Everly (Everly Series Book 1)

by Meg Bonney

  “I am leaving. Get over it!” I threw my hands in the air.

  “Fine!”

  “Fine!” I yelled and stomped toward the cave opening, where Jason and Lacy waited for me.

  The two of them looked tattered and tired, but they grinned as I got closer. They stood next to the cave, under the trees. The wind had kicked up, causing the trees to sway heavily in the warm breeze.

  Aunt Ruth was safe at home. It’s what I had hoped for since this journey started. And no matter how mad I was at her, it was good to see Lacy—and, of course, my Jason. My two best friends. Two of the only people I had ever cared for being safe and sound and knowing that Aunt Ruth was far from my vengeful father should have made this a truly happy moment. I hadn’t finished what I had started in Everly, but I had found out more about my parents. I knew more about them than I had ever known in my whole life.

  But for reasons I couldn’t explain, I had never been more heartbroken.

  CHAPTER 21

  Lifting one of the lit torches from the wall, I walked silently ahead of Jason and Lacy into the cavern. It was very narrow, and we could only walk single file. I had been unconscious for the last leg of our travels to the Jade Village, but it was pretty easy to navigate once we started walking.

  “You okay, Maddy?” Jason asked from behind me.

  “No,” I said without turning around. I adjusted the eye patch on my face.

  “This whole thing has been absolutely crazy. Lacy, I can’t believe you never told us about all of this,” Jason said as the cavern opened up into a wider space, making walking the path much less cramped.

  “What do you mean?” Lacy asked.

  “What do you mean, what do I mean?” Jason shot back. “Everly, Maddy’s parents, everything.”

  “Right,” Lacy answered.

  I stopped. Jason bumped into my back, but I didn’t budge.

  I turned around to face him and Lacy.

  “Maddy?” Jason asked.

  “I have to come back here. I have to finish what I started with Ren, and then I need to find my parents. And I can’t wait until Ren just shows up again. What if he never shows up again?” I turned around, but Lacy was blocking my way. “Ren needs to come with us so he can bring me back after I talk to Aunt Ruth.”

  Lacy looked concerned. “No, he cannot.”

  “I need Ren to bring me back after we get you and Jason back home safe.” I took a step to the left, but Lacy stepped over to block me.

  “You cannot get him, Madison,” Lacy said. “You must trust me.”

  “No, I do. But I have spent my whole life wanting something to matter to me the way that winning all those races should have mattered. For so long, I have wanted something to make me feel something…this is it. I can’t leave for good. I have to free the Magics and face my father.” I took a deep breath and smiled. “I need to go get Ren.”

  “No, you should come with me to the portal. We will send Jason back, and we will start a new mission to find your mother. There are things that you have not seen. Magic that you could not have dreamed of!” Lacy exclaimed.

  I looked her over again. Her blonde hair flipped wildly around her face. Her eyes were different.

  And then it hit me.

  I felt like my heart jumped into my throat.

  “Lacy is on the swim team,” I said.

  Jason narrowed his eyes at me but looked to Lacy for her response, taking the torch from my hand.

  “Yeah,” Lacy nodded. “Of course.”

  “Lacy is on the swim team,” I said again.

  I straightened my posture, feeling my lip curl. I reached back and pulled my sword out of its sheath.

  “You guys are being so strange.” Lacy tried to push past us, no longer trying to stop me

  I shoved my hand sharply into her chest, and she stumbled back into the stone wall behind her.

  “Stop it!” Lacy shrieked.

  “Lacy is on the frickin’ swim team,” I barked. My voice boomed off the gray rock walls of the cavern.

  “I heard you!” Lacy yelled back. Her nostrils flared in her anger.

  “Witches sink in water,” Jason said with authority behind me.

  “Lacy can swim. Lacy is not a Witch. What are you?” I demanded.

  “Or who are you?” Jason added.

  “What do you mean? It is me, Lacy!”

  “Stop lying!” I said through my teeth.

  Lacy’s face fell from a terrified protest to a cool smile. “Oh, fine. Being a teenager is exhausting,” she said with a sigh, and raised her hands up above her head. Before I could take action, she yelled something in a language I couldn’t understand.

  Beams of light shot from her fingertips, and her eyes turned to a hazy gray.

  “Glacia,” she hissed.

  I tried to move, but I was frozen. Jason stood unmoving to my left.

  I forced out a sound, but without being able to move my lips or anything, it was just a spurt of useless noise. It was like only the outside of me was frozen. I could move my tongue and I could breathe, but that was it. The rest of my body was a statue.

  Lacy stepped back in front of me and placed her finger on my lips, shaking her head back and forth. “No, no. Do not make me take away your ability to breathe, too. I just needed to get you away from the bad people. You are safe now, little bubbies. Do not worry. Auntie Sinder will protect you.” She spun to face Jason, pointed her long finger at him, and twirled it in the air.

  “You do not belong here, but I am pleased you came along, too. I have wanted you since I first saw you. A treat for me, indeed,” she said softly.

  Again, I forced sound out of my barely parted lips.

  She spun and slapped me hard on the cheek. “Quiet! Aunt Sinder is talking. Do not worry. I meant what I said. We will return him home. I am not that cruel.”

  I could not move to wince in pain, but my cheek burned from the slap.

  She walked over to Jason, who was standing with his hands on hips and his head tilted back slightly.

  “Just a few minutes and we will be on our way again.” She traced Jason’s lips with her finger, ran her hand down his neck past his chest, and grabbed his belt. The sight of her all over Jason was jarring, and even though I knew it wasn’t Lacy, it still looked like her.

  “Mm. You make a fine statue. I wish I had frozen you in my quarters. We would have a fine time.” She leaned into Jason and kissed his neck, moaning.

  I made more sound, this time louder, and I held it for longer.

  “Enough!” she screamed. She held her palm to her face and shook her head. Lacy’s blonde hair turned to thick black curls that fell past the plunging neckline of her long green dress. She had cool gray skin that matched the color her eyes were now. Blue veins were visible beneath her thin skin. Her face was long. She had a small nose that swooped up a little at the end like mine and a sharp jawline. Even with her gray skin, her face looked somewhat youthful.

  “That’s better.” Her voice was low and smooth. “Where were we, lovey?” She pressed her body against Jason’s and laid her head on his chest. She looped her arms through his and hugged him.

  “Sinder?” a voice called out. “Is that you? Sinder?”

  Sinder spun around and rested her hand on her hip. She was very narrow, and her arms were quite thin. Brushing her hair back from her face, she let out an exasperated sigh.

  “In here!” she called out. “I have her and her handsome companion. We are just waiting on you, sister.”

  She focused back on Jason. I saw a tear roll down his cheek. Sinder leaned close to him and licked the tear from his cheek.

  “Oh my, puppy, I forgot to let you blink!” Sinder twirled her finger in the air and Jason blinked rapidly, sending another tear down his cheek.

  My mind exploded with rage and frustrated anger.

  “Oh, Sinder. You did not get far, now, did you?” the same voice laughed from behind me. The voice
was higher than Sinder’s. “I told you this would happen, did I not?”

  “You are so wise, sister. I could not fool them for long,” Sinder sung out.

  “Oh, is this her? The one who will save them? We must not harm her,” the voice stated. I felt a cool-skinned hand resting on my neck. “Oh, yes. I can smell the power in her blood. She is a Strongblood, all right.” I felt a face press into my arm. “It is intoxicating! So much power surging inside of her, unlike any I have ever met. And she really does have magic, how curious!”

  “Well, of course she does. She is the daughter of the Great One, the greatest Witch of our time!” Sinder said, sounding almost sarcastic.

  “Do you think the Great One knows she is here?” the sister asked.

  “Of course,” Sinder said, caressing Jason’s face. “The girl’s energy screams to me. The Great One must hear it as well.”

  “Oh, Sinder, free them. What are you doing? They are not our prisoners,” the sister said, still out of my view.

  “Kaya, she threatened me,” Sinder protested.

  “Sinder, we are to work together,” Kaya answered. “This is no way to begin a journey! It was your fault for not going with her when they crossed in the first place.”

  “But wait, sister, I want to play with this one a bit longer. He is so sweet. And this hair.” Sinder was on Jason again, running her hands through his hair. She kissed his neck again.

  “Sinder!” Kaya said with a little airy chuckle.

  Sinder tore Jason’s shirt open, revealing his tanned, muscular chest and abs. Sinder squealed in delight.

  “Oh, just a few minutes, sister. Look at him! He is perfection! I have been starved for touch. All we do is hide and plot and hide. I desire contact.” Sinder began kissing Jason’s chest.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated on my sword hand. I focused all my energy on moving it. This was just magic or something. It wasn’t real. I needed to move.

  Focus!

  And just then, my hand tilted up, lifting my sword slightly.

  Yes! I screamed in my head.

  “Did you see that?” Kaya shrieked, still out of my view.

  Sinder was completely wrapped around Jason now, kissing his face and neck, her arms twisted around his neck.

  “Sinder!” the voice yelled again.

  “Hmm? Yes, Kaya?” Sinder turned abruptly. “What is it?”

  “The girl. I think she just moved her hand!” Kaya said.

  “Impossible. Her strength is no match for my magic,” Sinder said dismissively. “Have you been into the troll swill again?”

  “Well, yes, but I saw it! I know I did!” Kaya protested. “She is the daughter of the Great One!”

  I tilted my hand up again.

  “Oh!” Sinder exclaimed. “But no! It cannot be!”

  Kaya laughed gleefully. “Incredible!”

  Sinder raised her hands again in the same way she had before and called out something else I didn’t understand. Light shot from her fingertips, and a bright burst of white briefly lit the cave.

  I stumbled forward with a rush of soreness, like I had just worked out for hours. Apparently, that was the aftereffect of trying to move while magically frozen.

  Jason yelled and stepped backward, knocking himself against the rocky wall behind him.

  I charged at Sinder, my sword out, and passed right through her. She had vanished. I ran into the cave wall and fell backward a bit. Pain shot through my forehead where it had smacked into the wall.

  “Oh, yes. Great power!” Sinder sneered.

  She was now on the other side of the cave, next to Kaya. Kaya was shorter, with the same black hair, only hers was swept up into a tight bun on her head; her skin reflected the same gray tone with visible blue veins. Her eyes were a bit darker gray.

  I moved myself in front of Jason.

  “You okay?” I asked him.

  Jason nodded, pulling his ripped shirt closed. His hands were shaking.

  “Maddy, your head is bleeding,” he pointed out.

  I rubbed my forehead where I had hit the wall. Blood on my hand. Great. I still had my black gloves on. Healing myself in front of these two seemed all too risky. I could deal with another bump on the head.

  “Perfect,” I groaned, and wiped the warm blood away from my eyebrow.

  Sinder giggled. “Such grace!”

  I clenched my jaw. “Who are you? Where is Lacy?”

  “Sinder. Why are you toying with these children?” Kaya asked. “We have a mission to start.”

  “Getting them to do what I wanted was much easier and quicker as little Lacy.” She chuckled. “Such fun.”

  “You are bold, sister. Never let them never say otherwise.”

  “Who says I am not bold? I am nothing if not bold!” Sinder lifted her chin.

  “Did you see Ruthana?” Kaya asked. They stood like two women gossiping at an office water cooler, complete with dramatic hand gestures.

  Sinder nodded. “Oh, yes. For a moment.”

  “What did you do with Lacy?” I yelled, my voice echoing through the cave tunnel. I could feel myself filling with anger like a climbing thermometer.

  Sinder and Kaya both jumped, startled by my volume. Kaya placed her hand on her chest. “My heavens, child. There is no need to roar. We may be old and timeworn, but we can hear you just fine.”

  I bit my lip and sighed in frustration. “What did you do to Lacy?” I said through my teeth, lowering my volume slightly.

  “She is home in your world, I would assume,” Sinder replied. “She was not there when I came for you. Now, we must start our mission.”

  “I was already on a mission. I was on my way to the Temple of the Ember Isle, you lunatic! Ren was—”

  Sinder and Kaya exchanged glances. “Ren Raker, the Porter, son of Lawrence Raker, the Strongblood? You were willingly working with such filth?” Kaya asked.

  “He is helping us get to the temple. He helped us cross into Everly,” I said. “And he is not filth.”

  “Yes, that was all I needed him for, the crossing. But we are not going to the temple. You were not meant to be with the Porter, girl. You are the Scion of Everly, the savior of the Magics, not a travel companion to the world walker, son of such scum. I apologize for us getting separated, but I had to find my sister,” Sinder replied.

  “So at the house…that wasn’t Lacy. That was you?” I asked.

  “It was.” Sinder nodded.

  “But how did you know where to find the sword?” I blinked rapidly, trying to process.

  “I have my ways.”

  “So, wait…if you aren’t Lacy, does that mean Ruth isn’t home?” Jason asked softly.

  “Oh, no. Ruth is still at the temple.”

  “What?” I shouted.

  “Oh, yes. She is a part of this mission, whether she wanted to be or not. I did not plan to be followed by the guard, but I was. The chips fell and I played the hand I was dealt. We needed a way to get you and Ruthana here. I improvised. After all, we needed someone inside the temple if our plan is to work. Ruthana would never agree to come back here, no matter what the cost. So, you see, it is all for the best.”

  “Ruth is in danger because of you! Don’t you care at all?” I asked.

  “Ruthana was never going to tell you who you are. She was going to let you live out your days as a simpleton, never realizing your true power. I set you free. I have seen you then, and I see you now. There is a change in you, girl. Do not pretend that you have no passion for this cause. I have seen it within you—and you said it yourself.” Sinder tapped a finger on her chin.

  “You don’t know anything about me,” I said.

  “I know you were following that Porter blindly. Oh, sorry, poor choice of words.” Sinder gestured to my eye. “And I know you should be praising me and showering me with kindness for rescuing you!”

  Sinder took a step closer, and I shifted to keep myself firmly between her a
nd Jason. “We have to go. I need to save my aunt.”

  “There is time for that, but we must think bigger than releasing a prisoner. We must put an end to King Dax and his guards, the Strongbloods, and even the worthless Cloaked. Take them all down once and for all.”

  I exhaled loudly in frustration. “We were going to break the spell on the courtyard that holds the Magics prisoner there. I had this all covered. I need to go get Aunt Ruth, so whatever grand plan you have, it’s too late. I am going with Ren to the temple.”

  “No, no. We will not merely release the prisoners and kick Dax out of the temple. We are going to kill all of the Strongbloods, and you are going to help.”

  “Kill them?” Jason asked. I looked back at him. His eyes were wide and full of worry. I took his hand and held it tight. I will get you out of here. Jason forced a smile.

  I turned back to Sinder. “I am not going to help you kill anyone, you lunatic. I am going to save my aunt.”

  “Listen, girl,” Sinder started.

  “No, you listen,” I interrupted. “I don’t care what you thought would happen, but let me make this perfectly clear. You lied to us, you put my aunt in danger, and I just watched you grope my best friend. I will never, ever help you. I am going to go get my aunt now.” I turned to walk away, back out of the cavern, with Jason’s hand tightly in mine.

  “Wait. Your mother would never agree to your plan,” Sinder said.

  I stopped.

  “Ruth is in the temple, and we will make sure she is freed, but first we need to put an end to the rule of the tyrant who started this mess. We will begin our plan to prevent it from ever happening again,” Sinder said. I turned back, making sure to keep Jason behind me. Kaya nodded as she started to walk over to where Jason and I stood. I tightened my hand around his, and he took a step closer to me.

  “No. I am not going with you. Ren will take me,” I insisted, raising my sword.

  “And we’ll do it without hurting people,” Jason added.

  “Ren? He speaks nothing but lies, dear. Did your handsome knight tell you how it is that he found you?” Kaya inquired.

  I didn’t answer.

  “That boy was lost with rage when he came to find me,” Sinder explained. “He was broken and grief-stricken and full of vengeance. His family had been wronged and he wished to seek vengeance, but all he had was anger and nowhere to look. And the most perfect arms I have ever seen—but that is beside the point.”