Free The Devil's Backbone (A Niki Slobodian Novel: Book Five) by J.L. Murray Page B

You’ve seen men that are worse than monsters, and monsters that a good deal more honorable than men. And you’re going to kill this one because, why? Because you can?” I frowned and concentrated. Aki seemed to be frozen in place. He couldn’t look away from me. “No. Because he’s mine. Isn’t that right, Aki? You want to hurt me.”
    “Stop it,” he said, breathless. “How are you doing this?”
    “Why do you want to hurt me?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
    I pushed deeper. There was something black and sticky in Aki’s mind.  
    “You can’t even see it there, can you?” I said.
    “How?” he said.
    “I don’t know how,” I said. “But you didn’t come here on your own. You didn’t follow the Yuki-onna, did you?”
    “I don’t remember,” he said, his voice hoarse.  
    “They stranded you here,” I said. “With one task. Hobble Death.”
    “I don’t remember coming here,” he said. “I just woke up and I was in this building. And I knew what I was supposed to do. I knew it was you and I knew who you loved and how to hurt you.”
    “So killing Bobby was supposed to make me a helpless pile of sadness?” I said. “Whoever sent you really needs to do their research, Aki. That’s not really how I operate. When someone tries to hurt the people I love, I only react one way, and it’s not crumpled on the floor sobbing my little eyes out.”
    “Please, I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t even know who sent me here.”
    “Who is your god, Aki?”
    “What?”
    “Who is your god?” I said. “You changed, didn't you? Just decided to worship their god. The Grace. They made you believe it was your decision. What about your old god, though?”
    “We don't have a god,” said Aki, his voice weak and suddenly confused. “Not anymore. Our god left us.”
    “He left you?” I said. “When?”
    “I don’t know,” he whispered. “Maybe a month ago. We felt it happen. He was just gone.”
    “Who was He?”
    “He didn’t have a name,” said Aki. “But He was fearsome. To worship was to fear.”
    “How do you know He left?” I said.
    “Because,” he said. “I wasn’t afraid any longer. None of us were. And if He hadn’t gone, no one could have opened up the universe and let as weak a monster as a Yuki-onna through. This boy you speak of, this Matthew. If my god was alive, the boy would be dead.”
    “You think your god is dead?” I said.
    “What other explanation is there?”
    “Maybe He ran away.” I remembered my conversation with the Creator.  
    “No,” said Aki. “It is not our way.”
    I turned to look at Gage. Without knowing why, I reached out my hand and placed my palm on his forehead.
    “You can’t wake him,” said Aki. “He’ll never wake. I broke him.”
    I felt a heat like fire burning my hand. I nearly pulled my arm back from the pain, but I forced myself to keep it there. I remembered the Creator putting Her hand on my forehead the same way. I put the thought out of my head and concentrated. I tried to look into Gage the way I’d looked into Aki. But it seemed to me that there were too many cracks. I frowned. He had broken him. Bobby's mind was in pieces. I put my other hand on his temple and felt my whole body catch fire. I opened my eyes, expecting flames to be consuming me, but there was nothing. But it felt like fire. Like when I burned to death, so long ago. A lifetime ago.
    I felt a piece shift in Bobby’s mind. Then another, fitting together like a puzzle. Another piece snapped into place. I screamed as the fire burned me, and I made one final push to gather the bits of his mind. I felt it when they slid into place and I fell back on the floor, gasping. I looked at my arms, but they were normal. Completely unscathed.
    “What the hell?” I breathed.
    “What are you?” said a voice from the doorway.  
    I started, forgetting Aki was there, surprised he had stayed. His head hung as if he were a puppet held up by strings, and the