Vital

by Jamie Magee

  “So what do we do?” I asked as anger coursed through me.

  “Nothing yet. We’re waiting on their move. Drake and Alamos are fighting because Drake told him that you weren’t going there - not even to pretend.”

  “Seems like we’re back to where we started,” I said, standing on my tiptoes, trying to see the distant water.

  “We’re further – and I don’t know why, but I feel more calm about this. Maybe it’s because I know it’s Earth and not Mars, that whatever happens will help me see that planet more clearly; I feel that’ll be one of the fiercest challenges you have.”

  As I felt Dane coming up the stairs, the anger I had for him came flooding back to me. I glanced at Perodine. “I’ll be right back.”

  She looked through the doorway that led to the stairs. “Observe caution; if you hurt him any worse, Landen might have to heal him - and I’m not sure that would be wise.”

  “Why?” I asked, feeling her dread, wondering if she knew what I suspected about Drake and Landen sharing energy. “I’ll tell you later,” she said, nodding for me to go before Drake realized I was going to talk to Dane.

  I walked to the hallway and gently nodded my head, encouraging Dane to step into the observatory. As he walked in front of me, I tried to feel a solid emotion from him, but he was becoming a void.

  “I can’t feel you again,” I said quietly.

  As soon as I said the words, I felt his emotion come to life again. He was frustrated, almost angry. He turned to look at me, and I stopped in threshold of the door and leaned to my side, crossing my arms.

  “How are you doing that? Turning it off and on again?”

  “Just protecting myself,” he said quietly.

  “From?”

  “Everyone...maybe even you,” he said as he breathed out.

  “Where’s Olivia? Did you fight with her, or did you listen to her, help her?”

  He focused his eyes on me as confusion took over his emotions. “I haven’t seen her.”

  “Chrispin said she went to talk to you about a song she was trying to find.”

  “A song?” he mocked, raising his eyebrows as if that were the most absurd thing he’d ever heard.

  “Where were you? How come she didn’t find you? Were you tucked away in a corner somewhere, trying to get some info?”

  A smirk came across his face. “Wouldn’t you like you to know...are you sad you didn’t catch me again?”

  I had to take a deep breath and tell myself not to move; I knew the anger I was feeling could emerge with a simple gesture.

  “You’re sick, Dane. Do you wanna know what I did last night?”

  “Tried to figure out how neither Drake nor Landen can make you feel the way that girl makes me feel?” he teased, grinning slightly.

  “Are you trying to make me mad?”

  “No. It’s a reflex...sorry.”

  “I heard Clarissa say that you and her were a mistake; that you weren’t her soul mate.”

  I focused on his emotion, waiting for it to change to sadness, or even grief - but the emotion of frustration surfaced again.

  “What do you want, Willow – for me to chase after her? To tell her that she’s wrong?”

  “Um...yeah, Dane. I felt what was between the both of you; you can’t fake that.”

  “Obviously, we did. Listen, Willow, we’re doomed, so we might as well have fun before we all go down. I mean, you have two: one that seduces you – obviously poorly - and one that loves you. Why can’t I?”

  I balled my fist and tensed every part of my body so I wouldn’t hurt him. “I want you to take me to this girl. I want to look her in the eye.”

  “No.”

  “I wasn’t asking,” I said shortly.

  “No, Willow. She’s risking her life by talking to me, so the last thing I’m gonna do is let this family make her feel like she’s a bad person.”

  “She’s not good, Dane. I can’t feel her. She has you brainwashed.”

  “Brainwashed? You’re insane, Willow. You can’t feel her because she’s blocking you. I told you those meetings taught us to see. They also taught us to protect ourselves from your powers.”

  “I don’t want your help, Dane, and I don’t want hers –”

  He stepped forward, and I felt anger inside of him. “Looks likes you’re the one that’s brainwashed. I told you to stay away from Drake, but you didn’t listen to me, did you? Now look at you: you have your cake, and you’re enjoying every bite of it,” he said as his eyes moved coldly up and down me. “You’re a hypocrite.”

  I couldn’t hold back any longer. I stepped forward, and the moment my energy hit him, he managed to shield himself. Our energy collided, causing a low rumble; my force was stronger, though, and it knocked him back into the water. He didn’t fall in, though, and as soon as the water touched his energy, steam came from the pool and he flung himself forward, landing on his feet.

  “See - the old Willow wouldn’t have tried to hurt me. What has he done to you?” Dane taunted as fury soared though him.

  I started to step forward, but Drake’s strong arms came around me, gently holding my arms to my chest. He leaned his face next to mine and whispered, “Love, breathe.”

  I sighed, feeling the seduction of his touch and his warm breath on my neck.

  Dane shook his head and glared at us. “Does that feel good, Willow? Is that what you felt inside of me last night?”

  Rage was all I could feel. I pushed back against Drake with a force that should have sent him flying to the other side of the palace, but he didn’t move; instead, a violent rumble echoed around us. His arms tightened, and he leaned his face closer to mine. “Love, a part of you is inside of me; you can’t hurt me, and I know you don’t want to,” he whispered, then raised his head but kept my arms firmly pinned against my chest. “As much as I’d love to watch you kill him, I’m going to stop you because I don’t want to have to look at the grief in your eyes when you calm down.”

  “I don’t need any favors from you!” Dane yelled.

  At that moment, Chrispin and Perodine rushed in behind me and Drake.

  “What’s going on?” Chrispin asked, looking back and forth between us and Dane.

  “Just talking,” I said shortly, taking in a deep breath and letting the tension leave my body. As Drake felt me relax, he let my arms go.

  “Where’s Olivia?” Chrispin asked, stepping in the room and looking for her.

  “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Dane said, rolling his eyes.

  “What are you talking about? She saw you outside, went to talk to you,” Chrispin said as fear started to emerge from him.

  “I never saw her. I wasn’t even in the courtyard; I was on the streets, looking for traders,” Dane said, looking between me and Chrispin. “She wouldn’t have left the courtyard, would she?”

  Chrispin didn’t answer; he just stood, frozen.

  Dane tightened his jaw and pulled his shoulders back, then glared at me “You give me grief because I was smart enough to send Clarissa away from this hell – but you applaud everyone else for serving their soul mates up for the devil.”

  Chrispin started to charge Dane, but Drake held him back.

  “Do you realize how much she looks like Willow? That these idiots wouldn’t even take the time to confirm who she was?” Dane bellowed, pushing past us to go find Olivia.

  Chrispin was right behind him. I went to follow them, but Perodine reached for my arm. “Don’t make this worse, Willow. Stay inside.”

  As Drake reached for my waist and pulled me to him, I felt the alarm rise in all the emotions around me. The woman who stayed at Perodine’s side came from the study, and Perodine looked at her. “Seal the gates, and close all the windows; I don’t want anyone to see in. Tell whoever is outside to either come in or choose to stay out.”

  Perodine looked at me. “Stay right here until I have the study windows covered.”

  Panic was consuming every part of me. I hoped it
was strong enough to reach Landen; I needed him to tell me that this was OK, that Olivia was just outside somewhere.

  Drake pulled me into the observatory. I could tell from his placid expression that he was worried and trying to hide it from me. I let my argument with Dane play out again. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to make me mad or guilty. What did he want me to do – make a deal? Tell him to send that girl away and that I’d send Drake away? How childish could he be? How could you hate one person so much? I looked at the water, then at Drake. “Why is that water steaming? Is it supposed to? It’s cold in here...”

  Curiously, his eyes carefully glanced over me, then he took my hand and led me there; I guess he thought I was going to try and run away from him. At the side of the pool, he reached his hand in and looked at me. “It’s ice cold.”

  I reached my hand in, too; finding it near freezing, I pulled my hand out and wiped it dry on my jeans, trying to figure out why I saw the steam before.

  “Why did you ask that?” Drake asked, tilting his head.

  “I thought I saw steam before,” I answered quietly.

  “Coming from it?” he asked in a bewildered tone.

  Before I could answer him, I felt Landen and turned to go meet him. Drake held my arm, prepared to keep me from being seen through the windows.

  “It’s Landen. I’m not going in the study,” I said, pulling away.

  As I reached the doorway, I saw Landen climbing the stairs.

  “Did they tell you they don’t know where Olivia is?” I asked.

  He nodded and rushed to me, pulling me to his chest and trying to calm me down, but I could feel his fear, his anger.

  “Everyone is outside, looking for her,” he promised.

  “Just stop time; the three of us can find her,” I demanded.

  Alamos and Preston came from the study at that moment.

  “I beg you not to; that will just make it worse,” Alamos said, looking between Drake and Landen.

  I looked down at Preston. “Is that how you see it?”

  He nodded but didn’t smile.

  “Do bad guys have her?” I asked in a shaky voice.

  Preston stared forward as if he were watching something play out in front of him. “She’s on a boat...there are five others with her...they’re scared, but she’s keeping them calm.”

  “We could stop time, take control of that boat, and turn it back,” I said with pleading eyes, looking up at Landen.

  “No,” Alamos said. “If you care about her – or the rest of this world – you’re going to have to listen to me.”

  “Why should I?! What do you lose if something happens to her?” I asked shortly.

  Landen wrapped his arms tightly around me; I knew he was trying to stop me from hurting Alamos without meaning to.

  Perodine came to the door. “Come; the windows are closed.”

  Landen slowly let go of me as he felt me calm down, and I followed them into the room. “I’m not just gonna stay locked in this room and just wait. Tell me why I can’t stop this now?” I said in the most calm tone I could manage.

  Alamos walked over to the desk and pushed his notes to me; all I could see was a mass of numbers and letters.

  “In English,” I said as my skin flushed with anger.

  Landen put his arm around my waist, and Drake reached to cover my hand with his. Both of them were trying to keep me balanced enough to listen long enough for them to understand what they needed to do to help me.

  Alamos pulled the book back to him. “I was having enough trouble understanding what the real time was before all of you decided to bring the looking glass back to life. Something is wrong with it; it’s turning the wrong way. This morning when I marked the sky, I realized time had moved twice since it rose. Drake assured me that he’d stopped time, and so did Landen. It’s doing something, and I can’t explain it. All I know is that now the ritual that was supposed to take place in weeks is now within days. I don’t even know what time they’re on. We’re going to have to return to the estate and see when Drake is told to be there.”

  “What happens there? What happens when they figure out that Olivia isn’t me?” I asked bleakly.

  Alamos cleared his throat. “There will be a ceremony. Drake will stand before the court. They will send Olivia in - who they think is you. As she walks closer, they will be chanting, watching her energy to see if it pulls to Drake. If they see a bond, then they will bow, and this will be over. If they don’t, then...then death will come for them both.”

  “This is easy,” I said as my eyes raced back and forth. “I step inside of Olivia, and Landen will step inside of Drake; they’ll see the bond they’re looking for.”

  Alamos moved his head from side to side with a solemn expression. “Even if we figured out how to get you there without them seeing you, Landen and Drake cannot combine; they are too strong, and the force would rip Drake in two, and shatter Landen’s energy in to a million pieces.”

  “I disagree,” Perodine said boldly.

  “Of course you do. Even if I’m wrong - which I’m not – they will see Willow and Landen coming; they can see energy,” Alamos argued.

  “Why do you disagree?” Landen asked, ignoring Alamos.

  Perodine looked at me, then to Drake and Landen. “I believe you have healed him enough times, that you have let your energy inside of him enough that his body has developed a tolerance for you, that it will accept you. I’m sure it will be painful, but it will not destroy you.”

  “A few mild wounds aren’t enough. They’re too strong – I would dare say equal in power.”

  “I agree with Perodine,” I said, glancing to Landen at my side. What had happened that morning when he woke gave me every reason to believe that in some way they were sharing energy. I admit I wasn’t fond of that, but knowing that it would help now began to give me some comfort.

  I glanced at Drake to see if he agreed. He and Landen were locked in a placid gaze; it we clear that neither of them liked the idea of sharing any part of themselves.

  “Are you prepared to watch them both die – in front of you?” Alamos said, calling my attention to him. “This is not a guessing game. Their energy is too strong. A few healed wounds is not a direct enough connection; it’s the power behind the energy that will tear them apart -”

  Drake squeezed his hand around mine. “Excuse us,” he said, nodding at Alamos and Perodine. He then turned to leave, looking over his shoulder to make sure that Landen and I were following him.

  He led us to the furthest, darkest corner in the observatory. As I felt Landen’s confidence grow, I knew that he liked whatever intent he felt from Drake, which was a seemingly rare occurrence.

  My eyes moved between them, waiting for Drake to say what he wanted to say in private.

  “Alamos is wrong,” Drake said as a ghostly grin surfaced. “He doesn’t know about Willow giving me strength...not a clue.”

  I felt my stomach fall as every part of me tensed. Landen and I had barely overcome the argument we’d had hours ago about this, and no matter how inviting making up after such a painful argument was, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice; I wasn’t going to agree to this so easily this time.

  Drake looked at Landen. “You empower her, and she empowered me – which means that whatever power she gave me, in a way it came from you. I agree with Perodine, but I’m not going to tell Alamos why. This is our power, our secret; they wouldn’t understand anyway.”

  I swallowed nervously. “What’s going on between the three of us needs to stay that way; the more they worry about us, the more hasty they make decisions or force ideas on us.”

  “I have a fairly high tolerance for pain – do you?” Drake asked Landen.

  “I do,” Landen said firmly as his now steel blue eyes cascaded off Drake. From his swarm of mixed emotions, I knew he wasn’t looking forward to letting his soul use Drake’s body as a vessel. It wasn’t the pain or the threat of death; it was the chance that he�
�d leave that vessel with a part of Drake - and in his mind, that was the last thing he wanted.

  I reached for his hand as I thought of Olivia, every moment from our childhood until now that I could remember. His eyes found mine, and I felt him set the intent to save her - not only for me, but for our family, for Chrispin.

  “You guys have to promise me that if it’s too much, you’ll separate. I don’t care if they see us; I’m mad enough to force those evil bastards across the ocean.”

  Drake furrowed his eyebrows as he looked from me to Landen. “I’m not complaining; in fact, I like it – but she’s getting dangerous...she almost killed Dane while you were gone.”

  “Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” I snapped furious that he’d brought Dane up to Landen.

  Landen angled a harsh glance in my direction. “Do I wanna know what he said?”

  “No,” I said, stepping further away so I wouldn’t show him by accident.

  “Willow, I have to figure out why you get so angry so fast, why you’re starting to see things. I really think you need sleep,” Landen said in a forced calm tone.

  “See things? Like steam on cold water?” Drake asked.

  Landen looked at Drake with questioning eyes.

  Drake nodded toward the pool. “She asked me why the water was hot; it’s ice cold.”

  I shook my head and tried to remain composed. “I tell you what: why don’t the two of you have a nice little chat about how insane I’m becoming? I’ll leave you to that.”

  I started to walk away, but Landen pulled my energy to him. In his arms, I felt an undeniable calm as he leaned his face to mine. Please don’t fight with me...not now...sorry, he thought.

  “Who’s telling Alamos?” I asked aloud, calling a truce.

  Drake’s eyes coldly looked over our embrace. “Me...this should be interesting.”

  He walked in front of us as we passed the pool. Landen let his hand run across the water, then looked at me. I didn’t try to explain why I saw steam because then I’d have to tell him why I pushed Dane in the pool in the first place. I’d rather he think I was insane; that was safer.