“You’ll find no deception spoken through these lips,” barked Freyne. “Only the desire to survive this monstrosity that our fearless number one, Fazendiin has created.”
Voskvol growled his displeasure at what Fazendiin had done. “You know this is why I am here.”
Freyne nodded and continued. “Once the Immortality Stone was stolen from us so many years ago, after our creation, I suspected that keeping a few extra Stones around wouldn't be such a bad idea, and now I've been proven true. Especially since I was not alone in my thinking,” he grinned wickedly.
Voskvol threw him a rough nod. To himself he thought, I always knew one of us would try to pull ahead in this race...
Freyne continued explaining his plans. “I want to collect all the Stones still in existence and do what we did before. Combine them into one. One Stone, large enough to collect, store and use the power of a Projector. Only this will give us the edge against Fazendiin when he makes his stand.”
“And just how do you propose we gain the power of a Projector? The young one is not yet ripe,” Voskvol spoke of the young Projector like they were fruit one could simply pluck off a tree and devour.
“There is another,” slipped out Freyne.
“Another? How do you know this?”
“Let’s just say that our fearless number one has more enemies than friends…”
Voskvol sighed petulantly. “Very well. But I warn you now, Freyne, if your plan fails…”
“Oh, it won’t,” he spoke with malevolent certainty.
Voskvol held out his palm again, this time, six small Stones materialized. “This includes my own Stones, plus that of Narona Fentress, the eighth of us to be created.”
Freyne eyed the Stones greedily. He reached down and carefully picked them up, taking out his other hand and combining them with the others he had himself kept hidden. He now had ten Stones in total. Not enough for the deed he intended on doing, but enough for what he needed right now.
He threw the Stones into the air, waving his hand around them. They began swirling around each other. Freyne backed away, his eyes wild with excitement.
“Lungere unifirmare,” he spoke in a feverish timbre.
The small Stones smashed together with a loud crack, and a bolt of light shot out from them as they melded into one another creating one larger Stone.
Freyne reached up and grasped it in his hand, claiming ownership.
“Thanks,” he said, his voice resembling a slither.
Voskvol just stared at him, now bored and ready to return into hiding.
“Oh, just one more thing,” said Freyne, creeping closer. Voskvol looked up but it was too late to react as Freyne thrust the Stone against his chest, directly over his aged heart.
The power was like electricity, Freyne could not pull it away, not while Voskvol’s powers were sucked out of him and into the Stone. He stared Voskvol straight in the eye uncaring that he struggled to breathe. Uncaring that he was killing a man that had been alive for hundreds of years.
As the power drained from his body, Voskvol began to look like someone had unplugged him and all the air was pouring out, deflating, being drained of his very life essence which left only a leathery carcass behind. With a final ragged breath, he slithered to the ground, a pile of skin and liquefied bones.
Freyne stepped back, sucked in an energizing breath, and delicately put the Stone into his pocket. He stared down at the remains, nudging them with his boot-covered foot. “Thanks again, Voskvol,” he muttered. With a tug, the cloak slid up over his head. “One down…” he expressed with a diabolic creep into the night. His body shifted and twisted, fading into streams of black shadow, which charged hastily into the darkness.
CHAPTER 42
Kay Jendaya stepped hastily into her home. “Milo,” she called out. He raced down the stairs, meeting her in the kitchen. “Amelia has called an emergency meeting,” she told him.
“Emergency meeting?”
“Everyone is required to attend.”
He patted her on the shoulder. “We must go then.” Kay’s eyes screamed concern. “It’s only been a month, no one can know yet,” Milo reminded kindly. “Sebastien often went undercover for longer.”
She nodded. “Yes. You’re right of course.” She closed her eyes and when she opened them, wore a practiced smile. Her face gave away nothing of her fears over their son’s defection becoming public knowledge. “Shall we?” she said.
Milo held open the door and they exited. They scurried to the center of their village, following others filing into a pavilion. The ground was covered in hard stone, which had been carved, to form long benches. In front of the benches was a small stage, in which Amelia Cobb stood poised to address them. Once all the benches were filled, those still filing in found places to stand near the backside of the pavilion.
Amelia wasted no time in getting started. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” she spoke first. “I realize that many of you are hard at work and I apologize for interrupting this.” She looked over the crowd surveying each and every member of her village. The already quiet crowd slipped into an eerie silence as if the entire group was holding its breath, waiting for whatever news she had to share.
“Things are speeding up. The last news received from our informant is that Juliska Blackwell's hold is weakening. Her grasp, loosening. Her world, crumbling.”
Excited murmurs whisked through the pavilion.
“It's nearly time.”
“It's really going to happen.”
“We're going to change the world.”
Numerous voices called out or whispered excitedly to their neighbors.
Amelia raised her arm for silence. “Yes, the advancement toward the end goal is most exciting. However, there is another reason I have brought you all here today.”
Eyebrows rose. Eyes widened. Hearts raced.
“There is a saddening subject I must now discuss with you all, and it will require your vote once the facts have been given. This is something that cannot wait and we must decide upon, this very moment.”
Concerned mumbling rippled through the crowd.
Amelia continued. “As we find ourselves nearing one end, and nearing a new beginning- this goal we have worked so diligently to bring about and sacrificed so much for- to see our dream become a reality... after all this, I find we are now faced with a terrible situation.” She paused, clasping her hands in front of her. “Last night, two of our members denied their oaths, relinquishing themselves from the cause.”
Cries of shock and disbelief shot forward like arrows.
Amelia shook her head, agreeing with their surprise and grief over this news.
“However saddened, confused, and regretful this is, it is truth. But now, we are faced with a much larger issue. One I will need you each to think about, quickly and fairly, and decide upon.”
Upon her speaking this they quieted once more.
“Amos Durmuddy is the first to leave us,” she spoke in soft tones which were meant to lessen this blow.
“Amos?” voices questioned.
“This cannot be true!” another called out from the back, where the standing room only crowd stood.
“He was as strong a believer as any!” another spoke, frightened that his betrayal could somehow spread like an illness.
“Yes, you are right to be shocked by this,” said Amelia. “But it is no lie. Amos Durmuddy was a key player, no doubt. He held a high government position, which we will not be able to refill. We are not yet a part of the outside world. But I fear that Amos’ time in the outside world has somehow… disillusioned him,” she explained.
“What can we do?” someone shouted.
“In the case of Amos Durmuddy, we must find him and bring him home,” Amelia said.
“I volunteer,” a young man shouted, followed by another and another. The first young man raced forward. “Let us organize a hunting party to find him. Once home, maybe he will change his mind?”
Kay grasped Milo’s hand, fingernails nearly cutting into his skin she was holding so tightly. However, Amelia’s eyes swept over them and continued past.
Kay’s grip loosened.
Amelia took a deep swallow before continuing.
“We have a second member who has also chosen to relinquish his oath. This man, however, still lives here, amongst us.”
Kay’s grip tightened again. There was no way Amelia could be speaking of her son since he was not currently residing here. Unless they’d tracked and captured him.
“Curtis Bevins,” Amelia let slip out with a disappointed tone.
Again, cries of surprise erupted. Everyone looked to their neighbors like they expected to see Curtis sitting nearby.
“Curtis is currently being detained,” Amelia explained. “And this, my dear brothers and sisters, is what I need you to vote on. It cannot be helped that some will lose their way. This happens, whether their own fault or perhaps someone filling their heads with doubt. Regardless of the how and why, it is. And we must now decide what we shall do.”
She let these words sit for a moment before moving forward with her speech.
“What do we do with those who relinquish their oaths? For we cannot allow them, in their vast knowledge of our plans, to just simply leave us. Where will they go? Whom will they go to?” she asked, her words of warning like arrows pointing directly to their enemies.
“I’ve pondered the subject, and have come up with what I believe is a livable solution. For like you, I love these two, like brothers. Like family. I do not want them to suffer because they have lost their way, but at the same time, they can no longer live amongst us. They no longer wish to work toward the goal.”
“What is it you have thought of?” asked a woman.
“As we were once banished for our beliefs and our thinking, I fear we must do the same. However, a more localized banishment. I do not wish to call it a prison, for they will not be treated poorly and will have access to anything they need. I suggest we set aside the most northern corner of our village, which is currently uninhabited, and turn this into a separate living space for those who wish to relinquish their oaths.”
A mix of stern and stoic faces threw questioning looks. Many whispered with their friends or spouses.
“I must be clear,” Amelia expressed. “If we do this, and allow them this separate living space, it will be the same as being banished. They will not walk amongst us. You will have no contact with them.”
Hushed tones, clearing throats, and heavy breaths replaced murmurs as people contemplated the situation.
Barrett Nuskey, a thin, nearing middle-aged man stood nodding toward Amelia asking permission to speak. She returned a nod that said yes.
“I agree with our leader,” he spoke with a tinge of nervousness. “We have come too far, gotten too close to take any chances. I, as well, do not wish to see these people as our enemies, but I think what Amelia offers is a fair plan. It ensures our movement forward.”
More and more on the crowd began to shout their agreement.
“Let us vote,” said Amelia, putting up her hands to ask for silence. “Who agrees with this decision?”
Hands began shooting into their air. The more hands that raised, more followed. A few stragglers looked to their sides and back and forth, seeming at first to struggle, but then conformed to the popular opinion and raised their own hands too.
Amelia sighed. “Very well. It is done. Curtis Bevins will be taken to this new, separate living space. If we are able to track down Amos Durmuddy, he will be placed there as well. Now, if there are any others doubting what is to come, I beg of you, please come see me. Let us speak freely. I want you to be so sure of what you’re doing because even the slightest of doubt can lead us astray.”
Milo Jendaya squirmed in his seat uncomfortably. He had to grasp his hand and force Kay’s, once again tightening grip, to loosen. She took a quick, nervous glance at him and turned her attention back to the front; someone was being escorted up to Amelia.
“There is just one last thing that must be done,” she spoke evenly. Amelia cut to the woman now standing uneasily at her side.
“That is Curtis’ wife,” Kay mumbled to Milo. Somehow, she had just assumed that she was with Curtis.
“As you now know, Curtis Bevins has defected, but his wife still stands here, undecided. I felt it necessary to give her time to make her choice; whether to remain with us as a sister in the cause, or to voluntarily relinquish her oath and join her husband.”
Kay swallowed a hard lump of air, eyes wide with horror. “This is terrible,” she mumbled. Milo gripped her hand and she clamped her mouth shut.
However, she was not alone. Clearly, others thought the same. They looked petrified at the woman anxiously peered back at them. Her face was sickly looking and she clasped her hands, as Amelia had done previously, to keep them from shaking uncontrollably.
“What have you decided?” asked Amelia, her voice unwavering.
The woman went to speak but nothing came out. She closed her eyes, now swimming in tears that threatened to fall down her face.
“I…” she finally stammered, but stopped. “I do not agree…” the crowd gasped, “with my husband,” she announced, adding more firmly, “My love for him will never die and I only hope one day he will forgive me. But I stand with the cause.”
A woman from the audience rushed the stage, embracing the woman.
“What bravery,” she blathered admiringly. “You are not alone here.”
Encouraging cheers rushed the stage. The woman smiled weakly.
Amelia shook her head in eager agreement.
“A difficult decision,” she spoke. “But one you will not regret.” She allowed the woman, now overwrought with emotion, to be pulled away.
Kay and Milo clapped alongside their neighbors in this moment of bravery, but each clap felt hollow. She thought of Milo, picturing herself on that stage and wondering what choice she might be forced to make. Could she choose her husband over her son?
CHAPTER 43
Bedgewood Harbor was a buzz as Svoda gathered to welcome the next group, which was due to arrive within the hour. Precautions were being checked, and checked again.
Meghan, along with all students, had been let out of school early to attend and they were making their way through the village to a beach not far away.
A couple of young girls strode by, pointing and snickering as they did. Meghan just sighed and told herself to ignore them, but a moment later another group of students sauntered by, reacting much the same. She overheard a young man muttering, “That’s her, the sister of the boy that fled with the Projector… that girl, over there,” he was pointing at Meghan like she wasn’t standing there, watching him.
Meghan decided to just let them pass and faked pulling off the side of the road to tie her boots, which had laces from ankle to knee. When it seemed like most of the students had passed by she started up again, being sure to lag behind the others. She could not help but eavesdrop on a conversation between two teachers just in front of her. One was teacher Lindy, the other was a man she did not know.
“I hope this goes well,” Lindy was saying.
The man replied by worriedly shaking his head.
“I’m sure the Banon has taken every precaution possible,” Lindy added in a muted voice.
“To that, I am sure you are correct,” the man returned.
“When the doorway opens, we are vulnerable to intruders,” she reminded.
The man shot a quick glance to the sky, which was currently overcast with spots of sun sneaking their way through. �
�Never mind they have not tracked that Scratcher still lingering somewhere on the island.”
As Meghan heard this, she nearly came to a stop. She had not known this fact. She wondered if Juliska had not told her on purpose so as not to frighten her, or if she’d just forgotten to tell her. It did make sense. When a doorway opened on the island, magical protections around that door had to be removed. This had to be the reason for all of the preparations and why Juliska had mentioned both the Scratchers and the Grosvenor. She should have paid more attention.
Meghan wondered if more Scratchers were lying in wait, knowing this would inevitably happen. Then, she wondered, if something could get in, could something also get out. Her thoughts strayed to Bird.
“Hello,” a voice said, startling her.
“Ivan!” she gasped.
“Sorry,” he said. “I seem to be doing that a lot lately.”
She shook her head in an annoyed fashion. Ivan nudged her arm and pointed upward. Meghan smiled. She could not help it. Bird flittered through the tree line, following them.
“Ivan,” she said quite seriously. “I just heard two teachers talking. Is it true that when a doorway opens, we’re vulnerable to intruders?”
The teachers were now far away, having caught up with the rest of the crowd now nearing the beach.
Ivan nodded, and followed it with, “It’s a risk I guess everyone is willing to take, seeing as the entire island’s population appears to be in attendance.”
“I guess I should have realized this,” said Meghan. “Juliska has been busy all week making plans for this arrival. I guess I should know by now that nothing around here can just be simple.”
“Simple does not exist here,” he agreed dryly. They followed a narrow path to the beach, which opened up to an equally sandy and rock covered beachfront. Not too far away, and just at the edge of the waterline, was an ancient looking, dilapidated ship, which had run ashore many years prior. It sat, wedged, between jagged rocks and over the years, the tide had buried the hull into the sand underneath.
“Billie told me that kids used to use this ship as a playground,” said Ivan.
The Map, The Dagger, and The Vampyres (Fated Chronicles Book 2) Page 38
