Divided (Elena Ronen, Private Investigator)

by Jennifer Sights

  “Obviously, we won’t kill you until we have what we need. And you will help us. You see, Samuel took Jonah’s car and followed you to your dear doctor after you escaped. With a little persuasion, Julian told us where you were hiding. So while you so stupidly met me at the restaurant, Samuel went to your hotel and found your slut’s friend. It seems we didn’t scare him badly enough the last time.”

  “Leave him alone!” I shouted.

  Jonah returned with Kevin, who had been beaten again. As much as I hated his involvement, though, I was relieved they hadn’t found Courtney.

  “Help us, and we will.”

  “Vittorio, please, we can’t let them hurt Kevin anymore. We have to do what they want.”

  Vittorio nodded once, and sighed, clearly not happy with the decision, but he knew what Kevin meant to me. And he was too good of a person to let someone be tortured if he could stop it.

  “I knew you’d see it my way,” Clavius said.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Samuel led us upstairs to a room that must have once been a study. The bookshelves were empty now; I assumed the books had been moved to his father’s new home. He pointed to some chairs around a coffee table, and we sat. Ms. Carmen’s map had been laid on the table.

  The others stayed in the basement, agreeing the fewer people with me the less distracted I’d be.

  “I’m going to take your amulet off now, Elena. Don’t try anything stupid or your friend will suffer for it.”

  “I won’t,” I said, heard racing. I didn’t know how he expected me to concentrate on anything when Kevin was in danger, but I had to try.

  My power fought to escape my control. Even though I didn’t use it often, I twas always free, and did not like being confined by the amulet. I managed to keep it in check, wishing I had full control. I realized I would have have full control of my power though; not entirely. While the power did belong to me, it was also its own entity, sharing my body.

  “Focus on the map. Try to read it,” Samuel instructed, as if I didn’t already know what he wanted from me.

  First, I only looked at the map, studying the markings on it. A small breath of magic emanated from it, but it was completely foreign. I couldn’t decipher a thing.

  After a few minutes, I held my hands above the map. I didn’t want to touch it yet, afraid there might be some spell to harm if I did. I felt nothing malicious, so gently laid my hands on the surface. My whole body tingled from the power in the ancient document. I jerked my hands away.

  “What’s wrong?” Samuel asked.

  I told him what I’d felt.

  “You can read it! I didn’t feel anything from it,” he said.

  “That does not mean anything,” Vittorio said. “It may only mean her power is stronger than yours.”

  Samuel glared at him, but said nothing.

  Ignoring them, I picked up the map and tried to translate the strange markings on it.

  “Try to relax, Elena. Meditate for a few minutes if you must. Perhaps it is like one of those magic eye posters where you have to look through the design to see the hidden image.”

  I tried holding the map in various positions, not holding it, turning it every which way, but came no closer to translating it after half an hour. “I can’t do this alone. I need help,” I told Samuel.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  I hesitated, knowing he wouldn’t like what I was going to ask for. I didn’t even know if it was possible, but my power whispered that it was.

  “Well, what is it?”

  “I think if I could try to join my power with Vittorio’s, I might be able to read the map.”

  “Do you think I’m stupid? As soon as I take the amulet off him, you’ll try to overpower me.”

  Do you think I’m stupid?” I replied. “If we do that, Clavius will kill Kevin, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid.” I stared him right in the eye, unwavering.

  Samuel pondered my request, and seemed to decide he could believe me. He untied Vittorio’s hands and took his amulet off.

  Vittorio reached for my hand, and we let our power loose, swirling together around us. I again picked up the map with my free hand and scanned it casually, trying not to concentrate too hard on it. After a few moments, the letters on the page seemed to swim and rearrange themselves.

  “Do you see that?” I whispered.

  “I see nothing, mio amore.”

  I watched the letters continue to move, hardly believing it was possible. They finally settled into a pattern I could read; they had changed to English.

  “Give me a pen and paper,” I told Samuel.

  He did as I asked, and I wrote the spell down. Once I had, Samuel rushed to tie our hands again and put the amulets back around our necks, then led us back to the basement.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  When we returned to the basement, I handed the piece of paper to Clavius. “What makes you think I won’t use the spell on myself?” I asked.

  “One must hold the map while chanting the spell in order for it to work. And I will never give you the map. In fact, I think I’ll burn it when I’m done just to be sure you’ll never get your hands on it.” He turned to Vittorio. “Now that I will be more powerful than anyone, do you maintain that you do not want to overthrow me as Sacerdote?”

  “I have seen your true nature. I love my coven and will not allow you to manipulate them. I will take your position,” Vittorio said.

  “Wrong answer. You must enjoy watching your love suffer.”

  He sent a wave of power through Kevin.

  “Stop! We did as you asked. You promised you wouldn’t hurt him.”

  “I never promised. I am not that stupid.”

  “Please, don’t hurt him.”

  “We are just beginning, my little angel, unless Vittorio agrees to revoke his threat and offer his allegiance to me.”

  “Don’t do it,” Kevin moaned.

  Elizabeth slashed him across the cheek with her knife.

  “Please stop,” I begged.

  Vittorio said nothing.

  Elizabeth’s power flared, and Kevin cried out in pain. She followed up with a carefully placed stab that caused no major damage.

  When she stopped, Kevin looked at Vittorio and said, “Don’t give in to them. I’m not important.”

  “Yes, you are,” I cried.

  Elizabeth slashed his midsection.

  “Vittorio, please. Kevin won’t survive this much longer. Look how much he’s bleeding.”

  “Alright, stop. You win,” Vittorio said.

  “Say you will follow my command.”

  “I will follow you.” His shoulders slumped.

  “And you will give me your little angel as Sacerdotessa.”

  “No!” he cried.

  “Yes, he will. Just let Kevin live,” I said.

  Vittorio looked at me in horror.

  “I can’t watch them kill him. I’m sorry, my love, but I can’t.”

  “Fine,” Vittorio muttered.

  “Swear it.”

  “I swear,” he said, barely audible.

  I couldn’t stand the look of pain in Vittorio’s eyes as he swore his allegiance to Clavius.

  “Good. Now, Elizabeth, if you will do as we discussed?”

  Elizabeth turned to walk away from Kevin, suggesting his torture was over. Then, she turned around and thrust her knife into Kevin’s heart.

  I don’t know if Kevin’s scream or mine was louder. I crawled to him and pressed myself to him in as much of an embrace as I could with my hands still bound behind my back.

  He slung one arm around me.

  “Kevin, please don’t die. Please, Kevin. I’m so sorry. Don’t leave me.”

  “Make him pay,” he whispered.

  “No, you’re not going to die. Please, Kevin. You can’t leave me.” I tried to heal him, but the amulet was still around my neck, my hands still tied. I was helpless.

  “Vittorio will take care of you. Kill
Clavius for me.” His arm slid from my shoulders and his body went slack.

  I stared at Clavius through my tears. “You will pay for this, you bastard.”

  “Is that so? And what are you going to do, all tied up and powerless? Nothing. And now, you will see how strong I truly am.” Samuel handed Clavius the map, carefully rolled up. He held the map in both hands and chanted the spell three times. Power rose in the room, threatening to suffocate. It was not Clavius’ power; rather the foreign power of the ancient spell. The map glowed in Clavius’ hands and I wondered if it would save him the trouble of burning it himself.

  He seemed to grow younger. He turned and tested his power on Vittorio, who screamed in pain. I felt that Clavius power was stronger than before. I feared we would never be able to defeat him now, even if we could get free of the ropes and amulets.

  “Such power! I will live forever. See how I will rule!” He projected his thoughts into our minds. He sat high upon an onyx throne. A woman I assumed was Aerin stood by his side. People who I sensed were the other coven members knelt at his feet, proclaiming their loyalty and everlasting love to Clavius. His thoughts said he would kill anyone who opposed him. And the first he would kill would be Samuel. Samuel was too powerful, too ambitious, too much of a threat.

  I don’t think he meant for that last part to reach us, and he didn’t seem to notice. Samuel’s face said he certainly had noticed. He moved closer to Vittorio and knelt down beside him when Clavius wasn’t looking. I saw him whisper something. He stood just as Clavius turned to look at him.

  “And you, Samuel, you will take the place of La Guardia. You have served me loyally, and I will soon need a replacement.”

  Vittorio scooted closer to me. I saw he had a knife and that his hands were free. He cut me free as well. “When Clavius is not looking, remove the amulet, but not before. We will have to be quick and stun him. I only hope the amulet will work on him now that he has used the spell.”

  “Come, Samuel, come and chant the spell with me. Be young and powerful,” Clavius beckoned.

  As Samuel walked toward Clavius, he reached behind his back and drew a gun that was tucked under his shirt. My gun. In one quick movement he shot Clavius in the heart. Clavius collapsed to the ground.

  Jonah and Elizabeth battered Samuel with the full force of their power, overcome by rage and sorrow at the death of their Sacerdote.

  Vittorio and I removed the amulets from our necks. “Should we help him?” I asked.

  “He did help us.” He tucked the amulets into his pocket.

  “That’s only because Clavius was going to kill him. Personally, I say let Elizabeth and Jonah do what they want with him.”

  “You are becoming coldhearted, mio amore.” There was no sentiment to his words, just a statement of fact.

  “Can you tell me you truly wish to help him after everything he did to us?”

  “No, mio amore, I cannot.”

  I wondered what the hell we were going to do then when movement caught my attention. It was Clavius, standing unharmed.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  “Did you really think one little gunshot wound would kill me, Samuel? I was going to make your death fast and painless, but now I will enjoy making it slow and watching you suffer.” He turned to Elizabeth and Jonah. “I am pleased to see your reactions. You make me very happy with your loyalty. Have some fun with Samuel. Do what you please with him, but leave him alive. I want to kill him myself.”

  I watched the gun leave Samuel’s grasp and float through the air to Clavius. Telekinesis. Samuel had mentioned that some stregas had that power, but it was still unsettling to see in person.

  “And you, Vittorio, you are proving to be stronger than I ever thought. I wanted to enjoy your slow, painful death, but it is clear to me I would be smart to end your life quickly, so you will no longer remain a threat to me. Then, I will have my way with your love, and take her power as my own.”

  I aimed the full force of my power at Clavius, dreadfully aware it would not be enough.

  He laughed. “Oh, my little angel, you have heart, but you will never be able to win. Perhaps once you would have been a fair match, but now, no one will be able to defeat me. Watch, now, as I kill your love.”

  I felt Clavius’ power gain strength, saw its icy blue color as he aimed it at Vittorio. The bleed-off caused me great pain, as well. I could only imagine how badly Vittorio suffered. I screamed in protest, helpless.

  Without warning, the blast of power stopped. Vittorio was curled in a ball on the ground. “What happened?”

  Vittorio shook his head to indicate he didn’t know.

  Samuel stood behind Clavius, who was now on his knees.

  I went to see what happened, scared I would feel another painful blast of power at any moment.

  When I reached Clavius, I saw that Samuel had stabbed him in the back, through the map. A wound such as that shouldn’t have been as damaging as it appeared to be. He writhed in pain.

  I looked at Clavius and realized that he was, in fact dying. His face contorted in pain, and he was screaming incoherently. I caught two words - it burns. I wondered if the map acted as a type of poison in his system.

  When he stopped moving, I wanted to be sure he was truly dead this time. I checked his neck for a pulse, and felt nothing. Then, his body twitched. I tore the map out from under him and stabbed him in the heart through it with the knife Samuel had given Vittorio. No more twitching.

  I had never killed anyone before. I concentrated on my breathing, and tried to push the shock to the back of my mind. Now was not the time for a breakdown. There were still other things to worry about.

  As if to illustrate that point, my body was stabbed by a thousand knives. The full force of Elizabeth’s power struck me, giving me no time to react and put my shields in place. I screamed. Where was Vittorio? Why wasn’t he helping me?

  The pain stopped. I slammed my shields in place tighter than ever. I looked to Elizabeth, and found her in a power struggle with Samuel. That left Jonah free to focus on me. I thrust electricity into his body before he could act, moving closer to him as I did. When I was close enough, and he was on his knees on the ground, I put the amulet around his neck. I did not stop the flow of my power. I had to find some way to restrain him. Where were those ropes when I needed them?

  I forced his hands behind his back, focusing my power on him the entire time so he wouldn’t fight back. The rope that had bound me and Vittorio was too short since we’d cut through it. Thankfully, I found a roll of duct tape sitting on top of a toolbox in the corner, and bound Jonah’s hands and feet, then found the straps they had used to keep us in the chairs. Hoping Jonah was secure enough, I took the duct tape with me, hoping for the opportunity to restrain Elizabeth and Samuel.

  Samuel was winning their fight. Elizabeth was on the ground, rocking back and forth, muttering, “No, no, no,” over and over again. I didn’t want to imagine what horrible images Samuel projected into her mind to make her shake like she was. I saw the amulet that had been around Vittorio’s neck on the ground next to him. I also saw that Vittorio was not moving. I had to make sure we were safe before I could help him, so I grabbed the amulet. Samuel’s attention was focused on Elizabeth, so I snuck up behind him, draped the amulet around his neck, and forced his hands behind his back before he could react. He was much stronger than me, and my power did not faze him like it had Jonah. I couldn’t let him break free and remove the amulet. I had to go for a low blow. I reached my leg between his and kneed him in the groin. He fell to his knees, giving me the opportunity to bind his hands.

  I still needed to restrain his feet, and he was able to get away from me before I could. He got to his feet and kicked me. Fortunately, it sent him off balance and he fell again. I kicked him in the side, and much as I hated it, the head. I never was a fighter, but my life was on the line. The kick to the head dazed him enough for me to tie his feet together. I was as safe as I was going to get from him.

 
I didn’t know what to do about Elizabeth. There were no more amulets, no way to restrain her power. I looked to her, still rocking back and forth on the ground, knees pulled to her chest. It appeared as if Samuel had done significant damage to her mind. I would have to settle for tying her up, and hope it was enough.

  When I was finally satisfied our enemies were restrained, I ran to Vittorio, who still was not moving. I did not see his chest rise with breath. I felt for a pulse, finding nothing.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  I screamed in anguish, wishing I was dead, too. How could I live without Vittorio? I pulled him into my lap, holding him. He was still warm, his skin still soft to the touch. I rocked back and forth with him in my lap like mother rocks a child who has had a nightmare, only this nightmare was real. Vittorio was dead. A voice in my head reminded me that Kevin, too, was dead, and I was alone. Madness crept through the corners of my mind. Samuel had stolen Elizabeth’s sanity; Clavius had stolen mine.

  I don’t know how long I rocked Vittorio in my arms. Something tugged at my power. I ignored it, not caring if any of the others had broken free. Let them kill me. I didn’t even care if Clavius rose from the dead. Any torture they could inflict on me could not be as bad as the pain of losing Vittorio.

  My power pushed against my body, trying to get out. I pushed it down, but it fought me. I was too weak to fight it, and let it go. I didn’t care what it did. It pushed gently out of my body toward Vittorio. Was my power mourning, as well? It flared up for a moment, as if trying to tell me something, and pushed toward Vittorio again. I held him close to me, unsure what my power was trying to tell me, too bereft to care.

  The slightest breeze tickled my neck where Vittorio’s head rested. I almost didn’t notice it. Again, I felt the breeze. It was warm. The third time, I realized it wasn’t a breeze at all, but Vittorio’s breath. He was alive! That’s what my power was trying to tell me. I tried to pull myself together so I could concentrate. I whispered a prayer, “Goddess, please let him live. Please do not take him from me,” and let my power embrace Vittorio. I held the thought, “Heal him,” in my mind as I let my power surround him, flow into him and through him. At first, nothing happened. I feared it was too late. Then, the breath on my neck grew stronger. I maintained the flow of my power through his body, willing him to live.