Illuminate: Upper YA Paranormal Romance

by Sarah Addison-Fox

  Chief Jensen’s voice was strained as he mumbled a reply, so unlike his usual, jovial self.

  Memories of his kind smile and gentle manner prodded at her guilt, making her stomach twist in earnest.

  The Chief’s voice remained calm as he spoke to the remaining council. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see if they need assistance.”

  A medley of voices called him back before he could join them. Though she couldn’t see him, his tone seemed cooler than usual. “Peace. I’ll remain here.”

  His voice faded away as Tarquin near dragged her through the doors, Skylar’s footsteps echoing around the hall, his voice a whispered hiss. “What is going on?”

  The second the doors were shut beside them, Tarquin let go of her. “Some are under Tartarean’s control. They’ve been tainted somehow.”

  Skylar scoffed. “Don’t be absurd. How can you possibly know that?”

  Tarquin’s voice was a notch above a whisper as he pulled her down the stairs. “We don’t have time for this.”

  Skylar planted his feet, one eyebrow raising as he shook his head. “Listen, mate. We came here for help, nothing you say—"

  Tarquin shot his hand out and grabbed Skylar’s wrist. “Run back to the forest. Now.”

  Skylar blinked and took off at a jog without so much as a backwards glance at her.

  Tarquin gave her a wry smile. “I know. But it’s an emergency.”

  He yanked her forwards and bolted after Skylar as he ran across the fields as though chased by an unseen force.

  Her breath was ragged as they chased him. “I hope you know what you’re doing?”

  He didn’t slow down as he yelled back at her. “Trust me.”

  Merrin’s eyes watered as they ran blindly back into the forest, her thoughts jarring as they rushed through the knee-high grass.

  Trust him? How could she possibly trust him? He’d just proven he would manipulate and control at whim if it suited him.

  But as she ran, her hand still in his, the most confounding thought battered at her, leaving her to believe he might just be controlling her too, because, stupidly, she still wanted to trust him.

  ***

  Tarquin’s chest was tight as he finally stopped running. From where he waited under a leafy tree, Skylar’s breath was coming in rapidly. His eyes blazed to life as Merrin came to a sliding halt beside him.

  As if coming out of a fog, he was in Tarquin’s face, fingers curling into his shirt front, his face twisted in anger. “You snake! You actually used your abilities on me.”

  Tarquin smashed his closed fists down on Skylar’s wrists before the muscled Luminary could attack him. “You gave me no choice. Any second they would have come through that door, and Tartarean would know I’m here.”

  Skylar’s eyes sparked dangerously. “What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense. It’s impossible to control the council. They were chosen because of their strength.”

  Tarquin’s jaw clenched from restrained desire to thump him, Merrin’s presence the only reason he didn’t act on the impulse. “Tartarean knows men’s weaknesses. No one is immune to him. If he can’t directly control, he’ll use other means.”

  Skylar grimaced. “What other means?”

  Memories flashed past, too quick for him to snatch on to many. The worst he allowed to drift past. “All he has to do is manipulate and leverage what his victims need with what he wants.”

  She stepped in between them, her face flushed and forehead lined. “Like you do?”

  His stomach clenched as he admitted it. “Like me. But stronger and the effects last longer.”

  “But that shouldn’t work on the council. I mean, technically it shouldn’t have worked on me,” Skylar said.

  Tarquin squinted at him. “He taught me how to control. But he also had other ways to enhance the effects. If that’s what has happened to them—”

  Merrin interrupted him. “What about the Chief?”

  Tarquin’s voice softened. “I don’t know. His light was still there? But there were at least six others, they’re well and truly under.”

  Merrin’s shoulders sagged, her eyes switching to Skylar as though seeking encouragement.

  Skylar huffed a breath. “That’s half the council. The Chief did seem a little, I don’t know…off?”

  Merrin nodded, her eyes back on Tarquin again. “But wouldn’t he notice if the some of the council were…being controlled?”

  Tarquin shot a look back the way they’d come, a prickling sensation travelling down his spine. “It seems unlikely that he wouldn’t.”

  Skylar’s angry face appeared as he sidestepped Merrin. “What you’re saying shouldn’t be able to happen at all. Once Luminary accept the light, Tartarean can no longer harm us.”

  Tarquin’s frown grew as he struggled to remember everything he’d been forced to forget. When nothing leapt out at him, he shook his head.

  “I don’t have the answer for you. I just know what I saw. And what I saw were the sleeper spies I told you about. It’s possible they never really took the lumination at all.”

  Merrin’s sharp intake of breath drew his gaze away from a still fuming Skylar. “Are you saying they have been faking being in the light? For years? Just waiting for the perfect opportunity?”

  Tarquin shrugged, trying to feign confidence he was lacking. “I don’t know. But that was the plan he told me about. That was what he was working on implementing before…” His voice grew thick, emotion making his veins fire. “Before I thought to question him.”

  Merrin’s forehead relaxed a little. “When did he begin to start all this?”

  Tarquin’s body stiffened, speaking the words that caused more pain than seeing his sister grown and his mother old. “He started planning when he took me a decade ago and found out what I was capable of.”

  Merrin’s eyes widened. “He used you? When you were a child—”

  “If what you’re saying is true,” Skylar interrupted before she could finish, “then it’s possible we have more spies amongst us living throughout Lathrea.”

  Tarquin’s chest seemed to compress at what he’d been trying to ignore. “His plan was to begin in Evanswood. I don’t know what else he decided to do.”

  Skylar’s eyes dimmed, his posture uncertain. “And the Chief is in there still.”

  Tarquin didn’t answer. There was no point. The second the sleeper spies realised they were gone, there’d be no reason to keep the Chief alive. They’d kill him, just like they’d killed Zolten in the mountains.

  “We need to find somewhere to make a plan of attack.”

  Skylar snorted a bitter laugh. “We? Who’s we?”

  Merrin intervened again. “Tarquin’s right. We need to find somewhere to hide for a while. If the council is corrupted, there’s no telling who else is.”

  Skylar released a sigh and raised his hands in surrender, his posture rigid as he jabbed a finger at Tarquin. “If you so much as come near me again, I will break you in two and think no more of it. I don’t trust you. But as much as I hate to admit it, it’s down to the three of us to find a way to fix this.”

  He dropped his hand and shook his head, his face still consumed with lingering hostility. “The Chief is smart. I can’t believe he hasn’t noticed something is up. He might be biding his time, waiting for the right moment before acting. He knew we’d turn up sooner or later. What if he was hoping we’d assist him?”

  The blood drained from Merrin’s face. “He was trying to leave when we did, but the council wanted him to stay.”

  Tarquin stared at her, his heart jumping into his throat at the unspoken question. Even if he wanted to keep running, he couldn’t, not with the horror on her face and the knowledge he could possibly assist.

  Without channelling his abilities from childhood, Tartarean would never have gained as much traction as he had done.

  But more than that, he owed it to her. He owed her a demonstration of his remorse.

  And if running forward
s when he should be running away was what it took to convince her, then it was a price he was willing to pay.

  ***

  Merrin took a final look at the magnificent hall before heading into the dense forests, preparing to run back again if needed. Her heart banged away, her throat tight as she focussed on keeping her breathing slow and even.

  It would serve no one if she were to panic. The Chief needed her to stay calm. If there were any chance to save him, she needed to keep her head and not get lost in the torment currently battering her.

  Tarquin was silent as he climbed a tree in order to check they weren’t being followed, his face downcast as he avoided her gaze.

  Skylar’s presence did little to stop the doubts bubbling away. “It’ll be fine, Freckles. Once he gets a look, we can head back and sort it.”

  Merrin released a weary sigh. “I wish I could believe you.”

  Skylar’s eyebrows joined as he frowned at her. “You don’t believe me? Or you don’t believe this in all in Onom’s control?”

  Merrin’s eyes popped a little wider. Was she that easy to read? “How did you know I was doubting?”

  He chuckled, his eyes drifting upwards to where Tarquin rustled overhead, perching in the branches as he looked out over the fields.

  Skylar’s gaze was loaded, sparks building as his lips eased into a teasing smile. “You don’t spend a year training side by side with someone and not get to know their way of thinking.”

  Her own lips curved into a smile. “I suppose.”

  He winked and offered a cheeky grin that reassured her. “What we need is a way to split them up.”

  Merrin cocked her head, an idea growing as she assessed him. “A distraction? So Tarquin can find out who is being controlled?”

  Skylar’s grin grew. “Exactly.”

  A spark grew at the look on his face. He exuded confidence, and it was somehow infectious. “We might be able to do this without harming too many?”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “If anyone can, it’s you, Freckles. And if the half-light can figure out what’s going on—”

  Merrin cut him off with a shake of her head. “Don’t call him that.”

  A flash of annoyance appeared on Skylar’s face. “Why? That’s what he is.”

  Merrin huffed a breath, irritated but not entirely sure why. “He’s so much more than that.”

  Skylar’s eyes narrowed. “He’s trouble, that’s what he is.”

  Merrin’s shoulders relaxed as she conceded. How could she argue with that logic? He had brought so much trouble into her life, but could she blame him for that?

  If he really had spent ten years with Tartarean, the level of control would have been tremendous. And yet, he’d still questioned. Surely that meant something?

  She blew out a breath. “He can’t help who he was.”

  Skylar’s grin was reluctant. “Always helping the underdogs, eh?” He jostled her with his shoulder. “Pity you don’t pick the winners.”

  She had no time to process his meaning, when Tarquin jumped from the tree, his eyes blazing. “Three of them are heading this way.”

  Merrin’s veins fired as Tarquin cast a look at Skylar. “You keep her here. I need to go.”

  Skylar’s hand closed over her arm. “Sure thing.”

  Merrin’s temper blazed to life as she shook of Skylar. “Excuse me? I’m not staying here. You can’t face them alone.”

  Tarquin’s posture grew rigid as he looked past her to Skylar. “If they are all under his control, at least you’ll have a chance.”

  Skylar’s shrug fuelled her anger further. She stepped closer to Tarquin. “I am not staying here. What if you need my help?”

  Tarquin swallowed, his lips pursed as he shook his head. “I need to do this.”

  Skylar’s sigh came from alongside her. “Let him go. We can watch from here and go if he needs us.”

  A dark look crossed over Tarquin’s face, but he nodded. His expression softened as his gaze turned back to her. “Could I speak with you? Alone?”

  Skylar shook his head. “I don’t think so, mate.”

  Merrin scowled at him. “You don’t speak for me. I can take care of myself.”

  At his raised eyebrow, she turned on her heel and waited for Tarquin to catch up. They walked a few paces away from a wounded-looking Skylar before she halted, just out of his reach.

  His brow was furrowed as he stared at the grass beneath them. “I wanted to apologise to you.”

  His eyes drifted upwards, light intensifying with every word out of his mouth. “I lived in the dark for so long, but you found me, Merrin. You saved me, and for that, I will always be grateful. I made so many mistakes. I’ve done things I regret.”

  He paused to take a breath. “The thing I regret most is hurting you. I know there’s nothing I can say or do to repair the damage I’ve done, but I wanted to tell you how I feel about you.”

  Merrin’s skin began to tingle, her heart beating way too fast. “Tarquin. I don’t think this is the right time.”

  His smile was slow in coming, a little sad. “I’ve lost so much time already. So many years alone in the dark. Thinking I had a purpose and a reason for getting up each day. But it was all a lie. You showed me the truth. But more than that, you gave me something to believe in. And that’s why I need to go alone.”

  Merrin’s mouth slackened as he gave her a slow nod. “If there is any chance for Luminary to survive, Tartarean needs to be stopped. And I’m the only one who can do it.”

  Her eyes flooded with hot tears, her voice a croaked whisper as he took a step away from her. “What are you saying?”

  His reply was given in a look that made her knees weaken. “It was too much to hope that an angel could love a monster like me.”

  A sob caught in her throat as she listened dumbstruck to the humble apology and sentiment. Her chest tightening Merrin watched him as he shoved his hands into his pockets and slouched away, past Skylar, and out into the open.

  Her thoughts seemed to crash in on one another as she scrambled to process what his words meant. Merrin blinked rapidly, her feet shuffling forwards, her heart cracking apart as she finally understood what he was trying to tell her.

  ***

  Tears stinging his eyes, loss making his stomach clench, Tarquin didn’t look back as he started to run.

  He picked up his pace, running faster than he’d ever done in his life. The grass whipped past him as he ran towards the very person he’d sought to escape. His lie burned bitterly on his tongue. Lies to protect her. She’d never have let him go if she’d really known what he ran towards.

  Tarquin’s teeth ground together as he carried on running, his legs burning with fire that blazed through him, his thoughts a tangled mess he didn’t even bother to control. Too many memories flashed in front of him, stealing any rational thoughts he might still have.

  Images crashed in on him, crushing his chest as he battled to stay focussed. Too many faces blurred into one, too much regret in a life spent in the service of another.

  Hatred flowed through him as he pushed onwards, past the trees, past the halls of Evanswood he ran as though possessed.

  As though he could run from what he’d done and for whom.

  When his lungs protested, and his breaths were coming in rapid gasps, Tarquin eased the pace and came to a sliding stop.

  Thoughts still shattered, he placed one hand on the nearest tree and focussed on regaining some semblance of control.

  He lifted his head, knowing what would meet him when he did. The shadows in the forest seemed to draw together, the air chilled around him. The forest grew eerily still.

  Fear rippled through him as he waited.

  A flicker of movement drew his gaze to the right. All the air left his body, replaced by icy chills as Lucius Tartarean appeared.

  His face was passive, dark hair slicked back, his eyes cold and swirling black. His skin gave off a slight shimmer.

  But it was what he said that m
ade Tarquin drop to his knees in terror. His voice was a familiar taunt as he crouched down to peer at Tarquin. “You finally remembered who you are then.”

  Tarquin’s voice was tight with emotion. “Yes, Master.”

  Lucius’ teeth appeared as he smiled coldly. “Good boy.”

  Tarquin’s skin tingled, his feet compelled into following as Lucius Tartarean turned on his heel and gestured to him. “Come. We have much to do.”

  Tarquin exhaled slowly, battling to control the rising terror. Tartarean’s eyes narrowed. “Do not make me wait any longer. You have tested my patience enough.”

  Tarquin nodded and fell into step, as he’d been doing for an entire decade of servitude. Every memory hammered ruthlessly at him as he stood shoulder to shoulder with the man who’d embraced the dark powers and adopted him as family.

  As he carried on through the forest, Merrin’s face was the last thing he thought of before he said the words that would earn him a place in Tartarean’s ranks again.

  “The Luminary are beginning to weaken. Just as you predicted.”

  Tartarean’s smile grew, but there was no warmth in it. “I knew if I sent you to the ruins the girl wouldn’t be able to resist the bait.”

  Bait.

  That’s all I am. Worthless, half-light bait to draw in vulnerable young Luminaries.

  Tarquin’s throat tightened as he felt Tartarean reaching out to him. He affected a meek posture and asked Onom to keep his light hidden.

  If there was any chance of undoing the damage he’d helped create, he would need to yield completely to a power he didn’t fully understand.

  But this time, Tarquin Templeton had a choice.

  He had to trust that Merrin had been sent to track him for a reason. Trust that the power growing inside him would serve him when the time was right.

  The slightest hint of a whispering wind sent a wave of warmth through his trembling body as he walked through the forest with the insidious man who’d stolen his life.

  PART TWO

  Chapter 1.

  Ice trickled down Tarquin’s skin. A hundred voices echoed inside the black and gloom, calling to mind all the memories he’d never even known he was suppressing.