“The day you were stolen from us. It was the Circle boy who did it – he was no more than that, a boy – looked very much like your friend out there. Same red hair, same shape face, same eyes. He was young, yes, but he was talented. He took out the elder guards like it was nothing. Your parents rushed to protect the children, you, your sisters, and myself. My mother and I were visiting – checking in on the Elementals one at a time. It was all part of my training as well, as the Vessel you see. My life is just as valuable to the Scimitar as your own. I have the greatest honor of all, but sadly will never be there to witness it. For Morgana to possess full powers, I must pass quietly into oblivion.”
Aedan tried to ask what she meant, but all that came out was a garbled noise from deep in his throat. Serena’s eyes widened.
“I am meant to receive Morgana’s soul before the Equinox. That is my part in this story, Aedan. A part I embrace with all my being. But it was the red-haired boy that made me truly understand how it had to happen.”
Aedan thought he understood now, but he hoped it was a lie. Was it Maya’s dead brother that killed his real parents? The one she’d told him about in the truck? And if it was…
“That day, your mother took your sisters out the back the moment we heard the disturbance. I tried to follow my mother who went to check on the guards. Your father held me back, and rightfully so. He pulled me into your bedroom to retrieve you, but as I said the boy was fast. We heard him coming just as your father reached your crib where you napped. It was your last sister’s scream that woke you. I remember well, the fear in your golden eyes. I felt it too then. Fear. Despite the grown-ups telling us the Circle was nothing. I knew I had to hide. That your father would protect you, but that my mother was no doubt already gone, and even then I had no doubt as to my higher purpose –I had to survive. So I hid inside the closet while he came. But I watched through the keyhole, and I could see enough of you and the crib to understand what happened next.”
Aedan stopped trying to speak. He became wrapped up in the story. Some small part of him could almost remember seeing it all from between the wooden slats of his crib. His father’s face distorted and afraid. The sounds of screaming and pain. Was it real, or just his mind filling in the missing pieces he’d so longed for?
“Your father’s heart was pierced by an arrow the second the boy appeared. But before he fell, he leaned over the crib and pinched you. Hard. His last act was to force it out of you, Aedan. And it worked. You were angry. Hurt. Confused. I know because it’s exactly how I felt. I did not hold the power that you do though. I do have power, but it is not tied to my being in such a beautiful and visceral way.”
Aedan felt the invisible gag release him then. But it was still a moment before he spoke. “How did you survive the fire?” he asked.
Serena smiled in a wistful sort of way. “I didn’t know it, but your closet was lined with fire retardant material. It was meant to be what I used it for, Aedan. A safe-house. I waited it out – the fire burned hotter and faster than a normal fire, moving forward through the house, devouring all in its wake. But it never touched a single blade of grass outside. Did you know that? Or that the structural integrity of the building itself remained intact? It seemed you had a built in self-preservation regulator.” Her face wore an expression beyond simple admiration. It was almost hunger, Aedan thought.
“And you left?” he asked.
“I knew a spell that could make me invisible. But it would only work on myself, and I knew the way back to the home my mother and I were staying at. Where I could use her things to contact the Scimitar back home in New York. Remarkable for a five-year-old, don’t you think?”
“And they never got me?” Aedan asked. “If you were there, and you survived then they knew what happened. It wasn’t like I was untraceable. Hell, I never moved further than twenty minutes away.”
“No. I did not tell them what happened.” Serena cast her eyes downward, flushing ever so slightly, but Aedan could feel her heat signature rise just a bit. “I said you were taken by the Circle. That I heard them say they meant to raise you as their own weapon. Then when the time was right, it was I that sent Kari after you. The others have no knowledge of this.”
“But, why?” To say Aedan was confused would have been a major understatement.
“The Scimitar was of the mind that it would all just work out as prophesized without interference. So they continued on the same as they had for centuries. The same way that always ends in disaster. I did not agree. I believe we must seize our destiny, Aedan. And even then I saw the incident for what it was. A sign that this was the time. That what I already knew inside was real – I am meant for greatness.”
“Your mother died,” he said. The whole world seemed to be wobbling, and Aedan reached for a chair that didn’t exist.
“Unfortunate but necessary,” Serena said. “She would have continued with the old ways. I understood then. It hit me like your fire hit that house. And I believe that young boy saw it all too. The pattern had to change. It was the Circle that set it all in motion.”
Maya would never forgive him. He killed her brother. “But you… you’re saying you plan to give up your own body to Morgana? That’s what you meant right? That you’re planning on committing suicide?”
“I am at peace with the knowledge that the world will change because of me. But I can see this has all come as a shock to you, Aedan. Now you must understand what we’ve been trying to tell you though. The Circle robbed you of your entire family. Your sisters were only six and ten. You were two. Most likely it was that girl’s brother that did it. We are all that you have left, Aedan. We are each other’s family.”
“No.” Aedan began to back away, trying to distance himself from her words. “Maya had nothing to do with it. And what you say isn’t true anyway. I have Sam and Edy. They raised me. Taught me right from wrong. They’re good people that never hurt anyone. Yet you would hurt them.” Aedan continued stepping backward, but the door swung closed behind him.
“Relax. I will not harm Sam. I’ll even let him go. All you have to do is take the pledge so that I know you are loyal. Here, drink this.” Serena held out a silver goblet Aedan was certain hadn’t been in her hands a moment ago. Whatever was in it steamed and hissed.
“I will not drink that. And you can’t promise me anything about Sam because you don’t have him anymore.”
Serena’s grip tightened, her knuckles turning white against the silver goblet. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s safe. With the Circle.”
Serena considered him with something unreadable. “Tell me, Aedan – and I won’t be angry – did you really kill the other Operative? The power you’ve demonstrated here tonight is very clean, very calculated and precise, nothing like the mess you supposedly created on the mountain.”
“I tried to save him,” Aedan said. “But Kari had already as good as killed him anyway. He’s dead, just not by my hand.” And since he was lying anyway… “You have no more hold over me,” Aedan said fixing his gaze on what looked like ten-inch long scratch marks on the wall behind Serena. “Sam is safe.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Serena said. “We are connected, and you cannot help what you are, Aedan, as much as you’d like to. It seems I might have miscalculated regarding the girl though. She seems to be quite enamored with you, perhaps even enough to renounce the Circle.” Serena tapped her lips. “I do not wish to kill one you care about, but I will do what I must. Our purpose is greater than any individual, Aedan. And I will make you see it one way or another.”
“I need time to think.” It wasn’t a lie. He did need to think of a way out of this mess. He was exhausted – evaporating that pool in an instant took more out of him than he was willing to show. He doubted he could light a candle right then, let alone do anything substantial to Serena.
And somehow his anger with her had dissipated, and now the thought of attacking her made his stomach curdle. He hated that about himself. That wishy-washy attit
ude of his. Some evil killing machine he was, he couldn’t even rescue his girlfriend.
“Then you will have some time. I must speak with this… Maya, did you say? Forgive the restraints though Aedan, I cannot risk losing you. I will require your assistance soon. I believe my time may be closer to an end than I anticipated.”
Serena set down the goblet, turned, and walked out the door before Aedan could even ask why she was apologizing to him if she planned to kill herself. But her meaning became apparent soon enough because his wrists grew heavy, and looking down he saw that he was now attached to long glowing chains that wound their way to the wall near the broken ones.
Panic set in. Aedan thrashed, he focused his fire but only made the chains glow more. Not smart. Having used the rest of his meager strength he collapsed to the floor. And he swallowed hard, staring at the bloody claw marks etched in the wall and remembering Sergey’s crazy eyes.
Chapter Forty-Five
Maya
The pain was excruciating. She gave them that. She’d been half-drowned, pelted with fifty-mile an hour gravel, and beaten. And that was before Serena showed up.
“She refuses to talk,” Sergey said through clenched teeth. He hurled one last kick at Maya’s stomach and she clutched at her side from the ground. She was no longer restrained, but she could barely move, let alone fight.
Maya pressed her hands to the cement ground and pushed. Her arms were brittle as matchsticks, and she shook, trying to hold herself upright.
“I told you to control yourself, Sergey,” Serena said. She scolded him like a disobedient child. “Help her up. Now.”
Kari leaned down and hoisted Maya up to a standing position. Maya did not relish having to lean against Kari for support. In fact, she loathed it and would have preferred staying on the concrete.
“My apologies,” Serena said, brushing Maya’s wild hair from her face.
“Where’s Aedan?” Maya asked, yanking her head away from Serena’s touch.
“He has requested some time alone. All of this is very confusing for him. For you as well, I’d wager.” Serena let her hand drop to the side.
“He isn’t like you,” Maya said. She wasn’t sure why she was saying it. She knew it wouldn’t do any good. But still, she felt compelled. “He isn’t inherently evil.”
“Do you know why dark magic is called dark?” Serena asked.
Maya grimaced.
Serena ignored this, and sat across from her, leaning forward like she wanted to share a secret with a friend. Well if she thought Maya was going to be her new buddy she was as crazy as Sergey.
“Dark doesn’t mean evil. Dark magic is secret magic. Misunderstood magic. Think of shadows. People are afraid of them, but only because they fear the truth of what lies beneath.”
“Uh huh,” Maya said. Yep, crazy.
“Dark means fear. The Scimitar elicits fear, but we are not ourselves frightened of truth. We embrace all of our being, not just half like the Circle.”
“The good half?” Maya asked, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. She pulled it away and examined the smear of blood that shone beneath the outdoor light.
Serena smiled. She looked spooky bathed in the light from above. “You see? They think what they pursue is goodness, but in truth, it is self-serving bullshit touted as heroism to bolster their own beliefs.”
“Come again?” The longer the bitch talked, the longer she had to recover and come up with a plan. Though without her tools, she doubted she stood much of a chance against two Elementals and this witch or whatever she was.
“Did you know that Arthur loved her? The original fire Elemental?”
Maya’s brain stopped racing and focused in on Serena. “Arthur loved his wife, Guinevere. Don’t you know the story? And that didn’t exactly turn out too well did it? She fell for Lancelot, Arthur’s best friend.”
Serena gave a sad little shake of her head, and Maya longed to punch her. “No. If he hadn’t been involved with Endellion, his wife may never have looked twice at Lancelot.”
“Endellion?” Maya whispered. Something about that name stirred a memory.
“Yes. They fell in love. She and Arthur. But Arthur betrayed that love for Merlin and killed her in her sleep. Not very heroic after all was he?”
“I remember this story now,” Maya said, sitting up a bit straighter. She ignored Sergey and Kari who moved closer as she did so. “But that’s why Morgana picked her as one of the Elementals. She knew Arthur loved her and thought he could never hurt her.”
“So they did share the story.”
“Morgana was evil!” Maya hurtled the words at her. “She used their love as a device for her own ends, and killed any chance they had at happiness.” She ignored the fact that Arthur was already married. It wasn’t like Queen Guinevere had stayed faithful.
“No,” Serena leaned in, pity in her fathomless eyes. “She gave Endellion a beautiful gift. Haven’t you seen the same beauty in Aedan? There was no need to destroy that. She hadn’t been trained from birth either, Maya. She was the same person she’d been before. Just. Like. Aedan.”
Maya’s mouth snapped shut. Suddenly, she was very tired. She didn’t want to hear any more of this woman’s lies. She didn’t need to know what sort of rot the Scimitar taught their children to make them believe in their cause. Still some tiny part of her wondered at Serena’s story. Hadn’t she had the same choice as Arthur? But she’d chosen Aedan. And now she was as good as dead. Which reminded her…
“Why am I still alive?” she asked. “It’s Aedan, isn’t it? He’s refused to kill me. And that’s what you wanted.”
“I’ve asked no such thing,” Serena said. “It’s true that I will do whatever I need to bring about the gathering at the Equinox. But what I see for you and Maya is a bright future filled with possibility and love.”
“Morgana would have taken over the world,” Maya said, settling back into the lounge chair. She closed her eyes to help clear her head. “Arthur had to kill Endellion or she would have succeeded.”
“And who said Morgana would have been such a terrible queen? What makes her any different than Arthur who would kill his one true love?” Serena’s voice bounced around in her head like the tolling of a bell, and Maya winced.
“She was evil.”
“If you’re sure,” Serena said.
“Of course I’m sure! You can torture me all you want. I know what I know.”
Serena recoiled as though hit. “I fear the time I have left grows short. I must hasten to bring Morgana to life. Are you prepared to join us?”
Bring Morgana back to life? Maya fixed her shoulders. “No.”
“Perhaps you will yet change your mind. I just pray that Morgana gives you the chance. For now, you will sleep.”
Serena waved a hand out over Maya. She fought as hard as she could but felt herself slipping away. Her head fell back into the chaise, and darkness crept into her vision, one last word slipping from her lips.
“Aedan…”
Chapter Forty-Six
Aedan
Sergey’s maniacal laugh echoed around the room, and Aedan lashed out only to be stopped short by the length of the chains. The fire inside had rekindled and was lapping at his ribs, anxious to release itself. It seemed to double in intensity the moment the other Elementals came in. Especially Sergey.
“You want to fight, pretty boy?” Sergey asked, squatting down near him.
Aedan stood to his full height, a good several inches taller than the Russian. “Yeah I want a fight, and maybe if you had any balls, you’d let me loose and take me on.”
Kari stopped Sergey with a hand to his chest. She glared back and forth between the two of them. “We don’t have time for this. You two may be natural enemies, but we’re all on the same side here. Serena’s side.” She said the last looking directly at Aedan, who turned away.
“I’m sorry I have to do this, Aedan,” she said. It was whispered low in his ear. He whipped around to see what the
hell she was talking about now, but the needle sunk into the soft flesh of his arm so quickly he didn’t have a chance.
“What the fuck-”
“Sorry. It’s just to keep you calm. Kind of the opposite of adrenaline. It’s a suppressant, so you won’t be able to use your fire very well for a while.”
“What – how long?” Aedan asked, flexing his hands, and trying to call up the flame. His hand sparked then went out. His stomach felt heavy. No his whole body felt heavy, and he fell back into Sergey as the chains disappeared. Sergey hoisted him up and slapped his face a couple of times. He swung a fist at him, but it was so slow, it was like he was drunk, and Sergey just laughed.
“Enough, Sergey. Unless you want some too?” Kari asked.
Sergey growled in response but started dragging Aedan out of the room and back through to the poolside. The first thing he noticed was Maya. She was laid out on a chaise to the side of the Jacuzzi, and she appeared to be sleeping, one hand thrown carelessly across her stomach.
“Maya-” he called.
“She is well, Aedan. We had a very nice chat in fact. I believe she is coming around to reason. I had to make sure she would not interfere in the ceremony, however. She might mistakenly believe I was hurting you, and it is important not to have any interruptions.”
“Cere…ceremony?” Aedan asked. His word sounded slurred. He looked around and saw that five wrought iron chairs matching the chaise on which Maya lay had been dragged over to the deck. One was in the center and the others surrounded it.
Sergey dropped him into the closest of the surrounding chairs and took the one to his right. Kari silently slipped in the one to the left, and Serena set a small vial on the last.
“What ceremony?” he asked again.
“I fear there may be other Circle Operatives arriving soon,” Serena said. “So I must hasten the claiming. I am prepared to give my body so that the divine prophecy may be upheld.”
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