Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3)

by Richards, Carrigan

  Ava took a step, but snow struck her on the side of her face. The cold slush slid down her neck, and she looked in the direction of the attacker. Gabriel stood with his arms crossed, biting his lip to keep from laughing.

  “You think that’s funny?” she asked.

  Gabriel couldn’t hold it any longer and burst into laughter, which only angered her. How could they think of playing when there were missing people?

  She stormed toward him. “How can you laugh—.”

  “No.” He cut her off and grabbed her shoulders at arm’s length. His blue eyes staring into hers. “I’m not going to let you be in a bad mood today. Ava, you have got to stop being so edgy and serious all the time. Let yourself have fun. What did I tell you before?”

  Guilt jabbed at her. She remembered Gabriel’s advice, what seemed like forever ago, about enjoying the moment. Enjoy the little things while she could.

  Ava sighed and relaxed.

  “Don’t feel guilty. You have to admit that was pretty funny. You should’ve seen your face.” He chuckled. He was like a little kid and she found it adorable.

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  “Did you get any sleep?”

  “Sure. You?” She watched Peter and Katarina still playing in the snow.

  “Not really. You know, you’re not going to feel better or get over him if you’re always watching him be happy.”

  Ava dropped her head and trained her eyes on the snow.

  “Ah, don’t be embarrassed.”

  “Is it going to snow all day?”

  “I don’t know. I like the snow though. It’s beautiful,” he said with such implication. Ava turned to him, his eyes brimmed with a look she couldn’t quite place. Sadness? Hope? She couldn’t tell, but it was the same look that made her tingle. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze. She never understood her reaction to him, but she wondered what was in his eyes. He always seemed to hide something. “Let’s go have some breakfast.” He started walking toward the table.

  Ava bent over and grabbed a handful of snow. She packed it together and threw it at the back of his head.

  Gabriel halted and turned around. “Oh, it’s so on.”

  Ava giggled and ran from him. They threw snowballs at each other, until their hair was soaked. In that moment, she didn’t think about missing her friends or Peter or defeating Havok.

  Gabriel launched a snowball but she ducked behind a tree. She scurried out, throwing one back at him, but tripped and fell into the snow.

  He sauntered over to her with snow in his hand, grinning. She gripped snow, waiting. She couldn’t help but notice how sexy his confident gait was.

  “Why would you do this?” Ava heard Gillian scream.

  Ava and Gabriel turned their heads in her direction, and she saw Gillian stomp toward her.

  “No, please don’t, Gillian,” Moira said.

  Lance, Thomas, and the twins followed closely behind.

  “I can’t believe you,” Gillian spat.

  “What are you talking about?” Ava asked as Gabriel helped her to her feet.

  “How could you do this?” Gillian asked. “I can’t believe you.”

  Moira shook her head, her eyes wide, darting from Gillian to Ava. “I’m so sorry. It’s not true. Please, Gillian.” She tugged on her arm, but Gillian stopped her.

  “You had a vision, didn’t you?” Gabriel asked Moira.

  She ran her hands through her thick hair which was getting wetter in the snow. Her small face was troubled. She bit her lip. “It’s just a vision. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not true.” A muscle in her jaw twitched.

  “You might as well tell her,” Ronan said.

  Moira exhaled. “I’m sorry, Ava. I’m so sorry.”

  “What is it?”

  “I had a dream last night. A vision of you.” She paused. “You joined Havok.”

  Her heart dropped. “What?”

  Moira nodded and her eyes watered. “You had become a Cimmerian. You were standing next to him, proudly.”

  “Why would you betray us?” Gillian shouted.

  “She hasn’t betrayed us,” Lance snapped.

  Ava shook her head. “No. I would never join him. Maybe you saw my mom and thought it was me.”

  “It was you.”

  “Okay, but you told me last night that sometimes they aren’t accurate.”

  Moira blushed. “I was trying to placate you. Most of my visions come true.”

  Ava wanted to be angry with her, but couldn’t. Her breaths came out in quick spurts and her stomach twisted.

  “Have you told the Elders?” Gabriel asked.

  Moira shook her head. “No.”

  “What else did you see?”

  “Nothing,” she refused to look at him.

  “Moira, what else did you see?” he demanded, and Ava wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  Sighing, she looked up as tears rolled down her cheek. “Thomas was there, too.”

  Gillian gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth. “What would make you two join him? Why would you do it?”

  “Can it, okay?” Lance warned.

  “I just want to know.”

  “We all do,” he told her. “Including Ava and Thomas.”

  “Why would I join him?” Ava asked. “I would never betray you all like that. I would never leave you.” She knew Gillian didn’t mean the comments and was only scared.

  Thomas was in a daze. “Is this because our parents were Cimmerians?”

  “My biological father was, but she didn’t see me standing next to Havok,” Gillian said.

  Ava hugged herself. It wasn’t going to happen. She wondered if the group would treat her like they did right after the Necromancer incident.

  “What’s on the drama menu today?” Natalia asked, walking up behind them. The rest of the group trailed behind.

  “You all need to eat because we must leave soon,” Aaron advised.

  Savina scrutinized them. “What is wrong?”

  “Moira had a vision of Ava and Thomas,” Gabriel said and then hesitated. “Joining Havok.”

  Gasps sounded around the group and they all seemed to look at Ava and Thomas as if they had already betrayed them. She felt small.

  “It’s not true, Savina,” Ava said. “I would never do that. Please believe me.”

  “Me either,” Thomas told them. He dragged his hands down the length of his face. “There’s no way.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Moira wiped a tear.

  He looked at her. “It isn’t your fault. Maybe we can change the vision.”

  I know what is in your heart. Ava heard Savina mind-speak to her. She looked up and met her eyes. I know you have suffered, but you are not evil.

  But why did Moira have the vision? What could happen to make Ava become a Cimmerian? Was she going to give Havok her promised soul? None of it made sense. There was nothing in the world that would make her become a dark Enchanter.

  “Is Havok going to torture us until we succumb?” Thomas asked, worry written all over his face.

  “No matter what, keep fighting,” Aaron told them. “Don’t let him win. If he tortures you, only you know the true test of your strength.”

  “I’ll never give in to him,” Thomas said.

  “And neither will I.”

  Savina smiled proudly and kissed Ava on the forehead. Then she squeezed Thomas’s arm. “Get some food, and we’ll leave.”

  Ava nodded and followed Thomas, Gabriel, Lance, and Gillian to the table. They ate a warm soup, but Ava wasn’t hungry. She forced the food down.

  “I can’t believe this.” Gillian coiled and uncoiled a curl around her finger.

  Thomas shrugged. “Whatever. I’m not worried.” But Ava knew it was a mask.

  “What do you think, Gabriel?” Lance asked.

  His eyes appeared dark. “It doesn’t matter what I think.”

  Ava glanced at him. What did he mean by that?

  “So you
think they’re going dark, too?” Gillian asked.

  “For what it’s worth, no, I don’t think they are. But I don’t think accusing them of something they haven’t done is right.”

  Gillian blushed and looked away. “Sorry.”

  Ava couldn’t stop thinking about the vision. She couldn’t even fathom being a Cimmerian. Was that what they meant a few months ago when they said it was her destiny? Her mother told her to join them in her dreams. She couldn’t possibly become a Cimmerian. Terrorize towns and kill people. Or kidnap children. She could never give in.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  FALLING FAST

  The wind howled, whirling snow all around them. The dense blizzard made it difficult to see as the snow crunched under their feet. Thick icicles had formed all over the tree branches. The sky darkened by the minute. The blizzard never showed any signs that it would stop anytime soon.

  Ava wiped snowflakes from her eyelashes and pulled up her hood to block some of the snow. She couldn’t form an umbrella over them. She kept her head down, mostly to keep the snow out of her face, but also so she couldn’t see Peter and Katarina. But they were the last of her worries.

  She longed to see the vision Moira had. What had she done when she joined him? Moira only explained that it was a short vision that didn’t show or tell much.

  What could possibly make her turn dark? She’d had her share of downs with Peter, but she didn’t think it was enough to make her change so dramatically. Her mom promised her soul to Havok, but like Gabriel said, she wouldn’t let him take her soul. Now that she knew about the vision, it was her chance to make sure it didn’t happen.

  The day passed slowly, and no one talked much during the trek because of the chaotic blizzard.

  They stopped for the night at another place with cabins. It was weird how random the small buildings were spread out in the woods. The snowstorm was still strong as they claimed cabins. It rarely snowed back home. Ava missed the simple green pastures. The beautiful willows swaying in the wind. She missed her father and sitting around on a Sunday watching football with him, even though at the time football seemed boring. She missed his goofy laugh and how he always fell asleep in his recliner when they’d watch a movie. She was so homesick, but she knew she had to keep going. Finding her friends and returning home with them was imperative.

  After dinner, most everyone retreated to their respective cabins. Everyone was quiet, probably worn out from the storm, but as usual, Ava couldn’t sleep. If they still wore their necklaces, they’d all feel her confusion and anger. Some of them still looked at her warily like she would deceive them at any moment.

  Ava leaned against the window frame, watching the snow pile higher. All the lights were out in the cabin, and the only sounds were Thomas’s loud snoring and Gillian’s moaning.

  “Aren’t you going to sleep?” Nicole whispered as she leaned on the other side of the window.

  “I can’t.”

  “I’m sorry about what happened. I believe you can change it.”

  Ava faced her. A pang of sadness hit her. Nicole wasn’t supposed to be part of this world, but she turned out to be a great Enchanter. Revenge had set in her eyes and never left. But she found distractions with Link.

  “I hope to. How are you and Link?”

  Her lips stretched into a small smile. “We’re good. Haven’t kissed yet.”

  “Why?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Seems weird to fall in love with someone while all of this is going on.”

  “Yeah. It’s weird enough going through a break up.”

  “Funny how we have such a huge task before us and we still worry about those silly teenage things.”

  “We are teens.”

  “True.”

  “But we should take chances because who knows what will happen,” Ava said.

  “You’re right. It’s weird how my life changed. I had it planned out. I was going to go to college. University of Massachusetts.”

  “Boston. I’ve been there once. Gabriel took me to the Enoch Library.”

  “I remember. That’s where I’m originally from. We moved here, or back home, when I was ten.”

  “You can still go.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Do you regret what happened to you?”

  “Not really. I wouldn’t have met all of you or gotten close to Link. Plus, I think I was made for this.” She gave a sly grin.

  “I believe it.” Ava peered out the window and saw a light on in Moira’s cabin. She wondered if she could get more information from her. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To talk to Moira,” she said.

  “Don’t be out too late.” She grinned, but there was something in her dark eyes that held a deeper meaning.

  “I won’t.” She jogged to the cabin through the wind and cold. She saw that it was a small light and the rest of the cabin was dark. She quietly tapped on the door.

  The door opened, and Gabriel appeared in a white t-shirt and black jeans. “Ava?”

  “Sorry. I was hoping Moira would be awake. I didn’t mean to—.”

  “Come in.” He moved aside and she entered. “I was reading,” he told her and sat on the edge of his bed.

  “Oh. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Wavering by the door, she looked around and found everyone else asleep.

  “Don’t be. Would you like to sit?”

  “Sure,” she said and moved next to him on the bed. “What are you reading?”

  He shrugged. “Just some thriller. Helps keep my mind off reality.”

  “I didn’t think about bringing any books.”

  “You can read it when I’m done.” His face, which was now showing a five o’clock shadow along the hard line of his jaw, reflected his usual confidence in the soft orange glow of the candle. His gaze fixed on her, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She couldn’t explain the intense feeling she got around him, but she liked it. “So why aren’t you asleep?” Gabriel asked, breaking the staring match.

  “I can’t stop thinking about Moira’s vision. I’m scared that they’ll think I’ll turn against them any second.”

  Gabriel put an arm around her, pulling her close. Her head lay against his shoulder. “No one thinks that. I believe they’re worried about what will happen.”

  “What about you?”

  “If you only knew,” he mumbled under his breath. “Ava, I know you would never join him, but you shouldn’t rely on what any of us think.”

  “I know. I know what I would do if I ever had a choice. Now I’m afraid I won’t have one. Like he’ll force me. But that wasn’t what she envisioned was it? She saw me willingly join him.”

  Gabriel tightened his arm around her, and tears fell out of her eyes. It was like he squeezed them out of her.

  “What if he tortures me that I can’t help but—.” She tried to say, but her voice drowned in the tears.

  He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his crystal blue eyes. They calmed her immediately. The way he looked at her made her heart skip. “We’ll fight him together. You’re incredibly strong. Even if he tortured you, you’d overcome it. You’ve already conquered so much in such a short amount of time.”

  With his thumb, he gently stopped one last tear from rolling down her cheek.

  She took a deep breath.

  “Better?”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Eric let out a loud snore and Ava jumped. He turned over away from them in his sleep. Both Ava and Gabriel laughed quietly.

  “Is he a bad snorer?” she asked.

  “You have no idea. Sometimes he wakes me, and when I sit here listening, I can detect a rhythm.”

  Ava laughed. “Do you snore?”

  “Only one way to find out,” he said with a mischievous grin.

  She held her mouth agape and punched him in the shoulder. “Gabe.”

  “Ow! What?” he chuckled, r
ubbing his arm. “I can’t tell if I snore. I’m asleep.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So, do you all live together at home?” she asked, and they both leaned against the small headboard of the single sized bed. There was no space in between them as they stretched out their feet.

  “Eric, Joss, and I live together. Natalia lives with Kira and Maggie. But Eric and I constantly play tricks on them.”

  “Like what?”

  “Stupid stuff. Sometimes Eric will sneak in their house, like three of him, and make them think there’s a ghost. Freaks them out all the time. One time we were over there and Natalia was trying to serenade us. I grabbed her, and teleported on top of a mountain. She hates heights,” he laughed. His smile was heartwarming and sexy.

  “That’s not funny.”

  “We thought it was.”

  Ava jabbed him in the side. He reached over and tickled her. She giggled and slid down flat on the bed with him hovering over her. She almost gasped from the intense look in his eyes. They stayed like that for a moment, and she shyly cleared her throat. He moved aside and she pulled herself up against the headboard.

  Feeling awkward, she played with a string on her sweater. “So what’s your book about?”

  “An FBI agent trying to find a terrorist.”

  Ava yawned. “Sounds fascinating.”

  “I can tell you’re interested.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Can you help me practice hiding my feelings?”

  He gave her a disapproving look. “Why?”

  “If Havok forces me to join, I can’t let him see my emotions. I have to be prepared for whatever happens.”

  Gabriel sighed, but then nodded. “Okay.” He moved so that they were facing each other. “They call it the heart of stone, if you will. Basically, you turn off your emotions. Before, when you came to me, I noticed you buried your feelings. With this, you learn to not react at all to something.”

  “Okay.”

  “It takes an immense amount of focus. But when someone says or does something, you move on to something else. You learn that whatever someone says, it’s just words. Or if they do something, it’s just an action. You learn to detach emotion from the events or words. For me, I went through a period of shutting them off. You don’t want to keep them off or it will consume you.”