by Jenn Nixon
Fifteen minutes later, Cyndra and Rune walked out of the doublewide truck trailer restaurant, laughing, arms linked, and happier than he’d seen either of them. Hoping his presence didn’t alter their moods, Zorin stayed in the shadow of the eatery’s sign, waiting for them to get closer.
Rune covered his eyes and shook his head. Cyndra’s flew back and her cackle rippled down his spine. He wanted to be the one to make her laugh like that.
Zorin clenched his jaw.
“Omigod, that’s the funniest shit I’ve ever heard.” Cyndra’s laugh slowed to a giggle. When they neared the back bumper of the jeep, she tossed the keys at Rune. “You can drive until we find a place to sleep. I’m beat.”
Clearing his throat, Zorin emerged from the sign and nodded to Rune and by extension Cyndra.
How was your dinner? Rune asked with a smile.
“Filling,” Zorin replied and countered, “Yours?”
“Fantabulous,” Cyndra sighed.
“Great word.” Zorin smirked automatically then turned to the jeep so he wouldn’t catch her eye.
You sure you want me to drive? I’m still kinda crappy at it.
“This area is way too populated for Zorin to drive and I really am tired,” Cyndra said, shrugging.
“I found a cave two miles south we can use for the night,” Zorin added just as his stomach soured.
“Not again,” Cyndra huffed. “I’m getting sick of these fuckin’ soulless.”
Rune spun around, drawing a knife. Zorin moved behind both casters and extended his wings.
“There’re too many people here.”
“Take the jeep. There’s a turn off a mile down. I’ll meet you there,” Zorin said, jumping onto the backseat.
“No,” Cyndra said, hopping in the driver’s seat. “We stick together.”
Rune nodded and tossed the keys back and drew a second knife as he got into the jeep.
“Hurry,” Zorin grumbled and sat down as the car took off.
Cyndra floored the pedal when they hit Route 13, forcing Zorin to grip both sides of the jeep for support. They reached the turn off in two minutes. Halfway down the dirt path, Cyndra slowed the vehicle and turned the wipers to clean away the dust.
“Here?”
“This will give us plenty of room to fight.” The slight sigh escaping her lips twisted his gut. Zorin was starting to see her frustrations with him, knowing more about her past. “Or we can keep driving, try to outrun them.”
Too late, Rune said, lifting his hand and pointing ahead.
Six soulless and four wraiths lined the dimly lit road. The instant the mirror-wraiths screeched, Cyndra’s hand caught fire. Each of them stood on their seats, giving them height over the soulless and face-level with the wraiths.
The ground beneath the soulless’ feet rumbled, throwing them off balance. Zorin grinned, sensing Rune’s earthcasting mingle with the air. Cyndra’s flare followed, dusting half of the soulless in one fell swoop.
Before Zorin leaped into the air, Cyndra lifted her left hand and targeted the nearest mirror-wraith. The caster’s power erupted and energy streamed off her body. He opened the siphon without a second thought.
Rune jumped from the hood of the jeep, throwing two knives in different directions. Cyndra, unmoving, lifted her right hand, shooting a flare at an approaching soulless. When it dodged, Zorin glided off the jeep and rammed into the soulless headfirst.
He lifted back into the air, swooped down toward a wraith, feeling his body strengthen with each passing second he kept the siphon open. Zorin clipped the mirror-wraith and targeted a second. Cyndra’s fire seeped into his veins making him faster. He dove toward the wraith near the ground as another shrieked in pain.
The one Zorin chased, altered its direction swiftly, and slithered toward the woods. Rune’s knives dispatched the last soulless. When Zorin landed, two of the three remaining wraiths screeched away. Cyndra lifted her hand, capturing the last.
Horror filled him as much as the power seeping off her skin. He motioned to Rune and approached Cyndra from the opposite side. “Let it go. Don’t do what you’re thinking.”
Her anguished face turned to him. “It’s empty and hungry, always hungry.”
“Cyndra, no…” Zorin stepped closer.
“I need a soulless…not a wraith.”
Let it go, Cyndra.
The extra burst of her power slammed against his chest. Zorin’s skin vibrated with her fire and energy. The mirror-wraith slinked away. Instead of her power easing back, it seemed to double.
“What are you doing?” he snapped.
“I need a soulless.”
“You’re fortunate the wraiths were empty of thought, Cyndra,” Zorin roared, moving to her side and glaring down at her. “Stop trying to lure them back.”
Rune nodded. I’m tired, you’re tired. I don’t want to fight anymore tonight. Please…
“It’s too much, it needs out,” she said, shaking her head.
Zorin reached out and caught her hand. Her power slammed into his body knocking him off his feet. After catching his breath, he lifted his head to see Rune holding an unconscious Cyndra in his arms. He jumped up and ran over.
Rune frowned up at him. What did you do?
“Nothing,” he replied, crinkling his brow. “The siphon was open when I—”
Did you really drain her?
He stepped back, suddenly unsure. When the caster’s eyes turned glassy, Zorin winced and scrubbed his face. “Rune.”
This is your fault. Rune set Cyndra’s head on the ground gently, then rose and met Zorin’s eyes. She needed your help.
“I’ve tried—”
No, you keep pushing her away, Zorin. Ever think you may be stronger together? Rune returned his full attention back to Cyndra, using the back of his hand to test her temperature.
The sick feeling didn’t come from the soulless this time. His presence, the hunger cursing this form had finally done its damage. Unsure he could face Cyndra when she woke, Zorin used the jeep’s bumper to leap into the air. Rune didn’t call after him. He didn’t expect it either.
Zorin carried Cyndra’s energy with him as he soared away from the casters, knowing he had to clear his mind, return to the island, and force Mergan to talk. Otherwise, the monster within would again see the light of day.
Cyndra jerked awake and opened her eyes. Rune smiled down and helped her sit up. She was still on the ground, next to the jeep. Before he said or asked anything, he handed her the water bottle. After drinking half the contents, she gave it back and wiped her mouth dry.
Are you all right?
“Feel great actually. Where’s Zorin?”
I kinda let him have it. He nearly drained you, Cyndra.
She shook her head. “It was my fault…I didn’t want him to touch me and I guess my energy took me literally or something. His siphon didn’t do that.”
Why didn’t you—oh.
Cyndra waved him off as the heat crawled up her cheeks.
Rune shrugged. I’ll reach out in a little while and see where his head is at.
“Better you than me.” Cyndra sensed the soulless again and heard rustling the same moment as Rune. No longer tired, she jumped to her feet and pulled the sai from her belt.
A woman tumbled out of the woods, holding a leather strap in her hand. Dangling from the end, the same black crystal she and Rune carried. When her eyes settled on Cyndra and the weapon, the petrified woman froze in place and gasped.
“Whoa, hey. Are you okay?” Cyndra lowered her arm.
She has a crystal. Rune grinned.
The woman shook her head.
“You’re a caster?” Cyndra asked, wondering if she could speak since their meeting seemed oddly familiar.
The woman lifted her right hand, showing the air symbol.
Tulli? Rune glanced over.
“Are you Tulli Chan?”
She collapsed to the ground and panted. “They’re after me…”
; “The soulless?” Cyndra said, watching her face scrunch as Rune rushed to her side to help her. She shook her head and slowly got up on her own. “They suck the life out of you, your power.”
“No,” she said, wrapping her arms around her stomach. “The others.”
Mirror-wraiths. Rune frowned and glanced around the area, unable to see much in the dark. We should probably go soon.
“Good idea, we need to move,” Cyndra replied. “They’re not fun either, we call them mirror-wraiths.”
“I am, by the way, Tulli. How did you know?” the woman asked, clutching the leather strap close to her side.
“We were heading to the Southzone to find you actually. Only one more on the list,” Cyndra said, getting way ahead of herself. She extended her hand. “Sorry, I’m Cyndra. This is Rune.”
“Nice meeting you,” she replied, barely smiling and shook her head at Cyndra’s attempted handshake. “I prefer not to.”
“That’s okay,” Cyndra said gently. “Where’s all your stuff? You’re not out here with no gear, are you?”
“I had to leave it behind when I ran.”
Ask where she was going, Rune suggested.
Cyndra nodded. “Where are you heading?”
“I’m trying to get back,” Tulli said softly, glancing down at the ground.
“To where?”
Tulli rubbed the heel of her palm against her brow. “I think it was my home. It’s hard to remember. There was so much water.”
The island? Rune smiled. Ask if she got a letter.
“Where did you get your crystal? Did you get a letter?”
“No, no letter and this,” she glanced down at the strap in her hand. “I…”
“Sorry, not trying to pry,” Cyndra said, sighing. “Just…we came looking for you and this other caster because these crystals come with a crash course and automatic bad guys like those wraiths, and we’re kind of on a timeline, though half our job is already done.”
“What’s in Southzone?”
“Hopefully another caster like us,” Cyndra replied while Rune nodded and smiled. “There’s a lot we can tell you about the crystals if you want to tag along and we’ve been through some crazy shit already and there’s a saying, safety in numbers.”
Tulli half-smiled and nodded. “If you have the room, I’d be grateful for the help.”
“Do you remember where you left your stuff?”
Tulli glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. “I’ve been running so long.”
Cyndra got in the jeep. “It’s okay, we have plenty of extra stuff back at the lighthouse.”
“Yes, that’s my home,” she said, frowning.
Rune lit up with excitement.
“We’re all starting to remember again. I think Rune and I were on the island with you. Do you remember the flare?” she asked as she started the car, wondering how bad the poor girl had it.
“Vaguely. When will we get to the island?” Tulli asked.
“Couple of days, hopefully, unless we catch another lucky break and find Jack Keaton around the corner,” Cyndra said guiding the jeep back to the road and smirked over at Rune who was already rolling his eyes. “You’re not much safer from the wraiths there, anyway. That’s sort of their home, the island.”
With Rune’s help, Cyndra covered the basics of what really happened to the world and the crystal power during the drive. Tulli listened intently, rarely asking questions which sped up the process.
“My grandparents shielded us and seven other caster children just before the flare. Evie, my grandmother tried to stop this crazy caster named Mergan and imprisoned her in the mansion on the island. That’s what those wraiths with mirror faces are guarding.”
The memories, Rune added.
“Right and a lot of what we’ve forgotten, history, our own memories, is because of the shield they put in place to protect us,” Cyndra said. “Zorin can tell us a bit more—”
“Who’s that?”
“He’s our friend.” Cyndra glanced over to Rune. Have you contacted him yet?
I tried, he didn’t answer.
“I barely sense him.” Cyndra frowned. She slowed the jeep and pulled off to the side.
“What does that mean?” Tulli asked.
“Zorin and I share energycasting, we can sort of feel it in each other when we’re close, it’s a bit different than the regular crystal bond. Sure you don’t want to try it? Talking to Rune is a lot of fun.” Cyndra winked over at her friend, only to frown when Tulli shook her head. This lady was more of a downer than Cyndra was on her worst day. “Give me a minute. I just want to see if he’ll answer.”
Rune rummaged through the duffle bag and pulled out the water bottle and wax wrap of fruit. Cyndra shook her head and shut her eyes, sending her thoughts to Zorin. Middle of the night or not, she knew he rarely slept, especially lately. After her second attempt to get his attention, Cyndra evoked the energy to her hand, the swirling sensation tickled her fingers.
Where are you, Zorin?
Waiting five minutes with no reply, Cyndra shrugged at Rune, who frowned deeply as he tried to covertly motion toward Tulli with his eyes.
What? she asked, making a face as she got the jeep back on the road.
She didn’t want anything to eat or drink.
Probably still in shock, we should keep her talking.
Good idea, he projected and grinned.
Cyndra sighed. She’d have to be the one to get the conversation going. “So, have you done anything with your aircasting yet, Tulli?”
“Not really…just the um, first time. I was in the woods, got scared by a sound and this blast of air seemed to come out of my fingertips.”
Amazing. Rune glanced back and nodded.
“He said it’s amazing. I agree.”
“I guess.”
“I read you can eventually create hurricane force wind once you master the element.” Cyndra watched the happiness drain from Rune’s face again. What now?
Just…weird.
Then she’ll fit right in, eventually.
Uncertain what to ask next, Cyndra focused on the road hoping Rune came up with another question or Tulli asked one. Instead, they drove for half an hour before the silence got too awkward, even for her.
“Uh, not sure what else we should tell you, there’s so much, to be honest. I’m from the Eastzone, Rune’s a Westie, sorta. I think we were all on the island when we were kids, that’s why we have the crystals, it’s like a link between us.” Cyndra surprised herself with that theory and felt her insides warm when Rune reached over and grabbed her hand. “Rune and I are both firecasters. Do you know what your second element is?”
“No, not yet,” Tulli said softly without elaborating.
Cyndra had the term for this one, pulling teeth. Knowing Rune was much more suited for conversations, she let the jeep go silent once again, and wished Zorin was here to fill the void she felt.
As she focused into the dark night ahead, Cyndra replayed every moment with Zorin in her mind. She flashed to her attempted bond with the wraith and sensed that same void. They carried it, Zorin couldn’t escape it, and Cyndra always evaded it. Void. Hunger. Longing. It didn’t matter what they called it, they all wanted something and suffered because of it.
Promising herself she’d try to make contact with Zorin in another hour, Cyndra turned to her friend only to see he’d fallen asleep against his seat. She glanced back to check on their guest. Tulli stared out the side of the jeep, looking at the same darkness ahead of them. Unsure she had anything helpful to say, Cyndra kept her trap shut and drove into the night, hoping Zorin answered the next time she called.
Every time he glided to the edge of his bond with Cyndra, he turned back. He flew in circles for half an hour until she started moving south. Zorin wanted to go back to the island. Force Mergan to talk to him. It was time he fought for answers.
Guilt-stricken at the thought of leaving Cyndra and Rune, he altered his flight south, searchi
ng for the highway, knowing she would already be on or near it.
His anger lifted slightly when Rune made contact to apologize and explain what had happened. Zorin didn’t respond, fearing he was trying to play buffer again. Only after Cyndra’s sweet voice filled his head did he think there was a chance for reconciliation.
He tucked his wings to glide faster and cut over the woods, picking up the caster power in the air. When Rune’s earthcasting got stronger, Zorin knew he was close.
Although the sky had lightened some as morning approached, the thick, burnt woods covering much of the Eastzone made surveillance difficult.
The moment he focused on Cyndra’s energy, his body turned toward it like a magnet. His mind flashed back to her crying on his lap. Rune had suggested he try talking to her. Zorin thought the caster had lost his mind. Still, Cyndra took comfort in his arms. Trusted him with her fear, allowed him to see her vulnerable. For the first time in twenty-five years, he felt needed and wanted. He didn’t have the strength to deny her much longer.
Zorin spotted the empty jeep on the side of the road. His heart thumped as he dove down, tucking his wings, already tempted to siphon the air for the casters residual power.
With no other cars on the highway, Zorin landed a hundred yards away on the strip of grass and brush between the two lanes.
“Pee break’s over, let’s go guys.” Cyndra’s voice filtered through the air.
Rune walked out of the woods first, glancing around the area. Zorin lifted his hand to get the caster’s attention. His stomach soured. Six soulless surrounded him in the blink of an eye. Zorin dashed forward, spinning as he extended his wings to slice at the soulless. They vanished and reappeared around him when he stopped.
Their collective siphon opened, stripping all the power he’d taken from Rune and Cyndra from his body.
Zorin collapsed to his knees.
The screech of the mirror-wraiths echoed in the distance. All six soulless closed in around him, consuming his power, strength, and will to fight. His head slammed into the concrete road, blurring his eyesight.
Cyndra…