Caspian had been strong in the beginning, the sickness only slowly trickling into his soul, consuming it. However, he did not suffer to the extent a human would, and after heavy, aggressive treatments, the cancer seemed to disappear. It wasn’t until a year ago that the illness returned, hitting hard, and he began to undergo the treatments again with the Spirit Healers.
With Laura’s arrival, Caspian felt he finally had someone who understood exactly what it was like to have their world, literally, turned upside down, and out of nowhere, he’d begun to improve. Within a matter of moments, that had all changed.
Laura sighed, a deep sense of sadness overwhelming her at the thought of all Caspian had suffered, all he still suffered. Her mind returned to the Lost City, and she recalled what had occurred next.
After finding their weapons and discovering no survivors, the group hurried back up the mountain and down into the town of Alast, arriving at the hospital hours after Grace, Logan and Gemma had. They’d been lucky to find Grace and Logan in the waiting room, covered in dirt, blood, and looking both anxious and exhausted as they awaited Gemma’s return from surgery.
None of them had been questioned yet, for the soul worry was Gemma, but with the arrival of the jail escapees, their presence could no longer be ignored, and Mr Stark was alerted to their return. Stella and Leo were taken into custody immediately, and Laura and Drew insisted on coming along to plead Stella and Leo’s case, hoping that if they simply explained what they’d all been through, the Force would understand and let them go. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been as easy as that.
The Force ignored their stories, and slowly Drew and Laura grew more and more agitated, until Drew finally lashed out at Mr Stark, evidently resulting in both his and Laura’s imprisonment as well.
They received word three hours later that Gemma had emerged from surgery and was clinging to her life by a thread. Grace and Logan were, to Laura’s relief, allowed to remain free, thus being left to tend to Gemma as she continued to undergo surgery, sending word back to the four behind bars when they could on her state of health.
Gemma didn’t wake for four days, but when she did, Healers confirmed that she was, by a stroke of luck, going to make it.
In the meantime, the Grand Courts opened an investigation on Stella and Leo. Due to not having solid proof or evidence of the Wicked’s plans, nor their time on the island, their case was dismissed. In fact, because of all the damage that had been caused, and, in addition, the bizarre actions of Stella and Leo of late, their own status was brought into question. It was thought that perhaps Stella and Leo had an ulterior motive, and had created the story of the Wicked, who had never been able to set foot on Alast in the past, as a cover.
It was decided that Stella and Leo were to be placed under house arrest at the Corin Grand Manor while their case was being reviewed. In addition, they would continue to teach their students, for it was yet to be proven that they were unfit to do so, however the Manor would be heavily guarded by members of the Corin Force. Until Stella and Leo were found either innocent or guilty, no more students were allowed to join the ranks of the Manor nor were the current students that resided there allowed to leave unless under class requirements, and if that was the case, they were to be accompanied by someone from the Corin Force.
If Stella and Leo were found guilty, though of what, Laura still wasn’t sure, they would each be stripped of their Identity Marks, and depending on the severity of the conviction, either banished from the Spirit World or sent to hell.
Among all of that, Caspian’s disappearance was indeed questioned, and though no one said it aloud, Laura knew the Grand Courts were beginning to wonder if the mystery of his kidnapping was to do with Stella and Leo’s “ulterior motive”, for his body being possessed by Erebus was simply not believable.
An investigation for his search was opened, but Laura knew it was only half hearted, for the Grand Courts believed Mr Stark, and they’d already created their own story of what they thought most likely had happened.
One morning, while they were waiting to see the Grand Courts again, Laura overheard some of the Alast Force members claiming that the Grand Courts believed Caspian had gone rogue, wanting to escape his crazed mentors, and Gemma tried to follow and was caught and almost killed before she could do so. It broke her heart, for in that moment, she realised what was really happening. The decision about Stella and Leo was already made, the Courts were simply waiting what they thought to be a reasonable amount of time before convicting the two.
Later that day Laura was informed that the search for Cara was officially closed. Their reasons behind why were unclear, however Laura was convinced that her Mothers kidnapping had been tied into the Courts make believe story.
The group was sent home the very next day, ahead of Gemma, and were told to wait for the Grand Courts decision, which still hadn’t come. So, the group threw themselves into training, planning, and hoping. Training for the war they knew was coming, planning for the future and how they could prove their case to the Courts, and hoping that Erebus would simply make a move so they knew what they were meant to do next.
Laura sighed; her heart still hurt at the remembrance of how the Grand Courts had treated them; of how they still did treat them. She was glad to be home, that was for sure. During the past two weeks, the group had spent many nights talking about what they knew, what was to come, and attempting to tie up loose ends.
How had Cara managed to summon the Gods – something only someone with fifteen allies agreeing to the summoning could do? Was it possible that some of the Wicked were on their side? That they were forced out of fear to follow Erebus? It was a question they were unable to answer without Cara.
With Gemma returning the next morning, it was time for Laura and her friends to start planning their escape. They had to track down Erebus, that much was clear. On top of that, they had to locate Caspian’s soul, return him to his body, rescue Cara before Erebus could possess her - assuming he hadn’t already - and put a stop to Erebus’ plans before the Enchanted and Humans found themselves at war. Their only problems? The Enchanted didn’t believe a word they said, they were currently under heavy watch, and they had absolutely no clue where to begin looking for Erebus, let alone Caspian’s soul.
Laura sat by the warm glow of the fire, thinking through their current predicament. What were they going to do?
After Laura had finally emerged from the training room, Stella had informed her that her Father’s funeral was to be held in but six days, which meant that afterwards, it would be time for them to jump into action. They couldn’t keep sitting around, hoping for a sign from Erebus’. They had to act.
Laura’s thoughts then turned to Erebus’ reason for perusing them. Her gift. She still knew so little about her power, and she recognised that she’d have to learn to understand it better, not only because it would help her to at least begin to comprehend why Erebus wanted her, but it would put her mind at ease. After the things her power had made her do to James; paralyse him- torture him, she was truthfully terrified. She’d been out of control. On top of that, she had never caused someone such horrendous pain before, and she feared that she wouldn’t be able to restrain her power from bursting out again, next time hurting someone she cared about. She couldn’t risk that. But where could she possibly begin searching for answers?
She was struck by a thought.
Kane. The Sorcerer. The Wizard who’d aided Cara in obtaining her many charms; in saving both she and Laura’s lives. The Man Laura only knew from the flicker of a dream; a lost memory.
If they could track down Kane, perhaps they’d not only learn more about her gift, but he could fill them in on Cara’s abilities, on everything she had done to protect Laura. On how she’d managed to reobtain her Identity Mark when, supposedly, it was impossible to do so after it’s been destroyed. Her Mother had chosen to leave the Spirit World in order to live in peace with her husband, and because of that decision, she’d been forced to give up
her Identity Mark. So, considering it was inked on her wrist, as dark as night, something had clearly occurred for her to gain it back.
Kane, she realised, was their answer. He must know something, she reasoned. Surely he would, at least, be the best place to start.
‘Can’t sleep?’
Laura lifted her gaze as Drew approached.
‘Never can these days. Too much to think about.’
‘Me either.’ Drew replied with a shrug.
Laura trained her eyes on the dancing flames in the hearth.
‘I think we need to find Kane, the Sorcerer from the Black Market Mum dealt with.’
‘Why do you think that?’
‘Because we can’t stay here any longer. I’m positive he knows something.’
Drew dropped down in the seat across from her, his eyes watching her closely. ‘And how do we find him?’
Laura finally raised her eyes to his, ‘I don’t know. But I do know that right now, he may be our only lead.’
Drew’s gaze was thoughtful, wondering. ‘How do you plan on escaping? This place is watched by the Force day and night.’
For the first time, a flicker of hope flit through Laura’s stomach.
‘I think I have an idea.’
Chapter Two
The Scars of Homecoming
Gemma was met with a crowd of bright, grinning faces at the door to the Manor, and she was hit with an overwhelming feeling of love for the people surrounding her. Her family.
She was still sore and recovering from her injuries, but the joy that filled her heart at being home numbed the pain enough to enable her the ability to pull each person into a tight hug. As Laura, her last victim, pulled away, Gemma met her gaze, giving her the warmest smile she could. She saw the surprise on Laura’s face, but was relieved when her own smile only widened.
Gemma was glad to be home.
Stella and Leo helped her to her room, each of them grasping an arm to ensure she stayed upright. She was still a little dizzy from both the drugs and being bedridden for over two weeks.
‘Do you need anything?’ Stella asked kindly as they reached the door to Gemma’s room.
A giddy sense of gratitude filled Gemma as Leo pushed the door open, guiding her inside.
‘It’s so good to see you up Gemma,’ Leo added in earnest.
Gemma rested a hand on Leo’s arm, giving him a confident smile in response, then turned to Stella, who had wandered over to open the window.
‘I think I just need some time alone to settle back in.’
‘Okay, we will be in our office so just shout if you need anything at all.’ Stella told her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze before stepping back through the door.
Gemma allowed her smile to remain as the two left, but once they were gone, it dropped away. She turned to her dresser, her eyes catching her reflection in the mirror, and she winced a little at the sight of the angry red scar that ran from her temple to the corner of her mouth.
She stared for a while, motionless. She had seen the scar, but never in daylight, and it was much worse than she’d thought, and hoped. The doctors promised her that it would fade, but Gemma knew that it would only stand out more against her dark brown skin, for it had been much too deep a cut to disappear entirely like Laura and Grace’s own injuries had.
She couldn’t remember much about the night she nearly lost her life. Flashes of pain, blood, gold, silver, different faces staring, carrying her, it all whizzed through her mind in a constant blur. James was the only face she could grasp a hold of, as he sliced into her skin, destroying her once beautiful features.
Stella continuously told her during their brief, guarded visits, that she was still beautiful, regardless of the scars that would forever mar her skin. However, while Gemma was not vain about her looks, she still felt less confident. In fact, as much as she truly hated to admit it, she felt ugly. She felt like everyone who stared at her was studying her scar, not her. At least she could hide the ones on her stomach, legs, arms, even her back. But her face? Everyone would always be staring at her, at it, and she’d be forever reminded of what she’d become.
Amongst all of the confusion, the mismatched thoughts, the flashes and fragments of memories, however, Gemma could still remember one other thing, and that was Laura, and what she’d done to save her. Laura had come close to killing James, though Gemma later learned that James did end up dying from his injuries inflicted unintentionally by her, and a part of Gemma had rejoiced at the knowledge, not only because she felt he deserved it, but because she realised something about Laura. While Laura’s power was unexpected, unexplained, and, it appeared, uncontrollable, her emotions must have been fierce enough for her to draw on such a power to protect someone who had treated her so terribly. Laura risked- no, not just risked, but betray her own morals to save Gemma’s life, and Gemma felt a surge of emotion at that thought. She knew that she could trust Laura, that she could rely on her, and she was sorry for not giving her a chance earlier.
There was a knock on the already open door, and to Gemma’s surprise, she glanced over to see Laura standing there.
‘Hi, how are you doing?’ Laura asked, closing the door after herself.
‘Better now that I’m home.’
Laura struggled to lift her gaze from the ground to meet Gemma’s, but after a moment, she did, and Gemma felt the respect she had for the girl grow.
‘I… I need to apologize Gemma.’ Laura whispered.
Gemma was taken aback, ‘what for?’
Laura’s eyes widened, ‘you nearly died, all because of me. If I hadn’t have been stupid enough to run off, thinking I could do this all on my own, then you all wouldn’t have been forced to come after me.’
Gemma interrupted before Laura could say any more, ‘Laura, you would never have left if I hadn’t have been so cruel to you. I didn’t mean anything I said. It was my fault, not yours.’
Laura was shaking her head well before Gemma had even finished speaking.
‘You would all be safe and well if I had not have come along.’
‘No we wouldn’t Laura. If you hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have discovered Erebus’ plans and we would have all been forced into an unexpected war. At least now we can prepare, and try and stop it before it begins.’
Laura paused at that, and Gemma could see her turning the words over in her mind. Gemma swivelled slowly back to the mirror, once again casting her gaze over the scar.
‘Your scar doesn’t change you.’ Laura said softly.
Gemma loosened an unrequired breath, finding it calmed her despite not needing the air in her lungs. ‘Yes, it does. It’s a constant reminder that I have to be fierce and unforgiving in battle. My family would be horrified that I tried to let the Wicked go.’
Laura didn’t say anything, and Gemma was hit with the overwhelming urge to continue. Taking a seat on the side of her bed, she began to speak, her voice strained and tired, but her need to explain taking over despite that.
‘I loved my family. I still love them. But we were always known for our ruthlessness. For our undeniable strength and ability to fight. If someone wanted a job done, we were the ones to come to. We would do it and do it well. As a result, we acquired a lot of enemies. But we were fearless. What did a few enemies matter?’
Gemma forced a sigh through her nose, again feeling the air calm her growing nerves, and she heard Laura shuffle slightly, taking a seat on top of the dresser. Gemma didn’t dare raise her eyes to meet Laura’s gaze, though she could feel Laura both watching and listening intently. Regardless, Gemma kept her stare trained on her fidgeting hands, for she couldn’t bear to see the pity so many often displayed when she relayed the story of her past. She would not be able to contain her emotions if she allowed herself to watch Laura’s reaction, and her story required strength, not weakness.
‘My Father was well off, thanks to the years of jobs he took on. My Mother had admired his way of life and aspired to follow in his footsteps,
drawing them to one another. They weren’t necessarily rouge Enchanted, they were simply their own bosses. They worked for and answered to no one. We had little friends, finding caution in keeping people close. However there was my Father’s childhood friend, Abe. While he was not involved in my families work, he was as much a part of our home as any of us were. We were living in a mansion on the outskirts of Corin, not far from here, with a few servants who tended to the house while we trained and worked, when everything went wrong. I was well loved, my parents’ home schooled and trained me, and I was bound to follow in their footsteps.’
Gemma paused, picking at the nail of her thumb. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, before continuing.
‘And then one night, we were attacked. I didn’t know at first. I was in my room, upstairs, when all became eerily quiet. I had always feared attacks, in fact we had already had people take us on in our own home before. But my Father was talented with a blade and my Mother could wield a bow and arrow like you wouldn’t believe. No one was ever hurt, because my parents would kill the intruders before they had barely passed the threshold. But that night, when the world grew silent, I felt it in my bones that something wasn’t right. Not this time.’
Gemma had to pause again, for her throat was growing tighter, and she finally risked a glance up at Laura. She was not met with the look of pity like she’d expected, but instead, a face of pure shock, and more surprisingly, genuine fear, was staring back at her, and it was almost as if Laura was there, by her side, experiencing it all too. Gemma realised then that the reason Laura would never look down on her with pity, was because, like those at the Manor, she understood. She, too, had suffered the horrific tragedy of losing her family, unlike so many others who truly could not comprehend it, thus resulting in their pitying glances. It put Gemma at ease as she continued.
‘I unsheathed my blade and stepped outside. A maid was dead right by my door, her body torn to pieces, her blood staining the walls and carpet. I hadn’t heard a thing, not even a single scream. My heart was racing in my chest, and my throat felt dry. I longed to call out to my Father and Mother but knew I couldn’t. It would attract the attacker’s attention if they were still there. I edged my way down the hall, passing two other house maids, their bodies ripped to shreds, bedding they had folded neatly laying there beside them, as if nothing had happened. I made it to the stairs and saw the butler and gardeners bodies down below, in the grand entrance, slaughtered like the others. I was sick at the sight and smell of so much blood, and my heart was pounding so loud I was sure the attacker would be able to hear it.’
The Sacrifice (Wicked Book 2) Page 2