Clara and Ezra

by Lindsey Richardson

  A bump in the sand caused me to refocus, and I looked ahead. There seemed to be an endless amount of beach, but I did not see any sign of the docks nearby. I imagined they had to be fairly well hidden if they were unknown to the locals.

  We passed through more trees and horrendous thoughts filled my mind. I squeezed tightly onto Ezra, hoping the pressure would not harm him. Each time a dark thought entered my mind I squeezed him again, reminding myself that together we would not stop until we found them. Knowing that as soon as we were with Dorian and Alec, we would outnumber our enemies.

  Unless they have backup… I thought, wondering what “friends” Nina might call upon in her time of need.

  We arrived at the dockside, and I instantly noticed Dorian and Nina at a standoff.

  Ezra dismounted from our horse slowly, helping me off just as gently and quietly, and I scanned the area for Alec. I finally caught sight of him. He had fallen and appeared to be too badly injured to get back up.

  Meanwhile, Nina stood in front of Dorian, blocking Daphne, who remained the closest to the edge of the dock.

  Nina’s eyes widened at the sight of my arrival. While I did not know Alec’s condition, I had no time to check on him.

  Without hesitation I ran toward Nina. In the corner of my eye I saw Daphne jump into the ocean.

  “No!” I screamed.

  Everything went dark.

  The world around me returned to shades of gray, like it had in the manor. I stared at my mother, who now blended in with everything else.

  I realized this was the same magic that had killed two of Stefan’s men, and I prayed to Circe that I would not kill again. As much as I wanted Nina to pay for her crimes, I did not wish her dead. I needed to bring her back to the Council alive.

  I moved toward her, though I second guessed my every move. How could I stop myself from killing her? The two previous times this had happened I lost control. The darkness was not my ally. My true allies remained in their positions, going slowly as I had seen happen before, and I feared for their wellbeing. Was I about to kill everyone on this dock?

  “Clara!”

  Someone had called out my name, but I shut my eyes as tight as possible. I thought hard, trying to push the darkness away. This was not what I wanted, not what I had intended. This was not the solution to our problems. I had to find another way.

  I opened my eyes again, but everything remained the same. Colorless, neutral, partially frozen in time.

  Nina remained my target, helpless to whatever would come next.

  All the times she had forbid me to use magic, all the ways she had neglected to teach me spells —this was why. She and I knew my powers extended past normal limitations. This was yet another secret she had chosen to hide, and now everyone would pay the price.

  40

  Monsters In Plain Sight

  I approached Nina with every intention to say her. I had to get her off this dock and back to the palace. I had to ensure she lived after this moment. I refused to let my magic determine my mother’s fate. This was my power. I commanded it, and I would not allow fear to control my next move.

  “This was why you feared me using magic. Not because of Jhase, but because of what can do,” I said, continuing forward inch by inch.

  Nina did not budge. She watched me carefully, but nothing in her body language suggested she would move or stop me. Despite having never seen my mother use magic to kill, I was not naive enough to think Stefan admired her solely for her looks. She was hiding more secrets, and none of us knew what she was capable of. Underestimating her would only lead to my demise.

  “Admit it! You knew about this… this strange ability I possess. And it scared you,” I said.

  I was almost close enough to touch her. I had not planned to get this far, and now that she was literally within my grasp I feared her more than ever. Unlike me, she had nothing to lose.

  “You’ve always been special, Clara. But I protected you from people, especially Jhase, who would have studied you and used you. I see now it’s far worse than I ever realized… You’re more powerful now. You should have listened to me. You shouldn’t have used your magic,” she replied calmly.

  I stopped, wincing as I realized she would see my hesitation. She gained an advantage, but she had also given me an answer, which recently had seemed impossible. It changed nothing, and if anything it added on to her conspiracy to lie and think only for herself.

  I collected my thoughts. It didn’t matter if she knew more about my powers. I would rely on my friends and allies of that. I needed to secure Nina before she left for another island or another realm. I would not let her get away this time, like she had twenty years ago when she abandoned Claire.

  Without thinking, I ran forward and touched her arm. in an instant everything returned to normal. I fell to my knees while Nina looked at me with her jaw hanging open. She might have known about my powers, but not even she knew their full extent. This darkness… This was something new, something I had acquired more recently.

  Dorian rushed over to me and cuffed Nina. He withdrew a rope from his belt, tying her hands together so she was unable to fight him. She showed no interest in Dorian. Instead she continued to stare at me with horror in her eyes.

  It was true she had always warned me about my magic, begging me not to use it. Perhaps she had been right. It had killed two men, and who was to say it would not kill again. That I would not kill again?

  I shook my head. This time I had maintained control. I had managed the situation without it costing another life.

  I looked ahead for Daphne, but she appeared to be nowhere in sight. I scanned the ocean, but the waves offered no details. It seemed unlikely she would have swam away, and even if she had, it was a long journey before she would get anywhere. There was also no boats in sight. She had seemingly vanished.

  I looked back at Ezra, who was knelt over Alec. I did not understand why no one had gone after Daphne while I dealt with Nina. We had more numbers on our side, we had the consistency, but still we had failed. How had we allowed Daphne to escape again?

  Looking closer, I realized Ezra’s face was full of sorrow. He had pushed back Alec’s hair away from his face, but Ezra continued to stare down at him, seemingly lost in thought.

  I feared what we had walked into. It occurred to me Alec had not moved since we first arrived.

  Stand up for Circe’s sake. I thought, pushing myself to stand again.

  Dorian remained with Nina, though he too kept his attention on Alec.

  I walked across the dock to where Ezra held Alec. I glanced down, trying to understand the full extent of his injuries. His neck was bloody. His tunic had been stained, and now, looking at Ezra, saw the blood on his hands. I saw the blood that had pained the wooden boards.

  “E-Ezra?” I asked, kneeling down beside him.

  I stared at Alec’s neck. He had lost a lot of blood, more blood than I wanted to see. The longer I stared at him, waiting for his chest to move or for him to speak, the more I feared he would not come back from this. He had lost too much blood and had needed assistance long before we arrived. Someone had already closed his eyes.

  “No…” I whispered, feeling my lip quiver.

  I squeezed Alec’s hand, but it was motionless. He was not coming back from this, and I knew that. Ezra and Dorian knew that, and that was how Daphne had gotten away. Not from a lack of trying, but because, once again, Stefan’s allies had the upper hand.

  I glanced back at Nina, glaring at her, wondering how she could have done this.

  “You monster!” I screamed with tears pouring down my face.

  She frowned but remained silent. I was tired of her silence. I wanted answers. I wanted justice for the innocents who had died because of her and Stefan. First they had taken Father, and now they claimed Alec.

  “You will die for this, Mother!” I yelled, standing up and advancing to where she stood.

  At her silence I continued.

  “You killed
a councilor. You will face death for this! Do you see what you’ve done? Was your quest for power worth it? Was it worth his life?” I asked, pointing back to Alec’s body.

  I thought about Gemma, who remained waiting at the palace for our return. I thought about Cedric, who would be too little to understand any of this. Cedric, who had never imagined that he would permanently lose her father. How could she expect me to tell my friends that she had killed Alec? How could she have gone this far?

  “He attacked me, and I defended myself,” Nina replied calmly.

  I ran toward her, standing in front of her with clenched fists and terrible thoughts racing through my mind. I thought of the things I wanted to do to her, the ways I wanted to make her suffer for the lives she had taken.

  Ezra rushed up behind me, pulling me away from her. I squirmed in his arms, begging him to let me free. He seemed to know, as well as I did, that if he let me go there was no telling what I would do to Nina.

  He hushed me, tugging me closer and closer to him each time I tried to move away.

  ‘Let it go. Shh. Let her go. The Council will ensure she pays for her crimes. I promise we will see justice,” he whispered into my ear.

  The sound of his voice calmed me, but I still glared at Nina. I still wanted someone to answer for what had been done on this night. Deep in my heart I knew even if justice was served, Alec would never see it.

  I stopped fighting Ezra, and he loosened his grip, though not altogether letting me go.

  The men spoke amongst themselves, but their voices were like distant hums. I focused only on Nina, trying to think of what I wanted to say to her. I thought of the punishment she would face because of her actions. We had not been able to tie her to any previous crimes, but this time she had confessed. Dorian had witnessed it, and everyone on the Council knew why Alec had been here on this night.

  Daphne had escaped with Nina’s help. Claire would have no mercy for her. I would lose my mother just as I had lost my father, and there was nothing I could do to change the outcome.

  I wondered what it would be like with Nina gone from this world, but a part of me already knew the answer. She had put too much darkness into our world, and now that same darkness would take her out.

  Dorian and Nina advanced ahead without us, leaving me with unspoken words I might never have the chance of telling to my mother.

  Ezra and I remained behind. Alec’s body still remained on the dock. The waves moved the dock back and forth. I shuddered at the thought of taking Alec to the palace where everyone would see what happened to him. I shuddered being the one this time to give the bad news.

  “He will not be forgotten,” Ezra said.

  I pushed away from him, and this time he allowed me free of his grasp.

  “He wanted a new life. He was supposed to be free of his duties on the Council. He had only stayed because he knew the pressure we were under. This shouldn’t have happened…” I said.

  Ezra frowned. “Alec did what any of us would have done, and because of him we captured Nina. Now it’s our job to ensure this stops, that this trail of blood ends.”

  I stepped closer to Alec’s body, looking down at it. Had he done what anyone else would have done? It was one thing to be brave and quite another to sacrifice oneself for the good of everyone. Alec had already lost so much—his wife, his child, his old lifestyle—and now he had paid the ultimate cost.

  “How will we tell Gemma?” I asked, feeling more tears roll down my cheeks.

  “As gently as possibly,” he replied, frowning.

  41

  I Will Carry You

  Ezra lifted Alec’s body, cradling him carefully in his arms. I stared at the blood on Alec’s neck. This could not be real. This could not be happening again. Everything from my sight to my hearing told me I was here, but my soul wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else. Away from the blood, away from the reality of the situation. I wanted to run away, but there was nowhere for me to run.

  And if I had such a strong desire to run, I could only begin to imagine what Gemma would feel.

  “Clara…” Ezra said, “You must not blame yourself for Alec’s death. He died for a cause he believed in. And thanks to you, no one else lost their life.”

  “What did I do?”

  He shook his head and sighed.

  “I honestly don’t know. I told you once before, your magic is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. You became… something else. That spirit you told me about? It was like you were fused together… It certainly seemed to scare Nina,” he explained.

  He gestured for me to follow and began walking back to his horse.

  I thought carefully about what he had described to me. Was this what had happened at the tavern that Lukas had been unable to explain? What did this mean if I was able to control the spirit that had once protected me?

  Ezra was right about one thing. My magic had been enough to scare my mother, and now because of it she would die. Despite my best attempts to save her, I had indirectly killed her instead.

  Once we reached the horses Ezra suggested I return to the castle. He would find the closest lamp post and join us as quickly as he could.

  I followed his directions, though I feared this meant I would arrive at the palace before him. I would have to face Gemma, and not even she would want Alec to be dead.

  I rode back alone, recognizing the path Ezra had taken us through. Despite the urgency of our situation, I continued on at a steady pace. I was no in no hurry to tell Gemma the horrid truth.

  Neither of us were ready. I was not ready to see Claire and Gemma. I was not ready to do what Declan had done when I returned from Rajoor.

  I arrived at the palace and dismounted from the horse. I did not see Dorian or Nina, though I assumed they had already stepped inside along ago. I glanced around for any sign of Ezra, but it did not appear he had arrived yet.

  I gulped. I was in this alone. I had to be the one to tell Gemma unless Dorian had beaten me to it. Somehow I doubted her present lover wanted to be the one to share this grave news.

  I walked into the palace with memories of Father’s death in my head. I remembered Declan’s face. All the tears, all the sorrow.

  I wiped away tears from my face, determined that I would stay strong for Gemma in her time of need. This was news everyone needed to hear.

  Everyone waited in the foyer, conversing with one another. Dorian was nowhere in sight, but I assumed he remained preoccupied with Nina. The conversations quickly came to a halt upon my arrival.

  I looked at Declan and then to Gemma. She offered a small smile, and it nearly broke my heart. Her reaction alone almost set me into a tantrum of tears again. How could I do this? How had Declan done this to me? I was not strong enough, and yet I had no choice. Someone had to be the bearer of bad news.

  “G-Gemma…” I said softly.

  The front doors opened again, and this time Ezra walked through the entrance with Alec’s body in his hands. Gasps and murmurs filled the room.

  “No!” Gemma screamed, running to Ezra.

  Ezra laid Alec’s body down on the floor. Gemma fell to her knees. holding Alec’s body against her chest, sobbing over him. The others moved in closer, gasping and shedding tears of their own. No one could put words to the tragedy.

  I stared at the crowd, noticing Dorian, who stood in the back, furthest away from Gemma. He must have snuck into the room while everyone was preoccupied, and now only I noticed his presence. Perhaps he thought it best Gemma not see him at a time like this. Despite the divorce, she had a child with Alec. I shuddered at the realization yet another child lost their father.

  You’re free now… I thought, remembering Alec’s request prior to Claire’ s kidnapping. He had done more than anyone could have asked, and in the end he laid down his life for the council and the island he had so longed to leave behind.

  The death count was far from over. Even though Ezra said it was our duty to make the blood stop, it seemed to have no end. Nina would di
e for tears and the murder of a councilor. Dorian was able to confirmed she ended Alec’s life, and the Council could not afford to show mercy. Her stunt had allowed Daphne to escape.

  Daphne, on the other hand, would be hunted down like a deer in the forest. No matter what island she sought refugee on there was only so long she could hide.

  I no longer cared for the odds of Stefan’s history with hiding. Lukas and I lead the search parties, and I would never stop until we found him.

  “Who did this to our friend?” Claire asked, her voice booming loud enough to snap me back into reality.

  Dorian cleared his throat.

  “It was Nina. She killed Alec, and Daphne escaped. He… saved my life,” he explained.

  He backed away from the crowd, distancing himself even further from the woman he loved. Alec had been selfless with his actions today. He was a hero.

  “Nina faces trial tomorrow. Tonight we bury our friend. Declan and Clara, come with me,” Claire said.

  I hesitated, looking back, and though I could not see Gemma, I still hard her cries. This was yet another loss we could not afford time like this. Alec’s position in the Council could not be easily replaced, especially considering we no longer knew who we could trust.

  Declan and I followed Claire into the dining room. She asked the servants in the room to leave. I had not seen her cry for Alec yet. More than anything she seemed fierce and ready for action.

  I feared what consequences laid ahead for Nina. She was our only connection to Daphne, but she had also become the largest threat agains the Council.

  Claire leaned over the table and said calmly, “I’m pregnant.”

  I looked to Declan for a reaction. his cheeks were soaked, but I could not tell if these tears were caused by Alec’s death or this news. We lost one life and other one awaited its beginning.

  “Alec is dead, a murderer awaits trial, and I have a wedding to plan. The locals will not rest, not even after Nina meets her fate. They have lost hope and are unpredictable. This wedding might be my only hope of regaining control over my people,” Claire said.