“I feel the same way,” he growled, lifting me up.
“I’m gonna squish the calendula,” I squealed as his mouth touched my exposed stomach.
“I think I’ll live,” he whispered, his breath tickling my skin.
“You’re impossible.”
“That’s the plan,” he chided, releasing me back down to the floor.
“I love how we live in a world where we take shots of coffee to wake up and then brew a batch of tea to calm down right after,” I laughed.
“So true,” he agreed.
“I wonder if Trevor’s heard that I might be a Trifecta? If everyone else has…”
Logan nodded his head. “I bet he’s heard and is just waiting for you to confirm.”
“I hope no one guesses anything else about my abilities.”
“I don’t think anyone will guess that you’re a Divinus. It just doesn’t happen. I mean a Trifecta is odd enough.” He looked down at me thoughtfully. “There may come a time when they’ll need to know.”
“I know,” I replied, spinning the ring around my finger that contained the amulet.
“Wow. The fairies are fast,” I said in disbelief. “Remember how last night she said she’d take care of getting the word out to Eben about my skills?”
Logan grinned. “Guess she did one better.”
“That would make complete sense. The fairies have got to be the ones spreading the word.”
“I think their new communication network is fully functioning, whatever it is. It’s not only going to reach Eben, but I think we’ll have a lot stronger showing when the time is right,” Logan said.
“Something that’s really been bothering me is how Lara and Eben found us and how Lara reconstituted that letter. How did she even know I wrote it? I mean I know it’s not that difficult to reconstitute things that are burned. I get that. But knowing that the letter was in existence freaks me out. Were they spying on us? And if they were I wonder if they know of my other abilities.”
“I don’t think Lara knew about your other abilities based on your exchange before the…”
“Yeah. You’re right. She seemed shocked to see the Caneo come out, but I don’t know,” I interrupted.
The doorbell rang, and I glanced over at Logan before I took off down the hall. Something told me it was Trevor coming to see if the word on the street was true.
I looked through the peephole and sure enough, Trevor was staring right back at me wearing a goofy expression.
I swung open the door and before he even stepped inside he asked if it was true.
I nodded and he came in for a big hug. His grasp almost suffocated me as my head pressed against his chest. My word! He’s excited.
“This is such amazing news, Triss!” he nearly shouted. “Do you realize how special this? How long have you known? Have you practiced?”
I heard the muffled footsteps of Logan making his way down the hall.
“Hey, man,” Logan greeted Trevor.
Trevor let me go and slapped Logan’s hand, bringing him in quickly and then releasing him.
“I’ve known for a little bit, I didn’t know when or what to say. Looks like the fairies took care of it for me,” I said.
“Have you heard of the movements that are happening?” Trevor’s eyes were filled with excitement.
“A little from Jenny.”
“Well, the support is coming from around the globe. Whatever needs to be done over the next few months—”
“Or by Saturday,” I teased.
“Or by Saturday.” Trevor smiled. “We should have enough support. People have begun infiltrating the local Praedivinus’ chapters to see what they’re planning. I think the more data we gain, the better our odds will be at really crippling them.”
“With the trickle of information that the fairies have begun spreading, we’re hoping to entrap Eben,” Logan said, walking back toward the kitchen.
“I talked it over with Bakula, and she seemed to agree that if we took out Eben, it might be easier to stop the Praedivinus order from trying to expose things about our witch community that aren’t true. Once they start shifting the attention from their group in the public domain, the bad stuff will probably really ramp up. At least that’s the pattern,” I explained to Trevor.
“When are you thinking?” Trevor inquired.
“My guess is that Eben will reach out to me in the next couple days at the most. We’ll have to be ready to mobilize quickly.”
Trevor flashed Logan a quick look and then back at me. He looked uncomfortable as he found a seat at the table.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Your eyes still have some silver flecks,” he responded, staring at Logan. “That’s unusual. You must have gone pretty deep.”
“That’s not normal?” I questioned, my eyes darting to Logan’s.
“It had to be done.” Logan glared at Trevor. Logan’s jaw muscles tightened.
“I’m sure it did,” Trevor replied. “But for you to be able to come out of it is pretty impressive.”
“What do you mean? People can get stuck or something?” I asked, shifting my eyes back to Trevor.
“Something like that, but it’s obviously not happening,” Trevor replied, disregarding his previous accusation.
I inspected Logan, and he looked like he wanted to pound Trevor into the ground. I decided to diffuse the situation. I’d get to the bottom of it later.
“Whatever the case may be, I’m so excited to see our community come together like this. I wish the circumstances were different though.”
“Tell me what you want our people to do, and I’ll make sure we’re organized and ready,” Trevor replied.
I gave him a thankful smile and began telling him exactly what we wanted to happen when the time was right.
***
After Trevor left, I went outside and practiced until my body was completely zapped. I was exhausted and welcomed the few minutes of relaxation I managed to steal next. The family room was dark with only the glow of the television. I didn’t even know what was on the screen. I didn’t really care. It was comforting to have some sort of normalcy running in the background.
“What was Trevor trying to imply about your eyes?” I asked, curling next to Logan on the couch. His breathing changed, and I could tell that he’d hoped I had forgotten that little statement.
“It’s kind of hard to explain.”
“I’ve got pretty good comprehension skills,” I said, bringing myself in closer. “Are you okay?”
He let out a deep sigh and threw his head back.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to come back from certain spells. It doesn’t happen often.”
“So Trevor recognized that with you?”
He nodded.
“And?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“This is one of those times.”
“Are you going to be okay?” I whispered, as fear filled me up.
“I should be. As long as you’re around,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
“No. Seriously? Is there something we can do?”
“I have to keep fighting the pull and…” his voice dropped off.
“Have you had this happen before?”
“Not like this, but it’s my own fault. I went to a really dark place after the letter, and I took it out on Lara.”
“She cast that spell on you first,” I objected. He shouldn’t be taking all the blame.
“You’re right. But I could have ended the spell and placed a less harsh one on her. I didn’t. You saw what happened.”
I crawled onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. I was thankful to be back in the comfort of my real home.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” I whispered.
“Don’t be. It was my choice and this right here is what will pull me through. Your love is amazing medicine,” he replied tenderly.
“I wish it was that simple.”
Logan stiffened underneath m
e. He moved his hand quickly to the tattoo that he tried so hard to ignore.
“What’s going on?” I demanded.
“Nothing.” He clutched his side.
“Something’s going on,” I argued.
“My flesh is burning, and my head is pounding.” He clenched his eyes closed and took a deep breath in.
“What can I do?”
His eyes opened, washed with sadness. “Eben sent a message,” his voice was distressed.
“He’s ready,” he continued.
“And we’ve got visitors,” Logan said, nodding toward the back door.
I turned to see Bakula and Dace hovering, peering in through the glass.
“I wonder why they didn’t use the front door.” I hopped off Logan and opened the door to let them in.
“Well?” Bakula inquired, looking at Logan. “He sent the message?”
“Yeah. That he did.” I closed the door after Dace made his way through the entry.
“Tomorrow then?” Bakula asked, fluttering about excitedly.
“I know you run on a different set of emotions than we do, but can you calm it down a tad?” I begged, walking toward the kitchen.
Logan remained on the couch and seemed to be thinking about something.
When I made it into the kitchen, I was surprised by Bakula’s question.
“Your father told you what Eben is after,” she began. “He’s very close to achieving it.”
“What’s stopping him?”
“Something quite simple actually. He’s got two of the ingredients switched,” she whispered.
“And you know which ones?”
“Of course, dear. It’s our recipe, our ingredients.” She noticed the curiosity in my eyes. “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not as simple as it sounds. The results are quite devastating to anyone who attempts it.”
“It becomes impossible for the soul to harmonize with its destiny. Immortality leads to madness for most mortals who’ve attempted it. One of our worries is that once he figures it out, he’ll be able to get one of the bio-tech companies he’s in cahoots with to start engineering on a grand scale. We can’t let him obtain it or…” Bakula stopped, watching Logan make his way to the kitchen.
“A point of contention that’s really been bothering me is how Lara knew I wrote that letter she left for Logan,” I paused. “And how she knew where I was.”
“There you go with the big words again,” Logan yelled from hallway, and I began to feel a little better that he might be on the mend.
Bakula pursed her lips, and her gaze dipped from mine. Dace fluttered away from me and landed near the stove. Please tell me they didn’t have something to do with this.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I demanded. I heard Logan’s footsteps coming up behind me.
“We couldn’t risk that you’d let Lara go. We know the conflict that stirs within you. It’s not in your nature to seek revenge…”
“You set us up? I could have lost Logan. Do you realize what that letter did to him, to us? And then to lead Lara to me? I could have been killed. Do you stop at nothing?” I walked over to Dace and Bakula, with Logan right behind me.
“We aren’t driven by human emotion. You have to understand that we will always look out for what’s best for the cause,” Dace stated matter-of-factly. “That’s just the way it is.”
I couldn’t believe the fairies would use something so personal against me.
Bakula flew over to me, and she hovered only inches away from me, waiting until I’d look at her. “It had to be done. Lara had to be stopped. I’m sorry we betrayed your trust and your thoughts. But if it’s any consolation we knew you and Logan would get past it.”
I was so angry, but what made me angrier was that I understood. They were right. I probably wouldn’t have been able to hunt her down. What kind of leader did that make me? They wouldn’t have to step in if I wasn’t so weak.
“I’ll have to work on my weakness,” I replied.
Bakula gasped, bringing her hands to her face, and Dace flew quickly over to us.
“That is not a weakness, Triss.” He shook his head in defiance. “Absolutely a strength and don’t ever forget that. Your drive to look for the best in people is something most people lack. It’s why—” he stopped and glanced at Bakula who nodded at him.
“It’s why you’ll be the leader that this community needs. You’re not power hungry or thirsty for something that’s unnecessary,” he continued.
“I don’t enjoy being set up,” I replied softly. “And I hope it’s not something that will become a common method for you two.”
I flashed Logan a grateful smile as I realized exactly what kind of freedom he had bought me by stepping in to destroy Lara.
“You two need some rest for tomorrow. We’ll let Trevor and everyone know to be ready,” Bakula said, avoiding my statement.
Chapter 22
The morning frost blanketed the field where I was meeting Eben. I crunched my way through the short and tall grass mixed with various weeds, leading me to a very undesirable meeting. There was no sight of him yet. The Douglas firs decorated in nature’s ice-crystals, towered around the open field offering plenty of hiding places for his side or ours. My hope was that he honored the conditions of the meeting, but I was doubtful. Heck. We didn’t. This place was going to be covered in a matter of minutes.
The temperature was frigid, and I had attempted to dress for it by wearing jeans, a green sweater, and a goose-down jacket, but it wasn’t enough. I was freezing. I could see my own breath and hoped that wouldn’t cause any problems with what I had planned. At least I was equipped with my slithering weapon.
Logan was waiting on the edge of the field until I signaled for him to accompany me. We wanted to appear as non-threatening to my grandfather as possible. I assumed he’d want to see my talents in action, and I was prepared for that. I was also hoping that would provide the distraction we needed to capture him.
Reaching the center of the field, my eyes scanned the vacant field as the wind attempted to shatter the frozen grass reeds, but they stood strong. Finally, I caught a glimpse of a figure at the far end of the field, opposite of where we entered. The figure was moving quickly toward where I waited.
It appeared my grandfather was alone, but looks were often deceiving.
Within minutes my grandfather was standing in front of me. Eben looked stronger today. He was standing upright, his cheeks were fuller, and he didn’t have a tremor in his voice. He must have had a shot of whatever it was that keeps him going.
“I’m so pleased to hear that you have some very peculiar talents,” Eben said. “I see you left Logan over there. Bring him over. After all, he’s almost family.”
I cringed when Eben mentioned the word family and had to turn away quickly. I could still see my grandfather motioning over to Logan, which made my insides tighten.
“So a Trifecta,” he continued, clasping his hands in front of him.
I couldn’t bring myself to look in his eyes as he spoke. Instead, I scanned the outskirts of the field hoping I didn’t see any members of the Praedivinus order, and so far I didn’t.
“You don’t trust me?” Eben asked.
Logan stood beside me, and I was amazed at how quickly he managed to get to me. I felt him snake his arm around me, and I lifted my gaze to meet my grandfather’s.
“Not at all,” I replied.
“Understandable,” he conceded. “What would you like to show me first?”
I turned to face Logan who was playing the part ever so wonderfully as he egged me on, releasing me from his side.
“Show him the flames,” Logan offered, winking.
I nodded and took several steps away from them both. The field was so cold and frosty I knew the fires I created would be easily extinguishable.
“They’re here,” Logan channeled to me.
Keeping the smile off my face, I turned around and looked at Eben.
“Here go
es nothing.” I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. I thought of everything that I had put Logan through and my blood began pounding. The anger began seeping through every thought and motion. I took a deep breath and smiled at Eben. His eyes seemed to be dimming already. His potion must be wearing off.
“I’m targeting that boulder,” I announced, pointing across the field.
My palms began to sting, and I turned them over exposing the familiar amber glow. I brought my hand back, making a fist, and then released a ball of fire. It flew toward the intended target, and I heard my grandfather’s claps echo through the air as the flames landed on the target.
“Marvelous,” he said. “Do it again.”
Once more, I positioned myself to ignite the flames inside my fist as my hand blazed through the air.
“Nice work, babe,” Logan yelled to me.
I flashed him a smile, but caught a flicker of movement from the woods. I glanced quickly at Eben who seemed to have noticed the same movement.
Before I knew what was happening the air was charged with something I couldn’t identify, and Logan tumbled over in pain. His face was frozen as his entire body shuddered violently before he suddenly stilled.
My screams reached the woods as an entire army of witches and wildlife emerged. I ran toward Logan as fast as I could but crashed into some sort of invisible wall. My body landed on the frozen ground with a thump, and I stood back up, pounding on the fortress that separated me from Logan. Bolts of electricity flew through air to combat Eben’s spells.
Trevor was directing the violent attacks as the silver and blue lines zigzagged through the atmosphere. The crackling sound was almost incapacitating as I attempted to crack my way through the shield surrounding Logan. Nothing I did would let me through.
I watched as the electrical currents began bouncing back toward the witches throwing them and turned to see Eben casting an entire bubble around us. There was no way for the witches to get through with their weapons.
“Tsk. Tsk.” Eben shook his head. He scanned the field that was now overrun with our witches. I spotted Trevor and shook my head. His eyes searched in front of me, landing on Logan’s still body.
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