"Come back here you cowards!" Hemingway shouted. "If you run away you break your contract with the mages. Do you want your mates and pups to know how spineless you are?"
The wolves stopped at the edge of the clearing. They did not run, but they did not move towards us either. They were silent, waiting to see what happened next.
The Headmaster grunted and shook his head. "Fine by me then." He muttered a short hex and the wolves dropped dead in the snow.
I gasped. "You murderer!" I had never seen a killing spell before.
"Collateral damage, my dear. I don't work with cowards." Hemingway turned his attention back to me. "You're lucky I can't do the same thing to your boyfriends here." He nodded to the trio. "Or else I would have killed them too."
"You wouldn't dare!" I shouted.
"Don't test me, girl," He said. "Their fathers may be higher-ups in the Sons of Hell, but from this point on they will be branded as traitors, just like your parents."
"My parents did nothing to you!" I screamed.
"Actually, they did. Why do you defend their innocence when you know nothing of their past?" Mr. Hemingway asked. He knitted his fingers together and stared at me, waiting for an answer.
"What do you mean?" I asked. I gripped the heavy axe tightly.
The boys stood behind me in a semi-circle. "Don't listen to him, Evie."
"She doesn't have to listen. I can show her," The Headmaster said. He snapped his fingers and the world disappeared around me.
When I opened my eyes I was floating above a dark room.
The air was hot and had a tangy metallic smell. Candles were aligned in complicated patterns. Sigils were drawn with salt and herbs on the floor. Dark figures lined the room and at the center was a lump of dark material. It looked strange, like crumbling wet ash.
"We can't do this. No more killing. I won't stand for it!" It was my father, dressed in a ceremonial robe. His athame was hanging loosely in his left hand.
My mother was nearby in a white dress, her pregnant belly was full and round.
Garth Hemingway stepped into the light. "Mr. Knight, you have to continue or else the others will have died for nothing."
"We can't do this," My father pleaded. "We will never find the key to immortality like this. This is a crime against humanity!"
"They are non-magical folk. No one will miss them," Hemingway said.
"I will not kill any more innocent people for you! I quit!" My father shouted.
"You will uphold your part of the contract, Knight. The Seers said that the mundanes must die at the hands of a warlock, not a mage. You swore your allegiance to us."
"I do not want to live forever if it means others have to die," My father said solemnly. He looked so young, confused, and torn by what the others were saying. "Find yourself another warlock!"
Hemingway frowned. He too looked young. He looked to be in his twenties here, but the anger in his eyes was the same as I knew. "If you will not continue, you will be marked as a traitor and killed yourself." He pointed to my mother. "And your unborn child. No member of the Knight family will be allowed to live for this betrayal!"
"No!" My mother screamed. A hooded man grabbed for her and she ran to my father's side.
My father raised his athame. "I will not be your puppet any longer. Tell the Sons of Hell that I am finished!" He raised his athame, the blade glittered in the candlelight. Hooded men surged towards him, but he vanished in a blast of silver light, taking my mother with him.
I gasped and the world lurched forward. I was back in the clearing.
"Now do you see? Your father betrayed us. The Sons of Hell wanted to bring the gift of immortality to the world and he betrayed us! We lost years of progress thanks to his sudden change of heart."
I couldn't believe what I saw. I was still processing the scene in my mind. "My father was a good man," I shouted.
"Don't defend him! You know nothing of the horrors he committed under the veil of science. He was as dark as any of us," Hemingway said. "And we lost everything when he betrayed us."
"Then I consider him a hero," I said.
Our attention was sidetracked by the whine of a wolf. The gray wolf shook off the icy stuck to his fur and snapped at us before limping away.
"I didn't kill him," Knox said softly, his voice brimming with relief.
Hemingway growled and attempted to hex the wolf, but it ran off into the trees. "Damn, it will find the others." He turned back to me, his eyes blazing. "We don't have time for chatting. This ends now, girl. Come with me."
"I was clear last time. I'm not going anywhere with you!" I raised my the axe over my head and swung at the Headmaster.
He swore and ripped the axe out of my hand, slicing open his hand in the process. He dropped the weapon and groaned, his blood spilling out onto the wet grass. "Damn you girl, you're just like your father!"
A few weeks ago, I would have hated anyone who said that to me. This time, it filled me with pride. My father, the quiet man who hid his magic for years, had stood up to the mages and tried to right the wrongs of his past. Newfound respect for him burst in my heart.
Blake stepped beside me, his hands holding balls of fire. "It's over, Hemingway," He said. "You're outnumbered and out matched. You can't take on the four of us."
"So you're really betraying the community for her?" Hemingway sighed and shook his head. "I expected more from you, Blake Hood. I truly did."
"I will not be associated with murderers," Blake said. "Even we have honor, and you are a despicable mage."
Zane and Knox appeared on either side of me, their elemental powers ready for a fight. The wind whipped a chill around us. Ice spread like thick silver roots along the ground.
Mr. Hemingway looked nervous, an expression that I had never thought I'd see on his face. "You will all regret this day." He spat and vanished in a burst of purple smoke.
A moment of silence enveloped us before Blake spoke. "We need to move. Now."
Without another word, we scrambled to get our belongings packed up and filled my half-empty gym bag with supplies and food. We'd need as much as we could carry. Knox found another bag in the kitchen and stuffed more food and the first aid kit inside.
A chorus of howls rang out through the forest in a haunting melody.
"More wolves," Blake said.
"We need to get moving," Knox added.
Zane shook his head. "They'll catch our scent. We can't walk."
"Then what should we do?" Blake asked.
"We walk and I will burn the trail behind us, it's the best option." Blake said.
I couldn't meet his eyes. Had he really planned on betraying me and only change his mind last minute? Was this all part of a larger conspiracy to hand me over to the Sons of Hell. How could I trust them? But what choice did I have now? Without them I would be captured by the wolves.
"What's wrong, Evie?" Knox asked gently.
"Aside from the obvious?" I failed to keep the bite out of my voice. "Sorry," I said quickly. "I just wish I had access to my magic. I could get us out of here in a flash." The three of them looked at me. I was silent, still shocked by everything. I had no other answer for them; I was powerless.
"I'll take care of it," Zane said. "But it's a complicated spell that I've only done once before."
"It's the only chance we have," Knox urged. "Please, you have to!"
Zane drew a circle in the grass around us and made complicated sigils in the air as he went. The magic hung at eye-level, glowing and pulsing. The atmosphere around us shifted and the air rippled like waves.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Zane reached out his hands and motioned for us to do the same.
We linked arms and closed our eyes.
Zane's chanting grew faster and faster. The wind howled and swirled around us. Then my stomach twisted and my body felt as if it were floating and getting tossed around like a leaf. There was one last hard whoosh and then, everything stopped.
TWENTY
FIVE
------------------------
EVIE
When I opened my eyes, the hunting cabin was gone. We were in the middle of a sparse forest of bare trees and long brown grass. "What the?"
"Ha! I did it!" Zane cheered. "I've never asked the wind for that much of a favor before." He whooped and jumped for joy.
"The wind?" I asked.
Knox smiled at me. "The wind portaled us to safety. We won't leave a trail this way."
"That's amazing." I breathed.
"Elemental magic is an amazing blessing," Knox said.
Blake was strangely quiet. He looked westward to the sun, doing nothing but staring and thinking. "This is just a temporary fix," He said quietly.
The atmosphere sobered instantly.
I looked around. In the distance, past the waves of rolling grass I saw a old farmhouse with a big red barn. "There's a house over there, maybe we can get help. The mundane humans won't know a thing about our past, we can hide out there for the night and then make a plan."
"That's as good of a plan as any," Zane shoved his hands into his pockets and shivered; the air was growing colder.
Blake took my bag and threw it over his shoulder. "Wow, this is heavy, you're stronger than you look."
"Looks can be deceiving," I said with an edge.
Blake frowned. "Is this about what the Headmaster said?"
"Of course it is, what else would it be? You were going to sell me back to him? What changed your mind?" I demanded.
"I don't want to deal with this right now, witch," He snapped and walked off in the direction of the farm house, taking long strides.
Knox shot me a sympathetic look. "He'll come around, Evie."
"Did you guys know about this?" I asked.
They shook their heads. "Blake said we had to find you, he didn't tell us why and we didn't ask. But, trust me when I say, I'm sure he had your best interests at heart," Knox said.
"He sure has a funny way of showing it." I muttered.
Zane shrugged. He was shivering."Come on, let's get inside and go from there, alright?"
Blake was already far ahead of us.
My ankle was sore, but walking didn't hurt too much. We followed Blake to the farmhouse, the boys walking slow to keep pace with my slight limp.
When we reached the house, the sky was washed with a pink and purple glow. Crickets were chirping in the long grass. A rusty car sat on blocks in the driveway, the windows were broken and boarded up, and the garden was nothing but a wild mess of weeds. The farmhouse was abandoned.
"No one's home." Zane stated the obvious.
"It looks like they've been gone for a while." Knox opened the gate and it swung to the side with a squeak. He ran up to the front door. "It's been foreclosed!" He pulled a piece of paper off the door and a shower of dirt and cobwebs fell to the porch. "Since two-thousand and nine. Bank repossession." He crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the grass.
I covered my nose. It smelled like cat pee and rotting wood. "So it's been like this for ten years? I don't think we should go in there, guys," I said.
"It'll be fine, little blue." Zane kicked in the door and what was inside took our breath away.
Everything was exactly how the former owner had left it: chairs and couches covered in sheets, dishes stacked on the counters, magazines waiting to be read, unopened mail sitting by the umbrella stand.
"They had planned to come back, I think," Knox said. He opened the fridge and slammed it closed. "Don't open that." He gagged. "Holy shit, that's awful."
"Good thing we brought food." Blake set my bag down. The hardwood floor creaked as he walked.
"Seems clean enough, aside from the kitchen," Knox said. "It'll do for one night."
I stood by the window and kept a look out. Shortly after the sunset, it started snowing. I didn't speak for the rest of the night, refusing any conversation, eating alone, and sleeping on the dusty sofa. I needed time to think about everything I had been through in the past forty-eight hours. It seemed like a dream or a scene from a movie. None of this seemed like real life.
None of the guys pressed the matter. Blake was as quiet as me. Knox busied himself cooking up whatever he could with the supplies we brought. Zane tried to be his normal goofy self, but his jokes fell on deaf ears.
I settled down on the sofa and curled myself up in a white sheet. Right now I needed sleep. In the morning I would decide what to do next.
~
When I woke up the next morning, the old farm house was quiet and cold. All of the supplies were stacked neatly on the table, but the boys were no where to be found. "Hello?" I called out.
Something didn't feel right. I grabbed my bag and found it nearly empty. My wand. It was gone. I gasped and scrambled to my feet. I ran upstairs and found no one. I ran back downstairs, calling out. "Blake! Knox! Zane!"
I threw open the front door. Snow covered the fields. Footprints led away from the farm house and towards the barn. Three sets of footprints, to be exact. I growled under my breath, pulled my boots on, tugged my gym sweater over my shirt and stomped out into the cold, carrying my bag over my shoulder.
I followed their footprints to the barn. "Blake! Knox! Zane!" I shouted.
The barn door was ajar, it looked like a giant crooked mouth. I walked in and found the three of them in a circle at the center. "What are you guys doing?" I demanded.
Blake looked up and forced a smile. "Ah, Evie. I was hoping we'd be done before you woke up."
"Done what?" I demanded.
Knox gestured to the floor. At the center lay the shards of my broken wand, a few thin tree branches, and a pile of charcoal.
"What are you guys doing to my wand?" I shrieked.
Blake held me back. "We were going to fix it for you."
My anger immediately vanished. "Fix... fix my wand?" I repeated softly.
Blake nodded.
"The original wand to serve as the base, twigs to reform the wood, charcoal to heat it. But we need metal to bind it all together." Knox added. "Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything in the barn. We need pure precious metal." He held up a twisted fork that had been sacrificed in a futile attempt. 'We can't complete the spell without it."
I rummaged around in my gym bag and pulled out my silver necklace."My locket?" I said. "My parents gave it to me, but I don't like to wear it."
"Then why don't we give it new life in your wand." Blake asked.
Zane nodded. "That should work fine."
I hesitated, looking down at the empty locket. If this was the cost to repair my wand, it had to be done. I nodded and threw it down into the pile. "Please, fix my wand," I said with a trembling voice.
"Stay back," Knox said. The three boys joined hands and began to chant. A spark of fire, a burst of wind, and a shard of ice shot into the fragments of my wand. The items began to glow, rising up and swirling together. A great heat burst out of the center, followed by a flash of blinding light.
When I lowered my arm to see, my breath failed me. Levitating between the boys was a new wand. It was long and elegant. The wood was dark and silver filigree coiled around the handle. The magic in my soul vibrated with longing.
"It's beautiful," I said.
Blake let go of Knox's hand so I could enter the circle. "And it's yours, Evie."
I slowly wrapped my fingers around the silver wand handle and the glowing intensified. It grew to fill the barn and then entered my soul to connect the wand to my magic. I gasped. The wand felt warm. I held it up, examining the silver patterns of flames, snowflakes, and wind.
"We used our powers to bond it," Blake explained. "Our powers are part of you now. We are magically bonded. Your strength and determination has been inspiring and I am humbled to know a witch as powerful as you."
My lips trembled. "Thank you." It was all I could say. Words failed me.
The boys came closer and wrapped me in a hug. I breathed in the smell of them, the warmth, the sensation of their touch. This felt s
o right.
Blake kissed me first and a fire burst within me. "From this moment on, we are linked through fire and I will protect you until my dying day."
Knox kissed me next, his lips were cool against mine. "From this moment on, we are bound by ice and I will protect you until my dying day."
Zane touched my cheek and kissed me hard. "From this moment on, we are connected by the wind and I will protect you until my dying day."
They pressed my body between the three of them. "Evelyn Knight, it is our honor to be with you and help you find your parents and your purpose."
Hot tears ran down my cheeks. I looked at each of them in turn, feeling a strange connection that I had never felt before. "Our magic is bonded?" I asked.
Knox smiled and nodded. "It was the only way to fix your wand."
"It seems you're stuck with us now, Evie," Zane added.
I turned to Blake and the fire in his eyes told me all I needed to know. He was never going to betray me. Hemingway was a cruel liar who tried to drive doubt between us. We were meant for each other, and despite our less than ideal beginnings, I would have these three men until the end.
I brought their hands together with mind. "Good thing I'm good at sharing."
The three men chuckled and we shared another kiss.
Nothing would stop me from finding my parents now and clearing their names. I would fight to the gates of hell if I had to. I would take down the corrupt mages that were killing in the name of immortality. I would reunite myself with my family. And I would do it all with my bonded men at my side. With my magic renewed, I would be unstoppable.
EPILOGUE
------------------------
BLAKE
I would never associate myself with murderers.
I had done a lot of bad shit in my day. More than I could count or would be proud to admit. I was only twenty and I had done my share of blackmail, extortion, robbery, harassment, you name it, I had done it. But murder? Especially the murder of innocent people. Someone who dared take life wasn't a criminal, they were a monster.
I sat keeping watch in the old farmhouse. Evie, Knox, and Zane were upstairs. The sounds of their lovemaking had gone quiet, so I could only assume they were fast asleep. Jealousy didn't effect me when it came to them. I would have my chance with her in the morning. I wouldn't have been able to pleasure her properly with my mind in a foggy place like this, anyways.
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