by Allie Burton
And maybe a personal alliance with Math?
For once, could I be in control of my own destiny?
With sweating hands, I took hold of the trumpet. My fingertips warmed under the silver’s touch. Power zoomed through my bloodstream, making me stronger. I was already stronger than a normal teen. I recognized the essence of the trumpet’s magic, felt the hum of connection. I’d sensed this attachment before I’d played. Because of my blood link. What choice did I have?
Mom was gone. Aaron and Order members surrounded me, waiting. Math hated me. I’d already played and didn’t want to face the demons Mom had endured.
My thoughts came to a full stop. I’d already played. Was Mom already an Akh?
Similar to when I tried to sense the trumpet at the Society’s mansion, I put out feelers. Mom? Are you there?
Because I’d taken hold of the trumpet Aaron must believe I’d agreed to his demands. “With your powers and the Akh, I will become the almighty sacred leader. Presidents and kings will bow before me. I will rule the world.”
His cold and calculating laughter chilled every inch of my skin. Mom? Are you sure this is what you want for me?
I was asking for advice from a soul caught between heaven and Earth. A person who never advised me in life. A person who I never counted on.
Aaron continued on, “Once you use your mother’s powers, she will be linked to you forever. She will have immortality in the half-life and you, Piper, will have immortality on Earth.”
Revulsion rippled over my body. I’d be his slave not just for a normal lifetime, but forever.
Forever.
Except if I was all powerful, could I seize control of the Order, steer the organization in a new direction? I wished there was someone I could ask, someone I could trust.
Aaron took a curved knife and slashed open his palm. “We will take a blood bond so I can direct both your mother and you.”
“Direct me?” My stomach churned. My hands holding the trumpet shook more. I wouldn’t have any real power. I’d be a slave to Aaron’s demands.
Evil demands.
“You don’t think we’d let a mere girl control our power?” His abrasive chuckle made me feel like a lowly slug.
I could go along as I always did, or I could take a stand.
“What happens if I blow the trumpet,” because I had, “and don’t use Mom’s Akh?” I tried sounding casual and curious.
He paused in his act of gathering his blood with the blade. Angling his head, he studied me as if trying to decide if the question was serious. “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t use the Akh powers.” He analyzed my expression and continued, “If the powers are not used and your mother is not worshipped, she will be released from the bond and travel to the Afterlife.” Aaron’s glowering became more focused on me. “That’s not what your father wanted.”
I didn’t care what dear-old-unknown-dad wanted. The blood in my veins thrummed in an opposing rhythm. If I didn’t use the Akh powers, Mom would be free. At least that would be one of us. I’d thwart Aaron’s plans.
Yes, her death would be her end and I’d miss her, but her Afterlife would be so much better. I’d been taking care of her for as long as I could remember; why would I stop at her death?
My spine stiffened. Everything inside hardened. I pursed my lips, ready for a fight.
Chapter Twenty-One
Piper
“It’s time to pay the piper, Piper. Play Tut’s Trumpet of Peace.” Aaron used a red, sacred cloth to wipe the blood from his hand. “It’s time to forge your link with the Akh and with me, your sacred leader.” He held out his hand wanting to shake on a deal. A blood-bonding deal. “It’s time to face your destiny.”
The quaking inside me stopped. This was no time for timidity or anxiety or doubt. Resolution stamped on my mind and my soul. He was correct. It was time.
Time to take action.
Time to do what was right.
Time to possibly die and the risk was worth the possible cost.
Wrapping my hands tight around the trumpet, I brought the mouthpiece to my lips.
The members stopped chanting. Their beady gazes gaped through their hooded cloaks. Aaron’s eager expression led with a joker smile. He leaned forward, urging me to play.
Playing wasn’t a fear because I’d played before when I put the professor, Aria, and Olivia to sleep.
That was my plan. I’d play. Aaron and the members of the Order would fall asleep. I’d escape and run away taking the trumpet with me. I didn’t know where I’d go. Far from the Order and from Math. Maybe I wouldn’t die. Mom would leave me forever because I’d played the trumpet before her death. Not during the ceremony. And I’d never worship an Akh the way Aaron expected.
Goodbye, Mom.
I wished I knew whether she could hear me. I wished I had time to say more. To tell her I didn’t blame her for the way she’d acted when I was a toddler, or the way I was raised. To tell her I empathized with her torture because I might experience it soon.
How long would it take the internal torment to start? I’d played the trumpet yesterday and hadn’t felt anything. I mean, besides the grief of my mother’s death and the loss of Math’s affection. My heart wept at what I’d lost.
A trembling warmth grazed my cheek. I was wrong, Piper. You should follow your own path.
I squeezed my eyes tightly closed, feeling the burn of emotion. Mom?
Yes, Piper. The trembling touch stopped at my shoulder. I thought by leaving Egypt I’d escaped your father and the Order. But I was weak. I turned to drugs to numb the pain. And when Aaron found us when you were seven, I went willingly. Anything to get rid of the torture.
Emotion welled under my tightly closed eyelids. Mom had tried to save me when she’d run from Egypt while pregnant. She loved me.
I put the trumpet to my lips. I’m going to get out of this. I’ve already played the trumpet.
Yes, I know. Mom’s words seemed to leave her soul with a smile. We wouldn’t be communicating unless you’d already played.
Hope flittered. So, Aaron doesn’t know we’re talking?
No.
My hope was squashed by another thought. A dark thought. I’d doomed my mother. Because I played, are you stuck in this half-life forever? Are you an Akh?
Not yet. You haven’t used my Akh powers.
I let out a breath wheezing into the trumpet and made a short, squat noise. Firming my shoulders and back, I puffed my cheeks ready to play. I’m not going to Mom. I won’t use your powers. You’re going to the Afterlife.
Mom deserved peace.
Blowing into the trumpet, I let the music soothe my uncertainty. My hands warmed. I’d play and wait for Aaron and the members to fall asleep. Then, I’d sneak out the secret passage, never using Mom’s Akh. She’d be free. And I’d be on the run.
Alone.
Without Math or Mom.
I played.
And played.
And played.
Aaron’s super-concentrated expression focused on me. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak or chant. The rest of the members stared at me, too. No one’s eyes closed.
Panic slithered in my veins, causing my blood to curdle in concern. Why aren’t they falling asleep?
Mom’s trembling warmth touched me. They’ve been protected against the effects of the trumpet by your father.
My father?
I heard Aaron talking. Your father is arriving in San Francisco soon. He’s a danger to you.
The curdling blood became waves of terror, making my head woozy. My breath faltered, and the trumpet sputtered. My father would cause me harm. He was probably worse than Aaron.
Aaron flashed a suspicious look. Did he guess my plan? Math had mentioned a way to protect yourself from the trumpet’s effects. Everyone in this room must have taken the precaution.
My gaze darted between Aaron and the exit. Between the members and the exit. Knowing I couldn’t live under his command, I vowed to fight.
I’d worry about my father later.
And I will fight with you.
Working with Mom and her powers, I’d be invincible against the Order, except I refused to sacrifice her. If you use your Akh powers to help you’ll be forever in this state.
I know the rules of the game. Mom’s touch felt warm, but the tone I sensed was frigid. I wasn’t able to protect you during my life. I will protect you now.
Hysteria spiked in my dizzy head. No! I won’t let you. I was the one in charge of the Akh, that’s what Aaron had said. Not quite understanding how it worked, I knew she had to listen to me. I don’t require your assistance.
I refused to sacrifice Mom when she could go to the final reward. When she could live in heaven and finally find peace.
Aaron’s glare narrowed.
Piper, I want to help. Mom’s desperation fell on deaf ears.
I refused to risk her soul. Leave, Mom. Go to your final resting place.
You can’t ask this of me. You’re my daughter. I want to help. The determination in her voice matched my own.
You suffered enough. Please, Mom. I can fight on my own.
I know you can. You’ve grown so much in the past few days. Pride sounded in her tone. She was proud of me.
My chest filled with courage from her. She might not be my Akh, but she strengthened me. I love you. Now, go.
I love you too, Piper. Mom’s touch slipped away. My sweet, brave child.
I wavered, feeling only emptiness. A deep, black hole of loneliness. A blank nothingness of sad. I knew I was alone. Knew I’d fight alone. Knew I’d probably die alone, too.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Math
The secret tunnel leading to the Convergence Ceremonial Room seemed smaller, longer, and more claustrophobic to Math than when he had traveled through the tunnel with Piper. With her the tunnel had felt intimate. Maybe because Olivia, Xander, Aria, Falcon, Ash, and Antony were following behind Math. Maybe because Piper’s life was at risk. Maybe because time was running out.
He feared for Piper’s safety and the security of the Trumpet of Peace and its powers. His frustration came from her betrayal. How could she steal the trumpet and leave without saying goodbye? His blood pressure steamed again. Not that he was upset about the not saying goodbye part. Not really. He was upset about the theft. If she’d told him the truth, he would’ve found a way to help.
His heart struggled to keep an even beat. He and his black-clad Warriors scurried through the secret tunnel. He wanted to run ahead, burst into the ceremony room, fight her captors, and save Piper. He had to be patient. Timing was important. Timing to the tenth of a second. On Pi Day, in the fifteenth hour, at nine minutes and twenty-six seconds.
When he’d first realized the trumpet and Piper were gone, he thought he’d never recover. He believed his feelings for her had blinded him to her lies. That his emotions had taken control of his brain. He’d self-destructed with despair. Fury and foolishness had twined into a knot in his gut.
With his friends’ help, he’d calmed himself and started putting pieces of the intricate puzzle that was Piper together. Every meeting, every look, every word exchanged between them he’d examined as if using a microscope. She’d given him hints. She’d wanted to tell him something yesterday after visiting her mom. She’d truly cared for him. He had to believe.
He’d paid Uncle Louie a second visit. Learned the truth about her background. Antony had used his muscle to force Louie to talk. Math had used his mind to figure out where she’d go and what she’d do.
He stepped into the anteroom outside the secret Convergence Ceremony Room. His Warriors followed, willing to help in his quest to save the trumpet and Piper.
Realization that he needed his brain had hit him as he’d puzzled out Piper’s truth. His smarts were important and part of him. Yes, he’d wanted to prove he had muscle and could conquer a quest but using his intelligence would be part of his success. It was part of him.
He accepted that finally.
And he’d figured out why from the very beginning Piper had lied. She’d worked with him to retrieve the trumpet because she was being forced to steal the instrument. His knees quaked like he was simply a nerd stepping into a fight. He knew that wasn’t the reason for his fear. His knees trembled because he worried for Piper’s safety. Her physical, emotional, and soulful safety.
Even though she’d lived with the Order, she did not understand the cruelty of their practices. She wasn’t knowledgeable about their processes and ceremonies and sacrifices. She didn’t understand that once she knew what the Order was involved in, they wouldn’t let her walk away.
Math had to save Piper, even if she didn’t realize she needed saving.
The harsh, screeching tune of the trumpet entered the small room at the end of the passage. The pulse points at his wrists and neck pounded in a panicky rhythm. His ears hurt from the sound.
The other Warriors scrunched their faces or covered their ears. They all were protected from the trumpet’s effects, a smart precaution taken. They packed into the small, hidden antechamber waiting for Math’s signal. The muscles on their faces were tense. The smell of nervous sweat filled the small space. They had to time this to the precise second to save Piper and her mother.
Math peeked into the ceremonial room and gasped.
Piper kneeled on the raised altar playing the silver trumpet she held in front of her. Her watery eyes and tear-streaked cheeks had his protective instincts ramping up. She wasn’t in a trumpet-induced trance, though. She didn’t seek the power. Her gaze darted around, either searching for escape or vengeance.
She held her shoulders straight and spirited. Her eyes might be wet, but they were determined. His panic soothed. He was proud of her.
A person lay by her side. A thin woman with blonde hair, wearing an embroidered ceremonial tunic. The vessel. The sacrifice. Piper’s mother?
His chest squeezed, knowing how much Piper loved her mother. He could tell by the way she’d talked about her being sick. She was only a few feet away and yet he couldn’t comfort her or warn her about their attack.
Math glanced at his watch. The Warriors had only a few seconds before the exact time of Pi. They needed to make their move soon. He signaled them to get ready to launch.
About a dozen male Order members chanted and bowed, standing around the platform. Aaron, their leader, stood in front of the altar performing ritualistic movements. His tense expression and excited gaze showed he believed he’d won.
He better think again.
Math held in a grim smirk. He and the Warriors were determined to win this fight.
Piper stopped playing and stood. Her mouth pursed into a determined line. Her eyes were wide and clear, as if she’d come to a decision and was at peace.
“What’re you doing?” Aaron’s body stopped moving. “It’s almost time. Keep playing!”
“My mother,” her voice broke. “is fighting for me.”
Horror screeched through Math’s ribcage, shredding his lungs. No! Piper would never know peace if she used the Akh, and neither would her mother. He raised his hand to give the signal.
Antony grabbed his arm. “It’s not time.”
Math shook off the hold, knowing his friend was right. They couldn’t start the rescue attempt yet. Not until the precise time. “If Piper’s on our side, and I know she is, we’ll have an Akh on our side and the fighting should be easy.”
“I don’t sense an Akh.” Falcon would know. His connection to the Trumpet of War gave him extra sensitivity to souls and essences.
Math’s nerves screamed. He was on high alert, so close, wanting to hold Piper in his arms, knowing the timing wasn’t right.
Aaron’s full laugh echoed into the ceremonial room and scoured Math’s back.
“Part of the funeral rights ceremony and playing the trumpet at this precise time gives me control of the Akh and those connected to the Akh.” His evil-gleeful grin sliced and ruptured in Math’s gut. “So I wi
ll control you, too.”
A sharp-edged pain shot through Math’s heart. Was he too late to save Piper?
Her expression changed slowly, from challenging the man to fear. Or was she pretending fear? Her bow-shaped mouth had dropped open, yet her gaze assessed the situation and held a determined sharpness.
His lightning-quick thought process assessed and solved the problem. Piper had played the trumpet at the professor’s house to get past Olivia and Aria. So technically, Piper controlled the Akh. If the Akh existed, because Falcon didn’t sense one.
“How can I serve you?” Piper’s voice sounded flat and emotionless.
Was she under the leader’s control? He glimpsed Falcon shaking his head.
“Start by moving away from your mother’s body so we can complete the ceremony.” The leader held out his hand to help Piper off the altar.
The contents of Math’s stomach shifted. Maybe his calculations were wrong, and the leader did control Piper. Maybe he’d lost her forever.
She stepped forward. Her expression blank and staring straight ahead. Instead of taking the leader’s hand, she held the trumpet like a club. She swung at his head.
Surprise shocked Math followed by pride in Piper. Exhilaration electrified his soul. His stomach calmed, and strength sailed to the surface. He gave the signal to the Warriors to attack. “Let’s do this!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Piper
As if smashing the trumpet against Aaron’s head was a signal, Warriors poured out from the secret tunnel Math and I had found earlier. I froze, too astonished to continue my attack. I scanned each emerging Warrior. Olivia and Xander and Falcon and Aria and Ash and Antony charged from the tunnel. I didn’t stop aching and yearning until I saw Math sticking to the roof of the room.
My glance swept over him in seconds, noting his intense and worried expression. His mouth set in a straight line and his chin tilted to a determined angle. A long, wooden stick was strapped to his back.
