Sparks flew. Eureka couldnt see Ovids face crushed beneath the stone; it was wedged deep into wet sand. She didnt know if ghost robots died, but she could see that Ovid would never rise again.
As the victor rose from the orichalcum carnage, Ovids arm glided toward its opponents face and touched its cheek, a gentle caress. Then it jabbed two fingers under the robots jaw and twisted them into the infinity-shaped keyhole Eureka knew marked its neck. The ghost robot keeled over onto Ovids chest, as if in an embrace. Neither of them moved again.
Delphine! Atlass mouth shouted. She will betray you
To quiet him, Eureka slashed Atlass cheek with the coral dagger.
At the far end of the beach, where the waveshop had once been, Delphine lay on her back. Waves lapped her long hair. Brooks straddled her, a shocking, erotic pose that sent jealousy surging through a fault between Eurekas and Atlass minds.
But something separated Brookss and Delphines bodies. Eureka had to get closer to see what it was. She dove back into the ocean, drawing all of Atlass speed as she swam.
Delphine! Atlas shouted as soon as Eureka surfaced.
Her dagger slashed his other cheek. Blood rained upon the water.
At the sound of Atlass voice, Brooks lifted his gaze. His eyes darkened with a hatred Eureka reminded herself was not meant for her.
Brooks had pinned Delphine to the beach beneath the same waterfall that had once imprisoned him in her waveshop.
Where is Eureka? Brooks and Delphine asked in unison.
She is dead, Eureka said about herself to her best friend.
No, Brooks said. The waterfall fell from his hand. It smoked and boiled and disappeared into the ocean.
Delphine pushed him aside and splashed toward Atlas. Her skin was one great greenish-purple bruise. Her hair was a matted nest stuck to her cheeks, and her red lipstick had smeared to a bright pink smudge that reached her chin.
I decide who is dead, she said.
In her new body, Eureka towered over Delphine. She was amazed by how delicate, how fragile the ghostsmith appeared. She grabbed the back of Delphines head, drew her pink lips forward, and kissed her deeply on the mouth.
Eureka had no body to feel pain, but she could sense the rapturous ache explode in Atlas as his mind was blown back to the depths of his being. Then came the vision Eureka had feared since she decided to kiss Delphine to death:
A cave within a rainy mountain range. A fire bright in the hearth. Love thick as honey in the air. A baby cooing at her mothers breast. And then, in a flash of lightning, the baby was gone. Wrapped in a fox-fur blanket, tucked in a young mans arms. The man ran down the mountain, toward another world.
Leander Come back My baby
Delphinesoriginal misery flowed into the recesses of Eurekas mind. It was supposed to empower Eureka as she absorbed it, as it killed Delphine. That was what had happened when Eureka kissed the other girls. But this was different, deeply intimate, like losing Diana a second time.
Delphine was the origin of everything Eureka hated about herself. She was the source of Eurekas darkness and her flood. She was also Eurekas closest family, her Tearline and her blood. There was no choice to reject or embrace this connectionboth were happening all the time. Eureka and Delphine belonged together. Both of them had to die.
She cradled the ghostsmith, kissed her harder, more passionately. She sensed Atlass body grow faint. Delphines eyelids twitched. Her veins lit up like lightning and her skin began to smoke. Charred flesh bubbled along her body like rivers of tar. Atlas screamed as his lips and hands felt the burns, but Eureka would not let him let go.
The ghostsmith fried from the inside. Eureka didnt stop kissing her until she slackened in Atlass arms and, eventually, was still.
At last Eureka pulled Atlass lips away and dropped the ghostsmiths sizzling, blackened body in the water. Pieces of her floated away. Eureka wondered briefly about the fate of Delphines ghost.
There is one death the ghostsmith doesnt get to decide, Eureka said, and wiped Delphines kiss from her mouth.
Rough hands shoved hershoved Atlasso hard Eureka fell backward in the water. Brooks leapt on top of Atlas, wrapped his hands around the kings neck. Eurekas mind clouded from the lack of oxygen.
Brooks! she gasped. Its me.
I know who you are. He plunged her underwater.
Its Eureka! she spat when she surfaced. I possessed Atlas like he possessed you. Stop! Im about to
He plunged her down again. She didnt want to fight him, but she had to. He could not drown Atlas before she cried the tears that would release the wasted dead. She kneed him fiercely in the groin. He reeled away and Eureka came up for air to find him on his knees, wheezing.
If I werent me, would I know you were born at nine thirty-nine p.m. on the winter solstice after putting your mom through forty-one hours of labor?
Brooks straightened, stared into Atlass eyes.
Would I know you used to want to be an astronaut, because you planned on sailing around the world after college and didnt want to reach an end to exploration? Would I know roller coasters scare you, though youd never admit it, though youve sat next to me on every one Ive ever ridden? Or that you kissed Maya Cayce at the Trejeans party? She wiped Atlass wet face. Cat told me. It doesnt matter.
As the victor rose from the orichalcum carnage, Ovids arm glided toward its opponents face and touched its cheek, a gentle caress. Then it jabbed two fingers under the robots jaw and twisted them into the infinity-shaped keyhole Eureka knew marked its neck. The ghost robot keeled over onto Ovids chest, as if in an embrace. Neither of them moved again.
Delphine! Atlass mouth shouted. She will betray you
To quiet him, Eureka slashed Atlass cheek with the coral dagger.
At the far end of the beach, where the waveshop had once been, Delphine lay on her back. Waves lapped her long hair. Brooks straddled her, a shocking, erotic pose that sent jealousy surging through a fault between Eurekas and Atlass minds.
But something separated Brookss and Delphines bodies. Eureka had to get closer to see what it was. She dove back into the ocean, drawing all of Atlass speed as she swam.
Delphine! Atlas shouted as soon as Eureka surfaced.
Her dagger slashed his other cheek. Blood rained upon the water.
At the sound of Atlass voice, Brooks lifted his gaze. His eyes darkened with a hatred Eureka reminded herself was not meant for her.
Brooks had pinned Delphine to the beach beneath the same waterfall that had once imprisoned him in her waveshop.
Where is Eureka? Brooks and Delphine asked in unison.
She is dead, Eureka said about herself to her best friend.
No, Brooks said. The waterfall fell from his hand. It smoked and boiled and disappeared into the ocean.
Delphine pushed him aside and splashed toward Atlas. Her skin was one great greenish-purple bruise. Her hair was a matted nest stuck to her cheeks, and her red lipstick had smeared to a bright pink smudge that reached her chin.
I decide who is dead, she said.
In her new body, Eureka towered over Delphine. She was amazed by how delicate, how fragile the ghostsmith appeared. She grabbed the back of Delphines head, drew her pink lips forward, and kissed her deeply on the mouth.
Eureka had no body to feel pain, but she could sense the rapturous ache explode in Atlas as his mind was blown back to the depths of his being. Then came the vision Eureka had feared since she decided to kiss Delphine to death:
A cave within a rainy mountain range. A fire bright in the hearth. Love thick as honey in the air. A baby cooing at her mothers breast. And then, in a flash of lightning, the baby was gone. Wrapped in a fox-fur blanket, tucked in a young mans arms. The man ran down the mountain, toward another world.
Leander Come back My baby
Delphinesoriginal misery flowed into the recesses of Eurekas mind. It was supposed to empower Eureka as she absorbed it, as it killed Delphine. That was what had happened when Eureka kissed the other girls. But this was different, deeply intimate, like losing Diana a second time.
Delphine was the origin of everything Eureka hated about herself. She was the source of Eurekas darkness and her flood. She was also Eurekas closest family, her Tearline and her blood. There was no choice to reject or embrace this connectionboth were happening all the time. Eureka and Delphine belonged together. Both of them had to die.
She cradled the ghostsmith, kissed her harder, more passionately. She sensed Atlass body grow faint. Delphines eyelids twitched. Her veins lit up like lightning and her skin began to smoke. Charred flesh bubbled along her body like rivers of tar. Atlas screamed as his lips and hands felt the burns, but Eureka would not let him let go.
The ghostsmith fried from the inside. Eureka didnt stop kissing her until she slackened in Atlass arms and, eventually, was still.
At last Eureka pulled Atlass lips away and dropped the ghostsmiths sizzling, blackened body in the water. Pieces of her floated away. Eureka wondered briefly about the fate of Delphines ghost.
There is one death the ghostsmith doesnt get to decide, Eureka said, and wiped Delphines kiss from her mouth.
Rough hands shoved hershoved Atlasso hard Eureka fell backward in the water. Brooks leapt on top of Atlas, wrapped his hands around the kings neck. Eurekas mind clouded from the lack of oxygen.
Brooks! she gasped. Its me.
I know who you are. He plunged her underwater.
Its Eureka! she spat when she surfaced. I possessed Atlas like he possessed you. Stop! Im about to
He plunged her down again. She didnt want to fight him, but she had to. He could not drown Atlas before she cried the tears that would release the wasted dead. She kneed him fiercely in the groin. He reeled away and Eureka came up for air to find him on his knees, wheezing.
If I werent me, would I know you were born at nine thirty-nine p.m. on the winter solstice after putting your mom through forty-one hours of labor?
Brooks straightened, stared into Atlass eyes.
Would I know you used to want to be an astronaut, because you planned on sailing around the world after college and didnt want to reach an end to exploration? Would I know roller coasters scare you, though youd never admit it, though youve sat next to me on every one Ive ever ridden? Or that you kissed Maya Cayce at the Trejeans party? She wiped Atlass wet face. Cat told me. It doesnt matter.
