Текст книги "Reckless Magic"

Автор книги: Rachel Higginson

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Eden, let’s go!” Avalon yelled at me from the driver’s seat of his oversized truck.

I took a final glance in the mirror, and applied another layer of lip gloss, before I grabbed my backpack and rushed out the door. Avalon revved his engine, accentuating his impatience. I flung the door open, and threw my backpack in before struggling to make the climb up into his cab.

“Tomorrow we are taking my car,” I said, out of breath as I worked to buckle my seat belt, although Avalon had already taken off and was flying through the neighborhood streets haphazardly.

“Only if you let me drive it,” he replied, swerving in and out of spaces I was convinced were much too small for this tank.

“Why can’t I drive?” I whined, remembering my Land Rover with sentiment.

“First of all, you don’t use magic enough for me to trust you,” Avalon explained as if I was the unsafe driver, meanwhile I was pretty sure he just ran the last three cars we passed off the road. “Second, it’s not safe. Eden, you are in real danger whether you believe it or not.”

“I do believe I am in danger!” I folded my arms across my chest defiantly. “I believe your driving is the most danger I have ever been in!”

“You’re such a human. Relax,” Avalon demanded.

I laughed out loud. I was pretty sure Avalon meant “human” as an insult. He could insult all he wanted, but at least when I was a human I wasn’t in life threatening jeopardy constantly.

“No, only everyone around you was at risk. Do you remember what you were like as a human?” Avalon answered my thoughts and I let out a small grunt of frustration.

“Just because you can read my mind doesn’t mean that you should,” I growled.

“Alright, alright,” Avalon lifted his hands off of the steering wheel and held them up gingerly as if to say he conceded; but I knew it was only an act. He would be in my mind as long as we lived; and apparently that was going to be a very long time.

As it turned out twins were able to connect to each other’s minds without letting their other defenses down. We could always communicate with each other and read each other’s thoughts, no matter how far away we were. Amory said that to a certain extent even human twins had this ability; ours was just strengthened because of our other powers.

I was sure this would come in handy one day, but right now I found it extremely irritating. Since he moved in with us over two weeks ago, he was always there, always around and always in my head. I found it ironic that even though Avalon and I only just met we fell easily into the role of siblings without any extra effort by either of us.

“How did you sleep last night?” Avalon asked a little more sensitively than I was used to.

“Fine, thanks,” I replied, not sure how to read his question.

“No weird dreams?” he pried further.

“No, not that I remember. Why?” I asked, suddenly suspicious.

“Just wondering,” he turned sharply into a parking spot in the student section and I was convinced he was going to scratch the cars to either side of us. When he shut the engine off, I found myself clutching the seats and holding my breath. “Calm down, Eden. See this is why you can’t drive, you rely too much on your human senses and forget to use your Immortal ones,” he jumped down from the cab with ease and I followed behind carefully but awkwardly.

We were two of the last students to arrive, due mostly to my inability to be on time. Only a few other students hurried up the walkway to their respective classes. I watched Kiran and Seraphina from a distance. Her long blonde hair bouncing with every step she took. They seemed to be laughing about something and then he held the door open for her and let her pass with a small bow. Gross.

“Let it go, Eden,” Avalon growled in my ear. He had obviously watched the same scene, but for completely different reasons. And I could guarantee his stomach didn’t feel empty and his heart didn’t tighten with jealousy after it happened.

“You’re right. He’s the bad guy,” I sighed quietly, watching him walk through the door to the English building with longing.

“And you’re the idiot,” Avalon nudged me with his hand, pushing me in the direction we needed to continue to walk.

“I just thought that… I mean he didn’t even let me thank him for the night of the dance,” I referred to the fight on the gymnasium rooftop. It had happened over two weeks ago, and Kiran had yet to say even two words to me.

“Told you. He’s the bad guy,” Avalon picked up his pace, and I had to run to keep up with him.

After the dance, it was days before Kiran returned to school. I had looked forward to each day, when I would hopefully find a chance to talk to him, to thank him for saving my life, and then to apologize to him for what happened next. But by the end of the week, when he finally came back to school, looking more beautiful than ever, completely unscratched and completely perfect, he did not pay me even an ounce of attention.

I expected to feel relieved; not only did his inattention appease Amory and Avalon; I thought I would be able to forget about him and therefore stop suffering from all of the mixed feelings I had for him. And although Amory and Avalon were quite pleased that he seemingly wanted nothing more to do with me; and although my feelings had become clear, it was not quite in the way I anticipated. I found myself missing him more and more every moment. Memories of our kiss, or the strange dreams I’ve had of him, flooded my thoughts and I realized that I had utterly, hopelessly and pathetically fallen for him in a way that must be categorized as much more than a simple crush.

“We’re skipping after lunch, so be ready,” Avalon whispered to me before opening the door to English class. I mumbled a reply, too wrapped up in my thoughts of Kiran to really understand what Avalon just said to me, and then prepared myself for the verbal lashing Mr. Lambert was sure to give me on the crime of tardiness.

–

“Where are we going?” I demanded of Avalon, as he once again controlled his truck carelessly. I gripped the door-frame and whispered a silent prayer.

“I told you, it’s a secret,” I could hear the smile in his voice, but I refused to open my eyes and view the destruction ahead of us. Suddenly the road was very, very bumpy and I bounced around violently in the passenger’s seat. If I had not been born and raised in Nebraska and realized the transition from pavement to gravel, I would have lost my lunch all together.

“Ok, fine. But why couldn’t we go after school?” I asked, as the remorse set in for skipping class.

“Don’t worry about that. We have permission,” Avalon replied confidently.

“Sure. Sure,” I decided not to argue the point as another wave of car sickness washed over me.

Just when I decided I couldn’t take anymore and the car ride seemed endless; Avalon shut off the engine and let out a huge sigh of contentment. “We’re here,” he said as if referring to his home.

I opened my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I was content with what I saw. We were surrounded on every side by corn and bean fields. The rows of farmland stretched on and on as far as I could see, rolling over hills and down into shallow valleys. The gravel road that got us here seemed endless as well, and I mentally calculated how fast Avalon had to be driving on it to get us here as quickly as he did.

Avalon was parked in front of a large two-storied farmhouse that looked as if it was just given a fresh coat of white paint; the black shutters also looked new. A long porch wound around the front of the house to the side and back where I couldn’t see. A boy and a girl that seemed about the same age as Avalon and I, swung back and forth on a porch swing hanging from the ceiling.

A beautiful flower garden sat next to the house and I could see a woman working strenuously in it to pull weeds. Down from the garden was a large modern barn made out of steel siding. I noticed the green of John Deere tractors just inside the door. Behind the barn was a large fenced in area where I could see horses milling about inside its boundaries.

When Avalon jumped down from his truck, several teenage boys exited the barn entrance and made their way over to us. Avalon waved at me to come with him, and I obeyed, hesitantly. I tugged at my school uniform, embarrassed for some reason to be wearing it here.

“Well, Eden, welcome to the Resistance,” Avalon gave me a roguish smile and gestured widely with his arms as I took my place at his side.

“No way,” I said softly, but disbelievingly. I didn’t know what I had expected the Resistance to look like, but a quiet farm, surrounded by all the beauty Nebraska had to offer, was not it.

The woman in the garden looked up from her work and smiled at Avalon. She took off her work gloves and sat them down before joining the others. Avalon leaned against his truck smugly and I took in the extraordinary view again. I was suddenly nervous and not sure what to do with my hands.

“Welcome, welcome,” the woman reached us first. She walked straight over and embraced me. “We are all so happy to have you here, finally,” she sounded as if they had been waiting for me to come forever. Magic buzzed all around and I could inwardly feel all of their Immortal power.

I hugged her awkwardly, musing at her energy. In fact, all of their magic seemed different than the magic at Kingsley. Their electricity felt lighter somehow, weightless. I hadn’t even noticed the heavy feeling at Kingsley before, but now that I was surrounded by these people I felt a huge difference. It was almost as if their magic was somehow made of light. I was overwhelmed by the sensation, but I felt at home at the same time.

“We meet again,” a very familiar voice greeted me next and I pulled out of the embrace of the woman realizing that I hadn’t caught her name yet.

“Jericho,” I mumbled with mixed feelings as I turned to greet the boy who was not that long ago trying to kill me.

“Eden,” he mimicked with faux menace and I was able to pick him out of the gathering crowd.

He was definitely nothing I expected. Jericho seemed to be close to my age, maybe a year or two older. He had chocolate brown hair that hung roughly around his chin, a little bit shorter than Avalon’s. His large hazel eyes gazed into mine with an expression I couldn’t read. His nose was a little crooked as if it were broken in a fight and his sinister mouth, curved into an amused smile.

Jericho reached out a long muscled arm to shake my hand. He was almost as tall as Avalon, and each of his muscles were clearly defined underneath a white t-shirt. He was a little bit sweaty, evidence that he had been working in the barn. I took his hand tentatively, unsure what to expect.

He took my hand, firmly shaking it in his warm grasp. He smiled wider at me before giving me a playful wink and letting my hand go from his. My hand fell limply to my side as I stared at him with mouth half opened. He tucked his hair back behind his ear and I couldn’t help but find him completely adorable.

“Oh, brother,” Avalon sighed.

“You tried to kill me,” I accused defensively, covering up my initial reaction and replacing it with mock defensiveness.

“No I didn’t,” Jericho was just as defensive, but I saw the playfulness behind his eyes. I was suddenly embarrassed at my outburst as the crowd around us stayed silent, listening to our diatribe. “I only tried to keep you out of the way so we could get the job done. It’s not my fault you needed a little extra discipline,” other boys around him snickered and I felt the heat rush to my cheeks.

“Oh really? I’m the one who needed discipline? If I remember right you were getting your ass kicked,” I shot back out of pride and watched with self-righteousness as his tan cheeks colored quickly to match the shade of mine.

“Enough. You’re both awesome,” Avalon interrupted, if not sarcastically and pushed me towards the barn. I walked silently, brooding next to him.

Once inside the coolness of the barn, we took seats made of hay bales in the back, near the horses. A large white board was positioned on the wall with names and locations I didn’t recognize. I stayed close to Avalon, using him as a security blanket. Jericho sat across the semi-circle from me and I noticed a glance from him about every five seconds. I couldn’t tell if he was angry, or curious or what.

As everyone filed in to take their seats, Avalon stood up from the hay bale we were sharing and took his place in the front of the room. The woman from the garden filled his seat and placed her arm around my shoulders. At first I was uncomfortable with her closeness and the unfiltered flow of magic between us. Not a very touchy person myself, her lack of a personal bubble was hard for me take.

“Alright, everyone, let’s give our attention to Avalon,” the woman said authoritatively. She must have been in her seventies or eighties, but her hair was still long and flowed down in white curls from the low pony tail she wore. Her skin was hardly wrinkled, except near her eyes and smile. Her frame was anything but frail, and I could tell that she was strong despite her skinny bones.

“Thank you Angelica,” Avalon smiled at her with an emotion on his face that I couldn’t read. I remembered that Amory told me after Avalon moved in with me that he was raised by someone named Angelica after we were split up as infants. I realized this was her and I suddenly felt more comfortable around her. “First order of business today is Eden,” Avalon turned to me and waggled his eyebrows. I was nervous, what did he mean me? “Well, this is it, this is the Resistance. Are you ready to join?” my mouth dropped open and I stood up instinctively.

I felt like I had just walked into a trap. What did it mean to join the Resistance? Did it mean I had to help them murder Kiran? Did it mean I had to plot against a King I knew nothing about? I turned from my standing position and walked as quickly as I could back the way I came. I could never hurt Kiran. Joining the Resistance was impossible.

Chapter Thirty-Three

“What is wrong with you?” Avalon asked half concerned, half pissed off.

He followed me immediately outside and didn’t let me get nearly as far away from the barn as I would have liked. The sun was warm despite the cool autumn breeze of October. The trees surrounding the farmhouse had turned to brilliant shades of orange and red. The fields had been fully harvested and made ready for the winter coming soon.

“I can’t be a part of this Avalon. I wish you would have given me some warning; maybe a head’s up, like ‘hey we’re on our way to dig your grave,’” I rolled my eyes and folded my arms defiantly.

“Ok, first of all. You would have known what we were doing if you would use your magic just an eency bit. Second of all, it was nice of me to give you the option, but you don’t really have a choice. And lastly, if you don’t join this, then we are all going to die!” Avalon was animated in his very characteristic dramatic way, I fought back a smile and forced myself to focus on the fact that his surprise attack, really just pissed me off.

“Stop being the self-righteous martyr,” I quipped harshly.

“And stop pining over the one guy that you can’t have, the one guy who is only using you, the one guy whose sole purpose is to kill everyone you love,” I closed my mouth sharply, not realizing it had been open. Tears welled up in my eyes and I watched Avalon flinch from remorse.

“I’m pretty sure he’s not the only guy using me; and I can promise you he’s not the only guy trying to kill everyone I love,” I could barely get the words out before tears began to fall down my cheeks.

“Except if I am the one who gets me killed, at least it will be on my terms. I’m not going to live in oppression under a violent dictator only to die of a horrible disease that could strike at any moment,” Avalon folded his arms the same way I fold mine, and I noticed the same defiant expression cross his face. I was kept in the dark so often that sometimes my biggest moments of revelation came through Avalon’s side of the argument.

“What about the using me part?” I asked timidly.

“Maybe I’m using you, well not you, but, fine, your magic,” he admitted. “But if I’m using you, it’s with your best interest in mind.” he gave me a playful grin.

“Sure it is,” I stuck out my bottom lip in a mock pout.

“It’s true. I’m not the only one who’s stronger when we’re together,” he turned to walk back into the barn; he thought he had won the argument. Please Eden, we need you. His voice was in my head, and I could feel, more than hear the desperation in his emotion.

“I’m not saying that I’m joining. But I will listen to the rest of your meeting,” he turned and bowed a little with his hands pressed together. I kicked a rock at him, sending it with extra force via magic and watched him duck out of the way just in time.

Instead of sitting down in my previous place I chose to stand in the back, hoping to remain anonymous. I knew that it was impossible since every person in the room was tuned into my magical current, just like I was tuned into theirs. Their lighter, brighter magic was unique and interesting. I felt their currents flow, each distinctive, almost illuminating their person. It was as if their blood was glowing from underneath their skin, only in an invisible way; like I could have seen it glow if I had held a black light up to them.

Avalon began the meeting by updating the group of twenty or so Immortals about the skirmish on the rooftop at Kingsley a few weeks ago. My cheeks burned hot as he recounted a little too in detail what went wrong and how lucky they were to get out of there discretely.

The five guys who were involved were all given pats on the back or some variation of a high five or fist pound. They were apparently all part of the reconnaissance team. Besides Avalon and Jericho, there were three other boys, all probably two or three years older than me. Avalon seemed to be the youngest and I found it odd that even though he was the youngest in the entire room he seemed to also be the leader.

Avalon then began to recount the positions of others all over the world. He named names and places I had never heard before. As small as this room of twenty appeared, it seemed there were hundreds of others all over the globe.

I had as much trouble taking the Resistance seriously as I did the whole Kingdom and Monarchy thing, but it might be more major than I could actually imagine. The way Avalon talked it appeared as if these five boys made up the most skilled reconnaissance team, but there were several others around the world. Avalon and his boys were in Brazil like he said; only he wasn’t with his parents, but rather on a decoy and extraction mission.

Avalon continued to relay information and answer questions until the light began to soften outside the barn doors. I turned, a little bored, and a little lost to look at the beautiful sunlight outside. The sky had turned brilliant shades of orange, red and pink and the sun was a blazing ball of yellow as it set behind the rolling hills of the Nebraska plains.

A black sedan drove slowly across the gravel driveway and parked next to Avalon’s truck. A tall man, dressed nicely and donning a bowler hat stepped out of the vehicle and walked with purpose towards the barn. As he got closer I picked up on his magical current and recognized Principal Saint, or Amory. The image was vaguely familiar and I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu.

I turned back around and forced myself to pay attention to Avalon. Amory stopped next to me, pulling me into a side hug and kissed the top of my head. I was surprised at his familiarity and couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. Avalon acknowledged Amory with a tip of the chin and a wide grin. I forced myself to relax and trust him.

“The trial is set for the 31st of October at the Judiciary Court’s Citadel. Oscar, Ebanks, Jett and Ronan will all be charged. Another trial precedes theirs, a girl named Lilly Mason. She is a Shape-Shifter charged with hiding her identity, attending Kingsley illegally and threatening the life of the Crown Prince. She is not part of the Resistance, but in my opinion she is innocent,” Avalon’s latest update drew my attention back to the meeting.

“Will we try to extract her as well?” Jericho asked, and my heart fluttered with hope.

“We can try, but our first mission is to remove our members. I know you’re afraid for your friend, but we have to tend to our members first,” Avalon turned to me with his last comment spoken sincerely. I lost hope immediately, realizing I was the only one willing to help Lilly. I also realized I was the reason the other members of the Resistance were going to be tried.

“And when did you say the trial was? Holy Eve?” Angelica asked with a look of disgust across her face.

“Yes, I’m afraid only Lucan would find that ironic. After the trial there is an evening feast to begin the celebrations for the festival of All Saints. Some of you will be invited and expected to attend,” Amory interjected and all eyes turned towards him. I put two and two together and realized the 31st of this month was Halloween. “Conrad, Angelica, Terrance and I will attend the feast and leave the week before to make preparations for Avalon and his team. Jericho and the others will leave three days before the trial and connect with Ryder’s team once they arrive.”

“I will arrive last minute, because I have to take mid-terms,” Avalon rolled his eyes and gave Amory a disdainful glance.

“Avalon, we have to keep up appearances. Nothing must look out of the ordinary. You will travel alone directly after your last test. The tests will all be given by substitutes since the professors of Kingsley will all be required to attend the trial and festival.”

“How last is last minute?” one of the other members of Avalon’s team asked.

“I should arrive the morning of the trial, if all goes as planned. But we will not pull them until the night of the feast. We expect they will be found guilty for seditious war crimes and conspiracy against the King; in that case punishment is death. Our intel suggests that Lucan will wait to execute until All Saints Day to set an example, so we will infiltrate the prison on Holy Eve while everyone else attends the feast.”

“Surely the security will be enormous,” Angelica interjected, clearly worried about the plan.

“Yes, the entire Guard is expected to travel,” Amory took over again. “But the Crown Prince is also expected to be in attendance and so the Guard will be split between Kiran, Lucan, the royal family and then the prisoners. I’m sure during the feast they will require extra security as well,” he cleared his throat as if forcing the words out; as if he wasn’t sure he believed them.

“So that will be our only opportunity?” the man Amory addressed as Conrad said solemnly.

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Amory looked at Avalon with a type of longing I couldn’t define.

“So we better make it count,” Avalon said with more enthusiasm than his older counterparts. “I have full faith in my team, and Ryder and his team as well,” a plan spontaneously formed in my mind.

“I want to help too,” I blurted out, focusing on my own plan to rescue Lilly.

“No!” The entire room yelled at me. Twenty pairs of eyes stared at me as if I had just said the most absurd thing.

“I mean, I won’t mess anything up…. I promise,” suddenly, I felt like the outsider I was. Obviously everyone blamed me for this mission to begin with. I was the reason their friends sat in prison awaiting death. “I know it’s my fault that this mission is even necessary. But I think I can help…. I know I can help,” I tried to explain myself, hoping for a better response.

“I’m sure you could help dear,” Angelica looked at me with a deeply concerned expression and I didn’t understand her emotion. “But we couldn’t risk losing you, it’s bad enough your brother insists on going,” she turned to look at Avalon with the same pained concern.

“It’s not necessary Eden,” Amory put his arm across my shoulder again and I felt him try to use his magic to calm me down. I shrugged it off, persistent that I would go. “Really, our teams are trained in this type of mission; you would only slow them down.”

“But Avalon gets to go. Wouldn’t I make him stronger?” I asked, feeling naïve.

“You cannot go,” Amory replied firmly. “It’s too dangerous. I won’t allow it.”

“Can’t I just tag along then? I could learn from this trip. I won’t get in the way,” I pled my case, desperate to save Lilly.

“Enough. You cannot go. That is the end of it,” Amory said quieter, but with scary finality.

This time I kept my mouth shut, silently brooding, watching the other members of the Resistance nod in agreement with Amory. I knew I was wearing a scowl, frustrated at my lack of independence. It would have been nice to be treated as an equal, just once.