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

by Jessica Prather

  Eli? She knows?

  “How do you know about Eli?” Alarm rings in my ears. She’s known all along.

  Harlow leans over, picking up her hat from the floor and dusting it off before placing it on her head. “I know lots of things. I’ve been watching Reed just like he sent you here to do to me. The thing is—we’re always several steps ahead. We have magic. We have power. He’s not going to beat that unless we mess up big time. As for your big brother, let’s just say he and I are good pals.”

  She holds up her hand for me to see. Across the back is a series of numbers and letters, reading HD476804. “My prison I.D. The ‘HD’ stands for highly dangerous. I was under intensive security, just like your brother. We had lots of great conversations when we weren’t being tortured.”

  “How are you here?” I ask stupidly.

  “I escaped. I’m not planning on going back there either, so you should find a new plan.” She pulls her ponytail through the hole in her hat, “I really hope you aren’t dumb enough to think that Reed’s going to give you what he promised. We both know he’s not that type of guy. He’s playing you. He’s been playing you ever since you were born. It’s what he does.”

  I say nothing, folding my arms defensively across my chest. Harlow regards me with a level stare, then sighs, softening just a bit. “As much as I hate to say it, I know the situation you’re in, and I’m giving you one final chance. I won’t tell your secret if you help us. You’re one of us now.”

  Tears well in the corners of my eyes, the fear suddenly taking the place of the anger I held moments ago. “But how? He has my family, Harlow. He took my mother, too.”

  “And we’ll get to them. But you need to understand that doing his dirty work, turning us over to him, won’t do you any favors. I guarantee you he has a prison cell with your name on it. You can help us. We can go get your brother and mom, free them. We can beat Reed. He’s not a good person.” She watches me carefully, looking for my reaction.

  “What if he finds out? He’ll kill them…”

  “He’s going to kill them no matter what unless we can help it. That’s why we have to step up.”

  I throw around the idea for a second. Harlow knows, and she’ll blow my cover if I disagree to it. I’m going to have to convince someone here that I’m on their side. But who? Who can I trust?

  She hands the notebook to me, throwing her bag over her shoulder and sliding her hat back onto her head. Her hand is already on the doorknob as she turns back one last time. “Think about it. I’ll give you tonight. But think about it if he calls. Think of the lives you’re destroying. And for what?”

  The door slams behind her, leaving me in the dark. Suddenly, it’s too much to bear. I don’t bother to grab my things from the room—a stupid mistake since it will disappear immediately after we leave. The rooms always leave unless they’re scheduled for use. Magic is wonderful and somewhat annoying that way. It doesn’t even cross my mind.

  Instead, I just run.

  I flee the scene, running from myself, from Reed, from the constant cycle of games and war. I can’t breathe; I can’t focus. I can’t live this way any longer. I have to get the fresh air, go outside and see the sunlight. I have to get away from these walls, inching closer and closer, crushing me inside them.

  People stare as I breeze by them, too enraptured in the fear and anger streaming out of me. Someone reaches for me—Bryce, the happy grin on his face. I brush past him, ignoring his shouts. I don’t stop until I’m beyond the buildings, a shadow between the trees. Within their asylum, I sink down onto a log and cry, the tears boiling from within me, everything too much for me to handle.

  “Kenadee?” I hear Bryce before I see him appear through the aspen trees. I try my best to wipe my tears away even though it’s useless. I’m a wreck. I don’t look up as Bryce comes and sits next to me on the log, only inches apart. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just needed a second,” I lie, wiping at my nose with my sleeve and avoiding his eyes, trying to make my voice sound stronger.

  “Mmm, I see.” We sit in silence for a second as I sniffle. “You know, when I first was learning how to use my powers, I set my instructor’s hair on fire,” he says, matter-of-factly, twisting his face into an amused smirk.

  “Oh, yikes!”

  “Mhm. He ended up shaving it all off to hide it. Pretty intense stuff.”

  “I can tell.”

  “But that’s probably enough about me already. What’s going on? Why are you so upset?”

  “Nothing…just a stressful training,” I lie again through a ragged breath, watching my hands.

  “You sure it’s just that? Most people don’t cry over stressful trainings. You seem like you have something else going on.”

  I almost tell him. If I don’t take Harlow’s side in this, she’ll break the news first. And if that happens, Reed will know immediately.

  “Sorry, I’m just missing home a bit.”

  So many lies.

  He chuckles quietly, “You’re going to be fine. Right now, things are tense and everyone is up in arms, but we’ll get through it. I promise. Things will die down in the next few days and it will be like nothing happened. Just a small scare, nothing we can’t handle. And the magic thing will come easier. It’s just difficult right now. It always is for beginners.”

  I say nothing, feeling neither comforted or inclined to talking at the moment. No matter what I do, people will get hurt. I don’t know what else to say to Bryce when all I can offer him is lies.

  “Hey.” He nudges me, eyes suddenly gleaming with mischief, “Wanna see something?”

  I just barely nod and let my hand slip over his. Call it reckless or stupid, but all I need is to get away. Lost in the woods with Bryce, forgetting everything else.

  He takes me down a winding trail, weaving in and out of the trees, his large hand resting over my smaller one. They fit together so well.

  We stop in a clearing, where tiny, delicate wildflowers blossom from the ground in brilliant colors. Around us, the trees form a gigantic circle far enough apart to allow sun in, which shines brightly on the debris-filled forest floor.

  “Look!” whispers Bryce, holding out one hand to tell me to be still, and using the other to point at a fawn staring lazily back at us from a few feet away.

  I lean back against a shady tree, watching Bryce attempt to get closer, feeling the sleepiness that the afternoon sun always brings. It reminds me of my childhood, playing in the forest with Eli. We’d run for hours, just two kids with no worries about the future. We’d leave with full tummies and berry stained fingers, happy and young, our minds vivid and our responsibilities nonexistent.

  Bryce wheels on me, eyes bright with excitement. He’s only inches away. “Come here!” he whispers gently.

  I creep slowly so as not to spook the deer. Crouching down beside Bryce, I watch the deer give us an indifferent look and return to her grazing.

  “Here, girl!” he says softly, clicking his tongue. His fingertips graze mine as he outstretches my hand, turning it towards the sky. She takes interest, nose twitching as she scours my palm for food. It tickles, and as I laugh, she bolts, bounding off into the safety of the multicolored trees.

  Neither of us move. Bryce’s voice is low, and yet, so loud among the quiet and rows of trees. “It’s a really bad habit, but people do it anyway. The deer are pretty tame because we all spoil them by feeding them.”

  A moment passes as I glance up at him, his shoulder against mine, his hand still on my hand. He gulps and his Adam’s apple throbs. I’m paralyzed in place, unable to glance away from his set of warm summer eyes.

  I can’t do this. I shouldn’t do this.

  I’m not meant to fall for him. I’m meant to kill him.

  His lips part as if he’s about to say something but decides against it. Instead, he leans forward, hands brushing against my cheeks. Our kiss is electric, wonderful, and slow. A shiver runs through me, even though there’s no breeze, no
chill to the air.

  Reality hits with the force of a crashing wave. I shove him away, my fingers flying to my lips, tracing the place where his had been.

  His face twists in embarrassment. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. I—”

  “I can’t do this,” I whisper, and I swear that nothing hurts worse than those four words.

  He nods slowly, understanding. “I shouldn’t have—I’m a leader. I—I, uh, I have to go.” Before I can stop him, he disappears back into the trees.

  19 “WAIT… HE KISSED YOU?!” SQUEALS Tess, drumming her hand excitedly on the library table and earning a death glare from the librarian. All the heads in the room turn to look at us, but Tess doesn’t mind. She squirms in her chair like an over-excited puppy.

  I shush her. “Yell a little louder next time, why don’t you? I don’t think they heard you in Canada.”

  “Tell me everything!” she insists.

  I shake my head, “Look, I’m trying to study for one of Harlow’s stupid tests, so if you don’t mind—”

  “Don’t worry, you’re not bothering me!” she props her bright pink shoes on the table and rocks in her seat, “Here, I’ll even help you!”

  “You would do that?”

  “Sure! I’ve survived a few of Harlow’s tests in my time. What are you stuck on?”

  “Well…” I flip through the dusty pages of the text book until I find the beginning of the chapter. I’m supposed to be studying the origins of magic, but maybe I can find out something more from Tess—something to give to Reed. “What do you know about protection spells? Like the barrier here at camp?”

  “Easy,” she chirps, her freckle-dusted cheeks rising up in a grin, “Our camp security team created it. Any normal person walking through the woods only sees forest—and if they’re non-magic, they’ll literally walk right through it without actually stepping inside. They did it after a security breach a few months ago. Some of Reed’s soldiers had tried to enter the camp, that’s why Harlow was so suspicious about you.”

  “They tried to enter? What happened?” I play along.

  She grimaces, “At the time, the barrier protection wasn’t what it is now. They got in, caught a bunch of us off-guard and killed people. Luckily, Harlow got to them before they did too much damage.”

  I knit my brows together, thinking of Reed’s fear. “If we’re magic and we have all this power, then why are we hiding? Why don’t we just kill Reed?”

  Tess sighs sadly, “Reed pretends that the country is in danger because of us, but in truth, he’s a much bigger threat than we could ever be. He’s been recruiting magic soldiers for a while now, training them in spells much darker than anything we can ever pull off.”

  “But, Harlow said that kind of magic is rare…” I whisper, thinking of my own powers. Reed called them elite. Hearing it now, it all makes sense. Reed is recruiting only those with dark magic. If it’s as powerful as Harlow says, then it won’t take long for Reed to kill off the magic population for good.

  “It is, but Reed’s tracking them. There aren’t many, but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in power. Their powers aren’t like ours—there aren’t lots of physical limits where they’re involved. If they want to randomly create something out of thin air, they can. The only thing working against them is that most of Reed’s soldiers are brand new, which means they have a pretty limited arsenal. That kind of magic is darker, so it weakens them. Unpracticed ones tire somewhat easy if they use too much at once. Still, their powers are stronger—their basic spells could kill us. It’d take a lot to defeat even a new one.”

  Shivers rise up my spine. Reed said he had wanted me for my powerful magic, but he hadn’t mentioned this. All this time, he’s recruited only those that are like me. The rest of the magic population ends up dead or in prison, but the ones that are like me… they become soldiers. Killers. That kind of magic could rule the world.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” says Tess, reaching over and squeezing my hand. “I guess it’s good to know the truth. We have to do whatever we can to assure it doesn’t happen.”

  “Yeah. No, of course. I agree.” I meet her doe-eyed gaze and force a smile.

  “How about I go get us some coffee and then I’ll help you study more?” She jumps to her feet and tucks in her chair. “Oh, and Kenadee? You don’t get to blow off this whole Bryce topic forever. I have a feeling you two are a match made in heaven!”

  “Sure,” I snort, “Considering the fact that he’s avoided me for the past few days? We’re off to a great start.”

  She gives me a knowing smile. “Be patient. Good things are yet to come, my friend!”

  I don’t respond as she skips off into the distance, humming to herself and nearly colliding into a passerby. For the first time since I’ve arrived, the gravity of the situation hits the hardest: I’m going to betray her. I’m going to betray them all.

  ***

  I LEAVE THE LIBRARY LATE, partially because Tess doesn’t know how to stop talking—which is probably due to the fact that she sprinkled about ten packets of sugar in her coffee—and because Harlow gives tests even more difficult than her training sessions. Tess yawns, stretching out like a cat, “That was exhausting. No offense, but I’m never helping you with a test again!”

  “Aww darn.” I pretend to be disappointed, when in all reality, Tess did anything but help me. After she got coffee, she painted her nails, complained that I was taking too long, then went and got more coffee. I wonder how she sleeps at night.

  She follows me to Harlow’s office, not taking a single breath between her sentences. It’s ten o’clock and the office is quiet. Harlow isn’t here, and neither is Julie, the rude secretary. Only a golden strip of light shines under Bryce’s officer door. Even with it closed, I can hear him singing softly to himself. I smile at the thought, but back into reality as Tess says, “Kenadee—it’s your chance!”

  “What? No. Let’s just hurry up and get out of here,” I say quickly. We’ve been avoiding each other for days. I don’t even know what to say to Bryce, let alone how to get back to where we were before. I miss him, but I don’t know that I can ever talk to him without wondering what could have been. There are so many possibilities, and in a world full of Reed, I can’t determine what they might be.

  “Kenadee!” Tess tries to whisper, but whispering for Tess is practically a soft yell. “You have to talk to him!”

  “Shh!” I hiss, pressing the paper against Harlow’s door. The wood crackles and groans under my magic, swallowing it until the paper is gone completely, now somewhere in the depths of Harlow’s office.

  I’m reaching for Tess and trying to push her towards the exit when there’s a soft pop, and another door creaks open. Bryce’s head pops out, squinting at first as he tries to decipher what’s behind the noise, then widening when he realizes who it is. We both freeze, paralyzed as Tess tries, and fails, to contain her excitement. She looks back and forth with a cocky smile, then pretends to yawn. “Well, I’ve had enough excitement for tonight. Bye you two!”

  “Tess!” I hiss, reaching for her, but her wiry arm slips free. She’s out the door in a heartbeat, leaving me to silently curse at her. I turn back to Bryce slowly, wondering what on earth I could possibly say to make things right between us.

  My heart flutters like a bird in my chest as I say, “Look, Bryce—”

  “No,” he says, cutting me off, “I know what you’re going to say. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m a leader here, I-I just shouldn’t have done it.”

  “Oh…” I whisper, feeling the sting of his words. He’s right, it couldn’t have worked. It shouldn’t have happened. I’m not here to fall in love. And yet…

  The magic word: yet.

  When he says nothing, I wrap my arms across my chest, suddenly desperate for that small, vain comfort. “You know what? I’m actually mad that you kissed me! Not because I didn’t like it, but because now what are we going to do? Hmm? Ignore each other? Pretend that things never
happened?”

  His brows draw together and he takes this in for a long moment, “Isn’t that what you want?”

  “What I want?” I scoff. It’s a valid question because I don’t really know anymore. All I know is that I shouldn’t. I can’t. “What I want is my friend back! What I want is… is…”

  “See? You don’t even know!” he throws his hands in the air. “What am I to you, Kenadee? This person you can tug along?”

  I take a few dangerous steps closer, lowering my voice in a way that would make Harlow proud. “Are you really suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

  He looks down at me with a glare. “I don’t know. I never thought so, but I’ve been wrong about people before.”

  I let out a sharp breath, anger rising like flames inside me, then it hits me. He’s right, and he doesn’t even know it. I’m playing him, I’m playing everyone here. My shoulders sag as I meet his green stare. I don’t feel angry anymore. I just feel awful.

  “I’ll make it easy on us then.” His eyes soften as I begin to turn. The space in front of him where I’d stood seconds ago sits empty and void. If this was another world, another situation, I could have Bryce Coughlin as mine. I could be free to kiss him, to love him. “Goodbye, Bryce.”

  Tears blur my vision as I walk to the door and he lets me. I let the door fall behind me, all the sadness and the rage swimming upward. A muffled sob escapes my lips as I press my hand to my mouth, mourning what could have been.

  I hear the door behind me, but I refuse to look back. A hand reaches for my shoulder, brushing it with the lightest of touches. “Ken?”

  I gulp, hating that I’m crying, that I’m feeling this way; hating Reed for making me do this. “Go away.”

  “No.” One word, one syllable, and it makes all the difference in the world.