by Tricia Barr
“Shoot them!” Vincent yelled, rage etching every wrinkle in his face.
Before the guards could fire their guns, they were all lifted up and thrown against the wall, the force pressing painfully against them and holding them up to keep them from moving. Then Lily was lifted gently and quickly out of the burly guard’s arms and she floated away as he tried to retrieve her. Sebastian put out his arms and Lily landed softly in them.
“There is no way you’re leaving this building!” Vincent shouted at them.
“Wanna bet?” Skylar said, and Vincent and the large guard flew up against the wall as well.
Skylar, Ayanna, Phoenyx and Sebastian, with Lily in his arms, headed for the entrance of the dungeon, passing Vincent, who cursed at them as he writhed to free himself from the force that held him trapped.
“I don’t want to kill you,” Phoenyx said, stopping in front of him. “But I will if I have to. Forget about us. Leave us alone, or suffer the consequences.”
“We will never stop coming after you,” he avowed, eyes narrowed in a deadly sneer. “We will find a way to take back the power we gave you.”
“So be it,” Phoenyx said. She ignited her hand and put her palm on his face.
“Ahhh!” he yelled raucously, wiggling futilely away from her touch. “Fine, yes! Yes!”
She let go and extinguished her flames. His aged skin was charred and blistering. “Yes, what? You will leave us alone?”
“Yes!” he spat. “We will leave you alone! You have my word.”
Not that she put much stock in his word, but that was good enough for now. “If you attempt any actions against us, I’ll be back, and I’ll make that scar much bigger.”
The others continued up the tunnel, and Phoenyx followed.
“You’re not the only source of power in this world,” she heard him mutter. She paused, wondering if she had heard him correctly, then kept walking.
They walked out without any trouble. Any guards that they approached simply stood back and stared, and Phoenyx assumed that their scuffle downstairs had been broadcast over their earpieces. They were all scared and uncertain of what strange new power the Bound Ones now held that allowed them to be impervious to gunfire and fatal knife play. Once they reached the common area, the casually-dressed people moving about the lodge paid them little mind, some doing a curious double-take when they noticed the blood on Phoenyx’s clothes, or whispering between them at the sight of Sebastian carrying an unconscious girl. The general members must not be aware of the fact that they were there, or even who they were. Apparently, not every member of the Four Corners had the same clearance as everyone else. She wondered what they would do if they knew what nightmarish things were happening right under their noses, or if they would care at all.
Skylar stopped when they stepped onto the sidewalk and closed the front door behind them. Night had fallen, and the street on which they stood was empty of pedestrians.
“We can’t leave,” Skylar said, brooding.
The three of them turned around to look at him questioningly.
“Why the bloody hell not?” Sebastian asked, looking exhausted.
“We can’t just expect them to stay away from us,” Skylar said. “I could see in Vincent’s mind, he’s never going to give up on us, and neither will the rest of their High Council. They’re afraid of us, more so now than they’ve ever been, but they will regroup and come at us again.”
“So what do you propose we do?” Phoenyx asked, afraid he might suggest putting an end to the lodge. She wouldn’t do that again. She wasn’t going to be a murderer, even if it meant having to fight forever.
“I think we have an opportunity here,” Skylar said. “Because of what happened in Salt Lake City, most of the higher ups from around the world moved to this lodge. The entire High Council is here. We saw them gathering for a meeting on the camera feed, and Vincent’s thoughts confirmed that they were all present.
“I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but the other members of the lodge who were going about their lives didn’t seem to recognize us, so we only have the High Council and the guards to worry about.”
“Okay, so what’s your point?” Sebastian asked, shifting his weight; the strain of carrying Lily seemed to be getting to him.
Skylar postulated for a moment. “Ayanna, do you have to be touching someone to make them forget?”
Ayanna’s face registered understanding, then she frowned. “Yes, that’s the way it works. My powers don’t work from a distance.”
Skylar nodded, and Phoenyx could almost see the gears turned in his head. “What if you could use me as a conduit?”
Ayanna furrowed her brow, considering this.
“A conduit?” Phoenyx asked. “How do you mean?”
“I have a psychic connection to everyone in the vicinity, and I’m getting very good at targeting people,” Skylar explained. “I targeted Ralph in the forest, and I was able to track both of you fairly easily as you moved through the building, keeping that link open for communication. I think it could be possible for me to target the members of the High Council and the guards to make a link between our minds. Then Ayanna could use her power on me. We can make the Four Corners completely forget about us. Ayanna could erase every memory of the four of us. Then we would finally be free of them once and for all.”
“But if she used her power on you, won’t that just make you forget too?” Sebastian asked.
“Not if I make the connection one-way,” Skylar said. “If I push my presence into their minds without allowing their thoughts to come back to me, Ayanna’s power should just pass right through me and affect only them.”
“Sorry, I’m still confused,” Sebastian said, shaking his head.
“Trust me, it will work,” Skylar said. “Right?” he asked Ayanna.
“It just might,” Ayanna said, looking excited. “We have to at least try. Are you up to it?”
Skylar nodded. “Let’s do this.”
He picked a spot against the wall of the building and sat on the grass. Ayanna knelt in front of him. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in and out.
“Let me know when you’re ready,” Ayanna said softly, spreading her palms over his temples.
As the two of them prepared themselves, Sebastian sat in the grass a little bit away from them and gently lay Lily on his lap. Phoenyx watched everything with curiousity.
Skylar’s eyes darted back and forth under his eyelids. Phoneyx imagined a psychic spider web spreading from Skylar to all the minds he was targeting. Could it really be possible? Could Skylar really tap into that many people’s minds?
She thought back to just two months ago when he had begun developing his powers. As great as they had seemed at the time, Skylar’s powers were nothing then compared to what they were now. Ever since the memories of his past lives returned, his powers had grown exponentially. The episode was remarkable to witness, and she couldn’t wait to see what other powers he’d be able to unlock in the future. They had time now. They had forever. Even if Skylar didn’t succeed in this endeavor, at least that much was still true.
“Ready,” Skylar said finally, breaking Phoenyx out of her thoughts.
Ayanna closed her eyes and concentrated. Phoenyx stared at the two of them for several long moments, forcing herself to look away when the anticipation of it became too much, and she turned her gaze to Lily. The relief that they had Lily, safe and sound in their grasp, was like a rushing river, lifting a heavy burden from her shoulders. Lily looked so serene, so peaceful, sleeping in Sebastian’s arms. Phoenyx wanted to wake her, to hug her and tell Lily how much she loved her, that she was safe now and would never be in danger again. But she knew she had to get Lily away from this place first.
What a strange circumstance. Lily was likely the most powerful out of the four of them. Phoenyx had no doubt that Lily could easily use her powers to defend herself against anyone or anything, and in the hands of someone more aggressive or ambitious, Earth
’s powers would be deadly and unstoppable. But they weren’t. They were in Lily’s hands, in Lily’s sweet, innocent, caring hands. She was far too meek and kind to ever hurt anyone. And for that reason, Phoenyx felt incredibly protective of her. Lily’s powers could outmatch Phoenyx’s powers any day of the week, but Lily’s kindness needed a protection that her gentle soul would not allow her powers to give her.
“It’s done,” Ayanna said with finality, removing her hands from Skylar’s head.
Skylar opened his eyes and Sebastian studied him. “Did you forget anything?” he asked him.
Skylar frowned at him. “How am I supposed to know? If I had forgotten anything, I wouldn’t remember whatever it was I had forgotten.”
Sebastian laughed. “I mean, do you remember who we are?”
Skylar’s lips curled in a grin. “I knew what you meant, and yes, we are the Bound Ones.” He stood up and helped Ayanna to stand as well. “It worked. I’m scanning the minds of everyone I targeted, and I don’t see any traces of us. Nothing about the elements or our names, it’s all been wiped clean.”
Phoenyx and Sebastian sighed with triumphant relief.
“But there’s still one loose end,” Ayanna said. “Their database is still filled with information about the four of you. If they find it, this will all start over again. We have to delete everything.”
“And let me guess, that requires us going back in there,” Sebastian said.
“Not necessarily all of us,” she said. “I just need to get back to the security room, and I need someone with a little persuasion to help me get there.” She winked at Phoenyx.
Phoenyx gave her a whimsical smile. “Partners in crime once again.” Then she turned to Sebastian. “I’ll stay behind and help Ayanna, and why don’t the two of you get Lily to a hotel. We’ll meet you when we’re done for a proper celebration.”
Sebastian shifted Lily from his arms to Skylars, then got to his feet. He took Phoenyx in his arms and kissed her passionately. “Hurry back to me,” he murmured to her. “We are finally free! And I want our forever to start as soon as possible.”
Phoenyx gave him one more kiss and then pulled away to snip their final tie to the Four Corners.
“Wake up, Lily.”
Phoenyx sat beside Lily on the bed at the hotel, letting her will flow through her hand and into Lily’s shoulder. Ayanna, Skylar and Sebastian sat around the room and watched.
Slowly, Lily’s eyelids wafted up and down, sleepily revealing the stunning forest green irises beneath them. Lily sat up groggily.
“Where am I?” she asked, rubbing her head. “What’s going on?”
“Lily, what’s the last thing you remember?” Phoenyx asked.
Lily pondered, then shook her head. “I don’t know… studying for an exam, I think. Oh no, the exam! I can’t miss it, I—!”
“We’ve got much more important things to talk about right now,” Phoenyx said, although she was glad that Lily didn’t know anything about what had happened to her. She struggled for a moment to find the right words so as not to unnecessarily scare Lily. “First, what you need to know is that you’re safe, and we never have to worry about the Four Corners again.”
“But the Four Corners is gone, isn’t it?” she asked. She looked at her lap and seemed to remember something. “Wait, something happened to me, didn’t it? I remember hearing voices. I remember not being able to move.” Lily’s pitch rose, and she seemed to be getting worked up.
Phoenyx put her hands on Lily’s shoulders to calm her. “It’s alright, Lily. Yes, the Four Corners had you again, They put you under sedation and ransomed you for the rest of us to surrender ourselves to them. But we found a way to beat them once and for all, and we got you back.”
The four of them then told Lily the whole story, about how they ran into Ayanna and had their memories returned, how they tracked down all the pieces of the stone and the dagger, how they snuck into the Four Corners to rescue Lily, and finally how Skylar, Ayanna and Phoenyx removed all traces of them from the Four Corners memories and database.
“So you see, we’re free now,” Phoenyx said.
“Are you saying I’m immortal now?” Lily asked. “I can never die? I can never grow old?”
Skylar and Sebastian nodded.
“That’s a bit sad, isn’t it?” Lily said, more to herself.
“Yes, sometimes it is,” Ayanna said. “I’ve been alive for thousands of years, unable to stop, unable to rest. It can be lonely sometimes. But when you’ve got good friends and love, it’s not sad at all.”
“And you are very much loved, Lily,” Phoenyx said, throat tightening with emotion. She threw her arms around Lily, unable to keep herself from it any longer.
Lily returned the gesture with even more love. “Thank you for saving me. You are my sister!”
Phoenyx’s eyes teared up and her breath hitched.
Lily released Phoenyx and rose to hug Skylar and Sebastian. “And you two are my brothers!”
“Don’t forget Ayanna,” Phoenyx said. “Without her, none of this would have been possible. She saved us all.” She reached out and took Ayanna’s hand. “My first sister.”
Ayanna’s eyes were misty as well, and she bit her lip to hold back tears.
“Well, now that it’s all over, would you like me to bring back your memories?” Ayanna asked Lily.
Lily seemed taken aback by this suggestion. She looked from Phoenyx to Sebastian to Skylar. “Will it change me?”
Ayanna laughed softly and shook her head. “Not really. You will always be who you are now. It will just open your mind to everyone you used be, to everyone you have ever been. But if Phoenyx and Sebastian are any indication, I’m sure you won’t have changed much throughout your many lives.”
Lily took a moment to consider. Then she smiled and shrugged. “What could it hurt? It might be interesting to know all of the experiences I’ve been through.”
Ayanna nodded and prepped Lily for the mental whirlwind. Phoenyx, Skylar and Sebastian watched as Lily reeled through the onslaught of her returning memories and finally sat up and began to recover. She wept for a long time, reliving every loved one she had ever lost, and laughing whenever a fond moment popped into her head. All the while, Phoenyx held her hand, soothingly rubbing circles into her knuckles.
“Wait,” Lily gasped suddenly. She narrowed her eyes and stared into space, and Phoenyx waited with baited breath for Lily to reveal what revelation she had found. Then Lily’s eyes opened wide and she put her hands over her mouth.
“Lily, what is it?” Sebastian asked.
Lily turned to Sebastian and swallowed back her shock. “There’s another Bound One! And the Four Corners plans to bring him back.”
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