The Traitor's Crux (The Dark Powers Book 1)

by Jessica Prather

  When I’m done, I shrug my light jacket over my shoulders and step out into the biting cold of morning, my backpack slung over my shoulder. The sun is just beginning to peek over the jagged summits of the mountains, reflecting the dewy frost that morning brings, which is slowly starting to evaporate.

  The forest around me is golden, layered in a copper trio of golds, oranges, and vivid autumn reds, mixed with the deep green of the pine trees. As much as I try to rid it from my brain, all I can think of is the Rivers family, Josh’s eyes staring blankly at the sky.

  Some joke.

  “Well hey there, Speedy-Gonzales!” My friend, Beth, shouts jokingly, running up from the dirt road ahead and playfully squeezing my sides. She laughs evilly as I jump, “I didn’t even have to wait five hours for you today! You came early, for once.”

  My lips tug up in a smile. “Yeah, yeah!” I snicker, ramming my shoulder into her playfully. “Maybe you’re just late.”

  Besides Joshua, Beth is my only other friend. I met her in kindergarten when she’d loudly announced that I was going to be her best friend. Since then, our friendship has stuck. We’re two opposites: Beth, wild and outgoing, me, quiet and grounded.

  “Nah, I don’t think that’s it!” She turns and watches me, her expression bearing that maternal-know-it-all-look. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

  “What? Nothing,” I lie, but she narrows her eyes. Beth knows me too well. She’s the only person I can cry to about anything. She knows the things that haunt my brain, and doesn’t even care that it’s illegal.

  She watches the trees ahead as she walks, “Is this about them?”

  I nod, blinking back the tears that threaten to spill. “I’m sorry,” she says, her voice a sad whisper, “I know how much they meant to you.”

  I keep nodding, trying so hard to retain my composure.

  Not here, not ever. I cannot, I will not think of them.

  “It’s fine. It’s done.” I brush it off in a hurry, desperate to change the subject, “So, are you ready for that test today?”

  She only laughs, flicking her flowing auburn locks from her shoulder, “Oh, sweetheart. I was born ready. And by that, I mean I forgot all about it until now.”

  We arrive to class a few minutes early as student’s swarm in, engaged in loud conversations. I sit quietly, preferring the solitude as I rifle through my school planner to look busy. Beth sits next to me, talking animatedly with Gentry Davis, the Mayor’s daughter, known for rebelling against her strict father by throwing wild parties and sleeping with the poorest boys she can find. In this world, the rich stay among the rich. The poor just die.

  Miss Harver, our teacher, paces the room, checking the old watch on her wrist impatiently, waiting for the lesson to begin. Lately, we’ve been studying the history of the United States. It’s my favorite class, imagining what life used to be like when the Constitution existed; when the Presidents had elections and newspapers could print what they wanted. It seems like such a wonderful thing when now all we know is war and death.

  The morning bell rings and, all at once, the stray conversations die down. Miss Harver is one of the strictest teachers here. You don’t want to be caught talking by her, or you’ll immediately be punished. One time, she made two boys scrub the floor with toothbrushes just for asking each other a question about their homework.

  She taps a ruler across the board, signaling the beginning of class. But, before she can speak, she’s interrupted by the buzz of the intercom.

  “Miss Harver?” The secretary’s nasally voice fills the tiny classroom.

  “Yes?” She purses her lips impatiently. She’s grouchy enough as it is, let alone when someone disrupts her class.

  “Would you please send Kenadee Coria to the principal’s office immediately? It’s important.”

  The entire class’ attention turns to me. A few people snicker and whisper, others watch me with large, scared eyes. I’m not a trouble-maker. In fact, I barely even talk. What could I have possibly done to earn this? I stand quickly, gathering my things and attempting to avoid the prying eyes of my snickering class. Could it have been the conversation with Beth earlier? Maybe we were overheard.

  What will happen to me now?

  Miss Harver’s eyes meet mine, blazing with a wicked curiosity. She’s never liked me much. Not that I take it personally, she doesn’t like anyone. Her gleaming eyes don’t move from my face as she replies to the crackling intercom, “She’s on her way.”

  No one speaks as I stand, nervously throwing my backpack over my shoulder. As I move through the desk-cluttered classroom, I can feel every set of eyes tracking me.

  My heart beats loudly in my chest as I slowly make my way to the principal’s office, dread filling my body. I want to scream. I make up an excuse in my head for talking about them. Surely, this is all a big misunderstanding. I can explain it all. I’ll do anything to prove my innocence, to stay here with my mom. I’m a coward, trying to stay clear of the law. Lying myself out of arrest.

  But what if they don’t believe me? What if I am about to end up just like my brother? Arrested for what? Treason? Handcuffed and sent off to die. My name never to be spoken again and my mother, she’ll officially be alone—left with nothing but whispers of her stolen family.

  I shake my head, scrunching my eyes shut to get the thought out of my mind. That’s not going to happen. I did nothing wrong. I won’t let myself be another victim of this war.

  3 THE SECRETARY, MRS. HAINES, GIVES me a forced, round-faced smile as I enter the large office.

  “Hello, dear!” she says briefly, clambering slowly to her feet and rapping her fist on Principal Geartan’s door three times.

  From behind the shutters, I can see a group of people surrounding his table; men dressed in suits. As Mrs. Haines leads me in, they turn and stare, watching me like predators eyeballing their prey.

  When he sees me, Principal Geartan stands quickly, extending a hand to bring me forward. His brown eyes meet mine, seeming just as curious—just as worried—as I am. “Here she is. Gentlemen, Mr. President, Sir, I’d like to introduce you to Miss Kenadee Coria.”

  I flinch. President?

  My eyes meet his and I take a step backwards, bumping into Principal Geartan’s arm. The Principal doesn’t seem to notice. He watches the President nervously, like a mouse before a cat.

  President Reed is a much smaller, more fragile looking in person. I watch his smug grin grow wider as he takes in my battered old sweater and my hole-filled jeans. My mouth goes dry with embarrassment. Fingers clasped together on the desk, he leans in.

  “Miss Coria, the pleasure is all mine. Take a seat.”

  I do as he says, keeping my head low as I take the chair closest to the door. The President comes around the front of the desk and lounges against it, folding one leg over the other. “I do hope that you received the gift that was left for you at your friend’s home yesterday?”

  My blood runs cold. I knew his men were the ones that attacked, but President Reed was behind the note left in Mrs. Rivers’ hand? Why?

  “Well?” He taps his fingers against the desk impatiently, cocking his head to try and see my down-turned face. “Didn’t your filthy mother teach you any manners at all? Usually, when you’re given a gift, you say thank you.” He spits the word filthy as if it’s a curse word. I suppose it is meant just for the disgusting cockroaches my family must be to him.

  “Th-thank you,” I whisper, at a loss for any other words.

  To my dismay, the President only laughs. He’s a lean, middle-aged man with thick gray hair and a salt and pepper beard. His eyes are what scare me most: a dark, nearly pupil-less brown and full of hate.

  “Kenadee—may I call you that?” I nod, doubting that I really have a choice in the matter. “Good. Well, Kenadee, we would like for this meeting to be as brief as possible, so let’s get started. We are here to talk to you about a very special and confidential project of ours.” Reed’s voice is husky and quiet with age, false
niceties lingering in his tone.

  “What kind of project?” I ask, confused. How would I be of help to him? I’m nothing but a sixteen-year-old girl. I frown, glancing up at him. “Wait, so, I’m not in trouble?”

  The President and his men begin to chuckle quietly, exchanging condescending glances like it’s an inside joke and I’m some ignorant child who doesn’t understand. “No, of course not. Unless you have reason to be.” He toys with the globe on the edge of Principal Geartan’s desk, spinning it with his long fingers. After a moment he says, “You know, I met that brother of yours in my prison. Nice young man… for a wizard anyway. He learned quickly how to behave after a few unfortunate beatings.” He stops the globe with his palm and fixes his calculating stare on me. “You probably don’t understand the reason for his arrest, do you?”

  Rage pulses through my veins at the smirk on the President’s lips as he brings up Eli. How dare he?

  I glower at the man whose smile only grows bigger at my discomfort. “Well? Do you know why your brother was taken?”

  “Because he’s magic,” I fail to hide the shakiness of my words.

  The President’s dark eyes glisten, “Very good. Yes, that is the reason.” His hand claps over my shoulder and I flinch away. He only chuckles, “Sweet, young Kenadee, I’m afraid you might not find this a very enticing task. My fear is that you won’t perform to my liking. Nowadays, it’s hard to know who you can and can’t trust.”

  I clamp my jaw shut as he stops in front of me, reaching for a magnifying glass on Geartan’s desk and turning back towards me. He holds it up to his eye and watches me through it. After a brief second, he wipes it off on his shirt and neatly sets it back down. “The war is not over. I don’t know that it’ll ever truly be over… As the leader of the nation, that leaves me in a very tight spot. Have you ever heard of the famous dilemma, the trolley problem, Kenadee?”

  I nod slowly, “There’s a runaway trolley, headed straight toward five people that are tied down and unable to move…”

  “Exactly!” Reed gives a flash of that cat-like grin. “But, on the other track, there is one person. Now, you’re the one next to the lever. You have the power to choose: save one life, or five.”

  “I’m confused. What’s this have to do with me?”

  His expression turns serious. “I’m talking about you helping us win this war. Magic has plagued our nation for far too long. You’re what? Fourteen?”

  “Sixteen,” I say sharply.

  “Regardless, that’s all you’ve ever known, isn’t it? War, bombs, sickness and death… Don’t you ever wonder what life was like before the magic took everything from us?”

  “I-I-” The truth is, I have. I’ve always dreamt of a life that Eli and my father were a part of. A life where I could make friends, have a boyfriend, and wouldn’t have to worry about them ending up dead.

  Reed sees my hesitation and smiles. “What if I told you that you could have him back?”

  I inhale sharply. Him? As in…

  No, it couldn’t be.

  Hard silence fills the room and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Principal Geartan turn and stare. He wasn’t expecting this either. I wonder how much he actually knows about what’s happening. Was he lassoed into this last minute like me?

  President Reed breaks the stillness with a harsh laugh. “I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I am talking about your dear brother, Eli. He’s very much alive. I’ll even give him back to you—if you do something for me first.”

  I run a hand over my forehead in disbelief, opening my mouth and clamping it shut again. Tears burn at my eyes, threatening to spill over.

  “It’s okay, take it all in. Just listen as I explain.” Reed says in a low voice, “Your brother is alive. Your mother was taken this morning. We wanted full assurance that you’d cooperate. They will not be harmed, so long as you do as I say.”

  I gulp, looking at him with teary eyes. “How do I know what you’re saying is true? You could be making this all up.”

  “Ms. Coria, bite your tongue!” snaps Principal Geartan, but the Commander in Chief only waves a dismissive hand.

  “Smart girl. Distrust is a wise thing to have in these times. That’s why we brought proof.” He repositions himself on the desk and nods as his men, standing behind Principal Geartan with grave expressions. One man with a shiny bald head and permanent frown lines cracks his knuckles and wordlessly spreads his hands apart. Geartan and I both gasp as a scene emerges in front of us. Hazy at first, I narrow my eyes to try and see better.

  “This was earlier this morning,” Reed explains as the image clears. I clap a hand over my mouth as my mother appears. She stands in our tiny kitchen, yellow hair haloed by the stream of morning light in the kitchen window. I can hear the buzz of the radio as she listens, some old song that she hums along with. She pauses for a moment, face turning towards the window. A patch of light illuminates her features—lined with worry.

  “Mom?” I breathe, then louder, “Mom!”

  She looks so real, as if I could just reach out my hand and touch her. She must see nothing, as she lets out a quiet laugh and mumbles something to herself. Hair cascades over her shoulders as she sticks a finger in her bowl and presses it to her thin lips to sample. Satisfied, she reaches for the bowl, opening the oven and—

  The old screen door opening up to the kitchen flings open by the kick of a boot. The bowl goes flying as she lets loose a scream. It takes a matter of seconds for the soldiers to shove her against the wall and press the handcuffs into her wrists.

  The picture fades as I bat away a stray tear. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I refuse to look away as the image refocuses. This time, I’m in a dark, steely room. There are chains hanging from the ceiling, a limp figure within their confinement. I take in a shuddering breath, this time, not fighting the tears as they cascade down my cheeks.

  “Mr. Coria,” says Reed’s voice as the image begins to focus. He’s in full view now, a bat bouncing against his palm as he circles the prisoner. “You haven’t actually done anything wrong this time. Think of this as a moment of…motivation.”

  He drives the bat into his back with a sickening thud as the prisoner—Eli—screams. I feel myself crying out, even though they can’t hear me. Eli’s figure comes into focus. I barely recognize my brother. Nine years has turned him from a boy into a man. His hair has darkened, his bone structure grown sharp and jagged. Tiny scars seem as common on his face as the freckles that once dusted his nose. His hazel eyes flicker upward at his torturer and his crackled lips part, as if he’s about to speak. He doesn’t have a chance, as the bat flies into his stomach.

  “Stop!” I turn away, feeling sick. The image pauses and Reed’s figure is frozen mid-swing. I look at the real Reed in front of me and sniffle. “I’ll do it. But, you have to swear that you’ll keep them both safe. No more torture!”

  Reed nods once at his soldier, who turns off his magic. The image dissolves into thin air and the office is returned to normal. “I’m glad you see things my way. Don’t worry. I’m a man of my word. As long as you do as I ask, I promise to let them go free. However, your failure to meet my demands will result in their untimely deaths, do you follow?”

  I take a deep breath, wondering how much I’ll regret my next words. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

  Malice glimmers in the President’s eyes, “Come with me.”

  4 BEFORE I CAN EVEN BLINK, Reed’s soldiers are at my side, their handcuffs slipping over my wrists. “Just a precaution in case you decide to try something,” says Reed, shaking Principal Geartan’s hand and murmuring something in a low voice.

  I have no choice but let his men tug me down the hall and through the front doors of the school. A black SUV awaits outside in the parking lot, guards with dark suits surrounding it.

  “Watch your head, kid!” growls one of the soldiers behind me as he opens the door and pushes me inside. I desperately try to readjust myself, feeling the handcuf
fs digging into my skin as Reed slips in beside me.

  “Now that that’s all settled,” Reed adjusts his tie and smooths out his impeccable suit as the car comes to a quiet start, “I suppose I can explain why you’re here. What do you know of the magic world, Kenadee?”

  I gulp. My mind is still reeling from the scene back in the Principal’s office. Eli really is alive. After nine years apart, I could finally see my big brother again. I watch the world outside fly by, a sea of copper leaves around us, repeating it again and again in my mind.

  Eli is alive.

  He’s alive, which means I’ll do anything to get him back.

  “Well?” The President asks, tone clipped with impatience.

  I swallow, ashamed that my voice trembles, “Magic? Honestly, I don’t know much.”

  He picks a piece of lint from his sleeve, flicking it before his set of coal-colored eyes come floating back up to my face. “So, you’ve never practiced the art of magic?”

  I feel my blood run cold. Seeing my discomfort only makes Reed’s grin widen, “Don’t you worry, young Kenadee. I’m sure it’s something you’ve always wondered about. After all, your dear brother Eli is tainted. So was your lover, Joshua. There are so many of you floating around, just beyond our reach…”

  “What?” I shake my head at the stupidity of the suggestion. “I’m not—”

  “Oh, but you are.” His smile sends shivers up my spine. I want to scream, to shout, to get out of this car and away from this man. I can’t be magic. Years of blood tests and investigations have proven my innocence. The President is mistaken.

  When I say nothing, he leans back in his seat, “I know, this is quite devastating to hear. Let me explain. We’ve been watching you, Kenadee. Your test results did in fact come out positive, we simply hid that fact from you.”

  “But…why?” I whisper, drawing in a ragged breath.

  “If you knew that you were magic, you might try to use your powers. We wanted to keep you away for as long as we could, let them mature and further our studies. We were always watching—there were cameras installed in your home, spies and teachers assessing your behavior. We knew the risks of having someone magic running free, but we thought that maybe, when the time was right, we could use you.”