by M. R. Polish
I tried using my magic to lift me above the open ground, but nothing happened. It was like everything that made me a witch was gone. Panic climbed my throat as my fingers slipped.
Not even a scream could escape as the wind stole my breath as I fell. Looking up, I saw Ian leaning over the edge reaching down to catch me, but was too late.
Seventeen
Ian
I wasn’t fast enough.
Es was gone.
My world fell as she descended into the crevice. I lay there staring into the black void of the earth, waiting, hoping to see her.
I couldn’t breathe.
Looking up, Raya’s eyes were on me. “You did this,” I seethed through clenched teeth.
“I told you, I’d tell you were she was, not let you take her. I need her.” Her cocky grin dug at my wounded soul. “Besides, she’s not dead—yet.”
A small flitter of relief flashed through me. There was hope. If Es wasn’t dead then there would always be hope.
Getting up, I lunged at Raya, ready to take her down and get Es back, but she was faster, moving out of my way. Shaking her finger at me, she disappeared into the air.
No!
With Raya gone, Davin was able to make his way over to me. “Sorry, I don’t know how but she kept me from being able to cross.”
My nostrils flared as I ground my teeth. “I don’t need an apology. I need a way to get Es.”
Davin nodded. “I know, man. I think I have a way.”
Every muscle in my body tensed. “How? This last plan failed. What makes you so sure you know now?”
Of course he’d be the one to have an idea. He was the Death Keeper. His life was all about plots—even if they were horrible.
He stared me down. The red in his eyes flickered like a flame. “A new deal must be made. It’s the only way.”
“A new deal? You’re not serious?” Carving my hands through my hair, I groaned. “Agh… Davin this is messed up. Even for you. I told you no more deals.”
Davin returned my glare, almost daring me to challenge his plan. “Do you want her back or not?”
“Of course I do!” I barked back. I couldn’t believe he actually had to ask that.
Darkness began to overtake the day, bringing to light how quickly time passed. Crickets chirped as the warmth faded.
I tucked my thumbs into the belt loops of my jeans and looked around. I wasn’t sure how much time I had before Raya did whatever she had planned for Es.
“Alright. I’ll do it.” I let out a puff of breath. “I’ll make a deal to save her. Just promise me she’ll be okay. You have to take care of her.”
Davin held his hand up. “Oh no. You aren’t making any deal with me.”
“You just said a new deal has to be made!” Seriously, this man was exceeding my limits of patience.
He nodded. “Yes, a deal does have to be made, but not by you. Torres is going to have to fix this. He’s the one who made the first one. It’s his mess. ”
Torres? Now we had to convince the man who started the whole thing to make a new deal? With how his first one has ruined his life, I didn’t have confidence that he would be willing to make another one.
Davin held his hand out, stopping me from entering the bar first. “You remember that casino in Vegas?”
I nodded. “Yeah, so what about it?”
He lowered his hand. “This is the same kind of place. Just remember, you’re a warlock, not a Guardian.”
The bright flashing light above the entrance to the small town bar slash casino hummed each time it lit up. A few bulbs no longer blinked and the first letter of the word remained dark.
I scoffed. A real classy joint. “I remember.”
“Good.” Davin looked back to the car where Adonia and Ailaina waited by the car.
I didn’t want them to come, but Davin didn’t see a reason not to let them. When the girls heard that, I’d lost any and all say in who went with us.
Pushing the door to the bar open, Davin held it for me to walk in first.
The dim lighting made it hard to see, and the stench of stale alcohol assaulted my nose. I had to stand there for a second or two while my eyes adjusted. There wasn’t anything abnormal about this place compared to others I’d been in throughout the years. At least there was air conditioning.
An old jukebox sat abandoned in the corner with probably honkytonk classics still on rotation. The bartender eyed me while making circles with a rag on the bar. I assumed it used to be white before many caramel colored spills changed the dingy fabric. A few patrons sat sprawled out in seats across the room.
Davin nudged me, urging me toward the back of the room where a man on a stool nursed a drink.
Torres.
He didn’t even look up as my shadow casted over his glass.
“We need to talk,” I said loud enough for him to hear but low enough to hopefully instill the fact that I meant business.
“Go away, Ian. I don’t want to talk.” Taking another swig, swallowed it all then slammed the glass down and tapped the counter for the bartender to pour anther.
“I’m coming,” the man with the rag said, flinging it over his shoulder.
The cheap whiskey he poured sloshed the sides of Torres’s glass. I stood there, unmoving. He was going to make a new deal; he just didn’t know it yet.
“I said go away. Because of me, people I love get hurt. Just go.” He raised the glass, hovering it over the wet ring on the counter, but never lifted it to his lips.
I folded my arms. “I’m not leaving. Es needs you. And she deserves a father who will do what is needed to help her.”
He slammed the whiskey back down and swiveled in his seat to glare up at me. “Don’t you get it? It’s because of me that she needs help in the first place! I never intended for her to get hurt.”
Reaching down, I grasped Torres by the shirt collar and pulled up. I wasn’t going to use magic on him unless I needed to, but by hell I would. “I already know about your past, and why the woman I love is in trouble. I know why the war started in the first place, and how you are the cause of so many innocent lives being ruined. But I won’t ask you or tell you again… We need to talk.” I let the last few words seethe out through my clenched teeth.
He swallowed hard and nodded. I let go of his shirt and he dropped to his seat.
“Hey, Joe, I need to pay up. I’ve got to get going.” Torres slapped some money on the counter.
Turning to walk out, Adonia stood in the doorway. Her face fell and even in the dim lighting her skin paled.
She glared at him. “So it’s true. Why didn’t you tell me?”
He pushed past her out into the bright sunlight and hot Nevada heat.
I couldn’t be sure of the angry words spoken between Adonia and Torres, but the harsh whispers that she said were enough to create a fear even in me.
She and Torres walked to a lone tree near the empty parking lot. There was no way I would be the one to interrupt that conversation. There was a lot going on and many lifelong suppressed secrets coming out that made it a dangerous situation. Especially since Adonia had powers that only Es could rival.
I leaned up against the car with my arms folded and just watched. I didn’t want to lose Torres. Not that I thought he’d run, but I needed him to save Es and couldn’t afford to have Adonia char him into a crisp.
Davin propped his side against the car beside me. “What do you think?”
Donning my shades, my eyes never wavered from the couple. “It’s too soon to say. He’s going to have to do it, but right now Adonia has the right to hear from him what’s going on. I’m not letting this conversation happen for him, it’s out of respect for her.”
Ailaina quietly snuck around the car. “Ian, I saw something.”
Her whisper both scared and excited me. Whatever she saw, at least she saw Es. “What is it?”
“She’s alive. It was such quick vision that I didn’t get much, but at least I know she’s okay for now.” Tears f
illed her eyes and I knew whatever she saw worried her. Es was her best friend.
“It’s okay. I’m gonna get her back.” I didn’t know what else to tell her.
“Alright, I don’t know what I can do, but Esmerelda is my daughter and I’ll do whatever I can to help her,” Torres said while walking up to us.
Adonia held on to his arm, but her expression said she was far from over being angry with her husband.
Davin nodded. “I’m glad to hear you say that, because what I have to say won’t make you happy. And it won’t be easy.”
The bartender walked out, letting the door slam shut. “Hey you.”
I caught his stare and then thought twice before looking away.
He thrust his finger out, pointing at Torres then at me. “Which one of you is a Guardian, and don’t lie to me. I just saw a white wolf walking through my bar.”
“Get in the car,” Davin whispered out the side of his mouth. “Both of them are warlocks,” he told the bartender.
“Then why do I have a wolf inside?” The guy gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.
My palms began to sweat. “Did you say it was a white wolf?”
He still eyed me up and down. “Yeah. He was in there walking like he own the joint. Looks like he was looking for someone.”
Maztic? Couldn’t be. Could it?
I ran up the step to the bar to head inside, but the bartender stopped me. “Oh no. I don’t let no Guardians in my bar.”
Propelling out a gust of wind, he shot back, landing into the wall of the bar, crumpling to the ground.
“That’s good, because I’m a warlock,” I seethed through grit teeth. I hated hiding my true self from him, but I didn’t have time to argue.
Pushing the door open, I let my eyes adjust once more. Looking through the haze of cigar smoke I searched for Maztic. I search for Jarak.
“He’s not here,” Davin said behind me.
I hung my head. “I think I just wanted it to be him.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know, but we need to get going before that bartender realizes he’s been duped by a Guardian.”
Walking back outside, the bartender was holding his side, barely looking at me as he slid past me.
Stupid jerk.
Torres, Adonia, and Ailaina were already crammed in the back seat of the car. Ailaina sat stiffly stuck between the two in the middle.
Chuckling at the uncomfortable sight, I opened the front passenger door and got in.
Davin jumped in the driver’s seat and threw the car in reverse. “Torres, I hope you’ve cleared the air with Adonia because you have a huge decision to make.”
Torres grumbled something I couldn’t hear under his breath. “I already told you, I’ll do whatever it takes to help my daughter.”
Davin gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Good, because you have to make a new deal with me.”
“A new deal? Are you crazy?” Adonia all but yelled in my ear.
“I can’t make a deal, that’s what started this whole mess in the first place,” Torres said, leaning forward.
Davin shook his head. “No, it’s because of that deal that you are the only one who can fix it, and the only way is with a new deal. Without a new deal Es will have a life of running and hiding because there will always be someone who will want her. And you will always want her power. We need someone who can stop others from making deals, someone who can protect her.”
“What kind of a deal?” Torres asked.
Blowing out a long breath, Davin groaned. “You can’t change a deal once it’s been made, but you can add to one. And just like true love can break a spell in a fairytale, it can change the hearts of those who made a deal.”
Hope sprang to life inside of me. “True love, so I can help.”
“No!” Adonia grabbed onto my shoulder. “You can’t make a deal.”
Heading back into downtown Vegas, Davin glanced over his shoulder at her. “Don’t worry, he won’t. Torres is the only one who can fix this.” Then he glared at me. “We’ve already talked about this.”
Ailaina spoke up. “I hate to break this up, but I can see Es right now, and she has a message.”
I couldn’t twist in my seat fast enough to look at her. “What’s her message? Is she okay?”
Ailaina pressed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. “It’s hard to hear her, but she’s alive and is worried. Something about Raya wanting her powers.” She opened her eyes and looked at me. “And, she loves you.”
I love you, too. My heart cried out to her, wanting, hoping she’d hear me.
Torres leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees, steepling his fingers over his mouth. “Alright. I’ll do it. Death Keeper, I want to make a deal.”
Eighteen
Esmerelda
T he gray granite flooring didn’t stop at the walls, it ran up the side creating a marbled room. One wall was nothing but latticed windows, but the night stole the light from streaming in.
I shivered as a cold breeze swept across the room sinking into my bones. Rubbing my upper arms to save whatever warmth I had left, I ambled across the floor, cautious of whoever might be lurking about.
“Luna?” Even though I spoke in my head I whispered—almost afraid that someone could hear my thoughts.
“I’m here. But I’m not showing myself in case Raya doesn’t know about me. We can have the upper hand that way.” She didn’t have to show herself for me to feel her comfort. I was just grateful she was there. There was no way I could do this without her.
“Esmerelda, welcome to my home,” Raya said, her voice echoing in the large room.
Spinning around, I scanned the room for the lady but couldn’t see anyone. “Where am I?”
“No thank you for saving you from that fall? No greeting for your host? I thought you’d have more manners than that.”
Tossing my arms in the air, I let out an exasperated groan. “You’re the one who sent me into that crack! Forgive me if you think I’m rude, but you ripped me from my fiancé’s arms. I’m not exactly in the mood to be polite and hand out appreciation.”
“Enough small talk. I know you can bring the dead back to life, which makes you a threat to me. And I don’t like threats. But, I’m also intrigued. If I had you, or rather your powers, then I wouldn’t need Davin. I saw this in you the first time I met you. Nicholas didn’t do you justice when he spoke of you.” Her voice moved around the room as she talked.
I froze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t do that.”
“Don’t lie to me. I know what powers you have. You’re the strongest witch alive. Or at least, you will be once you train your powers.” The woman stepped out of the shadows near the windows.
A hooded, long black cloak swept the ground behind her. The hood cast shadows across her face, shielding me from seeing her features.
“I’m not lying. I can’t raise the dead. Once you’re dead that’s it. There’s no coming back.” My heart plummeted to my stomach because I wish it wasn’t true. I’d give anything to bring Jarak back.
“Raya, what are you doing keeping this young woman here?” The three Fates entered the room. All of them looked as if they floated above the floor, never touching it as they came my way.
“It’s no concern of yours what I do. Why are you here?” Raya flipped her hood off.
Holly stepped forward on the right. “Raya, Esmerelda is part of something much bigger than you. Her fate is not yours.”
“Bigger than me? No witch is bigger than me,” Raya snickered.
Tiffany gave a faint smile. “Do you know your fate?”
Tipping her head back, Raya laughed. “I am creating my own fate. My future is in my hands and no one else’s.”
Breen sighed, her violet eyes sparkling. “I wish it were that easy. But a future is held in the eyes of a Seer, and you need a witch to make that future happen. Have you conversed with a Seer lately?”
My stomac
h rolled. Great. Now I was going to have to find a way to protect Ailaina too. And being stuck down in some crazy dead lady’s house wasn’t making it easy.
How was I going to warn her?
There was only one way. I just hoped it would work. So far it hasn’t, but I had to try again.
“Ailaina, please hear me.” I tried harder than I had before. “If you can hear me, tell Ian I love him. And tell Davin that you’re in trouble. Raya will be looking for you.”
“What are you doing?” Raya marched over to me, getting in my face. The scent of rotting apples drifted from her to me.
“Nothing.” There was no way I’d tell her. Besides, I didn’t even know if it worked.
My nerves made me jittery. “Ailaina, I don’t want you to tell anyone what’s going on, but the three Fates just said something that makes me want to try something new. I need you to see a new future for me. If you do that I’m gonna try and channel my magic to that.”
“I’ll try.” It was Ailaina’s voice but she sounded far away. But she heard me. My soul soared thinking that there was hope—for both of us.
Visions of me and Ian flashed in my mind, and I knew it was Ailaina. She was doing it.
I didn’t waste time before pushing all of my magic inward to that feeling she sent me. Tingles of energy burst in sporadic surges from my core to the ends of my fingers.
Then it was gone. Everything. The vision, my magic flow, the tingles. All of it.
My eyes flew open. Raya stared at me, her hand raised in the air. “I don’t know what you were trying, but unless I say you can, then you can’t.”
Whatever hold she had on my power scared me. I was strong and I knew it. For her to have that kind of control over me told me that I was going to have to try harder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Playing stupid might be my only way.
Breen smiled at me. “I think you have your work cut out for you, Raya.”
And me. I definitely had my own cut out.
Nineteen
Ian
T orres sat across from Davin back at the villa. The absence of Es’s voice carrying through the rooms filled my thoughts, stealing my attention.
