“In the circus?”
“Yes. She had these marks up and down her neck. She said Salazar had been draining her power.”
Valerie bit her lip as the realization dawned on her as well. Her eyes turned a deeper shade of violet as she spoke. “I think he’s figured out how to do what the Nazis couldn’t. Not only can he hunt magic, he draws it into himself. That’s why he’s tracking you.”
Arista nervously took another sip of water. “We thought they were all gone. It’s possible he’s not even the only one. If he continues or if others learn from him how to do it… it will destroy magic.”
Valerie nodded. “That’s basically what the Oracle said. All of us, anyone touched by magic, even myself and Clarissa, are in a lot of danger. The Oracle did give us a clue to severing the nexus between you two. She said it was created when he first attacked you, ‘although not as himself.’”
Arista closed her eyes in thought until the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. “The birds. He controls the birds and they attacked me at Gavin’s.”
“And he’s slowly been building from there. That’s where we need to look to break the connection.”
“Where did they attack you? Do you still have any injuries?” Clarissa asked.
“Yes,” Arista answered, leaning forward and tugging at the top edge of her blouse. “They were all aiming for my necklace. I still have several deep cuts that have barely healed.”
Valerie nodded as she continued to work through her thoughts. “I think it’s going to take all of us to do this.” Valerie glanced at Clarissa. “Remember what I said about my parents’ funeral? How we accidentally linked our magic together? We need to do that again. Your ability can guide us to the weak point and my power can boost Arista’s own magic so she can snap the spell from the inside out.”
Clarissa nodded. “That makes sense, if we can pull it off.”
“But I can’t use my power,” Arista argued. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“You’ve already used your power, recently, in fact,” Valerie said. “With Kyla. That was tapping into your magic, just do the same thing.”
“But, I don’t see how that will help,” Arista said.
“You have to feel for your power when you do that ritual, right? You learned how to reach down into your center until you sense that spot, that peace, that grounded center,” Valerie said, reaching out to hold Arista’s hand as she nodded. “Just go there. You don’t have to do anything else, but find that spot. We’ll guide you from there.”
˜
{ Chapter 29 }
Clarissa reached out to hold Arista’s other hand, giving it a final comforting squeeze. With their free hands, both she and Valerie pressed their fingers against the largest injury Arista had suffered from the birds, off to the right of her necklace chain. They loosely intertwined their fingers, completing the circle. Clarissa shut her eyes to push through first. She felt the extra energy she received from the Oracle, as well as Valerie’s strength, helping her forward.
The darkness encompassed her mind’s eye. She kept prodding, pushing, trying to find the spot where Salazar had built his connection. Finally, she saw it — piercing through the dark space like a red bolt of lightning. Through her, Valerie could see it as well. She felt some of Valerie’s magic move away from her. She sensed the space around the red streak pulsating, but otherwise it didn’t appear they had any effect on it. The pulsing built up to a stronger vibration and the lightning bolt appeared to waver. Clarissa felt Valerie tiring out, but she had a hard time sensing Arista.
Then, something strange happened to the darkness. A blue haze rolled in like an early morning fog. It kept pouring in until it filled up all the space Clarissa could sense around her. The blue haze became heavier, amassing more density. It pushed against Clarissa, driving towards the red flashing bolt of light. Then, Valerie was with her.
Pull back. It’s up to Arista now.
Clarissa lost focus on her power and allowed herself to drift away from the blue haze until she was back in the living room with Valerie. The two women looked at each other and released their hands from Arista. She sat on the couch twitching and tossing her head slightly, as though experiencing a bad dream.
“Is she going to be ok?” Clarissa whispered.
Valerie nodded. “I gave her as much of a magic boost as I could to help. The mermaids may not be consciously aware of how to control their magic, but it’s still as powerful as it used to be. Now she needs to break the nexus connection.”
They fell silent watching Arista. The slight twitches gave way to more violent thrashing. Her arms ripped away from her sides and flung themselves against the back of the couch. Her head shuddered as it rolled around. Clarissa laid a pillow between the back of the couch and the window to prevent any injuries. They watched nervously as she continued her internal struggle.
Then, Arista took a sudden deep breath and the thrashing stopped. Her head lolled to the side with her eyes shut and she laid still. Clarissa gasped and moved to check on her, but Valerie held her back.
“Give her a moment.”
They waited anxiously until Arista’s eyes opened wide. Valerie ran for the kitchen while Clarissa reached over and helped Arista lie back down. Valerie returned with a damp cloth that she pressed against Arista’s forehead.
Despite her exhaustion, Arista looked back at Valerie with excitement. “I felt it. I felt the magic you talked about.”
Valerie smiled and brushed some of Arista’s hair away from the wet towel. “I knew you would.”
“I felt both of you there, helping me. And I was so nervous when you left, I didn’t want to fail. It was strange, I couldn’t tell you in words that I knew what to do — but, somehow, I felt what needed to be done.”
“And you broke the nexus? Are you sure?” Clarissa asked.
Arista nodded, pressing the cloth harder against her forehead, letting some of the water trickle down the sides of her face and soak into her flesh. “Yes, I’m sure. It’s completely gone. I felt it shatter into nothing.”
She sat up and pulled the cloth away from her face. “I may not be right about this, but I can still feel him. Salazar, I mean. It still feels like his magic is lingering here.”
Valerie and Clarissa exchanged sidelong glances before Valerie finally spoke up. “We didn’t tell you this earlier, but we think Salazar took Gavin.”
Arista’s eyes widened with horror. “But how? What about the barrier?”
“The barrier is still in place,” Valerie shook her head. “I felt something as we drove up to the cemetery, which is on the other side of barrier. I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that Gavin was there. I felt magic still present, as though it had been used against him. I think it’s safe to assume it was Salazar, but I suppose it could be something else.”
“If he’s in trouble, then we have to help him,” Arista urged.
“I know,” Clarissa answered. “But where do we start?”
˜
{ Chapter 30 }
Valerie looked at the other women. “I might be alone in thinking this, but I still believe Kellen knows more than he’s telling us.”
“I agree,” Arista said without hesitation. “Earlier he seemed so sure he could escape the basement. I can’t believe he would stay there when he thought I was leaving with him.”
Valerie stared into the distance, a vacant expression crossing her face. “There’s a cellar located farther back on the property, with a small tunnel connecting it to the basement. I’ve always kept it blocked off, but there’s only a rusty old lock holding that door shut. It could be easily broken. I bet that’s what he planned to use. Maybe he only thought he could open it.”
“Let’s bring him back up here,” Clarissa said. “Arista and I can talk to him while you check the door. See if the lock is still on it. It may bring us closer to uncovering the truth.”
“I’ll get the bastard,” Valerie said, getting up with a huff to unlock the baseme
nt door.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Clarissa asked, looking at Arista with concern. “I can talk to him alone if you want to go lie down in the bedroom.”
“No, it’s okay, I can do this,” she answered, a sudden intensity showing in her voice. “It’s the only way I can help Gavin for now.”
Valerie walked behind Kellen into the living room.
“Look, I told you already, I don’t know anything,” he said angrily.
“Kellen, come sit with us,” Arista said, moving over on the couch. “We only want to talk to you.”
Kellen sullenly walked to the couch, while Valerie went back down to the basement.
“Are you sure you didn’t hear anything? Like, even Gavin leaving?” Arista asked.
“I told you — there was nothing. After you and I talked, I sat down for a bit. When I thought it was safe, I tried to leave the basement, but the door was stuck. I couldn’t get it open. So I listened for awhile, to see if you were going to leave. I was worried you’d go without me. I eventually fell asleep.”
“Kellen, I still don’t think you’re telling me the truth,” Arista said insistently.
“Neither do I,” Valerie said, appearing at the top of the steps. “It’s funny. The lock was completely broken on the door, which swung open easily enough when I tried it.”
“You probably used magic,” Kellen said glaring at her.
“No, no I didn’t,” she said. “You’re lying to us and now we need to find out why.”
Valerie turned to Clarissa. “I think you’re up to bat now.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Oracle advised you to use your gift and gave you some bonus power. Use it,” Valerie said, her authoritative voice putting an end to any arguments.
Clarissa sighed and moved to sit on the table in front of Kellen. Amid his flurry of protests, she grasped his hands in hers and shut her eyes. As soon as they touched, she shrieked at the blinding pain that sent her reeling backwards across the table. Arista and Valerie immediately ran to her side.
She held a hand up to her left temple, still too agonized to talk. Kellen shrank into the couch, trying to escape the fierce glare Valerie directed at him.
“If you did anything, if you hurt her in any way…” she threatened, standing up from Clarissa’s side.
“Stop,” Arista demanded, forcing Valerie to break her stare. “She needs you right now.”
Valerie shook with fury, but knelt down next to Clarissa as she slowly came back to her senses. She trembled as Arista wiped away some of the sweat beading in glistening drops on her forehead.
“It’s started,” she whispered. “The first sign — like the Oracle said. He betrayed us. He handed Gavin over to Salazar, though it was meant to be Arista.”
This time Arista couldn’t stop Valerie from lunging across the table to grip Kellen’s throat in her hand.
“Valerie, no,” Clarissa said more forcefully. “Remember what the Oracle said. Stopping Salazar is going to require all of us. Even him.”
Valerie dug her nails into his flesh, causing him to cry out in pain. Then she relented and released him before doing any more damage. She turned away from him and then froze, whirling back to face him. She reached out again, this time firmly planting her hand on his chest.
“Valerie, what are you doing?” Arista yelled, jumping up to stop her.
The witch spun around, her violet eyes twinkling in the light. “You aren’t the only one he linked himself to.”
Clarissa sat up to look at her. “But how can that be? We were able to detect the nexus in Arista.”
“Because we looked for it. Don’t you see? We only found the nexus in Arista because something was wrong with her, she was dehydrated. That’s what caused us to examine her closely, how we felt his presence. I may have tormented Kellen a little with magic, but I never felt inside of him,” Valerie answered.
Clarissa sat up more, gazing off into the distance as she replayed all the events in her mind. Valerie was right. She had never touched him with magic either, not the way she had with Arista.
“But Arista told us about the dreams, about Salazar showing up in her room. Why wouldn’t he?”
Kellen remained on the couch, a sullen expression on his face as he watched them talk about him.
“He’s clearly weaker and more susceptible to powerful magic than she is,” Valerie shrugged and looked over at Arista with a slight grin. “For a mermaid, she’s not half bad.”
Arista shyly smiled back at her. Clarissa struggled to get to her feet. “If that’s the case, he’s going to have a much harder time shattering that connection.”
“Can’t I say anything about this?” he finally protested.
Valerie glared at him and lifted her hand threateningly towards him. He clamped a hand over his mouth and shrank backwards.
Arista looked at him cautiously. “I can do it.”
“You can do what?” Valerie asked, not taking her eyes off Kellen.
“I can break it for him,” she replied, moving past Valerie to sit on the couch next to Kellen.
“It won’t be exactly like yours,” Valerie warned.
“I know I can do this,” Arista said, looking over at her.
Valerie nodded and stepped away to join Clarissa. The pair watched as Arista held Kellen’s hands in her own.
“Pretend like I’m dying,” she said. Kellen started to argue, but she interrupted him. “Please, for me. Try to take my power.”
Kellen took a deep breath and shut his eyes. Arista closed her own, squeezing his hands. Clarissa directed an anxious look at Valerie.
“Should we let her do this?”
“Yes,” Valerie answered. “It’s good for her to test the boundaries of her power. She recognizes now how weak she’s been, what lies deep inside of her waiting to burst out. I’d be more worried if she could let that slip away, despite having felt its power.”
Clarissa bit down on her bottom lip as she turned her attention back to the mermaids. Valerie was right about one thing, Arista did appear stronger. Kellen’s body shook, much the way Arista’s had earlier. This time, Arista sat perfectly still, the embodiment of control. Kellen’s face twisted amidst the internal pressure and he tried to pull away from Arista, but she grasped his wrists, unwilling to let go.
Kellen flung his head backwards in agony and let out a loud scream. Arista remained motionless, her arms visibly tensing up as she resisted the pull of Kellen’s recoiling body.
“It seems Salazar isn’t happy with us finding and destroying his other nexus,” Valerie said with a smirk.
A momentary spark of light flashed between Arista and Kellen and the two fell apart. Valerie rushed to Arista’s side.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“Good,” Arista answered with a tired smile. “I told you I could do it.”
Arista leaned over to check on Kellen. He still appeared lost in a daze. Clarissa handed him a glass of water, which he accepted gratefully. After taking a few sips, his focus improved. Arista placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
“I’m so sorry,” he responded softly. “I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was wrong to help him. Even though I should’ve stopped, I didn’t want to — like he was manipulating my feelings and driving me towards my worst thoughts.”
“It’s all going to be okay now,” she reassured him.
“Despite Salazar’s interference, a lot of what I said was still true. I don’t agree with what you’ve done, Arista. I think it would be best for you to return to the water. But I’m not going to force you to, and I would like to stay and help. I want to help you get Gavin back.”
“I think we’d all appreciate your help,” Clarissa said, pointedly glancing at Valerie out of the corner of her eye. Valerie rolled her eyes and scoffed in return.
“Do you know where Salazar is now? Or anything to help us find Gavin?” Valerie asked, hoping to steer the conver
sation back in a more useful direction.
Kellen shook his head. “He would appear in my dreams and tell me what to do next. And, when I would argue with Arista, I could feel something inside of me — urging me to say those things. Outside of that, there’s nothing I know to help us. The last thing he said to me was to come back here and bring Arista to him.”
Clarissa frowned. “Well, how did he expect you to do that if he didn’t tell you where to go?”
Kellen shrugged in response. Arista leaned backwards thoughtfully.
“I think we’re going about this all wrong,” she said. She stood up to pace around the room as she worked out her thoughts. “We’re trying to find him, right? Well, what if we don’t? What if we let him find us, or me anyway?”
“You’re right,” Valerie exclaimed jumping up next to her. “He didn’t have to tell Kellen where to go. All Kellen had to do was get you beyond the barrier and Salazar could find you. Even with the connection destroyed, he can still track you through the birds.”
Arista nodded. “All we have to do is let him catch me. The problem is, once I’m with him, how do I escape with Gavin?”
˜
{ Chapter 31 }
Gavin rolled onto his back in the dark room. The blanket underneath him had been thrown into the corner to cover the cold exposed stone floor. There were no windows in the bare walls. Instead, the only light came from the hallway, trickling in through narrow slits at the top of the door. He sat up and groaned at the cracking pain in his skull. He was thankful for no signs of Salazar, but there were also no signs of life where he was. Wherever he was.
Salazar pinned him down on the seat in the car, so Gavin wasn’t sure where they had gone or even the direction. He reached up and gingerly felt around the developing lump at the base of his head. He had passed out at some point, so he wasn’t even sure how long they had traveled. They could be anywhere. He shivered and realized only then his shirt was gone. He reached into the pockets of his pants to discover all the contents had been removed.
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