Clara rushed into her plain, puritan bedroom. “I heard you calling out for me. Did you have another vision?”
She nodded. “A dagger encrusted with emeralds, slicing through someone’s wrist. Blood magic.”
“But you don’t know whose?”
“You know how the visions work.”
“I do,” Clara replied.
“You are still angry with me,” she noted.
“You should not have attacked Branson without me. You almost died, Thessa.”
“I have told you, I went alone to keep you and Cora—“
“Safe,” Clara said. “You do not need to tell me twice.”
She nodded, remembering that repeated information was one of Clara’s annoyances. Clara did not need things repeated; she could replay conversations in her mind, word for word, which was both a blessing and a curse.
Clara glanced at her thoughtfully. “How did the meeting with President Vega go?”
“He asked me to find the daughters of Michael,” Thessa admitted. “He knew I had been helping them.”
“What did he threaten you with?” Clara asked.
“President Vega—” she entered a fit of coughs, reminding her that she was an old woman. She patted her chest, clearing her throat. “President Vega is afraid of me. He would not harm me.”
“Did having your soul touched teach you nothing? You are strong, but not invincible.”
“And not afraid,” she added, in a tone that she hoped would end the matter.
“What was it then?” Clara asked.
“You. Your sister.” She sighed, feeling the weight of all the secrets resting heavily on her chest.
“So he’s coming after us,” Clara said.
“He might,” Thessa said, “Unless I can protect you. However, if Vega captures you, he will use you, but he won’t kill you. Your gifts would be too tempting for him.”
“Thessa,” Clara said softly. “In your condition, and with Vega watching us so closely, it might be smart to let Brie go with Sirena. We both know she’ll be safest if she disappears. And Theos knows Sirena can evade her enemies. She’s been doing it for nearly a century.”
“Milena didn’t approve of Sirena’s wild paranoia. She didn’t want that life for her children.”
“But you don’t owe Milena anything. Haven’t you done enough for that family? You were just a servant to them, so many years ago. Yet, a hundred years later, you still feel loyal to them.”
“Yes, I have helped Milena and Sirena for nearly a century now, but never only of my own kindness. They are the last daughters of Michael, and the New Order is weak. If the Nephilim attacked, they would likely demolish the Hallows… especially with the stones missing. But if Sirena and Brie can find the stones and take back control from the New Order, we might stand a chance.”
“Is that why we’ve followed Brie all the way here? Another war with the Nephilim that never changes anything? We win, they win, we all coexist.”
“I believe Brie will play a critical role in the upcoming war with the Nephilim,” Thessa admitted. “She may even be a the catalyst.”
“Did you see this in your visions?” Clara asked.
She sighed. “No, it is just a hunch.”
“We have never lived our lives based on hunches,” Clara said quietly. “You don’t know that there will be a war, you don’t know what Sirena and Brie are needed for, or if they could really win.”
“Your father Bes cared about little else restoring the Natural Crown,” she said. “He sacrificed his life for it.”
“And you?”
“I believe in the cause and want to see the Natural Crown restored. But more importantly, I’m trying to protect you and your sister,” Thessa said. “Vega wanted your father’s and mother’s powers. He couldn’t have them, so he would like yours. You will never be safe until he’s overthrown.”
“But why help the daughters of Michael? They have no supporters. Why not back a more promising leader? Or wait it out until after another war with the Nephilim?”
“There is something else—something besides this new daughter of Michael.” She took a deep breath, fully aware of how difficult this information would be for Clara to hear. “When I first helped Milena and Sirena escape, their mother put a protective charm on them and all who protected them from the New Order. That charm kept us safe for years, until Milena had her last child.”
“Brie,” Clara said.
“Yes. I’m not sure if you remember that we had to move several times during this period.”
“I do,” Clara said. “Though you never told me why.”
“We had no idea this would break the charm, or that the charm was even in place. Milena figured it out, then she found the solution her mother had used to put the charm in place. She made the very same elixir again for herself and her family. It allowed her to evade the New Order for fifteen more years without detection.”
“And then she died,” Clara said slowly.
“She made that elixir for us as well, and Sirena,” Thessa said quickly, before Clara could put the pieces together on her own. “That is how we all stayed safe.”
“So for the last fifteen years, the main reason we’ve been able to evade the New Order is something Milena gave us?”
She nodded. “We owe Milena our lives. But it came with a price.”
Clara looked suspicious. “What?”
“She bound the elixir to her life. And she promised me the recipe for this elixir in exchange for my loyalty in the event of her death. She wanted me to watch over Pilot and Brie and keep her away from the New Order.
“I had almost forgotten about the elixir, but when Vega summoned me to the capital, I knew it’s powers had been broken again. I remembered the clues Milena had given me about the elixir, and several of the ingredients. So I went to Barcelona not just to meet him, but also to retrieve the recipe we needed.”
“If we have this recipe, we’re safe, right? We can make another elixir?”
Thessa frowned. “You know how Milena was. Persuasive, without giving the ones around her any real choice. She was a strategist who masterfully moved the pieces around the board. I found the recipe easily, but I’m missing one of the ingredients—one that is incredibly challenging to procure. I stayed in Barcelona longer still in an attempt to find it.”
“What is the ingredient?” Clara asked.
She paused for a long moment, debating whether to confide in Clara. I cannot protect them from the grave, she reminded herself. “Blood.”
Clara’s face paled. “Is that what your vision meant? ‘A dagger encrusted with emeralds, slicing through someone’s wrist.’ Does this elixir require blood magic?”
She swallowed, nervous of what Clara was thinking. “The darkest of kinds,” she whispered.
“What kind of blood?” Clara asked. She said nothing. With more urgency, she said, “What kind, Thessa?”
She looked down at her hands. “Blood of Luci.”
“Blood of Luci,” Clara repeated. “You should not have kept this from me. All these years, I’ve been protected through blood magic? It’s against our laws.”
“I know. I had no choice.”
“It was not your choice to begin with!” Clara stood up, pacing the bedroom floor.
“I did not know what Milena was giving me until she died, and granted, I could have asked more questions, but I was so relieved to have reprieve from the New Order for some time. You must understand, I promised your mother and father that I would protect you and your sister.”
Clara scoffed. “You and your promises. You’ve promised Milena that you will protect her children and sister in one breath, and promised President Vega that you will turn them over in another. You’ve promised my parents that you will protect us, and dragged Cora and I into the middle of a war that is not ours to fight.”
“I do not pretend I have chosen correctly. When you reach my age, you will understand that life is not as black and white as—”
>
“Shut up,” Clara said sharply. “Your age is worth nothing if it has not brought you wisdom.”
“Clara,” Thessa said firmly. “We have no path to safety without this elixir. Vega will come for us in the next several months.”
“So you want to do more illegal blood magic,” Clara said. “Wonderful.”
“It feels like the only choice to me.”
Clara appeared to be mulling it over. “How do we get this blood of Luci?”
Thessa shrugged. “I can’t be certain, but Milena plays her games well. I would guess that the only way to get the blood of Luci will require us to do one of two things: train Brie to use her powers, or make amends with Sirena.”
Clara smirked. “I might rather work for President Vega than play Milena’s games. I’m tired of being your soldier in her war.”
Thessa frowned. “The war between the daughters of Michael and the New Order is rapidly approaching. We will all have to choose sides. I will not force you to help the daughters of Michael if you don’t want to.”
“And lose you? Lose my sister? What kind of choice is that?”
She coughed again, this time tasting blood in her mouth. The healing process was getting more difficult the older she got. “My death is coming. Not today, not this week. But soon. For the first time in my life, I can feel how close it is. Please, Clara, let me get this elixir for you and Cora. Let me at least give you the option to say no to Vega, to live your own lives in peace.”
Clara sighed. “Fine. A few more months, and then we send the daughters of Michael off on their own.”
Chapter 25 - Brie
Brie stared out the window at Thessa’s house, watching butterflies flit across the yard from flower to flower.
She hadn’t eaten, hadn’t slept, and hadn’t gone back to school in several days.
She hadn’t been able to talk to Pilot at all, and she couldn’t stand to be at their house alone while he was at school.
The twins had done everything they could to re-secure the various areas she spent the most time in—her house, her school, and their house—and so far no one else had attacked. Thessa said it was a freak incident, that Branson had only been able to grab her because he was a trained Hunter, and that a regular supernatural would have never gotten past the twins and Sirena. She also didn’t think he had told anyone what he knew about her identity, and that killing him had ended the chain of information getting passed on. She still felt that staying on the island and training was Brie’s safest bet, especially since there were few supernaturals and they could control the areas where she frequented easily.
But Brie still felt unsafe. There were moments when she remembered being paralyzed and helpless, at the mercy of a psychopath. She hadn’t been able to save herself. Others had almost died trying to save her. And for what? Would the attacks keep coming for the rest of her life? What about her brother and father? How would she protect them if she couldn’t protect herself?
Losing Sirena had been a blow as well. She couldn’t believe that her mother’s own sister could so easily abandon her. She didn’t know Sirena very well, and she couldn’t say she would even like her if they weren’t related. But for some reason—possibly because they looked so much alike—it felt like losing her mother all over again.
Cora had tried to help Brie with the trauma of being kidnapped and witnessing what she did. She taught her how to shake her body out every morning to ground her energy. She talked to her every day about the experience, helping her identify any blame or shame she felt around what had happened.
Brie knew she could heal, but she also knew it wouldn’t happen right away.
She had asked at least twenty times if she should tell Pilot what happened, and every time all three Hallows said she shouldn’t. She understood their reasoning, but she also knew it was tearing apart her family. Pilot hadn’t accepted her flimsy excuses for traveling to Los Angeles, and now he wasn’t speaking to her. She knew he had called their father, and James was planning to come home in the coming days, which would only make it harder to hide her secret.
The only good thing that had come out of all of it was that at least the media hadn’t found out. The only people who knew besides the Hallows were Pilot, Annie, Rykken, and her father. Clara had cleaned up all her absences with the school, and also the messy scene at the airport. There were only a few earthlie witnesses, luckily, and Clara was able to easily modify their memories.
Cora poked her head through the door, knocking at the same time. “Brie, you have a visitor.”
Without waiting for a response, her aunt Sirena plowed through the door, hands on hips.
Brie stood up. “What are you doing here? I thought I wouldn’t see you again.”
Sirena pursed her lips. “I heard you’re having a tough time with recent events. I tried to walk away but I can’t.”
“What does that mean?” Brie asked. “Are you going to help me?”
Sirena walked toward her, wrapping her arms around her. Brie felt tears spill from her eyes again, though she tried to bite them back.
Sirena stepped back, looking at her. “You look so much like my sister, Brie. But I wasn’t very fair to you. When I met Milena, we were both in our seventies, both strong and independent. Milena was the type of woman that couldn’t be stopped. If she wanted it, she could have it. If she decided it, it was final. Somewhere along the way, I forgot that you are a 15-year old girl. You’re a baby in Hallow years. And you’re dealing with things that no one your age should deal with.”
“You called me weak,” Brie said. “And you’re right. I know I need to be stronger. I’m really, really scared.”
“I’m going to toughen you up, Brie.”
“We’ve come to an agreement,” Thessa said from behind them. Brie hadn’t noticed, but Cora, Clara, and Thessa had all entered the room and were standing in a line against the back wall.
“I’ll be training with you every day in combat,” Sirena said. “Hand-and-fist fighting. I’ll teach you how to use weapons, too.”
“And the three of us will teach you to focus your mind and hone your powers,” Thessa added.
“I’ll have access to all of your lessons with them, whenever I want,” Sirena said. “I’ll have full oversight of everything they say to you and teach you.”
“And in a few months, we’ll let the two of you go,” Clara said.
Brie looked at Sirena. “What about Pilot?”
Sirena nodded. “We’re going to come up with a plan to transition your whole family into hiding.”
“I can’t go with you unless I know Pilot is safe,” Brie said.
“We’ll figure it out,” Sirena agreed. “Pilot is my nephew. I won’t abandon him either.”
“I don’t get it,” Brie said. “What changed your minds? How did you guys reach this truce?”
Sirena shrugged. “Because of you, I guess. Because we all believe in you.”
Cora cleared her throat. “Brie, there’s a war coming. You have to know that your path won’t be easy, no matter how large or small your role in it.”
She nodded. “I know. That’s why I need all of you.”
Sirena hugged her again. “And that’s why you’ll have us.”
Chapter 26 - Pilot
Pilot had driven around for hours before ending up on the beach. He sat on a rock formation, facing out to sea, watching the violent waves crawl nearer and nearer to him. The rain poured down on his head, soaking through his clothes, but he didn’t care. He would probably catch a cold from it. He didn’t care about that either.
He felt like his entire world was collapsing all over again.
His sister still hadn’t told him why she had flown to Los Angeles by herself. He’d asked her for an explanation several times, and she’d begged him to let it go. But he couldn’t; it was so out of character for her to just pick up and leave, and he knew there was something more at play. But she had completely shut him out, just like she had after their mother died.
Something was wrong with her. She was skipping school again and barely eating. Just when he thought he was getting her back, she had left him overnight.
The worst part of it all was that he knew it was killing her too. They needed each other, but she didn’t feel like she could talk to him. It hurt them both so much… and at the same time, he had no clue how to reach her.
The dreams were gone, just as he’d suspected they would be. He had gone back to Trinitas only to find it completely abandoned. It was almost like the entire world had ganged up on him to make him believe he was dreaming when he visited it… but he knew in his gut that it had been real. He wasn’t crazy. His mother had led him there for a reason. He knew it.
And then there was Kennedy, the only person who could provide him some answers. He hadn’t figured out how to contact her, and Justin didn’t even seem to remember her, much less have her number. He had checked around at other schools, but no one by that name attended.
And then, he had ended up at the private beach where he first met Kennedy, just on a hunch. Somewhere along the way he realized that he didn’t get to contact her. If she wanted to reach him, though, she could. He only needed to give her an opportunity, and she would appear.
He couldn’t even explain how he knew this, but he did. That had been happening alot lately, when facts and logic weren’t adding up for him. He turned to his gut and let it steer his actions.
He sat there for over an hour in the rain, waiting for her to show up.
Finally, she did.
“Thought I’d find you here,” he heard her say behind him.
He didn’t have to turn around to know it was her.
She climbed up and sat next to him, even though he hadn’t invited her.
“Are you here to answer my questions or drug me again?” he asked.
“Neither,” she said. “I’m here to figure out who you are.”
He sniffed. “A lot of other people have already done the research on that. All you have to do is open a magazine.”
She laughed, though he wasn’t sure if it was at him or at his joke. He glanced over at her. She wore all black, like usual, and the raindrops stuck to her pale hair as if it couldn’t absorb the moisture. The droplets sparkled like tiny jewels surrounding her face.
Instruments of the Angels (Hallows & Nephilim: Waters Dark and Deep #1) Page 31
