I’ve been stuck on her original statement this entire time, when she mentioned our parents. My heart climbs into my throat and tries to beat, tightening my airway with a painful pinch.
“You said Ko took over because our parents could no longer protect us. We have parents?”
She sees our earnest, hopeful faces and shakes her head. “Yes, of course you have parents. The Prime Other wants you because of your parents. After all, you’re the only children born to an Other and a human.”
My jaw drops open. We are Other. At least, part of us is. Lucas’s eyes find mine and dismay flows out of them into my heart. Cadi places a hand over our linked ones. Comfort drips from underneath it and into my blood, but it can’t thwart my shiver.
“I thought relationships between Others and humans are forbidden,” I say.
Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, giving her a comical appearance. “How do you know that, Althea?”
“Long story. I heard some Others talking about me once, and saying it was too bad intimacy is forbidden.”
Lucas grunts and I remember he didn’t know that part.
Cadi continues, keeping her hand on ours. “The kind of love humans experience between a man and a woman is peculiar to this planet. The Others had never encountered it before. Your Other parents were sent to the four corners of Earth to help subdue the planet. In the process, they fell in love. The emotion caught them off guard with its distinct power and the desperate ferocity with which they protected it. Their Partnering with humans resulted in your births.”
She stops, taking a deep breath and staring off into space, as though gathering her thoughts. “Any Other beside your parents would have been killed for breaking the first rule of habitation—no intimacy.”
“Why not our parents?” Lucas’s mouth pulls down into a frown.
My heart beats wildly, wanting to know, not wanting to know.
“The two of you doubtlessly realize you possess strange qualities.” She waits for our assent. “The Others have not been able to locate a planet that can sustain their existence indefinitely. When they arrive in a new atmosphere, their presence changes its makeup. The air becomes cold, so bitter that every living thing withers and dies within seconds. They need the cold, feed off it. They also need the indigenous population and environment to support them as long as they want to stay. This is where your Other parents come in.”
Cadi pauses, taking her hands off ours and using them to support her weight as she leans back in the chair. She sucks in a deep breath before going on.
“Your parents are the Elements.”
CHAPTER 24.
The world stops. If Lucas hadn’t put an arm around me, my face would have smacked the table. “Our parents are the Elements? But how—” I stop. So much about me makes sense. At last.
“They control the climate on the host planets—the seasons here on Earth—and maintain a livable environment. Without them, the Others would not be able to stay long.”
“But there are four of them.” Even in his shell-shocked state, Lucas tosses a lure into his statement, trying to confirm our suspicions.
“And there are four of you, which you’ve likely figured out. Smart kids.”
“What do they want from us?” The thought of spending two seconds in a room with any of the Elements simmers panic in my blood.
“The Others don’t want anything from the four of you. They just want you. They’ll dispose of you, in all likelihood, unless they discover some way you can be useful to them.” Cadi pauses again while she prods at the mini marshmallows in her cup.
“If all this is true, how come they’ve never found us? I mean, we’re just walking around like everyone else. They aren’t stupid.” Suspicious Lucas is back, poking at Cadi’s story for holes.
“No, the Others are not stupid, Lucas. The furthest thing from it. They’ve never found you because they haven’t been looking. Your existence has been kept secret until recently, when…I will just show you what happened when the Others learned of your parents’ love affairs, and what has happened to Ko this autumn. It will be easier.”
Before we can react she reaches out to touch us, snapping the thumb and forefinger of her free hand together. The kitchen dissolves and we’re in a different place. I assume it’s a house, though it’s unlike any I’ve ever lived in. It’s much bigger, for one. The floor underneath our feet is a cherry-colored wood with thick rugs covering it at regular intervals. Straight ahead, an impressive staircase spirals up toward the vaulted ceiling. It twists out of sight above our heads.
To the left is a sitting room, a fire roaring in a cutout in the wall. I take a few steps back but it remains confined as it crackles and pops. Couches, chairs, and end tables surround a glossy black piece of wood with part of the top propped into the air. The whole thing is backed by a huge wall of windows; frost decorates the glass in lacy patterns. Warmth and familiarity hug the room, creating an inviting atmosphere very different from the cold, hard spaces in which I spend my days.
To the right is a hallway, perhaps leading to the kitchen considering the metallic clinks and smell of garlic and onion coming from that direction. At my side, Lucas’s face shines with surprise, his eyes wide as he takes in our surroundings. Cadi watches us, her own features reserved and closed off. The despondent, ravaged expression in her eyes starts a shiver down my spine. Whatever it is we are about to see, she’s not looking forward to it.
As we enter the sitting room another cluster of chairs and couches come into view opposite the fire. Four Others perch on the edges of the furniture, silent and surrounded by nervous energy. I recognize them in an instant and my sweaty hand slips into Lucas’s.
The Elements.
I glance at Cadi. “Can they see us?”
“No.” She shakes her head, shiny hair bobbing up and down. “This is only a memory.”
A voice snaps our attention back to the seated foursome.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Fire’s voice flows like water over rocks in a stream, bubbly and fresh. The quality doesn’t mask the defeated tone.
The voice in my head, the one that sounds like mine but not really, because it’s smarter, prettier—it doesn’t quite sound like mine because it’s hers.
I suck in a breath and lean into Lucas. My hands clutch his arm, leaving indentations in his shirt. I jerk away when the blue fabric starts to smolder. Lucas and Cadi both look at me, concern reaching out from their gazes and colliding with my heart. I shake my head, unwilling to share.
The man sitting next to her, Water, puts his hand over Fire’s. “We knew what would happen if the Prime found out about our affairs, Flacara. We all hoped he wouldn’t, but he has.” His voice is low, pleasant like hers, and just as forlorn.
“We should have been more careful, Apa. Sent our Partners away with the children five years ago.” She jerks her hand out from underneath his as the fire crackles and climbs higher in its confined space. It writhes, gaining force as though she commands it, brandishing the undeniable truth.
She’s my mother. She talks in my mind. I say it to myself so I can try to actually believe it.
One of the men speaks. I recognize him from the portraits, of course. Earth. “You were the least willing of all of us to give up your daughter, Flacara. Now we must deal with the consequences.”
Even though Cadi assures us they’re unaware of our eavesdropping, fear tumbles around in my gut. Parents or not, I’m uncomfortable in the room with them. At the same time, their countenances are different than I expected, somehow. In their pictures they appear evil, cold, even merciless. Here, now…they are more human than they should be. Far more so than the Wardens.
Water speaks up from the couch again, desperation breaking his previously calm demeanor. “Ko will help us.”
Fire—no, Flacara—won’t be placated. “Why would Ko do anything for us? After what we’ve done to him and his people? We destroyed his home, enslaved and then murdered his own mother. He must hate
us.”
Despite the anger she’s projecting, her sorrow is clear. The men aren’t afraid of her. Earth answers with words infused with kindness. “The Spritans don’t know how to hate, Flacara. You know that. Ko and Cadi see our children as this planet’s hope. Perhaps they are right. We’ve witnessed the small talents they’ve inherited from us. Perhaps they could save this planet when we exhaust its resources and move on.”
“You know I agree with Pamant.” Air, who has been quiet until now, adds his two cents. “Ko and Cadi aren’t offering aid because they want to help us. They want to help the children—and the humans. And so I trust them. We all agreed to trust them. Where is Ko, anyway?”
As though on cue, the heavy front door bangs open behind us and a small man bustles into the room. It’s hard to tell, since we’ve only seen an insubstantial version, but it looks like Ko.
He brushes past us without breaking stride and goes to stand in the empty space in front of the fire. The Elements sit up straighter as the tension thickens.
Flacara speaks first, terror lacing her words. “Well? Are they safe?”
Ko takes a moment to catch his breath, unwinding a long, magenta scarf from around his neck and shaking snowflakes out of his dark blond hair. It, as well as his other features, matches Cadi’s almost exactly, right down to his impossibly dark blue eyes and short stature. “The children are protected. They will travel between seasons without detection, and I’ve put other mechanisms in place to help ensure their safety. None of it’s foolproof, of course, but…” He shrugs and trails off.
Water, the one they call Apa, stands. A chill descends from him that frosts over the windowpanes. Puffs of white breath emerge from our lips in a room that felt warm ten seconds before. Lucas’s fingers tighten on mine. His eyes are full of wonder, fear, and disgust—the same mix of emotions running through me. I turn back to the standing man, beautiful perfection in flesh.
That’s Lucas’s father.
He walks toward Ko, who stands his ground. The shimmering firelight provides a clear view of the star-shaped scar on Apa’s neck, the sight rolling fresh shock through me. It’s black, and instead of a simple red outline of a star, it’s filled in as though someone colored it. Instead of resembling my necklace, it is my necklace.
The necklace must always have been meant as a clue to the truth—that I’m connected to these aliens, these Elements.
Apa speaks, frosty breath accompanying the words as they leave his lips. “‘Not foolproof’ isn’t good enough. How will you harbor them until they are old enough to care for themselves?”
“Cadi and I have the power to move them at will, in case they unintentionally attract attention. They will each be surrounded by a…what is a good word? Curse this limiting language! Ah, let’s say an invisible bubble that prevents humans from seeing them clearly. Their hosts, the children at Cell—no one will notice when they are gone. They will hardly notice when they are there. Your children will not stay in one place too long, and they will never visit their natural seasons.” He pauses as Flacara gasps and starts to weep quietly. “It’s better that way. If the Others become aware of their existence, they will search for them where they would be most comfortable. I’ve provided each of your children a note, encased in a clue. As they get older they will understand what it means.”
“Will they be together?” Earth speaks, his black-and-blue eyes pinning Ko with an intense stare.
Ko shakes his head. “No, Pamant. They will not meet. I thought it best to keep them apart. That way, if something happens to one, well, they won’t all be compromised before we can come up with a solution.”
“What about Ben?” Flacara poses the question, voice devoid of hope. She twists her long red curls between her fingers the way I sometimes do when I’m upset. Her eyes are downcast, tears winding over her cheeks. In spite of everything, her sorrow tugs at my heart.
“Ben is dead. So are Na, Gisela, and Sophie. I’m so sorry. The Others executed your Partners this morning. I hoped they would only banish them with the Broken, but the Prime is angry.” Ko’s own voice is full of remorse; tears well up and leak out of his eyes. His voice lowers to a whisper. “The Prime is enraged.”
The words hit my ears and though I understand what they mean it takes a minute for them to soak in. The truth. The Broken might not all be disposed.
Ben must be my father, and he’s dead.
Lucas’s mother is gone. Two additional human lives, parents of our kindred we have never met, were snuffed out because they fell in love with the strange, beautiful people sitting in this room. Heaviness settles in my chest and my heart beats sideways under the weight. My father is dead. I’ll never know him, never see him smile at me or kiss my head the way Mr. Morgan does sometimes. The scene in front of us interrupts my spiraling train of thought as it continues to play out.
“They’re dead because we loved them.” Air, who has been silent for some time and whose real name we don’t know, stands and stalks toward the front window.
Lucas’s father follows him to the front of the room and sits on the small bench behind the strange black piece of wood. Without warning, a haunting and beautiful sound emerges from inside the bulky wood.
My breath eases its way out of my chest and my ears soak up the sound until it fades several minutes later. “What was that?”
“The humans call it music. The instrument is a piano.”
“It’s beautiful.” The echoing strains ache in my heart. In some strange way the sound reflects the thick air of mourning hanging over the room. Shared grief settles in my blood and drags like sediment at the bottom of a stream.
Apa stands from behind the piano and puts his hand on Air’s shoulder. “Come, Vant. There is nothing we can do to bring them back. We loved them. They loved us. We did not lie to them, and we all knew the risk. Let us mourn. Then let us prepare for our own punishment.” He grinds out the words, and the choking quality in his voice tells me he’s holding back tears.
Horror numbed my thoughts upon first learning these people are my family. Still, the fact that they loved their Partners and are scared for us—their children—is obvious. Watching them grieve, comfort one another, and strive to ensure our safety confuses the terror their faces have triggered my entire life.
Without warning, Cadi snaps her fingers and the warm, stately house disappears. We’re in a cold, impersonal building and a new scene. It looks and feels like a Cell, more institutional than anything else. The ceiling stretches out of sight, exactly like the giant black building the Others took me to in the Wilds to be refreshed.
Cadi walks forward with her head bowed. “This happened seven weeks ago.”
She reaches the end of the hall and pushes open a metal door. It protests as it swings inward, hinges squeaking loud enough to make me glance around even though Cadi has promised no one can see us. The room is full of Others, and the urge to turn and run pumps adrenaline into my muscles.
My fears quiet when our approach goes unnoticed. The Others sit in silence on raised platforms, like bleachers, and surround us on three walls. There are six Others on a bench at the front of the room, on the fourth wall, and they’ve restrained Ko in a chair facing them. He doesn’t struggle, but watches them with careful eyes.
The Other in the front and center looks down at him with an unforgiving, infinite black gaze. Three thick obsidian bands ring his neck. I’ve never seen him before, though his position of authority rings loud and clear, not only because of his seat or slightly altered appearance but simply by his countenance. I lean over to Cadi, barely daring to open my lips. “Who’s that?”
“The Prime Other. Their leader.”
The Prime Other.
He leans forward, fixing his prisoner in place with a glittering black glare. “Do you know why you are here, Ko?”
“Yes, sir. You drugged me and probed my memories while I slept last night. You know I helped the Elements almost twelve years ago.” He states this matter-of-factly, no trace of
disrespect in his tone.
Cadi’s gaze never leaves the scene, but she addresses us. “The Others’ minds are connected in a series of tunnels and caverns. They speak to one another, give orders, display pictures. They can cause pain. Unimaginable pain.”
Her voice cracks and falls silent as the Other stands, looming over the heavy table. “Your sympathy to the plight of the humans concerns us more than your allegiance to the Elements. They have been dealt with.”
Ko shrugs. “Separating them was wise.”
Cadi whispers again, her head angled toward us but her anguished eyes glued to the scene. “Together, the Elements are more powerful than the remaining Others combined. After the Prime learned of their treason, he separated them physically.”
The Other settles back into his chair with a disgruntled snort. “I am not interested in your opinion on the Elements. I am now aware offspring resulted from these abominable Partnerships. I want them.”
“You cannot have them. Their exact whereabouts are not known to me or anyone else, and it shall remain that way. Pardon me for saying so, but your probes are no match for my mental abilities in this area. You are powerful, but the secrets surrounding those children are too well protected for you to—” He breaks off with a gasp, writhing in agony as his head snaps back and pounds against the chair over and over again.
An eerie wail slips from his lips, the sound stabbing me in the heart until I can’t stand it for another moment. My hands cover my ears but the piercing noise only softens. The screams of the Other boy Deshi knocked to the floor with a simple glance ring in my memory, mingling with Ko’s as they grow louder.
Cadi turns her back on the scene, shoulders shaking as it goes on for several minutes. Finally Ko goes limp, liquid trickling from his bottom lip where he bit it. It should be blood, but it’s a golden color instead of red. Dark amber circles that weren’t there a moment ago ring his eyes and the midnight blue of them is shot through with deep yellow veins. Another rivulet of golden blood trickles from his nose. His head lolls off to one side and he makes no effort to right himself. Lucas’s hand finds mine and we both squeeze.
Dark Roses: Eight Paranormal Romance Novels Page 49
