Page 13 of Wicked Warlock
A large boat floated through the dark sky manned by a single person who I couldn’t make out. All I could determine under that long black cloak was their tall, thin body. Besides that, the person was as much a mystery to me as everything about this place. Souls dropped down from above like shooting stars all around the boat. They quickly took form and their translucent hands reached for the edge of the boat, but they evaporated against the dark wooden planks. Their faces fell into cries of agony as the ferryman dipped his long staff into the sea of souls and propelled the boat forward right through them. He moved rhythmically, plunging his staff down on one side of the boat and back up, then moving to the other side. The boat glided like it was placed on glass and just knew how to move on its own.
The boat turned sideways and stopped just at the edge of the cliff. The cloaked figure stepped forward and held out its hand. The sleeve slid down his arm revealing pale skin with an ashy undertone, long nimble boney fingers, and dark pointy nails.
Kylian pushed through the crowd, walking through anyone who got in his way. “Hey, let’s go. You keep waiting, you’ll never get on.”
“But we still haven’t found Ashryn and Nova.”
He glanced over his shoulder behind us. “They’re not here. Let’s go.”
Kylian just kept on walking. I didn’t know what we were doing or where we were going but once the others followed suit, I had no choice to try and keep up, all the while apologizing to souls for walking right through them. It was downright rude. Who the hell just walks through people?
“Sorry. Excuse me. My bad.”
When we reached the edge of the boat, the ferryman stood there with his hand out, blocking the souls from getting through. A slightly rotund man began to sprint through the ground, pumping his arms and charging at the side of the boat. He was slightly shorter than Beckett with chubby, jiggling cheeks. When he reached the edge of the cliff, he planted his foot and vaulted himself toward the boat. He smacked into the side of the boat and held onto the edge with just his fingertips.
The ferryman threw back the hood of his cloak exposing his bald skeletal head. His gray skin was pulled tightly over his head. His black soulless eyes were sunk deep into his skull. They ignited with flames as he turned toward the wayward spirit. His arm shot out with that long stick he used to guide the boat and the soul exploded into flames. The man kicked out his legs, smacking against the side of the boat. The ferryman narrowed his eyes at him, and the flames grew even higher, yet not single spark touched or caught on the thick wooden planks.
His fingers slipped from the edge and he fell from the boat, slipping between side and the cliff. There was no splashing sound—only an echoing scream that never seemed to end. The ferryman turned toward the waiting crowd. He pointed his one long skeletal finger at them. “Everyone pays.”
If I were human, a chill would’ve run down my spine. Yet Beckett stepped up to him. “Yo, crypt keeper.”
The ferryman swung his gaze toward him. Beckett flicked his thumb and flipped the coin toward the ferryman. It sailed end over end, landing in his waiting palm. Beckett sighed, “How about you give me and my friends a lift?”
I held my breath and waited. In the pit of my stomach, it sounded so bad, but we’d gotten this far and there was no other choice. I was stuck in a series of events with no other choice but to move forward. No choice but to go to Unseelie, no choice but to die, no choice but to move through the underworld, and no choice but to stand here and wait while my soulmate acted completely off. And I had no choice but to sit here and hold my breath, waiting to see if it worked.
The fire extinguished from the ferryman’s eyes, and he looked over Beckett’s shoulders at the rest of us standing there. His hand folded into the inner pockets of his cloak and then he jabbed it out just as quickly, extending it toward the rest of us. Kylian didn’t hesitate; he just threw his coin to the ferryman and began to walk. There was no platform, no way of getting onto the boat—just a gaping distance between the cliff and the edge of the boat. He took a step forward and his feet seemed to magically land on something stable, though I couldn’t see it. Beckett turned and looked back at me waiting.
“Screw it.” I squared my shoulders and marched right past Beckett and stepped off the cliff. I was already dead. What more could happen… right?
My feet hit the air and I felt light as a feather. I dipped down for a mere second before rising toward the deck of the boat. I didn’t know what it was like to walk on a cloud, but this must’ve been damn near close. I didn’t want to look at the rocky depth below or the river of water that seemed to drift on the air high above it. No, instead, I stepped onto the boat and walked over to the edge and looked out over the rest of the spirits.
Kylian strolled to my side and smirked down at me. “Scared?”
“I’m already dead. What’s to be scared of?” I watched Soto, Logan, and finally Beckett all board the boat.
When the other spirits tried to push forward, the ferryman stilled them with wave the stick in his hand. “You will stop.”
Not wanting to challenge his ways, they all froze, staring up at us. The ferryman walked to the back of the boat and turned to face the front. He dipped the long stick into the water and shoved the boat forward. It glided out away from the cliff side and over the rivers. The sound of wind whipping around us filled the air, yet I didn’t feel it brush against my cheek or ruffle my hair.
Beckett strolled to my other side, hovering just a little bit closer to me than he had before. He stood a little taller as he faced Kylian. “Where did you get the coins?”
“Does it matter?” Kylian shrugged.
“No.” Beckett sighed. “Not really. We got on, didn’t we?”
I rolled my eyes and walked over the edge of the boat. I could feel the ferryman’s eyes on me, watching my every move. I was trapped on a boat with two psychos, by all accounts. One Unseelie who seemed to be enjoying herself while she sat at the feet of the ferryman and chatted at him while he guided us off the river and floated us high above the underworld. And another dude who looked like his death might be permanent. What a mess.
Just then, the bow of the boat rose even higher, and we tipped back. I hurried to the side of the boat to grab hold. My feet lifted up off the deck and I felt myself tilt sideways. Kylian floated to my side and stood there, watching my struggle like I was some kind of entertainment.
“You won’t fall.” His words were so even, and he stood there with his hands behind his back, like he was standing on a flat surface, not on a boat tilted at an upward angle.
When I looked around at the rest of our little crew, they too were steady. Beckett moved closer to me and met my eye. “Astrid, you can let go. I promise you’ll be okay.”
In that second, I saw him—my old Beckett with his honest, sincere eyes and soothing tone. My fingers loosened of their own accord and I let go. My body tilted upright, and I stood next to them both. I took a step away from Kylian and moved closer to Beckett.
“Why do you know so much about this?”
Kylian chucked a dark rumble that didn’t hold an ounce of humor. He ran his hands through his hair, letting the dark strands fall back into his face and over his eyes. “I’ve been around.”
