True North

by S.M. Winter

clamp together, and her jaw flexed.

  “Because they’re on their way and I want my parents freed,” I told her. “So you can take me as bait and it will torture him. That’s what you want right?”

  A slow smile split her face unnaturally, it looked like her head might roll off her body. I did my best not to shudder but some of my disgust must have eked through. She walked up to me quickly. Walking may be a relative term when describing the way she moved. Her movement had spiders crawling up my spine while she advanced. I’d only ever seen them float before, not move on their own. The stilted, jarring movements reminded me of a Japanese horror film I’d watched under duress when I was younger. Like a marionette with an inexperienced puppeteer they seemed surreal.

  When she reached me she leaned over and sniffed.

  “Something’s not right,” she hissed.

  Moira made some gesture with her hand and two more Agents revealed themselves. Both had unconscious bodies thrown over their shoulders.

  “Are they alive?” I asked curiously. “Before I hand over the sword I want confirmation.”

  Moira smiled cruelly and made another gesture with her hands. The two Agents that held my adoptive parents dropped them on the ground, where they both groaned.

  “That’s good then,” I looked at Moira.

  I stiffened my spine and walked toward the lumps on the ground. It took all of my acting ability to avoid revealing how terrified I was really was. Every step felt like an eternity. Finally, I walked directly between the two Agents and checked my parent’s pulses. When I confirmed that they were indeed alive, I sighed in relief. Taking both their limp hands released the focus on my projection. In that instant, a screech broke the silence around us and something heavy fell onto my back.

  I managed to barely block the blow when we surfaced, but she followed it with an elbow that made contact with my cheekbone. I knew there was no way I could win this fight, not the way I wanted. I had done my best to just bring my parents with me, but it was time for plan B and I hoped my friends were ready. I didn’t give them as much time as I had planned. With the next blow I grabbed her wrist and used her momentum to pull her down with me. Something I had learned from Alexandar.

  As I lay on top of an Agent of the Void, I had time to consider the life I was now living. I never really thought about my death much. I’d always considered death an end unfitting for the life we live, especially for those that burn brightest. How can it just end in nothingness? That a person, that light inside them, can just cease one day. I don’t believe in heaven or hell because it makes what you do in this life somewhat inconsequential. You shouldn’t do something because you’ll get the easy life after you die, you should do it because it’s the right thing. You should do it to make yourself feel good.

  Moira growled and pushed her face into mine, breaking my reverie. Her breath smelled of rotten garbage on a hot day. I opened my eyes to assess the situation. I still held a now screaming Agent of the Void, but we were back with my friends. I handed her to Alexandar, wrists bound with air. He then bound her hands further with his own element.

  “We need to hurry,” Alexandar took hold of his sister, his eyes grave.

  I jumped away as Alexandar managed to push her into a chair. We immediately created rings of our Elements together around her, much to her chagrin. The cell was something that we did our best to practice before I left on my astral journey, but there was no way to know for sure if it would work. She began swearing, and I realized it sounded identical to how Alexandar streamed his curses. When I looked at him the corners of his mouth tipped upward just slightly, as if he were reliving a favored memory.

  “How did you know the Astral Projection would work?” Valerie came up behind me after she’d added her own Element.

  “I didn’t,” I chuckled lightly then winced at the tenderness in my cheek. “It was something that Alexandar had told me when he started teaching me to defend myself. ‘You bring things back with you, Good or Bad.’”

  “Well it’s good you worked so quickly,” she put a hand on my shoulder. “He was about to pull you out when we heard her tackle you. I was glad we’d worked on this binding spell before you left. We still know so little about our Elements it’s surprising we’ve lasted as long as we have. It was luck that we found this abandoned building nearby the coordinates. Did you see any more Agents?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Two.”

  By now my parents were groggily getting to their feet. Valerie hustled them out the door and closed it behind them. I had only meant to bring my parents with, but we’d been prepared for Moira in case they had not been there.

  I gazed back at our Elements as they wove together to lock in the vacuum. It was an interesting idea, seeing as vacuums could only exist in confined spaces. Similar to trapping her within her own element, combining our Elements created a vacuum tight space. It was the main reason we’d decided on this specific weaving of our elements. A thought occurred to me.

  “Why didn’t my cheek heal like my hand did when I was first Chosen?” I asked.

  “Because the faeries haven’t had a look at you yet,” Valerie winked.

  Before I could ask what she meant by that, Chauncy interrupted.

  “We need to adjust our Elements just enough so her head, and only her head, breaks through. Then we can talk to her,” Chauncy announced to the room.

  We each took a place in a circle around Moira and together we bent our Elements. The control made my face ache.

  “Alright, Alexandar,” Chauncy shook his head. “You know what we need to do now.”

  “We aren’t going to kill her,” Alexandar shook his head.

  “Alex,” Moira said in a pleading tone. “They’re going to hurt me.”

  “I won’t let them,” he stated. “But you need to prove to us that you can reform.”

  “Of course,” she said. “Just give me a chance.”

  “We aren’t letting her out,” I glared at Alexandar.

  “Everyone makes mistakes when they’re under the influence right?” Alexandar seemed to be pleading for me to understand.

  “You think murder is a mistake?” I wanted to scream. “She’s an Agent of the Void. There’s no coming back from that.”

  “How do you know?” Alexandar spat. “Just because it’s never been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be.”

  “Right,” I frowned at him. “I know how important she is to you Alexandar, but she doesn’t want to reform. It’s obvious. There is only one solution. Think about it logically, not emotionally.”

  “It’s not an option,” he crossed his arms stubbornly.

  “So what do you expect us to do?” Valerie chimed in. “Hold this forever? That’s what is not an option Alex.”

  “How are you finding future Elementals?” I asked.

  “Oh, Tabs...” She tried to smile despite her constraints. “I can call you Tabs right? I mean we may as well be sisters.”

  “Stop,” Alexandar commanded. “Mo, answer the question. If you really want to be redeemed, prove it.”

  A war seemed to break across her face until she decided.

  “I have it on me.” Every word seemed to be forced, like something was trying to keep her from talking. Her facial muscles were twitching and her breathing was ragged.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “A key,” she choked.

  “Who’s key?” I desperately wanted to hear the answer.

  “The Key of Passage.” she said before she seemed to lose consciousness. The only thing holding her up was the jail we’d created.

  “Did you hear that?” I turned excited.

  “See,” Alexandar said. “She can be redeemed.”

  He looked over and smiled at me. When our eyes met, it felt like we may be able to get through this.

  “Watch out!” Chauncy pushed Alexandar out of the way as Moira shot a hand out of the Elemental binding, armed with a long curved dagger. It caught him directly in between his ribcage
. As soon as the blade found its home everything seemed to speed up. I reached for the sword still at my hip. The Elements faltered around us as we lost our focus. Moira moved at top speed. She sunk the dagger to the hilt into Chauncy’s chest, then she grabbed Alexandar. Valerie let out a keening wail as Chauncy fell to the ground.

  I turned to see Alexandar and Moira disappear into a chasm that opened up beneath them. I ran to Chauncy and kneeled next to him.

  Valerie’s scream cut the night and reverberated in my chest. My heart squeezed. The dagger still sheathed in his chest, heaved with his slowing breaths. Blood poured onto the ground as it rumbled below us. Tears stained my cheeks as I watched Valerie reach for his hand. Even if we could get him to a hospital there was no way they could save him. His chest seemed to shudder as he tried to say something to Valerie. Their eyes never left each other and she just shushed him.

  “I know,” she took a blood covered hand and held it to her chest. With the other hand she cupped his cheek. “I love you too.”

  “Would you be able to cauterize your own wounds?” I asked him.

  Chauncy’s eyes, dull with pain, lifted to mine as he shook his head and looked back at Valerie. He began to choke and blood streamed from the corner of his mouth.

  “Don’t leave me,” Valerie held his hands and squeezed as if that would end his pain and bring him back from the brink. “Please.”

  Chauncy looked deep within her eyes and took one last shuddering breath before laying his head down for the last time. His eyes, which had just held the