No Justice for the Damned (Tales from the Tarot)

15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen

M y body aches but in a good way. I feel better than I have in a week. Sore from the sex but well-rested, loose and most importantly, safe. I’m warm, wrapped up naked in Hollow’s sheets. And I’m alone. I could have sworn he laid a kiss to my lips while I dreamt but for some reason, I slept like the dead.

I sit up, stretching and feeling the pleasant ache in my bones. The clock on the wall says 8:00am. I’ve slept in more than usual and I feel so rested. So prepared for whatever comes next. It’s a strange feeling, like the world is tinged in a positive glow. Having both Abe and Hollow here with me makes me strangely warm. Here, I can protect them both, keep them both from harm. I’ll stake my life on it. I won’t allow either of them to be hurt by Father ever again.

The apartment is quiet. I wonder if Abe is still sleeping. Gingerly, I rise to my feet and slip on a pair of abandoned sweatpants that lie on the floor. Hollow’s, I’m sure. As I head out into the hallway, I’m disappointed to see the living room is empty, the kitchen devoid of life. There’s a faint smell of coffee, but that’s the only indication anyone rose before I did.

Hollow’s jacket and boots are missing. He’s not here. Likely, he’s at the club or out doing whatever it is he occupies the bulk of his time with. I head down the hallway to where Abe is staying and knock on his door.

Nothing. No sound from inside.

“Abe.” I knock again. “Hey, are you awake?”

He doesn’t reply. I don’t want to be a bother, to disturb him if he needs the rest. Or to barrel inside and invade his privacy. But I don’t like his silence. Not after last night.

“Abe. I’m coming in.”

I turn the handle to find it unlocked. I step inside.

It’s empty. Abe isn’t here.

Immediately, my senses are on high alert, panic threatening to overwhelm me. Instead, I bite it back, heading to the bedroom and digging my phone out of my discarded pants. As I pull it out, a folded note falls to the floor. The note from The Magic Shop Owner. I ignore it in favor of dialing my brother.

My calls go immediately to voicemail. He’s either turned off his phone or blocked my calls. Both options are unlike him. Something is wrong.

I dial Hollow next, hoping, praying, that he doesn’t have anything to do with this. But part of me fears…part of me knows…

It rings and then goes to voicemail. So I hang up and call him again. And again. Each time with the same result. Finally, I leave a message, my voice frantic and harried. “Dammit, Hollow. Call me back.”

Perhaps he’s at the club, perhaps he took Abe with him. Fuck, what if Abe left to find his damn priest? Is he walking right into a trap, into Father’s waiting arms? Panic begins to overwhelm me but I focus on maintaining clarity. I can’t jump to conclusions. I need to remain calm.

After digging in Hollow’s drawers and rifling through his closet, I change out of his sweatpants and into a pair of jeans and one of his t-shirts. And then I storm through his apartment and down the stairs of the main hallway before exiting the building with the full intention of breaking into the club at this early hour if I have to.

But instead, I come to a stop on the sidewalk, my breath catching, to see The Magic Shop Owner standing against the facade of the building across the street, watching me silently. As if he was waiting for me to appear. He’s dressed smartly, just like the last time I saw him, all in white and black, a black bowtie secured around his neck. He tips his top hat at me and smiles.

“Good morning,” he calls out.

I narrow my eyes as I assess him. “Did you see Hollow come this way earlier? With another man? Young, blond hair. Handsome.”

He shrugs. “Sounds like you need answers.”

Cryptic. Annoying. But then my mind flashes to the note that fell from my pocket this morning. If you lack the answers you desire, perhaps another visit.

“You know something,” I say and again, he shrugs. This time though, he turns on his heel and marches into the shop, leaving me standing alone outside in the cool morning air. A wave of frustration rushes through me and I follow him inside.

The shop is alive with a warm glow, candles lit around the interior, faintly illuminating the rows and rows of bookshelves. I watch as the Owner heads toward the back of the shop, not once stopping to ensure I follow. I do, trailing along behind him. He knows something. I need answers and if he knows where Abe and Hollow went, I have no choice but to follow.

Before I know it, I’m back in the same room Hollow took me two nights ago, where he read my Tarot and dredged up my shame. Where he told me I was a victim, innocent of any great sin.

The crystal ball sits still on the table, its contents clear and stagnant, so unlike the swirling, whirling mess that is my mind. The Owner seems to notice, turning to look at me amidst all the chaos of the room, its trimmings and draperies so stark in all their radiant, pulsing color.

The Owner and I eye each other warily. His expression is neutral, neither cold nor warm. He merely watches me, waiting for me to speak, to ask the questions he knows I want to ask.

“Have you seen Hollow?” I finally manage.

“Have you ?” he retorts and I swallow. “You’ve been in his presence, yes. Even seen him in your dreams. But have you truly seen him?”

I feel my body go rigid. “How did you know about the dreams? Did Hollow tell you?”

He smirks, a curl of the lips not so unlike the one Hollow often wears. And then it makes sense in my mind. “It was you,” I grit out.

He shrugs. “The dreams brought you together. Made you susceptible to one another. But your finding each other was not my doing. I merely directed your gaze. But you chose to take the steps forward. Now, though. I fear, he may be lost. To you. To me. To himself. His soul soon to be darkened beyond repair. And all you’ll have left of the Hollow you thought you knew is dreams and memories.”

“What are you talking about?”

“How much did he tell you about necromancy?”

I stiffen, shifting uncomfortably on my feet. “He told me it’s death magic. Using the spirits of the dead to perform unnatural feats.”

“Every time a soul is taken, it takes a toll on the necromancer. Makes them more powerful. More bound to the darkness.”

“Bound to the darkness?”

“Evil seeks purity. It’s desperate for it. Wants to devour it because nothing tastes as sweet as innocence. And so, soon, not just any souls will be enough to control it. Soon, the necromancer must seek pure souls or risk losing control.”

My stomach lurches. “Pure souls.”

The Owner nods, those black eyes boring into me like gaping chasms. They seek to subsume me, to devour me whole. “You know what that means?”

“Father,” I reply, my throat dry.

“Father is one of the most powerful necromancers I’ve ever come into contact with. He’s created a den of evil in that church, an impenetrable fortress inside which he can remain safe forever. But as soon as he steps outside, he opens himself to attack, makes himself vulnerable. Weakened. Not weak . Never weak. But weaker . Do you understand?”

I’m beginning to. Oh God, I’m beginning to. “Hollow is trying to lure Father from the Church. To make him weaker.”

Again, The Owner nods.

“With Abe.”

He just stares at me, doesn’t confirm nor deny what I’ve said and I feel sick with the realization that Hollow has betrayed me. Hollow, who I thought I could trust. Who I thought I might be feeling something for. Who I thought might be feeling something for me in return.

“That bastard,” I growl, stalking toward The Owner with flames in my eyes and heat crawling up my spine. I’m on fire with rage. I’m going to kill him. “Where is he?”

The Owner is unperturbed. He merely regards me coolly, a thin black brow cocked over those dark, dark eyes. “Is that all you want to know?”

“Yes,” I spit, reaching out to clutch his collar in a tight, claw-like grip. “Where the fuck is he?”

“You don’t wonder how to defeat such undefeatable foes? Do you think that if you find them, if you find Hollow and manage to get your brother back, that you will ever truly be able to free yourself and Abraham from Father? No matter how far you go, no matter what roads you take, he will always hunt you. And he will always win. Don’t you think that perhaps Hollow had his reasons for betraying your trust?”

I still, glaring at him. “You’re defending him.” I could laugh at my own stupidity. This is the man who came to Hollow when he needed him most. Who first showed Hollow the means to his power. His friend. Of course he’d stand between us.

“I only ask if you’re prepared to fight without Hollow at your side. If you’re prepared to make an enemy of him.”

My hands fall as I swallow. An enemy. Of Hollow. No. I don’t want that. I can’t speak, my mouth is too dry. I can only stare at the Owner as he paces away from me and heads toward the bookshelf behind us.

“You should know what he’s willing to sacrifice in order to save you. In order to save them all.” He retrieves a book from the shelf and holds it out to me. With shaking hands, I take it, glancing at the cover. The Night Death: A Necromancer’s Handbook.

“In order to embrace his power and become strong enough to kill Father, Hollow needs to make the greatest sacrifice. And lose everyone he loves in the process. You included.”

I skim the chapters of the handbook. It details everything Hollow has already told me, everything the Owner has just described. The sacrifices. The souls kept inside a ring to contain them. The darkening of the soul over time.

The last chapter, A Final Sacrifice.

“ The necromancer must succumb to the darkness, giving their soul over completely in order to embrace their true power. They abandon all goodness, all love, all mortal coils. They must sacrifice the last bit of humanity they possess, destroying it past the point of repair. Once it is done, they shall never again love, never again feel, never again desire. Their power shall grow and only the destruction of their vessel can bring about their annihilation.” I say these words and feel nauseous. My hands shake where they grasp the binding of the book so tightly that I fear it might break apart. Hollow…the Hollow I’ve come to care for…will no longer exist if I allow this to happen. If I allow him to embrace the darkness.

“What is he planning?” I ask.

“His revenge. And once it’s complete, he’ll have abandoned the last of his humanity. He’ll have betrayed the one person he has left to care about and fulfilled his mission. The one thing he believes he has yet to live for. He’ll become a monster. More demon than human. Just like Father. Worse.”

“That can’t happen.” I’m suddenly terrified. Terrified to lose him. Terrified of what he’ll do. Will he hurt my brother to pursue his revenge? Is it too late to stop him from taking this step? “Where are they?” I demand. “I have to find them. I have to stop him. Tell me you know where he is.”

“I—” he starts, but his voice is cut off when my phone rings.

For a moment, my heart begins to race in excitement. It’s him, it’s Hollow, I think. He’s calling me back, telling me I’m wrong. He never betrayed me. But then I register the name and number and my stomach cramps in anticipation. In fear.

Father.

I look up and meet the Owner’s eyes. He’s silent, but nods nonetheless, indicating for me to accept the call. And though I barely know this man, I feel safe somehow. As though nothing terrible can happen in his presence.

With my heart in my throat, I accept the call.

“Father.”

“Do you know where our sweet Abraham is right now?” There’s no fear in Father’s voice. It’s cold, dead. Angry. Accusatory.

I steel myself. “Say what you want.”

“Do you know?” he snaps.

I consider lying, but I know if he’s calling me, he already knows. “Hollow.”

“Then you know this is your fault.”

Rage, white hot and blinding washes over me. “My fault?”

“You allowed that snake to get too close. You bedded down with it and turned a blind eye to its deceptions. This is what he wanted. To get to your brother. To use him to get to me.”

He speaks those words as though he’s rooting out my deepest, darkest fear. That all along, what Hollow and I had was a result of his intentions for revenge. That just like to Father, to Hollow, I was a tool to be used.

“Oh, Killian. You’ve been such a lovely little fool, haven’t you? And now you’ve doomed your brother. And for what? For pretty lies from a viper’s mouth? I ask you, was it worth it?”

My heart is racing. I can feel my hands shaking as they grasp my phone so tight, it could break. “Hollow won’t hurt Abe,” I force myself to say. “He’s not like you.”

“Oh? You don’t think so? Then it will be on your conscience when your lover kills your brother.”

“I won’t allow that to happen.”

“So, whose side will you stand on, then? Who will you protect? The end is near, Killian. And I implore you to come to mine. Help me bring Abraham back home and I will allow you both to walk free after Hollow is dead. And then we can put this whole business behind us.”

It’s not true. It will never be true. He can’t allow us to be free—we’ll implicate him. Endanger him. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters now is getting to them. Stopping Father from hurting Hollow and Abe. And perhaps stopping Hollow from hurting himself.

“Where are they?”

“Come home. We’ll go to them together.”

“No,” I say. I won’t get close enough to him to allow him to compel me again. “Tell me where they are and I’ll meet you there.”

He’s silent on the line, a tension settling between us, thick enough to cut. Finally, after a long moment, he says, “He sent me an address in New Jefferson. I’ll text it to you.”

“Good. I’ll meet you there.”

I go to hang up but he says my name. “Killian?”

“What?”

“I have Father Alexis, you forget. Should anything happen to me, should I not return to the Church, my men have been instructed to kill him.”

“You think I care about the priest?” I snap.

“You, perhaps not. But Abraham does. And he’ll never forgive you for allowing harm to come to his lover.” The way he says the word lover is so tinged in disgust, it makes my skin crawl. “So, we’re settled then. I’ll meet you in thirty minutes. Don’t be late.”

He hangs up and I want to throw my phone across the room. I’m so angry, so defeated, so desperately exhausted. I’m not sure how much more I can take. The betrayal. The despair and the guilt and the fear. I nearly crumble to my knees before realizing that no matter what happens, someone is going to die. There’s no end to this without bloodshed, without someone being hurt.

Father is right. Abe will hate me if I allow Father Alexis to die. But I can’t allow Father to continue to hurt people. Children. I clench my hands into fists at my sides before balling them against my eye sockets. “Fuck,” I choke out as my phone chimes with what I assume is an address being sent via text.

“Don’t worry about the priest.” I nearly jump at the sound of the Owner’s voice. I’d almost forgotten he stood by my side.

“What?” I ask.

“Father Alexis. All will be well.”

I cock a brow, incredulous. “All will be well?”

He simply nods. "Trust.”

I don’t know why I choose to trust him, but for whatever reason, I do. I nod and turn to head toward the door when he puts a hand out to stop me.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to get there before Father. I have to try to stop this.”

“You won’t beat him there with an Uber.”

I glare at him. “Do you have another suggestion?”

He smirks. “That I do. Follow me.”

And again, he turns on his heel and expects me to follow. I’m so sick of following men, only for them to leave me behind, expecting me to trail along behind them. But in this case, what choice do I have? I think I can trust him. He seems to be a friend of Hollow’s, seems to have Hollow’s best interest at heart. He showed up when Hollow needed him most. But then again, he gave him the tools to ensnare and darken his own soul so….what does that mean, really?

“You want to help Hollow?” I ask and my question seems to give him pause.

He takes a moment before continuing, herding me toward the very back of the store and into a dark room that looks no bigger than a janitor’s closet. “I don’t want to see him hurt.”

“Why?” I ask as we step into that small, dark space. I’m surprised to see that it is in fact a janitorial closet, filled with brooms and mops and cleaning supplies. Even a fire extinguisher.

“Perhaps I see something of myself in him.”

“What about him exactly? The fact that he can do magic? Or were you a child sex slave as well?” I grouse but he merely smiles.

“You don’t trust me.”

“I don’t trust much of anyone.”

“You trust Hollow.”

“I thought I did ,” I object. “I want to. But he’s certainly not making it easy for me.”

“And yet, you chase after him still, determined to save his soul. Tell me, will you forgive him? After you find him and see that no harm has come to your brother?”

I blink at those words. I hope to fuck he’s right. But then what escapes my mouth is the truth. “I don’t know.”

He nods, but not at me. A flash of blue encompasses my field of vision and just as I open my mouth to exclaim, a door appears before me. One that wasn’t there before, just across from us, partially obscured by a dust mop and “Caution: Wet Floor” sign.

“What the fuck,” I breathe out. It doesn’t matter how much magic I witness, how many secrets I’m privy to, this still doesn’t feel real.

“Your chariot, my liege,” the Owner lilts and I cock a brow at him.

“Excuse me?”

“Step through the door. It will take you where you need to go.”

I pause, incredulity sinking into my bones. “You want me to just walk through a door that wasn’t there a second ago? And expect it will take me to Hollow?”

The Owner shrugs, his lips pulled taut in a playful smirk, not unlike Hollow’s. “It’s the fastest option.”

He steps forward and removes the offending obstacles out of the way, then opens the door for me. It shows only darkness, pure black emptiness and my stomach clenches at the thought of stepping through.

“There’s no benefit to me for hurting you,” he says as if reading my thoughts. “I won’t force you through the door. But, I promise you, it will get you to Hollow and Abe quickly and safely. If you trust, you will be rewarded.”

At this point, if I die, if I stumble and fall into oblivion or death, would it really be so bad? With a sigh, I steel myself, square my shoulders and walk through the open doorway.