Lifeblood. Gena Showalter

my Firstlife.

      “Ten!” Clay catches sight of me and rushes over. I meet him halfway and throw my arms around him, clinging to him. With a laugh, he swings me around. “What did Zero say to Eight?”

      At the asylum, he’d always greeted me with a number joke.

      As I kiss his cheek, tears burn my eyes. My voice wobbles as I reply, “Hey! Nice belt.”

      He chuckles. “I’m never going to stump you, am I?”

      “Not in any lifetime, my friend.”

      He tweaks my nose. The others join us, and I’m passed around like a hot potato.

      By the time I make it back to Clay, his smile is gone. Sorrow peers at me. “You had so much more to do. You died too soon, Ten.”

      My chest constricts. “So did you, my friend. So did you.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “Did Marlowe make it into Troika?” Please, say yes. Please.

      Marlowe Dillinger is another of my Prynne friends. The sweetest, gentlest girl I’ve ever met. She ended up at the asylum because she stole money from her mother to—horror of horrors—pay for groceries.

      She signed with Troika, hoping to escape the asylum. Her mom refused to spring her, and soon after, a guard sneaked into her cell to—

      My mind shies away from the horrors she endured. The next morning, the girl with a heart of gold killed herself. Maybe she voided her contract, maybe she didn’t. I’m unclear about the fine print.

      Clay flinches. “I’m told suicides are decided on a case by case basis. Hers... She’s in Many Ends.”

      Fresh tears well, but I blink them back. No more crying. Marlowe’s Firstlife sucked, and guaranteed her Everlife is worse. It’s not fair. But I will find a way to free her and all the others trapped inside Many Ends. I will! My determination will never wane.

      “I know a little boy who is eager to say hello,” Levi says, claiming my attention.

      I give Clay another hug before stealing my little brother from the General. “Zero! He’s changed.”

      Levi beams with pride, his love for the boy obvious. “He grows stronger every day.”

      Jeremy Eleven Lockwood. The last time we were together, he was missing patches of hair. His cheeks were sunken in, and his swollen lips had turned blue as he’d struggled to breathe. Now he has a headful of curls the same shade of cobalt as mine. His peaches-and-cream complexion speaks of health and vitality, and his eyes...they sparkle like precious gems, mesmerizing me. Like me, one of his eyes is blue and the other is green. Though he’s only a few weeks old—spirits age just like humans, until reaching the Age of Perfection—both eyes regard me with intelligence and adoration.

      A look I’ve received from only two other people: Killian and Archer.

      Zero! I’m crying again, and I can’t stop. Have I become the world’s biggest sissy?

      One of my tears splashes on Jeremy’s cheek, and he giggles. He wraps his chubby little fingers around one of mine and brings it to his mouth for a toothless nibble.

      “We’re together forever now, baby bro.” A vow from my innermost being.

      —Forever—

      “Ye—” I shake my head. A little boy’s voice just whispered through my mind as surely as the wind had whispered earlier. Surely my brother didn’t...surely he can’t...

      But maybe he can? New world, new rules. I don’t yet know what’s possible and what’s not. There’s no reason to stress over anything. One, I’ll figure things out. Two, if I ask, I’ll be given a cryptic answer that generates even more questions, guaranteed. That is Levi’s MO. And three, I’ve got bigger problems than my brother maybe, maybe not, speaking to me telepathically.

      Namely: How can I help free the people of Many Ends without Archer’s and Killian’s help?

      Everything always comes back to my guys, doesn’t it. And why not? Killian was my rock, the one who helped me stand when I wobbled. Archer was my guide. He showed me the way I should go every time I floundered.

      Who else do I have? Clay is as new to this life as I am. I have family I don’t know, and I’m hated by the ones I do. I’m a soldier in a war I don’t fully understand.

      Oh, I know the story: the Firstking created Troika for his son Eron, the Prince of Doves, and Myriad for his son Ambrosine, the Prince of Ravens. Afterward, he created the Land of the Harvest and the humans who populated it—humans allowed to choose the realm where they would ultimately live.

      One decision. An eternity of joy or regret.

      But it wasn’t long before Ambrosine plotted to destroy Eron, determined to rule both realms.

      What I don’t know is why the different citizens loathe each other. Or why, exactly, they decided to go to war. Were they simply following the orders of their kings?

      Why can’t we create friendships—relationships? If Troika and Myriad ever cease-fire, I can more easily save the people in Many Ends.

      The portal to the realm of eternal horrors is hidden inside Myriad. But I can no longer enter Myriad...

      I must find a way.

      I could ask Killian to enter for me. And get him caught, punished or killed.

      Not an option. If I can help Troika and Myriad reach a truce, I can enter Myriad again. Maybe. Possibly. I like my odds.

      Levi pats my shoulder. “Guess what, lucky girl? I’m overseeing your training, and I’m giving you homework on your first day. Take a moment to boo and hiss if you’d like. No? Fine. Memorize the Book of the Law, write the words on your heart and see.”

      “Uh, care to finish your sentence? See what?” And how am I supposed to write words on my heart?

      He winks at me, code for figure it out for yourself, dummy.

      Fine. I arch a brow at him. “Please tell me the book is only a single page long, and part two of my assignment isn’t literal.”

      Another wink.

      Great!

      “So sorry we’re late,” a familiar voice says. “Class ran over.”

      Excitement blooms as Kayla Brooks and Reed Haynesworth make their way through the throng. I met short, pale-haired Kayla and tall, dark-haired Reed in Many Ends. My first saves.

      But not my last!

      Like too many others, Kayla and Reed died too young. She’s only eighteen, and he’s a whopping nineteen.

      Troika has been good to the pair. They glow.

      In their Firstlife, they were Unsigned, refusing to choose a side and fight in a war they didn’t understand. Instead, they joined HART. Humans Against Realm Turmoil.

      They died when protestors bombed HART headquarters.

      Had their deaths occurred before the age of sixteen, they could have entered either Troika or Myriad without problem. Anyone under sixteen—the Age of Accountability—has no ties to Many Ends, even if they are Unsigned.

      Later, when the spirit-child reaches the AoA, he can choose to forsake whichever realm he’s been living in and enter the other.

      I’m not sure how much time Reed and Kayla spent in Many Ends before I showed up...once, twice, three times. Third time is the charm. We escaped together, forever changing the course of our Everlives; that’s how I know the captives can be freed. There’s a secret Gate or Veil or whatever inside Myriad—where we ended up.

      “Hey, guys.” I grin as I embrace them. “I’m so happy to see you.”

      “A word of warning, my friend.” Reed gives me a pitying look. “You’ve already made adversaries here. You’re being blamed