by Ainsley Shay
“You were talking to…”
I waved my hand in small motions, urging him to spit it out.
“I didn’t like it. I’d never seen any of those people before you moved here. It’s like freaks gravitate to you or something.”
“I forgot how judgy you can be.”
“I’m not judging. I’m worried about…”
I put my hand on the door, ready to slam it in his face. “Worried about your little town? Trust me, it’s not—”
“You. I’m worried about you.”
“Oh,” I breathed out. Maybe slamming the door in his face wouldn’t be the right thing to do.
Cameron fidgeted with the keys hanging out of his front pocket. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is can’t be good.”
You got that right. “They’re just tourists passing through; came to check out Veil Rock.” Damn, I was getting too good at whipping out lies.
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
He took a few steps back and nodded. “You know I don’t believe you.”
“I know. But that’s not my problem.”
He turned without another word to stride to his idling car.
I closed the door. Tears filled my eyes until they streamed down my face. I threw myself on my bed. Cameron mingled with all the other crap floating inside my head. I needed to get it under control before it took over and I went insane. There may be only one person who was distant from the situation to know anything. Tomorrow, I’d take a chance and ask her.
The mystery guy was my last thought before I drifted off.
“Isla, can I ask you something?”
Hearing something in my voice, she looked up from what she was doing. “Sure, dear, anything.”
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. “Do you know about a sacrifice that happens around here?”
“Only the myth of one. I can’t imagine it to be true.” She held up a finger. “But the story behind it is beautiful, and it makes my heart sing.”
A beautiful sacrifice? “Can you tell me what you know about it?”
Smiling, she placed her hand on top of mine. “Let me make some tea, and we’ll sit. Tea and sitting are always best for stories like these. Don’t you agree?”
I smiled back. “Sure.”
She went into the back while I finished tidying the shop. I checked my phone, but it was dead. No calls meant no drama.
Isla brought the tea tray over to the chair, then set it on the table. Eiko, the dragon, loomed over us.
We sat across from each other. She handed the teacup on a saucer to me.
“So, I’m guessing this is going to be a story of tragedy?”
She picked up her tea. “Aren’t all the good love stories?”
I guessed she had a point. But I was more into the happily ever after endings. She didn’t wait or need an answer to continue.
“Did you read the book I gave you, Legend of Veil Rock?”
“I read some of it.”
“Please tell me you at least read the prologue.”
I set down my tea on the table. “It was about a warlock and his lover or something. I remember the end, which said it did not end well because she was never the same.”
“Exactly right.”
“Why? What happened?”
“I don’t know really. That was the only thing that I couldn’t figure out. It was never in the book. The warlock, Zicar, was enormously powerful, too powerful. I’ll never know for sure, but I have a feeling he used his power for either evil or selfish reasons. Hence, the curse.”
My eyes flew up to Isla’s. “Curse?”
She bobbed her head from side to side, then continued, “I think it’s more like a centennial get-together with a sacrifice,” she explained. “The Warlock was supposedly a family man. So, when he created his children, aside from the supernatural gifts he gave them, he made them immortal—”
“Like they can’t die?”
“Not easily, no,” Isla said. “The problem is that they need to re-create the spell every seventy-five or hundred years or so, depending on the sacrifice. The older the sacrifice, the longer the spell holds. Unless, of course, if the sacrifice has more than one ability.”
My heart froze. The flesh covering my body chilled. Tea spilled from my cup and onto my Converse. “Dang it.”
“Child, are you all right? You seem very uptight.” She handed me a napkin from her tea tray.
I bent and wiped up the liquid. My sneakers were stained. If I had a chance to start the day over, I didn’t think it would make a difference; it would still be one of those crappy days.
“Uptight? No, just clumsy.” I tossed the napkin in the nearby trash. “Please, go on with the story.”
She took a sip of tea, then cleared her voice. “There were two different bloodlines, the originals and the offspring. It’s been said the originals did not like the offspring.” She looked back at me.
Taryn and Raiden shot through my thoughts. She had mentioned something like that when she said it was rare for them to hang out together. “What’s different about them?”
“The story says the originals are Zicar’s creations. The offspring are the children he had with his lover.” Isla chuckled and shrugged. “But who really knows? All this has been passed from generation to generation, so I’m sure the entire story has gotten misconstrued, while a lot of details have been forgotten and replaced.”
After hearing what Taryn, Kelios, and Onyx said, I wasn’t so sure. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Isla patted my knee. “What do you say we get out of here while the sun’s still shining?”
“Sounds good.”
“Great! I need to get up early to go pick up some merchandise from the next county that I ordered for the shop. Do you think you can open and close tomorrow?”
“Sure, yeah, no problem,” I said way too quickly.
“I’ll pay you extra. And please know I appreciate it more than you realize.”
“You’re welcome.”
Isla stood, stretching her back. “Oh, and I already fed Boone, so that should keep him happy until I get back.”
Feeding a dead mouse to an owl had never quite appealed to me. So, thank God for small favors. “Thank you.” I hugged her. “And thank you for being so nice to me.”
She hugged me back warmly. “Dear girl, you are more special than you realize.”
That was exactly what I didn’t want to be.
A dark-haired girl was lying on a bright red blanket by the carousel when I came out of work. I waved to Isla. Instead of going to my scooter on the side of the building, I found myself drawn to the girl. Leaving my bag by the shop, I walked toward the carousel.
As I got closer, I realized it was Onyx. I knew I was being rude, but I stood in her direct sunlight. Without holding her hand over her eyes, she tilted her head and stared at me. Her bright blue eyes were striking against her pale complexion and black hair.
“What are you doing?” I asked stupidly.
She giggled. “What does it look like?”
“Yeah, but in the middle of Carousel?”
“Huh, I didn’t know that was an issue. It never has been before.”
“It’s not. I… uh…”
Onyx giggled again and sat up, propping herself on her elbows. “Calm down. I’m only kidding. I’ve been coming to Veil Rock for as long as I can remember, and Carousel has never been as exciting as it is with you here.”
Where and when did I come into this conversation?
“Um… thanks?”
The sun dipped, and a stream of rays slid past me and painted her face in an orange glow.
She moved to the right to keep the sun out of her eyes. “I try to get out in the sun as much as possible. Hanging out with Kelios makes it difficult since she only comes out at night.”
“Does she burn up or turn to ash in the sunlight?”
“No, silly, she just likes the night and the lig
ht of the moon.”
Her giggles started to irritate me for some reason. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
She patted the empty spot on her towel. “Sit.” I did. “You can ask me anything you want. I won’t promise I’ll answer, though.”
Did I expect anything different?
I was so damn curious, and she may have actually told me something without riddles and in a language I understood.
“Who is your father?”
Her expression sobered and grew serious. “That’s not for you to know. Our father chooses to be a private man. He’s great and magical, and that’s all you need to know.”
“Can you at least tell me his name?”
She let out a frustrated breath. “Zicarus.”
That was awfully close to Zicar. “Did he have children? Do experiments on humans? Is he a powerful warlock?” The wind began to whip around me with my excitement that all of this could be real.
She didn’t answer any of my questions.
My next question shot out of my mouth like a firework. “How old are you?”
Onyx glanced away for only second before her eyes were back on mine. “Old enough to know that the things you’re asking have never been questioned before.”
I backed up. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t say they were bad, just not of the ordinary. Which is even more of a reason to believe there’s more to you than you’re letting on.” She shrugged one pale shoulder. “Just a hunch, but it feels right.”
The knots in my stomach tightened. “Yeah, well, hunches aren’t always right.”
She sat up straighter. Her bright sapphire eyes sparkled in the sun. I didn’t think I was going to like what she had to say next.
“I’m only going to warn you once. Stop asking questions about my kind and our business. The secrets of others will only get you killed.”
“What’s the difference if I know or not? Haven’t you already pinned me as your lamb?”
She scoffed. “No one has you pinned as anything. Besides, that decision is made as whole between us all.”
“How many more of you are there?”
Onyx stood. “If you were wise, which I’m guessing you aren’t, you’ll turn in the other direction if you see us. Forget we even exist. And above all, keep your curiosity on a leash.” She flashed white teeth behind her light pink lip gloss. “You may even thank me one day.”
“I doubt—”
Every thought and word escaped me as her body shuddered uncontrollably. Her pale skin darkened to iridescent ebony. Her entire frame shrank, quickly morphing into a bird. Its blue eyes were striking against the black feathers.
The crow opened its wings, squawked at me, then took flight. I was able to keep sight of it until it flew east over the ocean and disappeared.
The red blanket lay empty near the frozen horses.
26
“Holy shit!” I glanced around. The few people standing outside the shops hadn’t noticed the girl who’d just changed into a freaking bird. “A freaking bird!”
I stared up at the sky in awe. The sun was beginning to set. Its mass of yellow softened as it fell into the west. All the human and supernatural boundaries I’d ever known were crumbling one by one. It was frightening, exciting, magical, scary as hell, and beautiful, all at the same time.
“What an abomination.”
I spun around. Elyza was poised behind me, peering into the sky.
“What are you talking about?”
“What else—that thing that just took flight.” Her eyes squinted into the light. “None of them should have ever existed. They were created out of selfish needs. Their kind should have been killed a long time ago.”
“The shifters?”
She whirled on me, then stepped toward me. Her pale white face was even more haunting up close. It wasn’t makeup that made her skin so white. She lacked all evidence of pigment. There weren’t any faint lines, veins, or blemishes of any kind. Nothing but pure white, milky skin.
“All of them!” she hissed. “The vampires, shifters, artisans—none of them should have ever been born into this world.”
I backed away from her. My heart beat a million times per second. It was thumping at such a rapid pace my skin felt flush from the blood racing through my veins.
“Then why are you trying to protect me?”
She scoffed. “Protection is a term I would use very loosely.”
The mime lady was speaking in tongue again.
“I need to go.”
“You may be the only one to stop them.”
I stopped with one foot still in the air. Whoa! “Wait up there, white one.”
She continued, “It’s very possible you’re able to destroy their bloodlines—stop them from ever creating more of their poisonous kind.”
I waited for her to spit in disgust. She didn’t.
“Did you just leave crazy town to come to this even crazier town where there’s a permanent carousel? Because you—”
“Predicting death is not the only thing I can do.”
Without permission, my mouth dropped open. I wanted to know what else she could do, but I wasn’t past the whole knowing when someone was going to die thing.
“So you know when I’m going to die?”
Elyza rolled her eyes, and her head followed. “No, you aren’t as easy as most. Or should I say, everyone else.” She folded her hands in front of her. “Nor are the abominations, but I’m not concerned too much with them right now. It’s you. You’re the only thing important to me right now.”
“Thing?” I questioned.
“Don’t be petty, child.”
Impatience was feeding on her features like a leech.
“You’ve already disobeyed me more than once. And now, because of your disobedience, the pathetic preacher is paying.”
“What did you do to him?”
She laughed. “I did nothing. But my dear sister Ember has a way with casting the most impressive spells.”
There was no room for a sarcastic comment this time. “What kind of spell?”
Not that it would make a difference if I knew; I wouldn’t know how to break it or reverse it or whatever had to be done.
She tsked. “It’s a shame really. Deep down, I believe he thinks he’s doing good. But his poor choices have left us no other option.”
I rubbed my wrist, wishing I had something to fidget with, to give my nerves something else to focus on besides the witch standing in front of me. The bracelet… I had forgotten about it.
“What if I put the bracelet back on?”
Her voiced deepened. “You said you no longer had it.”
“I didn’t—I…” I stammered through my words. “I-it found its way back to me.” After all of my defiance, I couldn’t believe I was willing to bend.
“Petty curses will be the least of your problems if you don’t put the protection bracelet back on.”
Her tone was more than a warning; it was an invisible icy chill running down my spine.
“If you choose not to, your little friend—I believe his name is Cameron—will be next.”
I gasped without saying anything. She knew she had me, and I hated it.
She tilted her head thoughtfully. “And, if you do, then possibly,” she glanced at her perfect nail, “I’ll have my sister remove the curse from your dear preacher.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could utter a sound, Elyza flicked her wrist as if she were dismissing me, then, she strode away. It was like she was out for a sunset walk.
Could I really put the bracelet back on? No, that wasn’t the right question to ask. Should I put the bracelet back on? If it meant saving Macias, and possibly Cameron, I didn’t see another option.
There was a note on the kitchen counter saying my aunt would be home late due to inventory. I went into my room, then tossed my bag on the bed. A shower wouldn’t cleanse away the yucky I felt inside, but it would help me smell be
tter. From my conversation with Onyx and then jumping immediately into the confrontation with Elyza, my sweat glands had worked overtime.
Withstanding temperatures hotter than the sun, I stood under the steaming spray. I closed my eyes, imagining the water droplets floating up instead of down. The pressure on my back lightened. My shoulders cooled. When I opened my eyes, it was as if I were in a dream and a unicorn would run by at any moment.
The water from the spray rose upward. Just before it touched the ceiling, each tiny droplet grabbed hold of another and another until they created one unit of water. A layer of water gathered over my head. I made an unintentional swooping motion of my hand and the water collapsed, showering down on me. If I hadn’t already been wet, I would’ve been soaked.
I laughed as I stood in a rising puddle. The water slowly drained as I washed and conditioned my hair. I turned the water off, swept my hair into towel, and dried off. As I’d totally forgotten high school even existed over the last few days, I had a ton of stuff to catch up on.
I got dressed, made a bowl of cereal, and ate it in my room. Tonight, I planned to do as much as I could for my online classes before I crashed. Tomorrow while I was at the shop, I could work on physics between customers.
“Good plan, Ev,” I told myself, giving my shoulder a pat. It was a good plan until the box containing the bracelet caught my attention.
Setting down my bowl, I retrieved the box and set it on the bed. How could something so small be so significant to so many people?
“I’m a weapon to destroy two bloodlines of supernaturals? Really?” I said to no one.
Maybe that lady was simply crazy. But what if she wasn’t? Then what would happen to me? I may not have been created the same way they had, which was still a bothersome mystery, but wasn’t I like them in same way or another? Shifting the elements was a freaky gift.
I froze with an electrifying idea. Would it be possible to defeat Elyza if I gained control of my gifts? I wouldn’t only have to control them, I’d need to master them, become a true Artisan.
Since Taryn was out of the question, I was left to my own devices. Controlling the water in the shower hadn’t been that hard, but I also couldn’t take anyone out with a splash of that size. Truth be told, I didn’t know what the water would do. It was like it had its own idea of what to create. I certainly hadn’t imagined it falling on me.
