by Diana Nixon
“Do you think it means Marion is protecting Tara from us or whatever she thinks we could do to her?”
I thought about the vision I saw in Evan’s head and said, “Actually, I think she’s trying to protect us from Tara.”
“But she’s harmless. Especially now, that she can’t even move!”
“Evan, wait,” Amanda said. “Eileen, what makes you think that Tara is dangerous?”
“I can’t be sure, but I think she’s full of darkness that somehow shouldn’t be let out. I know it’s hardly believable, but what if the spell that injured her was sent by the dark magic user? But instead of killing Tara, it filled her with his darkness?”
The guys stayed quiet for an entire minute, no less. Then Christian said, “If our fathers are correct about the hermits’ intrusion, I think anything’s possible. Because as far as I know, the longer you don’t use your powers, the stronger they become. So if the hermit who attacked Tara hadn’t used his magic for a long time, the power of his spell could be unbelievably strong. And if he put all of his anger into that spell, no wonder a part of it, if not all of it, had passed to Tara and caused the pain you guys could feel through the vision.”
Amanda gasped quietly behind me. “Oh, my goodness… It means she’s still alive, and is being tortured by whatever the damn hermit had ever been through or felt. We need to tell my father and Frederick about it.”
I looked at Evan, who still seemed to be too shocked to make a sound. “You okay? What do you think about the whole thing?”
He made a helpless gesture. “I don’t know what to think. But I think Amanda is right and we do need to talk to Patrick and Frederick. The only thing that I don’t get is why Marion is trying to show me what is going on with Tara.”
“I don’t think she’s doing this intentionally. Remember what I told you about the wall cracking and the pain getting stronger? Well, I think every time it happens, Marion is trying to prevent that wall from crashing down and revealing whatever Tara’s fighting with at the moment. But during those short periods of time when she’s reading her spells, you can feel what Tara’s feeling, including her love for you that I think is the strongest thing she has ever felt for anyone, and that is why she’s holding on to it. Because I’m sure that even unconscious, she knows that something really bad is happening with her body and mind. And she’s fighting it, trying to not let the evil out of her.”
“Sounds crazy,” Christian said, running both hands through his hair.
“Do you think we could try doing this again?” Evan asked, looking carefully at me.
“No freaking way!” Christian responded for me.
I looked at him almost pleadingly. “We need to know more about what is going on. We need to help Tara.”
“By risking your life?”
“You heard her, Christian,” Evan said. “Eileen was powerless in that vision. Which means the vision can’t hurt her either.”
“We can’t be sure about that.”
“But we will do this again,” I said firmly.
Chapter 4
Christian
“Dad, do you have a minute?” I asked, standing at the threshold of my father’s office.
“Sure, son. Come in.” He closed a folder with the documents he had been reading, stood up and went to sit on a small sofa standing near the window. “Is everything all right?” He asked, inviting me to take a seat next to him. “You look worried.”
“That’s my permanent state.” I smirked, humorless.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, scanning the colors of my aura. I didn’t hide them this time.
“This place… The lake I mean… What is so special about it?” I asked, ignoring his question.
My father hesitated with the response, and then he said, “You have felt something, haven’t you?”
I nodded, noticing the look in his eyes turning from questioning to troubled. “My gift has gotten stronger.” I said. “I have always been good at controlling the power of fire, but now… It feels like everything I do with the help of fire is so strong, so perfect.”
Dad nodded, as if he knew exactly what I was talking about. “For centuries Tahoe basin has been known for its gold and silver deposits. People from all over the world came here looking for the metals, dying to become rich. And we all know that gold and silver are perfect heat conductors. When you use your power of fire in the presence of gold or silver, it becomes stronger.”
“Which means I was not imagining things…” I said thoughtfully, recalling the first time I went to the lake, a few days ago. The moment I came closer to the water, I saw something strange - the water surface looked like it was covered with golden dust.
“I bet Evan can feel something too,” my father said. “Silver is his protective metal. You can see and feel its traces all over this place.”
“He hasn’t told me anything about it.” And I wondered why… Did he think it was because of his power of masterminding that brought so much silver light into his aura?
“What about Eileen?” My father asked. “Her powers passed to her from her father through the golden amulet that he gave her. Does she feel anything unusual about her gifts?”
I thought for a moment. “I don’t know. She has so much to worry about. She could have missed the changes.”
“Talk to her, Christian. She couldn’t have missed something like this. Considering she always felt the things that made her powers intensify.”
“I will,” I said. “Is there anything else I should know about the lake before I leave this room?”
I knew my father well enough to believe that his choice for Dever’s new location was accidental.
“It is not just about the hermits, is it?” I watched his reactions to my words carefully. As always, he was really good at controlling his emotions. But one thing I knew for sure – there was something that my father couldn’t find enough courage to tell me about.
“Can I ask you for a small favor, son?” He asked instead of answering my question.
I nodded wordlessly.
“Can this conversation stay between us? See… There are a few things that I would like to stay secret for now. But I also want you to be ready for whatever is coming next.”
“Just spit it out,” I said impatiently.
“The hermits know that we are here and they won’t let us leave until they get what they want.”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about their desire to destroy Dever.”
My eyebrows rose in a silent question.
“Before you ask, yes, we knew it was risky to move Dever here. But we didn’t have a choice.”
“Care to explain?”
He stood up and came to the window, opening to the lake. “The magic of Waroi people is our last chance to save our world from the war that is about to destroy us. Hermits are gathering armies; they kill those who refuse to join in their ranks. They want to root out our gifts, especially magic.”
I tried to follow my father’s reasoning, but failed. “So what’s your plan?” I asked.
He turned around and looked at me, saying, “You might not like it.”
There was only one thing that might have made him say that.
“Does Eileen have something to do with all of the above?”
He nodded. “Frederick said he talked to her about the hermits and she didn’t seem to mind helping us deal with them.”
“I know. She told me about their conversation. But I guess there’s more to it, right?”
“Eileen is not the only person who’s going to be involved into our plan. We will also need Evan’s help.”
“And what is his role in the whole thing?”
“He must not be told about what I’m going to tell you, Christian…”
“Okay.”
“Evan and Kevin are not the only sons of Dominick Murray.”
“What?”
“Right before he died, his third son was born. And he i
s here, in the States, living with the Waroi people.”
“Oh, my God... Is he a hermit too?” Something was telling me that Evan was not going to be thrilled about the idea of meeting his second brother.
“I guess his mother is doing her best to not let his powers take over him. But she will fail. Because the powers that her son possesses cannot be suppressed, by anyone or anything.”
“Is she one of the Waroi?”
“Yes. She hasn’t used her powers for ages. And she is one of a few pure blood Wizardies of the Waroi community. See, most of them belong to Meridin and Ventura clans. Apart from the boy, there are only three pure blood Wizardies among them: the boy’s mother and her parents. Her father, by the way, is one of the eldership members.”
“So… Do you want Evan to make his newly discovered brother abandon his community and start playing for our team?”
“We need that boy, Christian.”
“Are you going to kidnap him or something?”
“No, of course, not. We need him to come here voluntarily.”
“And what will happen after he comes to Dever?”
“We will help him feel the full power of his gift. It will give Evan and Kevin the extra energy they might need to help us protect the university. ”
“And then what? You will blackmail his family, making them share their secret of how to suppress powers with you in exchange of the boy’s safety?”
My father didn’t answer that.
“And what if they don’t buy your blackmail?”
“No sane woman would ever willingly abandon her child. The boy’s mother will do anything for him.”
“Sounds cruel, don’t you think so?”
“We don’t have a choice. We need to restore peace in our world and we need to protect Dever. Otherwise, we will all die.”
It was probably the first time ever that I saw my father from the new point of view. For me he had always been an example of nobility and honesty. But today, I also saw how resolute and adamant he could be. I had no right to blame him for being cruel now. He was the head of Dever after all; he couldn’t let anyone of us die. He was responsible for each and every person living here. He knew none of us would ever abandon our powers willingly. And considering what hermits did to those refusing to worship their beliefs, the only way out for us was death, which, of course, was not an option at all.
I sighed, rising to my feet. “So what are we going to do next?”
“First of all, we need to make Waroi people believe that we are here for good. And for that, we will need Eileen’s help.”
***
I was as pissed as ever. I truly regretted starting the damn conversation with my father in the first place. I wish I hadn’t gone to his office at all.
Now I was the only person, apart from him and Eileen’s father, who knew everything about everyone, and who was supposed to keep it all secret, pretending I didn’t know that my girlfriend and my best friend were going to risk their lives to save ours.
“Christian, is everything all right?” I heard Melanie saying. I turned around and saw her running after me.
“Yeah, why?”
“I saw you leaving Patrick’s office. Did he tell you anything about how long we are going to stay here?”
“No. And to be honest, I don’t think he knows that.”
“Which means we are even more screwed than I thought we were.” She cursed aloud. “This place is freaking me out. I have never been afraid of walking in the darkness, until the day we came to this damn lake. And I guess I’m not the only person who feels that way.”
“Who exactly are you talking about?”
“Your friend Evan of course. He should be very careful. This place won’t do him any good.”
“Why would you think so?”
“Darkness is not welcome here.” Melanie shivered, looking carefully around. Inside Dever everyone was safe. But no one knew what was waiting for us outside campus.
“But Evan has abandoned his dark magic, remember?”
“So did I. But it doesn’t change anything. Darkness is like a curse, an invisible mark that can burn you alive once you make even one tiny step closer to its forces.”
“Are you still fighting the desire to get back to practicing dark magic?” I asked carefully. I could see Mel’s aura glowing with the colors that didn’t have anything to do with the darkness. But I knew she was damn good at making the shades she didn’t want to reveal disappear.
“Like I said, it’s my curse.” She started to walk away, but I had a question that I couldn’t not ask her first.
“Wait,” I said. “You used to feel Evan’s darkness. Tell me, is it still there?”
“I can’t tell for sure. I don’t see or feel any obvious signs of its presence. But this place can change it all. The hermits hate us; they hate everything that has anything to do with Dever and its dwellers. But most of all, they hate dark magic. They can feel it better than anyone else.”
I frowned, recalling my father’s words about the plan he and Frederick had come up with to save Dever. He never mentioned the hermits’ ability to feel the darkness. Was it accidental? Or was his story about the hermits and their powers not complete?
“How do you know they are good at feeling dark magic?” I asked Melanie.
“They have been abandoning their gifts for ages. You can’t even imagine how angry it made them feel. The force of hate they feel for us is beyond words. And we all know that hate is the first step to the dark side. That’s why I have no doubt that the magic hermits use, even rarely, is dark.”
“How do you know so much about them?”
Mel’s look became distant, as if her mind was no longer here, but in the past.
After a few silent moments, she spoke again, “A few years ago, when working for Peter, I met a girl, named Ersida. She was one of Clarions, the largest group of hermits ever existing. I almost died because of her… Of course, we didn’t know anything about each other when we met for the first time. All I knew was that her family owned an ancient collection of golden coins that Peter wanted so badly. He told me to become friends with Ersida. Then I was supposed to find the place where the collection was hidden and steal it. I did what Peter told me to do. Ersida and I became good friends. She trusted me. She thought I was just another magician who hated magic and wanted to get rid of it. But the day I came to her house and met her parents, her attitude toward me changed. I could feel it, even though she never demonstrated it openly. Later, her parents invited me for dinner. That was the night they were planning to finish me off. They didn’t want me to become one of them. They simply wanted to kill me. Because I was a vivid example of everything they believed was pure evil.”
“Oh, God… How did you escape?”
“With the help of my magic, of course. They just didn’t know who they were dealing with. I had never been an easy nut to crack. And that night was not an exception.” Mel lowered her eyes and I saw her hands trembling.
“What did you do?” I asked, already knowing the answer to my question.
She looked at me again, tears glistening in her eyes. “I killed them. I killed them all – the entire family…”
I shook my head, swallowing.
“I’m not a monster, Christian. Have never been one. All I wanted was to stay alive.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself, Mel. I have never been in a situation like that. I have no right to judge you.”
“I didn’t have a choice…”
“I believe you.” I knew Mel was not a bad person. I could feel it.
“You have no idea how cruel hermits are. Their words about saving the world from evil is bullshit. Because they are the true and only evil. They are not as harmless as everyone thinks they are.” She rubbed her wrist, hidden by the long sleeve of her sweater. “I gotta go. It’s late. Will must have been looking for me.”
“Wait.” I grabbed her by the hand and pushed the sleeve up, revealing an ugly burn, that looked
like a scar. I had never noticed it before. But when I looked closer, I realized that it was a tattoo - a scarred sign of eternity with small daggers surrounding it.
Mel pulled her hand out of mine and pushed the sleeve down, hiding the tattoo.
“They claimed you?” I asked, as the realization hit me.
“They tried to. But I blocked the spell before it would affect me.”
“Is that why the tattoo is scarred?”
She smirked. “Beauty hardly matters when it comes to saving your ass.”
I forced a smile. The mere thought of anyone trying to do the same with someone I knew made me sick. “You are a real fighter, Mel. We are so lucky to have you with us.”
She laughed. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
We stayed quiet for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts.
Then my eyes stopped at the full moon, shining high in the sky and I said, “Shall we call it a night?”
Mel nodded. “It’s been a long day. I’m tired as hell.”
“Then let’s go to the dorms.”
Back in my room, I started thinking about Mel’s story and Evan’s dream where his mother, Elizabeth, told him about the Clarions. If they really were the largest group of hermits, they were our number one enemies now. My father was right after all and we did need to make this stupid war stop before it would be too late.
I took my phone and called Evan. I needed to discuss a few things with him before I would see Eileen again.
“Can you come to my room?” I said into the handset.
“Dude, it’s almost midnight. Don’t you have a better candidacy for a late date than me?”
I ignored his irony. “It’s urgent.”
“Oh… Okay. Be there in a few.”
I hung up the phone and sighed, hoping I would be able to play it cool in Evan’s presence. I swear he could smell lies miles away.
Needless to say, I didn’t like my father’s idea about Eileen’s involvement in the whole thing named “Operation-Save-Dever.” It was not just about pronouncing a few spells or creating another illusion. There was more to it…
According to our fathers’ plan, she was supposed to bring Evan’s little brother to Dever. After Frederick told my dad about the boy’s existence and the powers he had been gifted, they thought he could be a perfect weapon against hermits – the people he was never supposed to belong to. Frederick was sure that the boy’s real home was Dever.