“You’re not going to change. I believe in you,” I say, looking deep into his eyes.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because of the light I see shining here.” I press my palm against his chest. “It’s stronger than any darkness.”
He reaches for my face, cupping my cheek. “You’re too good for this world, my love. But for you, I’ll try to stay the same. I promise.”
“I have no doubt you will.” I smile to mask my fear.
Every single deity we’ve come across has left a bad impression on us. Even the woman who spoke to me in my mind wasn’t very nice. I mean, would it kill her to give me straight answers?
Was that Eris? And is it possible she was also speaking to Morpheus? It makes sense it’s the same goddess since she’s linked to us both. But if she’s Strife, she can’t have good intentions. Should we even trust her?
Morpheus turns to the Zions. “I’m ready.”
31
Morpheus
For safety reasons, the Zions and I move to a different part of the building, far away from our group and the wounded. My mother and Daisy wanted to come, but if I’m to give up my Fringe part, my humanity, I can’t have either of them nearby. They’re my weakness, and I don’t need any sage Idols to tell me that.
Like Travis mentioned, it’s providential that their radio station moved to such a massive building. Toward the back, there’s nothing but empty boxes and industrial shelves collecting dust.
The silence during the trek here has already gotten to my nerves. To distract myself from what I have to do, I ask, “What’s the deal with your impairment? Were you both born blind?”
“No. Blindness was our vow when we joined the brotherhood,” Ismael replies.
“Oh, I’ve only met one Idol who’s blind. She’s a level eighteen, but she was born that way.”
“You must be speaking of Andromeda Belfor, Nathaniel’s daughter,” Iago says casually.
Wait. What?
I shake my head. “I must have misheard you. Nathaniel can’t possibly be her father. That son of a bitch has been torturing her for months.”
“And have you never heard of fathers mistreating their offspring before?” Ismael raises a bushy eyebrow.
He must know my adoptive father is an asshole, but somehow I don’t think he’s only talking about him. I suspect they also know about Phoenix and what Maximus Westbrook did to him. If that’s true, what else do they know?
The lights in the warehouse begin to flicker suddenly, and then I hear Chaos’s evil laughter in my head, loud and painful. It feels like my skull is going to split in two.
“Ugh!” I bend forward, clutching my head.
The walls and floor begin to shake, and the howling of wind is a clear indication something horrible is happening outside. I can’t believe Chaos hasn’t unleashed his wrath on us yet.
“We’ve delayed this for too long. You have to let go of your mortal anchors,” Ismael urges.
“I don’t know how to do that,” I say.
“Yes, you do, Morpheus,” the familiar female voice tells me. “You’ve taught Daisy before, haven’t you?”
“Eris, you’re back.”
“Oh, so those old farts already told you about me. Pity. I wanted to do the grand reveal myself.” She laughs.
“You had plenty of time to tell me you were my half sister.”
“True, but it’s no fun letting go of all the secrets at once. What about the suspense, the buildup?”
The screeching noise of metal being twisted interferes with my mind-to-mind conversation. I look up, noticing the roof is shaking terribly and the beams keeping it in place are compromised.
“Morpheus, have you done what we told you?” Ismael asks.
“Trust me, I’m trying, but I need some guidance here. I don’t know how to cut my ties with my human side.”
“Oh, little brother, you’re a little slow, aren’t you?” Eris asks, amused.
“And you’re a huge bitch, aren’t you?” I retort.
“Ouch. Was that supposed to be a comeback?”
“If you’re not going to help, get out of my head. You’re distracting me.”
“I should let you fail, but you’re lucky my vendetta against Grandpa is bigger than you. If you want to cut your ties with your weaker side, you have to let go of your sweet mommy and Daisy.”
My heart shrivels into a dried-up muscle. “I won’t give them up.”
“Oh, you’re so dramatic. Not give them up forever. If you’re still you when this is over, you can come back to them.”
“What do you mean, if I’m still me?”
“Oh, darling. Once you experience life as a demigod, you won’t desire to return to a mundane life. Why do you think Nathaniel is messed up in the head?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. But I’m nothing like him.”
“We shall see. Now listen closely, because I’m not going to repeat myself. Imagine a ribbon that’s tying you to your mommy and Daisy. Now picture a big-ass pair of scissors and cut those ribbons. Presto.”
“Oh, come on. It can’t be as simple as a visualization exercise.”
“It worked for Daisy, didn’t it?”
“He can’t do it, Eris. Your plan to piss me off is not going to work,” Chaos says loudly, not in my head. “You bet on the wrong horse.”
My head doesn’t feel so heavy, and I realize it’s because Eris has left my mind. Either she left of her own free will, or Chaos sent her away. It doesn’t matter. She left me with one piece of advice, and I guess I have to make it work or go bust.
The Zions begin to chant in a foreign language and burn sage. Do they hope to ban Chaos from the premises with that? Only a mountain filled with poisonous fumes was able to keep the god at bay.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Helping you find your center. You must connect completely with your demigod powers,” Ismael replies.
“I’m going to enjoy tearing your little lover limb from limb. Her sacrifice all those years ago will be for nothing,” Chaos says.
“Why do you hate Magia so much?” I ask him to buy time.
“She betrayed me, just like her father did. It’s no surprise. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Lightning strikes the ceiling, punching a hole through it to land a few feet from me in a shower of sparks. I jump back, and a second later, another lightning bolt hits the spot where I was.
“But I guess lightning does strike the same spot twice.” He laughs.
The Zions continue chanting, but I can tell they’re getting nervous. Everyone is counting on me, but I remain clueless about what to do. I close my eyes and try to focus, even though it’s damn hard when I know Chaos is above me, ready to strike again at any second. Despite that, I turn my attention to my powers. If I don’t master them, then I can say goodbye to Mom and Daisy for real. Their images pop in the forefront of my mind. They’re both looking at me with undeniable love and pride, something I’ve always craved from a different person.
I don’t picture a ribbon like Eris suggested; I simply turn my back on them, shattering my heart. But the raw power inside my core vanquishes the pain as it takes over my entire being. It spreads though my body like liquid euphoria. With their explosion, the shadows come forth. I don’t become them like I did before, but I can’t feel my body anymore either. It’s almost like I’m in a different plane and mundane things such as hunger, thirst, and aches no longer matter.
With the full awakening of my powers also comes the awareness of Chaos’s reach. I thought he had escaped from the island and followed us here. But that’s not true. He’s still tethered to that piece of land in the ocean; only his conscience is free to torment us.
I finally change into my smoky form and zoom upward, traveling through the ceiling without breaking it to pierce the storm created by Chaos. He screams in rage as wisps of darkness attempt to reform the angry clouds. But I slash them with the whips that sprout from
my ethereal wrists.
I can play this game forever, but that’s not the plan. I just want to hide the building from him. Now that I know he’s not free, I can meet him for our final showdown later. I turn my attention to creating the biggest shadow I’ve ever conjured. It grows in size at alarming speed, covering the warehouse in a matter of seconds. Once I know it’s invisible to Chaos and to the mortals too, I glance at what’s left of his pitiful storm. I zap the nimbus with a flick of my wrist, drawing another roar from him.
My lips curl into a victorious grin, but my amusement is cut short when I sense another presence nearby.
“Well done, little brother. You kicked Grandpa’s ass.” A young woman with hair as black as midnight and skin so white it’s almost translucent is hovering a few feet from me.
“Eris, I see you’ve finally decided to show your face.”
“Oh, you think I was hiding before?”
“Weren’t you?”
“No, silly. You simply couldn’t see me because you weren’t a true demigod yet.”
“What happens now?”
“Now you decide what you want to do next. You can return to those people below, or you can wreak havoc with me. You know, sibling bonding.” She smiles like a psycho.
I glance down, and with just a mere thought, I can see Daisy pacing back and forth, worried sick about me. My roommates attempt to console her, but they can’t take the worry from her heart. My mother is sitting next to Rosie and Felicity, also distressed. I should return and ease their mind, but I don’t have an ounce of desire to do so. I know I should care, but I can’t get in touch with those feelings.
“They’re waiting for me,” I say. “I should go back.”
“True, the old you would most definitely do that. But you’re not that weakling Fringe spawn who needed magical bracelets to control your powers. You’re Erebus’s son. A demigod. You’re more than the cage you were raised in.”
As if sensing I’m spying on her, Daisy glances up. When I look into her eyes, I feel something stir in my chest, a spark.
“Come on, Morpheus. There’s so much I want to show you,” Eris insists.
I glance at her with dispassionate curiosity. She’s my sister, and yet I don’t feel a thing. What I do care about is the knowledge she possesses. But there’s something else I have to take care of first.
“You said you wanted to wreak havoc together, right? I just so happen to know exactly where we should start.”
32
Daisy
We’re already on pins and needles, but when a loud explosion on the north side of the building shocks the entire structure, I’m out of the radio station in a flash. Phoenix runs after me and stops me from going after Morpheus.
“Let me go!” I try to break free from his hold.
“No. You’re not thinking straight. If you run after him, you might ruin any progress he’s made.”
Rufio and Bryce soon join us outside.
“You don’t know that!” I yell through angry tears.
“He’s right, honey,” Bryce says.
Phoenix pulls me toward him, crushing me against his chest. “Morpheus will be okay, my love. He’s immortal.”
“I know, but I can’t help worrying about him.” I pull back so I can glance at Bryce and Rufio too. “About all of you. You’ll be the death of me.”
Rufio’s and Bryce’s expressions turn into scowls.
“Look who’s talking. You’re one reckless woman,” Rufio retorts.
“I’m not!” I yell stubbornly, knowing very well it’s a lie.
Phoenix grabs my other forearm, forcing me to glance at him. His eyebrows are furrowed together, and his lips are nothing but a thin flat line on his face. “Never talk about dying in front of me, darling. Please.” He wipes my wet cheeks dry. “I love you so, so much. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”
“You’re not going to lose me.”
“Is everything okay?” Travis asks from the open door.
“Yes,” Bryce replies.
The man’s gaze travels across the expansive room, perhaps searching for damage to the building.
Phoenix becomes stiff in my arms when he looks over my shoulder and says, “Mom?”
With hurried steps, she reaches us, holding Theo in her arms. “What was that noise? The children are frightened.”
“It’s Chaos,” Phoenix replies.
Her green eyes become rounder. “He’s found us? What can we do?”
“Morpheus and the Zions are working on something. Don’t worry, Mrs. Westbrook. It will be all right.” Bryce smiles through the heartfelt lie. He can’t possibly know we’ll be okay.
Her gaze darkens. “Call me Leticia. I don’t want anything to do with that name anymore.”
“I can protect you all now that I’m a superhero,” Theo chimes in.
Bless his heart, the kid is adorable. No wonder Phoenix’s mom won’t let go of him. Maybe he reminds her of Phoenix when he was little.
The rest of our party trickles out of the studio and forms a circle around us. Xavier opens his mouth to say something but seems to become tongue-tied when his eyes land on Leticia.
Felicity glances at the ceiling. “The storm has grown quiet. Do you think Morpheus succeeded?”
She’s right—the noise from the thunder and wind has ceased.
“He must have,” Bryce pipes up. “Not that I had any doubt he would.”
Yeah, but at what cost?
“The Zions are coming back,” Rufio points out.
I follow his line of vision and see the old men in their red and gold robes making their way to us. They’re alone.
“Where’s Morpheus?” Mrs. Malek asks the question that was on the tip of my tongue.
I’d meet them halfway, but I’m afraid the news they have for us isn’t good. Phoenix, probably sensing the tension in my body, pulls me close to him, keeping his arm wrapped around my shoulders.
My heart is stuck in my throat when the Zions finally reach our group.
“What happened out there?” Rufio is the one who asks first.
“Morpheus was able to ascend to demigod form,” Ismael replies.
“Does that mean he managed to conceal the warehouse from Chaos?” Xavier asks.
“That would be the case.” Iago nods.
“So, where is he?” I ask.
“That, we do not know. We didn’t speak to or see him after he did what he had to do,” Ismael deadpans.
I’m getting seriously pissed at them. How can they stand there so peacefully when we don’t know where Morpheus went?
“Do you think he simply abandoned us now that he’s uber powerful?” Renata asks.
“No,” I say. “He wouldn’t. If he left, he must have a reason. He’ll come back.”
The conviction in my tone is more to convince myself than anyone else. He’ll come back to me. He has to.
Xavier pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling loudly. “Now that we don’t have Chaos breathing down our necks, let’s assess our situation.” He turns to Travis. “What do you know about the Neo Gods’ attacks?”
The man grimaces, then switches his attention to Leticia and Theo. “Maybe we should have this conversation back in the office.”
Understanding dawns on her face. We shouldn’t remind Theo of those terrible events.
“Before you go, we’re in dire need of medical supplies and food. When can we expect a delivery to arrive?” she asks.
“I don’t know. Everyone is scrambling at the moment, and we also don’t want to lead the Neo Gods here.”
“Maybe we can get supplies,” Renata suggests. “We have the van.”
“Yeah, a stolen van. If you want to get arrested, be my guest,” Rosie retorts.
“I don’t think the police are worried about grand theft auto at the moment,” Bryce replies. “We could go on a supply run.”
“No, you kids are going to stay put,” Xavier butts in. “And don’t forget you have to recover, Br
yce.”
“I agree with Xavier. I’m sure there will be more people coming in who need healing,” Jodie adds.
“If Bryce is up for it tomorrow, he can help Ellen with some of the other kids. Theo was the gravest case, but there are other children who could use your help.”
Jodie turns her face into a scowl. “If they’re not in mortal danger, then we should let them heal naturally.”
Bryce glowers at her. “Why? Because if they’re kids, even as Idols you can’t use them in your army?”
Her eyebrows meet her hairline. “That’s absurd. Of course that’s not the reason. I’m only thinking about the toll healing has on you.”
Yeah, like we believe her. I seek Toby’s gaze, our very own truth teller. As if reading the question in my eyes, he shakes his head, confirming what I already knew. Jodie is full of shit. I wish she had never found us.
“Fine, we can rest for a day, but you can’t expect us to stay hidden here while the world outside burns,” Rufio pipes up.
“No, but I also don’t want anyone running into a dangerous situation unprepared,” Xavier fires back.
“Plus, we should give Morpheus a chance to come back,” I say.
“Well, don’t count on him returning.” Jodie snorts. “He’s a demigod. His priorities aren’t the same anymore.”
“Don’t you dare judge him by your moral standards,” I snap.
“What about Delta? Since you didn’t let me kill him, shouldn’t the Knights have gotten information from him already?” Rosie asks.
“You’ve apprehended Delta?” Jodie widen her eyes. “And you handed him over to the Knights without interrogating him first?”
“We didn’t have the means to drag his sorry ass along while we were trying to escape. I did what I thought was best,” Xavier replies angrily.
“Maybe we should find out if they have new information,” Toby says hopefully.
Broken Knights: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 4) Page 21
