Fearless Magic (4 page)

"Will you help me then?" I plead urgently. Maybe holding a new title would carry some weight with this stubborn man.

"Help you how?" he asked.

"Tell me what to do," I unfolded my arms and raised my hands, desperate for advice.

"I cannot tell you what to do," he laughed harshly. "You are beyond being told what to do. No one remains for you to take orders from. It is time for you to decide how to act and when."

"But I don't even know where to start." I dropped my arms to my sides heavily, already feeling defeated.

"Haven't you already started?" Silas smiled, mischievously, flashing perfectly white teeth that contrasted pleasantly with his midnight skin.

I sighed heavily in response. Tired of riddles, and in need of concrete answers, I was getting impatient.

"Do you know where my parents are?" I folded my arms again, suddenly exhausted.

"No," he shook his head. I opened my mouth to question him more but he continued before I could speak, "They were here. A few months ago they came to ask the same questions you ask me today."

"They were here?" I asked, disbelieving. They were for sure alive and they had been here, I could hardly believe the news. "Where did they go?"

"I do not know. They do not want to be found," Silas looked passed me, into the wild expanse of the mountains and I believed him. I knew I would have to work to find them.

"What did you tell them?" I pushed down the despair that threatened to end my quest and shouted in my ear to give up now. I would find them, whether they wanted to be found or not. And they would help me. I was their daughter.

I was the Oracle. They had no choice.

"I told them, what I have told you," he replied dryly.

"That you won't help me?" I rolled my eyes, a subconscious sign of rebellious youth, a left-over habit of a life that was ripped from me. "But you will help me, Silas, I know you will. This fight is too big for you not to be included. You keep me away from your people because you are afraid for them, because you want a better life for them. That is why I know, when the day comes, you will help me. You will have to help me. I am the last hope this whole kingdom has and if you have any hope in the future, you better hold it in me." I stomped my foot involuntarily. Filled with the righteous passion I believed accompanied any mission against the purest form of evil and at the core of my argument, I knew that I was right.

He would help me.

"You believe you will succeed?" He tipped his chin up towards the rising sun and stared into the achromatic void of the expansive sky.

"I have no other choice," I promised.

We stood there silently for a few moments. Silas looked to the heavens as if they would guide his internal debate and I looked at him, waiting for him to answer me.

"Then yes, I will help you." His eyes moved from the brewing seasonal storm to mine with an intensity that might shake a more unsure person. I stood still, held to the ground with firm resolve, believing in my cause with every fiber of my being and daring him not to join me. "When the time comes, I will help you."

I heard his words clearly. He said nothing about his colony. He alone promised to help, so we stood there silently, letting his words ring out in an oath to creation. We let the fulfillment of his promise be pushed to a later date, a different time and a different place, when the call to come to my aid would be of greater importance than the call to protect his people.

"Thank you," I whispered, grateful I accomplished what I set out to.

"Hmph," he grunted in reply.

"Where should I go from here?" I asked, tired of riddles and realizing Silas was not prone to giving straight. I was used to following someone else's directions and although Silas was right, I would have to learn to lead on my own, I still felt some guidance was necessary.

"I don't know where you should go from here," he answered. My blood began tingling with the childish irritation of a foreboding mysterious set of directions. "There are many places you could go. And any place you do go, you will be hunted."

The first of the morning tourists began to mill about the ancient citadel and I felt the flare of Silas' magic ignite with the desperation to leave. I shared his urgency and took a step closer to him, silently begging him for a lead.

"You will need more than my help Eden, you must find the others. You must convince as many as you can to help you. Go there next," he finished quietly and I knew I was losing him; he would be gone in a second.

"Go where next?" I demanded quickly, trying to hide my irritation.

"Find all those that can help you. Go to the Church of San Agustin, in the village of Urubamba. There you will find a priest; his name is Gabriel. He will be waiting for you." He put a strong hand on my arm and squeezed gently before turning on his heel and escaping through the growing crowd.

I followed him, through the excited travelers, undetected through the exit gate. I had no idea where I was going or how I would find the rest of the Shape-shifter colonies, but I could claim at least one on my side. At least one that would help me fight, one that would stand with me.

Silas wasn't much.

But, he was the beginning. All I needed was one, just one and the rest would follow. I just needed one to start, one to light the flame and then set it free.

Chapter Four

I lost Silas in the crowd. His magic disappeared completely. I pushed through the people pressing their way into the ancient ruins and ended up in the gift shop. Miniature models of the Machu Picchu and overpriced coffee table books depicting its magnificent beauty in scenic pictures, filled the still empty store. The tourists visited the shop at the end of their trip, so I had the place to my self for a few more minutes.

I glanced over the full shelves, brimming with nostalgic memorabilia hoping to find a map, or guide to more than just Machu Picchu, something that would tell me more about Urubamba. The lone store clerk stared at me with the smallest hint of disdain from behind her tall, glass counter, but I tried to ignore her all together.

Bells clanged together from across the store, signaling someone else had entered. My blood ignited with the recognition of Immortal magic. I snapped my head up, while simultaneously slouching lower than the bookshelves, separating myself from the other.

My forearms prickled with anticipation and my veins coursed with lightning that snapped and crackled beneath my skin. I more than recognized that the other was Immortal. I recognized exactly who the Immortal was.

My breath caught in my throat and my palms started sweating. I clenched and unclenched my fingers, finding the willpower to settle down my nerves. He walked closer to me, finding me easily through the stacks of picture books and Inca replicas.

I stood up to full height, realizing hiding was useless and not wanting to seem like a coward. I would meet him with confidence, with courage, and without being a sweaty mess. First, I just had to pull myself together in the two seconds it would take for him to be face to face with me.

I straightened my posture, tilting my chin and clearing my throat just in time for him to round the book shelf and stop short. A sharp ripple of electricity, that started at my neck and worked its way painfully down my back, reminded me of how desperately I hated this man. Yet, the urge to drain his magic and be on my way felt far away and I struggled to even find the venomous words tugging at the hateful part of my brain, begging to escape and slap him in the face.

“Hello, Eden,” Talbott said carefully, his voice the cool, accented, methodical tone it always was.

“What do you want?” I asked, jumping straight to the point. I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to try something.

“We need to talk,” he lowered his voice, glancing furtively at the clerk who had yet to take her eyes off us.

“Ok. Talk,” I demanded, crossing my arms across my chest and tapping my foot impatiently.

“Obviously, I'm not going to talk to you here,” he laughed.

Talbott's eyes suddenly relaxed and twinkled with amusement. I grew irritated beyond what was healthy. This was a bad way to start off a rebellion, if the bad guys didn't even take me seriously.

“Are you laughing at me?” I whispered harshly. I pulled at his magic, not intending to take it right that moment, but needing to drive home the point that in a second I could drain his life's blood from him and leave him helpless and human.

“All right, I'm sorry.” Talbott jerked his shoulder back as if he could reclaim the small, stolen increment of electricity. His chocolate brown eyes flashed helplessly, mourning the loss of what little magic I took and then his expression turned offended, like he thought me above taking
his
magic, like we were friends, as if he wasn't one of them, one of those that had my grandfather killed and kidnapped my brother.

I backed off, holding my hands up in surrender, but it was my turn to be amused. Now, he would take me seriously. It might not matter by the end of our conversation, I would probably take his magic anyway, but at least I could be civil for a now.

“Can I have it back?” Talbott worked at staying polite, but the panic in his eyes was unmistakeable.

“No, you can't,” I hissed with firm resolve, as if I knew how but wouldn't. The truth was, I still had no idea how to return stolen magic once I took it and Talbott was not about to be the first recipient of the miracle should I figure out how to perform it.

“You know, you're surrounded, Eden,” he sighed loudly, as if exasperated. “You are completely outnumbered and outmatched, so cut it out,” he finished quietly, and his eyes narrowed into hard slits of reprimand.

“How many?” I looked through the windows of the small store, not believing there was any number of Immortals that would be able to stop me; it wouldn't matter how many he brought.

“Enough,” Talbott said simply.

“I doubt that,” I countered, growing more and more irritated. I moved past Talbott, searching out the guide or map that I came in here for in the first place.

“Listen, we need to talk. Eden, you need to take this seriously.” Talbott put a gentle hand underneath my elbow. The small gesture was almost too much for me to bear and I wrenched my arm away with revulsion.

I wanted to scream at Talbott, to accuse him of all of the hateful things I knew he was a party to. But when I spun around on my heel, he took a step back flinching before I got the chance to open my mouth. The effect was rewarding. He was so big, so strong and so confident all of the time, that the knowledge that he stood in fear of little, old me was enough for right now.

“How did you find me anyway?” I inquired, suddenly interested in how exactly he came upon the very store I would be in. I wasn't followed from Lima, or up the mountainside and until he entered the store, Silas was the only other Immortal presence I felt. I was sure of that.

Instead of answering aloud, Talbott nodded in the direction of my neck and specifically stared at my chest. I reached my hand up subconsciously and my fingers fell on the necklace and engagement ring hidden beneath my windbreaker. When my fingers closed over the two stones, Talbott nodded his head ever so slightly, confirming my suspicions.

“We have our ways,” he replied more loudly, covering his clue.

I recognized that he was speaking to whoever was with him, but he shed light on a very valuable piece of information that could get me into a lot of trouble. I was very confused suddenly, not knowing if I could really believe Talbott or if this was a show to gain my trust and then betray me later. I was bewildered and that put the situation out of my control. I was at the mercy of Talbott until I figured out what his real agenda was.

“Sure you do,” I mumbled, still fingering the large magical stone that rested against my chest. “What is it that you want, Talbott?”

“I want to make a trade,” he offered carefully, glancing around the room. “Do you mind if we go somewhere else to talk?”

“Yes, I do mind. How do I know this is not just a trick to get me out of a public place? And what kind of trade? What is this?” I tried to keep my voice calm and without emotion, but Talbott was bringing back a flood of feelings that I was not prepared to deal with.

“Listen, Eden, we have you outnumbered,” Talbott declared with all the confidence I expected him to have, but then he lowered his voice so that I was forced to read his lips to fully understand what he was saying, “besides, you want this trade. You need this trade.”

“Fine.” I gave in, following him out the side door he came in through. “But just so you know, just so we are clear, I am probably going to have to kill you and all of your little friends at the end of this.”

“Just relax a little, all right?” he mumbled. We walked through the metal door and out into the first sunshine I had seen my entire time in Peru.

I stopped, just on the other side of the door. We walked into an empty area, the plush vegetation of the mountain just a few feet away and a pathway to the front of the store to my left. I should have decided an escape route by taking in my surroundings and figuring out exactly how I would escape should I need to run.