“Your mother was determined to save you, and her people,” she continued. “Truly, her devotion was admirable, if only she knew the truth. If only I had trusted the Elders, but I did not. It is the curse of power. You believe the burden is yours alone to bear.” Gaea went quiet as she leaned back in her chair. She suddenly looked like a grandmother who had seen too much. Not a Goddess who created and destroyed so many throughout her lifetime.
“I made a choice that day to wall myself off from Earth,” she finally said. She gestured behind us. “Beyond that door is a portal to other worlds. They are worlds I created and worlds only I can travel between, but in those worlds, I do not need a corporeal form. It is only here on Earth that my body is needed.
“I decided the Clairs would not continue to lead alone. They clearly could not be trusted with the task. I created the Elders, men and women with combined power stronger than that of the average Immortal. The Council Elders, specifically, were a special group of women who would be required to marry into the other races so both the races and their magic would evolve, as everything should. They also had to visit this room and pay their homage to me.
“Unbeknownst to them, each time they interacted with the elements of my altar, power was exchanged between us. What they gave allowed my spirit to exist across many worlds at once. What they unknowingly took was a part of me. I was forever etched into their souls so I could watch and know what was happening with my people. I believed if anything were to go wrong again, they would come to me to pray, and through them, I could return.” Gaea’s lips turned down, flattening into a thin line.
She sighed, and then continued. “And then came your mother. She was intended to be a Council Elder. She was days from understanding her path and the connection we would have. But, she left. Her gift of sight did what all gifts tend to do and only showed part of what should be known.
“She left with your father and when she returned, with you growing in her womb, she convinced the other Council Elders her vision was the truth. They saw what Julia was trying to do and they were afraid. They didn’t come to me as they should have, so I could return and stop the madness before it began. Instead, they gave Liana what they could. She saw you, and she saw the end. She never saw the middle and what her choices would mean, but they never do.”
“Don’t,” I warned. “Don’t talk about my mother like that. Don’t talk about her like she didn’t do what she thought she had to. I’m here because of the choices she made. Her choices were clearly better than yours.” I bit my tongue as words that shouldn’t have left my mind slid out of my mouth with a warning I couldn’t take back embedded in them.
Charlie and Onyx both took a step forward. A growl came from beside me as Aidan scooted to the edge of the seat. He was propped on the balls of his feet with one arm across the front of me, his eyes burning bright blue.
“Now, now,” Gaea scolded, “that is just unnecessary. Everyone relax.” Her tone was soft, but there was a demand no one could refuse. “You are right, Amelia, your mother did what she thought was best. The fault was more mine than hers. Had I been there, none of this would have happened.” My muscles relaxed of their own accord and I slumped against the leafy seat. Charlie and Onyx floated back to their original position and Aidan was silent beside me.
Are you okay? I asked.
I feel like I could pass out and sleep for days. That’s more impressive than the alpha power I have over the pack. Also, slightly terrifying. Tread lightly, Amelia. We still don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with here.
He was right. The deeper into this we got, the more nervous I became. And yet, there was at least one more lingering question in my mind. Something I had to know.
She had already acknowledged this wasn’t my mother’s fault, so I moved on to another awkward topic. “You, um, mentioned marrying, but you didn’t elaborate on the mates. Why were they so important?”
I didn’t look at Aidan when I asked. We both knew about my trust issues, but I wanted them gone. I wanted her to tell me my emotions were mine and what we had was real.
I hated the knowing smile that appeared on Gaea’s face. The tiny quirk of her lips and crinkle of her eyes that said she saw right through my question.
“We must back up one step, Amelia, because it is a crucial one,” Gaea responded. “I tied the fertility of the Immortals to the Elders and myself. I believed someone could again threaten what I created, so I did two things. First, I mandated that each Elder must marry someone with a magic mixture different from their own, so lines could not be so easily drawn between the races. Many of those fighting in this so-called war have mixed blood and do not even realize it.
“Then, I cast a spell ensuring the Council Elders replenish their power by visiting me regularly, or fertility would slowly disappear for all Immortals. If the Elders were killed, all of my children would eventually die, because that meant they had become something abominable. You being alive is the only reason any children have been born since Julia took the throne.”
Gaea abruptly stood and smacked her hands together. “Come,” she commanded. She strode toward the door without looking back and Onyx fell in right behind her. Charlie raised an eyebrow at us, silently gesturing for us to follow. I missed the goofy dog; I didn’t entirely appreciate the impatient Immortal.
I don’t know that we should follow her in there, Aidan warned.
I don’t think we have much of a choice, I responded.
Aidan caught my hand in his and laced our fingers together. Then we go together and stay together.
I couldn’t agree more. It looks like it might be you and me against the world, Montgomery.
He smirked. Always has been, doll, you just didn’t know it.
What he didn’t understand was I was actually starting to believe that myself.
35
Alarm bells I didn’t know I had went off in every corner of my mind. My wolf howled and what I surmised as the Hunter part of me sent power flooding through my system, heightening my senses to a new level.
Amelia admitted to more than just being happy I was breathing and I couldn’t even enjoy it. Gaea was a dozen paces ahead of us in the portal room while Amelia and I still stood in the main cavern. I tightened my grip on her hand and sought out our connection. Power flowed back and forth between us in a continuous loop. Her energy calmed the anger and helped me think clearly. Mine made her more alert.
I peered through the doorway and made out five small, stone statues. They looked like bird baths, but with a vertical piece of rock attached to the back, creating a small wall. Each wall was engraved with a different symbol, but it was hard to make them out. The room was dimly lit and Gaea stood still, her back to us, clearly waiting for our entrance.
We collectively took a deep breath and Amelia squeezed my hand just as we crossed over. Immediately, pain ripped through me. It tore down my chest like I was being slit from throat to navel and I couldn’t stop the scream that followed. As quickly as it began, it ended. I was sprawled on the cold floor, struggling to pull in a full breath. I forced myself to my feet, prepared to unleash hell in whatever way I could when I saw Amelia.
Sweat collected on her forehead and at her temples. She bit her lip and her hands shook like she held an invisible jack hammer. I felt the truth of what had just taken place as Gaea started to speak.
“This room is where my power is the strongest,” she said, her arms spread wide. “It is the place where it finally has the ability to come home. You are not a Goddess, sweet Amelia, and your mother did not understand the power she took from the Elders. What is inside you — what did you call it, the Keeper power? It is more of me than any being anywhere can sustain. I’m honestly surprised you have lasted this long.”
That curious look was back again. Gaea leaned in, inspecting Amelia, clearly looking for something. Amelia’s strength was waning. I felt the spread of darkness as the Keeper unfurled in her system. Her breaths were quick and shallow, her legs now shaking. I
tried to move, but my own legs were like lead. They refused to budge, and I knew it was Gaea.
I wanted to connect to Amelia, but the last time I had, the Keeper almost sucked me dry. In Cresthaven, she drained most of my power in seconds. But then, Amelia cried out and fell to her knees. Her eyes rolled back in her head and the reverberations of the Keeper’s torturous ministrations echoed through me. I knew it didn’t matter anymore. I would die to save her.
I latched onto our connection with everything I had and blasted power into Amelia’s system. My hope was to beat back the Keeper long enough to find where Amelia hid herself this time and get her to fight with me. I pulled at the power buried deep in my physical body and allowed my soul to seek out hers.
The darkness of the Keeper was like oil, moving slowly, but coating every inch of Amelia internally and creeping through her mind. I felt her intention, a disgusting mix of anticipated pain and high expectations for what was to come. If she was able to bring Amelia back and control her, I might lose her forever.
Fear and determination drove me forward. I used the light inside me to fend off the darkness. I blasted through her inky barriers and decimated thick, syrupy blockages in Amelia’s body and mind. But, as soon as I cleared one area, it was swallowed again. With each space I made it through, the Keeper siphoned more of my own power.
Finally, I saw her — a faint pulse of violet light in the back corner of her own mind. Hidden behind stacks of dreams and files of memories, Amelia laid there, curled in a tight ball. I flew to her side, wrapping my body around hers. I struggled to stay present, so much of my own energy gone. I watched the black pool spread toward us. It inched forward and Amelia whimpered. I lashed out, sending a flare of blue and orange light into the center, dissolving it from the inside out, but it immediately closed in on itself like I had never been there.
“You won’t go alone, Amelia,” I whispered. “She’ll have to come through me to get to you. You and me against the world, doll.” I closed my eyes, pulled her tighter to me, and prepared for the pain.
“Enough. That is enough.” I heard Gaea’s voice and a thunderous crack that sounded like lightning striking inches from me. When I opened my eyes, Amelia was still wrapped in my arms, but we were in the portal room once again. Gaea had one hand on Amelia’s head and one outstretched. A rainbow of light erupted from her palm and blasted the stone below, eroding it to dust.
I had no idea what she was doing and I struggled to wake my sleeping limbs. They were dead weight as I tried to smack at Gaea’s hand.
“Hush now,” she scolded. “I am removing power she should have never had. You showed me what I needed to see, Aidan. You did what a mate would do. Sleep now.” Gaea gave the command and I had no choice but to close my eyes and follow it.
I awoke and bolted upright. The memories were hazy. For a minute, I didn’t know if I was still dreaming. Amelia was sprawled out beside me and Gaea was perched on a chair, this one made of stone wrapped in vines. I drew short breaths as no part of me moved but my eyes.
We were still in the portal room, but now each of the birdbath-looking sculptures was filled. A small waterfall dripped down the side of the stone, backing to fill the bowl with water. One with fire; a single flame in the center of the bowl, hovering above the basin. The third held a mound of dirt, rich and dark, with a lone daisy reaching up from the soil. I swallowed down the irritation that came with knowing Gaea somehow saw Amelia’s reaction to my first gift. The last sculpture I knew signified air, and the small spinning cyclone swirled in the basin.
Amelia’s eyes fluttered open. They connected with mine and her relief was visible as she slowly closed them and her body relaxed back onto the ground. She gradually sat up, and I did the same. We helped each other stand, our hands lingering as we silently verified the other was indeed okay.
“The power is gone from you, child,” Gaea said, her soft voice cutting through the silence of the room. “It has come back to its rightful home and you will no longer need to fear it.”
Gaea stood from her chair and slowly walked forward. The dress she wore was deep green, fitting for Mother Earth, and it skimmed the floor so perfectly, she looked like she floated across the space between us. Amelia gripped my hand and I pulled her close to me. I no longer trusted this woman.
Gaea stopped, and asked, “Why so defensive, Aidan? I have removed the dark power from your mate. I have done what no one else could, and she’s safe from it now.”
“She isn’t safe until this is over,” I said, wrapping my arm protectively around Amelia.
Gaea laughed — a laugh that came from her belly and bounced off the walls. “Oh, child, she is not safe from the world, only from the power that was inside her. You will leave here soon enough and she will be less safe outside these walls than in them. Neither of you will ever be completely safe again, unless you make the choice.”
“What choice?” Amelia asked, her voice breaking. She stepped away from me and repeated herself, this time stronger. “What choice? I’ve never had a choice.”
“But you do now, Amelia,” Gaea said as a smile formed and her eyes shined with knowledge she had yet to share. “I want to offer you something no one else has. Your mother thought what she was doing was right, and as I waited for you and Aidan to recuperate, I realized I wasn’t being entirely fair. There are many things I’d like for you to do, but so far, you have been through so much and overcome more than most would even attempt. For that, I believe you have earned the right to choose your fate.”
Amelia and I exchanged skeptical looks.
Be careful. It was all I could say. There were more words, but I’d said them all before.
She squeezed my hand. You and me, Montgomery, against the world.
It had become our mantra to each other. Our reassurance.
“What exactly are you offering?” Amelia asked.
Gaea paused and her smile slowly faded. She didn’t look sad, more conflicted. A tiny shake of her head and the smile was back. “Amelia, you are who I’ve waited for, but as I said, too much of this was done to you without your consent. So, I am going to offer you a choice. You have the option to go back to being just a Mage, and if you choose this, Aidan also has the opportunity to revert to an AniMage. I will strip the Elder from you, Amelia, and I will remove Charlie’s Sentinel power from Aidan. I will erase the memories of those who believe Aidan is their King and those who believe you are their savior. You will be able to leave this place and have whatever life you choose, with or without each other.”
This time, as we looked at each other, Amelia and I were stunned. A hundred possibilities flew past in an instant. We could leave and all of this would go away. We could run off to some corner of the world and be happy. We could be normal. It was what she always wanted.
I saw the same possibilities flit across Amelia’s features. She brightened, her eyes going wide and the corners of her lips turning up. But just as quickly, they fell. Her eyes filled and her brow furrowed. I knew what this was, too. Guilt. How could we leave our people to handle all of this alone?
Gaea continued. “The other choice is to embrace what you are, Amelia. You will no longer be tied to a prophecy, you will make an active choice to take on this responsibility. You will allow me to provide you with the amount of my power you can sustain. Power you can wield with a thought. It will allow you to call on the elements,” she said as her hand lifted. One by one, each element independently boiled, brightened, bloomed, and blew. “There will be no question in your mind how to use what I give you. I will always be accessible. I will not come every time you call, but if I feel the need is there, I will respond.”
Amelia stepped forward, her excitement palpable in the air as she opened her mouth to speak. I knew she was going to say, or maybe yell, “Yes!”, but Gaea raised a hand and cocked a brow. “I am not finished.” Amelia’s mouth snapped shut.
“If you choose this path, you are also choosing Aidan. You cannot sustain me alone. A mate is necessar
y for this process to work. If you choose him, you are choosing to share yourself fully with him. You have felt the beginnings of mating. The passion, the connection, and the intensity will all be there. Stronger now than before.
“You will never be able to hide your true emotions from him, nor him from you. If you feel pain, so will he. If your heart breaks, his will sit in shards next to yours. You are forever tied to each other. But, the joys in your life will be doubled as you feel them from him as well. You will feed each other’s souls and replenish each other’s power. His duty will be to help carry the power I provide you and ensure you can handle using it. He will share the strength of his wolf and the knowledge of the Sentinel, which is even greater than that of Hunters. If you make this choice, your heart is no longer yours to guard. It will be his forever.”
Amelia was quiet, and I refused to speak. I refused to believe the girl I nursed back from the other side, who I’d carried out of a deranged Queen’s laboratory and told all my secrets to, would walk away. There was too much between us. But this had to be her choice. Gaea was right about that. I would be the choice she made, or I would let her walk away.
“Before he knew I was an Elder, or part of this Immortal world at all, Aidan fought to be with me,” Amelia said, turning to me. She looked at me with such curiosity, as if she were surprised I would fight for her, or love her at all. She wasn’t talking to Gaea anymore.
“And then, even when you knew, you still came for me,” she continued, shaking her head. “You embraced your own wild and magical truths and came to Cresthaven for me. You fought for me to come back to you. You found me in places neither of us knew existed, and you never gave up on me. You told me you loved me over and over, and I’ve never said it back even though I should have. You fight for me, and with me.
Bound by Prophecy (Bound Series Book 3) Page 19
