And for a while, Xander let himself be caught up into the memories with Mina, his only chance at saying good-bye to what once was and accepting what was going to be. Then, he slept.
Oh, her poor Xander. Mina sat next to him, fighting the despair hovering on the edges of her mind. Taunting her. No. They were going to get out of here. Alive. Even if she had to dredge up every memory she had with him.
Art. Sculpture. Outside of his family, she was the only one he shared this with. Something she adored about him. She didn’t bring up the time Stieg locked him out of his studio in an effort to remind him to be more of a Mage. Still she might, because she’d walked the shadows for the first time with him to circumvent the punishment. She’d been twelve, and he’d been seventeen, full of angst and self-righteous indignation against all—except her.
In the studio, Xander laughed. He talked to her. Accepted and encouraged her. Outside of his art, he become like every other rigid, self-important, obnoxious Mage. When she let him. Next to Isabelle, she visited him most days, and he never let anyone hurt her. He’d always been there for her.
Again, the pressure of guilt crawled up her insides to her throat. Why couldn’t she protect him?
She remembered the day he left for college, sent far away from her. She’d snuck into his room at dusk the day before, as he stared out the window of his studio. Prevented from bringing anything to do with his creativity, he’d been saying good-bye.
“Take me with you?” she’d asked when she slipped in from the shadows, shivering as she stepped from the cool darkness into the residual warmth of the dull gold of the setting sun. She found herself drawn to rooms filled with light, when her nature should’ve pulled her toward rooms with little illumination.
“I wish I could.” He hadn’t turned, but she could still taste the flavor of his emotion, sweet and bitter. He wanted to see the world, but he hated to put aside the things he loved. Including her.
What could she say to that?
Nothing.
Slipping her hand into his fingers roughened by sculpting, she reveled in his higher temperature. His fingers tightened, and she leaned into him as they watched the yellow rays fade to the reds and oranges of the setting sun as it swept over the Italian garden his mother prized. Soft purples unfurled under the trees, crossing the lawn, dulling bright blooms as they closed. The dusk deepened, until all that was left was the heaviness of the evening, spoiled by the flicker of small, white garden lights turning on, trying to push back the dark. Funny how she remembered the small details.
“Don’t forget me.”
“Not likely.” He laughed softly. The sound made her knees weak and her cheeks flush. She hadn’t even known she could blush. She’d never done it before with him, but it was his tone and the warmth. One day, she’d be old enough for him. She wished mightily it was that day.
She didn’t let him see her cry when he finally pulled away. Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he left her to stand in the now-darkened room of his studio, alone.
He’d sent her things. Boxes filled with flying origami he knew she cherished. He’d sent books written in different languages. Sometimes chocolate with strange things—hot pepper, ginger, and rose-water infused caramel.
Then it stopped.
He’d been in graduate school. Mina hadn’t heard from him in months. She missed him. One of the things she’d been accused of was acting before thinking. But this time, she’d thought hard. If he wouldn’t come to her, she would go to him.
She’d walked the shadows, following his energy, signature-bright and spicy like lemon and cayenne. And she’d discovered he hadn’t forgotten her; he’d replaced her. With a tall, long-legged woman with the same up-tight attitude all Mages possessed. Perhaps she’d changed the woman’s hair to purple. Perhaps she’d be-spelled the waiter to mix up their order, but she hadn’t stayed around to see the results. She’d left knowing then what she knew now.
Xander loved her.
She hadn’t mistaken the emotion from him when he’d held her hand in the art studio or when he enfolded her in his arms in this very cell—before the other Darks ruined it all. As if on cue, the tiny paper crane still existing flickered in her hair. This origami bird had survived Alexei, Darks, and her father. Maybe it meant Xander and she would survive…
With the thought, Mina smiled, running her hands lightly over his forehead, letting him know she was still there.
The air changed with a surge of energy, heavy and charged like static electricity. Mina sat straight, unfolding herself from the cross-legged position. Her night vision didn’t pick up movement, her ears no sound.
But there was something here.
“Who is it?” Mina called, making her voice low and menacing. She’d tear apart anything that came to bother Xander. She’d proven that earlier, and she’d reinforce it again.
Soft white light glowed in the corner. She reacted by crouching, ready to spring.
“Since when do you growl at your brother?” the wonderful voice of Lev rolled over her as he stepped forward from the shadows. “What have I told you about sitting too long in the dark? It can make you feral.”
“Frate…” Brother…Mina cried and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. His strong arms surrounded her, hugging her tight. Affection, sweet as honeysuckle, rolled over her.
“Surioara, my little sister,” he whispered. He didn’t say anymore, holding her for a long moment. She’d forgotten how safe she felt with him. The way she used to feel with Xander, until she got him in this position.
“What have you gotten yourself into now? Hmm?” he murmured as if reading her mind. He was strange like this—too much like their father. With a heavy sigh filled with regret, Lev gently untangled her arms from him and set her at arms’ distance. “All you were supposed to do was get out safely as I dropped off the books.”
“I made a detour.”
“And what a detour it was.”
The dim light gave him enough view to see her. Mina knew by the thinning of his lips and the brush of his finger on her eyebrow, he didn’t like what he saw on her face. With a self-conscious gesture, she pulled back from his touch, not wanting him to feel the evidence of Elspeth’s violence.
Why did she have to remember now? The horror of Elspeth’s death with all that blood spilling everywhere, and her high-pitched shrieks still echoing in her head, made her shudder. It was a relief when her brother spoke again.
“I’d hoped it wasn’t true.” Lev’s voice remained soft. “Now all of Cazacul’s children are marked.” Tinged with sadness, it was enough to make her taste salt. It was true; they were all scarred. Even Calev, before he died, bore wounds of his own brand of disobedience.
“You didn’t know she’d do this,” Mina said, but she knew she failed to reassure her brother. What could she say? She’s not my mother, and she hated me. Did he know? Now wasn’t the time. There would’ve been a time she’d ask it and not thought twice. Oh, Xander, she thought. You really are becoming a part of me.
“I knew.” Lev shook his head. “I warned you. It was only a matter of time.”
He was right. He did warn her, and like every single time someone did, she’d ignored it. When would she learn? She glanced back at Xander. Probably never.
He held out some small disks with a bit of clear plastic and stickiness on the back. “Here.” Lev showed her how to stick them low to the wall and press the center.
A light glowed, hurting her eyes, and she squinted. She didn’t do as he directed, putting these little lights on the walls; instead, she held hers. Why was he doing this?
“You know what happened to her, don’t you?” Mina felt compelled to know this much, and if he blamed her, even for this.
He didn’t turn around, continuing to put the disks at one-foot intervals. The dim light filled the cave, showing the rough limestone. Some of it dark, some light. Mina became aware of what it looked like, stained walls, smelling of blood, feces, and body odor. The only
fresh wind had been Alexei’s element.
What did her brother think? She’d truly descended to their baser instincts. All she knew as she stared at his broad back was that he emanated resoluteness and a small state of continual sadness, not the depth of grief she expected. And what was that? She cocked her head, the caramel taste of anticipation. His emotions were far more on the surface than they normally were.
“Yes,” he finally spoke, finishing his task. Now the room was truly lit, not bright by normal eyes, but muted. He made a point of staring at her hands where the tiny round light lay. She put it in her pocket, and he didn’t comment. She might need the light one day.
“It wasn’t what I wanted for her,” Lev added after a long moment, brushing off his hands. “I don’t want it for you.” His black eyes looked past her to the prone form of Xander, who’d begun to stir. His body twitched a small jerk, indicating his rise to consciousness. “Is he worth the price?” Lev turned his attention fully on her, making sure his scars were visible. “You may not be able to come back here.”
Oh, now this sounded promising. Mina felt her lips curl up into a smile. “You’re going to help us get out of here.”
Lev didn’t answer, probably because the answer was obvious. He bent down and picked up a large, rectangular, brown-paper wrapped package and two bags, one black leather backpack and the other a bright green purse. A very familiar green purse.
Her brother moved past her to stand next to Xander.
“She’s going to put a hex on you,” Mina warned as she followed him.
“Who?” Lev began to examine Xander’s wounds, pressing a finger here or there on his torso. “I’ve got a few things that can help him.” He opened the leather backpack and took out a wooden box.
“Rachel.” Mina stood next to Lev, watching as he took out a gallon plastic bag and put items he pulled from the box of medical supplies he’d opened. “Did you steal it?”
He didn’t even stop moving. “No, I borrowed it.” He closed the bag and gave it to Mina. “Take this. It will heal some of the scars, but most of them are there for good.”
Xander’s eyes opened and shut, and he mumbled something sounding suspiciously like a series of profanities.
“You need to get used to the light, or you’ll be blinded when you see day,” Lev informed him. Mina ran a hand over his forehead, trying not to focus on the deep wounds crisscrossing his torso, arms, and legs. Bright pink flesh and the crusted scabs of older scars were harsh even in this dim light.
My failure.
“You didn’t fail,” Lev said, his rich voice flowing over her, gentle but firm. Her emotions were close to the surface as well; her brother wasn’t the only one who struggled with restraint. He placed a hand over Mina’s and squeezed affectionately. “You kept him alive.”
“But I brought him here,” she whispered and pressed her lips together as Xander struggled to move. “I caused this.”
“And what are you going to do to fix it?” Lev countered, compassion and steel in his tone. “It was this Mage’s choice to follow. I don’t think even you have the ability to force him to go where he doesn’t want to go, am I right?” The last he addressed to Xander, whose eyes were half-slitted. He didn’t answer, and Lev didn’t wait for one, his attention on replacing the medical box in his backpack. Then he reached into Rachel’s green purse and retrieved a bag of herbs.
“Oh…” Mina knew her eyes widened; she could tell by how they itched. “Does she know you’re using her herbs?” One didn’t mess with people’s personal items containing magic. Like her brothers backpack, she wouldn’t dream of touching it. The fact he took Rachel’s purse and used items was…shocking. But who was she talking about? Lev. He knew the prices and never flinched from paying them.
“That package there?” He pointed to the large, brown-papered item. “It’s my apology to her. Now, you may want to step back. I’m going to release the shackles.” With quick movements, he sprinkled the herbs on the spelled iron binding the arms and legs. Xander’s legs jerked as the metal sparked and the spell broke apart.
“You did it,” Mina breathed. “How?” She smoothed her hands over Xander, who was beginning to be more aware.
His eyes sought her, and with his awakening, something sparked in the blue depths. Frustration tasted like cumin on him.
“The herbs Rachel has, I mixed them with some of the ones I use, a bit of nightshade and blood,” Lev explained as he proceeded to pull off the remnants of each iron band.
Xander groaned as his hands were released. His fingers were thick and swollen, and it obviously took effort for him to move them.
“So easy! I wish I’d thought of it.” Mina couldn’t help the bit of envy at his skill. “You should’ve opened your own business, became a healer.”
“What is he doing here?” Xander rasped, his voice thin.
“Mage, I’m getting both of you out of here,” Lev answered before Mina could.
She gave her brother what she hoped was a reproachful look. He didn’t need to be so mean.
“I’m not mean; I’m direct. There is a difference.”
Lev pulled out a folded knife from his pocket. Emotion or not, his uncanny ability to pick up direct thoughts was unnerving. She made a face at him as he flipped the knife open. In the soft light, she could see the glint of the sharp blade. He didn’t use his sharpened nails to draw the blood; this meant he wanted her to drink very deep. “Come here, Surioara. You must drink.”
“What?” Xander’s comprehension was slow to come to him.
Mina knew this, and her heart squeezed. By all rights, he should be dead. They’d drained him past what normal Mages could endure out of spite.
Xander’s head turned, and he focused on the knife her brother held. “Don’t touch her.” Gone was the weakness of his voice, replaced by something low and deadly. He shifted his arms, unable to move them, his muscles contracting and not responding. She sensed his frustration as it grew, the spice of it growing stronger as he struggled. Magic rose from him but couldn’t form—he was too weak.
“He won’t hurt me.” Mina placed a light hand on Xander’s head, not wanting to touch anything else for fear of hurting him, there were so may torn places on him. “He’s giving me power.”
She stepped away from where she stood near Xander’s head, around the slab of stone, to stand next to her brother. She looked up into his midnight eyes. “I really hate the taste of your blood.”
“Don’t do it,” Xander urged.
Mina didn’t turn to smile at him, though she wanted to. But she knew what she had to do—get it over with.
“It’s the only way,” Lev repeated what he always said to her when she took blood from him.
He sliced his wrist length-wise, and thick dark fluid welled up. He pressed the open flesh to her lips as she wrinkled her nose. It tasted thick and metallic, and she despised it, but the energy in it made her tongue tingle. Trying not to gag, she sucked on the blood. When she was injured and he did this, she’d felt so out of it, the taste of it didn’t bother her as much. Now she fought her gag reflex. Why did this bother her so? She’d torn apart Darks and reveled in their blood; this made her stomach heave. Maybe it was because he wasn’t an adversary. Emotions were much more satisfying to her.
Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear as she drank. “You can’t go through the shadows. I can’t break that spell, but I can weaken the wards long enough to for you to transport Xander out of here using a Mage transport incantation.”
Her eyes shot up to look at him as she drank. How did he know?
“Don’t give me that look. You know it’s the fastest way. I’ve known for a long time you do Mage magic,” Lev admonished, his velvet voice taking the sting out of it. “You won’t have much time.”
“But I could kill us both.” Mina jerked back, licking her lips. She knew to never waste a drop of power infused blood, even if it did taste like the bottom of a garbage can. She turned her head to look at Xander. He
watched this exchange, his gaze intense, his mouth compressed into a thin line. “I’ll do it if you agree.”
She felt more than heard her brother sigh beside her as he murmured the words of spell to stem the flow of blood and knit the edges of skin together where he sliced.
“No,” Xander bit out.
Mina felt a wave of bitterness from him, a helpless feeling of rage. She didn’t blame him, but there was no other way. Didn’t he realize this?
“There will be no ransom for you, Mage,” Lev told him, picking up the brown paper-wrapped package and handing it to Mina. “You are going to be an example. You don’t have a choice here. You will leave the way I tell you to leave.”
Xander was sentenced to die. No wonder the draining escalated. Her heart thundered in her chest, and a sick realization flowed over her at his statement. Her eyes flicked to her brother’s. Did she know that their father had given her a choice? Because what she understood was she could live with her family or die with Xander. Lev’s face was carefully blank but a touch paler, making his scars stand out. He knew. Just like he knew when Calev died.
“You’re breaking an edict, aren’t you?” Mina whispered, holding the package close to her. “You can’t.” This meant her father had made a decree, binding all the clans. This example was to be Xander, a blood price for all of the Darks lost. She knew his reasoning; she’d lived with Cazacul. Going against this was breaking a law—and an oath.
“I can.” He looked at Xander, lying there impotent and furious. “Take care of her, Mage. Don’t let this be a mistake.”
He pushed her toward the slab of stone Xander lay on, making sure she had the baggie of medications.
“You need to focus on your blood-tie when you do the transportation spell. It will bring you to Laurie,” Lev directed as he made sure she was touching Xander. “You have to break that blood-tie. You’re both vulnerable and have become targets. This I found out from one of our own. There are many in our race who’d like to see the Elementals pay a price, and you because of your involvement with the Mages.” He gave a pointed look to Xander, who didn’t flinch. “Now we also have problems with the human population, but your boy here knew this. Didn’t you?”
Illumination Page 23
