by Jenn Nixon
“Don’t know,” Cyndra said, squeezing once then letting him go. Zorin was already pulling food out of the icebox. She made sure he was steady on his feet then went to the kitchen to get him water. “Do you remember what happened?”
Rune’s brow furrowed. Not all of it, I was showing her the book hoping she’d initiate the crystal bond so I could tell her about Zorin’s transformation. Next I knew, we were walking through the woods toward the mansion. My head cleared up for a minute then…she was a soulless?
“I noticed the siphon trail, same as when they drained me,” Zorin said, setting the remaining fruits and vegetables on the table while Cyndra sat down and set the water in front of Rune. “Where did she get a crystal?”
“No idea, but at least we know what she wanted.”
What? Rune asked.
Zorin frowned. “Her end goal was reaching the island to get back to the mirror-realm.”
“But the wraith’s didn’t pull her in,” Cyndra said, tossing a piece of apple into her mouth.
How did they get you, Zorin?
The gargoyle folded his hands over his chest and went still. He frowned. Cyndra tilted her head at him causing him to sigh. “The soulless surrounded me, siphoned me almost instantly. When they weakened me enough, the wraiths took over.”
They coordinated an attack on you?
Cyndra’s eyes widened. “To bring you back to the island so we’d follow with Tulli. This is crazy. Why?”
“She said the crystal allowed her to get back onto the island…”
Crystals can’t go through the mirror if Cyndra’s theory is correct.
“Mergan promised to send her back to the mirror-realm, the only way she can do that is if she’s out of her prison cell,” Zorin said. “She never needed casters. Casters can’t even see her in the prison. She needed a crystal.”
“Shit. We need to go. Now.”
We need a plan. Rune shook his head.
“And food, I’ll cook the venison,” Zorin offered.
“Plan? Food? What if she’s in there right now—”
“Whatever Mergan’s plan, it will take time. Evie’s prison will not be easy to break even with a crystal.”
“I guess that’s true, we’d know otherwise, right?” Cyndra asked.
Zorin nodded.
She opened the journal and returned to the section about barriers, and read how to make them with dual-casting, aware she and Rune needed to learn quick. “I think, for now, we leave everything as is. We can get Zorin through the main barrier without taking it down since neither of us are air. The mirror-wraiths don’t like my energy so, I can use that.”
“With my siphon open, the wraiths will be no match for me,” Zorin added as he started the fire in the stove.
What happens when we get inside?
“I would like to search the mansion before we go to the tower, there may be other items left behind that can help us,” Zorin said.
“Like what?”
“Weapons, journals, books, more photographs, I’m open to finding anything.” Zorin frowned. “Before Mergan lost her mind, hundreds of casters lived here, we…called ourselves the radicals. The ones willing to take the ire of the caster community despite trying to save it.”
“And there’s a chance some of them are still alive in the mirror-realm, so…maybe we should let her think she’s breaking out.”
What do you mean?
“Rune and I can put up another barrier around the mansion, just the building itself maybe. Wait her out, get stronger, and see what she tries to do next. What’s her other element Zorin?”
“Water,” he replied.
“Hmm, well if I block energy, Rune can get us in and out.”
“It may be worth the risk, but it’s unlikely you can create barriers, Cyndra. Evoking them is extremely difficult. Most casters have bonded with their crystals and elements for decades…”
“I know,” she sighed as she shrugged. “I still want to try.”
My earthcasting is more powerful than fire.
“And my energy is getting just as strong as my fire. We might not have control over all of it, but we’re as old as most master casters.”
“Who trained and honed mastery of their elements,” Zorin huffed when she lifted her brow at him. “I will help and watch you, but I suggest we concentrate our efforts keeping her in the prison she’s already in.”
Probably the smartest idea. Soon as I’m done eating, I’ll get ready....maybe we’ll find the soulless caster and can try to help her.
“Crystal or not, if she is a soulless she’ll be drawn to your power. We can try to bait her before we head into the mansion,” Zorin said.
“Yes, we should try that.” Cyndra tugged on her shorts, wishing she didn’t have to change.
Rune popped the last piece of tomato into his mouth and took a sip of water from the bottle. He stood and stretched on his way to the bedroom. Cyndra cleaned up the table while Zorin put out the fire and their leftovers away.
Figuring she needed to dress for a fight, she went to her backpack to find her old pair of cycling pants. She never cycled, but the style and flexibility they offered was perfect in case she had to run or jump, both of which she’d figured she’d have to do. As her hand dipped into the bag, she knew exactly what shirt she wanted to wear.
Rune snuck into the bathroom before she could. She glanced over her shoulder to see Zorin cleaning off the stove. Changed in a flash, Cyndra left her belt and sai on the floor, deciding to rely solely on her elements. She swept her hair back from her face and tugged on the sports bra under the tank top.
“After we deal with Mergan, we need to train,” Zorin said softly as his energy bubbled around her.
“And I should try sending messages to the casters from the journal. Maybe neither of them has a crystal and they’re still in the dark,” Cyndra said, trying to be hopeful, like Rune. Zorin, however, didn’t buy it. He moved up beside her, brushing his left hand against hers. He knew the dread she carried in her heart. He’d seen the flare too. He watched everything die. “Do you remember anything from after the flare?”
Zorin laced his fingers through hers and drew her closer. “Nothing that can help us.”
“You have to tell me what you remember…one day. I need to know everything.”
He reluctantly nodded. “One day, I promise you.”
“Training is our top priority, afterward. But that means all of us,” Cyndra replied, setting her hand on his cool chest. “Do you want a little before we go?”
“I would like that,” he said, brushing the hair from her eyes.
Cyndra fed him her fire, enjoying his reactions when he absorbed it. He slid his hand up the side of her neck, rubbing his thumb along her collarbone. Clenching her thighs when his body tightened and warmed against her, Cyndra watched his face tense and his eyes blaze as she evoked her energy. You like sharing this way, me touching you.
As much as you, it seems, he projected back as he leaned close and inhaled. Your power makes me physically stronger, Cyndra, but your trust in me, the bond we share and what I feel when I look in your eyes is—
The door to the bathroom opened.
Cyndra tamped down her powers quickly so neither of them was tempted further. He smiled solemnly and brushed his hand down her cheek. Instead of dashing away, he finished his thought. Much more than I ever expected to find.
Me too. She smiled back and kissed his palm, then clasped it and tugged him toward the kitchen where Rune was trying not to act as interested as she knew he was.
“The smug look is warranted,” Zorin said, much to her delight.
I didn’t say anything, Rune lifted his hands, widening his eyes for effect.
Cyndra rolled hers. “So do we know the plan?”
Rune nodded.
Zorin reiterated it because he was Zorin. “We try to lure the soulless woman before we enter the mansion and then take a look around, provided we fight back the wraiths. Then go to the tower.
I’ll siphon the barriers around her prison and the mirror, that’s the first step to removing them.”
“We try to make contact again. Most important, we stick together,” Cyndra added, tugging Zorin’s hand so he knew she was serious.
“Agreed,” he replied, smiling wider than warranted.
“No,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Both of us?”
“Something I want to try.” Zorin lifted a brow at her.
What? Rune asked, glancing between her and Zorin. Oh. We’re not too heavy?
“I’m certain I can get us there.”
“Then let’s go,” Cyndra said, releasing her grip on Zorin’s hand. She linked arms with Rune and walked to the stairs to put a little distance between them before they went flying again. Cyndra didn’t know if she’d be able to concentrate with his hard body on hers. The excitement from their bond matched the way she felt with his protective arms around her.
On the widow’s walk, she took a deep breath and released her hold on Rune. She gazed out toward the ocean first, wishing she was swimming in the water, enjoying the fading sunshine. Trying not to let her mood sour, Cyndra moved toward the north side, looking past the fields and woods, searching for any sign of wraiths near the mansion.
Zorin approached with Rune already on his back. Cyndra thought he looked uncomfortable and sidestepped, allowing him to wrap both arms around her waist again. He jumped onto the railing and tilted his head down. “Ready?”
Nodding, Cyndra and claps his wrists with the opposite hands to keep herself in check and gazed at the mansion, hoping Zorin’s wings were strong enough to get them there.
Zorin struggled with the weight of two casters during the last few yards. He aimed for a clearing near the back half of the woods per Rune’s suggestion. The caster wanted to get a boost from nature before going in. After landing, the earthcaster released his hold and jumped off Zorin’s back.
Cyndra remained in his arms and laced her fingers through his. He squeezed gently, enjoying how quickly his body warmed and his muscle stiffened when she evoked both her elements. She eased her grip just as the cusp of her emotions entered the mix.
He appreciated the effort. As new and exciting as their attraction had become, neither of them wanted to compromise the plan.
Rune came around a large oak tree, floating his hand over the ground. He smiled, seeing Cyndra still in Zorin’s arm.
She shook her head. “Practically your fault, you told us to stop fighting.”
Just helping my friends.
“So it was not my charming personality?” Zorin asked as he let her go.
Rune rolled his eyes at the bad joke while Cyndra chuckled and evoked her energy first, catching him off guard.
“Sorry,” she said, sensing him through the bond.
Her power astounded him. Not only did she evoke both elements and maintain a semblance of control when he was near, she was slowly becoming a siphon herself. Unsure she reached the same conclusion or not, Zorin did his best to maintain his emotions so they wouldn’t distract her, more than aware how hard it would be when she looked at him. “If there comes a time you don’t want to or feel you can’t hold anything back, don’t, either of you, fighting your power now may do more harm during the heat of battle.”
Rune nodded and flexed his fingers, causing some of the vines and brush around them to move, grow larger, and curl closer to the group. Cyndra, already grinning, extended her right arm and set it ablaze with her enrapturing fire.
Zorin absorbed all the heat from the air.
After a few seconds of buildup and no signed of the soulless woman, Cyndra extinguished her hand and overturned a large rotted tree with her left hand. When she clasped both hands together, Zorin drew her remaining power down, watching her shoulders relax as she smiled over.
Well, we tried, Rune said, leading the way toward the edge of the forest.
“Yes, we did,” Cyndra replied and bumped her shoulder into his when she caught up. “Next part is—fuck.”
A line of six wraiths and the same six soulless from the highway blocked the stairs leading to the mansion. Cyndra’s fire returned with a crisp spark. The energy at her fingertips almost began to swirl. Zorin eased some of the power from her body, helping her maintain a balance, yet Cyndra’s fire increased regardless of what he absorbed.
Ready? Rune hopped over the wall to the other side with ease.
When she shoved her hand toward him, he reached out with his right. She slapped it away, grabbed his left, and tugged him toward the wall. Same as before, he tested his arm first, then jumped through the barrier, hovering for a moment before landing and glaring at the enemy barricade.
“This is what you wanted our crystals for, isn’t it?” Cyndra said suddenly, moving closer to the soulless and wraiths as her left hand twitched.
Cyndra, Zorin warned, taking measure of her output, sensing she was in control. Do not attempt the bond, try talking. Use what we know.
Nodding, she approached, slowing her steps and catching the soulless attention as her fire rode up her shoulder. “You used to be casters, wanted to come here to the island, right? To go back to the mirror-realm?”
“If we brought the casters, she would send us back,” one of the females said.
“There’s no pain, no time, no hunger,” another added. The wraith above the man who spoke swayed back and forth. “We only want the pain to end.”
Cyndra’s flame shrank. Something doesn’t feel right.
What? Rune asked for them both.
They’re not attacking us and Tulli—whoever, she’s here, I sense the other crystal.
Zorin blinked unsure he heard correctly. “You sense the crystal?”
Her face dropped when she nodded. “Why? Is that bad?”
“No, not bad,” he replied, shaking his head as the memory came to him. “It’s rare enough to control energy and fire, but being a strong enough energycaster to sense the crystals is a something very few can do. Crystals became rare during the war. Humans knew we needed them and destroyed all they had access to.”
“Good to know,” she said, flexing her fingers again. “Enough stalling, I’m getting to that tower, you guys with me?”
Yes, Rune projected, giving off a bit of heat of his own.
Zorin nodded, already targeting the soulless he wanted.
As planned, Cyndra focused on the mirror-wraiths with her energy, while Rune dispatched of the first soulless with a knife to the chest. Zorin bashed a second into the stone stairs, forming a path for Cyndra to dash up to attack the wraiths.
Keeping a close watch on her left hand, Zorin spun to shield her when two female soulless materialized near the bottom step. A knife whipped through the air, striking one in the shoulder. Zorin slapped the tip of his wing against the second’s head, throwing her off the side of the staircase. Rune cast his fireshield when a wraith got too close.
“Down!” Cyndra said.
Zorin crouched just as her flare shot overhead, striking a soulless and wraith who appeared to be working together. Rune slashed a fourth soulless, only to see the remaining ones turned to dust as Cyndra jumped off the stairs and landed near the bottom. Flames covered her right arm, rode down her side and hip, almost covering her thigh.
In less than a week, she was close to mastering her first element.
Zorin didn’t see the wraith spiraling toward him until Cyndra dashed closer, shielding him with her body. Her fire crackled. The swirl of energy filled her fingers. The wraith screeched and retreated. The more he siphoned, the stronger she seemed to get. Zorin eased the absorption rate of his draw and tried to calm her with his energy instead.
Two soulless appeared in front of them, draining his power the instant they solidified.
“No!” Cyndra caught one of the soulless in her energy lock. The other vanished.
Panting, he moved up behind her and set his hand on her shoulder realizing how instinctual her protections of him had become. “I’m okay, Cyndra.”
“I know you told me not to, I…I needed to know,” Cyndra said, lowering her voice and her head along with her hand, releasing the soulless who vanished from the mansion grounds, retreating with the others. “They share the same hunger, they’re more than connected, Rune. They’re…the same.”
Are you sure?
Cyndra nodded.
“Mergan created the mirror-wraiths from the casters?” Zorin frowned.
“Yes, somehow.” Cyndra shuddered, vibrating the energy moving through the siphon.
Maybe she really did rip out their souls, Rune added as his eyes lifted toward the tower. We need to end this.
Zorin admired their determination. Yet he knew, deep down, if Mergan had done this to casters, she did have people trapped in that mirror, and this was just the start of more trouble to come. Instead of wasting time searching an empty mansion, he followed them straight to the tower.
As they approached the top step of the spiral staircase, Cyndra clasped Rune’s fingers with her firecasting hand probably hoping their bond was strong enough to let him see Mergan’s prison and possibly because she was as scared as they all seemed.
She tugged him across the narrow walkway and toward the door and then offered her free hand to Zorin. She walked into the prison room first, keeping a tight hold on his hand.
“Shit,” Cyndra stepped closer to the dark mark on misty glass wall while Rune switched hands, then grabbed Zorin’s wrist, trying to see the prison.
“It’s the caster’s crystal.” Zorin touched the strap.
I can’t see it. Must be an energy thing, Rune said, shrugging as he spun around. What do you see?
“Same as before, only now the crystal is embedded into the glass,” Cyndra said, frowning as she tried to tug it out. “Can you sense the elements of the barrier?”
Zorin set his palm on the wall and squeezed hers at the same time. His brow lifted. “Energy, of course, and water for reflection and air to mask the sound, but I don’t understand how.”
What do you mean?
“This is a multi-cast. Evie was an air and energy caster unless she found a way to turn Mergan’s element against her, someone else had to have been here to help,” Zorin said.