The Sole Survivors' Club

Chapter 23

The sky was pink when Monica woke up. The jinn hadn’t returned to the pasture, but the air was filled with the songs of birds waking to greet the rising sun.

Her limbs were stiff when she tried to sit up, and a sensation of tightness rippled across her stomach muscles. Her back gave a low throb as she straightened herself, and if she didn’t know better, she would have sworn she had already been returned to her body.

But her leg wasn’t hurt from her stab wound, and tensing her fingers around the sword handle didn’t cause a protest from her broken knuckle.

Soreness weighed on all of her muscles, making her limbs feel heavier. Her joints were stiff too, but none of the aches were debilitating. It did give her a strong urge to stretch and relieve herself of the sensation, but even after she had made a few attempts with her arms and back, the soreness remained.

It was still another minute before she realized she was breathing again.

Monica went back over her memories. The marid cast two spells, but the purpose of the second chant was a mystery.

She immediately dismissed the idea that Red had created a shield for her. A shield couldn’t giver her lungs and a heart.

Raising her hand to touch her chest to feel for her pulse, a look of confusion spread across Monica’s face when she discovered how dry her skin felt. The was no pulse either, confirming that she wasn’t back in her body.

Thinking on this, Monica needed only a few more minutes to understand what had happened. Red had given his body to her. Both the marid sacrificed themselves for her, which would give her a fighting chance against Charles and the other evil marid.

Monica wondered why she had become so important to the jinn to justify such a sacrifice, but her thoughts were disrupted when a grey mist rose from the ground.

Within the haze, bodies began to form. The jinn were emerging from their places of rest, and soon the pasture was a flurry of activity.

“You are alive. Your meeting with the elders was positive.”

Monica turned around, and Laura was standing behind her. The jinniyah wore a relieved close-lipped smile.

Monica said, “You really couldn’t have warned me about any of this.” It was not an accusation, only a statement of fact.

“No,” Laura said. “There are spies among us who could have jeopardized our plans. You are almost ready to confront your foes.”

“Yes, I have a body and a working spirit blade now.”

“No, not yet. There is one more step you will need to complete. I will help you, but before I do, there is something I must ask from you.”

“What is it?”

“I know I don’t deserve this, but I want to ask you to forgive me for the things I’ve done to you in the past.”

Monica frowned when a thought occurred to her. “I’m supposed to kill you?”

Laura nodded. “You may think of it as justice or revenge. If you have forgiven me for my transgressions against you, it is justice.”

“Laura, I can’t just kill you in cold blood.”

“You will have to, Monica Harper. Taking my life is the final step in making a spirit blade.” Laura stepped closer to Monica. She raised her hand to Monica’s cheek to stop her from shaking her head.

“Long before you were born, I reveled in ruining the lives of many humans. I did not feel regret for any of them, but I do now. I wonder how many of those people could have been half as remarkable as you if we had only given them a chance.”