Blood Oath (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book Two)

by T. L. Clarke

  My cell phone chirped loudly, and I almost dropped it in my haste to turn down the loud, annoying volume. I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "It’s a text from Professor Aceso." I read it aloud:

  Today, Defensive Magic—Goddess Gaia Sanctuary

  Tiredly, Rosalinda pulled her long black hair into a neat ponytail. "Great, more change."

  Brooklyn nodded toward Jessica, who looked over at me nervously. She bit her bottom lip as she shuffled from one foot to the other.

  I sighed, "What?"

  Jessica cleared her throat. "Well, uh, you see, the thing is…"

  I looked from Jessica, to Zora, to Brooklyn, then to Rosalinda. All of them were looking at me with questioning smiles.

  "Really, what’s going on now?" I asked, irritated.

  Jessica started anxiously, "Well, Super CVV…"

  I looked at her questioningly. "Super CVV?"

  Zora cleaned off her glasses. "Calleis" she responded dryly.

  "Well, she’s spreading a nasty rumor about you being locked up in the corner with some Fire Prince, displaying some real embarrassing PDA at the Horae party," Jessica said in one breath. She was bright red and breathing like she was about to pass out.

  I looked at them sheepishly.

  Brooklyn jumped up excitedly. "Oh. My. Goodness. It’s true? Really?"

  Rosalinda looked at everyone, annoyed. "What in the world is the Fire Prince?"

  I shook my head angrily. "No, it’s not true. Well, not the part about the whole PDA thing. Okay, maybe it looked real suspicious."

  They were looking at me with stupid grins on their faces.

  I sighed, "Okay, he was really cute, and there was this weird magnetism thing going on. And that’s all I’m going to say on the topic."

  Brooklyn’s light green eyes sparkled. "But the Fire Prince? What was he doing at the party? How do you know him? Oh. My. Goodness. I’m about to faint." She started fanning herself. "He’s so hot!"

  My eyes darted away. Wait, Fire Prince? My life was so…complicated for no apparent reason. Ugh.

  I slammed my hands on my hips. "Whoa, first of all, I didn’t know he was the ‘Fire Prince,’ whatever that is. He walked into the party, looking for me for some ungodly reason. Then he started talking about some journey thing. Frankly, he sounded like some weirdo."

  "But he was hot, right?" Jessica asked quickly.

  Rosalinda rolled her eyes. "Again, who is the Fire Prince? Some sort of royalty?"

  "Drago. He’s the prince of Noteos—the Fire Conclave, the most powerful and most respected family of Royal Elementi Conclaves," Brooklyn gushed.

  My eyes widened. "What?"

  Jessica smiled happily. "Oh, you’re so lucky. A prince, Gabi, a real live prince."

  "Seriously? You all are acting like you want to plan some sort of royal wedding." I sighed at the ridiculously dreamy looks on all of their faces. "Look, can we just go to class? I’m mentally exhausted right now."

  I huffed angrily, walking off with them giggling like little girls behind me as we headed over to the far end of the castle, following the students filing into the doorway of the sanctuary excitedly.

  Professor Aceso was standing in the vestibule, smiling warmly, looking perfect as usual in a tight knee-length black sheath dress with knee-high black stiletto boots. And of course, her makeup and hair were done impeccably.

  "Hello, my lovely Neophytes. Step in quickly. We have a jam-packed lesson plan today."

  They looked at her excitedly.

  "Okay, follow me. The far end of the sanctuary has been set up for class today." She inhaled the air deliciously. "I just love the smell of Gaia in the morning."

  They followed her through the winding hallway leading to an open garden filled with lush trees and flowers. Wooden chairs were placed in a U-shaped formation in the center of the garden. She smiled. "Everyone take a seat, please."

  I sat down quickly, finding myself wedged between Dylan and Brooklyn, who were flirting with each other outrageously. I gave them a long-suffering glare, to which Brooklyn quickly responded with wide green eyes.

  "What?"

  I responded shortly, "I’m not putting up with you two all class." I gestured at Dylan. "Uh, move over, please." I quickly got up and switched places with him, which allowed them to sit by each other.

  "Now you can flirt away to your hearts’ content."

  I pulled out a lollipop and unwrapped it, rolling my eyes at them with annoyance.

  Professor Aceso gestured toward the trees and flowers with reverence. "As many of you know, the Goddess Gaia Sanctuary is a magical place. Everything in here was created by the goddesses as a gift and token of trust to the Eternals. With that being said, it is a fitting place for today’s lesson."

  She looked at us excitedly while tapping her laptop’s screen. Bright pink words hovered brightly in the air:

  Transportium Finding Your Rune

  Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "And because I hate to drone on and on, just as much as you hate hearing me do it…"

  Everyone snickered.

  "I’ve decided that it would be so much more fun to invite special presenters to talk about this very important topic." She waved her hand grandly, making a loud swooshing sound. Small orbs of white light flitted through the air, then zoomed past our ears. They danced strangely in the air, hovering, turning brighter and brighter, then bigger and bigger, until they formed what looked like translucent figures.

  My eyes widened at the two young girls who suddenly appeared, standing in the front of the class with looks of total disdain. They were definitely older than us from the looks of it, but not by much. They were both dressed in tight black designer jeans, knee-length lace-up boots, and lacy black racerback tops that bared their majorly tattooed shoulders and arms. They both were beautiful, which they knew by the stuck-up looks on their faces. One had long, silky black hair pulled into a high ponytail, and the other short chestnut brown hair cut into a chic bob.

  Every boy in the class sat straight up in their chairs, practically drooling over them.

  Professor Aceso nodded her head at them with acknowledgment. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence today."

  The silky-ponytail girl scrunched up her nose with disgust, as if to say that the whole class stunk majorly. "I’m Kassandra." She pointed over to chestnut-brown-bob girl, who bowed mockingly. "And this is the one and only Echo."

  Echo winked at Kassandra saucily. "Well thank you for that awesome intro, Kass."

  Processor Aceso looked at them disapprovingly before looking back at the class. "Kassandra and Echo are here today to demonstrate the Transportium rune. It’s one of the most powerful magical runes used by the Eternals."

  Everyone looked at her eagerly, murmuring with anticipation.

  She waved her hand sharply, indicating for us to be quiet. She looked at us coldly. "It also happens to be very dangerous if manifested incorrectly, so here’s my warning to all today, goddess help me." She looked skyward before glaring back at us. "I give this same warning every year, and every year some Neophyte thinks that they are the exception to the rule. So, let me be clear. The Transportium rune is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it is to be used only by the most experienced Eternals, and only with the permission of the Elementi."

  She paused. "We have lost many experienced Eternals and Neophytes who have abused and misused this rune, all of whom are now stuck somewhere between realms, never to be seen again…Please, don’t add yourself to the ‘missing’ list."

  Kassandra and Echo looked at each other with wicked gleams before giving the class an evil glare.

  Kassandra said mockingly, "It’s such a shame to know that Eternals are just floating around, screaming for their worthless lives in the dark between."

  Echo gave us a not-too-innocent glare as she wagged her fingers playfully. "Let that be a lesson, Neophytes, no dabbling in magic that your little brains can’t handle." She dusted a nonexistent speck of dust off her shirt, "Leave that to the
grown-ups, okay?"

  I examined them closely. Seriously, these girls were going to teach us how to use a rune that could put us on the "missing" list? Whose brilliant idea was this? I mean, I wouldn’t trust them to show me where the bathroom was.

  Zora raised her hand. "We got that it’s dangerous, but what exactly does it do?"

  Professor Aceso looked at us tiredly. "It creates virtual doors for teleporting between locations, otherwise known as realms, in essence, portals." She sighed. "Let’s be very clear. Just because you’re learning about the rune, that does not mean that it will work for you. In fact, very few are gifted with the power to make this rune work, hence our special presenters today."

  Kassandra and Echo looked at each other slyly, then snickered.

  I raised my hand quickly. "Um, exactly who are they? Eternals? Elementi? Supervillains? I’m just not clear on which one they are." I gave them a fake sweet smile.

  They scoffed indignantly before flashing angry eyes at me.

  Echo said, "Just because they foolishly crowned you Akasha reincarnated does not make you untouchable, girlie." She looked at me evilly as she cracked her knuckles making a popping sound. "Please remember that."

  The way she spat the words "Akasha reincarnated" set my teeth on edge like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, but I buried the urge to react to the taunt, which was clearly said to make me react.

  Professor Aceso cleared her throat noisily. "You have the right to know that Kassandra and Echo are the Banished."

  The class gasped.

  "Not the Banished, but Banished Angels, obviously, there’s a difference between the two," Aceso added quickly.

  Echo grumbled, "A big difference, at least the Banished are out there raging and killing, while we’re stuck in here sentenced to teaching lame Neophytes about magic and runes. This is so not fair." She pouted prettily.

  Kassandra scoffed, "Okay, listen up, dimwits. There was a little misunderstanding with the archangels that we are trying hard to clear up," she shouted up in the air like she was talking to them. Then she looked back to us. "But until we do, we’ve made a little deal with them to make amends for alleged misdeeds"—she looked up again—"that have not been proven under the justice of like-minded angels."

  Echo snarled, "Community service in Eternal world hell."

  I looked at Brooklyn quickly, who shrugged her shoulders. Seriously, we were going to be taught magic by Banished Angels? This was a total disaster waiting to happen.

  Professor Aceso smiled icily. "And as you remember, I have to give the archangels a report on your behavior during your ‘community service,’ so let’s get this little tantrum over with, shall we?"

  Echo rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

  "Okay, let’s get this over with." Kassandra’s eyes roamed around the class, stopping to examine each student. "We’re going to need a happy little Neophyte volunteer. Anyone?"

  We all looked at each other nervously; some actually scooted down in their chairs as if wishing themselves invisible.

  Echo laughing mockingly, "Why is it that we can never get a volunteer?" She tapped a finger to her lips in fake thought. "Hmm, let me see…" Her eyes locked with mine. "Ah, the Akasha reincarnated, come to me, and let’s see how brave you really are."

  I knew that she was baiting me, pushing my buttons. I could have said no, and that’s what I was going to do when I heard Echo’s words whispering in my head.

  "Come on, you can’t be afraid. Show us your bravery, little Akasha reincarnated."

  Now they wanted to play mind games. "I’m not afraid of you, Echo," I responded back through my thoughts, causing her to look at me icily. I walked over to them bravely as they both walked to the center of the class standing side by side as if they were connected at the hip.

  They smiled snidely before closing their eyes and chanting something low in unison. We watched in awe as their bodies trembled violently, a soft sigh escaping their lips. They rolled their shoulders proudly as large, fluffy black wings unfolded from their backs, spreading out like the wings of a soaring eagle.

  My knees almost buckled. Their wings were simply mesmerizing. Each raised a hand in the air, instantaneously making large steel swords appear in their hands. They both giggled as they blew white puffs of smoke in my face.

  They separated, whipping their swords around, making whooshing sounds, then abruptly stopped to hold their swords to the middle of their chests as they bowed their heads silently. With a snap of their wrists, they jabbed the tips of their swords forward and began to trace letters in the air.

  The air softly shimmered as they chanted in unison. "Ostendo nos via Transportium rector nos. Show us the way—Ostendo nos via Transportium. Guide us—rector nos."

  The air hummed loudly as the shimmering air grew larger and larger, forming a large oval shape that looked like a doorway. The oval vibrated violently again, then turned transparent.

  They held out their hands to me. "It’s time to take a walk on the wild side…old-school style," Kassandra said loudly.

  I hesitated briefly before giving them my hand. What if they took me to the in-between and deliberately left me there?

  They tugged my hands, pushing me through the shimmering oval. "It is way too late for second thoughts, Akasha reincarnated," Kassandra bellowed.

  As I hurdled through the gate, I felt like I was being torn into little pieces. My skin crackled like it was being roasted on a fire before I landed with a thud on the cold, snow-packed ground.

  I heard their laughter before I saw them striding away. I scooted back, trying to get my bearings. "Okay, wicked angels, where are we?"

  Echo looked back at me snidely. "You do mean what year, right?"

  I gawked at the pristine white landscape with deep drifting snow. "Okay, this is not what Professor Aceso had in mind by a Transportium demonstration. Take me back right now!"

  Kassandra looked at me pointedly. "Uh, could you stop being so darn ungrateful? Angels"—she pointed to herself and Echo—"trying to help you, Akasha reincarnated."

  I rolled my eyes. "Doubt very much that you’re trying to"—I used air quotes—"‘help me.’" I jammed my hands on my hips. "Trying to kill me, I get, but help me is not even in your vocabulary."

  Echo stomped back, looping her arm through mine. "Believe me, we are trying to help you." She batted her eyelashes prettily. "Do you want to know how this whole Akasha thing started, or would you prefer to stand here whining?"

  They looked at me shrewdly. I knew that I shouldn’t, but curiosity got the best of me as I allowed them to drag me through the deep snow until we ended up standing at the edge of an ancient village atop a snowy bluff. I watched with amazement as the snow whipped around a man and woman who were talking animatedly, as if unaffected by the cold and huge drifts of snow that blew around them angrily.

  I instantly was drawn to the beautiful young girl with vanilla latte-colored skin. It contrasted starkly against her midnight black hair that hung down to her waist in cascading waves. Her heart-shaped face was drawn angrily as her long gold-and-chocolate-colored robe, decorated with porcupine quill embroidery, whipped around her from the wind.

  A feeling of déjà vu rolled over me. "Seriously, we shouldn’t be here." I paused, looking around uneasily. "This feels…wrong. Plus, what if they see us?"

  Kassandra sneered at me, "Really? I mean, what planet are you on? This isn’t actually happening now; we’re walking through the memories of the past. They can’t hear or see us. Come on, you need to hear this."

  We ventured further into the village, which was eerily quiet. It was like some strange movie, except we were in it as lifelike observers. We strolled by the endless sea of large painted huts; each looked unique in design. Yet there were no signs of life except for a man and woman huddled by a raging fire.

  Kassandra and Echo stopped and looked at me impatiently as I stood looking on with apprehension. Something about this felt eerily familiar. I swallowed anxiously because I knew insta
ntly that the woman was Akasha.

  Echo scoffed before grabbing my hand and pulling me closer. "Watch, learn…" She placed my hand on Akasha’s shoulder. "Feel."

  I tried to yank my hand away, but the instant connection glued me to her. The jolt of energy raced through my body, shaking as if it was trying to split in two.

  Akasha closed her eyes at that exact moment, breathing in slowly. "By the goddess, the spirits are with us tonight," she whispered aloud.

  "The only thing that I care about tonight is you and me." His eyes flashed possessively as he touched her cheek, allowing his fingers to trail across her face. Akasha leaned into his hand, breathing in wistfully before pulling back sharply with eyes flashing. My body tingled as I sensed the heaviness, the burden of love and hate that coursed through her.

  "Even now you are trying to use your powers to make me yours. The power of enthrallment and the use of charms will not make me love you, Fire King."

  He sneered at her, "It would, if the goddesses had not interfered with Elementi business and my powers over you."

  "Is that the only thing that upsets you? That you cannot manipulate what the goddesses have made?" As if she couldn’t resist, her hand reached out to touch him, then stopped, dropping back to her side slowly. "Proteos—Fire King—you must stop this. It is cruel. More people do not deserve to die because of your selfish need to possess me. So, my answer is still no; I will not give myself to you, ever, not in this life or in the next."

  He grabbed her arms, pulling her roughly against his body, laughing cruelly. "Then as I have sworn, more people die until you bend to my will." He grabbed her chin. "I will never stop wanting you, not in this life or the next. Akasha…" He said her name with such longing that even my heart squeezed from the intensity of his stare. "This is my blood oath to you."

  Regardless of the fact that he was majorly evil, he was also majorly gorgeous. His long golden blond hair fell to his shoulders in silky waves, his piercing gold eyes looked way too sexy, and his body was muscular but lean. So, I kind of didn’t know how Akasha could resist.