Instead I’m here with a prince who looks around in disgust, a brother and sister who are impossibly hard to read, and Felix, one of my best friends who, at the moment, blames me for getting my sister’s ex-boyfriend killed.
I’m having a blast.
“We can’t be here long, Aaric.” Niykee says to me from my side.
Around us villagers gather to see the transit, or rather who’s inside. On the outside it’s a royal transit so they know it must contain either Theron, Haven, or Roman. I’d trade Roman in for Haven any day. I’d do anything to go back to that day, the day of the funeral and beg her not to go. Just another one of the many mistakes I made that day.
“I know.” I tell Niykee.
She’s right. Coming back here is dangerous. Now that we all have our powers the Zodiac Hunters will find us. Returning to our home is dangerous, but it’s where Jayla’s spell led us so it’s where we need to go.
We’d gotten lucky before. We’d been dragged off to a guarded palace only days after we became Zodiacs again. This time I have a feeling we’ll run into many Hunters on our journey. Having a prince with us won’t do us any favors.
“Get the map out.” Felix tells Bay. “Do you have the pendant?” he asks me. Felix’s brown eyes regard me with disinterest. They never meet mine.
“Are you ever not going to be mad at me, Fee?” I ask, removing the pendant from my neck and handing it over.
“Don’t call me that.” he says, snatching the pendant from me. His eyes look away quickly, but I see the look before he can hide it. I know it well. He misses Amara. She’d started calling him Fee when she was two and couldn’t pronounce his whole name. After that the nickname kind of stuck. It must be hard to hear it and not think of her.
Bay spreads the map out on one of the tables toward the back of the transit. Roman chose well when we chose this particular transit. It’s been built for long trips. It’s got two tables and even a small room in the back for sleeping.
“How does this even work?” Felix asks irritably.
“The crystal is imbued with Jay’s magic.” I say. “So when you hover it over the map the crystal is supposed to do the rest.”
Again, Felix doesn’t look at me. Only does as I instructed. At first nothing happens. Just a silly necklace dangling over a map. But then, with no coaxing, something, seemingly nothing, starts to pull on the pendant. It moves over the map like a magnet is pulling it along until finally it stops over a familiar landmark.
“Of course.” Niykee sighs, falling back in her seat.
“Appropriate.” Bay says. “It’s where it all started after all.”
“Talk to me, guys. Where are we headed?” Roman asks from the driver’s seat.
I glance up, meeting my brother’s eyes. “Cambridge Manor.” I sigh. “We’re going to Cambridge Manor.”
Roman needs a bit more explanation than that though. He’s only been to Baal once before and so he has no idea where he’s going.
In the months we’ve been gone the Manor hasn’t changed. It’s still cold and seemingly in ruin until you step inside. It’s dusty and dark, but it’s intact.
“What is this place?” Roman asks as we enter.
“It’s where we found our powers.” Niykee answers, her blue eyes on the mansion in front of us.
“Well, it’s where we found the Zodiac book and Clea’s journal.” Bay amends. “We unlocked our powers in the woods not far from here.”
“Look everywhere.” I tell them. “This house has a tendency to hide things and hide them well.”
“Alright. Let’s do this.” Niykee says.
We spread out. Roman and Felix check downstairs while my brother and sister head upstairs to look around.
I wonder if this thing had been here all those months ago when we were. Could the answer have been here all along? If we’d just known we could have destroyed it and my sister wouldn’t be gone, suffering through only she knows what. Clea knew. She could have told us, but she chose to reveal her brother’s plans in pieces. Clea was a monster with no soul, but we never stopped to think about what the secrets she was keeping with one. I step into the library and it’s like stepping into a portal to the past. The moment I see the room I remember the last time I was in it, with Amara, right before we found the safe that contained Clea’s Zodiac book and her journal.
Cambridge Manor
Several Months Ago
When I enter the library, I spot Amara right away. Her back is to me, but I know she’s crying. In her hand there’s a book, frayed at the edges.
“Mar,” I say softly, approaching her from behind. When she turns to me her big blue eyes glisten with tears. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She lifts the book in her hands so I can see. It’s a storybook. Tales of Cambridge Manor, but other than the name it holds no significance to me. “It’s a book Clea used to read to me during sleepovers. It’s where we got the name from, why we started calling this place Cambridge Manor to begin with. Short stories mostly, about magic in far away lands.” She holds the book tight to her chest. “I miss her, Aaric.”
“I know you do, Mar. But this…” I eye the cluttered room around us. “It isn’t gonna bring her back. It—it only serves to hurt you.”
“Then let it hurt.” she snaps, uncharacteristically angry. “I need answers, Aar. I need to know what happened to our friend.”
I know the manic look in her eyes isn’t healthy. I know that whatever answers we find are only going to hurt my sister. I also know that if I was a stronger man I’d tell her to drop this and take her home.
But I’m not strong. I’m weak and I do not know how to say no to her.
“Then let’s find out, okay?”
“Okay.”
I look for the book. I don’t know why. Maybe as some silly way to feel closer to her. I find it sitting on the table where I’d put it after taking it from her that night.
I choke on the dust when I pick it up. It’s an old copy, but looking at the front cover I recognize it from Clea’s bedroom. I’d only ever been in there a couple of times, but I remember seeing it on her desk by her bed. I run my fingers over the top, brushing them over the raised letters.
“What fantastic bullshit, huh?”
The book slips from my fingers and I scramble to catch it. Instead it hits the floor with a thud much louder than a book that size should make, but I pay no attention to it.
I spin at the voice I hear and damn near lose what little lunch I managed to have on the way here. “Amara?” I splutter.
She grins widely. “Hello, brother.”
“Amara? What are you—how are you—”
“Before you have yourself a conniption, relax.” She inches close to me, bringing her lips to my ear. “I’m all in your head.”
“What?” I ask when she comes around in front of me. Same eyes, same hair, same laugh, if not a little more sinister than I’m used to. It is, for all intents and purposes, Amara.
“I’m not real. I mean, not really.” she says, circling me like a vulture. “I’m a manifestation of your imagination. You miss her so much you’ve created me out of nothing.”
“I’m losing my mind.” I say, placing my hands over my ears and closing my eyes, willing this figment of my imagination away.
“What are you? Five? I’m not the monster under your bed, Aaric. I’m your subconscious playing tricks on you and until you get your shit together, I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
“What do you want?”
“I think a better question would be, what do you want?” she challenges, still circling me.
“I want my sister back.”
“Here I am!”
“You’re not her.”
“No, no, I’m not. Because you let me get kidnapped by yet another prince.” She bends down and picks up the book, flipping through the pages. “Such silliness, don’t you think? Girl gets herself into trouble with, not one prince, but two, princes fight over girl, one saves girl, girl chooses which
prince to marry. Which one should I choose, do you think? So many contenders. There’s the childhood love, Keenan. Or the handsome prince with those green eyes. Damn, they’re pretty. There’s Tristan, the ex. Oh, but wait. He’s dead. Or maybe the bastard boy who betrayed me. Girls do like the bad boys after all.”
“Shut up.” I sneer.
“Or maybe I throw you for a loop. The princess is really pretty and we are being held captive by the same evil king and his pet prince. Maybe I’ll choose her.”
“Shut up.” I hiss again.
“Or maybe I should go right for the king, am I right? I mean, let’s be honest. He’s where all the power is.”
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up!” I explode.
“Aaric!”
I look up to see Niykee standing in the doorway. “Aaric, are you alright?”
I swallow hard, looking around the room, looking for Amara, but she’s gone. Whatever she is, she’s gone. I am alone, with the only sister that’s physically here with me.
“I’m fine. I just…I’m fine.”
“What’s that?” For one terrible second I think she’s referring to Amara’s apparition, but then I see her pointing toward the book, in the same position on the floor where I’d seen Amara pick it up.
“It’s nothing. It’s…” I grab the book by the front cover and it swings open to reveal the middle has been cut out, seemingly to conceal something inside. “What the hell?”
“What’s inside?” Niykee asks, coming over to me.
I lift it up. Where the center has been cut out there’s nothing, but a piece of paper stuck inside, held down by a paper weight. That explains the book’s heaviness. Niykee takes the piece of paper out and shows it to me.
On it there are three words.
You’re too late
“Guys, it’s gone.” Bay says from the library doorway. “We tried scrying, but the pendant went crazy, like it’s moving.”
“Someone got here before us.” Niykee says to me.
“That means someone knows we’re looking for it.” I reply. My eyes fall to the book in my hands.
“What is it, Aaric?” my brother asks me, sensing my unease.
“This book. The last time we were here Amara was looking at it. There’s no way she could have looked at it, even held it without knowing about the cut out middle. But when I picked it up just now it was empty, except for the note.” Niykee passes it to the others so they can see it.
“So what are you saying, Aaric?” Felix asks.
“He’s saying Amara must have taken whatever was inside.” Niykee cuts in.
“The Nexus?” Bay questions.
“No.” The prince shakes his head. “The Nexus is bigger than that. It’s a large, round, sphere-looking thing. It wouldn’t have fit inside that book.”
“So what was inside the book? And if Amara took whatever it was, why didn’t she tell anyone?”
I look up at my brother, burning with those same questions and more. “I don’t know.” What’s worse is there’s no way to ask her. I can’t talk to my sister and it’s the hardest part of all of this.
“But what about the note?” Felix asks me. “If the note wasn’t referring to the Nexus what does it mean?”
“I don’t know.” I chuck the book hard as I can. It lands harmlessly on the floor. “We came here for the Nexus, for answers and all we got is more questions.”
“Alright. Well that isn’t helping.” Niykee says.
“Shh.” Roman hisses, cupping his ear as if listening for something.
“What is it, Rome?”
“Someone’s here.”
“How many?” I ask.
“Six. Maybe more.”
“Can we win?”
“If they’re human.”
“If not?”
Green eyes fly to me. “It’ll be harder.” I roll my eyes. “You all know this place better than I do. Is there another way out that’s not the way we came in?”
I try to remember the layout of the house, but there is no way downstairs, but the staircase we came up.
“There’s only one way out. But you’re not gonna like it.” My eyes turn on the balcony across the room.
“No.” Niykee whines.
“Sorry, sis. It’s our only option.”
“Shit.” she hisses.
Bay steps up to the balcony doors and pushes them open, surveying the drop. “So, who’s goin’ first?”
“Roman, obviously.” Niykee says, but when she realizes it isn’t so obvious to the rest of us she elaborates. “He’s an air user. If he goes first he can manipulate the air for the rest of us so we don’t all break our necks on the way down.”
I raise an eyebrow at Roman. “Can you do that?”
“Theoretically. It’s how air users can use their magic like telekinesis. If we can do it for objects I suppose we can do it for people too. But I’ve never tried it before.”
“Well there’s a first time for everything.” Bay yanks a curtain off one of the windows and starts to twirl it around. “Come on. Let’s do this.”
“Shit.” I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard the prince swear. He approaches Bay where my brother proceeds to tie a part of the sheet around Roman’s waist.
“Oh, that’s what we’re doing with that?” Niykee eyes Roman skeptically.
“Well, ya did volunteer me to go first.” Roman shrugs. Niykee nods, realizing he’s right.
Roman yanks on the sheet to make sure it’s nice and tight and then goes out to the balcony. We all follow suit. “Do not drop me, Bay.” he says, handing the other end of the sheet to Bay.
“I’ll try not to.”
Roman begins to climb over the railing to the other side. He looks down.
Stupid.
It’s not a huge drop, but it’s enough to break a limb if he lands wrong. He hesitates for a moment or two and then let’s go. He goes flying down at first until the sheet yanks him back. It strains against his weight and Bay gets yanked against the railing.
Felix and I rush to his aid, grabbing hold of the sheet and gripping it tight. “Gimme some leeway here.” Roman calls up to us.
We very slowly inch it down and a section of it tears against the railing. “Bay, do something.”
It takes him a moment to understand what I mean. When he lets go of the curtain me and Felix’s arms go flying over the railing, but still manage to hold on.
Beside me Bay stretches his hands out toward the earth beneath Roman and starts to mold it to his will. Dirt erupts from the ground, moving upward until the ground has somehow risen up to meet Roman.
“Okay. Let’s go.” Bay says, but we can’t help, but look over at him in alarm. “Let him go. He’ll be fine.”
Felix and I don’t trust it, but we trust him so we release Roman, praying we don’t kill the crowned prince of Limacore. I think Roman must swallow his throat when he plunges down to the hill of dirt Bay created underneath him. When he lands down he tumbles off of it.
“You good?” Niykee calls down to him. He raises a thumb to her, looking miserable.
He stands on shaky legs. “Alright.” He’s out of breath. “Climb over the railing and I’ll manipulate the air around you, but Bay, be ready in case I need you to do that little trick of yours for them too.”
“You got it.”
“I’ll go first.” I volunteer.
“I should go first. I’m smaller. Let him work up to you guys.” Niykee says.
“And what if a whole person is too much for him to levitate and you break something? No, I’ll go.”
“Aaric, I can do it.”
“I already lost one sister, Niykee. I won’t lose another!” I fire back without thinking. The air suddenly grows very silent as Felix and Niykee stare at me as if I’ve got seven heads.
“Guys, I realize this is a sensitive moment, but we do need to go, now.” Roman reminds us.
“I’m gonna go.” I say calmly. This time Niykee doesn’t argue. I climb over the
railing and nervously prepare to put my trust in this prince. “Roman, if you drop me I will never give you my blessing.” He knows what I mean. I think we all do.
“I won’t drop you.” He does not sound very confident.
Against every bone in my body I let go. It’s a struggle, but Roman’s air catches me, slowly lowering me down to the ground like a much too heavy feather. By the time he’s done he’s sweating.
Unfortunately we don’t have time for a break. Whoever is inside the house is now outside of it and they’ll discover us back here any minute. Roman knows it and starts in on Niykee, Bay. Then, finally, Felix.
“I think I’ve got just a little bit more respect for you now, little prince.” Felix says, not noticing his condition. “That was badass.”
Roman stumbles forward and Niykee and I both rush to catch him. “Alright. It’s okay. I’ve got ya.” I say, struggling to keep him on his feet.
That’s when I see it.
A shadowed figure looms ahead, moving around the corner of the house. Dressed in all black with swords at their sides I know who these people are right away.
“Hunters.” Roman and I say in unison.
“Which means our magic is useless.” Felix says.
“Which means we gotta go.” Bay adds.
My magic beckons me, but it does me no good here. It slithers back from where it came, as if it knows much better than I.
“Bay, you need to take Roman and run.” I say to my brother calmly.
“Like hell, Aaric.” Bay sneers.
“We cannot be responsible for getting the crowned prince killed and he’s in no position to fight. Go now!”
Bay takes one look between Roman and the three or four Hunters heading straight for us and decides that I’m right. “Alright, buddy. Come on.” Bay tugs Roman’s arm around his neck, using his side to prop the prince up.
“Use your surroundings.” Roman croaks in my ear. “Your magic will bounce off of them, but it’ll work on the things around you.”
I smirk. “Good to know.” And just like that my magic comes creeping back to me.
Savage Reign Page 14
