by Valia Lind
"I know. But they have the best and most powerful."
He doesn't slow down, speeding down the highway much faster then I've ever driven before. And I've driven pretty fast. I open my mouth to speak up again, but that's when I see them. Two sets of headlights heading right towards us.
"Hold on."
Eric jerks the steering wheel to the right, just as the oncoming car passes us. My body slams agains the passenger side door, and I catch myself on the handle. Eric steers us onto the shoulder, before righting the vehicle again. Twisting around, I watch as the SUV that almost barreled into us does a u-turn.
"What do they want?"
"Us."
Apparently, it doesn't matter if we're in one piece either. The car is gaining once again, and another one is right behind it. My mind races with possibilities, but this all seems like a scene out of a bad movie.
When a shock rocks the car, Eric barely manages to keep it steady.
"Are they actually blasting us with magic?" I ask incredulous, as Eric passes another car.
The roar of them gaining on us mingles with the power of the magic and my mind goes straight to the worst case scenario. We're either crashing into the trees or we're crashing into another car. Those are only two choices. Unless I do something about this.
"What are you doing?" Eric calls out when I unsnap my seat belt.
“Giving us a way out."
Without waiting for his response, I crawl in between the seats. He swerves again, to the sound of a bunch of cars honking, and I catch myself on his shoulder, before I'm through. Dropping down with my back to the front of the car, I close my eyes and focus.
The power within me rises to the surface and every noise around me goes silent. It's just me and the magic. We're old friends and it's about time we've been properly reacquainted.
When I open my eyes back up, there is fire in them. With a swift wave of my hand, the back window burst open, sending glass shards everywhere. I catch them with a protection spell, making sure Eric and I are not injured, before I send them straight into the car behind us.
The shards rain over the SUV, but it doesn't do much to slow them down. My fingertips tingle as my dominant power races to the top. A ball of fire forms in my palm, and I stare at it with glee. It's beautiful and powerful, just like I am. Eyes narrowed on our pursuers, I thrust my hand forward, sending the hurling fireball at them. They try to swerve, but I hit them bullseye, sending their car spinning.
"Yes!"
I glance over my shoulder, meeting Eric's eyes in the rearview mirror and I think he actually looks proud of me. Just then, a blast of magic hits us, sending me tumbling around the back seat. When I pull myself up, I see the other SUV gaining.
"Can you do it again?"
"Pfft."
I don't bother to say more than that, climbing to my knees and looking right out the busted back window. Holding the seat with one hand to keep myself steady, I form another burst of magic in my hand, before I unleash it. This one is less of a ball and more of a spear. I've never been that great at projecting the same weapons, but it doesn't matter. It hits its mark.
The SUV drives off the road and straight into the trees. Another car bursts through the fire and the smoke and I reach for my magic, but Eric stops me.
"No. Those are friends."
I watch as the car pulls up beside us, with the people from the diner in it. The girl is driving.
"Five exits." The big guy shouts out the window, before they slow down and fall in line behind us. I meet the guy's eye and he gives me a two hand thumbs up.
Breathing heavily, I drop down on the backseat, my limbs jello. It took a lot of magic to bypass the binding on my arm. When we stop, I'll have to ask Eric about it. My heart is pounding within my chest, my body coming down from the adrenaline.
"Nice driving," I comment, when I think my voice will come out steady.
"Nice shooting."
Eric replies and I grin.
Chapter 11
We speed down the highway with no other surprises, but I still keep my eye focused on our surroundings. The other car keeps pace behind us, and although I have questions, I stay silent. Eric doesn't offer any explanations either, but then again, that's his MO. He keeps me in suspense until I pry the information out of his cold dead hands. Okay, dramatic, yes. But also, kind of truthful.
Even though I'm pretty tired, I still can't get over the fact that I blasted two cars with my magic. There's a moment where I wonder just how much damage I inflicted, and if those who were pursuing us are okay, but I can't really dwell on that. Before this whole mess happened I made a decision to do whatever it takes. Even though it's a conscious effort and one I have to make repeatedly, I have to stay strong.This is just another piece of that puzzle.
Glancing down at the key tattoo on my arm, I wonder how much more I could do if this wasn't on my body. This will definitely be a priority and soon. When the car stops, I'm surprised. I was so lost in thought I don't even remember getting off the highway.
Eric gets out and I follow suits. We're on a dirt road now and we must've driven farther from the highway than I thought because I can't even see it anymore. The other car pulls up and parks behind us, the duo getting out at the same time.
"That was ridiculous!" The big guy comments, grinning down at me. He's got to be at least six foot three. But for some reason he doesn't intimidate me. It must be the constant grin on his face.
"I have to agree. Impressive magic," the girl comments, her smile a little more cautious.
"Thanks. You mind telling me what that was all about?" I ask, folding my arms in front of me. Even though I'm completely out of my element, I'm standing my ground. This falls under those fake it till you make it situations.
"First, we need to get out of here," Eric says, coming up to stand beside me, his trusty backpack slung over his shoulder.
"What? We're going to magic “outwalk” whoever is after us?" I ask, when the group turns to head into the woods, leaving the cars behind.
"Ah, don't you trust us?" The big guy asks, and I raise my eyebrows at him.
"This one I trust about fifty percent," I point toward Eric, "You, I don't know. No offense."
"None taken," the guy laughs, giving Eric a pointed look. It's as if he's waiting for a cue. Eric sighs before turning his attention to me.
"Please, we need to get off the road. Letty can get us out of here. I'll explain more once we're safe."
It's not his words that finally get to me, it's the way he's looking at me. There's something behind his look that's just for me. Maybe it's my comment about not trusting him completely, that he's letting me see a glimpse behind the curtain. But before I can truly overthink it, I nod.
As a group, we head into the woods, with Eric leading the way and the big guy bringing up the rear. I focus on staying alert to my surroundings, but honestly, being back in the woods is bringing back flashbacks of running from the prison. And I'm not sure having flashbacks after two day of the events actually happening is a thing, but here we are. I don't want to go back there.
Thankfully, we only hike for about fifteen minutes, before Eric waves his hand and everyone stops. I'm about to ask more questions, but instead, I just watch.
The girl walks past Eric to a large bolder situated among the trees. There's a grouping, and it's large enough that if I climbed it, I could probably see far into the forest. But instead of climbing it, the girl places her palm against the surface.
Immediately, I feel a tug on my magic. Something is happening and I watch as the girl closes her eyes and murmurs something. Then, as if nothing weird has happened, she stands back and gives Eric a quick smile.
"Good to go."
Eric than turns to me, motioning me forward.
"Come on. We need to go."
"Umm, where exactly?"
"Through here," the girl points at the rock and that's when it dawns on me. She's a portal keeper. One of her magics is to create pathways between our r
ealms. I've never met one, but I know of them. I wouldn't have to train with them until I was in the academy.
"Alrigthy then," I say, before stepping up to Eric. It seems daunting, to walk through a solid surface. For some reason, this makes me more nervous than what we just went through. Some big tough girl I am.
"We'll just step through, okay?" Eric asks, coming up beside me. He offers me his hand then and for a second, I just stare at it. Then, before I can think too much of it, I place my own in it and Eric guides me to the rock. Together, we step through the portal.
When we step through the portal, I'm not sure what I expected, but it isn't this. Everything around me is in a dark gray color, as if all the pigment has been sucked out of this place. There's also a stay of disarray about it all, and I glance at Eric in question.
"Where are me exactly?"
"The In Between."
I don't get much than that, before the other two are through the portal. That's when I notice that I'm still holding Eric's hand, so I drop it quickly and take a step back. He doesn't comment, but somehow the small gesture does affect him. At least, if the set of his shoulders is of any indication.
"We can wait here for the magic to settle, before we move," Eric continues, leading away from the rock and farther into the gray forest. Of course I've read about this place. It's called the In between because it's exactly what it is. A place between realms, where the state of being is not one or the other. Even the trees are not dead or alive, half and half, like an unfinished puzzle on one side and a broken down pieces on the other.
Once Eric has found a place for us to settle down, I mull over all the questions I have for him, trying to pinpoint which one to start with.
"I'm Letty," the girl says, coming to stand in front of me and extending her hand. I shake it automatically, giving her a firm nod.
"I'm Cordelia."
"We know," the big guys comes up, also extending his hand. "I'm Mitch."
"It's nice to meet you both," and I'm thankful that I have. We needed their car and the portal to get out of there. But I still don't understand how they're involved with Eric and so I ask.
"We're part of a secret task force of sorts," Letty replies, giving her shoulders a little shrug. "Eric, Mitch, and I grew up together."
"Task force?"
I don't miss the way the trio exchanges a quick look at my question. It's Eric who finally replies and it's clear he's the leader in their little group. I can't really picture him as anything else. Maybe it's his shifter side that's so alpha male like. Letty is definitely a witch, even though I can't tell what kind. And I have no idea who Mitch is, although he looks the size of a bear. But maybe he’s just a large wolf.
"We were going to talk about it once we're safe."
"How about we talk about it now?" I reply, giving Eric a stern look. "I've followed you blindly this far, but I need answers. Before my head explodes."
"We definitely don't want that," Mitch comments, throwing a wink my way. I'm really starting to like this kid. There's something comforting about him, despite of his size. Eric glares at Mitch, and I think he's about to make some other excuse, but he surprises me.
"We're part of a task force put together by the council to track down and destroy anything and anyone involved with the king."
"How come I've never heard of this?" And I should've. I mean, I was planning on becoming a Protector. The task force would've been on the job list, wouldn't it be?
"Because it's secret. Only a few council members are aware of its existence. It's best we keep it that way." Letty replies and I watch as she leans against the closest tree, as if she has no cares in the world. Even after everything that's happened, she seems as cool as a cucumber. And I thought I was keeping it together nicely.
"So how do I play into the part? Were those men chasing me or you?"
"Both." Eric speaks up again, this time, turning to look me in the eye. "What happened to your friend, it's in direct correlation with what's been happening across our realm."
"How do you mean?"
"The followers of the king want the world in chaos. They believe it's the way to bring the reign back to him. Killing witches that can stand in the way of that is just the beginning"
"But Kelsey wasn't involved in anything like that. I would know."
"No, but she was doing a project about the history of her ancestors. And they were strong anti-king supporters."
That last comment comes from Eric and he softens his voice just a little as he delivers that information. I almost open my mouth again to protest, but they're right. We had a lineage project and Kelsey was fascinated by what she found, so she spent extra time on it. I should've asked her more questions, I should've paid more attention. But I thought it was only a school project, nothing more.
"There's nothing you could've done," Eric's voice reaches past my thoughts and I jerk my head up to look at him. It's as if he's read my mind.
"Maybe. Maybe not. We'll never know."
"No," he doesn't like that, and when he comes to stand in front of me, I have no choice but to look up. "You couldn't do anything to help her then. But we can do something now. That's what's important and that's what we should focus on."
He stares down into my eyes and that weird shift between fantasy and reality seems to happen again. He's brighter than anything around him, and then his wolf is looking at me as well, and I work to maintain the eye contact. My chest tightens, and for a moment time stops. It may be this place, but somehow, I know it's us. Then, time restarts again, and my vision clears.
"So, how do I play into this?" I finally ask, after tearing my gaze away from Eric. When no one answer, I give them each a quick glance. They're waiting for Eric to speak up, that much is clear, so I turn my attention to him. "Well?"
I don't think he's going to reply, but then he does.
"You're on the list."
Chapter 12
"List? You mean a hit list?"
Somehow it seem ludicrous and frightening the moment I say it. If I thought the car chase was a scene out of a movie, it got so much more cinematic all up in here. Running my hand over my face, I try to focus. There has to be a different explanation. Why would I be on a hit list?
"Why would I be on a hit list?" I decide to ask the question out loud, turning back to Eric.
"You...you should’ve died the same night as Kelsey."
That stops me dead in my tracks. No, that can't be it. It's not possible.
"Cordelia," Letty steps up to place her hand on my shoulder but I jerk away. I don't want pity right now, I want to understand.
"If I was supposed to die, then why didn't I?"
"We don't know."
"You don't know?"
This whole conversation is making me very angry. Not only because it seems crazy, but because it brings up so many more questions. That's when something hits me.
"Is that why you helped me?" I ask, marching over to stand in front of Eric. "Because if I was on a list than I would be innocent of the charge of murder. If it's self defense."
Now I'm getting angry. Witch laws are not like human laws. I know there are exceptions there too, but in witch's land, we abide by the ancient rules. If someone is trying to kill you, you don't hesitate. You do it first. It doesn't matter that I never wanted to be put into that situation, it's who I became the moment I watched Kelsey die. And they threw me in the prison for it. The prison of our supernatural world. And now I find out it was for nothing? I was innocent of what they accused me of and yet, it didn't matter.
"I decided you were innocent before I knew about the list."
That makes me even angrier. I spin on Eric again, marching right up to him and getting in his face.
"You decided? How nice of you to pass judgment on my character like that. Well, I decided that you're a pain. Look at that, we're bonding."
I step away, needing to pace. The magic under my skin is as restless as I am. For a second I wish Eric was showing immediate threat
to my well being, because I would love to throw a few punches at him.
"Why was I even in that place?" I snap, now angry at my parents and the rules they follow. They didn't even investigate. They let me take the fall, no questions asked.
"You were there for your protection."
"What?"
I swear, I have to pry every piece of information from Eric and it's very annoying. I grunt at him, very unladylike, but I'm not here to make friends.
"Your parents suspected and they knew you'd be protected within the walls of the prison." Eric clarifies, but I'm already shaking my head.
"That's not possible. They didn't know anything about what I was doing."
"You'd be surprised." Eric replies, shrugging a little. The gesture is so strange on him it makes me pause for a second.
"This just seems like to much," I grumble, resuming the pacing before I do something stupid.
"We'll tell you more, but right now, we should move. It's been long enough."
I look up at Letty, as she motions for me to follow. I don't hesitate. If only to give myself something to do. We head back the way we came, before we come across another set of borders. They seems to be strategically placed within nature for this very thing, and I make a mental note to ask Letty about it later.
"All good," the girl waves her hand in front of the rock and this time, I don't second guess the magic. Ignoring Eric, I march right for the rock, and then step through it.
Once I'm on the other side, my eyes do a quick scan and I find myself in an alley of sorts. Quickly, I move out of the way and wait for the others to come through. My heart is pounding with all the knowledge I've just gleaned, and I'm really trying hard not to freak out here. It's a lot more difficult than I thought.
I'm on a hit list. If someone asked me where I'd be weeks before my eighteenth birthday I would in no way come up with on a hit list, just escaped from prison, running for my life. What has my life become?
"It's this way," Eric calls out and I glance up to find the three of them in front of me. He leads the way farther down the alley, and then to the left. There are doors on every side, and I realize these are the back of the building exits.