Hopeless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series)

by Rachel Higginson

  "No," I whispered hoarsely back.

  "Eden, they are waiting. It's time to go," Kiran was calm and patient, waiting for me to reach for him, waiting for me to let him take me away. Talbott stood by his side protectively, but quietly. He was bruised and unkempt, his clothes torn and hair messy, signs of the fight.

  I stood up slowly, without his help. I took in my surroundings painfully. The battle was over and from where I stood inside the barn it looked as if the snow had stopped blowing as well. The Titans, hundreds of them, surrounded what was left of the Resistance, loading them into armored vehicles.

  I searched slowly for Avalon, letting my gaze fall on every single member of the rebellion, on Lilly, on Jericho, on Roxie, promising each one of them silently that I would give them retribution for my betrayal. That I would see them again. And that I would save them.

  Finally, my eyes found Avalon. He was beaten and bloodied almost beyond recognition. His face was swollen and one shoulder hung awkwardly lower than his other one. He was surrounded by two dozen guards and isolated from the rest of the captured.

  He was watching me, his face expressionless and his eyes cold. I stared at him, wanting something, needing something. Hatred. Hurt. Hope.

  Something.

  "I am not going anywhere with you," I growled, my tone acid.

  "Eden," Kiran's voice broke and he reached out to me again.

  Slowly, but steadily more guards started to surround the two of us. Soon we were standing in the middle of two dozen Guard, watching us carefully.

  "You did this," I accused venomously, and Kiran dropped his hand to his side.

  "Eden, my love, I had no other choice," his voice was full of emotion and behind his eyes, what I would have once considered tears.

  I couldn't trust him now. I couldn't allow myself to believe his lies, or allow him to manipulate me again. Everything had been an evil deception. Everything single thing and I had just paid the consequences, I wouldn't suffer anymore from naivety. From this moment forward, every breath I took would be dedicated to destroying the Kendrick line. To finding justice for the lives lost here today. I was finished with Kiran, in every sense of the word.

  "My grandfather is dead!" I screamed at him, stomping my foot, sending a ripple of magic shuttering across the smooth concrete floor. "My brother is in handcuffs!" I continued to yell, pointing a stiff finger at him. "You had a choice! Damn it, Kiran, you had a choice."

  "Not if I wanted to keep you safe, Eden!" he raised his voice at me, frustration reaching a boiling point. His face grew red and he took an angry step forward. "This was all for you! So that you could have a life. So that we could have a life together," he finished quietly.

  "So you betrayed my trust and sacrificed the only family I have ever known, just so we could be together?" the pain evident in my voice was unforgivable, but I was desperate for a rational explanation, for a reason for the chaos and shambles my life had been reduced to in a matter of hours.

  "I had no other choice," Kiran said again with conviction. "When I realized there was another option, another sacrifice.... When it became clear that I could save you.... I had to," his voice broke again and he took another step forward. "And now we can have the life we dreamed of, we can be together now.... forever."

  "You should be thankful, Eden," Lucan chastised me from outside the tightening circle of guards. "My son paid a price for you, yes, but he saved you, didn't he? And isn't that the most important thing?" Lucan was relishing in Amory's stolen magic and I breathed deeply trying to hold myself together.

  "No, it is not the most important thing!" I screamed, my voice echoing emptily in the rafters of the barn, my magic shaking the hard steel violently. "Why Avalon? Take me instead, leave Avalon and take me," I demanded desperately.

  "You don't get it child," Lucan broke through the Titans, facing me head on. "Kiran made his deal, he gave me Avalon for you. And as it turns out, because of your brother, I don't need you. So now, I have what I want. And my son has what he wants. And that is how this story ends," he finished coldly.

  I swayed back and forth, feeling overwhelmingly sick. The ground was spinning and a high-pitched ringing sound was growing louder in my ears. I reached out, trying to balance myself and Kiran was at my side in a moment, steadying me, holding on to my waist.

  "Do not touch me!" I shouted, finding my equilibrium and fleeing from Kiran's arms. I bounced off of a Titan and felt the world closing in around me.

  "Eden, stop being ridiculous; it is time to go," Kiran reprimanded me like I was a small child, but his patience was gone. Lucan looked on with unmasked amusement.

  "I will never go anywhere with you," I spat back, hatred seeping from the deepest parts of my soul.

  "You are being difficult. This is unnecessary," he took another step towards me, and I moved around in the circle, unwilling to ever touch him again. "I will take you with me, whether you want to go or not," he promised in a low, menacing voice.

  "No," I said simply. "You have taken everything from me! Everything!" I shouted. "You don't get what you want anymore. You don't get me!"

  "Get in the car Eden!" Kiran shouted back, and the floor trembled underneath the force of his magic.

  "No," I whispered, my body shaking from rage.

  "God, you are stubborn," Kiran collected himself, rolling his head casually, as if his neck was bothering him. He squinted his eyes at me, as if trying to read me, as if I wasn't being clear enough. "Guards," he commanded simply with a nod of his head in the direction of the armored cars.

  In that one gesture of possession, I couldn't take it anymore. I rushed at him, intending to rip him apart if I had to. I felt insanity overcome me and I was blind with rage.

  I didn't make it to him. The surrounding guards were on top of me sooner than I had anticipated they would be; Talbott stepped in front of Kiran, blocking my path. Six men grabbed hold of me with iron grips, holding me in the air. I kicked and screamed like a mad woman, shouting incoherently and shaking my hair wildly out of its ponytail holder.

  "You betrayed me!" I shouted when I felt myself come back to my senses.

  "Betrayed you?" Kiran took a brave step around Talbott towards me, getting close to my face, while the guard held me still. "I did this for you! I saved you! If it weren't for me, it would be you being loaded on that truck, not him. You would be the sacrifice. You should be thanking me!" he finished loudly.

  Anger washed over me in new waves and I spit in his face, staring down at him with more hate than I believed one person could feel.

  Kiran wiped at his face, completely disgusted and a guard lifted his hand against my face, back-handing me in an unspoken demand for respect for my crowned prince.

  "Do not touch her." Kiran turned his wrath on the guard that had slapped me. "Never touch her like that again, or it will be the last thing you do." He growled, but it did nothing to calm the tempest I could feel rising to the surface.

  Kiran walked away from me, running his hands through his hair. He turned back and looked at me for a long time while I struggled against the hold of the guards. "Eden," he continued with more restraint, but his blistering frustration was barely controlled, "I will give you one last chance to stop this foolishness and come with me."

  "I will never go anywhere with you!" I shouted again, lashing out against the Guard, but unsuccessfully.

  "Fine," Kiran shouted back. "Enjoy your life.... Alone!" he turned around and began to walk away.

  "Guards, load her up." Lucan demanded calmly.

  "Father, no," Kiran spun around facing his father. "You have what you want, leave her be. If she doesn't want to come with us, that's her own choice."

  "I can't allow that," Lucan replied, half laughing. "She is a liability. And clearly mad."

  "I said no. She is free to go," Kiran turned his frustration on his father.

  "I will decide who is free and who is not," Lucan's voice turned cold.

  "We had a deal, Father!" Kiran protested with car
efully controlled rage.

  "Let me remind you that I am also your king and my word is the law!" Lucan shouted at his son and Kiran flinched in response.

  "Your Highness, please. She cannot do anything on her own. You said it yourself, she's mad anyway," Kiran begged softly and with more respect.

  Lucan thought over Kiran's words for a moment, looking me over with calculated suspicion. "Fine," he said simply and turned around, walking towards a black sedan, surrounded by guards.

  "This is the second time I have saved your life." Kiran turned his attention back to me. "But I promise you, if we should ever meet again, you will be begging for me to end it."

  "The next time I see you, Kiran, or your father for that matter," I replied calmly, I had found sanity again, at least for the moment. "You will be the ones hiding from me. I promise you that."

  Kiran laughed in response, "We will see," He sobered up, looking at me one last time, "After this, I will not protect you anymore, you are on your own."

  He turned around, following his father. I couldn't take it anymore, I couldn't hold back the rage. With a frustrated shudder of magic, I sent all of the guard around me, including those holding on so tightly, falling to the floor in helplessness. I righted myself on the concrete and with one last guttural scream, I sent another powerful blow of electricity against them and sent the remaining Guard thirty yards back and struggling to get to their feet.

  Kiran glanced back at me, hardly paying any attention, before climbing into the sedan behind his father. A guard shut the door behind him. I watched as the car drove away, through the blood soaked snow, off of the farm and out of my life.

  I looked back at the last of the Resistance members being loaded into the trucks and panicked, not seeing Avalon anywhere.

  Where are you? I demanded telepathically.

  It doesn't matter. Do not come after me. He replied sternly.

  You know that's not going to happen. I said honestly.

  Alright, fine. But follow Amory's orders first, find our parents. Like he said, they're going to have to come out of hiding. Avalon instructed me, still the leader of the Resistance. Unwilling to believe it should be any other way, a tear escaped my eye, falling hot against my cheek.

  South America? But where in South America? I asked, frustrated. I didn't have time to search the entire continent of South America, I had to save Avalon before I lost him for good, too.

  Start with Silas, he must have seen this coming. Start with him, he'll have some answers for you. He's in Peru, in the mountains, the colony is not far from Machu Picchu; once there, just follow the magic. Avalon's instructions got faster, the farther from me the armored vehicle drove.

  I should be coming after you now, before.... before anything happens to you! I begged desperately.

  No. There are too many of them, you'll just end up locked away with me. Avalon was firm, but the emotion behind his command was heart wrenching.

  But what if.... what if they sacrifice you before I can get to you? I broke down, tears of rage and heartbreak poured out of my eyes and I fell to my knees, left alone in the wreckage of the farm.

  I have a plan. His thoughts turned smug. I am going to give you all of my magic. All of it. Lucan cannot sacrifice a human, now can he? He asked, pleased with himself.

  But he can kill a human. Pretty easily.... I replied dryly, realizing it might be our only chance for survival.

  Yes, but he won't. He'll save me for collateral. You know that. He reasoned soundly and I couldn't argue with him. We both knew it was our only option. We won't be able to communicate though; if I do this, our connection is cut off completely.

  Avalon, I am.... I am so sorry. I begged for forgiveness, using the shared emotional channel we shared, one last time.

  I don't blame you, Eden. Avalon answered, forgiveness flooding me. This was a tragedy, but it was not your fault. And now, you are our only hope. You cannot fail. Not for my sake, but for the sake of your people.

  I will find you again, Avalon. And I will rectify this. I promised.

  I believe you. He said with the utmost confidence in me.

  Stay strong, and Avalon.... carry on. I echoed Amory's last command to me and I felt Avalon close his eyes in a silent agreement.

  Then I will see you soon. Avalon whispered inside of our heads, preparing to release his magic completely.

  Yes, you will. I swore and then felt my blood flood with my brother's identical magic and our minds close for good. We were completely separate, in both mind and magic and it dawned on me how very alone I was now.

  I had a mission, an impossible task ahead of me and there was not a moment to spare. But before I could continue on the epic journey ahead of me, there was one last thing I needed to do. One final end to tie up.

  45.

  I watched as the last of the prisoners were driven away, before turning sharply on my heel and running from the barn. The farm was eerily quiet, covered in fresh snow and not occupied by a single soul other than myself. I shuddered, but not from the cold, from the dark realization that I was entirely alone in this world. Completely alone.

  I trudged through the deep snow around the vandalized farmhouse, past the torn apart porch, and explosions still burning their magical flames. The sky was a haunting grey in the middle of the night and light bounced off the blanket of snow illuminating my path to the back of the house.

  The backyard had been untouched and was a stark contrast to the destruction of the house, barn and everywhere in between. The snow was completely pure, not a foot print, or animal trail in the miles of snow that lay like a fresh sheet across an empty bed.

  Somewhere buried beneath the virgin snow was the cellar and I was determined to get to it. I built the magic in my blood, slowly bringing the electricity to a boil and unleashed it against the iced-over back yard.

  My magic was foreign to me, a melting pot of dozens of energies that didn't belong to me. The most alien of all, though, was Amory's ancient electricity. I could still feel his distinct identity running through my veins and it was enough that I had to turn my head and be sick.

  I recovered and forced myself to focus, pushing the iced-over snow away from the place I remembered the cellar being. When I didn't find it right away, I let more magic out, creating a small blizzard of my own design, moving the snow out of the way. The barren, frozen ground below the surface of the snow felt symbolic to m, empty and arctic, descriptions that were synonymous with my own heart now.

  The cellar door was there then, underneath the mountains of snow and frozen to the ground. I blasted the cellar door off and was suddenly hit with a fierce urgency. I ran down the stairs, the temperature dropping severely the deeper into the earth I ran, but I hardly noticed.

  I didn't bother with the torches, or even my magic. I ran blindly through the underground tunnel, completely focused. I ran straight into the heavy stone door that separated the secret initiation room from the narrow tunnel, banging my head.

  I stumbled backwards, frustrated. I stared at the door in the darkness for a moment, trying to decide whether to respect what it stood for or if it even mattered anymore.

  I couldn't make myself believe that it mattered at all, so I raised my hand and exploded the door off of it's hinges and crumbling the heavy stone into long, jagged pieces.

  I walked over the rubble, into the room I had never been allowed in, never belonged in. The space felt smaller now then it had through Avalon's eyes. I spun around slowly, trying to decide where to start, my fingers drifting gently over the chair used for restraint.

  I turned my magic on the candles, hundreds of flames bursting to life in unison. The cauldron in the far corner of the room bubbled with iridescent foam and the tube used to extract whatever was inside, sat on the workspace next to it, protected in a glass case.

  I walked over to the luminous liquid with careful steps and trembling fingers. I had seen Lilly go through this; I knew the recovery period was extensive. I was worried the process wouldn'
t even be possible without help. But I had to try.

  I had finally made my decision. I would join the Resistance.

  It seemed silly now, maybe even unnecessary. I couldn't move forward though, until I had righted this wrong.

  These people hadn't asked more of me than joining their cause, a cause I had looked down on in judgment of its motives. And in the end, I betrayed that cause.

  I had blood on my hands. Lives had ended because of me. And the rest, loaded up in what felt like cattle cars, probably being driven to their death. I had lost those I loved most.

  There was no more indecision clouding my mind. No more hopeful scenarios to dream about. Happiness had died, and it was time to fight for retribution.

  I pulled the cylindrical tube from it's glass case, marveling at the weight of the glass. I plunged it into the lighted liquid, the bubbles burning my hands, leaving blisters. I gripped tighter to the cylinder, afraid I would drop it into the depth of the unknown, and unwilling to stop until I had filled the tube.

  The liquid was scorching hot, and the glass became almost impossible to hold, the more light entered the cylinder. I tried protecting my hands with magic, but either the luminous solution was immune to my magic or it was too strong for it.

  The tube was nearly filled and my hands felt like the skin was being melted from them. I took several quick, deep breaths preparing me for the worst and then courageously lifted the cylinder from the liquid and pressed it firmly to my neck, just below my earlobe.

  A horrifying scream echoed in my ears and it was several moments before I realized that it was coming from me. My blood grew hot, beyond boiling and I fell to the floor in agonizing pain.

  The liquid continued to drain into my blood from its point of contact with my skin and I forced myself to remain conscious, to hold the glass. I couldn't see how much light had drained from the tube, but my body and consequently the room around me began to glow in the royal blue that defined my magic.

  Tears of pain streamed down my face, tears that were unstoppable. I tried to breathe through the pain, but it was excruciating. I reminded myself I had lived through the King's Curse and I would live through this as well.