by Jamie Magee
“Obvious solution?”
“Pop one of the blemishes, take down a Lord to open a path to The Reaper.”
“The not so obvious solution?”
“I think I dig you, fire boy, all angles, I like that.” She looked back to the board. “The obvious was seen and recorded, so it was a not so obvious. There is a risk that a living dimension could be overrun with dead.”
“Do you know which one?”
“I got nothin’. But maybe in your all-seeing immortal ways you could figure out one that wouldn’t mind having a few billion souls invade them.”
He didn’t find that funny.
“Look, I know you understand the Veil, you have to because you are in a sense dead, or at least have died a few times over. If you take down a Lord and overflow The Reaper with souls, another Lord is going to dive down like a hawk and take them. You will end up doing nothing but putting the souls through trauma.”
“If I take down one or two.”
“Aggressive little fire boy, aren’t you? If you took one down, if you charge any one of these Lords, you’ll need to have a pool, a huge bucket, or something to push the souls into, a place they would be safe until The Reaper could manage them. They’re the safest with the living. That is the only place the Lords can’t reach them.”
Silence took over, wheels were turning in his head, and he wasn’t planning on clueing River in.
“So, the way I saw you and Indie dressed last night leads me to believe that you guys are not strangers to throwing shindigs.”
“You know what they say about assuming.”
“Right, but I’m not an ass,” her comeback made him grin. “My point,” River said nodding to the board, “Is that if you happen to find a place to put the souls from the Lord you chose to take down, you’re going to need energy from the living and the dead to pull them away from the Lord in the first place.”
“And you think I should put on a suit to do that?”
Funny. “No. You can wear overalls for all I care. What I’m saying is that this existing manor, the one the living can see, and the one in the Veil are the way they are for a reason. You’re going to have to throw a party, a big one, on both sides, living and dead. Once the energy is elevated, meaning you better have some wicked entertainment or a stocked bar, the two manors will merge in some metaphysical way. It will be like a vacuum. You need a good witch that can spell the direction of the souls you bring forth, then you push the souls in that direction. It’s elementary, I swear, at least to anyone who understands energy.”
“A good witch,” he repeated.
“Want me to send you a few contacts?” River quipped. “That is not the hard part. It’s having a big enough crowd. I’m not even sure a party would do it, you need a catalyst, a surge of energy. ”
“You’re saying we need to rush something this important?”
“Not at all, I’m just telling you the placement of Neptune in the alignment of the planets right now will make this illusion all the easier to pull off, you can always wait for the next lineup, but I was serious last night, that Camlin guy is bad news. He’s loose now, which means you have another Lord of Death on deck.” River squared her shoulders. “In my opinion, we’ve already had one too many Lords of death before Camlin came back around. If this keeps up, no one is going to make it to The Reaper, meaning no one will move on and the wheels of life will halt, darkness will reign.”
“How strong is that opinion of yours? What stake do you have in this?”
“Like you don’t know.”
“I know you are Saige’s niece, which means you want Skylynn out of her shadow,” he glanced over at her. “But I don’t understand why an Escort from a line not in this war would choose to help you.”
“Who says he is?” River said knowing he was talking about Dagen.
He nearly laughed. “Do you think I can’t sense his men lingering, each watching you, each hunting the Lord of Death you just told me to take down? What has this Camlin done to you?
River looked away. She knew Dagen was more interested in finding a way to kill Crass, the Lord of Death that held ownership of Rydell King’s soul. At the same time, she despised Camlin for no apparent reason, at least not one that was stronger than him entrapping her cousin.
“Camlin controls shadowed souls. Souls that can step into anyone’s dream and sway them. Only the strongest can not find a Godly sign in their actions,” she smirked. “With that kind of power you could control a world, by simply making them believe what was put into their head. Camlin is the Lord of Worry. Worried people make stupid mistakes, in the name of not wanting to make mistakes. Someone locked him up on purpose, and a wayward houseguest of yours let him out. So in effect, he’s your mess to clean up.”
“True.”
He turned from the board and focused on her. “If I put you in a deep trance do you think that would help you uncover more—why you truly dislike this Lord.”
“A do what? No. I have enough issues with dreams and flashbacks without letting you in my head. This isn’t what I know anyway, it’s what is written here, or the hint of it.”
“You wrote it.”
His words stabbed her, made her wonder again why him, this place, seemed so familiar, but she brushed the idea away before she was forced to acknowledged that in front of him. “No, I read it,” she glanced at the first book she’d read, the one Jamison had told her to look for. “You know what? I think maybe you and Indie need to hang out down here, go through some of this.”
“Why is that?”
“Loose translation, a text I found said, ‘the key to what is seen is within the breath of lovers, two made of one, light and dark—breath or touch, one of the two’, it was the first line I read. Maybe some of this will click with you two, and you can figure out where the rest of my books are because I got to tell you, I’m hitting a dead end here.”
His eyes glinted as he appraised her. “Little bit, I’m sorry for what I’m about to do. Everyone deserves to walk their path of discovery, unlock thine own self, but this is war, and there are far too many variables at risk for me to wait for you to have such an awakening.”
River stepped back. She was a breath away from screaming Dagen’s name in her thoughts, and that would complicate things right about then.
“You wrote this,” Phoenix said again as if she didn’t hear his audacious remark before.
Phoenix moved closer to her and peered down. “You’re an Allurest, a seer, a sacred soul that is madly in love with my cousin, the pair of you met when this home was in the twin reality you so carefully sketched out. You saw what we were facing now, wrote it down, packed this house, then sent my soul mate and her guardians right on over. I want to know why you came. You could have helped us more from where you were,” he let that sit there for a second then continued.
“I don’t care what happened in this past you and Mason are fighting over, what immature move he pulled. I don’t care because Genevieve is mine. I fell in love with her in the other reality. We are one soul that was twisted apart by fate. And the thing is, my cousin fell in love with you an eternity before I did with Genevieve. Mason claimed you long before this life, long before you fell in the driveway yesterday. You’re his. He’s yours. We are all here now, and we have to figure out why. No time for broken hearts. We forgive today for tomorrow is not promised, not even to fire boys such as us.”
River’s mind was going insane, all those dreams of this place, that heaven, the one she thought Braxton was in, they were all flying through her mind.
“You remember it,” Phoenix said with a tilt of his head.
Yeah, she was sure she did, or at least had an instinct that was telling her that, one she had been diligently ignoring. It was too overpowering to contend with in addition to what was going on in her life currently. It took all she had to not let her eyes well with emotion. “I had a dream or two.”
“Right, then,” he said as he stepped a little closer, leaving only a br
eath between them. “So whatever you have going on with an Escort is just a fling, one that needs to end. I don’t want any trouble, but if you even know the slightest hint on the lore behind Phoenixes you know how territorial we are. I want to get through this, figure out what Lord to take down, safely. I want a big happy family where everyone is with who they belong with.”
“Tall order. I don’t belong here, and you have no right to tell me who I should and should not be with.”
He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Does Jamison approve of how tight you are with this Escort? Did he explain every risk, or did he just tell you about the raw attraction.” River didn’t move. She couldn’t fathom how he even knew Jamison. She couldn’t understand why he thought what was going on with Dagen and her was more than it was.
She knew one thing, though. If he thought she was property, that he was going to tell her to cut all her ties to be with Mason, he had lost his damn mind.
“What the hell is going on here?” River heard Mason seethe.
Chapter Fifteen
The night before, as River slept in his arms, Mason replayed her last words, her ultimate confession.
The old him was thrilled for her, he wanted to rejoice with her. She’d always felt a hole, an emptiness because she didn’t know for sure who her father was. She felt misplaced, like her life was forced into place or something. If she had figured out the man that had always played that role in her life was indeed her father it had to be an epic moment in her life, one that Mason missed.
The other part of him—the part that had just slain an evil wench of an Escort named Rasure—was coming unglued. Cadence was one of those beings. Mason was almost positive that Wilder was, too. So, needless to say, the first impression Mason had of the race of Escorts was not a good one.
And Mason knew Jamison. He was the kind of guy you wanted in your life. Protective and giving, he never crowded or stayed too close. If what River said was true, that at one time he was one of those Escorts, Mason knew they couldn’t all be bad, or at the very least, he knew they could change.
At the end of the night, Mason knew even if River had pulled something like Rasure, he’d still love her and would lay down everything he owned to defend her. It didn’t matter who her father was, or what her heritage was.
What did matter was that she was under a roof with three other Phoenixes that Mason doubted would see the same way. Which meant River was in danger at his side, and that put Mason between River and Indie.
What was ripping his soul apart and confusing the hell out of him was that he knew without a doubt he would always choose River. That put Indie, a girl he loved, had been through hell with, one that was counting on him to protect her, in danger, too.
One would have to wonder if it was not fate that brought River to Mason’s doorstep, but the enemy and if her presence was intended to bring down the Queen of the Veil.
Gavin had told Mason that Saige, Jamison’s sister, was Skylynn’s mother. Which means Skylynn had to know about this heritage, it had to be in her, and she was here, she was fighting with Indie.
In Mason’s mind that meant River was there to help them, not to defend her own agenda. That’s how she was raised, the kind of person she was and that was exactly what he was going to tell the others when they discovered that the essence of Escort was within River.
All he knew that morning when he left her side was that he wasn’t going to let another day pass without her knowing how he felt. He wasn’t sure how she would take his romantic gestures, and if he was being honest, he was dreading finding out. More than anything, he feared that his words wouldn’t impact her, not the same as they would’ve years before.
He waited for her to come down. He’d even planned on handing her the letter, demanding that they talk it out. But the time had come to leave for the wake, and she hadn’t awoken.
He felt torn at that moment leaving the house to attend the wake for Sophia. She was an innocent girl that just wanted to hang out with him. A girl that died far too young.
What he really wanted to do was stay there and beg the girl he should have never left behind to give him another chance.
His solution was underlining the lines in the note that he wanted to repeat to her, it seemed weak on the surface, but he knew if he left with the letter, River might never see it, he’d let fear overrun him, let the words stay in the painful past.
At the wake, Gavin, Indie, and Mason kept to themselves.
Indie tried to talk to Mason about River, but he wouldn’t let her open that door. He wanted to figure this out on his own, and like the saint she was, Indie backed away.
When they came back to the house, Mason sensed River downstairs. He could hear the music he selected still playing. She was content. Which gave him a moment to track down Skylynn. He wanted answers. He wanted to make sure River was safe or confirm if he needed to get her home before the others discovered what was within her.
“I want to understand this guardian role,” he said to Skylynn when he found her prowling the main library.
“What is there to understand?”
“Is this like a ball and chain? I mean, if something happened to me would it hurt Indie too? Are we that linked?”
Skylynn was clearly distracted, acting as if this epic moment in Mason’s life was of no consequence, and that clearly ticked him off. The flames in his eyes were apparent, every lean muscle in his body was tensed.
“You’re a shield. You hear the truth in the pleas, release the souls with her,” Skylynn said dismissively.
“And without me?” Mason pressed.
Skylynn furrowed her brow as she took the time to turn and look at him. “Why would there be a without you?”
A pissed smirk slowly made its way across Mason’s face. “Did you send River here on purpose, or was it someone else?”
“Like fate? Or how about by your own intentions? Your energy is amped up. Energy attracts what it wants. Clearly want you wanted was brought forth.”
Great so it was my fault, I pulled River into the enemies’ nest. “She’s not safe here.”
“She is more than safe. I’m working on the portal deal.”
“The what?”
She waved her hand as if were nothing.
“Is River a part of your family? If Saige is your mother, then Jamison is your uncle. What do you know about him?”
“What do you know?” she asked him with a pointed stare.
“I want to know if Phoenix and Indie are going to flip out about this. Is River going to be put at risk at the same time Indie is, and if that happens will I even have a choice? Or will I be stuck watching my biggest fear play out in front of me?”
Skylynn appraised him for a long moment. “I assure you, both in question are quite capable of defending themselves,” she lifted her chin, “Your role is balance. You shield the unworthy and when the Queen is in doubt, when she questions a path, your shared certainty with her points the way. You are a safe hold. But you already knew that, didn’t you, Mason Wade?”
“Yes, I knew I would protect River, call me human, I gave a damn if that would hurt Indie or any of the other souls that we need to set free.”
A slow grin shadowed her lips. “Your statement puts you at the forefront of this web of hearts and souls.”
“Excuse me?”
“And I quote. ‘Those made of one that question if the sacrifice of their love is needed for the great good, are the warriors that lead the way. There is no greater pain than being parted from half your soul, and those that prepare to bear that weight, are the ones who lead tomorrow.’”
Mason’s body tensed, then he manifested an inch from her face. “I don’t have time for any analogy, or philosophy. I want to know how bad Phoenix and Indie are going to flip out when they figure out exactly what is in your family tree.”
She smirked. “Obviously Phoenix adores me so you should be just fine,” she shook her head when she saw the flames in his eyes flare. “Chill out, Phoen
ix knows who Jamison is. There is respect there. Therefore, there will be respect for his children.” A smile twitched on her lips. “Stop looking for excuses, or a reason for this to slip away. Mason, it’s time to believe that you deserve her. Like I said before, neither of the girls you are drawn to protect are weak, and your essence is vast, follow your instinct, that is your soul speaking.”
“I don’t know how to do the job you are telling me that I have to! Who am I to say this person is pure and should get another shot?”
“It’s not you per say,” she said as she waved her hands in his direction. “It’s your soul, your instinct, your higher self. It’s not like you are sitting on a panel hearing the plea. In a moment of question all four of you must agree on the soul, you may not know one thing about the soul, may not even be present when the soul is before her, but your agreement or disagreement will be there.”
“You make no sense,” Mason spat.
“Life makes no sense. It also makes no sense why you are in my face worried about River when you know that Phoenix is down there right now drilling her for answers.”
He didn’t know that until she said it, until his instincts reached out and pinpointed where Phoenix was and found out that he was exactly where Skylynn said he was, right next to River.
He was down there in the next beat, just in time to see Phoenix lean into her ear and say something that made River look like she was going to either kill him or faint.
Mason didn’t know if it was the expression on her face, or the fact that Phoenix was that close to her that sent rage coursing through his veins.
“What the hell is going on here?” he said when Phoenix’s stare didn’t break from River’s at his sudden appearance.
“Calm down, mate. We were just figuring out we know a few of the same people. People I might need to stop by and have a chat with,” and like that he vanished.
Mason could have sworn he saw a tremble roll through River, which was not helping his rage at all. He was at her side in that instant, daring to reach for her face, to ask her to look up at him.
