Текст книги "Reckless Magic"
Автор книги: Rachel Higginson
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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 24 страниц)
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The limousine pulled up to the driveway of Kingsley behind numerous other stretch, luxury vehicles. I was full of anxiety and beyond irritated. Thankfully, I didn’t think Talbott was going to expect too much dancing out of me.
I watched the other students exit their cars, all of the boys in tuxedos and all of the girl’s in elegant gowns, most of them dripping in jewels. My perception of this dance was apparently dead wrong. I expected this type of style and flare at prom, but wasn’t this just the fall dance? I tugged at my short skirt, trying to cover my bare legs unsuccessfully. If I didn’t want to stand out, a miniskirt was the wrong way to go.
I glanced up and noticed Kiran watching my failed attempts at last minute modesty and laugh. I gave him a wry look before rolling my eyes and turning my attention back to the students entering the gymnasium. At least the dance was still on school grounds and not some exclusive country club, or likewise ridiculous venue.
Eventually it was our turn to exit the vehicle. The driver came around to my door and opened it so we could exit properly. I felt like I was playing make-believe, this all seemed like some massive pretend production instead of reality.
Kiran and Seraphina exited first and she was immediately on his arm. They walked regally into the gym as if they were king and queen of Kingsley. I supposed one day they would be. Yuck.
Talbott nodded that it was my turn to exit the car, but I hesitated for a moment longer, afraid to leave the confined, but private space. He cleared his throat and looked after Kiran like a worried puppy. Fine, I thought, let’s get on with it.
I exited the car with as much grace and class as I could muster, hoping to avoid a peepshow on my way out of the car. Talbott was quickly behind me. I heard the door to the car slam shut; there was no turning back. Talbott offered his arm and I looked at it with a mild sense of humor.
“Really, we don’t have to pretend,” I said curtly.
“Please, Eden; just humor me with some manners,” he offered back haughtily. I took his arm a little too forcefully and we walked the rest of the way in silence.
The gymnasium could not be farther from what I pictured had I thought of the wildest scenario. This being my first time in Kingsley’s gym I expected basketball hoops, bleachers and maybe some streamers to decorate the place for the dance.
As soon as we walked through the wide double doors my mouth dropped open and I stood their dumbly not sure how to react. Beautiful, and elaborate black chandeliers hung from the ceiling every ten feet or so. They were adorned with white candles and dripping with colorful floral arrangements. Along the walls in every direction, candelabras in the same fashion sat evenly spaced, lighting up the room and giving the large space a dim glow.
A DJ in the far corner, spun music that reverberated the floor. Tables and chairs took up half of the space, while the remaining space was used as a dance floor. On each table were eight place settings and in the middle were replica center pieces of the chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. Colorful flower arrangements intertwined with the candle lit centerpieces over black silk table clothes.
Talbott pulled me along to our table where Kiran and Seraphina already had found their seats. Most of the tables were full already and waiters began to bring out silver platters covered in food. The food looked as elegant as the decorations. Unfortunately, my dress didn’t leave much room for expansion.
Besides Kiran, Seraphina, Talbott and me, our table was also home to Evangeline and Adelaide and their respective dates. Both of whom looked equally bored and unimpressed as the girls gushed over the dance and each other’s outfits. Not surprisingly, I was completely ignored.
I stood next to the table unsure where to sit or what to say. Talbott released my arm and pulled a chair out for me next to Evangeline. She gave me a side glance and a little snicker before returning to her conversation.
I began to sit down but was interrupted by a subtle cough from Kiran. I looked over and noticed him give a suggestive head nod to Talbott who then stood up straight, pushed in the chair he had just offered and pull out the chair directly next to it, but located side by side with Kiran. If possible I noticed Talbott become even more exasperated and Seraphina scoot her chair ever closer to Kiran. I took my seat feeling much like a criminal or leper or something equally unwanted.
“Is it what you expected?” Kiran turned his body to face me and spoke quietly; his blue eyes simmering and slicked back hair gave him a seductive quality I was having a hard time ignoring. I cleared my throat to focus.
“Not quite,” I said simply, forcing my eyes away from his. I noticed Seraphina take his hand in hers, and although he didn’t turn his body away from mine, he allowed the possessive gesture.
“Seraphina,” I found courage deep within me to pull her into the conversation. I refused to be a bizarre secret date to the spoiled Prince. “How often does Kingsley have these kinds of dances?”
“What do you mean?” she asked snidely, turning her head but not her body to face me. The look on her face made me tremble beneath the surface and I reminded myself to be brave.
“I mean, that this dance seems so extreme, is this like Kingsley’s version of prom?” I cleared my throat again, feeling more insecure than ever before, but praying my plan to involve Seraphina into our conversation worked. I couldn’t stay irritated and angry at Kiran if he continued to stay so damn sexy.
“I don’t know what you mean by extreme; this is the way a Kingsley dance always looks,” she rolled her eyes, but her tone was less derisive than before. “I guess it is nice though,” she turned her body to face us then and pulled Kiran’s arm even closer to her body.
“It’s beautiful,” I said softly, more to myself than anyone else.
“And we have one for every equinox and solstice, plus there’s Christmas and prom too,” she smiled ever so small and I felt encouraged to be braver.
“I didn’t know people celebrated those holidays,” I tried a joke.
“You didn’t know people celebrated Christmas?” she asked dryly, and her attitude was back.
“No, I mean, I know people celebrate Christmas. I didn’t know people celebrated like the fall equinox,” I did my best to clarify, but she just looked at me like I was speaking a different language.
“You’re so weird,” she rolled her eyes again and then turned back to Adelaide to pick up where they left off.
“Trying to make new friends?” Kiran asked smugly under his breath.
“Well, you’re certainly no help,” I turned my body completely away from him and looked out into the tables of students.
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want you all to myself?” Kiran’s hot breath tickled the back of my neck when he whispered in my ear. His accent was very alluring, and I shook my head to regain focus.
I stood up frustrated and practically stomped away from the table as quickly as I could. I couldn’t sit next to him anymore; and I couldn’t be party to his sick games. I was going to be the one that got hurt in the end.
I searched for the bathroom or a dark corner or something, but settled with the punch table. I just needed something to occupy my hands. I noticed a familiar figure pouring himself some punch as I approached the table and was suddenly very grateful to see Avalon.
“Hey!” I blurted out a little too loudly, overcome with joy to see him. “I thought you told me you weren’t coming to this thing?” I nudged him with my elbow playfully. He turned and faced me with a horrified expression on his face that quickly turned to anger.
“What are you doing here?” Avalon demanded, practically dropping his punch.
“Um, I don’t know,” I responded tentatively, unsure what to make of his reaction.
“You’re not supposed to be here, Eden,” his tone was accusing and I could not figure out what he was so mad about.
“You told me you weren’t coming either,” I accused back, not half as mad as he was, but at least it was something.
“I changed my mind,” he growled.
“Well, me too,” I folded my arms stubbornly, not sure if I wanted to stand here any longer, and not sure if I was ready to head back to the table. Thankfully, it looked like couples were beginning to dance.
“Don’t tell me you came here with him,” Avalon squinted his eyes in disapproval and looked in the direction of Kiran.
“He came with his girlfriend,” I mimicked Avalon’s facial expression and realized I sounded jealous.
“Then who are you here with?” Avalon turned to face me, his expression still hard and angry.
“Talbott,” I said softly and fearfully.
“Oh, like that’s any better,” Avalon raised his voice and gestured with his arms wildly, spilling his punch. He looked down at the puddle on the floor frustrated and instantly it was gone. I felt his surge of magic as he cleaned up the mess with only a thought.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. I was forced here against my will! I’m not happy about it either,” I raised my voice and hardened my eyes. How dare he blame me! I didn’t want to be here anymore than anyone wanted me here.
I pushed past Avalon and fought back tears. I had never felt so alone. I was tired of apologizing for things I did or people I talked to. Why couldn’t I just have a normal life with no magic, no exiled friends and no freaking Prince?
I ran through the closest door and found a staircase leading upwards. I took it not knowing where it would lead to. My six inch heels click-clacked on the wooden staircase, eventually drowning out the house music below. Soon the dance was only a faint hum as I made my way to the top.
At the top of the staircase there was only a heavy metal door with a push bar for a handle. I contemplated rejoining the party, but decided quickly against that. I also contemplated just sitting down at the top of the stairs to have a good cry, but decided quickly against that as well. In the end, curiosity got the better of me and I pushed through the heavy door.
I half expected some type of alarm to go off, but only the quiet of the evening greeted me. The cool fall air wrapped itself around me and I found myself on the roof of the gym. I took off my shoes, stepping gingerly over the cool concrete and to the ledge of the building.
All of Omaha surrounded me and the sight was breathtaking. The tall, lighted buildings of downtown sat to my east and the quiet suburban neighborhoods were located to my west. I could see St. Cecilia’s Cathedral towers to my North and the Mutual of Omaha building to my South. Despite being in the middle of a big city, the stars still shone brightly overhead. I inhaled a big breath, finding serenity for the first time all night.
“Stop being so over-dramatic. There’s no need to jump,” Kiran’s clean accent sounded amused as he entered through the roof top door.
“Go away!” I whined, exasperated, covering my face with my hands.
“Oh come now, you don’t mean that,” he walked slowly over to me, hands in his pockets, letting his eyes float over my figure.
“Where’s Talbott?” I asked, looking past him. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to leave or not. I had never been more emotionally confused; I felt frustrated, irritated, nervous and excited all at once.
“Dancing, I expect,” Kiran glanced over his shoulder and then continued to walk towards me.
“I better join him,” I decided on my escape route. “He’s probably wondering where I am,” I walked quickly towards the door, but Kiran stepped in front of me before I got too far.
“I doubt that,” Kiran gazed into my eyes intently, his signature smirk flaring up. He took a step towards me, and instinctively I took a step back until my heels touched the ledge of the building once again. “What’s with all the hard-to-get nonsense; I thought we were passed that,” his fingers brushed my arm gently, sending butterflies and magic racing inside of me.
“That was before I learned you were engaged,” I held my ground, despite the dizziness his closeness was causing.
“I’m not engaged,” He said firmly. When I gave him a doubtful look he continued, “I’m betrothed. And the two are very different things.”
“Oh, really? How so?” I challenged.
“An engagement would suggest that I asked her to marry me; that it was my idea to get married or that we had been in a relationship prior to the proposal. But a betrothal is an arrangement made by parents; I had never even met her before I came to this school.” He jutted his bottom lip out and looked up at me from beneath his eye lashes. He reminded me of a little boy, and I couldn’t help but melt at the sight of him.
“Oh,” I gave in a little, leaning back against the building’s ledge and relaxing. “But you are going to marry her?” I asked glumly.
“Well that is what my father expects,” I heard the sadness in his tone and felt sorry for him.
“When?” I sunk down against the ledge and managed to sit down, legs stretched long without ripping my dress.
“If father had it his way we would already be married, with little ones on the way,” he joined me on the ground, and although our current position was not as seductive, he still sat close enough so our bodies touched. “We compromised; that’s why I’m here. I’m supposed to get to know her.”
“How is that a compromise?”
“The Kingdom wants stability; they want to see that their future King is steady and responsible. It doesn’t matter that I will live forever, or that my father will for that matter. They can be quite demanding,” he gave me his smirk again. At least he could joke about it.
“The Kingdom… oh brother,” I mimicked his expression.
“Yes, the Kingdom,” he gave me a playful nudge with his elbow. “And how is it that you didn’t know about our betrothal? This whole time I thought you were defying royal law on purpose!”
“Of course it wasn’t on purpose! I’m new to this whole Immortal thing, remember?” It was my turn to give him a nudge, I found his rib bones and he squirmed.
“How could I forget?” he rolled his eyes teasingly and then laid his head on my shoulder. The gesture was so unexpected, but so charming that I simply allowed it. “So, I suppose I have no chance with you now?” he picked up a rock and skipped it across the rooftop.
“Nope, absolutely no chance,” I blurted out defensively, although I was not sure if I believed myself. “What kind of home wrecker do you think I am?”
“I was just hoping that we could….” he lifted his head off my shoulder and leaned in until our faces were only millimeters apart. I knew he was about to kiss me again and no matter what I just said I was powerless to stop him.
Unfortunately, instead of butterflies and lightning storms, the magic suddenly became overwhelmingly alert and my senses focused sharply. I sat up straight before any contact was made and noticed that Kiran had done the same. We struggled to our feet just in time to meet five cloaked bodies burst through the roof top door.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The men surrounded us quickly with the roof’s edge to our backs and readied themselves for battle. Four of the men were different from our first battle, I could tell that because their magic felt different. But one man stood apart, but familiar, the same man that escaped the forest before, and the same man that was in my dream last night. He stood directly in front of us clearly leading the attack.
Our bodies mimicked our attackers and we awaited an assault at any moment. Kiran positioned his body in front of mine as if protecting me; but the carnal instinct to fight flooded my veins. I cursed my short, tight, expensive dress underneath my breath.
“It’s time for you to go Eden. This fight doesn’t concern you,” the leader of the men addressed me and I flinched when I heard him say my name. Murderous intent mingled with magic and I was completely focused on the looming battle; but something familiar about the leader forced me to second guess myself.
“I’ll stay, if you don’t mind,” I growled through gritted teeth. I had no doubt that I would win this battle, although I was unsure yet of how I would succeed. Unlike the forest that was full of natural tools and props to use, the rooftop was bare and the fall to the ground below long.
“Get out of here,” the leader growled back, surprisingly emotional. I wanted to believe that he was asking me to leave because of the powerfulness of my skills, but something deep inside told me it was for different reasons.
“Let her stay if she wants to fight,” a different masked man, to my right taunted. “If she wants to try and protect the spoiled brat, let her,” disgust filled his voice, and there was no doubt in my mind that he meant to kill Kiran.
“Eden, go. If they are willing to let you go unharmed, then go,” Kiran commanded me. His magic was strong and I could feel the heat from his boiling blood radiate off of his skin. He was not going to give up this fight easily, but neither was I willing to let him. “What do you want with him?” I deflected Kiran’s command and addressed the leader once again. Nothing in my body was willing to settle this dispute calmly; talking it out was only a decoy until I figured out what to use to my advantage.
“We want a new King,” another cloaked figure to my left shouted. “A King who will give us our magic freely.”
“A King who will let all of our people free,” Another man roared louder. Their response was turning into their war cry.
“We want to destroy this bloodline and end the bloodshed and prejudice. We want what we were promised,” the leader spoke softer, but equally as menacing.
And then the battle began. One of the men to my right let out a battle cry before shifting into a grizzly bear, towering over the still human rest of us. He crossed the distance between Kiran and himself in less than a second. I closed my eyes expecting the fight to be over before it began, but I heard the roar of the bear and opened my eyes to see that Kiran had eluded him.
Kiran was fast, much faster than the overly large bear; but he would not last long. Another man joined his companion, shifting into a chocolate brown wolf. Kiran used his skill and power, making it impossible for either attacker to touch him, but there were three other men closing in.
I focused my magic, making it palpable in my hand. The three men, who were apparently going to remain men, were circling Kiran waiting for the opportunity to strike. The men who chose to ignore me had made their first mistake. I threw the magic at them with force, sending out a type of pulse, knocking them off their feet and surprising them all.
Unfortunately for Kiran, I distracted him just long enough for the wolf to get a hold of his arm and bite down hard. He let out a shout of rage and threw the animal-man off of him and into the wall with such force that he crushed the red brick, sending shrapnel flying around him. He sunk to the ground before shaking his head and rejoining the fight.
Blood dripped down Kiran’s arm as he tried to keep the grizzly bear at bay. The three remaining men stood to their feet undeterred by my weak attempt at disabling them. I tried the pulse again, but this time they were ready for it. The man, who had challenged me to stay, sent me his own version of a pulse; it was not as strong as mine though and I was able to block it with a defensive surge of magic. He continued on the path to fight me, while the other two men did their best to out maneuver Kiran.
I once again focused my magic, feeling the electricity surge through my veins. This time when I centered it in my hands I could see the white heat from the force of it. Just as I was about to send my powerful blow, the man on his way over, threw another one my way, knocking me off of my feet.
My hands flew apart and the magic was sent up uselessly into the sky, illuminating the dark clouds above. I struggled quickly to my feet, ripping the seam of my dress at the thigh. I sent quick pulses of magic his direction as rapidly as I could. They were small since I was unable to take the time to focus my magic firmly, but they did the trick in keeping him from advancing farther.
Kiran, with four men surrounding him, was struggling to stay ahead of them. Although he was super-humanly fast, there were just too many of them to stay untouched. The bear caught him by the back of the neck, shaking him roughly, before Kiran was able to break free. Blood dripped down his back, covering his torn tuxedo in thick crimson stains.
He fought on, defying all odds. He continued to block pulse after pulse from the remaining humans, while keeping the animals at a safe distance. My fight with my one attacker intensified as he got a blow past me, punching me in the stomach and knocking the wind out of me. I fell to one knee, ripping my dress further and tearing the skin away from that leg. I stood up quickly sending a stronger pulse in his direction throwing him against the metal door, and denting it.
I turned to Kiran’s defense and centered my magic quickly but effectively. I threw my arms their way sending all men flying in different directions. The men recovered quickly; but the quickest of all was their leader. He stood to his feet, walking directly over to Kiran and surprisingly punched him in the mouth and then again in the eye.
No one was expecting such a human gesture, especially me. When the leader thrusted his fist into Kiran’s face, the sleeve of his cloak slid up the length of his arm and I painfully realized why he was so familiar. Around his wrist was a thick tattoo of a snake eating his tail and around his bicep, the lower half of a phoenix rising from flames. They were the unmistakable tattoos belonging to Avalon.
My mouth dropped open and I stood dumbfounded amid the bloody battle. If I would have known how to react or continue I would not have been given the chance. The mouthy and vengeful attacker from before recovered from the last blow I sent him and sent me one of his own. The electric pulse hit me with such force that I was blindsided and unfortunately unprepared.
The wave of magic threw me flailing over the side of the building and towards the ground below. Time slowed down and I felt as if I was watching the entire experience in slow motion. All five of the attackers’ heads poked over the ledge of the building as if to watch me fall to my death. But most surprisingly was Kiran, who himself came flying over the edge, diving in my direction.
Before I could realize how long the deathly fall was taking, Kiran was diving towards me and gathering me into his arms. Once in his arms, we seemingly were going to float to the ground. I relaxed, grateful to be wrapped in his protective hold.
My reaction was premature; I heard a guttural scream from the top of the building and witnessed the electric wave of magic fall from the sky and on top of us. Our descent was quickened to a sickening speed and we hit the ground with such momentum that we indented the cement sidewalk that served as a landing pad.
I closed my eyes expecting to open them to severed or paralyzed limbs. The landing was painful, the ground crumbling around us. Somehow Kiran managed to land on bottom, giving me a softer landing via his body. I heard several bones snap and wasn’t sure if they were mine or his.
I heard him groan underneath me and forced myself to assess the damage to my body. Upon opening my eyes and wiggling my toes and fingers, I realized that I was generally unharmed, except for some bruising and the gash on my leg from earlier. I awkwardly peeled myself off Kiran and struggled out of the hole we created with the impact of our body.
By this time the students and teachers from the dance began to exit the building, investigating what must have sounded like a car crash to them inside. I looked down at Kiran’s limp and unconscious body and let out a scream I didn’t realize I was capable of. I turned my head to be sick and heard other students around me gasp and let out cries of their own.
Someone came to my aid and began asking questions, but the only sound I could make was a throaty sobbing noise. I watched the men teachers bend over and pick Kiran up out of the hole formed around his body. They carefully carried him inside and I was left on the sidewalk watching after him, feeling more than helpless.
I knew he wasn’t dead, I could still feel the small pulse of his magic; but I didn’t know what kind of damage was done. He looked peaceful but mangled in his unconscious state. For the first time I realized that I had no idea what the word Immortal actually meant. What kind of destruction could we actually withstand?
The students filed past me, following Kiran’s limp body into the gymnasium. Principal Saint knelt down beside me, offering his tuxedo jacket. I took it, grateful for something to wrap around myself. The jacket was enormous and thankfully hung down past my miniskirt which had been ripped to an indecent state.
“Were you attacked again?” Principal Saint asked grimly.
I nodded my reply and heard him curse under his breath. He said something about calling my aunt. I didn’t object, but realized that I was missing the sound of sirens in the distance.
“Has someone called 911?” I asked in a hoarse whisper, barely able to hear my own voice.
“No Eden, we have our own ways of healing,” no sooner had he spoken this then a long black limo pulled in front of the school and the teachers once again carried Kiran’s limp body over the hole imprinted in the shape of our fall and into the back seat of the car.
“I must go with him. Your aunt will be here soon,” Principal Saint put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I’m glad you’re alright Eden.” I watched him quickly get into the passenger’s seat of the limo and then the vehicle drove away.
The rest of the students waited until Kiran’s “ambulance” was out of sight before walking to their own respective limousines. An eerie silence settled over us, except for a few of the other girls who cried like me. One of them in particular, who could not control her tears, was Seraphina. Adelaide and Evangeline helped her to a limo alone and I realized that Talbott must have gone in the other car with Kiran.
A pang of guilt hit me and my heart dropped to my stomach as I realized that I was the reason Kiran was on the rooftop to begin with. If he had been with Seraphina like he was supposed to, the attackers probably wouldn’t have found occasion to assault him. It was because we were alone on the roof without his body guard that they found their opportunity. And then it was because of me again that Kiran sacrificed himself over the ledge of the building.
“Are you alright?” Avalon, dressed in his tuxedo again, was at my side.
“Don’t,” I said simply, but my one word was filled with all of the rage I felt.
“Eden, there are things you don’t understand,” he knew I had figured out it was him on the roof.
“I don’t want to understand. I don’t want to be anywhere near you,” I spat out the words like venom. I saw Aunt Syl approaching in her red convertible and looked around, realizing Avalon and I were the only ones left standing in front of the gymnasium.
“It’s time that you do understand. I can’t lie to you anymore,” his voice was soft and sad, but it wasn’t enough for me to listen to. I waited impatiently for Aunt Syl to drive up. “Kiran has to die, Eden. We have to destroy his bloodline in order to survive.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I refused to turn and look at him; all of the energy from the battle had turned to hate and focused completely at Avalon.
“His bloodline is the reason we are so weak. The reason we die. They’ve closed off the magic. By not letting us marry whomever we choose the magic is confined to one type of Immortal or the other. The magic can’t be free, and because it can’t be free we are all going to die. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually every Immortal will fade out of existence. And if that is going to happen, I’m going to start with the source of the problem,” I shook my head as if refusing to believe what Avalon claimed was truth. “They take and kill whomever they choose and then imprison the rest of us to ensure their bloodline and their Immortality. But it affects them too and so I call for their blood to be shed. Every King before Kiran has made it worse for our people. I want to cut it off at the source before we all die, can’t you see that Eden?” his voice was pained and full of emotion.
“Why him? Why not his father? Kiran’s not even King yet,” I finally addressed his accusations.
“But he will be one day. And he will be no better than his father. Probably worse. Have you asked him about Lilly? Have you asked him what his father is going to do to her? Have you asked him why he won’t testify on her behalf even though she fought to save his life? No you haven’t. You’ve bought into his lie just like the rest of them,” he raised his voice with passion.
“Oh, but I should buy into your lie. I should just believe exactly what you say, although you’re the one trying to kill me!” I shouted, enraged myself.
“I have never tried to kill you; I’ve only tried to protect you! And yes you should listen to me, because after all I’m your brother damn it! Your twin brother!” That was it. I couldn’t listen to him anymore. I was overwhelmed with information I couldn’t discern from fact or fiction. The events of tonight had been too traumatic to even process his words, let alone believe them.
Thankfully Aunt Syl pulled up the drive. I put my hands over my ears like a little girl and ran away from everything I didn’t want to face anymore. I threw myself into Aunt Syl’s car and yelled at her to drive. After she obeyed, I let out all of the emotion once again in fitful sobs, trying to wrap my head around the words Avalon just shouted at me. Could he really be my twin brother?
