Hopeless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series)

by Rachel Higginson

  "Oh, it's just glass," he smiled gently, but it didn't reach his eyes. Amory had the same black eyes that I had and they were etched deeply with concern. For a moment he looked ancient, as if he had been alive since the beginning of time. "Eden, earlier this morning, I spoke with Lucan," Amory took a moment to pause and let the gravity of what he was about to say settle over me. "He asked many questions about you, none of which were what I expected. He is playing this game carefully; I believe he knows what is at stake if you suddenly disappear."

  "Then why is he trying to kill me!" I demanded rather than questioned.

  "I am not entirely sure if he is trying to kill you. I am beginning to believe he is only testing you. He is doing his best to find out what exactly you are capable of," Amory folded his hands on his desk and stared at me intently, waiting for my reaction.

  "I'm not a research project," I growled.

  Eden, I am afraid that is exactly what you are," he shook his head slowly while looking down at his hands.

  "So what were his questions?" I stifled my urge for nasty sarcasm.

  "He was asking about your upbringing, your human upbringing," Amory pressed his fingers together and his gesture displayed the gravity of his words. To me a human upbringing was menial and insignificant. If anything, I was proud to have been raised by a human. From what I could tell, Aunt Syl valued human life significantly more than anyone in this over-privileged, snobby, super-human, fantasy world. But as I became more aware of the culture around me, I found that they saw my guardian as a joke, an unbelievable coincidence or even worse, an insult.

  "What about it?" I grunted, finding myself only growing more and more irritated.

  "There is a tradition with young Immortals when they reach adolescence. When an Immortal child enters a new period of life, such as young adulthood or marriage, or child birth, tradition dictates that they take a symbolic walk. Each new phase of life signifies an extreme change to one's present condition and a taking on, if you will, of new responsibility. Each Immortal life is unique and highly regarded in that there is a ceremony for every major milestone. Normally, when an Immortal is born in to this world there is a baptism of sorts and a three-day festival. We call it the Eternal Baptism, and we bath each infant in holy water, not in the human sense, but in our own version of holy water. In reality your parents bestowed this honor upon you and your brother in the secrecy of their private lives, but when you turned thirteen, the traditional practice was not observed.

  It is entirely my fault, since I am the one who kept you in hiding and kept our way of life hidden from you. Unfortunately, now that you are known to the King, he expects you to fulfill your rite of passage. He has agreed to forgo the newborn christening, since I assured him, I baptized you upon your realization of self, but he has been stubborn about the Eternal Walk, the ceremony conducted when you reach adolescence."

  "Why is that?" I asked, trying to get my head around thousands of years of tradition I had yet to catch up on.

  "Because the Eternal Walk is significant to understanding what kind of Immortal you are. Before the separation of races, every Immortal would participate in the ceremony and learn what powers they exhibited most strongly and what kind they took on. It made sense thousands of years ago when a Witch could be born from a Medium and Titan and so forth. Today, the ceremony is done for the sake of the king. You see, Lucan, just like his father, and his father's father, monitor every single Walk, so that they can prove to themselves that every member of our community is adhering to the laws. Since the Monarchy, every Immortal has taken the Eternal Walk to prove their allegiance to the King. Well, until you and your brother."

  "I don't understand," I said bluntly. "So I take a walk, Lucan is there, and then I can officially be a teenager? Is this like the Immortal version of a Bar Mitzvah?" I was lost.

  Amory chuckled, but shook his head, "You, my dear, will endure an agonizing and strenuous test of both character and skill to determine the type of Immortal you are. Lucan will watch the demonstration with a board of advisors, and when you have reached your limit and are wrapped in the Holy Flame, he will discover your true and hidden identity, I'm afraid. Not only will your secrets be revealed for all, but after the fact, you will be weak and displaced and Lucan will be able to do whatever he wishes with you," Amory's face was suddenly grave and took on his ancient expression again. He rubbed his temples with his fingers as if fighting a migraine. I had the urge to walk over to him, but couldn't make myself move. I was too stunned.

  "Is that all?" I finally found my voice. "So what exactly is it?" I courageously asked, not entirely sure if I wanted to know the answer. I imagined all kinds of terrible scenarios of torture, but nothing I could come up with would leave me as unprotected as Amory suggested.

  "The ceremony is not unlike the Induction Ceremony all new members of the Resistance experience. Since I know you witnessed Lilly's induction through the eyes of your brother, I expect you to have somewhat of an idea," he gave me a characteristic look that let me know nothing I did escaped the watchful eyes of the last remaining Oracle. "The Eternal Walk is sacred and private, and will tell you more about yourself than you knew possible.

  You will take a plane to India alone. You must go alone. Self-reflection is part of the journey. Lucan has generously offered Kiran's private jet, if you can call that generosity," Amory took a moment to pause and look out the window towards the courtyard of Kingsley. I tried to digest India quickly before he continued, but failed, "Once you arrive in Bangalore, you will be taken to the Kendrick Palace, deep in the jungle. If you make it that far, preparations will begin to be made for your walk."

  "What do you mean, if I make it that far?" I swallowed loudly.

  "I mean, as long as this isn't all some sort of trick to simply get you on that plane. If you land in India, if you make it to the palace, if the plan really is to have you follow through with the Eternal Walk and not some ploy just to lure you on to that plane only to end up in a Romanian prison, or arrive in India only to be kidnapped and held for ransom until Lucan has all of his answers. I have never operated with so many "ifs" in all of my life," he finished gruffly.

  "Is that what you think will happen?" I clutched my throat, holding my hand tightly against it as if I was in danger of having it chopped off.

  "I don't know what to think," Amory looked me in the eyes and his expression held such sorrow that I felt as if his soul was breaking. "But I do know that I will fight for you until I have breathed my last breath," His voice was quiet and unassuming, but the gravity of his words, the words of a man that had survived thousands of years, reached to my innermost doubts and I trusted him, I could not help but trust him.

  "Ok, enough of this doomsday-talk. We will assume you make it to India, once on the plane you are forbidden from speaking. This is very, very important. For an Immortal rite of passage, silence is the ultimate form of respect; especially in India, where your stewards have all taken a vow of silence until your task is complete. So, on the ground in India you will leave the city, and ride deep into the jungle, high in the mountains. The trip will take three more days. Once you have reached the palace, you will be allowed to sleep for twelve hours. The stewards will wake you and immediately begin to bathe you. You will have one final breakfast and then fast from that point on. After your breakfast, you will travel again deeper into the jungle, to the Caves of Forever Winds. Your stewards will leave you there and your Eternal Walk will begin," he paused to gauge my reaction.

  "Holy crap," I blurted out. "So, if I don't die before I reach the whatever-caves, I will have to do what? Alone?"

  "Eden, I have no doubts that you will survive whatever fate lies beyond this continent, but it will be difficult. It is always difficult," he grinned at me.

  "I suppose no one has ever died from not talking," I conceded. Amory laughed out loud.

  "Not yet anyways," he winked playfully.

  "So, what happens inside the cave?" I was afraid of the answer, but needed to
be as informed as possible.

  "You will have to face your worst fears and the worst version of yourself. What that looks like inside the cave is different for everyone and I can't prepare you anymore for that, regretfully. I can tell you this, though. The magical process that will happen to you is identical to that of the induction ceremony. Only instead of the magic entering in through your bloodstream, like you saw happen to Lilly, this magic will enter through your oxygen and happen more like an external cleansing than internal," Amory placed his hands in his lap again, and looked at me from under thick, dark eye brows.

  "Oh," was all I could manage. "Well it was nice knowing you," I mumbled sarcastically.

  "My dear, you will survive this, if I have learned anything about you, it is that you and your brother truly are Immortal. Both you and he should have died by now if there was a successful way to kill you. And yet, here you stand. This will be difficult, but you will only be stronger because of it. If anything my biggest concern is what this will reveal to Lucan."

  "What do you mean, if there was a way to kill me?" I asked, unbelieving.

  "I have always suspected that the twin connection you share with your brother meant something extraordinary. After his attack on you and your friends in the woods during that PE camping trip, my suspicions grew stronger. You should have swallowed his magic along with the others that night, but yet he was able to escape. When he returned to the farm, he was weak but already he had reclaimed most of his magic. If I am not mistaken you did not even notice the exchange," wide-eyed, I shook my head, and he continued, "Then again, during the Fall Solstice dance, you fought, and then fell off of a roof top. When Kiran landed he had exerted a tremendous amount of magic and the fall made his recovery process a bit more challenging. You however, hit the ground and already had recovered your magic, not missing a beat."

  "But Kiran absorbed the blow, Kiran landed first," I protested.

  "Kiran may have landed first, but you were the one who absorbed the blow. The amount of magic Jericho used should have been able to kill Kiran, but you took the brunt of it and stood up and walked away. Finally, your battle last night. I spoke with Beckton before I turned him over to Talbott and he was adamant that he had drained your magic three separate times, yet you walked away from the fight stronger than ever."

  "How?" I asked, bringing my knees to my chest, more afraid of this answer than all of the previous ones. What did it mean to be unable to die? I had lived with the knowledge of Immortality for several months now, but I had never once tried to grasp the concept of actually living forever, of being unable to die.

  "I believe it is the connection you share with your brother. Your magic is in fact, not your own, but a shared entity. When you are physically drained of your personal magic, you borrow from Avalon to recover, and vice versa. I think this is also the reason you were unable to give Jett, Oscar, Ebanks and Ronan back their magic. If Avalon shares your entire magical entity, then he would also claim all of the stolen magic as well. Finally, I believe this is the reason you can survive so long as human. The magic still builds up, but functioning for you is a non-issue because you are still connected to the electricity that keeps you alive."

  "Well, there you have it," I mumbled, unable to fully comprehend the depth of what I'd just been told.

  "Eden, you are more than special, more than unique, you are the future of our race," Amory smiled at me with hope and ease, and I did my best not to vomit all over his crimson carpet.

  "Hooray," I responded dryly.

  "Cheer up, my dear. You can rest in the knowledge that you are not alone. You will always have your brother and whomever you choose as your soul mate," Before I could ask any questions he continued, "How are things with Kiran?"

  "Fine, I guess," I remembered my irritation with him this morning and a new wave of frustration washed over me.

  "Hmmm...." he sighed pensively. "Boy troubles?" I saw mischief behind his onyx eyes and I held back a laugh.

  "Yes, Grampa," the term of endearment came naturally off of my tongue and I watched Amory beam in reply. "I don't understand him; I don't understand why everything has to be so difficult!" I whined exasperatedly.

  "Ah, the trouble with all youth, I'm afraid. I trust that you will work it out and if not, there are plenty of boys vying to take his place," his expression was one of pride, as if I was the most beautiful creature alive, and he was personally responsible for my beauty. "Speaking of which, please let Jericho know that he will be on the India team."

  Choosing to ignore the obvious correlation between Jericho and my grandfather's previous comments, I asked a more important question, "I thought I would be all alone?"

  "No, my dearest, you will never be alone. You may travel alone, but we will be there every step of the way. I would never leave my only granddaughter in the hands of the unknown," he stood up to walk over to me and so I followed suit.

  Amory wrapped me in a strong hug and I realized that no matter how many assassins found me I would always have support. I had nothing to worry about with Amory on my side. Who knew how many people had tried to kill him, yet here he stood. In my grandfather's strong and loving arms, the fears and uncertainty of the future seemed to melt away and I felt only confidence.

  13.

  Where are you? I sent my brother an impatient thought as I waited by his oversized truck after school. It had been a long day and all I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed.

  I'll be there in one minute. He was overly kind in his telepathic tone, feeling my irritation as strongly underneath his own skin as I could mine. His calming thoughts helped ease my frustration, but I tapped my toe quickly and crossed my arms defiantly all the same.

  "So how much trouble did you get in?" Sebastian approached me with a sly grin from across the student parking lot. I suddenly regretted my self-absorption and stubborn refusal to wait inside Avalon's truck.

  "Tons," I responded dryly. I realized the lie was necessary, but I also couldn't make myself care enough to make it sound believable. What did it matter? I was invincible, right?

  "They were really that upset about some windows?" Sebastian surprisingly took my side, but I felt like he was trying to trap me.

  "Well, destruction of private property, vandalism and all that," that's probably what it should have been anyways.

  "Yikes," Sebastian stood only inches apart from me, his legs wide apart and his hands deep in his pockets. His broad shoulders towered over me, I should have felt intimidated or insecure or something, but I was finally past the point of caring.

  "Yep," I over-pronunciated the "p" sound, looking bored and self-important. Maybe it ran in the family, or maybe it was a cultural thing that I didnt' understand, but both Kiran and Sebastian had a terrible time taking a hint.

  "Are you upset with me?" Sebastian asked, taking a step closer.

  "What?" I shrieked, surprised. I finally turned my full attention on him and I saw a flicker in his eyes, but I couldn't define it.

  "I'm sorry; I mean I should have apologized first thing this morning," when I didn't respond he continued, "I should have apologized for last night, I feel responsible. If anything I should have walked you to your car. It was very ungentleman-like, and for that I apologize." Several seconds went by and when I still didn't say anything he continued again, "I have to say, Beckton was part of my guard. But I assure you, Eden, I had no knowledge of his defection or that he had any intentions to harm anyone. Please, accept my apology and let me know that we can still be friends. I just can't continue living knowing you blame me." Sebastian finished dramatically, reaching out to take my hand. I kept it firmly tucked underneath my arm, not softened at all by his attempts to charm me.

  "Sebastian, of course I don't blame you," I masked my venom with a sarcastically sweet tone. "Of course it's not your fault I was attacked and nearly killed. I'm sure you had absolutely nothing to do with any of it," I flashed him a smile and batted my eye lashes. He blinked, unsure of what to make of me.
>
  "Sebastian, please tell me you're not serious," Seraphina had flanked Sebastian with Evangeline and Adelaide on either side. They stared me down, eyeing me with utter distaste.

  "What do you want?" I snapped at Seraphina. I was too tired for this.

  "You know, it's pathetic really," Seraphina addressed her friends as if I hadn't spoken at all. "Eden will do almost anything for attention." After she received the proper amount of laughter she continued, "I heard you had another temper tantrum today, Eden. You really should learn to keep that temper of yours under control. As hard as you're trying to trap a prince, you might try a little class. Anymore outbursts like that and they won't let you anywhere near a palace," she shook her finger at me like I was a small child and her tone was patronizing to say the least.

  Everyone around me broke into laughter, as if on cue, including Sebastian. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying something I would regret. Seraphina might be a complete bitch, but I was the one cheating with her fiance. As much as I would like to rub that in her face, it would only end badly for me and she would get what she wanted anyways.

  "What's all this?" Confused with concern in his eyes, Kiran joined our circle, or rather my public stoning.

  "Nothing," Seraphina spat and the hate I felt was evident in her voice. At least our feelings were mutual. "Let's go K. You promised to take me for coffee," she tugged on his arm and rested her bright blonde head on his shoulder. My stomach turned and I swallowed the vomit rising from repulsion.

  "Ade, Eva?" Are you birds coming?" Kiran called out, while being dragged away by Seraphina. When they turned and followed he called out to his cousin, "Bastion?"

  "I'm coming," Sebastian called back.

  "Brilliant," I heard Kiran say happily, but his eyes were still on me and they were etched deeply with worry.

  "Well, enjoy your coffee," I mimicked Seraphina's voice, hoping Sebastian would finally leave.