“Wow.” Ava shook her head. “Why did Nadia want to hide all of this?”
“Because reading those scrolls changed everything we thought we knew and the future was there to see. It predicted the battles to come; names of victors and all. It revealed things that weren’t meant to be known.”
“I thought we should share the history with everyone, but Nadia said there was no way to do that and keep the future secret at the same time.”
“The Council knows all of this?” Ava couldn’t believe it.
“There is only one council member remaining that was with us on the day we destroyed the scrolls.”
“Who?” Ava asked, intrigued.
Minya tilted her head, “Gale.”
Ava gasped.
Chapter Thirteen…
…Ava…
The forty minute drive back to Aunt Avalene’s had been really quiet. Ava’s mind spun as the history contained in Ann Marie’s diary came together with Minya’s story. She couldn’t stop thinking about it.
They rode in silence until they crossed the Georgia line.
Alec cleared his throat, “I think we should go back to the island.”
“No.” Ava said, too loudly it seemed, “We can’t. We have to go to Aunt Avalene’s.”
“Why? She’s not there. We need to get back as soon as possible.” Alec insisted.
“We’re meeting someone there,” Ava revealed, reluctantly.
“What? Who?” Alec demanded.
Ava stared out of the window, “Brea.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes.”
Alec stared at her, waiting.
Ava didn’t answer, just smiled as the familiar white house came into view. Ava felt her heart swim with happiness. She loved that house. There were bad memories there, mostly to do with her mother, but there were so many great memories there too.
Alec parked and Ava got out, almost dazed as the memories carried her towards the beautiful white house. She walked between the flowers planted out front and felt a lot of her worry wash away. It was so comforting being here. Her fingers brushed the stair rail as she walked up and went inside. She took in the amazing smell of Aunt Avalene’s house. Alec walked behind her and Nisca followed him.
Ava looked over her shoulder at Alec as she climbed the stairs to her room. He followed her and Nisca discreetly moved towards the living room. “I’m going to take a little nap.”
“Make yourself at home, Nisca,” Ava called down to her.
At the top of the stairs, Alec wrapped his hand around hers. Ava opened her bedroom door with her free hand. It was exactly as she had left it. Her cream and flower covered bedspread called to her. She loved her new bed at the castle but nothing felt quite like her bed, smelled quite like home. She walked over and lay down on it. Alec stood over her, arms crossed and smiling down at her. She stretched her arms out to him. He placed his hands on either side of her, holding himself off of her swollen belly. They both looked down at her belly and laughed. “It’s strange, isn’t it?” She laughed.
“What? The baby?”
“Just all of this. How much has happened in such a short time. Just two years ago we didn’t know each other.”
“I’ve always known you, Ava.”
“You know what I mean.”
He smiled, “My heart has always known you.” He kissed her lips softly.
She closed her eyes and then the baby rolled in her stomach.
She laughed.
Alec looked at her questioningly and she told him what had happened. He sat beside her and placed both of his hands on her stomach. “It’s amazing.”
“The baby?”
“Yeah. It’s a part of both of us.”
Ava put her hands next to his. “I can’t help but worry, Alec. What if the baby really is like me, a True Elementris?”
“That won’t happen.” He said, standing quickly.
Ava tried to sit up. “What if it does though? How else do you explain what’s happening to me and my magic.”
Alec shook his head, “I don’t know.” He grabbed her hands and helped her up.
“Alec, I’m serious,” she said. “What if…?”
“I don’t want to think about that, Ava.” He interrupted, then turned away.
“We have to,” Ava insisted.
“No, we don’t!” Alec said angrily.
“Alec?” Ava was shocked. Alec got angry, but rarely with her.
“What?” he said tersely.
“Alec, what’s wrong?” she asked gently, needing to understand, fearing what she might learn.
“Look Ava. I’m happy we’re having a baby. I’ve never been happier, but I won’t lose you for anyone. I can’t stand the thought of what you said you would do if the baby was a True Elementris and you were forced to challenge our child. I won’t lose you, Ava.”
“Alec. It’s our child.”
“I know that, Ava. I just can’t think about the possibility of our child trying to kill you one day.” He shook visibly.
Ava stared at him, not knowing what to say. She had been dealing with the possibility since she’d read that in the diary. She was struggling with it, but she had never thought about Alec, that he must be struggling with it too. She wanted more than anything to be a good mother. She would never abandon her child the way her mother had, but just the same she didn’t want her child to be like her. She wanted more than anything for the baby to not be a True Elementris.
Alec turned away.
“Wait,” she said.
He slowly turned around.
“If we knew for sure. What would you do?”
“I don’t know. What kind of question is that? All I know is that I want to have a family with you, but I won’t lose you, Ava. I can’t.” He hurried out of the room.
Ava stood, tears streaming down her face. She had a whole new worry now. What would Alec do if the baby was a True Elementris? Would he not love their child? Would he hate the baby for what it was and the threat it posed? No, not Alec. Once he saw the baby it would be different. She hoped. She understood what he was going through. She had wondered if she would be able to love the baby unconditionally knowing that she only had eighteen years to live. Each year their baby grew would be another year closer to her end. She knew now though, she loved their baby already and she knew one thing for certain, she would not kill her own child. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she cradled her belly. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Please don’t let it be true. Please.”
…Brea…
“What do we do now?” Brea asked, close to outright panic. This situation so close on the heels of the other she’d found herself in, was almost too much to handle.
“I don’t know. Just let me think.” Caslan said. He moved the truck a little to the left. The cars moved in closer, forming a tight box around them. He slowed. The cars slowed.
Brea started to panic. “Just push through them.”
“I can’t.” He pushed the gas and instead of the truck moving forward the engine revved like it was in park and kept slowing down.
“What’s wrong with the truck?”
“I don’t know.” He lifted his hands from the steering wheel and the steering wheel moved on its own.
Brea looked over and saw a man in the passenger seat of the SUV to their left moving his fingers as he stared at them. He pushed his palm out and the truck slammed on brakes.
“Did you do that?”
“No.” Caslan said as he looked at the man next to them.
Their seatbelts tightened. Brea couldn’t catch her breath, “Do something, Caslan!” she wheezed.
“What do you expect me to do?” he panted, fighting for air himself.
“I don’t know! You know black magic. Use it!” She tried to yell.
“I’m trying.” He said, frustrated. “That’s Erie, he’s a powerful Warlock. My magic is useless compared to his.”
Brea started kicking and clawing against the seatbelt
. The truck doors slammed open and flew off of the truck. Both doorways filled with men dressed in expensive suits. The Warlock, Erie, walked toward Caslan and held his hand out.
Caslan stared at him, “What do you want, Erie?”
“Your little girlfriend, of course.”
“What are talking about?”
“Why did you bring her to the gathering? You think your father is a fool.” The seat belt moved up and tightened around Caslan ’s throat. His face turned blood-red and his eyes started glowing. “Stop it, Erie.”
“You’re helping her. You’ve exposed us. Your father is so disappointed.” Erie smiled and the seat belt tightened more. The sound of the material stretching was awful.
“Stop it!” Brea screamed.
Erie looked at her and grinned. Her seatbelt moved up and around her throat. “What did he tell you, girl?”
Brea shook her head. “Nothing.” She could hardly speak.
“What?” The seat belt tightened.
Caslan’s face was starting to look purple; he couldn’t breathe.
“Leave us alone.” Brea screeched.
“Or what?” Erie said.
“Put them in the car, Erie.” A woman said as she walked up to them. “Vern wants them brought back.”
She was blonde and pretty. Her pale blue eyes sparkled and shifted from blue to white and then back to blue. “Now.”
“Fine.” Erie smiled at Caslan, “I’ll have my fun with you later.” He looked at Brea, “As for you, you’ll talk to me when we get back, they always do.”
Brea could see Aunt Avalene’s road in the distance as they dragged her around the truck and put her in the back of one of the SUVs. She was furious. Help was so close, but not close enough to hear her scream. She had to tell Ava about Shawn and Bianca. She had to warn her. If only she could scream loud enough. They shoved her into the back seat and she felt like her world had collapsed all around her. She realized she was crying and that just pissed her off more.
…Ava…
“Where is she?” Alec asked, pulling the window curtain aside to look out.
“I don’t know. She should be here by now.” Ava was starting to get worried.
“Did she want to go back to the island with us or something?”
Ava turned busying herself by walking around the room. “No.”
“Is she in some kind of trouble?” Alec pressed.
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean, not exactly? What are you not telling me, Ava?”
Ava felt her shoulders sink. She looked at Nisca and then at Alec, “Okay, I didn’t want to tell you until they got here, because I knew you would freak out and make me bring half an army of Clutch Guards with us.
“They? Who are we meeting, Ava?”
“Brea.” She said and then closed one eyes as if it would protect her from his reaction, “and Caslan.”
“Who the hell is Caslan ?”
“He’s, um, he’s a Waevern. He’s Vern Waevern’s son.”
Alec crossed the space between them in one step, “What?”
“I can explain,” she held her hands up.
Alec folded his arms, “Everything!”
…Brea…
They were in the back seat of the car. There were no handcuffs or ropes holding their hands in place, but they were bound just the same. If felt like thick ropes were digging into her wrists, but there was nothing there at all.
“Who exactly is that Erie guy?” She whispered to Caslan.
“He works for my father. He’s one of the Specials.”
“Specials?”
“Yeah. That’s what we call them. My brothers and sisters and me. My father likes to collect them for his army. They specialize in some kind of dark magic. Erie, he’s a torturer. He comes from a long line of Warlocks. His family lives for dark magic. He’s who my father calls when he needs to know something. The blonde with the weird blue eyes, she’s my father’s assistant. She’s cursed.”
“What do you mean cursed?”
“Her own sister cursed her. She can never touch anyone without freezing them. Her element is water, but her sister cursed her with ice. When we were all kids we used to call her the Ice Witch. Anytime she tries to manipulate water, it freezes. She’s known for her Ice Kiss. I watched her do it once. She kissed this guy and froze him from the inside out at the same time. She can freeze your blood with a touch. She manipulates the water in your body just like any other water.”
Brea stared at the woman, the white glove on her hand. She felt her body shake.
“We’re here.” Caslan whispered.
“What are they going to do with us?” Brea asked.
“I don’t know. What did you tell Shawn?”
“Nothing. I swear.”
The doors opened and they were dragged out. They were led through the back door of a huge house. Once inside, they were separated. They took Caslan upstairs and took her downstairs.
She was led down an impossibly dark staircase. The dank smell growing stronger with each step downward. At the bottom of the stairs, a row of metal lights swung back and forth casting their meager light over a long row of cells. At the end there was a table with straps on it. Brea was shoved into the first cell. Across from her there was a girl with short black hair. Her knees were pulled to her chest and she was as thin as the bars that held her. Brea’s captors were silent as they locked the door and then left.
Brea stared at the girl as the lights swung back and forth, lighting her pale face and then her swollen belly. Brea held onto the bars as she tried to see into the other cells further down the line. There was an Asian woman pacing back and forth. She turned and Brea realized she was also pregnant. They were here. At least two of them were, anyway. Brea looked around the cell she was in. It had a concrete wall on the back and a cage for every other wall. She shook the bars with both hands, they didn’t even rattle. The concrete floor was wet and slippery. She slid down the bars, feeling hopeless.
…Ava…
Ava watched Alec closely after she finished telling him all about Caslan and Brea. She knew he was not going to be happy about anything she’d just told him.
“You should have told me, Ava.” His expression was stern as he held her gaze hostage with his own.
“Would you have agreed to come meet him, Alec?”
“Yes, but with some protection. How do you know this isn’t a trap, Ava? Did you even think about the danger you might be putting yourself in? We’re away from the island. It would be easy for him to tell them where you are. Why on earth would you trust the son of Vern Waevern?”
“I don’t,” she shouted. “I trust Brea.”
“What if Brea’s wrong about this guy?” She wished he would yell back at her, she hated it when he stayed calm in the face of her anger.
“What if she’s not?” she said, almost pouting now, knowing he was right.
“Ava, you can’t be so trusting. He could be manipulating Brea.”
“Well, I had to do something, Alec. This is probably our only chance at finding those missing women. We have no leads.”
“Maybe.” He looked back towards the window.
Hours went by and still no Brea. Ava began to get worried. What if Brea had been wrong about Caslan? What if something had happened to her? She hadn’t even realized that she had started pacing until Alec stopped her with a touch on her arm. “Ava, it’s nearly one in the morning.”
“I know,” she snapped, immediately regretting taking her worry out on him. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He shook his head, “Look, let’s go back. I’ll send Thomas and Shawn to the university. They’ll find her.”
“No, Alec. We can’t do that. If we send a bunch of Clutch Guards after her, they’ll kill him.”
“What if he’s got Brea, Ava?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t want to cause something to happen to her. You and I could go to the university. They won’t think anything of us coming to vi
sit Brea.”
“What if they’re there?” he asked, exasperated.
“Then you’ll protect me.”
“Ava. You know I would die trying, but I’m not willing to take the chance that I couldn’t protect you.”
“Alec. I’m not going back until I know she’s okay.”
“Ava?”
“Alec.”
He stared at her and took a deep breath to keep himself from tossing her over his shoulder and carting her back to the island for her own good. “Okay. We’ll go, but I’m calling in backup just in case. I’ll make sure they stay away, but they will be close enough that they can get to us quickly if we need them.”
“Okay,” she agreed. She wrapped her arms around him, “Thank you, Alec.”
“You’re a stubborn woman, Ava,” he leaned down and kissed her cheek, “but I love you.”
…Brea…
“Get up.” Shawn yelled.
Brea sat straight up, not sure if she had really fallen asleep or if exhaustion had just shut her mind off for a few minutes. She stumbled to her feet as he unlocked the cage door and threw it open. “Come on, let’s go! We’ve got to move now!” he urged.
“Shawn, they’re here. The kidnapped women, they’re here, we have to get them out too.”
“We don’t have time, Brea. We have to get to Ava. She can send someone to get them.”
Brea ran out behind him looking at the frail woman in the cage across from hers as they ran past. She knew she had to get to Ava; she couldn’t save them now.
“Shawn, what the hell is going on?”
“I’m trying to rescue you.” He took her hand and squeezed it, “Be quiet. Let me get us out of here.”
Brea nodded and followed him up the staircase. Shawn eased the door open. He put his arm around her and they slowly moved out of the doorway. They turned the next corner and stopped.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Brea tensed as Shawn’s grip tightened. The blonde woman stood a few feet in front of them. Two guards stood behind her.
“I’m taking her out of here.”
Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series Page 75