Page 80 of Shadow & Stars
“He exploded,” my younger self answered, locking eyes with me. “Him.” He pointed at Xavier. “The other him. Future him who came back here. He made that door when he went bang.”
My Xavier exploded over here, too? Because he was connected to the meaner version at the time? Meaning this Xavier was the actual Xavier from this time.
My poor head.
I tried keeping my shit together under this insanity, reaching a numb state of mind to stop a system overload.
“Holy shit!” Young Me yelped. “You’re me. You’re me. You’re me.”
“Ismael?” Xavier whispered.
The king took another step back.
“A demon with a crown,” Margarite said. Her guards closed in around her, creating a wall.
“Stay back!” one of them warned.
Every witch’s hand, including Margarite’s and Teenage Me’s, ignited with Synth.
Ismael moved back once again, inching closer to the door. Magic still existed here, the dust not coming through the door. Which meant an ADU agent could banish a demon to the demon realm with a talisman like they used to be able to. Having proper walls up made that possible here.
Man, my brain was spaghetti. I knew things were in a meat grinder, but…whoa.
The device vibrated in my chest, the dagger shaking. It wanted out, drawn to…
…the younger me.
Huh?
Ismael noticed, backing off some more. “As fascinating as this is, I must leave you now.” He turned and fled back through the door.
Oh, hell no. He wasn’t going back there to gather his army for an across-time war. I ran after him, returning to the street in my time.
More demons filled the street, stepping out of strange bulges and ripples in the air. Every five seconds or so, another demon slipped through the weakening walls between the two realms.
Talk about a demonic variety show. There were kings, queens, big demons, small ones, totally fucked up ones—like the one made from metal and bulbous gray flesh, dragging a scorpion tail behind it.
Ismael and Butterfly moved to join the new arrivals, Tanith lingering near the door. The snake demon’s tongue flickered at me, her mouth a triumphant grin.
She really shouldn’t count those chickens yet.
Tanith let out an audible groan. “He’s alive?”
Ismael didn’t answer her, his attention on me.
There was more movement, Teenage Me arriving on my right-hand side, skidding to a stop. The magic in his hands fizzled out under the dust.
“Oh, fuck,” he muttered.
The dagger in my chest tremored violently, grinding against my flesh and bone to be free. Sharp pains burst to life, sending bright spots behind my eyes. I grabbed at the handle, trying to make it stop as the agony reached white hot levels.
No one else, including me, could remove the dagger. But what about a different version of me?
“Take—”
“No!” Ismael roared, clocking on. “Kill the boy!”
The demons charged, Tanith slithering at Teen Me.
