by A. P. Jensen
“It’s been a while.”
Mr. Parker didn’t respond.
The woman hugging Ruth pulled away and the smile that lit her face blew away any doubts Jordan had. This was another sister of Kelly’s. How many did she have? This woman looked closer to Ruth’s age, early forties.
Ruth pushed her sister away. “Get off Monica. You’re crushing my fur.”
Monica drew away and skipped towards Mr. Parker and went on her tiptoes to brush her mouth against his cheek.
“Hello brother in law,” Monica chirped. “I’ve been hearing some very weird rumors.”
“Have you?”
She slapped his chest. “Don’t be coy, Donovan. Who’s trying to claim you this time?”
In answer, Mr. Parker shifted to the side and wrapped a hand around Jordan’s wrist to draw her to his side. Luther and Monica stared from Jordan to Mr. Parker and back again.
“Is this a joke?” Monica asked uncertainly.
“This is my daughter.”
Monica sputtered but Mr. Parker’s attention was on Luther whose strange gold eyes were fixed on Jordan. There was a faint stirring in the air and her hair shifted restlessly as if something was drawing in her scent. Jordan felt the hair on the nape of her neck stand up.
“What do you think of her, Luther?” Mr. Parker asked in a deceptively calm tone.
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
Luther removed his gaze from Jordan and looked at Mr. Parker. “How about you spell it out for me?”
Mr. Parker’s muscles bunched as if he wanted nothing more than to pounce and beat the crap out of this guy. Before Mr. Parker could respond, Monica spoke up.
“We have a soul tie, Donovan. He doesn’t care if she is a Grounder,” Monica said.
Understanding flooded Jordan’s mind. She took a step away from Luther. This ordinary looking guy was a sorcerer and Kelly’s sister was a Grounder too. Monica willingly tied herself to this sorcerer and she sounded so proud. Visions of the pain she felt when William forced her into the soul tie, the agony in the dome when the tie was broken made Jordan shudder.
Mr. Parker jerked his head around to give Monica a hard look. “When did that happen?”
She smiled. “Two months ago if you need to know.”
There was a strained silence.
“Thinking about running for office, Luther? There’s an opening now, in Autumis, isn’t there?” Mr. Parker said.
Luther’s hands clenched into fists and Monica huffed indignantly.
“That’s a rude thing to say, Donovan. You don’t even know him.”
Mr. Parker ignored her. “What’s your agenda in Wintra?”
“What I do is none of your business,” Luther said.
“I watch out for Kelly’s family as well as my own,” Mr. Parker said, voice deadly.
“Becoming a Guide is a natural step for a sorcerer. Not everyone thinks that becoming a leader of one of our capitals is a prison sentence,” Luther said.
“Have you told Seth you’re going to back out of the company?”
Luther shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll support my decision to step up. No one expects me to be a manager in his company for the rest of my life.”
“You think you can handle being a Guide?” Mr. Parker said, voice derisive.
The tension escalated. Both sorcerers seemed to be taking up all the air in the room. Luther faced Mr. Parker in a cocky stance, clearly showing he didn’t take the threat emanating from the older man seriously.
“I think you should be more worried about your own family, not mine.”
Even as Mr. Parker took a step forward, Luther’s eyes narrowed. He turned towards the meadow scene and Jordan heard a faint rumbling sound.
“What the-” Luther said.
The growling grew louder as Knight crept through the meadow. He poked his big face through the long grass to eye Luther with glowing sapphire eyes. Ruth and Monica shrieked. Ruth used her sister as a shield, crouching behind her.
“It’s a Valor,” Monica said in a wondering tone.
Mr. Parker nodded with satisfaction when Luther backed up slowly with his hands up. “He was summoned.”
“Summoned? By who?”
“Jordan woke up the Parker Guardian,” Mr. Parker said.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
“Freak,” Ruth muttered.
Jordan clenched her fists and Knight focused on Ruth. He bared his teeth in a snarl as if he could feel Jordan’s animosity towards the bitter woman. Knight crept forward so his front paws touched the gold path. His shoulders wriggled as he braced himself to attack.
Jordan yelled, “Knight! No!”
“Monica! Luther!” Kelly called and ran across the snow as if it were made of cement.
Knight didn’t leap but Jordan could feel his aggravation and annoyance. Mr. Parker watched Kelly engulf both of her sisters in a tight embrace and dragged Jordan into the winter scene. It was like walking through an invisible wall. The temperature dropped over eighty degrees in a split second. The sweat that trickled down her back froze and she let out a shriek as cold air blasted her in the face. She sank six inches into the snow while Mr. Parker walked easily over the surface. Snow melted on her face and slid down her chin and over her chest.
“What was that all about?” Jordan asked through chattering teeth.
“It doesn’t matter.”
When he said nothing else, Jordan jerked her arm out of his grip. Snow rained down around them, falling in heavy flakes.
“Why did you ask him what he thinks of me?” Jordan demanded.
She wasn’t sure he would answer.
“Most sorcerers can sense Grounders. I wanted to see if Luther could sense that in you even without your power.” He ran a hand through his hair, dislodging the snow that collected there. “I want to know if William knew for certain you were a Grounder or if someone only suspected you could be.”
Jordan considered that. “You can’t tell?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know!” he snapped. “You’ve just Awakened so maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s because you’re my blood… I don’t know.”
Without further ado, he dragged her the last several feet to the door of the second box and helped her in with a lot more strength than was necessary. Jordan stumbled into the box and glared back at Mr. Parker as he slammed the door behind Knight who leapt in nimbly beside her just in time.
Jordan stood, brushing snow from her coat. The inside of the box was one huge, spacious room. Plush red and white velvet seats lined all four walls like a limo. The top half of the box was made of dark glass. She tilted her head back and looked up at the pile of accumulating snow on the ceiling. There was a fire pit in the middle of the room that Cibrian and Levi sat in front of, warming their hands. She knelt on the velvet seats and peered through the heavily falling snow to the figures barely discernible in the distance.
“What’s up?” Levi asked.
“Mr. Parker almost kicked that guy’s ass,” Jordan said, tapping her finger on the glass.
Both boys scrambled up and copied her position on the seat. Knight prowled towards the fire, stretched, claws digging into the carpet and sprawled beside the fire pit. The teen’s watched Mr. Parker stalk across the snow and speak to the group standing on the gold path. He jabbed his finger impatiently to the two boxes covered in snow. The group shuffled forward with Mr. Parker’s eyes narrowed on Luther.
“Who’s the guy?” Levi asked, peering at the two newcomers.
“Luther,” Jordan said quietly. “He’s a sorcerer.”
Levi pulled her off the seat, hazel eyes wide with alarm. “Did he touch you? Did he speak to you? Did-”
“Nothing happened. Mr. Parker didn’t let him come near me.”
“Luther’s too young to Fall.” Cibrian watched the exchange between Jordan and Levi. The fear they emitted for a world he’d always felt was safe made him edgy. He
didn’t like the feeling.
“What are you talking about?” Jordan asked.
“What does his age have to do with Falling?” Levi added.
“The youngest sorcerer to Fall in history, Jeorge Swan, was thirty two. Sorcerer’s power takes a toll on them as they age,” Cibrian explained.
“But that doesn’t mean he can’t Fall, right?” Jordan asked.
Cibrian shrugged. “No. But it’s not likely.”
“I don’t take chances with sorcerers, period,” Levi said.
“He has a soul tie to a Grounder,” Jordan said.
Cibrian goggled. “Say what?”
“Monica has a soul tie with him.”
“Aunt Monica tied herself to the bastard? No way!” Cibrian plastered his nose to the glass once more. “No wonder Uncle Van wanted to kill him.”
“Soul tie? What William did to you?” Levi’s hands tightened on Jordan.
“Yes. So he can’t tie himself to anyone else- including me.”
“I don’t like this,” Levi said and let her go.
“I don’t either. Why’d you call him a bastard?”
“He must’ve done something to her,” Cibrian said darkly.
“Why are you saying he popped out of nowhere? You said sorcerers are rare and they can’t hide what they are.”
Cibrian slapped Levi’s arm for emphasis. “That’s the thing! No one knew he was a sorcerer! Every sorcerer ends up at The Academy but this guy-” Cibrian jabbed his thumb at the cloaked figure of Luther, “went off to some bogus school in the country.”
“Well, maybe he got sent to the wrong school,” Jordan said.
“The Gem doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Gem?”
“The Gem decides who goes to what school, which Guide will rule each capital, who will be Warlord- protector of our world. The Gem looks into your heart, into your power and can see your fate. It doesn’t make mistakes,” Cibrian said.
“The Gem is a person or thing?” Levi asked, frowning.
“The Gem is- is a gem,” Cibrian said impatiently, waving his hands.
“So you guys let a rock rule your world?” Levi stared at Cibrian in disbelief.
Cibrian scowled. “The Gem has never led our world astray.”
“How can you let a damn rock decide who you’ll be?”
“When you meet the Gem, you’ll understand.”
“I’m not letting a rock decide who I’ll be,” Levi decreed.
Cibrian turned back to the view outside. “Here they come.”
To Jordan and Levi’s relief, Luther and the other adults climbed into the first box. As if sensing their gaze, Mr. Parker paused and glared at them through the snow before following Kelly into the carriage.
“Monica is Kelly and Ruth’s sister?” Jordan asked Cibrian.
He nodded. “She’s the middle sister. Luther made his way to the top in my dad’s company and met Aunt Mon and she started Grounding him. Uncle Van doesn’t trust Luther.”
“How old is he?” Jordan asked.
Cibrian snorted. “Twenty five. Aunt Monica is forty.”
“But they’re not together, right?” Jordan ventured.
Cibrian shrugged. “Some Grounders and sorcerers aren’t married or lovers but I heard Aunt Mon is infatuated with Luther. From what I can see, Luther doesn’t want her in any way except to Ground him.”
“Mr. Parker asked Luther if he was coming to Wintra to become a Guide,” Jordan said carefully.
Cibrian whistled. “Uncle Van has balls. Now that Luther has a tie with a Grounder he can do practically anything.”
“Because he’s a sorcerer and has a soul tie to that lady he can rule a part of your world? That’s messed up,” Levi said.
“Many think so. A lot of people want to take sorcerers out of any ruling position altogether. You can see why,” Cibrian shot a meaningful look at Jordan. “People fear their power.”
“What is this thing?” Jordan asked to change the subject.
“This? Oh, it’s just a carriage.” Cibrian said dismissively.
Without warning, both carriages lurched into motion, sending all three tumbling to the cushioned floor cursing. Knight let out a grunt as he slid a few inches but he remained prone and unconcerned with the speed of the carriage. Jordan raised her head cautiously and watched the scenery zooming by at a dizzying rate. It felt like they were on a moving train. She could feel the floor shaking ever so slightly beneath them. Holding her arms out for balance, she walked to the front of the carriage and sat on the bench.
“What’s making them go?” Levi asked.
“Uncle Van probably. Anyone with an affinity for air can put the carriage into motion,” Cibrian said.
When they stared at him blankly Cibrian rolled his eyes.
Jordan squinted through the blinding white that flew past the window. “Where are we going?”
“Wintra. It’s one of the four capitals,” Cibrian lounged on a bench. “Mostly Thishe and Undala live there.”
“The water and air people?”
Cibrian yawned and crossed his legs at the ankles. “Yeah. Wintra is mostly their territory. People with the same affinity for an element tend to congregate in one place.”
“How is Parker doing that?” Levi said in a faint voice.
The carriages were speeding through a forest that had no path. The trees before the first carriage melted away. Jordan looked towards the back windows and saw the trees reappear as solid and close together as ever.
Cibrian grinned. “Uncle Van has flair. You don’t ask sorcerers how they do what they do. Most of the time I don’t think they know either. I would say he’s turning the trees into some kind of liquid so we can pass through.”
The speed at which they traveled and the way the trees blurred as they shot through and reappeared with dizzying speed made Jordan queasy. She made her way carefully to the fire pit where Knight sprawled and sat beside him. Tentatively, she held her hands out towards the fire. Knight focused on her, dark eyes flickering in the firelight. He watched her expectantly as if waiting for her to say something. She could hear Levi and Cibrian talking somewhere behind her. She looked back at the fire because it was easier than staring into the Valor’s eyes.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here.” She glanced around at the lush interior of the carriage, at the impenetrable glass they were encased in and shook her head. “I keep expecting to wake up in Haven.” She toyed with the circle pendant resting against her abdomen. “I keep expecting a social worker to come out of the bushes and drag me off- to put me in another home. I don’t understand this world but it has to be better than what I left behind, right?”
Knight’s head tilted to the side as if he were taking in every word she said. A small smile curved her mouth and she reached out and scratched him under his chin. His eyes fluttered shut and he purred.
“You’re my Guardian, aren’t you? You’re supposed to tell me something wise,” she chided.
The swaying of the carriage lulled Jordan’s tired body and she felt her eyes drifting shut. She wasn’t aware when she sank, boneless, to the floor. Her head settled on the Valors paws and Knight looked down at her, head turning from side to side, watching her like a curious bird. Levi let the warmth of his power heat him just in case.
Levi stared at the carriage in front of them and felt a chill of unease. After Jordan’s experience with William the thought of any sorcerer in the same vicinity raised every hair on his body. He remembered Mr. Parker’s eyes in the truck- he saw death written there. He glanced at Jordan, sleeping peacefully near the mouth of a nine hundred pound cat and shook his head.
Levi glanced at Cibrian who slept with his mouth wide open. Cibrian’s personality- that naive, accepting nature of his made Levi want to shake his head in wonder. How could there be people that lived in this world that never felt the harsh smack of reality? Cibrian had been brought up in luxury, sure of himself and the world he lived in. Instead of the superior, conceit
ed attitude one would expect of someone of his upbringing, Cibrian didn’t judge them.
Time crept by and Levi watched over the other two. Levi felt the stare of the Valor several times but he didn’t meet the cat’s gaze. Levi moved with the swinging lull of the carriage but refused to give into the need to sleep. His mind was lost in thoughts and memories.
“We’re almost there,” Cibrian said, startling Levi.
Cibrian stretched and stood in front of the glass so he could see his reflection. He brushed his hand through his hair several times, fixed his scarf and then sat. Cibrian’s eyes fell on Jordan and he shook his head. “She’s suicidal.”
The Valor looked at Cibrian who scooted sideways along the bench, further away from the beast.
“How can you tell we’re almost there?”
Cibrian yawned. “I’ve traveled from Tolly House to Wintra too many times to count. The drive usually takes around four hours. With Uncle Van driving, though, I think two hours will be long enough.”
“What do you think of that guy? Luther?”
Cibrian sneered. “He’s full of himself. Irritating as hell.” Levi didn’t say anything so Cibrian elaborated. “I guess sorcerers have every right to be conceited. After all, they’re the most powerful beings on the planet but it’s almost like he’s trying to prove to everyone that he’s more powerful, more special than any other sorcerer. He’s a creep.”
“You think he did that soul tie thing just to get a Guide position?”
Cibrian snorted. “No doubt.”
“Can he hurt Jordan?”
“No. Once a sorcerer is tied to a particular Grounder they can’t connect with another.”
“You said Luther went to the wrong school. What did you mean?”
“The Academy is an elite school for those that are meant to make a difference in our world. Since The Academy was established, every sorcerer in existence has attended. Luther didn’t.”
“So what are you saying?”
Cibrian waved his hands. “The Gem didn’t put him in the school that would give him the connections he needed to be in a ruling position. Luther had to make his own connections, announce himself to the media, to other sorcerer’s. He’s done everything he can to make connections. Being tied to Aunt Mon gives him access to the Parker and Tolly’s which gives him a lot of pull if he wants to be a Guide.”