Page 54 of Merciless
“Can you see anything?” I knew Daren’s premonitions had continued after his death. It was his warning after all that had stopped Shadow from killing Mari. “Do you know what’s gonna happen?”
Daren shook his head, his expression apologetic. “It’s all blank from here on. Not even the gods know. This is the turning point.”
My gaze flicked up to the cabin door, rooted to that focal point until Daren grabbed the sides of my face and forcibly turned my head away.
“Don’t even think about it,” he growled. “You’re staying put.”
Dragging my eyes away from the sight felt like they were being pepper-sprayed. A fresh sweat broke out on my skin and I felt absolutely terrible. But I had my little brother with me, and I’d never pass up the opportunity to talk to him again.
“So this is all I can do, huh?” I said, refocusing on him. “Just wait?”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “We wait.”
Twenty-One
MARIPOSA
The second set of doors opened easily, revealing a mostly-empty room, save for the high-backed, throne-like chair at the far end.
And the creature sitting in it.
Most of the Sha's body was covered by a shroud. Long swaths of black fabric draped over its head and most of its legs and torso. But the parts I did see made my breath choke.
Large hands with gray skin and curving black claws gripped the chair's armrests. Instead of feet on the floor, there appeared to be paws underneath the Sha's body. While his body was still, movement drew my eye to the lower left side of the chair. A tail covered in short, dark fur flicked forward. It was forked down the middle, the two ends twitching playfully, if even excitedly.
The Sha stood from his throne once we came to a stop in the center of the room. Tension crackled between me and the guys, lighting up our bonds with the desire to strike at this thing. But the Sha appeared carefree, even relaxed, as he walked on those two, pawed feet toward us. He didn't seem to notice or mind how we tracked every single one of his movements. A long snout, like the muzzle of a dog, peaked out from under his hood. His lips pulled back as if smiling, revealing long rows of sharp, predatory teeth.
"You eliminated my council, despite my infusing them with my god-resistant abilities." The Sha's voice was ancient and heavy like our gods, but carried a strange cadence. Not exactly an accent, but more like his mouth wasn't built for speaking human languages.
Regardless, he didn't sound upset that his council members were dead. If anything, he seemed amused by it.
"They were just flesh and blood in the end," I said, raising my handgun to point it directly at the shroud covering his chest. "As are you."
The Sha lowered his head, pointing his snout to the floor as a low chuckle rumbled from his throat. The sound gradually grew louder, transforming into a wild, maniacal laugh as it echoed off the walls and ceiling.
My temples immediately throbbed with pain, and I forced myself to keep my gun pointed and steady. That was the same laugh we all heard in our heads, the sound that tried to break us open from the inside.
"Oh, little Mariposa," the Sha sighed once his laughter ceased. "After all this time, and everything you've seen me accomplish, you still believe that?"
"If I'm wrong, this gun will clear it up real quick."
"Are yousureyou want to use that on me?" Bright, round eyes scanned across all three of us from under the Sha's hood. "I don't think any of you want to shoot me."
I started to lower my gun. He was right, I didn't want to shoot him. But wait, why? I was going to shoot him a moment ago, but I just changed my mind.
"Fuck!" The exclamation came from Jandro, who clasped his hands against his head. "He's in our heads right now."
Cold dread filled me. My temples continued to pulse with pain, although it was manageable. I was aware and in control of myself, but I kept looking at my gun and thinking shooting the Sha was a bad idea.
"Your bonds between each other and your pet gods are impressive," the Sha mused, his toothy grin growing wider. "But I can still slip through the cracks."
"How?" Gunner's voice was so infused with bitterness and rage, I knew it was Horus speaking.
"Easily, brother," the Sha answered jovially. "The fall of the United States was the catalyst, as you know. This ripple through the human consciousness awakened me unlike any other time before. But where your lot sought to fix it, this Collapse gave me brand new life."
The Sha curled one clawed hand into a fist and re-opened it. "So much power from so many humans falling into violence, chaos, and unrest. I'd never seen anything so beautiful." His eyes scanned over the three of us. "All of you have fed into my power in ways you can't even imagine, simply by being alive at this point in time." The Sha's eyes settled on me. "But none more so than you, Mariposa."
"Me?" My voice went high with surprise. "What are you talking about? Ever since the Collapse, I've only ever wanted to heal the damage that's been done."
