Page 11 of Firefly

When the third bowl had filled, Alexander set it down, letting her blood drip onto the floor.

“You have what you want. Heal her. Would you kill your own daughter?” He sagged against his restraints, the ache in his chest overshadowing the one in his arms and shoulders.

Alexander turned slowly, taking his time. When their eyes met, something evil stared back at Simon. “Let this be a lesson. The next time I ask you to bring me a demon, do what you were made for rather than wasting your time saving riffraff.”

Pain sliced through Simon’s chest as he realized this torment was his fault and the woman on the table might die for it.

Rebecca swayed again, and Alexander turned, catching her. He set her head on the table but did nothing to stop the blood now dribbling over the side of it.

Simon looked between Alexander and Rebecca, whose lids were growing heavy. “I swear.” The words were a whisper on his lips, a prayer to whatever god listened to save her.

Alexander chuckled. “Oh, no need to swear. I’ll leave you with her as a reminder so that next time you’re thinking of doing something reckless, the image of your lover will be burned into your retinas.”

Not waiting for a reply, Alexander turned, strolling from the room.

“Don’t leave her! You have to stop the bleeding!” Simon shouted the words, but they were useless. “Rebecca. Bec. Open your eyes. Please. Cover the cut. It’s too deep.”

She said nothing as the lights went dim. Besides her slow heartbeat, the steady drip, drip, drip of her blood was the only sound.

Chapter 9

Simon

Simon felt it a few moments before it happened. He screamed for Alice—or anyone—to hear before he was gone for the day, leaving Rebecca to whatever fate awaited her.

When he landed beside the river in the in-between, he fell to his knees, dropping his head into his hands. She would die alone in her father’s laboratory, and he was powerless to stop it.

A soft child’s voice whispered beside him. “Get up. They’ll find you if you stay by the river.”

“I don’t care.”

A small hand wrapped around his, tugging him to get up. “Come on, Simon. You will help her when you get back, but you can’t get back if they find you and send you to the other place.”

He lifted his head, meeting Elizabeth’s stare. Her eyes were bright, something like fear in them. She was worried for him. And she was right to be. She had found him that first day after he died and showed him where people like them went to hide. If the soldiers guarding this place found them, they would be sent to Hell, or so they assumed. Punishment for not dying properly, if that was how it went in the afterlife.

And now that he had a clear head, he knew Alexander wouldn’t let Rebecca die. Not when she was the only leverage he had over Simon. When Simon was back, he would help her escape and let Alexander do whatever he wished to him.

But he could only help her if he wasn’t captured by the soldiers who guarded the in-between.

Sighing, he let the child pull him up and followed her to their place beside the cave. She took up her usual spot, finding a stick to draw with.

Simon’s mind raced as he worked through viable plans.

Everything circled back to one thing. He couldn’t kill Alexander. The only way to ensure Rebecca and Sarah were safe would be to get them as far from the estate as possible. To do that, they would need money.

“Simon.”

He looked up at Elizabeth standing over him, holding out a stick. “Not today, Elizabeth. I have a lot on my mind.”

She pursed her lips, looking put out. After a moment, she said, “Can I help?”

Simon gave her a sad smile. “I wish you could, but these are adult problems. Not ones that can be solved by a child.”

Elizabeth stuck out her lower lip and tossed the stick she had held out to him on the ground. “Adults always say that. I’m smart, you know.”

Simon picked up the stick, dusting a bit of the gray dirt off before saying, “Very well, what game shall it be today? We can puzzle over this dilemma together while we play.”

Elizabeth’s mouth stretched into a wide smile as she picked up her stick and sat across from him. “Tic-tac-toe!”

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