Free Marked: A Two Halves Novella by Marta Szemik Page B

The blue spheres released light that hit Aseret in the center of
his chest. The force of impact threw him back against a wall. Even so, he
continued to release energy through his palms toward the spirits.
    The spikes on Eric’s neck vibrated again, intensifying
another blow. Aseret howled as he strained to focus. One more hit, and he would
be done—bound to the underworld, unable to hurt humans and vampires.
    His gaze flew to Xela. I heard his cunning voice in my head: “You will regret this for the rest of your existence. The only woman you
could love will be lost to you forever.” He turned his palms away from the
hole to the hereafter and pointed to the witch.
    “No!” The sweet sound flowed from her mouth to my ears.
    Aseret’s hate was greater than his need for a cunning witch.
He wanted to hurt me enough that I’d kill him. And yes, if he hurt any part of
my Xela left in that body, I’d kill him.
    I pulled away from Eric and sped toward Xela before Aseret
could disintegrate her.
    Aseret released his blow. My fate would be decided by the
stream of magical fire. I was ready to sacrifice anything to save her, even
damn the world.
    It only took a second and I pushed Xela aside. Her body
slammed to the floor, her head striking the rocky surface. She lay unconscious,
blood oozing from beneath her skull.
    Belatedly, I realized Aseret’s fire never hit me. I turned
in time to see my sister shake dirt off her clothes. It appeared she had sped
toward the demon lord, slamming into him and redirecting his blow toward the
hole to the hereafter.
    Xelay lay motionless. My left wrist burned. I killed her.
I killed Xela. I looked in despair toward my wrist, expecting to see the
glowing sphere.
    A hush fell over the hall. My gaze flew up to the seekers,
demons, even the keepers, who all stood still. I thought they were
concentrating on my wrist, as I was, but they weren’t. I looked up, their
attention was on the open crevice. White spirits flowed freely through it to
hover over the seekers. Their see-through white shadows vibrated with chaos and
confusion. The hereafter had been opened.
    “They’re trying to locate their bodies,” Eric said.
    “It hurts.” Mira gasped and fell to her knees. Her eyes
closed, clutching her wrist.
    I had done it. I’d decided our fate. One stupid mistake had
tied us to the underworld.
    The inferno-like agony suddenly turned to ice, and the pain
eased. I let go of my wrist, expecting an orange glow. Instead, I saw three
wavy blue lines. The water mark.
    “But . . . how?” I gaped.
    Aseret shouted “No!” cutting into my confusion.
    The continuous stream from the blue spheres Eric held in his
outstretched hands wrapped around Aseret’s body. It wound downward to connect
his feet to the stone beneath him. Eric stopped, looking toward the keepers.
They nodded, then disappeared into a vortex, leaving behind only swirling dust.
    I didn’t get a chance to stand before the room spun. The
gray stone whirled together with the orange glow from the seekers’ eyes and
turned to green. When it stopped, I found myself at the hill with my sister and
the evil-bender who had just changed our lives forever.
     
    * * *
     
    “Did I kill her?” I asked after promising Ma we’d eat
goulash before discussing any new business. The food was good, but I had no
heart to tell her Xela’s was much better. Or perhaps it was her company that
made the food scrumptious.
    “No, she’s alive,” Eric answered. He kept his distance from
my sister.
    My confusion was mirrored on her face. She’d looked that way
since this morning.
    “How did we get the mark?” I asked.
     “You sacrificed your life for hers.” Eric rubbed his neck
where the fleshed spikes sunk in.
    I gaped at him. “That’s all it took?”
    “It’s not ‘ that’s all, ’ Xander. We talk about
sacrifice all the time, but few would give up their lives for someone else.”
    “But my Xela is gone.” I slumped in the chair, eyes on