by A. P. Jensen
There was a knock on the bedroom door. Knight raised his head but didn’t get up. Muffled footsteps on carpet and then a small hand brushed over her wet hair. Tears filled Jordan’s eyes. She wasn’t sure why.
Kelly put a mug of peppermint tea on the arm of the chair and leaned against the glass windows facing Jordan. She changed out of the nightgown and bunny slippers. Her eyes were bloodshot but she didn’t show any other signs that her sleep was disrupted by a midnight duel.
“How are you?” she asked gently.
The tone caused tears to spill over. When Kelly reached out Jordan shook her head. “I don’t deserve it.”
“Deserve what?”
She swallowed. “You don’t know what I’ve done.”
Just thinking that Levi witnessed what happened in Wal-Mart made her blood chill.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kelly said. “Cibrian tells me Levi wants to leave.”
Jordan couldn’t meet her eyes. She forced herself to show nothing on her face though tears still leaked. Knight edged closer to her, curling around the armchair comfortingly.
“Do you want him to stay?”
Jordan sniffled. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”
“It matters to us. Levi is welcome to stay.” When Jordan stared at her in disbelief she smiled. “He can stay in the room he’s in. It’s up to him.”
Hope kindled. “That’s… amazing.”
“We want you to be happy. You obviously have been through a lot together. He came all this way. There is just one thing though.” Kelly waited until Jordan made eye contact. “What happened last night, I realize you were going out to meet him but you can’t cross the property lines. It’s not safe. Do you understand?”
Jordan nodded quickly. Kelly was highlighted by the light pouring in around her.
“Donovan says you don’t want to live with him because he could lose control.” Kelly paused as if searching for the right words. “That is a possibility but I won’t let him.”
“I don’t get it.”
“A Grounder’s job is to monitor the sorcerer to make sure he’s stable but just because a sorcerer has a soul tie with a Grounder doesn’t mean its full proof. It may take the sorcerer a while to realize she isn’t the right woman.”
“Like the Grounder William was tied to,” Jordan said tonelessly.
“Yes. She was his wife, Grace. My job is to make sure that Donovan isn’t losing control and he hasn’t. He won’t create a soul tie with me because if he does lose control, he doesn’t want to endanger me.” An irritated expression crossed her face. “He’s not sure I’d survive if he dies so he won’t do it. If he’s beyond any help, I’m supposed to end it before he hurts anyone.”
Jordan was speechless. She took in Kelly’s high ponytail, innocent face and warm nature. “How do you know you can do it?”
The warmth faded and something haunted and dark passed through her eyes. “I’ve seen a sorcerer lose control. There was nothing human left in him. If Donovan gets to that point, I know it’s not him I’m killing- it’ll be a beast.”
Jordan nodded in complete understanding. Something in her relaxed. She couldn’t trust Mr. Parker with his façades and absence in her life but she trusted Kelly. If Kelly said she could handle Mr. Parker, Jordan believed her. But something still bothered her.
“Why would you do it?” Jordan asked, needing to know.
“Do what?”
“How can you live under the same roof with him, knowing he could kill us all? Why would you be his Grounder?” Jordan’s voice was strained.
Kelly’s mouth quirked. “I love him.”
Jordan couldn’t think of a thing to say in response.
“How do you think Donovan feels, knowing he could go insane?”
Silence.
“Having me here gives him peace of mind because he knows I’ll do what needs to be done,” Kelly explained.
Jordan mulled this over but still wasn’t satisfied.
“Donovan saved me and my sister’s lives. I never forgot that. He has a lot of hang-ups but he takes care of his own. I don’t know what you went through with William. I can’t even imagine what it feels like to be forced into a soul tie.” She shuddered. “But I promise that you are safe under this roof. Do you believe me?”
Jordan nodded and Kelly relaxed.
“Breakfast will be ready soon,” she said and kissed Jordan on the forehead.
“Kelly?” Jordan said in a low voice.
“Yeah?”
“What did you do to those people last night?”
Kelly’s eyes turned arctic. “What needed to be done.”
Kelly left the room and a minute later the door burst open again and Cibrian called her name. Jordan rose and Knight growled, irritated by Cibrian’s interruption. Jordan was relieved to see Levi walk into the princess room. She did a double take when she saw the pink polo but didn’t comment. Cibrian jumped up on the nearest couch when he spotted Knight. Levi surveyed her room without expression.
“Tell him to shoo,” Cibrian said, waving his hands at Knight whose tail swished through the air excitedly.
“No,” Jordan said firmly to Knight and his tail flopped to the ground. To Cibrian she said, “He’s not going to do anything.”
Cibrian sat Indian style on the couch and kept a wary eye on Knight. “Tell Levi he has to stay.”
Jordan could see Levi was still angry and trying not to show it. Knight pushed her armchair around with one paw so she could face the two long couches.
“I can’t tell him to do anything,” Jordan said carefully.
Cibrian slapped his forehead. “What is with you two? There’s a strong connection between you. Are you dating?”
Levi and Jordan looked nonplussed for a moment before Jordan giggled and Levi’s mouth twitched. Cibrian tapped his fingers impatiently on the couch.
“I’m glad I’m such a source of entertainment to you two,” he snapped. “The connection between you both is so strong, I thought you were either in love or related.”
The smiles vanished from both their faces.
“Your fates are entwined,” Cibrian continued despite the tension. “But you’re both acting like you don’t need each other but you do.”
“This doesn’t concern you,” Levi growled at him.
“Of course it does,” Cibrian said pompously.
“Why?” Jordan asked.
“If he stays we’ll all go to school together.”
“School?” they both parroted.
“Well, yeah. In our world we go to school after we’ve Awakened. The youngest is probably around fourteen but most Awaken around fifteen or sixteen.” Cibrian rubbed his hands together with relish. “You guys are gonna cause a stir, I guarantee it.”
“Why?”
“You’re under Uncle Van’s protection. He’s a recluse and a rebel. I wish I could live up to half the reputation he has. He’s legendary.” He looked out over the pasture. “We’ll probably all be going to The Academy.”
Jordan thought of attending a school in this crazy world and shuddered. “What do they teach?”
“They teach us how to handle our power, use it for good.” Cibrian rolled his eyes and focused on the mug in her lap. “Watch this.”
Jordan looked down and saw the water churn. Cibrian stood on the couch and groaned as if he were moving something that weighed more than him. Slowly, the tea rose from the mug and formed a sphere. It moved jerkily through the air as it bobbed across the room to Cibrian.
“See? Not too shabby,” Cibrian said hoarsely.
His face screwed up in a look of pain as he whipped his hands around the floating tea like a magician reassuring his audience there were no strings. Sweat trickled from his brow. Cibrian moved his fingers in a twirling motion and the ball of water sluggishly obeyed, moving in a small circle. Cibrian flicked his hands upward and the ball of water rose above his head. He tilted his head back and let out a triumphant yell. There was a whooshing sound and t
hen a loud plop as the ball splattered right onto Cibrian’s upturned face. He let out a yelp and flopped on the couch. Jordan snickered and Levi shook his head. Cibrian fanned his face and looked accusingly at Jordan.
“It’s hot!”
Jordan bit her lip. “Maybe you should’ve asked me if I wanted it before you started playing with it.”
Cibrian waved that away. “I was using air to shape the water, to levitate it but it’s hard to manipulate air, much less water. Both of those elements are tricky. Oh well, next time.” He focused on Jordan. “You ran like a bat out of hell yesterday. What happened?”
At the memory of the Master in the meadow, Jordan’s heartbeat speeded up. Knight rose and circled the room restlessly. The boys watched the Valor cautiously.
“Jordan,” Cibrian said in a high pitched voice. “Your Guardian wants to kill something.”
“Not something. Someone,” Jordan said and eased forward. “After you left me yesterday I saw someone.”
Cibrian frowned. “Where?”
“In the meadow.”
“That’s impossible,” he said dismissively.
“Who?” Levi asked.
“He had white blonde hair, silver eyes. In his twenties.” She watched Cibrian closely for even a flicker of recognition.
Cibrian shrugged. “I don’t know anyone that looks like that. Maybe you imagined it.”
Levi stalked over, eyes nearly orange with anger. “You saw him and didn’t tell me?”
She glared up at him. “What difference does it make?”
Levi’s hands clenched into fists and the doors to the princess room creaked. “You just so happen to see him here in Texas?”
Cibrian fingered his lip thoughtfully. “If he was in the meadow he’s not in Texas.”
Levi rounded on him. “Where then?”
“He’s in Eden.”
Jordan rose and pushed Levi out of her way. “Eden?”
“Yeah. Tolly House is divided into four parts. Each environment leads to one of our capitals.”
“Capitals?” Jordan repeated.
“Our world has four main capitals. The meadow leads to Eden and if you go into the winter environment, you end up in Wintra, another capital. Tolly House leads you to different parts of our world. But there are safeguards so people can’t just walk into Tolly House.”
Levi stiffened. “You’re saying this house leads people into different parts of your world?”
Cibrian nodded and noted the screaming tension between Jordan and Levi. “Why? Who is he?”
“I was in an asylum called Haven,” Jordan said.
Levi looked at her sharply but she ignored him. As much as they’d been taught not to trust anyone, she had to start somewhere. All around her were people that wanted something from her, that wanted to use her but she didn’t sense any of that in Cibrian. And, he was her cousin- of sorts. Realizing the Master walked freely in both worlds made her decide to take a jump and confide in him.
Cibrian nodded.
“In Haven they drugged us so we wouldn’t Awaken.”
She could feel Levi’s anger and anxiety rising. Revealing more than was necessary was alien to both of them. Showing weaknesses and vulnerabilities was taboo but in a world where she was walking deaf and blind, she needed an ally. She needed Cibrian to believe her. She didn’t think Mr. Parker would care if she told him. He didn’t believe Haven existed but it did. She had the scars to prove it. She thought of telling Kelly but she would just tell Mr. Parker who would dismiss her.
“One day they took me off the pill. My power,” she shuddered, “it consumed me. I melted the handcuffs they put on me, I went insane. I destroyed everything in my room. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. The next day they took me to-” She waved her hand because saying his name still made her sick.
“William,” Cibrian filled in.
Jordan nodded. “But the guy I saw in the meadow yesterday, he’s stronger than William. He owns Haven and I saw him torture William. He’s a sorcerer too.”
“That’s impossible,” Cibrian said.
“Can one sorcerer be stronger than another?” Jordan pushed.
Cibrian ran his hands through his damp hair. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess so. They can’t all have the same amount of power, right?”
“I don’t know.”
Cibrian held up a hand. “Hold up! The guy you saw in the meadow was from Haven?”
“Why do you think I’m telling you this?” Jordan snapped.
“Did you tell Uncle Van?”
“No. He thinks I’m delusional! Even you told me it’s not possible for someone to bypass your spells or whatever.”
Cibrian winced. “Okay. I said that. I’m an ass.”
“I don’t want to tell him anyway,” Jordan sighed. “I just need you to believe me.”
“Why wouldn’t I? We’re family.”
His simple acceptance of what she said made her want to hug him. He offered her what the other world hadn’t- a clean slate.
“So what did this guy do? What’s his name?” Cibrian asked.
“William called him the Master.”
Cibrian blanched. “I’ve never heard of one sorcerer bowing down to another. Usually they can’t help challenging each other.”
Jordan glanced at Levi as she said, “The Master tried to take me with him. Knight scared him off. As soon as he saw Knight, he freaked. He knew exactly what Knight was, knew only a Parker could wake him.”
Cibrian bit his lower lip. “He really knows his stuff if he got pass the safeguards. Valors are well known in our world because Parker’s made them legend.” He tugged on his dark red hair. “Everyone in our world knows every sorcerer on the planet. They’re… worshipped by most people. But this Master guy doesn’t sound like any of them.”
“Maybe nobody knows he’s a sorcerer,” Levi offered.
“That’s impossible. You can’t hide that you’re a sorcerer,” Cibrian said. “Most of the time elements are passed through bloodlines. It’s super rare that someone just pops out of nothing.”
Levi cast him a cool look. “You mean like us?”
Cibrian choked and coughed, waving his hands vigorously. “That’s not what I meant.”
Jordan glared at Levi. “Ignore him, Cibrian. So you believe me about the Master?”
“Yeah.”
She blew out a breath and slumped back in her seat. Knight lay beside her chair, eyes moving from one boy to the next. Levi subsided into his seat as the room filled with light.
“Jordan,” Cibrian said and then stopped. “Can I ask what happened?”
He didn’t need to elaborate. She knew he was talking about William. Levi went very still. He wouldn’t have asked her but he wanted to know just as much as Cibrian. She owed him an explanation most of all. Instead of the gut wrenching sickness and fear that usually gripped her she found that being in this sunny room with these two guys calmed and comforted her. She didn’t feel so alone which made the telling easier.
“At Haven, once they took the pill away they took me to William,” she paused and took a deep breath. “I think he trains the kids to control their power.”
She looked to Levi for confirmation. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“He breaks us down. The more you fight, the harder the punishment,” Levi said evenly.
Cibrian paled.
“William was fascinated with me from the very beginning. The guards were afraid of me. My power was out of control. I felt like I was burning alive.” Jordan ran her hands up and down her arms and closed her eyes. “William said I was special. He was obsessed with my power, with my parents but my mom was an addict and she never told me about my dad.”
Cibrian opened his mouth to speak but Levi shot him a dirty look and he subsided.
“He told me I could save him,” Jordan shuddered. “He put me into a trance and when I woke he would be sitting beside me, petting my hair and telling me how unique I was.” Jordan swallowed bile. K
night sat beside her and leaned down to rest his chin on the arm of the chair. She scratched his cheek. “I felt so weird when I woke, like I was on drugs. I started fighting back and he started to hurt me.”
“You don’t have to tell him this,” Levi interjected, coming to stand before her again. He was so agitated he didn’t care about Knight’s proximity.
“He needs to know,” Jordan insisted.
“Why?” Levi glared at Cibrian.
“Because he knows this world. He can help us.”
Levi didn’t like Jordan revealing so much, especially when he saw the strain it put on her. She was shaking and pale and she looked so fragile. She’d been through hell and stirring up all these memories took a toll on both of them. He let out a disgusted sound and paced the room.
“I realized that he was somehow forcing his power into me. It hurt. I couldn’t take it. I knew if I didn’t try to escape, I wouldn’t survive. Something was wrong with William. With every visit he became more and more,” she wiggled her fingertips, trying to find the right word. “Desperate. Crazy. It felt like he was pouring poison in me.”
“He was losing control of his power,” Cibrian said quietly. “They call it Falling.”
She nodded. “Levi and I escaped to Las Vegas. Levi was pumping gas and I saw a Wal-Mart across the street. My power is like being stabbed with knives unless I drown it in pills. I ran in and that’s when I saw William. You know the rest.”
Cibrian hesitated. “So what happened to your power?”
“William created a soul tie with me.”
Cibrian gagged and then clapped a hand over his mouth. His eyes were huge. “That’s not possible.”
