Shadow of the Mark

by Leigh Fallon

  I was shoved down the field to where Adam, Áine, and Rían lay motionless. Áine’s eyes met mine, and her voice spoke to me in my head. Buy time. Cú and Sebastian are coming with help. Do what you have to do to stay alive.

  I nodded in her direction and kept moving.

  The guards dragged Adam, Rían, and Áine by the feet and put them into the same positions we’d practiced for the alignment.

  Rían’s eyes cleared a little, and he pushed himself up onto his elbows. “Get off m . . .” He collapsed back to the ground and rolled over.

  “Good, they’re nearly lucid,” Anú said. “We must act now.”

  “What did you give them?” I asked.

  “Just a little something our friends in the Order gave us,” the bulging-eyed guard said with a leer. “Rohypnol. Apparently it’s the one drug with the power to disable your elements. I’d love to give it a go on you.”

  “Quiet, you fool! We need her in control for the transfer,” Anú said, raising a hand to his face and scratching it like a wild animal.

  I scanned the trees for Chloe but didn’t see her. I had to stall Anú. “How many Cluaín are there?”

  She pointed a bony finger at me. “Just one. There is only one Cluaín born every fourth generation. But nobody was ever counting on me being around for longer than my own.”

  Two guards lined up behind Anú. Caitlin and Fionn were forced to their knees in front of the guards, with a knife at each of their throats. Caitlin’s head hung low, and she whimpered. Fionn stared at Anú, his battered face defiant.

  Anú pulled her hood down, revealing tufts of white-gray hair that blurred into her skin. “All you have to do is let the elements flow through you, like you’ve been practicing for the alignment. I’ll do the rest.”

  “Wait! Don’t you need the other Marked?” I asked. Where are you, Chloe?

  She shook her head. “They’re merely vessels. We are the Cluaín; we’re the ones that matter.”

  “But if there can only be one, and I have the Mark, how can you be a Cluaín?”

  Her face writhed with rage. “I may not bear a Mark anymore, but I’m still a Cluaín! I shall bear the fifth. It was my destiny.”

  “But you’re not Marked anymore, so you’re not really a Cluaín, are you? You need me.”

  She screeched, “I am the rightful owner of that power. You should never have received such a gift. You’re not worthy!”

  There was no sign of Cú, Sebastian, or Chloe. I didn’t know how to begin stalling this centuries-old psycho, but I seemed to have hit a nerve in her.

  I raised my chin in defiance. “I don’t know about that. The Sidhe selected me. From what I hear, you had to kill your own mother to claim your Mark. That doesn’t sound like rightful ownership to me.”

  “Ownership is ownership. Who cares if it’s rightful or not? My mother was weak. She chose the Order over her own daughter. She believed in the lies. I was betrayed!” Anú spat through clenched teeth. “I don’t need my Mark to get what I want. All I need is the combined power of the four elements for a few moments. I may not be able to do that by myself, but you can. When you take all four elements, you’ll call upon the fifth. By the time it gets here, I’ll have stripped you of your Mark and the elements you hold. All the elemental imprints in me will confuse the powers. For a few moments, they will recognize me as the true Cluaín, and that will allow me to hold them just long enough to use their power to rejuvenate me and for the fifth to recognize me as the royal blood that will bear it. Now start,” Anú demanded.

  I glared at her. “No!”

  “I command you to start!” She summoned the first guard to her. He pushed Fionn in her direction, with the blade already pressed into his throat. Blood pearled on his skin. Anú took the knife from the guard and ran her tiny fingers along the blade. “You will do this.” Staring at me, she drove the knife into Fionn’s side. He groaned and slowly fell to the ground.

  “NO! Stop. I’ll do it,” I cried out, not taking my eyes off Fionn.

  “Good. Because next time it will be his throat.”

  “I need to be touching them to do it. The elements only pass to and from me when there’s physical contact.”

  Anú sighed. “Fine. Do what you must.”

  I dropped to my knees in front of Rían. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to do,” I whispered, and took Rían’s hand in mine. His eyes flared to a glowing orange as flames ignited around him. I put my other hand out and touched Áine’s cheek. A tear trickled down my face as Áine’s body was encased in ribbons of green and brown, and root networks and opening leaves flickered over her until she became one with the ground. Their energy burned close to me, and my own element jolted in my chest, trying to escape, wanting to join earth and fire. But to my left, burning brighter than the others, was water. I could feel Adam’s element like an old friend, working its way toward me, familiar and warm.

  I gazed at Adam’s body, now encased in a coffin of water. His eyes burned dark and vivid behind the liquid, calling to me. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to block out the calling, until I could bear it no longer. The air whipped around me, and my eyes burst open, knowing they burned white and intense. Earth and fire gathered above my head, swirling together in a magical dance. I felt my chest open as the energy built, my element drawing the others in. Áine was first to go. She writhed and squirmed under her prison of branches and leaves until she came to a stop. The cage of growth fell away and revealed her limp and unmoving body.

  “Yes, yes!” Anú’s voice echoed above the noise of the storm that lashed out around us.

  Rían’s flames wavered, his body fighting the loss of his element. The flames lifted him from the ground, burning and raging around him until I could barely make out his form. I was crying inside, but my element reveled in the moment. It sucked the flames deep into my chest, where they roared so loud I couldn’t hear my own screams.

  I gasped. The water element stood beside me, a luminescent liquid version of Adam himself. It reached out, trying to grasp my hand. I resisted, and shook my head with tears pouring down my face.

  “I can’t do this again, I can’t, I won’t. Don’t do this!” I screamed at Anú.

  “You can and you will,” she replied.

  The elements melted through me. The delicious warmth of fire mingled with the richness of earth and the coolness of water. I felt . . . complete. Immensely powerful. And I hated myself for it. But the feelings swelled up inside of me, seeping into my brain, pushing past any hatred, doubt, and sadness.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Anú’s haunting voice whispered in my ear. I turned to face her. In one swift movement, she pulled the amulet from her neck, threw it around mine, and grabbed my hand. “Now it’s my turn.”

  Pain shuddered through me. My chest dragged forward with such strength that I thought my body had split in two. It was like the searing pain I had felt when Adam’s element had returned to him, only worse . . . much worse. Death would be a relief, but instead the agony continued and the elements proceeded to drain from me.

  A light shone out of my chest and swirled around me, rippling over my skin. I could sense the elements resisting, pausing where her hand met mine, as if they weren’t quite sure. Then they started to seep into her. She jerked at first, convulsing as the power slowly melted into her. I watched in amazement as her body lengthened and filled out, her skin warming and turning a peachy tone.

  Then from the corner of my eye, I spotted Chloe. She crept up behind Anú’s guard, sword at the ready, and felled him with one stroke. The other guards were so enraptured by the display, they didn’t see her approaching. She dived at us and snapped the amulet from my neck. Like springs recoiling, the elements spiraled through the air and smashed simultaneously into Anú and me, throwing us to the ground and forcing our hands apart. Everything was silent for a few moments.

  Then, just in front of us, a crack appeared in the atmosphere. A powerful light ripped through it, slicing through
the air like it was cutting through fabric.

  “What has she done?” Anú screeched, pulling wildly at her still-white hair. “The transfer wasn’t complete!”

  Twenty-eight

  THE FIFTH

  With a flick of Anú’s hand, she formed a magical wall of water that curved up around us, imprisoning her, Chloe, and me with the light that sliced through the air, which was getting bigger every second. Just before the dome closed completely, Randel dived through the gap and swooped on Anú. He went straight for her face, gouging at her eyes. Anú shrieked and slapped at the fluttering black wings, flinging him back, but he came at her again. Water formed on Anú’s hand. She threw the liquid at Randel. Midair, it formed into an icy dagger, hitting Randel clear in the chest. He dropped to the ground with a thump, unmoving. His bright black eyes dulled, staring vacantly.

  My heart felt like it was cracking as I stared at Randel. I could see Fionn hammering on the wall of water. The faint thud of his fists sounded far away as he slid down, landing in a heap at the base.

  Chloe moved toward us, holding the amulet to her chest with her injured arm. The glinting steel of her blade reflected the brilliant light that was now ripping its way into the world. “You have no power over me.”

  With the back of her hand, Anú wiped the blood that oozed from her eye and smeared it on her white dress.

  “Put the amulet back on, Megan,” Anú snarled.

  “So you can kill me?” Chloe said, moving closer.

  Anú’s eyes flicked to the glowing fissure. “We need to finish the transfer. The elements are still split; we must correct that before it comes.”

  “Before what comes?”

  “The fifth. Spirit. Put it on, Megan. NOW.”

  The four elements fizzed under my skin, confused and incomplete. I tried to connect to the strange sensation. It was like they’d been halved somehow. If Anú could use them, I should be able to as well, but I still struggled. It was like my link to them had been severed. The air crackled around us, and I felt drawn to Anú. The elements wanted to be whole again.

  Anú screamed and lurched to one side. “I can’t hold on to the power for much longer. You MUST complete the transfer.”

  “How do we stop the fifth?” I asked.

  Anú growled. “Do you think we can seal a crack between worlds? Once the fifth is called upon, it comes. As soon as you combined the elements, you invited it here. And when it arrives, it will be looking for the Cluaín to bear it. I was Marked, so I can channel the powers just long enough to receive the fifth, but I can’t hold on to elements for too long.” Her eyes searched me. “I swear to you, I won’t harm the other Marked. They’ll get their elements back. All I want is the fifth.” She licked her lips and reached out her hand to Chloe, eyeing the amulet hungrily. “Chloe, you’ll be saving Megan from the sacrifice she’d have to make; you know the fifth has to die before it can live. I’m willing to do that for the power of the fifth element, to be Marked once again.”

  “So what, you’re going to sacrifice Megan now?” Chloe asked. “Because I know there’s no way you’ll let her live.”

  “Either way, Megan will perish. You know what will happen when she gives in to the call of the fifth. Nothing will change that outcome. Chloe, I can offer you so much more than the Knights can. Join me. Be part of something bigger.”

  Chloe lowered her sword in front of her, and my heart stopped. She can’t possibly be considering this, can she?

  Then she stepped closer to Anú. “Never,” she whispered, and in one swift movement, she slid her sword through Anú’s chest.

  “Stupid girl,” Anú howled, dropping to the ground and knocking the amulet from Chloe’s hands. “You leave me no choice!” Anú twisted her arm in the air, and a sphere of water pulled away from the liquid wall. It moved sluggishly, like hot wax in oil, and enveloped Chloe’s body. Chloe fought to remove it—pushing it, pulling it, and dropping to the ground, trying to shake it off—while her horrified face battled for air. Her hand reached for the amulet, but the water bubble held strong, not allowing her to grip it. I tried to call on the water element to stop it, but it didn’t respond.

  Anú gripped the sword and pulled it from her body with a grunt. Then she turned to me. “You have it in you to save her. Put the amulet back on. Finish the transfer. Your life for hers.”

  I stared in horror at Chloe’s now-purple face as she continued to struggle, and I went to retrieve the amulet, but Chloe stumbled in front of me and shook her head.

  “Put it back on!” Anú shrieked.

  Chloe stopped fighting, put her foot over the amulet, and looked me straight in the eye. She smiled sadly, then took a big breath of water. Her body jolted backward, and then she did it again and fell to the ground. I couldn’t look anymore. Anú lurched to the side like there was a magnetic field pulling us together. As soon as her skin made contact with mine, I felt her lose her grip on the elements. Suddenly fire was coursing through me. The heat grew at my core, intensifying until I could no longer contain it. Searing heat and flames filled the air, forming a giant halo that burned through the wall of water. The halo moved rapidly upward, evaporating the water before it could fall. Outside the ring of flames, the fight was raging. Sebastian and Cú had finally arrived with reinforcements and were busy taking down the last of the Knox. I turned my glare to the now-powerless Anú, who looked small and fragile as she lay curled up on the ground, clutching her bleeding stomach.

  “You lose,” I said.

  Anú pointed behind me. “Not yet, I haven’t.”

  The fissure had grown. A bright yellow light pushed it wider. Among the light, a spinning ball of luminious gray particles moved upward. It hovered for a few moments, then pulled apart, forming two spheres—one light, the other dark. The fissure behind them sealed with an ear-splitting crash.

  The white sphere rushed at me. I threw out all the elements at once, trying to shield myself, but it powered through them all. I braced myself for impact, but it never came. The sphere dissolved on contact. I gasped as a tingling sensation began at my center and rippled out. Everything got very bright, and for a moment, I was blinded. I squeezed my eyes closed against the glare. As the sensation finally ebbed, I dared to look again. Anú was edging forward as the dark sphere moved around me, curling along my limbs as if it were seeking an entry.

  “The fifth separated! It must have sensed the two Cluaíns and separated!” Anú laughed hysterically. She put out her hands and beckoned to the dark sphere. “No! Come to me. I’m the one you seek. I will make you whole again. Together we will make the circle come full.”

  The swirling ball of mist stopped moving over my body. It suddenly raced at Anú, forcing itself into her mouth, stretching it wider and wider until Anú’s face was completely distorted. Anú screamed and staggered toward the wall of fire that still burned brightly. Her eyes opened wide with terror as she ran toward it, melting into the flames. Her cries blended into the roar of the inferno; the two were indistinguishable. Anú’s charred bones fell into a heap with a hollow knocking sound as the mist started to swirl and form back into a sphere. My heart beat wildly as the sphere moved back toward me. I didn’t dare breathe. Then it glided away across the grass, stopping abruptly at Chloe’s body. It started moving erratically, nudging her like a curious animal. Suddenly the mist spread out over her body, smothering it for a moment, and then it sank into her skin. As it did, Chloe twitched. Her head darted from side to side until her chin pointed to the sky and her body stretched out with a jolt. Her face scrunched up and her eyes shot open as a dark ripple glided across her features.

  Then I watched in awed horror as Chloe sat forward, coughing up water and then gasping for breath.

  Cú raced past me and scooped Chloe up in his arms. “I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead,” he repeated over and over with a broken voice. “I’m so sorry.”

  Caitlin ran to my side and tugged my arm. “You better come quick.”

  She guided
me to Fionn, and I dropped to my knees beside him. “Fionn!” The wind whipped up around me, and the clouds descended, low, dark, and swirling. Thunder crashed and lightning snapped at the sky, striking a hay barn the next field over, engulfing it in flames.

  I put my hands on his face. Áine had been able to heal animals before. Maybe it could work for people too. I took another deep breath and focused all my energy on him, struggling to get a grip on the elements whirling inside me. The trees loomed over me, their limbs reaching for my arms and body, wrapping themselves around me in an embrace.

  I felt Áine’s compassion and emotion flow through the branches as they hugged me. The heat of Rían’s fire radiated off my skin, followed by rain, gentle and soft. I could not mistake Adam’s caress in the water that trickled over my body. I breathed deeply and exhaled long and hard until there wasn’t an ounce of air left in my system. I lost myself to the comfort that Áine, Adam, and Rían gave me and leaned down to Fionn. “Please don’t leave us,” I whispered. I felt so small as I cradled his head in my arms, willing some of the elemental comfort into what life remained in him. A shallow, gurgled breath escaped his lips. I dared to hope, waiting for the next one. But it didn’t come.

  I looked at the distraught faces around me. “Someone do something!” I leaned on Fionn’s chest, started doing chest compressions, and watched as blood trickled from his mouth. “Help me!!”

  A hand rested on my shoulder. “Megan, his injuries were too severe. He’s gone.”

  I whipped my head around and saw Sebastian standing behind me. “You haven’t even tried!”

  He kneeled down beside me. “He’s gone, Megan. We have to take him now. We have to clear the field of all evidence of what happened here today.”

  The tears gushed down my face as I looked over to where Adam, Rían, and Áine lay. “They never got a chance to say good-bye to their mother and father—please, give them the chance to say good-bye to Fionn. They deserve that. Fionn deserves that.”