Pomegranate Parfait

Chapter 3

Korey Rodi watched in a mix of horror and fascination as the two men approached the Rift, a paper-thin line that was almost invisible in the darkness. The Rift had an unnatural allure; if Korey had not known better, she might have though it called to her, its dark tendrils searching for her hand, begging her to touch it once more. But that was crazy. All of it was crazy.

Aides and Jax inspected the shimmering rip between worlds. It radiated energy; when Jax reached out, the Rift sent the two-hundred-pounds of pure muscle almost careening over the edge and into the city below.

Jax returned to Aides' side frayed, the ends of his curly mouse-brown hair still smoldering. Pure evil burnt in his eyes; in Aides' rested only amusement. "Well, that didn't work," said the tattooed man, laughter tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I don't see you coming up with any better ideas, Dark Lord," Jax hissed. Korey flinched at the title. It sparked a deep-set uneasiness within her, something almost mistakable with recognition.

"No need to scare the girl, Jax." Jax whipped his head to where Korey stood, as if only just registering her presence.

The man crossed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. Jax loomed over her, close enough for her to see that, whereas Aides was painted with ink, this man's skin wore a tapestry of scars. Some thin, some jagged, one crossing the length of his throat – they shimmered white, faded over the course of time. It looked like someone had stabbed him, repeatedly, then healed him, and done it all over again. There was only calm fury in his dark eyes. "You did this," he growled, grabbing her jaw and jerking her head towards the Rift. "How does a zoi like you," the word was an insult on his tongue. "Access the power required to open a rift?"

Korey did not batt an eye. She took the pepper-spray from her garter-pouch, unclicked the safety, and let it explode in his eyes. Jax leapt backwards, face in his hands, stream of curses flooding from his mouth. Aides watched with new interest. Korey took a step forward, glass and stone crunching beneath her feet, to where Jax crouched, blinking the acid from his eyes. "Never  touch me again, Deathboy. That was only the mild stuff," she sneered, replacing the bottle. "Though I'd be happy to introduce you to the spicy stuff."

Jax raised from the ground, murder painted on his face. Red veined around his eyes like a spiderweb.

"Enough." Aides' command rippled through the air like a heavy blanket, locking Korey in place. "Bickering won't seal this Rift. Jax: either become useful, or I'll find someone else who will." Noticing Korey's smirk, he added, "Korey Rodi, I have not yet passed judgement on you. Act wisely. There are far worse things in the Afterworld than us."

Jax returned to the Dark Lord's side, shooting Korey a deadly glare. She watched with untamed curiosity as Aides raised his tattooed hand and placed it on the Rift.

Electricity exploded from the Rift in a shower of burning white light. It boiled against Korey's skin until her screams deafened her ears and she choked on the smell of burning flesh. The Rift was screaming. A chorus of voices, wailing in agony, erupted from the sliver of light. Blinded by the pain, Korey staggered forward as fast as her injured feet could manage. To awful de-ja-vu, Korey's hands grasped the unstable power of the Rift.

Before the darkness could come to take away the screams, Korey heard voices, their laughter filling her ears. "It Has Begun! Chaos is Rising!"