Birthright

by A. P. Jensen

  Chapter Sixteen

  She was being shaken awake. Her limbs felt as if she had weights strapped to them. Jordan could hear someone snoring. That was enough to make her eyes open. She glared at the dark figure beside her bed.

  “Heath?”

  “Come on, y’all. Wake up.”

  Jordan blinked several times. “What time is it?”

  “Around three.”

  “In the morning?”

  Heath flipped back the blankets. Jordan let out a hiss and found Cibrian and Levi in bed with her. Knight stood nearby, watching Heath who shifted uneasily. Jordan yanked her feet away from Cibrian who was using them for a pillow. He frowned, wrinkled his nose and resumed his deafening snores. Heath jostled the bed and Levi’s eyes glowed amber in the darkness.

  “What are we doing?” he asked, voice rough from sleep.

  “We all need to Ground ourselves. Help me drag Cibrian outside,” Heath said, exasperated.

  They trudged outside, holding Cibrian between them. It was dark, but the moon offered much needed light. It was eerily silent and the cool morning air woke her more effectively than anything else. Knight came alongside her, rubbing against her like a cat and she grinned and ran her hands through his fur. She missed a step when she saw Mr. Parker standing next to the stream waiting for them.

  “You two ready to Ground yourself?” Mr. Parker asked the boys.

  Cibrian yawned while Levi looked suddenly wary. Mr. Parker gestured them closer to the water.

  “Every morning you’ll wake with a new store of energy. The stronger your power is, the more intense the heat of your power. For some, it feels like minor hunger pains and for others,” Mr. Parker glanced at Jordan and there was understanding in his gaze, “It’s an all-consuming, gut wrenching chaos. To rid yourself of the power you generate, channel your power out by using one of the elements that you have an affinity for.” Mr. Parker looked at Levi and raised a brow. “What have you been doing to Ground yourself in the mornings?”

  “Ground?”

  “Meditation or Grounding is the act of releasing excess energy.” At Levi’s guarded look he added, “How have you been able to function without the pill?”

  “I used to follow people around Haven. I could hear people walking past my door and I could track them through the halls. When I was out of my room, I could follow the same path, as if their trail had been burned into the floor.”

  “Interesting. How did you track Jordan after she left the ground? We flew from Nevada to Texas.”

  “I lost her trail on the ground, but I can still sense her presence. I don’t know how I do it.”

  Mr. Parker cocked his head. “Would you be able to track the Master of Haven?”

  Levi looked disturbed by the question, but he nodded. “Maybe.”

  “We’ll talk about that later. So, you’re an earth and fire element?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mr. Parker looked around and patted a dead tree. Its limbs were scattered around in pieces as if a bear hacked them off.

  “Since you’re an Eliten, why don’t you bring it back to life?”

  “What?”

  Heath stared at Mr. Parker as if he was crazy. Mr. Parker crossed his arms and gave Levi an expectant look.

  “Well?”

  Levi looked from the tree to Mr. Parker and then Jordan who stood off to the side with Knight. When she met his eyes, she shook her head ever so slightly.

  You don’t have to do what he says, she said.

  Levi didn’t answer her. He turned to the tree and walked around it once before he set his hands on the trunk and closed his eyes.

  “What are you doing?” Heath hissed at his friend.

  Mr. Parker didn’t take his eyes away from Levi. “Get a handle on your power. Fill yourself with it.”

  Levi felt a familiar heat start in his belly and travel through his whole body until he felt toasty warm.

  “Focus your power on the tree. Channel your life into it.” Mr. Parker said, watching Levi closely.

  They all stood in silence. The rush of the stream seemed very loud in the morning quiet. Even though the sun had yet to rise, the darkness was still warm enough that Jordan was glad she was wearing a shirt and pajama shorts. A loud slap from Cibrian had everyone but Levi snapping their attention to him.

  “Mosquito.”

  Heath shook his head and muttered, “Sissy.”

  Jordan narrowed her eyes on Levi. If Mr. Parker told her to make a tree come back to life, she would have stared at him as if he was crazy, but Levi hadn’t said a word. Could he do it? Besides being able to talk telepathically, he’d never shown her anything magical. Did he know more about this world than he let on?

  Cibrian fidgeted and slapped at more mosquitoes while everyone else stayed completely silent and focused on Levi. Just when Jordan opened her mouth to put a stop to this, she heard a deep in drawn breath and it wasn’t from any of them. The nubs on the tree stretched and hummed. The tree trunk twisted back and forth like someone cracking their back after being in the same position too long. The tree wriggled its roots and Jordan saw the dirt sift as the roots burrowed deeper.

  Levi patted the tree and his lips curved as if he was amused by something.

  You can heal trees? Jordan demanded incredulously.

  Levi shrugged. I guess so. I wasn’t sure.

  You weren’t sure, she said in disbelief. How do you even try to heal a tree?

  Heath gaped at Levi and then turned to Mr. Parker. “How do you know what people can do? I hate when you do shit like that.”

  Mr. Parker tried to act indifferent, but his mouth quirked at the corner. “Come on, Cibrian. You’re next.”

  “I can’t heal anything,” Cibrian said, slapping his cheek and then his neck. “I don’t have an affinity for the earth. Is someone directing these mosquitoes to me or what?”

  “Maybe they like you,” Heath said innocently.

  “I know you’re not an earth talent, numbskull,” Mr. Parker said.

  “I’ve been levitating things,” Cibrian said proudly.

  Levi walked over to Jordan and she glared at him. He ignored her, eyes still on the tree. He closed his eyes and cocked his head as if listening to something.

  What are you doing?

  The tree says Kelly killed it.

  Kelly? She couldn’t believe it.

  She was throwing fireballs at Parker before she tried to freeze him in a block of ice. When he kept breaking through all her magic, she went berserk and killed the tree.

  And the tree is telling you this. She couldn’t keep the skepticism out of her voice.

  He cracked open his eye. “Yup. He’s very talkative.”

  “A frickin’ tree, Levi? Really?”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “You don’t think it’s weird that a tree is talking to you?”

  A shrug. “When we were in Haven, I talked to sand, but it’s pretty lazy. They don’t talk much.”

  “Shh,” Cibrian admonished so they would look at him.

  Once he had everyone’s attention, Cibrian focused on Knight. His eyes lit with wicked glee and he looked at Jordan.

  “May I?”

  “If you drop him, I can’t save you.”

  Cibrian waved that away and cleared his throat nervously. He waved his hands like a maestro and Heath snickered. Knight watched Cibrian and bared his teeth, but made no move forward. Cibrian’s face screwed up in intense focus and Jordan felt the air stir around her.

  “Damn, he’s heavy,” Cibrian said in a choked tone as if he were trying to bodily lift the cat.

  Cibrian cupped his palms and braced his whole body. They all watched as he slowly, excruciatingly moved up one inch. His body shook and sweat dripped down his face. They all stared at Knight who still seemed solidly planted on the ground.

  Heath lay on the grass, face pressed sideways. “Oh. Yeah, the cat’s up one inch.”

  Levi copied and confirmed
, “Yup. The cat’s barely off the ground.”

  They all jumped when Knight thumped back to earth. He hissed at Cibrian before he rubbed himself against Jordan. Cibrian sank to the grass, panting.

  Mr. Parker shook his head at his nephew. “Cibrian, the point of Grounding yourself is to get rid of excess power, not deplete yourself completely. Now, you don’t have any power left. Your body won’t regenerate that energy back until noon or later.”

  “I’m fine.” Cibrian stood, staggered and tumbled back to the grass.

  Mr. Parker stood over him. “You have a lot to learn. Your mind is bigger than your power. If someone were to attack you right now, you’d be defenseless.”

  Cibrian muttered incoherently into the grass.

  “Why do Cibrian and Levi have a better hold on their power than me?” Jordan asked.

  “The more power you have, the harder it is to control. William’s interference didn’t help. He taught you to hold onto your power until you explode,” Mr. Parker answered.

  “Breakfast!” Kelly called from the porch.

  Mr. Parker and Heath left without a backwards glance. Cibrian remained sprawled on the grass like a drunk. He groaned when the men were out of earshot.

  “I think I pulled something,” Cibrian moaned.

  “Why didn’t you pick up Jordan? She’s only weighs a hundred,” Levi said.

  Jordan crouched beside Cibrian. “Can you get up?”

  Cibrian grunted. Jordan stroked Knight’s ears and jerked her head at Cibrian. Knight gave her a long, disapproving stare before he leaned down and nudged Cibrian, who yelped, rolled and sprang to his feet.

  “Mission accomplished.”

  They trudged up to the house and Knight disappeared into the surrounding forest. Instead of sitting at the dining room table, the men sat on stools around the island. Everyone watched Kelly cook. She put a large pot on the stove and tipped a whole package of bloody bacon in. Next, she tipped a whole carton of eggs, which landed with a crunching sound that made Levi wince.

  “Sausages!” Heath reminded her, interrupting Mr. Parker to make his suggestion.

  Kelly smiled good-naturedly and pulled frozen sausages out of the freezer and tossed them over the smashed eggs. She grabbed two unpeeled onions and a carton of milk and poured a healthy dose over the mush.

  “Am I forgetting something?” she mused.

  Levi glanced at Jordan, opened and then closed his mouth. Jordan had seen and tasted enough of Kelly’s cooking not to question her.

  “Oh!” Kelly said.

  From the unfathomable depths of the refrigerator, she pulled out six unpeeled, dirty potatoes and tossed them into the pot with a loud plop. Kelly splayed her hands on the metal sides and the pot glowed red for several seconds. Kelly looked down at the contents within and with a nod of satisfaction, pulled her hands away. She grabbed plates from a cupboard that had been empty a minute before and dug into the pot.

  Levi’s mouth dropped open when a perfect steaming omelet with bacon, sausage and onions was placed on the plate. Kelly dug into the pot once more and placed two square hash browns beside the perfectly formed omelet. She served everyone who dug in with great gusto.

  Jordan and Levi looked down at the omelet with evenly cut bacon, onions and sausages and shook their heads. Jordan tentatively forked up a small piece of the omelet and waited for the crunch of eggshells, but there was none. Kelly poured cups of coffee, milk, juice and cocoa and finally sat. She looked distracted and worried. The men didn’t notice. Their voices rumbled around the island, only pausing in their talk to swallow before resuming.

  “What’s wrong?” Jordan asked.

  “It’s going to be a crazy day,” Kelly said, coffee mug clasped between her hands.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want to go to the capital when there’s so much going on. Our world is very unsettled right now and-”

  Jordan’s appetite vanished. “You’re going somewhere?”

  “We all are.”

  Kelly sighed and jogged up the stairs in the corner of the kitchen.

  “We are?” Levi and Jordan said together.

  “Well, yeah,” Cibrian said with his mouth full.

  They rounded on him.

  “What are you talking about?” Levi demanded and waited impatiently for Cibrian to finish swallowing the last of his omelet.

  “Now that we’re Awakened we have to go to school.”

  “Today?” Levi’s voice was a little higher than normal.

  Cibrian gave him an irritated look as if he should be able to read between the lines. “We have to be chosen to go to a certain school first. Duh.”

  Although Levi and Cibrian were the same height, Levi managed to look down at him.

  “Explain, you rich snob.”

  Cibrian huffed. “You can’t just choose whatever school you want. The school chooses you.”

  Jordan turned from her half eaten plate, completely distracted now. “And how exactly is a school supposed to pick-”

  “Everybody get dressed. Be in the backyard in ten minutes,” Mr. Parker said. “Kelly’s upstairs getting your things ready.”

  “Ready? Ready for what?” Jordan demanded.

  “Nine minutes, thirty eight seconds and counting,” Mr. Parker barked.

  Cibrian went upstairs and they rushed after him, confused and worried. Jordan walked into her room as Kelly lay out a fur lined jacket, boots and jeans on the bed. She was already dressed in similar winter clothing. Jordan opened her mouth to speak, but Kelly waved her towards the bathroom.

  “Get dressed. We don’t have a lot of time. I’ve already packed the things you’ll need when we get there. Levi’s things are already there if he asks.”

  Kelly sped out of Jordan’s bedroom.

  “What the-”

  Levi and Cibrian came into her room. Levi was arguing with Cibrian about putting on a thick parka.

  “It’s frickin June!” Levi snapped.

  Cibrian glared at him as he put on red gloves, looped a thick matching scarf around his neck and put on earmuffs. “Fine. Freeze your ass then.” Cibrian turned to Jordan. “Hurry up. You don’t want Uncle Van to come after you.”

  “But I don’t-” Jordan stopped when Cibrian started for her.

  She dashed into the bathroom and changed into the winter clothes. She knew she looked ridiculous. She could hear the guys arguing through the door. Jordan came out of the bathroom and with the boys still bickering, walked down the staircase, through the kitchen and out the back door. Mr. Parker, Heath and Kelly turned as the teenagers came out on the porch. Aside from Heath, the adults were dressed in heavy fur lined jackets, snow boots, scarves and gloves.

  “Let’s go,” Mr. Parker said.

  Jordan glanced up at the clear sky and moved to stand beside Cibrian. “Why are we dressed for a snowstorm?” A trickle of sweat made its way down the side of her neck.

  “You’ll be grateful in a minute,” Cibrian said.

  They started around the left side of the house. Jordan’s heart plummeted when Mr. Parker stepped off the deck and made his way towards the forest beyond the glass dome. A nasty premonition formed in her mind. She half turned to glare at Cibrian.

  “Are we going to your house?” she hissed.

  “Yup. Try not to kill my mom.”

  Mr. Parker paused by the bridge leading to Tolly property. “We don’t break formation. If something happens, continue on and I’ll take care of it.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes and whispered, “He’s being dramatic.”

  “Let’s do this,” Mr. Parker said.

  Knight and Mr. Parker looked at one another for a long moment before they fell to the back of the group. Kelly was at the front of the group with Heath and started the group off at a light run that Jordan couldn’t match. Mr. Parker hissed impatiently when Knight stopped beside her and let her clamber on. Watching everyone run in winter gear on a summer night was bizarre. By the ti
me they looked down at Tolly House, everyone was out of breath and the smell of sweat stung the air. Mr. Parker, Kelly and Heath disappeared inside. Levi made a show of smoothing his hair back while Cibrian bent over, wheezing.

  “I’m telling you, I’m faster,” Levi, said.

  “You heard Uncle Van- I’m depleted. You can’t hold this race against me,” Cibrian complained.

  “Excuses,” Levi sneered.

  Cibrian opted to ignore that. He walked over to Jordan when she jumped off of Knight and slung an arm around her shoulders, which was turning out to be a habit. Jordan dug in her heels.

  “What’s up?” Cibrian asked her.

  “I really don’t want to see your mom.”

  “If she’s still in a bad mood, light her hair on fire again. That’ll shut her up,” Cibrian said with a cheeky smile.

  “We’re going into winter wonderland aren’t we?”

  Cibrian nodded and tried to move her forward, but still she resisted.

  “Your mom’s coming with us?”

  Cibrian sighed. “She is, but once we get there, she’ll go off and do her own thing.”

  Mr. Parker came onto the porch. “Let’s go.”

  Jordan tensed when they walked through the open doorway of Tolly House. Automatically, she looked up at the falling pink sky and blinked. Both times she’d been here everything was illuminated by sunlight, but now the interior of the house mirrored the darkness outside. The rose petals still drifted down, but in the darkness they were menacing. The same moon outside cast faint light over the blanket of snow and field of flowers. Kelly and Heath stood in the winter scene, hoods up with tiny snowflakes drifting over them. They looked into the distance as if they were waiting for something.

  “You coming?” Mr. Parker asked.

  Jordan looked around and saw Knight slip inside the house before Mr. Parker closed the door. Knight stalked into the meadow scene and went low on his belly in the high grass, effectively disappearing. Jordan wondered if he was waiting for the Master to reappear.

  “Cibrian!” Rhonda called, rushing down the stairs. “Do you have everything you need?”

  “Yes,” Cibrian said, rolling his eyes.

  She tugged on his scarf, tears in her eyes. “No matter what school you get into, you’re gonna be great.”

  “I know,” he said.

  She hugged him and smiled when she saw Levi. She winked at Jordan and hurried back up the stairs to the floor above.

  “She’s not coming with us?” Jordan asked Cibrian.

  “No. She hates crowds.” He rubbed his hands together. “And I’ll be with you guys the whole time.”

  There was a loud crunching sound and Jordan turned back to the winter scene as two humongous boxes on skis slid eerily through the snowfall and came to a stop in front of Kelly. The bottom half of the boxes were made of a strange iridescent metal that gleamed. The top half of the boxes were made of impenetrable dark glass that Jordan suspected was Heath’s doing. Jordan took a step back and bumped into a hard chest. She glanced up at Mr. Parker who didn’t say anything. He reached out and flicked the hood of her jacket up.

  Kelly swung open the door to the first box and disappeared inside. Cibrian started towards the second box, opened the door and hopped in as casually as if it was a car. The size of one box was comparable to two hummers put together. Levi followed Cibrian into the second box.

  “Donovan,” a soft voice crooned.

  Ruth glided down the steps. She wore a flowing white coat made of fur. With her hood covering her long hair, she looked identical to Kelly. Jordan felt her hackles rise and hoped she did some damage to Ruth’s hair.

  “Ruth,” Mr. Parker acknowledged.

  Ruth stepped off the stairs and came down the path. Jordan tried to move towards the winter scene and stepped on Mr. Parker’s shoes instead. He placed his hands on her shoulders, keeping her with him. Ruth never once looked at Jordan, she was completely focused on Mr. Parker.

  “It’s been a long time,” Ruth said in an intimate voice.

  Mr. Parker grunted and Ruth’s eyes narrowed fractionally.

  “I trust you heard that Seth and I divorced?”

  The way Ruth looked at Mr. Parker- the possessiveness, the invitation made Jordan’s stomach turn. Ruth obviously didn’t care that his daughter was listening to every word. And she called Jordan’s mom trash?

  Mr. Parker felt Jordan tense. “Seth is a good man,” he said, keeping his distance and not encouraging Ruth one bit. “Have you met Jordan?”

  Ruth’s eyes didn’t lower to Jordan and her jaw locked. “Yes.”

  “Did you meet Levi too? Both of them are with me,” Mr. Parker continued blithely.

  Ruth waved a dismissive hand. “Whatever. I don’t care. I want to talk to you about us-”

  Mr. Parker whirled away from Ruth and pushed Jordan behind him as the front door to Tolly House opened. A woman with straight brown hair and brown eyes rushed towards Ruth and engulfed her in a hug. Over the woman’s shoulder, Ruth’s face was twisted in disgust. The second figure, a handsome man who couldn’t be much older than Jordan went over to Mr. Parker. He had striking gold eyes and blonde hair.

  “Donovan,” he said.

  “Luther,” Mr. Parker said with a bite in his voice.

  “It’s been a while.”

  Mr. Parker didn’t respond.

  The woman hugging Ruth pulled away and the smile that lit her face blew away any doubts Jordan had. This was another sister of Kelly’s. How many did she have? This woman looked closer to Ruth’s age.

  Ruth pushed her sister away. “Get off, Monica. You’re crushing my fur.”

  Monica skipped towards Mr. Parker and went on her tiptoes to brush her mouth against his cheek.

  “Hello brother in law,” Monica chirped. “I’ve been hearing some very weird rumors.”

  “Have you?”

  She slapped his chest. “Don’t be coy, Donovan. Who’s trying to claim you this time?”

  In answer, Mr. Parker shifted to the side, wrapped a hand around Jordan’s wrist and drew her in front of him. Luther and Monica looked from Jordan to Mr. Parker and back again.

  “Is this a joke?” Monica asked uncertainly.

  “This is my daughter.”

  Monica sputtered, but Mr. Parker’s attention was on Luther whose gold eyes fixed on Jordan. There was a faint stirring in the air and her hair shifted restlessly as if something drew in her scent. Jordan felt the hair on the nape of her neck stand up.

  “What do you think of her, Luther?” Mr. Parker asked in a deceptively calm tone.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know exactly what I mean.”

  Luther removed his gaze from Jordan and looked at Mr. Parker. “How about you spell it out for me?”

  Mr. Parker’s muscles bunched as if he wanted nothing more than to pounce and beat the crap out of this guy. Before Mr. Parker could respond, Monica spoke up.

  “We have a soul tie, Donovan. He doesn’t care if she’s a Grounder,” Monica said.

  Understanding flooded Jordan. She took a step away from Luther. This ordinary looking guy was a sorcerer and Kelly’s sister was a Grounder too. Monica willingly tied herself to this sorcerer and she sounded so proud. Visions of the pain she felt when William forced her into the soul tie, the agony in the dome when the tie was broken, made Jordan shudder.

  Mr. Parker jerked his head around to give Monica a hard look. “When did that happen?”

  She smiled. “Two months ago, if you need to know.”

  There was a strained silence.

  “Thinking about running for office, Luther? There’s an opening in Autumis now, isn’t there?” Mr. Parker said.

  Luther’s hands clenched into fists and Monica huffed indignantly.

  “That’s a rude thing to say, Donovan. You don’t even know him.”

  Mr. Parker ignored her. “What’s your agenda in Wintra?”

  “Wh
at I do is none of your business,” Luther said.

  “I watch out for Kelly’s family as well as my own.”

  “Becoming a Guide is a natural step for a sorcerer. Not everyone thinks becoming a Guide is a prison sentence,” Luther said.

  “Have you told Seth you’re going to back out of the company?”

  Luther shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll support my decision to step up. No one expects me to be a manager in his company for the rest of my life. I’m a sorcerer, after all.”

  “You think you can handle being a Guide?” Mr. Parker asked in a derisive tone.

  The tension escalated. Both sorcerers seemed to be taking up all the air in the room. Luther faced Mr. Parker in a cocky stance, clearly showing he didn’t take the threat emanating from the older man seriously.

  “I think you should be more worried about your family, rather than me.”

  Even as Mr. Parker took a step forward, Luther’s eyes narrowed. He turned towards the meadow scene and Jordan heard a faint rumbling sound.

  “What the-” Luther said.

  The growling grew louder as Knight crept through the meadow. He poked his big face through the long grass to eye Luther with glowing sapphire eyes. Ruth and Monica shrieked. Ruth used her sister as a shield and crouched behind her.

  “It’s a Valor,” Monica said in a wondering tone.

  Mr. Parker nodded with satisfaction when Luther backed up slowly with his hands up. “He was summoned.”

  “Summoned? By who?”

  “Jordan woke up the Parker Guardian,” Mr. Parker said.

  There was a moment of stunned silence.

  “Freak,” Ruth muttered.

  Jordan clenched her fists and Knight focused on Ruth. He bared his teeth in a snarl as if he could feel Jordan’s animosity towards the bitter woman. Knight crept forward so his front paws touched the gold path. His shoulders wriggled as he braced himself to attack.

  Jordan yelled, “Knight! No!”

  “Monica! Luther!” Kelly called and ran across the snow as if it was made of cement.

  Knight didn’t leap, but Jordan felt his aggravation and annoyance. Mr. Parker watched Kelly engulf both of her sisters in a tight embrace and dragged Jordan into the winter scene. It was like walking through an invisible wall. The temperature dropped over eighty degrees in a split second. The sweat that trickled down her back froze and she let out a shriek as cold air blasted her in the face. She sank six inches into the snow while Mr. Parker walked easily over the surface. Snow melted on her face and slid down her chin and chest.

  “What was that all about?” Jordan asked through chattering teeth.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  When he said nothing else, Jordan jerked her arm out of his grip. Snow rained down around them, falling in heavy flakes.

  “Why did you ask him what he thinks of me?” Jordan demanded.

  “Most sorcerers can sense Grounders. I wanted to see if Luther could sense that in you even without your power.” He ran a hand through his hair, dislodging the snow that collected there. “I want to know if William knew for certain you were a Grounder or if someone only suspected you could be.”

  Jordan considered that. “You can’t tell?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know!” he snapped. “You’ve just Awakened, so maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s because you’re my blood… I don’t know.”

  Without further ado, he dragged her the last several feet to the door of the second box and helped her in with a lot more strength than was necessary. Jordan stumbled into the box and glared at Mr. Parker as he slammed the door behind Knight who leapt in nimbly beside her just in time.

  Jordan got to her feet and brushed snow from her coat. The inside of the box was one huge, spacious room. Plush red and white velvet seats lined all four walls like a limo. The top half of the box was made of dark glass. She tilted her head back and looked at the pile of accumulating snow on the ceiling. There was a fire pit in the middle of the room that Cibrian and Levi sat in front of, warming their hands. She knelt on the velvet seats and peered through the heavy falling snow to the figures barely discernible in the distance.

  “What’s up?” Levi asked.

  “Mr. Parker almost kicked that guy’s ass,” Jordan said, tapping her finger on the glass.

  Both boys scrambled up and copied her position on the seat. Knight prowled towards the fire and stretched, claws digging into the carpet before he sprawled beside the fire pit. The teens watched Mr. Parker stalk across the snow and speak to the group standing on the gold path. He jabbed his finger impatiently to the two boxes covered in snow. The group shuffled forward with Mr. Parker’s eyes narrowed on Luther.

  “Who are they?” Levi asked, peering at the two newcomers.

  “The guy is Luther,” Jordan said quietly. “He’s a sorcerer.”

  Levi pulled her off the seat, hazel eyes wide with alarm. “Did he touch you? Did he speak to you? Did-”

  “Nothing happened. Mr. Parker didn’t let him come near me.”

  “Luther’s too young to Fall.” Cibrian watched the exchange between Jordan and Levi. The fear they emitted for a world he’d always felt safe in made him edgy. He didn’t like the sensation.

  “What are you talking about?” Jordan asked.

  “What does his age have to do with Falling?” Levi added.

  “The youngest sorcerer to Fall in history, Jeorge Swan, was thirty two. Sorcerer’s power takes a toll on them as they age,” Cibrian explained.

  “But that doesn’t mean he can’t Fall, right?” Jordan asked.

  Cibrian shrugged. “No, but it’s not likely.”

  “I don’t take chances with sorcerers, period,” Levi said.

  “He has a soul tie to a Grounder,” Jordan said.

  Cibrian goggled. “Say what?”

  “Monica has a soul tie with him.”

  “Aunt Monica tied herself to the bastard? No way!” Cibrian plastered his nose to the glass once more. “No wonder Uncle Van wanted to kill him.”

  “Soul tie? What William did to you?” Levi’s hands tightened on Jordan.

  “Yes. So, he can’t tie himself to anyone else- including me.”

  “I don’t like this,” Levi said.

  “I don’t either. Why’d you call him a bastard?”

  “He must’ve done something to her,” Cibrian said darkly.

  “Why are you saying he popped out of nowhere? You said sorcerers are rare and they can’t hide what they are.”

  Cibrian slapped Levi’s arm for emphasis. “That’s the thing! No one knew he was a sorcerer! Every sorcerer ends up at The Academy, but this guy-” Cibrian jabbed his thumb at the cloaked figure of Luther, “went off to some bogus school in the country.”

  “Well, maybe he got sent to the wrong school,” Jordan said.

  “The Gem doesn’t make mistakes.”

  “Gem?”

  “The Gem decides who goes to what school, which Guide will rule each capital, who will be Warlord, the protector of our world. The Gem looks into your heart, into your power and sees your fate. It doesn’t make mistakes,” Cibrian said.

  “The Gem is a person or thing?” Levi asked, frowning.

  “The Gem is- is a gem,” Cibrian said impatiently, waving his hands.

  “So you guys let a rock rule your world?” Levi stared at Cibrian in disbelief.

  “The Gem’s never led us astray.”

  “How can you let a damn rock decide who you’ll be?”

  “When you meet the Gem, you’ll understand.”

  “I’m not letting a rock decide who I’ll be.”

  Cibrian turned back to the view outside. “Here they come.”

  To Jordan and Levi’s relief, Luther and the other adults climbed into the first box. As if sensing their gaze, Mr. Parker paused and glared at them through the snow before he followed Kelly into the carriage.

  “Monica is Kelly a
nd Ruth’s sister?” Jordan asked Cibrian.

  “She’s the middle sister. Luther made his way to the top in my dad’s company and met Aunt Mon. She started Grounding him. Uncle Van doesn’t trust Luther.”

  “How old is he?” Jordan asked.

  Cibrian snorted. “Twenty five. Aunt Monica is forty.”

  “But they’re not together, right?” Jordan ventured.

  Cibrian shrugged. “Some Grounders and sorcerers aren’t married or lovers, but I heard Aunt Mon is infatuated with Luther. From what I can see, Luther doesn’t want her in any way except to Ground him.”

  “Mr. Parker asked Luther if he was coming to Wintra to become a Guide,” Jordan said carefully.

  Cibrian whistled. “Uncle Van has balls. Now that Luther has a tie with a Grounder, he can do practically anything.”

  “Because he’s a sorcerer and has a soul tie to that lady, he can rule a part of your world? That’s messed up,” Levi said.

  “Many think so. A lot of people want to take sorcerers out of any ruling position altogether. You can see why,” Cibrian shot a meaningful look at Jordan. “People fear their power.”

  “What is this thing?” Jordan asked to change the subject.

  “This? Oh, it’s just a carriage.” Cibrian said dismissively.

  Without warning, both carriages lurched into motion, sending all three tumbling to the cushioned floor, cursing. Knight let out a grunt as he slid a few inches, but he remained prone and unconcerned with the speed of the carriage. Jordan raised her head cautiously and watched the scenery zooming by at a dizzying rate. It felt like they were on a moving train. She could feel the floor shaking ever so slightly beneath them. Holding her arms out for balance, she walked to the front of the carriage and sat on the bench.

  “What’s making them go?” Levi asked.

  “Uncle Van probably. Anyone with an affinity for air can put the carriage into motion,” Cibrian said.

  When they stared at him blankly, Cibrian rolled his eyes.

  Jordan squinted through the blinding white that flew past the window. “Where are we going?”

  “Wintra. It’s one of the four capitals,” Cibrian lounged on a bench. “Mostly Thishe and Undala live there.”

  “The water and air people?”

  Cibrian yawned and crossed his legs at the ankles. “Yeah. Wintra is mostly their territory. People with the same affinity for an element tend to congregate in one place.”

  “How is Parker doing that?” Levi asked in a faint voice.

  The carriages were speeding through a forest that had no path. The trees before the first carriage melted away. Jordan looked towards the back windows and saw the trees reappear as solid and close together as ever.

  Cibrian grinned. “Uncle Van has flair. You don’t ask sorcerers how they do what they do. Most of the time, I don’t think they know either. I would say he’s turning the trees into some kind of liquid so we can pass through.”

  The speed at which they traveled and the way the trees blurred as they shot through and reappeared with dizzying speed made Jordan queasy. She made her way carefully to the fire pit where Knight sprawled and sat beside him. She held her hands out towards the fire. Knight focused on her, dark eyes flickering in the firelight. He watched her expectantly as if waiting for her to say something. She could hear Levi and Cibrian talking somewhere behind her. She looked back at the fire because it was easier than staring into the Valor’s eyes.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing here.” She glanced around at the lush interior of the carriage and shook her head. “I keep expecting to wake up in Haven.” She toyed with the circle pendant resting against her chest. “I keep expecting a guard from Haven to come out of the bushes and drag me off. I don’t understand this world, but it has to be better than what I left behind, right?”

  Knight’s head tilted to the side as if he were taking in every word she said. A small smile curved her mouth. She reached out and scratched him under the chin. His eyes fluttered shut and he purred.

  “You’re my Guardian, aren’t you? You’re supposed to tell me something wise,” she chided.

  The swaying of the carriage lulled Jordan and her eyes drifted shut. She wasn’t aware when she sank, boneless, to the floor. Her head settled on the Valor’s paws and Knight looked down at her, head turning from side to side, watching her like a curious bird.

  Levi let the warmth of his power heat him just in case. Levi stared at the carriage in front of them and felt a chill of unease. After Jordan’s experience with William, the thought of any sorcerer in the same vicinity raised every hair on his body. He remembered Mr. Parker’s eyes in the truck- he saw death written there. He glanced at Jordan, sleeping peacefully near the mouth of a nine hundred pound cat and shook his head.

  Levi glanced at Cibrian who slept with his mouth wide open. Cibrian’s personality- that naive, accepting nature of his made Levi want to shake his head. How could there be people that lived in this world that never felt the harsh smack of reality? Cibrian had been brought up in luxury, sure of himself and the world he lived in. Instead of the superior, conceited attitude one would expect of someone from his upbringing, Cibrian didn’t judge them from their backgrounds.

  Time crept by and Levi watched over the other two. Levi felt the stare of the Valor several times, but he didn’t meet the cat’s gaze. Levi moved with the swinging lull of the carriage, but refused to give into the need to sleep. His mind was lost in thoughts and memories.

  “We’re almost there,” Cibrian said, startling Levi.

  Cibrian stretched and stood in front of the glass so he could see his reflection. He brushed his hand through his hair several times, fixed his scarf and then sat. Cibrian’s eyes fell on Jordan and he shook his head. “She’s suicidal.”

  The Valor looked at Cibrian who scooted sideways along the bench, further away from the beast.

  “How can you tell we’re almost there?”

  “I’ve traveled from Tolly House to Wintra too many times to count. The drive usually takes around four hours. With Uncle Van driving, though, I think two hours will be long enough.”

  “What do you think of that guy? Luther?”

  Cibrian sneered. “He’s full of himself. Irritating as hell.” Levi didn’t say anything, so Cibrian elaborated. “I guess sorcerers have every right to be conceited. After all, they’re the most powerful beings on the planet, but it’s almost like he’s trying to prove to everyone that he’s more powerful, more special than other sorcerers. He’s a creep.”

  “You think he did that soul tie thing just to get a Guide position?”

  Cibrian snorted. “No doubt.”

  “Can he hurt Jordan?”

  “No. Once a sorcerer is tied to a particular Grounder, they can’t connect with another.”

  “You said Luther went to the wrong school. What did you mean?”

  “The Academy is an elite school meant for those who will make a difference in our world. Since The Academy was established, every sorcerer in existence attended except Luther.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Cibrian waved his hands. “The Gem didn’t put him in the school that would give him the connections he needed to be in a ruling position. Luther had to make his own connections, announce himself to the media, to other sorcerer’s. He’s done everything he can to make himself known. Being tied to Aunt Mon gives him access to the Parker and Tolly’s, which gives him a lot of pull if he wants to be a Guide.”

  “You think the Gem put him in a crappy school on purpose?” Levi considered that. “Huh. Maybe you’re not as dumb as I thought.”

  Cibrian grinned. “I heard Uncle Van tell my dad that. If Luther was meant to be someone, he would’ve gone to The Academy.”

  “Parker went to The Academy?”

  “Of course.”

  “Of course,” Levi muttered.

  Jordan stirred. She opened her eyes, blinked at the boys and scowled. She looked up at Knight and patted him
absently as she sat up and ran a hand through her tangled hair. Using the Valor as leverage, she stood and staggered over to the bench.

  “Are we there yet?” she asked sleepily.

  “Almost,” Cibrian said and examined her with sudden interest.

  “What?” she growled when he continued to stare.

  “Do you look like your mom? Where is she?”

  Jordan didn’t meet his eyes. “Yes, I look like her. She died when I was seven.”

  “Did she have power?”

  “You say the Ignorant usually take drugs or alcohol to cover up their power?”

  Cibrian frowned, nodded.

  “She was a druggie. I don’t know if she took drugs to drown out her power or if she was a common addict.”

  “If Uncle Van knew how she would turn out, he wouldn’t have left you with her.”

  Jordan didn’t reply.

  “We’re here.”