by Nixon, Diana
“But after her eighteenth birthday she will, right?” I guessed.
“I think so,” he nodded.
“But you also said that very few people are able to possess all the elements. Then how did you do that?” Eileen wondered.
“I didn’t. It was just magic. I can light a candle, but can’t create the fire without some help. I can create the illusion of water, and make it move in a certain direction, but I can’t fill any lake or river with it. I can create the illusion of the wind, but in reality you won’t feel a breeze. My previous faculty was Vero, so I possess in reality only one element - the earth. Earth as something constant and steady as the truth itself - is Vero’s power,” Evan explained.
“What are you guys doing over there?” Amanda finally asked, noticing that the three of us weren’t participating in their rapid exchange filled with excitement over the show.
“I’ll tell you later,” Eileen said dryly. “Is Darcy also back?” she asked Evan.
“Yes, she is already being prepared for her show. And yours is just around the corner too, Christian. So you should go now, I'll look after everything here.”
I had no choice but to follow his advice, since I didn’t have much time left.
“Will you stay here or go back to your seats?” I asked.
“It’s better to stay here,” said Eileen still nervous. Evan nodded and patted me on the shoulder, wishing good luck.
I returned backstage. My brain still couldn’t get used to the idea that Evan was right about Eileen. Now I was even more afraid of her birthday coming.
“Christian, get ready, your performance is next,” said Alexis.
I couldn’t believe I was presenting next, I was so hyped up.
“Concentrate!” I ordered myself. With motionless hands, I managed to put on my coat and go to the exit of the arena. In order not to attract the attention of others to myself, I chose a red coat, since it blended that of the arena’s floor.
The applause started, signifying the end of the previous show.
“Christian James Patrick Fairey!” Alexis announced solemnly. I went into the center of the arena, thinking only about how to get away from here as soon as possible, and be next to Eileen.
The show began.
I felt my palms burning with coming fire. It was always so good to feel my power. It couldn’t be compared with anything else. It was something very special and magical. The energy filled my body, running through my veins and taking me to the heavens where there was nothing but endless freedom and happiness.
With closed eyes I was drawing the already so familiar fiery image. I felt golden threads, weaving and becoming one, creating a thin wall of lacy pattern. There was no need to open my eyes to see the glow of my creation. It was an essential part of me, just like Eileen was a part of my soul and my heart. She was everything for me and I had to do all my best to make her happy. I couldn’t fail. Not now not ever. I had to make my performance perfect and it seemed like nothing could stop me, when suddenly, I felt it - my power was falling away... My weakness was overwhelming, my energy was melting in a sea of powerlessness and the fire in me froze. Terrified, I opened my eyes. To my surprise, the figure still remained the way it should be, without a single hint of pallor. It was beaming with a bright flame, lighting up all the space around me.
“Eileen!” I realized. I felt the presence of her spirit, as soon as I thought about her. She was helping me. I didn’t know whether anyone had noticed my weakness, but judging by the reaction of the audience, everyone was delighted with my performance. Flushing, finally, in a whole wall of fire, my picture disappeared. And I knew that this final point was made not by me…
She had come up with that idea to finish my performance. Hearing the applause and loud cheers of approval, I left the arena. As soon as I stepped behind the scenes, I rushed to the spot where I had left my friends previously. To my surprise, there was only Anna.
“Where did everyone go?” I asked approaching her.
“Oh, Christian! They took Eileen in her room. She felt bad, and they asked me to stay and wait for you to tell about it.”
“What happened to her?” in horror I asked, although already knowing the answer to my question.
“I don’t know. We just were standing there and watching your show, when she suddenly fell, and Evan immediately said that we should take away from here.”
“Thanks, Anna!” I shouted as I ran, heading for the dormitory.
Eileen’s room was overcrowded. There was everybody – Amanda, Lucas, Evan and Darcy. Eileen was laying on her bed, eyes closed. Amanda was applying a wet towel to her forehead.
“Christian! Finally!” Evan exclaimed. “I didn’t even know that she was helping you! I stood and saw her lose consciousness.”
“Eileen, can you hear me?” I asked softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. She didn’t answer. I ran a hand over her face and forehead. She had a fever.
“Christian,” in a barely audible voice she called.
“I'm here, Eileen. Everything will be fine. You just need to rest a bit.”
“Did you like the end of the show?” she whispered.
“You didn’t have to do that. Now you're lying here instead of having fun at the Festival,” trying to force a smile, I replied.
“So you didn’t like it?” she asked once again.
“Of course, I did like it! You shouldn’t even have to ask that. When did you feel that I was losing my energy?”
“I don’t know, I just was watching the show, and then I closed my eyes and imagined that I was there with you, and then... I felt your panic and I knew I had to do something. I didn’t even have to make any effort. All happened by itself. And now, that you're near, I feel my power coming back. I feel much better.”
“It’s just the way it should be,” I said, patting her hand. “Go to sleep a little while. I won’t go anywhere, I'll stay with you. I promise,” I said kissing her palm.
She closed her eyes again and turned her head to one side. I sat there a little more, still holding her hand until I heard the steady, calm breathing. She was asleep.
Evan was standing nearby, arms folded across his chest. Amanda and Lucas were sitting on her bed, quietly discussing something. Darcy was standing at the door, talking on the phone with someone.
“Sorry, but I need to go back to the arena. I am involved in the latest performance,” she said apologetically.
“Of course. It’s all right. Everything will be fine with Eileen,” I said. “Take Amanda and Lucas with you.”
I remembered that my sister still had a date, so I didn’t want to spoil it. Evan wouldn’t leave us alone anyway, so to him I said nothing. Besides, I couldn’t wait to find out how everything went in Norfield.
As soon as everyone left, he sat on the sofa, and wearily rubbed his temples.
“I haven’t slept for almost two days and the show was the last straw. I’m just about to fall unconscious too,” he said. I sat in a chair opposite him.
“The meeting was that awful?” I asked.
“Considering that Nora was several times stronger than Frederic Fairey himself, then - yes. What is scarier is that if not for his help, we wouldn’t be meeting now. Everything was really awful.”
“Stronger then Frederic? How is that even possible?”
“You will be even more surprised when your own girlfriend becomes even stronger,” Evan smiled sadly.
“Actually, she is not my...”
“Yeah, yeah, I know that she didn’t answer you on your proposal, but, in fact, it makes no difference. So as for the meeting… when we surrounded Nora’s house, nobody would have thought that the radius of her perceived supernatural power was so great. She knew from the very beginning that we were there. And there were many of us. As expected, the spell Frederic had imposed on the amulet saved Amelia. When she brought Nora out of her house, the Keepers were immediately nearby. Really, no one expected that she would be so strong. Unfortunately, we lost a few Ke
epers. Not all were well prepared for such a rebuff. Frederic arrived just in time. Using all his power, he came to Nora as close as possible. That was enough to break her resistance and allow the rest to grab her. And when it seemed like it was over, she splashed a potion into Frederic’s eyes in one fast and unnoticeable movement. The one that killed Camilla as well. If one of its drops was enough to kill someone, can you imagine how the whole bottle, though not ingested, effected Frederic. Thank God, your mother was there too. She immediately realized what potion it was, but seeing it for the first time in her life, couldn’t say with certainty. That's what we needed Darcy for.”
“I don’t understand why Nora, knowing that the house was surrounded, still came out.”
“She hoped that her own power would be enough to defeat all of us, so that later she could get away and hide somewhere. However, she didn’t know about Frederic’s presence.”
“How is he now?”
“As far as I know - much better. He’s in your parents' house. With Rebecca.”
“What?! She was also mixed up in all this?”
“Well, that’s the thing she wasn’t. At least, no one of Vero managed to find her guilty of lying. She said she knew Nora and had been using her services for a long time, but had no idea who she really was. Although Frederic and I believe she knows more. Anyway, we agreed not to share with her any of our business.”
“What happened after Nora was caught?”
“She was sent to London. The Council must render its decision about her next week. Until then, she will stay in the chamber under the close supervision of guards. She has been forced to take a special elixir that diminishes her powers, so she, God forbid, couldn’t use them any longer. By the way, guess why her hair was silver?”
“It's a rarity for the Wizardy, right?”
“Exactly. Despite the fact that Nora is really strong, she began to lose her power. She used too much of it, practicing very strong magic. That's why her hair lost the old color. Wasting so much energy, she couldn’t restore it. We think that eventually she would have killed herself. We can only speculate how much damage she would have committed against others if she had not been caught. So she will stay under supervision. But the most important thing… Nora is really Alexis’s grandmother. She was the one who masterminded Camilla’s death, so that Alexis could come to Dever. Their family has long been trying to take revenge on the descendants of Medellin and all the Fairey because of their fault in Medellin sister’s death. The original plan was designed by her sons who gave it to their descendants. According to Nora, Alexis wants to be the one to gain the power of Eileen as the daughter of the most powerful magician. She was waiting for her eighteenth birthday to bring her plan to life.”
“How did Alexis learn about what had happened to Nora?”
“As it turns out, Nora had told her about her meeting with Amelia before it took place. Alexis asked some of Ventura to find out what exactly we were planning, and then to inform Nora about it. Alexis with the festival going on wasn’t able to follow through. That's why Nora was a little unprepared.”
“I'm speechless! So you escorted her and the Keepers to the Council?”
“Yes. I went there together with Patrick. We had to be on alert all the way to prevent the power of Frederic’s spells from weakening. That’s why I’m so damn tired, and the show wasn’t an easy task for me today.”
“What will they do with Alexis now?”
“Nothing. She will be sent to the Council tomorrow, because today is the festival. But the Keepers are already watching her, so she can’t run away.”
“Good. By the way, why didn’t you inform us about your return?”
“Oh, sorry, Christian! But I really wanted to look at your faces when you knew that all those magic tricks were my handiwork,” smiling radiantly, said Evan.
“Your surprise was a huge success. But we all almost went crazy with worry when Alexis announced the beginning of your performance and you were not around.”
“So it was a success. Good,” Evan said, “but now, if you do not mind, I'll go to my room and try catch up on much needed sleep. Everything else we can discuss tomorrow. Remember - Eileen can’t find out about Frederic. He still wants to tell her everything himself.”
“Okay.”
“Well, see you tomorrow,” said Evan, going to the door.
Chapter 24. Guest list (Eileen)
That night I had a strange dream. I was like floating in a thick fog. Someone was calling my name, but I couldn’t understand where the voice was coming from. I tried to determine in which direction to go to find the person to whom it belonged, but the voice was barely audible, as if someone was trying to say my name using the remands of his strength. I didn’t manage to find its owner, spending the whole rest of the night in that same fog.
Such a weird dream…
I was sweltering, when I woke up. The clock on the table showed five in the morning. I tried to get up and saw Christian, who was asleep, curled up on our small couch. He was still wearing his trousers and a white shirt. Most likely he had been there all night. I didn’t feel the headache anymore, but trying to get out of bed, I felt a notable trembling in my knees - the weakness hadn’t passed yet. I got to the sofa and ruffled Christian's hair.
“Hey,” I called him quietly, “Christian, wake up.”
“What’s wrong? Is it already time to get up?” he asked sleepily.
“Why don’t you go to your room and sleep comfortably? You spent all night on that couch?”
He rubbed his eyes.
“What could I do?” he asked in response. “I couldn’t leave you alone.”
“I feel much better now. So you don’t have to stay here,” I said, sitting down next to him.
“No. I’ll stay. You can’t be alone,” he said firmly.
I knew it was useless to argue with him.
“Okay, then take the bed. I can’t see you suffering on that couch. I'll be back. I'm terribly thirsty.”
I went to the bedside table on which stood a pitcher of water, poured some into a glass and drank. All the windows in the room were closed, so that’s why it was stifling. I was used to sleeping with a window open and even in the winter I didn’t close it all night. As I went to open a window, I noticed that Amanda's bed was still empty. Hasn’t she returned from the ball yet?..
I turned to my bed. Christian sounded asleep laying on his right side. Fatigue was still wearing on all of us, so it didn’t take him more than a few minutes to fall back asleep. I crawled into bed on the other side, wrapping myself in a blanket and joined him in his dreams.
A few hours later I felt really hot again.
“Was Amanda back and had she closed the window?” I thought in my sleepy mind. I was about to get up and investigate when I realized that the heat wasn’t caused by the lack of air… Someone’s hands were tightly embracing me. Christian! Oh, God! I didn’t even feel when he pulled me over so close to him! I opened my eyes and saw his face just inches from mine. He was still deep asleep. Great! How am I supposed to get up without waking him? I tried to move, but he embraced me even tighter.
Not that I didn’t like being in his arms, rather on the contrary... I liked it too much! So because of his proximity I felt hot again, my pulse sped up, and I felt the steady rapid beat of my pounding heart. Certainly this would wake anyone, but no, Christian’s breathing remained steady and calm. I took a deep breath. Of course, I could wake him up, and get out of bed easily... But, damn, how much pleasure this brought me being with him! I didn’t want to go away. I smiled sadly.
“How could we tie ourselves into so many knots?” I whispered. Why couldn’t we just enjoy our feelings, as all the teenagers of our age do?
My hand was resting on his chest, and I felt his heart beating. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face and his lips... They were just a millimeter away from me, and I wanted so badly to feel and taste them again. I inhaled deeply his smell - a mixture of citrus and something sweeter. I
liked it when he used this cologne. The very same one he wore the day when we first met in Dever. It always made butterflies in my belly break into wild dancing. Just like now…
“No, I shouldn’t think about it!” I groaned mentally. If it goes any further, I won’t resist and kiss him myself. Just a few days ago, I said that I wasn’t ready for this relationship. And now everything seems to be even more complicated!
“Okay, I should somehow get out of here... And the sooner the better!” I thought. I tried to move again.
“Hmm... don’t go,” whispered Christian.
“Are you awake?!” I asked with my eyes wide.
“I didn’t want to bother you, since you were so thoroughly examining me,” still without opening his eyes, he replied smiling slightly.
“Christian Jason Patrick Fairey, shame on you!” I said, turning away from his strong hands. “Let me go!”
“Not gonna happen! First of all, you haven’t said you were awake already, and secondly, now it’s my turn to enjoy your intimacy,” he smiled seductively.
“Christian, you are...”
He didn’t let me finish, turning quickly so that was over me now.
“And,” he said, putting his hands on either side of my pillow, “I'm not stopping you.”
He was looking straight into my eyes, as if hypnotizing. In these mesmerizing emeralds, I saw a reflection of everything that felt myself - the warmth and tenderness, obsessive passion and desire... As much as I wanted to deny it, but we both knew perfectly well that some inexplicable desire had always been between us. And now it was sweeping everything around us – our minds, our souls and our bodies. And Christian’s intense gaze wasn’t helping matters. I felt that my heart began to beat stronger, of course, if such a thing was even possible. He leaned closer, so that I could feel his breath on my lips. He was teasing me, showing me just how many things I was missing every time I tried to escape my own feelings. It seemed as if I was burning alive, losing myself in him. He was breaking my defense with every passing second and I… I couldn’t resist him any longer, so I leaned forward and our lips met.