by Kat Adams
“Table please, Katy. Let’s see what we’re dealing with.” Syd replaced his glasses and examined the contraption around my neck. With a few twists and one loud click, he disarmed and removed it. I rubbed my throat, grateful to be free of the thing. My energy returned, and I drew in a deep breath.
“What the hell is that?”
“This is an elemutus.” He held it up. “They mute an elemental’s powers, thus the name. It’s how they get the dark elementals at Carcerem to behave. One lapse in judgment, and they’ve got themselves a new necklace. I hate them, personally.” He tossed the thin metal ring in the trash. “Having one’s powers muted for an extended period of time takes its toll, weakens the elemental. Permanently.”
“Won’t they notice I’m not wearing it when I leave?” I nodded at the contraption and its new home in the garbage can, which suited me just dandy. I had no idea anything like that even existed. “It’s kind of hard to miss, as fashionable as it is.”
“You’ll be wearing this one instead.” Stace held up one that looked almost exactly like the one Syd had removed, but with little LED bulbs on the inside of the ring. “This one is completely harmless. Here, let’s try it on.” She snapped it around my neck, causing me to jump. She then rested her hand on my arm. “Relax, Katy. We’re on your side.”
“Then why did you sound like you were having a panic attack when I called?”
“I had two members of the Council with me. One of them spotted your image on my screen. I had to play my part.”
“What were members of the Council doing on campus? Tribunals ended weeks ago.”
Syd and Stace exchanged glances. It was Stace who explained. “Your mother—”
“Sammie,” I snapped, cutting him off. “She stopped being my mother when she tried to kill me.”
She nodded. “The battle where you supposedly gave her all those bruises. What really happened?”
No look of surprise. No gasp in shock. It was almost as if she’d expected as much. “My guess is she kicked her own ass and then ran to the Council claiming I attacked her and not the other way around. Since I was at the bottom of the cliff by the ruins…” I paused, lifting my forearms to show off my cuts and scratches. “That bought her enough time to convince them. I don’t know why she’s doing this. Apparently, painful abandonment wasn’t enough. She had to come back and drive another stake through my soul.”
“There’s something you need to know. She’s been planting doubt within the Council. That’s why they were here today and why I insisted on being there when they searched your room.”
“My room?” I couldn’t believe it. As if being attacked by her wasn’t enough. She had to go and turn the Council against me as well. Thanks a lot, Mommy Dearest. “What were they looking for?”
“Any sign that you’d gone dark. I’d had them convinced there was nothing until they found your sketch pad.”
Ah, crap. “The ward.”
“Counter ward,” she corrected and thinned her lips. “That’s not how you described the ward to me. The one you drew was most definitely a counter ward. What were you doing drawing it all over your sketch pad? That’s how they knew what to look for. Your mo—Sammie—headed up the search. She found it and destroyed it. It restored the barrier.”
“It’s easy to find the counter ward when you’re the one who created and then hid it.” I shook my head. Nothing I said or did at this point would help prove my innocence. Sammie must have had this planned out from the get-go. I lowered my head, defeated. This broke me. The proverbial straw. I never expected the dark elemental to take me down would be my own flesh and blood.
“This echoes what happened when Spencer first arrived at Clearwater. The way he charmed us all into believing he was here to help you when he was really here to destroy you.” She waited until both Syd and I had our undivided attention on her. “Instead of casting a spell over the school as he had, she’s placed a charm on the Council.”
That awesome revelation hung between the three of us until I spoke up. “Why haven’t you been affected? You haven’t trusted her from the beginning.” And I’d nearly lost my mentor by siding with Sammie. Thank God Stace had better judgment than I did.
She pulled aside the collar of her shirt to reveal a tattoo. “I’m warded. Spells directed at me might still break through, but not charms cast over a group.”
“But you were just as enchanted by Spencer as everyone else.”
“At first, absolutely. He was famous, this amazing battler who took down every opponent, and was very easy on the eyes.” She smiled warmly and shrugged. “So, of course I was enchanted. Who wasn’t? But then I saw what he was doing to you. The battles during your training. The forbidden calls. I began to see him the way you saw him.” She nailed me with a look. “Dark.”
I didn’t know whether to thank her or yell at her for taking so long to see what I’d seen from the first day I’d met Spencer. Neither seemed appropriate after the fact, so I remained silent.
“I vowed I’d never doubt you again, Katy. I’m following through with that vow. I’m sorry I accused you of attacking other students. I won’t doubt you again. If you say Sammie attacked you, then that’s exactly what happened. My question is, why?”
Something Tweedledum had said to Tweedledumber came back to me when they’d attacked. “The prophecy has fallen,” I muttered.
“What did you just say?”
“It’s something Alec said to Spencer. He said the prophecy had fallen, and then they both disappeared, like just totally tapped out right in the middle of a battle.” I hopped off the table to move around as I worked out the theory aloud. I did my best thinking while pacing. “Sammie didn’t take back the prophecy to protect me. She did it to tip the balance in the dark side’s favor.”
“Oh my God. In their blind determination to save our world, the Council handed her the key to destroying it.” Stace paused. “I think it’s time to call in the quad squad.”
I thought she’d never ask. I whipped out my phone, texting the guys. Clay popped in almost immediately after I hit Send. “Hey, Montana. Texting is like rubbing the lamp. You rub me the right way, and I come…” He trailed off when he realized we weren’t alone. “Hey, guys. Didn’t, uh… Didn’t see you there. Ha-ha.” He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze.
An audible pop announced Bryan’s arrival. “What is it? You said it was urgent.”
“This is going to take all of you,” Stace explained. Rob popped in. Even Leo teleported in. My cavalry had arrived.
“What’s up, babe?”
I looked to Stace, who nodded for me to answer. “We’re going to take down the prophecy.”
21
I hated hospitals. I hated them even more when I was a patient.
Okay, fake patient.
But I still hated hospitals.
Stace and Syd had convinced the Council I’d suffered a mental break from heat exhaustion—which wasn’t a thing for elementals with the power to control fire, mind you—but the old guys had bought it. I’d be right as rain with just a little rest. Just to be on the safe side, they’d agreed to keep me collared until the prophecy deemed it safe to remove the elemutus.
Fake prophecy.
God, I hated this. Now, for the past week, the guys and I had been planning the downfall of the woman who’d given me life. We’d plotted every day after classes—which I didn’t attend but still had to do the work, so that was awesome—and had finally come up with a plan that would work. I hoped. She needed to be stopped, and I was the one powerful enough to stop her. I didn’t want her dead. I just wanted her where she couldn’t hurt others.
It didn’t take a master’s degree to figure out she’d been the one attacking the students, filling their minds with that creepy fog to disorient them enough to convince them I’d been the one to attack. Good luck proving that.
I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the woman since the attack and subsequent fallout. Tonight was a party in her honor
for learning of the counter ward (that she’d created) and hunting it down (that she’d hidden). Her heroic efforts restored the barrier. Go, Sammie.
And tonight, I’d expose her for the dark elemental she was. How many times would the Council be fooled by the shiny coins? First Spencer. Now Sammie. Who was next?
Not my problem, I decided. If they wanted to continue to lead this world through fear tactics, they could count me out. Did that make me dark? No. But it would in the Council’s eyes when I did what I had to do. The thought of going after my own mom gave me hives. I didn’t want her as an enemy. I would rather have her as a mother.
But, alas, the reality of the situation didn’t yield itself to that scenario. Samantha Reed had chosen her side. I’d chosen mine. It wasn’t exactly brother against brother. It was worse. It was mother against daughter.
And it would tear this world apart.
My hands shook as I went about the task of applying makeup. I’d given up on my hair and tied it into a sloppy red mop on top of my head. The blue sweater I’d snagged from Leo covered the majority of the white uniform dress shirt so only the starched collar and tail showed. I wiped my hands on my jeans to dry my palms.
“This is hopeless,” I muttered and threw my eyeliner. It landed in the sink below the mirror in the room I’d called home for five nights and six days. Five lonely nights listening to the annoyingly loud ticking of the clock on the wall. Six long days of staring at the ceiling every time one of the Council members perched outside my door had come in to check on me. Pretending to be totally mellow and in an almost catatonic state was harder than it sounded. I deserved an Academy Award for my performance. Maybe a parade. A cookie at the very least.
At least the guys visiting me every day helped with the isolation. I never knew how much I’d miss going out until I couldn’t. Locking people away didn’t help with their mental stability. It only drove them more insane. I definitely related, having been on lockdown for five lonely nights and six long days.
“Knock, knock.” Leo poked his head in, his crazy blond curls bouncing into his piercing blue eyes. He stepped into the room, utterly breathtaking in nothing more than a simple dark gray long-sleeved shirt and the world’s best-fitting jeans. How did he find pants that cupped every inch—and I do mean every delicious inch—so perfectly?
“Where are the guys?” he asked.
I shrugged and went back to attempting to apply my face without making me look like I used a Sharpie. “They aren’t with you?”
“They all teleported here. I, well…”
“I know. You hate teleporting.” I ignored the jolt of nervous uncertainty that the ones who usually popped in at a moment’s notice hadn’t popped in yet.
“Because I told you to grab something before we left,” Bryan grumbled as he pushed through the door, Rob behind him. The two largest guys of the group took up half the room when they stood shoulder to magnificent shoulder. While Bryan was in his usual casual attire of a plaid flannel draped over a loose T-shirt and jeans with a plethora of pockets, Rob was in Council uniform. Although my fire elemental could make wearing a paper sack look good, I hated the fancy black suit on him. He knew it and had his black blazer draped over his arm to soften the effect.
“What?” Rob shrugged, his mouth full. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “I miss the burgers here.”
I turned to face the guys. “Where’s Clay?”
“He had to help set up for the party. Since Lulu is MIA, he’s actually having to work.” Bryan grinned, taking more than a little pleasure in that fact.
“It makes sense why Dean Carter volunteered the grounds for the party,” Leo stated. “The academy is the largest warded area in the state. According to Clay, they’re expecting people from all over the place. I guess they even invited the Council members from other countries.”
“Why?” I went back to staring at my reflection, contemplating my choice in eye shadow. Maybe I should tone it down. It wasn’t a party party. It was a fake party honoring a fake prophecy in celebration of a fake heroic effort. I did a lot of real heroic shit, and not once did they offer to throw me a party. Or even a pat on the back for stopping a dark elemental from destroying our world. Yet they threw Sammie a party for finding a ward.
But hey, I’m not bitter.
“What’s with the rage of storms in your eyes, babe?” Leo stepped up behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders, his gaze on my reflection.
“It’s just a stupid party.” I threw my mascara. It joined the eye liner in the sink and rolled to a stop.
He kept his focus on me as he snaked his arms around my midsection and nuzzled against my neck. “It’s okay to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” I lied.
“If you say so.” He delivered a staccato of kisses to my throat before stepping out of my reflection.
“Listen, Katy. You don’t have to do this.” Bryan regarded me earnestly.
Both fire callers erupted in protest. Rob, I’d expected as much. He’d use any excuse to lose his temper. Leo, however, still took some getting used to. My usually cool, collected water elemental might not have as short a temper as Rob, but he wasn’t that far off.
“If I don’t,” I countered, glancing at him through the mirror, “who will?”
He set his jaw and shook his head.
“Ready?” Rob checked his phone. “I’ve been instructed to deliver you promptly at seven sharp.”
“Deliver me? Am I a package or something?”
He grinned, sending his dark gaze into a wicked glimmer. “Yeah, you are.”
“That was such a Clay thing to say.” I half expected him to waggle his eyebrows. With a deep breath, I turned and nodded, ignoring the gnawing in my stomach. “Let’s do this.”
“We’ll be with you the entire time,” Leo stated the obvious.
I had to remember why I was about to challenge the prophecy in front of the elemental community. If I didn’t, if I allowed her to lead our world down the path it seemed to be heading, my world as I knew it would be no more. Hell, with what I was about to do, my world as I knew it would be no more. This was a no-win situation for me. It’d save my world, but destroy me.
Rob stopped me from leaving the room by picking up the metal ring contraption I had sitting on the counter. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“What’s an outfit without the proper accessory?” I waited for him to snap the elemutus around my neck. It wasn’t heavy, but it was awkward. He clicked on the row of LED lights, creating a soft white glow that I’d gotten used to since I’d had to wear it this past week to convince the Council my powers had been muted.
“Remember the plan.” Rob held out his arm.
“How can I forget? We’ve only walked through it about a million times.” I looped my arm in his to have him escort me. As a member of the Council, he had certain perks, such as the authority to interrogate elementals and his own heavily warded cabin in the woods. An in when it came to Council business, like when they’d added a second tester at Leo’s tribunal.
Speaking of…
“Are you sure you don’t want to withdraw your request for final tribunal now that you’re a trio?” I asked him. He gave me a look as if I’d just asked him if he’d killed anyone lately. “What? It’s a legit question.”
“Why would I withdraw?” Leo responded harshly. “Becoming a trio doesn’t change the fact I’m ready to graduate.”
“Dude,” Bryan cut in. “Fire just came to you. You should stay and learn the 3Cs of your new element.”
He glared at Bryan, who shrank back in response. Not out of fear, not Bryan. Nothing scared that mammoth of a man. Well, except the void. Then again, the void scared everyone, and rightfully so.
“I got this.” Leo practically bared his teeth.
“Okay.” Bryan brought up his hands. “When you fail, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Thanks for your support.”
“Chill, dude. I’m not
your enemy. Stop being a dick.”
Leo glared but said nothing. Geez, his fire element definitely needed a little control. I pleaded to Rob, who nodded.
“Bro, tomorrow, Clay and I taking you out for one last training before your tribunal. You need it.”
“Whatever.”
My mouth fell open. That was his way of controlling the situation? I pinched his arm, earning a look.
“Let’s just do this,” I stated and stared at the door.
Bryan and Leo fell into step behind Rob and me as we left the room. Rob waved to the two Council members standing watch outside my door. They both popped out. Wow, the Council put a lot of trust in Rob. They knew he was my boyfriend and could potentially let me escape. They also believed the elemutus around my neck had muted my powers, so that probably helped convince them.
It didn’t take nearly long enough to walk up to the main campus. As we drew closer, the soft tinkling of background of music filled the air. We rounded a corner, and I slowed. Giant white tents with mountainous peaks covered the grassy round that connected the houses with a huge patch of grass shaped like a compass. The statue of Cressida Clearwater was dead center of the activity, always keeping watch.
Suddenly, the pull to talk to her was too much to ignore. “Can you guys give me a minute?”
“Sorry, Reed. Council orders. I’m not allowed to leave your side.”
“Will you at least give me some privacy with her?”
Reluctantly, he nodded and motioned for the guys to stay back with him while I approached the statue. I rested my palm against the bronze material of her robes, and an immediate sense of peace washed over me. Not peace for me, but peace for her. She’d returned to the omnipresent essence that watched over the school.
“I’m glad you’re back,” I told her softly. “You had me worried there for a bit.”
Warmth sank into me. She was here, listening. It brought a smile to my face and a lightness to my heavy heart. “I’m sure you’ve seen everything that’s been going on, so I won’t bother giving you a recap.”
I closed my eyes and fought back the emotions tightening my throat and making it hard to breathe. “I’m about to step into the hardest battle of my life. Please, Cressida. Please find a way to be there for me. I—” I sucked in a breath when a sob snuck up on me and nearly escaped. “I can’t do this alone.”