We stalked up the steps and, without knocking, shoved open the front door.
Unlike the other two times I’d been here, no wexal cat stood in the corner, watching me with beady dark eyes. The spot remained empty. Had that been Blaine? All the pieces tumbled together, but they pointed to my suspicion. The two men had arranged this, manipulated everyone to fulfill their evil plan. The why didn’t matter.
I had to end it.
Like in the possible future I saw before taking on the catacomb challenges, the Master Seeker flung his arm out, magically pinning Brodin to the wall. He ripped the fillinette from Brodin’s hand and it descended…
We arrived too late.
But no. My end still awaited me. Lifting my fillinette, I stepped forward, prepared to meet whatever fate dealt my way.
A pop, and Kai’s fox-colored form appeared in front of me.
No, he said in my mind. Allow me.
Snarling, he leaped toward the struggling men. His paws landed on Brodin’s shoulder, his weight shoving Brodin to the side.
The fillinette that had killed Brodin in my dream sliced into Kai’s side. With a shudder, the wexal cat dropped to the floor. Blood seeped from the gaping wound. It was too much.
It was too late. For everything.
“Brodin,” I croaked, flinging my fillinette toward him. He caught it and, gathering power—sketar power I tasted as it rushed through the air—he shot a bolt of magic at his father, the Master Seeker.
A flash of blue, and Ramseff was no more.
The blood bond slipped from my body in a slick, purple wave, sinking into the floor. Gone forever. Broken.
In the silence that followed, I stumbled over to Kai. My poor friend. I couldn’t bear the pain. Tears filled my eyes, and I lifted my hand, aching to touch Kai one more time. I stroked his face. Along his spine. While he stuttered out a purr. It faded until he went silent.
His spirit floated above him, nearly severed from his form. As with Akimi, if we weren’t able to force his spirit back into him, he’d die.
“Kai,” I croaked. “Please. Stay with me.”
Jacey dropped down across from me and laid her hands on Kai’s body. “Tria. I’m a Healer. I…I can help him. Maybe. Hang on, Kai.”
Kai’s body blurred and grew. He shifted into my father.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Come to me,” Jacey whispered, calling both sketar and thread power. Her hands dropped down on Kai—my father. She sent the power out, and it shimmered across her hands before sinking into his still body.
I dropped back onto my heels, stunned. I couldn’t reconcile the friend who protected me at the prison, who had given me guidance throughout, with the gruff gardener who hinted at more than he shared. How was this possible?
“More,” Jacey shouted. “I need more magic.” Her frantic gaze swept the room, and she slammed her fists on her thighs. “Where is it? I can’t find enough. Somehow, they’re blocking it.”
My father needed to live.
I ached to know him. The little girl still locked inside me, the one who desperately needed this connection, cried out his name.
“Please,” I said as Brodin dropped down beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. I turned into his shoulder and sobbed. “Don’t let him die.”
“I can’t find the right threads,” Jacey said. “They’re here but not here. I don’t understand. But without the right shade of pink, I can’t anchor his spirit to his body.”
He would slip away, and my chance would be lost.
Leaning forward, I pleaded. “Dad. Please. Stay with me. I need you. We need you, Fleur and me. And Cloven, your father. He would do anything to see you again. Please.”
Something bumped against my chest.
My core essence.
“Take it only when you most need it,” old lady Kylie had said.
Now, the magic shouted.
The tiny cap popped off easily, shooting across the room. I tipped the vial up and sucked down the contents.
My hand twitched, and I dropped the vial. As it shattered, a shudder ripped through me followed by…peace. A feeling of completeness.
And power. Immense, enormous power unlike anything I wielded before.
I’ve been an apprentice Seeker for much of my life but now…
Threads of power shot to me from everywhere, driving me back onto the floor. I gathered them up—every shade of pink, too—and shot them at Jacey.
Her skin rippled when they hit, and her eyes glazed before she focused them on my father. “Yes,” she hissed as she laid her hand on his belly. She spoke one single word. “Heal.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“I don’t want you two staying out late tonight,” my father said, shaking his finger at us. He crossed Fleur’s Coven room to stand with us on the rug and propped his hands on his hips. It still felt odd seeing him in jeans and a tee instead of his scuffed gardener’s clothing. “I want you back here by midnight. I’ll be waiting.”
“Dad,” Fleur said, ever patient. “This is silly. An Unraveler doesn’t have a curfew.”
“Dad,” I echoed in a stronger tone, never able to find enough patience. “You do know you can’t command this.”
“But I can try, right?” he said with a big smile. He held out his arms. “One last hug before you go?”
The three of us tumbled together. It seemed hugs with my sister were not enough. I also needed hugs from my father.
He hadn’t turned back into Kai and, sometimes, I missed my wexal cat friend. He’d been cursed by Ramseff, doomed to remain as a cat for the rest of his life whenever he left the parallel Reformatory. With Ramseff’s death, the curse had been broken.
My Uncle Blaine had stolen my core essence, disguised as my father, another switch performed by the witch. My father had taken the essence from Blaine but then traded it to the older Kylie in exchange for the chance to be by my side and protect me. He’d been desperate to meet me. Frankly, it humbled me when I acknowledged the sacrifice he made to be with me. I needed a friend.
How could I deny my father a place in my life after I learned what others had done?
Once Jacey healed my father, we flitted from the Seeker’s Headquarters. I had no idea who would take over now that Ramseff was dead, but I didn’t care. It wouldn’t be me. I wasn’t truly a Seeker, though I possessed the skill. I discovered I was something unique. Different—a family tradition after my Unraveler sister.
As a Thread Caller, I was able to pull in thread magic no one else had seen before, and, in the future, I’d use my skill to generate power. A brilliant career awaited me once I’m trained to utilize the skill.
I wouldn’t face my new future alone. I had friends and family by my side.
A knock on the door sent Fleur rushing to open it, letting in Donovan, her boyfriend, and Brodin.
Brodin grinned at me. “You look fantastic.” Spinning me around, he took in the flare of my skirt, the heart-shaped bodice of my dress, and the sparkle of the diamonds in my ears—a gift from my father.
My eyes focused solely on Brodin. Damn, he looked awesome in a suit. Who would’ve thought the guy who first irked me when I traveled to Darkwater, the irritating fae would come to mean so much to me?
We were heading to the Crystal Wing Academy Ball tonight, and Jacey, Rohnan, and Akimi would meet us there. Jacey and Rohnan hadn’t decided yet how they’d challenge the fae king, but they remained here with us while they plotted. Akimi had a date tonight, and she planned an introduction. Was this person her true one? We’d soon find out.
Despite my father’s request we end the night early, we hoped to party a long time.
Dad’s gaze met mine, and he tilted his head, waiting for my answer.
“All right.” I sighed. “We’ll be back by one.”
He nodded and squeezed Brodin and Donovan’s shoulders. Fair warning, I supposed, but he was too late. My sister and I had chosen, and we would not be denied.
Fleur stood on her toe
s and kissed Donovan.
“None of that,” Dad said gruffly.
Really, he thought he could keep us from kissing, too?
He winked at me, and my laugh burst from me. We were still feeling each other out, but we had time to make this work. Lots of time. In fact, we had a new future filled with endless possibilities.
Brodin held out his arm to me. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes.” I skipped beside him to the door, smiling over my shoulder. “Night dad!”
“One a.m., and not a second after,” Dad called out.
After the door shut with my father inside and us out here, I backed Brodin against the wall and gave him a long kiss. I couldn’t get enough. I’d never get enough.
“Tria, come on!” Fleur said as she passed us. “You can save that for later.”
Holding hands, Brodin and I took off after them, half-running down the hall. We caught up to walk behind them.
I winked at Brodin, and he grinned back.
We still hadn’t found alone time.
I was getting too impatient. Soon. It was gonna happen.
After all, he still owed me a promise.
* * *
~THE END~
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If you enjoyed the Darkwater Reformatory Series,
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You can leave your review here.
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Have you read the Crystal Wing Academy Series?
This is your chance to read Fleur’s story
and meet Tria before Darkwater commences.
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About the Author
Marty writes young adult fiction and infuses it with suspense, romance, and a touch of humor. When she's not dreaming up ways to mess with her character's lives, she works as an RN/Clinical Documentation Specialist. She lives in New England with her husband, three children, three geriatric cats, and a spunky Yorkie pup who keeps her on her toes.
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Other books by Marty Mayberry
Author Page
* * *
DEAD GIRLS DON’T LIE
* * *
PHOENIX ARISE
* * *
CRYSTALWING ACADEMY
Outling
Dragonsworn
Unraveler
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DARKWATER, A CrystalWing Spin-Off Series
Wicked Betrayal
Wicked Challenge
Wicked Rebellion
Written as Marlie May
Page
CRESCENT COVE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Some Like it Scot
Simple Irresistible
* * *
TWIST OF FATE
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CRESCENT COVER ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Fearless
Ruthless
Reckless
Crystal Wing Academy: Outling
Welcome to Crystal Wing Academy,
where the magical Elite reign…
and Outlings are an endangered species.
* * *
Magic doesn't exist in the human world. As far as I know. But when I fling a fireball at a bully, my horrified Mom dumps me at Crystal Wing Academy, a place straight out of my favorite fantasy books.
* * *
They tell me I’m an Outling, a wizard born from non-magical parents. Mom’s human. Dad? I don’t exactly know who he is.…
* * *
One thing I do know is I’m not an Elite—descendants of the original six families who split from the Fae ages ago. At seventeen, their children and despised Outlings like me attend the Academy to learn to control our power.
* * *
I’m barely on campus when I’m targeted by a mean girl. Figures. Thankfully, the Academy’s not all bad. My pixie roommate’s awesome. I score a coveted moonstone during Stone Selection. And let’s not forget Donovan, a cute guy who seems to like me, not the mean Elite girl who’s determined to win him.
* * *
Except something’s luring students into the forest and draining their power, leaving only shriveled husks behind. The Headmistress warns me not to investigate, but the killer’s after my friends. Big mistake there. My magical skills may be untrained and wild, but if a power-sucking vamp thinks he can harm people I care about, he’s about to discover I’m a wizard unlike any other.
Chapter One
Seven Years Earlier
“I’m sorry,” Mom said after we both got into the car. She stared forward, through the windshield, and her shoulders shook as if she cried.
“What are you sorry for?” There was no hiding the concern in my voice. What was going on?
I had my suspicions. A week ago, I’d done something bad. What happened…It wasn’t even possible, was it?
Magic wasn’t real.
Mom’s body tightened. She started the car and backed down the driveway, saying nothing.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we drove across town. My beat up, stuffed rabbit lay on the seat where I’d left it months ago, and I lifted it and held it close, barely resisting the urge to suck my thumb. I was ten, not two, well beyond the age where I’d do a thing like that.
But something was wrong.
Her fingers blanched on the steering wheel as she took our old Honda up onto the highway.
An hour later and after snaking along a series of smaller roads, heading north and deeper into the remote parts of Maine, she still hadn’t said a thing.
“Mom?” Even I could hear the nervous edge in my voice. “Please. Where are we going?”
“I…” She shook her head. “This is…the way it needs to be, sweetheart.” Utter defeat rang out in her words.
My heart ground to a halt before jumping around in my chest. I clutched my rabbit closer. “What do you mean?”
“Fleur. Please. I need to focus on my driving.” She turned the radio on and rock music blasted through the car loud enough to drown out any further questions.
Dropping my rabbit, I clamped my hands together on my lap and tried to keep my feet from fidgeting on the floor mat, but they wouldn’t stay still. She’d never done anything like this before. Yet after what happened last week at school…What I might’ve done…I was scared.
She turned the car onto a dirt road. The vehicle bumped along for thirty minutes or so while a dark, spooky forest grew closer and closer around us.
A sudden fog fell, engulfing the vehicle. It crept on spindly spider feet through the car. So thick I couldn’t see more than an arm’s reach beyond my window. Mom slowed but kept going, inching along the road, leaning forward, her face scrunched tight with tension.
“Should we, um, turn around?” I asked. I’m scared, I did not say, though the words hung around my neck like a lead weight.
“We’ll be there soon.”
“Where?”
The fog suddenly lifted and we reached a dead end. As I stared out the window, my palms sweaty, Mom parked in front of a huge arched gate spanning the gap between a long, spiky, black iron fence. A sign mounted beside the gate said, Crystal Wing Academy in gilded letters.
Magical worlds were my go-to reading material. I might only be in the fifth grade, but I’d read everything I could get my hands on, even adult fantasy books. Crystal Wing, plus the word Academy sparked my imagination. Despite my worry about what we were doing here, I couldn’t help wondering what exciting things lay beyond the gate.
“Wait here,” Mom said as she shoved open her door and got out of the car.
Since the incident at school, she’d been short with me. I’d heard her crying late at night. How could she blame me for the fire? I hadn’t had a lighter or matches, and everyone knows you can’t start a fire without creating some
sort of spark. But leave it to Mom to find a way to pin what happened with Tristan on me.
Mom’s door slammed shut, and she strode over to the gate where she paused to study the sign. Her shoulders lifted and fell, and she hesitated before pushing a button that must engage a bell somewhere deep behind the fence because a distant gong shivered through the air.
The woods were dense around us, hovering on both sides of the road. Vines crept and draped, hanging so low they brushed the top of the car.
We’d found our way inside a shaggy beast’s belly.
As if by magic, the steel gates creaked open; the grinding, rushing sound raking down my spine and making me lean forward, almost afraid to find out what might come next.
The sound must’ve scared Mom, too, because she stumbled backward. Then her hands clenched and her back ramrodded. Nodding, she hurried back to the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. She ground the starter and the engine fired. Again, without saying anything, she drove through the gate and it thudded closed behind us.
My mouth drier than a desert, I shrunk into my seat, too frightened to beg Mom for more information.
Wicked Rebellion (Darkwater Reformatory Book 3) Page 20