by Raven Snow
“Indeed,” Michael congratulated her. “He is also the youngest billionaire in the world.”
“He’s twenty-four years old.” Megan nodded to Holly as she and Michael went back and forth.
“Mr. Viteri has the capital to fund many ventures.” Michael continued “He is the person who has been funding all of the research into the Eye of Horlune.”
“What do you know about—?” Duncan started to sneer.
“What does Viteri know about the Eye?” Holly cut him off. She locked eyes with Michael.
“Viteri knows that the Eye of Horlune can grant him the power to reshape the universe to his own personal design and make him the architect of our reality,” Michael replied as he got to his feet and walked over to where a worn black travel backpack was propped up against the wall . “Viteri is in Italy,” he continued. “It’s where he was born and where he lives, on occasion.”
“Then that’s where we need to go!” Megan shouted as she slapped the laptop shut and began getting ready to follow Michael out the door.
“Megan, you know what you need to do, don’t you?” Michael asked as he spun around and grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Umm…Yeah, I think?” Megan sputtered. Michael’s commanding presence, together with his overall strangeness, had made her almost lose her footing as she fumbled her words.
“We are going to need somewhere to stay while we are in Italy,”
Michael stated plainly. “I’ll be waiting outside.”
“Oh, crap,” Megan groaned as Michael turned around and started walking out the door and down the hall . “What kind of oracle are you?” she screamed at his back. “Why do you know everything?”
“I don’t,” he called back as he disappeared around the corner “I’m just as lost as you, Ms. Summers.”
Megan turned back to Duncan and Holly, who were both sighing as they hurried to move their belongings back out of the room that they had just rented.
“I have to call Capricorn,” Megan mumbled, terrified.
“Capricorn?” Duncan asked as he threw on his jacket. “You know a pop star?”
CHAPTER 20 - My Biggest Fan And #1 Guy
Holly looked up at the towering, polished marble-and-glass building standing before them. The Trixvar Hotel was the second most exclusive hotel in Italy, the number one spot belonging to the Valor Hotel and Resort, of course. Holly followed Megan’s lead, with Duncan and Michael trailing behind her.
Shallow glamour and rich, egotistical snobs were just a few of the things that Megan had been running from when she decided to follow Holly around the world on her mission. Now here she was, indulging that dark side of her past again.
Megan’s parents were wealthy—not rich or well -off—wealthy. Megan had brushed shoulders with the kids of movie directors, rock stars, and reality TV stars. She had lived in a world that she hadn’t really belonged to, and she had wanted out. Holly had given her that way out.
So she had packed her bags and told her mom and dad that she was going to travel across the world for a couple of years to find herself. Her trust fund had proven to be more than enough for living a not-so-normal life with Holly.
“We’re here,” Megan barked to the nearest employee as if he were supposed to know who they were. She was angry but a little bit excited as well. “Capricorn is expecting us.”
“Of course,” a middle-aged man said as he literally vaulted over the front desk. He grabbed hold of Megan’s hand and began shaking it profusely.
“We’ll show you right to her, Ms…”
“Peaches,” Megan declared in a commanding tone.
“Peaches?” the man looked at her questioningly for a few seconds before realizing his mistake.
“Jasmine Peaches, and this is my entourage.” Megan waved her left hand lazily towards her friends who were watching the scene unfold before them.
Capricorn had taught her how to be like this—how to get what you want from people, even without magic.
“Now, enough talk. Take us to Capricorn.” Megan ordered.
“Of course,” the man did an awkward half bow before reconsidering and just nodding vigorously. “Right this way.”
Amidst the terrified hotel employee’s intermittent awkward attempts at conversation and the deafening seconds of silence that spread in between, the group made their way up to the seventy-eighth floor of the massive hotel.
As they all stepped out of the elevator, the trembling hotel employee glanced at Megan.
“Ms. Peaches,” he mumbled as everyone turned to look at him. ”Could I…get your autograph?” He held up a small notepad and pen that he had retrieved from his pocket.
Duncan laughed. “Three minutes ago you didn’t even know who she was. Hell, you still have no idea who she is.” He looked at the hotel employee incredulously.
“Yeah,” the man said warily. “But the way you act.” He eyed Megan again and held out the pen and paper. “And the fact that you’re friends with her.” He gestured to the large polished steel door at the end of the hall .
“You’ve got to be someone important.”
Megan smiled and took the pen and paper from the man. She hastily scribbled down a few words on the paper and handed it back to the man.
My biggest fan and #1 guy
Jasmine Peaches
“Enjoy your evening,” she said to the man as they all turned and walked away, leaving him standing there, staring at the autograph in his hand.
Michael took the keycard that the hotel employee had handed them on their way up and slotted it into the electronic reader on the door. The reader made a small chime as the card lid back out and they heard the lock click open. Michael led the way inside with the rest of the team following close behind him.
Capricorn had purchased the entire seventy-eighth floor of the hotel and had it renovated into one of her many occasional party spots.
They made their way into the wide-open room, fully lined with towering glass windows. Two men stood before them, wearing similar grey
uniforms and having a very animated discussion in front of an ornate neon archway. The archway seemed to be the focus of their conversation.
Although she couldn’t hear what they were saying, Holly knew that they were angry.
The front door must have been soundproofed, not conventional y, but magical y. The moment she had crossed the threshold into the room, deafening electronic music assailed her ears.
“Don’t mind my decorators,” a perky voice shouted from behind the long, expansive bar that lined the wall to their right. “They’re just in love.”
The four of them al moved their heads in sync towards where the girl’s voice had come from. Sitting on top of the bar was a slim, toned girl who had waist-length, neon blue hair. She was wearing knee-high black leather boots with high heels and form-fitting black jeans that were ripped in various places.
“Long time no see, Meggy,” she said, laughing. She gestured for them to come over while simultaneously giving the DJ a thumbs down. He lowered the music by a few decibels.
“Hi, Capricorn,” Megan mumbled, looking away.
“When you called me I swore that I was either dreaming or drunk. I thought you had found some guy and eloped.” As Capricorn chattered away, she looked from Duncan to Michael, eyeing them both up and down slowly as if appraising their worth. “Maybe you have?”
“What? No!” Megan shrieked as she looked first at Duncan and then at Holly.
“Oh, so you’re still pining after Holly?” Capricorn teased as she looked at Holly and Duncan.
“Enough, Capricorn. You know why we’re here,” Holly said. She hadn’t known Capricorn as long as Megan had; Megan was actual y the one who had introduced them. What Holly did know was that Capricorn had a way of getting under people’s skin. She was good at manipulating people and getting them to do what she wanted.
Unlike Duncan, who tried his best to use his djinn magic to help people, Capricorn had no qualms about the potential lo
ng-term consequences of her magic. She had exposed Megan to a darker world, a world outside of the defined black and white spaces—a world of grey.
Holly could see that Capricorn’s allure was tempting Megan once again. Holly herself was having a hard time fighting off Capricorn’s magical charm.
“You need the help of Capricorn, celebrated pop star?” Capricorn asked teasingly as she fluttered her eyelashes seductively at Holly. “Or maybe Capricorn, the award-winning actress?” She danced over to Duncan as she fluttered her eyelashes at him as well . “Or maybe you need Capricorn, the fashion icon.” She sauntered over to Megan and fluttered her eyelashes at her as well.
Suddenly, Michael’s hand reached out towards Capricorn, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around to face him. As Capricorn’s concentration broke, Holly waved her head groggily, shaking off the charm spell that Capricorn had been casting over them.
“Or maybe,” Michael said, “we need the help of Capricorn, the girl who’s going to help save the world.”
CHAPTER 21 - Breakups and Elves
“You want to have a party?” Duncan scowled as they all milled about inside the dressing room that the renovators had constructed for Capricorn.
“Not a party, sweetie,” Capricorn replied with a lighthearted tone. “A concert. Music, dancing, and drinks for my fans.”
“That sounds a lot like a party.” Michael smiled teasingly as he threw himself into the sofa and put his feet up on the table.
“Anyway,” Capricorn interjected, “Megan said that she can’t find your Viteri friend yet; she needs more time.” Capricorn looked over at Megan as if she were silently ordering her to speak.
“I need more time,” Megan replied quickly, avoiding Capricorn’s gaze.
“Fine,” Holly conceded as she placed a hand on Duncan’s back, trying to comfort him. “We could use a night off. We’ll have your party.”
“Concert, darling,” Capricorn sang as she brushed copious amounts of eye shadow over her eyes.
Their first few hours in Italy passed in a blur of bright neon colors, loud music that sounded like fighting robots, and the various shades of makeup that Capricorn was trying on. She had given them free rein of the place and told them to order, buy, or have whatever they wanted delivered.
Megan had fallen back into her role as technological investigator. She began scouring the internet, city records, and catalogues of personal information of thousands of Italian citizens. It wasn’t the most illegal thing that she had ever done with a computer, and it was for a good cause— to save Gwen.
Megan was searching for anything related to Viteri, anything that could help them locate him or figure out his plans. Duncan had been alternating his time between pacing back and forth in the large, open sitting area and helping Megan with her search.
Holly, on the other hand, had resigned herself to simply watching. In particular, she was observing Michael and Capricorn. While she knew enough about oracles to know that everything that Michael had said was true, Megan was still wary of his motives. Why was he doing this? Why follow them and proclaim that he was joining their team? Why hadn’t he just told them about his vision and wished them good luck?
He was hiding something.
Then there was Capricorn. She was venomous. A beautiful, deadly creature that had no qualms about using whomever she came across, as long as it furthered her goals or simply entertained her at the moment. Holly needed to keep Megan away from her.
Capricorn’s decorators and assistants had final y finished clearing out the large room and had temporarily redecorated it into a dance floor with a small, semicircular stage in the center. The room looked even larger than it had seemed when they first walked in. Holly could easily see at least five hundred dancing lunatics packing themselves into the space.
The pale, almost-full moon crested the night sky and illuminated the room through the large glass windows. As if that were the signal he had been waiting for, one of the security guards that had been standing at the front door unbolted it and swung it wide open, making way for the wave of teenagers and twenty-somethings that poured into the makeshift nightclub.
As the well-dressed crowd made their way inside, the speakers that lined the walls suddenly came alive, and Capricorn’s voice blared over them with a techno-synth beat racing along with her words.
Holly blocked out the music from her mind and looked over to the coffee lounge, where Megan was sitting. She was still staring at the screen of her laptop, trying to find some hint of where Viteri was hiding. Duncan was sitting beside her, his computer on the coffee table, his head clasped tightly in his hands as he ran his fingers through his dark, spiky hair.
Holly knew that look; he had come up on another dead end. It pained Holly to see him hurting like this, so close and still unable to save his sister.
“I need a drink,” Michael said from behind her. His mouth seemed dangerously close to her ear as he made himself heard over the sound of Capricorn’s singing and the roar of the screaming fans who were singing along to her bubblegum lyrics.
They stopped right in front of the VIP area that Capricorn had set up for her “favorite fans”. Holly slipped into the short stool that Michael had pulled out for her. She scrutinized him as he sat down. What are his motives? She wondered. Michael walked over to the bar and returned a few seconds later with two drinks, one in each hand.
“I’m nineteen,” Holly stated flatly as he placed one in front of her.
He eyed her warily as he looked at her over the table. “I came here with a glass of water and a question. Now here you are, assaulting me with your age. Well, I am twenty-three.”
“Ask your question,” Holly replied with a scowl.
“What would you like to drink?” he raised his right palm and pressed it on the glass in front of her.
Holly looked down as the liquid changed color, taking on a more bluish hue. She slowly raised the glass to her mouth and took a small sip of the drink. As she swallowed she recognized the taste of rosemary mixed with strawberries and basil.
“You can read minds,” Holly said. “I was just thinking about this drink.
My aunt used to make it for me.” A tear glistened behind Holly’s mascara-lined eyelids. “She said that her sister—my mom—used to drink it all the time.”
“That’s an interesting drink with an interesting story,” Michael replied as he raised the drink to his lips. “Maybe I can read minds.” The liquid inside his glass changed colors at least six times before he pulled it away from his lips. “Or maybe I’m just lucky.”
Michael looked at Holly, and his expression softened.
“I’m sorry about the way I came to know you,” Michael said as softly as he could while still being heard over the music. “All of you.” He glanced over to where Megan and Duncan were sitting. “I’m truly sorry that I came to you at such a horrible time in your lives. You know better than most people that the life of an oracle is never simple.”
Holly looked at him pensively before sliding her hand across the table to hold his. “I don’t know what your real motivations are, Michael.” She smiled weakly at him. “I just know that I’m not the best person to judge someone else for the reasons behind their actions. My entire fight against Valor these last few years has been fueled by the most selfish reason possible.”
“What do you mean?” Michael laughed. He shook his head and looked at her. “You’re fighting for your aunt; what cause could be nobler?”
“That’s what I tell myself when I’m not fighting. At times like this, when everything calms down and I get a chance to breathe, I tell myself that I’m doing it for her.”
“I see...” Michael nodded as he started to follow what she was saying.
Holly almost felt like smiling. Michael had read her mind and seen the lies that she had been telling herself. Her lies had been so convincing that even he believed them. How messed up was she?
“When I’m out there casting spells at Valor secur
ity guards or punching bad guys in the face, al I’m thinking about is getting revenge on Valor Incorporated. Revenge for how they destroyed my family. My life. I’m selfish.”
“Noble,” Michael corrected her and took a long drink from his glass.
“It’s not our obligation to share why we fight. That’s not what matters. What matters are our actions. The choices we make and how they affect the ones around us, the ones that we love.”
Michael looked over at the crowd of people on the dance floor as he spoke. Then, as he finished his sentence, his gaze lingered on Capricorn, who had just finished singing a slow techno bal ad called Breakups and Elves.
Holly saw this and grinned slightly as she opened her mouth to tease him.
The words never got a chance to leave her lips.
CHAPTER 22 - I Hate Gate Crashers
A huge flash of red light erupted from the middle of the dance floor, followed instantly by an explosion that seemed to rock the entire hotel.
Almost everyone was thrown into the air like toy dolls. Somehow the DJ booth survived the explosion, and the techno soundtrack continued to play weakly out of a few of the speakers.
Holly and Michael sprinted over to where the explosion had taken place, crossing the obstacle-course-like dance floor with ease. Standing before Holly and Michael were three men and three women, all dressed in identical dark blue bodysuits with Bluetooth headsets protruding from their right ears.
“Surrender.” One of the women walked forward and spoke to Holly.
She was a couple years older than Holly, with short, cropped, light brown hair and rusty hazel eyes. “Surrender, and you may be permitted to live.”
Holly chuckled to herself as she took a step towards the woman standing before her. “You’re the ones that took Gwen.”
The woman’s mouth curved into a small smile.
“My aunt...” Holly continued, lowering her voice this time.
“Surrender,” the woman repeated as her hands started to emanate a blood-red glow, “and we may permit your friends to live.”
