by K. K. Allen
We link arms and try to blend in the way Rose insisted during our meeting tonight. We play games, eat greasy and sweet food, get dizzy on the rides, and have our picture taken in the photo booth. Dare I say, we’re actually having a decent time.
As the sun lowers its curtain and the moon takes center stage, the lights of the carnival come to life. The crowd grows thicker, and the voices carry more elation as guests wander around with their cotton candy and stuffed-toy prizes.
A drumbeat starts from the entertainment stage, drawing my attention. Trisha and I turn to find a band kicking off their performance, and Trisha’s face lights up. She grabs my hand and tugs me through the sea of faces to get as close to the front as possible. I love to see Trisha so happy, but there’s an uneasiness in my chest that I can’t quite shake enough to enjoy the show.
Now that the sky has darkened, my anxiety has spiked. When the lights from the stage flicker and a loud screech sounds over the speakers, my instinct kicks in. Being trapped in this crowd is the last place we should be if anything goes down.
I gesture for Trisha to follow me, and we maneuver through sweaty bodies and toward the back of the stage, where a ladder is propped against it.
“Spot me,” I tell her. “I’m going up to check things out.”
“What? Why?”
I frown. “I’m feeling restless, and I’m tired of waiting for something to go wrong or to get a call on the walkie. I just want to get a full view of the carnival and see for myself that everything is okay.”
She doesn’t look convinced as I start to climb the ladder, pulling myself up rung by rung until I reach the top. I poke my head over the edge of the thick fabric wall of the stage and look out over the crowd. From this height, I can see every inch of the park.
A shake of the ladder snaps me back to my mission. “Whoa.” I look down.
Trisha holds up her hands. “Sorry!”
I look around back out at the crowd to see if I can spot anything unusual, but everything appears to be normal—then a bloodcurdling scream shakes the night.
All the hair on my neck rises as I look down toward the sound. And then I see him—a boy about twelve years old stumbling through the exit of the haunted house, clutching his leg where a large shard of glass sticks out and blood drips around it.
I push the button on my walkie-talkie, my heart beating fast. “Is anyone else near the haunted house? A young boy needs help.”
There’s a crackle, followed by Charlotte’s voice. “We’ll head there now. What’s wrong?”
“Not sure, but I’m heading there now too.” I fly down the ladder too quickly. Even my heightened senses can’t stop me from slipping on the overly greased rung and falling the rest of the way down. I crash into Trisha with a thud. She moans, but it only takes her a few seconds to sit up and look at me, bewildered.
“What the heck, Kat? Who screamed?”
“I’m so sorry.” I help her up. “Someone’s hurt. Let’s go.”
Trisha and I begin jogging around the concert crowd and down the main drive toward the haunted house, where Rose has already reached the boy. She gestures for me to help carry him to the grass, then she puts one hand on his injured leg and applies pressure while using her other hand to pull the glass out of his upper thigh.
The boy is numb to the pain, thanks to Rose, but she has to work extra hard to keep the blood from spilling out in bucketfuls. Charlotte appears by our side and begins to ask the boy a million questions. Apparently, he was standing in the room of mirrors when one of the mirrors cracked and shards of broken glass started flying. He was lucky enough to be facing away from the spray, but some small fragments of glass still caught his face.
How does glass just go flying on its own? I’m sickened, because I already know this was no accident. I’m about to ask the boy if there was anyone else in the room with him when I see adults carrying out three more bloodied children.
“Oh no,” I mouth. I’m dazed as I take in their wounds.
Trisha takes off running toward them.
“Call 911,” Rose yells to Charlotte, just loudly enough for me to hear.
I look at her, confused. “Can’t we heal them?”
Rose shakes her head, already looking exhausted. “No, not tonight. We must reserve our energy. Those with critical needs will be healed, but the rest will need to be cared for by professionals. I’m afraid this is only the beginning.”
Only the beginning?
A loud rumbling noise causes Rose and I to turn our heads back to the haunted house. Escaping one of the open windows on the top floor is a colorful arrangement of flickering lights glowing from overhead, but that’s not all. A shadow crosses the windows, and another terrifying scream ricochets through the night, piercing the sky. My body is jolted to life, not only alerting my senses, but igniting the fire within me.
Charlotte is already running toward the haunted house, along with four other Enchanters, when I’m alerted by another desperate cry on my radio. The cord dangles by my side, so I grab it and stick the earpiece in my ear. I wait for the voices to come. After another click and a hiss, I hear some feedback. I wait anxiously for someone to speak, but nothing comes.
“Help!” The voice coming through the speaker sounds distant but terrified. And then there’s another crackle. My pulse races as I recognize Alec’s voice. “We… garden maze… We can’t…”
The radio goes silent. I bang on it and try the button again. “Alec?” It’s completely dead, and from the desperation in Alec’s voice, I have no time to waste. I yank off the walkie-talkie and start running.
“Where are you going? Katrina!” Rose is screaming at me.
“The garden maze,” I yell back. “Alec needs help.”
“Wait, stop!” Rose commands, but I can’t wait or stop, not when someone clearly needs me. If everyone is flocking to the haunted house, then no one will be able to help anyone else.
The maze is on the other side of the carnival, but I don’t stop running until I’m standing at the entrance. The white lights that once lit the large arched sign above are dim but buzzing fervently. I tense and look over my shoulder. It’s as if the carnival guests have all gone silent. All the game and ride activities have come to a halt, and a large dark cloud now hangs over Summer Island. This can’t be good.
A blue glow that shines above the outside hedge comes from a deeper part of the maze. My heart picks up speed when I realize the light could be Johnny’s. I remember it from when he used it against me to block my energy blast, holding me off like he was defending his life against an attacker when I thought it was the other way around. Could he be with Alec? Could they both be in trouble?
More panic rushes through me as I move through the maze. The moon’s glow casts shadows around me, as if providing a nightlight for my private viewing. My path is formed by long, winding hedges that are dimly lit on either side by the branch lights. Every inch of the hedge is carefully sculpted, the tops rounded, obviously crafted to feature a whimsical environment. There are patterns etched into the greenery and bright tropical flowers blooming before my eyes.
The maze seems endless with all its twists, turns, and many dead ends. At one point, I swear I feel something poking me in the back. I swivel around, expecting to find a tree branch or something, but nothing is there. With a squeeze of my necklace and a calming breath, I force myself forward.
I turn right at the next intersection, knowing I’m now terribly lost with no hope of going back the way I came in. When I get to the next dead end, anger blows through me. All around me, I hear faint echoes of laughter through the breeze, as if the trees find my journey humorous. I’m over this already. I just want to get to that light. To Alec. To Johnny. To the end. And then I want to get the hell out of here.
After I make the next turn, I’m caught in what looks like another dead end. I growl out a scream of frustration, almost missing the swinging tree branch heading straight for me. It’s moving with so much force, I swear it’s tryi
ng to decapitate me. I stumble backward to avoid it then trip and fall to the ground. When I jump to my feet and shake off the dirt that’s dusted my backside, I forge forward with determination.
The blue glow shines high over the shrubs like a beacon in the night, a signal meant just for me. It is Johnny. It has to be him. I know his light the same way I sensed that he was my Fated. It’s something that I just know.
I also realize this could very well be a trap, but isn’t that where all of this was going to lead, anyway? So what if it is? Erebus can’t touch me. Not with this locket bound to my wrist.
I approach an opening in the path, and it’s as if an entirely new world is opening up before me. Even in my fraught state, it’s an enchanting sight. A waterfall spills effortlessly over a pool of fresh water. A butterfly circles above, the loud fluttering of its wings echoing through the air.
I’ve been transported to a tranquil spring of pure beauty and freshly cut grass. Bright-green leaves and buds of large flowers bloom before my eyes, but it’s the aroma of orange blossoms that stimulate my senses. Large oak trees grow tall as their roots sprout endless tangles. My worries are momentarily hypnotized.
A bird chirps near my ear as I approach the pond, and I watch it with a frozen fascination as it starts to transform. Its clipped blue wings and spiked beak morph into a raven right as it approaches my head.
It flaps its wings straight toward me, but I move just in time so that it only brushes my cheek, burning the spot that it touched. I press my palm to the burn, healing it quickly, then look around in a panic at the possessed maze.
There’s a sinking in my chest, but I have no time to make sense of it, because a bat swoops in, its eyes bloodred. I swear its teeth are in the shape of razors. I duck as it flies over my head, squealing when it crosses my path.
And just like that, the beautiful garden of tranquility transforms into something from a nightmare. Leaves crisp before my very eyes, then they drop to the ground like they’ve seen their last season. The cascading water dries to nothing, and the blue pond thickens to mud.
“What the—”
Bubbling brown liquid creeps toward me, and I back up quickly, but my foot catches on a root that brings me down onto my back. An excruciating pain shoots up my side, and I howl just as I feel something slide around my ankle. I look down to see the tree roots snaking around me until their ends become snake heads, reminding me of the black slithering creature from Weeki Wachee.
A scream escapes me as I jump to my feet and run back toward the entrance—but there is no entrance. The hedges that formed the walkway are weaving together slowly and securely as if the branches are needles and the green leaves are a thread sewing it together, blocking my only path to escape.
I’m forced to turn around. Whoever is doing this wants me right where I am. As I peer back out at the dark-brown muddy water, it quickly transforms again to flowing fiery-red lava. The squawking of birds irritates my ears as a bright blue glow catches my eye. On the other side of the meadow, another set of hedges untangle, creating a clear and narrow pathway.
Somehow, I know without a doubt that this was a trap, the haunted house was a decoy, and through the passage is where I’m meant to face Erebus.
The blue glow coming from behind the hedge increases in intensity, and I’m terrified of what I’ll find. I inhale deeply and squeeze my emerald, but nothing can prepare me for what I see as I step around the corner.
Johnny is tied to a tree with a thick layer of rope, his body badly beaten, his clothes torn and dirty. His head sags forward, and his eyes are closed. His face is white, like he’s been drained of all his energy. Blood has soaked through his hair on one side of his head. However he got here, he didn’t come willingly. That much is obvious.
“Johnny.” My voice is strangled, weighted with emotion.
His head rises, and relief rushes through my veins. I throw myself toward him, reaching for his face when I get close. “I’m so sorry. I should have never told you to go. I was wrong.” My whisper is barely audible above the silent sob that escapes as I call his name again.
When he doesn’t respond, I put my lips to his. Maybe if I transfer my energy to him, at least some of it, he can begin to heal. But just as our mouths meet, he groans and shakes his head, refusing my powers. His eyes grow wide as he looks over my shoulder. “Get out of here, Kat,” he croaks. “Run.”
I swivel around and duck in response to the gleaming silver knife flying toward my head, gold energy swirling around it. When it misses, it hovers in place while taking swift swipes at me, causing me to dodge its blade. The knife swipes for me again, but this time, I snatch it from the air and hold it up as I search for the one controlling it. It takes all my strength to keep it steady.
“Who’s there?” I demand.
A familiar giggle is the response, irritating the very core of my being. I know that giggle well. “Ava. I know it’s you.”
She steps around the nearest hedge with a smile. “Welcome to the Maze of Equinox. Hope your journey wasn’t too treacherous.”
Her voice is sticky sweet, and the way she says my name ignites the flame in my chest. There’s an instant when I want to believe that she’s just up to her old taunting and bullying again. Anything is better than believing what I know in my gut to be true. She’s an Equinox, possibly being possessed by Erebus at this moment.
Just when I think I have it all sorted out in my mind, another figure steps out from behind the hedge. Green eyes stare back at me, and it’s all I can do to not crumple into a heap on the ground. Alec looks at Ava then back at me, and the sight of him hits me like ice running through my veins. “No,” I say, shaking my head. “No.” A tear rolls down my cheek. Although Alec and I haven’t spoken for some time now, his betrayal is still a blow to my heart.
Ava tilts her head and pouts, mocking me with pure joy. “Oh yes, Kat. I can’t tell you how happy I was when I found out Alec was one of us.” Her eyes twinkle with malicious evil as her hands rise slowly, creating a string of electricity from one to the other. She looks to Alec, and he raises his hands too. A ball of fire rages to life in his hands.
I take in a sharp breath as I absorb the shock. Alec is an Equinox? But even as I’m hearing Ava tell me this and seeing Alec’s magic for myself, something doesn’t sit right with me.
“What do you want?” I ask Ava over the sound of the crackling fire and the sizzle of electricity.
She laughs. “Don’t you already know?”
She swirls her finger in the air, sending a small tornado of gold energy whirling above it. And that’s when it hits me. Only an Equinox possessed by Erebus can use magic. But if Erebus took Ava, then how can Alec create the fireball that’s in his hands? My eyes dart between them. I’m vibrating with confusion and anger, and my mind is swirling with all the possibilities.
Frustrated, my focus lands on Ava. “If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it by now. So, if it’s not my death you want then what is it, Ava? Or do I call you Erebus?”
Her expression morphs into a sneer. “Call me what you want. Won’t be long before you’re seeing the world through my eyes, anyway.”
A quiver shudders through me, and I shake my head. “Never.” I hold up my wrist. “I’m protected again. Guess you missed your chance.”
Ava’s eyes narrow. “It was removed from you once. It can be removed from you again.” She takes a step forward, and Alec follows. “Your people continue to underestimate me, which is why I thought it was time we finally meet.” Her palm opens to me, the tips of her fingers pushing toward me to release a string of gold lightning aimed straight for my chest.
I drop the knife in time for my palms to shoot out to stop the gold streak of lightning bullet from reaching me. The pressure of my power pushes against her creation, forcing it back in her direction. It’s a game of tug-of-war that she’s quickly losing.
Her smile fades, and her eyes turn to me with an evil glow. The stories Rose shared with us come back to
me now as I experience what she did a decade ago. When Erebus becomes vulnerable, his light shines brightly, exposing him to the point that he can’t hold much of a defense.
She glances at Alec and growls, “A little help here.”
Alec nods like a disciple under the spell of his leader then steps toward me. As hard as it is to find a single breath and focus on my light that’s quickly overpowering Erebus’s, I know I have to.
Alec stalks toward me, tipping the fiery ball into one of his hands, then cocks his arm back like he’s going to throw it. “I’m sorry for everything, Kat.” His eyes flicker with genuine sympathy before he swivels quickly and tosses the wild ball at Ava’s head, setting her hair on fire.
Ava’s scream is a high-pitched squeal as strands of her hair fan her head. Sparks and ash fly in every direction. She looks at Alec with betrayal in her eyes. “You’re going to pay for that!” Her voice morphs into something deeper, darker, and evil, with a hint of a Greek accent that sickens me to my core.
Alec runs to Johnny and releases the rope that binds him to the tree. I can’t see their interaction, but I can hear it. Alec seems frantic with apologies while Johnny only grumbles and demands to be released. There’s no forgiveness, but at least Johnny is free. Now that I know Alec isn’t a threat, my concentration returns fully to my powers, and I continue to push them toward a weakening Erebus. I could kill Ava’s shell of a body now. It would be so simple. But I have some questions first.
“How many Equinox are here tonight?” I demand.
Ava smirks. She’s obviously over Alec’s betrayal—or whatever that was. “More than you can imagine.”
“Why were you there the night of the Fourth of July bonfire?” While I think I already know, I want to hear it from the source.
The glee on Ava’s face becomes supercharged. “To meet the new direct descendant, of course. Ava has been quite accommodating in her mission. The way she pushed poor Iris into that fire to expose your light.” Ava lets out a blissful sigh.
