by J. J. Medina
She’s trying to be tough, but her eyes tell me she’s hurting. “Miranda, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. He was an addict. Him bailing was the best thing to ever happen to us. Anyway, Sarka said we would meet a girl with immense powers. That we would start a covenant—do great things. JP and I think it’s you. If we join hands and see our fates, we’ll know for sure.”
I wonder if they were the ones in my head this morning. “Can you two read minds?”
“That would be cool, but no,” JP says. “Why?”
“Nothing, just wondering.”
“Do you mind if we try?” Miranda asks.
“I’m too curious to say no.”
We hold hands. Miranda starts reciting rhythmic words. JP and I follow. I clear my mind, focusing on what she’s saying. I feel it. Their magic is pure, raw, untouched. It’s pulling at powers buried deep within me. We link. Vivid images flash through my mind, surprising me. I’m being lurched forward in time, to Crothinia. Dagon’s marching on Avondale. It’s similar to the images I’d seen in Selene’s room. Except this time, I’m beside my sworn enemy, smiling at the carnage.
“‘No!” I jerk my hand back and break the link. I feel energy shoot out of me. All the televisions and lights go dark. The music stops. The emergency lights turn on. People are looking around, wondering what’s going on. I’m positively freaked out.
“What’s the matter, Aria?” JP says.
I can’t speak. A sense of dread fills me.
“What did you see?” Miranda says. “I saw us fighting soul-sucking creatures.”
I stand up. “I have to go.”
I hear them asking what’s wrong, to wait, but I have to get out of here. Dagon will prevail? I’m gonna help him? What does this mean for my father? Crothinians? Me?
Six
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
THE PREMONITION HAS MY HEAD all screwed up. I can’t shake the feeling that if I let my guard down, even for a minute, the Aria I know will cease to exist. I can’t be without my powers anymore. Something has to give and fast.
I walk into Selene’s house. I’m greeted by the smell of smoke. The fur ball jets out the kitchen barking. Aspen circles me before sprinting back. I follow. What the…? Selene’s laid out on the floor. I grab the handle of a smoking pan and flip it into the sink. Hot. Hot. I turn the stove off and kneel beside Selene. Is she breathing? I grab her shoulders and shake. Her eyes fly open.
“You scared me half to death. I thought I was going to be stuck here by myself. What happened?” I ask.
Aspen runs over and licks her face. I help her into a chair.
“Long day showing houses to clients and not nearly enough food. I’m fine.”
She’s lying. She’s pale and dark circles mar her eyes. She coughs, mutters a spell. Her magic surrounds me. Smoke gathers and funnels down the drain.
I ask if she wants to rest and she waves me off.
“Tell me about your first day at school while I whip up a quick snack.”
“It was different. I made a couple of friends. Miranda and JP.”
“Great. What are they like?”
“Nice. Though, they probably think I’m nuts after I had a vision and ran out on them.”
“That means your powers are starting to trickle back. What did you see?”
“Avondale burning. Dagon winning.” I’m dying to tell her I saw myself by his side, but even I can’t come to grips with it. My head hurts just thinking about it.
A concerned look appears on her face. “You’re adjusting to your powers. It’s nothing.”
Why don’t I believe her?
Selene places a plate of crackers, cheese, fruit and a glass of water on the table. I wish it were pizza and a soda.
“Your father told me about your growing conduit and vision capabilities.”
“Conduit capabilities?” Great. Yet another thing he’s hidden from me.
“A conduit has the ability to seek out and absorb energy—both good and bad. Once you master it, you can obtain someone else’s power for a time.”
“Really?” I look at my hands. That’s some badass stuff.
“Just be careful. Dark energy is strong. It will be easy to lose yourself to it. Let’s try something. I can mend small wounds. Try acquiring that power from me?”
She calls a kitchen knife to her and slices her forearm. Blood trickles down.
“It’s not normal to slice yourself open. You know that, right?”
“Concentrate on my ability. On wanting it for yourself.”
She places my hand over the wound.
“Clear your mind. Let your abilities come to you naturally.”
I try to focus but can’t.
“Aria, stop thinking so much,” Selene snaps.
Damn, lighten up. She’s as intense as Mother when it comes to magic.
“Shh…I can’t concentrate with you riding me.”
I close my eyes. There’s a surge of energy. My hand tingles. I open my eyes and lift my hand. The wound’s healed. “I did it.”
“No, you failed.”
Why do I get the feeling she would suck as a motivational speaker?
“You reeked of insecurity. The more frustrated you became, the more pronounced it became. My job is to make you the most powerful princess Crothinia has ever known. Strong enough to lead our people in the fight against Dagon. Destroy him for good so Crothinians can live in peace. When he took over Crothinia, he killed all of our top sorcerers. Then he went after their children. An entire generation wiped from the planet—all because he was looking for you. All because of the prophecy.
I stop eating, my appetite completely gone. In my mind’s eye, I see Dagon repeating the prophecy.
“A light born from the dark will reign.
Out of the shadows will come dissension and fright.
Forever cursed, she’ll fight the dark’s sweet call, to write her own path.
With four by her side, a covenant of love will succumb.
For the dark will reign. But only the Dawn will know if she’ll show her true light.”
It has literally ruined my entire life. Everyone including fate thinks I’m not strong enough to defeat Dagon, write my own destiny. They’re wrong. They are all wrong.
Selene lays a hand on my shoulder. “I know it may sound like I’m coming down on you hard, but I need you to understand—this isn’t a game. You need to pull yourself out of whatever rut you’re in to become the leader Crothinia needs.”
As if I didn’t know.
“When you’re finished eating, clean the kitchen and living room.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m tired, too, you know.”
“There’ll be no rest when you’re queen. Welcome to reality.”
I mentally scream as she walks out of the kitchen to her bedroom.
Aspen’s ears are perked. He’s staring at a door, yapping at it furiously.
“Shut up, you’re giving me a headache.”
He leaps up, tugging on my dress.
“Get off me. What’s wrong with you?”
He rushes over to the door. Scratches it with his paws.
“What’s in there that’s got you all riled up?”
I step toward the door. That’s weird. I feel energy emanating from behind it. I swing the door open. Whoa! A smell of athlete’s foot mixed with wet clothes smacks me in the face. Come on, Selene, have you ever heard of air freshener? Stairs lead down into an abyss of darkness.
Aspen rushes down.
“Calm down, boy.” I flip on the light switch. Three lights turn on. They’re dim. The basement’s damp and filled with old furniture.
Aspen dashes to a coat rack overflowing with thick jackets. He’s sniffing, barking. I see movement amongst the colorful outerwear.
“Anyone in here?”
The only thing I hear is the wooden steps creaking as I make my way to the bottom. I no longer feel the energy. It’s like
it vanished. The outerwear moves again. My instincts are telling me to get help. That’s not going to happen, though. I never needed anyone before. Whatever’s down here can’t be that bad. It’s probably just some mouse or spider.
I notice a broomstick and grab it, just in case. I stick the broom in between a couple of trench coats. Cautiously, I push them apart. Argh! I stumble back. Moths shoot past my face and flutter around the lights. I fall hard on my tailbone.
Nothing. Great. Aspen’s got me spooked. I’m not confident enough without my powers.
I stand up, brushing dust off my aching butt.
Bang! There’s a surge of energy. Two lights pop. One is left flickering.
Aspen zooms past me, diving headfirst into the jackets. Why do I get the feeling I’m screwed?
I look back. What the hell is walking toward me? I want to run, scream, but can’t. My feet feel glued to the floor. Its eyes are large; its face elongated and shredded.
“Your power will be mine, Aria. I’m going to enjoy sucking you dry.”
“Get away from her,” Selene yells from the top of the steps. She fires a stream of energy, hitting the creature’s shoulder. Blood, black as tar, oozes from the wound.
I can move again. I spot a lamp on a side table and run for it.
It lets out a bloodcurdling roar and makes a mad dash for me.
“Watch it, Aria!” Selene tackles it.
They slam into a coffee table. Selene’s dazed on the floor. The being stumbles to its feet. Aspen leaps off a chair, lands on its back, and bites down on its neck. The being grabs Aspen and flings him into a bookcase, knocking him out. I slam the butt of the lamp into the creature’s head. It shrieks and gives me a vicious look. Not good.
Selene flies up to her feet. She’s livid. Her hair’s flying wildly. She raises her hands. Electricity shoots out of her palm and into the creature’s back. It screams before turning into ash.
Whoa. Now that was freaking fantastic. That’s power.
“Are you okay?” She envelops me in a hug.
I need it.
Aspen yaps as he struts over to us. Selene picks him up. We look at the ash.
“That was a tainted sorcerer,” Selene says. “He must have sensed your power.”
“I’m useless. I couldn’t even protect myself.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself. I know someone who can help. We’ll go see an old friend—Remos.”
Seven
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
I CATCH MY REFLECTION IN the glass of a framed subway map. I look like crap. I couldn’t sleep after the attack. I glance at Selene as we exit the train at Chinatown’s Canal Street. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s rubbed her shoulder. She won’t admit she’s hurt from the fight. We pass a couple embracing. Their lips are locked, bodies molded together. I wonder what it feels like to be kissed like that. Well, to be kissed period. They look like they’ve forgotten everyone and everything around them.
“There will be none of that under my roof,” Selene says.
“What?”
“Just in case you’re thinking it.”
Prude.
We descend upon a sea of people. I take in street vendors, tightly packed stores, open fish markets, and restaurants displaying roasted ducks in the window. It reminds me of Klenger Square back home. Except at home, the fauns are hustling around trying to make a quick buck. Selene leads me down an alley riddled with puddles, even though it hasn’t rained since I got here.
“Handbags!” someone says as they pop out of the shadows.
I throw my hands out. A flare of my magic sends a trashcan lid sailing toward a petite woman, slamming her to the ground. The bulky blanket in her hand flies open. Dozens of small bags spew out.
“Aria,” Selene says. She helps the woman up. “You’ve got to be careful.”
“Me? She’s the one sneaking up on us. I didn’t even know I could do what I just did.”
The woman seems dazed. Selene rests her hand on the woman’s forehead. She squints and shakes her head as if she sniffed something terribly gross. Then she gathers the bags and wraps them in a blanket.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
The woman passes by robotically.
“Is she all right?”
“She’ll be fine. I wiped her memory of the last five minutes.”
“I don’t get it. Yesterday, nothing. Today, an old woman scares me and bam! Why?”
“Last night you were thinking too much. Today you simply reacted.”
She makes things sound so simple.
We arrive in front of a rundown building. Enter through a door with a caduceus symbol above it. The smell of bleach is overwhelming as we head down a narrow, outdated hallway. Paint peeling from the walls and ceiling.
“Looks like this Remos person forgot to pay the rent,” I say.
“Remember, things aren’t always what they seem, Aria.” Selene waves her right hand. “Remos is here.”
We open the door at the end of the hallway and step into a brightly lit waiting room. Its walls are draped in moss and flowers. It’s like a hidden garden overcrowded with creatures of all shapes and sizes. Some are sneezing. Others coughing. All of them look like crap.
“Whoa. This is like an intergalactic ER. I didn’t expect this,” I say.
“No one does. The hidden rune we just passed through at the door keeps humans at bay. This is where non-humans seeking medical help go.”
Selene tells a receptionist with large bifocals who I am. The receptionist takes off her glasses. Two golf ball-sized eyes fly out of her head. They scan every inch of my face. I can’t help but feel grossed out by the pulsating veins on the side of the eyeballs.
“Princess Aria. I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Follow me.”
The eyes snap back into her head.
We’re ushered to the back. The desolation I see in many of the faces reminds me of families who’d lost everything during the battle of Throthinia. If only I could’ve done more.
We arrive at Remos’s office. Books and files are everywhere. Large, abstract paintings line the walls. A picture of the towering rocky archway near the mountainous region of Landrinius catches my eye. It looks so real. I can practically feel the dust blowing from it after a strong wind. Whoa…what was that? Did something move in the picture next to it? I step over to a picture of a sterile lab with tons of medical equipment. There’s nothing unusual about it. I must be so tired I’m imagining things.
“Remos draws pictures to feel closer to home,” Selene says. She’s clearing files off a chair. “That one, though, is of his dream lab.”
“This place is messier than your living room.”
“Keep talking, Aria. I can arrange for you to come here and clean this place, too.”
A short, stout man with stark-white dreadlocks enters. He rushes over to Selene.
“What are you doing here? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Remos.”
He gives Selene a hug. She grimaces.
“Obviously you’re not. Let me take a look at that.”
“Later. There’s something more pressing, Remos. This is—”
“No introduction needed.” Remos bows. “I’m honored, Princess Aria.”
“The honor’s mine,” I say.
Remos walks over to his battered oak desk and takes a seat.
“Are you originally from Landrinius? You have so many paintings of it,” I say.
“I am. It’s been a while since I’ve been back. Your father sent me here to study the Lyric Plague. To learn why it’s dormant in humans but deadly to many of us back home. It’s believed that we all carry it, but it evolves in some and remains inactive in others. I’m getting closer to finding a cure. Now, why are you both here?”
Selene explains the vision of Dagon she saw in the orb. Looking worried, Remos stands. He makes a fist. When he opens it, an orb of light appears, grows to the size of a basketbal
l, and floats between us.
“He’ll attempt to find you both now,” Remos says. “Especially after this.”
An image of Triumph Lake appears in the orb. The red lake is surrounded by towering diamond statues of past warriors. Hundreds are gathered. My father’s giving a speech, reassuring everyone that they’re safe. An explosion goes off. Chaos takes hold. People are screaming, running, crying. An energy shield surrounds Father, deflecting an onslaught of blasts. The statues explode, sending diamond shards everywhere, busting the shield. The lake bubbles. Dagon rises out of it.
It must have been a setup. Who would betray Father? Dagon couldn’t have pulled this off alone.
Father fires a streak of energy toward Dagon. He responds by firing one of his own. The streams collide with so much force the image explodes.
“The main portal’s collapsed on itself,” Remos says. “All communication has gone dark since.”
“Father’s in trouble. I was the one that stopped Dagon in the battle of Throthinia. I saved the kingdom once. I can do it again.”
“You don’t understand,” Remos says. “Everything Dagon does is methodical. He killed his own parents because he thought they were against him. He will stop at nothing to rule Crothinia. He wants you, and nothing thus far has stopped him. Your father sent you away to protect you. Going back now is impossible. I’m not strong enough to open a portal, and I don’t know anyone who is.”
“So we sit here and do nothing?”
“Helping you master your powers is far from nothing,” Selene says. “And you will. You’ll be stronger—a force to be reckoned with. In the meantime, we need a protection rune, Remos. A sorcerer attacked Aria, wanted her power. Can you create the rune?”
“Of course. Princess, give me your hand,” Remos says.
I place my palm in his. A rune takes shape and hovers above my palm before it touches my skin and sinks in. It burns for a second.
Suddenly heat spreads throughout my body, making my stomach churn. Then, oh no….
“Oh my, what’s that nasty smell?” Selene asks.
“Sorry, I got all this gas in me all of a sudden,” I say.
“It’s a side effect. It’ll go away in a few seconds,” Remos says.
