Passion

by Kailin Gow

  There was no way they would be able to win this battle. In the distance, far beyond what they could see as they faced their enemies, I could see hundreds and hundreds of clanging, clinking, and trudging robotic creatures.

  The metal of their armor gleamed in the sun as they marched forward, their aim clearly targeting the Rebels.

  I looked toward the old Arcadia, hoping to find a way to help the Rebels escape the massacre that was sure to come. Instead of anything helpful, I saw Pim Seer walk through the gate of the perimeter wall. He approached one of the armed guards pacing before the wall and spoke while his arms emphasized his words.

  After a few moments, he and the guard looked out at the battlefield. Even from a distance I could see that he was unmoved by the fact that his own son, his own blood, was out there on that field.

  Pim pointed, said a few more words to the guard and returned into the sanctum of his old city.

  I didn’t know what to make of his actions. Would he do something to help his son? Or would he cold heartedly let his son die right there at his feet?

  My answer came quickly enough. In a matter of minutes, heavily armed Catchers emerged, fierce, strong and ready to fight. They headed straight to the Rebels with murder in their eyes.

  Tears instantly came to my eyes as I envisioned the blood bath to come. They would all be killed.

  As a last ditch effort, I tried to conjure up some magic. I was desperate to find a way to get us all out of this safely and I felt certain I could break through whatever barrier was blocking our magic.

  My first attempt, to get a simple little leaf to flutter off a branch and gently float down to the ground, fell flat and nothing happened except for a sudden headache. I tried again, but still the leaf remained fixed to its branch.

  “If I can’t even get a leaf to fall off a branch, how am I supposed to find a way to help the Rebels?”

  At the sound of my voice, a bird turned to look at me a moment before flying away with a mocking song.

  Growing increasingly desperate to find a way of breaking through the barrier, I glanced back at the old Arcadia to see what was happening.

  A familiar figure quickly glided toward the city and my heart went into a panic. Dr. Sanz and his army of Rogue Magical Ones. They were all gliding, effortlessly and with speedy efficiency.

  As one, they all looked up to the sky, narrowed their eyes and concentrated and I quickly realized what they were doing. These very Magical Ones who’d built Arcadia were now fortifying a force field to keep our magic from working.

  Angry at the thought that they, Pim and Dr. Sanz, could actually come to win this battle, to win the war by shutting down our magic, I turned back to my stubborn leaf and tried again and this time the leaf released its hold and fluttered to the ground below.

  Digging deeper for a stronger kind of magic, I floated up into the air; up to the higher limbs of the tree.

  Pleased with myself, I hopped off the branch and landing next to my freed leaf. I wanted to hoot with glee. Before heading out to boast of my victory against the barrier, however, I decided to try something a little more challenging.

  I scanned the battlefield and picked out one monstrous creature. My gaze settled on a small wildcat with the head and shoulders of a man. Just as it prepared to pounce on a Rebel, I concentrated on his ability to move.

  It worked. The wildcat crumbled to its belly instead of attacking, but I wanted more. I wanted to crush the barrier that hindered all djinns.

  Thinking of my father and his strength and ability, I realized my destiny was out here. I would save the outskirts and break the barrier and force shield that had been erected.

  I tilted my face up to the sky, closed my eyes and concentrated until I thought my brain would split in two. My efforts were rewarded by a groan of dismay from the distant crowd around Dr. Sanz.

  Eager to see what I’d managed to do, I opened my eyes and saw a large crack in the force field above.

  Dr. Sanz whipped his Magical Ones into action, pressing them to head out to the Rebels faster.

  But now that the force field had been broken and Torrid and Rowan now had their full powers at their disposal, I knew we’d be victorious.

  Chapter 20

  As Catchers and Rebels collided, my optimism faltered.

  Torrid, I tried to mentally call to him. Your magic works. Your magic works.

  When I received no response, I wanted to cry aloud, but knew my voice wouldn’t reach him any more than my telepathic cry.

  They all fought so valiantly and with such strength, but the Catchers still managed to capture far too many Rebels.

  “Father,” I called aloud. “We can’t lose now. We can’t let Dr. Sanz and Pim Seer win.”

  Please, Father, I silently pleaded. Come help us.

  Unfortunately I didn’t have the luxury of waiting for his response. I had to go in and help the guys, help the Rebels any way I could.

  Running straight into the fray, I conjured up a large sword and repeatedly tried to make mental contact with Torrid or Rowan. Only when I was a few yards away did the mental block finally break down enough for my mental voice to get to them.

  Magic! I mentally shouted. We’ve regained use of our magic.

  Torrid turned to concentrate his magic on an attacking machine and was pleased to see the tin box split in two. With a charmed grin, he looked at me and nodded.

  “I take it you’re responsible for this,” he said.

  I aimed my magical powers at a grunting beast and watched it fall back with a thud, as though it had struck an invisible wall.

  “Dr. Sanz and the Rogue Magical Ones have been busy. They’ve created a force field around the area. It took a few tries but I finally managed to break it down.”

  “Adding to their anger, I assume.”

  As a large group of various beast approached him he gathered the full force of his magic and swept them all up, as if in an invisible hand. With incredible force they were flung into the forest from which I’d just emerged.

  Torrid and Rowan worked together, blending their magic to beat back the creatures who continued to attack. It gave the Rebels a fighting chance. Even though they were still clearly outnumbered, they fought with will and determination.

  Among them Liam. I felt a swell of emotion rise in me as he fought. The thought of him getting hurt pained me, but my pride in his tenacity grew with each moment.

  He turned to look at me, as if he’d sensed my gaze on him. At first loving and warm, his gaze quickly turned protective and angry.

  “Don’t worry,” I shouted. “I have my magical powers back.”

  Rushing to me, he pulled me into his arms and pressed a powerful kiss to my lips.

  “Your father’s army is approaching. Are you ready?”

  “I guess in a way I’ll never be truly ready, but I’m as ready as I can be.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.” Pim Seer’s booming voice drowned out the clang of fight that continued around us.

  Liam faced his father.

  “It’s time you give it up, Liam.” Pim glanced at me. “And you, Kama. It was never my intention to hurt either of you. In fact, I want the two of you to take over Arcadia, but as it was.”

  “No. Never. It can’t be as it was.” Liam’s voice was soft, almost inaudible, but it was firm. “I could never accept the way you and the Catchers treated the djinns. No amount of perfection can be worth treating another being that way.”

  “I see,” Pim said with a sarcastic nod. “So you’d rather see the citizens of Arcadia live in squalor.” He glanced at the Rebels around us. “You’d rather see them live like animals… like this.”

  “At least they have their freedom.”

  “Freedom is only for those who rule,” Pim said.

  “Really? That’s how you see this.”

  Pim nodded with confidence.

  “Than I feel sorry for you. You have a warped mind.”

  Anger furrowed Pim’s brow. “I guess th
at’s what I get for letting you hang out with a half djinn. She might have Janice’s blood running through her veins, but clearly the djinn side of her is coming out more and more. She’s influenced you in ways that aren’t acceptable, son.”

  “You don’t think I could have come to this conclusion myself, Dad? Do you really think I would find out what you’ve been up to and I’d approve? Whether Kama was in my life or not, my reaction to what you’ve done would be the same. If anything, Kama’s been a calming presence in my life, even during this chaos.”

  Pim shook his head in disbelief. “I should’ve kept you kids apart. I should’ve known better.” He looked at me. “If I had put a controlling band on your wrist, my boy would have become the man I wanted him to be. Strong, forceful and determined.”

  The Catchers surrounded us and while we managed to fend of the first few, we were quickly outnumbered. Even with my magic, I was helpless to keep up with the great numbers.

  Hardly putting a hand on us, the Catchers herded us toward the man who would have control of me once and for all. Dr. Sanz stood there with his devilish grin and scheming scowl.

  “Time to put all this nonsense to rest, Kama. Be a good girl and hold up your wrist.”

  “Never,” I spat.

  A hard mechanical hand pushed me toward Dr. Sanz. I stumbled forward, but quickly backed away.

  “Never,” I repeated.

  “Really?” he said with a knowing grin. He gazed past my shoulder.

  I dreaded looking back.

  “Perhaps you should reconsider your position.”

  I glanced back to find a large Catcher with a gun to Liam’s head. Chuckling, I returned my gaze to Dr. Sanz. “I know Pim Seer is a monster, but even he wouldn’t have his son killed.”

  As I spoke the words of reason, I conjured enough magical power to whip the gun out of the Catcher’s hand.

  While my magic worked as I’d intended, the gun was quickly caught by another nearby Catcher. I wanted to conjure more magic to rid him of the gun, but Dr. Sanz grabbed my wrist.

  Fighting like a wildcat, I did everything I could to get free of his hold. If he managed to get a leather band on my wrist, I’d be doomed.

  “Look,” someone shouted. “They’re here.”

  We all followed his gaze to the sky. Djinns poured down by the thousands and in the middle of it all, General Adar. They landed atop the Catchers, kicking them into submission with ease and vehemence.

  “Come on,” Liam said as he pulled me free of Dr. Sanz’s stunned and weakened grip.

  I ran as fast as I could, emerging from the melee and running at full speed into the old city. Once inside the walls, Liam stopped and grasped my shoulders. “I love you, Kama. More than anything I want to keep you safe.”

  He leaned closer and I thought he was going to kiss me, but he backed away suddenly and looked past me.

  “Torrid,” I said as I turned to face him. “You’re safe. I lost sight of you when Dr. Sanz appeared.”

  “I promised to keep you safe.” He looked at me then at Liam. “I see he’s already doing a pretty good job, though.”

  “We need to find a safe place to hide her,” Liam said.

  Each taking a hold of an arm, they led me into town, but as soon as we turned the first corner, I found what I’d wanted to find most of all.

  “Mom,” I called out as I broke free of Liam and Torrid’s hold and hurried into her arms. For all the blood and rage that accompanied the war outside the protective walls of the city, I felt as safe as could be in my mother’s arms.

  Pulling back I looked into her eyes. Glossy with tears, she looked at me with a blend of gleeful relief and fearful resolution.

  “Mom, I’m safe. We’re safe behind these walls.”

  “We’ll never be safe,” Janice said. “So long as Adar and Pim are at war, we’ll never have peace.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Adar never forgave Pim for stealing me away, and Pim has forever been insecure whenever Adar was even mentioned. They’ll never stop fighting over me.”

  “Mom,” I muttered with fear.

  She let out a dry chuckle. “I guess you can say I’m their Helen of Troy.” She walked away from me and past Torrid and Liam.

  “Mom.” I ran after her and grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m putting an end to this once and for all.” She turned and took my face in her hands. “I love you, honey. When this is all over, I just want you to remember how much I loved you. You are my most precious gift.”

  Without giving me any time to react, she turned and ran past the perimeter wall.

  Choking with pain and tears, I ran after her, but the speed with which she advanced was almost superhuman.

  Liam caught up to me.

  “I can’t let her do this. Help me stop her.”

  He stopped just as she reached the war zone. “There’s nothing we can do, Kama. She’s already too far.”

  With tears streaming down my cheeks, I watched her. She marched, her head high and determined, her stride strong and persistent.

  I tried to work up so magic, but nothing stopped her.

  “She’s too determined,” Torrid said as he watched me try again.

  A tall machine with human arms and a fierce human face, headed straight to her. Despite cries from both General Adar and Pim Seer, the creature showed no mercy.

  “No!” I cried out as the monster sliced through her with his blade.

  Chapter 21

  Her scream echoed throughout the valley and within seconds Pim was at her side.

  With Torrid and Liam, I rushed to her, eager to get her some help, but also fearful that no amount of help would save her.

  “We need to get you treated,” Pim was saying as we arrived. For all his ferocious battling, he was now gentle before his limp and dying love.

  “Mom,” I said as I rushed to her side, almost shoving Pim out of the way. “What did you do? What did you do, Mom?”

  “Kama,” she whispered as she struggled to open her eyes.

  I looked at her wound, blood gushing out and staining the sand around her. With a last ray of hope I looked at Torrid. “Is there anything you can do for her?”

  Torrid gently touched his fingers to my chin and lifted my face to face him. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.” He kissed me then and said, “Everything’s going to be alright.”

  He placed his hands to my mother’s belly and closed his eyes. The flow of blood slowed to a trickle then stopped completely. My mother opened her eyes and sat up.

  “You did a foolish thing,” Pim said, his voice soft yet reprimanding.

  “This is all your fault. You're the cause of all this misery, all this bloodshed. Stop this war now, Pim,” Mom said.

  “I’m doing this for the good of everyone,” he said in defense. “Do you want our beloved Arcadia to fall to ruins like this wretched town has?”

  “You're asking us to pay an incredible price in order to have your vision of a perfect town. This isn’t what we’d planned, Pim. This isn’t what I wanted. The fighting, the slavery, the deception… it’s all your doing. Now it’s time you undo it. Call off this war!” Though still weakened by her wound, her plea for peace was loud and clear.

  “She’s right,” Liam said. “You know she’s right. There’s no way I can govern Arcadia under such circumstances. You need to call your army off. You need to tell Dr. Sanz that the war is over.”

  Defeated, Pim suddenly looked small and meek. He looked around at his crumbling dream and sighed.

  “Don’t force my hand,” a loud booming voice said.

  We all turned to see General Adar standing a few feet away. Brilliant and massive, he stared down Pim Seer.

  “You will not like how my djinns settle this. Let’s stop the bloodshed now.”

  I gazed at my mother and was surprised by the love in her eyes. Through the years and great distance, her love for my father remained strong.

  �
��Please listen to him, Pim. Let’s find another more peaceful and humane way of running Arcadia.”

  “After all I’ve done for you, you still take his side,” Pim fumed. “Don’t you remember what they did? They shunned you, Janice. They didn’t accept you because you're a human. Have you forgotten? You were pregnant and they turned you away. They didn’t allow you into the Nethers. Who helped you then, Janice? Who picked up the pieces and gave you and your little girl a perfect life? I created the perfect world for you and for everyone. For Kama.”

  Liam put a hand to my shoulder. “You didn’t create Arcadia for Kama. Don’t stand here and pretend to do anything for Kama. You captured her, bound her with a leather band and treated her like a prisoner. That’s not how you love someone. That’s not how you treat your future daughter in law… the future first lady of Arcadia… the very future governor herself.”

  “I did what I thought was best,” Pim said. “Once you take office, you’ll see how difficult it is to make decisions that please everyone. You’ll see how hard it is to come to unpopular decisions; decisions no one else wants to make.”

  “That won’t happen.” The familiar and cruel growl came from behind me and with it a thin straggly arm that grabbed Liam.

  With a dagger to Liam’s neck, Dr. Sanz glared at everyone around him. “It’s time to fulfill your part of the bargain, Pim. Pay up or your son will die.”

  “No,” Pim said. “You're asking too great a price, even for my son’s life.”

  Shocked I gasped while Liam’s eyes widened with horror. Pim Seer really didn’t care at all for his own son.

  “Really?” Dr. Sanz said. “I don’t believe that for a second. When you told me to lead the Rogues out to destroy the opposition, you specifically told me to keep your son safe. You had me put up a protective shield around him.” He glanced at Liam. “He’s alive and fine… and now you owe me.”

  “You bargained with this man?” Janice said.

  “Indeed, he did,” Dr. Sanz confirmed.

  General Adar stepped forward. “Even you should know better than to bargain with a Dark Djinn, Pim. You may as well be dealing with the devil himself.”