Vital

by Jamie Magee

  I smiled at Dane as I reached for my black coat, which was hanging on the banister. “Good to have you back.”

  He stepped forward and helped me push my arms through the coat, then opened the door. I breathed in the winter air, feeling elated by it. Dane leaned against the railing and smiled at me. “I wanted to tell you thank you,” he said quietly.

  “It was nothing. I have no issue destroying that devil – even if it’s piece by piece.”

  He shook his head from side to side. “That’s not what I meant. Clarissa told me everything: how she told you that she was wrong about me, that I wasn’t her soul mate and she was just eager to find hers, that you wouldn’t listen to her -”

  “Because I knew she was wrong. I didn’t understand it, what you were doing to yourself, but I wasn’t going to let anyone toss you aside.”

  Dane reached his arms around his chest as if he were remembering the pain I’d inflicted on the one we’d thought was Dane. “You definitely put me in my place,” he said, smiling slightly.

  “You remember that?” I asked as my smile faded.

  “I don’t remember any of it clearly – only parts. I remember sending Clarissa away from me, fighting with you...everything else is really vague. Your dad said to let it come to me slowly, that I needed to let myself forget what my mind couldn’t handle and use what it could.”

  “I don’t think it was you...it couldn’t have been.”

  He smiled slightly. “I hope you’re right. The flashes of memories I see aren’t good. They make me sick to my stomach. I just want to promise you that I’ll do whatever I have to do to pay you back for believing in me when I didn’t deserve it.”

  “You deserved it; you’ve always been there for me.”

  He nodded and looked down. “Always will be.”

  I felt Landen and Brady getting closer. I reached up to hug Dane, and he wrapped his arms around me tightly. “I’ll get Clarissa and come with you.”

  I pulled away. “Go home and lock yourself in your house with her. I’ll come get you when I need you.”

  He nodded as a grin spread across his face.

  Landen pulled up in front of our porch, and I slid in the backseat.

  “How’s Felicity?” I asked Brady as we drove to the passage.

  He looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. “Better now. I swear, she feels what you go through at a distance.”

  I wanted to talk to her about that dream but didn’t have time right then. I knew Olivia needed me; she needed me to tell her that the dreams she had were coming true, that I was more than sure who that song belonged to – more than sure that Charlie’s world was about to collide with mine.

  Once we stepped into the passage, Landen took my hand and Brady walked on my other side.

  “How many storms has the looking glass created?” I asked, looking between the two of them.

  “I’ve only heard of a few,” Brady said, looking down at me. “August thinks they were just created by the looking glass going under water; we haven’t felt one since around that time.”

  I nodded but kept my guard up; I didn’t believe that the devil wasn’t wanting for another chance to hurt me. In the distance, I felt the eagerness of Marc coming toward us. Landen gripped my hand as he felt Marc’s intent to warn us.

  We started to walk faster to meet him; a second later, he emerged from the glow of the string. He seemed relieved to have found us so easily.

  “What is it?” Landen asked him.

  Marc shook his head. “I’m not sure. There are rumors that Drake found Willow, that they were joined. They’re saying that this morning, they saw her and him in a window. He didn’t give a speech or anything; a member of the court just announced that he was taking control of the palace, that this was all over.”

  I looked up at Landen. “What?! He found her?”

  It could be just a careless rumor, he thought. I knew he didn’t believe it; I knew he’d unraveled something in the vision that I showed him of Charlie, but he wasn’t sharing it - not yet, not until he was certain.

  “Let’s go there,” he said to Marc.

  “I’ll show the passage to his chambers,” Marc said.

  As we walked closer to Esterious, I felt the confusion and concern of Beth.

  “They’re in here,” I said, walking faster.

  “Drake isn’t with them,” Landen said, holding my hand tighter. “She and Alamos are with another traveler.

  A moment later, I saw three images coming forth: it was Beth, Alamos, and a young man I’d seen before helping us carry my followers through the string.

  “What’s going on?” Marc asked, reaching for Beth to let her know he was there.

  The traveler looked at Landen. “Mrs. Beth saw me on the streets outside of the estate and sent a messenger to ask me to bring them to the palace. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  Landen nodded as if to tell him it was fine, then reached for Alamos. “What’s happening?”

  “I don’t know,” Alamos said as he blindly looked forward. “I can’t get into his chambers; he’s sealed himself in there. I knew you could come through the passage. I’m worried that he might have hurt himself or something worse.”

  “What about the rumors?” I asked.

  “What rumors?” Alamos asked as his eyes blindly moved to the sound of my voice.

  “That he’s found me and has taken over the palace. They say they saw him in a window with me,” I answered.

  “I heard that through the whispers of the staff; that’s why I was so worried. He’s never blocked me out before...something is wrong...I can feel it,” Beth said.

  Landen looked at the traveler. “Take them to the palace.”

  “Wait,” Alamos said. “You need to find the male twins. The scroll said they can see darkness, light...they have something to do with music.”

  “We know,” Landen said solemnly, regretting that we hadn’t already searched for them, regretting that the universe itself had kept us apart for some distant reason. “I know how to find them...” Landen said, looking me.

  “Who’s with Drake?” Brady asked, trying to understand what was going on.

  “Time to find out,” Landen said, nodding for the traveler to lead Beth and Alamos.

  Marc’s steps were bold as he led us to the passage that would lead into Drake’s chambers. “When you walk through here, it’ll feel like you’re in a closet. A few steps forward, and you’ll be in a living area. His bedroom is to the right, and the door to the rest of the estate is to the left. I’m going to make sure mom gets to the palace safely.”

  Landen nodded, telling him to go.

  “Are you coming back there?” Marc asked.

  “Depends...if you don’t find us there, we’ll be in Infante. I need to find Chrispin and Austin,” Landen answered.

  “Austin?” Marc and Brady said at the same time.

  Landen nodded. “I think he may be holding the key to the next trial. I have a feeling that we’re not alone in this war...we need the musicians.”

  “Musicians?” Marc repeated in disbelief.

  Landen looked down at me, then to them. “Music can’t be seen or touched; it can only be felt. Music, like every art, evokes emotion. Willow always expresses emotion through art; when you look at her work, you feel what she felt. I think these twins - and a girl that’s with them - are changing emotions with this gift; they’re fighting at our side, even though we’re worlds apart.”

  “A girl?” Brady asked.

  Landen nodded. “Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. It makes sense; I just don’t know how to explain it.”

  I felt an uneasy tension rise between each of us; everything seemed to be falling into place and apart at the same time.

  “I don’t think you’re crazy,” Brady said. “Felicity dreamed of two girls that had the same tattoo as Willow. She said Olivia was there, too.”

  I knew from Brady’s emotion that it wasn’t a good dream – that instead it was a night
mare. The girls weren’t bad, not at all; the demon we were fighting was. A shiver ran through my soul as my thoughts raced.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Marc said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Go back to the palace. Tell Perodine to look for anything that would mention people saving the dead. We’ll check on Drake, then...then I’ll go get Olivia. We all need to be in the same room, work out these dreams and visions...Mars has begun.”

  Marc nodded, then took off in a sprint toward Beth.

  Landen looked at Brady as he put his hand on the small of my back, urging me to go through the passage to Drake’s chambers.

  When we stepped through, the emotion I felt took my breath away. It was blindly seductive...I recognized this emotion...it was her - that girl that was with Dane in the alley. There was a demon in there with him, and I wasn’t going to let her seduce Drake. I began to run toward the emotion as rage came through me. Thunder exploded in the air, and lightning caused the lights to go out; only the gleam from a massive fireplace gave the room light at that point.

  I felt the emotion in the shadows of the fireplace, and I stepped forward, ready for anything – almost anything. What I saw made me so sick, I had to hold in the nausea. Drake was leaning against the wall, his eyes almost completely closed. A woman - a girl with her hair in a French twist - was leaning into him. There was a mark on her neck: a birthmark that reflected a broken heart. I watched as her lips moved across his neck, and jealousy, rage – every possessive emotion in me - caused the weather outside to beat against the palace.

  “Step back,” I said firmly.

  As the girl turned to look at me, I saw her blue eyes – blue eyes that could easily mock innocence. She looked over me as if I were some kind of plague, then her eyes moved beside me - to Landen. I glanced at him at my side. He was trying his best to understand who this woman was, what power she had over Drake. She reached her hand to Drake’s eyes and closed them; just as he slid to the floor, she began to walk to Landen.

  Brady and I both blocked her with all the energy we had as Landen stood paralyzed. A wall of energy-mocking water was between us and her and Drake. “We have to get him!” I yelled to Brady, who seemed to be the only one that was as clearheaded as I was.

  At that moment, the girl blew a kiss at Landen - and he instantly fell to the ground. I screamed and ran to his side. Brady turned and sent another bolt of his energy at the chamber doors, hoping that someone – guards, anyone - would come help us.

  All at once, I heard a screaming guitar and electrifying drums; it was as if we were standing in the middle of a concert. I looked to the girl, thinking that she was doing this, but the music was actually hurting her. Her hands were on her ears as she screamed through her teeth, then vanished before our eyes.

  The wall of energy between us and Drake fell, and Brady ran to Drake’s side. I continued to scream Landen’s name as my hands rushed over his body.

  Despair filled every part of me; I just knew I’d lost them both, that that girl had them somewhere. Rage was all I could feel, and the weather reflected that as stones from the estate began to break apart.

  Brady put Drake over his shoulder and took him to the passage, then returned immediately for me and Landen. I followed him to the string as the estate was ripped apart.

  Both Landen and Drake’s bodies lay on the string floor. I took their hands and pulled them to my chest, wanting them to move, to make one sound.

  “Stay right here, Willow – I’m getting help!” Brady yelled over his shoulder as he ran toward the passage that led to the palace.

  Tears streamed down my face. “Neither of you are leaving me – do you hear me?!” I yelled at the seemingly lifeless bodies of Landen and Drake.

  I thought I felt Landen squeeze my hand and crawled closer to him, wrapping myself - my energy - around the three of us. I was determined to end the existence of that girl...she was now my one and only enemy.

  Acknowledgments....

  I am still eternally grateful for every soul that encouraged me to write/publish my debut novel Insight....thank you once again.

  I also want to thank my husband, Lem, for listening to my random thoughts and ideas as each of these stories came to life, he is not only the love of my life but the man who keeps me sane on this insane adventure. I want to thank my children who inspire me to become more than I am today with a simple glance, and the echo of laughter and joy that surrounds me constantly.

  I want to thank Jan Galloway for being the best first draft Beta that has ever existed. Cynthia Garcia for critiquing the second draft and encouraging me every step of the way. Christy Alley, Samantha McGarth, Shenoah Hutchins, Khristie Tuttle, Sabrina Poe-Wells, for being the best Beta’s a girl could ask for - your feedback is always VITAL.

  Marek Purzycki has got to be the most patient, talented graphic artist I have ever met, thank you for giving my series a face.

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