Shattered Souls

by Karice Bolton

  “It makes me sick. I don’t understand how my father could have been so weak, so easily swayed,” I whispered, looking at Logan. His expression remained unchanged. His eyes darkened, but that was the only giveaway that any of this was resonating.

  “To make matters worse, Ethan broke off from the Praedivinus Order almost immediately after the murder. Your father realized he had been misled and an innocent life taken. His best friend had been murdered, and he did nothing to stop it,” she said, looking at me.

  “Your father was murdered because he was the biggest threat out of the three,” Vieta said softly to Logan.

  “It’s true,” Bakula agreed. She walked over to Logan and sat down in front of him on the table.

  “Threat?” I asked.

  “He was attempting to stop the Praedivinus from expanding,” Dace answered.

  “Was my mom aware of this? That he was murdered?” Logan finally spoke. His hand began tapping on the table, and the nectunt was burning between us.

  “No. Not really,” Vieta spoke. “I think she had her suspicions, but the autopsy came back as a heart attack, and she could find no evidence to the contrary.”

  “She needs to know,” Logan said, staring at my mom. “When she gets out here, you have to promise me to tell her everything you know. She deserves that.”

  “Absolutely,” my mom vowed.

  “And this Ethan better hope that I don’t find him,” Logan said.

  “You will find him,” Bakula said matter-of-factly.

  “How can you be so certain?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  “Because he’s the head of the Demoniker Order. The other organization competing with the Praedivinus Order to find immortality,” Bakula said.

  “So it’s turning into a bidding war between Praedivinus and Demoniker?” Vieta asked, surprise filling her voice.

  “And neither of them is actually close to delivering the product to Zelo, but neither of them knows that,” I muttered. “Great way to do business.”

  “Zelo doesn’t seem aware of it. Whoever was making the deliveries to Zelo is probably just creating a diversion to make it look like they’ve got the ingredient needed for the formula,” Logan said.

  “The desperation is going to hit both Orders soon as they continue to come up empty-handed, and then who knows what they’ll do next,” I said, shuddering at the thought. “They will continue to come up empty-handed, won’t they?” I looked at Bakula for an answer. She seemed distracted until Dace poked her in the side.

  “Definitely. They don’t have a chance of obtaining it. Even if they came across the ingredient, it’s rendered useless unless it comes with a blessing from us.” She smiled widely, exposing her sharp teeth. I knew it wasn’t her fault, but I had to look away. Looking at her sometimes was equivalent to staring at a toothy, grinning possum right before an attack, and that wasn’t a good thing.

  “Well, at least that’s in our favor. But it isn’t going to stop them from exterminating the fairy population while they try to figure it out. And they obviously don’t have any problem stopping anyone who gets in their way,” Logan said. “Which makes it very dangerous for you, Triss.”

  I nodded in agreement as something occurred to me. My father had been betrayed more than he ever knew.

  “Lara mentioned the Demonikers when she held us captive in the warehouse. It didn’t even occur to me until now,” I said in complete dismay.

  “His own sister betrayed him,” my mom’s voice caught. “And you were held hostage?”

  “Long story,” I said, waving my hands to dismiss the worry. “Lara didn’t speak of them in a negative manner. It was very casual as if she had intimate knowledge of the Demonikers. She wasn’t knocking them or anything. And you’d think she would be, considering what the leader did to her own brother. I can guarantee you that there was no hostility against them when she spoke. My guess is that it isn’t just the Demonikers who are infiltrating the Praedivinus. I’m sure it goes the other way as well, which means these groups are far easier to crack than I thought. This could be a good thing.”

  “It most definitely is,” Dace said, flying over to the counter. “The trick will be to stop them before they figure that out about themselves.” Dace jumped onto the aloe plant and took a nibble.

  “Good job on remembering to keep your blood levels even, dear,” Bakula said, applauding Dace.

  My word, they’re easily distracted!

  “I think somehow I need to meet Ethan. I think we both do,” I said, turning to Logan. “But we can’t do anything rash. No matter what emotions we feel. But right now finding out what he knows is important.”

  “I completely get it,” Logan said, nodding. “I won’t do anything to jeopardize what my father died for. You can count on that.”

  “Maybe, if we can get both Orders to fight each other…” my voice trailed off as I wondered whose side any of us were on. Looking around the room, I suddenly felt like a stranger in this place I had called home for so long. It was time to move on.

  Logan caught my hesitancy and stood up. “I’m gonna go grab the keys from the rental agency so we can move over to the other house.”

  “Do you need a rental truck? We have plenty of furniture to share,” my mom offered, gesturing around her. That was true. Our Witch Avenue home was packed with furniture and antiques in every corner, and even grabbing half of what was displayed wouldn’t make a dent.

  “The place is fully furnished. It’ll be like moving into a hotel,” I replied. “I’m just grabbing the stuff from my room. And it’s not like we’re far away. As we need things, we’ll know where to come.”

  “On that note, Vieta, I think it’s time I move back in. I’ve missed my home,” my mom said, winking at me. “I’m proud of you, Triss. I really am, but if you need anything you march right back home, and I’ll help in anyway I can.”

  I hopped up from the chair and ran to my mom. “I know, mom,” I whispered. “It’s so good to have you back.”

  Chapter 13

  “The fairies always serve their own purposes before all others,” I said, sitting in the oversized chair near the fireplace. We had dumped off a few runs of our belongings at the new home, and even though there were scattered boxes that we hadn’t unpacked yet, it felt nice to be here. And it felt safe.

  “Right…” Jenny replied, shrugging her shoulders. ‘That would make sense. I think that’s how the little guys have survived for so long.”

  “I’m sure they’d love hearing you call them that.” I laughed. “But I think we’re taking that need to survive for granted.” I reached for a chenille throw to toss over my legs and repositioned a pillow behind me. It was nice to have Jenny back for the holidays. I looked out the window, and the porch light caught beautiful white glitter in its rays as the evening’s snowfall began. I hoped Logan would hurry and get back. The first few snowfalls in Seattle always led to crazy driving.

  “What are you saying?” she asked, pouring tea for both of us. The teacup clanked on the saucer as she handed it to me, and the caramel-colored liquid sloshed around in the cup, reminding me of how unsteady my hands still were.

  “I’m not sure yet.” I sighed. “I’m thinking…”

  “Yeah?” Her brow arched.

  “That they may not only be fighting for our side.” I sipped on the warm liquid and felt it soothe my throat, hoping that it would bring me some tranquility. Logan was out with his mom helping her find a place to live, and I couldn’t help but worry.

  “So you think that they aren’t actually trying to help us?” she asked, confused.

  When she repeated what I said, I felt silly for saying it.

  “I’m not saying that, but what if we’re not the only ones they want to help? I’m starting to wonder if they’re playing both sides of the fence,” I said. “You know, stick with whoever wins at the end?”

  “I guess anything’s possible, but that seems like a lot of work…helping you while simultaneously helping the Prae
divinus Order?”

  “That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?” I shook my head.

  “Not crazy just unlikely.”

  “I don’t know. I’m going to keep chewing on it for awhile,” I said.

  “You do that,” Jenny said, winking.

  “I think I’m onto something, just not the right thing, maybe,” I said, smiling. “So when do you think Angela is going to get here?”

  “Her plane’s supposed to land in an hour. She said she was going to dump her stuff off at home and then come over, since her parents are still at work…” her voice trailed off.

  “And?”

  Jenny twisted her long hair into a clip and fastened the strands on top of her head, avoiding my stare. She shoved herself back into the couch cushion and twisted her lip. She was definitely hiding something.

  “Spit it out. You suck at this secret thing,” I teased.

  Jenny looked over at me and stuck out her tongue.

  “Real mature,” I laughed.

  “I promised her I’d let her tell you,” she argued.

  “Alright. Alright.” I raised my hands into the air admitting defeat. “At least give me a hint.”

  “You know if I give you a hint, I’ll wind up telling you everything.”

  “Fine.” I reached for a book on the table next to me and opened it up to a random page to ignore her.

  “Seriously?” she said, laughing.

  “What?” I asked innocently.

  “Who’s being immature?” she countered.

  “I’m just reading,” I said, skimming the pages.

  “Since when have you been into aerodynamics?” she laughed, and I couldn’t help but join in until a gnawing feeling began digging away at my stomach.

  “You don’t look so hot,” Jenny said. “Are you okay?”

  “Angela wants to become one of us, doesn’t she?”

  Jenny avoided looking at me and turned her head quickly toward the flames, nodding without hesitation.

  “How’d you know?” she asked.

  “Just a hunch,” I whispered, thinking back to the dream I’d had. “I know I should be excited about this, but I’m not. Our world is in such turmoil and…”

  “I know. I’ve been struggling with it as well,” she agreed.

  “How long have you known about it?” I asked.

  “She’s been dropping hints all quarter, and when I came back from one of my trips to help with things, she wouldn’t stop asking questions.”

  “I guess we’ll just take it one step at a time,” I said, feeling the need to wrap myself more securely in the blanket. “Is there any particular reason that you can think of that’s making her so interested?”

  Jenny blushed and wriggled uncomfortably under my gaze. “She’s going to kill me. Absolutely kill me for not letting her talk to you about it.” She bit her lip and sat up straight. “Okay, so there is something else pushing her interest. I can say that for sure. Well, it’s not a something. It’s a someone and only recently.”

  My brow furrowed as I tried to think who would possibly intrigue Angela enough to make the switch.

  “Trevor?” I asked, almost choking out the name.

  Jenny’s full lips went from a pout to a grin in an insta-second now that I guessed it, and she didn’t officially tell me.

  “Yep. You got it,” she said, allowing her body to relax again. “Can you believe it?”

  I really couldn’t. I mean they never showed an interest during high school. But, somehow, I was relieved — really relieved. There was always that part of me that was worried that he wouldn’t detach from me; like somehow that spider spell would haunt us for the rest of our lives.

  “Are you okay?” Jenny asked, mistaking my relief for something else.

  “Oh, totally. I’m kind of relieved to hear it, to be honest.” I bet Logan would be too. “Should I act surprised when she tells me?”

  “Yes, because that always works so well,” Jenny said, rolling her eyes.

  “If love is driving her curiosity to switch, it’s pretty much a done deal. No talking any sense into her then,” I said, smiling. “Do you think Trevor feels the same?”

  “Pretty sure. The calls were pretty incessant between the two and considering everything we’ve been through, I was surprised Trevor was always so willing to fit her in. You know how she can be,” Jenny said.

  I cringed a little with that minor jab toward Angela. Even though the three of us had been best friends for as long as I could remember, there was always this odd competition between the two of them. Thankfully, I never seemed to be part of it, but I also never knew what the root cause was. It was true that Angela tended to need a little more nurturing than some, but Jenny had her days too.

  “Is it kind of weird to be here?” Jenny asked, sensing my discomfort, as she looked around the room.

  “Well, not until you said something,” I said, throwing a pillow at her. She laughed, and I thought about how much I would miss her, miss everything, everyone once the Divinus spell completed its course.

  Her laughter subsided and she got up from the couch and stretched. “I should get going. I’m sure my parents are already bemoaning the fact that I came here before heading home. It’s not like I haven’t seen them with everything going on. Do you think parental guilt trips will ever go away?”

  I shook my head. “Doubtful.”

  The front door clicked open, and I heard Logan and Ellsy laughing as they came inside our home.

  “Ellsy?” I called, springing up from my chair. Relief instantly spread through me.

  “Surprise,” she shouted, splaying her arms out.

  “I’m so happy you’re here. Does my mom know?” I asked, meeting her in the foyer.

  “We were going to surprise her too,” Ellsy said, squeezing me. “That fire looks glorious. It’s freezing outside.”

  “Let’s hope for snow,” I said, watching Ellsy walk into the family room to greet Jenny.

  “Guess what I heard?” I whispered to Logan, gently tracing my finger along his neck.

  “What?” he asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

  “Trevor and Angela.” I announced.

  “You’re kidding,” Logan laughed.

  “You didn’t already let the cat out of the bag, did you?” Jenny hollered from the other room.

  “Well, that explains his sudden disinterest in you,” he whispered.

  “What’s going on?” I heard Ellsy ask Jenny in the other room, and a wave of comfort spread through me. This was how things were supposed to be. Family and friends gossiping about supposed relationships and possible romances, not devising plans for survival or destroying other covens.

  “You okay?” Logan murmured, dipping his head toward me.

  “Yeah. Sorry. Just going into la-la land again.”

  Logan smiled and gently nudged me into the room full of laughter. Jenny had sat back down on the couch, and Ellsy was sitting next to her chatting away.

  “Nice isn’t it,” Logan whispered, surveying the scene.

  “Yeah, it is.” I nodded and smiled. I sat in a rocking chair and pushed off with my feet.

  “Do you remember that chair?” Ellsy asked.

  “How could I forget it?” I tapped the scar along my hairline.

  Logan started laughing. “I totally forgot about that. That should have been my tip-off about your lack of coordination.”

  “Hey, I’ve grown out of it… some,” I joked.

  “What happened?” Jenny asked, intrigued.

  I pulled my hair back and ran my finger over the thickened skin. “I don’t know if you can see it, but I cracked my head when I was attempting to fly.”

  “You jumped off a rocking chair?” Jenny asked, raising her brow. “I would generally give you more credit than that.”

  “It was an off moment for me, and I was like ten years old.”

  “That didn’t help your case,” Jenny said, rolling with laughter.

  “The jump went fine
. It was the landing that was the problem.” I scowled.

  “The chair actually rocked into her. What are the odds?” Logan said, winking at me.

  “Well, I’m glad my serious injury can provide such comic relief.” I crossed my arms and kept rocking in the chair. “And there were like fifteen stitches or something. So no laughing matter.”

  “Look what you two can look forward to when you have kids,” Jenny chirped. Ellsy and Logan traded glances quickly, and in that moment, I realized Ellsy knew I was a Divinus witch. I wondered what else Logan might have talked to her about, and why she was actually here. My stomach twisted in knots and I pushed away the tears, smiling instead.

  Chapter 14

  “I thought you’d feel better if your mom had some company in the Witch Avenue home,” Logan said quietly. “And I didn’t want my mom to be home alone in Illinois for the holidays.”

  We were hauling Ellsy’s luggage up to the guest room in my mom’s house, while Ellsy began dinner. Vieta was rounding up my mom’s things back at her house and planned on bringing my mom over to the Witch Avenue home tonight for an impromptu surprise party of sorts. Even though my mom hinted that she was looking forward to coming back to her home, I think she was dreading it equally as much. This little push and mix of company would be perfect for her.

  “It was really sweet of you because you guessed right. The thought of my mom being home all by herself hasn’t been a pleasant one.”

  We opened the door to the guestroom and dropped Ellsy’s luggage off when the doorbell rang.

  “Can someone get that?” Ellsy’s voice sang. “I’m busy stuffing manicotti for an army.”