by Rebecca Main
“He lied, Dad,” I tell him calmly. “Shouldn’t he be the one getting the lecture?”
My father crosses his arms over his chest, the robotic hand fitted to his right wrist curling over his bicep. It was lost in a battle long ago, and a constant reminder of his failure. As well as a lesson he preached to my brother and me all our lives. Perhaps it’s not a stretch to see why he’s become colder to me after my incident with the Stellar Warriors. Perhaps he thinks I’m making the same mistake he did.
“Wyatt admitted his phrasing could have been misconstrued and corroborated your story.” I let the silence linger, waiting expectantly for an apology I know will not come.
“Anything else?” My phone vibrates, the noise of the action covered by the sound of my voice. I shift in my seat and cast a sidelong glance at the door.
“Just because he corroborated your story doesn’t mean I have to believe it. I know you, Calliope. Your grandmother runs through your veins more than your mother or me, but you are not your grandmother. You are not a Stellar Warrior. You’re a Starlight Warden, and when the time comes, your mother and I fully expect you to become a member of the Council. It’s far past time you gave up pursuits of combat and settle into a more stable role among the community. That means no more running into the fray headfirst. I didn’t pay for four years of higher education so you could waste your life on the battlefront.”
I quell the rush of emotion collecting in my throat. “I’m a good fighter.”
“You might be a good fighter, Calliope, but you let your emotions get the better of you. That’s why we like girls to take up more practical roles within the community, to avoid incidents like the one from last year—”
“When I tried to save that little girl? That incident?”
His face blooms red at my interruption. The mech hand flexes against his bicep. “You knew full well she was in transition to become a wendigo. Attempting to offer her a merciful death, letting that thing manipulate you—”
“She was still a little girl, Dad! Scared and unable to comprehend what was happening to her. Or why she craved—”
“Enough!” My jaw clenches as I stare down my father, taking in his wrath with more composure than I thought I could muster. “You let your emotions rule you, and you forgot your lessons as a Stellar Warrior. They are beasts, Calliope. Dark creatures set on ravaging the good people of this earth. It is our duty to protect them, and you and your damnable empathy got over twenty people killed. The price the Wardens of Starlight paid to cover up your mess was immense. You should be thankful you’re still here today.”
My eyes flick to the floor. “You know it was never my intention for that to happen. I was going to put her out of her misery, but not the way the others would have had it.”
“Beheading is the only way to kill a wendigo.”
“I know that,” I snap back. “That doesn’t mean it had to be done so cruelly or callously. She was scared—”
“She was a monster.” His words are soaked in venom and make me flinch. “They’re all monsters, Calliope. Or have you forgotten your teachings? All supernatural creatures are born from the blackest of flames. They are drawn by the darkest of gods. They plague this world and it is our duty and honor to destroy them before they can ruin humanity. To even question it is blasphemy.” My father let’s out a noise of frustration. “Stupid, child.”
The utterance is delivered with equal passion as his earlier words, and I force myself to swallow down my anger. I take a deep breath to calm my frayed nerves. Then ignore the third vibration of my phone announcing another new message. “I hoped that finding the child and her nest would earn back my favor with the Council,” I admit.
“I know,” he says with a tired sigh. The wind seems to have gone out of him, thankfully. “But that too provided its consequences. You know what they think now.”
“That there is a darkness inside of me.” My shame brings a flush to my cheek. When I had gone after the child and its nest, it was with a righteous fury in my heart. Consumed by the need to avenge the innocents killed, I let myself fall into the darkness, and drew from it shamelessly to finish off my enemies.
I didn’t know then that I wouldn’t be able to shake the darkness from my thoughts. Or that it would haunt me in every future fight and skirmish.
“The life of a Starlight Warden suits you well,” he tells me after a long moment.
“Just as the life of a Stellar Warrior fits JJ?”
My father’s scowl returns, deeper than ever. “The Sawyer family plays a crucial role in our community. We always have. As such, there are certain expectations your mother and I have of you and your brother.”
“Shouldn’t JJ be the one to serve on the Council? He’s the oldest after all.” The phone in my pocket goes off once again, this time earning the attention of my father’s ire.
“We sent you to school for a reason, Calliope, and it wasn’t so you could question your responsibilities to this family. JJ understands”—my cell phone vibrates—“you should try to be more like him.”
Hadn’t I tried, though? JJ was my idol growing up. He was the one who trained me. He was the one who helped me through all my trials. I always wanted to be like him. Another message comes through.
“Sorry,” I apologize halfheartedly, reaching into my back pocket to silence my phone. My father shakes his head.
“Who is it?”
There’s no point in lying when he will most likely demand to see my phone. I flash him the screen briefly. “It’s Nova.”
“And why is she contacting you?”
“She was asking for advice,” I tell him, shoving my phone back into my pocket after switching it to silent.
“Questions should go to her director, not you, Calliope.”
“The field of question is outside of the director's knowledge.”
My father raises both eyebrows. “Meaning?”
“Nova requested information regarding the rings previous handling and history, including previous Borealis Matter implementations and aftereffects.”
“And Mrs. Abernathy wouldn’t know—”
“I just spent the better part of the day assisting in the imparting process. My grasp on the subject now far surpasses what Mrs. Abernathy and a majority of the community understand.”
Something like pride flashes behind my father’s eyes, which I’m sure I’ve read wrong. Then, he is nodding his head at my firm reasoning. “Very well. Be sure to keep your communications brief.”
“I will.”
He leaves without another word, letting me stew in our exchange of words. It feels like I’m fighting a losing battle. At every corner, I’m met with resistance, herded back into a role I do not want. Like I’m merely a pawn on my life's chessboard. I feel trapped, looking for an escape that doesn’t exist. Curling up onto my side, I take my phone from my back pocket. Five new messages.
JJ: Dad’s on the warpath—stay clear till he cools off!
A little too late for that warning, brother, I think glumly. It’s the thought that counts, and JJ is always thinking of what’s best for me. Sometimes that means avoiding our father. The rest of the messages are from Nova.
Nova: <
Nova: <
The first image is of Noelle and Naomi huddled together against a tree trunk, reading from the same book. The second image is an unobstructed view of the wolf’s face. He wears a heavy five o’clock shadow and the vague impression of a grin, the glint in his dark chocolate eyes playing into the illusion. His skin is deeply tanned, hiding the faint impression of scars around his right eye.
Nova: Found out name
Nova: Keenan O’Neal
A leaden sigh pushes past my lips. So, my soulmark has a name: Keenan. It fits him. A strong name, for a strong man. I bring the image of his face back into full focus, studying his features more intently. After minutes spent this way, I download and save the photos to a locked folder on my phone, then delete the messages, pre
tending like it never happened at all.
Chapter 6
Supernova
Angry over the fact that she lied for me, Felicia sets me to task cataloging the relics. All of the relics. On all three floors. Even though, once again, only the atrium took the hit. The room is a disaster. Several of the display cases are shattered, leaving the floor littered with bullet casings and glass. It takes me a full two days to clean up the room properly and another day to place orders for replacement glass.
Security at the facility is oppressive. A dozen more guards are brought in with strict new clearance protocols to enforce. It’s a pain in the ass, leaving me access to only a few rooms. The mess hall, the observatory, the Relic Halls, and, of course, my room. Wyatt’s right. I can’t run away from him, but at least the other guards are more easily dodged than my ex. They keep to a tight rotation schedule, but by seven most leave to continue rounds and patrols outside of the facility. Including Wyatt.
It’s late, sometime near two in the morning, or so I hazard a guess. The halls boast few guards, and I let my music play a little bit louder than necessary.
Vagrants Whip…
Harpe Sword…
Ophelia’s Kestros…
Onyx Bident…
I’m only just beginning to catalog the items of the atrium, deciding to work my way down the floors instead of up. My pen deftly checks each item as my eyes roam the relics on display.
Bone Sword of Shadows…
Tigre Claws…
Phoenix Fire Elixir…
A soft stirring of my nerves turns my gaze unconsciously back to the trio of relics. The order doesn’t seem right. Something is missing. My finger draws down the list I carry, stopping on the missing item: the Caster’s Diadem. It offers invisibility to the wearer, and it’s gone. Or maybe misplaced? Shit.
“Hey.”
I almost knock half the relics from the altar I’m cataloging. Naomi stands tentatively in the doorway, half her face an ugly blackish-blue. Noelle pushes past her into the atrium, her eyes bloodshot, lip split. Naomi too steps further into the room, letting the door close softly behind her.
“Hey,” I respond, the words falling short on my lips as I wait for the third of their trifecta to appear. “Where’s Nova?”
Noelle sucks in a deep breath, eyes filling rapidly with tears.
“She’s not here,” Naomi says stoically.
I take them in more fully. They must have only just arrived. Their clothes are rumpled and dirty. Their bumps and bruises fresh. Nova must be in the hospital wing, and I don’t have access there.
“What happened? Where is she?”
“Our recon was going as planned. We learned their schedule. We got their numbers. We figured out the general location of the ring, but then complications arose,” Naomi says.
“Complications?” The sisters won’t meet my eyes. “What complications?”
Silence, and then, “There was another pack. As well as a group of witches that hadn’t been taken into account. Our tracking bullets led us to the right spot, but we couldn’t have anticipated the number of supernaturals in the region.”
“There was an attack?” The words feel too raw in my throat. Too steeped in honest fright. A terrible intuition gnawing at my conscious. Noelle fidgets with her ponytail, her left wrist wrapped up in beige bandages. She is unusually quiet and discontent. It puts me even more on edge.
Naomi nods, a frown coming to crease her forehead. “A couple of days ago, we were reporting to Mrs. Abernathy, trying to decide if we should return or wait for more backup to secure the ring. Our connection went dead and then….”
“The wolves attacked,” Noelle says, finally finding her voice. Her eyes no longer hold their glossy quality. “The second pack started firing into the other pack's territory. It was chaos, and we thought we were safe up in the tree line, but then the witches got involved. Our cover was blown and—” Noelle takes two large deep breathes, her sister busy wiping at her cheeks “—then the vampyré appeared. We were halfway out of the forest to our car, and suddenly he was right in front of us.”
“A vampyré….”
Noelle nods, lips thinning. “He smiled and thanked us. Then told us we had done a good job, but he couldn’t afford to keep all three of us around. That he only required one body to get the rest of the job done.” Something inside me clicks off. A numbness sets in as she continues. “He was so fast. He had her before we could even blink. And we couldn’t fire without hurting her—”
“He took her?” The words sound oddly hollow coming from my mouth.
“He killed her, Callie,” Noelle tells me, voice barely above a whisper.
Killed her. My head moves back and forth. The clipboard and pen fall from my hands to the floor. “No.” No. Not Nova.
“It was a trap. The vampyré orchestrated everything. He—” Noelle continues.
“No!”
Noelle’s mouth snaps closed at my interruption, and her eyes once more swell with tears. She strides forward, Naomi catching her by the arm before she can come over and—
“He turned her. In front of us. I know what I saw. I know what we saw,” Noelle snarls at me, tears running down her face. “That monster turned her, and there was nothing we could do about it.” Before I can make some snappy reply, she pulls herself free from her sister's hold and storms off.
“She’s not really dead, is she?” Naomi nods. Her face twisting in pain as she lets out a sob. I run to embrace her, gathering her in my arms and letting my tears flow as well. “How could this happen?” I whisper, aghast.
Naomi pulls back, wiping carefully at her eyes and nose. “I think he set it all up, Callie.” I stare wide eyed at the youngest Stavok. “Think about it. The wolves stole the ring for the vamp. Why else would they have taken it? He must have been there to get it from them.”
I pace backward, shaking my head all the while. “That doesn’t make sense, Naomi. How would he know to have attacked you then? And why would a pack of wolves steal a sun-walker ring for a vampyré? That’s not even factoring in the other pack or the witches. What was their role?”
Naomi hops up onto the altar, her shoulder and back hunching as she takes in my critiques. “I don’t know," she answers slowly, "but there has to be a reason for all of this. Maybe… maybe it was because of what we discovered and the vampyré wanted revenge or something.”
“What did you find?”
“A crystal. Nova spotted it.” Naomi’s voice cracks over her sister’s name, but she forges on. “It creates some kind of magical barrier.”
I pause midstride. “A magical barrier?”
Naomi nods her head somewhat hesitantly. "That's what Nova said anyway."
“There was another attack on the facility. Just a few days ago.”
“And here I thought this was still from the first time around,” she replies dryly.
“Some people are under the impression that it’s the same pack of wolves, but I don’t think so. I think it was a different pack.”
“I mean, after what we saw, I guess that could make sense. Two packs. Two separate attacks.”
“So where do the witches and this vampyré fit in?”
Naomi casts a wry grin. “You’re not going to believe this—the witches are working with the wolves who stole from us in the first place. The Adolphus Pack.”