“Ordinarily, I’d agree with you. But without an assassin, we’re in danger. You need to be able to see that, Brody. You need to know how to anticipate threats. That you can’t is one of your greatest weaknesses.”
I shift in my seat. It’s been decades since someone has tried to convince me I have flaws. In fact, Jade is usually one of the ones building me up. I don’t like the idea that she’s scrutinizing me now for the areas I’m left wanting. “Where are we in training a new assassin?”
Jade rubs her forehead absently. “That’s not the way it works. I would’ve thought you knew that.”
I clench my teeth, angry at myself for revealing another fault. If I’m honest, I’ve never paid much attention to how the assassin is chosen. The position isn’t one that engenders respect—only fear. The role also doesn’t change hands often, because any assassin worth the title is able to keep himself alive for decades. I cast my mind back to the time before Kai took the title. “Kai had to kill the last one. That’s how he proved he was ready to protect us.” I lift my hands. “Well, there’s no one left to kill, so I suppose the next person in line can just take over. Is there something I’m missing?”
Jade narrows her eyes as she studies me. “Perhaps it was before your time, but Kai didn’t become the assassin simply by merit of killing the last person to do the job. There were omens surrounding his birth. The darkness lived inside him from an early age. We knew what it meant, and we honed it, sharpened it. Before he was old enough to realize what we were doing, we were training him to be a killer, to be ruthless. That’s how it’s always been. We’ve always had a second in line to take over. But there’ve been no omens. There’s no one waiting to take his place. We’re honestly at a loss for what to do now.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the implication of her words sinks in. Kai wasn’t supposed to die in Clearwater. If he was, there would have been another ready to take his place. Perhaps things aren’t as simple as I’ve been assuming.
Jade is eyeing me shrewdly. I do my best not to show how uncomfortable the news has made me. “I trust you have the best minds working on that problem,” I say, hoping to close the discussion. I need to spin this, to control the damage. I need her to see this information as something that could be positive. “Have you considered we may not need an assassin if we can follow Bess’s instructions? Once we’re immortal, we’ll be invulnerable. Maybe that’s why we don’t have a new assassin lined up—perhaps we won’t need one.”
She surveys me for a long moment as if weighing whether or not to tell me something else. I don’t like it one bit; I’ve been privy to her secrets for decades. “We’re no closer to immortality than we were before your visit to Clearwater.”
My muscles tense. I can’t believe what she’s saying. We’ve spent countless years searching for the words Bess Taylor wasn’t able to share before her untimely death. My whole life I’ve been led to believe that once we knew her secret, we’d finally achieve the eternal life she sought. “How can you say that? We know what we’ve been waiting to hear. How can that leave us no closer?”
She ignores my incredulous tone, her face impassive. “We haven’t been able to substantiate the information you brought back: ‘The midnight stone must be imbued with the power of deepest night.’ We have no idea what this midnight stone is, and we don’t know what to the ‘power of deepest night’ is supposed to mean.” She sighs, and for the first time, she seems old. Nothing about her physical appearance changes, but her vitality seems to decrease. “The lack of actionable information coupled with the death of our assassin leaves me wishing you’d never traveled to Clearwater in the first place.”
In my mind, I defend myself: I was just there to gather intelligence. We have people who are supposed to know the ins and outs of magic as well as they know how to breathe. That’s not my job—not my area. But if I say all of that, I don’t imagine it will win me any favors. The high priest must be informed about all such matters. I can’t appear flip or unconcerned. So I take in a steadying breath, but before I can speak, the door to the office bangs open.
I spin in my chair, ready to tell the intruder to leave, but I stop short. I recognize the woman taking quick strides into the room: Her name is Lena Wiley. She’s young—only around thirty although, like all of us, she looks younger—but she’s already made a name for herself. Despite holding no position of power as an assistant researcher, she has a reputation for being tenacious and fiery, someone who doggedly goes after a problem. Her build is thin and slight, and she looks as if she could be taken down by a stiff breeze. Her long, dark brown hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail at the base of her neck. Besides a touch of gloss on her lips, the only other makeup she wears is thick, black eyeliner around her striking green eyes.
I glare at her. No matter how much of a spitfire this girl is, she has to know it’s bad form to enter into the high priestess’s presence unsummoned and unannounced.
Lena’s eyes slide to me for a brief moment before fixing on Jade. “I’m sorry for barging in,” she says, approaching Jade’s desk.
I sit back, waiting for Jade to yell, to point, to send Lena away for being so presumptuous, but Jade does none of those things. A politely puzzled look crosses her face, and she nods. “Proceed.”
“I think I know what midnight stone is,” she says, approaching the desk. She stands close to my chair, despite the fact that there is plenty of room between it and the matching one to my left. “It’s a mineral. The proper name is carcinite. It’s very, very rare, found only in meteorites that come from deep space. It doesn’t exist naturally on Earth, which is probably why it was so hard to track down. The only samples on the planet come from meteor strikes—and I’ve been able to locate them.”
“This is excellent news,” Jade says. She presses her hands against the desktop and stands. “I’ll dispatch a team right away to go—”
Lena shakes her head. “It’s not going to be that easy. You won’t like where I found it.”
I cross my arms over my chest. Is she trying to be dramatic on purpose, or does she think so little of Jade’s time? “And do you feel like sharing?”
Jade tsks, which rankles me. There’s need for her to scold me like a child. “Where is it?” she asks.
Lena smooths her dark hair against her head. “Clan Twilight. I’m not sure what their interest is, but I doubt they’ll want to part with it.”
Jade sucks in a breath. “There’s no way we can take them on right now. Not with our… present limitations.”
At this, Lena brightens. “If you like, I could write up a list of possible candidates for assassin. I understand we typically find them in-house, but since there have been no omens, maybe we can find someone on the outside.”
A smile curves Jade’s lips. Her eyes flash as they settle on Lena, taking in her tailored button-down shirt, pencil skirt, and kitten heel shoes. I don’t like the way Jade’s looking at her—like she’s found a shiny new toy.
It’s the way she used to look at me.
“I’ll admit, I’ve been considering searching outside our ranks for a new assassin. I’m thankful there’s someone like you to take the initiative to locate some candidates.”
Lena grins broadly. “I can get you some names by this afternoon, if you like.”
I can’t stand for this. My mind spins as it attempts to draw the spotlight from this girl, this usurper. She’s going out of her way to impress Jade. I can’t risk Jade’s respect switching to someone else—not when we’re this close to her stepping down as our leader. “That won’t be necessary,” I say, bringing the attention back to myself. When Jade’s eyes fix on me, a muscle in Lena’s jaw jumps. She doesn’t like that I’m stealing her thunder, but I don’t care. I don’t know what her motives are, but I won’t stand idly by and watch her win Jade’s affection. “There’s no need to compile a list when I already know the perfect person for the job.”
“Don’t leave us in suspense,” Jade says. Her tone i
ndicates she’s not sure I can deliver on my promise. I don’t blame her, because I’m not sure I can either.
My mind spins. I don’t actually have a candidate in mind—I just can’t stand the thought of Lena solving another problem. I don’t know what kinds of omens are associated with a new assassin—but that doesn’t matter anyway, since Jade said there haven’t been any. But the final bit of proof needed before someone claims the role is for the candidate to kill the current assassin, and there is one person who has fulfilled that requirement already. “Krissa Barnette. She’s perfect. Jade, you said we usually have to train our assassins to be ruthless. We won’t need to do that with her. Since she took on the Influence, the ruthlessness should come easily. We’ll just have to direct her.”
I pause, waiting for a reaction. When none comes, I add, “She’s the one who killed Kai. She’s already proven her abilities.”
A smile spreads itself across Jade’s face. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe something good will come from your visit to Clearwater after all.”
Lena glares as if there’s nothing she’d like better than to punch me in the face. “In case that doesn’t work, I could still curate a list.”
Jade shakes her head. “That won’t be necessary. Thank you for your help, Miss Wiley.”
I do my best not to smirk as Lena turns toward the door. Obviously, this meeting didn’t end the way she intended. She spares only one glance in my direction before exiting the room, and the fire in her eyes makes it clear she won’t be giving up easily.
When the door closes, Jade settles back behind her desk. “Well, Brody, you may be able to make up for the messy business in Clearwater after all. It seems our two big problems have been boiled down to one. We need an assassin for protection, but we also need one so we can get the carcinite from Clan Twilight.”
I stand and draw my shoulders back. “I’ll leave for Clearwater soon. She has friends who might try to stand in the way of her coming back with me, but I’ll make sure they’re not obstacles.”
Jade nods, locking her eyes on mine. “Make your plans, but don’t wait too long.”
She doesn’t say goodbye, but it’s obvious I’ve been dismissed. I bow my head in respect before striding toward the door. Part of the reason she doesn’t want me to wait is for the sake of our people, but I can’t help wondering if another part has to do with her term ending soon. If I’m unable to deliver on my promise, there’s no way she will endorse me to take over her role when she steps down. And if she doesn’t endorse me, there’s little chance I’ll become the next Amaranthine leader.
I have to get to Clearwater soon. I hope this trip goes smoother than the last.
Chapter Three
Krissa
I sit on a bench overlooking the river. No matter what’s going on in my life, the water calms me. Being here shouldn’t make me feel so serene, not after all the things that have happened on these banks, but I suppose that’s partially why it works. The river reminds me of who I used to be, and how all the events leading up to now make me who I am.
I hear her footsteps before I see her. “I still don’t see why we can’t just meet at my apartment,” Sasha says as she sits down beside me.
It wasn’t so long ago that I wanted to claw her eyes out. Literally. She arrived at my house after the Influence spell, after Fox brought me home in the hope that Jodi would know how to help me. The part of my mind that was still me knew she was responsible for what happened and must have alerted the Influence to her status as a possible threat. She was the reason I killed Kai instead of finding some other way out of the situation. It took at least six people to restrain me as Sasha explained to her sister that she’d been able to find a spell to slow down the Influence’s inevitable takeover of my body. She was able to enchant my ring—the one that’s been passed down from generation to generation in the Barnette line—to keep me tethered to who I am. But with each passing day, the tether is loosening, and we still haven’t figured out a way to remove the Influence from my body.
I sigh, tired of repeating my reason for not meeting at her place. “Maybe if your apartment wasn’t smack in the center of Main Street. Anyone could see us together there.” I shift on the bench, my mind replaying the events that occurred there. “Besides, you know I don’t like it there. Too many bad memories.”
Sasha snorts. “Don’t be so sensitive.”
I grit my teeth. It was in that apartment that I began a spell that resulted in the death of a member of my circle. It was in that apartment that I learned Seth—my cousin, the person I had been trusting to help me and my friends—was lying, using me to get what he wanted. But Sasha knows all of this already. “I don’t know why you still live there, anyway. The apartment’s crap.”
Sasha doesn’t dignify my comment with a response. Instead, she stands and heads for the river’s edge. After a beat, I follow.
“So, any reason you’re being extra cloak-and-dagger today?”
There’s no point burying the lead. “I just don’t want to be overheard. The visions are getting worse. And more frequent. I’ve had one every day this week. I don’t think the spell on the ring will hold much longer.”
Sasha touches my arm, making me pause. “None of the visions have come true, right? You’re not… You’re not using it, are you?”
I shake my head. “No.” The corners of my mouth quirk up in a humorless smile. “No magic for me.”
“Influence isn’t magic,” she says quietly.
I nod. I know that better than anyone. Magic comes from nature, and what’s inside me is anything but natural. “I don’t want to use it. I’m not even tempted. If I’m honest, it’s kind of nice being a normal person for once.” I close my eyes and exhale. “Except I’m not. Not really. It’s always there, beneath the surface. And if what happens in my mind is any indication, it wants out. It wants to play out these fantasies for real.” I look out at the water again. “I’m scared. I can’t help wondering if someday soon the smoke is going to clear and I’ll realize it wasn’t a vision. I’m terrified I’ll actually hurt someone—kill someone.”
I glance at Sasha and catch an expression as it flickers across her face. I don’t have to read her mind to know what she’s thinking: It wouldn’t be the first time.
It’s true. I’ve killed, but only to save the people I care about. Kai shouldn’t even count since it was the Influence that made me do it. But since Sasha refrained from coming out and saying it, I won’t waste my breath. Sasha’s trying to turn over a new leaf, and reopening old wounds won’t help either of us. She and I could argue about who’s to blame for lots of things, but it won’t change our reality now. And although I’m the one with this darkness, this evil swirling inside me, I know Sasha has her own problems. Despite the fact that she helped keep the Influence from taking me over completely, her sister Anya and her best friend Elliot decided she’d crossed a line she can’t come back from. Neither will be associated with her anymore.
Sasha’s reasons for helping me aren’t entirely altruistic. She’s desperate to prove she’s changed, to prove she’s done seeking revenge for Seth’s death. But her isolation from the other people in my world is part of why our arrangement works so well for me. She’s the only one I can be entirely honest with, because I know everything I tell her will stay between us. She won’t worry about me. She won’t try to protect me or shield me from myself. She’ll work through the problem, and she’ll allow me to help—unlike Jodi and Anya, who refuse to even give me status updates about any progress they’re making.
A familiar pang shoots through my chest. Sasha is the only one I’ve told about everything, but she shouldn’t be. I should be telling Owen, too, but I don’t want him to worry about me any more than he already is. He does his best to hide it, but every once in a while I catch a glimmer of concern on his face when he thinks I’m not paying attention.
“Well, it’s a good thing I may have another solution,” Sasha says, continuing down the riverbank.
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I’m at her side again in an instant. “Really?”
Her mouth works like she’s chewing on her words, choosing the best ones to use. “It’s a dissevering spell, and it should separate the two parts of your personality—you and the Influence. It was designed to suppress negative traits in a person, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in your case.”
I do my best to temper my enthusiasm before I’ve gotten all the details. “So it’s like the spell you cast on my ring?”
She shakes her head. “That was designed to tether your mind to your body, to keep the Influence from taking over. But you’ve always known the Influence was there.”
I nod. Even when Sasha and the other witches first cast the spell and my mind was clearer than it is now, I always felt the Influence simmering in the background.
“This spell should separate you from the Influence. It’s supposed to build a kind of barrier between you and whatever you don’t want controlling your behavior. I doubt it’ll hold up indefinitely, but it should buy us enough time to figure out how to get it out of you.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Not so fast.” She meets my eyes for an instant. “There’s a catch.”
The bubble that had been swelling in my chest deflates. “Of course there is.”
“The spell is supposed to repress a single quality, not a whole entity. If we do it, you could go back to your old self with the Influence locked away, or…”
“Or I could get locked away and the Influence could take over.”
“Exactly. Like I said, it’s designed to deal with particular aspects of your personality, but some people have used it to help with dissociative identity disorder—you know, multiple personalities? From what I’ve found, when it’s used like that, the dominant side always wins out. The weaker one is stuffed down in your subconscious.”
If only Sasha had found this spell weeks ago. If she’d located it in the days immediately following the spell, back when the ring was keeping the Influence in check, I wouldn’t have hesitated. But now, with the Influence tainting my thoughts daily, I’m not so sure which side would win. What if I’m not stronger than the darkness? I shake my head. “It’s too risky.”
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