by T. S. Snow
I knew that because I’d actually been approached by the rebellion when I’d been banned from my family, and I’d heard what they weren’t saying. I’d asked questions they didn’t have the answers to, so I’d done a lot of digging. Sadly, I hadn’t been able to uncover who was actually behind the resistance, but I’d learned enough.
Besides, I was confident change would come to Arcane very soon. The more I came to know the heirs, the more I was sure of it. I just didn’t know how magekind would deal with it.
“Uh. Theo… can I ask you something?” I finally asked. There had been something I’d been wondering since I’d woken up at the hospital. Something that would’ve told Theo the truth way before I could’ve done it.
Theo sent me a sideways glance before nodding. “Sure, what’s it?”
“Erh… You’re a Soulbinder,” I started, unsure how to phrase the question without being completely insensitive.
Theo’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “You want to know why I didn’t just use my power to force her to manifest, or to check the other side of the veil and see if she was there, right?
“Well, yeah. I mean, you can see spirits. Remember when we were kids and you hadn’t learned how to turn your powers off yet and you insisted we had another playing buddy, Carter, that nobody could see but you?”
“Annie could see him too, it used to drive you crazy. You thought we were pulling your leg and not letting you into our secret. It took us weeks to convince you we weren’t excluding you, we were just different.”
“Well, yeah, I thought you two were having fun without me. It broke my little kid’s heart.” I pouted.
“And yet, you still chose Carter as your last name.” Theo had been smiling over the shared memory, but his smile faded, and his posture became rigid again. “I tried. I really did. After the first week with no clues… I tried almost every day. But it was like something was blocking me. I could access the other side, but I couldn’t bring her to answer my calling. I thought… I thought this might mean she was still alive.”
“Blocking you?” I frowned. “What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t actually want to know the truth or if it’s because something happened; maybe Annie was using her powers even on the other side to keep me from calling her, a way to protect me from doing something stupid. I don’t know, but I couldn’t find her there. It made me hope she was still alive.”
I could see how much this whole business pained him. He may be trying to act like he wasn’t wrecked inside, but I knew better.
I knew him.
I reached out to him and squeezed his leg. Theo released one of his hands from the steering wheel and put his hand over mine, interlinking our fingers.
Oh boy.
“We’re here,” he said, releasing my hand and parking the car right in front of the Manteis’ manor.
Clearly he needed some lessons on how to be a good spy, because this wasn’t inconspicuous at all.
But there was no time to tell him to find somewhere else. I took the seatbelt off, opened my door, and jumped out of the car before I could change my mind.
I hoped to hell we weren’t too late.
40
Charisma
We were just about to enter the Manteis’ house when a shadow jumped out from the bushes, startling me half to death.
I raised my hand, visualizing an ice shield that would protect us from whoever it was, but nothing happened.
Shit. Right. No magic.
I really needed to work on my reflexes.
C’mon, Charisma, you’re a silver Khan in Muay Thai. Fucking use what you’ve been taught! I chided.
“Charisma, is that you?”
Wait, I knew that voice.
“Andres?” I squinted through the lamppost light, and sure enough, there he was.
In all his heartbreaker glory.
“Charisma? What are you doing here? I thought we agreed you’d stay behind.” Andres took me in, as if checking to make sure I was unharmed. It made my heart go all gooey.
“What the hell is going on here?” Theo asked, ruining my moment.
Right. Hocus Pocus, I better focus.
“Theo, you know Andres, right? Andres, you know Theo too. Really, introductions are pointless here, we went to school together. Besides, we’re wasting time.”
“What’s he doing here?” Both Theo and Andres asked at the same time, and it was kind of cute in a freaky way.
I sighed. “Right. Andres is helping us with the whole finding the mole thing.”
“Andres? I thought Futhark—”
I cut Theo off before he made me want to stab him with a pencil. I didn’t even have a pencil right now but I was sure I could make do with a really sharp stick. “Don’t you even go there. Andres and Blaze are both helping with this. And Blair, but you don’t know her. Anyway, not important. He’s on our side.”
I turned to Andres. “You wouldn’t answer your phone. None of you were picking up. I got a text saying Michael was on his way to kill his sister, so I acted. But I needed a ride. How long has he been in there?”
“We got here about ten minutes ago, after driving the long way around. He stopped by a club, a human club, stayed there for a little while and then left. If I hadn’t been following his car, I’d have missed it. He must’ve gone inside to get an alibi or something, because he came back looking like someone else. His illusion was weak, though, and I could see right through it once I knew it was him. Anyway, because of that, once he finally parked here, I decided to get out of the car and keep an eye out. I knew something was up.”
“Well, did you find out anything?” Theo demanded.
I glared at him to shut him up, but he just shrugged. “He’s had ten minutes to gather intel.”
“That’s barely enough time to do a perimeter search, Theo. C’mon, you know that.” I rolled my eyes.
“If I can interrupt,” Andres said. “I did find out most of the staff and family aren’t home. Only Danica Manteis is here tonight. I don’t know where the others are.”
How convenient was it that everyone had left but the one heir I’d been warned was his target?
Yes, it could be a trap but… what if it wasn’t?
What if Michael truly was inside right now trying to kill his sister?
I couldn’t let that happen.
Michael had to be stopped, and we were the only ones who could stop him.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Andres, you’re with me, I need you to use your illusions and make sure nobody sees us entering, or sees us inside. Theo, could you try to enter around the back? Make sure nobody leaves.”
“Char, are you sure this is a good idea? How about the Soulbinder and I go through the front and check things out and you go out back? Remember, your magic—“
I cut Andres off. “Nope, even without magic, I’m still enough of a badass to stop that jerk.”
“Shit, she still hasn’t gotten her magic back?” Theo asked, and both Andres and I shushed him.
“Nope. Well. Not really. I’ll explain later. C’mon, guys, we’re wasting time.”
Andres and Theo exchanged a look, one I was too busy stressing to try and read, but I was pretty sure an entire conversation went on between those two.
Whatever, they could keep their secrets. I didn’t care.
I started walking towards the front door, when Andres caught up to me. He reached out his hand to touch my arm, and a dark green activation circle appeared right before I felt his magic encompassing me.
I hoped this worked, and that it wasn’t a trap.
Oh Goddess, I should’ve left Blaze and Blair some more voicemails so we could have backup on the way.
Well. Too late.
Don’t be a chicken, Charisma. You’re an opossum. Act like it.
So, like, I should play dead?
Andres opened the door before I could turn tail and leave, and stepped inside. His bod
y was blocking mine, trying to protect me and I didn’t know whether to roll my eyes or swoon.
Both. Both were good.
The minute Andres stepped further inside, I followed, and my mouth opened in awe.
The Manteis manor was huge. It looked big from the outside, but the inside was just crazy! I came from money, I’d grown up in the Silverstorm manor, and even I felt a little intimidated over the sheer splendor of the place.
Everything was marble. And not just any marble, oh no. I was pretty sure that was White Statuario Extra Marble or whatever the name was, the one with thin, almost invisible gray veins running through the surface. The floor, even the stairs were all marble. There was a chandelier in the middle of the foyer that I was absolutely sure would cost more than my first solo apartment.
I was scared of stepping inside and accidentally wrecking the entire fucking place.
“This is crazy,” I whispered to Andres, meaning the way they lived, but I was pretty sure he understood me wrong when he answered.
“You’re the one who came here and came up with the plan. We’ve already broken in, we might as well follow through.”
“Uh. How did we break in? The door was unlocked,” I pointed out.
Andres just shook his head.
“C’mon, Trouble. Let’s go make sure everything is okay so I can have you back home before Futhark finds us and blames me for you being here.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the sounds of a struggle came from somewhere to our left. There was a bang, followed by the sound of glass shattering and then a pained yell.
Oh shit. We were late.
I exchanged a wide eyed look with Andres before we both started running after the noise.
Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.
My sneakers slipped on the marble floor, and I was squidding through the room like a newbie ice skater.
But at least I didn’t fall on my face, probably due to Andres’ grip on my arm.
Whatever, it was still a win.
The shouting increased, and we ran faster.
“Go, Andres. Your legs are way bigger than mine. You can cover ground faster. Don’t worry about me. Just get there!”
He seemed torn for a microsecond before the sounds coming from the room increased even more, and he nodded.
“I won’t tell you to stay here, but please be safe.”
And then he was gone.
41
Andres
I opened the door quickly, praying to the Goddess I wasn’t too late.
One look inside showed me I wasn’t, but just barely
Michael Manteis had his sister, Danica, pushed against a wall-to-wall bookshelf. She tried to struggle against him, but the sharp knife at her throat didn’t allow for much movement.
Books and shattered glass were scattered across the floor, as if they, too, were victims of the fight that happened here. There was a trail of blood that led from the door all the way to the wall where Michael had Danica pinned.
Fucking hell.
Danica’s eyes widened when she saw me, and she quit struggling.
Sadly, that was enough of a warning to Michael that something was up, and he turned to see what drew Danica’s attention.
I didn’t stop to think, didn’t feel. Just acted.
I raised my hand, rolling the outer ring of my MET and activating a gust of wind that threw Michael across the room, hitting a bookshelf on the far corner of the room.
Upon impact, books fell, hitting Michael straight on the face.
Jackpot.
Danica dropped, and I wanted to go to her, to make sure she was okay, make sure the blood I saw in the room wasn’t hers but there was no time.
Michael snarled and whipped out his MET; I saw a flash of pink as his magical circle materialized and ice shards started flying in my direction. I had to conjure a fire shield to stop them. Before he could make his next move, I hastily cast an illusion that would make sure he’d see multiple versions of me. That would buy me enough time to go check on Danica.
Or so I’d thought.
The moment I turned to look at where Danica was now laying on the floor, fucking Michael used his MET to throw ice shards at each one of my illusions, making them flicker.
I tried to duck out of the way and control some of the illusions to duck too, but Danica yelped in pain, and I lost focus.
The damn ice hit me on the leg, deeply piercing my skin, and making me curse him out loud.
I thought Charisma said he was bad at dueling! What the hell? This should’ve been a quick, clean win.
I forgot to take into account that this bastard had gone through AMIA’s battle training plus the fact he was a student at Arcane Academy.
Of course he knew how to duel. Arcane Academy had big event-like duels every year as a sport.
I didn’t have time for this. I had to help her.
“Are you really that far gone that you want to murder your own sister? Is this really what you want? Is your thirst for power really that great?” I asked, slowly stepping closer to Danica.
Please, Goddess, let her not be dead.
Michael threw a dark matter orb at me, which I managed to deflect using a quick wind spell.
“You don’t know shit,” Michael replied. Sweat beaded his forehead and I could see his breathing was quickening.
Good.
He was getting tired.
“Fucking bitch, why couldn’t you just die?” Michael’s comment had a shit ton of venom, and I thought he meant his sister for a second, until out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Charisma running towards Danica.
Good. Char could check on her while I finished this up.
“What? Tired of losing duels, Minute Man?” Charisma sassed back.
Enraged, Michael raised his MET, aiming at Char, probably trying to finish off the job.
I saw red.
Before he could finish inputting the code he wanted for his spell, I cast the illusion of hundreds of fire orbs heading his way. He scrambled to change his activation code and defend himself, but I was faster. As the illusions hit him and flickered out, I used his moment of confusion to reach him and punch him right in the middle of his ugly face.
Nobody ever expected a Battle Mage to actually use physical battle techniques.
Michael cried out in pain, raising his hands to cradle his nose which I had probably broken. I gave him an uppercut followed by an elbow strike.
He dropped like a sack of potatoes.
I kicked him a couple of times, for good measure. Better make sure the fucker stayed down.
As a last precaution, I used my MET to cast an air bubble around him that would keep him inside and make sure he couldn’t see much of the outside. A couple simple illusions would make everything outside the bubble completely dark.
Good luck trying to escape that.
Then I turned to Charisma and Danica.
Charisma had turned Danica to lay on her back, and I almost keeled over.
There. Was. So. Much. Blood.
42
Charisma
Against all sense of self-preservation, I ignored the magical duel happening by my side and ran to the purple haired woman laying on the floor by the big ass bookcase.
If the trail of blood I’d followed into the library hadn’t been bad enough, the sight before me was a million times worse.
Good thing I was used to hurting myself and bleeding all over.
Granted, I’d never actually bled this much or lost that much blood, I didn’t think, but blood was blood.
Danica—I knew it was her and not her twin because Danica was the one rumored to have a different hair color every single month. It was her way of setting herself apart from her identical twin sister, Onyka, who had kept the natural almost platinum blond hair—had fallen sideways, with her back to me, so I turned her over carefully.
She moaned in pain, and I took that as a good sign. If she could feel pain, she was still alive.
For now.
A gasp left my lips when I got my first look at Danica’s neck, however. There was so much blood coming out of her neck, I couldn’t even see the gash in it.
Shit shit shit shit shit shit.
This wasn’t good, not good at all.
I looked around the room for anything I could use to stop the bleeding. Who knew; Maybe the Manteis’s had a first aid kit on their library floor.
But nope, no such luck. All I could see were books, as far as the eye could see. And while books were amazing and had a great many purposes, they would be no good on someone with their throat sliced open.
Calm down, Charisma. You’re panicking. Breathe. Think. Act.
Right. Right.
I needed a clean cloth, something that would hopefully not cause an infection and kill her instead of saving her.
Out of options, I suddenly remembered the movies where people used their shirt to make a compress, so I tried to rip my shirt into strips.
Except, that shit was a lot harder than it looked.
Cursing, I took off my damn shirt, ignoring the fact I was now in nothing but a bra, folded the shirt so it’d be a smaller size but with more layers, and then pressed it against Danica’s wound.
“Shhh, it’ll be okay. It’ll be okay, I got you,” I repeated the mantra more for my sake than hers.
I knew I should shove the cloth inside her neck to do a better job of stopping the bleeding, but I was afraid it was too dirty and would only cause an infection instead of helping her.
We needed healers. ASAP.
“Andres,” I called out, hoping he was close enough to hear me. “We need help. Healers. We need to take Danica to a Healer. And a first aid kit. Please.”
Andres squeezed my shoulder. “I’m on the phone with the Hedge Hospital right now. They’re sending someone in, but I’ll look for the first aid kit,” he said, before running out of the room.
I keep the pressure on Danica’s neck, and focus on counting her heartbeats, ignoring the rest of the world.