The Trinity Sisters

by Kristin Coley

  Finally, the time came when she knew she must act. She disappeared into the night with her three daughters, fleeing the darkness that had invaded their home. Under the full moon’s light, she created a magical circle, and within it, bound their powers. She hid the magic inside of them, banishing the blue light reflecting from their eyes, placing a spell so only immense danger would allow their magic to come forth again.

  Then, she separated them. Her pain was so great at this action it tore her heart into three pieces. Seeing the pieces of her destroyed heart she cast one last spell, binding the pieces to her three daughters and thereby giving them each a portion of her heart. It was the only gift she had left to give them.

  She knew the darkness would attempt to find her hidden daughters, craving the power they possessed, so she committed one final act to keep them safe. Within the circle she’d used to bind them, she laid down—spilling her blood to empower the magic she’d wrought and taking her own knowledge with her.

  Three little girls woke alone, separated from one another and the mother they adored, their destiny sealed with one fateful night.

  Three sisters were torn apart, scattered to the winds, and hidden from the power in their blood. The Earth roiled, sensing the power inside of them, and unhappy at its binding. Mother Nature soothed the Earth’s rumblings, promising the power would be unleashed in due time.

  The girls learned to adapt, the memories of their abilities slipping away from them with each year. As they forgot their magic, so did the magic slip from those that knew how to wield it. It didn’t disappear, but became temperamental, unused to being restrained as it was. Magic was elemental, by its very nature a part of everything, but these three sisters formed a trinity, and within each of them was the ability to command the very essence of magic. But their mother’s blood bound the magic, forcing it deep inside each one of them, her desire to protect her girls so strong it defied nature itself.

  Magic was tricky though. Power such as theirs could only be restrained so long before destroying the very ones who held it. To counter this danger, Mother Nature gave each of the sisters a protector: A man born to be her perfect match, their magic a complement to one another. By doing so, she safeguarded the sisters. Once each sister found her one, her own magic could not destroy her.

  The years went by, the magic inside of them growing, impatient to be free. As danger came to each sister, the binding that held her magic broke, setting it loose, and as each sister’s magic unleashed, their combined power only grew.

  The sisters had no idea how powerful they were, or that the one who coveted their power the most was of their own blood. He’d lost the opportunity to control them as the trinity. Their mother’s decision had protected them from his evil plan, but it didn’t stop him from plotting other methods. If he couldn’t have the trinity, perhaps he could still steal the magic imbued in their blood.

  He couldn’t do it alone though. Finding others that sought power wasn’t difficult. Many had assisted him along the way as he worked to create the trinity, and were equally eager to possess the blood magic inside of the three sisters.

  He used evil men to commit dark deeds and built a coven of dark magic. He searched constantly for his missing daughters and the wife who’d taken them from him. Every one of his own blood rejected his path, warning him of what would come, should he continue. He ignored them all, consumed by his quest for power.

  He found his oldest child and a great battle was fought. Magic was forced to choose a side for the first time in millennia. As their father tried to use magic against his own blood, it resisted. It turned away from him, aiding his child instead. Magic had existed as a neutral power for centuries, but now it had been bound to the sisters. It couldn’t be used against them effectively, not while it was leashed. Until the last sister’s magic was released, magic would not harm the sisters.

  “Wait,” Milo interrupted. “You’ve been protected by magic all these years? By what your mother did?”

  I shrugged. The story I told seemed to imply that. He frowned, his brow furrowed in thought.

  “You have your magic, so once Quinn comes into hers, you won’t be protected anymore.”

  “Yes and no,” I replied, and continued the story.

  The middle child possessed the sight, a rare and valuable gift to those of magic. Her father sought her most eagerly, desperate for knowledge of the future, so he could increase his power. His attempts to take her failed, at least until magic was once again free.

  After the last sister released her magic, they all became vulnerable. Magic was no longer bound, and able to be brandished by any with the ability, and it was felt. Magic surged through witches everywhere, no longer temperamental and sluggish, but a natural extension of the witch.

  The greatest magic, though, belonged to the sisters. Magic sang in their blood as it shone from their eyes. They had the ability to determine how magic could be used, but only if they were united together. Dark or light, magic would obey their command for a thousand years.

  This knowledge frightened many, and they worked to keep the sisters from uniting, afraid of what the wrong choice would mean. Their father worked the hardest to prevent them from finding one another, knowing that only together could they destroy him and his dark magic forever.

  But all underestimated the power of the sister’s bond and how great their mother’s love truly was. She’d given them her heart, knowing their magic would one day be released, and they would unite again. She gifted each one with the ability to find the other and to know one another’s hearts. Sacrifice was a mother’s greatest gift to her children.

  “What do you mean his attempts fail, until magic is free?” Milo cut in, his impatience clear as the story moved away from the point. “That means you’ll be at risk.”

  “They’re all at risk. It’s not just their father that would see the trinity never exist, Milo. Your own father has spent years with the same intentions.”

  Milo flushed at my grandfather’s admonishment.

  “But it’s my job to protect her, to keep her safe from anyone wishing her harm.”

  “Your job?” I whispered quietly, not liking the implication I was nothing more than a job to him.

  “Yes, my job,” he growled, leaping across the room to kneel at my feet. Kai lifted his head at the movement, but didn’t stir otherwise, content to watch it play out. “My fate. My one desire. The very reason for my existence. The one thing I would give up everything to do.”

  His outburst startled both of us as his hands hovered over my arms. The particular crackle that only comes from magic arced between us, my skin tingling where his hands hesitated. He slowly removed his hands, never touching me, but we both felt it—the bond, the call of our magic to one another, and I fought the urge to stroke his cheek, to complete it.

  “Tell me the rest,” he whispered finally, moving away from me and the compulsion we both felt to touch the other.

  Their mother’s sacrifice protected them, but once the binding was gone, magic once again worked against them. Its power was tempered only by the touch of the sister’s protector, a fact their father attempted to use against them. If he separated the girls from their protectors, then their magic would be erratic, volatile, and dangerous to them.

  The youngest sister was the most vulnerable. Unused to her magic, unaware of her past or her destiny, her only hope would come from her protector and the coven that chose to protect them both. Their father attacked her, trying to capture the weakest link, but she would confound him by drawing on her sisters’ power as her own. Even separated, they would work together, until they could finally unite as one.

  Past, present, and future blend,

  The earth rumbles, the wind wails,

  The flames burn, even as the rain pours.

  Three form the trinity,

  United, bound, and found,

  Together create the light

  Darkness cannot break.

  I stopped with a gasp, the l
ast piece not a part of the story, and in fact, I’d never known it, until now.

  “That sounded prophetic.” Our eyes met as Milo said it, and I nodded. “Your eyes were glowing by the way.”

  “That wasn’t part of the story,” I muttered, wondering what it meant, because if it was literal, it sounded like the end of the world.

  “Was there any more to the story?”

  “No.” I shook my head at Evan’s question. “That was the end as I knew it, except for that new piece, which sounds vaguely terrifying.”

  “I’m concerned about you being separated from your protector. Your magic could become uncontrollable.” Milo rubbed his face, fear for me bowing his shoulders.

  “After Quinn gets her magic. We have time.”

  He shot me a sharp look.

  “And how much time? Hmm? Kinda looks like the timetable has moved up lately. Your father knows where you are. At least, he has an idea and he wants you. That puts you at risk.” He stressed the last word.

  “I won’t live my life in fear.” My voice was resolved. “I will fight. For myself and my sisters. You heard it. We will create the light.”

  “But at what cost?”

  “Whatever it takes.”

  “Kincaid …”

  I shook my head, “You should understand what he’s taken away from me, since he took it from you, from all of us. One man’s desire for power has damaged us, and we can make it right. For everyone.”

  “I don’t have to like the idea of you being at risk.”

  “Well, that means you’re going to hate my next idea.” He looked resigned as I told them I was going home. I held up a hand as I saw him try to protest. “I’m safe for now. I have something I need to do.” I cast a glance down at the ring I still wore, one that held me captive, and knew I no longer needed the safety it had once represented. Milo was right. Our time was running out, and only together would we survive my father’s plans.

  The apartment was empty as I stepped inside with Kai. I’d left Evan and Milo at his place, sitting on the couch drinking beers together. The idea that Milo had been raised to kill my family, enraged me. If I ever got my hands on his father, I couldn’t be positive I wouldn’t kill him for what he’d put his children through. I understood the emotional damage losing your family could do, but to teach your children to kill other children was beyond me. Milo had chosen to leave that life, but it hadn’t escaped me that he’d lost his sister with the choice. I wondered where she was, and if I could bring them together with my sisters’ help. Our lives had become intertwined by our fathers, but perhaps we could change all of our fates.

  The sound of a door slamming shut had me spinning around and dropping into a crouch.

  “What the hell? Are you going to beat me up?” Scott slurred, as he leaned against the wall. “You left work. You humiliated our boss. What were you thinking?”

  “That I had more important matters to attend to,” I replied drily, watching him stumble his way toward me. Scott was a lost soul, always trying to please a parent that could never be satisfied, denying his own happiness in the process. He tried to make his father happy, Lord knew he tried, but he couldn’t and usually wound up drunk in an attempt to find some peace from his own self-disgust. When we’d first met it hadn’t been so bad. He’d still been happy, believing the world was his oyster.

  “I’m Scott.” The voice was cocky, and as I glanced over at him, I could see why. He was good looking, muscular and had obviously not heard the word no very often.

  “Nice to meet you, Scott.”

  “And you are?”

  “Late for class.”

  I recognized him. He’d been in one of my visions, so I knew he’d be a part of my life, but I didn’t know how yet. His idea of our future was clear with his next words.

  “Aw, come on. A beauty like you with a stud like me? It’s a match made in heaven.”

  I snorted, I laughed so hard.

  “You’re breaking my heart, doll.”

  “Somehow I think you’ll recover,” I replied, a little more tartly than I’d intended.

  “Only with an angel like you by my side.” He walked a little faster, turning around to walk backwards and see my face. “You’re different.”

  I cocked my eyebrow, wondering what he knew.

  “You walk with confidence. It’s like you know where you’re going.

  “Yeah, to class. It’s that way.” I pointed to the building in the distance.

  “You know how many girls throw themselves at me?”

  “Too many. Obviously.”

  “I don’t mean it that way.”

  The look I shot him was disbelieving.

  “Seriously, though. Girls throw themselves at me, but not you. I’ve been trying to get you to notice me for a week, and it’s like you don’t even see me.” He gave me a rueful look. “It’s been eye opening.”

  “Good for you. Self-enlightenment is the path to happiness.”

  “I thought that was doing whatever my dad says.”

  The bitter note in his voice caught my attention, because it felt familiar. It appeared I wasn’t the only one struggling with the weight of obligation. No doubt, mine was a bit different than his, but feeling trapped, no matter the reason, sucked. I slowed to a stop, drawn to his pain, in spite of myself. I rested my hand on his arm.

  “This is college. You have an opportunity to find what makes you happy. Take it.” He returned my stare with a steady one of his own. For the first time, he appeared completely serious.

  “Go out with me.” He held up his hand. “Please. I really want to get to know you.”

  I sighed, glancing toward the class I was already late for, but couldn’t resist the pleading face in front of me.

  “Guinea.” I bit back a smile, glancing away from the brilliant grin he sent me when I told him my name. “If you’re out here when I get out of class we can have lunch. Take it or leave it.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  ***

  His response tore me from the memory of our first meeting, and reminded me of how much had changed.

  “More important? What’s more important than work? Than making a good impression? Wanting to succeed?”

  “Family, life, love, doing the right thing, being your own person. Pick one,” I told him, catching him as he almost fell. I eased him onto the couch, sympathetic to the familial bonds that kept him from being happy. Until he found something or someone to give him the strength to break free, he’d never find the happiness that continually eluded him.

  “See, that’s why I always liked you.” It didn’t escape me he said liked, not loved. “You believe that shit.” His laugh was harsh as the alcohol kept him honest. “You honestly believe people will do the right thing, that love conquers all, that the good guy wins in the end. But they don’t.” His gaze was serious as he met my eyes. “Power, money, those win, those earn respect. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”

  I sat down on the edge of the coffee table and studied him. He glanced away from my scrutiny, but I didn’t move. Even disheveled, he was good looking, and while his attitude might have come off as harsh, in his own way, he was trying to protect me. I could see that, and it made the next words even harder.

  “I can’t marry you.” I went with blunt, ripping the band aid off as quickly as possible, to minimize the pain. He blinked at me, not grasping what I was saying. I slid the ring off my finger, feeling only relief as the weight was removed. As I dangled it in front of him, his eyes locked onto it. “We’re not right for each other. We never were. I’m sorry I let this go on as long as I have. You deserve someone that makes you happy, Scott.”

  I set the ring in his hand and curled his fingers around it. His eyes followed my actions, disbelief mixed with hurt etched on his face. He shook his head.

  “And you’re wrong about power and money equaling respect. I’ve seen firsthand what the desire for power will do to a man. It will compel him to ruin his fa
mily, turn against everything good and right in the world. It will leave him alone and angry, and in the end … it will be what destroys him.”

  I felt the weight of his gaze follow me as I walked back to the bedroom, but he didn’t move. We both knew it was over. We’d used each other long enough, and it was time we both went after what we truly wanted.

  Chapter Ten

  Milo

  I woke with a start, my hands tingling as the magic rushed through me. I had never felt a surge of power this strong in my life, and as the thought crossed my mind, I realized what happened.