“Galaxia said my eyes were gray!” I exclaimed.
“What? Really?”
I nodded.
“Yes! She said she couldn’t get through to me when I was touching the stand, and that my eyes were gray!”
“What’s that mean?” he questioned.
I shook my head.
“I don’t know, but I really wish I could see her again.”
“Who?” Zach asked, puzzled. “Galaxia?”
I shook my head.
“No. . . Me.”
To Beat him at his Own Game
It was the end of Aurelia before there was any
news of Lucas. Zach and I worked with the Council and the presidents of the Magical Galaxies when it was needed, but there was little talk of Lucas. It was as if he were hiding.
After Zach and I woke up in the morning, we were visited. Someone had knocked on our door, causing us to get up and Magic-Change before Zach went to let whomever it was in.
“Em, it’s Galaxia,” said Zach, coming back around the wall, with Galaxia following him.
“Good morning, Emma,” she said.
“Morning.”
“I didn’t wake you, I hope?”
“No, we’d just woken up, and then you knocked.”
“I see. There are duties, as the Kahi, which you have to carry out.”
“We know. Is there something we have to do today?” Zach asked.
“A meeting. We are discussing Adler and we need you two, as the Kahi, to help and speak out. Don’t hesitate; we all follow you. We will be at the meeting through the screen in the living room, so come downstairs when you can. The meeting starts in fifteen minutes. When will you be ready?”
Zach and I looked at each other, then to Galaxia.
“We’re ready now.”
“Good, come with me.”
We nodded and Changed, followed her out. We met with Louisa, Horatio, and Mab in the den.
“They’re ready on their end, Galaxia,” Horatio said.
Zach and I exchanged looks as we sat.
“Are you ready?” Galaxia asked us.
We nodded and suddenly a large, circular room appeared on the wall before us, and the seats were elevated like a stadium. About thirty-five people were sitting there. When the picture was clear, they stood and either bowed or curtsied before sitting down again.
“The killings are continuing,” started a man with ruffled gray hair. “We need to stop him, but no one has seen him, and no one has been able to find him.”
“Adler is very good at hiding,” Galaxia said. “He always has been.”
Murmurs of agreement ran through the members of Parliament.
“We need a trap,” I suggested.
Everyone looked at me.
“A trap, Your Majesty?” asked a woman with short, jet black hair.
I nodded.
“Yes. There has to be some way to lure him out into the open, and then we can capture him.”
“That would work,” said the gray-haired man, “but we need bait.”
“And you have it: Me.”
“Em, that’s dangerous,” Zach muttered.
I looked at him.
“It would work, Zach. He’s after me, and if I’m out in the open, by myself, he’ll come. Then the people who are in hiding can get him.”
He watched me for a moment and then took my hand, leading me away from the den.
“Emma, please don’t do this. He’s insane and he’s dangerous. I can’t lose you. Especially not to him!” I took Zach’s hands in mine.
“You will never lose me, okay? There will be plenty of people there to protect me if I can’t get him myself. I promise, Zach, everything’s going to work out!”
“He tortures you when he gets you.”
I gulped.
“I know, but he’s not getting me again. Not this time. We’re going to get him and it’s all going to be over.”
Zach’s eyes flickered between mine and then he took me back into the living room.
“As long as I am one of the people hiding, we’ll do this,” he told them.
“Is it settled then?” a woman asked. “Are we setting a trap for Adler?”
Galaxia nodded.
“It looks like we are.”
****
The Council and Parliament took one week to
find the place to set the trap for Lucas. It would be in Capitol City, in one of the smaller markets near the sea. Capitol City’s police force would close it, but only the immediate public would know that it was closed. They were going to be told that it was for refurbishment. I would go into the market, and at least twenty-five plain clothes officers would be in there, as well. They weren’t to stray out of the market, and were not to pay too close attention to me. I’d wear sunglasses, acting like I was hiding from the public eye, and when Lucas came I was to act as calmly as possible. They would get him when it was safe for me.
Zach would hide inside of one of the shops, with windows that you could only see out of.
We headed there at noon, and Zach pulled me into the shop before we set our plan in motion.
“Please be safe,” he begged.
“Zach, I will be safe. I promise. I’m not going to let him take me from the market, and I won’t let him hurt me. No one here will. This can work.”
“Just don’t leave.”
He hugged me.
“I won’t.”
Then I left, putting on my sunglasses. The door shut behind me, but I know Zach’s eyes haven’t left me. Not for a second did they waver from my form.
I stood near one of the elevated stands filled with fruit and acted like I was looking for the right apple.
He’s here, Zach Pathed me.
I refrained from nodding, and went on acting like I was oblivious to Lucas’s nearing presence. The scars grew tight at their ends and stabbed, warning me.
Lucas stopped next to me, also wearing sunglasses and acting like he was searching for fruit.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” he said quietly.
“Why? You’re the one who’d be killed if a police officer saw you.”
“They’re unobservant, Emma. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d come back to e2 after the last time you were here.”
“I’m not going to hide from you.”
He smirked.
“It would be better if you did.”
“No, that would only say I’m afraid of you. You should know by now that I’m not.”
“I know you’re not,” he mused. “Even if it’d be better for you if you were.”
“It wouldn’t be. I have no reason to be afraid of you.”
I reached for an apple near the top, and Lucas’s hand grabbed mine. My fingers curled under his to cover the scar, keeping it from him. A chill ran down my spine from how cold he is, just like La’veer.
“Do you honestly think that you’re going to win?” he asked. “That you will always keep your Magic? Your sanity?”
“Yes,” I said, pulling my hand from his. “I do.”
I turned but he grabbed my arm and wrenched me back around.
“Your rebellious actions are going to destroy you some day, don’t you know that?” he seethed. “Fighting me will only make me try harder to have you.”
I shook my head.
“You’re never going to win, Lucas! Don’t you understand that? Fighting you keeps me safe.”
His fingers twitched over my arm.
“That I have to agree with.”
His grip on my arm lightened just enough for me to pull away, and then I took three steps back quickly, removing my sunglasses as was the signal. He moved toward me again but then he stopped, his fingers shifting against his thigh.
Suddenly he whirled around, firing a curse at the nearest guard. The officer jumped out of the way and fired his own curse at Lucas, along with the rest of the guards. Lucas managed to avoid all of them, but not mine.
The jinx struck his side and he whir
led on me, his sunglasses now lost. A cloud of dust encased us, and I couldn’t see any of the market or the guards.
Emma! Zach’s panicked voice echoed in my head.
I’m fine, I Pathed back quickly, focusing on Lucas.
His eyes were pitch black, the red like fire, but he moved like a drunk, evidence of my disabler.
“Remember when I told you your actions would get you killed someday?”
Lucas jumped at me, grabbing me before I could move away. He moved me so my back was to him, positioning his hand near my neck. A thin gold light followed his hand around the line of my neck and I stiffened, instinctively backing away from it, but into his chest. He leaned over and whispered into my ear: “I don’t care if I die.”
When the dust fell, it revealed all the guards positioned around us. They looked sick when they saw his hand, but then Zach was out of the shop.
“Don’t do anything,” he warned them.
Lucas laughed. I heard the disabler in it, how he was weakening by the second.
“Smart move, Stone. You don’t want to see her blood shed, do you?”
Everyone stiffened around us.
“You won’t kill her,” Zach said. “You don’t want to die.”
“Are you sure?”
His hand moved closer to my neck, all of them moving a step forward impulsively, me stepping back again so that the heel of my shoe was pressing against his toes.
“Adler, just let her go,” Zach demanded.
“Why should I?” he seethed. “I have her—I have all of you—right where I want you.”
A rushing in my palms relaxed every muscle in my body.
I felt Lucas’s eyes on me when he questioned: “What are you doing?”
Two gusts of wind fell in, surrounding me and shoving Lucas’s hand away from my neck. Lucas was pushed back, and I whirled around to face him as the guards firing their disablers at him. They were seconds too late.
I will have you, he Pathed, disappearing.
The wind disappeared, and Zach ran over to me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning over to look at my neck. He touched it with his fingers tentatively, but I took them in my hand.
“I’m fine, Zach. He didn’t cut me.”
He sighed.
“We were so close.”
“A second may be small,” I mused, “but it makes all the difference in the world.”
“Did it work?” Galaxia asked when we arrived back in the den. “Did you catch him?”
We shook our heads.
“Almost,” Zach told her.
We told her what had happened and she sighed.
“At least you two are all right. That was a very close call, Emma.”
“I know,” I muttered, thinking over his words.
“Emma,” she started, seeming hesitant, “I need to speak with you. . . Alone.”
“Um, okay.”
“I’ll be upstairs, Em.” Zach squeezed my hand and left.
“What do you need to talk to me about?” I asked.
“Adler.”
“He got away, Galaxia.”
“Yes, I know, but what did he say to you? Before he dropped the dust wall?”
“That he didn’t care if he died.” She didn’t speak. “Why?”
“Because, it means that this is no longer a game to him.”
I frowned at her. “Galaxia, this has never been a game.”
I headed back upstairs, my thoughts still swirling. When I got to the room, I found Zach standing at the end of the wall, staring forward with an expression of shock on his face. I walked forward and looked out onto the yard. I jumped back and put my hand on his right arm, holding onto it tightly.
Secrets Kill Slowly
The sky outside looked ashen, as if something
was on fire. Zach and I moved over to the window, staring out, my eyes darting about as they looked for flames. There were none, for the ash was falling from the sky.
Our door burst open then, making me jump in surprise. Galaxia raced into our room, looking frazzled.
“Galaxia, what’s going on? Why is there ash?” I queried.
Her mouth fell open and she tried to form words, but then she just shut her mouth.
“If you know, tell us,” Zach implored. “Is there a fire?”
“No, no fire. Nothing of the sort.”
“Then?” I pressed. “What is it?” She swallowed thickly. “Galaxia—”
“The ash is a result of the Barrier.”
“What?” Zach and I exclaimed.
“The Barrier. . . it has a hole.”
I stared at her.
“That—That’s not possible, Galaxia. This planet has one of the strongest Barriers in—”
“But it is also old, Emma. It is so old.”
“If he gets in here he’s going to try and kill Zach!”
“If he gets in here, Emma, I will not be able to protect you. If he gets you, the Galaxies will be in so much danger. . .”
“Then fix the damn hole, Galaxia!” Zach shouted. “Keep her safe! You said she was safe here!”
“I can’t, Zachary,” she said quietly. “We have been trying to fix it since we found out about it, two months before you two came here. It is not reparable.”
“Well try harder!” I demanded.
“Emma, I can’t! We cannot fix that Barrier!”
“Then tell me what the point in staying here is? If we aren’t any safer here than on e2, why can’t we be there?”
“It—”
“Dammit, Galaxia, don’t lie to me.”
“I—”
“She has a point, Galaxia,” Zach cut in. “If we aren’t safe here, why can’t we at least be on e2 with our families?”
“I’ll talk to Horatio and see if he has made any new discoveries on Barrier fixing.”
She left the room, slamming the door on her way out. I turned to look at Zach.
“We have to leave,” I whispered.
“Let’s wait to see what Horatio finds, Em. If he hasn’t found anything, in one week, then we’ll pack up and head to e2.”
“But what if Adler finds us before the week is up? I can’t lose you, Zach.”
He held me.
“You’re not going to lose me,” he whispered. “Just promise me that I’m not going to lose you.”
“I promise,” I whispered.
Then I looked at him.
“I have to go talk to Jessie,” I told him. “Let her know that we’re probably going home soon.”
“Em—”
“Zach, you know that’s probably true.”
“I do, I was just going to say that I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
**** Are you sure? There’s a hole in the Barrier?” asked Jessica.
I nodded. We were outside, and I was trying to see where exactly the ash was coming from. The ash never touched the ground, or even close to it. It just disappeared at the treetops.
“Yeah, there’s a hole in the Barrier.”
“And Adler could get through?”
“Only if he finds out where this planet is.” “And what’re the chances of that, right?” “I don’t know, exactly; Galaxia didn’t say. All she
did say was that it’s been there for two months before we came, and that my Galaxies would be in ‘so much danger’ if he finds us.”
“You call them that a lot.”
“Call who what?”
“The Galaxies. You call them your Galaxies.” I shrugged.
“Aren’t they?” I showed her the star resting on
my palm. “They’re always with me, Jessie. I’m their
Keeper.”
Jessica sighed.
“It’s just weird having my best friend being the
most powerful person in history. What’s your Level now, a hundred?”
“I don’t really check anymore. I used to everyday, but it kept growing and growing, so I just stopped.”
“So,
about this hole. . .”
“If Horatio can’t find a way to fix the hole in the Barrier in a week, we’re going back to e2, Jess.”
“What?”
We stopped walking.
“We are. There’s no point in us being here if we aren’t safer here than we would be on e2.”
“I hate to say this, because it sounds horrible, but I hope they can’t fix it. I really want to go back to e2.”
I nodded.
“So do I.”
“Hi, guys!” Vera, Galaxia’s youngest, exclaimed, running past us toward the mountain. The ash didn’t seem to bother her.
“Hey, Vera,” we responded.
“Em?”
“Yeah?”
“How will we know if Adler gets through? Besides him popping up out of nowhere and stealing you away again?”
“I’m not sure. They’re bound to have some alarm system on the Barriers. The ash is just saying it is beyond damaged.”
“Yeah, but if we do find out that he’s in before he gets to us, what do we do?”
“We have to get to the first floor as fast as possible, taking everyone we can with us. Behind the stairs is a hallway. We have to get all the way down there and to the door at the end. We lock that one once we get in, go up the stairs, and lock the door on the top once we get into the room. The Galaxies will protect us there.”
“What—”
“Galaxia took me there, and she said that is the only place I’d be safe. It’s where the orb that held them before me was, and. . . Jessie, I just know my Galaxies will protect everyone else there, too.”
“But what if we’re outside, Em? That’ll take too long.”
“Appear into that hallway and go. I can get in there with Zach after.”
“Em—”
“Jess, do that. Whatever you do, do that. Please.” She nodded.
We walked along the edge of the trees, along the bottom of the mountain. My palms started itching, and I stopped dead, my heart thudding. I hadn’t expected him so soon, not after the market and the disabler I had hit him with. . . Which only meant. . . that only meant he had been looking for me before the market, and the ash has finally given him what he needed to find me. . .
Jessie turned around.
“Emma?”
“I need you to go to that room now.”
“What? Why? Emma—”
“He’s coming. Dammit, Jessica, just go!”
“Wait! What about you?”
“I have to get Vera! Jessie, go!”
Starlight (The Lightning Strike Trilogy Book 1) Page 26
