“Are you here to bargain? Want to exchange something for Grayson or Winston? Sorry, negotiations are closed. In fact, they were never open,” was my flat response.
“Bargain? I have laid out a brick road for you. I did everything but put out a freaking sign that says ‘Charlie, go here - do this.’”
“What have you done besides raise hell?”
“I didn’t raise hell. I escaped to give you some kind of direction. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get around Xavier? How impossible that is?”
“Apparently, not too impossible. You’re here – or is he waiting in the fog?”
“No. Thankfully, Drake has his attention right now. Listen, why do you think I used Winston to get to you? So you would see what was in that guitar - but instead you fell asleep. Then you woke and had brunch with Britain. I bet that was fun to witness. Anyway, I waited. Waited for you to go back to the guitar, figure this out. Hard to do when you’re dancing at a ball and hiding out on a beach, but whatever. I seriously hoped the shadowed soul would knock some sense into you – show you your own
father’s
direction. I was the one that gave your mom the blades in that box – all me. I have done everything to help you stay alive, and you just don’t get it!”
“Oh, so you’re a saint? What knives?”
“Let them join, end this - before it’s too late,” she said with a harsh clipped tone as her blue eyes blazed and the wind jerked her long, dark hair off her shoulders.
“You think I believe you? That I could honestly believe that you have been helping us? No. No way in hell.”
“Fine. Read the blades.”
“What blades?” Draven asked.
“They are in the box – only those that must join can open it.” Her eyes blazed through me. “Charlie, you’re right: they are two now, and they can’t stay as one for long, but they can stay as one long enough to kill Xavier, to open the door to a new reality. You could end this all tonight – not only for you and yours, but for Willow and hers, those kids. Xavier is the head of the snake, and you can only kill him during an eclipse – when your rising moves from your sign, the eleventh hour. If you don’t want to kill him, fine. I’ve been in hell for a while…not sure how your little friend Monroe will like it when they finally get their hands on her, drain her for all she is worth.”
I charged forward, but Draven held me back.
“You flooded Aden’s mind – why?! Where’s the explanation there?! You blinded me, tried to come between Draven and me - took Landen and Drake and just want to show up here and tell me I’m an idiot, that I’ve misread your intent? Give – me – a – break!”
“I did blind you so you could fight that way. I did come between you and Draven so you would learn to fight for him. I did take Landen and Drake so you and Willow would come together in this battle. I did it all, and I’m proud of it. I managed to look like the universe’s best soldier while simultaneously leading to my commander’s death. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why you are any of our last hopes. I guess we are just that unlucky.”
“You want Xavier dead? Kill him in his sleep for all I care.”
“The only reason you are against this is because you think if they join, you will lose one of them. You’re wrong.”
“How?” Draven asked before I could throw a comeback at her.
“Easy. Who divided you in the first place? A Witness. Witnesses are not risen, created. They are born that way. How many Witnesses do you know? I can think of three, and any one of them could divide you the second Xavier falls. You think combining would be an end? It’s just a means to an end. The amount of power it would take to kill Xavier could not be in one soul. You have to become one to end him. That’s the only way. Why would I lie? When the door opens to hell, I’m walking out. Like I said, I’m used to it. Others, not so much - and here lately, Xavier has a craving for young beings, ones that are full of ambition, ones just like Monroe and her new friends.”
“You’re telling me that any Witness could break us apart?” Draven demanded.
“I am. Do what you want.” The ground rumbled all around us. “This conversation has already cost me more than you can fathom. Sorry you couldn’t throw the final blow, Charlie. Nice knowing you.”
At that moment, screeching dark shadows raced through the fog, wrapping around her. She tried to fight them, but they whisked her away. As they did, her screams of agony tore through me. Some of the lingering shadows charged in our direction, but before the first one could reach me a bright light exploded behind us and I felt myself jerked backward.
Chapter Sixteen
Breathless, I found myself on the floor of the string, lying between Landen and Draven. As we rose to our feet, I saw Brady leaned forward, bracing himself on his knees, clearly out of breath. He rose to a standing position as we did.
“The next time I say, ‘We need to move’ or ‘Get down’ - DO SO.”
Even though his tone was harsh, I could see why. He’d anticipated that something was off in the string and was trying to protect us. When we fell through the wall, he couldn’t follow us. The only ones that can walk through the walls of the string unharmed are Landen and Willow, for some strange reason. Brady had to run to where he thought Landen was, and luckily he found him near the passages of Esterious on his way back with Madison and the others. Apparently, in a glimpse Landen could ‘see’ what was wrong without Brady saying a word, which saved time. A second later...I wouldn’t be here to be scolded by Brady.
Landen looked over Draven and me carefully. “I don’t believe her,” he commented flatly.
“You don’t believe her, or you know she’s not telling the truth?” Draven said as he rolled back his shoulder, which had been slammed into the string floor, obviously trying to work out the pain.
“She is not telling the truth!” I bellowed. “Cashton said there was no way that you and Aden could have been divided or whatever in that arena. Call me crazy, but I would believe my own brother before her. If you were never joined, then how would she or anyone know that a Witness could divide you?!”
Draven glanced at Landen, wanting his take on it.
“She’s blank to me. That’s why she fooled me in The Realm. There is no read there. Clarissa said it’s because she’s a mirror of a soul, not real enough for me to grasp emotions that a soul would have. Seems to me like you guys have found old family. No secret how highly I hold family, especially brothers,” Landen said, glancing to Brady.
“We can prove it, though. She made it seem like the blades would back up her point that a Witness could divide us after we joined,” Draven hastily replied. “Maybe we were not divided then and we were just both there, but what if that is the answer? What if they knew we could do that and assumed that is what happened?”
“Draven!” I exclaimed. “For all you know, they planted those visions in The Realm and toyed with Silas. Shock, Draven – that is an intense emotion to deal with. Nothing is ever what it seems – how do you not get that?!”
He reached his hand for my shoulders. “Charlie, if I can end this bullshit right now, then I’m going to. The point was to get you to some kind of peace - and instead I have walked you straight into hell. Your own brother said he didn’t want you in the middle of this. This has to stop before you become someone you’re not, before one mark is etched into your soul.”
“The last person I’m taking direction from is Bianca!” I roared.
“From the looks of it, those were her last words. Let’s find the knives. Your mom would not have given you something that would hurt us. You trust her, don’t you?”
Oh, I hated how he knew exactly what buttons of mine to push.
“Well, yeah...but still...”
Landen was circling us slowly.
“What is it?” Brady asked him.
“Not a single burn. Not even their clothes,” Landen muttered in response.
“I thought it was because their energy levels were so elevated,” Brady said, looking at the thin air around us.
Landen nodded once, trying to hold in a grin. “You guys got some rest last night?”
“Seriously? What we did last night? That’s where this conversation is turning?” My tone was encased with humiliation.
Landen tilted his head. “How long would it take you to get ready to perform on stage tonight?” he asked.
“From the looks of things, not long,” Draven replied with a slight smirk. “Why?”
“I’m wondering how elevated your power is...if I stopped time, if you would still be aware. The problem is if I do that we will lose time when I resume it.”
“You did that when we saved you. We’re not immune,” Draven countered.
“That was before - before that guitar shocked all of you, before the kids put you to sleep, before last night. Stopping time would allow us to have an edge if we needed one tonight or any other time. We should test this,” Landen said, looking at Brady, who had his arms crossed as his steel blue eyes followed the conversation.
“What?” he asked. “You want me to dance around or something so you can see if I freeze in place?”
“Yeah,” Landen answered with a smirk.
Just as Brady unfolded his arms in protest, he froze - but we didn’t.
Landen’s eyes found us. “Guess it works now.”
Before I could ask why, I heard Brady say, “You are out of your mind - I’m not dancing around. You know this messes with the looking glass…” Noticing our smirk, he stopped. “You did it already, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but I would do it again if you promised to dance this time,” Landen teased.
Brady rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure if I like this old-slash-new Landen. Get serious. We saw a shadowed soul.”
“Right, one that Bianca claims she sent,” Landen sighed. “That wooden box is in New Orleans...” He looked at me, then to Draven. “You have to follow what you feel, not what you see or are told.”
“Then let’s see what’s in that box,” Draven said, reaching for my hand.
Brady led and Landen lingered behind us, which made me feel like we were some kind of prisoners - either that or guarded precious cargo. Neither title would make me feel comfortable. I would glance back at Landen from time to time, just long enough to grasp that tingling sensation in my mind. I wasn’t seeing much. Apparently that knife wound of mine, the one he had healed, had spurred a chain reaction. Now he and Olivia could ‘see’ in some way. But Landen was as Cashton said he was: smart. He was holding back where he had been and what he had done. He did not want our paths to cross unless they had to. I trusted him enough to know that he wouldn’t let me walk into something deadly, though. I just hoped that trust was not misplaced.
As the gray passage came into view, Aden, Willow, Olivia, and Chrispin stepped into the string. A second later they were followed by Madison.
“Willow’s freaked out because she said time stopped - what happened?” Chrispin asked as we reached them.
“Just testing the waters,” Brady grumbled as he passed the passages and continued toward the ones that led to my home dimension.
Willow was staring at Landen; talking with their minds, I assumed. I ignored it and locked eyes with Madison. She was dressed like home, and so were Olivia and Chrispin. I was almost sure Chrispin was wearing some of Draven’s clothes.
Landen nodded to Chrispin, then passed us and took Willow’s hand. They led with Brady, and we lingered in the back with Aden and Madison. Chrispin and Olivia stayed behind us, taking the guard position in which Landen was walking.
Draven let go of my hand as he walked closer to Aden. I watched as they exchanged gazes, sharing what they could about what had happened while they were apart, along with what could happen.
“Fun night,” I said under my breath as I glanced at Madison. I couldn’t see anything. She was keeping her thoughts on lockdown for sure.
“A normal one…that was nice.”
“Was it?” I asked, somewhat surprised.
She shrugged.
“I can’t see it, Madison...you know I want to know, but I get it.”
“What do you want to know?” she asked, blushing slightly.
I felt Olivia and Chrispin slow their walk as if they knew we wanted a private conversation.
“I don’t know. How did ‘I’m going to stay a few minutes’ turn into a search and rescue?”
“We just fell asleep. Apparently, that was a bad idea.”
“Did you go home so your mom could meet him?”
“Kind of. When we were eating that dessert, I told him that this would never work, even for pretend, that it wasn’t real. He asked me what was real, so I showed him. We walked through Salem, listened to music, and I showed him some of my artwork. We then watched a movie…and fell asleep.”
“I see.”
“Do you?” she asked in a nervous voice.
“Um...no. Figure of speech. Why?”
She didn’t answer me, so I elbowed her, knowing it wasn’t all that peaceful or innocent.
“Fine. I did something really immature, but it was halfway Drake’s idea.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. When he asked me why I agreed to do that dance thing, I told him it was for revenge, even though I agreed to it before I figured out Britain was a player. Then I told him why.”