"Which I found for them," Karsh reminded the Council.
"So you did. And now it's you who have engineered their being together." Ileana stood, and faced the crowd. "They are not safe. Evil forces are afoot, forces wishing to bring harm to them. They must be separated. That is my contention, and it must be yours," Ileana finished with a dismissive wave.
Now Lady Rhianna clapped her hands, and took command of the amphitheater. "Let us recap, shall we? Artemis and Apolla were born of two of our most beloved and powerful practitioners of witchcraft. No one really knows what they can do together, only that their potential is infinite."
"I've seen them. They are quite amazing," Karsh confirmed.
"Tell us more, good Karsh," Rhianna commanded, intrigued.
"Oh, right. Tell us more, good Karsh," Ileana echoed irritably.
"Well, I am their tracker, of course," Karsh explained. "I have been watching them all their lives—"
"At my request," Ileana noted.
"Recently, they met. No one is quite sure how. It could have been a random occurrence or Thantos may have lured them—"
The protests Karsh had expected broke out. "Leave Thantos out of this," one of the powerful warlock's followers demanded. "Lord Thantos would not harm them," another vowed. "He doesn't even know where they are!" This last, sullenly, from Sinon.
"Even so." Ileana's shrill shout silenced Thantos's followers. "They didn't have to be brought together. Karsh did that."
"How could I not?" he objected. "One had lost her protector. The other suspected she'd been adopted. Besides, they'd already... well, let's just say they'd tested their joined powers—and neither was likely to forget that."
"What exactly did they do?" Lady Rhianna asked, curious.
Karsh's pale eyes filled with pride. "You should have seen them. They were quite wonderful. Actually boss. The total bomb."
"Boss, bomb?" Ileana sneered. "Those expressions are older than you are, Karsh—as if that were possible."
The aged trickster ignored the insult. "They kept a family from falling to certain deaths," he continued, ardently. "Comforted a distraught child using an incantation—" He stopped himself lest he let too much slip. "But here is what's important. Everything they did was rooted in a heartfelt desire to help people."
Now Ileana exploded. "And in doing that, they put themselves in harm's way. He will find them!"
Being defensive would do nothing for his case, Karsh knew. Quietly, he asserted, "I gave Artemis tools with which to protect herself."
Ileana rolled her glorious gray eyes. "You gave her a few incantations. As if that will be enough."
Now Karsh couldn't contain himself. "Which she taught her sister immediately. Which—have you not been listening?—they've already used to good purpose."
Lady Rhianna now rose from her chair, levitating and rising above Karsh and Ileana. "Listen to me, both of you. Karsh... being the elder here, you should know this. When twin infants are separated, they lose much of their inborn ability. When they meet for the first time, there is an initial jolt of electricity—a bursting firecracker of energy—which creates the illusion they are fully powered-up, that their gifts are at full capacity. But without training, without guidance, that first burst will fade. Do you understand me?"
"Fade how? What do you mean?" Ileana asked.
"Until the twins are initiated, properly guided, what they can do will be only the most elementary magick. For all you know, Karsh, their abilities may already be ebbing."
Ileana tried to contain the fear in her voice, but Karsh recognized it. "What powers will they be left with?" she asked.
"Oh, they will have some abilities they were born with, but they will not be as sharply attuned. They will not be able to control them. Their efforts at practicing the craft, dabbling in magick, may go wildly awry. Without protection, they'll—"
"But they have protection," Karsh interrupted. "I gave Artemis her necklace, the gold moon charm her parents blessed before—"
"Before," Rhianna broke in, "the unfortunate occurrence—"
"Before Thantos murdered their father!" Ileana shouted, setting off a wave of troubled grumbling in the great hall.
"I gave her the necklace," Karsh called above the uproar. "And I..."He looked down, away. He couldn't face Ileana now. "And I never took Apolla's away. She's had it since she was an infant. Wearing them will offer some protection—"
Ileana was livid. "Are you mad? Old trickster, don't you see? By their necklaces, Thantos will know them. Every time they use their powers, it will bring him closer to them."
"He's already seen them together," Karsh was forced to confess.
"You don't know him," the boy Sinon called out. "He means no harm—"
"You don't know him," Ileana snapped.
Now Lady Rhianna lifted herself higher above the amphitheater floor. She shook her outstretched arms, unfurling a magnificent set of amber wings. The crowd grew still, then burst into applause at the impressive sight. "Enough," she quieted them. "We've heard enough. Until Lord Thantos himself appears before this Council—"
"Which he will never do," Ileana insisted.
"Then find him, bring him to us," Rhianna silenced her impatiently. "The Council will now vote. Should the twins, Artemis and Apolla, be separated, as is the demand of Ileana, or allowed to remain together, as Karsh contends?"
Karsh nervously scanned the theater. How many here were his friends, how many his foes? He watched as the Council members pressed the keys on their computers. This was how Apolla and Artemis's fate would be determined? Through these gadgets, devices, contraptions, these bizarre boxes. A slip of the mouse, a finger pressed on delete—or worse—and he'd have to abide by the Council's decision.
They were focused om their monitors, fingers clicking feverishly on their keyboards, mouses—or was it mice—gliding on foam pads. He couldn't tell if a quick decision was good or bad.
But swift it was. It came to Lady Rhianna telepathically. Her smile tipped Karsh off, allowing him not triumph but only a moment's relief.
"The Council has voted. I'm pleased to say I agree with the consensus." Rhianna peered down her stubby nose at Ileana. "The twins are to remain together."
Ileana's hands balled into fists at her side—which was quite a lot better than her waving them in an attempt to turn Rhianna into the potato she now only resembled. But, barred form using her powers, all she could do was fume. Which she did bountifully.
"It seems, Ileana, that you will have to finally do the job for which you were chosen," Rhianna said.
Instinctively, Karsh came to Ileana's defense. "May I remind the Council that Ileana was but a child herself, barely seventeen years old, when she was given the responsibility for the infants."
The Exalted Elder grinned broadly. "Well, she ain't seventeen no more."
That did it. Ileana flew off the handle. "I don't have the time or the clothes! What are they wearing in Marble Bay, anyway?"
The minute it came out of her mouth, she realized her slip. So did Karsh. If any of Thantos's friends were present—and at least one, the boy, was—they now knew where the twins could be found. Ileana lowered her head, ashen and ashamed.
"My dear, you should be delighted." Rhianna had floated down to ground level and was standing, with folded wings, directly in front of Ileana. "For, in fact, you were right. You came to this Council asserting your position as Artemis and Apolla's guardian. And so you are. Their guardian, teacher, protector, and mentor. When they come of age, it is you who will preside over their initiation. For fourteen years you've had little to do. Which, as far as I can tell, has suited you fine. Clearly, the situation has changed." She looked from Ileana to Karsh and back again. "I suggest"—she grinned—"you both get going."
Chapter 30 — Beyond the Gates
"I know what you're thinking," Cam said as they retrieved their bikes from the rack outside Music & More.
"Give me news, not history," Alex murmured. Even though she wa
s doing it, too, it was still weird knowing someone could hack into her brain as handily as the FBI had tracked down the M & M computer. "And?" she challenged.
"And I disagree. I don't think she did it."
"I assume we're talking about Tonya?" Alex asked, mounting Dylan's bike.
"I keep telling you, she's got issues. But that doesn't make her a kidnapper."
"Okay, let's review," Alex suggested as Cam hopped on her own wheels, and they hit the bike lane, side by side. "The police know that 'Devoted's' deranged letters were e-mailed from Music & More's back-room computer."
"And they think," Cam reminded her, "it was Kevin who sent them—since he works there, and is now MIA. Besides, he's a skeeve."
"Didn't you hear what the clerk had to say? Skull-boy could barely find the On switch, let alone compose fan mail."
"If you believe him," Cam grumbled.
"And," Alex ignored the remark, "we know there's a Kevin-Marleigh connection because Jenny saw them together."
They stopped at the four-way traffic light, but kept up the convo. "Okay, so Jenny saw a skull-earring-wearing creep hangin' with Marleigh—"
"And didn't tell anyone because she disobeyed her mom, and she got Marleigh's disappearance all mixed up with her little act of defiance," Alex continued. "Jenny thought she caused it. Her mom warned her that bad things could happen if she left her seat. She left her seat, and boom, a bad thing happened."
"Marleigh got kidnapped," Cam completed the thought.
The light changed. "Which way to Tonya's?" Alex asked, pulling away the minute Cam said, "Straight ahead."
"Okay." Cam caught up with her. "How about this? How come, if skanky Kev was in the middle of kidnapping Marleigh, she had time to scribble an upbeat autograph for Jenny? How come she didn't just scrawl, 'Help!'? Cam shook her head. "I don't know. It doesn't sound like Marleigh was being forced into anything."
"If Kevin's not 'Devoted,' then who is?"
"In her head, Cam knew Alex was right. Tonya had to be involved. She was the only person with a clear connection to both Kevin and Marleigh. But in her heart, Cam couldn't believe the forlorn girl could be so cruel. "Tonya's pathetic, not psychotic."
"Well, riddle me this,," Alex huffed, pedaling up the steep incline that led to The Heights, Marble Bay's most exclusive area overlooking the water. "As we mentioned before, why was Tonya able to get cell phone reception up in the stands when, supposedly, Marleigh couldn't? And who was she talking to?"
Cam's eyes began to sting and the question echoed distantly in her head. Who was she talking to? All at once, her sight went blurry. The street became a kaleidoscope of signs, cars, houses. Her eyes began to water. And a hazy image came at her. She saw a craggy-faced boy with slicked-back hair, a skull earring dangling from one ear.
Shuddering, Cam shook her head, trying to clear her sight, rid herself of the leering image. Her bike veered crazily to the left, into the traffic lane. "Kevin," she said aloud.
"Excuse me?" Alex asked.
"You're right." Cam gripped the handlebars, adjusting her direction. "She was talking to Kevin."
"And you know that because?" Alex sounded amused.
"I saw it," Cam stammered faintly. "I mean, I just..."She cleared her throat. "I just know, that's all." Alex was the only one in the world, Cam realized, who could understand, and accept that.
Up ahead a crowd milled in front of the Gladstone mansion. TV trucks were parked outside the tall iron gates surrounding the property, and the sidewalk was crisscrossed with cables. A police cruiser was rerouting traffic around the area.
Cam and Alex biked up to the officer in charge, a friendly-looking older sergeant with wisps of white hair showing under his police cap. Something about him seemed odd, yet strangely familiar. But neither Cam nor Alex had time for reflection right now. Marleigh Cooper's life was at stake, and they believed Tonya Gladstone could unlock the mystery. "We're friends of Tonya's," Cam told him. "Is there any way we can get to see her?"
On the hood of his car lay a clipboard, Cam noticed, holding a list of names. "'Fraid not," the policeman said with a genial smile. "No through traffic here. You gotta go down around Bailey Road."
"But officer," Alex whined in a brokenhearted voice Cam had never heard her use before. "She's, like, so expecting us. Tonya's our bff, our true-blue soul-mate, and she urgently needs our support." What's she doing, Cam wondered—giving a lame imitation of how she thinks we sound here in Marble Bay?
Cam zoned in on the paper attached to the clipboard. There were eight names listed. Four of them with check marks behind them, four without. Her head hurt as she squinted harder at the list. Effie Trimble, Tonya's housekeeper, was one of the uncheck names. E.C. Rawlings was another.
"I mean, if she were your daughter," Alex pushed on, ignoring the feeling that both she and Cam knew this cop, "wouldn't you want her surrounded by the people she loved?"
The policeman took up his clipboard, leaving Cam with a blurry smear of print and a throbbing headache. "What did you say your names were?" he asked.
"We didn't," Alex confirmed, "You never asked."
"I'm Effie and she's E.C.," Cam cut in quickly. She heard Alex's startled intake of breath, and then heard her saying. "That's E.C. for Elaine Charlotte. That's me. Elaine Charlotte Rawlings."
The officer seemed amused, then glanced at them warily. "Oh, yeah? How come you got different last names?" he asked.
"It's a long story," Alex answered.
"We were separated at birth," Cam volunteered. "Adopted by different families."
Looking suddenly sheepish, the officer cleared his throat. "Okay." He checked off the names and signaled to a raven-haired young woman cop at the gate. "They're okay. Let 'em in."
"That was too easy," Alex said suspiciously. "That cop..."
"No, I'm just brilliant," Cam assured her.
As they made their way through the crush of reporters and photographers, a rumbling rippled through the crowd. "Hey, that's not fair. We've been waiting here all night. Who are they? Why are they going in?"
A guy shoved a mike in Cam's face, hollering, "You a friend of Tonya's or what?" A flashbulb went off, startling Alex.
"Move back, let them in, give them air," the captivating, dark-haired policewoman urged, wading through the reporters toward the girls. "Back off," she warned the frenzied journalists.
Alex blinked up at her, seeing her own face reflected in the officer's big, dark glasses. "Leave the bikes here. And you be careful," the cop commanded, "if you know what's good for you."
Shooing away the clamoring crowd, the stern policewoman brushed against Cam. Instantly, Cam felt a tingling current streak through her, a bolt that raised goose bumps on her arm.
The gate behind the officer was ajar. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex noticed a reporter slip through it and race behind a clump of hydrangea bushes. "Come on." She signaled Cam, who had stopped suddenly and stood rubbing her arms as though she were chilled.
The sound of Alex's voice got Cam going again. She hurried after her look-alike, running across the well-tended lawn of the Gladstone estate.
As they passed the stand of hydrangeas, the reporter Alex had glimpsed ambushed them, shouting out questions.
"Hey," Cam cried. "You're not supposed to be here."
Alex looked back, and he snapped her picture. She saw starbursts of color, the effect of the blinding flash. And then she saw Camryn, hands on hips, glaring at the pricey lens of his gazillion-dollar camera.
Still, when the explosion came, Alex was shocked.
The lens shattered, spewing glass, and the camera blew up in the sneaky guy's hands. And Cam could not conceal her glee.
Alex could. She quickly rang the bell. At once, the front door opened. A tanned, slim woman, her hair perfectly poufed, her nails bloodred, peered down her narrow nose at them. "Do I know you?" she asked, her manicured hand clutching the collar of her silk shirt.
Immediately, from the street, a blaze of flashbul
bs and camera lights went on and questions were desperately shouted from the sidewalk.
"I know them, Mom," they heard Tonya say. "It's okay. Can they come in?"
Cam and Alex had only caught the briefest glimpse of Tonya's mother, but it was enough. The wealthy woman was furious at the inconvenience her daughter had caused. She clearly cared little about Tonya herself.
"I'm sorry, Mother," Tonya wailed after her mother had stalked away. "How would I know she'd be kidnapped? I didn't know it would turn out like this," she snuffled.
"Really?" Alex asked casually. "How'd you think it would turn out?"
T*Witches: The Power of Two Page 17
