Hades (30 page)

“How did you know?” I asked.

“I didn’t when I was alive. But I can sense your presence

now. And besides, your glow kinda gives you away.”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“Nothing surprises me anymore.”

I didn’t know what else to say so I changed the subject.

“Mol y misses you,” I said and Taylah smiled miserably.

“How’s she doing? I miss her too.”

“She’s fine,” I said. “Was that real y you on the night of

Hal oween?”

“Yeah.” Taylah nodded. “I was trying to warn you. Didn’t

do much good, though. Here you are.”

“You knew what was going to happen?” I asked.

“Not exactly, but I knew the seance was stirring up

something bad,” she said. “Abby’s an idiot; she had no

idea what she was messing with.”

“Don’t be too hard on her; she was sorry once she

realized. How did you know to come?”

“I heard on the grapevine that a portal had opened up in

Venus Cove. I knew that could only mean trouble so I tried

to warn you. Guess I messed that up too.”

“No, you didn’t,” I said firmly. “You tried.”

“You’d think an angel would know better than to mess

with that stuff,” Taylah scolded, sounding a little more like

her old self.

“You’re right. I should have tried harder.”

“Oh, don’t get al sentimental,” Taylah said. “You know,

you’re kind of a legend down here. We’ve al heard the

story of how you broke Jake’s heart and your brother

banished him underground. He’s been waiting ever since

for a chance to get you back.”

“Does anyone know how the story ends?” I asked

croakily.

“Nope,” Taylah said. “That’s what we’re al waiting to find

out. I real y hope you get back to Xavier.”

“Me too,” I said.

The expanse of cracked earth before us seemed

endless. Only the occasional boulder or solitary cactus

plant broke it.

“There’s nothin’ here,” said Tucker, defeated. “I reckon

we should head back.”

“We can’t,” I protested. “Asher said there’s a portal out

here. We need to keep looking.”

“We don’t have to find it today. It’s only one battle we’ve

lost, not the whole war.”

“Don’t be a pussy,” Taylah told him, with her usual

candor. “I want you guys to bust out of here.”

“When wil I get another chance?” I said in a plaintive

voice.

“I don’t know.” Tucker looked apologetic. “But we’ve

been gone too long now, and we’re skatin’ on thin ice.”

The taste of failure was bitter. We’d come so close and

ended up getting nowhere. We’d risked everything and

achieved nothing. It was only out of concern for Tucker that I

was persuaded to turn back. Jake might be angry with me,

but the worst he would do was reinforce security so that I’d

never set foot outside the penthouse again. Tucker was a

different story. Jake kept him around for his own perverse

amusement, but I knew he saw him as expendable. We’d

already turned to go back when I became aware that

something in the air had changed.

“Wait!” I cried, throwing a hand out to clutch Tucker’s

sleeve.

“What now?” he said. He was growing increasingly

uneasy. Perhaps in his mind he’d concluded that we’d been

led on a wild goose chase.

“Something feels different.” I turned in a slow circle.

“Actual y, something smel s different.” This time I had his

attention.

“Describe it,” he said.

“I think it’s salt,” I said, suspending thought and al owing

my senses to take charge. I knew that smel . It was as

familiar to me as my own skin. It was the briny distinctive

scent of the ocean and it washed over me like an old friend

welcoming me home.

“The portal must be close,” I said, detaching from them to

scramble feverishly forward. “I think … I think I can smel the

sea!”

I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me and wasn’t

sure whether it had come from Tucker or Taylah or both.

“Up ahead!” Tucker’s voice was charged. “That’s gotta

be it. I can’t believe you’ve found it!”

I whirled around to see a mess of tumbleweed drifting

back and forth across the dusty red earth, only meters from

where we stood. It looked twisted and knotted from its

endless journey of being tossed around by the wind across

the Wasteland, but there was no mistaking what it was.

I ran forward, half expecting it to dart elusively out of

reach, but I was able to grasp it in my hand. It felt coarse

and dry beneath my fingers but gave off a compel ing

energy. I was drawn to it like a magnetic force. Its

unobtrusiveness made it the perfect cover for a portal. It

was big enough for me to be able to crawl through and on

the other side, I was just able to make out a yel ow finger of

sunlight spil ing across white sand.

Tucker and Taylah were beside me in a flash, watching

intently. Tuck’s face was flushed with anticipation and

Taylah’s soul practical y vibrated with excitement. I reached

my arm tentatively through the center of the tumbleweed

and felt its dry twigs scratch my arm. At its core the

consistency was like dough, mal eable but tough to push

through. It only al owed access up to a certain point before

my arm met with resistance.

“It won’t let me get any farther,” I complained.

I began to wriggle my arm more determinedly through the

opening. I had forced myself into the scrubby tunnel up to

my shoulder when I felt a gentle suction tugging on my hand.

Panic seized me. What if it was al an il usion? What if the

tumbleweed was an elaborate joke being played at our

expense? It seemed a pretty far-fetched idea but what if

Asia and Asher had been having us on for their own

amusement? They were demons, after al . Trapping souls

was what they did. What if I came out at the other end of the

tumbleweed not in my Georgia hometown but in an even

darker recess of Hel ? Then I would be completely alone,

not even Tucker would be able to find me. I made myself

snap out of it. I remembered what it felt like melding with

Xavier in my spirit form. How whole and safe I’d felt. The

memory of it made me strong. Xavier wouldn’t want me

bailing on him when I’d come this far. How proud would he

be if I actual y succeeded in getting out? If I made it through,

Xavier would get to see me in the flesh, not as just a

vibration in the air. The thought was too tantalizing. I was

counting down the seconds in my head before I would feel

my feet touch the silky sand.

“Here. Let me try,” I heard Taylah exclaim impatiently. I

watched as she effortlessly darted above me, a wispy

substance floating through the tumbleweed until she was

cal ing out to us from the other side.

“How’d she do that?” I exclaimed, withdrawing my arm

and peering through to see her hazy face at the other end.

Taylah gave me the thumbs-up before checking out her new

surroundings.

“Of course.” Tuck slapped his forehead. “A soul can

easily slip out!”

“I know this place!” cried Taylah, her voice quavering with

excitement. “Beth, you won’t believe where I am!” She was

crying now. I saw tears of happiness streaming down her

face.

“You’re in Venus Cove, aren’t you?” I guessed

immediately.

“At the Crags?”

“Yes, Beth,” Taylah whispered. “I’m home.”

19

Sacrifice

“I can see your yard from here!” Taylah cried triumphantly.

“The lawn seriously needs mowing.”

“Is anyone out there?”

“No, the beach is empty. But the sun is shining and there

are no clouds in the sky and someone’s out sailing and …

it’s so beautiful here. What are you waiting for? Come on,

Beth.”

I hesitated. Taylah had gotten through the portal, but what

would happen now?

“Taylah,” I cal ed tentatively. “Do you think you can stay

there? You’re stil —”

“Dead,” she finished my sentence cheerful y. “I know I am.

But I don’t care. I’d rather be a ghost, free to roam the earth

forever than spend another minute in that sewer.” A note of

panic suddenly crept into her voice. “Oh my God,

someone’s out here! I can hear them.”

“Calm down,” Tucker reassured her. His face too was

alight with excitement at our discovery. “It’s probably just

someone on the beach. You’re on the other side,

remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” Then concern crept into Taylah’s voice. “I

can’t be seen like this. What if it’s a hot guy?”

“Even if it is, he won’t be able to see you,” I reminded her.

“Right.” She sounded disappointed. I couldn’t suppress a

smile. Even Hel with al its terrors hadn’t been able to

entirely suppress the girl Taylah had been in life.

Once Taylah made it through I relaxed a little. There was

less urgency now as I knelt by the portal ready to try again. I

longed to join her so that I too could look out over the ocean

and feel the wind whipping my hair so it streamed behind

me. The first thing I’d do after that would be to run home

and straight into the arms of my brother and sister. In my

enthusiasm I kicked off my heels and sort of jumped

headlong into the portal. Suddenly I was inside it, half my

body stuck in the Wasteland, the other half looking directly

at a shel peeking out of the delicate white sand. I reached

out to it. I could almost feel the warmth of the sun on my

hands and hear the crash of the foamy waves over the

rocks.

I was not a wraith like Taylah and once inside, the portal

seemed to tighten around me, like it knew I shouldn’t be

there. A magnetic force that had first drawn me forward

now propeled me backward, but I held on. I soon heard the

sound that had alerted Taylah to someone’s presence. An

energetic sniffing could be heard that was more inquisitive

than menacing. My nostrils were suddenly assaulted by an

even more familiar scent. It was just the encouragement I

needed. I knew who it was even before his silky coat, the

color of moonlight, came into view. I caught sight of a pale

silver eye and a damp brown nose.

“Phantom!” I gasped in delight. I could only see him in

fragments—but it was stil my beloved dog. I heard Taylah

jump back, alarmed by Phantom’s enthusiasm. She’d never

real y been a dog person, but the emotions that hit me upon

seeing him were almost unbearable. I reached out a hand

and let it pass right through the portal. Phantom nuzzled his

spongy nose into my palm, frantic with the pleasure of

recognition. I scratched behind his silky ear and a lump

rose in my throat the size of a golf bal . I had to gulp to get

my next words out.

“Hey there, boy,” I murmured. “I’ve missed you.” My

emotion was reciprocated by Phantom, who now began to

whimper and scratch furiously at the portal, trying to gain

access. Then, like a thunderbolt it struck me that Phantom

could not possibly be out on the beach alone. Someone

had to be with him. Someone I loved was perhaps only

meters away and heading in this direction! It was probably

Gabriel, who always took Phantom with him when he went

for runs along the beach. I imagined I could even hear his

padded footfal s on the sand. His strong, comforting arms

might soon enfold me. When that happened every bad

memory would be obliterated. Gabriel would know exactly

what to say to make everything right again. I repressed the

urge to scream out to him just in case something went

wrong. I felt as if I were walking a tightrope and needed to