by Linsey Hall
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and pushed into the recesses of my mind, trying desperately to remember what had happened. Sweat rolled down my face, seeping into my closed eyes and burning. Nausea rolled in my stomach, and my head grew faint.
Finally, the pain ceased. But so did everything else. Blackness consumed me.
I stumbled in the sand, my hands sinking deep into the horrible golden stuff. When I raised my head, endless hills of desert stretched ahead. Blazing sun beat upon my back.
“No, no, no.” A soft, despairing voice uttered from my side.
I looked at her, the friend I’d never seen because we’d been locked in the dark the entire time we’d known each other. She was Nix, and I recognized her only by her voice. She was skinny and pale, her haunted face framed by stringy brown hair. Despairing green eyes swept over the desert. Though she’d said she was fifteen like me, she looked a bit younger. I’d never seen her face, but she was one of my only friends in the world.
At her side, the other stood silent, horror on her face. She must be Del, my other friend. Her black hair was as limp and dirty as the other girl’s, a testament to the horrifying conditions we’d lived in. But her blue eyes were determined.
More determined even than me. We’d escaped the dungeon we’d been trapped in, and this great desert wouldn’t defeat us.
“Run,” I said.
“But there’s nowhere to go,” Nix said.
“Just run.” Even the desert was better than what we’d left behind. We were still on the front doorstep of the place we were trying to flee. My heart thundered, and fear clawed at my throat, sending goosebumps across my skin.
I dragged Nix to her feet, and the three of us sprinted across the sand. Sweat poured down my face and into my eyes as I raced. My bare feet burned from the hot sand. Soon, my lungs struggled to keep up. I fell to my knees, sand sticking everywhere.
My muscles ached as I struggled to my feet and continued on, falling behind the other girls. I’d been in the dungeon too long, far longer than the others. My body was too weak. I glanced behind me at the Monster’s mansion. It was still so close.
I pushed myself, trying to find the strength to keep running. All it took was reminding myself what lay behind me. A sprint into barren desert was better than that.
But I kept stumbling, the heat and pain more than I could bear. I was on my knees, struggling to rise, when Nix appeared at my side. Wordlessly, she tugged me up and pulled me with her. I leaned on her as we ran.
When even she began to flag, Del joined our side, looping her arm around my waist. She dragged us along as we stumbled through the sand, our breathing a harsh cacophony in the quiet desert.
This time, when I looked behind me, the mansion had disappeared behind one of the dunes. But when I turned forward, all I saw was more sand. I’d never seen anything like this place. It was hell.
And I was too weak to continue on. My legs finally gave out. No matter how hard I tried, how many terrible memories of the dungeon I used to spur myself on, I couldn’t move.
“Go,” I said. “I will follow.”
I wouldn’t follow. There would be no following, not in this desert. I had no shortage of determination, but my muscles now failed. I would rather drown in sand than hold my friends back or return to the dungeon.
“No.” Nix pulled at my arm. “You’re coming.”
“I can’t walk.” Tears burned my eyes, but I struggled to hold them back.
“It doesn’t matter if we walk,” Del said. “They can follow our tracks, and the sand goes forever. We’ll never escape on foot, but we’ve gone as far as we need.”
“There’s nothing here,” I said.
“We’re here.” She sat on the sand next to me and gestured for Nix to sit. “We’re far enough from the dungeon that I can use my magic. It’s no longer repressed by their spells.”
“What can you do?” I asked.
“Transport.”
Hope flared in my chest, a light so bright I’d swear I’d never felt it before. I could see my parents again.
She reached for our hands. I grasped hers, horrified by how bony it was. But so was mine. We’d been starving.
She closed her eyes, and her magic swelled on the air. It smelled of fresh laundry, something that made my eyes tear up for my mother.
But nothing happened.
She squeezed her eyes tighter, her magic straining, the scent strengthening.
But still, nothing happened.
Finally, she opened her eyes. “I’m not strong enough to take you both. I’m only partway through my training.”
Darkness filled my chest. “Then go. Save yourself. Maybe you can send our parents back to get us.”
“No.” Her voice was hard as a rock. “Look around. There will be no way to find this place. You have to come with me.”
“How? What will we do?”
Her gaze moved between the two of us, darkness flaring in her eyes. “Something terrible and grand.”
“What is it?” Nix asked.
“I’ve seen my mother do it to perform great magic. Greater than she is capable of. You have to try to give me your power. Push it toward me so that I can use it to fuel my own and take you with me.”
“That’s not possible.” I’d never heard of that. It sounded sort of like a FireSoul’s magic, but not the same.
“It is for me. For my family. But it isn’t free. No magic is free. You will lose something. Power, knowledge, your memory. I don’t know what, but if you do this, you will be changed.”
Her gaze was so serious. I looked behind, at the dune that now blocked the mansion with the dungeon. Memories of my time there welled in my mind. I didn’t mind giving that up.
And if it was worse, if I gave up my magic or something else, it’d still be worth it.
“I’m in,” I said.
“Me too,” Nix said.
Del grasped our hands again and closed her eyes. “Envision your magic as light or sound or whatever feels natural and push it toward me.”
I did as she said, envisioning my power as a golden light that I collected into a ball and shoved toward her. It didn’t work at first. My magic was sticky, wanting to cling to me. But I forced it anyway, trying to give everything I had.
The scent of the other girl’s magic surged on the air. Flowers. I kept my eyes squeezed tightly closed, forcing my magic toward my friend. It felt unnatural and wrong, but it was our only hope.
Energy crackled in the air. My skin tingled, as if thousands of tiny bubbles popped against my flesh. A dull noise filled my ears, and the light in front of my closed eyelids glowed brighter.
“Keep going.” The dark-haired girl’s voice was strained.
I shoved my magic toward her harder, desperately trying to help. We had to get out of here. Something tore deep inside of me, like my soul. It was my root power, I realized. If I kept going, I’d lose it.
But I couldn’t stay here. This was our only way out, and I trusted Del. I pushed harder, urging my magic toward her.
An explosion rent the air, a noise so loud that my ears rang with it. Light flared, then everything went black. Something pulled at my body, dragging me through space and the ether until I was flung to the ground.
Pain exploded and my mind went black.
“Cass! Cass, wake up!”
Aidan’s voice dragged me from the darkness. My head throbbed, and my throat was dry as the desert. I felt him unclip the seatbelt at my waist and lift me into his arms. The world spun as he carried me.
When the soft bed appeared beneath my back, I manage to pry my eyes open. I winced. Though the light was low, it still hurt my head.
“What happened?” I croaked.
“Hang on.” Aidan left the room, but returned a moment later with a glass of water and a wet cloth.
Gingerly, he sat on the bed and laid the cool towel over my head. Immediately, some of the pain disappeared and I sighed.
“You passed out and started shaking
, like you were having a seizure. You scared the hell out of me.” Aidan looked seriously worried, his brow drawn and his eyes frightened.
“I had to know about my past.”
“I know.” He sighed. “That’s what your locket is for. We’re going to your home. Be patient. Don’t hurt yourself by running into a wall.”
“I can’t be patient. The demons are appearing more frequently. My magic is failing. I’m a time bomb.”
“You aren’t. And even if your magic fails, I’m here to protect you.”
“I want to protect myself.”
“I know.” His voice sobered. “It’s one of the things I like about you. But you have friends to help you when you’re down.”
“I know.” My dream flashed in my mind. “I do. I’ve had them for a long time. I remembered how I lost my memories.”
“Sit up and take this painkiller first, then tell me.” Gently, he helped me sit up against the pillows. Every muscle in my body ached, as if I’d actually just finished running through the desert. Or had a seizure.
I took the pill he handed me and gulped it down with cool water, then pushed my tangled hair away from my face.
“I really had a seizure?” I asked.
“Looked like it.”
“I pushed at my memories until I passed out. But then I remembered what I wanted to.”
“While seizing.”
“Yeah. It’s not a great method, I admit. But I did remember.” I told him about our escape from Victor Orriodor’s lair. About how Del was more than a regular transporter. About the fact that Del and Nix had also chosen their true names back in the field when we’d been fifteen. We’d thought we’d named ourselves for the stars, when in reality, these had been our names all along. And finally, that’d I’d lost my power when Del had helped us escape.
“So Victor Orriodor didn’t manage to steal your power when you were fifteen,” Aidan said.
Memories of the nightmare I’d had of Victor Orriodor trying to steal my root power flashed in my mind.
“Why isn’t it working?” he had yelled.
The pain in my chest surged until I was certain that I was consumed by the man’s gray flame. My power was waning, struggling to stay inside of me.
But I was losing it. I could feel it being peeled away. Crushed. Immolated.
Gone.
“He failed,” I said. “I thought it had been him, but it wasn’t. Otherwise I couldn’t have given it to Del. My locket protected me, burying my power so deep inside myself that he couldn’t get it.” I remembered how the locket had cooled on my chest, providing relief from the pain of Victor trying to steal my power.
“Did you learn what your root power is?”
“No. I didn’t think of it during the nightmare.”
“But Del has it,” Aidan said. “So you’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t think she has it.” I’d had a brief flare of hope when I’d thought of that, but it had dissipated quickly. “If she had it, she’d have told me.”
But what had happened to it? I shivered. “Do you think it’s gone forever?”
“No.” The certainty in his voice made me feel a bit better. “Del’s talent is rare. I’ve never heard of a supernatural doing that before. If she can do that, anything is possible. Which means getting your magic back is possible.”
I hoped he was right. I’d wanted answers so badly, but now that I was getting them, I didn’t like what I was learning.
6
I spent the remainder of the plane ride resting, the locket gripped in my fist. It’d be less weird to wear it around my neck, but for some reason, holding it in my hand was more comfortable.
By the time we landed on the tiny airstrip at Inismor, my headache had dissipated entirely. Whatever Aidan had given me for it had been strong.
The wind was brisk and the night dark when we climbed down the steps from the plane. Moonlight shined on the land, revealing fields bisected by low stone walls. No mountains on Inismor and hardly any trees—this island was just a flat stretch of rock that jutted out from the sea.
On the tarmac, which was little more than a narrow paved road with nothing but us and the plane, Aidan glanced at his watch. “It’s after ten.”
“Where’s the car?” I asked, then laughed. “Wow, I’ve really gotten used to traveling with you, haven’t I?”
“What do you mean?”
“Normally, I’d get off the plane with all the other plebeians and shuffle my way to the bus stop or car rental desk. I’ve only been traveling with you for a little over a month, and I’m already used to seeing a luxury vehicle waiting for me when I disembark.”
He grinned. “Inismor doesn’t have any of those. And transportation is coming.”
“Well, good, because I’m spoiled and expect only the best.” I was joking, but Aidan’s nod looked serious.
I was about to tell him that I’d need to call Del and Nix to tell them what I’d learned when the clip-clop of horse’s hooves on pavement sounded. I turned to see two big horses each pulling an open wagon.
My friend were sitting in the backs of the wagons—Del, Nix, Connor, and Claire. My heart leapt, but it was followed quickly by worry. The traps pulled to a stop in front of us.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked Del and Nix. “You’re supposed to be in Magic’s Bend.”
Del hiked her thumb at Aidan. “He called us.” Said your concealment charm is really going to shit and you needed backup.”
Worry gnawed in my chest. “But you’re at risk now.”
“We were always at risk,” Nix said. “As long as Victor Orriodor is alive.”
“Maybe so.” I pointed at Connor and Claire, our two friends who owned Potions & Pastilles, followed her. “But they weren’t.”
“You think we’d leave you hanging?” Connor asked. His dark hair flopped over his brow, and his black band t-shirt blended with the night.
“We’ve had this talk before,” Claire said as she shoved her long brown hair back from her face. She was wearing black like her brother, but it was all leather. She’d come dressed in her best demon-hunting wear. “So don’t be dense. We have your back.”
I smiled. “Thanks, guys. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Demons could pop out of the air at any second and try to off you,” Claire said. “We need to be here to kick their asses.”
“Thanks.” I hugged each of them fiercely. Except for Connor, who had a full satchel hanging at his side. That would be full of potion bombs, and I didn’t want to jostle it. Him, I hugged lightly.
“So you’ve found your childhood home?” Nix asked. There was joy in her voice, but also the slightest tinge of envy. I didn’t blame her. I’d feel it, too, in her position. None of us liked not knowing our histories.
“In theory,” I said. “We know it should be, at least.”
“Then lead on.” Del gestured to the wagons.
“This is our transportation?” I asked.
“Pony traps,” Aidan said. “Inismor only has a few cars, and they’re all owned by locals.”
“But you can rent pony traps.” Nix hopped into one of the traps. “Thanks, Fergus.”
The driver nodded, then tipped his cap to Aidan.
“Seriously?” I asked. “We’re kind of in a hurry.”
“Faster than walking,” Del said as she climbed into another trap. Connor and Claire followed her in. “And I can’t transport this many people.”
That was what she thought. After my most recent vision, I’d bet there was a way.
“The island is small,” Aidan said.
The two drivers were old men with white hair and tweed caps. They looked as Irish as shamrocks. They were supernaturals of some kind, but I didn’t know which. According to what Aidan had said, there were only two hundred inhabitants on Inismor, and all were Magica or Shifter.
Aidan and I climbed into the trap with Nix.
“Did you find out why Victor Orriodor was on the st
age at the memorial? Is he part of the order?” I asked.
“No,” Nix said. “We spoke to Dr. Garriso, who asked around for us, but he knew nothing. Aerdeca and Mordaca also haven’t come up with anything yet.”
“Damn,” I muttered. Whatever Victor was up to, it made my skin prickle with goosebumps.
“Where to?” Fergus asked. His Irish accent was thick.
“West side of the island,” Aidan said. “Near Dún Dúchathair. There’s a lane that leads to a house.”
“Aye, I know it.”
“Dún Dúchathair?” I asked as the trap started to move, its wheels crunching on the gravel road.
“I did some research while you were asleep,” Aidan said. “I think your family home is located near an Iron Age fort named Dún Dúchathair. The Black Fort.”
“To the Black Fort, then,” I said. That didn’t sound ominous at all.
It only took twenty minutes of bumping along a gravel road to reach the end of the lane. We’d passed by several small farms and a pub sitting in the middle of nowhere that had been bursting with light and the sound of fiddles. But by the time we reached our stopping point, we were alone in the silent, dark night.
Fergus halted the trap and said, “Here’s where I leave you. Molly can’t go any farther.”
I squinted past him, toward the sea. The moon lit a narrow lane, barely wide enough for a cart like Molly’s.
“Is it protected?” I asked.
“Aye, that it is. Good luck gettin’ past. No one’s been there in years.”
Since my parents. “Thank you.”
I swung my small duffle over my shoulder and climbed out of the cart behind Aidan. He paid the driver while I started up the lane. I couldn’t see what was at the end, though the distant sound of crashing waves suggested that we were near the cliffs.
Goose bumps rose on my skin as I walked, my feet crunching on the gravel. I was so close to my family home, but I couldn’t decide if it felt familiar. I hated that.
The land all around was flat, covered in slabs of broken rock. Scrubby grass peeked through the stone sheets, but this was no place that a person could till a field. It was a surreal landscape.
