Anne Ursu - The Shadow Thieves

"I have your blood, my boy," he purred. "I know you. I know your blood. I know what makes it sing, what makes it flow, what makes it boil. Remember your little sleepwalking trip?" He leaned down to Zee and looked him in the eyes, his voice growing soft and dreamy. "Zachary," he sang, "lift up your left arm."

And before Charlotte's eyes Zee's left arm went up. Something inside Charlotte screamed.

Zee gasped and slammed his arm down at his side, then balled up his hands as if he were going to start punching Philonecron-who didn't seem at all concerned.

"Now, Zachary," he murmured, looking back and forth from Charlotte to Zee, "take those lovely fists and go punch your little cousin in the stomach."

"Hey!" Charlotte yelled.

But Zee said nothing. He just turned toward Charlotte. His face was contorted, his eyes burning, his every muscle clenching. Yet he began to move to her stiffly, slowly, painfully, looking like a very uncomfortable zombie. Mr. Metos kept shouting from above, and Philonecron let out a merry laugh. Charlotte could only stare as her cousin stopped right in front of her. He looked at her helplessly, then closed his eyes. Charlotte squirmed again, and the Footman held her tightly.

"Zee!" Charlotte screamed.

"No cheating!" Philonecron sang. "Punch her as hard as you can."

Well, maybe he was just pretending, Charlotte thought. Maybe Zee was pretending to be under Philonecron's control to trick him, and-

And then suddenly a truck ran into Charlotte's stomach, and everything went black for a moment. She tried to gasp, to take in air, but she couldn't breathe. She was completely empty, hollow, and her body sang with the pain of it. She tried to take in air again and again-she was going to die, right there, her ears were buzzing with death-and then finally her lungs filled. Breathe. Deep. Breathe. Her legs had given out and tears were streaming down her face.

Breathe. Breathe. Come on, Charlotte, you can breathe. Philonecron was laughing, and in front of her, tears dripped from her cousin's eyes. Charlotte stared at him plaintively.

"Charlotte, I'm so sorry" he whispered desperately, "I'm so, so, so sorry…"

"Come back, Zero," Philonecron said. And Zee turned and walked back, tears silently flowing. "Now, stay still. That's my boy. Yes, you see"-he smiled brightly to the whole group -"I can make Zero do whatever I want… but that's not as much fun, is it?" He turned to Zee and held his arms out to him. "Wouldn't it be better to do this together, my Zero? Yes, I really thought…" He looked down at the ground, shaking his head, gathering himself. "I really thought this would be something we could do together."

Zee's whole body was trembling with rage. The tears had stopped running, and now his face was twisted over with hatred. He stared at Philonecron as if he were the devil. One breath, two, three… something seemed to pass over Zee, and he closed his eyes and was still a few moments.

Charlotte stared, still gasping. Philonecron stroked Zee's face with a bone-like finger, and then Zee opened his eyes and turned to look at Charlotte. The Footman grinned, put his arm around Charlotte's waist, and lifted her in the air. Charlotte tried to kick, to fight back, but her muscles just wouldn't work. Zee shook his head and looked at the ground.

Charlotte knew that look by now. That was the this is all my fault look. That was Zee's my grandmother is dead look. That was his I don't want anyone else to suffer look. Charlotte gasped, "Zee!" The Footman clamped his other hand around her mouth. She bit down, but he did not let go. She got the worse end of that deal; his hand tasted like mold.

And then Zee spoke. "I'll do it," he said quietly, "if you let Charlotte and Mr. Metos go."

"Zachary, no!" Mr. Metos shouted.

"No!" screeched the Harpies as one.

"Ah, my boy." Philonecron clasped his hands together, his eyes filling. "You're so noble! I knew you would be. You're a wonderful, wonderful boy." He nodded affectionately at Zee. "But, alas… we all have our destinies. Metos is destined to be on the menu at my little restaurant for all eternity. A house specialty, as it were. You can't fight destiny, my boy. You'll learn that. But your little friend, well, why not?"

"You'll let Charlotte go?" Zee stared at Philonecron.

"Zee!" Charlotte yelled.

Zee turned to glare at her. "Would you let me do the talking for once?" he snapped.

Charlotte gaped. Yes, the circumstances were extreme, but there was no need to be rude.

"I will," Philonecron said. "For you, Zero, I will let her go. Now, come with me."

He held out his hand and Zee took it. Charlotte didn't know if he had done so out of force or will. Mr. Metos was still shouting things that Charlotte, by this point, was beginning to understand. Philonecron led Zee to one of the Footmen, who bowed. "Now, you go with Alpha here, and he'll take you to the shadows, all right? I'll meet you there." He smiled giddily. "Oh my boy, we'll remake the world! What a grand thing! What a great day it is!"

The two walked off, Zee shooting looks at Charlotte all the while, as if he was trying to communicate something. But what?

Philonecron stood on his tiptoes, watching them go off into one of the caves. "Bye!" he waved.

He turned to Charlotte. The Footman still held her by the stomach, and Charlotte winced when he squeezed. Philonecron walked up to her, chucked her on the chin, and kneeled in front of her grabbing her hands.

"My dear," he smiled earnestly. "I'd like to let you go. I really would. I don't want to deceive the poor boy just as he and I are developing an interpersonal trust. But my Zero, he is, well, naive. An idealist. You know how he is. You and I, we're realists, we know how the world works. And you know I can't just let you go." He grinned menacingly. As he talked, something in Charlotte's mind began to soften, as if someone had turned the dimmer switch down a bit. She shook her head back and forth.

"Oh, I know you, little girl," he continued. "I was the one who found you, you know… Zero's blood led me to you. You helped us find so many wonderful shadows. But still, your blood is weak. I've tried to speak to it, but it's just not the same. You just don't have enough Zero in you… he's twice the person you are. You're really just a mongrel. An unfortunate, meddling mongrel with a rather unpleasant complexion. You'll go scampering off to Hades and warn him, in some futile attempt to save the world. We can't have that, can we?"

He stood up, brushed his hands off, and turned to the Footman who was holding her. "Throw her in the Styx."

Charlotte was being carried in the arms of the Footman, like a damsel over a mud puddle, heading down the clearing toward the Styx. She could still hear Mr. Metos's invectives echoing behind them, but the Footman did not stop. A Harpy flew overhead, looked down at them, screeched, "Freckle face!" and went on her way.

Charlotte tried to keep herself from struggling. She had to think. She kept hearing Zee's whisper in her ear, whatever he had been trying to tell her when Philonecron confronted them. If I can -

If I can what?

She could hear the sounds of the words, she could almost make them out, but not quite. For surely Zee had a plan, surely he did not mean just to give in, surely he had a way out of this.

Of course, she thought, it was just like him to give in to save her. Always so polite and generous all the time. Hiding behind his chivalry. So brave when it came to protecting Charlotte. Sure, evil guy, you can corrupt me, I'll destroy the world, just to save Charlotte. Come on, now- don't hurt my little cousin, she's very fragile and can't do anything by herself. Except for mouth off, maybe.

That's a laugh. Charlotte was doing things by herself long before Zee got there. And if Zee didn't have a plan, if he really was being such a stupidhead and sacrificing himself to save her, well, then… it was all up to Charlotte.