Her red dress remained blackened and frayed as the flesh below it changed. Lucas had never seen anything like it.
He readied himself. But nothing happened. Not a damn thing.
Willow continued to offer whispered words of encouragement, but after fifteen minutes, those words became softer and more infrequent, until she was silent.
29
Willow
Willow stood immobilized with shock. She blinked rapidly as if to erase the image of Paige lying dead on the stage. But it didn’t help—her tiny form didn’t disappear. It wasn’t a dream, or a nightmare, but a horrific reality. Isobel angrily rejected the black robe a Council member tried to bestow upon her shoulders—her efforts in repairing Paige’s burnt flesh had won the fucking Council’s approval.
From a great distance, as though she was in a fog, Willow heard Wren call out her name.
Lucas pushed her behind him. “No, Wren, she’s not doing it,” he called out across the chamber.
“Come, come, Lucas. It’s her turn.”
“I won’t let you use her as some political pawn.” His deep voice was steady and firm.
Wren’s expression tightened. “Careful, Lucas. You were always my favorite neophyte…but challenging a Council member…accusing them of a grave crime without evidence is punishable by death.”
“I know the law.”
Willow’s despair was overtaken by sudden fear. Not for herself, but for Lucas. Taking a deep breath, she pushed past him, determined to protect him.
His arm snaked out and pulled her close. “No, Willow,” he said, his voice no longer even.
The worry in his green eyes was humbling. For so many years there’d been no one to care for her. No one to cheer when she’d won a hard-earned scholarship, no one to miss when she’d moved on her own to Queensgate. Now, here stood a man willing to throw his life away for her.
Choking back emotion, she pleaded with him. “Let me do this. I won’t let you become a target because of me.”
“I don’t care.” He shook his head, his brows tightly drawn. A tic in the muscle of his jaw throbbed.
“It matters to me,” she said softly.
She turned her back on him and squared her shoulders. Despite wanting to appear strong, tears slid down her cheeks. Her mind and body cried out in protest as she put one foot in front of the other.
Closer to Wren.
Closer to Isobel and to Paige’s body.
Misery overwhelmed her. She didn’t know if it was her own or Isobel’s—only that her heart felt as though it had been ripped from her chest. Guilt overwhelmed her too. But she knew this emotion was her own. She’d been the one to urge Paige to take the two day induction. Paige had trusted her and Willow had selfishly made a decision for her—the wrong one and now she was dead. Hysteria clawed at her and she forced herself to take a deep breath.
Wren motioned for her to come forward. “Doctor Willow Trilby, we have all heard of your exploits in the training sessions. This should be easy for you after your decision to proceed with the traditional initiation rite.” Wren’s behavior was as gracious as it was vile.
Willow stared down at Paige’s face, angelic and peaceful, which showed no hint of the horrifying pain she’d experienced. No hint of the terror Willow had felt with frightening intensity. As more tears spilled down Willow’s cheeks, coils of anger grew in the pit of her stomach. Emotion whirled within her body until she nearly collapsed. She almost didn’t hear Wren’s command. And then it registered. Willow’s anger morphed into a twisting vicious typhoon of rage.
She repeated Wren’s instruction with incredulity. “Make Isobel laugh?” said Willow. “Make Isobel laugh?” she shouted at Wren.
Willow turned to the crowd watching. “Is that what you all want?”
No one answered. The crowd was deathly silent. Many shook their heads. Thea from the Elder’s Council called for the immediate termination of the ritual but Willow was beyond listening.
“Is that what you want?” she screamed again and again.
Her body begun to thrum with internal energy, the vibrations making it difficult for her to concentrate. Distraught and angry, she raised a shaky hand to her face. The internal vibrations increased in tenor and she was almost brought to her knees with the emotion swirling inside her. Its tentacles left her body and moved out toward the crowd.
A shout from up the back of the crowd broke the silence. It was echoed by another. And another. Willow felt the power of her emotion take hold within the crowd. Starborn argued and yelled at each other. She released her pent-up anger and grief upon them. Rage engulfed the arena, a frenzy of fistfights spreading throughout the chamber.
Only Mercurian Starborn were able to withstand her onslaught. The rest responded as though they were her puppets. Groups of Starborn attacked Mercurian Starborn—their shields protected them for her emotional attack, but not from the angry mob. Some were forced to the ground and were kicked and beaten, while others desperately tried to block the blows. One man had a woman in a headlock, her turning red as she fought wildly to be released. A male Council member turned on Wren. They wrestled on the ground until Wren screamed when her arm was twisted behind her back. Willow felt movement beside her and turned to see Isobel run past and launch herself at Wren. In wild rage, she scratched her fingernails down the side of Wren’s face drawing blood.
“Willow, stop this,” called Lucas from somewhere behind her. “You must stop.”
She turned to see Lucas trying to stop Granger from hurting an older Starborn. Granger resisted like a man possessed, but Lucas pushed him to the ground, his arms flexing with the intense strength required to keep an enraged six foot man immobile.
Their eyes connected. “Another death won’t bring her back,” said Lucas, his eyes were full of sympathy.
And as quick as her anger had grown, it ruptured. The wild intensity of her feelings drained away to leave her exhausted. Starborn stopped mid-fight, and the shouts and angry cries died down to murmurs of apology and confusion.
“How dare you?” Wren howled with rage. The first to fully recover, Wren stormed over to Willow and struck her across the face.
Willow barely felt it, her body so numb. It seemed to enrage Wren all the more.
Lucas was by her side within seconds. “Wren, don’t.” His voice was full of unspoken threat.
Another cold wave of fear crashed over her. Fear for Lucas and what this fucking insane cult might do to him.
Wren stared at him and then slowly her gaze resettled on Willow. “Would you like to be executed as per our original kill order?” she asked, her voice low and cruel.
Lucas stepped in close to Wren, his fists clenched, his expression full of cold fury. “You wouldn’t dare. Think of her power. Think of what she could mean for The Order.”
Wren didn’t flinch or show any sign that an angry six foot male intimidated her. “I am thinking of her power, Lucas. Of the kind of damage she could do if she attacks our community.”
Lucas moved back slightly. “This is not who we are…this is not The Order of Orion.”
Before Wren could answer, Thea and another Elder strode over. Both were still flushed from the effects of her attack, but she knew her telepathy wasn’t responsible for the anger in their eyes.
“You won’t get away with this,” said Thea, her black cloak swirling around as she stared at Wren. “You’ve gone too far.”
“Thea, Chen,” said Wren with derision. “You’re fools not to see what’s happened today. The only two neophytes who chose your cowardly initiation failed. You’ll lead The Order to its destruction. We’ll become helpless victims again. Hunted and used.”
Rage again filled Willow at hearing Wren’s words. Blood pounded in her ears and still worked up from the emotions of the crowd, her anger again spilled over. “You’re sick, all of you! You should be ashamed of yourselves. This is no sanctuary,” she cried.
Thea and Chen suddenly reacted to her anger with rage of their own. As th
ey advanced toward Wren, Lucas tried to block their attack. “Willow, stop!”
“Take her to the cube. Now!” shouted Wren, motioning to a Mercurian guard.
Willow struggled against him as he tried to grab her arms and escort her away.
A collective gasp went through the crowd, and at first she thought they were surprised by Wren’s command. Which made no fucking sense, given she had just made everyone lose their minds for five minutes. Her guard suddenly focused on something to his right. A hush fell across the chamber. Every single Starborn stared opened mouthed in the same direction the guard looked. His grasp on her slackened and she stumbled to the ground.
On her hands and knees she turned slowly to look to her right.
Paige.
Her body lay still and unmoving as before. Willow frowned. What had they seen?
She scanned Paige’s body, searching for any sign of life. Finally, Willow cast her emotional net outward, and when she sensed a faint, but familiar aura, she cried out.
She crawled toward Paige, the tears in her eyes blurring her vision. “Paige?” she called out, and then more loudly. “Paige?”
She reached her friend at the same time as Isobel and Gabriel, all three desperate for their friend to live. Willow grabbed Paige’s unmarked hand. Soft, pure, and innocent. Through her fingertips she sensed Paige’s aura reach out and touch hers lightly. And when Paige’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, she sobbed in relief. Wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, she urged Paige to open her eyes.
Wren shouted commands but the words didn’t register.
It wasn’t until she felt hands grab her and lift her to stand, that she realized she was to be taken away…away from Paige.
“No!” She fought against the two large men physically, and then telepathically. But she couldn’t escape, nor could she frighten them with her power. As Mercurians they were immune to her attempts. “Please let me stay with her. I want to be with her when she wakes. Please.”
30
Lucas
Lucas forced himself to remain beside Wren as Willow was dragged away. Her look of betrayal at his inaction cut deep, but Council games needed to be played. “She is still adjusting to The Order. Give her time and she will be an asset to our community.”
Wren watched as the rest of the Council surrounded Paige and the doctors who attended her. “No one can deny that Willow Trilby’s power is phenomenal. She could protect our community if she chose to do so. We haven’t seen the likes of her power for decades.” She turned to look at him, her dark eyes darker in the dimly lit chamber. She smiled without warmth. “Her choice to do the traditional initiation rite pleased me, as does the power she can now wield. But what does not please me is her defiance of me and The Order. As the leader of our community, I cannot ignore it.”
Wren let her gaze flow over the crowd leaving the Celestial Chamber. As they filed past, many Starborn craned their necks to see Paige and then looked at Wren with suspicion.
Wren returned her gaze to Lucas, her pale gray eyes hard. “She needs to be made an example.”
“She is young.”
“You were younger.”
“I had nothing to fight for. She does. She’s protective of her patients.”
“You had nothing to live for Lucas. Until we found you and gave you a reason to live and fight, for The Order, not against it,” she admonished.
“And I’m grateful. I’ve given my life to The Order of Orion.”
Wren gestured to the group of medical Starborn who surrounded Paige’s body. “But you question my methods this night?”
He felt her try to invade his consciousness, but with sheer strength of will, held her at arm’s-length. He kept his voice neutral and chose his words carefully. “I do not question. I only wonder. For so long the Council has operated as one without dissent. What has changed?”
For a moment, Wren lost her look of absolute conviction and worry replaced it. “Isaiah has foreseen an end to The Order of Orion and our five hundred years of tradition. He believes a threat looms and we must prepare. Some of the Council believe him and call for a reinforcement in our defenses, others are more cavalier.”
“The military knows nothing of this threat.”
“A consensus cannot be achieved. Those who believe freedom of choice should come before tradition are reluctant to let go of their recent progressive achievements. They wrongly believe their new ways will modernize us. They want us to integrate more with ordinaries…take the soft path…that way lays death!” She pointed to Paige’s body. “If allowed to continue, they will destroy all we have worked for since The Order was created.”
Lucas had never seen Wren so agitated.
The rest of the Council showed a clear division. Two groups stood apart watching the medical team continue to work on Paige. Isaiah and Oliver looked on with little emotion. In contrast, the other group, consisting of Thea, Chen and Ethan, watched the medics on the stage with shocked expressions. Lucas wanted to challenge Wren, wanted to criticize the use of innocents for her own political purpose, but he held his tongue. His own hypocrisy making him feel ill. For years he’d used arguments like Wren’s to justify his missions—for the greater good, for our community, for our future.
But this wasn’t what he’d promised Willow when he’d brought her here. This wasn’t her future, his future, their future.
He was saved from speaking by the arrival of a Starborn medical officer, who nodded to Wren and shot Lucas only a cursory glance. “Madame Elder. The neophyte lives. Her heartbeat is stable, she breathes a normal rhythm, but she remains unconscious. With your permission, we will take her to the infirmary for observation and more tests.”
Wren nodded and the officer walked away to supervise Paige’s transfer. Isobel followed the gurney as it was wheeled down the corridor, her blue hair disappearing among the departing crowd.
“Isobel’s feat lends weight to our argument to continue with traditional methods. Having a Starborn within our Sanctuary that can regenerate such damage is a defense weapon we’ve never had before. Think, Lucas, of the possibilities. Think of your loved ones who could have been resurrected had Isobel been there to find them.”
Lucas refused to do such a thing. The past was behind him. He ignored the searing pain of Wren’s words, and thought instead of his future. “What is to become of Willow Trilby?”
“That took you quite some time to ask. Your restraint is admirable.” Wren’s eyes narrowed. “She will do another forty-eight hours in a cube...with food and water. But she will spend the first twenty-four hours in isolation. No communication between her and other Starborn. She may only have the company of her thoughts. I’ve already communicated my wishes to her guard.”
“She’s already weak. As her mentor, let me be the one to be punished.”
“Don’t make me regret my lenience,” she said frowning. “You may visit her after the first day, this is more than enough. I give you this for old times’ sake.”
Lucas held his tongue.
Wren turned away. “You may go.”
It took him only a few minutes to reach the infirmary where he found Isobel, Gabriel and Granger at Paige’s bedside. Granger had nothing to say for once, and stood by the bed, staring at the unmoving Paige.
“James.” Lucas greeted the male doctor who checked Paige’s vitals. Knifed while on duty in an emergency ward in his late twenties, James’ latent ability had been triggered by the trauma of the incident. Now in his mid-forties he was the main doctor at the Sanctuary. A Marsa Starborn with telekinesis, his treatment of patients was purely medical.
“Lucas.” James didn’t look up as he checked Paige’s pupils with a penlight. “She’s responsive to stimuli.”
Isobel began to cry, loud angry sobs.
“Will she wake up?” Gabriel asked the doctor.
“I don’t know at this stage. All I know from her examination is her vital signs are good. We won’t know about her cognitive function un
til we run further tests.” James looked around at all of them. “There’s no precedent for this. She was clinically dead for some time. You must prepare yourselves for the worst.”
“No,” cried Isobel. “She’ll wake up, I know it.” She reached out and grasped Paige’s hand. “Where’s my mentor? Where’s Juliette? Maybe she can help?”
James nodded. “She’s on her way, but her power has never helped with anything like this.” He rested his hand on the crying Isobel.
Lucas felt like an interloper and motioned Granger to step out of the hospital room.
“This is some kind of fucked up shit,” said Granger as they made their way back to the military headquarters. “I knew it would be tough on her, but what Wren did…it was messed up.”
The corridors were empty and Lucas suspected most Starborn had returned to their quarters.
“She believes she is doing the best for The Order.”
Granger stared at him like he had two heads. “You’re not defending her, for fuck’s sake?”
“No. Her methods have crossed the line. But we must prepare ourselves. There’s serious dissent among the Council and there’s more to come.”
“Go against Wren?” Granger was incredulous. “She’ll know if we go against her.”
Lucas sighed. “I’m not suggesting a military coup. I’m just saying we need to be on guard. Protect ourselves and those we can from any political fallout of the Council brawling.”
He didn’t mention Isaiah’s prophecy. While he didn’t rule out the prediction, Lucas wasn’t ready to run about yelling the sky was falling either. He’d kept himself safe for the last decade, not by holding hands and singing ‘Kumbaya’ with other Starborn in The Order, but by keeping out of Council politics. By being a loner. By not making connections.
Now though, things were different. He was different.
Starborn (The Order of Orion Book 1) Page 19