by K. K. Allen
We reach the platform easily and pull ourselves into sitting positions while our tails transform back to human legs. Arabella tosses me a wet cover-up and slips on her own, then we hop the gate.
“So you didn’t know what this place was either?” I ask Arabella as we trudge the short distance to the main doors.
She laughs. “Of course I knew. I’m my father’s messenger, remember? I was just sworn to keep my mouth shut. But Circe…” Arabella shakes her head. “Now her, I didn’t know about.”
With a quick glance around the darkness, we escape into the main building and head straight for the lab where I first met Circe. Sure enough, she’s standing there, back to us, examining a colorful diagram on the whiteboard. She turns at the sound of our intrusion. “It’s about time you showed up.” Her gaze slides to Arabella. “Ah, Arabella. It’s so lovely to finally meet you.”
Arabella regards Circe with a polite nod. “As it is you, Circe. I wish it was under better circumstances. I’m afraid Kat here had another craving for adventure, so I insisted I accompany her.”
Circe quirks a brow in amusement. “I see.” She turns to me. “Was it as I expected? Do you remember his thoughts?”
From my peripheral, I can see Arabella’s jaw drop as she realizes Circe was in on the events of yesterday. “I do. They were mostly focused on hunting you, but I have a better understanding of the Serpent’s weaknesses.”
Circe’s expression lights up in a sinister smile. “You don’t say.” She leans forward over her desk. “Tell me more.”
My focus moves to the whiteboard behind her head, where there’s a drawing, filled with cylinders, squiggly lines, and math formulas that don’t make any sense to me. Something about the pictures force me closer. Within one of the cylinders, a line coming from a thick black dot points to text indicating that the black dot represents Erebus.
My eyes roam the drawing as I try to decipher it further. “What is all of this?”
She cocks her head. “A plan. But that isn’t why you came here to see me.”
My focus flickers to her. “No, it isn’t. I need you to help me get my mom’s memory back.”
Circe narrows her eyes, telling me my request is not to be considered. The weight of my chest becomes a boulder.
“Your mother is an Equinox. Helping her would go against everything I stand for.”
I shake my head, thoroughly confused. “You won’t help my mom, but you’ll help me? I’m an Equinox too, Circe.”
Circe frowns. “Sure, but you’re also a Solstice. Your mother is pure Equinox, and for some reason, Erebus is very fond of her. I cannot in good conscience help her.”
That’s it? That’s her reason? It’s not that she can’t produce the magic needed to heal memory. It’s that she doesn’t want to.
“My mother may have Equinox blood, but she became a Solstice after she married my father. She’s good, Circe.”
Circe shakes her head. “She stopped recycling almost as soon as she became an Enchanter. If it weren’t for her Equinox bloodline, she’d be dead. I hate to tell you this, Katrina, but your mother is pure Equinox, and there’s nothing you can do to stop that.”
Anger rushes through me, hating that I can’t get through to Circe. “You know as well as any of us that it’s not the Equinox bloodline that holds darkness—it’s Erebus and him alone. My mother isn’t, wasn’t, and never will be a Follower. She was stripped of her memories. She was taken without being given a choice. She deserves a full life, Circe, and you’re the only one who can help her get it back.” I take a shaky breath. “Please, I’ve lost two years with her already, but we could lose so much more if you don’t help us. And think about it. If my mom’s memories return, she’ll be able to fill in all the blanks of her time with Erebus.”
Circe’s eyes seem to waver, giving me hope.
“I’ll do anything, Circe.” It’s my final plea, and it might have worked.
Circe’s eyes twitch, then she stands. “Okay.”
“What?” She gave in too easily. This can’t be good. “Okay?”
Circe nods methodically. “Yes. I’ll give you the memory serum, but I need your help with something first.”
“Kat, wait.” Arabella grabs my arms. “You should talk to your father before you make any deals like this.”
“Deals like what?” I place my hands on my hips. “Circe hasn’t even told us what she needs help with.”
“I just…” Arabella glances over her shoulder. “I don’t know if we can trust her.”
Circe tilts her head, expression amused. “Excuse me, dear. Your boyfriend could have died last night. Don’t make me regret saving him.”
Arabella’s nose flares. “I’ve heard the stories about you and Erebus. You two were lovers once.”
Circe’s eyes narrow. “That was a very long time ago. You insult me, Arabella.”
“I don’t mean to,” Arabella says quickly. “Kat has been through enough. I just think she should think this through.”
Circe’s glare flames with anger. With a wave of her arm, the door behind us flies open. “You’re free to leave. But if you want Grace’s memory back, then you’ll need to do me a favor—a favor that benefits everyone. You seem to forget that I’ve been on your side for centuries. We have a common enemy, which makes me an ally.” She looks between us.
Arabella seems to back down. Her shoulders relax, and her mouth tightens in a gesture that says she’s all ears.
“Tell me what you need, Circe.”
Circe nods toward the whiteboard. “See for yourself.”
I study it closely, and it slowly transforms before my eyes, like a slow-moving picture book. The math equation changes as the squiggly lines move and the dots in the cylinder begin to twirl like part of a tornado within the confines of the tube. The black dot move only slightly between the pressure of the particles surrounding it. For the most part, it’s locked in place.
“It’s a container of Solstice energy,” I say breathlessly, my heart pounding with hope.
“And?” Circe nudges me to continue.
“The black dot is supposed to be Erebus. The diagram shows him trapped within our energy. Is this possible?”
When I glance at Circe, she’s grinning. “It’s possible. I’ve been working on this for decades and have been so close I could feel it. It wasn’t until you and your friends did what you did at the hospital that I realized what I’ve been missing all these years.” She points to the cylinder again. “That’s not just Solstice energy. It’s a mixture of all descendants’ energy. What I’m finding is that there doesn’t even need to be an exact mixture. I can’t believe I never thought of it before. We can’t destroy his energy, but we’re finally ready to contain it. We just need a chance to capture it. That’s where I’ll need your help.”
I look at Arabella, whose face holds an expression of confusion, intrigue, and bewilderment.
“How?” I ask.
Circe looks pleased with herself. “With the right amount of energy, we can quarantine a specific volume of dark energy. It’s particle physics, you see.”
I don’t see. I’ve enjoyed my physics studies so far, but I’m no expert in the subject. Still, I know I should be impressed.
“Mass is to be smaller than the energy of particles produced here in the Solstice lab. By mixing our descendants’ energy, active neutrinos, with sterile neutrinos, it creates a high-energy particle collision that’s greater than the weight of Erebus’s dark energy.”
Circe waves at her drawing, her eyes wide like it should all be obvious. “With the use of a Solstice cylinder, much like the bigger ones you see that feed the smokestacks, we can trap the pure energy, releasing all dark matter from the equation, then fill the compressed air with Erebus.”
Excitement bubbles up inside me as the entire picture starts to become clear. I look at Arabella, and she seems to understand to with the way her eyes go wide.
Circe places her hands on the counter and leans in toward us. �
��You see it, don’t you?”
Arabella and I both nod. “He becomes weightless and completely powerless against the energy surrounding him,” I say breathlessly.
Circe grins. “And that’s where he’ll stay forever.”
Arabella clutches my arm. “This all sounds so insane, but I get it. It could work.”
Circe nods. “It can and it will. My magic may have eternalized Erebus so that he can never be destroyed, but he can be imprisoned. If this works, he’ll never hurt or possess another soul again.”
I bite down on my lip, almost afraid to ask my next question. “So, how do we do it?”
Circe’s lips turn up into a wicked smile. “That, my dear, is why I need you.”
Johnny
The shrill ring of my phone rips me from my dreams. Great dreams. As frustrating as the timing is, intuition tells me the phone call is not a good one, but I’m confused when I see the name on the caller ID—Arabella, not Kat.
“What?” I snap dryly. I know Arabella is one of Kat’s closest friends, but she has an annoying habit of putting her nose in business that isn’t hers.
Arabella’s voice is breathless and panicked, jerking me to full consciousness. “Get to Summer Manor now. Kat has completely lost her mind. Again.”
I practically throw my phone as I flip off the covers and yank on the first pair of pants I find. In an instant, I’m hopping off my boat and onto the dock. Roy’s boat will be much faster, so I help myself to it, using my powers to start the engine.
Within minutes, I’m flying through the back door of Summer Manor, where I’m greeted by a room packed full of descendants of all breeds, including a confused Grace. It seems everyone is here. Even Rose managed to get out of bed and is sitting in her oversized chair.
No Kat, though. My frantic search for her must capture Paul’s attention, because he is the first to speak. He looks completely disheveled. “She snuck off and went to the energy plant. She’s with Circe. Arabella called us all here. Kat’s up to something, and we’re waiting for Arabella to be so kind as to fill us in.” The thin layer of sarcasm in his voice doesn’t go undetected.
No one else speaks. We all just turn our focus on Arabella.
“Kat made a deal with Circe.” An audible gasp ripples around the room as Arabella’s eyes turn down to the floor as if she knows she’s done an awful thing by letting whatever just happened happen. “She just wanted Grace to have her memory back. That’s the only reason we went to the plant. But Circe refused to help her unless she did something in return.”
Arabella holds up a tube with the words Memory Mix scrawled across it. Paul lunges for it and stares at it long and hard, then he squeezes it tightly into his fist. For a moment, I wonder if he’s about to toss it across the room and let the glass shatter into a million pieces. Instead, he pockets the substance and glances at Grace, who stares wide-eyed back at him.
“What did Kat promise in return?” Paul’s voice carries over the crowd’s chatter, somehow still tamed with great control.
“Circe has a plan to capture Erebus, and you’re all part of it. She’s worked out a formula that will hold his darkness in forever. We’ll be rid of him for good if this works.”
“If what works? What plan?” Paul asks.
Arabella squeezes her eyes shut. When she opens them again, she holds up Kat’s bracelet, the locket dangling from the small chain. I feel like I’ve just been stabbed in the chest. She promised me she wouldn’t remove it again.
“Arabella,” I say slowly while trying to cause the rising storm in my chest. “What the hell are you doing with Kat’s bracelet?”
She stands tall, confident, or maybe her appearance is just a mask for what she’s really feeling inside. “Kat wants Grace to wear this, so that she’ll be safe from Erebus.” She tosses the pendant into Grace’s hands. “I can’t tell you more until you do as Kat instructed.”
Everyone turns to look at the woman who appears more lost and confused than anyone else. Wide-eyed, Grace stares at the locket. Then she looks up and locks eyes with Paul. “I won’t wear it if you don’t want me to.”
Paul takes Grace’s hand and says gently, “You should wear it. If Katrina wanted you to wear it, then we need to trust her. It’s no good to anyone else.”
She nods then wraps the bracelet around her wrist before securing it with Paul’s help.
“What now, Arabella?” Rose asks, her calm voice bringing a new energy to the room. There’s an urgency in her tone, but it comes with a reminder that we’re all here for a reason.
“Circe thinks that we can trap Erebus in our light, but it will take all of us.” Arabella scans the room, the seriousness in her expression causing the room to go completely quiet. “Kat removed her bracelet to lure Erebus into Circe’s trap.”
My temples throb, and my stomach churns. Every muscle aches, and every organ screams. How many times does Kat think she can escape the clutches of Erebus? And if Grace is protected by the locket, then he’ll want collateral after the damage he creates this time. He’ll want Kat.
“Where. Is. She?” I ask through gritted teeth.
Arabella shakes as she looks toward the bay window that faces the beach. “The rock pier.”
I don’t wait around to listen to more of what Arabella came to tell us. I take off running and throw open the door to the back patio. I fly by the pool and jump down the steps that meet the shore. Paul is right behind me when we get close enough to see Circe at the outermost tip of the pier. Water crashes into the rocks, spraying her from all directions. Paul slams a hand to my chest, and we both halt as Circe tilts her head toward the sky, arms raised as if summoning the gods.
What the—?
I search our surroundings frantically, trying to find Kat. Paul seems to be looking for her too. Behind us, the rest of the guests are running toward us at the entrance to the rock pier.
“There!” Paul says, his voice too quiet, too ominous to mean anything good.
I snap my head in the direction he’s looking, and my heart stops. A geyser of water is growing behind Circe, and behind it, a figure stands on top of the water. Kat.
No.
“Circe is summoning the ocean,” Paul says, his eyes wide, like he’s afraid to make even the slightest movement.
“Why?” I demand, not so calmly. “And why does Kat look like she’s about to sacrifice herself to the gods?”
“Or to Erebus,” Rose says, approaching us with Charlotte.
Every ounce of air deflates within me as I watch the love of my life offer herself to death, because now I’m convinced that’s what she’s doing. She’s inviting Erebus to take her body once more.
“I don’t know,” Paul says as he wraps an arm around his mother. “But I think we’re about to find out.”
All eyes turn toward the night sky as it fills with a billowing gold glow. As it gets closer, it condenses into the shape of a serpent then slithers through the air. He’s moving fast, from the north side of town toward Kat, his intent clear.
I start to run for her, knowing it’s useless, but I can’t just stand here with the others and do nothing. I won’t let Erebus have her. Not now. Not ever. But before I’ve even taken three steps, Paul is behind me, pulling me back by my shirt collar.
“Stop!” he commands, pointing to something at Kat’s feet.
I squint, thinking my eyes are tricking me, but as Kat rises in height, the object at her feet becomes clearer. While water gushes around her feet, she’s not standing on a wave. She’s standing on a cylinder that looks a hell of a lot like the Solstice energy tubes from the plant.
“What is she doing?”
Paul’s eyes light up like he knows exactly what’s going on. “It’s a trap.” He turns and waves at the crowd behind us to get their attention, then he gestures for them all to wait for his cue, like they’ll know exactly what to do when he gives it.
Erebus snakes through the air toward us all, and for a second, his gaze shifts from Kat and Circe t
o the crowd standing by. A wicked smile twists his wide mouth, and I know it’s because he lives for large crowds who can play audience to his evil. But then his gaze locks on Grace. His smile dims, and a loud hiss vibrates through the air. His neck twists like he’s tilting his head as his ribbon-like tongue darts out from his mouth. “There you are, my dear Grace. You’ll come back to me now, I hope.”
Grace steps forward through the crowd until she’s standing between Paul and Rose. Then her chin rises with a boldness that reminds me of her daughter. “No, Erebus. This is my home. I’ll be staying here.”
Another hiss escapes his mouth, revealing his irritation. “I see. You choose to betray me. You know what I do to Equinox who betray me.”
She narrows her eyes. “I think I’ll take my chances.
He darts forward, his eyes glowing with new anger as he slithers through the air so fast, I think he might try to take Grace right in front of us, but he stops mere feet from her face. “I see you’ve found your locket.” He sneers, his entire body vibrating with the realization that his favorite host is unavailable, but then his expression changes. “If you have the locket, then…”
His snake head swivels to glance behind him, where Kat is perched above the water. “Well, well, well. Now isn’t this a surprise?” He glides toward Kat, like his interest in Grace is momentarily forgotten. Like a serpent, he circles Kat, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Paul continues to hold me back as I struggle against his grip. “C’mon, Paul,” I growl. “Erebus will take her, and we’ll never see her again. Let me save her.”
He gives me a look I know I’ll never forget, with a confidence I wish I felt. “She doesn’t need saving, son. She’s doing exactly what she was born to do.”
How is he so calm? His words confuse me more than if he were speaking a foreign language. How can he just sit back and watch this? His daughter is inches from Erebus without her only protection to keep her from his claim, and he doesn’t feel the need to stop it.
Erebus moves closer to Kat, but she only smirks. He lunges toward her like he’s trying to provoke her, but just as he comes close enough, she raises her arms and jumps upward. She holds herself there, levitating in midair.
