Charity sighs and casts a loving look at him. “Of course you can. You can do anything you set your mind to.”
“I don’t think I can do this...”
“So much for doing anything to get Mason back, huh?” Jean lets out a haughty snort. I guess Bryar’s stake in all this has made her more invested in our quest than I realized.
“You’d take that back if you knew,” Awan retorts, but that only provokes a nervous outburst from Seff.
“So tell us! It’s not like we asked you to keep it a secret.”
A powerful wave of distilled bitterness rises inside me. The feeling is so overwhelming that it takes me a while to sort through the darkness fogging my brain and identify the link that shoved it my way. It was my link to Awan.
Something is deeply wrong.
“Seff’s right,” Vanessa argues. “We’ve all shared what we found. Why should you get a grace period? From Cami’s visions, it ssounds like none of us will have a picnic when we break the joint spell. It’s not like you get to be sso special.”
Her irritability flashes and cracks like a whip inside me. I’m trying so hard to concentrate on keeping a lid on the bubbling cauldron of emotions that I can’t be sure if the low growl I hear comes from Seff or Awan. Or perhaps it escapes through my gritted teeth?
“Let him be,” Charity raises her voice.
“Has he told you?” Jean turns on her.
But Charity’s frozen expression confirms he hasn’t. Her backing him up is a gesture of loyalty.
“Don’t you of all people want to know what spooked him?” Jean sizes her up, watching for an opening in the facade, as thin as a crack. “Don’t you think we should all know if we’re to protect each other?”
“She’s right,” Vanessa says. “We can’t go into this blindsided.”
Anger, denial, and panic roll off me, stemming through the link to Awan. My mind is turning so dark that blackness colors the edges of my vision. I’m about to pass out. There doesn’t seem to be enough air in my lungs to help me speak. No air. Without it, I can’t scream, can’t even draw their attention to me...
I get the dreaded premonition before the words escape Awan’s lips. I can almost smell the foul breath of death...
“The note says I’ll die!” Awan shouts. “The lion who breaks the joint spell does it by sacrificing their life.”
In a shocked second, no one breathes or moves. That allows me a lungful of air, but then they start to make sense of what they’ve heard. To believe it. And the ricocheting influx of dread and desperation pulls me so far into the darkness that my mind is about to snap.
It’s too much for me to handle, so I push back against the links, rejecting the suffocating feelings that stem from them only to feel them tightening around my throat like a fist. When they don’t budge, I scream. My throat tears apart with a sonic wave so strong that I fear Elmwick Academy might come crashing down on top of us.
But I can’t stop it, not until I’ve pushed all their darkness out of me. I squeeze my eyes shut in the effort.
Faintly, my awareness registers that my scream isn’t the sonic blast I usually produce. It’s different, focused on the pitch in my voice, not on the strength of the vibrations. The only time I tried to use my voice this way was when I hummed Vanessa out of the snake’s head on my very first day in Elmwick.
And with disastrous results.
The scream goes on until I run out of breath. I’m too terrified to open my eyes. When I force myself to do it, the others are sprawled on the floor, as if thrown back by a blast.
None of them stir.
Under the reassuring sounds of their breaths, I collapse to the ground, my legs folded under me. The relief from this temporary escape from everyone else’s darkness mingles with my guilt. I didn’t mean to knock them out, obviously, but I can’t deny making them stop has cleared my head. I must have reached my limit.
I intend to stay with them until they come back into consciousness, though I have no idea how long that will take. At last, Jean and Seff are the first to groan in their sleep, no doubt feeling the headache forming in the aftermath of my powers. Awan, however, is the first to open his eyes, rub his face with both hands, then shake his head groggily, trying to wake up. With his healing powers, he’s probably least affected, followed by Jean and Seff.
The three of them come to, but Vanessa and Charity show no signs of life apart from their slow, quiet breaths.
“What happened?” Jean moans, rubbing her temples.
“I think she knocked us out.” Seff sounds almost nonchalant. “I guess it was a matter of time.”
“Can you help them?” I address Awan instead of dwelling on what Seff said.
Awan’s skin shimmers in bronze, and with the help of his protector, he heals the girls in turn.
The first thing Charity says after Awan helps her to her feet is, “We need to undo the measures. I hope you agree now.” She peers right into my eyes. “Like most problems in the world, this one will never be solved by one person trying to handle everything on their own. We must each take responsibility for the darkness inside us and learn how to keep it at bay.”
I don’t have the fight in me to refuse. So, we take back all the tricks we had done to avoid the instability of the circle before heading home.
On the way, while Vanessa vigorously complains about being subjected to my latest supernatural talent, Charity hooks an arm around my elbow and steers me away from the others.
“I hope there’s no discussion now about going through with this?” she whispers, but it’s framed like a question. “If there’s any risk to Awan’s life, we simply shouldn’t be considering it.”
“We’re not,” I say. “Undoing the joint spell isn’t just about freeing Mason’s legacy. It’s about stabilizing the circle, which we can’t do if one of us dies. That would break the circle.”
Even though I feel lighter after pushing the darkness out of me and after no more of it comes through the links, not for now at least, I still can’t help the heavy feeling that Awan’s admission left me with. What could possibly drive us to go ahead and try to undo the joint spell in the future when we know the cost?
I don’t dare ask this aloud as Charity and I walk a few steps behind the others. She thinks we can walk away from this, and I don’t have the heart to remind her that whatever we do, my visions will come true. The devil’s advocate inside me argues that I never saw Awan’s death in a vision, but I scold myself for it. Wishful thinking will help no one. And I’m not even sure I could pull off blissful ignorance right now, not after the rest of the visions.
We’re greeted by Bryar on our street, sitting on the curb in front of Jean’s house. From the cautious look in her green eyes, I can tell she doesn’t have good news for us.
“You couldn’t find him?” I guess.
Bryar sucks on her bottom lip, then says, “He said he’s fine, but refused to tell me anything more. Don’t be mad...”
“I’m not mad.” Not at her, anyway, but defensiveness seeps into my voice.
“Ahm...” Bryar hesitates.
“What did you do?” Jean glares at her, jaw clenched.
“Look, I know you don’t like them, but the hunters are resourceful and they respect my mom, so... I called in a favor.”
“The hunters are probably the most dangerous people for Mason to be around right now.” I feel the sudden need to kick the curb. “And you called on them to find him?”
Bryar stands, irritated. “Chill out, would you? It’s not like I told them he’s a hidden legacy. Plus, they’ve been tracking him as best they can ever since he left Elmwick. Why not use the intel they already have?”
My heart booms, echoing inside my skull, but I bite back my retort.
“What’s the intel?” Jean says after her gaze bounces off me and lands on Bryar again.
“Earlier today when I asked her, Fiona said they haven’t been able to locate him so far, but she texted me just now.”
“And?” Jean asks at once.
“He’s at the house of the Narducciis, whoever they are.”
Charity and I glance at each other with blank expressions, but Jean freezes.
“The Narducciis are a family of vipers, a powerful one, and they’re in cahoots with the hunters. If Mason is there and the hunters know it, he’s not safe.”
We all stew in suffocating panic.
“We need to go get him. Fast,” I breathe.
Jean nods more energetically than expected, which I’m immediately grateful for. “I can get the Narducciis’ address from my mother, and we can start from there.”
I whirl around to face the rest of the circle. “I could use your help, but I can’t make any of you go, miss school, and get an earful from your parents.”
“I’m in,” Awan says without hesitation. “I’ve been worried sick about that goofball.”
“I’m in too,” Charity says. “And it’s not like my father cares if I skip school, anyway.”
Vanessa nods as well. “You’re not going to visit an infamous viper family without me. They’ll curse your poor, unfortunate souls.”
Her sass almost makes me chuckle.
“You know I’d come...” Seff says, but I cut his explanation short.
“You need to figure out your clue, no matter if we end up using it or not.” I cast a quick glance at Awan, who seems to be glaring at his feet.
“I’m coming too,” Jean says. “The Narducciis should indulge me since they know Mother.”
“Dad won’t let me go off with you guys,” Bryar says. “Even if it’s to bring Mason back.”
“That’s fine.” I sink into thought for a moment. “We’ll need you here to—”
“Keep an eye on me?” The all-too-familiar mocking voice says from behind the hedges in Jean’s yard. Jester’s colorful hat pops out first, then he stands up with a crooked smile. “And I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.”
I fight the groan building up in my throat.
“Couldn’t help but notice you haven’t donated any blood to the cause lately. Granted, the rotation is working more or less as planned for my vamps, but I’m suddenly feeling rather peckish myself.”
“You’re not serious, right?” Bryar glares at Jester like he’s a piece of gum stuck to her shoe. “Feed on someone else, you creep.”
“Oh, I will.” His grin is more than a promise. “I respect our arrangement, banshee, but if you do not return, Elmwick will be fair game.”
“Careful,” I warn him with the bravado I’ve developed since my Claiming. “Bryar is a great shot, and the hunters trust her. Powers or no powers, she won’t let you step out of line while we’re away. And if you do, the wolves will come after you.”
Seff folds his arms, biceps bulging, as if on cue.
“Well played, banshee. Do try to come back.” Jester has a special talent for making my blood chill with a compliment. A master of wielding his dangerous charm.
Vanessa comes up to me and drapes an arm over my shoulders, her eyes flashing with glee. “Don’t worry your little vamp head, Jester. We wouldn’t let Mason and Awan miss their graduation.”
Jester smiles his vicious, bloodthirsty smile at her. It’s only because I trace Vanessa and Seff’s interactions with caution that I notice Seff’s jaw tighten.
“I’ll await your return... Anxiously.” With another one of his signature bows, Jester jingles the bells on his hat and leaves.
I sigh in relief at the exact moment when my phone buzzes in my pocket. With Vanessa’s arm still around my shoulders, I pull out my ringing device.
And then freeze. Every muscle on my face stiffens. Every vein in my body pulses in shock.
I stare at my phone, unable to believe the writing on the screen.
Mason calling...
Part II
Chapter 11. Mason
My breaths turn ragged as the limo speeds out of Elmwick, taking me, Zach, and his mother away from The Ravenna.
Seeing is believing, they say, and I have to agree. On its own, the old story Zach and I found in a stained booklet wouldn’t have convinced me of the existence of a hidden legacy. But the sight of Mrs. Hastings breathing wisps of fire right in front of me does it. Like a punch to the throat—the truth steals my breath.
I’m a legacy. Father. Zach. Mrs. Hastings and who knows how many more are all legacies. Hidden for centuries—cloaked, cursed, bitten, then healed, and finally compelled into oblivion.
As dramatic and shocking as this reveal is, it only starts an avalanche of questions.
“What are you?” is the first one that escapes my lips. “Mrs. Hastings?”
“Please, Mason, call me Alisha. And I’m a fire drake,” Zach’s mother replies calmly. “That’s what we three are, if the test at the Academy worked?”
Zach confirms that my blood got us into Elmwick Academy and unlocked the booklet’s hiding place, then rehashes the story we read to his mother, who nods at the appropriate places.
“How come you have your powers?” I break the moment of silence after Zach stops talking. “Isn’t the joint spell keeping us all hidden?”
“It is.” Alisha’s casual grace is juxtaposed against my desire to scream in frustration. “To free ourselves, we must undo the joint spell individually.”
She and Zach share a look before Alisha sighs deeply. “I was hoping you boys would be able to find out more about undoing the joint spell on your trip to Elmwick Academy. The banshee who helped me get my powers believed that place was the key.”
“Wait.” I shift my gaze between the two of them, trying to organize my thoughts. “Hold on. You know how to undo the joint spell? Why don’t you just repeat what you and that banshee did? You could undo the joint spell on Zach the same way you freed yourself, right? Why did you send him searching for more clues if you already have the answers?”
Her dark eyes flash, not with menace, but fear. “I know of one way to break the joint spell, but I need you to trust me when I tell you that it’s not worth it. It comes at a price no one should have to pay. Zoe and I were young and daring when we undid the spell. We relied on rumors and whispers. We gambled on ourselves and we lost. I will never forgive myself for it.”
The explanation lodges an imaginary rock in my throat, making it hard to swallow.
“But there has to be another way,” Zach says. “That’s why we went looking for more clues.”
“Over the years, we sifted through all the rumors,” Mrs. Hastings explains. “Some claim there’s a way to lift the spell from all fire drakes at once. Other tales suggest there may be ways to counteract what happened to me and my circle—”
“But we haven’t found any records to show us how,” Zach interjects.
“Wait... Your circle?” I gape like a moron, but of course that’s a part of it. The circle. Everything ends up being connected to the circle.
“A circle of six placed the joint spell on the drakes, so only a circle of six can undo it.” Mrs. Hastings uses her softest voice, probably hoping that will make it easier to digest the new information. “Granted, if the story you told me is to be believed, the banshee actually fought the other five legacies when they created the spell.”
“You were a part of a circle? Did it stabilize after you joined?” I’m trying to remember everything written in the old booklet about the joint spell. If a circle of six is incomplete, what about a circle of seven?
“Unfortunately, the circle I wanted to join broke as soon as they unleashed my fire drake powers...” she trails off. “That’s why we need to find another way to lift the joint spell.”
Silence reigns between us for a sticky moment.
“How does a circle break?” I dare to ask at last.
Zach rolls his shoulders back while his mother stares unseeing out the car window. “One way is through abandonment, like Cami’s mom did when she left Elmwick behind. The links between the legacies can’t survive permanent geographical separation.”
Mrs. Hastings turns back to us, her dark eyes fixed on mine. “The other is through death. When someone in the circle dies, the entire circle breaks.”
I lean back in my seat to mull this over. “Someone died...” I whisper more to myself than to her.
“Not just someone,” Mrs. Hastings corrects with a grim expression. “The entire circle died. Everyone but the banshee and me. Because of the latest information you uncovered, I finally understand why. The banshee didn’t support the joint spell, so she is spared when the spell breaks. The others are punished for the mistakes of their ancestors.”
The limo’s tires screech at a turn as I try to swallow down that chilling revelation.
“That’s why we must find another way to undo the joint spell for you two,” Mrs. Hastings says with calm finality. “What Zoe and I did in our ignorance shall never be repeated.”
Zach nods with a stony expression, then glances at me out of the corner of his eye. “Now that you know what hangs in the balance, are you in, mate? It’s going to be dangerous. We’ll have to chase rumors among the legacies and hunters alike until we find a way to safely undo the joint spell.”
“And if we succeed, then what?” I feel my pulse in my throat.
“Then we can finally be free, become what we were always meant to be. Oh, and help Cami and her circle before they implode.” Zach winks with a toothy grin.
I can sense it on him—the desire for greatness, for the power coursing through our veins. But I see the flames of the explosion. I remember the warnings in the old tale from the booklet. The joint spell was placed on our kind for a reason. And if the fiery temper roaring in my chest is any indication, these powers will prove tricky to control.
I’m not ready to be a legacy.
Even though Father hinted at our special abilities, I never thought of myself as a legacy. I am on the humans’ side. I have to be.
Zach narrows his eyes at me, still expecting a reply.
“I’m in.” I don’t see another path forward right now.
Heritage: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel (Elmwick Academy Book 3) Page 9
