Chaos (Guards of the Shadowlands Book 3) Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Text copyright © 2014 Sarah Fine

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Skyscape, New York

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  Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Skyscape are trademarks of Amazon.com Inc. or its affiliates.

  ISBN-13: 9781477847817 (hardcover)

  ISBN-10: 1477847812 (hardcover)

  ISBN-13: 9781477847909 (paperback)

  ISBN-10: 1477847901 (paperback)

  Book design by Tony Sahara

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

  First edition

  For Kathleen:

  We started this journey with “Let’s do this!”

  Well, we did it. This one’s for you.

  CONTENTS

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY-THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PRAISE FOR SANCTUM

  PRAISE FOR FRACTURED

  ONE

  I HAD CHOSEN TO die. So as I plummeted toward jagged rocks and crashing waves, I closed my eyes and let myself dream.

  A sunny day. A warm breeze lifted my unruly curls. The boy who meant more to me than my own life laughed as he pulled me close and smoothed the hair out of my eyes. His easy smile softened the harshly beautiful lines of his face.

  I love you, I said to him.

  I know you do, he replied.

  That was the way it should have been.

  But I’d never gotten to say it, and he’d never gotten to hear it.

  Not yet, at least. With every cell in my body, with every scrap of my soul, I would fight for that moment. The battle had already begun.

  “Really, Lela, the drama is unnecessary.” Raphael’s voice sounded like it was coming from inside my head. Fire blasted up my arms, and I didn’t have time to scream or even breathe. The cool ocean breeze, the night, the roar of water, my dream of Malachi’s face—all of it disappeared, deafening me with silence, blinding me with blankness. I hit smooth stone and slid several feet before crashing into what felt like a brick wall. Splinters of pain pierced their way along my limbs as I rolled into a crouch, bracing my palms against cold marble. Blinking, gasping, I raised my head to see Raphael, wings unfurled, skin giving off a brutal light.

  He looked . . . annoyed.

  I smiled bitterly. “I thought you might do something like that.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You really shouldn’t test me.”

  “Jumping off the cliff seemed like the quick-and-easy way to cut through the bullshit. I want something. The Judge wants something. You just proved that. You could’ve let me hit those rocks. I’d be stumbling my way through the Suicide Gates right now.”

  “And you could have discussed it with me instead of having a tantrum.”

  I got to my feet, my muscles aching, the bite wound on my neck buzzing with sharp prickles of agony. A gift from Juri, the vicious Mazikin who was now wearing the most beautiful disguise imaginable: Malachi’s body. He had all of Malachi’s strength and knowledge. All of his memories. Now he was on the loose and wreaking havoc in the land of the living. I knew I should care about that. It was, after all, my job to stop him, to protect innocent people whose lives he’d be happy to end. But I only had room in my bruised brain to care about one thing: Malachi himself. His soul. Which, as far as I knew, was now imprisoned in the hellish Mazikin realm. The Mazikin had made it completely clear on several occasions that they wanted nothing more than to make him suffer. Nothing mattered more to me than getting him out.

  “Sorry for being so emotional,” I snapped. “I kind of like Malachi.”

  Raphael’s expression softened. “I know.” The light around him faded, his golden wings dimming then disappearing completely. “Well, here we are.”

  There we were. The Sanctum. Above me, the sun trickled through intricate stained glass, which I now recognized was portraying images of the Countryside. Mountains, oceans, fields. Angels. And just at the edges, their barrel-chested bodies covered in brown fur with black spots, their fangs dripping inside their grinning mouths . . . two hyenas, of all things. I shuddered and looked away. “Will the Judge see me?”

  I whirled around at the sound of massive doors swinging wide. Raphael chuckled. “There’s your answer.”

  My heart sped. I could feel her power flowing out through the gaping entryway, swirling around me. Cold and deadly. As I took a step toward the Judge’s chambers, my legs buckled beneath me, and I threw my arms around the nearest pillar to keep myself from falling.

  “I’ll fix you up after she decides what to do with you,” Raphael said.

  I glanced at the pillar, at the smear of blood I’d left on its gleaming marble surface. “Sounds fair.”

  With awkward, halting steps, I crossed the threshold and started up the aisle of her chambers, letting my eyes adjust to the permanent brightness of the place. A row of massive inhuman Guards stood at attention on either side of me. Last time, their glowing jewel-colored eyes hadn’t strayed to me, but this time, some of them looked right at me with suspicion. Smugness, too. But also something like respect. I focused everything I had on not falling flat on my face. It was difficult, because after being bitten by Juri I had lost most of the feeling in my left leg, and the same numbness had now crept its way down both my arms. I must have looked like a zombie, lurching my way along, my left boot squeaking as I dragged my foot behind me. As soon as I saw the figure waiting for me at the front of the room, though, my steps became a little steadier. This was why I had come—to make a deal with the Judge.

  Again.

  Her eyes were as black as her robes, but her skin was a warm, rich brown. She looked so much like my foster mother, Diane, that I couldn’t keep my thoughts from straying to her, the only family I had. I hoped I hadn’t seen her for the last time. And I hoped she was safe for the moment. If Juri got to Diane, I would never forgive myself.

  The Judge smiled, revealing glistening white teeth. “Welcome back, Lela. I see that you and Malachi share a love for the dramatic entrance.”

  I sucked in a breath, then dove right in. No sense wasting time when she could probably read my mind. “You have to send me after him.”

  Her grin grew wider. “And what will you give me in return for this opportunity? Technically, you’re a deserter. You abandoned your field unit at the most critical time.”

  “I’ll give you anything you wan
t. Please.” I closed my eyes as images of Malachi flooded my head, but instead of my dream of him in the sunlight, I saw a nightmare. His body arching, his muscles tight enough to snap, his eyes squeezed shut as he fought to keep his body and soul united.

  An electric sensation zipped along my skin as the Judge tipped my chin up with one of her long purple fingernails. Her gaze bored into mine. “Once again, you have no idea who you’re dealing with,” she said quietly.

  I nearly choked on my fear. “You wanted this, didn’t you? This was your plan all along.”

  Her eyes glinted with that predatory spark. “You made the choices that brought you here. And Malachi made his.”

  Rage flared inside me, the heat temporarily burning away the numbness. “He has only ever served you. He was doing his duty.”

  “Was he? I was under the impression he was serving you.”

  I sagged, and suddenly it seemed like the only thing that was holding me up was that curved purple fingernail hooked under my chin. Juri himself had said as much, that Malachi had been so focused on protecting me that he’d forgotten to protect himself. It had enabled the Mazikin to obtain the best weapon ever—the body and mind of one of the most dangerous and successful Guards in existence. “Then if this is my fault, let me fix it,” I said.

  She laughed, a harsh melody that vibrated along my bones. “It’s not that easy. Have a seat.” She pulled her hand back, leaving me to fall.

  A chair appeared behind me, which was the only thing that prevented my ass from hitting the floor.

  “As it happens,” she said slowly, gliding back from me, her velvety dark robes swirling around her, “there is something I want you to do.”

  Relief washed over me; she was willing to bargain. But at the same time, bitterness welled up in my mouth. Malachi had been right—we were just pawns in a game. It wasn’t worth fighting it now, though, because he mattered more. “I’ll do anything.”

  “I’ll allow you to take a leave from your post in the realm of the living. You can journey to the Mazikin city and attempt to rescue your Lieutenant. You will be outfitted and armed for the task by Raphael and Michael, to give you the best possible chance of success. But even if you survive and are able to get to Malachi, you will not be able to leave the city until you have performed a secondary mission.”

  My fingers clamped over the edges of the chair.

  The Judge pointed at the far wall of her chambers, and a desert appeared. A vast gray sea of sand. The only thing that interrupted the barren landscape was an enormous reflective dome, beneath which I could make out a row of smokestacks and buildings, sticking up like crooked teeth and ringed by a dark wall.

  “I want you to go in there,” she said, her finger trembling as she glared at the distant city with absolute loathing, “and destroy the portal. It’s what enables them to leave their realm and possess human bodies. They never should have gotten access to it in the first place.”

  The Mazikin city didn’t look as big as the dark city, and the buildings weren’t as tall, but it was still huge. “Where is the portal?”

  She lowered her hand but not her gaze. “The Mazikin are not under my authority.”

  I guessed that was her way of telling me she didn’t know. “So I have to destroy the portal, and then I’m free to leave?”

  “And kill the Queen. She’ll only rebuild it if you don’t.” The Judge stared at the distant dome. “She was one of the first. She carries the knowledge in her head.”

  I clenched my teeth. “Okay. Destroy the portal. Kill the Queen. Anything else?”

  Her eyes slid from the city to me, and her lips curled with amusement. “Isn’t that enough?”

  I looked up at the ceiling, because the sight of her face made me want to cry and laugh and scream all at the same time. “So if I succeed, you’ll get us out?”

  “No.” She sounded surprised I’d even asked. “If you succeed, you’ll have the chance to get out. I told you—the Mazikin are not under my authority. My angels cannot deal with them directly.”

  “What can Raphael and Michael do, then?”

  “They can prepare you, and they can let you in to the dome, and perhaps out—if you complete the mission. The rest is up to you. That’s my offer, baby.”

  I lowered my head and met her eyes; they were black voids, like a shark’s. She was giving me a choice, but it didn’t feel like much of one. My chances of success were slim. I might go in there and trap myself right alongside Malachi. And even if I freed him, we’d still have to destroy this portal thing and kill the Queen. But what was I supposed to do? Walk away? If Malachi were standing here, if he were making this deal for a chance to rescue me, he wouldn’t even hesitate. “Sign me up,” I said.

  The Judge smiled. “Wonderful. Your new Captain is already waiting for you.”

  “Captain?”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Are you questioning my decision in this matter?”

  I wanted to—I’d expected to be in charge or to be going in alone. Who could possibly care more about saving Malachi than I did? But I was afraid the Judge would decide to revoke her offer completely if I argued, especially since she already seemed to have someone else in mind to complete the mission.

  “When will we leave?” I didn’t want to think about what the Mazikin might be doing to Malachi right at that moment. I just wanted to get to him.

  “You need to prepare first. Unless you want to go in there as is?” Her gaze drifted down to my torn, blood-soaked clothing, then lingered on the bite wound on my neck. Juri. Heat coursed up my spine as I tried to imagine slitting his throat, but my stomach turned, because all I could picture was standing over him, looking down at Malachi’s beautiful face. I lurched to my feet, only to have my world tilt as a sick dizziness overwhelmed me. I grabbed for the chair, but it had disappeared, as had the Judge.

  “Good luck, baby,” her voice said in my ear.

  Raphael’s hands kept me from falling. “Time to patch you up,” he murmured, wrapping an incredibly warm arm around my back. He led me down the aisle, past the Guards. This time, they were keenly interested; all of them watched me pass. But the suspicion was gone from their faces, replaced with pity.

  We entered the soaring lobby, and the doors to the Judge’s chambers swung shut with an echoing click. “Where to?” I mumbled, my lips almost too numb to push the words over my tongue. Any strength I’d pulled together to face the Judge was gone. My heart beat sluggishly, forcing Juri’s venom through my veins. I allowed my heavy eyelids to close for a moment, and opened them to see we were now making our way down a wallpapered hallway lined with wooden doors. “Are we in the dark city?”

  “Not quite,” answered Raphael. “We’re still in the Sanctum. It’s the connection between all of the realms, but not really in any of them, even though it looks that way. You’ll stay here until you’re ready to leave.”

  I opened my mouth to ask when I would meet my new Captain, but at that moment, a door up ahead opened, and a woman stepped into the hallway. Tears sprang to my eyes. She wore the navy-blue shirt and fatigue-style pants I recognized as part of the human Guard uniform. Her gleaming black hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her skin, a coppery umber, was far less pale than the last time I’d seen her, when I’d held her hand as she died. “Ana?”

  Her dark cat’s eyes drifted over me and then lit on Raphael. “Have you healed her yet?”

  “Not yet,” he replied.

  “Good.”

  She drew a knife, twirled it in her fingers, and threw it right at my chest.

  TWO

  RAPHAEL PULLED ME TO the side at the last millisecond, but the knife hit right below my collarbone, wrenching an airless scream from my throat. I coughed, choking, as blood from my lungs burbled up my windpipe.

  “That was truly uncalled for,” Raphael said sharply as he scooped me into his arms. “Awake or
asleep, Lela?” he asked. “Decide quickly.”

  “Asleep,” I mouthed, knowing I couldn’t cope with the pain without Malachi there to hold me together.

  “Wise choice,” Raphael replied. “I’ll work as quickly as I can.”

  My head lolled as I tried to look at Ana, attempting to make sense of what had just happened. Despite my fogging vision, her cold glare was easy to see.

  “When you wake up, we have a few things to talk about,” she said.

  With that fun-filled promise, a thick black wave of nothing rolled over me, shielding me from dreams and love and light, and, for a moment, protecting me from the searing loss of all three.

  When I opened my eyes, Raphael was nowhere in sight. Ana, however, was sitting next to my bed, twirling another knife in her fingers. I’d always liked Ana, looked up to her, but I hadn’t forgotten how dangerous she was. Especially because, for some reason, she appeared to want to kill me. Beneath the sheet draped over me, my hands traveled slowly to my waist, looking for the blades I usually carried there. I found only pajama bottoms.

  “How did it happen?” Ana asked quietly.

  “How did you get here?” I blurted at nearly the same time. “The last time I saw you, you were—”

  “Dead. Yeah. The Judge let me out of the dark city.” Ana’s knife spun along her fingers like it was an extension of her body. The blade flashed under the light of an oil lamp.

  “And it put you in a really bad mood?”

  She tilted her head. “It wasn’t quite what I expected.”

  “She didn’t release you into the Countryside?”

  “She did.” Ana’s smile was a bitter twist of her lips. “I was so certain Takeshi would be waiting for me . . .”

  “But he wasn’t.” I closed my eyes.

  Takeshi had been Malachi and Ana’s Captain, but to Ana, he’d been much more than that. He’d loved her, too, enough to stay in the dark city with her, long after he was ready to be released. Long enough to grow too weak to fight off the Mazikin that took him. When Malachi killed Takeshi’s possessed body all those years ago, he and Ana had believed that would liberate Takeshi’s soul from the Mazikin realm. But it had been a beautiful lie, one the Mazikin were eager for the Guards to believe, because it made us more likely to kill the possessed instead of imprisoning them in the dark tower, an eternal sentence. That kill-on-sight strategy gave the Mazikin a way to escape, because we—and Malachi especially—were more eager to save the lost than to punish the monsters. When we discovered the lie, we found out that those human souls were actually trapped in the Mazikin realm forever.