by Kaitlyn Hoyt
“No, but I believe people are capable of change. Look at Lily,” I tell him. Colton looks toward Logan and Lily. I see his expression change. “She used to pick on me in school too, Colton, but I’ve forgiven her. Why is it not possible for Adam to change as well?”
“That’s different.”
“No, it’s not.”
“He attacked you, Ryanne. Multiple times.”
“And has protected me multiple times this past week.” Colton stares down at me for a couple of seconds, before sighing. I can tell that I’ve won. “Please, leave him alone.” I glance behind me at Adam, hoping that I don’t regret standing up for him. Adam nods and I feel his gratefulness wash over me. He didn’t want to fight Colton, because he knew it would upset me.
The shuffling around me gets louder as more mages start to make their way over to us. I hear whispers as people wonder what the heck is going on. Knowing I have to address everyone, I step away from Colton and walk to the center of the open area. I smile at some familiar faces, but there are many people here I don’t recognize. My smile widens when I see Lucas and his silent posse push through everyone.
Liam walks over to me and grabs my arm, pulling me toward him. “Ryanne, I understand what my mom meant.” At my confused look, he continues, “About the secret of the flame.”
“What? How?”
“In this situation, you are the secret of the flame. You bring the illumination we need in this dark time. You’re the light—the catalyst for the dawn.” I’m the secret of the flame? “A dawn is coming,” he reminds me, “but we need you.”
I’m the secret of the flame.
I now know what I have to do. I look behind me and walk over to the platform. Air, can you help me? I ask as I visualize myself being hoisted up and gently placed on the platform. I feel my feet being lifted on the ground. I use my arms to make sure I get enough upward movement. When I’m floating above the platform, I release the magic and let myself float down until my feet are firmly planted on the wood structure.
“Look,” I announce to everyone. “I don’t know how long this magic is going to stay. I’m honestly surprised that it’s lasted this long. Many of you don’t know me and I apologize for that. I wanted to meet all of you before this time came, but plans change.
“I may be able to see the future and I may be able to read minds and emotions, but today is as much of a mystery to me as it is to you. I don’t know how all of this is going to play out.” So many different emotions crash into me that I have to take a step back and mentally sort through them. Determination. Anger. Sadness. Love. Respect. Fear. “I’m scared, too. I afraid that everything I’ve fought for will be lost tonight, but isn’t that what life is about? Fighting for what you believe in?
“If you never had to fight for something, you’ve never truly lived. Life is about the unknowns. You never know where tomorrow is going to take you, but you go through the day because you want to know. Right here, right now, this is what I’ve been fighting for. This moment where I can finally do something good—where we all can finally do something good. We’re all here for a reason. Whether it is to stop the Gadramicks,” I motion toward the Howicks, “whether it is for closure, we’re all here for something. I want to finally stop Dravin and Zahtri.
“They’ve been testing on humans, trying to see if they can create a whole new magical race. Both Zahtri and Dravin tried to keep that thought from me, but their mental barriers are not as strong as they think they are. They’ve been trying to extract magic. At first, I thought it was so they could give it to Dravin to make him stronger, but I was wrong. Zahtri injected himself with the magic from witches. He’s learned how to use Dark Magic. Dravin’s been doing some experiments on the side. They’re trying to create a whole army of mages. Nonmages with powers. They’ve killed too many people during this experiment, and it needs to end today.
“I’m not saying that I agree with killing anyone. I’ve been at this compound way too many times, but since I’ve been here, I’m come to realize a few things. Not all the Gadramicks here are bad. Larkin and Kyril were once Gadramicks, but now they’re my family.” I look toward them and smile. Both of them smile and give me a knowing nod. “Adam was once one of the Gadramicks on the top of my list, but this past week, he’s been one of few reasons why I’m alive and standing in front of all of you. People can change. Please, don’t forget that.
“I know that blood will be shed here today. I wish that I could save everyone here, but I can’t, because I don’t know if I’ll make it out of this either. What happens today will be remembered for a long time, and I hope that we’ll all come out of this alive, but,” I glance toward the door of the compound where I know he’s standing, “sometimes fate has a different plan for us. There’s no more running. No more hiding. This is it.” Jedrek nods and slowly walks toward me.
I tear my eyes away from him and address everyone again. I know he’s still walking in this direction. “Fight for your friends. Your family. Fight for the person standing next to you. Fight for all the mages you’ve met. Fight for the humans who have lost their lives and fight for those we’ve lost. Don’t forget why we’re here.”
I turn to my right and watch Jedrek approach me. “Oh and one more thing,” I say. “Zahtri’s mine.”
“Ryanne, hear me out,” he whispers to me. I know everyone is watching us. I bite my lip and take a step back.
“I can’t do this right now,” I tell him.
He reaches forward and grabs my arm to keep me from walking further away. “I may not get another chance, Ryanne.” I can feel my eyes filling with tears, but I refuse to cry in front of this many people. “I was coming to see you when I got into a car accident. A semi-truck t-boned me and sent my car rolling into a ditch. I don’t know if he planned it, but Dravin found me on the side of the road, unconscious. I came around long enough to agree to a blood promise. I was scared and confused and had no idea what it was, but he said that it would save my life, so I agreed.
“He needed me run his experiments. I specialize in cell research and he knew that my knowledge would be useful for his plans. I didn’t know he would come after you. I wouldn’t have agreed to anything if I thought you were going to be in danger. Dravin made me promise to never seek you out. To never try and contact you. That’s why I never came back. I wasn’t allowed to have contact with anyone I knew before.
“I’ve regretted that decision every day. I knew you were alive, and I knew you’d have questions, but I couldn’t give you the answers you needed. I was literally bound to stay away. I’ve wanted to turn back time every day, just so I could see you once. I wanted to be there for you. I wanted to be your dad. I never wanted any of this to happen.
“Maureen never told me she was pregnant. I called her for months after I left, trying to apologize, but she wanted nothing to do with me. There was nothing I could do. I loved your mom, Ryanne. I know you don’t think of me as your dad, but I am and I’m so sorry this is how we had to meet. I’ve imagined this moment for sixteen years and this is not how I wanted to tell you all these things. I didn’t want to be standing here in front of hundreds of mages while you’re about to fight for your life.
“If I could go back, I would choose to die in that accident like I was supposed to. I know I can’t go back. I can only go forward. I know you have no positive feelings toward me, but I do love you. I regret everything I’ve ever done for Dravin.” Jedrek turns away from me and faces the mages in front of us. “If any of you get the chance, take out Dravin. I’m ashamed of the things I’ve done because of this blood promise. I’ve escaped the fates for too long. It’s time to finally stop running. Dravin’s done some pretty gruesome things under the orders of Zahtri and both need to be stopped.”
I can feel the tears fully streaming down my face now. Jedrek turns back to me. “Don’t cry for me, Ryanne. I’ve accepted this and knew it was coming for a long time now. I’m so proud of everything you’re doing right now. I’m so proud of you, and I’
m sorry I was never there for you. I’m sorry I never got to really know you, but I’m glad to call the girl standing in front of me, my daughter. Despite what you think, I do love you and hope you find all the happiness you deserve in the world.”
Jedrek looks at something over my head. He leans down and wipes the tears away from my cheek. “You’re much stronger than you think. Zahtri is strong, but so are you. You can do this, Ryanne. You just have to believe in yourself as much as everyone out there believes in you.” He leans down and whispers in my ear, “They’re starting to stir, you don’t have much longer.”
With that, he leaves me standing on the platform alone. I turn around and wipe the last of my tears away. I feel a pair of arms snake around my waist. I instantly recognize his touch and lean back against Colton’s chest. “I’m fine.”
With a deep breath, I force myself to step out of Colton’s arms, fully knowing that that may have been the last time I’ll feel his arms around me. “The magic is wearing off. Get into position. It’s time to finally end this.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Colton
I hate that I can’t make her feel better. I can see the Gadramicks stirring around me, but Ryanne is my only focus right now. I turn her around and force her to look up at me. “Ryanne, go tell him.”
She sniffles and looks toward the door of the compound before returning her eyes to me. The remaining unshed tears bring out the light browns and greens in her eyes. “Tell him what?” she whispers to me.
“You know what you need to tell him.” Ryanne bites her lip. I pull her forward and lightly kiss her. She sighs and nods against my lips. I pull back and tuck her hair behind her ears.
“Go,” I tell her. As she moves past me, I lightly tap her on the butt. She gasps and turns around, staring at me with wide eyes. Winking at her, I jump off the platform. I can hear her laughing behind me as she walks toward her father. I’m glad I can give her a little semblance of happiness at this time, because I know in a few minutes that’s all going to change.
“Is she okay?” Liam asks me while watching Ryanne. “She didn’t react well when she talked to him the first time.”
“She will be.” I unsheathe my sword.
“Did anyone write down that speech? Because that was pretty freaking awesome,” Emma says as she grabs her weapons. “That’s one for the history books,” she pauses. “Mage history books. Is there such a thing as mage history books?”
“I got it,” Larkin says. We all turn toward him shocked. He pushes a button on his cell phone and Ryanne’s voice flows out from the speakers.
“Oh my gosh, Larkin. That’s amazing. Why didn’t I think of that?” Emma asks David.
Everyone brings out their weapons and gets in a protective stance. Liam kisses Natalie and walks to the edge of the platform near Ryanne. Natalie frowns as he walks away again. We just got them back, and they’re already distancing themselves again. Liam looks back at me. I understand what he’s silently asking me. I step closer to Natalie and nod back at him. I’ll watch his soulmate while he watches mine.
“Do you think we’ll get out of this situation?” Natalie asks me. I bring my sword in front of me and watch the Gadramicks around us. They’re all twitching; making subtle movements.
“I hope to God we do.”
“Colton, I think you should use your invisibility here. Give yourself an advantage over everyone,” David says. I stare at him for a second, mind reeling. Why don’t I ever think of stuff like this? “Esh, you and Ryanne are perfect for each other,” he mumbles. “She always forgets she has powers until it’s too late.”
“Sometimes I do forget that I have a power.”
“Sometimes I remember that I don’t have one,” Emma mumbles. I turn and look at her but she’s looking at the ground. With a sigh, she looks up, “How the heck am I supposed to fight against a bunch of Gadramicks who have powers?”
“The same way you’ve been doing it so far, by kicking their—”
“Hey, hey now. She’s a lady, Colton,” David says with a laugh.
I punch my brother lightly in the arm and turn back toward Ryanne. She’s walking away from Jedrek and looking around the field. Her eyes land on mine. She nods at me. This is it. The wind picks up speed, so I know that Ryanne is calling her magic to her.
“She’ll be fine, Colton. Her magic has gotten much stronger since she’s been here,” Larkin says. “Dravin didn’t know that Ryanne’s power increases with negative emotions. She’s been channeling all the anger around here and she’s completely pissed off. Dravin’s plan has backfired.”
I forget sometimes that Larkin can sense magic. Ryanne turns around and whispers something to Liam. Adam walks up the stairs on the platform and says something to Ryanne. She turns and looks over at Dravin’s frozen form. Her eyes narrow, but she nods.
“What is he saying to her?”
“That Ryanne needs to watch out for Dravin. He’s sneaky,” Emma says, “and still very dangerous.” We all turn to stare at her. How could she hear that?
“What?”
“Do you see how far away Ryanne is from us?” I ask her. “Adam whispered and you heard them. None of us could hear them from here,” I say. “We’d need them to be yelling or speaking into a microphone for us to hear them.” A small black microphone appears in Emma’s hands.
She gasps and drops the microphone. A loud screeching noise echoes through the field. Emma looks up at David and me through wide eyes.
David smiles at her. “I think you just got your power, babe.” At Emma’s confused look, he continues, “You’re a conjurer.”
“A conjurer?” she asks. The Gadramicks around us are starting to move more often. “But how does that explain why I could hear Ryanne and Adam?”
“Hypersensitivity? I have no idea,” David says. Like me, he’s surveying the field around us. Normally, we’d be really excited for Emma, especially since she’s been waiting for her power, but there’s a lot going on right now.
I hear gasps around us and I look up right in time to see Ryanne drop to the ground, narrowly avoiding a flying dagger. Adam and Liam both whip around and face Dravin. They start to head for him, but Ryanne jumps up and shoots him with a bolt of lightning.
Dravin stops smiling as he is hurtled backward in a tree trunk. Both guys turn and look at Ryanne surprised. Seeing her lips moving, I turn toward Emma. I want to know what she’s saying.
“She said she can read minds, so she knew Dravin was going to throw the dagger, and he’s really starting to piss her off, so she wanted to be the one who attacked him first.”
I smile. That’s my girl.
Ryanne turns toward me again and places her palm over her heart. She mouths the words I love you. I do the same. She gives me a small smile and then does a back flip off the platform.
Without missing a beat, she side-kicks a Gadramick who had just unfrozen. Emma laughs, “I’ve missed her spunk.”
A second later, all the Gadramicks unfreeze and start fighting again like nothing happened. A couple look confused when the mages they were fighting before are no longer in front of them, but many fight like nothing happened. I swing my sword out at the same time as I think about Ryanne being attacked by all the Gadramicks here. I think about how she looked when Zahtri first brought her out—lying unconscious with bruises on her face and body. I feel my invisibility coming out as I punch a Gadramick in the stomach. He grunts in pain as I bring my sword over my head and stab him in the same spot as I punched.
I try to not think about how I just killed a man. He’s a Gadramick. This was the day I’ve been training for my whole life. I knew that I would have to kill. However, knowing that I would have to kill someone and actually doing it are two different things. I don’t have time to dwell on this for too long, because I feel something wet start to drip down my right arm.
I didn’t even feel any pain from the cut, but dark blood is dripping down my arm. I turn around and see a Gadramick grinning at me. I lung
e for him, but he blocks my attack. “Your little girlfriend over there feels pretty good pressed up against me,” he says. “Like we’re meant for each other.”
I clench my jaw. Looking at him, I see the remnants of bruises under his eyes. This must be the Gadramick Adam attacked for trying to touch Ryanne.
“How’s your eye?” I ask him as I bring my sword forward again. He growls and steps back, but not far enough. The point of my weapon cuts through the fabric of his shirt and a couple layers of skin. Thick red blood seeps from the wound. Feeling the wetness on his chest, he yells and runs toward me, but I’m prepared for this attack.
Being angry, the man is sloppy. He’s not balanced on his feet and he’s only using his upper body to move the sword. Since he’s only using his arms, he’ll tire him out much sooner. I smile when I start to get the upper hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Natalie fighting off a Gadramick who is nearly twice her size.
I bring my sword back and thrust it into his gut. The man gurgles and falls to the ground. I pull my sword back and turn toward Natalie. My invisibility has completely taken over. Now, no one can see me.
I walk up behind the guy and thrust the hilt of my sword into the pressure point in the back of his neck. Without letting out a single noise, he falls to the ground with a thud. Natalie looks confused at first and then she smiles. “Thank you, Colton.”
*****
This Gadramick is really starting to make me mad. I don’t want to kill him, but he won’t stay down. I’ve attempted knocking him out without magic so many times, but he’s being stupid. I grunt as I duck his thrown punch and his laughter echoes through my mind.
He’s too cocky for his own good.
Adam walks up behind him and hits his pressure point, silently knocking him out. “Why does everyone know how to do that but me?” I yell at him.
He gives me a small smile as he turns and starts fighting another Gadramick. If anyone would have told me that one day Adam and I would work together, I wouldn’t believe them. Even without magic, Adam has been my enemy. Now, we’re working together to stop the Gadramicks; the same people he was helping only days ago.