“I can’t. It’s too distracting.”
Lance’s face lit. “I hear it too. Do you hear it, Thomas?”
“Yeah. It’s so beautiful,” he said.
Ava looked up at him, and he was completely mesmerized with the mysterious sound. “What is it?”
“Am I missing something?” Melissa looked at Ava.
She shrugged. “I don’t know.” She looked at Savina, Colden, and Aaron who stood patiently as if they knew what the sound was.
“Look, do you see her?” Jeremy pointed a finger to the north of the woods, and a tall, elegant woman slowly, almost seductively emerged. Her slicked-back bobbed black hair crowned her round face, and her olive skin glowed against her orange chiffon dress. She crept closer and closer towards them.
The woman captivated all three of the guys, almost as if they were in a trance, but Ava watched her warily. Her full red lips held a sultry grin as she walked up to Jeremy and held his face between her slender hands. Black makeup shadowed her hazel eyes. It seemed as though there was no one else but that woman in Jeremy’s eyes. Then, he collapsed.
Ava gasped, and glanced at Savina, Aaron, and Colden, who still stood, watching, not helping. Why weren’t they doing anything? Was this a test?
“Jeremy,” Gillian screamed, and started to run toward him, but she froze as if someone pressed stop on a movie.
“Gillian?” Melissa shook her but received no response. “What’s wrong?”
Ava quickly envisioned the mysterious woman underwater before she did anything to Lance and Thomas. Soon, the woman fell to her knees gasping for air. Ava kept her focus until a blunt force knocked her to the ground. It was as if a train had hit her. But when she opened her eyes, her breath caught in her throat.
Snow covered the ground, the trees, everything. She groaned, and sat up. Where was she? Where were Thomas, Melissa, and everyone else? Her fingers dug into the snow.
“I’m sorry about that,” someone said, with a gravelly voice.
Ava looked up and saw a man with short disheveled black hair with bangs that stood up on end. His crystal blue eyes locked onto hers, and his thick eyebrows pulled down toward the center of his smooth face, giving off a serious look. His nose was straight and narrow on his pale square face. He wore a necklace just like hers.
He held out his hand, but she didn’t take it. Instead, she scrambled to her feet and backed up against a rock. They were inches from a cliff.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He was tall with broad shoulders and had a relaxed, but confident, stance. For some reason, he intimidated her.
“Who are you?” she asked. “Where are we?”
“I’m Gabriel. And we’re in Russia.”
Ava refused to let him out of her sight, but the beautiful landscape captivated her. They were surrounded by mountains so tall she couldn’t see the tops of them. Below them was an aqua lake. “You teleported us?”
He cleared his throat. “I meant no harm. We’re supposed to be practicing with you all. I’m a part of the coven.”
“Why did you do that?”
“You were drowning Natalia. I had to do something.” He smirked.
“How did you know what I was doing?”
“You’re Ava, right? The Water Enchanter.”
She didn’t like that he knew. What else did he know about her? “Take me back, now.”
He held out his hand. “Okay. Let’s go.”
She looked at it, then his eyes. Something about him made her trust him. She took his hand, and a second later, she was back in the field.
“Ava,” Thomas shouted and grabbed her.
“You shouldn’t trust strangers so quickly,” Gabriel told her.
“Who are you?” Thomas asked, and then shot a fireball right at him, but he disappeared and reappeared.
Thomas held Ava back behind him, protectively. Gabriel only smiled in a mocking manner. Then, he reached out, and grabbed something.
“You should really work on being stealthier,” he said, and Melissa came into view, struggling against his grasp.
Ava tried to imagine him underwater, but someone grabbed her by the shoulders, breaking her concentration.
Just as Thomas turned around, a man, much shorter than him, overtook him and wrestled him to the ground.
“Let me go,” Ava shouted and struggled against whoever held her.
Colden clapped his hands once. “Excellent.”
“What’s going on?” she demanded.
“This is the rest of our Aureole,” Savina said, and the person holding Ava released her.
She turned around and saw a brunette man. He looked as if he were Aaron’s younger brother or son with the same russet eyes. His twin fought with Thomas, but when she looked at Thomas, there was no one else around.
“I’m Eric,” he said.
Thomas got to his feet. “There were two of you.”
Eric laughed. “Gets them every time.”
Ava backed away and joined Thomas. “What do you want?”
Eric cocked an eyebrow. “It’s okay. I can duplicate myself.”
“We are all friends here,” Aaron said. “We wanted to see what you all could do after a couple of months practice. You’ll need more.”
Jeremy came out of his trance, as did Gillian. Lance held onto Melissa, just as Thomas did with Ava. She didn’t know what to think. One minute she feared for her life, and the next she was supposed to act as if they were friends.
“In the meantime, I would like you to introduce you all,” Savina said. “Natalia.” She waved her hand to the woman who apparently could sing. Her hazel eyes looked impatient as she crossed her arms in front of her small chest. “Gabriel.” The teleporter. “And Eric, Joss, Kira, and Maggie.” She introduced them to a group of various aged and ethnic people. Kira and Maggie were Asian, and both had brown eyes. Kira had thick white hair that came to her lower back. Maggie’s thick black hair parted off-center and covered her left eye. Her red lipstick stood out from her pale skin. She looked about Savina’s age while Kira looked to be in her twenties.
The petite woman with light caramel skin and violet eyes came forward with a bright smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you all. I’m Joss,” she said, cheerfully.
Ava wondered if she wore contacts. Her dark hair was pulled back from her small head in a ponytail. Eric stood next to her, and they held hands.
“Good to meet you all,” Gabriel said.
Ava peered at him out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her, and then she quickly returned her eyes to Savina.
Thomas clutched her hand, and Ava thought it served as a reminder to Gabriel that he was still there.
“I brought them here to help you,” Savina said. “We needed to show you all just how fast and focused you need to be. Ava reacted quickly to Jeremy, but you didn’t realize anyone else was out there. When you attack, you need to listen for others. You need to protect each other. If one of you is incapacitated, do not run for them, you must keep your focus until all danger is gone.”
“As for our beautiful Siren here, boys, you must ignore the sounds,” Aaron said.
Jeremy shook his head. “I had never heard anything like it.”
“What was so special about it?” Gillian demanded.
“It is a song that fills men’s ears and all they see is her and all they hear is her song,” Colden said. “It’s an attack method. It allows Natalia to get close enough to touch so she can kill them. When she touches them, it is no longer a beautiful song, but can induce pain by a high-pitched sound so intense you fall unconscious or you die.”
“But we never heard anything,” Gillian said.
“It only works on men,” Natalia said. “If I need to kill a woman, I use my high-pitched sound.”
“And Gabriel can stop time for someone, as he did for Gillian, or teleport,” Savina said.
“Whoa,” Thomas said. “Is that what happened with you? One minute you were here, and the next you vanished.
“Aaron can diminish powers, or enhance them,” Savina said. “As he did with you Thomas. Which is why you weren’t able to do much with your fire. Kira induces poison with a single touch. Maggie can transform her body into a weapon.”
Maggie gave a one-sided grin, and her arms and hands slowly transformed into metal Sai, a metal dagger with three prongs.
Ava shuddered.
“Eric has a duplication ability. And Joss can manipulate or create electricity.”
“Now, Thomas could have thrown fire at Savina, but he was nervous,” Aaron said. “In order to ignore outside distractions, clear your mind and do not let anything interrupt your focus. When dealing with someone like Gabriel, you must be quick.”
“Ava can drown people, but also can pull the water from within herself and create it.”
“What? I can’t create it.”
“In order to practice this, it helps to be around water. But once you learn, you will be like Thomas. Now, Melissa…”
Ava tuned Savina out. She didn’t know how to create water in the palm of her hand. “How do you do it?” she asked Thomas.
“It’s simple,” he said. “Just think of it.”
She hated his arrogance, but was also jealous that he could do this so simply whereas she couldn’t.
“I can help,” Gabriel said.
“She can handle it herself,” Thomas told him.
Though she despised his controlling attitude, she agreed with him. She wasn’t sure she wanted Gabriel’s help. Especially after he said not to trust strangers.
But she could feel him. He was incredibly calm.
“As we do with every practice,” Aaron began. “Since there are so many of us, we pair off into twos. Whomever you are paired with, will be your permanent partner for now. We were hoping to have you all practice more with each other, but that failed.”
Ava was embarrassed that they’d disappointed Aaron. He seemed like a person who was not afraid to punish. But instead of fighting, they really needed to focus.
Savina paired everyone, Ava with Gabriel; Jeremy and Maggie; Thomas and Natalia; Melissa and Eric; Lance with Kira; and Joss with Gillian.
Ava didn’t dare show any frustration at being paired with Gabriel in front of Aaron. Soon the field rang with the sounds of combat training. Strong winds grew around Jeremy and Maggie. Fire exploded into mid-air from Thomas’s hands. An invisible Melissa taunted her opponent. Natalia put Thomas in a trance. Joss created electric arcs between her hands. Ava had never seen anything like all this. Some laughed as if they were truly having a good time. But Ava wasn’t afraid, she was ready, at least she thought so.
A hard and brute force knocked her to the ground, leaving her breathless as she landed hard.
“I wish you’d stop doing that,” she said, and got to her feet.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “I will once you fight me.”
She pictured him in a pool of water, but nothing happened. He waited. She clenched her fists and thought of him drowning in the ocean. But he still made no movement. He only laughed.
She ran toward him and punched him the stomach. He fell to his knees, coughing, not laughing.
“Good hit,” he said. “But you should never get so close to the enemy.”
“Why?”
“Because they can do this.” He snatched her and threw her hard against a tree. It happened so quickly, she didn’t comprehend until she was flat on her face and broken branches and leaves fell around her as if it were snowing.
She was a little sore, but felt fine, amazingly.
“You must focus.”
“I am.”
“There are a lot of things going on with you. I can tell you’re scared. Can you feel me?”
She waited only a second until she could. His head was clear of any thoughts, his heart beat rhythmically, and he breathed calmly.
Ava inhaled and exhaled. The ocean displayed in her mind with Gabriel in it. The waves grew, but they refused to crash. Instead, they fell all around him, but not on him.
“Focus,” he urged.
“I am,” she snapped.
“Don’t get frustrated. Come on. Think of the water. How it feels. Smells. Sounds. Think of what you can do with it.” His voice was smooth, steady, and confident.
“I am. It’s not working.”
“Stop talking. Just listen to the water. You can do this.”
She took another deep breath, and imagined how water felt. It was smooth, like silk. It smelled pure, clean, like rain, and could make the slightest of sounds or could be loud and thunderous.
She felt a tickle that ran down her arms, and when she looked, she gasped. Water dripped from her fingertips. She produced the water, and couldn’t believe it. “I did it.” Water rolled over each curve of her hand and each crevice. It was amazing. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I knew you could. Now, you just need to learn to do it faster.”
The water wrapped around her arms, building, and she shot it toward Gabriel, but he disappeared. He reappeared closer to her.
He had a beautiful smile, she thought, one that spread to his eyes. “Try again.” His lean, but muscular, tall body exuded confidence through his patient manner. It seemed like time hadn’t changed his face or body. He looked like he was in his early twenties, and perhaps he was. His blue eyes captivated hers with intensity.
Ava self-consciously cleared her throat. “Okay,” she said, but he stared deep into her eyes. She dropped her gaze and felt slightly guilty for thinking how attractive he was.
Ava tried to discharge water, but narrowly missed him again.
His eyes held hers again. “Sweet dreams,” he said.
Less than a second later, he stood behind her, with his hand lightly grasped around her neck. Breathing steadily, she froze. She hadn’t even seen him move.
“If you were my enemy, you’d be dead right now,” he whispered in her ear, causing her to quiver. She stared straight ahead and waited for him to release her. “But don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you.” He removed his hand and then stood in front of her.
What else could she do? Summoning water was hard, so she attempted to drown him again. The water was still, as she thought of cooling it. Ice crept over the water, hardening it.
Gabriel’s teeth chattered and he seemed motionless. His eyes closed, and he fell to his knees. Then she released the hold over him.
He let out a breath. “Good. That’s exactly what you need to do. If the drowning doesn’t work, try other tactics.”
Could her mother freeze water with her mind like that and actually kill someone? She wondered if she would eventually be able to transform her entire body into water. It all sounded so surreal. She wondered why they hadn’t trained before with the other coven.
Gabriel stood. “Come on, let’s work on being faster.”
After training for several hours, Ava came home, and took a hot shower. Her body was sore, and the heat worked out the kinks. Training with Gabriel had helped her confidence. It gave her something to focus on and kept her mind off things. Nights were dreadful now since all she thought about was Peter. But she tried so hard to avoid it. She wondered what it would be like to have Gabriel’s powers, and go anywhere she wanted, whenever. Like tonight, when he took her to Russia. She’d never been there, but it was beautiful, serene, and far away from here. If she had his power, she would be able to escape this and be free.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
BECKONING WATER
Saturday morning greeted Ava with raindrops attacking her window. The winds were powerful enough to make the empty house creak. She hadn’t slept well, which was becoming a habit now. They were supposed to practice today, but she wanted to visit her mom first.
She grabbed her hoodie and keys, locked the door, and walked into the downpour. Except, it didn’t fall on her. She looked up to the gray sky to find that it avoided her. It splashed on either side of her, front and back
of her, but not on her, as if she held an umbrella. As she strode through it, it opened like a curtain. She removed her hood, and laughed. But she had to make sure she could control it—Ephemerals couldn’t possibly see this. Just then, the cold drops splashed on her face, and soaked her hair. Then, she put back the hood.
She drove through a narrow arched entrance of the cemetery, and the rain slacked slightly. Passing centuries-old gravestones on either side of her, she turned the car right and then left on the small gravel path to more recent gravestones. She came to a stop and turned off the engine.
Ava let the water fall on her, wanting it to comfort her, and made her way to her mother’s grave. Damp roses lay at the headstone underneath her name. She knew her father had laid them there.
Lucille Dakota Hannigan
B. May 13, 1968; D. March 17, 2003
Ava knew the birth year was phony since they couldn’t exactly put real Enchanter’s birthdates on the tombstones. She knelt down and touched the headstone. It was cold outside, but Ava didn’t shiver.
“I wish you could hear me,” she said, her breath coming out in a white cloud. “How did you do all this? How were you so brave? I wish you could help me. I can’t sleep anymore because I always think about Peter. I know it’s the right thing to do, but it just hurts so much, Mom.”
She rolled her eyes. It was ridiculous talking to a piece of limestone. Her mother wasn’t here. It was just an empty shell. But her mom wasn’t anywhere. Still, somewhere inside of her wished for a sign that her mother had heard her.
Ava turned back and got in her car. She drove around aimlessly, and found herself at the cabin. The dark clouds still poised above, threatening to burst with water. She meandered into the woods. The serene forest was damp from the several rainfalls within the past week, leaving a thick fog to linger. Emerald moss latched onto tree trunks and rocks. In the distance, the trickling of water rushed in a narrow stream that cascaded over rock cliffs. Lush pines were the only trees that hadn’t lost their greenery. While the other trees looked brown and unappealing. Some trees stood straight on a path but others leaned over the stream or slanted against the hill.
No one travelled these woods. The coven owned them.
Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) Page 18