The Traitor's Crux (The Dark Powers Book 1)

by Jessica Prather

  Harlow’s name makes my mind flood with guilt. The memory of her crumpled in the cell, covered in blood. It happened because of me.

  “You okay?” Delia’s voice brings me back to reality. Her deep brown eyes watch me with worry. “We haven’t talked in a while and well… I figured you could probably use a friend.”

  I shake my head slowly, “It’s my fault Delia. I was so focused on protecting my family that I became just as bad. I actually came here with the intentions of taking everyone down. I’m a—”

  “You know what I think?” Delia interrupts, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I think you need to give everyone a little time. It was a horrible thing that you did, and I understand, I do, but it doesn’t change the fact that you betrayed us. Trust isn’t so easily earned after something like that.”

  I shake my head. “I did such horrible things. Harlow—” Tears well in my eyes as I try to find understanding within myself.

  “Look, Harlow’s pretty beat up, but she always pulls through. She’s tough. And she’ll probably be pissed, but doesn’t she have a right to be? You have to make things right with her. I think she deserves that at least, don’t you?”

  I gulp, “Yeah, she does. But I don’t know how I can even explain it to her.”

  “Oh, please. She appears mean and tough, but the girl’s really a big softy. Just go talk with her. Fix things. Figure it out.”

  I hold the cafeteria door open for Delia, about to respond when she stops mid-stride in the doorway. The cafeteria is strangely crowded with bodies, all gathered around a floating television in the middle of the room, murmuring intensely. Sharing a curious look, Delia and I hurry forward to watch the screen.

  A journalist in an ugly yellow dress talks sternly into the microphone, standing in front of the White House fence.

  Oh no.

  “Yes, Henry, days ago terrorists invaded the White House and freed hundreds of highly dangerous witches and wizards. It’s believed that the terrorists possessed magic themselves and used it against the guards. President Reed spoke about it earlier today in a press conference, calling this an act of war.” She pauses dramatically as the camera switches to the press conference, where Reed stands at a large podium, flashing beams of white light from cameras flickering in the background.

  “My fellow Americans, I’m afraid that our security has been compromised. These witches and wizards still plaguing our country have been an issue for too long. War, poverty and destruction! Each of these is the result of magic’s dark influence upon our beloved nation. So, I am making it my promise to you, to the citizens of the United States of America, that I will not rest until each witch and wizard is brought to me, dead or alive. We will make them pay for what they’ve done!”

  Bile rises in my throat as the camera now shows the streets of Washington D.C. People marching, rioting. Brilliant red-orange flames licking the sides of walls and vehicles. Angry shouts and cries of death.

  The people are furious, and they’re not going to rest.

  In my head, I can hear Alex’s voice, distant and shaky as the gun spun uncontrollably. You’re dead, you’re dead, and so are you.

  Bullet shots, loud and clear, one by one, shell by shell. Dead, and dead, and…

  31 I PAUSE AT MY BROTHER’S door, suddenly feeling nervous and shy. This isn’t the Eli I knew. He’s gone, replaced by this young man that I don’t know. How do I talk to my brother that’s been gone for nine years? How can I pretend to relate to what he’s going through?

  “Hey,” Delia says warmly, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. “He’s here. That’s all that matters.”

  “I don’t know what to say…” I look at her helplessly.

  “Right now,” Delia replies, “It’s not even about words. Think of what he’s gone through. Right now, what Eli needs most is for someone to be there.”

  I let her open the door, following bashfully in her footsteps. Eli glances up from his bed, clothed in a white hospital gown and surrounded by blankets. He looks so different. Nine years of imprisonment has made his cheeks hollow and his skin pocketed by scars. He’s still handsome, with hazel eyes that are now dark and tormented and visible dimples in the corners of his mouth. When his eyes land on me, they take a second to register who I am.

  I don’t know where to begin. I slink past his bed and perch myself in the chair next to him. “How are you feeling?”

  “Alright,” he murmurs wearily, then adds. “It’s just a lot to take in, is all.”

  “Don’t worry,” says Delia kindly, placing the Styrofoam box stuffed with French toast, scrambled eggs, and two long strips of bacon on the table in front of him. “You’ll get there. You’ve been through a lot… no one heals overnight.”

  He thanks her for the food, then opens it tentatively. She stops at the door with one hand on her hip, “Take it slow, or you’ll make yourself sick. Your appetite needs to build itself back up. I’m gonna go give this to Har and give Bryce a call. You need anything?” asks Delia, her eyes betraying her worry.

  “No, we’re good. We’ll wait here.” I give her a forced smile, my heart pounding in my chest. I think back to the news. What does this all mean? Is Reed coming for our camp? So far, it seems like he has the whole country on his side.

  Eli waits for the door to shut behind Delia before he turns back towards me, “What was that all about?” He holds up his plastic fork and stabs at a piece of egg.

  I sigh, smoothing out the blanket at the edge of his feet. “The President isn’t happy about what we did yesterday.”

  He quirks a curious brow. “You thought he’d take it nicely?”

  “Well… no,” I admit, rubbing my dry palms together, “I’m just worried about what he’ll do.”

  That’s an understatement. I’m terrified about what he will do. There are still prisons all over and judging from the amount of people that volunteered to help with this raid, we won’t be powerful enough to free anyone else. If Reed continues to build and strengthen his army, we’re the first ones he’ll come for.

  Eli shovels his fork through his food, playing with it more than actually eating it.

  “You’ve taken him on before,” he replies finally, “That thing you did when all those soldiers were there... you just took them out.”

  I think of the combining spell that he talks about and shrug it off, “All I did was combine our three powers.” I tell him about dark magic, and how I know he has it because he did the death timer on Harlow. “It was really the three of us that did it. I couldn’t have done it myself.”

  “Regardless,” he says softly, “it was because of you that we got out. Give yourself more credit.”

  I’m about to answer but then someone knocks gently on the door. It creaks open softly, revealing Bryce—his face riddled with worry. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure.” I let out a quiet breath, watching Bryce walk nervously into the room. His throat bobs as his eyes find me.

  “Uh- sorry. Can I steal you for a moment?”

  In the fluorescent hall light, I can see the deep bags under Bryce’s eyes and the unshaved stubble on his chin. He looks at me for what feels like the first time in ages, something other than hate in his eyes. “Look, I’m sorry for the things I said. I was frustrated and angry, but I know why you did it. Reed has a way of playing people.”

  “Bryce, stop. You had every right to be furious at me—I’m mad at myself for even believing him.” I hesitate, meeting those clear green eyes, “But, I do have to ask… What does Reed have on you?”

  His eyebrow shoots into the air, “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Bryce. I saw the look. What happened between you two?”

  He bites his lip, clearly contemplating what to say. “He killed my parents when I was young. It was before anyone knew I was magic—even my own parents. He came for my mother. She was magic too. No one knew I had powers until the soldiers tried to grab me—I used them to get free.” He shakes his head, voice
breaking.

  Tears sting at the back of my eyes. “Bryce…”

  He cuts me off, “My dad… he told me to run and I listened. I listened, Kenadee. What kind of kid does that? Who runs when their mom is being attacked? I didn’t even try to help them!”

  “Anyone—” I try, but he isn’t listening.

  He shakes his head sadly, “No one. I hate myself for it, Ken. You wanna know how I found out they were dead?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “I was here, at camp. Safe and free, eating breakfast when the news came up. My mother was an example. They tied her and my dad to chairs and set the house on fire. Filmed the whole thing and then said I was next…”

  I reach for him, pulling him to me as tears well in my eyes. The only thing I’m able to muster is a simple, “I’m so sorry.”

  I can feel him nodding into my shoulder, “I know.” He pulls away, almost desperately, shaking his head. “I-I can’t do this, Ken. Not right now. What you did—”

  And just like that, I swear I feel my heart shatter into a million pieces. I take a jagged breath and nod at my feet. “I know.”

  Suddenly the distance between us seems like an entire sea. We stand in silence, unsure of ourselves, of each other, of what happens next. A bone moves in his jaw as he swallows, looking down the hall where Tess’ voice echoes and pushing himself off the wall. “Oh, um, I originally came to tell you that we’re having a meeting about the recent news. We’re all in Harlow’s room if you’d like to come.”

  “Uh—sure.” I finally manage to whisper. I was trying to put off any interactions with Harlow until I could figure out what to say to the girl.

  Several heads turn as we enter the room, suspicion in their eyes as they regard me. Delia sits cross-legged on the floor with Tess’s head in her lap as she braids her hair. She’s the only one that waves me over, still looking slightly dazed from her head injury, even though it’s been mostly healed by Delia’s touch. I hug an awkward arm to my chest and plop down beside her.

  The room is dark and grey, similar to Eli’s. Harlow’s bed is in the middle of the room, decorated with drab white bedding and beeping monitors. She’s sitting up, but looks pale and small, black and blue bruises spotting her arms and a stitched-up gash on her forehead. She stares out the window with a troubled expression, her blue-eyed gaze distant and sad. She barely blinks as Bryce starts the meeting, throwing her an anxious look in the process.

  “Alright guys, I’m proud to say that our White House attack went well, but today, I’m afraid we have some heavier matters to discuss.”

  “Oh, my God, please tell me it’s about those disgusting excuses for burritos in the cafeteria,” Delia suggests, trying to lighten the mood.

  A few snickers sound around the room, and even Bryce tries to hide his smile. “Uh, no. Sorry. Although, I do have to say I agree about those burrito things. But no, this is about President Reed. I’m sure you’re all aware of his message today.”

  The entire group tenses a bit at the name, and no one seems to breathe as we watch Bryce, waiting for what he’ll say next.

  “We all knew he’d be coming back for us. But now, he’s turned the public against us as well. I don’t want to create a panic around the camp, but I think it’s time we start planning for an invasion. Reed is powerful and he’s building a civilian and wizard army that both want us dead. We need to consider the risks and move the members of this camp to a safer location where families and children will not be harmed. As for us, I think we need to do something about Reed once and for all.”

  Jay raises a hand, stroking the stubble on his chin with his fingers. “Where do you plan on moving everyone? I mean, while it sounds like a great plan in theory… won’t Reed find us?”

  “Yeah, I have to admit that I’m worried about it. There are, however, many camps that have offered to take our people. Their only conditions are that they stay clear of warfare and remain hidden. They’re afraid they’re security will be at risk.”

  “I think if we can get everyone at camp to unite against him, we could beat them,” Delia offers, hope dripping from her voice.

  “Perhaps, but let’s be honest: no one really wanted to fight before. The entire camp knows what Reed can do and they’re terrified. We were the only ones that even volunteered to do something. What makes you think we can convince people to fight this time around?” Bryce argues.

  “Yeah,” says Kenzie, “Especially because they all have dark magic!”

  I clear my throat and all eyes except Harlow’s turn to me, “Well, this time we have a lot more at stake. We have prisoners, for example, that were held captive by him. I doubt they’d mind a bit of revenge.”

  “Maybe, but my guess is that it’s also terrifying for them. They’ve spent so long cooped up in cells, they probably aren’t looking for any more risks. If they’re caught, worse things than that will happen to them,” Kai says.

  “But if we don’t fight, we die. That’s all there is to it,” Benson says, breaking his usual silent streak. His dark eyes meet mine, and I give him a small smile for supporting me. He looks away quickly, folding his arms across his chest.

  “Aww, look at you Bens. What has you kissing her butt all of a sudden?” Kenzie pipes up, her voice saturated with sarcasm. Benson blushes, looking down at hands.

  “Kenz—” warns Bryce, but she doesn’t listen.

  “Funny, how Bryce said that the new girl would be locked up and watched, yet, she was still there and fought. I always thought once a traitor, always a traitor.”

  “Yes, but you guys should know th—” I begin but she only laughs darkly.

  “Stop pretending that you’re on our side. You don’t care about anyone but yourself. What’s the plan this time? Have everyone fight for you, then corral us up like a bunch of cattle while you get a gold star from Reed? Is that it? Turn us all in like you did to Harlow?” Kenzie grins evilly, knowing full well how hard she just hit.

  At the mention of her name, Harlow turns back to the conversation, looking confused. Kenzie continues, “Huh, Harlow, I’m right, aren’t I? She turned you over to Reed. It’s her fault that all this happened!”

  For a brief second, Harlow’s eyes flick to mine before she looks back towards the window. “Drop it, Kenzie,” her voice is hoarse and scratchy as she murmurs.

  “Wha—Are you—” Kenzie stammers, taken aback.

  “You heard me,” Harlow says curtly as she turns back to Kenzie, “It’s not your place.”

  Stiff silence breaks over the room as Kenzie gapes at Harlow and Tess and Delia snicker loudly.

  Bryce is the first one to break the quiet buzz of the room, “Like it or not, we’re a team and we should only have one enemy. Reed is the problem here. I’ll call a camp-wide meeting and see if we can get more volunteers for the cause. Right now, it’s your job to be prepared mentally and physically. Train, practice. Do what you have to do so that we can win. We won’t let Reed destroy us. He’s a problem we’ve had for much too long. Who’s in?”

  The room erupts in cheers and hollers, excitement for the cause. We can win this thing. My mom, President Reed—they’ll pay for their crimes. They’ll pay for the murders and the tortures, all the deaths they’ve caused. If it’s games Reed wants, it’s games he’ll get.

  32 THE DAY OF THE BIG meeting, the cafeteria is more cramped than ever with bodies. People shove their way past one another, finding spots on the floor, against the wall, even in the hallways, where they anxiously crane their necks to see in.

  Children weave in and out of the rows, some new to their freedom as they play games with the original camp kids, squealing and giggling as they find each other’s hiding spots. The older members seem antsy, bouncing their legs and barely making small talk as their eyes dart nervously around the room. I think many of them aren’t sure what to do, or what to expect. All they know is that Reed declared war yesterday, and if we aren’t careful, we’re going to be dead.

  Delia sees me coming and scooches over, patting the
open seat to her left. “I was wondering about you! You okay?”

  I wave a dismissive hand, crossing one leg over the other as I lean back in my chair, “I’m fine. It’s nothing…”

  “You know who else is fine?” Tess giggles, fingers smoothing down the stray hairs that poke out from her braids and gesturing towards Eli, who just got out of the hospital this morning. He stands with Bryce at the edge of the room, talking, “Your big brother. Why didn’t you tell us he was so good looking?”

  We all turn to watch them. Eli still moves cautiously, always on the edge like he’s trying not to call attention to himself. He smiles faintly when he talks with Bryce, but I know it’s all a show. Reed, and my mother, did horrible things to all the prisoners and my brother was no exception. No matter how well he hides it, the damage is evident.

  “He’s sad,” I say, softly, not turning towards the others. I can feel their gazes turn to me, then to Eli.

  “Yeah, they all are. Reed’s a horrible man and they were prisoners for a long time. It’s got to be pretty hard to get over. I don’t think Ha—” Tess cuts off, clamping her mouth shut and looking away conspicuously.

  “What?” I ask, looking from person to person. They look at me sheepishly.

  “Nothing. Nothing at all.” Tess says a little too quickly.

  “No, what?”

  Tess shakes her head, her copper-colored braids flailing behind her, “It’s just that Harlow’s not the same. Reed did something to her this time – even worse than the others. She was arrested by him several times, but I’ve never seen her like this before. It’s like she’s barely here.”

  Delia reaches for my hand as my stomach twists itself into a knot. All I can think is that Harlow’s ruined because of me. Reed harmed her and I allowed it to happen. Delia swivels her head so that I’m forced to look into her eyes, “Kenadee, I know what you’re thinking. This is Reed’s fault. He was the one who did it. You didn’t torture her, you didn’t—”