When her mother stepped to the side, out of the center of the wooden platform, a stalemate began. The Protectors on one side, the Punishers on the other—both strong in their beliefs, but unsure of where to take the argument next.
Everywhere Kira looked, blond heads were turning to the side, leaning toward one another. A buzz grew louder as the whispers spread around the circle—a cacophony of opinions. But Kira couldn't tell if the rising murmurs were for or against her.
Luke squeezed her hand, sending warm thoughts into her head, trying to drown out the worry. Kira held on, opening the wall she normally kept sealed tight. Like water through a crack, his optimism pushed through, shooting down her veins, lifting her spirits like hot chocolate on a wintry day.
Kira leaned into his body and Luke brought his arm around her shoulder, welcoming her head on his chest. Without misstep, their heartbeats molded into one. Their inhales and exhales rolled together like a quickly churning tide while they anxiously waited for someone to speak.
"If I may," the Punisher from Aldrich's dungeon stepped forward. Noah, Kira thought, remembering his name. She tensed, uneasy about what would come next, and Luke's grip on her arm tightened. The rest of the townspeople shifted slightly, moving as one to focus on this man as he walked slowly to the center of the platform.
One step.
Two steps.
Kira shifted her weight. Something in the back of her mind told her that his words would change everything—would decide her fate.
Three steps.
Four steps.
He stopped, looking toward her grandfather and then back toward the Punisher leading his Council.
"I was with Kira in that dungeon. I was down there for a long time before she came, just praying for a miracle—just praying someone would come save me." He focused his attention on Kira—the green in his eyes was forced back by the wave of yellow-orange flames fanning out from his pupils.
"At first, I admit, I thought she was a vampire come to torture me. I met her blues eyes with defiance. But then, she lit a fire so hot it burned the pain from my limbs, seared closed my cuts and somehow healed me. And not only me, but every other conduit trapped down there. I believed she was our savior, and I owe her my life." He nodded, silently thanking Kira in a way he never had before. She accepted it cautiously, just waiting for the huge 'but' in his story.
He turned away from the Protectors, finally meeting the gazes of the red-haired Council he had walked in with.
"But," he said. Here we go, thought Kira—it was almost painful for her to hold an eye roll back. What was it going to be? How she gave blood to Pavia? How she begged for memories of her mother?
"But there is one thing that scares me about this girl, something I would not bring up if the situation were not so dire. She is good, completely good down to the core. So good in fact, that destroying evil things feels just. Unlike Punishers, who kill for the job, because it is what we were put on this earth to do, Kira kills for the vindication it brings, for the sense of rightness that settles inside of her heart. And on a normal conduit, that would not be a problem. But she is not normal. She is two-halves rejoined, an original. And every time she lusts for the kill, she falls unknowingly closer toward the darkness. We all know the histories, the stories that were passed down by our ancestors no matter what sort of conduit you are. An angel cannot fall, because if she does, no one on this earth would be strong enough to stop her."
The silence following his speech was like a dagger plunging into Kira's chest, stealing both her breath and her words. He was right—he knew it and the other conduits seemed to know it as well.
The heat from their stares scorched her skin, burning with accusations. She stepped back as if punched in the gut, not knowing where to look or how to escape the scrutiny. But worse, she couldn't run away from the part of her that couldn't help but ask if maybe he were right, if maybe it were the truth in his words that really stung.
And all of a sudden, that little speck of darkness burrowed in the deepest crevice of her heart slivered out, expanding just enough to draw Kira's notice. Two days had passed since Aldrich's castle—two days of denial. But now, in front of an entire town searching for explanations, Kira couldn't hide.
A filmy oil slipped silently through her veins, shrouding her light, casting shadows over her power. The black ghost clinging to her heart expanded, pushing her always-churning flames to the side, forcing its way through. The darkness was begging for release, daring her to give in. It was almost too tempting—an entire town of vulnerable conduits—something no vampire would give up, an opportunity the evilness clinging to Kira couldn't pass up.
Subconsciously, she licked her lips. Her eyes began to glow a bright-sky blue devoid of any hint of yellow and she leaned forward on her toes, a body ready to pounce.
The part of Kira still together, still connected to the sun, fought back. She clenched her fists, a movement only Luke could feel as close as they were. He looked down at her, mistaking it for fury. But Kira knew better, and she squeezed her fingers, using her nails to cut deep gashes in her palms.
As always, the pain shocked her back into control. Her flames broke through the sticky tar hardening in her limbs, forcing a retreat. The fire rushed forward and her hands faintly glowed as her powers took control, healing the cuts.
"Kira," Luke nudged her. For once, he couldn't read exactly what was going on in her mind. He thought her anger was making her lose it.
She ignored Luke and stepped forward, closer to Noah. Pulling her flames up around her heart, Kira pushed the darkness back into hiding—searing the edges and trapping it once more.
"And what would you do to prevent that?" She asked him. Part of her was curious, but part of her knew that getting angry was the only way to make her flames burn strong enough to keep her conduit-side in control.
"Anything," he responded coolly.
"Will you kill me?" Kira whispered. He didn't say anything but leveled an unyielding gaze on her. "So that's it then?" She shook her head, looking back to the razor sharp eyes of the Punisher leader. "That's the big plan? To kill me?" He shifted his gaze to the floor, breaking slightly under Kira's scrutiny. The silence spoke loudly enough.
The conduits kept their gazes locked on Kira.
"Have you even thought of all the good I could do?" She asked, still refusing to give this Punisher a break. Instead Kira challenged him, walking closer to his sturdy wooden chair. He had nowhere to move, no way to escape. Her fire settled in, rumbling like a volcano ready to explode. She felt the flames lick the underside of her palms, wishing for release.
The image of Tristan popped into her head—his face fast asleep and free of the sharp-edged stress lines normally digging deep into his skin. She had saved him—she had done that with her conduit powers, with her fire. And what if there were others like him out there? More vampires who wanted to be free of the curse? Would all of these people just turn their backs out of fear—was the unknown really so scary?
All Kira knew was the unknown, her life was uncharted territory. And yes, it was scary, but it was also exhilarating to write her own fate.
"I saved one vampire—I can save more. Who knows what we can do? Maybe I can teach you how to heal them, how to bring the humanity back to a vampire who wishes to be saved. We can make a real difference. We can forever alter the scales and take control back from the vampires who completely outnumber us. All you need to do is give me a chance to prove myself, just one chance."
"Well said," Kira's grandfather interjected, using his deep rumble to catch the attention of the crowd and cut Kira off while she was still ahead. And Kira sensed it—the slightly favorable note playing faintly through the air—the Protectors were still on her side…for now. And the idea that she wasn't alone finally calmed Kira, letting her blood cool off and her flames retreat.
"We have all been presented with a lot of questions and very few answers," her grandfather continued, "I for one would like a night to discuss toda
y's events with my fellow Council members—a chance to regroup and figure out how we can meet in the middle to make a united decision."
He stepped off of his throne, reaching to the side for the wooden cane camouflaged against the chair leg. Without looking back, he shuffled to the edge of the platform and stopped right before the first step. Putting his hand out, palm facing the sun and the majority of the townspeople, he said "May the sun shine down upon you for all of your days."
"May it protect you until the end," everyone—Protectors and Punishers, Councilmen and laymen, and even Kira—responded.
With the traditional closing words spoken, the mood around the square visibly relaxed. Councilmen stepped off of their chairs to their waiting families below. Children began to run around. Friends began to gossip. The grassy lawn began to clear as people made their way home. And Kira felt she could finally breathe again, like the air was somehow fresher. It might have been a shaky victory, but hey, beggars couldn't be choosers.
So, following Luke, Kira walked off the platform and took a deep breath, unsure of where to go.
There was always Luke's home, but his sister was watching Kira like a hawk. Or the hospital, if Tristan were awake enough to try to face his new reality again. But no, Kira realized what she needed to do. Her mother was waiting somewhere in the crowd, armed with either a warm hug or a harsh lecture. Kira was ready for both.
"Have you seen my mom?" She asked Luke, confused about how any red headed woman would be so hard to find in this crowd.
"Your mother is right here."
Kira jumped. She recognized the ice in that voice.
"Hey, Mom," she said casually, turning around with a weak smile.
The eyebrow raised and Kira's spirits dropped. So it was going to be a lecture. What was the point of narrowly escaping death, Kira thought, if you still got yelled at by your mother?
"We're leaving," she grabbed Kira's hand, "good to see you, Luke."
"You too Mrs. Dawson," he said, looking at Kira like a deer caught in the headlights. "Um, is that my sister over there?" He waved to no one and slipped away quickly.
Coward, Kira thought with a grimace.
"Come on." Her mom tugged on her hand.
"But Grandpa, he said to go to the house, to reconvene, to talk strategy…"
The eyebrow rose higher.
"Your grandfather can wait," her mother said.
Kira took a deep breath, trying to think of a response, but the air just spilled out completely deflating her body.
"Yes Mom."
Chapter Three
"Get in the car." Her mother held open the passenger side door of the black town car she had arrived in—her eyes were daring Kira to refuse, to give her something to really yell about.
Kira slipped quietly under her arm, trying to keep the fight at bay for as long as possible.
Her mother slammed the door and walked quickly around to the driver's seat. When it banged shut, Kira's heart jumped. The only noise filling the car was the engine revving to life. Her palms began to sweat and she rubbed them against her legs.
From the rearview mirror to her mother's white knuckles to her own twiddling thumbs, Kira didn’t know where to look. Her gaze shifted, moving more frantically the longer her mom remained quiet. It was the calm before the storm—the moment when you knew disaster was coming and there was nothing you could do to prevent it, no last minute plea.
They were on the main road, driving aimlessly through the streets of Sonnyville, moving slowly with no sense of direction. Kira realized her mother had no idea where to go. Her eyes were barely focused on the road and Kira could see the wheels in her head spinning on overdrive. She was thinking about her lecture, about where to begin. And the fact that it was taking so long had Kira on edge—it meant she was about to yell at Kira…a lot.
Her mother's lips were white, sealed together in a tight line. Even knowing that it would open a floodgate, Kira couldn't stand to keep silent any longer. The anticipation was driving her insane. She leaned toward her mom, keeping her face open and innocent—trying to look like the wide-eyed child her mother loved and not the disreputable teenager she had become.
"Mom?" She whispered.
Her mother's hands shifted on the wheel, squeaking against the leather.
"I know you're mad—"
"Mad!" Her mother turned, taking her eyes completely off the road. "I'm furious! How could you?"
Dang, Kira thought, why did you have to ask such an open-ended question? Was she mad about Kira going to England, Tristan being a vampire, the Punishers bringing her to Sonnyville…the list could go on and on. Maybe if she stayed silent, her mother would just keep ranting…
"Well, Kira? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Kira looked around, desperately hoping something out the window would give her inspiration. At a total loss for words, she went to her classic fallback. "I love you," Kira said slowly, offering up her super wide 'I'm sorry' smile.
"Oh don't give me that—that face stopped working when you hit puberty. I mean, how did you even get a passport?"
Ah, England it is, Kira thought.
"Mom, I never wanted to lie—it was just, I needed to go to see if my birth mother was alive, to see if I could save her." She wasn't listening, Kira realized as her mom continued mumbling.
"And Tristan is a vampire? How could you not tell me?"
"Well, I mean, I thought you would figure it out. You are a Punisher…"
"And you've killed people?"
"Only vampires—"
"And you let them drink from you?"
"Not from me, jeez, there were other factors—"
"And you've been lying to your father and I for months, not even trying to include us."
"In what? In my life as a conduit? You didn't exactly want to be included, Mom. You could have asked me about it. You could have checked in once in a while—why is that all on me?"
Kira shifted in her seat, staring straight at her mother, trying to gather some strength. This was not all her fault.
"You didn't tell me about your powers, about how strong you are."
"All you had to do was sit in on one training session with Luke—just one and you would have known about my abilities. You're the one who asked me not to tell Dad, to leave him and Chloe out of it. You pushed me away. You edged me out of the family."
Her mom refused to look at Kira, but stared straight ahead. They were on the main drive, heading out of town. In five minutes they would be at the gate. Kira recognized this tree-filled street—she had sped down this road a few too many times before.
"I didn't push you away. I wanted you to have a normal life." Her mother's voice had softened slightly.
Under any other circumstance, Kira would have been amazed at her skills. Somehow she had turned this fight around and escaped a thrashing. But victory was the last thing on her mind. The two of them had danced around this fight for a long time. Kira had been keeping these feelings in for too long—she had opened a floodgate alright, but it was within her own heart and not her mother's.
"Well, I'm not normal, Mom, and neither are you. I'm strong, and powerful, and it's part of me now. And you have to accept that."
"I won't accept it," her mom pushed her foot down on the gas pedal a little more, "I won't accept you being in danger all the time and people arguing over the fate of your life. I won't accept my own people begging for your head."
"Please, your own people? You don't even know what being a conduit is. You don't understand."
"I understand that fighting for your life every second of every day is no way to live. I understand waiting at home for your family to come back from a mission, never knowing if they'll show up alive. I understand losing people. And I won't let that happen to you."
A tear rolled down her cheek and Kira realized her mom wasn't blinking. Her eyes were wide, staring straight ahead at something Kira couldn't see. Her entire body was stiff, unmoving.
Farther dow
n the road, Kira saw the gate—a black shadow across the road growing bigger by the second. It was opening slowly, anticipating their approach.
"Mom, slow down. Where are we going?"
Her mother didn't move.
"You can't do this anymore, Kira. All the lies and all the fighting, I won't allow it." Her fingers trembled on the steering wheel.
"Okay, Mom," Kira said softly, putting a hand on her forearm. She had never seen her mother so out of control.
"I won't lose you like this, Kira. They're crazy."
"I know, Mom, vampires are out of control—"
"No," her mom shook her head, keeping her eyes wide. Her pupils were so dilated with adrenaline that her eyes looked almost black except for a narrow sliver of yellow-green. "Not the vampires, Kira, them. The conduits. I'm taking you away from these people. From their rules and traditions. I'm saving you."
Her eyes began to glaze over, filling with water as more tears dropped down unnoticed.
"Mom, they won't hurt me."
"They already have, Kira, don't you see. They pushed me away because I wasn't strong enough. They're the reason my brother is dead, because he didn't conform to their rules. And now you. They let you live just to change their minds years later? They're afraid of you, of anything new and different. And I won't let them have you." She shook her head back and forth.
"Mom," Kira gripped the steering wheel over her mother's hand, holding her cold fingers and trying to keep the car steady. "Mom, I'm safe. I'm right here with you. Nothing is going to happen to me."
The blood began to flow back into her mother's fingers.
"Mom, slow the car down."
She eased her foot off of the pedal. Kira shifted her weight over the gear stick, wrapping her arms around her mother's trembling torso.
"Shh, it's okay," she soothed.
The car slowed to a stop and they rolled almost imperceptivity through the gate. But Kira felt the sun fill her veins as they passed through the invisible UV barrier thrumming across the entrance, blocking vampires. The two of them were outside of Sonnyville, finally escaped from conduit lands, and it was enough for her mother to break. Heaving sobs filled the car and hands clutched Kira, gripping her tight and pulling her into her mom's body.
Scorch (Midnight Fire Series) Page 3
