Black Moon (15 page)

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I mumble, limiting my emotions, which are on the brink of insanity at the moment. My future rests in the hands of my loved ones. This isn’t a simple fix; this is madness.

Beth nods to the others. Eyes shut, they begin chanting; a low hum of orchestrated voices, which rapidly ascend into flailing tongues and eerie cadences. I can’t decipher the words, or their meanings. What I
do
understand is the effect they establish on my physical being; sharp cuts of magic inhibit my aptitude to think rationally, my insides warp in ways they shouldn’t, and there’s a darkness that slowly fogs my mind, plaguing me.

I fight her—
Daciana
—with every last atom of my soul.

And she fights back.

Strange to believe a miniature war is taking place inside me. Either I win or lose, but for certain: there’s no turning back now. She has a tight grip within, but my motivation to survive is even stronger than her love for
Ulric
. I can’t leave those I care for behind. Not again, anyway. If
Daciana
is unleashed, havoc will reign.

Concentrate. You can do this,
I tell myself, closing my eyes.

Release me, dear Candra. I will show your foes the meaning of pain,
says
Daciana
.

Struggling to control
Daciana
takes its toll on my physical and mental state. The circle better finish their magic soon; otherwise, I won’t be able to manage
Daciana’s
strength, which greatly surpasses mine.

Release me,
Daciana
purrs.
Release me and all of your worries will be over. I will take care of Alaric for you, lovely Candra. All you have to do is free your mind.

So persuasive. In another time and another place, I might’ve given in, listened to her words and let them caress my ears with hopes of leaving everything behind and pressing forward without hesitation. But in this very second, while I’m combating to help those I love, the need to be with them, to assist them in conquering our enemies, has never sounded more appealing. Almost as appealing as
Daciana’s
vocabulary.

Almost.
But not quite.

Nice try,
Daci
. Let’s say we make an arrangement. You stay where you are, and I’ll stay where I am. How does that sound?
I ask.

She laughs.
That is not a bargain at all. You want to keep me trapped for centuries as Alaric once did. No, I am aware of trickery and those who practice it.

Do you want to see daylight and be rid of me, or not? Here’s the plan: if Ben and I control you and
Ulric
long enough, we can destroy Alaric. When it’s over, and Alaric is gone, we’ll release the two of you so you can be together again.

Dead silence. She must be contemplating this. I wish she’d hurry; it won’t be long before the circle is closed and our chance is ruined.

Give me your word, Candra. Your word and nothing else.

I promise,
I say.
I’m internally pinky-swearing with you right now.

What?

Never mind. Yes, I promise.

Then it is done.

The mass I’ve pressed against for the past five minutes has evaporated.
Daciana
no longer wrestles with me. I open my eyes and observe everyone staring.

“Did it work? I mean, are you . . . you know . . .
you
?” asks Jana, removing her hands from the circle and cautiously stepping forward, reaching out to touch me.

“Of course it worked,” I say. “When have I ever had a horrible idea?”

~*~

Okay, this really was a horrible idea.
Daciana
is toying with me, making things that are normally easy . . . well . . . difficult. For instance: in the past two days, when trying to shift into my werewolf form, I was only able to half-shift. Who
half
-shifts?

Me, of course. Thanks to my new B-F-F
Daci
.

And when I try to sleep, she talks. Constantly. There hasn’t been a boundary between her thoughts and mine, but that’s about to change. If she wants out, she has to play by my rules.

Could you
please
be quiet for, like, two minutes?
I beg.

You never said I could not speak,
she replies.
How will we ever progress if we fail to communicate?

Ughhh
. I snatch a pillow and throw it over my head. Shoot me now.

We can chat as long as you want, but let’s keep it to normal business hours,
I say.
None of this keeping-me-awake-after-midnight crap. I can’t function without some zee’s.

Some what?

Zee’s. Sleep. You know.

No, I am sure I do not know what you are talking about. Nevertheless, I will quiet down. But remember: the less you correspond with me, the less I will aid you.

We’ll talk tomorrow, like normal people.

Except nothing about speaking to an Ancient living inside me is normal. Forget any preconceived notions about schizophrenics—I’m becoming one.
Daciana
isn’t stupid, though; she knows what she’s doing. If she continues to weaken my defenses, then I’m royally screwed. I can’t wear myself thin. Annihilating Alaric will drain most, if not all, of my energy. Energy I won’t have if
Daciana
continues her nightly ritual.
 

The longer I lie here in newly-found peace, the tougher it is to fall asleep. Tomorrow, Randy and Beth promised everyone we’ll study procedures for handling Followers. As in, we’ll be disposing of them, completely. I shudder at the thought of having to face one or more again. I wish I had a sidekick like Jana is to Blake, or Blake is to Jana. The way they take people out is fearless, brave at best. I may not have those two around when all of these acts of courage are said and done, and the concept saddens me.

They are very valiant, indeed,
says
Daci
.

I groan.
I thought we agreed—

Just my opinion,
she interrupts.
But, if you must
know, I believe they will stay close to your side for the remainder of their lives. And you with them. Many wish for a friendship such as the one you three share, but most will never see their wish granted. Cherish that love, Candra, because
true
friendship does not oft come to pass.

I will,
I advise her, meaning it.

Come now. Gather your rest. You will need vigor for the tasks ahead.

She’s right. Later in the morning, at seven-thirty on the dot, Beth ambles across the upstairs hallway, beating the bottom of a metal pot with a large spoon.

“Rise-n-shine, darlings! We have work to do,” she yells. I’m fairly positive that if Randy and Beth had neighbors, they’d call the cops.

I burrow further underneath my comforter. My bedroom door creaks open, and I envision Beth standing in the doorway, hands on hips.

“Today’s the day!” she shouts, a little too loudly. “C’mon, Candra. We have Followers to thrash into submission.”

Okay. Who is she and what has she done with Aunt Beth?

She jerks the covers off me, and I curl into a ball, seeking warmth.

“If I have to get one of the men in here to drag you out of bed, so help me . . .”

“All right. All right. I’m up,” I mumble, slothfully sliding off the mattress. “Let me brush my teeth and stuff.”

She sharply turns on one heel and leaves the room, bellowing as she goes. I’m sure Mom and Dad will get a kick out of this. Never in my life have I awoken to such a ruckus, and I’m pretty sure they haven’t either.

I
tame
my hair into a somewhat-presentable up-do and brush the morning breath away. My morning ritual nowadays also consists of attempting to contact Ben. So far, no word yet, which worries me. Either he’s completely ignoring my efforts to contact him or his family has figured out a way to block all communication between the two of us. If his family found out he put the idea of escape into my head, he’ll definitely be done for. Since our marking, my pull toward him has been a hundred times greater than before. Only, now it’s even harder to concentrate on responsibilities.

Like
Daci
said, I’m going to need all the rest I can get.

Downstairs, Randy is the man of the hour as he scrambles eggs and fries bacon. Jana and Blake sit at the table, slurping coffee. They look as disheveled as I feel.

“Morning, guys,” I murmur on my way to the coffee machine.

“Morning,” they return in unison.

“So, today’s the big day, huh?” Mom asks as she glides into the kitchen. “Can’t wait to see everyone in action. Candra, sweetie, how are you feeling?” She presses her hand to my forehead, like I acquired a fever due to the ritual.

I slip away and grab a seat at the bar. “I’m fine.”

“Good. I was certain there’d be some aftereffects,” she says more to herself than the rest of us.
 

“And that should just about do it,” Randy says, turning off the oven eyes and placing the pans on warmers. The bacon sizzles, and steam whorls off the eggs.

Blake all but topples his chair in an attempt to beeline for the food. Jana frowns and shakes her head. I laugh.

“What?” asks Blake, turning around to face us, a plate in one hand and a fork in the other. “We have to eat, don’t we?” He doesn’t wait for a response before munching on the crispy bacon. It’s enough to send my taste buds into overdrive.

“You’ve convinced me,” I say, snatching a plate and shuffling up next to him.

He gives me a sidelong glance, raising one eyebrow. “You’re not going to eat all of it, are you?”

I lift my chin a little higher. “So what if I am?” Eyeing his plate, I add, “Better watch it—I might eat yours.” With that, he keeps his distrusting façade all the way to the table.

Jana rolls her eyes. “Really, you two.”

Ignoring both of them, I decide it’s time to get down to business. “What’ll it be like today, play-fighting against non-existent Followers?”

“It was Randy’s idea to construct lifelike people and wolves to practice with,” Jana informs me. She briefly smiles at Randy, who’s too busy talking to Beth to notice. “They’ve helped us a lot, especially when dealing with the real thing.”

“Well, if what you two did with those Followers the other day is any indication of the training you’ve received, then I say we’re off to a good start. Not the best yet, but better than we were.” Blake’s pretend scowling has worn off, and I sit across from him at the table. “At least now we have an Ancient on our side.” Who has been surprisingly quiet since our chat last night.

“
If
—and that’s a big if—she’ll cooperate,” Blake reminds me. “I hope you don’t have another repeat of yesterday.” He’s implying about my transformation being half-assed, with
Daciana
preventing me from fully changing. Which has occurred for three straight days now.

“I think she’s slowly coming around,” I say. “It’ll take some time for her to warm up to me.”