~
A figure the shape of a man covered in lava rock and flames stood above her, his eyes the color and consistency of molten lava, a bright orange she could feel burning into her skin. She screamed as the figure bent down to grab hold of her. She felt a pressure on her shoulders and heard her name in the distance.
“Lana,” Dimitri said, shaking her shoulders lightly. “Lana, wake up.”
She woke, covered in sweat, tendrils of hair stuck to her cheeks and forehead. “How did you get in here?”
“You haven’t learned anything, have you?” he chuckled. “What were you dreaming about?”
“You call that a dream?” she asked, realizing how rude she sounded after the fact. “Some fire demon…”
Dimitri broke eye contact with her then, unsure what she knew of the night Aiden found her in the woods.
“So, what are you doing here?” she asked him.
“I wanted to speak with you this morning and answer any questions you might have, if you would like?” Dimitri said.
“Why are we here at this place?” she asked.
“Do you remember we spoke of the Darkness when we began your training? Well, they have found you, and now we are here to throw them off regarding your whereabouts,” he explained. “This place, it is a sanctuary for people like us. If we were to stay here for longer than I intend, you would be able to learn more about faeries, witches, vampires, shape shifters, you name it. Benedict watches over them here. He founded this place and was able to find all these beings who needed his protection from the mundane, from people who wanted to turn them into lab rats.”
“I chose this place to bring you to, because of his ability to not only protect us but also train Christine and Rachel in the unfortunate event that we need their abilities. This place is the perfect training ground for you to master what we have already taught you…” he paused, thinking of Aiden, the last piece of the puzzle to unlock her powers. “And what we have yet to teach you. You will learn much more in our time here. That I am sure of.”
“What else must I learn?”
“Are you afraid of fire?” Dimitri asked.
~
Lana followed Dimitri into the study, the large room Era showed her the first time she tried to transport them to the Academy. Much like the garden, this room was much grander compared to the image she saw from Era. With a gigantic chandelier hanging from a vaulted ceiling, the images of cherubs, angels, horned beings, and decorative swirls painted on the extensive canvas, large windows whose curtains were drawn back to fill the room with natural light, a wall full of bookshelves, full of books and scrolls on the wall opposite the windows, and a long rectangular desk stacked high with books, scrolls and a map of the compound atop it.
On the other side of the desk stood Wiley, indicating she would be learning more about Earth and Water, two of her primary elemental powers. Her mind darted to EJ and how his recovery was going; Wind was one of the elements she felt she could improve on.
“What are your feelings toward what you are?” Dimitri asked.
“I feel like I haven’t been told what my role in all of this is,” she answered.
“Each of us has a role. Wiley and I are here to instruct you on how to tap into each element of which you are in control of, or can be in control of. EJ, when he returns, will also be here to instruct you on his power,” Dimitri said. “Each element you master brings you closer to mastering your true power. But first, you have to be comfortable enough with what you have been taught before we can proceed with your training.”
“In the coming days, we will test you on what you have learned, and if you fail, you will redo those lessons you once completed,” Wiley said. “If you feel like you can proceed to the next lesson, you will not until we feel you can do so. It will be rough; you remember what it was like the first time we found you, and it will be that way once more. In fact, it will be much worse. We will be fitting months’ worth of training in days due to the primary fact that the Darkness is on its way. For all we know, they could already be here.”
“First, we will begin with the essentials, balance,” Dimitri said, taking a few steps toward Lana. He placed his hand on her shoulder, the two leaving the study to head into the forest.
~
Splintered wood, shattered glass, fallen chandeliers, and broken doors were all he could see when he entered the clubhouse. Blood near the balcony doors and a broken table leg covered in dried liquid set his senses ablaze. He could feel himself losing his grip on the calm he’d tried to obtain overnight. The last few days destroyed the walls he spent centuries building, dedicated everything he had to patching up the holes of his past.
He knelt beside the drying puddle of blood, examining the pile of black dust only inches away. Seeing a shimmer beneath the ash, he reached, feeling the cool metal of a ring.
EJ’s ring. The diamond shone in the light, a cloud embellished on the side of the ring. Aiden dropped to his knees and let out a yell, or rather a roar. His hands erupted in flames, his eyes the color of lava. He placed them on the ground, sending bolts of fire to anything flammable. The flames started to spread until the entire living room was engulfed in them.
Red, orange, gold, blue, green, and white flames raced up walls, on the ceiling, down hallways and into rooms. He followed them down hallways, running his hands along the walls until he was facing the painting made centuries before. He stared at the faces, from his to Dimitri, Wiley, and EJ.
They were brothers, bound to one another through the power of the Fury, through the devastation of their homeland and the beginning of an end. He knew this time would be different, that this time they may lose their lives if the Light couldn’t find them this time around.
He’d wanted to burn the painting the day Dimitri hung it on the wall but today, today it would be the only thing he didn’t burn in the house. He took the large framed canvas in his hands, admiring the art before him. He would save these men if it meant laying his life down for them, that he was absolutely certain of.
Aiden took the painting, leaving the burning clubhouse behind as the Darkness closed in on his position. He gave nothing away, and let the past burn.
Chapter 23
The sound of rushing water could be heard through the forest, over the crunch of twigs beneath their feet, the birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind. They stood on the edge of a precipice at the base of a large tree that had been uprooted when the ground collapsed around it. The trunk of the tree extended forty feet over the gorge, attached only by the roots begging to break.
“You expect me to walk on that thing?” Lana asked.
“Yes. You must learn how to balance. You are tasked with balancing on that tree trunk, all while we test how well you can block out what we throw at you,” Dimitri said calmly. She saw the leaves turn brown and fall off their branches toward the now dry riverbed beneath.
The only obstacles she could see them conjuring would be to flood the canyon or create a rain storm, maybe even shrink the trunk of the tree, leaving her to balance atop a thin branch.
She walked around the roots, finding a place to climb onto the dying tree trunk. She knew it would be difficult but if she didn’t succeed, she could never stand a chance against the Darkness chasing after her. Her hands gripped the rough bark as she crawled toward a thinner part of the tree.
Lana released the bark, wiping brown flakes from her hands, her nerves causing her entire body to shake. She knew they wouldn’t let her fall, but she still feared heights, and the fact that she no longer heard water beneath her, made her even more afraid. There would be no soft landing if she were to fall.
She placed one foot in front of the other, slowly raising her upper body and straightening her legs until she stood straight. Her toes curled in her shoes while she tried to get a better grip on the trunk.
Small teardrops dotted her cheeks, pelting the leaves above her. She knew this had to be Wiley and his obstacle. A rain shower. Lana could smell th
e dirt in the air; feel the moisture trying to flood her concentration. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. Slowly, the vibration through her dwindled until she was no longer shivering.
Lana felt more raindrops on her cheeks, her arms, felt the cool liquid on her scalp. The tempo of the rain picked up, covering the Furies from head to toe. When she opened her eyes, she could see only the gray of the downpour. Although EJ was not around to blow the rain around, she started to feel cold, the rain cooling the forest down ten degrees.
Dimitri was right, the rain did break her concentration. She started shaking again when she heard the rush of water beneath her once more.
“Concentrate, Lana,” she thought she heard Dimitri say but it was too late, the water had risen to greet her ankles, then her knees until she was surrounded by the river. He looked at his partner who released the rain, letting the river subside until the branch was visible.
Lana fell hard on the tree trunk, her feet slipping out from under her. She rolled over the edge of the trunk, plummeting toward the draining riverbed. She was met by a spider web of vines in the shape of a bridge from one side of the chasm to the other. When she landed, Dimitri stood before her.
“Is that the best you can do?” he said, kneeling in front of her when she sat up.
“That’s not fair. He practically tried to drown me…” she said.
“You have to learn how to ignore what is happening around you. Instead of concentrating on standing on the tree trunk once you felt the water, you should have let it take you for a ride. Or you could have counteracted his power with your own.”
“I can’t be what you want me to be, can’t you see that?”
“You are capable of so much more than you believe, Lana. I’ve seen what you can do with your power, I’ve seen the damage your power can do. All you have to do is look deep inside and harness it.”
“I’ve already done this balancing act before, why do I have to do it again?”
“Because we haven’t worked with you in many years, and we want to ensure you have full control over your powers before we have to fight whatever they throw at us next. In order to do that, we have to start from the beginning…”
“But we don’t have time to start from the beginning!” she yelled, feeling a surge of energy run through her. They stood in unison, Lana trying to calm her mind. She wanted to emulate Wiley’s flood, his rainstorm, let buckets of water fall from the clouds above. She pictured white and then gray and dark blue clouds form above the tops of the pine trees, bursts of light fill the sky. She felt gusts of wind pick Dimitri’s vine bridge up from below, sending her stomach up and down.
“Concentrate.”
At that, white and brown water formed a wave against one wall of the canyon, raining down on them.
“I know you are frustrated, but taking your frustrations out on me will get you nowhere,” Dimitri said. In his eyes, she saw the reflection of her creation. “Concentrate on your breathing, in and out.”
She closed her eyes, letting the wind whip her hair around her face. She did as he said, breathing in through her nose and out multiple times. The wave behind her stood ten feet tall, towering over her. She could still hear it behind her, although it started to swim down the mountainside, flowing over the river rocks until it calmed to a slow flow downhill.
A tear escaped down her cheek, Dimitri wiping it away.
“It won’t be this difficult for long. This is what you get for running away,” he said. The two joined Wiley at the edge of the canyon, heading back through the trees toward the Academy.
~
The unfamiliar vibration of cobblestones beneath his tires surfaced when he turned into her driveway. A blue Mercedes sat feet from him, Professor Thomas walking toward it with his hands in his pockets.
“What are you doing here?” Aiden asked, his jaw clenching.
“Just checking on Miss McDowall, which I assume you are here for the same reasons,” Professor Thomas answered.
Aiden nodded, mimicking his body language. “Why? After what you did to her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw the bruises on her neck,” Aiden said. “After what you did, why would someone like you personally come check up on her?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Professor Thomas stated. “I would never hurt Lana. She isn’t home, so I’ll be off. Have a good night, Aiden.”
Professor Thomas got in his car and drove away, looking back toward the house before speeding down the street. Aiden stood staring at the front door.
Aiden peered through the stained glass, getting a glimpse of a marble floor. He transported into the foyer, staring at himself in the mirror and looking around for a light. He didn’t know if anyone was in the home, so he snapped his fingers instead, a small ball of flame forming in his hand. The doors to the living room were open, giving him access to the vast space of which a fire had consumed. There were pieces of vases scattered across the room, and what remained of the leather of the couches was torn open with the foam insulation littering the floor like cotton candy.
Aiden perused the area, searching for blood or worse, but found nothing, not even dust, an identifier that the Darkness had been there. He was careful not to step on any glass, in case someone was in the mansion. That’s when he heard it.
A loud thud rang through the house, like someone fell or dropped something the equivalent of a statue on the second floor. Floorboards creaked above him, dust falling through the cracks of the ceiling. He looked around for a place to hide, coming up short. He heard footsteps on the stairwell, found a book on the ground to look busy and on the window seat when the intruder came into the room.
A young man in a red and white letterman’s jacket and jeans walked in, an old textbook in his hand. When he saw Aiden, he stuck his left hand in his pocket, wiggling his ring off.
“How can I help you?” the man asked.
“I’m not looking for help, thank you though,” Aiden said, pretending to be engrossed in The Great Gatsby.
“Then I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. This home is for people who need it, not for casual coming and going,” he said.
“What would I need to stay?” Aiden asked.
“Why are you here?” the man returned.
“I came to see a friend, but they don’t seem to be here. I’m sorry I bothered you,” Aiden said. He put the book down on the seat, heading toward the man to leave.
“What’s your name?” the man asked.
“I could ask you the same thing, sir,” he said.
“Don, you?”
“Aiden,” he held out his hand to shake Don’s but the man refused, keeping his hand in his pocket. “Have a good day, Don.”
He left the room, pulling out his phone the minute he closed the door to his truck.
Hey D, something isn’t right here. Where are you guys? – A
…
We’ve gone to the Academy, I suggest you get out of the Bay while you can. It is not safe for our kind. – D
…
I need to make sure Lana is safe first, where did you guys take her? – A
…
Just come to the Academy. Lana is safe. – D
Aiden didn’t respond, afraid he’d be angry with Dimitri for keeping him in the dark. He didn’t like the thought of not knowing where she was, not with this Don character hiding out in her house. What did he mean by ‘this home is for people who need it?’
He remembered catching a glimpse at the textbook in his hand, a book of spells it seemed. The cover was leather with old parchment paper bound with twine. The spine had a pentagram, symbolizing the textbook was meant for witches. The pentagram symbolizes the four elements, plus a pantheistic spiritual being such as Gaia or Mother Earth.
Why would Lana have a book like that in her home? He had many questions for her, questions he truly did not want the answers to. He desperately h
oped she was normal, that Dimitri was lying and she was a human that he could pretend to be human with, but everything he had experienced lately pointed in the direction of witchcraft.
He put the truck in drive, leaving Lana’s home behind. He drove through town, stopping in the parking lot of the school. Looking around to make sure no one was watching he left the vehicle, bypassing locked doors until he was in the art room. He grabbed his journal from the cabinet, searching through the other names until he found Lana’s.
Professor Baldwin came around the corner as he started digging through her cabinet.
“Aiden? What are you doing here so late on a weekend?” she asked sweetly.
“I left my sketchbook,” he answered. “I didn’t realize you were in here.”
“I didn’t hear the door open,” she said curiously. “I haven’t seen you in my class lately.”
“My family has been having problems,” Aiden said. He didn’t know where she was going with the conversation, or how to get out of it.
“Well please let Dimitri know that I would like to speak with him,” Professor Baldwin said. “I’m not like the rest of the teachers here, Aiden. I would think you of all people would know by now, considering I know about the lake, and about you.”
“How long have you known?”
“Since you came here, dear. It’s the beauty of being a psychic. Now that the lake incident has been taken care of, you need to watch your back. Members of the Darkness are starting to come into the school, pretending to be students so they can create a presence here. I vowed to protect those who come into the school who have abilities like you and I but this I cannot protect you from,” she explained.
“Have you come across a man named Don yet?” Aiden asked.
She pursed her lips, the skin between her eyebrows squeezing together. She shook her head, not recognizing the name.
“When you do let me know, I ran into him today and he gave me an odd feeling. I’m heading out to find the others, and I’ll keep in touch,” he said.
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