Invincible (The Aerling Series Book 3)

by DelSheree Gladden

  Stepping away from the car and closer to him, I say, “Surprising that you even need a car after the stunt you pulled at the hotel yesterday.”

  Tū smirks. “What can I say, becoming truly invisible is a talent of mine. I’m not Superman, however. Flying is a bit beyond me. Plus, I try to be as inconspicuous as possible. Keeps you alive longer.”

  “Why are you following us?”

  Shrugging, Tū says, “You don’t trust me, I don’t trust you…fair enough, I suppose.”

  “Not trusting you has nothing to do with needing your help. Plus, you can find us wherever we go.”

  “I can find you, yes,” Tū says, the hint of a bite to his voice, “but as I said, I can’t fly, nor can I teleport. If you children don’t notify me in time, and the Mother finds you before I can, all of this will have been for nothing. You cannot win against her without me.”

  He’s certainly right, but I have some serious doubts about that being his only motivation for helping us. “And what happens after that?” I ask. “After the Mother is gone and the barrier has fallen. What then, Tū? Do you really expect to just go home? I don’t think you’ll find the welcome you’re hoping for, even if the Aerlings all know the truth about the war. The only truth they’re going to care about is the sons and daughters you’ve murdered. That, they will never forget or forgive. You know it, so you must have another plan.”

  Moving stiffly, full of anger at being questioned, Tū stalks toward me. “My plans are my own and have nothing to do with you or this mission.” The second I am within his reach, he grabs my shirt and yanks me up onto my toes. “Concern yourself with surviving the battle against the Mother. After is not your concern.” He tosses me away from him in disgust.

  “You want to rule, don’t you,” I snarl. “You think you’ll be able to go back home with your Sentinels and take control in the aftermath. You’re insane.”

  My words ignite his fury and he tosses me to the ground. I’m back up a second later, holding one hand out to keep everyone else away. This is between me and him. “They’ll never follow you. You go home, and maybe they won’t be able to kill you, but they’ll make you suffer.”

  “They’ll never have enough power to oppose me!” Tū shouts.

  “A world full of angry Aerlings? I wouldn’t be so sure.”

  “It won’t matter,” Tū growls. “They’ll understand when I arrive. I did what I had to do to save them. All Tāwhiri ever did was hide and drain their world. I can fix all of this. I can restore the Aerlings to their glory and purpose. We’ve fallen so far, so far from what we were meant to be. I have to set it right!”

  “They’ll never understand you murdering their children,” I snap.

  The accusation breaks him. I barely have time to respond before he launches himself at me. I reach for my power in desperation, but his hits me first. Flying backward, I scramble to save myself. Throwing air behind me, I halt my flight in a painful stop. Trying to catch my breath is impossible as Tū is suddenly on top of me, slamming me down into the gravel.

  His hand presses down on my chest, squeezing my lungs, and suddenly I am five years old again. The broken memory of that day assaults me, not giving me what I need, but fueling my horror. I reach out in panic, my hand pressing to his face as I try to fight off his body and power alike. He shoves his energy at me, furious and intent on subduing me, but I rebel against it as I did that day when my five-year-old self lashed out in terror.

  Power bursts out of me, but gets thrown back in my face in an instant. It’s such a shock, I react on impulse, pulling it back into me, hoarding it, protecting it. It’s all I can do, so I keep pulling as desperation sets in. The sudden scream that tears out of Tū would have sent me to the ground if I wasn’t already there. The others are all cringing on the ground, hands over their ears as he pulls back from me howling. The moment lasts only a second before I’m scrambling back up to my feet to see Tū running back to his car, one hand pressed against his face.

  “What the hell just happened?” Hayden demands as Tū’s car goes tearing out of the parking lot.

  Olivia and Sloane rush over to us a moment later, Sloane’s wide eyes are terrified and excited at the same time. “His scar! You changed it, Mason. Before he hid it from you, it was worse. A lot worse. Whatever you did, it affected him!”

  “What did you do?” Olivia and Hayden demand at once.

  I’m not sure, so I only shrug. I was just trying to protect my power from him, pull it back to me to save myself against another attack. Before I can even think of how to respond, Sloane’s hands are pressed on either side of my face. I start to ask her what she’s doing, but her power slamming into my body shuts me up. It only takes her a second before she’s pulling away, leaving me gasping with my hands on my knees.

  “I felt it before,” Sloane says excitedly, “but I had no idea what it was. Just this one little piece, this fragment of power. It seemed out of place, foreign, but it was just that little bit. But now there’s more!”

  Her eyes dart around the circle, expecting us to all jump up and join in her excitement, but not a single one of us has a clue what she’s talking about. Realizing this, she says, “It’s Tū’s power, Mason! The tiny bit that’s always been there must be from when you met him as a kid. Now there’s more. You stole more of his power. It’s inside you right now!”

  “What?” I ask in amazement. Is that where his scar came from? I knew I had caused it, but not how. Had I really stolen a piece of his power when I was a child?

  “It would explain why he knew you were still alive,” Olivia says slowly, “and why he was able to find you again. It’s his power. Just a small amount, but eventually he was able to track it down.”

  Shaking my head, I say, “But I’m not sure how I did it. I was just trying to protect myself.”

  “Well,” Olivia says as she wraps her hand around mine, “you’ll just have to keep protecting yourself. It’s the only real weapon we’ve got.”

  “And we’re gonna need it,” Hayden says.

  Sloane nods slowly. “Against more than just the Mother.”

  Those words hit me hard. It’s not just the Mother we’re fighting. It’s all of them. Every remaining Aerling god will have to be dealt with, one way or another. If not, we’ll end up right back where we started and all of this will be for nothing.

  Chapter 27

  Seemingly Simple

  (Hayden)

  The dust has barely settled from Tū’s hasty exit before I say, “We need the Father.”

  “Now?” Mason questions. “Already? We aren’t even sure where the Mother is.”

  Shaking my head, I point at Mason. “Going to the Aerling world is a three day trip. By the time we get back, you’ll know where she is and you’ll be ready for us. I should have suggested this before we left, but I wasn’t sure how long the search would take. We can’t wait any longer.”

  “Because of Tū?” Olivia questions. “He can’t move on to his delusions of grandeur until we beat the Mother. Tū will just have to wait to be dealt with until then.”

  Scrubbing my hands through my hair, I try not to let my weariness get the better of me. “The second the Mother is gone, Tū will make a run for the Aerling world. We have to be ready to take him out right away.”

  “There’s more to it than that,” Sloane says slowly. “All of this power—what we plan to take from the Mother and Father and what will be released when the barrier falls—we’re kidding ourselves if we think Tū won’t want it.”

  Mason’s head drops. “You’re talking about taking him out after the Mother is dealt with.”

  He looks up, and both Sloane and I nod.

  “We made a deal with him,” Mason says. It’s difficult to interpret the emotion making his words harsh. I can’t tell if he’s put off by breaking our deal, or just pissed off after realizing Tū’s intentions.

  “The deal only went as far as beating the Mother.” Olivia’s voice is sharp, and I don’t have to guess t
he reason for it. “We made no promises about after, and neither did he.”

  Mason’s eyes lock with mine, and I can see the indecision in them. This lunatic has been killing innocent Aerling children for centuries. He killed Mason’s Caretakers, attacked Olivia, nearly killed me, and put everyone we care about in danger. I know this. Mason knows this. Even still, I’m not surprised at the fact that he’s hesitant to kill. I suspect that if there was another way to deal with the Mother and Father, he would insist on making the effort.

  “Controlling Tū after the Mother is gone will be impossible. Not only does he have his own army, we have no way of stopping him from escaping to the Aerling world other than stripping him of his power. Even making an attempt would take every spec of power you and Olivia will have absorbed,” I say. “You’ll also be exhausted, possibly injured. He’ll be prepared for something like that, too. We won’t win against him.”

  No one has any arguments left. I know how to get back to the Aerling world now, but not how to release the Father and get him back here without losing control. I can’t ask Olivia to go back with me again. Not only do I not want to put her in danger, it’s just not possible. She needs to be with Mason in case the Mother realizes she’s tracking her and decides to come collect her son’s power.

  I breathe a sigh of relief when Sloane’s hand slips into mine. “You won’t be alone.”

  Squeezing her hand, I smile before my attention turns back to Olivia. She may be staying here, but I still need her help. As if she knows exactly what’s going through my mind right now, she wraps up what she was saying to Mason and heads directly for me.

  “Okay, so you’re going to need to do a few things before you can release the Father and bring him back here. Sloane, I assume you’re going with Hayden?” Olivia says, her eyes darting over to the girl she once despised so much. There’s trust in her expression now instead of jealousy and suspicion. When Sloane nods, Olivia continues. “Before I left the room where the Father was being held, I was able to absorb most of Tāwhiri’s power. I barely even had to do anything. I think Tāwhiri knew one of us would come back for the Father eventually and set it all up. As soon as I reached out for it, it came to me easily.”

  “But you didn’t take all of it, right?” Sloane asks. “What about the rest?”

  Nodding, Olivia crosses her arms tightly around her body. She looks worried, which puts me on edge. “The part that I didn’t take, it’s because I couldn’t. Not yet,” Olivia says. “When all the other power was coming to me, that last stubborn bit refused to move. I reached out for it and tried to pull it, but as soon as I did, I felt how dangerous it would be. It’s the last thing holding the Father in the Aerling world.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask. “I thought it took all of what Tāwhiri had left of his power to capture him.”

  Olivia’s head bobs quickly. “Yes, but it’s like roping a calf. It takes the whole length of rope, spinning and throwing, to catch it, but then you only need a small section of it to actually hold it. The rest of the power that was in the room, it was preventing anyone without Tāwhiri’s power from entering or modifying the restraints.”

  That last part is pretty important, and possibly a deal breaker for this plan. “If Tāwhiri’s power is the only thing that can free the Father, how am I supposed to get him here?” I ask.

  Biting her bottom lip, Olivia glances back at Mason who’s just a few feet away, doing something with his power that I can’t immediately identify. When Olivia turns back, she looks more resolved than scared. “Hayden, I have to give you some of Tāwhiri’s power.”

  “What?” Sloane asks. “You can do that?”

  A brief flash of uncertainty lights Olivia’s features before vanishing. “Yes. I think so. I’m pretty sure.”

  Remembering what it felt like when Levi died, how easy it was to let go of the power I wasn’t even fully aware of and shove at it him in an effort to save his life used to be such a painful memory. Every time I thought of that moment, I felt the sting of failure and loss all over again. Sloane’s acceptance of my actions that day did a lot to heal the wounds I feared I’d have forever, but traveling to the Aerling world with Olivia taught me even more about that experience.

  Even though she had explained to me how she ended up taking Mason to the Aerling world in that frantic last second while the Sentinels were trying to capture us, I didn’t fully understand until she walked me through leaving this world and going to the Aerling home. We weren’t taking any Aerlings back with us, but it still required giving up power, releasing it to benefit those we were chosen to protect. Giving up power to protect, that’s what Escorts were made for.

  Reaching forward, I grip Olivia’s shoulder. “You can do this.”

  Her answering sigh says she appreciates the confidence, but she still looks nervous as she takes my hands in hers. I don’t really know what to expect, or how long this might take, so I just hold still and put my trust in Olivia like I have so many times before.

  Nothing happens for the longest time. I can feel Sloane next to me even though my eyes are closed, and at some point I hear Mason come over to the group as well. No one says a word and everything remains still, like we’re somehow outside the normal world. I don’t know how long we’ve all been standing here before my fingertips start to warm. Not sure if it has anything to do with Olivia, I keep my mouth shut until the heat begins spreading up my forearms.

  “Is that you?” I finally ask.

  “Shh,” Olivia whispers.

  Must be her. Fully intending to keep quiet after that, I’m caught off guard when the heat suddenly rushes up my arms and slams into my chest. I stumble back, shocked by the impact and breathing hard.

  “Sorry!” Olivia says as she rushes over to me. She grabs me by the shoulders and helps me stand up straight. The feeling is already fading, but I’m still a little weirded out by it. Olivia frowns apologetically. “Tāwhiri made that seem way easier than it was. I didn’t mean to attack you with his power. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I reassure her. “Just felt pretty strange.”

  “On my end, too.” Olivia laughs. Running her hand through her hair, she blows out a long breath. “Okay, so now I need to explain how to manipulate Tāwhiri’s power. It’s a little trickier.”

  Stepping forward, Sloane takes my hand again. Concern lines her features. “Hayden has almost no training as an Escort. No offense, but this will be incredibly dangerous if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

  “I know, but I won’t send him up there without everything he needs. What’s left of Tāwhiri’s power is bound to a specific purpose, but more strongly than what was left loose to monitor and block the entrance. It won’t be as easy to manipulate, and you’ll need to have a lot of preparations in place before you make a move. If you’re not ready for it, the Father will overpower you and escape.”

  “What sort of preparations?” I ask.

  I’m not sure if it’s just everything we’ve been through the last few days, or what Olivia just did, but she suddenly looks tired. Gesturing for us to follow, she heads for a cement picnic table and drops onto one of the benches. “You already know about the squad of Aerling soldiers we left guarding the Father. They’ll help contain him as you’re changing the way the power works. Before that, though, you and Sloane both need to be ready to rebind him.”

  “Like what Mason did to Robin?” Sloane questions.

  “Robin is a Caretaker, barely more than a human,” Mason says. “Containing the Father will take more than that. Sloane, you’re going to have to be ready to place air bonds around him like I’ve done with Robin, but you also have to be ready to combat any power he throws at you.”

  Sloane’s eyes are huge as she stares at Mason. “How do I do that?”

  Mason and Olivia glance at each other, both of them grinning. It’s Mason who turns back to Sloane with an answer. His eyes are gleaming as he says, “Time for a crash course in creating a shield.”

&
nbsp; He motions for Sloane to follow him, and they both walk away from the car and any structures. I have no clue what they’re doing, but I’m sure it will be interesting. I don’t get a chance to watch when Olivia recaptures my attention.

  “Sloane won’t be able to do this on her own. She’s not strong enough,” Olivia says seriously. “She’ll need your help. You’re going to have to share power with her so she has enough to combat him if he decides to fight back.”

  “If?” I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t strike at us.

  Instead of answering, Olivia simply shrugs one shoulder lazily. “You just need to be prepared for whatever he might do. You and Sloane will be okay sharing power, right?”

  I know I will be. Not sharing power with her is what’s difficult when we’re together. Every time she takes my hand, I want to feel the rush she gives me. It’s not just the feel of her power, either. Last night when we were practicing sharing power, I realized giving part of myself to her was just as intoxicating. Something about combining our power is right on such a basic level that I crave it. It’s like there’s something more to it that I can’t pinpoint, but is important.

  “We’ll be fine,” I say. “I just need to know how to manipulate Tāwhiri’s power so I can get the Father back to Earth.”

  Olivia accepts my assessment without question. I wonder if she feels the same thing I do when she combines her power with Mason’s. There’s more hidden in that seemingly simple act, but neither of us really have time to think about it right now. Pushing it aside for later, I focus on what Olivia needs to tell me. By the time we finish, Mason and Sloane are wrapping up their crash course as well.

  A few minutes later we’re all gathered next to the car when Sloane asks, “All this power, once we take it from them…” Her eyes dart between everyone in the group. “…what do we do with it after that?”