Chapter 51 #2
I glance at him and take in his features. His short white hair shines in the night, and his age shows through the lines that sit near his eyes. He is old and wise beyond his years.
“Can you break a sealed bond?” I ask, hesitantly.
His body tenses, and he looks out of the window, closing his eyes. “You can, yes.”
“How?” I respond sharply.
He exhales heavily and grips the windowsill, as if the words pain him to speak, but I know it isn’t the words that hurt. It’s memories—it’s experience he’s lived and still lives with.
“Agreement… and a death.”
Another tear rolls down my cheek. “Was Crew…”
I don’t finish my sentence before Theo speaks. “No, Mara, he wasn’t. And it was never agreed between you two.”
Relief washes over me, and I loosen my grip on the windowsill.
The shadows flicker below us, and every now and then, I see the outline of large white wings tucked behind the figures.
They drift through the gardens that wind around the Order, and even in the darkness, it’s beautiful.
From the room, I see the vibrant colors of the flowers growing, and I wonder what my life would be like if I had chosen this path for myself.
“I’m so sorry you lost Emalyn,” I say. “I can’t imagine the pain you feel.”
He nods. “Every day is harder without her. The pain doesn’t fade, simply growing as time passes. That’s the interesting thing about death. Life continues while those affected remain still, waiting for someone who won’t return.”
My chest heaves as I realize I’ve been that person, and one day, that will be me all over again. I glance over my shoulder, praying that day isn’t now.
“How do you keep going?” I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth.
“Because that’s what she would want me to do.” His face softens. “And I’d do anything that woman ever asked of me, no matter how painful.”
I smile, and he smiles back. However, my smile quickly fades as the reality of everything settles in. Not only is Crew fighting for his life right now, but Theo doesn’t know he is in danger. We may need to speak to him, but Sam Haber is coming after him, and I think he needs to know.
“Theo,” I say. “I need to warn you.”
He angles his head. “Warn me?”
“The Voids are really forming their own Order. They are already working together, and they plan to take out the Elders in Halcyon City. They’ve already succeeded with Griffin, and you are next.”
His face hardens, but I continue talking before he has time to speak.
“They are saving Carver and Lowell for the end, because they think they are the strongest. But if Crew is changing into the Elder of the Jade Order, that must mean that Carver is dead, right? So maybe their plans have changed.”
“Mara,” he snaps, and grabs my shoulders.
I notice Locke standing in the corner of my eyes, and I attempt to lift my hand to tell him to stay still.
“Who is running the Voids?” Theo asks, his eyes wild.
I hesitate to say his name in fear.
“Mara,” Theo repeats. “No one on this earth should be able to possess that amount of power. Power like that comes from….”
“But he can,” I whisper. “He has that power.”
His eyes narrow. “Who sealed the bond between you and Crew?”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” I ramble. “He shouldn’t even be here, and I’m not sure how he is so powerful.”
“Who, Mara?” He spits.
“Sam Haber.”
Theo pushes my shoulder back, and I stumble away from him, barely catching my footing. His hands move into his hair, and he paces around the open window. “The Elder Sam Haber is dead. You killed him over a year ago.”
I nod in confirmation. “I did… kill him.”
His gaze finds mine, and my jaw drops as I watch his eyes glow a vivid blue. He lowers his eyes, and fear floods me as he slowly meets my stare with an intensity that nearly makes me gasp. “Then how is he back, Mara?”
I swallow hard and step farther away. “He was brought back. By the Grim in return for the Elders’ souls. By a higher power.”
Anger crashes into Theo, and I jump as he flips his large wooden desk over as if it were weightless.
A loud hissing noise escapes his lips, and I press my back against the wall.
I cut my eyes to Locke and mouth for him to stay near Crew.
Damien stands and places his body between the desk and Bronwyn.
Theo walks to the window, leaning against the windowsill. A glowing light surrounds him, and I step forward.
“I’m sorry, Theo,” I say. “My hatred for Lowell blinded me. I only wanted him and Carver dead. I never meant to put you in harm’s way, and I know Crew never did either.”
“Working with him would only ever lead to harm,” he rasps. “Is that why Carver is desperate to find Crew?”
I nod.
“You aren’t working with an Elder, Mara.” He slams his fist against the windowsill. “If Sam was brought back, it was because of an intervention. He would return as a High Elder. That’s how he sealed your bond.”
Fear floods me, and I can’t form words.
Theo steps closer. “Sam is lying about everything. You need to tell me exactly where he is right now. If the High Elders are getting involved after decades of silence, more is at play. You fucking idiots. Sam won’t stop after we are dead.”
“Theo, what does that mean?”
He slowly turns from the window and bores his gaze into mine.
“That means that once the Orders aren’t being ruled or protected, he can form whatever Order he wants, with whomever he wants.
He will wipe you all out. A High Elder will do great damage on this Earth.
That’s why they leave. You say you hate death, but you just brought it to all of us. You—”
His jaw slacks, pausing his words.
“Theo?” I step forward.
The Elder remains frozen in time. His eyes turn soulless, the illuminating blue dulls as the seconds pass, and his hands drop to his sides, his fingers twitching every so often.
“Mara,” Locke calls. “Step back.”
My eyes widen in shock as his head slowly slides off his neck, slapping the ground with a gruesome thud.
I stumble backward, tripping over the desk's contents, and crash to the floor. Theo’s body collapses to the ground, shrinking into a gray, skin-like mass.
I cover my mouth with my hand, stifling a gasp.
“Shit!” Damien shouts.
I can’t move from the shock, and Locke’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back around the couch as we watch two figures emerge from the darkness of the window.
“I thought he would never shut the fuck up,” a familiar haunting voice sounds.
My gaze narrows, and I push away the terror that's spreading through my veins like a dark stain. I glare as Carver and Lowell step down from the windowsill, twisted smiles spreading across their faces like a disease.