Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3)

by Richards, Carrigan

  “We split up? Why?”

  “Aaron felt if they continued, they could reach Havok and stop him from torturing you. But I have told him you are awake.”

  “Where’s Thomas and Gillian?”

  “With Aaron. Katarina is protecting them.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “Almost two weeks.”

  “What?” She shot up, but wished she hadn’t since the sudden movement made her dizzy.

  “Be careful.” Gabriel lowered her back against the headboard.

  “We wasted two weeks?”

  “It will be okay,” Savina said.

  “I heard your voice, Savina. Pushing me through it all. How did you know what was happening? Could you see inside my mind?”

  “No. Your mind was blocked. I tried my best. But that wasn’t my voice.”

  “Then whose was it? I heard two. One was pleading for me to wake up while the other one encouraged me along the way.”

  “Perhaps, it was you trying to pull yourself out of the nightmares. It had to have been you.”

  Ava thought about it for a moment. It made sense.

  “How are you feeling?” Savina asked.

  “I’m tired and stiff. My mind is distorted. It all felt so real. I couldn’t tell what was true and what wasn’t.”

  “You should walk around a bit and then rest,” Savina said.

  “When can we leave?”

  “When you are well enough.”

  Gabriel eased her to her feet. Lance rushed up to her and hugged her. She held onto him tightly.

  Eric followed and smiled. “I’m glad Sleeping Beauty has awakened.”

  “Thanks.”

  Gabriel supported most of her weight as they walked outside into the snow. The sun warmed her face and she was glad to be out of the dark nightmares. Her legs wobbled a bit, but eventually she was able to stand on them without Gabriel’s help.

  “I was almost positive that was Savina talking to me. I guess I could’ve told myself to keep going. But who was the other voice?”

  Gabriel hesitated, his eyes trained to the ground. “It was me.”

  She glanced at him. Her vision blurred from the tears. “They told me you all died.”

  “Just another trick.”

  Ava remembered the flashes of scenes Eve placed in her head. Eve made her think she’d killed Gabriel by ripping off his head. His blood splattering everywhere. She winced and pushed the bile back down her throat. Then she remembered what Eve had said. Gabriel was a Cimmerian who deserted them. But was it a ploy? She obviously could tell Eve was in love with him, but spoke bitterly of him. Did he really desert them and come to belong on the light side? Or was he scheming and plotting to get the Elementals captured?

  “What are you thinking?”

  She turned to face him, and backed up against a tree. Ava looked around. They were alone in the woods, yet she could still hear the fire crackling back at the cabins. She shivered, but not from the cold. Her pulse edged up a degree and her hands felt clammy. She wanted to get away from him.

  He wrinkled his face. “What is it? You’re very pale.”

  Her heart wouldn’t slow down. She dug her nails into the wet bark of the tree. Havok had gotten to her core. He’d stripped away any strength she had left.

  Savina had said none of it was real. But Ava knew what she felt. She knew what she saw. Gabriel was a traitor. “I want to go back now.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” He offered his hand.

  She hesitated. “I think I can walk on my own,” she said, keeping her voice level.

  He nodded once and dropped his hand. She trailed behind him out of the woods, watching him closely. She tripped, and he steadied her.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t touch me.”

  Gabriel removed his hands. They made their way back to the campsite, and Ava sat next to Lance in front of the fire. As soon as Gabriel walked away, she exhaled.

  “I’m so glad you finally woke.” Lance placed an arm around her. “I didn’t know when you would. No one knows what happened to you. I know I may not show it, but this whole thing is tearing me to pieces. Eric and Sean have been helping me keep it together.”

  “Why wasn’t anyone else affected by whatever this was?”

  He scratched his thick beard. “I don’t know. The Elders don’t seem to understand it either. Havok wants all of the Elementals, but he got to you. Then again, Gillian has still been dreaming of Jeremy. She says they feel so tangible. And I still see Melissa. She keeps pressuring me to join and telling me she’ll hate me if I don’t.”

  “This is Havok’s torture. But how could he have gotten to me? I’ve been working hard on strengthening my mind. I thought.”

  “I don’t know. Everyone’s at a loss.”

  “I can’t tell if this is real. I kept seeing things and feeling them. He made me watch.” She swallowed the marble in her throat. “Mel and Jeremy burn to death.” She choked on her tears and buried her face in his shirt. “They could show me anything. They showed my dad…” She squeezed her eyes shut.

  Lance clutched her tighter.

  “One of them told me Gabriel was a Cimmerian and came to Savina’s side. What if she was right? He could be a spy. He’s always around me and watching me.”

  He looked down at her. “Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

  “What?”

  “I seriously doubt he’s a Cimmerian. I mean, he was a wreck the whole time you were out.”

  “Don’t do that. I’m still having a problem getting over Peter.”

  “I know.”

  Ava frowned. “He came to my tent confessing his love for me and saying that he made a mistake.”

  “What?”

  “When I confronted him to tell him that I was done and that I couldn’t sneak around, he acted like he had no idea what I was talking about. How could he do that?”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t part of Havok’s torment?”

  “I don’t know how long he’s been in my head. But it seems like something Peter would do.”

  “I know Peter did a crappy thing by breaking your heart, but I don’t think he would go through all that just to hurt you again.”

  “But he did.”

  “Are you sure they weren’t dreams? Like the ones Gillian and I are having?”

  “It was real. I could touch him.”

  “Yeah so can Gillian and me.”

  “I don’t know. I feel like you’re the only one I can trust now. What if Gabriel is a spy? What if he’s the reason I fell into a coma? What if—.”

  “Stop, Ava. Let your mind rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

  “Ava.” Peter sat next to her. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m sorry. I should have protected you better.” Frustration flashed in his brown eyes.

  “As much as I would like to dislike you right now, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “I’m still confused about that night, though. You said I came into you every night. I never did that.”

  She stared at him. “You swear?”

  “Yes. I hated hurting you, and I don’t plan on hurting you anymore. I’ll keep you safe from whatever keeps affecting you.”

  Ava nodded. He walked across the campfire and sat on a log next to Eric.

  Gabriel, Natalia, Sean, and Savina congregated around the fire with them. Ava watched them, especially Gabriel, whose eyes were trained on her. She still wasn’t sure if it was all part of Havok’s torture. But it would be the greatest torment of all knowing the people she loved and trusted so well turned out to be Cimmerians. What if they were all in on the ruse and were taking the Elementals to Caprington to hand them over to Havok?

  Or were the dreams or visions designed to make her distrust the group? She had to know for sure. She would ask Gabriel if he had been a Cimmerian. And maybe that would give her the answer about her mother. Had she given up on Ava so easily?

  “Hey, loosen up,” Lance told her and she jumped.

&
nbsp; “Please don’t let Havok do that again,” Ava whispered, staring at Gabriel. “I’m not sure I could take it.”

  “He won’t.”

  After they ate, they gathered back inside the cabin, under Savina’s defensive charm and Peter’s protection. Ava noticed Gabriel had given her space, and she felt guilty. She hoped he hadn’t overheard her talking to Lance, but she wasn’t sure about anything yet. Savina stood next to Ava and took her hand.

  “This will not physically hurt,” she said. “If you wish to do this some other time, we can. I know you do not want to relive this.”

  “No. Everyone needs to see it.”

  “We only need to do this to see if we can pick up clues or anything,” Sean said. “Are you ready?”

  Ava nodded.

  Sean held out his hand for her. She took a deep breath and brought a shaky hand up. Sean waited patiently. Ava reached for his hand, but pulled back slightly. She didn’t want to relive it, but had to. She could do this. Finally, she placed her hand in his. Everything went black and then she was back in the snowy forest calling for Peter and Gabriel.

  Like a movie, the scenes unfolded before them. Ava tensed at the sight of Havok. She saw several of them flinch when she dropped to the ice. Lance tensed once he saw Melissa but when she started talking about Gabriel, Gabriel’s body went rigid. Ava was glad Gillian wasn’t there to see the next part with Jeremy. It would have destroyed her. Savina tightened her grasp on Ava’s hand as they watched Havok explain why her mother had promised Ava’s soul. The last thing they saw was Ava’s father writhing in pain.

  Ava didn’t realize she’d been crying as the candles relit inside the cabin.

  Lance held her. “We’ll kill him,” he whispered with such hatred in his voice.

  “How could he have gotten inside your head?” Savina mused.

  “I’m protecting her, I promise,” Peter said.

  “I know. Something broke through the charm. Ava, what happened prior to you falling under? Why were you alone in the woods?”

  She looked to Peter. “Peter and I were talking. He went back to his tent, and I needed a moment. I saw these strange looking orbs, just like the ones in the dream about my mom. I followed it, and that’s all I remember.”

  “I wouldn’t have left if I knew something like this could’ve happened,” Peter told them.

  “You couldn’t have known that,” Savina said. “I don’t understand.” She began pacing, something Colden always did when he was in deep thought.

  Ava met Gabriel’s eyes. “Maybe someone’s a traitor here.” She hadn’t meant for that to come out but there was no turning back. She didn’t dismiss Gabriel setting his jaw. Eric squeezed his shoulder.

  “It has crossed my mind,” Savina said.

  They all looked to Savina.

  She shook her head. “We all need to rest. We have a long day tomorrow.”

  “What happens if he comes back in my dreams?” Ava asked. Her pulse quickened and her mouth went dry. There was no way she would sleep. “Or what if he begins torturing someone else?”

  “We’re going to have to watch each other. A couple of us will have to stand guard all night and we’ll take turns. We’ll figure this out.”

  As if on signal, a few of them readied for bed. Sean and Peter opted to stand guard for the first few hours of the night. Lance stayed near Ava like glue. She wouldn’t let anyone else near her.

  Gabriel approached her, his eyes laden with sadness. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I’m sorry he did that to you.”

  “I have to know if what they said was true. Were you a Cimmerian?”

  His face fell, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, there was a hard edge to them. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and she saw him clenching his fist. “Ava.”

  “Answer the question,” she demanded. Lance squeezed her hand.

  “Please don’t do this.”

  Her heart pounded. His stalling gave her the answer. “Stay away from me.”

  “Please let me explain.”

  “Stay away from me.” A lump formed in her throat, and her heart sank as he walked away from her. How could the one person she trusted the most have kept something like that from her? She wanted to hear his explanation, but she was too distraught and tired. Ava regretted saying that to him, but she couldn’t trust him. Not when he could be a spy for Havok.

  “We have to tell Savina,” she whispered to Lance.

  “Tell her what?”

  “He’s the spy, Lance.”

  He shook his head. “Ava, he can’t be. He—.”

  “No. It’s always who you least suspect. Think about it. He’s constantly near me. He teleported me to where my mom died, and we got ambushed. He teleported us to some deserted town, and we got ambushed again.”

  “Stop being paranoid. Please try and get some sleep.”

  “I’m not going to sleep. Are you crazy? They’ll get inside my head again.”

  “I’ll tell Savina. Just stay right here.” He got to his feet and left Ava alone on the bed. She watched him exchange some words with Savina, but then she turned to look at Gabriel. He lay on his bed with his arm over his forehead, the muscles in his jaw twitching. She wanted to comfort him, but couldn’t. He was her enemy.

  Lance returned and handed her some water. “I told Savina everything, and we’ll straighten it out. Are you thirsty?”

  Ava nodded. She gulped it down and then Lance invited her to cuddle next to him. Within seconds, she closed her eyes.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  DELIRIUM

  Daylight gleamed across the snow. Its warmth enveloped Ava. How long had it been since she’d seen the sun? Three months? She rolled over and felt something cold and wet on her face. She opened her eyes and saw a sea of white, but it ended a few inches from her. Sitting upright, she inhaled a sharp breath. She was adjacent to the edge of a cliff. She scrambled backward on her knees and stopped when her back hit a tree. She was still too close to the edge. Clutching the bark, she stood up carefully.

  Where was she? How did she get here? She saw nothing but a deep valley below and tall mountains closing her in.

  “Ava!”

  She turned and saw Peter running for her as the cliff broke off the edge. She fell, feeling the air gush under her as she plummeted toward the ground.

  “Peter,” she screamed, but her screams got lost in the wind.

  Ava shut her eyes, not wanting to see the inevitable. She thought of her father. The way he held her when she cried. She thought of her failed mission. She’d never see her Aureole together again. She would die for nothing. And then she saw the sweet blue eyes gazing into hers and that confident smile. Gabriel.

  The rocky cliff crumbled beneath her as it hit the ground. Then, she saw deep brown eyes peering into hers as she braced herself for the impact. But it never came. Instead, arms softly caught her and she opened her eyes.

  “Peter.” She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. But it was wrong. She didn’t want Peter holding her.

  “It’s me.”

  “I was falling. How did you save me?”

  “I will always be here. They told me they want you.”

  “Who?” She looked up.

  “Havok. You belong with them, Ava. You’re strong like them.”

  “No.” She struggled to free herself of his grip, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “How could you not see this coming? I’ve always been part of them. I’ve always been an Enchanter. How do you think I made you fall in love with me?”

  “No. You’re lying.” Ava fought out of his arms and stood in the snow. She looked up to see how far she’d fallen. The cliff was at least a few miles high. “How did you catch me? Where is everyone else?”

  “I killed them.”

  “Stop doing this,” she yelled. “Stop torturing me.”

  “Then say the word, Ava,” Peter demanded. “I’ll keep doing
this until you do.”

  “I won’t give up.”

  He took a step toward her and shook her arms.

  “Ava, wake up. Wake up.”

  She was jolted awake, her heart racing. Lance, Peter, Gabriel, and Savina stood over her. She exhaled and tried to catch her breath. They crowded her and the air felt thinner. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and leaned against the headboard.

  “What did you dream?” Savina asked with a worried look in her green eyes. Ava repeated her dream to them, which made Savina only set her lips in a hard line. “We have to get out of here. Ava, how strong do you feel?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “We must stick together and be focused on our way. Peter, you will need to stay close to Ava. You have to protect her mind.”

  After packing everything up, they headed out for another dreadful day of hiking. Though, she wasn’t keen on Peter staying close to her, Ava was glad to be leaving. They walked together in rows, with Sean and Savina in front of Lance, Ava, and Peter with Eric, Gabriel, and Natalia behind them.

  Since being in a coma, Ava didn’t feel one-hundred percent, but she kept it to herself. She didn’t want to delay the group any more than she already had. She could make herself warm, but wondered if her powers were still as strong as before.

  A change of scenery came in view, as they approached high snowcapped mountains. The same mountains from her dream. Did Havok know their exact path? How could he possibly know where they were? Was someone following them? Could it be Gabriel giving Havok clues?

  “Do we have to climb those?” Ava asked. She feared hiking the steep mountain. Her legs ached. Her body trembled. And the thought of walking so close to the edge sickened her.

  “Yeah, you’ll be fine,” Gabriel said, no emotion in his voice. Ava hated his attitude. Lance never told her what Savina said about Gabriel. Maybe they were all spies.

  As they walked, Ava slowed a few steps behind, trying to keep up.

  “What is it?” Lance asked. “Why are you walking so slowly?”

  “Sorry. I thought I saw something,” she lied.

  She pushed forward, grateful for no falling snow. They began climbing, lucky it had a path that wound its way to the top. It was steep, but they each had the strength to climb, except Ava. She was weakening, but she urged herself to continue. Because of the narrow path that lay out in between the edge and a rocky wall, they had to walk in a single file line, Ava being last. She hoped they wouldn’t turn back and see how far she’d been straggling.