Chapter 18 #2
This is dark and aggressive, and as she backs away, it doesn’t break our connection.
The strands stay bound, and I mentally wrap my own energy around hers, pulling it in deeper to the core of me.
My eyes release her from our staring contest, and I take in the space around us.
A circle encompasses us, the ground withering within the bounds.
As I look closer, everything seems to be suffering—shrivelling—as if the water within is being drawn from the very ground, the residual power of our connection extracting it and vaporising it.
I turn to the Usher and shove my hands at him. A trail of steam follows towards him, and around, filling the air with hot clouds.
My heart pounds hard at the rush of power now growing, threatening, eager, as if it’s had a taste of being loose and wants to test how far it can go—a stallion on the edge of a wide, open expanse, just ready to tear through the grass.
Only my magic is pulling water from everything in its path. The leaves crinkle and curl inward before dropping to the ground, the misty steam now thick and foggy around us.
“Stop, Ever!” It’s Fenix’s voice. But I can’t see him.
I’m lost. Stuck in this destructive path with no way to pull it back.
Until his power overwhelms me and everything stops. My muscles, my body instantly freezing on the spot, and with it, my power.
My lungs begin to scream. My heart too, at the abrupt stop in the rhythm it was beating.
I watch as the misty scene clears, and the vegetation and surrounding area return to normal, the Usher staring at me, as if I’m a puzzle he has to solve.
Well, guess what, that makes two of us.
“Fight your brother,” he says. “Push his control back.”
But I’m helpless. Paralysed. Trapped.
Panic swims in my vision as the silence of my heart only lasts longer. I’m going to suffocate. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.
“Let her go, Fen. She’s no harm now.”
I collapse to the ground as he does. My legs give out under me, and my hands sink into the dry foliage.
“You will learn to control your power without needing touch.” The Usher nods towards my brother as I dig my fingers into the dirt. The slippery mud on the surface reminds me of what I just did.
“First lesson done. But we need to keep testing your power.” Fenix stands over me as I strain my neck to look up at him.
He offers his hand, but I dig in and pull myself up.
“Come on.” He beckons me through the woods, along the path he took me on, or rather, he influenced me to travel before locking me in the cave.
But if we’re going this way, I can check on Ten.
“Crimson needs a Healer for her wrist.”
“Oh yeah, perhaps she should have thought about that before attacking.”
“Do you have them here?”
“Of course we do.”
“Then what’s the problem? You want me to train, she can help. But only if she’s healed.”
“I’m so glad you think of it that way. Okay. If you do what you’re told, I’ll see that we have a healer to look at her after training today.”
My tongue stills in my mouth as I try to convince myself that I should say thank you. “Thank you.”
He doesn’t respond, but I follow, eager to speak to Ten. I push our connection, sure that it must be able to work now that we’re even closer.
“Ten?”
As we get closer, I remember the training area outside and realise that’s where we’re heading. The gate to their cell is open as we approach. And Ten and Crimson are already in the middle of the ring.
“Ten? Are you okay?” As soon as I see him, it’s like the tether to him reforms, happy to rush towards him.
“We’re fine.”
“I’ve been trying to reach you all morning.”
“Me too. Do you think—”
“Your training needs to be put into practice. And as well as offensive, you need to learn to defend. So, I thought you might like a training partner.” Fenix interrupts us.
“Who? Ten?” I smile, my heart lifting at the idea of training with him.
“Yes,” he sniggers. “It’s good that you’re so eager.
I said that I wouldn’t hurt them. As long as you train.
” That sinking feeling is back. Especially as I look over at Ten and Crimson, who’s supporting her broken wrist. Both look absolutely furious.
As I step closer, I’m hit with a wave of dread, and it’s coming from Ten.
He lifts his eyes to mine, and all I see is pain swimming in his eyes.
“I’m here. Training. I’m doing everything you’ve said,” I repeat the words to Fenix, reminding him that I’m holding up my end of the stupid bargain, and he just agreed to help Crimson.
“Good. Now, practice. With him.” Fenix steps aside and makes a show of pointing to Ten as I step into the ring.
“What?” I look between him and Ten. “No.” I shake my head. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. How to control…”
“And what better way for you to hone your skill. Call it an added incentive. I told you it was about motivation. And don’t worry. Ten will play along. His friend is a useful pawn in this game, too. Everybody’s on the board, now it’s time to play.”
“Ten, I don’t—”
“It’s okay, Ever. I can shield.”
I nod, and step forward. This isn’t how I wanted to reconnect with him. Not like this. Not with force, and being scrutinised, like an animal being experimented on.
“Come on. We don’t have all day.” The Usher’s voice echoes over us. I hadn’t realised he’d followed.
I meet Ten, face to face, and look up into his eyes. He doesn’t give me time to second-guess, and slides his palm over my cheek, holding me, pulling me closer to him. My will crumbles, and I collapse into his chest, happy to be safe—pretending that we’re safe—if only for a few moments.
The familiar energy warms my skin, spreading through my body, radiating from me. But instead of trying to press my power and force it to expand, I order it to calm. I think of the stillness of the lake and lock it down deep within the well at the centre of my chest.
My breathing evens out.
“There’s no way that Fenix can tell what we are doing, or what our power allows us. How will he know if we’re practising, as he calls it?”
But even with both of us willing our touch to stay as just that, the visions start to shift.
Flashes of places, of scenes I don’t recognise, blur in front of me.
They speed up, changing before my eyes as they dance and skip.
It’s the same as it always has been, and after last night, it’s like our reaction to one another is primed and ready to explode.
Despite being exactly where I want to be, the need to pull away and to spare Ten the pain I know will come next is overwhelming. But he just shakes his head and runs his other hand up and around my neck, ensuring I have nowhere to go.
“We can do this, Ever. I won’t put either of us, or Crimson, at his mercy.”
I close my eyes, willing everything in me to obey and be calm—the exact opposite of what I just did with Selina.
Maybe the pain won’t be the same here? Everything else about our magic is muted, so maybe this will be, too? But then the tension of Ten’s hand flexes, and he shifts his stance, and I know he’s feeling it. My heart sinks, and a flash of anger—of resentment—stabs me in the chest.
“If you two think that standing there is going to satisfy our idea of training, you have another thing coming.”
“Our power doesn’t do anything, Fenix. You can see that,” I defend.
“Do you think I’m a fool?” he questions. “Do you think I didn’t have every single detail of your training at The Court relayed to us? Micah was very thorough.”
“Micah?” Crimson questions from the sidelines, shifting her position.
As Fenix turns to her, I pull away from Ten, ensuring we have a break while he’s distracted. Fenix glances between us all. “They don’t know? Huh. Do you want to tell them, or shall I?” He levels his stare at me.
“What’s he talking about?” Ten asks, and I can feel him looking at me.
My eyes dip away, over to Crimson, who’s wearing an expression that only makes me want to rush the answer.
“Micah was the one who betrayed me. Betrayed us. He let those men into my cell and was working with Fenix.”
“For, Sister. He was working for me. And did a good job.”
“Yet you still thought he needed to die?” A wave of adrenaline splashes through my chest, riling the energy I’d calmed into submission.
It thrashes against the well that holds it, and surges to the surface.
My hands itch with the heat that now runs through them, and all of it is aimed at my brother.
“I told you. He had a soft spot for you. I couldn’t risk my plans.”
“You killed Micah. But he betrayed Ever.” Ten’s voice is ice. “He allowed those men to try and kill her, to take her.” There’s nothing polite or kind in his voice, only malice. I sense him behind me, his movement stirring my wayward hair, as he backs me up.
“I will kill whoever I see as a threat. Something I suggest you remember, Aten Ciro. It isn’t you I need.”
“You need him, Fenix. I promise you that.” My own defence of Ten rises.
“Or what? You’ll attack me?” He laughs. “Maybe, with time, that might be a credible threat, but don’t think you can hurt me. Your little trick with the dark mist isn’t going to do anyone any harm. It’s just a neat illusion.”
“What trick with dark mist?” Ten asks, but I can’t have that conversation with him while fighting with Fenix.
“Keep Ten and Crimson safe, and we won’t have to find out how dangerous I can be.” It’s an empty threat, although some part of it piques a part of me and the possibility of finally being the one in control hovers.
A smile stretches over his face, twisting his features. “Oh, how I do like it when you get angry, Sister. There’s hope for you yet. Now, get on with it.”