there with you."
Black.
It was all that Marsh could register. There was no up, down, sideways, or in between. There was no sound or sensation. Time had either stopped or was flying by. There was no way to tell. He wasn't even sure if he was conscious . . . until the first sensation returned. He could smell, and the smell wasn't good.
Zoo. That was his first thought.
He sensed that he was walking upright. On what? Air? His legs were moving but he couldn't feel the ground. Up ahead, he saw the first break in the black. It was a vague slash of gray that cut through the darkness.
As his eyes focused, so did his thoughts. He remembered. He had stepped into the Rift that Damon had slashed through his mother's tomb, and had never broken stride. He was still walking. But toward what? The gash ahead looked to be the same as the Rift Damon had created in the mausoleum. Had he made a U-turn and was headed back home? He had to know, so he stepped through the opening . . .
. . . and into a large, dark enclosure. The floor was dirt. The walls were stone. The animal smell was overpowering. And he wasn't alone.
A low growl came from the shadows on the far side of the enclosure. He had stepped into a dark cell that was used to hold animals. Big animals. Marsh was ready to step back into the Rift when he sensed a presence to his right. He snapped a look to see a large male lion with a thick shaggy mane hunched down, cautiously headed his way.
Stalking him.
Marsh's reaction was to move in the opposite direction, away from the big cat. Unfortunately, it was also away from the Rift. Though his heart rate had gone through the roof, he was smart enough not to make any sudden moves. If he turned to run, the cat would be on him. He moved slowly, scanning for any other animals and, more important, a way out.
The cat's eyes were locked on him, ready to pounce.
"Help," Marsh called out weakly, barely above a whisper.
He didn't want to do anything that might push the cat over the edge. He glanced along the wall to his left to see that a wooden door was cut into the stone wall no more than ten feet away. It seemed like a mile. Marsh's sole focus was to get there.
The lion was twenty feet away and closing with caution and confidence as if it knew there was no way for its prey to escape. It kept moving steadily with its body tense, ready to spring. Marsh had seen the same behavior with his cat, Winston, when it was stalking. Cats were cats, whether their prey was a moth . . . or a man. He knew the lion would spring with no warning. All he could do was keep moving.
A few steps more and Marsh reached the door. He pressed his back against it, and while still facing the lion, he reached around to find a door handle. His hand moved across the rough wood but found nothing. He pushed against the door with his back in the futile hope that it would push open. It didn't.
"Help," he called again, but faintly, for fear it would trigger the attack. "I'm in the lion's cage."
The lion stopped, its eyes locked on Marsh.
Marsh saw its pupils widen and his butt waggle. It was about to pounce.
A vicious roar broke the silence, but it didn't come from the lion that had been stalking him. Marsh spun quickly to see another lion approaching from the other side.
He was trapped between them. This second lion was a female. Females were the hunters and this one was on the prowl. His only avenue of escape was straight ahead, as futile as that might have been. He pushed himself off the door, ready to sprint across the room to . . . where? But as he pushed off the door, it swung open. The sudden movement threw him off balance and he fell backward, tumbling out of the room.
He felt strong hands grab the back of his shirt to pull him out of the animal pen. He fell hard on his back, outside of the cell. As he hit the dirt floor, he heard the sound of the door slamming shut and the angry roar of the lions who had just watched their meal abruptly snatched from under their noses. The two beasts threw themselves against the door, roaring angrily and scratching at the wood with thick claws.
Marsh focused and looked to see who it was that had saved him.
It was a woman. Her back was to Marsh as she looked through the door's window at the raging lions. She had long, wavy brown hair and wore a khaki work shirt and dark pants.
Zookeeper, Marsh thought.
"Thanks," he said. "A second later and I'd have been lunch."
The woman stiffened, as if Marsh's voice had the effect of a cold blast of air.
"Where exactly are we?" he asked.
The woman put her hand on the door, bracing herself. "Hey, you okay?" Marsh asked.
"No, I'm not," the woman said. "Because where we are is the Black."
It was Marsh's turn to react. Not because he had learned that he was in the Black. That was the plan. That's where he wanted to be.
It was because he knew the voice.
"Why?" she asked. "Why are you here?"
She turned slowly to face him.
When Marsh saw her, his mouth fell o
12
Ree Seaver ran to her son, dropped to her knees, and threw her arms around him.
Both were in tears.
Marsh felt like a little boy again. Being hugged by his mother was like something out of a wonderfully cruel dream. It was a simple act he had come to accept would never happen again. At least not in life.
The two were locked together for several moments before Ree pulled away to look at her son, holding him at arm's length.
"You grew up," she said through her tears.
"You look the exact same," Marsh replied.
Ree hugged him close again.
"How could you possibly be here?" she asked through her tears. "What happened?"
"I wasn't killed, if that's what you're asking."
Ree tensed up. She pulled away from Marsh, her gaze turning sharp. "What do you mean?"
"I came looking for you. It was my choice."
Ree sat back, confused, trying to wrap her mind around what Marsh was telling her.
"Your choice?" she mumbled. "You committed suicide?"
"No!" Marsh cried quickly. "Jeez! I wouldn't do something like that."
"Then, what do you mean you came looking for me?" she asked, confused.
"I know all about the Black, Mom. And Damon. And the Guardians. Cooper told me everything."
His explanation only served to further confuse her. "Cooper told you? How is that possible?"
"The Watchers allowed him to be seen and heard by me in the Light. His sister can see him too."
"The Watchers allowed that?" she asked, incredulous. Marsh nodded quickly.
"So you know about the Black," she said. "Which means you know there's only one way you can get here, and that's to die."
"Well, yeah, I guess but that's not exactly what happened."
"You aren't making sense, Marshall."
"I got here the same way you did."
Ree tried to let his words sink in, but still didn't understand.
"You couldn't have," Ree declared. "I got here by coming through a Rift that doesn't exist anymore."
Marsh stood and helped his mother to her feet.